Act I: AWARE
Chapter XXIV: Ultralight Beam
Central City Stadium, Sunday 1:48 AM
Sonic watched in horror as the water barraged through the glass.
Knuckles and Amy had ran down, attempting to evacuate people out of the water along with the SWAT team – yet the detectives, the mob, and the superheroes all stood and watched with steely eyes.
Tails shook his head rapidly, his hands clasping the back of his neck.
Silver turned to Blaze. "I'm going to get down there and try and hold the water off. I don't think your powers are going to work in there," Silver stated.
Blaze shook her head, fiddling with her gauntlet. "They won't. I'll have to stay up here with the fight,"
Silver nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he soared off, putting a psychic-barrier up to try and push the tons and tons of water that rushed into the stadium.
The entire stadium was filled with shrieks and screams, citizens running in panic to try and escape – tripping over and pushing one another to safety.
The group on the catwalk couldn't watch as a shot rang out, turning around as the gunmen had returned for round two.
"They just don't give up, do they?!" Jet exclaimed, cocking his rifle.
"Neither do we," Sonic stated, pulling his gun out as the firefight resumed.
Sonic and Tails ducked behind a railing, taking cover while trading shots.
Rouge joined in with the Rogues, Bark opting to bring the fight with his fists as he apprehended the gunmen that stood in his path.
Shadow hid behind a corner pillar, thinking of a plan.
He watched the dangling wire of electricity – people were trapped in the rubble.
He sighed, turning to Blaze. "Blaze! I need a distraction! Do you have anything you can throw at them that will take them down?!"
Blaze nodded. "I do – but I cannot lie and say it won't kill them,"
Shadow clicked his tounge. "Either way – we have to get to those people down there, and with them still on the hunt – they're going too-"
Shadow was interrupted, as the butt of a gun slammed into his stomach, caving over the railing as he held on.
The catwalk was hazy, and Blaze saw Shadow dangling. "Shadow!"
The man grabbed his shotgun, pointing it at Shadow's head as he finished reloading, Shadow dangling off the catwalk as he cursed, frenzy in his eyes.
Before the man could shoot, Rouge tackled him with a roar, kicking him into the water below.
She pulled Shadow up, hoisting him as he grumbled in pain, before she lay him down on the catwalk.
"You're alright – you're alright, Shads!"
Shadow sighed, attempting to hobble up – until the last gunmen grabbed Rouge, pummeling her in the stomach as he discarded her.
The man hovered over her, attempting to raise her gun as she fought back, Shadow hobbling to get up.
Sonic and Tails continued firing against gunmen on the other end of the catwalk-grid, before taking out the remaining left.
Jet, Storm and Wave started hollering loudly, rushing into gunmen with clubs and bats – slamming them down onto the assailants in their way.
Wave propped one up, holding his arms behind his back as Jet whistled.
"Alright, Jet! The bases are loaded – get us a home run and geeeeeeet outta here!" Storm exclaimed.
Wave cackled, as Jet twirled the bat.
The man cursed at Jet, causing the hawk to laugh even harder.
"Alriiiighty – heyyyy, batter batter batter! Pitch me a good one, Wavie!"
"You got it!" Wave hoisted the man up, kicking him forward as Jet reeled the bat back, before swinging it into his jaw, shattering the bones as he fell over the side.
"BOOOYAH! HOME RUUUUN!" The hawk exclaimed.
"Guys! Rouge is in trouble, stop standing around!" Blaze exclaimed.
Bark grunted, as the three birds whipped their heads around to Shadow – incapacitated on the catwalk.
"Shit – boss!" Wave cried.
Sonic and Tails heard the commotion, wondering where the last gunmen had gone.
"Sonic, over there! It's Shadow and Rouge!" Tails exclaimed.
Rouge attempted to kick him off, but to no avail as he pressed the gun harder into her head.
Shadow cursed, before fumbling in his pocket – pulling out a vial of…
Zypothime.
Cursing, he popped the top off, downing it as his face scrunched from the taste.
Soon, his breathing quickened, his heart rate skyrocketed as he began to roar, launching up and tackling the man off the bat.
Shadow lunged on top of him, punching him in the face repeatedly, harder and harder as his fists began to break every bone in the man's face.
Rouge lunged up, eyes watching in terror as Shadow began wailing into the young man's face. The black hedgehog's vision was blurry, the sound around him drowning out as he slammed his fist over, and over, and over into his already bloodied face.
