Chapter 4: Engagements
I come from a royal family, one which was all but completely wiped out by a tyrannical madman, whose power-hungry ambitions and evil creations almost resulted in the destruction of Mobius. Fortunately, the blood of our line is strong, and with our comrades, we emerged victorious over the enemy. Before the second war, we had learned that our strength laid not in our weaponry, special powers or equipment. All the power we needed was within our faith and love for each other.
The second war was an eye-opener for several of us. I lost both of my brothers and many of my friends in that violent massacre. We had always believed that nobody was evil enough to actually wish for the death of an entire planet. Unfortunately, fate and past encounters have proven otherwise. Though I hoped with all my heart that the peace would have lasted on forever, I secretly knew that there would always be someone alone. Someone whose emotions would eventually darken and turn towards evil thoughts. Someone without the feeling of friendship and family. I only wonder just how lonely a person could be to hate the rest of existence...
Excerpt from the documentary of Sonia the Hedgehog, entitled "The Enemy's Lament: The Facade of a False Mask."
*****
The Gantrithor, Carrier flagship of the Protoss armada, loomed over the beautiful blue-green sphere that made up Mobius, hovering in orbit around the infested planet. Already, large purple wastelands and torn mountain ranges indicated the terrible onslaught of the Zerg hordes, their organic hives and cells defiling the once-incredible world with the living substance known as the Creep. Floating alongside the gargantuan backbone of the alien fleet, a sleek craft emerged from the darkness, an oddly-shaped vehicle resembling some tri-bladed claw.
The shielded cockpit of the Arbiter-class vessel glowed a golden color, and the infinite blackness of space seemed to bend around the mysterious craft, consuming several sleeker fighters in a cloak of midnight-emptiness, mottled with bright flecks of the glowing heavens. With a satisfied nod, Sonar, seated in front of the Special Operations station, reported the success of the cloaking procedure to Sally, who sat at the helm of the enigmatic starship. "Spectrum distortion field has been engaged. The Scout squadron is within range. The field is taking effect: All radar traces of the squadron have faded." Sonic acknowledged the crisp information.
"Right! Our fleet is invisible now, so let's get moving!" Sonar Spine saluted and returned to his console, checking to ensure the continued capability of their cloaking shield. Sandra Vixen, positioned inside the ring of computers that made up Navigation, plotted an immediate course to the Mystic Caves. "Course is set. Coordinates are X-129, Y-50, Z-274. Engaging half thrust on pulse drives." Sandra gave out her progress, her steady, clear voice unable to keep up with the incredible speed of her actions. The powerful engines of the Arbiter flared with blue energy, waiting only for the command.
"Rotor! Send the fleet the coordinates! Tell Tassadar to wait for our signal." Rotor hurried to comply with Sally's command, working the controls of the communications work zone with consummate skill. "Executor Tassadar, this is the Tornado. Coordinates are X-129, Y-50, Z-274. We will delay Chaos Wraith with Scout squadron Chaotix, while Shuttle fleet Adun evacuates the caves. En Taro Adun" With those words, the awesome bulk of the armored supercarrier shone blue for a moment, then blasted towards the sparkling green caverns that housed the immense deposits of raw Khaydarin.
"Squad Chaotix, report!" Sally barked over her newly-upgraded portable computer, Nicole. The small fleet, roughly thirty in total, sent their information in immediately over the intercom, in sequence. "Charmy, Vermillion Leader!" The agitated buzzing of Charmy's wings distorted his voice, making it all but unintelligible. The Protoss gave their ranks by number, from Vermillion 1 to Vermillion 9. One of the golden fightercraft flew just out of the stasis field, saluting the Arbiter with an arrogant barrel roll. Sally smirked, then cut their comm.
"Vector, Jade Leader." The steady, rough voice of Vector Gator rumbled over the comm, and Sally quickly lowered the volume, noticing with a grimace that the bulkhead had shook from the echoing force of the deep bass produced by the most serious of the Chaotix Team.
"Espio, Zephyr Leader!" The silky, almost-suspicious tone of Espio Chameleon's regulated voice whispered over the intercom. Sally strained to pick out the meek sounds from the speaker. Espio and Charmy were in their element, Sally thought to herself. In the air and unseen to their enemy.
"All fighters accounted for! On my mark..." Sally paused, letting her bridge members tense up for the command. "MARK!" With that one word, the entire fleet shot into the atmosphere, their highly-sophisticated shielding causing the friction to do little more than heat up the armor plating. With a quick adjustment on her consoles, Sandra gently pulled the control stick to the side, causing the Arbiter to bank slightly to the left. "All Scouts match course with Arbiter! Charge photon vulcan cannon and anti-matter missiles!" The fighters all swiveled in sync with their lead vessel, weapon ports radiating energy as they powered up.
*****
Just a few dozen miles away, Chaos Wraith was blasting his own path towards the hidden village of Knothole. With a grin of anticipation, the steel shadow fired through the clouds, the evil energy produced from his razor-sharp armor corrupting the silver wisps into great storm-heads of devastating proportions. Suddenly, with a jerking halt, the robotic darkness blinked, the blood-red eyes becoming brighter than before. Then, with a scream of agony, the monstrous machination grabbed his head between his hands, which had taken on a reflective golden shine to them.
"NO! I WON'T BE STOPPED! YOU CAN'T STOP ME FROM KILLING THEM ALL!" Chaos Wraith ranted between shrieks of pain, as the will of Mecha Sonic fought against the soulless murderer. "I WON'T LET YOU STAIN MY IRON FISTS WITH THE BLOOD OF THE DEFENSELESS! GET OUT OF MY MIND, YOU MANIACAL FREAK!" The battle raged on, each seeming to gain a hold on the other for a moment, before being challenged again. The steel entity was now stuck between Chaos Wraith and Mecha Sonic, golden armor shining in contrast to midnight-black metal.
*****
Sonia watched from a distance, the cloudy sky not beginning to hide the distinct figure of the metallic hedgehog. "Mecha Sonic's changed a lot from the second war. What happened to him?" The only sister of Sonic wondered, as she stealthily scaled the overhanging rock crag she had been perched on. With a quick look over her shoulder to make sure Mecha Sonic/Chaos Wraith hadn't seen her, she walked through the mountainside, the holographic wall flickering for a split second before rendering itself realistic again.
Manic met her inside, his green shock of spiked hair caught in the zephyr breezes passing through the false entrance to their hideout. Sonia tossed the long-range binoculars over to her cunning brother, wiping perspiration from her brow as Manic handed over a canteen of clean water. She upended the drink, pure hydro running down her chin as it flowed into her open mouth. Brushing the loose streak of softer pink hair from her annoyed eyes, she dejectedly slumped down onto the yielding neon soil of the Mystic Caves, listening to Manic's report on the situation.
"OK! Mecha Sonic's right above us, and it looks like he's in pain. Still, I don't know if we'll be able to use any of the caves without being spotted! MAN! I HATE THIS!" Manic slammed the tunnel wall with his gloved fist, frustrated. As a former thief, he was normally used to easy escapes and desperate situations, and could have busted out of the tightest security prisons. He didn't like being helpless, and Sonia understood. With a smile and a nod, she grabbed hold of her brother's hands, looking deeply into his misted eyes.
"Don't worry about it, bro! We've been in worse scrapes than this. Just keep thinking, 'cause there's gotta be some way out of this!" Manic brushed the moisture from his eyelids and grinned, then turned at the sounds of approaching footsteps, tensing up for an attack. The muscular hedgehog's muscles relaxed when Sandra Nightweaver rounded the corner. The snow-white vixen, her usually-cocky grin replaced by a concerned frown, had nothing good to report.
"We're completely out of food and water! If we can't get some help, we're not gonna last much longer!" All of them just stood silently, contemplating their options, before Manic finally spoke his mind. "Right then, how long do we got before we should get lost?" Sonia thought for a moment before answering. "I'd give it about half an hour before we're really forced to move. We'll have to find some way to contact the others later." With a quick glance at the entrance, the three Freedom Fighters dashed helter-skelter to the depths of the winding caverns.
