21 GUNs

by Lordoftheghostking28

A cure against death malfunctioned...bringing death in the form of mindless creatures. Now GUN has two things on their mind; stopping this virus and bringing the Ultimate Life Form down once and for all because of what he's done.

3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 (Uploaded a bit early! Yey!)

"Any luck?"

The scientist looked up from where he was analyzing data. "A little, sir."

"What have you got?" The Commander asked, taking a seat opposite his companion.

"We can delay the virus from taking over…but only for a while. And it's risky. We dilute the bloodstream enough so the virus can't travel faster…but in order to do this we must know the exact weight, height, and age of the victim. Too much water and they die. Too little and they get infected at the normal rate."

"And to cure the disease?" The Commander prompted.

"Nothing we can use safely on living creatures. The water-alcohol disinfectant combination works for destroying the virus outside of a body…It's what we've been using to clean up after the bloodbaths." The scientist sighed and leaned back. "We've virtually got nothing…"

"Anything for cleaning up the virus in the air?" The Commander asked.

"No," The scientist bit his lower lip. "Anything we're thinking of using is toxic and would kill faster than the disease."

The Commander massaged his forehead for a few seconds and then said, "What were you working on before you made this virus? What went wrong?"

"A vaccine against death." The scientist said. "Well, more like disease-caused deaths. Something happened and we got this."

"Go through your research…see if the diseases have anything in common. Work from there." The Commander suggested.

"We did, sir. Not one thing is the same."

"Then you and your men have better work your asses off over the next few days."

"But sir…we did discover one thing." The scientist pulled out a small clear box with something oval shaped and metallic inside, covered with dried blood. "This was in the body of the dead soldier we found on the doorstep."

"What about it?" The Commander asked.

"Sir, we don't use this type of bullet these days. This ammo has got to be at least fifty years old. Which means-"

"I'm aware of what it means." The Commander stood, his face set in a stony expression. "Deploy troops out there at once. Shadow the Hedgehog has been located."

XxXxXxXx

"Someone was saying earlier today not to drink any water from the taps." Amy said, walking into the house and latching the door behind her. "They said that one of the infected contaminated it."

"Quite possibly." Tails tightened a screw in something he was building. "I've been sort of avoiding the water since this all began."

"There's someone outside!" Sonic shouted from the upstairs. "Walking through the woods! I think it's a soldier!"

Silence covered the house long enough for everyone to hear a long, drawn out low moan in the near distance. Amy ran to one of the windows facing the forest and Tails did the same. Shadow retrieved his gun from the opposite room and followed them.

"It's a soldier, all right." Amy confirmed.

"He's infected…" Tails gasped, his eyes going wide.

"What's he doing?" Shadow asked.

"I don't know…it looks like he's just walking in circles."

"Does this freak anyone else out?" Sonic shouted.

There was a thump from the opposite side of the house. Amy turned and screamed, catching the others' attention. There, clawing at the window and leaving blood streaks down the glass was another infected. It looked like she had been a normal citizen before the virus took her over. Blood dripped from her lips that were curled into an unnatural smile. Her eyes were dark and dead. Multiple gashes covered her body, a few even opening up as she clawed at the window.

"What's going on?" Sonic ran down the stairs and stopped dead in his tracks as he caught sight of the infected.

"This," Shadow growled. "Behind her…there's more. Everyone grab the longest knives you can find and we're getting out of here."

Amy darted off to the kitchen closely followed by Tails. Shadow cocked his pistol and took brief aim before firing. Between the broken glass and the bullet, the zombie-like being didn't have a chance. It fell backwards and lay, dead. Two more humanoid creatures in the distance began advancing at an alarming pace.

"Amy, hurry up!" Sonic ran after the two in the kitchen.

Shadow shot twice more at the closest zombie before the gun clicked on an empty cylinder. He threw it at the oncoming infected, breaking its neck off into a terrible position. That didn't stop it in the slightest.

"DAMMIT, COME ON!" Shadow shouted, picking up a chair and throwing it at the advancing menace. It was only about five feet away now.

A knife came flying out of the corner of Shadow's vision and stuck firmly in the zombie's head right above its ear, blood dripping down the hilt of the knife. It stumbled and fell, convulsing. The other zombie was advancing.

"Shadow, here!"

A knife stuck into the wall dangerously close to Shadow's arm. He wrenched it out of the wall and sliced at the oncoming threat, tearing a long gash in its chest. Blood spurted out of its wound, showering the room. Shadow stabbed at its head and it went down.

"Are you all right?" Tails asked, running up to him, a look of complete terror on his face.

"I'm fine." Shadow said. "I may be covered in blood, but I'm fine."

"Let's get out of here." Amy gasped, completely pale. She looked as though she'd faint at any moment.

"Not arguing." Shadow wiped the blade of the long knife on the closest zombie's corpse and they darted for the broken widow.

"Freeze!"

Three GUN soldiers aimed their weapons at Shadow as he jumped out the escape route. He froze and slowly lifted his hands in the air, with the knife clearly in sight. Amy, Tails and Sonic followed suit.

"Drop your weapons!" The first soldier commanded, but his voice was breaking. They were afraid. They should be.

In one smooth move Shadow ran up to the first and slammed both fists into the side of his head, sending him crumpling to the ground; unconscious but not dead. He then jumped high into the air and swung his foot into the second soldier's head, knocking him back a fair distance. The third risked a shot, missing the attacker by mere inches. Shadow's fist connected with his temple and he went down.

"Shadow! Leave them alone! Let's get out of here!" Sonic shouted.

Shadow gripped the knife handle and ran after his comrades. Shouts were heard and more than a few bullets sunk into the ground around them. But they managed to make it to the street before they ran into trouble.

A long scream warned them of the oncoming threat. Around two parked cars came another infected, their movements jerky and uncoordinated. It was heading straight for Tails.

"MOVE, TAILS!" Sonic slashed at the zombie, sending it falling to the ground where it screamed again and tried to pull itself along the road.

"Get in the car!" Amy shouted, wrenching open a red pickup's door. The others quickly jumped in and slammed the doors behind them. Amy found a key and jammed it in the ignition, backing up until the car lurched upwards slightly. The screaming of the zombie was cut short.

"Drive!" Sonic shouted as another bullet struck the pavement in front of them. Amy stomped her foot on the brake, shifted the car into drive, and then floored the gas.

