Four 'Til Doomsday
Part 5:
The hedgehog wired up to the wall watched him with dead eyes. He did not move, except occasionally to take in an unhealthily shallow breath. He was pale, almost white, but slashed on each of his grey quills was a faded red colour. There was something totally horrific about his deathly state, and Tails almost turned to run.
He stopped himself just in time, and forced himself to face the apparition. It was worse than facing a ghost. Pulling himself together, he set about ripping away the coils imprisoning the hedgehog. Shadow fell to the floor like a doll, gasping for air but doing nothing else.
"Are you alright?" Tails asked, when he'd finished. Shadow didn't even nod. "Shadow?"
The hedgehog screwed up both eyes tight and gritted his teeth at the effort he had to exert just to get up on his hands and knees. ".s." he collapsed again. Tails reached down, gripped both shoulders and pulled him to his feet.
"How did you get here?" Shadow raised a hand, pointed over Tails's shoulder and let it drop back to his side. The fox turned to see a water tank standing against the grey wall. A black cable connected it to the hideous machine he'd freed Shadow from.
"What about it?" Tails walked over to investigate, and heard Shadow's body hit the ground behind him. He helped him back up and walked him to the tank.
Its surface was shiny and new. A tangle of cords tied it up to a dozen different contraptions, one being the light that had blinded Tails when he'd entered. Shadow, unable to do anything else, looked from him to the line between the tank and the machine.
Tails unplugged it. Inside were long strands of transparent metal. Glowing green particles travelled along it, sparkling and disappearing as they hit the air. Shadow grabbed it from him and held it as the last of the sparks crackled into his hands. Without him at the other end, though, the supply ran out after a few minutes.
Shadow already looked so much better. His spines were a darker shade of grey, and his eyes light up slightly. He stood by his own power, for the first time in weeks. He grinned. "Feel better?" inquired Tails.
"Less like a rag doll. I doubt I can run or fight, though. You'll have to fly me out of here."
"Sure," said Tails, "but how did you get in here?"
Robotnik's base was less than five miles away now. The madman clenched his fists in fury- what in Hell did the fox think he was doing? Where was Sonic? Why wasn't he rendered unconscious and being hooked up automatically to his brilliant machine?
Of course, the trap wouldn't affect the fox. He'd lost Sonic, but he was not going to lose Shadow. Tails must be stopped at once. Then he would recapture Shadow and evacuate him and the energiser to somewhere safe until the other hedgehog was dealt with. With them both powering his army, nothing would stop him.
He soared over the mountaintops and descended onto the Pyramid like a high-tech Angel of Death, hundreds of concealed gun barrels telescoping out of the egg mobile's underbelly.
"I was falling," remembered Shadow. "I was falling, and heating up. I watched the planet approaching and cursed myself for changing my mind too late. But I had no way to go back now.
"I tried to Chaos Control, but there wasn't a spark of energy left in me. So I pulled it in from the air around me. I knew that I'd never get enough to teleport. But something else did the teleporting for me. There was a flash, and I landed in the base, over there. I got to my feet, and this bright light went off, stunning me. All my strength went, and I was paralysed. I couldn't even move as that thing link me up to it.
"It's kept me just alive ever since. I didn't know if Robotnik was still around. I wasn't sure if it was worse to endure his gloating or to be left here forever." Shadow's eyes darkened. "But I'm free now, and on the way down I decided I wanted to see this world properly before I went and died for it."
"Well let's get out of here and get back to it then," said Tails.
The broken main doors were spread around the base in an avalanche of fire and noise. "Hold it right there, meddlesome child!" cried Robotnik's voice. The black, ungainly silhouette of his craft eclipsed the only exit. "You are going to die now, and you, my pathetic little friend, can say good bye to your newfound freedom right now." Foam bubbled at the corners of his mouth as he screamed, "I will not be defeated anymore!"
Part 5:
The hedgehog wired up to the wall watched him with dead eyes. He did not move, except occasionally to take in an unhealthily shallow breath. He was pale, almost white, but slashed on each of his grey quills was a faded red colour. There was something totally horrific about his deathly state, and Tails almost turned to run.
He stopped himself just in time, and forced himself to face the apparition. It was worse than facing a ghost. Pulling himself together, he set about ripping away the coils imprisoning the hedgehog. Shadow fell to the floor like a doll, gasping for air but doing nothing else.
"Are you alright?" Tails asked, when he'd finished. Shadow didn't even nod. "Shadow?"
The hedgehog screwed up both eyes tight and gritted his teeth at the effort he had to exert just to get up on his hands and knees. ".s." he collapsed again. Tails reached down, gripped both shoulders and pulled him to his feet.
"How did you get here?" Shadow raised a hand, pointed over Tails's shoulder and let it drop back to his side. The fox turned to see a water tank standing against the grey wall. A black cable connected it to the hideous machine he'd freed Shadow from.
"What about it?" Tails walked over to investigate, and heard Shadow's body hit the ground behind him. He helped him back up and walked him to the tank.
Its surface was shiny and new. A tangle of cords tied it up to a dozen different contraptions, one being the light that had blinded Tails when he'd entered. Shadow, unable to do anything else, looked from him to the line between the tank and the machine.
Tails unplugged it. Inside were long strands of transparent metal. Glowing green particles travelled along it, sparkling and disappearing as they hit the air. Shadow grabbed it from him and held it as the last of the sparks crackled into his hands. Without him at the other end, though, the supply ran out after a few minutes.
Shadow already looked so much better. His spines were a darker shade of grey, and his eyes light up slightly. He stood by his own power, for the first time in weeks. He grinned. "Feel better?" inquired Tails.
"Less like a rag doll. I doubt I can run or fight, though. You'll have to fly me out of here."
"Sure," said Tails, "but how did you get in here?"
Robotnik's base was less than five miles away now. The madman clenched his fists in fury- what in Hell did the fox think he was doing? Where was Sonic? Why wasn't he rendered unconscious and being hooked up automatically to his brilliant machine?
Of course, the trap wouldn't affect the fox. He'd lost Sonic, but he was not going to lose Shadow. Tails must be stopped at once. Then he would recapture Shadow and evacuate him and the energiser to somewhere safe until the other hedgehog was dealt with. With them both powering his army, nothing would stop him.
He soared over the mountaintops and descended onto the Pyramid like a high-tech Angel of Death, hundreds of concealed gun barrels telescoping out of the egg mobile's underbelly.
"I was falling," remembered Shadow. "I was falling, and heating up. I watched the planet approaching and cursed myself for changing my mind too late. But I had no way to go back now.
"I tried to Chaos Control, but there wasn't a spark of energy left in me. So I pulled it in from the air around me. I knew that I'd never get enough to teleport. But something else did the teleporting for me. There was a flash, and I landed in the base, over there. I got to my feet, and this bright light went off, stunning me. All my strength went, and I was paralysed. I couldn't even move as that thing link me up to it.
"It's kept me just alive ever since. I didn't know if Robotnik was still around. I wasn't sure if it was worse to endure his gloating or to be left here forever." Shadow's eyes darkened. "But I'm free now, and on the way down I decided I wanted to see this world properly before I went and died for it."
"Well let's get out of here and get back to it then," said Tails.
The broken main doors were spread around the base in an avalanche of fire and noise. "Hold it right there, meddlesome child!" cried Robotnik's voice. The black, ungainly silhouette of his craft eclipsed the only exit. "You are going to die now, and you, my pathetic little friend, can say good bye to your newfound freedom right now." Foam bubbled at the corners of his mouth as he screamed, "I will not be defeated anymore!"