A/N: I am SO glad I got chapter 14 over with! The ideas have been flowing constantly since then. So yeah. This is going to be long chapter boys and girls! Enjoy.
Chapter 16: Abandonment
Shadow carefully eyed the quivering warrior in front of him. Her eyes burned with a surging hatred, the glazed over sadness: eradicated. With each violent breath, Slice twitched her face with painful enmity. Her faded short fur spiked upwards similar to a type of goosebumps. Even the bitter laughter which was once a part of this persona vanished, leaving only remorse and malevolence.
With the blade unsheathed, Slice glided her feet into an attacking position, wasting time. After all, Slice and Dice desired to die with this base.
Meanwhile, the dark hedgehog merely blinked in surprise. He figured her transformation was imminent, but wished it happened a little later, after he learned of Dr. Robotnik's plans.
However, Shadow gave in to the truth: he was no Sonic. The cerulean hero had an uncanny ability to convince others to do benevolence, and Shadow knew this from experience. This job was for Sonic, not him. Shadow was overwhelmed with grief. That promise made on Rogue's behalf never should have transpired. The dark hedgehog knew better. He did not possess the abilities required to help Dice. So why did he make the promise? Why did he even try anymore? Maria and Rogue... he failed them already, so how could Dice be any different? Her suicidal thoughts were similar to his own, and all his reasoning failed.
However, his immediate failure was not his worst concern. For all the years Shadow spent with Dice, attempting to help her, why did he not see these suicidal thoughts before? The hedgehog was so fixated on his own promise that he was oblivious to Dice's true suffering. Now however, Shadow wished he paid more attention. Maybe this could have been nipped in the bud, but it was too late now. No, I won't give up this time! I will not fail!!!
"Dice, stop this!"
However, the warrior was far past reasoning. "Aaaah!" she screamed, running at the dark hedgehog, once her friend, now an enemy. "Don't ever call me that!"
She swung a hard blow in Shadow's direction but missed. The dark hedgehog laughed, without even having to dodge. However, a gust of wind ensued, thrusting Shadow into metal pillar.
On his back, Shadow gazed upwards into her eyes: cold, bitter with a lack of her infamous pleasure. "Slice," he coughed, trying one last time to reason with her. If she refused, it would be his turn to attack. "Yes, that's right. Slice. I know the name given to you. What about your revenge on Robotnik?"
The thrill of death, now gone from Slice's visage, seemed to disgust her. "You are talking to the wrong alter-ego. I obey him, not plan revenge."
"Then why are you allowing Dice to kill herself...err...and you?"
Confused, Slice merely stared, waiting for his answer.
"Because you'd rather die than allow Robotnik to use your and her powers. After all, it's your powers and only yours, correct?"
The panting grew worse and Slice refused to lower her blade, but at last she spoke, "Of course they are my powers! It's my chaos blade and I...." She stopped herself. "This is none of your business. Besides he already has them."
The dark hedgehog's eyes grew wide. "What do you mean? What is he planning?"
"You should know I can't tell you that," she said with a sinister malice, "Even if I am going to die in two minutes."
"Two minutes left already?!"
"You lost hedgehog, as always."
"No!" Shadow, on his feet, ran towards Slice, aiming for her neck. She was going to live, even by force. He could not fail his promise again. Looking into her eyes, he could see one eye blue with the other red. Despite the immense difference between each persona, both shared a sense of sorrow.
Slice sheathed her blade, kicking Shadow to the ground. "This is pointless." Her voice echoed, "Just let me die in peace. It's all I want. Robotnik already won... years ago. It's over. I feel pity on you, living forever. "
Blood trickled down the hedgehog's lip; he was now on his knees facing away. "But you don't want to die."
"How do you know what I think?!"
Shadow put all his weight on one leg, bounced backwards, and elbowed Slice in the stomach. She coughed hard, the redness in her eyes fading, "Because I felt the same way."
Everything around her turned blurry. Fading, fading...turning black. The air was difficult to keep in her lungs, every shallow breath piercing them with pain. A wave of light-headedness overcame the warrior, but she was able to see Shadow's face despite a pulsating sting in her heart.
Dice fainted on Shadow's shoulder.
