It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I really don't like how I introduced the character of Halley. I did some development in this episode, but I still wasn't all that happy with her. Not to mention the fact that in retrospect I could have had some other character in her place.
Brief credits:
- Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, and related Sonic the Hedgehog elements are property of Sega and Sonic Team.
- Zero, Douglas, and related Megaman X elements are property of Capcom.
- All original characters and elements are my property and may not be used.
- Ashura the Hedgehog is technically not my character, but I do claim this version of him. Granted, I'm not sure what the rules are for characters based on glitches are...
- Anything else I missed... well, you know...
- I'd like to thank my cousin Jake for support.
- Hitchhiking is good. Cows are good too.
Universal Link
Revelations
Nathan rolled on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He blinked at the nothingness above him, the darkness covering every corner of the room he was in. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on getting to sleep, which he knew it would be futile.
There was a lot of tension on the Halley's Comet, even for a crew that consisted of only six actual life forms. It echoed through the empty corridors down to the far side of the ship where he had picked a set of quarters to stay, making him feel rather anxious, afraid something would go wrong.
The tension was not the only thing that was keeping him awake. His mind was buzzing with the events that have unfolded over the past few days. He was worried about what Shic might do with the part of the Master Emerald that he had managed to get. He doubted, considering Shic's behavior, that it would be anything good.
He was worried about what this Zero person was angry with him about. He hadn't run into the supposed "Maverick Hunter" yet, even over the course of the past two days. However, everyone he had talked to warned him to try avoiding him for some unknown reason. He worried that something bad might happen if he finally ran into Zero, though, considering the events of the past week, it probably would end up being next to nothing.
He also was uncomfortable about what Sonic had said to him about Captain Halley's feelings. Every time he thought back to his brief meeting with her, he realized that he had sensed the feeling of attraction from her, which made him shutter. Not that the feeling wasn't entirely mutual, but it just wasn't right, considering she was nearly twice his age. He had decided that he'd confront her about this, assuming he'd get the nerve to leave his quarters.
He rolled on his side, the thought of how homesick he filling his mind. If there was anything he wanted more, it was to let everyone know he was all right. He wanted to tell Mike about this whole adventure, knowing that getting even him to believe it would be an adventure in itself. He wanted to make sure Chad was all right, even though he probably knew that, even if he'd lived, that things would never be the same for him. And most importantly, he wanted to know if Heather was safe, that Shic had indeed spared her. He thought that, if he actually was able to return home, the first thing he'd do is ask her out. He still didn't know if he'd have the nerve, but considering everything that had happened, he figured it be the easiest thing he'd done in his life.
Then the thought crossed his mind: after everything that had happened, would she accept? She had seen a lot of things at the old house that no one her, or more like their, age should probably have to see. On top of that, it was guaranteed that she witnessed Nathan taking that energy blast for her, and somehow surviving when others couldn't.
Would she still be the old Heather he had known before this whole charade? He highly doubted it. Would she, depending on what she had seen, still think of him the same way she had before, or would she think he was some inhuman freak? He didn't know. These thoughts made his mind buzz even more.
He felt his stomach grumble, which focused his attention on more immediate concerns. He hadn't eaten a decent meal for the past three or so days, being unconscious for most of this time. The strange thing was that he didn't feel as weak as he should have, considering the extent of the injuries he had taken back on Ochoco should have made him lose a lot of blood.
As he began to slowly sit up in the darkness, he felt a warm tear role down his face. He sighed, realizing just how depressed he felt. He wanted someone to talk to about how he felt, but didn't know who to turn to. He knew there were a few, like Sonic or Knuckles who would probably listen, but he didn't know if he could trust them.
Nathan walked down the empty corridors, finding himself feeling a little claustrophobic. While they weren't incredibly small, they felt like they were smaller than they should be. There was probably enough room for three people from one wall to the next to walk down without bumping shoulders, while there was probably just enough room for the average basketball player to travel and not bump their heads. Of course, Nathan knew this was an alien ship, so he surmised that they weren't quite as tall as the average human was.
The lighting was dimmed, apparently to conserve power. Glancing at all the doors he walked by, he noticed that most of them had a small metal plate on the door, but there didn't appear to be anything written on them. Considering the non-existent crew, this all made some sense. However, this plain and simple fact made him wonder what was up. Did Captain Halley steal this ship, or was there some other, more reasonable explanation for all this?
He soon stopped at an intersection between corridors for a moment to ponder this question. Looking around however brought another thing to his attention, and that was that he was lost. He thought he had followed Sonic's instructions about where to find this apparent "lounge" to a tee, but he guessed he got too caught up in thought to really pay that much attention.
He found himself feeling anxious, nervous about being lost on some alien ship in the middle of nowhere. He tried to stay calm, knowing that it probably wouldn't be hard to find some sort of landmark to collect his bearings. It probably wouldn't be hard to find him either, considering it'd probably take on scan to locate him.
He then sensed something out of the ordinary. While the ambiance created by the tension on the ship still hung around him, he felt like it was bouncing off of something in the distance, creating what was essentially a void in the emotion. He felt it coming up from behind him, traveling at what seemed to be a casual walking pace, most likely unaware of his presence. This was soon accompanied by what sounded like heavy footsteps, a sort of metal softly clashing against metal sound.
He turned around, catching a glimpse at the figure approaching him. He couldn't make out a lot of detail, but it looked like whoever was approaching him was human, or at least humanoid. The person approaching him seemed to be wearing a strange suit of armor that was mostly green in color.
The man looked up from whatever he was reading to see Nathan. "Hello," he said, sounding a little concerned. "Are you all right?"
Nathan nodded uncertainly. "I'm okay," he said with a sigh of relief. "Just a little lost."
The man chuckled. "That's not surprising. These empty corridors even confuse me, and I have built in sensors to tell me where I am."
Nathan gulped nervously, realizing the reason why he couldn't sense the man. "You're a robot?"
"Well, that's one way of putting it," the man replied, crossing his arms. "The term we use is 'Reploid,' though there's not really any difference… with the exception that we Reploids view ourselves more complex than the average robot." He held out his hand to Nathan. "The name's Douglas. You're Nathan, I assume?"
"Yeah…" Nathan cautiously took Douglas' hand and gave him a handshake.
Douglas laughed at Nathan's reaction. "I guess I can't really blame you for not trusting me. Anyways, where were you trying to go?"
"The lounge that Sonic mentioned," Nathan said.
"You're not that far off track," Douglas said. He pointed down the corridor to the right of Nathan, saying, "All you have to do is follow these corridors until the end."
Nathan looked down in that direction. "Thanks," he replied.
"Don't mention it," Douglas said. "I've been studying up on the ship's specs. It's essentially something I was designed for, so I figured I'd try to make myself useful considering that lack of crewmen on this ship. In fact, I just I had just returned from the bridge to give the Captain a few suggests on how to improve systems. She hasn't given me the green light yet, but she's quite impressed by my work."
Nathan nodded slowly. "I see…"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Douglas said apologetically. "I didn't mean to hold you up. I get carried away sometimes." He started walking away, saying, "Well, I'd better get back to the engineering section. Now that she has an engineer onboard, she wants someone down there most of the time. Not that I mind or anything… Oh, there I go again!"
