Act I: CATACOMBS

Chapter III: Little Dark Age

"Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption!" – Isaiah 1:4

The sun hung low in the sky, yet in no time dark clouds obscured it from vision once again.

Sonic leaned against a pole, smoking a cigarette idly as he watched the barren town suffer underneath the billowing clouds.

He shook his head, taking his hat off as he blew yet another cloud of smoke from his mouth.

Quickly, however, he heard the ruckus of doors slamming shut – locking as blinds closed rapidly.

Sonic peered around, a curious glance in his eye at the sudden panic.

That was, until he heard the galloping.

Turning his head, his heart dropped into his stomach as he saw a donkey – riding through town. His ears hung low, and Sonic saw the rider as clear as day.

Black coat, black top hat, dark boots with spurs.

The Undertaker.

Sonic felt his back glue to the wall behind him, his eyes focusing on the donkey as it approached. He lifted his head – getting a look at the Undertaker.

He was a hedgehog. Black and green quills, reptilian eyes, a pale muzzle…

Looked strangely like Shadow – if Shadow was sickly, that is.

As the rider passed, he couldn't help but follow him. He ensured his steps were as quiet as possible, tailing behind him as he kept his body glued to the walls.

He tensed up, avoiding the possibility to make any sort of noise, biting down hard on his lip. The Undertaker paid no attention to him.

Sonic squinted, attempting to inspect him closer. He rode with a hunch in his back yet remained so perfectly still.

What was he doing? Where was he going?

Suddenly, a door flung open – as a hand pulled Sonic's arm, dragging him inside.

"Wha-!"

He spun around, his eyes meeting that of Amy and Tails, both giving him harsh looks.

"You oughta be careful out there!" Amy said in a whisper.

Sonic felt his eyes slide to the seedrian girl behind the counter, crossing her arms as she gazed longingly out of the window.

"I – just kinda caught up with him. Wasn't on purpose or nothin'."

"Right," Amy said, sighing as she sat down adjacent to the counter. Tails walked behind, squeezing Cosmo's shoulder.

"It's alright, Cos' – he's passin' on," he muttered.

Cosmo shrugged. "Just gives me all sorts of creeps."

"So…is this your girl, Tails?" Sonic asked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Tails whipped his head to Sonic, smiling slightly. "Ah – yeah! This is Cosmo – Cosmo, this is Sonic."

Cosmo smiled, waving slightly. "Nice to meet 'ya. Tails was tellin' me about you. Funny timing!"

Sonic whistled lowly, sitting down next to Amy. "I'll say…"

"So, did y'all hear? Shadow is back in town…" Tails muttered.

Amy sighed, resting her head in her hand. "I did. Rouge told me he showed up at the Saloon. She also told me he challenged a certain someone to a duel…"

The pink hedgehog moved her eyes on Sonic, who was rubbing his neck.

"Ahhh – well! Yanno, it was jus' some playful chat!"

"Well – now really ain't the time to be showin' off. Espio has got these police moving quickly," Amy said.

A knock rapped on the door.

Tails peeked outside the window. "Speak of the devil…"

Amy leaned over, before grabbing Sonic's arm. Sonic whipped his head around, giving Amy a confused look. "Hey – what're 'ya doin'?!"

"You're an outlaw, remember? You don't need 'ta be seen! We may be friends with these folk but you ain't. So – get in this closet and hush up!"

Amy shoved Sonic into a back room, closing the door tightly. Sonic felt his mouth hanging open, before pushing the door open slightly to get a look.

A purple chameleon, followed by an armadillo, a rabbit, a coyote, and a chipmunk – all walked inside. Even a young bee flew overhead them – a beaming grin on his face.

Espio took his hat off, giving Amy a smile. "Evenin', Miss Rose."

"Espio, howdy! How are 'ya?!"

"Could be better…" The chameleon muttered, as Sally gave Amy's shoulder a squeeze.

"We just wanted to check on y'all, make sure you guys were okay. We saw him passin' through too," Sally said with a somber smile.