A sense of relief overcame the hedgehog, as he ran out of the room, with Dice in his arms. In less than ten seconds, Shadow was back at the intersection where he separated from Sonic and Knuckles.
It was not long after heading in their direction that he found the passage completely cut off. Though the base still had a good minute and a half left, the walls were already collapsing.
Remaining calm, Shadow turned around and headed for a different area he found when in the control room.
------
Now the base was blaring and bleating uncontrollably. Every ten seconds a voice disclosed the amount of time left.
"15 SECONDS LEFT."
"I know already!!" Shadow screamed. At last he entered the room he was searching for, after traveling twenty floors up stairs. It was a hangar, filled with planes, cars, and motorcycles.
He smashed a panel on the entrance, allowing the hangar door to open. Even at the speed he could run, he could escape the diameter of the explosion. With quick thinking, he sprinted towards a red and black motorcycle.
The ceiling cracked and fell in pieces, trying to squish the hedgehog but to no avail. Frantically opening the circuitry and connecting to wires, Shadow turned on its engine. He placed Dice in front of him, with her unconsciously leaning on top of the dials.
"10 SECONDS."
Immediately upon hearing the immortal words, Shadow thrust his foot on the accelerator. It revved up, and took off, heading straight for a falling piece of wreckage. Leaning to the left and then the right, Shadow dodged each ceiling piece, with his ears nearly scraping against the pavement.
However, with Dice on top of the speedometer, Shadow had no idea if he was at an acceptable speed to exit the 100 foot high exit.
"5 SECONDS"
Now or never. Shadow sped on top of the wing of parked plane and jumped out of the hangar.
It was not enough. There was too much of an ark in the way he was falling. The explosion would envelop them. Panicking, he felt his heart race faster then the rate at which they were falling.
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Knuckles and Sonic were patiently waiting at safe distance outside the base. Well, as patiently as they could wait.
"Where is Shadow?!"
"And Dice? This is bad. We gotta get back in there!"
"No, Sonic!" Knuckles shouted, grabbing the anxious hedgehog's shoulder. "We don't need another death. Besides, your leg is in pretty bad shape... and they can take of themselves."
"Don't touch me!" Sonic yelled, pushing Knuckles onto the ground. "This is bull shit! What is wrong with you people! Have you all lost your consciences?!"
"Conscience?!" Knuckles jumped to his feet, glaring at the blue hedgehog. "I am being realistic! You are no help to us if you're dead! This is a different world from what you remember... things have changed you moron! Your silver lining reasoning or martyr beliefs are not going to help!"
"Oh, and you're plans have worked so far?"
"Shut up!"
"Why?! You are a coward!"
"COWARD?!!!!!! You bastard! What the hell do you know! I saw them die! ALL of them! All the blood...and the gore....the pure carnage. I wish my life was taken instead of theirs. I am NOT a coward! How dare you! You disappear for sixteen years, magically come back, and suddenly think that the same reasoning will work! There are complications you don't understand... this...this....IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!"
Sonic gaped with his mouth open, blinking constantly. "My fault?"
Knuckles merely panted with suppressed ferocity. The echidna gazed at his fists, rethinking what he said. After all these years the thought of transferring the blame to Sonic never crossed his mind. It had always been his liability. Why now? Was that how he truly felt? Was this all Sonic's fault?
"I.... I don't know. Sorry."
"No. I should be, man." Sonic rested his gloved hand on the echidna's shoulder. "I am sorry I let everyone down. I don't know what happened to make me disappear and show up here...but... I'll fix it. We cool?"
"Yeah." Knuckles smiled uneasily, as both of them knocked fists.
"So, are we going to wait for Shadow and Dice to die?"
"No. Let's go back."
Sonic returned the smile. The two of them never shared a friendship before. Never.
The two of them jogged towards the base to discover it was too late. Almost instantly a fire encased the edifice, spreading outwards. The heat and wind reached Sonic and Knuckles with immense speed and intensity.
Both were thrown onto the ground, as their fur burned from flying dustfuls of debris. Sonic threw his hands on top of his head, despite the futility of his paper protection. The boiling rocks scorched his skin and scraped his body with new cuts. His bleeding leg throbbed with pain, surging with each heartbeat. Even his eyes were pelted closed with rock fragments. The acrid pain was insurmountable, never ending. Even after the wind stopped minutes later, the heated pain remained.
