Shic finally gets some development, and the background about what's been going on in the central universe. This is also the end of the first and only complete story arc. And its also one of my shorter stories.
And the "Live and Learn" was another one of those "it seemed like a good idea as a time" things.
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.
- James Bond will return.
Universal Link
Confrontation
Shic stood on the bridge of the Gikuthoc, staring out into open space. The stars rushed by, distorted by the effects of traveling faster than light. His target lie ahead, probably one the unmoving stars in the distance. In a matter of hours, he'd have the power to exact the revenge that was centuries in the making.
He thought back to why he was doing this. He remembered back quite a long ways when he was just a child, the last time he wasn't alone. He remembered his father taking them to an area of space that had long since been abandoned by any race. There his father had hoped to find something that would give them the same power that he was looking for now. However, when they reached their destination, there was nothing but asteroids, the remains of a planet that had been destroyed long ago.
His father had been furious at this revelation. Shic had seen him start to cry, something that he hadn't seen for years, ever since his mother had died. He had paced around the bridge, contemplating what he should do. Then, he had looked up and walked off the bridge. As he disappeared behind the door, his father had said one last thing: "Shic, remember who's responsible for our suffering. Promise me that you'll make them pay someday."
That was the last time he saw his father. It had to have been three centuries since then, and all this time his hatred for what the Ghannof did to his race had grown immensely. He knew this is what his father had wanted, letting the emptiness around him feed his rage. It was such a sinister thing to do a child, and it had worked.
"So," said Pillaging Raptor, interrupting Shic's thoughts, "what are we planning to do when we reach this colony?"
Shic sighed. He didn't really like this Maverick he had let on his ship. In fact, he didn't trust him, as he knew that in the end he'd only be a liability. "There's a weapon of immense power hidden on that colony. Considering the current state of the Ghannof Empire, it shouldn't be too much a problem getting it. However, it hasn't been used for half a millennia, so I need the power of the Emerald Shards to power it."
"Then you're saying that you need my Shards?" Raptor said. "Do you have something in exchange? I'd rather not have to fight the Maverick Hunter without knowing I have some sort of trump card."
Shic held out his hands. Light began emanating from each palm, eventually condensing into the form of two gems.
Raptor grabbed one of the gems with his claw, studying it. "Where'd you get these?"
Shic laughed. "I stole them from a human back on Ochoco. He was charged with their power, which seemed to have blinded him. He tried fighting me, and when he thought he was getting close to beating me, I killed him."
"Nice," Raptor said. "How'd you kill him? Was there a lot of blood?"
The malevolent look in Raptor's eyes was the very reason Shic felt he needed to be disposed of. Inside that Maverick's thick metallic skull was probably a brain programmed to think only one thing, and that was blood. It didn't matter what kind of blood, as long as there was lots of it. He didn't even need to see it; just imagining it seemed to be enough to drive him up a wall. This thinking was perfect for nothing more than a distraction to keep anyone from interfering with his plans, but once he had the weapon Raptor would be useless.
"Bah," Shic said, "I don't need to tell you these things. Just give me the Shards you have."
Raptor looked at Shic, then the gems. "Okay, but on one condition."
Shic sighed in annoyance. "Name your condition."
"Once you've finished getting you're revenge, you hand the weapon over to me. I'm sure my boss could find an excellent use for it."
"Fine, do whatever you wish," Shic lied. Not that it mattered to him anyways.
Raptor held out his empty claw, and five Shards appeared. Shic took each Shard, then handed Raptor the other gem. Raptor quickly absorbed both gems. "These aren't nearly as strong as the Shards. However, they'll do."
Shic smirked. He looked back out at the stars, thinking back to the past. "Could you please leave the bridge?" Shic said. "I'd prefer to be alone."
Raptor bobbed his head. "As you wish."
Raptor walked away from Shic, whom watched his reflection in the screen. Shic didn't like not having someone like Raptor out of his sight, but he felt he needed time to reflect.
Shic thought back to Nathan, the empath he had met on Earth. He knew why Nathan was so important to the mysterious figure that had ordered him to find him. What he didn't understand was why he wanted Shic to retrieve him when he could have easily done it himself.
He had shielded himself from Nathan, wanting to keep the boy out. He didn't like the idea of someone reading his emotions, and he knew that if Nathan could sense the hatred that overflowed in Shic heart, he might have tried to get him to open up. And if he was able to get him to open up, he probably would have convinced him from exacting his revenge.
He wondered what happened to Nathan. Shic knew that he probably lived, considering what he was. He also knew that he had been probably rescued by the human captain of the Azhile ship, along with anyone else who was stranded on that planet. And if Nathan did survive the injuries he had taken at Ochoko, did he survive the shock of the massacre on the Ghannof freighter? I'd be a shame if he hadn't…
Shic shook his head, shaking his head of such silly thoughts. He wondered for a second why he was wondering about what happened to someone who was nothing more than an insignificant gnat to him, completely ignoring the fact what it had been like to have someone who wasn't machine to talk to after being alone for some long and replacing it with the hatred that consumed him.
He looked straight out into space ahead, narrowing his eyes to glare at one of the stars. "Vengeance is mine."
Ashura sat on the far end of the shuttle, spinning the small metal cylinder between his fingers. The silence that had come over everyone as soon as they reached the orbit of the colony was deafening, making his spines stick on end. The coming battle would be a tough one, that much could be assured.
Ashura leaned back, thinking about what Captain Halley had told him, Sonic, and Zero back on the ship. If what she told them was true, then these Ghannof had a lot of this coming.