"We're as on edge as y'all are," Tails answered, "But – we ain't too afraid."

"Well, as long as y'all's spirit's stay sharp! I know if worse came too – y'all would be just fine!" Bunnie said, locking her arm with Antoine's.

Antoine smiled, "And you know you have us if you need us."

"But – we do got a few questions for y'all, if 'ya don't mind?" Mighty asked, as Amy shot Tails a quick look.

"Well – sure! Whatever 'ya need!"

Espio smiled. "We heard some reports Shadow was back around. Have you heard anythin' about that? Seen him maybe?"

Tails shrugged. "Not that I know of, no! Haven't seen or heard nothin'."

"Cosmo? What about you?" Sally asked, earning the same shake of the head from the seedrian.

"No ma'am. It's been quiet."

"And so – I'm assumin' you haven't either, Amy?" Mighty asked, "Has Rouge told you anythin'?"

Amy shook her head. "No sir, I think it might just be the town talkin'. You know ol' Father Robotnik keeps droppin' his name."

Antoine rolled his eyes, clutching his hat to his chest. "Oh – we do know that much."

"And this Sonic the Hedgehog fella? We've heard some reports about him bein' around here. You seen anything?" Sally asked.

"Nothin' about no Sonic the Hedgehog either, ma'am. Honestly – we've been mindin' our own business the last few days. Tryin' not to cause any scenes when the town's half scared to death," Amy replied, sharing a smile with Sally.

"We have Nicole and Rotor investigatin' leads on that. For now – Vector is gonna put us on high alert for the two of them. I'm sure somethin' will cough up. Not much we can do about this Undertaker – but could pay to get some gunslingers off the streets," Espio stated, as Charmy chuckled.

"I dunno – they all seem fun to me!"

"Everything is fun to you," Mighty muttered, patting the bee on the head.

"And what about Robotnik?" Tails interrupted, "I mean – surely Vector is aware he's up to no good?!"

Espio sighed. "Vector is – but there ain't much he can do. When the entire town is hangin' on the mans every word? It's impossible to try and catch him in the middle of somethin'."

"Believe us – we've been tryin' everything! It seems that until this Undertaker mess is resolved, there ain't much we can do about ol' Robotnik," Bunnie remarked.

Antoine had been staring out the window, his eyes squinting as he approached it. "Looks like everyone's hurryin' to the church…"

Espio sighed, putting his hat on. "It'll make us look bad if we ain't there. We better head over."

Sally sighed, following the D'Coolette's as they walked towards the door. Sonic watched closely, shock in his eyes when he noticed that Tails and Cosmo were following too.

Did everyone go to the church? Everyone in town?

It wasn't until Amy turned to him, ushering him to come out. Sonic rushed from the door, tiptoeing to Amy as he leaned to look out of the window.

"You sure goin' is a good idea?"

"We have to," Amy replied, "That's the way it is right now. Pull the bandana up and keep your hat low. Stay in the back of the church – don't let any of the marshals see you."

Sonic nodded, pulling his hat down and his bandana on. He followed the crowd, shoving his hands in his coat pocket as he attempted to blend in. Approaching the church gave him all sorts of fearful emotions.

Turning around, he squinted at the wishing well in the center of the town, feeling his muzzle pale at the sight.

There was the Undertaker, sitting at the well with a smile on his face.

And he stared right at Sonic.

The clamor inside was hectic. Yelling men, whimpering children, scared mothers holding their pearls.

Sonic hung in the back, seeing Amy, Cosmo, and Tails sitting by a female bunny and her daughter.

Next to the mother was a crocodile – who looked incredibly wealthy. Sonic could gauge he was a higher-up in this town.

Possibly the mayor – he wasn't sure.

Moving his eyes, he saw Rouge sat with Honey. Next to them – a pink echidna, a lemur, and a wolf.

Sonic pursed his lips, attempting to stay out of sight from the police who stood along the lines of the church walls. A lynx and a walrus joined them. Must be the Rotor and Nicole they were talking about.