Sonic lifted his head. Even with his eyes closed, the sky was so bright that Sonic could see crimson red through his eyelids. The blue hedgehog slowly opened them, revealing his green pupils. However, the glare of the edifice's immolation burned the surface of his eyes with relentless heat. Moaning, he searched the horizon for the red echidna.
To his surprise, Knuckles sat next to Sonic, sand enveloping him. The hedgehog was barely able to see several inches in front of him. "Knux?"
"Yeah?" He groaned, lifting himself on his feet. Pounds of sand and mud tumbled off his hide, revealing several cuts.
"Good, you're alive."
"Mmmnnng," he replied painfully. The echidna looked around searching for hedgehog, just has Sonic had for Knuckles. "It's so... bright."
Sonic coughed up some sand which sneaked its way down his throat as he stood up next to his re-united friend.
"Yeah. I need some punch or...some... uh forget it," Sonic shrugged. He was in too much pain to make jokes now. "Where are Dice and Shadow?"
Knuckles remained taciturn, heading towards the burning rubble.
Sonic followed, knowing that even the possibility of their deaths was something Knuckles could not think of. Suddenly, the hedgehog felt he understood Knuckles, though could not explain why. Maybe the argument they engaged in earlier made Sonic realize just how guilty, lonely, and depressed Knuckles felt. In fact, now that Sonic thought back, Knuckles always seemed to possess these traits. Especially the loneliness.
Forever bound to the master emerald, Knuckles was overprotective and choleric, but... still showed signs of envy and jealousy. The blue hedgehog wondered why he was oblivious to this for so long. If he was such a hero in everyone's eyes, even Knuckles, then why did he fail to notice these problems?
"Sonic!" Shadow yelled with his raspy voice, almost invisible. Both Knuckles and Sonic turned around to see the dark hedgehog seated on his motorcycle, with Dice lifeless.
"You made it," Sonic laughed, as he (and Knuckles) tried to run up to the machine. His leg possessed awakened pain.
"What's up with the motorcycle?"
"I needed an extra boost from the twentieth floor. So I used the jet boosters. Took me a little while to find the button for it though."
"Sweet. It even matches. Red and black. How did you find the time to do that?"
"Oh you know me. Always trying to be fashionable," Shadow said sarcastically with a very dry, annoyed tone.
Sonic gasped. "You? Made a joke?"
"It's a miracle!" Knuckles continued teasing. A wide smile was plastered on the echidna's face.
"What-ev-er," Shadow could not help but smile at the other two's laughter. Even with all their bruises and sore fatigued bodies, the three were unable to shake their light-heartedness and mutual suppressed relief at seeing each other alive. However, despite his bliss, Shadow felt awkward, as did Knuckles.
"So, what happened to Dice?" Knuckles asked, trying to stop the uncomfortable moment.
"I had to knock her out."
"Oh?"
"Heh, yeah." Shadow replied, not wanting to relive the suicidal aspect of his previous conversation. "Robotnik is planning something."
"What? He has everything already." Knuckles responded with concern.
"I didn't get the details. She made comments that didn't really make sense... in that I had no idea where they came from. Something about Robotnik having her powers. Also, over the years I've known her, she mumbled to herself." Shadow confessed. "I think that Robotnik specifically told Dice to keep you, Tails, Amy, and I alive."
"What?" Knuckles interrupted. Meanwhile, Sonic played the role of spectator, looking at Dice.
"It's hard to explain. She's hinted at a lot of stuff over the years....and today she was...frantic... surrendering. She always felt that he hadn't won yet, that there was something more to his plan. But when I spoke to her minutes ago, she hinted that it was over. There must be something more to this."
"His plan?"
Shadow gazed at Knuckles suspiciously until he remembered that the hedgehog often left the echidna in the dark about his plans and revelations. However, with Sonic here and Robotnik one step closer to whatever he was planning, Shadow possessed no more reasons to hold back.
"Robotnik wanted to get his wish to rule the world... and then Dice was forced by the master emerald to obey him in order to carry out that wish, correct?"