A siren began to wail behind them as they spun out onto the main road. Amy twisted the wheel to the left and then sharply to the right, trying to get in control of the speeding car. She finally got it into an acceptable straight line and worked on getting as far away from the cars behind them as possible.

"How did the virus spread so fast?" Tails whispered, clutching onto the seat belt for dear life. "What happened?"

"Who knows. All we need to work on now is getting out of here and getting somewhere safe." Sonic turned to face the two passengers in the backseat but the GUN vehicle behind them caught his attention. "Amy! STEP ON IT!"

Amy twisted the wheel sharply to the left, sending everyone leaning to the right. The car skidded on two wheels as it rounded the corner and then continued on at a breakneck speed.

The GUN tank behind them slowed as it realized its prey had changed direction and then proceeded to use someone's lawn to make a giant U-turn. Before long, it was behind them again.

"Who taught you to drive?" Shadow shouted.

"Does it really matter?" Amy screamed back. "Right now this driving is saving your sorry ass!"

She glanced in the rearview mirror, judged a few distances, and then turned the wheel to the left as far as it would go. The car sped around the automobile behind them and backtracked to the main road.

"That was both scary and impressive." Sonic managed to say once no threats were seen during the next two minuets. "If I had tried that I might have died."

"We might have all died." Shadow added. He rubbed the side of his head where he had hit it against the window as Amy made her crazy turn.

"Yeah, sorry about that, but it was the only way we were going to all escape alive." Amy continued to accelerate a bit.

"Where are we going?" Tails asked.

"Anywhere but back there," Sonic responded. "preferably somewhere not zombie infected." He pulled the Chaos Emerald out of his quills. "I'm just glad I managed to get this."

"I lost my gun." Shadow hissed, sticking the knife into the side of the car and leaning back.

"Good, I hated that thing." Sonic said.

Shadow stuck his middle finger in the air at him. "Shut up!"

Amy rolled her eyes and concentrated on not crashing into anything that happened to get in front of them. She was doing a pretty good job of it so far.

"If you are to be in this car for the next hour or so, then shut up and I won't dump you on the side of the road." She growled.

Complete silence covered the stolen vehicle. Tails turned to the window and began watching for any oncoming threats. Sonic started humming a fast paced tune and Shadow tried to pry the knife out of the wall.

They were in the car for more than an hour. More than two. It was more like two and a half hours before the light in the sky began to disappear along with the gas in the car's tank.

"We need to find some place to re-fuel." Tails said once the alarm for low fuel popped up. "There was one a few miles back."

"We can't risk going back." Sonic spun the Chaos Emerald in the air a few times.

"Then I don't know what we're gonna do."

"I think there's a place up ahead." Amy said. "I'll stop there and we'll see about getting more weapons and something to-"

"AMY!" Sonic screamed, reaching over to twist the wheel.

A heavily armored GUN truck had pulled out from one of the side roads, directly in front of them. Sonic managed to twist the wheel enough to get the car to start to turn and avoid a head-on collision, but it wasn't enough to avoid it completely.

The car hit the side of the tank and flipped. The car's passengers were thrown from one side of the vehicle to the other at least five times. Glass shattered before the car finally came to a stop on its roof.

"Is…is everyone o-ok?" Amy managed to say. The air bags had deployed and she was pretty sure that was the only thing that kept her alive. Her seat belt was locked in place and she reached for a sharp piece of glass to cut it away. Sirens began to sound behind the wreckage.

"Damn…come on, we need to get out of here!" She shouted.

"Amy! I can't move!" Tails cried from the back among shattered glass and various debris. "Help!"

Sonic cut away his seat belt and crawled along the roof of the car to get to the back. "Tails, hold still! There's metal everywhere, if you move…I don't really want to even think of the possibilities."

"Sonic, GUN's coming!" Tails shouted. "Hurry!"

"I know, don't pressure me…"

Amy crawled from the car and began assessing the damage to her legs from the crash. Both were bleeding and bruised but not heavily. She would live. Her other injuries were minor and would begin healing within the day. She moved to where the back window used to be and pounded on the side of the door, trying to get Shadow's attention. He hadn't said anything since the crash…

Tails came scurrying out of the car and nestled up to her side, shaking violently. His left leg was bent at an odd angle and bleeding heavily, but that seemed to be his worst injury. Amy shouted to Sonic, "Get Shadow!" before ripping the sleeve of her dress off and using it to bind up Tails' wound.

"Shadow!" Sonic shouted. "Shadow, answer me! Now!"

The sirens were extremely loud now and only about a quarter mile away. Amy managed to get Tails standing and yelled to Sonic, "Chaos Control him out of here and come back for us!"

"Amy…I can't move…" Shadow's voice came from the back. "Glass…everywhere…I…I can't move…"

XxXxXxXx

The Commander stood. "What have you got?"

"Well…I have good news." The scientist said. "First of all…we developed a theory for a cure. Second…Shadow was spotted fleeing with some civilians. They crashed into one of our trucks and we're awaiting information now."

"Finally." The Commander sat back down. "Now…what about this cure?"

"It's really quite simple." The scientist said. "Our theory is-"

"Test this theory so we can get it out to the public. We need a cure now." The Commander said. The scientist turned and hurried out of the room and down the hall.

XxXxXxXx

"Shadow!" Amy shouted. "Shadow! Are you ok?"

"No he's not." Sonic crawled into the back among the hazardous glass and began cutting Shadow's seat belt off. Shadow fell onto a pile of various rocks and debris and began wheezing slightly. Sonic tried to get him into a sitting position.

"Get him out of here! They're coming!" Amy shouted.

"Stay with me, Shads," Sonic held the Chaos Emerald in front of him. "Chaos Control!"

They vanished in a flash of light just before the GUN vehicles came into sight, and circled around the crash. The driver of the vehicle that had pulled out in front of the small car stepped from the driver's seat and aimed his gun at the two survivors. He had apparently waited for backup before confronting them. "Where is he?"

"Who?" Amy asked.

"You know. Where is he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

More guards began to file towards the wreckage, a few of them carrying medical kits. The doctors went right to work patching up the victims and afterwards the solders stepped up.

"Where is he?"

"Who?" Tails stepped in. "It was only me and her."

"And besides, how would someone just vanish?" Amy added.

