STH © SEGA/Archie
Sarah, Sam, Sam's henchmen, and Jasper © Cozy Shadow
Flame, Petunia, and Jeffery © Phantomask
Italicized brands (like food labels, movies, and songs) belong to their rightful owner.
Wasn't sure if I should post this chapter up...I feel like I've read it fifty times and it still has mistakes - but oh well. *shrugs*
I have all these excuses and reasons for going on a long hiatus, but we all know that would take me twenty pages to explain. But I don't know if there will be a schedule anymore. I know lots of readers liked the schedule, but shit's happening right now and I'm sick of changing the schedule when I can just get rid of it all together until things calm down in real life. So, I don't know when I'll be updating again. I just wanted to get this chapter up to finish the batch I originally started.
Thank you to those who reviewed and who have waited patiently!
If you ask questions right now and it's something that'll be explained later in the story, I won't respond to your review. However, if it's something I didn't catch, I'll respond and whatnot so I can clarify to you and clarify it in the story. So, if I don't respond, don't worry about it. Have some patience—it's going to be further continued and explained later on.
e.x. What's with the part with Butch? He just disappears and shit. I won't respond because it's still continuing onto the next chapter.
FYI, this chapter is probably going to be a bit rough since I'm trying to get back into the groove of writing for this story.
Chapter Sixteen:
The Motive
I should tell him…
Amy didn't dare look at Shadow. He drove the truck silently back home, while the only thing on was the radio. She could see him out of her peripheral, and that was enough to intimidate her from speaking.
It's the least I could do after showing up in the lawnmower section empty handed and with a freaked out look on my face. I could tell he wanted to pry.
And yet, the female couldn't put any words together—much less any sounds.
What happened in the store was nothing but fate. She almost wished that she hadn't gone to find a stupid doorknob. Then she wouldn't feel so guilty about misjudging Scourge…and Samwell Turner. The call Scourge had received had spoken all the truth that Amy could possibly need to piece together that the black bat was in charge—and he wasn't sane. In fact, Sam would use the lives of innocent people to keep Scourge under his thumb.
It was obviously Scourge's girlfriend or wife. But I can't believe he has a daughter. I can't believe I overlooked any possibilities that said Scourge was a good guy and that Sam is the real villain.
Ten years can really change a person.
True, Scourge isn't the best person out there, but he's better than Sam.
Sam must have some crazy type of motive. If Scourge doesn't want to get rid of the Sonic Heroes and Sam does, the question is why? Scourge would simply want power—that and he naturally strives to make Sonic's life a living hell. But what's Sam's intention?
The question gnawed at the back of Amy's head along with another one.
Who are the spies? He must have thought this plan out carefully and for a couple of years. He must have gained followers and they must have attached themselves to us one by one. But the question is who?
Well, I know one for sure. Worthington.
Worthington. It was such a familiar name. Amy knew she had heard it somewhere before, but a part of her told her that it might've been a dream.
No, I've heard of the name before. I'm not crazy. I don't think I know a Worthington, but I've heard it being said before. But where?
Looking out through the window, Amy watched the landscape go by. Shadow was silent as ever, but there was some sort of tension between the two. It was like they were on the verge of talking, and yet things remained quiet.
I should tell him…
For the first time on the drive home, Amy looked over at Shadow. Red eyes almost immediately caught green.
"What?"
His voice made it seem like more than a, 'What are you staring at?' type of question. It was like he was bringing up what happened at the store. And knowing Shadow, he probably was. He was probably trying to get the information out of her as discreetly as possible. He wanted to know why she looked so scared at the store, and why she failed to bring back a doorknob. Sonic would surely be upset about not having one sooner than later. And all the while, Shadow would probably be thinking about why Amy didn't grab a simple doorknob and leave the aisle.
She could have easily told him, but something stopped her from doing so. Instead of giving any excuse, or telling the truth, Amy turned back towards the window.
"Nothing."
At one point, the warehouse had been infested with rats. All the workers quit and the company was forced to shut down. The once rich bosses were either sued or lost their position—or both.
But that didn't matter.
The rats were no longer there. The warehouse was no longer running a company.
No, it was better than that. Different types of rats infested it now as it resided on the eastern side of the town, hidden well and surrounded by other factories.
"What's the call on St. Jude?" a thin cheetah sat at her computer, typing away key codes and looking through surveillance videos.
"Forget it." A bear shook his head behind her as he put other computers into boxes. Crates were filled to the brim and another worker filed in and out with the crates, loading them on a truck out back. "We don't have time. We have to ship everything out tomorrow—Turner's orders."
"I need those layout sheets before I can get into the bank's system," a marmoset raced between the bear and the cheetah's desk, squeezing through at the last minute while pushing up his glasses. "This one has a bigger shipment coming in. We can easily infiltrate it."
And then there were two.
"Can't you read? It obviously says, 'Do Not Microwave,' you moron," a maroon wolf slapped the badger upside the head.
"Hey!" the badger snarled as he set his cup of noodles down, "Doesn't make a damn difference, Lou."
The wolf huffed as she crossed her arms and leaned against the desk. She was muscular like the badger and intimidated most of the newbie workers. "Just remember, we don't have time for lollygagging. We've got to move before the police catch up with us. One of their agents already found this warehouse."
"Yeah, and we took care of him," the badger responded gruffly. "If you ask me, Turner should have planned better for that heist. Giving it away to Scourge, ha!"
The wolf agreed with a nod. "I don't even see why he's here in the first place."
"He knows the most about the Sonic heroes," the cheetah pitched in. She was careful of the two muscle heads though. "Samwell believed they could be beaten if he knew their weaknesses. So, he tracked down Scourge."