*****
Within the hardened steel shell of floating armor that made up the Protoss Shuttle, Sonic flipped a switch on an overhead console, simultaneously piloting the quick, unarmed vessel and attempting to get a fix on the position of the Knothole refugees. Suddenly, an alarm whistled on the main fixture, and Sonic hit a button on the red-tinted panel. There were two energy signatures high in the air above the Mystic Caves, each rising and falling in balance, as if caught in a battle of epic proportions.
"That could only be Mecha Sonic!" Sonic's mind raced. They couldn't last long if Chaos Wraith attacked. Yet, there were two powers detected, which meant Mecha Sonic was attempting to regain control. "I just hope he can fight it long enough for us to get in there." Sonic prayed under his breath as he patched into a secure channel with the other shuttles.
"Guys, listen up! We've got to land now! Mecha Sonic's right over the caves!" Tails and Amy gasped over the intercom, and Antoine gulped audibly, not prepared to rush into battle without a weapon between them. "I think we might be able to get over there by foot, though! Chaos Wraith is occupied right now.." Sonic didn't have to say anymore: They all knew that Mecha Sonic was facing a battle against an overwhelming force, and was being killed slowly by the murderous intent of his own darkness.
"Right, big bro! We're with you! Landing now!" Tails was calm and confident, as he usually was in the air. Without so much as the whine of a single engine, the Shuttle convoy landed silently within the valleys near the Hill Top. As they touched Mobian soil, Sonic checked the shining cuff on his arm. The energy level was maxed out. Good! With a satisfied grin, Sonic unhitched the cargo bay door and slowly walked out, a Warp Blade vessel on one arm, and a portable Scarab Drone Launcher, carried crossways in true Marine fashion.
The others were armed similarly. Tails and Amy had been equipped with a pair of Phase Disruptors, powerful energy weapons used mainly in Dragoon mecha. Antoine had taken a pair of light Psi-Blades. All had been armored in the golden, Psi-powered body plates that the Protoss wore in battle, only much smaller, suiting the Freedom Fighters perfectly. "Right! Let's move out!" Sonic called to his team, careful not to raise his voice high enough for Chaos Wraith to hear. With caution at every turn, they moved through the valley towards the cave, covering each other and making ground at an astonishing rate.
*****
"Drop out of warp, and arm all weaponry!" Sally ordered her bridge crew. Sandra immediately worked her consoles, easing the alien starship slowly from its streaking course. Rotor immediately sent out a message to the hidden Scout fleet, anticipating Sally's next command. "All Scout squadrons, match our current speed and maintain radio silence now! Ready for engagement!" The squad leaders, Espio, Vector and Charmy, calmly fixed a patch over to their Protoss allies, simultaneously giving the order to slow down, shut up and get psyched.
Sally made a cutting motion with her hand, indicating that it was time to begin. Sandra circled their target, waiting for an opportune time to begin the attack. Sonar prepared the coordinates for a Recall gateway to open to the rest of the fleet. Sally nodded, satisfied with the efficiency of the actions, then gave the order to Rotor. "Now, signal all Scouts to hold their fire and remain in the field! I want them spread out, but ready to attack and in their squadrons at all times!" Rotor complied quickly, sending a coded sequence to the hidden fleet within seconds.
Charmy laid back in the cushy seat of his starfighter, reading the message with feigned disinterest. Practically yawning, the top-rated pilot in Mobius drawled out to no one in particular "Well, I guess this is the real deal. Wonder if we should lend over half of the fleet to Chaos Wraith 'n even things up a bit?" Espio was excited, which was casual for the permanently-edgy chameleon. Being the youngest of the Chaotix, Espio had little battle experience, and was unused to all-out war. He'd have given anything to get assigned with Sonic's team, but he wasn't about to leave Charm' & Vect' to grab the glory!
Vector just switched off his intercom and stared out at the steel warrior, hoping that the action would start soon. Unaccustomed to waiting long, the most aggressive of the Chaotix shrugged, sighed and pulled out the latest issue of the Mossflower Chronicles, hoping to catch a couple hours of quality history before the moment of glory!
*****
"YOU CANNOT STOP ME, BROTHER!" Chaos Wraith roared, the slender, powerful arms of the mechanical hedgehog beginning to push in front of him, slowly breaking through the crumbling barrier of Mecha Sonic's will. "NO! Please don't.." Mecha Sonic's helplessness trailed off, as the sadistic, shadow-consumed android broke what little control his golden counterpart had left of their shared body. With a dismissive shrug and a defiant grimace, the maniacal robot powered up a powerful orb of dark energy, charging it with all the hate he bore towards his softer, emotional side.
My power is eternal! Chaos Wraith boasted to the weakened, defeated corner of his mind, in which Mecha Sonic was laying, crippled and powerless to stop him. And if I have to annihilate every living creature on this planet to prove my power, then so be it! With that last thought, the deadly ball of evil power surged with hatred and malice, causing it to absorb the very warmth and light of the sun itself as the evil android maneuvered his dark emotions over his black-steel spines! Storms and chaos reigned in the skies, surrounding the destructive attack with the ferocity of Chaos Wraith's unimaginable fury!
"HELLSPHERE!" Just as Chaos Wraith prepared to launch the apocalyptic weapon towards the very heart of Mobius, a blue light flickered in the corner of his eye, and he was knocked forwards by the force of a ball of compacted energy, the potent concentration of antimatter particles colliding en-masse to the hard, non-reflective armor of Chaos Wraith. With a shout of surprise, the unstable machine twisted and whirled, attempting to regain control as he shot through the storms.
*****
"Activate the auto-pilot NOW!" Sally commanded, and Sandra pushed a impressive-looking set of buttons, locking the controls. The voice of the ship, calm and feminine, commented coolly on the execution of the lockdown. "Maintaining course. All personnel evacuate!" Sally nodded to Sandra and Rotor, who immediately saluted their commanding officer and rushed to the escape pods, while Sonar performed his final task aboard the Tornado. "Sally, the Recall gate is opening! I give it maybe 30 seconds before completion!" Sally acknowledged the success of their mission, then gestured for the crimson hedgehog to get going. Sonar pulled a crisp salute before departing for his escape pod.
Sally then dashed quickly over to Rotor's station, and pulled a massive switch, sending out a beacon to the Scouts that were hidden in the Arbiter's cloaking field. "Begin attack phase! Engage Chaos Wraith, but do not destroy! En Taro Adun, and good hunting!" With that last action, Sally Acorn ran towards the hatch to her own safety.
*****
"ALRIGHT! LET'S WRASSLE 'IM GOOD!" Charmy shouted over the intercom, glad to finally see some action! Within five seconds, every single Scout vessel under the Chaotix's command were blasting full-speed towards Chaos Wraith. "All units, unload Anti-Matter Missiles, but DO NOT hit Chaos Wraith!" Vector ordered. Quickly, a simultaneous "Missiles unloaded!" sounded throughout the communicators, as a swarm of energy bolts swerved and spiraled at their target, leaving a trail of pulsing sapphire drive trails behind them.
*****
Chaos Wraith finally regained control, miles from the Mystic Caves, his back smoking from the force of the Phase Disruptor blast that had struck him. Anger filled him, causing a bubble of black power to cover the dark menace. With a roar of rage at the near-successful attempt to damage him, Chaos Wraith unleashed the Hellsphere that he had created, hurling it with awesome herculean effort towards the Arbiter that had dared to fire upon him.
The gigantic orb of evil energy completely engulfed the ship, and by some unimaginable level of control, it stayed in that position, the ship trapped inside the ball of darkness. With a grimace of concentration, the hellish machine gestured in a slow, crushing motion with his fist, and the attack slowly became more concentrated, the gravity increasing at an alarming rate, slowly transforming the ball into intangible matter. Golden armor plating and hardened steel hull crumpled like tin paper under the pressure, and the core ruptured quickly. The Tornado exploded, bright blue energy expanding in every direction before being consumed by the lightless mass of hate-filled power.