The lounge was hardly what Nathan had imagined, making him wonder if it was even the proper term for to use. It was more a large observation deck, three decks high and half a football field long. The decks traveled upwards in a staircase-like fashion, with the bottommost connecting to a huge transparent barrier that looked out into space. The upper two decks had guardrails at the edge of them, though they were shorter than if a human crew ran the ship. The top deck had elevators placed at the edge at both sides, as well as one in the middle, which traveled down through the center of the next deck and onto the bottom.
The atmosphere was dimmed like the rest of the ship. It was also deafly quiet, with the only sound being a quiet hum from the storage machinery on the middle deck. The silhouettes of the furniture, which consisted of tables, chairs, and plants that would have probably been used to add color to the deck, created a more eerie appearance.
Nathan sat in a chair in the center of the second deck, looking out onto the field of rushing stars, distorted by whatever allowed this ship to travel faster than light. He was munching on some strange bars that he found in what apparently was the equivalent to a refrigerator, with a number of other food items on the table in front of him. He was pleasantly surprised at the flavor of this alien food, as he had expected something a little more distasteful.
He wondered about what would happen when they finally caught up to Shic. Knowing Shic had half of the Emerald made Nathan worry that they wouldn't be able to put up a decent fight. He then wondered about the nature of Douglas' modifications. Taking into consideration that they too had half of the Emerald, he wondered if he really needed to worry.
He looked at the food he was eating. For some strange reason, he found himself wondering if he should stop, despite the fact he was still hungry. The thought of what happened when he felt his classmates die back that the McKinney place made him realize that Shic's motives were probably sinister, and that most likely someone else was going to die. If Shic used to Emerald for a wider scale of death than before, would Nathan simply lose his balance and his lunch, or would something much worse happen?
He threw the bar against the table, causing it to send a number of others to go scattering. He was frustrated, angry with himself for even letting Shic get any of the Emerald. He didn't want anyone else to die, especially not because of him. In a lot of ways, he felt that he had set this whole thing in motion.
He stood up, walking over to the edge of the deck. He stared out into the sea of warped stars, trying to focus his mind on something other than his worries. He wished he were at home, lying out in the cool grass of the field behind his house, staring up at them as they hovered there unmoving. He always found that to be one of the few things that could really let him relax, collecting his thoughts and calming his senses as he got lost in the heavens. There was no way he could do that here, not with all that was going on.
He sighed. He was so overwhelmed by his own emotions for once, with so many feeling filling him that it was nearly unbearable. He felt confused, angry, sad, hungry, tired… Back home, he always tried to help others in distress, regardless of the cost to him. But now, when he needed the help, it didn't feel like anyone was there for him.
He heard the door open behind him, apparently too wrapped up in his own feelings to have sensed anyone approaching. He turned to look who it was, an expression of dread quickly crossing his face.
The silhouette of Captain Halley waved to him. "Hello, Nathan," she said in a warm yet concerned tone. "How are you feeling?"
"Uh… okay," he stuttered in response. He felt himself become very nervous, uncertain about how to approach her with the question he needed to ask. He felt himself perspiring, and knew that in the proper lighting, his face was probably twelve shades of red by now. Hopefully she wouldn't pick up on it.
She walked over to him, stopping by the railing five feet from where he was. He watched her cautiously, finding himself becoming anxious. He didn't sense anything abnormal about her emotions, but couldn't quite bring himself to ask his question.
There was a period of long, uneasy silence, which Halley had seemed to pick up on and eventually broke, saying, "You know, I prefer looking at the stars when they're sitting still, just floating there, undistorted by the effects of Trans."
Nathan nodded slowly, glancing back to the window, saying simply, "Yeah."
"When I was growing up on the Homeworld, I always wondered what it was really like out here. The stars always seemed so peaceful, and I wondered if everything else was. I wondered if they went on forever, or if they were like some sea, with some other land hiding on the other side of the horizon. I also wondered if…"
Nathan sensed a hint of sadness. He glanced at her, seeing that she was looking down, her eyes closed and her face covered by a hint of sorrow. "If what?" he asked curiously, trying to get her to talk about her feelings.
She opened her eyes, trying to shake off the thought that upset her. "It-It's nothing," she said. "Just some unrealistic thought that crosses my mind from time to time."
Nathan looked back at the stars. "I think I understand," he said, looking down with the same expression. "You want to go home."
Halley laughed through her sadness. "Nothing gets by you, does it?" she said sarcastically. "Yes, that's the thought. Back on the Homeworld, I feel that I don't fit in. I've been trying so hard to find my place, graduating with top honors at what would be equivalent to your schools and military academies, surpassing everyone's expectations of me, and yet, I never get any respect." She looked down again. "So every now and then, I wonder what home--my real home--is like. I want to go back so bad, to see it with my own eyes."
"But you can't," Nathan said. "Its been 'infected' by something, hasn't it?"
Halley looked at him, surprised to here him say that. "How do you know that?"
"Shic mentioned to me back on his ship," Nathan replied nervously, afraid that he was giving her the impression that he knew what was going on back home. "He never told be the whole story, just that it was doomed for some reason. It worries me because I don't know what he's talking about."
There was a brief period of silence, then Halley asked, "Do you really want to know?"
Nathan looked out at the stars, contemplating the question. If he found out, he thought that his mind would be at ease, as he'd have an answer to this question Shic created. On the other hand, he knew the answer would not be one he'd likely want to hear, and just would end up worrying him even more. "I… don't really know…" he responded in a nervous tone.
Halley sighed, then began, her voice sounding cold, "Earth is in an area of space that's rumored to be infested by an alien race known as the Grays. They're relatively primitive compared to most other races, but yet have also proven to be one of the most dangerous. They've managed to take over the control of hundreds by taking possession of a crewmember with sentient 'black oil.' From there, they've jumped from one crewmember of a lower rank up to higher-ranking officers until they have enough power to take command of a ship. This scenario is quite rare however, as they usually end up being detected well before this.
"The Grays are also, and unfortunately, a space-faring race. They travel to worlds within their reach, normally staying out of the range of the more advanced races. At these worlds, they monitor the development of the race, making sure that they never becomes a threat." There was a brief pause in Halley's speech, and Nathan could feel the pain of what he guessed was a horrifying memory filling her thoughts. When she finally continued, she spoke as if she was trying not to break down, stating, "They occasionally abduct members of the race, running all sorts of tests on them. Most of the time, the tests are too horrifying to…"
Her face, though it was hard to tell in the darkness of the dimmed room, went pale. The memory that she was reliving seemed to be incredibly painful and grotesque, so much so that Nathan surmised that she always had trouble taking about it. He felt uncertain about how to continue.
He sighed, hoping his next question wouldn't end up making things worse. "Is that why you ended up with the Oz…?"
"The Azhile?" Halley replied. She nodded, a couple of tears rolling down her cheek. "Yes. I was taken from Earth about twenty years ago. I don't remember much, just being in this vehicle with my dad, my real dad, as we were traveling home from something. There was this sudden blinding light, and then everything just went dark. The next thing I remember clearly was waking up in an Azhile hospital, my entire body being covered in bandages. I remember that when I first saw one of the Azhile, I started screaming at the top of my lungs so hard that I could taste of blood in my mouth before passing out." She laughed to herself. "To be honest, I don't know why I panicked; the Azhile are really not that frightening, just unusual in appearance, like a cross between a couple of earth animals… a gorilla and a hedgehog I believe."
Nathan thought about the appearance, imagining a freaky looking giant ape with spines replacing its fur, walking around on all fours. "Actually, that IS rather disturbing," he replied.