According to what Halley had told them, the Chellosua and the Ghannof were at one time considered the galaxy's symbols of good and evil, with the peace-wanting Chellosua being the good, and the warrior-like Ghannof being the evil. They had been engaged in a long and blood holy war for almost a thousand years, one that killed billions of lives.
However, things seemed to have taken a turn for the worst when the Ghannof came up with a weapon that could create and destroy black holes. With this weapon, they destroyed the entire Chellosua armada, and eventually the entire Chellosua system. In fact, the only thing that remains of the Chellosua homeworld is a massive black hole.
The war had ended almost five centuries earlier. For some time, the Ghannof continued the reign of terror, conquering almost a third of the galaxy.
However, it wasn't until three centuries ago that they had realized the blood on their hands. Even during their reign, they had never completely annihilated another race like they had the Chellosua. When they realized this, the ones in power declared that their empire cease any military activities, essentially throwing away their weapons for a more peaceful way of life.
It took time, but after about a century and a half, most of the Ghannof race had become a strongly religious race, begging forgiveness from the rest of the galaxy for the sin they had committed. Most races did, and established trade with the one-time vile race. However, many races, whom had fallen victim to the growing Grey threat pleaded for the Ghannof's help, only to be turned down. The Ghannof were one of the few races, if not the only race, with a natural immunity to the Greys, which could easily have made them the power that could tip the scales in the galaxy's favor. Why they took no interest in the growing threat was unknown.
Ashura was uncertain about what how he felt about the situation. In a lot of ways, he felt the destruction of the Ghannof at the hands of the last surviving Chellosua would be a fitting end to their existence. At the same time, however, he didn't like the fact that part of his Master Emerald was going to be used in this destruction.
Sonic felt mostly the opposite about this. He believed that a large number of the Ghannof probably weren't even born with the destruction took place. If this were true, then the sins of their ancestor's shouldn't be passed down to them.
Zero's opinion was along the lines of Ashura's, though he stated that he didn't care about what happened by Shic's hands, and that his primary goal was Raptor's destruction. However, the look that Zero had in his eyes seemed to say otherwise, as if what he had seen on the Ghannof freighter still sickened him.
This was nearly a day ago. Now, they were heading into the atmosphere of the colony, just minutes away from touching down. Halley had handed command of the Comet over to Douglas, telling him to take the ship as far away from the colony as possible. Nathan had still been in a coma when they left, but Halley had stated that she didn't know if he'd be able to survive sensing anyone else die.
Ashura could tell it was hard for Halley to leave Nathan's side. He still didn't know if what she had told him about her feelings for Nathan were true or not, but if they were then he believed could understand.
"Wow, its sure dark," Sonic said, snapping Ashura back to reality.
"I don't like the look of this place," Knuckles said.
"Yes, I know," Halley replied. "The Ghannof have set up an artificial eclipse on this colony. Back on the Ghannof Homeworld, the planet's entire surface is nearly covered by darkness thanks to a year-round eclipse. In most cases, the Ghannof have adjusted their colonies by creating a system that creates the same effect. There are many members of the race who have adapted to the light of other worlds, though the transition is never easy."
"A dark race from a dark world," grumbled Zero. "No wonder everyone thought that they were evil."
Moments of eerie, uneasy silence followed. There was a lot of tension, the uncertainty of what the next few hours would hold fresh on everyone's mind. There was a good possibility that they might not survive, which for most was a tough concept to grasp. They were in what was a universe that was alien to them, and they were putting their lives on the line for a people they didn't know, and probably wouldn't have known if it weren't for an odd twist of fate.
Sonic must have become irritated at this notion, or just bored out of his mind. He began tapping his toe on the floor of the shuttle, humming a bit of a melody. Knuckles was quick to pick up on this, and also began tapping his toe in a similar rhythm.
Zero looked at them with a puzzled expression. "What are you two doing?"
Sonic didn't change his expression. Instead, he began to sing, "Can you feel life, movin' through your mind? Ooh, looks like it came back from more! Yeah!"
Knuckles chimed in, adding to Sonic's song, "Can you feel time, slippin' down your spine? Ooh, you're try and try to ignore! Yeah!"
They then sang unison, "But you can hardly swallow, your fears and pain. When you can't help but follow…"
Knuckles stopped singing, as Sonic soloed, "It puts you right back where you came!"
They both stopped for a moment, realizing the stares they were receiving from everyone. Finally, Sonic said, "That's 'Live and Learn.' Its one of the songs I wrote."
"I see," Zero said. "Not exactly the liveliest song."
"Its more upbeat with the proper music," Sonic replied sheepishly. "If we all survive this and manage to get home in one piece, remind me to invite you do a concert sometime."
"I think I'll pass," Zero said coldly.
A sense of gloom filled the shuttle's cabin. There was a sharp finality to Zero's words, one that made Ashura's spines quiver. Did he doubt any of them would survive? Was this impending battle all going to be in vein?
The armory that Shic was standing in was a lot larger than he had been expecting. It was the shape of a large dome, stretching about a mile wide. The walls were made of a cold black stone, which glowed a greenish hue under the night-vision goggles he wore.
The chamber was littered from floor to ceiling with outdated military equipment, centuries of dust covering each piece. On the ground level, there were steel crates that most likely contained hand weapons and explosives as well as old ground craft. The upper levels were like massive shelves against the wall, littered with old military fighters and parts of heavier spacecraft, probably dismantled to conserve space.
In the center of this graveyard stood the very thing that Shic had come looking for. A large cannon-like devise stood like a forsaken monument, a symbol of atrocities gone unpunished. It was held into place by metal clamps that had been welded to the floor, as well as large metal chains that tried to reinforce the clamps. Feet in front of the weapon stood a plaque, stating something in the Ghannof language.
