CHAPTER 8

ALL HOPE LOST

In a couple of minutes later Shadow found his wrists shackled together. "Damn it, the hell. What the hell is going on?"

"You're awake huh?" General Bat greeted in front of him.

Shadow tried to reach him, but his ankles were shackled as well. "Damn you, general."

"It's lucky that you passed out. That was our chance to shackle you."

"I almost had her, you bastard. You interfere with everything."

"As I said before, you will not lay your hands on my daughter."

"You fucker..."

"You need soap in that nasty mouth of yours." He walked towards Rouge, Appex, and Lara. "You guys okay?"

Rouge nodded and hugged her father, "Father, you were right about him. I thought I could control him, but I...guess I couldn't." She broke apart from him.

"It's all right, as long as you're okay."

"What are we going to do with him?" Appex asked.

"Taking him back to the base, I'll kill that bitch myself."

Rouge had no objection against his actions at all, "Go ahead if you must." Rouge wasn't stopping him this time. "I feel so lonely now. I wish mom was here. I just wish she didn't have to die."

Shadow laughed evilly, "Your mother? You think she's dead, but she isn't."

Rouge was confused, "What? What are you talking about?"

Shadow laid his eyes on General Bat, "Go on general, tell her what you did to your wife."

Rouge looked at her father, "Father, what is he talking about?"

General Bat sighed, "Rouge, I..."

Then a white blast came from the sky and hit the ground. The smoke was so thick nobody could see a thing. When the smoke cleared they saw Shadow's shackles laying on the ground and him gone.

Lara said angrily, "No, he escaped."

"Forget him we got bigger problems." Appex pointed to the sky were he saw the blast.

The one who made the blast was a white female bat that looked very horrid.

"What the hell is that thing?" Lara said looking at the creature carefully.

"It's Experiment 001." General Bat never thought she'd follow him.

"That's one of your experiments?" Rouge was looking nervous.

"Rouge, there's something you need to know about that experiment. That experiment is your mother."

Rouge gasped, "My what?"

"I lied about her dying she was in the base the whole time."

Rouge was angry with him all over again, "You experimented with your own wife? How could you!"

"Calm down, I tried to get rid of her illness, I got rid of it, but...I mixed too much DNA into her and now...she's a deadly monster."

Rouge kneeled to the ground crying, "Mom..."

General Bat almost laid his hand on her shoulder, "Rouge..."

Then something struck General Bat in his stomach, it was the experiment's claw. The claw had struck through him. General Bat's blood emerged from his mouth as he was dying painfully.

"Daddy!" Rouge began to cry harder.

The experiment threw General Bat off of its claw.

General Bat was lying on the ground holding his bloody wound.

Rouge ran to him, "Father!"

Appex took a step forward, "We gotta stop that thing."

Lara and Appex nodded to each other and charged at the experiment.

The experiment took its long white tail and hit them back.

Lara and Appex fell on the ground.

"This is ridiculous, if we can't stop Shadow what are the chances of us stopping this thing?" Appex was rubbing his head.

"We must try." Lara took out her machine gun and shot at the experiment until she ran out of bullets. When she did run out the experiment was still standing. "That thing sure is strong for the first experiment created."

Appex knew it was over, "That didn't even make a cut, it's hopeless."

Lara dropped her weapon to the ground as she kneeled, "We need...Shadow..."

Rouge was crying over her father barely alive, "Father, you can't die. I love you even if you turned mom into one of your experiments."

General Bat shook his head, "No, I'm a terrible father and person. I shouldn't live."

"Don't say that, you will make it. If you do die there will be no one to care for me."

"You're a big girl. You can survive." General Bat took her hand. "I love you, daughter. Take care of yourself..." His hand let go of hers.

Rouge shook her head multiple times while crying, "NO! FATHER!"

Appex ran over to her and held her close to him, "He's dead, he won't come back."

"Mom and...dad are both dead...and it's all my fault."

"It is not your fault, it never was you to begin with."

She looked up at Appex with tears running down her cheeks, "We have to kill her or all will be lost."

"But how?"

Lara walked over to them, "Shadow."

"How? He won't join our side", Appex said.

Lara shook her head, "He doesn't have to join any side. All he needs to do is help this city."

"How are we going to get through to him?" Appex knew he wouldn't listen to them.

Rouge got out of his grip and stood up looking at the deadly experiment that was her mother, "I'll do it."

Appex immediately was against it, "Rouge, he'll kill you. He's been trying to do that since the beginning, just don't..."

"I have to damn it!...For my parents." Rouge flew out of the battle scene on to find Shadow.