"I knew that already."
"Well, what I'm saying is there is something more to it."
"And that would be what?"
"I don't know. You said you saw those water creatures right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, like I said, it's hard to explain. Not to mention, Dice hasn't told me everything...and she doesn't even know everything to it but...."
".....yes?" Knuckles impatiently urged Shadow to continue.
"Uh, I don't know! This is all related somehow."
"Wait!" Sonic said. Shadow and Knuckles turned their heads, previously forgetting his presence. "It doesn't matter. Whatever his plan is, we are going to stop it. So maybe our first order of business is to recruit Tails and Amy?"
The echidna gave a confused expression while Shadow laughed.
"What?"
"You saw both of them didn't you?" Knuckles asked. Sonic nodded his head, so the echidna continued. "Tails has gone nuts! He hates Dice, Shadow, and especially me with a passion. He'd rather die than even look at one of us."
Shadow merely laughed and nodded his head. "Man, I don't know what rock you crawled under for the past sixteen years, but Tails... has well... uh... cracked. I mean, he is beyond insane from hatred!"
"We are forgetting that I am here." Sonic said with a wicked smile on his face. "He's my friend, my brother; I'll talk to him." With that, the hedgehog turned around and started walking.
Knuckles followed, with Shadow pushing the motorcycle with him. "He is not the same fox you knew."
"I don't care."
"Fine," Shadow sighed. "Let's get there quickly then. Knuckles: here, you can ride the motorcycle." He leaned the handlebars to the echidna, who graciously accepted.
"Heh, let's go!" Sonic yelled and started running. Shadow immediately ensued, easily keeping up with the wounded hedgehog's pace.
A couple hours passed of running. Knuckles decided to ease on the accelerator in order to save gas, so he quickly faded on the horizon. Knowing this, Shadow and Sonic decided to arrive at Tails' place as quickly as possible, and if the motorcycle did die then the hedgehogs could retrace their steps.
Both Sonic and Shadow sprinted beside each other, despite the hour long silences. At last Shadow was the one who broke it, "You sure your leg is going to be ok?"
"Why Shadow, are you showing concern for others? I am flattered!" Sonic laughed, but seeing the indifference in his ally's face, he grew serious. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
"Mm." He murmured, unable to respond, not really knowing how.
"So....."
"So....." Shadow mimicked.
"How's life?" Sonic asked. Shadow merely shook his head and then gave the other hedgehog an uneasy stare. "That bad?"
"It's none of your business."
"Yeah but... it's just you and me." Sonic stated, trying to taunt Shadow into talking.
"So?"
"Well I figured we could...talk. You know, hedgehog to hedgehog."
"Ha, talk? What are you, a girl?"
A smirk came on Sonic's face. He really was trying to be serious. "Perhaps."
"Mm."
"Mm," Sonic replied. The hedgehog decided to be honest with Shadow; it was the only way Shadow would be honest in return. Besides, what did he have to lose? "You know, I feel really guilty."
"What?" Shadow shockingly asked, slightly surprised.
"Of all the times I faced Robotnik, I always beat him. Always the hero. Always succeeding. I never really considered myself a hero though. Just having fun; playing a game. But then... I disappear for sixteen years, and everything suddenly falls apart. It's just, I don't know... I never realized so many people needed me."
"Oh. Where were you all this time?"
"I........don't know. The last thing I remember was fighting Robotnik at Tails' base and... this... light. The next thing I knew, I woke up in Station Square's ruins. You?"
Shadow forgot the uneasiness between the two of them. "I was sucked into another dimension when we faced the biolizard-thing. Darkness. That's what I remember, a suffocating darkness. It was like I was floating in an abyss for eternity. And then, after several years of that...and it felt like decades... I wound up in Robotnik's chambers. He showed me this chaos blade and said that what he did was only temporary. If I didn't retrieve the master emerald and use some of its power, then I would return to that dimension. As if I would take the risk... so yeah, I stole the master emerald from Knuckles and gave it to Robotnik. He said some incantation and I was apparently free from the bounds of the other dimension. He asked me to aid him in another big plan of his. I refused and left. So, for many years I was a loner, living by myself. Until, all of this destruction suddenly started appearing all over the world. I went to see the source of it, and found Knuckles, Rouge and some others attempting to choke the fires. Long story short, they told me about this warrior and how Robotnik was annihilating all these different worlds. They asked me to join their forces; I did, and well yeah."