The warehouse door suddenly creaked open and shut roughly. It shook the rafters overhead of the cheap warehouse. The badger looked up as a real bat fluttered away, squeaking. He snorted as he glared at the hedgehog that had walked in. "Speak of the Devil…"
"Charles," Scourge stepped down the stairs and into the light, giving the badger a matching glower. He skipped over the wolf and turned to the cheetah. "Luna, where's Sam?"
"He's in his office. Where else do you think he'd be?" she shrugged and turned her chair away, speaking to the bear again. "St. Jude is a no go. I'll forward it to Jasper."
Charles grumbled at her, "That slithery bastard will only do it himself…"
"Turner wants everything out by tomorrow. We can't worry about St. Jude," the bear's voice trailed off as Scourge ignored the rest.
He stepped to the left and walked down a long aisle of empty desks that had once been piled with computers, surveillance photos, blueprints of banks and houses, and fast food.
He walked up three steps of cement and got to an old rusted out door.
Nothing in the warehouse was pretty to look at. It was dull on the inside and rotten on the outside. Scourge could understand why rats were no longer an issue. The warehouse matched the new occupants it housed.
He knocked on the door rather gently before hearing an, "Enter."
The room was dark as usual, but it wasn't entirely empty.
A familiar black bat rested up against his desk. The laptop glowed and emitted the only light in the room. The window blinds were partially open behind Sam's desk. A lamp's lightbulb was in need of replacement.
"Scourge."
The green hedgehog shut the door. It clicked softly as his ears twitched to a slight movement in the darker corner of the room. His eyes flicked over to the darkness and narrowed—as if trying to find someone hidden there.
Giving up on his search, Scourge cleared his throat and responded as he looked back at his superior.
"Sam."
The bat chuckled as he leaned against his creaking desk. He motioned to the chair in front of his desk after some short time. Scourge remained standing though.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Sam flicked little wood chips off his desk.
Scourge scoffed as he stayed firm by the door. He folded his arms across his chest. "Don't play dumb, Turner. You know exactly why I'm here."
Sam leaned back as he gave Scourge a smirk. A thoughtful gaze turned into a longer moment of silence between the two before Sam finally stood straight. "It surprises me that your mate so carelessly walks in places she shouldn't."
"Leave her out of this."
"You say that every time," Sam walked around his desk rather slowly, playing with a little bobble head figure. "You would think after so many encounters, she would learn to stay away."
Scourge remained silent as he watched Sam's every move.
"She's quite reckless," Sam set the bobble head down as he spoke. He stared out the window, looking through the blinds. "I'm guessing the little one started school, yes? She wasn't with her like usual."
A low growl emitted through the air. "You have nothing against them, Sam," Scourge could feel the lump in his throat try to choke him. "Leave them be."
"It must hurt…" The city lights flickered in the west as his eyes observed the dark scene. "Every time you know she walks in a place she shouldn't, you have to come to me and plead for their safety. Trust me, Scourge, if I wanted to hurt them, I would have done so already."
A pained memory flashed through Scourge's mind as his fists tightened. "We know who has the upper hand here…"
The bat softly chuckled. "Yes, we do."
Another long pause passed, and Sam twisted back around to face Scourge. He finished his circle around his desk and leaned back in the position he had been in when Scourge first arrived. "You used to be the hot shot back in Mobius. Then you decided to falter and settle down. And in some ways, I envy that."
Scourge narrowed his eyebrows, "Envy? You've threatened my family's life since day one of whatever you have up your sleeve."
The green hedgehog felt a little unnerved as Sam continued to stare at him. Scourge had never felt so exposed except when Samwell Turner caught his eye contact. It was like the bat was calculating Scourge's next move—while also making his.
Yes, the bat was truly in his own game of chess with the world. And he knew how to play the pieces just right.
"I envy that you can move on. Of all that Sonic and the rest of his posse have done to you, you have no quarrel with him."
"And you do?"
Scourge almost missed the light smile playing at the corners of Sam's lips. Almost.
"You could call it that."
Scourge scoffed in disbelief. "You're new to them—they don't know you. How in the world can you possibly have an issue with them if they've never met you before?"
The bat was always slow in responding, especially when it came to talking with Scourge. He turned and played with the lamp's switch. Nothing happened of course, as the light bulb was out.
"Sonic's their leader, yes?"
"They weren't all one group before—I told you this a long time ago. Shadow went off on his thing. Knuckles was always kind of out for his own hide. Sonic led Tails and a bunch of other fighters that were on his side. It was a mixed up world back in Mobius."
"It's a mixed up world now," Sam concluded. "Once, America had been the only "melting pot," and now…the world is a giant "melting pot," thanks to us Mobians." He paused before gazing at Scourge. "Miles does the mechanics, no?"
"He's the tech guy. Brilliant, supposedly. Tails is the brains of the group," Scourge sighed. "I've already told you this, what's the point? What's the point of keeping me here if you already know everything?"
He gritted his teeth. What's the point of threatening to harm my family any longer?
Sam smirked as he pulled at his necklace chain. He yanked it free from the collar of his shirt and revealed a white and blue jump drive. Letting it swirl around and tie the chain together, Sam watched as it undid itself. "It's you, Scourge, that doesn't know everything."
"Me?"
"You want to know my quarrel with them?" Sam eyed the flash drive. "Look to the fox."
Scourge narrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Tails? What about him?"
