Chapter 3

It was late at night when Val made it back to his house, he walked in and stopped dead, his eyes widened as he saw several semi naked female Mobians standing around the room, and in the centre of the room was Kei-ron, wearing a thick purple fur coat and a purple hat with a feather in it, "What the fuck is this!?" yelled Val, Kei-ron jumped and turned, "Oh…I'm just trying to earn a little money."
"By doing what? Pimping?"
"Yeah…is that a problem?"
"Well apart from the fact it's illegal, I don't want you whoring women off in MY house!"
Kei-ron sighed, "Fine, but you're not getting a penny from me."
"Good, I don't want your dirty money…now where's Stacey?"
"I think I saw her go out the back."
Val walked over to a door and opened it, the room was a small storage room with several boxes strewn around, and there was Stacey, rolling around half naked with two women.
"Oh my God! Stacey!" shouted Val, Stacey quickly grabbed her clothes and covered herself
"What the Hell!?"
"I couldn't help it, Kei-ron offered both of them for 100" said Stacey
"I don't care, get out!"
Stacey and the two women got up and ran out of the room. Val marched out after them, "All I asked you was to watch this place for a few hours and make sure nothing happens, and what do you do? You turn the place into a fucking whore house! Some friends you are, now get out, all of you!"
Stacey, Kei-ron and the group of woman walked out the door and left Val alone with his thoughts. He sat in his chair and sighed, "This is too much."
Not long after, Val fell into a deep dreamless asleep.
He was rudely woken by the sound of a phone ringing several hours later. Val rubbed his eyes as he picked up the phone, "Hello?"
"Smoke, it's me, Devina."
Val gulped, "Uh, Hi…what is it?"
"I've tried everything I can to find Val, but it's no use. I was hoping you could help me."
"Oh, of course…I'll tell you what, if you help me with something, I'll do everything I can to help you."
"Okay, what do I have to do?"
"Remember that demon from yesterday? I need to track it down."
"Okay, I can help, I guess."
"Great, I'll meet you by the fountain near the centre of the Mobian Gardens."
Val then put the phone down and grabbed his weapons before racing out of the door and off towards the gardens. The sun shone down over the Mobian Gardens, which had almost every type of flower on Mobius in it, near the centre was a large fountain with crystal clear water cascading down into a pool at the base. Standing next to the fountain, admiring the beauty of the garden, was Devina, 'Thank you Val…when you gave me half of your heart I became immune to sunlight…and so I can see this place in all it's glory.' Devina's mind wandered back to that night, when Shade and Gabe had attacked them.

Several Months ago

Shade and Gabe had fled after Val fought them off using his demonic powers, but Shade had managed to shoot Devina with a bullet containing liquid silver. Val rested Devina on her bed back at their hideout, her skin was so pale and her veins pulsed as the silver took effect. Val leaned over her, tears streaming down his face, "Please Devina..you can't die…you just can't."
Devina looked up at him, she struggled to speak, "V…Val…I..I..lo-" she was cut off as her eyes slowly closed and her body went limp, "Devina?…Devina! No!" Val cried over her.
After a few minutes Val took out his sword, "I won't let this be the end." he said as he cut open Devina's chest, exposing her still, lifeless heart, he then did the safe to himself, crying out in agony as the blade pierced his flesh, he cut his heart in two and took out one half, "Half my heart to make you whole." He then cut out half of Devina's heart and replaced it with his own…then just as the hedgehog neared death, he placed Devina's half in his own chest and then strained to heal his wound, closing the cut and fusing the two halves within him, he then did the same to Devina, "From now on, as long as one of us is alive, so too will the other…you're now immune to your vampiric weaknesses." as he spoke, Devina's eyes slowly opened as she took a deep breath. Val smiled as Devina looked up at him, "…Val…" she then threw her arms around Val, "Thank you…so much.."