"That's what we asked the first time. Men, watch out. He's armed with Chaos Emeralds." One of the soldiers said.

Tails' ears drooped slightly and he cast a scared look at Amy.

"You're coming with us." The soldier stepped back towards them and roughly began dragging them towards an armored vehicle.

XxXxXxXx

Sonic glanced around, trying to figure out where the Chaos Control had dumped them. Realization clicked almost instantly.

"Hey, Shadow, we're back in your apartment."

Shadow began to lose the strength in his legs and he slumped towards the ground. Sonic managed to get him to the couch before his power completely gave out. Blood was poring from wound after wound lining the left side of his body. Sonic placed the Chaos Emerald in Shadow's left hand and hoped that he would be able to use the energy to heal himself.

"Come on, Shadow, we sort of need you alive."

A few slashes on his arms closed up. The Emerald began to pulse with light that matched his heartbeat as the power flowed through his veins, healing his life-threatening wounds. Within ten minuets Shadow took a huge, shuddering breath and opened his eyes, staring at the roof like he was struggling to remember where he had seen it before.

"It's your old apartment." Sonic said. "We teleported here to get away from GUN again. But now we have no hope of saving Amy and Tails. Look at the Emerald."

Shadow glanced down at his hand to see that the once lime-green emerald was now a dull gray with a small touch of green still in it. It began to return to its color, but it would be in no time soon that it would be usable again.

"GUN got Amy and Tails?" Shadow said in barely more than a whisper.

"I'm pretty sure."

"We have to save them."

"Really."

Shadow struggled to sit up. "We have to save them!" He attempted to get up but his legs gave out from under him and he fell back onto the couch with a small grimace of pain.

"You're in no condition to go anywhere." Sonic picked up the Chaos Emerald from where it had fallen to the ground and put it onto the counter in the tiny kitchen. "So until you can do anything, we're stuck here. You'd better heal within the next fifteen seconds."

"It might be an hour. Possibly more." Shadow groaned.

"In the meantime I'll keep watch from the windows in case soldiers start swarming the streets again."

"You do that." Shadow turned onto his side and almost immeadentally fell asleep. Sonic busied himself with watching for anything out of the ordinary in a perfectly ordinary plaza.

But the danger didn't necessarily lie outside. Loud thumps were beginning to get louder from down the hall, like someone was running down it. Sonic turned towards the apartment door to see it open with a bang to a tall orange cat with a shotgun.

"Who're you and what are you doing here?" She demanded, leveling the gun at his head. "if you tell me now we can avoid a lot of trouble and bloodshed."

Her gaze flitted around the room, as if she was expecting more than one intruder. Her gaze settled on the couch where Shadow was curled and she turned her gun on him.

"Wait a second." Sonic said, stepping forward. The cat raised her gun back at him.

"Are you working with him?"

"N…No!"

"Why are you here?"

"Put the gun down and I'll explain!" Sonic nearly shouted. The cat lowered the weapon to the floor and let it drop. She never took her eyes off of the intruder, waiting to see if he would try anything.

"Thank you," Sonic muttered. "I'm guessing you've heard that he's wanted by GUN, then."

"Keep going." The cat growled.

"They tried to kill me and my friends to get to him. We crashed into one of GUN's tanks, and I barely managed to teleport him out of the car and get him here. He lost a lot of blood."

The cat turned her attention back to Shadow, who was still completely oblivious to anything. "Why do they want him?"

"I'm not sure if I should tell you." Sonic sighed. "But I can tell you that he was falsely accused."

"That's what he told me." The cat leaned against the door slightly. "I was his landlady, before I kicked him out. I'm Mary."

"He mentioned you a few times."

"Did he."

"Look, I know we're breaking about twenty laws, but can we stay here until he recovers?"

"How long will that be?" Mary asked, picking up her shotgun again.

"A day at the most. I swear…when he can walk again we'll be out of here."

"GUN's crawling the streets and there's no guarantee that they won't come knocking at the door."

"We'll take the risk."

"Fine, but only because I pity the both of you." Mary opened the door and paused slightly. "Do you think you could tell me what all this zombie shit is about?"

"I wish I could, but it happened so fast and so violently...I'm not sure that anyone knows how it began. Just be careful."

"That's how I'm still alive." Mary cocked the gun and went back down the hall.

XxXxXxXx

"How did you get in possession of a Chaos Emerald?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

The Commander's eyes seemed to shoot flames at the cowering fox before him. He sighed heavily and sat back down at the polished wood desk. "One last time…" He hissed. "how did he vanish into thin air, then? We know he was with you. Don't evade that anymore. We have more than one eyewitness. Now just tell me where the hell he is!"

Tails shuffled back as far as he could go until he brushed up against a few of the soldiers' legs. One of them nudged him harshly forward.

"I don't know! No one knows! I don't know what you're talking about!" He squeaked.

"Bring him back to his cell." The Commander shouted. The guards reached down and began dragging Tails out of the room and down long, cold hallways; finally throwing him in a small jail cell.

"Are you ok?" Amy asked nervously from the opposite cell.

"I'm fine," Tails muttered. "but I'm scared. I want to get out of here!"

"I do too. But until Sonic comes, we can't do anything."

Tails climbed onto the small cot that was shoved up into one corner of the cell and drew his knees up to his chest. Amy sighed and faced the wall, trying to think of anything that could get them out of there or at least pass the time.

XxXxXxXx

Shadow slowly became aware of a light somewhere in front of him. He opened his eyes, still feeling extremely tired and drained, like something had sapped his strength almost to its limit.

"Oh, good, you're still alive." Sonic flopped down on the opposite end of the couch. "I was getting worried for a few minuets there."

"What happened?" Shadow groaned. His head pounded with a severe migraine.

"Well, I got you out of the car and teleported us here. Your landlady almost shot us, but then she decided to leave us alone. I still don't really like her." Sonic jumped up and retrieved the Chaos Emerald from the counter. "I'm guessing you'll still need a little more power from this thing to get fully back on your feet, am I right?"

"Yes," Shadow managed to hold one shaking arm out towards the Emerald, which was glowing a strong green again. As soon as it touched his hand energy flowed through his body, healing any aches and restoring him to almost normal.

"Just one more thing before we leave and go rescue Amy and Tails," Sonic took the Emerald back. "you're covered in blood. If GUN sees you like that, they're gonna have a cow."