Chaos Wraith laughed aloud at the destruction, not noticing the missiles suddenly become visible right before him. With a gasp of shock, the sadistic machination held out his hands in front of him, crossing them and tucking his knees to his chin, becoming a ball of steel. However, the dark machine was caught off guard, and the front missile found his right shoulder, glancing off it and colliding with another projectile, its death throes sufficient enough to lash out blue flames to Chaos Wraith's side, engulfing his right arm and back in a cobalt fire of superheated plasma.
*****
Sonic heard the heart-rending shriek of his lethal enemy, the very tops of the hills seeming to shake and quail under the terrible, agonized wail of Chaos Wraith. Sonic immediately kicked it into overdrive, grabbing hold of Antoine and blazing towards the cavern entrance, barely in view over the Hill Tops. Tails followed close behind, carrying in tow his secret love, Amy Rose. The sensitive hedgehog covered her ears, feeling pity and sorrow for the honorable rival lying trapped within that monster's cold, black-hearted shell.
"I sure hope Mecha Sonic's alright!" Amy softly spoke to Tails. "This must be awful for him, to have his body totally destroyed by that soulless steel demon!" Tails nodded, knowing deep down inside that Mecha Sonic was a victim of his own emotions, and that no one but Mecha Sonic could combat the rage and hatred of Chaos Wraith. The young fox was about to answer, when something sharp pierced his leg, causing him to cry out in pain. With a shout of concern, Amy looked around as Tails began to lose altitude. They had just passed a plateau, a really high one, but when her eyes met those of their assailant, she shivered. They were cold and devoid of emotion, yet living, in a shell of vicious spikes and muscular chitin.
"HYDRALISKS!" Amy managed to shout, before leaping down from Tails, who was beginning to lose consciousness. Without hesitation, she ran forward to try and catch the injured fox, even as the reptilian Zerg soldiers scaled down the cliffside, much akin to some insect, in pursuit, doggedly chasing the living, energetic prey. With a grunt and a yell, Amy leaped into the air, the claws of the lead Hydralisk barely missing her slender legs as she grabbed Tails from the air and landed heavily on her side, ignoring the pain as she shook Tails.
"Get up, Tails! Please, get up! TAILS?" Amy didn't notice the Hydralisks slither towards her, and as the razor spikes that were its claws slashed downwards at her unprotected throat, a sudden gout of blood erupted from the lead predatory alien, cauterized even before the chest and head of the Hydralisk separated from its snake-like body, still writhing in its death throes. Sonic stood ready, the blurring blue light emitted from his warp blade slashing through the ranks of the deadly swarm, causing confusion and chaos among the alien menace as they fell to smoking pieces. Amy joined in, standing over Tails and unleashing streams of potent plasma from her disruptor cannon, giving a roar of rage and battle-fury as Hydralisks erupted in clouds of gore, exploding from the inside.
Amy picked up Tails as Sonic finished off the last Hydralisk. Sonic's ear and cheek had been clipped by a stray spike, and Amy had taken a cut to her side, the lethal spiked claws piercing the hardened armor, but they stood defiantly among the fallen heap of slashed and blasted Zerg soldiers, breathing heavily as the red mist of battlewrath left their eyes. Sonic grabbed Amy's hand, and raced towards the Mystic Caves, dashing so quickly that the entryway remained solid in appearance, not flickering for a second.
*****
In the air, Chaos Wraith fell to the earth, damaged heavily by the sudden ferocity of the Protoss. His right arm was completely useless, crippled by the series of explosions that had been caused by the surprise barrage, black oil leaking from a serious rupture in his back and side. Before he crashed, the injured machine had read the life signs of his antagonists, and was caught off guard: the signs matched those of Sally Acorn, Rotor, the Chaotix, and two unfamiliar Mobians. But, if they were alive, that meant...
"SONIC! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DIE LIKE ANYONE ELSE?" The Chaos Wraith screamed aloud as he impacted with the hard stone surface of the Aquatic Ruins, where his predecessor, Silver Sonic, had been created in secret by his own creator, Dr. Robotnik. The dark, robotic blood splashed onto the soil, actually burning away the hard marble as he skidded roughly into the oceanic city. The water seeped deep into his coolant system, filling it with cool, fresh hydro, and a sudden change took over him. With a sigh, the mechanical monstrosity became as crystal-clear as the water, and mechamorphed into Mecha Sonic, armor changing from black to gold, and then to blue as the Emerald's power became exhausted.
"I must weaken him somehow!" The iron-clad hedgehog whispered in the sunlit lake, watching the reflections of the eternally-comforting star as its light shone brightly on the surface of the water. Then, with a deliberate slowness in his actions, the restored will of Mecha Sonic moved his functioning arm to flick open the charred, dented, silver chestplate, carefully removing the source of his ascended energies. With a sigh of relaxation, ignoring the searing pain from his damaged right side, the fading spirit of the honest creation channeled his temporarily-cleansed powers into the Chaos Emerald of Thunder, causing a heavenly white glow to radiate from the mystical jewel. Then, with a flash of angelic light, the powerful talisman faded out of sight, teleported by the last reserves of Mecha Sonic's strength.
With a smile of satisfaction and peace, Mecha Sonic closed his eyes and embraced the refreshingly cool pond, before fainting completely, the sheer exhaustion and pain overtaking his machine-like endurance. For a split moment, the black, oily fluid seeping from his back and arm began to shimmer and turn crimson, blossoming like some enchanted rose, exiting its protective shelter and showing its true life for all to see. Then, it suddenly evaporated, absorbed by the clear water, disappearing at the same time as the neon-lighted vision of the tired, resting figure of Mecha Sonic.
***** Sonic laid Amy and Tails down, immediately checking the young fox's temperature. The bleeding in the cub's leg had settled down to a trickle, and his forehead had become enflamed, the signs of a serious fever. Antoine had been running, seeing the poor condition they were in. "What happened? I heard screaming and explosions, so I came back to help out!" Sonic nodded at Antoine, surprised at the sudden show of selfless courage in his usually- nervous friend. Amy was crying, worried deeply for her greatest love. Sonic had managed to remove the razor-sharp Hydralisk spines from the wound, but Tails needed some real help. He wasn't going to make it, otherwise.
Amy ripped a long piece of her shirt, modesty and shyness forgotten in her drive to protect and care for the injured fox-cub she had fallen for, and fastened it tightly around the pierced leg, stemming the blood loss and closing the wound temporarily. Sonic nodded understandingly, lifting the unconscious, paled form of Tails onto his shoulders and grabbing Amy's hand, running towards the Mystic Caves for all he was worth. Labored gasps for air surged through his calm, cool facade, his body weary from the previous expenditure of speed, yet he strove to pull hidden reserves of endurance from his battle-hardened spirit. With a lunge and a shout of pain, the powerful hedgehog blasted forward, Antoine following in his wake, barely keeping up on the hoverboard he had borrowed from the Chaotix.
Suddenly, Sonic yelled out "DAMN!", as his rapidly-blurring shoes connected with a jutting rock in the path, sending him flying into the darkness, and slamming solidly into a pair of silhouettes standing just outside of a large chamber in the tunnel. With a groan of pain, the battered blue hedgehog lifted himself from the confusion, plucking green spikes and soft pink hair from his arms. Realization dawned on him, and he turned, helping up a winded, muscular hedgehog from the impact zone, patting him on the back.
"Sorry 'bout that, Manic! How's it hangin' bro?" Sonic tried his best to sound off-handed, narrowly dodging the playful right hook his stronger brother threw. "Sonic, you blue jerk! I oughta deck you right here!" Both laughed and embraced, slugging each other in the arms. With a shrug of happiness, Sonic then got to Sonia, who was busy brushing the dust and dirt from her hair and skirt. "Well, Manic, if you don't, I will! Sonic, you loser! This is gonna take hours to get rid of!" Sonic rolled his eyes: some things never changed! "Aw, I don't know, sis'. I think it adds a natural air to your looks!" Sonia's mood immediately changed, from annoyance to serious business.
