Hi! I have Chapter 14 right here everybody. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I didn't update Crimson Stripes yesterday, because I had writer's block. Spawn of evil…ahem. Anyway, a chapter you do not want to miss!
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Hopeless. That was exactly how Rouge would have described the situation at that moment. No matter what she thought, she couldn't figure out any way to stop Eggman's machine without being shocked to death before starting. She could hear them now, Shadow and Gemini screaming from the electricity surging through their bodies, and there was nothing she could do.
"Shadow, how come you always get yourself into these messes?" Rouge asked in her head, as if she expected a reply. "One of these days, there won't be any way to get you out of your problems. I just hope that now isn't that day."
"So then, you still have no idea on how to save your friends?" Eggman asked. "I suppose if you'll miss them that badly, that you all can join me too."
"No deal, Eggman!" Sonic yelled. "None of us would ever stoop low enough to willingly follow you. If that means we have to fight Shadow and his brothers, then I guess we'll just have to do it."
"Cocky to the end, aren't you hedgehog?" Eggman stared at all the animals before him, his glasses hiding his expression. "In case you still haven't realized it, I have in my grasp the three Ultimate Lifeforms! Each of them can take you all down without a problem. Once they are under my control, I shall be unstoppable! Meaning, not even you Sonic, will be able to stop me! Mwahahahaha!" Right then and there, the chances that he was right seemed pretty high.
Unbeknownst to Eggman, who continued his maniacal laughter, something had changed with one of the projects. Ciel, the only one of the three hedgehogs that was immune to the electricity, began to tear away violently at the metal claw confining him. Since no one was watching, his hacking went away unnoticed, until he was finished. Soon after releasing himself, he easily walked over to the core of Eggman's machine, pulling off one of the side panels. At that moment, the mad scientist finally stopped laughing long enough to notice this.
"Ciel?" He asked. "What are you doing with that? If you mess with those wires, then my machines will malfunction!" The voice that answered back chilled him to the spine.
"I know," Ciel replied, a sharp chill to his voice. "I hope you do not mind, but I need to get you out of the way for the moment. Goodbye, Doctor." Using his nails, which were now more like sharp claws, Ciel swiftly cut the wires. Suddenly, all the electricity stopped, and the machine began to overheat. As the force field went down, Sonic, Knuckles, Blaze, and Rouge quickly ran to the machine to grab Shadow and Gemini before the Egg Walker exploded. As for Eggman, he was unfortunately still stuck in the cockpit, only escaping mere seconds before the explosion by the emergency cockpit launch button.
The blast was devastating. Since the Egg Walker was strong enough to harness twelve-thousand volts of electric energy, it had quite a lot of energy available to blow up with. It was obvious that GUN would need a new computer soon, seeing as the old one was now ashes. Sonic and the others were, luckily, fast enough to escape the blast zone, and were soon standing at the other side of the base.
"Well, that was a lucky break," Knuckles muttered once they had stopped. "That was some trick you pulled, Ciel."
"Hmm, I suppose it was, wasn't it?" Oddly, there was a drastic change in Ciel's voice. Not only was it much deeper, but it also consisted of an eerie tone. It was defiantly not the normal, little kid-like tone he used, but something more…more like the voice of a charming, yet sadistic killer. To some people, such as Sonic, the voice sounded downright evil. Definitely a cause for concern.
"Mr. Ciel, is something wrong?" Cream asked. "No offense, but you don't sound so good."
"To tell you the truth, I feel better than I have in years." Everyone in the room turned to the winged hedgehog. His face had changed to match this new voice of his, and it fit quite well. His already sharp teeth seemed even more fang-like, his mouth turned up in a smirk. Quills and claws both seemed sharper, and his wings were spread out like a long, vampiric cloak. The biggest change, though, were the eyes. His pupils were mere slits in golden irises, emitting a sense of malice and lust.
"You poor creatures seemed confused," Ciel noted, taking on a look of mock disappointment. "I suppose I must explain. You see, being a vamparagus, I have a need to sustain a life force, as you already know. Sometimes, a large part of me wishes to attain that life force. It's almost like a beast, attempting to devour my mind when I am not looking. And sometimes…the beast gets out, and he is quite hungry." Licking his chops, Ciel took a small step forward, while everyone else stepped back.
"This doesn't look good, you guys," Knuckles whispered. "Tails, you and the girls take Shadow and Gemini away. Sonic and I will try to hold him off."
"You will get yourselves killed if you attempt that," Blaze retorted softly. "You are going to need backup."
"Fine then, you can help if things get bad," Sonic replied. "Now, get going. We'll stall him."
"Stop right there!" Everyone, even Ciel, turned to witness the arrival of the GUN commander, who had a pistol aimed at Ciel's head. "Don't you dare move Ciel, or we will shoot."
"Pardon me, but I'm afraid that won't do a thing," Ciel replied. "As long as I have enough life to sustain me, I cannot die. You on the other hand…James, you look delicious." In one swift movement, the vamparagus had sunk his teeth into the commander, the light blue energy of the human's life force being sucked away. Unable to utter a word, Commander James fell to the floor, never to re-awaken.
"So then," Ciel asked, wiping his mouth with his sleeve as he refocused on the group of animals behind him, "who's going to play with me next?"
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I don't need to tell you how bad this is, do I? Well then, I suppose you shall have to wait until next chapter to find out what is our favorite furrie's fate. See you again soon!