Shic smashed the sign aside to get a better look at the weapon. He realized that most of its wires and plugs were exposed, as it had been removed from the ship it had been equipped to. He studied the plugs, cursing in realization that his ship was not compatible with this ancient Ghannof technology.
He stopped for a moment, thinking about how he'd deal with this dilemma. He knew that in any moment he have company. If it was the Ghannof, he knew that they might just allow themselves to be slaughtered without much of a fight. What he worried about more was that human captain in command of that Azhile ship. She herself wouldn't be a problem, but if she had received backup from the rest of the Azhile fleet he knew he'd be in trouble. He doubted this, considering most of the galaxy didn't take Earth people seriously.
Then there was the possibility that bothered him. She had definitely made a stop at Ochoko and picked up everyone who had been stranded there. He remembered his fight with that "Knuckles" character, and how he had actually broke a sweat. If there were more like Knuckles, he knew he could find himself with his hands full real easily.
He came up with two choices: he could find a ship compatible with this weapon, or he could take it and try to hotwire it so he could use it on the Gikuthoc. Neither choice would be easy, and there was a lot of risk to both. However, he had come a long way, and was not about to go away empty handed.
He walked away, looking around for a ship that wasn't dismantled that might handle this weapon. He didn't have a lot of time left before company arrived.
He didn't realize what little time he actually had.
Zero walked out of the shuttle, taking in his surroundings. Everyone had already exited the shuttle, standing feet away. However, he could barely make out their forms, as planet was much darker than a night during a new moon. The only major light source was the interior lighting of the shuttle, and that had been dimmed in order to minimize their chances of being seen or detected.
He prepared to take a step, then paused, realizing how easy it would to trip over somebody and make himself look unprofessional. He closed his eyes, letting his optic software activate special lens in his eyes. When he opened them, he had a combination of night and infrared vision, which, to a human, would have looked like a distorted mess.
He could clearly see one of the hedgehogs in front of him, his shorter spines indicating he was Ashura. Zero continued slowly, trying not to startle him. He noticed that Ashura was holding a binocular-shaped device in his hands, trying to find some way of equipping himself with it.
"This isn't going to work," Knuckles muttered in the distance. Zero glanced in that direction, seeing the dreadlocked echidna holding another pair.
Zero heard Halley sigh, then say, "I'm sorry, but we didn't have enough time to prepare equipment for this confrontation. We have to make do with what we have or figure something out along the way."
"Hey, maybe this will work!" Sonic shouted, getting everyone attention. Zero looked to see the other hedgehog wearing two sets of binoculars, one over each eye.
Knuckles shook his head. "You look like an idiot."
"That's too risky," Ashura said. "You're likely to poke your eyes out like that."
"You have any better ideas?" Knuckles replied.
Zero glanced at Ashura, surprised to see the hedgehog taking apart the night vision goggles. Ashura stopped, studying some of the parts. "Do you have anything that's like duct tape and form?"
"I think so," Halley replied. "Why?"
"Give me ten minutes and I think I can make this work."
"We don't have that kind of time!" Zero shouted. He was getting a little annoyed at the fact that they were taking so long to get ready.
"I know," Ashura replied, a little annoyed at the reploid. "That's why I was going to take it with me."
"Actually, Zero," Halley said patiently, "we should try planning out a plan of attack before we proceed too far. If we rush into a conflict, then--"
"No thanks," Zero interrupted. "My target is Raptor and Raptor only. You can handle Razorboy on your own."
"But…"
"Just leave him alone, Captain," Sonic said with an irritated tone in his voice. "If he doesn't feel like being part of the team, then let him do what he wants. He can probably take care of himself anyways."
There was a moment of silence, then Halley replied with a saddened tone, "Fine. Have it you're way." He pulled a small handheld scanning devise out of her pocket, studied it, then pointed towards a city in the distance. "Your enemy is in the city over there, closest to the north-east side. It appears he's taken refuge in a tram station." Zero could see the color drain from Halley's face, even with the high-tech lens in his eyes. "It appears that he's killing anyone in his vicinity. You'd better be quick."
Zero nodded, then turned to start walking towards the city. He paused, saying, "If it means anything, I hope to meet you all again, when the circumstances aren't so dire."
There was a bit of a silence, then he heard Sonic chuckle. "Good luck to you too, Hunter!"
Zero didn't turn around, but for some reason felt a smile cross his face. He had definitely run into the most bizarre cast of characters since the early days of the Maverick Hunters, the days when Sigma was still sane. And there was this nagging feeling that he had in his gut, that they'd all come out of this alive.
As he continued to walk away, he heard Halley say, "Whatever you do, don't look up at the sun."
Sonic then said, "Why?" There was about a second of a pause, then Sonic said, apparently after being temporarily blinded, "Oh geez!"
"That's why…" Ashura replied.
Zero chuckled, wondering if that nagging feeling was wrong.
It was a matter of minutes before Zero had reached the city. What he saw he expected, but still couldn't help but to be disturbed. Corpses lay everywhere in pools of glowing blood, most with glowing gashes from being sliced or stabbed, some missing limbs, heads, or both. Most of the bodies looked like they had been caught totally by surprised, but a few were positioned in a sacrificial pose – something that disturbed Zero even more.
He glanced around, taking in his surroundings. The buildings that stood around him were larger than he had really expected, and were made of a cold stone. He read many heat sources from within, and in the ghostly silence of the city, he swore he could hear the sounds of crying or moaning, most sounding small and quiet, like a child's sobbing. This gave Zero a heart-wrenching feeling, as if he had arrived too late. It also reassured him a little, as it indicated that there were still survivors.
