Chapter Five
Author's Note: Wow! Haven't updatedin a while. But here's the latest update! Squee!
Geddon did reside on the moon, but soon he found a second home: the space colony ARK. The first thing he did was to find the energy that remained in the Eclipse Cannon, and when he did, it was absorbed. He began to use the colony to house his treasures and possible prototypes for new minions. Now he sat before his latest experiment: an attempt to manifest the evil within creatures, and make a perfect minion out of them.
"Yes…the process was a success…" Geddon hissed as he looked at his specimen, which was contained in a mystical tube of some sort. "I knew it could be done! Now…open your eyes, my minion!"
The specimen, who seemed to be a clone of Shadow, opened his eyes, and through sheer force, shattered the container, shooting broken crystal everywhere. Geddon did not even flinch. He only smiled. He waited for the Shadow clone to properly stand up, which didn't take long.
"Hello, master. My name is…uh…you did not name me, master…"
"Since you are the darkness that once resided in that do-gooder, Shadow the Hedgehog, I suppose it is fitting that you have a name that enforces that link. I'm thinking…HexShadow."
"My name is HexShadow…and I am ready to do your will."
"My only will is that you keep an eye on this crocodile. He lives on Earth, the planet that we are orbitting" he projected an image of Vector in his hand and HexShadow studied it for a few seconds.
"Though he claims to be my humble servant, I feel he cannot be trusted fully. If he continues to be loyal, aid him in any way possible. If you feel that he is beginning to be disloyal in a way that threatens me, crush him."
"Is that it? Surely I can do more!"
"Besides that, you may cause any havoc you wish. The more innocents die, the better. Go to the warp portal over there. You will be transported to the planet's surface."
"I will do it most eagerly." HexShadow turned and walked in the direction Geddon pointed.
"Before you go, there's someone who I think should accompany you…"
"Hello…you must be the new specimen…" Lady Thorn said when she appeared at the door, leaning on it in a somewhat provocative manner.
"Lady Thorn here will guide you for a short time, but she'll on her own mission."
-- -- -- -- -- --
Shadow stroked his chin as he was deep in thought. Amy and Adrian were dozing in the other room, while Raiden and Yakujo were playing chess. Crimsa, Blaze and Renoplax seemed to be in conversation. "Okay…we now have…let's see…six extra people…I think we need a bigger bus."
Trenk came in from the other room, and had a very happy look on his face. "You won't believe what's coming on the horizon!"
"This better not be another one of your jokes, Trenk."
"I'm serious, this time! We're nearing some sort of water source!"
"A freshwater spring?" Crimsa asked when she overheard this. "That sounds great…but I don't have a bathing suit, and I'm NOT going in without some sort of coverage."
"I'm sure we have a few in the closet there," Renoplax said. Crimsa went into the closet
"Did you notify Amy?" Shadow asked.
"Yeah. Adrian's sleeping…so he can stay in here. Amy's excited about it too."
"I could really use a break, and a cool dip seems to be just the ticket!" Raiden chimed in. "Set a course for that spring!"
Crimsa returned with a stern look on her face, and holding a few very skimpy bikinis. She threw them down at her feet and stomped her foot in indignation.
"You call those bathing suits! My mom had handkerchiefs that gave more coverage than these things!"
"We're a metal band…" Reno said. "We have to have scantily-clad women on stage at some point in time. It's either those or nothing at all…"
Crimsa sighed and turned to Shadow. "Uncle Shadow…"
"I'm sure there are some more decent ones in that box. Keep looking," he said. "Get one for Amy too while you're at it." Crimsa dug through the box some more, and then passed a suit into the room where Amy was.
Reno went over to Shadow. "You've got a real conservative kid there," he said. "I thought girls her age would love to wear stuff like that."
"Knowing how she was born…she doesn't want to go through the same thing her mom did," Shadow replied. After several minutes, Crimsa came out in a much more decent-looking suit…but apparently it wasn't enough to deter lewd comments.
"Daymn!" Trenk hooted. "Hot stuff at twelve o'clock!" The imp immediately received a scolding kick in the rump from Shadow.
"It's okay, Uncle Shadow…I feel a lot better in this." Crimsa replied. "Tell me…did Mom look good in a bathing suit like this?"
Shadow thought back for a minute, and smiled. "Yeah…you look just as good...you've grown up so much…"
"Oh great…here he goes…" Trenk moaned.
"Uncle Shadow; please don't start on that again." Crimsa whined.
"Sorry…"
"Okay, Amy, your turn."