Shadow glanced at his arm and saw that almost all of it was caked in blood. He couldn't tell if it was his or the zombie's from earlier. Either way it still looked bad. "I'll be right back." Shadow got up and headed to the bathroom, where he turned on the shower full blast.

XxXxXxXx

"Took you long enough." Sonic said, yawning.

"Shut up and come on." Shadow opened a few drawers in the kitchen, only to slam them shut again one after the other until he angrily hissed, "Dammit, Mary threw my stuff out! I had a knife we could use for protection until we get a more suitable weapon."

"We could always ask her for something."

"I'd rather not." Shadow paused, rubbing at his right eye for a few seconds.

"Then let's get out of here." Sonic opened the apartment door slightly and checked for anything out of the ordinary. He and Shadow began making their way to the stairs.

"Leaving?" Mary asked from behind a small desk in front of the left side window.

"Yes," Shadow glanced around her to the outside, where not a single soul was wondering the streets.

"Unarmed?"

"We'll manage." Shadow pushed open the door and exited the building.

"Thanks, Mary." Sonic muttered, quickly following after him.

"Don't mention it. Seriously."

Sonic caught up with Shadow a little ways away from the apartments. "Where are you going? We have to teleport to get to GUN's base!"

"Someone's over there," Shadow hissed. "up ahead. I'm going to see who it is."

"That's a very, very bad idea considering the circumstances." Sonic pulled the Chaos Emerald out from his quills. "Let's just teleport out of he-"

A trash can clanged onto its side as another of the infected lunged out from behind it, fast moving and not even completely taken over by the virus. Shadow jumped backwards and began searching for anything to be used as a weapon. The infected lunged for him.

"Shadow!" Sonic shouted. "Catch!"

Shadow made a wild grab for the Emerald as it sailed over his head, missing and then watching it roll behind the knocked over trash can. He made out two other forms of infected as they made their way towards their victims.

"What the hell was that?" Shadow shouted at Sonic while at the same time kicking out at the zombie's kneecaps trying to get it to fall. It stared him straight in the eyes with its own dead, dark ones and smiled, blood leaking out from behind its teeth. Shadow fought down nausea and continued trying to keep the zombie from advancing any further.

"Erm…I don't know." Sonic mumbled. "Hang on, I'll get it back or-"

"JUST DO IT!" Shadow screamed, bringing his shoe around in the zombie's face, breaking something with a loud snap. It didn't slow down at all.

There was a streak of blue as Sonic ran towards the fallen Chaos Emerald, at the same time downing one zombie. Shadow turned his attention back on his attacker and at the same time felt something metal and hard underneath his feet. He quickly reached down and slammed the end of a long metal rod into the infected's chin. The rod went through its jaw, rearranging it with a sickening crunch, and exited just over its ear. It collapsed on the ground, twitching and choking on its own blood. Shadow wrenched the rod out of its head and ran towards where Sonic was busy with another victim.

Three solid hits to the head and the zombie was dead. Sonic handed Shadow the Chaos Emerald with a sort of ashamed look on his face. "Sorry about that."

"Do it again and this rod will go through your eye."

"Damn, relax!"

"How can I relax? Two of my friends were kidnapped and we're surrounded by this strange virus that's changing all the people into bloodthirsty killers!" Shadow hissed. "And to add to this, there-" He grew quiet when he was certain he heard footsteps.

"What?"

"Someone's coming."

There was a click, closely followed by many. That could only mean one thing.

"MOVE!" Shadow grabbed ahold of Sonic's arm and dragged him out of the firing zone as hundreds of bullets began flying and ricocheting back a fourth. Both hedgehogs dropped behind a house and waited for the hail of bullets to subside.

"How'd they get here?" Sonic shouted over the noise.

"I don't know or care, all I care about is getting the hell away from here!" Shadow held the Chaos Emerald out in front of him. "Chaos Con…" He cut off as began coughing up bright red blood.

"Shadow!" Sonic shouted. "Are you ok?"

Shadow dropped the Emerald and doubled up, still coughing up his own blood. The clanging of bullets all around began to stop and shouts were heard instead.

"Shadow, come on, we really need to get out of here…" Sonic managed to get Shadow to lean against the building they were hiding behind. Before he could reach for the Emerald GUN soldiers began rounding the corner.

"DON'T MOVE!" One of them screamed.

Sonic didn't move.

"Good. Someone get the Emerald."

"No…" Shadow gasped. "Sonic…get out of here now!"

"Is he coughing up blood?" A soldier asked really to no one in particular. "Isn't that the first stage of the virus?"

Shadow was fairly certain that he wasn't scratched or even touched by any of the infected. Then why was he showing signs of the disease?

Sonic must have thought the same thing. "What?" He demanded.

"Didn't you know the virus can take to the air? That's why all the victims all have long gashes on their bodies…the virus is splitting open their skin and taking to the air. He must have some infected blood on him or was around someone with the virus." The first soldier said. "But virus or no virus, we have to bring him back to base."

Shadow gave one last cough and slumped against the wall, taking in great breaths. He really began to hope that the rest of the disease didn't take ahold of him before he and Sonic could save Amy and Tails. The soldier began walking towards him, gun still at the ready. Shadow knew it was now or never.

He leaned forward with surprising speed, grabbing Sonic's arm and the Chaos Emerald and at the same time shouting, "CHAOS CONTROL!"

As the first bullets left the barrels of the soldiers' guns, a flash engulfed both hedgehogs and they vanished. The ammo bounced harmlessly on the pavement.

"Now what?" a soldier asked.

"We wait. Sooner or later Shadow will fully develop the virus and what will he do? He'll attack others. When this happens we wait for reported sightings and then capture him."

XxXxXxXx

"Shadow, are you all right?" Sonic demanded.

"I'm fine." Shadow growled. "Leave me alone. I don't have the disease."

"Then why were you coughing up blood?"

Shadow just began walking. They were in the last place GUN would think to look…their own base. He entered an automatic door and it slid open to present a darkened hallway.

"Wait a second, Shads—"

"Don't call me that!"

Sonic got slightly taken aback a little. Sure, Shadow was usually dark and antisocial, but he seemed to be giving off a vibe of pure hatred. Sonic cautiously followed him into the base, ready for anything.