"He created the portal…" Again, the chain swirled. "It was a way for Mobians to escape—to be free—from our dying homeland. Dr. Eggman had no chance against Sonic and his group of heroes. But that doesn't mean there wasn't any pressure. Tell me, Scourge, do you think the heroes slipped up once or twice? That they ruined something and tried to cover it up?"
Scourge stared at the circling USB. It annoyed him. Something about it didn't settle easy within him. Scourge felt the urge to rip it from Sam's grasp and chuck it out the window. "I'm sure they made mistakes."
"One in particular," Sam glared at the little device. "Back on Mobius, our traveling group made it near the portal location…"
Flashback
The smoke was beginning to die down by the sixth day the Mobians had arrived. A group of two hundred or so had passed through a week before. Their group was smaller—only about thirty.
"The robots are getting closer," a gray bat whispered to a darker one. He was obviously older than the other bat. "We need to run a perimeter check before the night is through."
"Dean, I don't know about this—"
"Trust me," the gray bat said as he looked down at his little brother. "We're this close to the portal—this close to freedom from Eggman. We can't put our guard down now."
Sam, younger and only seventeen, hesitated as he followed his brother into the heavy vegetation. It wasn't until nightfall that they made it back to the camp. A small fire was lit and about half of the travelers were asleep.
One was keeping a watchful eye out for her sons. Blue eyes, lighter and sparked with life, lit up as they met her sons. Frail as she was, the mother wasted no time in hugging both of them.
"Ma, we were only gone for a little while," Sam shrugged her off in distaste as an embarrassed teenager would.
His mother softly smiled though and kissed him on the cheek before turning to Dean. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything's clear. Geoffrey sent another patrol, didn't he?"
"They left thirty minutes ago. They probably won't be back until a few hours," she said as she dusted his shoulders off. Dean smirked lightly down at her before embracing his mother and kissing her forehead.
"Are you alright?" he took his turn in asking while Sam stood by his mother's side.
"Oh, I'm fine. The doctor says my lungs have cleared up over these past few days. The smoke was only bad in that section of Mobius. We'll be fine as soon as we get to the portal."
"And then we'll get you some real help, Mom," Dean offered her another embrace. He glanced over at Sam and kept his soft grin.
Their mother let go of her eldest and turned to Sam. She linked arms with him and escorted them both back to camp, speaking away. "Oh, I can't wait until we get to the portal. Geoffrey spoke of so many things—so many good things about Earth. Of course, the people on it have their own trifles and affairs like us, but their planet isn't dying."
"I bet it's wonderful, Ma," Sam couldn't help but smile at his mother's optimism. "Do you think we'll be okay there though?"
"I'm sure of it. Sonic the Hedgehog is out there right now, fighting for us."
Sam's grin widened as he looked up at his brother. "What do you think will happen when we get to Earth?"
"I don't know," Dean honestly replied. "I'll have to get a job. You'll have to go to school. Mom—"
"Oh, school!" His mother hugged Sam's arm tighter. "I bet the schooling there is wonderful! After all, the heroes have been there before—not to the schools particularly but Earth, yes."
"They have?" Sam asked in amazement as he gaped in awe.
"Yes. They said it was an adventure. Everything was so different and yet some things were the same. It'll be a new experience for us, Samwell."
Sam found himself nuzzling into his mother's fur. "We'll be okay then?"
She stopped and touched his cheek, "Always such a worrier like your father. You take after him in many ways, Samwell. The heroes of Mobius will be there—protecting us. We'll be better than okay. We'll be free."
Dean watched them hug lightly with a soft smile. After their village had been set aflame and their father had been killed, family memories were beginning to become more precious. The soft hearted bat walked them the rest of their way to the tent. "Come on, let's get inside. It might be a short trip tomorrow, but we'll still need our rest."
Their mother kissed them both goodnight as she walked to her cot. Sam helped her in before getting into his own. Dean sighed blissfully as he found the sleeping bag good enough.
"Hey, Ma?"
"Yes, Samwell?"
"Are the doctors on Earth better?" Sam turned to his side and stared in the direction of where his mother was. "Will they help you?"
"Sam," Dean's warning voice whispered through the silence
Their mother exhaled heavily in response. "I believe so, Samwell. Now get some sleep. And stop worrying—everything's going to be fine."
~.~
An earthquake rumbled them awake.
Dean was shouting in his buzzing ears while their mother stood outside. "C'mon, Sam! GET UP!"
The black bat hurried to his feet and ran outside, bumping into his mother. Dean rushed out behind him as they stared up at the sky. A blue light flashed through the night while booms of explosions sounded off in the distance.
"Something's wrong…" Dean muttered as a figure raced up to them.
"Turner, get moving!" A skunk hollered at them. "We've got a radio transmission that the portal is collapsing. We have to get everyone in quick!"
"But if the portal is malfunctioning, how do we know we'll land safely on the other side?!" Dean yelled back as the ground shook lightly under their feet and the explosions still rang through their ears. People screamed and shouted around the camp while Geoffrey tried to calm them.
"The call Tails gave us said that the portal is still fine. He's trying to find the malfunction and fix it as we speak. For now, he wants groups moving double time! We've got to get our group moving now!"
Dean nodded and raced off with Geoffrey. Sam tried to follow but his mother gripped his arm. "No! Let your brother do his job. We have to keep moving!"
Sam strained to register anything that happened next. Instead of running away from the booms like instinct told him to, he was racing towards it.
He helped his mother through the thickness of the forest and past fallen trees while the ground seemed to shatter beneath them. Mobians raced beside them a few feet away and scattered about. He was panting like crazy after several minutes of running. His mother flapped her long wings in an attempt to keep up.
"C'mon!" Sam ran back to her as she faltered and rested against a leaning tree. She waved him off as she tried to catch her breath.