Sonic ran over, putting his hands up. "Shadow..! Shadow! Shadow, stop! Shad-"
Shadow turned around abruptly, ready to punch before his eyes met Sonic's, his breathing quick and heavy as he began to regain his senses, hobbling up as he looked down at the man.
Knuckles, Amy, Sally, Espio, Mighty and Tangle had made their way to the catwalks, watching as the man breathed heavily, blood drooling from his face.
"Jesus – who are you, man?" Knuckles asked.
The guy wheezed, and began to smile.
"Don't you know? I am justice. I am change…"
"I am vengeance."
Shadow stared at him – his eyes hard with realization…
He wasn't the only one who was vengeance.
Sonic shared this too, his mouth dropping open…
He wasn't the only one who was justice.
The screams of the citizens below snapped them out of their daze, the only light now coming from three wires, hanging as they sparked.
Knuckles cursed, putting his hand over his face has both Espio and Mighty patted him on the back.
"It – it's going to be alright," Espio stated, uncertainty lacing his voice.
They all stared for a moment, pondering what to do.
It seemed like there wasn't anything to do.
Tangle shook her head, wrapping Sally into a half-hug as their eyes stayed cemented on the chaos below.
Shadow sighed, before fumbling in his pocket, grabbing a blade.
"Enough of this. I have been on this mission long enough, I know what needs to be done."
Sonic tilted his head. "Shadow, wha-"
"You heard him. He was vengeance. So was I. That is not acceptable anymore. Our mission, ny mission…"
Shadow stopped, eyes welling up.
"My mission is complete. Now, I must do what I had sworn to do those years ago."
Turning his head, Shadow lunged off of the catwalk, Rouge screaming for his name as he twirled through the air.
Shadow grabbed onto the wire, holding on as the sparks radiated from the bottom of the loose wire, hoisting the knife from his pocket.
His eyes flickered to Sonic, as the blue hedgehog was wide-eyed, terror across his face.
Shadow smiled slightly, before he nodded, raising the knife and slicing the wire, falling below into the flood.
Sonic watched in terror as the black hedgehog plummeted below, Rouge grasping onto the railing with paled hands.
"Guys – we have to get down there now!" Mighty exclaimed, the group darting down the stairs as Blaze dropped down, landing into Silver's arms as they watched Shadow plunge into the ocean.
The wire was gone – so now the stadium was plunged in darkness.
What was once a lively, concert and sports arena, was now a desolate, dark, flooded wasteland.
From below in the ocean-water, Shadow emerged, breathing heavily as he regained his senses.
He looked at Blaze and Silver, gesturing for their gauntlets.
The couple looked towards each other, before nodding and landing into the ocean.
Flicking their gauntlets on, flares were lit up on their gauntlets, casting them in a red glow as they pushed through the water – to the rubble.
Shadow swam through, breathing heavily as he reached the rubble, seeing Shade, the mayor's family, and countless other citizens and police underneath the collapsed structure.
Sonic and Tails swam up to him, the trio meeting eyes, as Sonic nodded.
The blue hedgehog stood up and reached his hand for the late mayor's son.
He remembered what it was like.
Shadow reached for Shade, pulling her out as Tails grabbed onto more citizens.
Knuckles and Amy joined in, followed by Vector and Espio.
Bunnie, Antoine and Sally came from the side, grabbing victims from the rubble.
Cosmo arrived with Whisper, Tangle, Mighty and Charmy, detecting more citizens.
Then – Wave, Storm, Jet, Bark and Rouge came. Rouge nodded at Bark, as he grabbed onto the rubble, grunting as he used his strength to begin taking the rubble apart, offering the chance for more victims to be pulled out from Shadow and Sonic.
Shadow nodded at Bark, as the bear continued dismembering the rubble before him.
Knuckles turned to Silver and Blaze with a nod. The couple turned around, holding the lights in the air as the citizens began to follow them.
Across the stadium, citizens were escaping, swimming towards the light as the couple led them all to safety.
As they had rescued all the citizens there were, they all began following Sonic and Shadow, as they followed the light that Silver and Blaze held up.
Despite everything, despite Mephiles hounding this city for corruption.
There was hope.
There was honor, there was purity, and there was good.
Sonic looked at Shadow, the pair sharing a smile as they continued to trudge through the ocean, the light from the superheroes casting a red glow onto them, as the pair nodded at one another.
This city would be healed, they would inspire and save the city from darkness.
For everyone who gave up their lives.
For everyone who fought until they couldn't fight anymore.
And…for Tikal.