Chapter 10:
Revelations.
"Tonight, peaceful." Shadow muttered. Tails and Amy slept in a large sleeping bag that Mach had brought at the train station, Mach was busy watching moths collide with the flames and burn. Mina hugged Shadows arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Shadow stared at the stars. Hoping for some clue. The same question kept hitting his mind, repeatedly. "What are they after?" A sudden snap made him sit up, twirl around clutching his sword in his left hand, and holding onto Mina with the other. Mach sprung to his feat. A ball of fire burst from the sky, hit the fire and words began to appear in its blaze. Tails and Amy awoke, and stared at the fire with the others, watching the words lift and grow, and became clear. "Well, well, well... You four, or five now, have been a thorn in our side since the beginning, first you interrupt brother Five from doing his job... and then you stop Flare from having fun burning this forest!" There was a pause; Shadow straightened up, and asked, "What are you trying to achieve?" The others stared at him. The fire began to blaze again, and then new words flashed. "Nothing, we want nothing except your quick and immediate destruction." "Why?" "It is our cause..." Shadow paused. "How do you know that the Floating Island would crash?" Shadow stared at the flame, then grinned. "I saw this happen before." He said smugly. "65 years ago my space colony saw the planet Xorda blow up, last thing I saw before it exploded was the highest point of the planet crash into the planet." "Ah yes, Five remembers you... and your colony." Mach stepped forward. "Why are you talking to us?" "Your this worlds champions, the nine of us always face the champions. There's always a different amount. This time there's to be6." "Ashura." Shadow said coldly. "Where is he? This is the event he spoke off, wasn't it?" "We know of no Ashura..." "Who are "we"?" Tails asked. "The nine of us, four are awake, and three emeralds have been destroyed." "You didn't answer my question." "Quite right, then I'll explain it all then. We are the nine, or the Hazard. We bring pain to this globe. We are born from the mightiest jewels of the planet. In this case the seven Emeralds. Two of us were born from the Master; the others are to be born from the normal emeralds. In fifteen days we will summon the ten." "What is the "Ten"?" Mina asked taking notes in a small notebook. "The End." "Of what?" "You're planet. We will attack your planet in ten steps, and then "Ten" will destroy it with his first and last attack. Then you all die, we have never been stopped, but there's always some heroes that try to." "Any particular plan of yours is to occur during these fifteen days?" "Can't help you much if I tell you, so I will. In forty-eight hours all nine of us shall be awake, we will then create an army of lesser us. Or spawn, after we have created 500'000 spawn each, we will proceed to wage war on the most powerful base of operations, in this case. Robotropolis." "So? No one lives there anymore." "On contrary, the military have built in Robotropolis' grounds a new military base, we will attack it and then we will take it over. Then we won't be stopped." "What if we win?" "Then there will be a small delay to our plans. We'll still destroy your planet, but they'll be less deaths before we do, and that's no fun, now I have told you everything you need to know, you can try and stop my brothers from being born, or go help the military prepare this attack, they'll need a lot of weapons and a lot of men and mobians to stop us. Good Luck, Shadow, Tails, Amy and Mina. Remember, 3 days." The flame flashed green, then yellow and then blue, and then with a loud pop, vanished from sight. Nobody breathed for a few seconds, and then Shadow leaned forward. "They are correct." He said coldly. "They are?" Mach asked. Shadow nodded. "What, time out. Who sent that message?" Shadow stared at the two tailed fox. "It was those demon hedgehog thingies..." Mach explained. "There after the Emeralds then?" Mina asked, closing her notebook. "No." Shadow said bluntly. "There born FROM them." "So what good will it do us, if we just go after the Emeralds?" "That's exactly why you guys won't. You're gong to go to Robotropolis. I'm going to the Floating Island. Something's going on up there, and I wonder why Knuckles isn't stopping it." "What if he's-"Amy began, but Tails cut across. "Knuckles is dead!" He screamed suddenly. Shadow