"The other Freedom Fighters are gathered up, as well as any others we could find and get here!" Sonic nodded, and related the recent events as he undid his backpack, handing his two siblings an extra pair of disruptor cannons. "We should be able to get back to the Shuttles without any serious trouble. Chaos Wraith went down a while ago, but we were ambushed by a swarm of Zerg, so we may need these." Sonia and Manic understood: They had been watching from afar through their binoculars, but couldn't leave the Mobian refugees behind. "Where's Sally and the others?" Sonia asked, eager to see her sister-in-law.
Sonic answered, a note of worry in his voice. "Sally and the Chaotix distracted Chaos Wraith long enough my team to get here and evacuate the Mobian survivors!" Suddenly, with a look of concern on his face, the quickest being on Mobius broke every record related to speed at once, rushing to check on Tails. Luckily, Amy had seen the danger beforehand, and had leaped off of Sonic's rushing ride, grabbing Tails in her arms just as the fastest being on Mobius rammed his foot against the hard, unscathed object. Stroking the young fox's head softly and grinning profusely.
"Thought you had quick eyes, blue boy!" Sonic shrugged and rubbed his hurting toe, ticked off and confused. Why hadn't he seen the obstacle? Then, his memory flashed back, and Sonic's eyes widened. A golden light had flickered on the ground, then something glinted, emitting a crackling sound. Like it was charged with electricity...
"It can't be..." Sonic blurted out, back to where he had began his head- first trip. There, shimmering in the dark, surging with power, was a Chaos Emerald! "What's Sonic talking about?" Sonia and Manic both asked at the same time, as they watched him struggling to dislodge something from the ground. Suddenly, they gasped aloud, and Amy felt something inside her twist, as Sonic turned, holding a shimmering, energetic jewel.
"Chaos Wraith must have lost control when he got damaged." Sonic theorized aloud, inwardly knowing that the fight was beginning to turn in their favor. "Mecha Sonic had just enough energy to transport the emerald away." Amy and Sonic bowed their heads, feeling pity and sorrow at the sacrifice the true warrior had made. "This also means that Chaos Wraith, when he regains control, is going to have to lay low a while, since he can now only rely on Mecha Sonic's repair systems."
Sonia and Manic nodded, understanding completely. Then, with a flick of her paw, Sonia indicated the riveted audience behind her. The entire population of Mobius, an impressive rabble of creatures, had been listening to every word. Sonic scratched behind his ear, embarrassed at the attention, then managed to yell out to his followers. "Right, everybody! Follow me, and stay in the group! We won't have to worry 'bout Mecha Sonic, but there are aliens around still, new ones! Keep an eye out, and give a shout if you see anything!" With that, the Freedom Fighters assembled the Mobian populace and moved out.
"Ant', take Manic ahead and keep watch." Antoine and Manic ran forward, gripping their firearms in grim anticipation. "Sandra, you know more about wounds than us. Think you can patch up Tails?" Sandra Nightweaver, who had always been protective of Tails, rushed to comply, cleaning and redressing the deep injury on Tails' leg, while Sonic and Amy looked on.
*****
"Our work's done! Call in the Gantrithor to pick up Sonic's team when they arrive." Flicking a switch on their hidden Observer craft, Rotor moved quickly, activating the radio to Tassadar's massive Carrier. "Executor, the dimensional recall gate is set. Prepare for the evacuation!" Then, turning it off, the experienced walrus turned to his commanding officer. Sally nodded her approval, then turned to her navigation post. "Sandra, take us out of here. I've got a bad feeling all of a sudden..." Before Sandra could move, there was a sudden blur past the viewscreen, and an explosion rocked the miniscule recon ship.
"WHAT THE HELL!" Sandra yelled, heavily surprised by the sudden attack. With quick reflexes, she directed the small ship downward, in a nosedive for the mountainside, small creatures screaming past the agile target. Then, with a grimace of concentration, she pulled upward, the Observer veering up into the stratosphere. Below her, a series of powerful blasts slammed into the mountainside, and Sonar, currently at the radar post, got a fix on a cluster of Zerg signals.
"We got problems! Fleets of Zerg Scourge are swarming in everywhere!" Sally cursed under her breath, then spoke into Nicole, directing her orders to the Scout fleet. "All Scouts scramble and fire at will! We are under attack! Scourge are coming in fast!" Then, another of the sleek, rocket- like monsters flew by, barely missing the wing of the ship. The Chaotix had their hands full, all of the squadrons attempting to both outfly and blast away the relentless onslaught of Scourge that had flown in.
***** Vector swore loudly over the comm as one collided head on with his own Scout, wiping out his shields and, in turn, damaging his missile capability. "All units switch to guns. Missiles will not be effective!" The small fleet hastened to comply, showing the Zerg that quality far overcame quantity, blasting with impunity with their energy guns at the small targets, holing large numbers of them in short time with potent volleys of small photon charges. Suddenly, a blue explosion flared in Vector's viewscreen, and a hissing curse was cut off the pilot intercom. With a quick flick, the muscular pilot checked the status of the Scout fleet. Espio's fighter was missing from the roster...
"ESPIO!" Vector and Charmy both roared over the comm, and suddenly, the Zerg Scourge felt fear. Several tried to escape at once, only to be engulfed in blue fire by the maddened, vengeful pilots. They came in from every angle, berserk with grief and rage, blasting anything smaller than them with destructive impunity. Charred alien tissue disintegrated, and soon the fight was over. None of the Zerg survived, wiped out by a pair of avenging starfighters, who had single-handedly burned their way through the ranks of their foes with anger and lethal sorrow. Death and destruction was left behind in the wrathful Chaotix wake.
*****
"KEEP MOVING" Manic shouted to the Mobians, as Antoine covered their backs. A flock of Mutalisks, odd flying creatures that resembled chitinous serpents, had just recently made their presence known. Antoine was unleashing hell upon the alien menace, blasting with precision at random targets with his disrupter cannon. Manic soon joined the barrage, unloading powerful concentrations of kinetic impact with his concussion rifle, holing the enemy with explosive-tipped steel shells. Mutalisks were disappearing left and right, barely having time to rally for a final attack.
Suddenly, it was the Zerg's turn to unload some wrath upon these aggressive creatures. With a shriek, the deadly monsters swooped down, unleashing glowing, spiked missiles at random towards the targets below. Mobians were cut down as they ran, pierced by the lethal projectiles. Manic leapt to one side, allowing one of the deadly shards graze by, before giving back some firepower of his own. Antoine ducked just in time, losing an ear to a stray blade. With an shout of pain, he ran recklessly forward, shooting and blasting away at the flying threat. Then, it was over. Not a single Zerg was in sight for miles.
Manic sighed in frustration and grief. They had lost a good number of innocent people to those airborne freaks. Without warning, though, a blue streak of light flew past them, barely missing the tip of the green hedgehog's nose. Abruptly, Sonic stopped, weapon ready in his hand. Amy, Sandra Nightweaver and Sonia were right behind, carrying Tails between them. "What happened?" Manic shouted over the screaming, panicked crowd. Sonic grimaced and pointed backwards. "There're a bunch of 'em coming this way! Too many to hold off for very long!" The hedgehogs gripped their weapons tightly, preparing for a last stand against the overwhelming odds.
End There you have it! After banding with the Protoss, the Freedom Fighters being their daring rescue mission of the Mobian civilians from the dangerous Chaos Wraith. After a brief confrontation, the maddened machine is apparently destroyed, crashing straight through the ground into the Aquatic Ruins. The dying Mecha Sonic transports the Chaos Emerald of Thunder to Sonic, and the evacuation begins, as the Zerg suddenly assault the Freedom Fighters. Tails is wounded, and Espio is killed during a furious dogfight, but now they are under siege by a mighty Zerg horde, which threatens to wipe out the fleeing Mobian survivors. Can Sonic's small task force stop this tidal wave of primal evil? Tune in to Chapter 5: Deep Injuries!