Halley laughed at Nathan's reaction, clearly amused. "All right, it's not the best example. They're more human than ape, though none of them get much taller than you." She became more serious, continuing, "Anyways, I was confused and alone in an alien hospital, with the only thing I wanted was to see my dad. However, he never came." She closed her eyes, another tear rolling down her cheek. "It was probably a week until someone, the captain of the ship who rescued me, reached out and told me what happened. Apparently the ship we were on traveled too close to the border of Azhile space, where it was intercepted and shot down, crashing on another world. I was the only survivor.
"The captain felt sorry for what happened, in some ways feeling that he was responsible for my father's death. He eventually took me in, raising me if I was one of his children. It took me some time, but eventually I looked up to him as if he was my father." She smiled a little, some degree of happiness breaking through. "It was tough for both of us, with me struggling to fit in and him taking ridicule from just about everyone. Still, he was always there for me, supporting me every step of the way. In some ways, I'm happy to consider him my father."
Nathan smiled a little. Halley had been through a lot, perhaps even more than Nathan had been through. She was so full of pain and sorrow, and yet managed to be as strong as she could. She seemed open about the things that made her sad, at least around him, probably because it was that he was human or maybe that she just wanted to try to relate to his situation. Whatever the case, he found himself admiring her, knowing that she was someone he could look up to.
There were a few minutes of silence, both of them watching the stars pass by. Finally, she asked, "Nathan, what's home really like? Everyone back on the Homeworld tells me that it's a barbaric place."
Nathan could tell that she was indeed curious, and didn't believe what she had been told. "I guess it really depends on where you were born and how you were raised," Nathan replied. "In some parts of the world there's constant fighting over the differences in people's beliefs, something that I don't understand. Other places, people are just trying to survive on what little they have."
"It sounds pretty rough," Halley replied. "Its not that tough for you, is it?"
Nathan laughed solemnly at her statement. "No, I've got it pretty easy. It's funny though, because it's not often that people like me are reminded how fortunate we are." He sighed, thinking back to what Shic had told him days earlier. "Still, there are times I don't feel like I fit in."
"Why's that?"
Nathan sighed. "I think it's because of my empathy. I have a tendency to hang out with people who aren't 'cool,' or at least that's what everyone believes. I don't really give a damn about being popular, considering that all the popular people practically stomp on those who aren't, kicking them around like they were nothing more than trash." Nathan clenched his fists, continuing, "Those type of people piss me off. They don't understand the pain they cause, or if they do, they don't care. I can't stand to see people in pain, regardless who they are."
"So you're basically the person who stands up for the weak?"
Nathan chuckled somberly. "Yeah, I guess I do. Whenever I sense someone in trouble, I try to help somehow. I try to get them to talk about whatever's troubling them or try to negotiate with someone who threatening them. I've gotten into so many fights, been beat up so many times, and yet, I keep going, keep trying to help." Nathan laughed, then added, "I've been told by so many of people, the one's I defend, the one's I fight, and even the one's on the sideline, that I have some sort of 'death wish.' Hell, I've been called 'Deathwish' every so often."
"That sounds horrible," Halley said. "Still, there are not too many people like you out there, or out here, for that matter."
Halley laughed to herself. "What's so funny?" Nathan asked
"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "It's just that I imagined that you were that kind of person. You seem so caring and considerate, the kind of thing that's missing in the galaxy. I guess that's why I kind of like you."
This reaction made Nathan a little nervous. How did she really feel about him he wondered? He sensed something, which felt something between admiration and attraction, but he wasn't completely sure. Maybe now was the time to ask the question he really dreaded to ask…
"What's your family like?" Halley asked seriously, cutting him off before he had the chance to ask. "Do you have parents that understand what you're going through?"
Nathan was caught off guard by the question, but was not entirely surprised. It was a question that he really didn't like answering. He looked down, becoming silent for a moment. "I don't have any parents," he said, sounding much colder than he wanted to.
"I-I'm sorry," Halley replied, picking up on his tone.
Nathan sighed. "That's alright, I'm used to being asked questions like that." A rather gruesome image popped into his mind, one that he had tried to bury for years. He shook it off, continuing, "I've been living with my aunt and uncle since I was little. They've tried their best to be my parents, but I don't know… I guess knowing that they aren't has created a bit of a rift between us.
"As far as my… gift goes, I remember trying to explain it to my aunt when I was little, when I first began feeling the emotions that hung in the air around me. She didn't seem take me seriously, thinking that I was just playing some sort of game. I eventually began keeping it a secret. There is one person who at least tried to understand me, and that was my cousin Mike. I know there's times that he doesn't believe me, but some of the things I've done seem to have given him proof to at least try to understand. He's really the only person who knows."
"Do you have any girlfriends?" Halley asked.
Nathan's face felt like it was glowing like a light bulb. "Yeah…" he said nervously. "I guess I do…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Halley said, amused at his nervous reaction.
Nathan laughed nervously. "There's this girl in my class. She has a locker next to mine, so every morning she greets me. She's got this radiance about her that always make me feel better, especially when I've been having a rough day. I know she has a crush on me… and I really like her, but I've never been able to…" He trailed off, thinking back to what happened back at the mansion.
Halley must have seen the sudden change of emotions on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Nathan sighed mournfully. "She was with me when I confronted Shic. I had gone off to confront him, and she had went to find me, to get me to leave." Nathan felt a tear rolled down his cheek. "Shic fired some sort of energy blast at her, trying to eliminate her to ensure that there weren't any witnesses…"
"So you're saying she's…"
The tears started rolling down his face. "I… don't know," he stuttered. "I remember stepping in the way at the last second to protect her. But, I think Shic had used that same attack on a couple of my classmates, and it went right through them." He sighed, trying to get control of himself, adding, "He said he spared her in turn that I gave my freedom, but I couldn't tell if he was lying or not. I don't know how I survived, but if the blast was as powerful as it should have been…" He sniffed, "There's no way my body should have blocked the shot. She's most likely dead because of me…"
Nathan continued to cry. He finally managed to release his pent up emotions, but he didn't know if he felt any better.
He felt a warm hand touch his shoulder. He looked over to see Halley looking at him with a sympathetic smile on her face. "Hey, its all right," she said, trying to sound supportive. "You don't know that for certain, right?"
"Maybe," Nathan nodded. "But how will I know? I don't know if I'll ever be able to go home again… so I my never know…"
Nathan found himself instinctively hugging Halley. This action seemed to be something she was a little surprised and uncomfortable about, but she didn't try to struggle, understanding how he felt. She returned his embrace, gently patting his shoulders, calming him. "I'm here for you," she said softly, "so don't worry about it. Everything will be okay."
They stood there in the shadows of the observation deck for what felt like forever. Nathan found himself feeling safe in her arms, the warmth making him forget about his troubles. Being there reminded him when his aunt tried to comfort him when he was little. It also brought back another memory, something that he had forgotten about long ago, and made him cry even harder. The memory of his…
Nathan awoke to find himself seated in one of the observation deck's chairs, covered in a blanket and facing towards the stars. He was a little puzzled at first about how he ended up there, but after taking a moment to think back, he couldn't help but to laugh to himself. He must have been more exhausted than he had realized, considering the last thing he remember was being in Halley's arms.