He followed what he believed was a path that Raptor had left him, trying his best not to look at the corpses. The infrared part of his vision indicated that all the bodies were still warm, probably because of the chemical or hormone that gave their blood the glowing effect. His night-vision gave him more detail of what gender or ages the bodies were, which he didn't want to know.
He stopped feet away from the structure that Halley had mentioned. It appeared to be designed in a similar fashion as most of Earth's train stations, though the darkness gave it an unsettling feeling.
Like just about everywhere else he had been in the city, the station was littered with alien corpses and glowing blood. The worst part of the station was the interior, where bodies looked like they had been thrown onto heaps, massive pools of blood forming at their base. Zero had been hoping that the freighter would have been the worst scene for all this, but he discovered here he was wrong.
He suddenly heard a scream, which was soon cut short with a loud slicing sound. He turned his head, seeing the beastly silhouette that he already knew was Raptor. He dashed off in that general direction, trying to catch up to Raptor before he could do kill anyone else.
He reached the door of the train-like vehicle and quickly kicked it in. It was lit in a similar fashion like the freighter, which allowed Zero to deactivate his vision sensors. The seats on the train had been literally torn apart, the edges of each glowing with purple bloodstains.
"Welcome, Maverick Hunter," said a familiar raspy voice from behind Zero.
He turned to see the insane dinoreploid that had retired Dee and nearly retired him back at Ochoko standing next the exit of the train car. He looked almost the way Zero had seem him last, except that the crimson blood was now replace by glowing violet blood. The insane look was still in his eyes as well.
"I hope," Raptor said, "that this is the last time I'll have to deal with you."
Zero slowly removed the saber from its slot in his back, activating it. "Same here."
Ashura approached the center of the armory, where Shic stood facing away from him as he worked on the weapon. He had his staff drawn, and his body was tense, ready for what could easily be his last battle.
Knuckles walked along side him, his fists clenched. He looked very nervous, something that Ashura could see even in the darkness of the dimly lit armory. He knew that Knuckles had already fought Shic once, and had faired poorly. If it wasn't for Nathan's actions back on Ochoco, Ashura would probably be confronting Shic alone.
Ashura thought back to before they entered the armory, about their plans for stopping Shic. It had been a lengthy discussion, with the main plan being Halley, with the aid of one of the others, to go around and disable the weapon while the remaining two would confront Shic, possibly even fighting him to buy some time. The idea of destroying the weapon was brought up, but Halley dismissed it as Shic may have already powered the weapon, thus making its destruction threaten not only their lives, but also all the lives on the planet.
Sonic had volunteered to confront Shic, eagerly insisting that his speed may be enough to keep him occupied. Ashura didn't like this eagerness, which he told Sonic, suggesting that he help Halley. His speed would be an asset, as he could get to the weapon sooner and probably have it disabled before Shic would have time to blink, at least that's the way Ashura put it.
Sonic had laughed at this, saying that Ashura was probably just trying to play the role of big brother, trying to keep the little brother out of trouble—an analogy that was perhaps correct. However, Ashura had made a logical point, so Sonic accepted this plan.
Knuckles didn't like where he ended up in the plan, not only because of his strong disliking of the elder hedgehog, but also because of his past battle with Shic. Sonic, trying to sound positive on this matter, suggested his experience might end up being beneficial, as he'd know some of what Shic would have in store. On top of that, he and Ashura were probably the strongest of the team, and teaming up would probably give them a better shot at winning. Knuckles reluctantly agreed to this.
Now they were inside the armory, ready to test out how well this strategy would work.
Shic looked up from his work to see the two of them standing there. "So," Shic said in an arrogant and annoyed tone, "you decided to bring back-up, Mr. Knuckles."
Knuckles grunted. "I really didn't have a choice in the matter. It was his Emerald that you have part of; I really can't stand him otherwise."
"I see," Shic said. "So you being here is just for payback, is it?"
"Mostly," Knuckles replied. "I'm here to get you back for wasting me back on that planet. I'm also here in the absence of Nathan and all the people you slaughtered. I feel that I'm in someway responsible for all that's happened, so I've got to do something to make up for all of this."
"Just what are your plans anyways?" Ashura said, cutting off any chance of reply from Shic. "Once you've gotten your revenge that you've been waiting for, what are you going to do with the weapon, and the Emerald Shards you're using to power it?"
Shic paused in thought. "I really haven't thought about it. Maybe start a new empire of my own. Or maybe rid the universe of the growing plague that's sweeping across it. I'll worry about it when the time comes."
"So most likely you'll be using the Shards to do more harm?"
Shic shrugged. "Possibly. I can't say for certain, but I can't imagine settling down after such an easy victory."
"I see…" Ashura moved backwards, taking up a defensive stance. "Well, I can't let that happen. You've stained the Shards of the Emerald more than I can stand already. I can't permit to continue."
Knuckles took up a defensive stance as well, preparing himself for combat. "I don't care about what cost this battle will have, all that matters is that we stop you. It's all or nothing."
Shic sneered, pointing his palm towards them. Light slowly began to form a ball, which they thought was intended for them. However, at the last second he swung his arm to the left, releasing his sphere towards someone else. Both Ashura and Knuckle looked in horror as the attack traveled towards Halley, who had been out of sight for the entire conversation. She stood there frozen, unable to move as the blast traveled towards her at an incredible velocity.
Just before the blast hit her in the chest, she toppled sideways and Sonic tried to push her aside. The attack clipped her should, burning away a good portion of flesh, as well as inciting a blood-curdling scream from its victim.