XxXxXxXx

"News on your friend." The Commander said, stopping outside both Amy and Tails' cages. "Shadow has the disease. He more than likely acquired it from the air, as he's not fully infected yet. But unless he gets a cure soon, he'll become one of them."

"And you've made the cure?" Amy asked, trying not to give away how scared she was at the moment.

"As a matter of fact, we did." The Commander held up a small vial of something clear with just a hint of blue in it. "A combination of antibodies and various medicines. We hope to make a simpler version eventually, but for now this is what we have. He has to come to us to get this."

Tails caught Amy's eye from across the room. His eyes were wide with worry but he didn't say anything. Amy forced herself to look the Commander in the face and said, "And what will you do once you have him?"

"Why ruin the surprise?" The Commander smiled evilly, pocketing the cure and heading back towards the door. "You'll know soon enough."

XxXxXxXx

CHAPTER 4

The scientist glanced from his notes to the very dead infected soldier in front of him. This wasn't right…it was suppost to cure him!

The soldier's body moved. The scientist backed up slightly, afraid that the disease still had a grip on its victim. The soldier moved again and slowly lifted his head to the side. His dark eyes were now back to their original blue, although his facial expression was of complete shock and unknowing.

"Hey, it's me." The scientist said softly.

The soldier's eyes crossed and he didn't seem to be able to focus on the other man. He went limp and the scientist sighed softly. Just as he had thought… brain damage. This man would never be the same again.

But as the scientist crossed out of the room, he caught sight of himself in a mirror. His pupils were wide and rounded, like a cat's eyes in the dark. Looking closer in the mirror, small, tiny dark tendrils were slowly spreading out from his pupils around both of his corneas…

XxXxXxXx

"Shadow, do you know where you're going?"

"How many times must I say it? I'm following the energy left by another Chaos Emerald!" Shadow hissed, gripping the Chaos Emerald he was holding tightly. He coughed again, spitting blood into the corner of the hallway.

"Shadow, relax. Even if they send guards we can take them down."

"How can I relax? I feel like my veins are on fire!" Shadow stumbled against the wall and coughed again. The Chaos Emerald flashed bright green and he managed to get back to his feet, renewed by the energy.

"Shadow, turn around." Sonic said slowly.

"No time," Shadow wheezed, struggling forward. Sonic grabbed his shoulder and turned him around harshly.

Shadow's right eye was darker than his left. In fact, it was completely dark. That was all Sonic needed to know; his friend was infected with the virus.

"What are you doing?" Shadow shoved him backwards harshly, hatred on his face. He turned and began walking quickly down the hall, coming to a door.

"There's two energy sources. I'll go straight, you go in here." He commanded, continuing down the hall. Sonic watched him go before pulling the door open and walking into a deserted lab. A thick slab of glass separated the room into two halves, the opposite side stained with blood in places.

"Did they get some of the infected?" Sonic wondered out loud.

He decided that was unimportant at the moment and continued through the lab. On one of the tables in the back was a glass case with a vial of something clear but slightly blue. A label on the test tube blared, 'TRIAL 1 CURE.'

Sonic wedged the door on the case open and took it. Shadow might need this if I run into him again…he thought. He continued through the lab until he came to the door out. After checking to make sure it was clear, he exited, coming to some stairs going up.

A low, agonized moan came from the top. "Shadow?" Sonic whispered, in case there was someone guarding nearby. He began to quickly ascend the stairs to see a man in a white lab coat that was stained red on the front from blood. His eyes were dark and the expression on his face hinted that he wasn't yet taken over. Sonic took a step backwards just in case.

"No…no…help me…cure…please…" The infected groaned. Blood fell from his lips and soaked into his already blood-colored front.

Sonic rolled the vial of the cure towards him. The scientist reached into a pocket and pulled a syringe out, clumsily filling it with the cure and stabbing himself in the arm. He began to shake violently, finally pitching forward and lying still.

"Are you all right?" Sonic whispered again. The overwhelming smell of blood from the infected made him cough long and hard. Almost too hard…

Oh no… Sonic thought miserably as small flecks of red stained into his glove. No, not me too…

XxXxXxXx

Shadow felt hatred boiling up inside of him. He couldn't explain it…but he wanted to kill someone. Kill them for what they've done to him and Maria. Kill them for what they've done to this world. Kill them for all the misery. He stumbled into the wall again and struggled for breath. Blood welled in his throat again. There was no mistaking it now. He was infected.

"Damn you all," He muttered. "damn you all for this. Maria, I'm coming…"

He thought he saw someone up ahead, but the Emerald said otherwise. Shadow continued on ahead anyway, using the wall for support. He came to a closed door and had trouble gripping and turning the knob. It was almost as though he had been drinking again.

Someone lunged at him and pinned him onto his back, howling with triumph and pain. Shadow kicked out at the attacker and pushed whoever it was backwards and into the wall with a loud crack. The attacker kept coming.

"Chaos…S..Spear…" Shadow groaned.

The Chaos energy knocked him backwards into the opposite wall but completely disposed of the attacker. Shadow watched the limp form and realized it was another infected. But how did it get into the base…?

"I'm coming…" Shadow muttered, dragging himself back upright. He stumbled into the room to find it was dark except for a cabinet in the back that was filled with something clear laced with some sort of blue. He smashed the Chaos Emerald into the glass and pulled a syringe out. He barely made out the writing on the side, but he was pretty sure it said 'CURE' on it.

Shadow didn't care if he died. If he died, the he would be with Maria again. If he lived, he could avenge her first. Either way was fine with him. He stabbed the needle into his arm and depressed the plunger, feeling the strange liquid enter his arm.

Immeadentally something that felt like liquid fire began coursing through his veins, burning throughout his entire arm and spreading to his chest. Shadow doubled up, dropping the Chaos Emerald and trying to dull the pain. It was spreading up his neck to his head…inside his head…now it was everywhere. He screamed.

The last things he remembered were the lights turning on and footsteps rumbling along the ground.

XxXxXxXx

Sonic continued to hurry though the base, looking for anything like the cure he had found in the glassy room or another Chaos Emerald. Or even Shadow, although he was sort of worried that he might attack him.

A door came into view and he pulled it open to be greeted by two small jail cells on opposite sides of the walls. A small familiar yellow fox caught his eye.

"Sonic!"

"Tails?" Sonic stumbled into the room. "Is that you?"