He glanced out at the stars, wondering if anything had happened between them that he did not remember. Looking around, he noticed that the table he had been eating at had been cleaned up except for a couple unopened bars. He looked back at the stars, trying to think of anything…
The stars caught his attention. Instead of being obscured by whatever allowed the ship to travel great distances, they floated by ever so slowly. He quickly tried to focus on the emotions in the air, shaking off any of the grogginess that lingered. What he felt was alertness, anticipation, and a hint of panic. He had a good idea about what was about to happen.
He threw off the blanket and stood up, a brief dizzy spell hitting him as the blood rushed to his head. He quickly shook the sensation off, rushing towards the door. He needed to get up to the bridge, knowing something was going to happen.
The door slid open a lot sooner than he expected. He sensed someone on the other side, though in the dim lighting he couldn't tell who. He ducked behind one of the tables, knowing that it really wouldn't really give him that much cover if he was attack.
He heard someone sigh, then a familiar voice say, "Aren't you being a little jumpy?"
Nathan recognized the voice instantly, slowly standing up to see the short, talled-spined being in the doorway. "Sonic," he muttered.
"In the blue," Sonic replied, stepping out of most of the darkness. He seemed rather edgy, something that, considering Nathan previous encounters with the hedgehog, seemed rather unnatural.
"What's going on?" Nathan said, sounding worried.
"We finally caught up to Shit," Sonic said, though whether he was trying to be funny was hard to tell. "Cap'n told me to get make sure you were away from the observation deck before we tried to confront him."
Nathan nodded, not questioning the reasoning. "I want to go to the bridge."
Sonic shook his head. "Sorry bud. I'm supposed to make sure you get back to your quarters until this is over."
Nathan sighed in a defeated manner. "Fine, I'll head back…"
As they walked into the dark corridors, Nathan sensed some confusion in Sonic. "What's wrong?" Nathan asked.
Sonic glanced at Nathan, a surprised expression on his face. "Nothing really does get by you," he said, laughing a little. "Actually, I don't remember how to get you back to your quarters." He grinned, adding, "So, how 'bout we head for the bridge?"
The bridge was almost what Nathan had expected, at least if this were an Earth ship. It still had the unusual low ceiling, consisting of a glass-like barrier that slanted down to towards the front of the bridge. The bridge was vaster than he imagined, stretching out in a near-oval shape and consisting of three levels. Each of these levels was only a foot lower than the next, with sections of the levels closest to him sloping downwards to meet the next and short guardrails separating each section.
Raised in the center of the room on a smaller fourth level was the Captain's Seat, with the Captain naturally at her post, facing away from him. She seemed quite alert, watching what was happening outside the ship. Nathan could tell she was quite tense, worried about what was about to happen.
Not far from her was the red dreadlocked creature that Nathan had come to know as Knuckles the Echidna. He faced away from Nathan, staring out in the space ahead of them, his arms crossed and tapping one his toes impatiently. There was the sense of alertness that filled the air, though Nathan could also sense some irritation and what he thought could be the feeling of being homesick.
In front of the Captain's seat were a couple of desk-like structures made of cold metal and covered with different controls, two chairs situated behind them. Nathan could only surmise what the stations were for, but if his guess, which were based off of the many sci-fi flicks and TV shows he had seen, were correct, they were probably for piloting the ship, means of communication, monitors the ships systems, et cetera. But if this were the case, Nathan wondered how Halley managed to pilot the ship with no crew.
To the back most portions of the bridge and off to Nathan's sides were what appeared to be two work stations that covered the walls from ceiling to floor. There were many different displays, some showing the image of what Nathan guessed was the Halley's Comet, while others displayed different sets of data—in English nonetheless. Douglas, the Reploid he had met from before, was sitting in the chair in front of the displays of the Comet, intently looking at the data displayed.
A creature whom looked a lot like Sonic except with green fur topped with black stripes sat on the opposite side, studying the text on the display, which seemed to rapidly change by the second. This creature, whom he assumed was probably the one named Ashura, seemed to be trying to learn a lot about something in a short period, and Nathan sensed he was finding some of the information he was looking for, though he was treating it with a grain of salt. Like everyone else on the bridge, he was anxious for what was about to happen.
At the front of the bridge stood two figures on opposite sides of the room, both facing away. One was short and looked a little like Sonic, except with black fur with red stripes on the top of each spine, the second row of spines rising up. His demeanor was near total calm, to the point where his anticipation was hard to read.
The other, who was probably taller than Nathan, had a long blond braid reaching almost to the floor, making whomever it was seem to be a girl. Whomever this was wore a red and white helmet with two sets of points rising in back, the front set inches higher than the next. This character also appeared to be wearing a strange set of armor, with square shoulder pads that were white with red outlines, and large red boots. Like Douglas, Nathan could not sense anything from whoever this was. Was this Zero?
Nathan glanced past them, looking out into space. Even in the darkness of space he could make out the rough detail of two ships. Nathan recognized the closest ship immediately as the Gikuthoc, Shic's ship. The design of it was one that reminded him of a hawk in flight, with the head of the ship containing the command center being ovular shaped which was connected by a short neck to the body of the ship, wings outstretched as it glided through space gracefully. However, this metal hawk had teeth and claws, with numerous cannons built under the command module and along front of both wings.
Further in the distance was another ship. It appeared to be much larger than Shic's ship, the general shape bulkier and less aerodynamic. The design reminded Nathan of the old coal freighters that he watched travel the waters of Lake Superior back home, giving him a feel for what kind of ship it was.
Halley pressed a button on the arm of her chair, then spoke in what sounded like the same language that he had heard back when she had been pursuing Shic back at Ochoco, though the words were clearly different. There was a sense of desperation coming from her, as if whatever she said wouldn't do a bit of good.
There was a long silence after she sent the message. She watched as Shic's vessel just moved closer to the alien freighter. She eventually slammed her fist against the arm of the chair, spitting out a single alien word. It was clear that she was frustrated.
Nathan sensed the tension of everyone in the room grow, the expectation being that they would be going into battle. There was a lot of uncertainty as well, considering the only one who had any actual training was Halley, and even she wasn't sure she was ready. He also wondered if him being on the bridge was such a good idea, worrying that he'd only get in the way.
Halley sighed, then spoke in an authoritative manner, "Alright everyone. I believe we have no other choice but to engage Shic before he attacks the freighter. I would like your—"
"Something's not right," Shadow said, cutting her off. "He should be in range to attack right now, but he has yet to do so."
"Maybe he's planning something," Ashura replied. "But still, why would he attack a simple freighter? Is it carrying something of importance, or is there some other reason?"
This comment gave Nathan an idea. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on the ships ahead of them, trying to ignore the noise coming from everyone in the room. He knew that even if he did manage to sense something out there, he probably wouldn't be able to sense anything about Shic's motives, or even his emotions assuming he was still wearing that thought blocker. Still, it was worth the try.
He managed to pick up something from the Gikuthoc, which he assumed was coming from Shic. The feelings weren't of a good nature, being those of a very bitter hatred, most likely towards the crew of the freighter. It was a hatred that seemed to have been fueled for decades if not centuries. It didn't take him long to come to a conclusion about why he hated them.
He opened his eyes, stating in a horrified tone, "They destroyed his race." Everyone turned to look at him, expressions of surprise or annoyance on their faces.
"What the hell are you doing here?" the one who Nathan assumed was Zero said firmly. The expression on Zero's face was one of anger, indicating that he hated Nathan for some reason.
Halley sighed, clearly not happy that Nathan was on the bridge. However, she nodded slowly to answer Nathan's question.