Ashura and Knuckles stared in disbelief at what had just transpired. Shic just sneered at them. "Did you really think I'd fall for this trick?" He raised his arm up, snapping his fingers with a dramatic flare. This activated a force field around the entire center of the armory, surrounding everyone who would take part in this charade.
Ashura and Knuckles quickly looked around in disbelief at what was happening. They quickly turned their attention back to Shic, whom had struck a defensive stance as well. "Let's get this over with. I don't have time for you."
They rushed forwards, both taking swipes at Shic, Knuckles aiming for Shic's gut with his fists while Ashura swiped at Shic's head with his staff. Shic dodged the staff and blocked the punch, at which Knuckles leapt in the air, aiming at Shic's face, while Ashura tried jabbing Shic in the gut. Shic blocked Ashura's jab, but caught Knuckles' fist, giving him a quick toss to the side. Knuckles landed just short of the field's boundary.
Ashura tried to capitalize on Shic's focus on Knuckles, taking a swipe at his feet with enough force to knock a normal human down. However, while Shic didn't try to dodge, he wasn't even fazed by the attack. Shic just glared down at Shic with an annoyed expression.
Ashura quickly swung his staff upwards, trying to connect to Shic's chin. Shic once again sidestepped, and quickly swung his fist out, connecting with Ashura's face. The force from the impact was enough to send Ashura sliding across the floor, but not enough to make him fall.
Shic glared at Ashura as the hedgehog straighten his stance, annoyed at Ashura's resilience. He then turned his attention to Knuckles, who was still lying on the floor, apparently dazed by Shic's toss. "So you two are enemies I take it?"
Ashura wasn't really sure how to answer this. "We're not really enemies," he said with a hint on uncertainty. "It's just that… I can't stand being around him."
Shic nodded in interest. "Really? And why is this?"
Ashura thought about it for a moment. "I can't really say why. It's like he a ghost of someone from a past life, one that I've been trying to forget." Ashura looked up, seeing that the palm of one of Shic's hands was glowing with white energy.
Shic sneered back at Ashura. "A ghost, you say? Well, maybe should do you a favor and send him to the void. That way he won't be either of our problems."
Shic began to walk over to Knuckles, who looked up at him with a dazed expression on his face. The realization of what Shic was about to do soon hit him, but he stayed where he was, unable to move due the degree of panic that had overcome him.
Ashura began to rush forward, trying to stop Shic from carrying out his deed. As he did, he noticed someone charging at Shic incredible speed, and soon realized who it was. He opened his mouth to shout, but found he didn't have time to say anything.
Sonic rushed at Shic at top speed, an expression of anger and desperation clearly on his face. His gloves were red with blood, most likely from Halley, making Ashura worry about the captain's state.
Sonic leapt at him when he was just feet away, trying to land a solid punch to Shic's face. Shic quickly slapped him aside with his open arm, hitting him with enough force to send him flying across the room and right through the force field, finally coming to rest after hitting the far wall, where Sonic crumpled to the floor.
The sight of seeing his younger sibling smacked aside like he was nothing more than a doll made Ashura snap. He rushed Shic, trying to use whatever time he had to catch him off-guard from Sonic's attack. When he was practically up to him, he leapt in the air, slashing his staff rapidly at Shic's face. Shic put his arms up, shielding himself from Ashura's rapid strikes.
Ashura landed after about six strikes, then quickly followed up with a quick blast of energy aimed at Shic's midsection. The attack created enough force to send Shic sliding backwards a few feet, but Shic had shrugged off most of the attack.
Trying not to give the alien a chance to recover, Ashura rushed forwards again, jabbing forwards at Shic with his staff. Shic caught it, then like Zero had tried back on Ochoko, tossed the staff overhead with Ashura still hanging on. However, unlike Zero, Shic was success, tossing both staff and hedgehog up in the air.
Ashura took a guess at what Shic's next move was, focusing energy into his palms. He looked down to see Shic pointing one of his palms upwards, light glowing from it.
"Hey!" Knuckles shouted, interrupting the battle. He was back on his feet, holding a large crate over his head. It was clear what his purpose was.
Shic swung his arm downwards to aim at Knuckles. As soon as he did, Knuckles tossed the crate with all the strength he had left, trying to put enough speed on it so it hit Shic before he had a chance to fire off his blast. A second later, both Shic and the still airborne Ashura released their energy attacks.
Shic's blast collided with the crate, which was yards away from where the echidna was standing. The crate exploded, creating a huge blast that sent Knuckles through the forcefield, landing opposite of the where the unconscious Sonic was laying.
Ashura's blast just barely hit Shic, whom had been also knocked backwards from the blast as well. Ashura hoped that the combination of the shock from the explosion and his own attack was enough to weaken his opponent.
When he landed, he found out otherwise. Shic was struggling to get to his feet, but Ashura could sense that he still had a lot of fight left in him. There was an expression of pure rage on his face, but also a smirk, as if he had one more trick up his sleeve.
Then he disappeared in a green flash, only to reappear seconds later, his foot connecting with Ashura's chin, practically launching the hedgehog into the air. There was another flash, then Ashura found himself flying across the room.
He crashed against one of the crates that littered the room, then fell to the floor face first. He slowly rose to his feet, the strong taste of blood in his mouth. His ribs hurt bad, and guessed that they had been fractured by Shic's attack, if not broken.
He glared in disbelief at Shic, who sneered at him arrogantly. "I… can't believe it…" he muttered. "That was… Chaos Control?!"