"Yeah! Amy's here too! Sonic, the Commander wants to kill Shadow and I think he wants us to watch. We need to get out of here!" Tails' voice rose in fright.

"Relax, buddy. We'll get out of here." Sonic went to the lock on the door and pulled on it, but to no avail. "I need something long and skinny."

"There's a nail in here." Amy said, holding a nail out for Sonic to take. "I don't know if it'll work, though. I found it earlier but I couldn't reach the lock."

"Nope, works fine." Sonic popped open Tails' lock and pulled the door open. The fox jumped out and headed to the door.

"How did you get here? Where's Shadow?" Amy asked as Sonic went to work on the other lock.

"He went off in a different direction to look for a Chaos Emerald or something. We were suppost to find you guys but I think he can't think straight. He was infected." Sonic said, pulling the lock away and opening the cell door. "Come on, we need to find him and get out of here."

"The Commander's coming!" Tails shouted.

Sonic jumped up beside his friend and glanced out the door to see the Commander dangerously close. When the door began to open he lashed out and caught the Commander across the face, sending him reeling into the corner. One of the guards with him cocked a gun and shot, just barely missing Sonic's head. The other trained his gun at Tails in a move-and-he-dies sort of way.

"Well, look who we have here." The Commander sneered, rubbing his jaw where Sonic had slugged him. "We've got them all now."

"What?" Tails' eyes grew wide. "No! No way!"

"Yes. And if you all want to see each other again, I would suggest getting back in your cells. You, in with the fox." The Commander growled.

A guard stepped forward when Tails refused to move, sending him scurrying into the cell he had just escaped from. The Commander latched the locks firmly in place and stepped back into the hall. "Now, I think we have cure to distribute, if I'm not mistaken."

XxXxXxXx

"So it works?"

"Yes, sir." The scientist said. "it cured the soldier." He left out the part about getting the disease himself. They weren't doing a very good job of isolating it completely. He had changed into a clean white coat and had spent the last few minuets getting the blood off his hands and arms. If anyone looked at him they wouldn't be able to tell he had the disease.

"Perfect. Get to work producing more. We have a world to save." The Commander began to head towards the door.

"Where are you going, sir? I thought you were going to survey this entire process."

"I'll join you later on. But for now I have other things to do." The Commander left the room and ascended a few stairs and walked down a long hallway until he came to a door that demanded identification. After waving an ID in front of the scanners and pressing his thumb onto a fingerprint pad, he entered the high security room.

Shadow's head turned towards the sudden noise of the door opening, but other than that he didn't react at all. The Commander crossed over to the side of the room and asked one of the scientists there, "Anything?"

"No, sir. He's not even fully conscious."

The Commander turned his attention back at the operating table in the middle of the room. Shadow lay on it, held in place by at least ten belts restraining his arms, legs and middle. His eyes were opened slightly, but they were unfocused and not taking in any detail. Above the table was a bright blaring light that seemed as though the sun had been captured in watt form. And above that attached to the roof was an extendable arm that was, at the moment, folded onto itself. At the end of that was a metallic wand-like extension.

"How about we get that up and ready." The Commander's lips twitched in a cruel smile.

"Sir, you said yourself that we shouldn't use th-"

"That was an order."

"Yes, sir."

The scientist walked over to a nearby computer and hit a few buttons. The arm unfolded with a robotic whirling noise and the tip of the wand on the end was positioned about a foot from Shadow's motionless body.

The Commander walked back over to the table. Shadow's eyes opened a bit more, but he still didn't seem like he was actually seeing. "Can you hear me?" The Commander asked loudly and clearly.

Shadow twitched a little and drew in a deep breath. He blinked hard a few times, finally beginning to realize where he was. A look of worry appeared on his face.

"You walked right into our trap," The Commander said emotionlessly. "and now you are going to die."

"I don't fear death," Shadow hissed. "I don't fear anything."

"How about the death of your friends? Do you fear that?" The Commander demanded.

Shadow didn't say anything.

"You yourself may not fear death…but as soon as someone else threatens your friends' lives, that's when you really fear. Fear that they'll suffer. Fear that they'll watch each other die. I'll tell you what…I won't kill them the way I'm going to kill you." The Commander reached up on the side of the robotic arm and flipped a switch.

Shadow tried to hold back his screams. The metal wand-like thing sent waves of electricity through his body, burning worse than fire. He pulled at his bonds but they held him tightly in place and refused to budge an inch. Shadow ground his teeth together but that didn't stop the strangled shriek from escaping his throat. The Commander reached back up to the arm and flipped the switch off.

"If I turned that on for five seconds on the highest intensity for every soldier you've ever killed…you would be dead before twenty seconds were over." The Commander's face broke into a cruel smile as he watched Shadow gasp for breath and twitch from the aftermath of the electricity.

"Now I want you to answer some of my questions. If you don't, I'll turn this device on a level higher each time. Are we clear?"

Shadow could only take huge breaths. The Commander reached towards the arm of the machine and said, "Now…What was professor Gerald working on up on the ARK, besides you?"

"…I d-don't know." Shadow said shakily. "I swear, I don't—" He cut off as the switch flicked again and a higher level of electricity shot through him. He tried to arch his back but the belts cut into his stomach, driving all his air out of his lungs. He grabbed the sides of the table and gripped them so hard that the muscles in his arms nearly locked in place. The Commander flicked the switch again and Shadow began gasping for air like he had been underwater.

"What was he working on?" The Commander demanded harshly.

"I don't know!" Shadow managed to say in-between gasps. "I don't know!"

The Commander reached up towards the switch again.

"Wait! Wait, please! No!"

"I'm listening."

"Weapons! He and others were making weapons! I swear, that's all I know!"

"Good," The Commander moved back from the control panel. Shadow relaxed slightly but he couldn't control his shaking. That was caused by the electricity. "What were those weapons going to be used for?"

"Commander, please—"

The switch flicked again. Shadow went completely stiff as the third level of electricity was activated. He couldn't help it this time. He screamed.

"What were those weapons going to be used for?"

Shadow couldn't answer. He was shaking so badly and he couldn't seem to breathe normally. After a few seconds of gasping and weak coughing he said hoarsely, "D…Destroying you…"

"Is that so? Well, good thing we arrived when we did. I'm going to guess you don't know this next question, because no one on the ARK seemed to know this, even our undercover agents: Where are these weapons?"