"So its true?" Ashura said, directing his question to Halley.
Before she had a chance to answer the question, an alarm sounded on her chair, drawing her attention back to the view port. At first, Nathan, along with everyone else, assumed that it was just a proximity alarm, telling them that they were too close.
However, a strange beam of light seemed to jump from the Gikuthoc, crossing swiftly over space to the freighter. Once it had made contact, the Gikuthoc began to move away.
"Dammit!" Zero shouted. "One of the Mavericks teleported over to the freighter!" He stood up straight, beginning to glow, as if he was preparing himself for some kind of transport. He glared over to Nathan briefly, giving him a look that made Nathan shutter. It was a cross between angry, fear, and hopelessness, as if Zero were being condemned to a cruel fate because of him. With that, he transformed into a beam of red light and teleported off.
"I don't know if Zero can handle this fight on his own," Douglas said, fear present in his voice. "He might be too preoccupied by her death that he'll be too focus on the fight."
Nathan stood there in shock, looking down after finally hearing the truth. "I… Someone he cared about… they're dead because of what I did…" The feeling of regret hit him hard. He felt his entire body shake, his eyes start welling with tears. It was his fault…
"Its not your fault!" He heard Knuckles shout at him, snapping him back to reality. "I was the one who told you to do something about the Master Emerald so it didn't fall into that alien's hands. Neither one of us had any idea that there was anyone else on the planet. If the Emerald had—"
Nathan felt a sudden blast of pain shoot through him, short and followed same feeling of death he had felt before, back at the McKinney place. He fell to his knees from the sudden shock. He felt his skin go pale, cold sweat forming on his brow. He held his stomach, trying his best to hold back the sudden urge to vomit.
"Nathan?" Halley said, her voice filling with fear. "What's wrong?"
Another shot of death hit him, making him wince, losing what little balance he had, even though he was on his knees. He stopped himself from falling, using his arms to support himself. He felt his stomach heave, but managed enough strength to prevent himself from throwing up.
"Damn," he heard Shadow say in the distance. "The Maverick must have started killing the crew."
Nathan nodded weakly, trying his best to keep himself together. However, the feeling of the deaths of not one, but several, probably as many as five or six, hit him at once, making him loss control. He felt his body heave, vomit splashing against the steel of the floor, pooling against his hands as he tried to keep his strength. He felt very lightheaded, and was having trouble staying conscience. He felt his entire body start to shake. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.
He felt that everyone who was watching his reaction was horrified at what was happening. Most of them weren't sure what to do, and were worried about him, as well as the crew of the freighter.
The feeling of more people dying hit him sharply, at which he lost control and vomited again. He felt his elbows shaking badly, barely holding his weight up. Everything around him became a blur, sounds becoming distorted. He knew he couldn't withstand the shock much longer.
"Shadow!" he heard Sonic shout. Nathan looked up, seeing a bright blue light travel from the blur that he guessed was Sonic to the barely discernable blur of Shadow. "Get over there and help Zero!"
"I'm on it," he heard Shadow reply, for once dropping his cold tone and replacing it with a sense of urgency. The blue light disappeared, and then the blur of Shadow be replaced by a bright green light, which lasted for only a second.
"Captain!" he heard either Sonic or Ashura shout. "Distance us from the freighter! Give Nathan some room!"
There was no immediate response. Nathan thought he sensed that Halley wasn't thinking clearly. She was filled with panic and guilt, uncertain about how to deal with what was going on. She was scared, fearing for the safety of the freighter's crew, as well as Nathan's.
"CAPTAIN!" Ashura shouted, getting her full attention.
"Ri…Right," Nathan heard her stutter.
One final wave of death hit Nathan. He felt his arms finally give way, and felt himself begin to fall forwards. He felt two sets of arms reach out, catching him before he felt into what had been his lunch. He felt himself hang there, quickly feeling his consciousness draining away. "This is… all my fault…"
"Damn kid," Zero muttered to himself.
He stood in the dimly lit corridors of the alien freighter, saber in hand and ready to attack anything that approached him. However, his mind was too clouded with hate and sadness, throwing his focus off. He knew that in the shape he was in, he probably didn't stand a chance against this Maverick, whether it was Raptor or the other one that was with him.
He was bitter towards Nathan, believing that he was responsible for Dee's death. He felt that he Nathan had essentially handed the shards to the Mavericks when he shattered the Master Emerald. It angered him even more that he had somehow survived, even having the use of his limbs, which had been horribly mangled.
Everyone tried to convince him not to blame Nathan, saying that he didn't know what would have happened if he smashed it. Knuckles had tried to take most of the blame himself, making it clear that he was the one who had given Nathan the idea to smash the Emerald. Ashura took some as well, considering it was his Emerald and that he should have been trying to defend it.
Zero kept saying he refused to buy any of their counter arguments. He was angry and just felt he needed someone to blame. While the Mavericks were the more realistic choice, he felt that it was easier to blame Nathan. He didn't know if he could beat either of the remaining Mavericks now that they were using the power of the Master Emerald, but the boy he knew he could defeat.
As he reached a junction in the corridors, he smelled what he thought was the smell of burnt flesh, and noticed a thin smoke hovering in the air. He gripped his saber tighter, preparing to confront the Maverick that was just ahead. He leaned against the wall, taking a moment to collect his jumbled thoughts before he entered what could easily be his last battle.
However, when he peaked around the corner, he saw a sight that rattled his nerves even more. An adult male hung against the wall, foot long needles through his shoulders, gut, and head keeping him in placed. He was definitely not human, his skin colored like a charred black and his blood a glowing dark violet. His eyes were wide open, and seemed to glow red even in the darkness. His hair was a short and had a marble color, his hairline covered with crystal-like scales that ascended upwards from both sides. His ears were about two inches long, pointing out to a tip. The wardrobe he wore was much different from the rest of his appearance, wearing what seemed like a white uniform.
"What in the hell…" Zero muttered to himself, quite shocked at what he was seeing. The very appearance of the man gave him chills, making him wonder if the nature of such a being matched his demonic look. "Just what am I trying to protect here?"
He thought he heard a scream that was cut short further down the corridor, making him bolt towards it. The Maverick was clearly down in that direction, and was still on a killing spree. However, Zero was even more perplexed than before. He wondered if he would have understood more if he had done more investigating and less fussing.
The path he had taken led him down into one of the vast cargo bays, which stank with the stench of burned flesh. Facing away from him on the opposite side of a wide bridge stood a wide, hunched over Maverick with much the same design of Armored Armadillo from the early days of the Hunters. Instead of an armored carapace on his back, he had thick layer of quills covering his back, which were soaked in the same violet blood Zero had seen before.
"You must be Shock Quillen, the other apparent 'member' of C.O.E.?" Zero said, pointing his saber at the Maverick.
The Maverick chuckled. "Very good, Maverick Hunter," the Maverick replied. He turned around, looking calmly at Zero, pointing to the railing protecting the sides of the bridge. "Do you like the little hell I've created for you? It really fits the appearance of these beings, doesn't it?"
Zero looked over the side of one of the bridges. Meters below were the bodies of the crew of the freighter, probably about as many as two hundred, their glowing purple blood pooling around them. There was enough blood there to make it seem like they were being burned in purple flames.
Zero looked away quickly, trying to shake the image out of his head. "You slaughtered them!" Zero shouted.