I come from a royal family, one which was all but completely wiped out by a tyrannical madman, whose power-hungry ambitions and evil creations almost resulted in the destruction of Mobius. Fortunately, the blood of our line is strong, and with our comrades, we emerged victorious over the enemy. Before the second war, we had learned that our strength laid not in our weaponry, special powers or equipment. All the power we needed was within our faith and love for each other.
The second war was an eye-opener for several of us. I lost both of my brothers and many of my friends in that violent massacre. We had always believed that nobody was evil enough to actually wish for the death of an entire planet. Unfortunately, fate and past encounters have proven otherwise. Though I hoped with all my heart that the peace would have lasted on forever, I secretly knew that there would always be someone alone. Someone whose emotions would eventually darken and turn towards evil thoughts. Someone without the feeling of friendship and family. I only wonder just how lonely a person could be to hate the rest of existence...
Excerpt from the documentary of Sonia the Hedgehog, entitled "The Enemy's Lament: The Facade of a False Mask."
*****
The Gantrithor, Carrier flagship of the Protoss armada, loomed over the beautiful blue-green sphere that made up Mobius, hovering in orbit around the infested planet. Already, large purple wastelands and torn mountain ranges indicated the terrible onslaught of the Zerg hordes, their organic hives and cells defiling the once-incredible world with the living substance known as the Creep. Floating alongside the gargantuan backbone of the alien fleet, a sleek craft emerged from the darkness, an oddly-shaped vehicle resembling some tri-bladed claw.
The shielded cockpit of the Arbiter-class vessel glowed a golden color, and the infinite blackness of space seemed to bend around the mysterious craft, consuming several sleeker fighters in a cloak of midnight-emptiness, mottled with bright flecks of the glowing heavens. With a satisfied nod, Sonar, seated in front of the Special Operations station, reported the success of the cloaking procedure to Sally, who sat at the helm of the enigmatic starship. "Spectrum distortion field has been engaged. The Scout squadron is within range. The field is taking effect: All radar traces of the squadron have faded." Sonic acknowledged the crisp information.
"Right! Our fleet is invisible now, so let's get moving!" Sonar Spine saluted and returned to his console, checking to ensure the continued capability of their cloaking shield. Sandra Vixen, positioned inside the ring of computers that made up Navigation, plotted an immediate course to the Mystic Caves. "Course is set. Coordinates are X-129, Y-50, Z-274. Engaging half thrust on pulse drives." Sandra gave out her progress, her steady, clear voice unable to keep up with the incredible speed of her actions. The powerful engines of the Arbiter flared with blue energy, waiting only for the command.
"Rotor! Send the fleet the coordinates! Tell Tassadar to wait for our signal." Rotor hurried to comply with Sally's command, working the controls of the communications work zone with consummate skill. "Executor Tassadar, this is the Tornado. Coordinates are X-129, Y-50, Z-274. We will delay Chaos Wraith with Scout squadron Chaotix, while Shuttle fleet Adun evacuates the caves. En Taro Adun" With those words, the awesome bulk of the armored supercarrier shone blue for a moment, then blasted towards the sparkling green caverns that housed the immense deposits of raw Khaydarin.
"Squad Chaotix, report!" Sally barked over her newly-upgraded portable computer, Nicole. The small fleet, roughly thirty in total, sent their information in immediately over the intercom, in sequence. "Charmy, Vermillion Leader!" The agitated buzzing of Charmy's wings distorted his voice, making it all but unintelligible. The Protoss gave their ranks by number, from Vermillion 1 to Vermillion 9. One of the golden fightercraft flew just out of the stasis field, saluting the Arbiter with an arrogant barrel roll. Sally smirked, then cut their comm.
"Vector, Jade Leader." The steady, rough voice of Vector Gator rumbled over the comm, and Sally quickly lowered the volume, noticing with a grimace that the bulkhead had shook from the echoing force of the deep bass produced by the most serious of the Chaotix Team.
"Espio, Zephyr Leader!" The silky, almost-suspicious tone of Espio Chameleon's regulated voice whispered over the intercom. Sally strained to pick out the meek sounds from the speaker. Espio and Charmy were in their element, Sally thought to herself. In the air and unseen to their enemy.
"All fighters accounted for! On my mark..." Sally paused, letting her bridge members tense up for the command. "MARK!" With that one word, the entire fleet shot into the atmosphere, their highly-sophisticated shielding causing the friction to do little more than heat up the armor plating. With a quick adjustment on her consoles, Sandra gently pulled the control stick to the side, causing the Arbiter to bank slightly to the left. "All Scouts match course with Arbiter! Charge photon vulcan cannon and anti-matter missiles!" The fighters all swiveled in sync with their lead vessel, weapon ports radiating energy as they powered up.
*****
Just a few dozen miles away, Chaos Wraith was blasting his own path towards the hidden village of Knothole. With a grin of anticipation, the steel shadow fired through the clouds, the evil energy produced from his razor-sharp armor corrupting the silver wisps into great storm-heads of devastating proportions. Suddenly, with a jerking halt, the robotic darkness blinked, the blood-red eyes becoming brighter than before. Then, with a scream of agony, the monstrous machination grabbed his head between his hands, which had taken on a reflective golden shine to them.
"NO! I WON'T BE STOPPED! YOU CAN'T STOP ME FROM KILLING THEM ALL!" Chaos Wraith ranted between shrieks of pain, as the will of Mecha Sonic fought against the soulless murderer. "I WON'T LET YOU STAIN MY IRON FISTS WITH THE BLOOD OF THE DEFENSELESS! GET OUT OF MY MIND, YOU MANIACAL FREAK!" The battle raged on, each seeming to gain a hold on the other for a moment, before being challenged again. The steel entity was now stuck between Chaos Wraith and Mecha Sonic, golden armor shining in contrast to midnight-black metal.
*****
Sonia watched from a distance, the cloudy sky not beginning to hide the distinct figure of the metallic hedgehog. "Mecha Sonic's changed a lot from the second war. What happened to him?" The only sister of Sonic wondered, as she stealthily scaled the overhanging rock crag she had been perched on. With a quick look over her shoulder to make sure Mecha Sonic/Chaos Wraith hadn't seen her, she walked through the mountainside, the holographic wall flickering for a split second before rendering itself realistic again.
Manic met her inside, his green shock of spiked hair caught in the zephyr breezes passing through the false entrance to their hideout. Sonia tossed the long-range binoculars over to her cunning brother, wiping perspiration from her brow as Manic handed over a canteen of clean water. She upended the drink, pure hydro running down her chin as it flowed into her open mouth. Brushing the loose streak of softer pink hair from her annoyed eyes, she dejectedly slumped down onto the yielding neon soil of the Mystic Caves, listening to Manic's report on the situation.
"OK! Mecha Sonic's right above us, and it looks like he's in pain. Still, I don't know if we'll be able to use any of the caves without being spotted! MAN! I HATE THIS!" Manic slammed the tunnel wall with his gloved fist, frustrated. As a former thief, he was normally used to easy escapes and desperate situations, and could have busted out of the tightest security prisons. He didn't like being helpless, and Sonia understood. With a smile and a nod, she grabbed hold of her brother's hands, looking deeply into his misted eyes.
"Don't worry about it, bro! We've been in worse scrapes than this. Just keep thinking, 'cause there's gotta be some way out of this!" Manic brushed the moisture from his eyelids and grinned, then turned at the sounds of approaching footsteps, tensing up for an attack. The muscular hedgehog's muscles relaxed when Sandra Nightweaver rounded the corner. The snow-white vixen, her usually-cocky grin replaced by a concerned frown, had nothing good to report.
"We're completely out of food and water! If we can't get some help, we're not gonna last much longer!" All of them just stood silently, contemplating their options, before Manic finally spoke his mind. "Right then, how long do we got before we should get lost?" Sonia thought for a moment before answering. "I'd give it about half an hour before we're really forced to move. We'll have to find some way to contact the others later." With a quick glance at the entrance, the three Freedom Fighters dashed helter-skelter to the depths of the winding caverns.