stared at him, so did Amy, Mach and Mina. Tails got to his feat. "It makes sense now..." Tails whispered, he then let out a scream and kicked the place where the fire had been. Amy got to her feat, she reached out to calm him, but he turned and knocked her hand away. "That night when that bat thing... Er, Five, attacked us I had a vision of a blade stabbing a red sea. The sea then vanished and then the moon turned red. It must mean Knuckles!" Shadow paced back and forward. "Wait..." He said eventually. "What is keeping the Island floating?" They all stared at him. "The Master Emerald was split with the birth of these creatures. So what's keeping the island flying?" No answer. "Technology!" Shadow explained with a laugh. The emeralds can't cooperate with machinery. So that's why there born from emeralds. Destroy the machines weakness, and you win." "So what can we do?" Amy asked still staring at Tails. "I'll go after the Emerald as planned, you guys are still going to Robotropolis, I have the suspicion that once the battle is over at Robotropolis then we can bring the Island down. Of course, we'll have to win..." "Wait, even if we win, won't we be weakened? Then it'll be harder to defeat the enemy!" Mach exclaimed. Shadow continued pacing, and then clicked his fingers. "Tails," the orange fox raised his head, "Do you know how to make an electromagnetic pulse powerful enough to bring down the Island?" Tails shrugged. "Probably, but I'll need a lot of equipment..." "Then it's settled. You four, yes you too Mina," The mongoose pouted, "will have to go to Robotropolis and send out an emergency beacon. You'll need a lot of help; I'll journey to the mountains to get the Emerald, and if I make it back I'll get some reinforcements." Shadow then turned to Mach. "You cannot achieve victory in a defensive manoeuvre, but you cannot let them get to the centre of the city, otherwise we're lost. Mach, as a spy in Robotropolis you're going to have too lead the troops." "Roger." Mach saluted. Shadow then turned his back on the group and gazed northwards. "The battle will be long and hard, so will the war. The emerald may be lost in the end, so may many lives." Shadow turned to his friends. "Sleep now, in the morning I will be gone."
Revelations.
"Tonight, peaceful." Shadow muttered. Tails and Amy slept in a large sleeping bag that Mach had brought at the train station, Mach was busy watching moths collide with the flames and burn. Mina hugged Shadows arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Shadow stared at the stars. Hoping for some clue. The same question kept hitting his mind, repeatedly. "What are they after?" A sudden snap made him sit up, twirl around clutching his sword in his left hand, and holding onto Mina with the other. Mach sprung to his feat. A ball of fire burst from the sky, hit the fire and words began to appear in its blaze. Tails and Amy awoke, and stared at the fire with the others, watching the words lift and grow, and became clear. "Well, well, well... You four, or five now, have been a thorn in our side since the beginning, first you interrupt brother Five from doing his job... and then you stop Flare from having fun burning this forest!" There was a pause; Shadow straightened up, and asked, "What are you trying to achieve?" The others stared at him. The fire began to blaze again, and then new words flashed. "Nothing, we want nothing except your quick and immediate destruction." "Why?" "It is our cause..." Shadow paused. "How do you know that the Floating Island would crash?" Shadow stared at the flame, then grinned. "I saw this happen before." He said smugly. "65 years ago my space colony saw the planet Xorda blow up, last thing I saw before it exploded was the highest point of the planet crash into the planet." "Ah yes, Five remembers you... and your colony." Mach stepped forward. "Why are you talking to us?" "Your this worlds champions, the nine of us always face the champions. There's always a different amount. This time there's to be6." "Ashura." Shadow said coldly. "Where is he? This is the event he spoke off, wasn't it?" "We know of no Ashura..." "Who are "we"?" Tails asked. "The nine of us, four are awake, and three emeralds have been destroyed." "You didn't answer my question." "Quite right, then I'll explain it all then. We are the nine, or the Hazard. We bring pain to this globe. We are born from the mightiest jewels of the planet. In this case the seven Emeralds. Two of us were