SONIC HEROES: THE SERIES
Part 2 of 3: The Bat Colony Saga
Chapter Ninety-Three: Legends of Blood, Part 2
The scene opens to the Bat Colony roost hidden within the mountains. While members of this rare species flocked and fluttered within the catacombs of their secret home, the leaders were contently enjoying themselves. Rouge, having discovered she was the daughter of their previous leader, sat across her lost uncle in a nice and quiet dinning room. All though the marble table, silver tableware, and suits of armor gave the room a sense of royalty, it was still vastly dark compared to most. This was natural to bat, who were nocturnal creatures.
"So, are you enjoying yourself, my dear?" Syix asked pleasantly.
"Eh, it's kinda nice." Rouge shrugged. "But it does get a bit lonely after a while."
"Well, I guess I've grown used to it." Syix said nonchalantly. "After my brother was killed in the war and my sister-in-law went missing for all these years, I guess I forgot what it was like to spend time with family."
"Oh...sorry." Rouge apologized sadly.
"There is no need to wallow in the sorrows of the past." Syix said enthusiastically. "Please, just enjoy the moments we have together. I'm sure father would have been very pleased with you accomplishments these previous times."
Though Rouge knew she had been complimented in the highest manner, she didn't feel proud of herself for some reason. When thinking back to her childhood, her mother had always been stern to avoid the subject of her father entirely. Was it because she was sad...or because she was angry? As she consumed the fine wine presented to her, Rogue suddenly dropped from the ceiling and settles at the side of the table. And kneeled between them, looking in neither direction with great discipline.
"The echidna and their friends have made themselves accommodated with their quarters." Rogue reported monotonously, which Rouge found to be unusual. "The albatross and the bee decided to rest for the day after their trip up here."
"What about Omega and the Knucklehead?" Rouge asked curiously.
"The robot wanted to repair his systems." Rogue informed. "Apparently, the altitude was affecting his processor. The echidna decided to visit the training grounds at the lowest section of the catacombs."
"That does sound like something that idiot would to." Rouge nodded.
But while Rouge distracted herself with the feasts presented to her, Rogue secretly edged closer to his leader without the female knowing. Soon enough, he stood directly behind Syix, who was watching his niece intently. The crimson bat lowered himself to speak directly into his leader's ear without being overheard.
"We did as you requested, commander." Rogue whispered. "The echidna and his companions have been properly dealt with."
"I would not be too confident." Syix replied seriously. "If even half the things Kai told us is true, then the Heroes are expected to be more resilient than we realize. Send Siren and Phantom to be sure that the job is done."
Rogue nodded and trended backwards into the shadows.
The scene alternates to the collapsed cave where Knuckles and the others were buried under. Nearly ten minutes after the order was issued, the emerald and sapphire bats were sighted at the entrance to the cave-in. While Phantom was forced to do the heavy lifting, Siren was easily shattering her way through the rock with her piercing shriek.
"I don't get why I have to do all the hard work." Phantom moaned as he tossed aside another stone. "Wouldn't it just be easier if I just phased through and dragged their bodies back out?"
"There are two problems with that, you idiot." Siren sneered. "For one, your powers can work on your own body and not affect other object. And two, you need to become solid if you want to grab objects. It wouldn't be smart to regain your physical form with a wall of rocks through your chest, numbskull."
"It was just a suggestion." Phantom mumbled.
"Next time, you might want to give thinking a chance." Siren grumbled, using her powers between sentences. "You might not know this, but one day..."
When she was about to say was left unheard. At that instant, a spiked fist burst out from the rock wall and made a path for Phantom, who activated his powers on instinct. The fist was tossed through the armored bat's body along with the rest of the echidna that followed after. As Knuckles landed behind, Phantom turned swiftly on his heels and swung his claw around for the echidna's throat. However, Storm exploded from the rock pile and tackled the emerald bat from behind, shooting him backwards into the main stairway. Siren drew in sharp breath of air when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Omega emerged with his Gatling gun raised and unleashed a violent wave for the sapphire warrior. Siren turned her attention back toward the robot and released a violent shriek; effectively destroying the bullets. But just when she thought she had succeeded in stopping them, she noticed something yellow below her and found Charmy attempt to make an assault. Unfortunately, the bee's tiny fist barely made any damage.
"What was that?" Siren ridiculed.
"I don't know." Charmy laughed nervously flying back to Omega. "Just thought I'd give it a shot."
"Commander Syix was right about you guys." Phantom groaned, pressing his spine. "How'd you guys survive that?"
"With a bit of Teamwork." Knuckles smirked. "Omega used his body to keep the boulders from falling on top of use while I used these..." He showed the Shovel Claws attached to his gloves. "To dig a way to safety. Then Storm used his natural sense of navigation to lead us directly to you guys."
"I did the cheers." Charmy said; everyone sweat dropped.
"Hmm...Very interesting." Siren hummed thoughtfully. "Kai had told us that you were fourth in command of the Sonic Heroes, but we all thought it was because you were a muscle bound idiot like Phantom." The emerald bat whined at the remark. "But it appears you have an unusual quality for strategy."