"So that's what you call it…" Shic remarked. "I found out the time-altering properties of the Emeralds well before this battle started, first from Knuckles, then from the Maverick. In fact, I had been practicing on mastering the technique. I've emulated it perfectly, wouldn't you agree?"
Ashura didn't reply. He was nearly out of tricks, and most of the one's he had left wouldn't help him in this battle. There was no way he was going to win.
At this thought, he shook off the fatigue and wariness and stood up straighter, getting ready to continue the fight. He spat out the blood that was in his mouth, then quickly wiped it from his lips. The battle may have been lost, but he wasn't going down easily.
Shic saw this, then sighed. "Don't you know when to quit?" He pointed his light-filled palm at Ashura, at which Ashura copied, charging his own palms with red energy. They glared at each other for a moment, then simultaneously released their attacks.
There was an explosion from the blasts, forcing Ashura to shield his face from all the dust and smoke. When it cleared, he didn't see Shic anywhere. He knew the attack couldn't been enough to destroy him.
Shic, proving him right, reappeared behind him, quickly smashing him in the back of the head with enough force to send him flying forward. He then warped in front of him, smashing him into the air with a slicing vertical kick.
Ashura tried to regain his balance in midair, but found that Shic had teleported practically underneath him, grabbing his foot. He spun Ashura around in the air a couple times, then threw him in the direction of a number of crates. Ashura smashed through them, sending weapons and metal flying in all directions.
Ashura lay in the heap of ammunition, barely able to keep conscious. He struggled one last time to get to his feet, only to find that once he had that Shic was about to unleash one final energy attack on Ashura. The hedgehog had no more energy to fight, nor enough to even more. He stood in the heap, defeated after giving it his all.
Shic smirked at him. "To be fair, you have been the most challenging opponent I've encountered thus far. Its been an honor to fight you, but letting this battle go on any further would just delay the inevitable." Shic's face turned cold, and the light that glowed from his palm glowed brighter. Ashura knew he only had seconds to live…
However, at the last moment, someone grabbed Shic from behind, forcing his palm to aim downwards. Shic was caught completely off-guard by this, then glared back in hatred at whoever was restraining him, only to stare in disbelief at who was the one controlling his movement.
Ashura was shocked to see who this person was as well. He still looked like he was in shock from what happened on the freighter, but was in much better shape than Ashura had last seen him in. In fact, there was a look of determination on his face.
The person trying to keep Shic restrained was Nathan.
Raptor lunged at Zero, smashing into the Maverick Hunter headfirst. Zero managed to withstand most of the attack, sliding from one side of the train car to the other while standing, causing sparks to fly as his feet scraped against the metal floor.
Zero was rather beaten up, even though most was still damage from the past couple of fights that his auto-repair system had yet to fix. His armor was scraped or scratched up, with plenty of deep cuts in his arms, shoulders, and legs. Some of the crystals on his armor had been cracked as well, the lights behind them refracting at odd angles. His left arm was limp, and his left wrist was torn up badly from being jammed in Raptor's jaws. His long blond braid of hair lay on the floor in the middle of the car, with a bit of his helmet still attached.
Zero had been holding his own in this fight. Raptor didn't seem quite as strong as he had been back at Ochoko, but he still had about twice as much power as Zero. Zero was trying his best to keep up, even to the point where he felt he was slowing down time to do so.
However, he hadn't landed many attacks on Raptor, and had taken most of Raptor's attacks instead. He felt that he was in a lop-sided battle, with the odds heavily against him. He felt his determination waning, uncertain that he could keep going at this rate.
Raptor rushed at Zero again. Zero tried to slash horizontally with his saber, but Raptor ducked, then smashed Zero upwards with the nose of his head, knocking the Maverick Hunter into the air. Before Zero had a chance to recover, he found himself flying across the room into yet another train car. He landed hard, sliding across the floor and coming to a stop a little more than halfway into the train car.
A flash of red caught Zero's attention. He looked underneath the seat to see a pair of small red eyes staring at him. The eyes belonged to a child who was cowering under the seat, an expression of complete terror on his face. He appeared to have been frozen in fear by Zero, tears streaming down in his face.
Zero tried to ignore him, hoping that the boy would make a run for it when he confronted Raptor again. However, as he prepared to get up, a large energy blade came flying in Zero direction, destroying every seat that was in its way. Zero laid back down, the blade passing just a foot over his face.
It took out the seat the child had been hiding under as well, removing any form of cover he had. His reaction was to cover his head with his hands in a feeble attempt to protect himself from any harm that may come his way.
Raptor laughed at the child's reaction. "I figured I'd leave at least one survivor," he said to Zero, whom sat of the floor, a look of anger on his face. "I wanted to see the look on your face while I killed them when you were helpless."
Zero rose to his feet slowly, pointing the saber at Raptor. The next thing he knew, he was sailing across the room again, away from where he had been standing. As he flew, he saw Raptor standing where he had been, almost a foot away from the helpless child. He grabbed one of the few seats still standing, trying desperately to reverse his path as Raptor raised his claw.
There was a sudden flash, and the next thing Zero saw was Raptor getting sent sailing back into the car he had just come from. About where he had been standing hovered Shadow, light pulsing from the bottom of his air shoes. Zero landed back on his feet, staring in disbelief and subtle relief at the sight of the dark hedgehog.
Shadow floated down to the floor. He looked down at the child, who was staring up with a face of uncertainty. Zero noticed a warm yet sad smile on Shadow's face, something that didn't seem to fit. This was a side of Shadow that Zero hadn't seen on the Comet. Had something happened on the freighter that changed Shadow's personality?