The tree's roots ripped up from the ground and the trunk croaked as it twisted.
Sam gasped as he saw it leaning towards them. He grabbed his mother's arm and yanked her onto his back, running out of the way. He got several feet away as the tree collided with the ground. Shrieks of Mobians were heard behind him, but he never looked back.
"We can't give up now," he rasped as he almost stumbled to the ground.
And then he saw it.
The portal, in all her glory, stood before him on its shining metal beams. It was very large in height for the frames and diameter for the portal. Sam couldn't fathom how such a thing was built.
The blue light illuminated the small, crowded clearing. The frame of it was cracked as the sapphire light escaped up into the night sky. The groups of Mobians were clustered together, trying to escape into the safer world on the other side. A windy breeze caught through the forest as the portal swirled faster than before.
He set his mother down in exhaustion. "There it is…Mom…"
Blue eyes were swelled with tears as her hair flailed around her face because of the wind. Sam held her close as the night became cold. "It's beautiful," she whispered. "Just beyond that is our future, Samwell."
Sam was going to say he couldn't wait, but then a thought struck him. Where was Dean? Where was his brother? He stood up and let his mother go. She balanced on her own as he twisted around the area.
"Dean? Dean!"
"He's with Geoffrey. They'll be the last ones, sweetheart," his mother calmed him. "They're making sure everyone gets here safely."
The thought of the tree crashing down and the Mobians shrieking behind him made Sam think otherwise. Not everything was safe.
He turned to stare at the portal—this time with uncertainty.
The portal wasn't safe.
As if reading his mind, the metal frame of the portal cracked even more. The azure light escaped as one side of the beam fell completely off. The blue light vanished, the wind stopped completely, and everything was caught up in silence as the Mobians saw the portal disappear.
Sam narrowed his eyes as the giant frame leaned towards a part of the group. His eyes widened as he thought of the tree. "Move!" he hollered within the quiet.
It was too late.
The frame came crashing down and some Mobians got caught under it. Then the screaming began as sparks flew off the beam and caught the dry grass. Flames sprang to life and ate everything in their path.
And then the frame exploded.
Every mechanical wire within it was fried to the core as Sam shielded his mother. Closer Mobians had no chance as their skin was melted to the bone and their fur was singed.
Sam tried to block out the terrified screams and the painful shrieks of the lives behind him, but he couldn't. And then a hand was grabbing his shirt collar and yanking him up, "What happened?!" Dean yelled in his face.
"I-It collapsed!" Sam realized he was on the verge of crying. His mother was curled up on the forest floor, next to another large tree.
"C'mon!" Dean grabbed both of them and yanked them up. "There's a safe house for refugees on days the portal isn't on," he motioned not two hundred feet away to a brick building hidden in the shrubs while the fire went downwind of it. "We'll wait there!"
Geoffrey was already hollering to Mobians that were running about crazily. He tried to bring order into the chaos, but he did not prevail. Dean raced past him with Sam and their mother. The skunk took a moment before yelling after Dean, "Get those two inside and then come back for the rest!"
Dean nodded apparently as they continued to run. Eventually, they made it to the safe house. The older bat shoved his brother inside along with his mother. Sam grasped the door frame. "Let me help!"
"No, it's too dangerous."
"Please, Dean!" Sam pleaded. "You need all the help you can get!"
"Stay here, Sam. I'm not going to risk your life," Dean grabbed his shoulders and stared at him long enough to make sure his point was made. He wrapped his brother in an embrace and kissed the top of Sam's head.
"Stay here and protect Mom," he whispered. Sam barely heard it as suddenly, his brother was running back into the chaos.
He paused against the door frame. Not many Mobians were running around any longer. Once the first frame struck, the other Mobians were either caught in the fire or already crushed.
A creaking sound caught Sam's attention.
He glanced up at the second frame. It creaked again and leaned a bit to the left.
"Help!" a muffled voice sounded off in the distance, but Sam was too busy looking at the frame. "Somebody, please!"
Sam snapped out of it as he looked to the left. Fire engulfed the forest and aimed towards a fallen tree. The bat figured the smaller tree had fallen recently because of the fact it trapped a being that was still alive.
It took no time for Sam to rush towards the life form.
He was bright orange, matching the environment at the moment. He coughed and looked up at Sam with reddish orange eyes full of hope and gratitude. "C'mon," Sam grunted as he tried to lift the tree trunk.
The hedgehog underneath the tree hissed in pain. Sam almost stopped.
"Get me out of here, man!"
They were about the same age, but both were filled with desperation as one tried vainly to lift a tree and the other clawed the ground hopelessly. It wasn't a thick tree. It was rather small, but even too heavy for Samwell.
He coughed as the smoke entered his lungs. The trapped hedgehog was no different.
"What are you doing?!" someone yelled after several minutes of trying and failing. Sam turned to see Geoffrey.
"You've got to help me!" Sam pleaded. He stared at Geoffrey and realized something. The skunk was about to leave both of them there. If Sam hadn't been there, Geoffrey would have left the poor hedgehog to die. The bat glared inwardly. Not on his watch. "Please!"
"Your brother is going to give you an earful! He's got some calmed down—he's in the safe house with them!" Geoffrey huffed as he grabbed the tree trunk and together, they got the trunk off the hedgehog long enough for him to escape. "Let's go—to the safe house!"
Pausing, Samwell glanced around.
Everything happened in slow motion. There were still other Mobians—some were screaming still and past the point of calming down. Others were newer groups just arriving, taking in the scene for the first time.
"We don't have enough room for everyone!" Sam realized.