born from the Master; the others are to be born from the normal emeralds. In fifteen days we will summon the ten." "What is the "Ten"?" Mina asked taking notes in a small notebook. "The End." "Of what?" "You're planet. We will attack your planet in ten steps, and then "Ten" will destroy it with his first and last attack. Then you all die, we have never been stopped, but there's always some heroes that try to." "Any particular plan of yours is to occur during these fifteen days?" "Can't help you much if I tell you, so I will. In forty-eight hours all nine of us shall be awake, we will then create an army of lesser us. Or spawn, after we have created 500'000 spawn each, we will proceed to wage war on the most powerful base of operations, in this case. Robotropolis." "So? No one lives there anymore." "On contrary, the military have built in Robotropolis' grounds a new military base, we will attack it and then we will take it over. Then we won't be stopped." "What if we win?" "Then there will be a small delay to our plans. We'll still destroy your planet, but they'll be less deaths before we do, and that's no fun, now I have told you everything you need to know, you can try and stop my brothers from being born, or go help the military prepare this attack, they'll need a lot of weapons and a lot of men and mobians to stop us. Good Luck, Shadow, Tails, Amy and Mina. Remember, 3 days." The flame flashed green, then yellow and then blue, and then with a loud pop, vanished from sight. Nobody breathed for a few seconds, and then Shadow leaned forward. "They are correct." He said coldly. "They are?" Mach asked. Shadow nodded. "What, time out. Who sent that message?" Shadow stared at the two tailed fox. "It was those demon hedgehog thingies..." Mach explained. "There after the Emeralds then?" Mina asked, closing her notebook. "No." Shadow said bluntly. "There born FROM them." "So what good will it do us, if we just go after the Emeralds?" "That's exactly why you guys won't. You're gong to go to Robotropolis. I'm going to the Floating Island. Something's going on up there, and I wonder why Knuckles isn't stopping it." "What if he's-"Amy began, but Tails cut across. "Knuckles is dead!" He screamed suddenly. Shadow stared at him, so did Amy, Mach and Mina. Tails got to his feat. "It makes sense now..." Tails whispered, he then let out a scream and kicked the place where the fire had been. Amy got to her feat, she reached out to calm him, but he turned and knocked her hand away. "That night when that bat thing... Er, Five, attacked us I had a vision of a blade stabbing a red sea. The sea then vanished and then the moon turned red. It must mean Knuckles!" Shadow paced back and forward. "Wait..." He said eventually. "What is keeping the Island floating?" They all stared at him. "The Master Emerald was split with the birth of these creatures. So what's keeping the island flying?" No answer. "Technology!" Shadow explained with a laugh. The emeralds can't cooperate with machinery. So that's why there born from emeralds. Destroy the machines weakness, and you win." "So what can we do?" Amy asked still staring at Tails. "I'll go after the Emerald as planned, you guys are still going to Robotropolis, I have the suspicion that once the battle is over at Robotropolis then we can bring the Island down. Of course, we'll have to win..." "Wait, even if we win, won't we be weakened? Then it'll be harder to defeat the enemy!" Mach exclaimed. Shadow continued pacing, and then clicked his fingers. "Tails," the orange fox raised his head, "Do you know how to make an electromagnetic pulse powerful enough to bring down the Island?" Tails shrugged. "Probably, but I'll need a lot of equipment..." "Then it's settled. You four, yes you too Mina," The mongoose pouted, "will have to go to Robotropolis and send out an emergency beacon. You'll need a lot of help; I'll journey to the mountains to get the Emerald, and if I make it back I'll get some reinforcements." Shadow then turned to Mach. "You cannot achieve victory in a defensive manoeuvre, but you cannot let them get to the centre of the city, otherwise we're lost. Mach, as a spy in Robotropolis you're going to have too lead the troops." "Roger." Mach saluted. Shadow then turned his back on the group and gazed northwards. "The battle will be long and hard, so will the war. The emerald may be lost in the end, so may many lives." Shadow turned to his friends. "Sleep now, in the morning I will be gone."