"They had it coming," Quillen replied. "These beings, the 'Ghannof' as he referred to them, destroyed his homeworld and hunted down the survivors centuries ago to ensure that they would never exist in the same galaxy… or universe for that matter. At least, that's what they thought."
"Do you think I care what they did?" Zero replied. "It was my duty to stop you from taking any life, good or bad!"
"Well, you've done a piss poor job of it," Quillen said. He chuckled, asking with a sadistic grin, "Has losing your whore-bot made you lose the will to fight?"
Zero glared at Quillen, feeling the rage building. "Shut… up…"
"Come on, that's all she ever was. Sure, after that rogue rescued her, she had herself redesigned to try to get forget her former life. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get past it…"
"You don't know a thing!" Zero shouted.
"She was used by the humans as some plaything, not given any freedom for most of her existence. She was bitter about that, so bitter that it was only a matter of time before she finally snapped. And when she finally did, she'd stabbed you in that back and joined our ranks as one of the Mavericks you hunted. You would have ended up having to destroy her yourself…"
"I said shut up!" Zero shouted, the rage inside reaching its breaking point. He thrust his saber forward, sending a large blast of energy at the Maverick. An explosion soon followed, the shockwave knocking Zero off-balance. When he recovered, he saw a small crater where Quillen had been standing, smoke obscuring the view.
He stood there, his entire body shocking from rage. He glared at where Quillen standing, trying to gain some composure and clear his thoughts. He felt that he couldn't quite shake the anger, enraged at Quillen for the despicable comments he had made about Dee and enraged at himself for his failure to stop Quillen from killing anyone. For once, he noticed, he didn't blame Nathan.
He heard a set of footsteps behind him and quickly spun around. Quillen was standing right behind him, having snuck behind him while he was distracted. He smirked at Zero, saying, "Now's not a good time to be morning the dead, Maverick Hunter."
Before Zero had time to bring his saber up, Quillen thrust two foot-long needles through his shoulders. His accuracy was precise; the needles severed the curcuits that allowed Zero to control his arms.
Quillen then hammered Zero with an electrified punch which sent sliding across the bridge into the crater he had made from his attack. Electricity surged through him briefly, making Zero scream in agony.
Quillen leapt into the air, grabbing a few needles from his back, charging them with electricity, then hurling them at Zero. They all hit Zero with deadly accuracy, pinning him to the floor in his legs and arms. The additional charge weakened Zero further, guarantying that Zero wouldn't struggle.
Zero screamed in agony, the effects of electricity traveling through his metal body almost unbearable. When it had finally stopped, he saw that Quillen was standing over him, one needle in his hand uncharged.
Quillen just shook his head. "Its quiet sad, really. You used to be the number one among the Maverick Hunters, but now all you can do is lay here, weakened by your feelings for some bottom-tier plaything. Such a pathetic fate."
Zero felt a tear roll down his check. "I… don't care anymore. If you're going to finish me off, then just shut up and do finish me."
"Really? You're honestly giving up?" Quillen chuckled, charging the needle in his hand. "Fine, if its death you want, I'll give you a quick one." He pulled his arm back, readying for a quick and deadly throw.
Suddenly, there was a bright green flash, which was followed by Quillen sliding away, his needle landing harmlessly on the ground next to Zero. There soon was sound of someone walking nearby. Zero looked over to see Shadow walking next to him, his fists clenched in anger and rage.
"Shadow!" Zero shouted. "What the hell…"
Shadow moved silently to Zero's side, kneeling over the removed the needles holding him in place. Once he was finished, Shadow turned to face Quillen, four needles in hand. He glared back at Zero, stating in an irritated tone, "If you don't have the will to fight, then stay out of my way."
Quillen laughed at Shadow, clearly amused by the hedgehog's opposition. "So, you're one of these beasts from another realm. You don't look all that impressive to me."
Shadow glared back. "Shut up and make your move."
"Very well then." With a quick gesture, Quillen threw three needles in Shadow's direction. Shadow in return hurled his four at Quillen, the strength of his throw equal to Quillen's, canceling out all of the Maverick's needles. The fourth needle sailed past the others, aimed directly at Quillen's head.
Quillen sidestepped the attack, only to see Shadow appear in a green flash directly in front of him. Quillen charged electricity to his fist, striking downwards at the shorter hedgehog. Shadow easily sidestepped the attack, nailing Quillen in the gut with his own fist, charged in green energy. The force of the attack sent Quillen sliding towards the edge of the bridge, his thorny back ripping through the metal bars.
Quillen pulled out about twenty needles, charging them all with electricity. Shadow just stood there, waiting for the oncoming attack. With a quick gesture, Quillen hurled the needles in Shadow's directions.
It seemed like the needles would have impaled Shadow, but at the last moment Shadow disappeared in a green flash. Quillen panicked, trying to determine where the hedgehog had reappeared. "Where the hell are you?!"
"Up here," came Shadow's voice. He was standing on some thick pipes above the arena, glaring down at robotic porcupine with his arms crossed. In the darkness, it was hard to make out his expression, but he seemed rather arrogant. Zero could tell that he was planning something.
"Come down here and fight!" Quillen shouted, some of the arrogance that he had shown during the fight with Zero replaced with anger.
"No," Shadow said firmly. "That'd be too easy. I'd rather have some fun before I destroy."
Quillen drew more needles, charging them up with electricity. With another quick gesture, he tossed them up at Shadow, who, as Zero predicted, teleported away again. The needles ripped a huge hole in the pipes above, showering that side of the bridge with steaming water.
Shadow reappeared in front of the steaming water. He took up a defensive stance, ready to continue his battle with Quillen.
Quillen laughed at Shadow, though it was clear he was irritated with how this battle was going. "So, you're ready to actually fight now?"
Shadow just taunted Quillen, motioning him to attack, which infuriated him. The Maverick charged at Shadow, his fist charged with electricity. Shadow easily dodged again, then landed an uppercut charged with green energy, launching Quillen upwards. Shadow teleported above and behind, snatching a handful of needles from Quillen's back.
They both dropped back to the ground, Shadow on his feet and Quillen landing flat on his face. Quillen stood up slowly, seeming to growl with anger. "You son of a…"
Quillen turned around, once again trying to hit Shadow with his electrified fist. "Don't you have any other move besides that?" Shadow said, dodging the fist again. He jumped in the air, hovering with his air shoes while slicing at Quillen's face with his fists, then following up with a flip kick which connected to Quillen's chin, knocking him a foot into the air.
Shadow dropped to the floor, then began to charge up for another attack. His fur began to glow red, his spines taking a more demonic shape. He began to hover in the air as ducking has face under his crossed arms as he continued to charge his attack. "This is the end!" Shadow shouted, releasing the stored energy in a huge explosion.
Zero looked away as dust and smoke blew towards him. He was in awe of the power that Shadow had demonstrated, as well as a little worried. He didn't know whose side Shadow was really on, and he wasn't sure that Sonic and others truly knew as well. What was this creature's true purpose?
Zero looked back, the dust from the attack still settling. There was a huge hole where Shadow had been standing. On one side of the hole stood Shadow, staring across the gap he had created. He looked like he was trying hard not to show it, but Zero could tell that Shadow was exhausted, possible from the use of the raw power of his attack. He held his hand behind him, still gripping the needles he had taken from Quillen.
On the opposite side of the gap was Quillen, looking as if he hadn't taken any damage the attack and glaring back at Shadow. He was now directly under the flow of steaming water, but didn't carry a charge. Zero knew that his body was probably designed to withstand any electrical attack, even his own… unless…
Quillen started laughing manically. "Is that all you have?!" he shouted, anger filling his voice. "You could put a hole in the floor, but you couldn't destroy me. You never stood a chance."