"I swear…I swear I don't know…please don't…don't hurt me…" Shadow drew in another shuddering breath.

"I'm guessing you're past the point of resisting now, are you?" The Commander sneered. "Good. Now answer this…was there anything else they were working on? Anything important? Anything that can be used for destroying anyone else?"

"…No…"

"Are you one of those weapons? One to destroy us?"

"…I-"

The Commander flicked the switch yet again. Shadow pulled at his restraints with all his strength, trying to get away from the agony. A stronger scream than before was ripped from his throat. The Commander switched off the device with a cruel smile. "So you are, aren't you?"

Shadow's eyes closed slightly and a low moan escaped his lips. He was still shuddering but he didn't seem to notice anymore.

"How did you escape Prison Island?"

Shadow either couldn't speak or didn't hear. The Commander reached up towards the wand and flicked it on again. Shadow's screams could be heard through two floors and three closed doors.

XxXxXxXx

"What was that?" Tails asked nervously.

"I don't know." Amy said. "But it sounds like…yelling?"

"That's a lot of constant yelling." Sonic said slowly. "Do you think…?"

"…that that's Shadow?" Tails finished, his eyes widening and his fur standing on end. "They…they wouldn't do that to him, would they?"

"I don't know. They were cruel enough to release this zombie thing to the world, weren't they? Why should they not torture him?" Sonic cast a worried glance at the roof, where the faint scream was dying off.

"We have to get out of here! What if they do this to us next?" Tails jumped up and began trying to get at the lock, which was a good three feet above his head. "Come on!"

"Tails, we can't. We don't have long enough arms and the Commander threw the nail into the corner." Amy said softly. "There's nothing we can do."

"Nothing?" Tails squeaked, his ears drooped.

"Nothing."

"There's gotta be something!"

"Maybe there is something in the future we could do, but for now…" Amy trailed off as footsteps were heard down the hall.

"That's not the Commander, is it?" Sonic asked.

"No, he has heavier footfalls."

"Then who…?"

The door was pushed open and an orange cat stepped in, holding a long shotgun. "All right, shut your traps and do exacally what I say if you want to get out of here."

"Mary?" Sonic blinked hard, like he wasn't exacally sure who he was seeing. He then broke off in a fit of coughing.

"Yes, that's me. Come on," Mary drew a ring of keys from her pocket and unlocked the first cell. "I'm an undercover agent for GUN…but after what's been happening lately…" She shook her head and trailed off, going over to the other cell to unlock it.

"Why didn't you sell Shadow out as soon as you learned that he was the one GUN was looking for?" Tails asked, pushing open and cell door and stepping back into freedom.

"GUN's motives for capturing him didn't make sense. I tried to get him to tell me what happened, but he only said he was framed." Mary pulled open Amy's cell. "Come on, we have to work quickly. Most of the scientists here have been infected, from the full stages of the virus to the beginning signs. We need to get this to them as soon as possible."

She opened a small side pack and pulled out about twelve vials, all filled with the cure. "Take some and go in pairs. We need to do this as quickly as possible and at the same time get the Commander to let Shadow go. You and you go together, and you come with me." Mary motioned for Amy and Tails to take vials and get out of there.

"You cover this floor and once you're done, move up a floor. This guy and I'll work on the highest floor and saving your friend." Mary gave Amy a small clear bag full of syringes with the cure. "Only if you think you're developing signs of the virus use the cure. We need to save as much as possible."

Sonic began coughing again, blood flecking his glove. "Then I think I need it." He gasped in-between coughs.

"Yes you do." Mary stuck one of the cures into his arm. "This might not feel very good, but believe me, it's better than developing most of the virus."

Sonic staggered back against the wall and used it for support as what felt like fire spread through his entire body. Eventually the pain became so intense his knees gave out and he curled into a ball, groaning and still coughing. Tails ran to his side shouting, "Sonic, don't die!"

"I'm not dying," Sonic muttered as the fire inside of him faded away into a dull throb and finally to nothing. "if the disease is worse than that, I don't want to even think about it."

"Get up." Mary growled.

Sonic struggled to his feet and barely caught the shotgun as Mary threw it at him. "You get to carry this. I hope you're a good shot. Now you two…get going! We don't have any time to waste!"

Amy and Tails turned and began running down the hall. Mary motioned for Sonic to go first and they went the opposite way, towards where a staircase lead upwards. She paused at the bottom of the stairs and listened for anyone that might be coming. She nodded slowly after a moment of silence and they ascended the stairs quickly, only to halt at the top as a long, agonized cry filled the stairs.

"Oh no…" Sonic muttered. "We have to stop the Commander, and right now."

"Unfortunately, we have other things we have to do before we do that." Mary cast a truly apologetic glance in Sonic's direction. "He just has to hold on until we can afford to stop them."

The scream was cut off almost as quickly as it began. Silence descended on the stairs. Mary slowly poked her head around the corner and then said, "Coast is clear. Come on…there was a room full of people that was working with the disease…I don't think they knew the consequences."

They came to a metal door set far into the wall. Mary gripped a syringe and Sonic cocked the shotgun, just in case someone decided to take their diseased filled wrath out on them. Mary threw open the door and they entered into a semi-dark lab. Wires from a computer were cut and sparking in a corner, and may tables were flipped and broken, the contents on them spilt over the floor.

"Damn…" Mary moved among the wreckage. "Where is everyone?"

"Mary, turn around!" Sonic shouted.

Mary spun around to see a scientist as he crawled out from the wreckage of a particularly heavy table, his legs useless and he used his arms to drag himself across the floor. Mary gripped the syringe harder in her fist and approached the diseased.

He took a swipe at her legs, barely missing and actually leaving small bloodstained streaks on her jeans. Mary took that opportunity to dig the needle into the zombie's arm as it lay out in front her. He began to groan, and cough up more blood until it lay still.

"Is he dead?" Sonic asked.

"No. The cure might knock certain people out while it does its job." Mary took another syringe out of the bag and glanced around the room again. "I thought there was at least ten people in here!"

"There were," Sonic motioned to the corner, where a dark form lay. "but I think they tore each other apart. That zombie we just cured had its muscles torn out from its legs."

"We'd better call security to come and clean this place up, then." Mary pounded on a small keypad nearby the door. "Come on, they'll be arriving soon. We need to get as far away from here as possible."