Amy went inside, and came out several minutes with the suit Crimsa gave her. Immediately, Shadow's pupils widened. He never knew just how much Amy would have changed…
"Now THAT'S a girlfriend, Shadow," Raiden whispered into his ear when he got a look at Amy. "You lucky son of a submariner you…"
"I think he likes it, Crimsa," Amy replied. "I think we're done messing with their hormones…" Amy and Crimsa put their clothing over their suits.
"You won't get in one of those things…" Blaze commented. "Besides, I'm not too fond of swimming."
"Suit yourself…" Yakujo said, and snickered at his pun.
-- -- -- -- -- --
"Geronimooooo!" Raiden howled joyfully as he leapt off the fifty-foot high waterfall in a surprisingly graceful swan dive. The spring had proved to be much larger than previously anticipated...it was more like a small lake than a mere spring. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their time...Blaze was dozing in the sun; Crimsa, Amy and Yakujo were all swimming around in the cool water; finally, Trenk and Renoplax were enjoying the scenery. Shadow decided to take a walk by himself.
"Nice one, wolf boy! I'll give ya a nine out of ten!" Trenk whooped.
"I didn't know wolves could dive like that," Amy said to Crimsa.
"Neither did I;" was the bat's reply.
"I wonder where Shadow's at…he's been gone for a while," Yakujo said, with a slightly worried tone in his voice.
"Shadow's probably philosophizing with himself again," Amy reassured him. As she started towards shore, Amy's foot pressed down some sort of hidden switch. The group watched in exasperation as the waterfall slowed to a trickle, and part of the wall behind the waterfall began to slowly open, revealing a large cave mouth. When the spectacle had ended, Amy began to hear things…
"Crimsa nhak urees dio grhat…fymene Cipher…Rosa…" was the phrase being repeated over and over.
"Sacred…hammer… within cave…Cipher female…Rose?" Amy wondered… "Crimsa…means 'sacred?' That's weird." She began to swim toward the cave.
"Um…Amy…" Crimsa asked. "Where are you going?"
"There's something in that cave…and I think it's calling my name."
"Like I said…this is getting weirder by the moment…" Yakujo chimed in.
-- -- -- -- -- --
Shadow was standing in a small clearing in the woods, in a defensive fighting stance. He could hear the devious chuckling of some enemy all around him.
"Whoever you are…come out and show yourself!" Shadow cried, standing ready to face his hidden adversary.
"Very well…" the figure stepped out, and revealed itself. Shadow's expression turned to astonishment, but his teeth remain clenched. Standing before him was his doppelganger…but was it another Shadow Android?
"You look like me…but I know you're not me…tell me who you are!"
"Au contraire, Shadow…I am you…" the doppelganger replied.
"That's the lamest revelation I've ever heard…" Shadow said, his expression turned to one of sarcastic humor.
"Maybe I need to clarify…I am the darkness of your soul incarnate…I am HexShadow. And I have come, by order of the World Eater, to cause destruction of all kinds!"
"Well, you definitely picked the wrong person to start with," the good Shadow answered. "…because I am going to kick your ass into next century!"
"Tough words from such a weakling…"
"Wanna make something of it?"
"Let's…"
Shadow phased out and reappeared behind his evil self, but received a debilitating punch to his neck and then a karate chop to the head, causing the surprised attacker to crumple to the ground, gasping for breath. Shadow was astonished at just how easily he had been countered…was this creature more than he appeared?
"That was far easier than I expected…" the evil doppelganger chuckled, "…then again…I can anticipate all of your moves."
"What?"
"We are not entirely separate entities," HexShadow answered. "I can also see what's going on in your mind…I've leafed through the volumes of memories and the libraries of thoughts in that brain of yours…and they disgust me."
Shadow pulled himself up as his dark side began its tirade.
"I see memories of friends, thoughts of peace…you've gone soft, Shadow. And you seem to have a foolish thing called a 'family'…how adorably repulsive. You shunned absolute power and ultimate control for what? A few silly abstract values…friendship, love, peace of mind? Those things are temporary…"
"So are power and control…and they can only lead to ruin."
"There you go again! Preaching! You sound like one of those stupid televangelists…it's a good thing Vector annihilated the human race. It's also a good thing you can't suppress your need to procreate…I say just have at the girl and leave her."
"You monster…I can't believe you're a part of me!" Shadow lunged at his mocking foe. HexShadow easily sidestepped his charge and tripped him.
"Believe it, Shadow…" he sneered. HexShadow then took a step back.