Looking up, however, he noticed a balcony – one he hadn't imagined being here. Sat atop of it were an interesting collection of individuals.

A platypus with a monocle, an opossum wearing all white, a purple weasel with a snagged tooth, and a silver echidna.

They seemed…wildly out of place. Why were they on the balcony when everyone else was down below?

His daze was snapped as two figures walked onto the podium at the front of the church. The room went quiet – all eyes on the pair.

A polar bear stood off in the back, a gruff frown never leaving his face. Stepping up to the podium was a bald man – glasses and a bushy mustache.

Father Robotnik.

"One bad apple is all it takes!" The man started, a raspy, commanding veneer that reached his ears instantly.

He understood everything in one, simple sentence.

"One bad apple to soil the entire barrel! I ask you – who claims to be that apple!? The one who refuses to fear the Lord!"

The townspeople hung to his every word.

"It is said in Scripture – that God punished the family of Achan for his sin. One man's sin punished the entire family! It is also found in the city of Seek'um – that the entire city was also punished for one man's sin!"

Robotnik smirked slightly.

"That punishment was death."

The crowd murmured lowly, a wave of dread casting over them all.

"We ask to what end will you refuse God?! To what end will you turn away from him?! Now that we are terrorized for the sins of a single man! Now…as you may have heard that man has returned to this town. Shall he continue to spit in the face of the Lord our God?"

The crowd murmured lowly again. Sonic felt his eyes glance to the balcony, where the opossum and the weasel were sharing a cigarette.

Tails was right – something is fishy here.

"If you choose to defy the laws of this universe…God's wrath will pour onto you like the Seven Bowls found in the book of Revelation! To go down the path of that sinful gunslinger will only lead you to the burning Lake of Fire!"

The rhetoric was alarming. He had complete control of everyone.

The fear tactics, the way in which he spoke with absolute authority…

It was damning.

Sonic felt himself turn to the window, hearing the echoes of crows in the distance.

He saw the birds gathering on the well, all while the Undertaker sat. Moving his eyes, he saw another silhouette.

Focusing, he could see that it was Shadow. Shadow had hoisted himself upon his horse, nodding to Sonic as he began to ride off.

Sonic wished to follow him, but he was stuck. What would it look like if he left the sermon?

By God – had he fallen into the same fear too?

"Now we must praise God always – or the Undertaker will find us too! For the more sinners we weed out of this town, the quicker the cursed man leaves us alone!"

Sonic gritted his teeth. How badly he wanted to say something. How badly he wanted to stand up for these people.

But he couldn't. There wasn't anything he could do.

But his heart picked up when he realized that this entire time…

The female lynx with the police had been staring at him.

The sound of the explosion rocked the train.

The locomotive continued speeding along the tracks, even with the sticks of dynamite that exploded underneath it's wheels.

The green woodpecker rode quicker, tossing dynamite from the sack on his horse as the train began teetering to the side.

"Bullseye!" Bean exclaimed, as Jet leapt from his horse onto the top of the train.

"Git 'er done, I say!" Jet exclaimed, lodging a crowbar into one of the cargo tank doors.

Wave rode closer to the front of the train, peering from her hat towards the front. Chuckling, she also leapt from her horse into the conductor's chambers.

She planted a kick to one of the men, hollering as he fell from the car.

Wave whipped out her revolver, placing it at the head of the shaking conductor.

"Gonna need 'ya to stop this train, pal."

Atop the train, Storm lowered Jet into one of the containers – as he began fishing for their score. His eyes scanned the bags wildly – curiosity peeking in his brain.

"Come ooooon – you're in here somewhere!"

"You find it yet, boss?!" Storm exclaimed from overhead.

Jet didn't reply, until his eyes lit up in excitement at the bag he found.

"Ohhhh – you bet your ass I did!"

Storm chuckled, pounding on the container. It wasn't until a shot dinged the side of the container that Storm was sent onto his rear.

The albatross shook his head, seeing Shadow riding speedily by the train.