Shadow glared at him. "You forgot one thing," he said coldly. There was a brief flash of green light, which quickly dimmed, revealing Shadow standing in the stance as if he had just thrown something. The needles he had held in his hand were gone, now currently placed in Quillen's chest.
Quillen soon found himself paralyzed by the electricity that had been stored in a module in his armor, a needle sticking inches in it. Three more needles stuck in various places in his chest plating, the water covering him acting like a conductor between them. Sparks began to erupt from various spots in Quillen's body as the remaining needles in Quillen's back shot out into the darkness behind him. Shadow and Zero both watched as the Maverick shook violently from minutes on end, and then finally explode, a fatal charge hitting his fusion tank.
Shadow walked over to where Zero had been watching. He stopped inches away, glanced at Zero with an exhausted expression, then collapsed on his back, breathing heavily.
"Shadow, are you alright?" Zero asked concerned.
"Its nothing," Shadow replied weakly. "I'm not used to using these type of Emeralds."
There was a long silence between them, Zero looking over at the destruction from the duel. The crater that he had left was nothing compared the holes from Shadow's devastating attack, as well as Quillen's explosion. He realized that Shadow had won the battle with relative ease, which probably meant that Quillen wasn't pumped up on any Emeralds or Shards. Had Zero been focused, he should have been able to beat him just as easily.
"Was she someone important to you?" Shadow said, catching Zero's attention.
"What?"
Shadow sat up slowly. "This… other robot he was talking about, was she someone you cared about?"
"She was just a comrade of mine, a rookie." Zero looked off into the darkness. "Yet, she was so strong and determined, and yet seemed so sad and alone. She was trying so hard not to dwell on the past." Zero laughed at himself bitterly. "What I'm I saying? I barely knew her."
"And yet," Shadow said, "you loved her?"
Zero sighed. "I wouldn't say that, though I guess I might have if I'd have let it happen. I really didn't want to… because I knew something like this would happen."
Silence fell between them before Shadow asked, "Do you think she'd have wanted this? Just to give up?"
Zero pondered the question before coming up with a simple answer. "No, she wouldn't." He said it with regret in his voice. "I guess I let her down."
"Perhaps there's still time," Shadow said. "The two who remain are heading off to cause more suffering. There's not much time and the odds aren't good. The longer you hang around here, the more lives that will be lost."
Zero sighed. "I don't know if I can…" Zero slowly rose to his feet. He realized he had the use of his arms again, as his auto-repair system had quickly reestablished the connection. "Raptor will most likely be using those Emeralds to power himself. I don't think I can stand up against him… and I don't know if I can handle failing anyone again."
"Then use this," Shadow said. He held out his hand, the blue Emerald in his possession materializing in his palms. "These should even the odds a bit."
"But, don't you…"
"I'm going to stay here and look around for survivors. You head back to the ship and tell them to leave without me; I'll catch up to you later."
"Why?"
Shadow shrugged. "I don't know. There's something inside me that tells me I should." Shadow looked off into the darkness. "Besides, what happened here… I feel that if I stay, I might remember something about my past."
"Your… past…" Zero said, confused. "How do you…"
"I don't need to tell why," Shadow snapped. There was something in his voice that was somewhere between anger and sadness. He sighed, then said, "Just head back to the ship before it's too late."
Zero nodded, then started walking away. "Zero…" Shadow said, making Zero stop in his tracks. "One more thing."
Zero turned to look back. "What?"
"Go easy on the boy," Shadow said. "He needs help convincing himself that he's not at fault for all that's happened… assuming that he survived what happened here."
Zero looked a little surprised. "'Assuming he survived'? What do you mean by that?"
"You'll find out what I mean when you get back there." Shadow turned away, walking slowly away as the darkness surrounding them engulfed him.
Zero transferred back to the Comet's bridge to find only Douglas and Knuckles there. Douglas was seated at the two stations at the bridge's front, busy typing in commands. Knuckles was in back about where Nathan had been when he had left, leaning on what appeared to be a mop while trying to stay composed, the flesh of his snout pale. There was a putrid odor in the air, one that would have made Zero gag.
The door slid open, and Sonic walked through, the casualness he had been carrying around with him gone and replaced with confusion and concern. He paused to look at Knuckles, then sighed, "I didn't know you were that squeamish, Knuckles."
Knuckles gagged, then said, "Neither did I."
Sonic looked towards Zero, who was looking at them. "Hey Zero, where's Shadow?"
"He said he was going to stay behind to look for survivors," Zero said coldly. He held out his hand, the blue Emerald materializing in it. "He said we should get going without him, saying he'll catch up."
Douglas nodded. "Alright, the Captain told us to continue our pursuit as soon as you got back." He quickly typed in a command, causing the image of the freighter to start moving away. "I hope Shadow's able to find someone alive over there…"
Zero sighed as he watched the freighter disappear from sight. "I hope so too." He turned back to Sonic, asking with some concern, "What's up with Nathan?"
Sonic crossed him arms, scornfully looking at Zero. "What? NOW you care?"
Zero shrugged a little. "I guess so. Shadow made a comment about what happened over there might threaten his life."
"He's in a coma," Knuckles said flatly.
"What?!" Zero said, shocked to here this news.
"Yeah," Sonic said. "He looked like he went into shock when that Maverick started killing. Then he collapsed and hurled a couple of times before blacking out. He's been out ever since, and the way the Captain put it, he might not regain consciousness."
Zero sighed, closing his eyes as a sign of regret. "I shouldn't have been so hard on him." He looked back at Sonic, asking, "Where is he now?"
"He's in the infirmary," Knuckles replied. "The Captain's with him."
Sonic chuckled, then added, "Ashura's down there too. Apparently, he doesn't want her taking 'advantage' of the situation."
When Ashura received the word from Sonic that Zero had returned, he told Sonic to bring Zero down to the infirmary, as he had a few questions about Shic's motives that he wanted explained. He knew that it would be anywhere from five minutes to a half hour, depending on how much of a beating Zero had taken and how fast Sonic was going, before either arrived, so he decided he had better do a little confronting beforehand.
When he walked in, he saw Halley where he had seen her last, sitting in the chair next to Nathan's bed, the expression of grave concern still on her face. She was holding onto Nathan's limp hand, squeezing it as if to try to trigger a response.
Nathan lay unmoving in the medical bed. There was a respirator-like devise over his mouth and nose to help him breath, while cords attached to his forehead and arms kept track of his vitals. According to the equipment near the bed, most of his body's functions were fine, but his brain activity was below normal.
Ashura saw Halley run her hand through Nathan's hair, ignoring him as if he wasn't even there. Irritated at this, he cleared his throat, clearly grabbing her attention.
"Sorry," she said, embarrassed by being caught by surprise.
"Zero's back," Ashura said. "Shadow's apparently staying behind to look for survivors, and will catch up to us eventually."
"So we've continued our pursuit of the Gikuthoc?" she asked, though her mind was clearly elsewhere.
Ashura sighed, then replied, "Yes."
"Good," Halley hollowly replied.
Ashura started walking to the side of the room, not sure how he should address the question that was on his mind. He stopped, looking up to think of how to put it. "What's up with you?"
"What do you mean?" Halley said, sounding surprised.