"And that's when Dice showed up?"
"Basically."
"Hm."
"Hm?"
"Yeah. It seems I am getting bits and pieces of all this. So, you never knew Dice until after?"
Shadow appeared uneasy at the question. The dark hedgehog felt used somehow. As though this conversation only occurred so Sonic could learn new information. However, Shadow was tired of his suspicions. Tired of his isolation. Tired of failing his promises.
"Yeah. I met her after, and she wanted to stop him once and for all. So she would frequently give me information, but all our attempts ended in failure because of Robotnik's hold on her."
"Mm. I feel pity for her."
"Yeah," Shadow sighed, remembering the suicidal conversation from earlier.
Sensing regret, Sonic gazed at Shadow with suspicion. "What?"
Forgetting the tension and distrust, Shadow spoke, "The reason I knocked Dice out was because she wanted to die during the explosion. She would not leave no matter what."
"Oh?"
"Mm. She was really... depressed, even crying. Before I encountered her, Robotnik was there and told her to destroy the base because of 'its contents'."
"Contents? Us?"
"No, I don't think he knew we were there."
"Then what?"
"I don't know. But Dice was really, really suicidal."
"You must have felt awkward."
"Oh yeah," Shadow agreed.
"Wait... she should probably be awake by now right?"
"Yeah...and?" Sonic stopped dead in his tracks, and the dark hedgehog had to jog backwards to stay at his side. "What?"
"We left Knuckles and Dice alone!"
"So?"
"You've never dealt with a suicidal person have you?"
"Oh, and you have?!"
"As a matter of fact yes!" Sonic nervously panted, turning around in the direction of Knuckles.
-------------------
It was not long before both hedgehogs found Knuckles lying on the ground unconscious. The motorcycle was only inches away.
"Knuckles!" Sonic yelled in the echidna's face, as the hedgehog lifted him up by the shoulders.
"He's alive," Shadow stated calmly, lifting up a bracelet he found on the muddy earth. "I wonder what this is."
The echidna slowly opened his eyes and groaned. "Sheesh, not so close Sonic. Your breath!" Overjoyed, the hedgehog dropped Knuckles onto the soil.
"Where is Dice?" Sonic questioned. However, the echidna ignored him and snatched the bracelet away from Shadow.
"So-orry." Shadow retorted, throwing his hands in the air.
"Where is Dice?"
"Well, lemme think..." Knuckles replied, walking over to the motorcycle. He was retracing his steps. After several moments and hand motions, he pointed east, "She went that way."
Before Knuckles or Shadow could even think of telling Sonic not to follow Dice's path, Sonic was gone.
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A/N: Woohooo! 3,666 words! Heh, sorry, the ideas have just been flowing and flowing. Please tell me what you guys think! Yeah, I am really happy today... I turned 16 last Wednesday (I mean, Nov. 3), and I got the official soundtrack for Sonic Adventure 2 (and the newest Hoobastank CD, The Reason). Yes, yes, yes! I haven't been happy for a while....I am so close to my driver's license...
Shadow Stkr: Do you want me to make it ShadowxDice? 'Cause if you want, I could.
RC: Hey man! Thanks for giving me that link to Deviant Art. Those pictures you sent me are AWESOME. But, did you get my e-mail? Yeah, I am not sure if you did O.o
Silhouette: Thank you, thank you!
Daikonran: I made this chapter way longer, just for you! (-wink-)
MysticJon15: Thanks a bunch!
Windfield: Thank you for your input! I have tried to put those lines in (and smiley face into my author's notes) but they don't seem to work. If you could tell me how, then I'd be more than happy to! Oh, and about the desperate need for reviews...what can I say? I don't have much confidence in my abilities, so I use this website as my haven... a way to get feedback, while regaining my ever fluctuating self-esteem.
Ok yeah, I know I am not supposed to make direct comments to anyone. But I felt I had to (especially since I don't think RC has been getting my e-mails). It'll be the last time. So NO reporting please!