*****
Within the hardened steel shell of floating armor that made up the Protoss Shuttle, Sonic flipped a switch on an overhead console, simultaneously piloting the quick, unarmed vessel and attempting to get a fix on the position of the Knothole refugees. Suddenly, an alarm whistled on the main fixture, and Sonic hit a button on the red-tinted panel. There were two energy signatures high in the air above the Mystic Caves, each rising and falling in balance, as if caught in a battle of epic proportions.
"That could only be Mecha Sonic!" Sonic's mind raced. They couldn't last long if Chaos Wraith attacked. Yet, there were two powers detected, which meant Mecha Sonic was attempting to regain control. "I just hope he can fight it long enough for us to get in there." Sonic prayed under his breath as he patched into a secure channel with the other shuttles.
"Guys, listen up! We've got to land now! Mecha Sonic's right over the caves!" Tails and Amy gasped over the intercom, and Antoine gulped audibly, not prepared to rush into battle without a weapon between them. "I think we might be able to get over there by foot, though! Chaos Wraith is occupied right now.." Sonic didn't have to say anymore: They all knew that Mecha Sonic was facing a battle against an overwhelming force, and was being killed slowly by the murderous intent of his own darkness.
"Right, big bro! We're with you! Landing now!" Tails was calm and confident, as he usually was in the air. Without so much as the whine of a single engine, the Shuttle convoy landed silently within the valleys near the Hill Top. As they touched Mobian soil, Sonic checked the shining cuff on his arm. The energy level was maxed out. Good! With a satisfied grin, Sonic unhitched the cargo bay door and slowly walked out, a Warp Blade vessel on one arm, and a portable Scarab Drone Launcher, carried crossways in true Marine fashion.
The others were armed similarly. Tails and Amy had been equipped with a pair of Phase Disruptors, powerful energy weapons used mainly in Dragoon mecha. Antoine had taken a pair of light Psi-Blades. All had been armored in the golden, Psi-powered body plates that the Protoss wore in battle, only much smaller, suiting the Freedom Fighters perfectly. "Right! Let's move out!" Sonic called to his team, careful not to raise his voice high enough for Chaos Wraith to hear. With caution at every turn, they moved through the valley towards the cave, covering each other and making ground at an astonishing rate.
*****
"Drop out of warp, and arm all weaponry!" Sally ordered her bridge crew. Sandra immediately worked her consoles, easing the alien starship slowly from its streaking course. Rotor immediately sent out a message to the hidden Scout fleet, anticipating Sally's next command. "All Scout squadrons, match our current speed and maintain radio silence now! Ready for engagement!" The squad leaders, Espio, Vector and Charmy, calmly fixed a patch over to their Protoss allies, simultaneously giving the order to slow down, shut up and get psyched.
Sally made a cutting motion with her hand, indicating that it was time to begin. Sandra circled their target, waiting for an opportune time to begin the attack. Sonar prepared the coordinates for a Recall gateway to open to the rest of the fleet. Sally nodded, satisfied with the efficiency of the actions, then gave the order to Rotor. "Now, signal all Scouts to hold their fire and remain in the field! I want them spread out, but ready to attack and in their squadrons at all times!" Rotor complied quickly, sending a coded sequence to the hidden fleet within seconds.
Charmy laid back in the cushy seat of his starfighter, reading the message with feigned disinterest. Practically yawning, the top-rated pilot in Mobius drawled out to no one in particular "Well, I guess this is the real deal. Wonder if we should lend over half of the fleet to Chaos Wraith 'n even things up a bit?" Espio was excited, which was casual for the permanently-edgy chameleon. Being the youngest of the Chaotix, Espio had little battle experience, and was unused to all-out war. He'd have given anything to get assigned with Sonic's team, but he wasn't about to leave Charm' & Vect' to grab the glory!
Vector just switched off his intercom and stared out at the steel warrior, hoping that the action would start soon. Unaccustomed to waiting long, the most aggressive of the Chaotix shrugged, sighed and pulled out the latest issue of the Mossflower Chronicles, hoping to catch a couple hours of quality history before the moment of glory!
*****
"YOU CANNOT STOP ME, BROTHER!" Chaos Wraith roared, the slender, powerful arms of the mechanical hedgehog beginning to push in front of him, slowly breaking through the crumbling barrier of Mecha Sonic's will. "NO! Please don't.." Mecha Sonic's helplessness trailed off, as the sadistic, shadow-consumed android broke what little control his golden counterpart had left of their shared body. With a dismissive shrug and a defiant grimace, the maniacal robot powered up a powerful orb of dark energy, charging it with all the hate he bore towards his softer, emotional side.
My power is eternal! Chaos Wraith boasted to the weakened, defeated corner of his mind, in which Mecha Sonic was laying, crippled and powerless to stop him. And if I have to annihilate every living creature on this planet to prove my power, then so be it! With that last thought, the deadly ball of evil power surged with hatred and malice, causing it to absorb the very warmth and light of the sun itself as the evil android maneuvered his dark emotions over his black-steel spines! Storms and chaos reigned in the skies, surrounding the destructive attack with the ferocity of Chaos Wraith's unimaginable fury!
"HELLSPHERE!" Just as Chaos Wraith prepared to launch the apocalyptic weapon towards the very heart of Mobius, a blue light flickered in the corner of his eye, and he was knocked forwards by the force of a ball of compacted energy, the potent concentration of antimatter particles colliding en-masse to the hard, non-reflective armor of Chaos Wraith. With a shout of surprise, the unstable machine twisted and whirled, attempting to regain control as he shot through the storms.
*****
"Activate the auto-pilot NOW!" Sally commanded, and Sandra pushed a impressive-looking set of buttons, locking the controls. The voice of the ship, calm and feminine, commented coolly on the execution of the lockdown. "Maintaining course. All personnel evacuate!" Sally nodded to Sandra and Rotor, who immediately saluted their commanding officer and rushed to the escape pods, while Sonar performed his final task aboard the Tornado. "Sally, the Recall gate is opening! I give it maybe 30 seconds before completion!" Sally acknowledged the success of their mission, then gestured for the crimson hedgehog to get going. Sonar pulled a crisp salute before departing for his escape pod.
Sally then dashed quickly over to Rotor's station, and pulled a massive switch, sending out a beacon to the Scouts that were hidden in the Arbiter's cloaking field. "Begin attack phase! Engage Chaos Wraith, but do not destroy! En Taro Adun, and good hunting!" With that last action, Sally Acorn ran towards the hatch to her own safety.
*****
"ALRIGHT! LET'S WRASSLE 'IM GOOD!" Charmy shouted over the intercom, glad to finally see some action! Within five seconds, every single Scout vessel under the Chaotix's command were blasting full-speed towards Chaos Wraith. "All units, unload Anti-Matter Missiles, but DO NOT hit Chaos Wraith!" Vector ordered. Quickly, a simultaneous "Missiles unloaded!" sounded throughout the communicators, as a swarm of energy bolts swerved and spiraled at their target, leaving a trail of pulsing sapphire drive trails behind them.
*****
Chaos Wraith finally regained control, miles from the Mystic Caves, his back smoking from the force of the Phase Disruptor blast that had struck him. Anger filled him, causing a bubble of black power to cover the dark menace. With a roar of rage at the near-successful attempt to damage him, Chaos Wraith unleashed the Hellsphere that he had created, hurling it with awesome herculean effort towards the Arbiter that had dared to fire upon him.
The gigantic orb of evil energy completely engulfed the ship, and by some unimaginable level of control, it stayed in that position, the ship trapped inside the ball of darkness. With a grimace of concentration, the hellish machine gestured in a slow, crushing motion with his fist, and the attack slowly became more concentrated, the gravity increasing at an alarming rate, slowly transforming the ball into intangible matter. Golden armor plating and hardened steel hull crumpled like tin paper under the pressure, and the core ruptured quickly. The Tornado exploded, bright blue energy expanding in every direction before being consumed by the lightless mass of hate-filled power.