There was the sound of loud crashing noising coming from the other car, focusing Shadow's attention back to it. Zero could clearly see Raptor charging towards them, his eyes filled with blinding rage. Shadow took up a fighting stance, then began to glow red. Zero realized that Shadow was going to use the same attack against Raptor as he did against Quillen.
Shadow glanced back at Zero. "Hurry up and get this child out of here!" he shouted at back to Zero. He glanced back at Raptor, then disappeared in a flash, appearing directly underneath the Maverick, delivering a powerful kick to his stomach and launching him into the roof of the car.
Zero rushed forwards as Shadow bought him time. He quickly snatched the boy up, then rushed towards to nearest exit. He ran for a several yards, stopped to look back at the train. The boy, who was shaking with fear and shock as he clung to Zero, also stared back to the train.
They watched and listened for several minutes as Shadow battled Raptor inside the train, in what appeared to clearly be a losing battle for the Maverick. Then, after seeing the silhouette of Raptor disappear out of sight one last time, there was a period of silence.
It didn't take much time for this to end, though. There was a bright red flash inside the train, which was soon followed by a powerful explosion that sent parts of the train flying towards the two spectators. Zero quickly turned away, covering the child's head to protect him from the debris.
Zero heard a loud thump nearby, then glanced over to see Raptor, or what was left of him, laying on the ground feet away from where they stood. Parts of his body appeared to have been blown away, leaving most of his torso, one of his arms, and his head. He was barely functioning, probably only having enough of energy to keep him operating for maybe an hour at the very most.
Zero glared at Raptor for a moment, knowing that there was one more duty that he had left to perform. However, he was still holding onto the boy, whom was staring at the wrecked form of Raptor with a look of terror on his face. Zero found himself feeling that finishing Raptor off now wasn't right.
Raptor glared back up at them, his eyes still filled with rage and hate, as well as a tinge of fear. He looked directly towards Zero for a moment, then at the child, whose grip Zero felt tighten in fear. Raptor, apparently seeing this reaction, opened his once blade-filled mouth in a mocking fashion, displaying the residue of Ghannof blood that lined it. The child's reaction to this was to cling tightly to Zero, starting to sob softly.
Zero realized that, even though it was unlikely considering his state, if Raptor was allowed any more time in existence that he wouldn't think twice about taking at least one more life. Raptor and his fellow Mavericks had slaughtered more than they should have been allowed, and even claimed the life of a fellow hunter.
Zero turned and walked away from Raptor. When he was about three cars lengths away from him, he gently tried to place the child on the ground. However, he refused to let go easily, crying loudly as he clung onto Zero. He was probably afraid to be left alone while Raptor was still in existence, scared that he'd probably end up like all of the others Raptor had slaughtered.
A gloved hand reached for the child's shoulder. The boy glanced over to see Shadow, who appeared exhausted after using up most of his energy to defeat Raptor. The child seemed to calm down, letting Zero place him on the ground. Once Zero had let go of him, the child latched onto Shadow's arm, refusing to let go.
Shadow looked at Zero, a saddened look still in his eyes. "Don't worry about the boy, Zero; I'll get him out of here. You just do what you have to do."
"Shadow," Zero said, concerned about Shadow's changed in demeanor, "what happened…"
"That's not important right now," Shadow said, the sound of annoyance hinted very subtly in his voice. "Finish the job and end this nightmare." With that, Shadow and the child disappeared in a green flash.
Zero sighed, then walked back over to Raptor, readying his buster. Raptor watched him as he approached, and the fear that had been only hinted in his eyes blossomed into outright terror. He knew Zero did intend to carry out his execution, and there was no way he could escape it.
Zero stopped right next to Raptor and aimed his buster directly at his face, right between the eyes. Raptor stared down the barrel, completely unmoving. Swear seemed to form on his brow, and he began quiet yet panicked hissing sounds.
They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, completely motionless, like a couple of statues at a memorial. The air was still and quiet, not even a bird or insect making a sound. The air felt tense around them felt tense, as if at any moment one of them would snap.
Then Zero fired a since blast.
Raptor crumpled to the ground, a smoldering hole in his forehead where he had been shot. He made one last quiet hiss, and then the light faded from his eyes. Moments later, two bright lights erupted from his fallen form, and the two gems that he had been using fell to the ground.
The battle was over. Zero had won. And yet, the victory was bittersweet.
Nathan held onto Shic, trying with all his might not to loss his grip. He sensed surprise and anger from the alien, as well total shock from Ashura.
"Damn you, Earthboy," Shic cursed.
Nathan ignored him, instead looking over to Ashura. "Find some sort of weapon and finish him!" These were words that not even Nathan had expected to hear himself say.
"But, you'll—" Ashura began.
"We don't have time to argue!" Nathan snapped.
Ashura paused for a moment, then grimly nodded. He looked around the debris from the broken crates, looking for a weapon that looked relatively undamaged.
As he did, Shic continued to struggle in Nathan's surprisingly steady grip. "If I survive this," he spat as he looked back at Nathan, "I swear that I'll find that girl of yours and I'll—"
"No," Nathan spat back, a deadly seriousness in his face that even Shic was stunned to see, "if WE survive, your battle will be with me and only me. If you harm ANYONE important to me, I promise that somehow I'll make you're life a living Hell."
For once, the arrogant omnipotence that Shic held faded into fear. The expression that had crossed Nathan's face was enough to make him afraid for his safety, even if there was no real way to guarantee his threat.
Ashura held up a large rifle-like weapon and pointed it at the two. He gulped, closed his eyes, then pulled the trigger. A bright light emerged from the weapon and engulfed both Nathan and Shic.