XxXxXxXx

Shadow's head rolled limply to one side and he didn't move, except for involuntary muscle spasms that were caused by the high voltage that tore through his body. The Commander slammed the switch off and turned back to the scientists gathered in the back. "As soon as I have everything I need from him you can begin the dissection."

"Yes, sir," Only one scientist muttered.

The Commander turned and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. The scientist that had spoke turned his attention back on his superior's victim and sighed softly. There was nothing he could do to voice his opinion, even in a situation like this. The heartbreaking moans coming from the trembling form strapped to the table almost pushed him to take a stand.

But then again, the Commander could easily kill him if he spoke up against him. Because no one spoke up against the Commander and lived. He had seen his friend killed.

He slowly retracted the robotic arm back towards the roof via computer. He wondered if Shadow would die before the Commander allowed the other scientists at him. Upon thinking about it, that would probably be better than feeling your own body being cut open by razor sharp knives and somehow still staying conscious. It would be a living hell.

The scientist reached into his pocket, feeling his fingers brush against a small vial. In this vial was something he himself had created in case the virus spread to him, back before the cure we made. It would kill instantly as soon as it reached the heart, to spare the pain of being infected by the failed trial to build an immunity against death. The scientist was tempted to use this liquid on Shadow, just to spare him from all the misery and agony he would feel in the future.

"We'll be right back. Hold the fort here, all right?"

The scientist was wrenched out of his thoughts by his fellow colleagues as they headed towards the metal door the Commander had exited through. "We're going to see if we can find any longer scalpels."

"You do that." The scientist said.

They left, leaving him alone with Shadow.

The scientist pulled the small vial from his pocket and glanced at it. It was a thick purple in color, mixed with many types of poisonous berries and poison from thorns and even a couple of types of puffer fish. The perfect lethal combination. He got up from his place at the computer and walked towards the table where Shadow was strapped.

"Shadow," The scientist said quietly yet firmly. "can you hear me?"

Shadow shuddered harder than before, as if it were freezing in the room rather than a comfortable springtime temperature. His eyes opened slightly but then closed when they wouldn't focus on anything. He moaned as if he were expecting more pain.

"Don't worry, the Commander left for now." The scientist said. "But when he returns he'll continue with what he's been doing. I could kill you if you wanted, painlessly and easily."

"N...no…please…no…" Shadow muttered. "…No…no…"

The scientist sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you. But I could kill you painlessly if you want me too."

Shadow continued muttering broken sentences, slipping further and further into unconsciousness until even his shuddering stopped. The scientist pocketed the vial again and returned to his computer just in time as the door opened again and his fellow workers made their way into the room again.

"Couldn't find any." One growled.

"Too bad," now the scientist was really regretting not finding a syringe and injecting the lethal mixture into the doomed hedgehog's arm. He would have had a quick death compared to what was coming up. "when's the Commander coming back in here?"

"I don't know…an hour or so." The other said.

The scientist nodded. "I'll be back." He headed towards the door and left, turning towards the nearest staircase.

XxXxXxXx

"What happens if we run out of the cure?" Sonic asked as he and Mary rounded another corner and cautiously made their way down another hall towards another lab that seemed to Mary like another hotspot.

"Then we need to find more. Luckily I know where this stuff is made." Mary punched in a code and entered the door.

They were greeted by the moaning of another infected as she tried to pull herself up onto a table, where another scientist was standing, unsure to slam a slab of metal into their friend's face or not. Mary lunged forward and dug a needle into the infected's neck, making them collapse in a writhing fit as the cure spread through their veins. The scientist on top of the table could only watch, horrified, as the zombie stopped moving.

"Is she dead?" he asked softly.

"No. Just recovering," Mary handed the next vial to the scientist. "keep this until either you develop signs of the disease or you see someone with the virus. Got it?"

"…Yes,"

"Good. Come on, Sonic." Mary headed back towards the door.

"The cure actually works?" The scientist gaped, wide-eyed, at the syringe he was holding. "I thought we gave up on it."

"What do you mean?" Mary asked.

"The Commander himself told my group to quit working on the formula…"

Mary stood there for a few seconds, finally saying, "I'll have to ask him about that. But for now, we're off to cure the infected."

She grabbed Sonic's arm and dragged him out the door after her, leaving the stunned scientist still on the tabletop.

XxXxXxXx

"This door needs a code."

"I can see that." Amy muttered, eyeing the keypad set into the door. "Can you think of any numbers?"

"No." Tails cast a nervous glance down the hallway they had come from. So far they hadn't run into any infected…or anybody at all. It was starting to unnerve the pair as they ventured down hallway after hallway, meeting no one.

"Can you think of an override code?"

"If we did get ahold of an override code we could probably use it on every door," Tails tried to tear the metal casing off the keypad but it was screwed tightly in place. "for right now we either have to break in with force or just move on."

A door shut somewhere around the corner. Amy and Tails had nowhere to hide as a tall scientist rounded the corner and stopped cold in his tracks as he caught sight of them. But unlike most of the GUN organization, he didn't go running the opposite way yelling for security.

"What do you want?" Tails backed up behind Amy slowly. The scientist stood his ground, not even slightly worried that the two escapees were in front of him, trying to break into a locked door.

"Probably what you want," The scientist started walking slowly towards them. Amy and Tails began to back up. "Don't worry, I'm unarmed. Let me explain."

"Explain what? There's nothing to clarify." Amy growled.

"Do you want to save your friend or not?"

Tails cast a worried look at Amy but her eyes never left the scientist in front of them. She took a step forward angrily and demanded, "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing, and I never will. But the Commander must be stopped for many reasons, the top one being that he's planning to sell the cure for a high price and take control of this country. After that…who knows what he'll do. I have a plan, but it won't work unless you follow my exact orders."

"We can't trust you!" Tails interjected.

"You could spare the lives of your friend and the people in this country if you just listen to me." The scientist pleaded.

"What are you planning?" Amy asked cautiously.

"Something the Commander will never forget if he lives to tell the tale."

XxXxXxXx

I love the last line in this. Sounds evil. Anyway… horror engage! I'm scary. Re-reading this made me freak out. It was about twelve at night and I was tired, and then I dreamed of zombies. Fun…

…anyway, updates twice in the upcoming week! Know why? SPRING BREAK! So until then, no Flames and…

…Hasta la Vista, Readers!

Lordoftheghostking28