Yay, double digit chapters! Oh joy! Yeah, I finally got the new chapter up. I was busy before that...oh well, on to the story! Eheh, I'd also like to say that this is a new record in chapter length for me...I was in a writing mood.
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By the time Shadow and the gang got to the GUN military base, it was obvious that Gemini had already showed up. The bodies of GUN soldiers were scattered across the ground, along with fired bullets and patches of Dark Energy. Shadow had transported them to the base using Chaos Control, so they were already inside.
"It's a total ruin," Sonic muttered. "It looks almost as bad as when you invaded it Shadow. There just aren't any aliens."
"Don't remind me," The black hedgehog ordered. "Okay, here's the plan. I'm going to meet Gemini in the computer room. Rouge, Tikal, Knuckles, you guys follow behind me, but stay out of sight. As for the rest of you..."
"Got it covered!" Sonic declared. "We're going to see if we can help the remaining GUN soldiers, and see if we can find Cheese." The hero turned to his group. "Alright guys, let's get going!" Sonic ran off donw a corridor, the characters that Shadow had not named off following behind him.
"I guess we should head towards the computer room," Rouge said. "That's where Gemini is, I bet. Come on guys." Rouge flew up to the ceiling, loosing a panal in the wall to reveal an entrance. With the two echidnas following behind her, the bat took her secret passage to the computer room. Taking a minute to watch her go, Shadow ran off towards what he hoped was the computer room, if memory served him right.
"Shadow, what a suprise to see you here!" The said hedgehog turned his head around to see Dr. Eggman in his Egg Walker, followed by Bocoe and Decoe.
"Eggman," Shadow stated, "What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" The doctor asked. "From what I've been able to figure out, Gemini and Ciel are indeed projects created by my grandfather. Thing is, even the files I got from GUN about his work didn't include either of them. What I want to know is why. I figured that following you here might prove some answers. Besides, I have the last Chaos Emerald with me, unless Gemini hasn't already got the one here."
"How did you know what emeralds we were missing?" Shadow asked. "You were spying on us, weren't you?" The egg laughed.
"Of course!" He answered. "Now, I won't try to harm you this time, so get a move on. I don't think Project Gemini should be kept waiting." Before he had finished his sentance, though, Shadow was already gone.
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"My god, this place is such a wreck!" Amy cried, as her and the others followed Sonic through the base. Sonic was keeping a pace slow enough for them to keep up with, but only because it was best for them to stick together.
"I'm scared," Cream mumbled. "Cheese is somewhere in here, all alone and afraid. I hope we get to him in time."
"Don't worry Cream, no harm shall befall Cheese," Blaze said to comfort Cream. Suddenly, a figure came out of the shadows. Cream and Amy let out a shriek.
"Relax, it's only the Commander," Sonic told them. The figure nodded, a tall human with graying hair. His red and blue eyes both scanned the furries in front of him.
"So, it seems you have arrived just in time," The Commander said. "Two mysterious figures infiltrated the base, and one of them has been decimating our forces. The troops say that he seems to deflect their bullets with a forcefield, and the other one is unnaffected by them whatsoever! Unfourtunatly, no one has been able to identify them."
"They're hedgehogs," Tails explained. "Two hedgehogs created by Professor Gerald, like Shadow." The Commander stared at them in disbelief.
"That means, either he made more of them after Shadow, or...no, it couldn't be. They were gone."
"Do you know them sir?" Amy asked. The human before them shook his head.
"I did know of two other projects besides Shadow and the Biolizard," he addmitted. "But one was banished, and the other was-"
"-Dead." Everyone turned around to see Ciel standing behind them, with Cheese on his shoulder. Cream gasped, while the Commander's face turned white.
"Project Ciel," He muttered. "Impossible...you're supposed to be dead!" Everyone looked suprised by this accusation, looking to see the winged hedgehog's response.
"I know," Ciel admitted. "I was dead for awhile, but not anymore."
"But if you were dead, then how can you be here?" Amy asked, the question everyone was wondering. Ciel sighed.
"It was Gemini," he explained. "He revived me from the dead less than a year ago, but...he sorta' messed up a little."
"Gemini is here too?" The Commander asked. "But he was banished off of the Ark! Thrown out into space! How can he be alive?"
"I dunno, ask him." Ciel's gold eyes looked up and down the commander, taking in all the features. "Commander of the GUN military...I never would have thought it of you James. You always were the one that mocked the soldiars." The hedgehog laughed.
"Wait a minute, hold up!" Sonic yelled. "Okay, you said that your brother revived you from the dead, but he messed up. How the heck is that possible?"
"Well, I think I can explain," Ciel admitted. "Uhmm, from what I remember Gemini telling me, it was during the Black Arm invasion..."
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Flashback (A/N: The flashback is not from Ciel's POV, it's from third person to show what happened)
Outside the appartment window, the sky was blood red. Strange creatures ravaged skies and streets alike, with the natives running in panic. The same scene showed up in many cities, but this particular one was in Central City. In an old apartment, untouched by the invasion, a black hedgehog pulled in one of the aliens: A Black Volt.
"How fortunate of me," The hedgehog mused, "The Black Arms invade around the time I land on Mobious." This was Gemini, putting down the weakened alien for a minute to take a look at his spell book. "Let me see...similiar blood, check. Body of a similiar species, check. Rune circle, check. Knife, check. Silent space..." The magician walked over to close an open window, shutting out the screams of the outside. "...check. Alright then, let's begin the ritual."