"Let's go!" the skunk repeated. Geoffrey raced towards the safe house without a second glance back.
Sam grunted as he helped the hedgehog up. "You know, you're probably lucky you weren't paralyzed."
"It barely caught me, but it was damn heavy."
Sam found himself cracking a grin at the hedgehog's terrible timing for humor. "You're safe now."
"I owe you my life—"
The creaking sound had never sounded so terrible. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Both boys cringed, but Sam gulped as he realized what was happening.
The second frame leaned as it suddenly started falling to its destination.
"No…No, no, no!" Sam wailed as he saw it fall towards the safe house. He spotted Geoffrey, not too far off. "Geoffrey, NO!"
His hedgehog companion widened his eyes. "Holy shi—"
Sam could have sworn he saw his brother's face, or his mother's, or even Geoffrey as the skunk turned around and noticed his mistake. The frame crashed down and Sam saw nothing left of the safe house, the innocent lives, Geoffrey, or his family.
His world crashed the moment the frame met the ground, but reality hadn't sunken in until the frame was nothing but another explosion bursting in all directions.
End of Flashback
"I died that day. All that I had left of my family was gone…"
Sam stared at the ground for most of the story. He glanced up to see Scourge's confused gaze.
"It was the collapse of the portal that ruined everything. But it wouldn't have happened if the damn fox boy had gotten his calculations right."
Everything from Mobius came zooming back to Scourge. The collapse of the portal had definitely been a high light of the time line, and not exactly a happy one. It had killed so many Mobians.
"All because Tails was off one, one hundredth of a degree…" Scourge found himself leaning up against the wall.
"Everyone spoke of the heroes like they were saints. They ruined my life—more specifically, Miles Prower ruined my life. My future," Sam stood up with pain filled eyes. "You and I are both orphans. But have you ever had to dig your brother's grave? Have you had to sit there and mourn over their empty graves because you'll never get to see them again? They were taken from me, body and all."
"And I deeply apologize, Sam," Scourge found himself whispering his condolences. He shook his head slowly. "But there's nothing to bring them back. No amounts of revenge fulfilled will bring them back. No damage done to the heroes will make you an idol, trust me. That's the reason I moved on—they can't be beat."
Sam emotionlessly stared at Scourge. "I don't think you heard me. I died that day. I feel nothing towards anyone but hatred—especially to the group that call themselves heroes. They killed lives, and they decided to act like it was no big deal. No one took notice in the real situation of the portal collapsing because they were too busy celebrating the fact that they weren't the ones who died," he breathlessly hissed.
"Miles 'Tails' Prower was supposed to be a genius," Sam stood as his voice shook slightly with anger. He gripped the flash drive that was still in his grasp. "No one seemed to care when his creation was the one that killed the most lives. Eggman's attack on the eastern side of Mobius killed over 500 Mobians. The portal was second running with 225 deaths. It seems like nothing compared to Eggman's attack, but it's the fact that it was Tails' invention that malfunctioned, because he didn't calculate a little degree right, that changes the game.
"No Mobians cared to look at this though. The group before us was a group full of nomads. Not one of them made it out. The assembly I was with—we were from a small village. We all knew each other. And they all died together."
Scourge could've sworn Sam blinked away a tear. The bat turned away though. "I don't need the world to back me up and say the heroes should be questioned for their heroism—for the lives they killed. I'll kill him…" he inhaled angrily, "I'll kill Miles if it's the last thing I do."
"If your anger is aimed at Tails, why did you drag the others into it?" Scourge shrugged. "Your revenge plot doesn't make sense. You've become a killer because you're trying to kill the one being that screwed up a little dimension? Yet you drag the other heroes in on it too?"
Sam smirked at Scourge's confusion. "You're so stupid, Hedgehog."
"What?" Scourge narrowed his eyebrows.
"The question is, 'Why didn't I bring the other heroes in on it too?' You see, I couldn't have fun with Miles. He knows his mistake—did you know he tried to kill himself?" Sam questioned as he walked around his desk. He smirked at Scourge's surprised look. "Yes, he was already mentally worn out because he knew about all those lives he had killed because of his mistake. So, I decided to look up on the rest of the saintly crew."
He gripped the flash drive with protectiveness. "And you won't believe what I found out about some of them. It would bring the world hating them all, one by one or all together."
"Blackmail? For what? What you want most in this world is dead."
"Exactly. Now that I'm practically dead yet still physically alive, I might as well have some fun with the ones who ruined my life. Or with the one who ruined my life and the friends of that specific someone. After all, I have nothing to lose. Perhaps the new girl, but she'd only be for extra fun."
Scourge shivered in disgust. "Amy Rose?"
"She's quite lovely," Sam sat down at his desk. "I've found a lot on her."
"So I've heard from Luna." Scourge paused as Sam raised an eyebrow. "I ran into Amy the other day."
The bat waved him off as if it were nothing of importance. "Sadly, I can't find a number of important things via the internet or spies, so I must ask you something."
"What?" Scourge impatiently waited. He was standing in an office with a nutcase. The last thing he wanted to do was sit around and begin to be all buddy, buddy with him.
"Were Shadow the Hedgehog and Amy Rose ever romantically involved?"
Scourge raised an eyebrow, "Shadow and—No. No way in hell or back. Shadow was distant on Mobius. From time to time, he was involved in questionable activities…"
"So I've found out."
"Nah, Amy had a thing for Sonic. But Sonic was never interested."
Sam waved Scourge off again—as he had found his piece of information. "She briefly dated the white hedgehog while they lived together in New York. Then they mutually split and he dated Blaze the Cat."