Chaos Wraith laughed aloud at the destruction, not noticing the missiles suddenly become visible right before him. With a gasp of shock, the sadistic machination held out his hands in front of him, crossing them and tucking his knees to his chin, becoming a ball of steel. However, the dark machine was caught off guard, and the front missile found his right shoulder, glancing off it and colliding with another projectile, its death throes sufficient enough to lash out blue flames to Chaos Wraith's side, engulfing his right arm and back in a cobalt fire of superheated plasma.
*****
Sonic heard the heart-rending shriek of his lethal enemy, the very tops of the hills seeming to shake and quail under the terrible, agonized wail of Chaos Wraith. Sonic immediately kicked it into overdrive, grabbing hold of Antoine and blazing towards the cavern entrance, barely in view over the Hill Tops. Tails followed close behind, carrying in tow his secret love, Amy Rose. The sensitive hedgehog covered her ears, feeling pity and sorrow for the honorable rival lying trapped within that monster's cold, black-hearted shell.
"I sure hope Mecha Sonic's alright!" Amy softly spoke to Tails. "This must be awful for him, to have his body totally destroyed by that soulless steel demon!" Tails nodded, knowing deep down inside that Mecha Sonic was a victim of his own emotions, and that no one but Mecha Sonic could combat the rage and hatred of Chaos Wraith. The young fox was about to answer, when something sharp pierced his leg, causing him to cry out in pain. With a shout of concern, Amy looked around as Tails began to lose altitude. They had just passed a plateau, a really high one, but when her eyes met those of their assailant, she shivered. They were cold and devoid of emotion, yet living, in a shell of vicious spikes and muscular chitin.
"HYDRALISKS!" Amy managed to shout, before leaping down from Tails, who was beginning to lose consciousness. Without hesitation, she ran forward to try and catch the injured fox, even as the reptilian Zerg soldiers scaled down the cliffside, much akin to some insect, in pursuit, doggedly chasing the living, energetic prey. With a grunt and a yell, Amy leaped into the air, the claws of the lead Hydralisk barely missing her slender legs as she grabbed Tails from the air and landed heavily on her side, ignoring the pain as she shook Tails.
"Get up, Tails! Please, get up! TAILS?" Amy didn't notice the Hydralisks slither towards her, and as the razor spikes that were its claws slashed downwards at her unprotected throat, a sudden gout of blood erupted from the lead predatory alien, cauterized even before the chest and head of the Hydralisk separated from its snake-like body, still writhing in its death throes. Sonic stood ready, the blurring blue light emitted from his warp blade slashing through the ranks of the deadly swarm, causing confusion and chaos among the alien menace as they fell to smoking pieces. Amy joined in, standing over Tails and unleashing streams of potent plasma from her disruptor cannon, giving a roar of rage and battle-fury as Hydralisks erupted in clouds of gore, exploding from the inside.
Amy picked up Tails as Sonic finished off the last Hydralisk. Sonic's ear and cheek had been clipped by a stray spike, and Amy had taken a cut to her side, the lethal spiked claws piercing the hardened armor, but they stood defiantly among the fallen heap of slashed and blasted Zerg soldiers, breathing heavily as the red mist of battlewrath left their eyes. Sonic grabbed Amy's hand, and raced towards the Mystic Caves, dashing so quickly that the entryway remained solid in appearance, not flickering for a second.
*****
In the air, Chaos Wraith fell to the earth, damaged heavily by the sudden ferocity of the Protoss. His right arm was completely useless, crippled by the series of explosions that had been caused by the surprise barrage, black oil leaking from a serious rupture in his back and side. Before he crashed, the injured machine had read the life signs of his antagonists, and was caught off guard: the signs matched those of Sally Acorn, Rotor, the Chaotix, and two unfamiliar Mobians. But, if they were alive, that meant...
"SONIC! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DIE LIKE ANYONE ELSE?" The Chaos Wraith screamed aloud as he impacted with the hard stone surface of the Aquatic Ruins, where his predecessor, Silver Sonic, had been created in secret by his own creator, Dr. Robotnik. The dark, robotic blood splashed onto the soil, actually burning away the hard marble as he skidded roughly into the oceanic city. The water seeped deep into his coolant system, filling it with cool, fresh hydro, and a sudden change took over him. With a sigh, the mechanical monstrosity became as crystal-clear as the water, and mechamorphed into Mecha Sonic, armor changing from black to gold, and then to blue as the Emerald's power became exhausted.
"I must weaken him somehow!" The iron-clad hedgehog whispered in the sunlit lake, watching the reflections of the eternally-comforting star as its light shone brightly on the surface of the water. Then, with a deliberate slowness in his actions, the restored will of Mecha Sonic moved his functioning arm to flick open the charred, dented, silver chestplate, carefully removing the source of his ascended energies. With a sigh of relaxation, ignoring the searing pain from his damaged right side, the fading spirit of the honest creation channeled his temporarily-cleansed powers into the Chaos Emerald of Thunder, causing a heavenly white glow to radiate from the mystical jewel. Then, with a flash of angelic light, the powerful talisman faded out of sight, teleported by the last reserves of Mecha Sonic's strength.
With a smile of satisfaction and peace, Mecha Sonic closed his eyes and embraced the refreshingly cool pond, before fainting completely, the sheer exhaustion and pain overtaking his machine-like endurance. For a split moment, the black, oily fluid seeping from his back and arm began to shimmer and turn crimson, blossoming like some enchanted rose, exiting its protective shelter and showing its true life for all to see. Then, it suddenly evaporated, absorbed by the clear water, disappearing at the same time as the neon-lighted vision of the tired, resting figure of Mecha Sonic.
***** Sonic laid Amy and Tails down, immediately checking the young fox's temperature. The bleeding in the cub's leg had settled down to a trickle, and his forehead had become enflamed, the signs of a serious fever. Antoine had been running, seeing the poor condition they were in. "What happened? I heard screaming and explosions, so I came back to help out!" Sonic nodded at Antoine, surprised at the sudden show of selfless courage in his usually- nervous friend. Amy was crying, worried deeply for her greatest love. Sonic had managed to remove the razor-sharp Hydralisk spines from the wound, but Tails needed some real help. He wasn't going to make it, otherwise.
Amy ripped a long piece of her shirt, modesty and shyness forgotten in her drive to protect and care for the injured fox-cub she had fallen for, and fastened it tightly around the pierced leg, stemming the blood loss and closing the wound temporarily. Sonic nodded understandingly, lifting the unconscious, paled form of Tails onto his shoulders and grabbing Amy's hand, running towards the Mystic Caves for all he was worth. Labored gasps for air surged through his calm, cool facade, his body weary from the previous expenditure of speed, yet he strove to pull hidden reserves of endurance from his battle-hardened spirit. With a lunge and a shout of pain, the powerful hedgehog blasted forward, Antoine following in his wake, barely keeping up on the hoverboard he had borrowed from the Chaotix.
Suddenly, Sonic yelled out "DAMN!", as his rapidly-blurring shoes connected with a jutting rock in the path, sending him flying into the darkness, and slamming solidly into a pair of silhouettes standing just outside of a large chamber in the tunnel. With a groan of pain, the battered blue hedgehog lifted himself from the confusion, plucking green spikes and soft pink hair from his arms. Realization dawned on him, and he turned, helping up a winded, muscular hedgehog from the impact zone, patting him on the back.
"Sorry 'bout that, Manic! How's it hangin' bro?" Sonic tried his best to sound off-handed, narrowly dodging the playful right hook his stronger brother threw. "Sonic, you blue jerk! I oughta deck you right here!" Both laughed and embraced, slugging each other in the arms. With a shrug of happiness, Sonic then got to Sonia, who was busy brushing the dust and dirt from her hair and skirt. "Well, Manic, if you don't, I will! Sonic, you loser! This is gonna take hours to get rid of!" Sonic rolled his eyes: some things never changed! "Aw, I don't know, sis'. I think it adds a natural air to your looks!" Sonia's mood immediately changed, from annoyance to serious business.
