Control Revamped

Chapter 8

Darkness Spreads

The night after the fight with Metal, I was forced back into the hospital. The team decided to keep watch over me in shifts. Nicky volunteered to take first shift, sitting outside my room, making sure I didn't escape. Later that night, she heard something she would never forget. For a whole two hours that night, I very slowly cried myself to sleep. Little did I know, that she cried with me.

The next morning, I woke to find that she had moved herself into my room, sitting beside my bed, her head resting on my shoulder. But I didn't care at the time. I knew that she was only there because she felt sorry for me. I thought she didn't love me anymore. And never would. I had been consumed by darkness.

Once Nicky was up, Lauren took her place. Nicky turned back to look at me for a moment as she walked out, but only met blank, soulless eyes. She quickly walked away and began to cry again, thinking that the old me was lost forever. As she walked, and old man passed by her, with the same oddly creepy eyes. As he passed, an odd thought went through her head.

"If he's gone, then why not follow the darkness in your heart?… Who knows, maybe he'll learn to love you again… and letting the darkness take over eases the pain…"

As she swiftly walked away, tears began to fall and she scowled at everyone she passed. Finally, she got out of the hospital and used Chaos Control to appear on the roof, just staring off into space. She continued to cry until her tears dried up. And with those tears went the last of her innocence. The darkness had taken her.

Ivy was out on the town, looking over the damage done by the recent fight with Metal Sonic. The repair crews were trying to salvage what was left of the destroyed shops and cafés, but not much could be done. And it would take forever to fill in the crater left behind by the Chaos Blast. Many people stood by watching the repairs, wishing they could have seen the fight that caused the destruction, and many of them appalled by the sight.

But one person seemed amused by what he saw. It was an old man with grayed long grayed hair, and eerie ice blue eyes. He smiled at the sight, while many people just walked past him and ignored his gaze, as if he wasn't even there. But Ivy saw him. And Ivy heard a voice in her head that she would never forget.

"You're the smallest of the team, aren't you?… and the weakest. You have no real power. Your attacks didn't even phase Metal Sonic at all, did they? The only way you could is if you allow the darkness to take you. Let it swallow you whole, then you will have the power to be equal, or even greater than them."

Ivy knew he was right. She needed the power. And she would do whatever it took to get it.

DanI sat in Reeve's Park, only a few blocks down the street from the hospital. She could see about a dozen random little children running about happily as they ignored the fact that the world was in imminent danger. But DanI knew. She knew well. And she felt like she couldn't do a thing about it.

Her forcefields were only a defensive measure. She couldn't attack. She couldn't do anything. And a lot of their enemies could just break through the forcefields if they tried hard enough. She felt like the most useless member of the team.

But an old man came and sat next to her, as if it was just a coincidence. He was silent for a moment, then began to talk. Very calmly, as if it was just a casual meeting with an everyday person.

"You know, a lot of people see darkness and shadows as a bad thing… like only a means to destruction and corruption. That's the reason you were so hard on Drew for using the Dark Form…. But, think of it this way." She slowly turned and looked to him, seeing his icy blue eyes. "If it weren't for the darkness, we would have no night. No sleep. No rest. And we wouldn't have the energy to go on. Without darkness, the blinding lights would burn us all beyond ashes. Sometimes, darkness is a good thing." He turned to look at her, smirking slightly. "Darkness is part of the cycle…"

And all cycles must come to an end.

Only a few miles away, Lauren was exploring beautiful Valley Forge. As she sat on the steps beneath a monument, watching over the dozens of dear in a nearby field, she could see someone out in the field, feeding them. It was an old man, but from the distance, that was all she could make out. His hunched back was the only sure detail. But as he slowly turned his head towards her, all the deer began to run from him. As if he was giving off a vibe they just didn't like. And a voice ran out in her head as she peered into the old man's eyes.

"All your life, people have been pushing you around, and hurting you, even your own family. Why help them? Sure, you have to defeat all of these villains, but why bother holding back so you don't hurt them? All they've done is hurt you… so why not take the risk of possibly hurting them back?"

Meanwhile, Trey was hanging out at a local bowling alley, Phoenix Lanes, just sitting back and watching the other players. He was offered a free game, but he didn't take it. As he sat there, he slowly looked down the hall and saw that across the alley, an old man was watching him.

"You couldn't do anything against Metal, could you? Nothing to avenge the pain he caused your dear Lauren… you just didn't have the power. You focus on love to make the Oni Aura good, but why not your hate for those who hurt her and the others? Let hate consume you…"

Ashley was walking around a calm suburban part of town, trying to find a place to escape and forget her troubles. But she only thought about them more.

"Ashley, Ashley, Ashley…. You really don't know what you're doing on this team, do you?… the man you use to love doesn't even notice you, and the rest of them forget you during battle… you were even the last one they thought to go and recruit. SHOW them you deserve to be there. Reach out for the power and TAKE IT!"

At that moment, a red cloud began to emerge over Valley Forge. A red cloud that quickly spread across the entire visible sky…"