"Silver and Amy? I mean, Silver and Blaze, that makes sense, but Silver and Amy?" Scourge confusedly asked. "That's a little out there…"
"Well, so is Shadow and Amy. But it's most likely going to happen."
"How do you figure?"
"She's living with him. Sonic's getting married," Sam swirled the chain around some more as he yawned and stretched. "If Amy Rose stays any longer, it won't surprise me if they have some sort of…thing. Besides, Shadow did seem protective of his little guest."
"Yes…" Scourge thought back. "Yes, he did."
"I would tell you to make Shadow's life a living hell, but fortunately, every time he steps out into the public that's already being done. Even if it's not, he still mentally thinks someone's always laughing at him. He spent most of his time in Canada, frequently visiting a town to meet someone."
"Who?"
Sam shrugged, "A psychologist of unimportance. Shadow's lost all contact with them ever since their tragic snowboarding accident. It was truly a shame…I really thought they'd make it over that ledge."
Scourge gulped rather fearfully. He didn't quite care about the psychologist, but for his own safety and his family.
The old Scourge would've beaten the bat to a pulp, but Scourge was outnumbered in Sam's group. No one liked him. They all had the order to dispose of Scourge's family if Scourge were to do anything wrong. Scourge was all by his lonesome when it came to protecting his mate and child—he couldn't be in meetings with the lunatic, running missions for said lunatic, and defending his family at the same time. Sam had men everywhere. And he was waiting for Scourge to mess up—so he could watch in humor as Scourge witnessed the only things he loved being ripped away from him.
Yes, Scourge could see Sam's plan. Sam thirsted for blood the more he killed. He proved to be a mad man. When killing someone, Sam was past the point of no return. He found ways of entertaining himself while doing so most of the time, and Scourge didn't want to witness that happening to his family.
"Why do all of this, Sam?" Scourge muttered. "When it's all said and done, what'll be the point?"
Sam's ears twitched to the dark corner of the room. Scourge flashed a look over to the spot he had observed when he walked in.
Still, there was nothing.
"I'm going to watch them fall apart, Scourge. You see, I met some people who went through some similar things. One in particular has it out for Sonic. While I have it out for Tails, he's focused on bringing Sonic down. We all have our reasons, Scourge. The heroes aren't always so good."
"And the villains aren't always so sane. There's a fine line between genius and insane, Sam."
He was met with an undying smirk. "That line does not exist for me. This time, they'll lose, Scourge. You want to know why?" he leaned a bit forward as Scourge remained silent, "Because they've stopped being heroes. They've let their guard down—just like you did."
Scourge listened as his lip curled up in a snarl.
"Look at your little girl's face? Tell me," Sam whispered in a deadly tone this time while his eyes blankly stared at his ex-informant. "Is the scar still there?"
The silences between them had never been so full of tension.
Scourge wanted nothing better than to rip Sam's throat out. Sam wanted nothing better than to rile Scourge up. The green hedgehog, knowing this fact like most of Sam's moves, breathed in heavily.
"It'll never work. They'll fight against you, Sam."
"I'm going to make the world despise them," the bat responded.
"They'll have each other's backs," Scourge shook his head in contradiction. "You can't kill legends."
Again, Sam thumbed the flash drive. "When I'm through with them, they'll wish they never met one another. Every legend has his or her darkest secrets. This is happening, Scourge. With or without you."
"Without," Scourge straightened his back and tried to give Sam a glare. But all he truly felt was pity for the bat and slight fear for the future.
He was rather surprised when Sam smirked at him.
"I've always admired your stupidity, Scourge. You always seem so independent and strong, but everyone has a breaking point." Sam let a crazy grin escape as his eyes glinted with madness. "And I know yours."
No hesitation was needed as Scourge stalked out of the room. He slammed the door shut and the window rattled as he left in a hurry. The green hedgehog escaped through the henchmen that had originally been there—they were still talking loud as ever.
His mind was mostly set on one thing:
Getting home.
~.~
Back in the office, however, the window still rattled before slowly dying down until it was quiet again.
Sam frowned a little as he set the flash drive on the desk.
He turned to the dark corner of the room, where his ears constantly twitched to and where Scourge's eyes occasionally glanced over to.
It was in that corner where another set of blue eyes made themselves known. A scaly tail wrapped around legs while a tongue slithered out of the figure's mouth. He hummed in thought as his eyes were narrowed in concentration.
Sam found himself smirking for what felt like the fiftieth time that night, "Looks like we're one man down, Jasper."
The snake leaned forward towards the light. His responding sneer was evident as fangs poked out from both sides. Blue eyes glinted with something akin to nothing but evil.
"We can't have that happening, can we?"
Morning came and went as well as the good television shows. Amy didn't know what to do that Friday morning. Shadow was out doing who knows what, Sonic and Sarah were at work, and Tails was busy at his workshop.
Thankfully, Rouge called.
"I really think this biography is a good idea."
Amy skipped through channels as she listened to the bat speak. "I don't know, Rouge. Documenting everything on our lives? A Biography of Heroes: The Other Side of the Portal. Doesn't it seem a bit boring to you?"
"The title is still in the works, but my editor I hired thinks it's a great idea. They're human and they constantly say they want to learn more about Mobian history and the adventures the Sonic heroes went on. I definitely think a biography would help explain our lives. People are sort of interested in us still."
"It seems a bit out of my comfort zone," Amy droned. She let go of the remote. "I like being recognized from time to time, but I also like my privacy."
"Relax! I'm not telling them what color your underwear is."