"Good hell – it's Shadow!" Storm exclaimed, earning a grunt from Jet.

The hawk peered from the container, as the train began slowing some. He pointed his revolver, attempting to land a shot into the cowboy. Shadow veered his horse to the left and the right – making Jet's aim fickle against his speed.

"Come on – land the bullet in!"

Bean had thrown another stick of dynamite, as the train began tipping over slightly. Storm held on tight, peering over.

"Bean – no more dynamite! We're gonna lose the damn score!"

Bean cackled. "You got it, big guy!"

Jet continued firing, only for the train to suddenly stop. Jet whistled, hopping off the train as he began storming across the sand.

Shadow rode towards him quickly, Jet firing wildly towards him. The bullets grazed the sand, all missing the hedgehog as he stormed closer and closer.

Jet's revolver ran out, and he cursed once Shadow rode by, knocking Jet to the ground.

"Boss!" Storm exclaimed, as the albatross slid from the top of the train. Shadow pointed his revolver to the albatross.

Soon, Wave and Bean caught up – their glares furious at Shadow.

"So help me God Shadow – if you ruined this heist!" Wave exclaimed, earning a scoff from Shadow.

"There are more important things then whatever money you can steal today, birds."

Shadow slid from his horse, as Jet clambered to his feet.

"You better talk fast – we're making it outta here with our due!"

"I need to settle this score with Robotnik. I was told you've made more and more stakes in Westopolis. Care to elaborate for me?" Shadow remarked, earning a hiss from Storm.

"We ain't tellin' you a thing!"

"As practical as ever, you goddamn Rogues…" Shadow muttered.

"Look – whatever we got goin' on in there ain't gonna concern whatever you need to do with the preacher man," Jet spat.

"I could offer you somethin' better," Shadow said, his glare flickering to the hawk.

Jet cackled loudly. Bean whistled as his eyebrow cocked. "I dunno man! Blowin' up trains and takin' the money is fun for me!"

"Who are you working for now, Rogues?" Shadow interrupted.

"Look – times in that town have changed. Robotnik got the power he wanted. Besides, I'm willin' to bet The Undertaker in that town is fake," Wave replied with a hush.

"It's not," Shadow cut in, "He's real. I saw him."

Wave immediately backed down, a nervous glance ushering over to Jet.

"We've got contacts in there. Sure, you've heard of 'em? Starline? Clutch?" Jet remarked.

"All men who work with Robotnik. Are you all working with him?" Shadow spat.

Storm chuckled. "Hell no! We ain't buyin' into that mumbo-jumbo Bible shit! His buddies just pay us generously, that's all!"

"What other groups do you work with?" Shadow asked.

"The only other bandit group around right now are the Destructix. Yanno – Scourge, Fiona, and them? Desert Raiders vanished – I ain't seen 'em in a while," Jet replied, brushing the top of his beak.

"I want an all-out war against Robotnik. He's gonna pay for many things he's done. I need all the help I can get."

Jet grumbled, crossing his arms with a squint. "The hell is in it for us? We on his good side right now. Not sure messin' that up is the way to go…"

"Millions of dollars," Shadow stated.

That caught their interest.

"My, my, my – that's a mighty fine offer…" Bean muttered, practically tasting the money.

"We're running out of time. Soon, the Undertaker is gonna take his next victim. I'm keen on finding the pattern of the people who drop dead in that town. Surely – one of 'em will give away his intentions of bein' there. I'm betting it's everything to do with Robotnik," Shadow said, hoisting himself on that horse.

"What do you want us to do then?" Storm asked, as Shadow shook his head.

"You lay low – keep your relationship on the inside. I'll use you when the time is right. You know I am a man of my word."

Jet whistled. "I sure know that much."

Shadow scoffed slightly, before his horse began darting away – the birds all watching him ride off.

Jet shook his head in disbelief. He stared into the distance as Storm and Wave began rummaging through the containers – grabbing whatever valuables they could find.

"This is gonna be some good shit," Jet muttered, as a greedy smile etched his beak.