"I must leave you now…for I have made myself known to you. We shall meet again." As Shadow rose to attack HexShadow once more, the malevolent one phased away.
Damn, Shadow thought angrily to himself, how the hell can I beat my own dark side! He can anticipate my every move…and I should have been able to tell that he was going to do that…
Shadow brushed the dust off of his fur, and headed back toward the waterfall at a more brisk pace. He didn't think he would encounter the same foe again so soon, but he now knew that everything he was doing was under scrutiny by HexShadow…
He had become his own worst enemy.
-- -- -- -- --
This cave gives me the creeps, Amy thought as she cautiously walked down the passage. She had to be especially careful to watch her step, as she wasn't wearing any shoes, and one slip in the wrong place could mean the end of her…which wouldn't be easy, considering that the whole floor was wet.
As Amy made her way down the passage, she could hear the voice that lead her on get louder, and she also felt a strange energy that made her head throb. If some sort of magical hammer was the source, it would surely be an asset. But Amy did miss her old Piko-Piko Hammer…it had gotten her out of (and into) many a scrape. Perhaps she could have avoided her "death" if she had it with her that day.
While she was lost in thought, she suddenly slipped, and nearly fell into a deep chasm…she managed to grab onto the edge at the last second.
That was way too close, Amy said to herself. After pulling herself back up, she started to look around for a way across. Seeing none, and then guesstimating the width of the gap, she backed up and dashed forward. With all her might, she sprung forward. Thankfully, she had more than enough room, but she staggered a bit and fell on a stone lever hidden among the stalagmites. The wall ahead opened slowly. Sure enough, there it was.
The hammer sat on a stone pedestal shaped like a kneeling female warrior of some sort. The relic itself was made of a silvery metal, with four small gems, two embedded in each side of the head: a ruby and a yellow topaz on one side, a diamond and a sapphire on the other. It pulsed with power, and it did so at such a capacity as to interfere with the air around it, forming a thin wall of wind.
This wasn't enough to stop Amy, of course. She managed to push through the wall of wind, and get a close look at the hammer. The wall of wind it generated had kept it in marvelous condition.
This thing is for me? Sweet, Amy thought to herself. She reached for it, but stopped just millimeters from it. Wait…this is way too easy. The waterfall and chasm were simple enough…this thing HAS to be trapped.
She examined the pedestal very closely, in hopes of finding a way to disable the trap. But she found nothing. Now confident in her safety, she plucked the hammer from the statue's hands.
No guardian or anything, huh? I guess I am destined to use this hammer, she thought to herself. As she started to walk away, she heard the scraping of stone. She turned around to see the statue stand up. Immediately she readied her new weapon, but did not need to use it. The statue bowed to her, and then crumbled apart. As it did, a strange light began to course around her, and it flashed brilliantly. When it subsided, Amy felt something heavy and metallic on her, and it quickly dawned upon her that somehow, she now had some strange, mystical chainmail on her.
Wow…this day just gets better and better, she thought. I just hope I can cross the chasm wearing this.
When she returned to the location to the chasm…there was no chasm! Amy was baffled by this…it was almost as if the cavern had wanted her to take the hammer. Not about to question yet another stroke of good luck, Amy continued on, and before long, she returned to the entrance of the waterfall. The first person to notice her return was Crimsa.
"Hey Amy! Any…wow!" she said as Amy appeared at the cave entrance. "Where did you get that hammer…and that armor? You look like some sort of knight…"
"I found it in the cave," Amy replied. "The hammer seems to, by magic or something, get the armor on me! But I'm sure it does more than that. If I could just get it off somehow…hey, it's stuck!"
"I am sorry, Miss Rose…" a kind female voice spoke. The armor disappeared from Amy's body in a flash of light.
"Um…who said that?" Amy wondered out loud.
"I did…" the voice came again. The hammer vibrated a little this time.
"You can talk?" Crimsa exclaimed.
"Indeed. I am the Hammer of Gaea…I am an intelligent weapon, thanks of a small helping of power from Mother Earth."
Mother Earth…I've heard that before, Crimsa thought.
"My companion, the Blade of Aeolus, is somewhere else. He was given a bit of Father Sky's power. If you're wondering who they are…"
"They're the creators of Earth, right?" Crimsa said.
"The bat seems to know a lot about the nature of this world…surely she is the Child of the Revival…"
"I'll explain that later." Crimsa interrupted. "Shadow's been in a bit of a jam today…he'll tell you about that too."