Amy flushed and groaned in frustration. "Rouge…"
"C'mon! You sound like Shadow right now. Oh, by the way, we're still planning on coming up. Knuckles is currently packing, and I'm trying to make a work schedule with my boss. She thinks the biography would be a great idea as well. Unfortunately, we probably won't be there until sometime in early March."
"That's okay," Amy sighed heavily. "Nothing's happening anyway."
"Really?"
She bit her lip.
That was a lie. But Amy had somewhat forgotten about Scourge and Sam for the morning. She tried multiple things to get her mind off of it, but nothing worked. Scourge's situation and Sam's irrationality always found a way to pop back up in her head.
Maybe I should bake…But my wrist…
She glanced down at her wrist. She wore the bandage that day to keep it straight and rested as it had throbbed during the night. It didn't hurt as much and was almost completely healed. Still, she found herself wincing when she moved it too vigorously.
Well, Shadow could always help.
"Amy, you there?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry, Rouge. I was trying to think of things to do today. It's literally that boring."
Rouge lightly laughed on the other line, but it was obvious something was distracting her. Amy waited for a moment as Rouge's side went silent. Finally, the white bat came back, "Sorry, Dex wanted some more pretzels. He's busy watching some space movie with Derrick."
"It's okay. Give them my love. I better go."
"It's so boring there; you don't even want to talk to me."
"I didn't mean it like that—"
"Say no more, Amy Rose. I shall give them your love, but you shall not receive mine," Rouge joked. She hung up on Amy rather quickly, but for once, the rose hedgehog didn't care.
Instead, Amy flopped back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. The dog lied down on the floor and occasionally glanced up at her to see if she was going to possibly pat his head.
I wonder where Shadow is…I haven't seen him all morning.
With a new mission in mind, Amy rose from her spot and avoided the dog by stepping around him. She made her way to the front door and opened it. Butch raced out, thinking they were going for another walk.
Noticing that Shadow was nowhere in sight, Amy shut the door and left Butch outside.
Maybe the garage.
Amy hurried to the garage door, noticing that the clock on the wall said it was noon already. Shadow failed to walk through the door like usual for lunch, which caught Amy's curiosity. She opened the garage door and was rather surprised to see the garage open.
Shadow had the hood of his truck propped up and grease on his hands.
He was currently wiping his hands on a rag and walking around the truck when Amy stepped on the built wooden steps. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for you."
Butch came around the side and through the garage door, wagging his tail like usual. Shadow took a moment to look between the dog and then up at Amy. "Why?"
"I require your assistance," Amy sweetly said. She figured if she were nice, Shadow couldn't say no. "You look kind of bored, and so am I, so I figured we could bake."
Shadow raised an eyebrow as he set the rag on the workbench. "Bake? Can't you see that I'm busy?" He motioned to his truck.
"Yes, I see the hunk of junk, but you obviously don't see the apple pie envisioned in my head."
"While that sounds tempting," he sarcastically spoke, "I'll have to pass up on the offer to bake with you—although it was my life's goal."
"Someone's being sassy today," Amy shut the garage door as she spoke. It was obvious she wasn't going anywhere until she got what she wanted. "I might also need your help because of my wrist."
"Don't bake then."
"I can't. Unfortunately, it's another boring day in Hell, and I need something to do," Amy grinned just as mockingly as Shadow spoke. The two stubborn beings weren't on anyone's good side today. "So, you can either help, or you can have my wellbeing on your conscience."
"I'll take my chances." Shadow snorted as he shut the hood of the truck. He stopped and stared up at Amy.
The two got into a staring competition.
Butch watched both of them with curiosity.
To the dog, it was like when his other owner—the blue one—tried to win a calm dispute with his mate—the green one. While Butch didn't quite understand why the pink hedgehog slept on the couch if she argued with his Master like they were mates, the dog didn't mind following her around. She was nice, so he understood why his Master chose her—she would surely make a wonderful mother.
Butch wagged his tail at the thought of a permanent baby in the house—nothing like his own rowdy puppies in the basement. When the two toddlers that occasionally visited first came, they were so tiny. Now, one was big and loud, but Butch liked the smaller one. He was soft, smelled nice, and always dropped his food on the floor—the big one snuck pieces of larger food though. His tail continued to wag as he thought of all the food that would be dropped on the floor when his two-legged owners had smaller two-leggers.
But, something seemed off.
If they were mates, they would be sleeping in the same object two-leggers called a bed—like the blue hedgehog and the green hedgehog did. But his Master didn't sleep in the same bed as the pink one. That would need to be arranged if he wanted free food in the future.
Butch padded up the stairs and wagged his tail while looking up at Amy. He glanced over at Shadow, who glimpsed at him and blinked.
"Ha!" Amy grinned. "I win! You bake!"
"Ugh…" Shadow looked away before back at her, "Fine. As long as I get to eat this apple pie."
"Sure, sure," she laughed and opened the door. Butch walked through and vanished with a new goal set in his little doggy brain.
Amy waved Shadow in as she continued to chortle and ignore the dog, "If it's edible."
"Okay, two cups of flour, one teaspoon of salt—"
Shadow didn't know why he agreed to bake an apple pie with Amy Rose of all people—with anyone really. Sure, he might've lost the staring competition, but he still could have just walked away. Part of him said he should've.
The other part…well, it was still busy deciding.
Measuring cups and bowls were laid out in front of them. Everything looked chaotic. It was then that Shadow realized he had never baked a day in his life. Sure, he made breakfast and occasionally dinner, but he didn't bake. And especially not from scratch.
"Why salt?"
"For the pie crust."
"Seems a bit odd."