"Hey, we work together!" Storm shouted. "It's our duty to help each other!"
"Such loyalty." Siren said sadistically. "I will take much pleasure in severing those bonds between you."
"Negative!!" Omega exclaimed, prepping his weapon. "Statistics shows that chances of failure are improbable!!"
"You're dealing with the Bat Colony." Siren smirked wickedly. "You'll find that anything is possible for us."
From there, the battle had begun. Storm was the first to strike once he charged ahead and drove his fist through Phantom's chest through his powers. After the rotund Albatross passed through, the emerald warrior swung his leg around and buried it into the bird's shoulder. However, the impact was not as powerful as expected once Knuckles grabbed the bat by his ankle. The echidna guardian lifted Phantom off the ground and swung him around to toss him into the wall, watching the bat slump to the floor.
"Hey, you were right." Storm said cheerfully to his friend.
"Right about what?" Phantom hissed painfully, clutching his shoulder.
"When I attacked you earlier, my attack went straight through you." Knuckles explained, remembering the event. "But when you attack me, your body was solid. That's when I realized something: you couldn't fight when using your powers. So Storm and I tricked you into attacking one of us so that you would leave yourself wide open."
"And it actually worked!" Storm cheered.
"Interesting..." Siren thought. "He might not be the brightest bulb, but he seems to excel in battle strategy. Kai wasn't kidding when he said that the Heroes are slowly growing."
"Initiating attack sequence!!" Omega exclaimed.
The sapphire bat was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Omega's gun click. The armor warrior turned back to the robot and confronted a wall of silver bullets. Reacting swiftly, Siren opened her jaws as far as she could and released her loud screech possible – the walls shook uncontrollably. The bullets were reflected back to Omega, whose weight and armor protected him from the bats powers. Knowing his original plan failed, Omega opened a secret compartment in its arms and shot two rockets for the warrior. Siren – her voice slowly growing weaker – flipped over the projectiles as they exploded behind her.
"Surrender is advised!" Omega exclaimed, raising his arm. "Statistics show that probability of winning is at seventy-two percent!"
"Why don't you take your statistics," Siren snarled. "And stick it up your..."
"There are children present!" Knuckles interjected.
Meanwhile, the scene alternates to the entrance of the Bat Colony roost. Rouge was sitting at the edge of the cliff, staring out to the country side. Even thought she had discovered the other members of her species, reunited with her oldest friend, and learned she was a technical queen, she was far from happy. She had requested to see Knuckles at the training grounds, but Syix refused to show her where they were. She had tried to look for her friends everywhere, but she couldn't find them – she was alone.
"Hey." The female looked over as Rogue was seated next to her. "I was wondering where you had run off to."
"Just taking the moment to think." Rouge mumbled.
"I heard you were looking for Knuckles and the others." Rogue said unusually serious.
"It doesn't matter." Rouge shrugged. "I couldn't find them anyway, which is a bit out of character for those guys. I expected the little brat to at least be causing trouble somewhere."
"Yeah..." Rogue said softly. "Hey, do you remember the day we met."
"How could I forget?" Rouge smiled, reminiscing on the day. "I was playing in the lake when mama found you lying in the bushes, all battered and bruised. I stayed at your side for six days until you finally woke up."
"That was during my early days when training for the Colony." Rogue stated. "The test was a scenario to recover a stolen artifact from the enemy. I had managed to sneak it and retrieve the object, but the trouble was getting out – I was spotted. Luckily, I managed to get far enough to hide. And that where you found me."
"And that was all from a training mission?" Rouge question, her brow raised.
"It was a time of crisis for our people." Rogue stated. "It was supposed to be my mission, but I failed. I didn't return home in time because of one unexpected complication."
"What?" Rouge asked.
"I fell in love." Rogue answered.
There was an awkward moment of silence between them. The two bats, who had been best friends since their earliest childhood, were now forced to think over this newest development. There had been times when Rouge had thought of the crimson elite, but they had never gone as far as actual infatuations. The man in question was afraid he might have taken it too far as his female companion was trying desperately not to lock eyes with him.
"How long?" Rouge asked quietly.
"Since I first woke up." Rogue answered. "When I saw you, something in my heart refused to let you go. I had hoped that you would return to the Bat Colony with me, but your mother was adamant not to allow it." He brought up his arm, showing the beaded bracelet. "When you gave this to me as a good bye gift, I knew I had to find you. But then...he showed up."
"Knuckles." Rouge murmured.
"I don't understand how you could choose him." Rogue said heated. "He's arrogant, hot-headed, narrow-minded, and a savage brute. How could a sophisticated and loving woman fall for a guy like that?"
"All the things you said about him are true." Rouge smiled. "But you forgot that he is compassionate, caring, trustworthy, selfless, and..." She giggled pervertedly. "A bit sexy. And despite all his flaws, I can't stop loving him."
"Rouge..." Rogue said softly.