Both of them screamed in agony as the weapon burned with what should have been a lethal intensity. Nathan could feel the flesh of his arms slowly boiling, and he felt his grip loosen around his foe. He found himself feeling light, as if he was caught somewhere between life and death.
He felt himself slowly being burned alive, with the only thing seeming coherent to him being the intense bright light in front of him. He couldn't see anything else, not even Shic who should have been inches in front of him.
"Is this it?" he muttered to himself through the pain. "Am I really going to die?"
As he felt his consciousness quickly drain away, he felt a pair of strong arms catch him from behind. He tried to look to see who it was, but still couldn't make out any detail.
Then everything went black.
Am I… oh, never mind…
Nathan slowly opened his eyes, only to see total darkness above him. He blinked a couple of times, and for a moment felt himself panic.
He tried to move one of his arms, but that it was stiff, as if a cast was holding it together. He tried moving his other arm, with a similar result.
He worried that he was paralyzed, but quickly brushed this thought off, as it felt more as if he was being restrained.
He blinked again, soon making out the detail of the ceiling above. He breathed a brief sigh of relief, knowing that his sight was still intact.
He felt someone's startled surprise, then relief next to him. He slowly, painfully turned his head to see Halley sitting next to his bed, tears of joy forming in her eyes as she smiled, happy to know he had finally awoken. Her arm was in a sling, apparently from the Shic's attack. Nathan was relieved to see his still had use of it.
Ashura and Zero stood off in the distance, both reclining against the opposite sides of a doorway. They looked him briefly, smiling with relief as well. Zero looked like he was in rough shape, as there were plenty of scraps in his armor. His long braid of hair was gone as well. Ashura looked like he was in perfect health, though Nathan sensed that he was still quite sore from the battle with Shic.
"Where… am I?" Nathan muttered, though it hurt a lot to just say those words.
"You're in a Ghannof hospital," Halley said softly. "You've been burned rather severely, but the doctors here predict you'll make a full recovery." He slowly laid his head back, staring back up at the ceiling. "You've been out for almost a week; we were a little worried that you wouldn't wake up, though the doctor's assured us otherwise."
Nathan thought back to the confrontation in the armory. "Shic!" he spat, trying to sit upwards sharply, but soon being overcome by a lot of pain and dizziness.
"Easy," Halley said, placing a firm yet gentle hand on his shoulder to settle him back down. "You shouldn't move too much in your condition."
Nathan sighed, then laid back down. "Where's Shic? Did I… we…?"
Ashura nodded, both glad and sympathetic about their victory. "We didn't find a single remain of him in the armory after I shot him. The weapon I apparently used had enough power of vaporize anything with six feet instantly. How you survived is a miracle."
Nathan found himself feeling a sense of remorse. In a lot of ways, it was probably a good thing he was dead, as he wouldn't threaten anyone, not the Ghannof or anyone else, ever again. But he had also been the last of his kind, and it seemed wrong that he had to be destroyed in order to save others.
"What's wrong?" Halley asked.
"Nothing," Nathan said. "I just wish this would have turned out differently. So many died because of him; I wish I had known some way of stopping him before he started."
"We did what we could," Zero said, trying to sound supportive. "We were up against overwhelming odds. We're lucky we saved as many people as we did."
"Though one thing confuses me," Ashura said, trying to change the subject. "How did you manage to get to here in the shape you were in? All Douglas was able to tell us was that you stole a shuttle and took off without saying a word."
Nathan thought back, then shook his head painfully. "I… don't entirely remember. I just remember waking up, leaving the medical bay and going to the hangar, then entering one of the shuttles and taking off." He paused in thought. "Its weird… it feels so much like a dream."
Nathan thought back to how much he missed home, and how much he worried about Heather's safety. A single tear rolled down his cheek.
"Now what's wrong?" Zero said, sounding a little annoyed.
"Can I go home now?" Nathan replied.
In a very high orbit arround the Ghannof colony floated a vast vessel. It had been following both the Gikuthoc and Halley's Comet all this time, monitoring their progress. The commanders of these ships, as well as any others, were unaware of this pursuit, as it was hidden from their sight by a massive cloaking field.
Standing in a darkened observation deck stood two slender figures, both the silhouettes of human woman. One had long hair reaching down to the middle of her back tied in a ponytail, the other with had shorter hair. The height of both indicated that they were in their teens, the girl with the ponytail perhaps older.
There was a brief flash of light behind them. They both turned to see a short-cloaked figure standing behind them. The figure was heaving, and it appeared that the edges of the cloak had been singed.
The pony tailed girl spoke in a gentle, yet sad voice. "So, how'd everything go?"
A metal arm dropped out of the right side of the cloak, sparks snapping in and out of existence as it fell and the hit floor. The short haired girl gasped at this sight.
The cloaked figure sighed. "The boy put them in a position which threatened both of their lives. In the end, there was only one I could save." He stood up straighter, even though it appeared that he was in a lot of pain. "It took a lot out of me, but the boy was the one who survived."
"So the prophecy…" the pony haired girl started, "all the lives scarified… all for nothing?"
The figure ignored his fallen robotic arm, walking towards the viewport and stopping to look down towards the planet. "That's what I'm unsure about."
"What do you mean?"
"When we were sent here, the prophet told us that both the Chellosua and the boy were critical to the future of our worlds. However, he never hinted who, or even how many, would have to be sacrificed in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled." He raised his other, non-robotic arm in front of his face as if it was soaked with some unknown film. "I'm not sure, but I have this feeling that all this time, even before we risked our lives to come here, that's we've been played. Whoever that prophet was wasn't interested in what happened to us, just to what happened here. If this is indeed the case, then the blood of all those innocent lives is on OUR hands."