"You've been hanging around him like if you were trying to get him to marry you so you could have his kids. You're almost twice his; that's not the way you should be acting."
Halley sighed, looking at Nathan's unconscious face. "Have you ever felt like you were alone in your world, that there was no one else like you?"
Ashura was a little surprised at the question. He paused, thinking of how to answer the question. "I don't know. There have probably been days that I have."
Halley smiled sadly. "For almost twenty years, I've been the only human on the Azhile Homeworld. I wondered what my world was like, wondered what my people were like. I tried to become a ship captain to try to visit my world, but soon found that even then there wasn't much of a chance to see it." She paused, looking at Nathan. "When I pursued the Gikuthoc back at Ochoko, I detected Nathan's life sign aboard the ship. I was surprised at first, wondering why another human was out this far in space. I knew that he was in danger, so I made my priority rescuing him first rather than stopping Shic from escaping." She laughed to herself. "Pretty irresponsible of me, right? Letting someone as dangerous as Shic escape so I could rescue someone just to meet them."
"He probably would have died if you hadn't rescued him," Ashura replied, trying to sound supportive of her decision.
There was a brief period of silence, followed by Halley simply saying, "Perhaps…"
Ashura looked at her quizzically. "'Perhaps'? What do you mean by that?"
Halley was a little startled about his reaction. "Nothing. Where was I?"
Ashura gave her a suspicious look, knowing that she was hiding something. "You rescued us from Ochoko."
"Yes, that was it." She paused to think where she was, then continued, "When I finally caught up to him, I had so many questions, about what home was like, about the people, I guess even about him. I suppose all I really wanted what it was like to be close to one of my own kind." She paused to laugh at herself, sheepishly adding, "But I guess I was trying to bit too hard. You've seemed to have picked up on it easily. I'm guessing Nathan did too, considering he's an empath. He seemed rather nervous when I talked to him on the observation deck."
Ashura gave her a rather suspicious look. "What happened on the observation deck?"
Halley sighed, mildly annoyed at Ashura's persistence. "I told him the reason why I was prevented from heading to earth, about how my life was on Azhile. I asked him what home was like." A stopped for a moment, continuing is a saddened tone, "When he mentioned that there had been a girl with him when Shic abducted, he started crying, worried that he had been unable to protect her. I tried to comfort him, and he ended up hugging me…"
"He hugged you?"
She chuckled "Yeah, it surprised me a bit. I think he just felt he needed a shoulder to cry on."
"And that's all that happened?"
"Yes," she replied. She blushed with embarrassment, adding, "It was a little peculiar when he fell asleep while I was holding him." She looked at Ashura. "I know you probably don't trust me, but I promise you, I'd never do anything to hurt Nathan."
"Right now, I'm not sure if I should believe you," Ashura said flatly. "Nathan's gone through so much already that I'm worried about how he's going to handle the strain when he recovers physically. The emotional strain his empathy puts on him enough already, but he's blaming himself for everyone's suffering. I worry that if you were to be too supportive of him, he may take it the wrong way… and you might end up doing something you both regret."
"I wouldn't do anything like that," Halley snapped. The look in her eyes made Ashura wonder if he was going too hard on her.
"You probably believe that," Ashura replied. He walked to the opposite side of the room, leaning against the wall. He contemplated if he should keep the conversation going, or if he should just drop it. There were other things that bothered him that he needed answers to, more important than the ones he just addressed.
"Anyways," he said after a few minutes of silence, "Nathan's condition is probably something we should deal with when he recovers. Right now, Shic's our main concern. The main question is what he's planning, and probably more importantly why."
"So you're asking to know the whole story behind this?" Halley asked. "What exactly happened between the Ghannof and Chellosua that resulted in the destruction of an entire race?" She paused. "Well, from what I've been told, the whole series of events started almost a thousand years ago, when a war started between the two races…"
Shadow walked in the darkness of the Ghannof freighter. He had spent hours searching the lower levels of the ship, finding mostly blood pools and trails, most leading out towards the cargo bay where he fought the Maverick. He did find a few bodies, but most were impaled with quills or charred and unrecognizable. The smell of burnt flesh and blood hung in the air, making his stomach turn. He had become used to it, though that thought was something that bothered him.
He had been making his way up to the bridge, knowing that any hope of survivors was essentially gone. He tried not to think of it, and for some reason found it unusually easy. Among all this death, he found himself feeling cold, as if he didn't give a damn about what happened here. Why was ignoring his feelings so easy?
He sighed, deciding it'd be best to ponder these questions later. His priority was to try to catch up with the Halley's Comet, which should in turn catch up to the Gikuthoc. That's at least what he hoped.
The door to the bridge didn't slide open when he walked in front of it, something that had happened to just about every door on the ship. He wondered if someone had managed to seal it off to prevent the Maverick from entering and killing everyone who was on the bridge. Looking down at the floor suggested otherwise, as a small pool of glowing blood came oozing out between the shutters.
He managed to get his fingers between the shutters, pulling them apart with surprising ease. A demonic corpse came falling his way, nearly landing on top of him. While he was a little startled, he had been expecting it.
The sight of the horror on the bridge was also what he had expected, but was still made his stomach turn. The dark room was nearly coated from floor to ceiling in glowing purple blood, with the smell of burnt flesh still heavy in the air. There where at least five bodies on the floor, three males and two females, killed either by being impaled by needles, shocked to death, dismembered, or all of the above. A couple of the bodies seemed to have been killed in an executioner's fashion, like if they were on their knees when they died.
The captain's chair was coated in glowing purple blood, and even in the darkness Shadow could see the captain's decapitated corpse still sitting in the chair. Shadow made the assumption that this was where Quillen struck first, probably taking the captain out before he had any time to react.
Shadow just walked across the glowing sea of blood, looking for something that looked like the navigator's station. However, as he moved past the captain's chair, he thought he saw something move in the darkness. He looked over just in time to see a laser blast shoot past his face. He doubled back, trying to figure out where his attacker was.
He crouched down, slowly peaking out from the side of the chair. He didn't see anyone, but he could hear the sound someone breathing frantically, probably afraid for their life.
"Who's there?" Shadow said, trying not to sound cold. "I'm here to help."
He saw what looked like someone reaching around the side of the chair, holding a small pistol-like weapon. He ducked behind, watching a laser shot hit the wall in the distance. The trajectory was off by a lot, so he assumed that whoever was shooting at him was inexperienced at combat, not to mention scared for their life.
Shadow knew his only option was to try to confront whoever was shooting at him, in hopes of disarming them. He didn't completely like the idea, as he wasn't sure how much he could hold back. He closed his eyes, quieting his breathing to allow him to focus on the sound of his unfortunate opponent's breathing. From his estimate, he guessed that they were on the other side of the chair.
With one quick motion, he leapt over the chair backwards, landing right next to his attacker. The attacker's pistol was soon pointed at his face, but his immediate action was to grab their arm, applying enough pressure to force them to drop it.
He was a little startled to see who is attacker was. Their stature was shorter than he was by probably a good half a foot. Their eyes were glowing brighter than the corpses had been, but they carried the expression of fear and sadness, as well as the pain from Shadow's grip. Tears ran down their cheeks as the sobbed loudly, sounding like that of a scared child, something that managed to brake through ice he had placed on his heart.
"My god," he muttered as he let go of their arm. As he watched the figure rub their arm in some attempt to relax the pain, he felt tears start to well up. "You're just a…"