Amy sighed in exasperation. Maybe getting Shadow to help her was a bad idea. "Look, just…Just, here," she handed him a medium sized bowl and the flour and salt. "Mix this."
Shadow gave her a look but grabbed the wooden spoon she offered.
Hey, at least they were getting somewhere.
Amy watched his movement as he went to put the flour in. Shadow paused and glanced over at her, raising his eyebrow in questioning. "Is something wrong?"
"No."
"You're sure?"
"Positive. Just mix it."
His eyebrow remained raised and so did her tone of voice. "Really? You mean, you're not going to correct me if I pour it in wrong because God forbid there's a right way?"
"Just mix it."
Oh…
…
…He loved this.
Shadow smirked upon seeing Amy Rose angry. It was rather charming, but mostly amusing. If he had known the easiest way to get on her bad side was to simply hold a cup of flour over an empty bowl, he would have been baking years ago.
He tilted his head as his classic smirk remained wider than ever. "Are you sure?"
"Just mix it!" Amy hissed. Her quills frazzled upwards comically as her eyes widened in impatience. Her hands and fingers twitched in annoyance as they reached for the cup.
"Hmm…I don't know," Shadow hummed in thought as he set the measuring cup down.
Amy watched with an inquiring gaze.
He fisted his hand together with some flour hidden inside, but Amy saw the whole thing. "Are you sure that it doesn't go something like this?"
Before she could question him, he put his fist to his mouth and blew so the flour escaped the looser side—which aimed directly towards the pink hedgehog. Her face was covered in flour as she shrieked momentarily. Blinking, Amy was mostly in shock rather than upset.
She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Shadow smirked.
Oh, yes.
Baking was becoming a hobby for him—a way to anger one Amy Rose.
The pink hedgehog was still in shock. As Shadow chuckled to himself, Amy came out of her trance of absurdity and glared.
"Oh? I don't know…I think it goes something like this," she grabbed a fistful and wasted no time in throwing it.
In a puff of flour, Shadow was covered. His shirt even had some flour on it. His snickering stopped as he stared at her in an unamused way.
Oh? So, she thinks she can win.
"No, no, no, no," Shadow quickly said as he simply grabbed the measuring cup and dropped the rest of the contents on her head. He watched in satisfaction as she gaped up at him, a little sound coming out of her mouth. "I distinctly recall that being the way."
"Yes, but there's normally a bowl involved…" Amy whispered rather playfully as she smirked.
Shadow saw the playful glint in her eye, and he was sure he had it too. He didn't care though. Friends could be playful without being flirty, couldn't they? And they certainly weren't flirting. No, they were throwing flour on each other. No way was that attractive.
Except Amy's genuine laughter was rather like a sweet melody to anyone's ears.
And then the egg smashed against his forehead.
Why that little—she caught me off guard!
For an instant, Shadow was probably truly mad. But then he looked down at the culprit and his eyes softened just a tad at the scene.
Amy, covered in flour as she may be, still looked too innocent as she mischievously stared up at him while biting her bottom lip. Her ears perked towards him as she waited for his next move.
Instead of grabbing the pinch of salt or the other cup of flour, Shadow noticed a little flour collected on the edge of her nose. Without entirely thinking, his finger reached up and brushed it off rather slowly.
Amy watched, cross-eyed, as Shadow did so.
A blush crept up across her face and slightly showed through the thin layer of flour. Shadow felt the tingle when his finger tip brushed the top edge of her nose. He pulled away as something within him took the tingles and embraced the feeling of warmth.
Shadow himself ignored the feeling. He took a deep breath in and then out as they stood a foot apart and in silence.
"You win," he nearly whispered.
Amy's eyes widened a little as the blush remained. Don't think like a girl…Don't think like a girl…
Too late. Amy became lost in the vermillion eyes in front of her. She offered him a small smile that rested on the corners of her lips. He…He's being nice. I shouldn't think too much of it.
Still. The pause between them had to mean something. The sparks whenever they touched had to mean something. The feeling of wholeness during moments like these had to mean something.
Shadow couldn't quite grasp what one part of his brain was thinking. It enjoyed her company. It enjoyed the sensation when they touched. And the small emotion growing within his mind and heart was confusing as well. It pointed towards Amy obviously, but Shadow wasn't sure what it was.
But he knew one thing for sure. We're just friends. When she finds a job and gets back on her own two feet, she'll leave. She'll be another person in my life that'll move on.
Amy cleared her throat and turned away, getting the flour out again as Shadow watched her.
I'm not falling for anyone—especially not her.
"Looks like we'll need some more," Amy sighed and gave him a grin. "Let's hope it actually gets in the bowl this time, hm?"
She saw the slight smirk he gave in response, but Shadow didn't seem to be fully there. Even Amy saw the slight hesitation he took in giving the smirk.
Something was on his mind.
There's too much to lose.
Amy bit her lip again as Shadow looked over at the empty bowl. The thought of how the warming scene vanished came to her mind—how precious those may be now—and then Scourge's phone call invaded her every thought.
She licked her lips as she stared back at Shadow.
"Shadow, I—"
The phone cut her off. It ringed sharply only once; and yet Amy faltered in her sentence and in her decision to tell Shadow about Scourge.
He didn't seem to care about her words as he quickly picked up the phone. "Hello?"
The soft expression on Shadow's face vanished as it became distant and emotionless. He twisted towards her as he said, "She's right here."
There was a slight hiss in his voice.
Amy stared at the phone he passed to her. Shadow, however, avoided her eye contact as he walked out of the room.
Putting the phone to her ear, Amy swallowed in apprehension. "Yes?"
"Hey, Amy…It's Cream."