"Reviving the Dead, Step one," the spell book read. "Take a body that is of whatever species you wish to revive. A dead body is preferable, for a live body results in two sou;s in one body. Step two, cover the body in the blood. The fresher the blood, the better. Step three, stand on the edge of the rune circle. Give a personal blood sacrifice while reciting these words..." Gemini nodded at the instructions, it was nothing too hard. A hedgehog body was simple enough, he had found one that had been killed by the Black Arms. He lay the body in the middle of the magic circle, which he had drawn in white chalk. Taking his dagger, he cut the wing of his Black Volt, which he had caught after it had crash-landed on the apartment roof. The poor alien was tied up, so it would not disturb the ritual.
"Scraaah," It screeched, as Gemini caught the black blood that oozed from it's room. In truth, the magician felt a little sorry for the creature, but it was for the better. It was for his brother, Ciel, who had died aboared the Ark over fifty years ago. Gemini was planning to put his magic to the test, and see if he could revive his brother. The Black Volt continued to screech.
"Shut up," Gemini ordered, taking the blood over to the body in the rune circle. He glanced at the body as he poured the black liguid on it. It was a boy hedgehog, and by the looks of it was barely older than sixteen. The fur that was probably once a nice shade of orange was now caked in dirt and dried blood, not counting the nasty fluid from the alien. For a brief second, Gemini felt sorry for the boy. The feeling didn't last, however. As his tutor had always said, "Everyone dies eventually. Even if they die early, they would have most likely had a worse death later in life if they had lived." His tutor was always a bit pessimistic, but he did have a point.
"You're supposed to forget about the Ark," Gemini muttered to himself, as he finished with the blood. Stepping back to the edge of the circle, he took one short look at the book before beginning the magic part of the ritual. Reassuring himself, he grammed the knife, bringing it across his hand as he began his chant. It wouldn't be long now...
"Sraaaah!" The Black Volt cried again, Gemini continued his ritual, flattening his ears in an attempt to block out the noise. The creature kept crying, making it hard for Gemini to concentrate. The black covered body in the rune circle began to glow, a small pillar of darkness taking it's place soon after. Suddenly, without warning, the Black Volt came free from it's bind. With a mighty, "Scraaah!" It began to flap it's wings, mesmerized by the black pillar. Before Gemini could stop it, it flew into the circle, becoming enveloped in the pillar. The whole circle began to glow an odd red color, alerting the magician that the ritual was messed up. Gemini unconciously backed away a few steps in fear, accidentally leaving the circle. The glow sharply brightened, blinding the hedgehog as all went black.
A few minutes later, the glow faded away, revealing the body in the rune circle. Now, inside it was a black hedgehog with yellow stripes, looking barely over sixteen. He looked almost normal to a strangers eye, except for one detail: A set of large wings attached to the back in place of quills. Opening his eyes, the hedgehog looked around.
"Where am I?" he wondered, the apartment being quite unfamiliar. His eyes rested on another black hedgehog a few feet away. "Gemini?" The object of his attention was passed out, slowly breathing. It was then the winged hedgehog himself realized he was not breathing himself. Was he a ghost? No, he couldn't be. He wouldn't be able to feel the floor under him if he was a ghost. Then why wasn't he breathing? Well, at least he wasn't choking. Maybe he didn't need to?
"I'm confused," he said to himself, noticing his voice sounded different. Nearby, Gemini's eyes flickered open.
"Ciel?" Gemini asked, raising his head. His brother was indeed in front of him, staring at him with the same curious eyes he had as a child. Ciel smiled.
"Hi Gemini," he said. "What happened?" The magician hedgehog almost smiled, but then he noticed the wings, and then remembered his mistake. He had revived his brother, but what had he done to him?"
End Flashback
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"And that's what happened," Ciel finished after telling the others the story in his view (which was much shorter). Everyone stared at him in disbelief, even Sonic. Everyone was silent for a few minutes.
"So..." Blaze said, breaking the silence, "You mean to tell us that Gemini's magic can bring back the dead?" The winged hedgehog nodded.
"Of course, he didn't do it perfectly," Ciel added. "Not only do I have wings and fangs, and I'm a little older, well...I'm not all the way alive, like you guys."
"What do you mean by that?" Sonic asked. Ciel looked nervously at his shoes.
"Well, my body can't sustain a lifeforce for long like you guys can. So I sorta' have to...take it from other people. And well, I can't always control when I do it..." Everyone slunk away a few steps, except for Cream. She still stood there, looking up at the once-dead project.
"It's not like you mean to," The rabbit pointed out. "And if Gemini revived you, it means that he cares about you and missed you. You're lucky to have at least a bit of family that cares about you." Ciel nodded, and was about to say something, when gunshots were heard.
"Damnit, I almost forgot!" The Commander yelled. "I still have to assist my troops against Gemini, even if I know him. Please understand." Ciel nodded, while Sonic grinned.
"Hey Commander, need a lift?" Sonic asked. "I'm sure I can get you there faster than walking." The human nodded, as Sonic pulled him away by the hand.
"Well, they aren't leaving us behind," Amy said, running after Sonic. Shrugging, Tails and Blaze followed her. Cream was about to, when she felt something on her shoulder. It was a chao.
"Cheese!" she cried, hugging the chao. "Oh, I'm so glad you're back." She turned to Ciel. "Thank you Mr. Ciel."
"Don't mention it," He replied. "He missed you. Now come on, we should go help the others!" Ciel flapped his wings and flew off, while Cream stood there for a second longer.
"He isn't bad at all," Cream said, "and I bet that once we defeat Mr. Gemini, he won't either. Come on Cheese, let's go."
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Wow, that chapter was long. Sorry if I went a little overboard on the flashback (I sometimes can't tell when it's too much). I did come up with the magic procedure myself, though, as well as Ciel's status. If you want more info on that, check Ciel's bio on my profile. Well, I'll see you all next chapter.