Devina was snapped out of her daydream as Val ran up to her, making sure his cowl didn't fall, "Hey, so you ready?" he asked
"Yeah, all set, where do we look first?" she replied
"Hmm…well he'll probably be hiding somewhere dark given that it's daytime….The sewer!"
"Ew, we're going into the sewer?" asked Devina, disgusted
"It makes sense that he'd be there." Val walked over to a nearby man hole and lifted it with one hand, "Ladies first." he said with a sly smirk, Devina rolled her eyes and jumped down and landed on a small stone walkway in a large circular tunnel, there was a green river of sewage and waste flowing next to the walkway, "Oh my God! It's revolting down here, and the smell is….oh God!"
Val jumped down and landed next her, "Yeah, but he's bound to be down here…let's go." Val walked off down the tunnel with Devina following close behind.
After a while they came to a giant room filled with large metal cylinders filled with strange liquid, the room was also covered in a strange black web like substance, "What is this?" asked Devina
"The water treatment facility….and that webbing…" Val slowly approached a strand of the strange material and touched it, as soon as his fingers made contact, there was an ominous rumbling.
Just then Demon Gabe burst down through the ceiling and landed gracefully on a strand of webbing, his monstrous features seemed even more hideous in the glow of the bright lights that hung from the ceiling. Demon Gabe stood up straight and his face split in two and pulled itself back, revealing Gabe's real face beneath, the white hedgehog smirked, "Hey bro."
Val's eyes widened, "My God, Gabe! What happened?"
"I've learned to control it, yes, at first it was too much for me, but after getting used to this…immense power, and accepting Venom into myself…I have total control….you really have no idea what you were capable of when you possessed this power…limitless potential…but now it's mine, and I shall use it."
Devina was speechless, 'Gabe…Venom…it can't be'
"Gabe, I won't let you get away with this." said Val
Gabe laughed, "Oh come on Val…with me wielding your power…and you just being your regular pathetic self, there's no chance of you winning."
"Val!?" shouted Devina, Val froze and slowly turned to Devina, who's face was red with anger, she grabbed his cowl and tore it off, "Val! You lied to me, I've been worried sick and you had the nerve to lie about who you were after you saw how upset I was!"
"Devina…please…we'll talk later, right now we have slightly more pressing issues."
"….fuck you Val!" Devina screamed and ran off crying
"Devina wait!" Val turned to go after Devina but was struck to the ground by Demon Gabe kicking him hard in the back, "Oops, did I get you into trouble with that little bitch? Oh well, at least now no one'll miss you." Gabe's face was then concealed as the shadows covered him completely, making his monstrous demon face return. Val lay on the ground, unable to move as Demon Gabe jumped onto his back, and then slashed at him with his claws, Val winced and felt his blood pour out of his wounds and run down over him and drip onto the floor.
Demon Gabe then grabbed Val's leg and spun him round before throwing him straight up, Val crashed through the ceiling and landed hard on the concrete floor.
Barely conscious, Val heard a voice in his head; Venom, "I told you, there's no escape from the past."
Demon Gabe exploded up through the floor and landed next to Val, his fangs bared and razor sharp claws ready for the kill. Val struggled to roll over, he looked up at his demonic brother, "Go ahead…kill me, I won't stop you." Demon Gabe seemed surprised, his face split again, revealing Gabe's real face, "Why won't you?"
"Because I don't care what happens to me…no one else cares about me so why should I?…it's like you said; no one will miss me."
Gabe shrugged, "Fair enough." his face then turned back to it's demonic form and he stabbed Val over and over with his claws, yet Val never cried out or winced once, he just lay there, accepting the blinding pain. When Demon Gabe was done, he looked up and saw Val lying motionless, his eyes staring upwards. 'Sayonara…brother' Gabe thought before diving back down into the room below.
But Val was not quite dead yet, his body lay in a pool of blood which soaked into his clothes as his thoughts returned to those who he had betrayed; Stacey and Kei-ron, he had kicked them out of his house after they had just tried to make some money…and Devina…he had left her all alone and then lied about his identity to her.
Just as Val's sight went black, the last thing he saw was a figure looming over him and saying the words, "Chaos Control!"