"The other Freedom Fighters are gathered up, as well as any others we could find and get here!" Sonic nodded, and related the recent events as he undid his backpack, handing his two siblings an extra pair of disruptor cannons. "We should be able to get back to the Shuttles without any serious trouble. Chaos Wraith went down a while ago, but we were ambushed by a swarm of Zerg, so we may need these." Sonia and Manic understood: They had been watching from afar through their binoculars, but couldn't leave the Mobian refugees behind. "Where's Sally and the others?" Sonia asked, eager to see her sister-in-law.
Sonic answered, a note of worry in his voice. "Sally and the Chaotix distracted Chaos Wraith long enough my team to get here and evacuate the Mobian survivors!" Suddenly, with a look of concern on his face, the quickest being on Mobius broke every record related to speed at once, rushing to check on Tails. Luckily, Amy had seen the danger beforehand, and had leaped off of Sonic's rushing ride, grabbing Tails in her arms just as the fastest being on Mobius rammed his foot against the hard, unscathed object. Stroking the young fox's head softly and grinning profusely.
"Thought you had quick eyes, blue boy!" Sonic shrugged and rubbed his hurting toe, ticked off and confused. Why hadn't he seen the obstacle? Then, his memory flashed back, and Sonic's eyes widened. A golden light had flickered on the ground, then something glinted, emitting a crackling sound. Like it was charged with electricity...
"It can't be..." Sonic blurted out, back to where he had began his head- first trip. There, shimmering in the dark, surging with power, was a Chaos Emerald! "What's Sonic talking about?" Sonia and Manic both asked at the same time, as they watched him struggling to dislodge something from the ground. Suddenly, they gasped aloud, and Amy felt something inside her twist, as Sonic turned, holding a shimmering, energetic jewel.
"Chaos Wraith must have lost control when he got damaged." Sonic theorized aloud, inwardly knowing that the fight was beginning to turn in their favor. "Mecha Sonic had just enough energy to transport the emerald away." Amy and Sonic bowed their heads, feeling pity and sorrow at the sacrifice the true warrior had made. "This also means that Chaos Wraith, when he regains control, is going to have to lay low a while, since he can now only rely on Mecha Sonic's repair systems."
Sonia and Manic nodded, understanding completely. Then, with a flick of her paw, Sonia indicated the riveted audience behind her. The entire population of Mobius, an impressive rabble of creatures, had been listening to every word. Sonic scratched behind his ear, embarrassed at the attention, then managed to yell out to his followers. "Right, everybody! Follow me, and stay in the group! We won't have to worry 'bout Mecha Sonic, but there are aliens around still, new ones! Keep an eye out, and give a shout if you see anything!" With that, the Freedom Fighters assembled the Mobian populace and moved out.
"Ant', take Manic ahead and keep watch." Antoine and Manic ran forward, gripping their firearms in grim anticipation. "Sandra, you know more about wounds than us. Think you can patch up Tails?" Sandra Nightweaver, who had always been protective of Tails, rushed to comply, cleaning and redressing the deep injury on Tails' leg, while Sonic and Amy looked on.
*****
"Our work's done! Call in the Gantrithor to pick up Sonic's team when they arrive." Flicking a switch on their hidden Observer craft, Rotor moved quickly, activating the radio to Tassadar's massive Carrier. "Executor, the dimensional recall gate is set. Prepare for the evacuation!" Then, turning it off, the experienced walrus turned to his commanding officer. Sally nodded her approval, then turned to her navigation post. "Sandra, take us out of here. I've got a bad feeling all of a sudden..." Before Sandra could move, there was a sudden blur past the viewscreen, and an explosion rocked the miniscule recon ship.
"WHAT THE HELL!" Sandra yelled, heavily surprised by the sudden attack. With quick reflexes, she directed the small ship downward, in a nosedive for the mountainside, small creatures screaming past the agile target. Then, with a grimace of concentration, she pulled upward, the Observer veering up into the stratosphere. Below her, a series of powerful blasts slammed into the mountainside, and Sonar, currently at the radar post, got a fix on a cluster of Zerg signals.
"We got problems! Fleets of Zerg Scourge are swarming in everywhere!" Sally cursed under her breath, then spoke into Nicole, directing her orders to the Scout fleet. "All Scouts scramble and fire at will! We are under attack! Scourge are coming in fast!" Then, another of the sleek, rocket- like monsters flew by, barely missing the wing of the ship. The Chaotix had their hands full, all of the squadrons attempting to both outfly and blast away the relentless onslaught of Scourge that had flown in.
***** Vector swore loudly over the comm as one collided head on with his own Scout, wiping out his shields and, in turn, damaging his missile capability. "All units switch to guns. Missiles will not be effective!" The small fleet hastened to comply, showing the Zerg that quality far overcame quantity, blasting with impunity with their energy guns at the small targets, holing large numbers of them in short time with potent volleys of small photon charges. Suddenly, a blue explosion flared in Vector's viewscreen, and a hissing curse was cut off the pilot intercom. With a quick flick, the muscular pilot checked the status of the Scout fleet. Espio's fighter was missing from the roster...
"ESPIO!" Vector and Charmy both roared over the comm, and suddenly, the Zerg Scourge felt fear. Several tried to escape at once, only to be engulfed in blue fire by the maddened, vengeful pilots. They came in from every angle, berserk with grief and rage, blasting anything smaller than them with destructive impunity. Charred alien tissue disintegrated, and soon the fight was over. None of the Zerg survived, wiped out by a pair of avenging starfighters, who had single-handedly burned their way through the ranks of their foes with anger and lethal sorrow. Death and destruction was left behind in the wrathful Chaotix wake.
*****
"KEEP MOVING" Manic shouted to the Mobians, as Antoine covered their backs. A flock of Mutalisks, odd flying creatures that resembled chitinous serpents, had just recently made their presence known. Antoine was unleashing hell upon the alien menace, blasting with precision at random targets with his disrupter cannon. Manic soon joined the barrage, unloading powerful concentrations of kinetic impact with his concussion rifle, holing the enemy with explosive-tipped steel shells. Mutalisks were disappearing left and right, barely having time to rally for a final attack.
Suddenly, it was the Zerg's turn to unload some wrath upon these aggressive creatures. With a shriek, the deadly monsters swooped down, unleashing glowing, spiked missiles at random towards the targets below. Mobians were cut down as they ran, pierced by the lethal projectiles. Manic leapt to one side, allowing one of the deadly shards graze by, before giving back some firepower of his own. Antoine ducked just in time, losing an ear to a stray blade. With an shout of pain, he ran recklessly forward, shooting and blasting away at the flying threat. Then, it was over. Not a single Zerg was in sight for miles.
Manic sighed in frustration and grief. They had lost a good number of innocent people to those airborne freaks. Without warning, though, a blue streak of light flew past them, barely missing the tip of the green hedgehog's nose. Abruptly, Sonic stopped, weapon ready in his hand. Amy, Sandra Nightweaver and Sonia were right behind, carrying Tails between them. "What happened?" Manic shouted over the screaming, panicked crowd. Sonic grimaced and pointed backwards. "There're a bunch of 'em coming this way! Too many to hold off for very long!" The hedgehogs gripped their weapons tightly, preparing for a last stand against the overwhelming odds.
End There you have it! After banding with the Protoss, the Freedom Fighters being their daring rescue mission of the Mobian civilians from the dangerous Chaos Wraith. After a brief confrontation, the maddened machine is apparently destroyed, crashing straight through the ground into the Aquatic Ruins. The dying Mecha Sonic transports the Chaos Emerald of Thunder to Sonic, and the evacuation begins, as the Zerg suddenly assault the Freedom Fighters. Tails is wounded, and Espio is killed during a furious dogfight, but now they are under siege by a mighty Zerg horde, which threatens to wipe out the fleeing Mobian survivors. Can Sonic's small task force stop this tidal wave of primal evil? Tune in to Chapter 5: Deep Injuries!