"And if you were really my best friend," Rouge said seriously, staring directly into his eyes. "You would be happy for me."
The two friends merely gazed at one another – neither was showing any emotion. Then suddenly, Rogue stood up and stalked back into the catacombs. The female bat had feared she may have aggravated her oldest friend and possible shattered their relationship. But the thoughts of him were pushed aside once Commander Syix walked out of the cave mouth at the same moment Rogue had entered.
"Trouble in paradise?" Syix joked.
"You could say that." Rouge said coolly.
"Oh, don't worry." Syix said softly, patting his niece's shoulder softly. "Rouge, please come with me. It's time you knew about you father's legacy."
Meanwhile, back at the collapsed tunnel, the battle seemed very close to an end. Siren and Phantom stood tiredly on the stairway with pieces of their armor shattered and the sapphire warrior's throat was stinging. Storm seemed to be too tired to stand, Omega's left arm was sparking violently, and Knuckles seemed on the verge of collapsing. Charmy was the only one unharmed mostly because he was the weakest of everyone and stood back on the sidelines. The scarlet echidna drew up the last strength his muscles would allow and charged ahead for Siren.
"This isn't over." Knuckles groaned.
"Oh, I think it is." Siren said hoarsely.
The echidna thrusted his fist ahead, only to watched as his efforts were wasted. Siren sidestepped the attack and grabbed Knuckles wrist to throw him over her shoulder. Knuckles was thrown into Omega, who dropped backwards into the ground along with the rest of his team. With three of the major powerhouses of the Sonic Heroes down for the count, the chances didn't look too good for them. And, unfortunately, this left Charmy to pick up the slack. But that didn't really help much when the little bee was three times smaller than Phantom and was beating his tiny fists into his chest.
"Seriously, what are you doing?" Phantom questioned bluntly.
"I thought I'd just give it a try." Charmy said feebly, floating back to his team. "But I think I'll just sit down."
"You won't get away with this." Knuckles grunted weakly. "Whatever you're planning, it won't work."
"We can neither confirm nor argue with that statement." Siren said.
"The truth is that even the Elite Soldiers don't know what Command Syix is doing." Phantom stated; a throbbing vein appeared on Siren's forehead. "All he told us was to capture Mistress Rouge and destroy her friends."
"You're not supposed to tell them that, you idiot!" Siren yelled, holding her throat painfully.
"Not a very trusting leader." Storm commented.
"We are Elite Soldiers." Siren said, pulled a dagger from her belt. "We do as we are told."
The female warrior raised the knife directly over the echidna's head and swiftly dropped it down. But before it could reach the intended target, Siren's hand suddenly stopped in midair. When Knuckles looked up to his attackers, he found that they held the same expression: shocked and fearful. And without warning, both armored warriors dropped face forward into the dirt, both falling unconscious. And when the heroes looked at their savor, they were surprised to learn that Rogue had come to their rescue. Well, almost everyone was surprised. Knuckles, on the other hand, was furious. Before anyone knew what happened, the hotheaded echidna jumped up, grabbed the bat's neck, and slammed him into the wall."
"This is the thanks I get for saving your life?" Rogue gasped shockingly.
"Cut the innocent act." Knuckles said spitefully. "It was because of you we ended up down here in the first place."
"I will admit that I had a little hand in this." Rogue said lightly; Knuckles scoffed. "But that's changed now. AT first, I was really jealous of you and was willing to do anything to get Rouge. But...." He stared at the ground sadly. "I realized that she was only in love with you."
"Is that so?" Knuckles said softly, slowly releasing his grip.
"I'm supposed to be her best friend and be there for her." Rogue stated empathetically. "I was acting selfish and only thinking about my own feelings. But now I understand where we stand and I want to help. Even if she doesn't return my affections, I will continue to love her and do anything to keep her happy."
That was all the echidna needed to hear. Though he wasn't to happy that he heard Rogue's confessions of his future lover, Knuckles happily released the crimson bat.
"So...now what?" Storm asked.
"We need to hurry to the pinnacle of the mountain." Rogue said urgently.
"What for?" Knuckles asked.
"Siren and Phantom may not have known what the commander was planning," Rogue said seriously. "But I do."
The final scene alternates to a secret chamber hidden within the peak of the mountain. The chambers was dark and dreary and only contained a giant door made from pure black stone. There was a symbol on the door that looked very much like a ritual circle with a small circular indent within the center of the stone. Rouge and her uncle hovered in midair, facing the door and gazing at the indent intently.
"What is this?" Rouge asked.
"Behind this door is the origin of your legacy." Syix proclaimed. "Your father had planned on using the secrets behind this door to aid him in the return of the Bat Colony's rightful glory. Unfortunately, he died shortly before he could accomplish this deed."
"How does it worked." Rouge asked memorized.
"With this." Syix stated, ripping the locket from his neck and handing it to his niece. "Place this within the hole on the door and place a small amount of your blood upon it. That should break the seal."
"Why can't you do it?" Rouge questioned.
"Only those related to your father's bloodline can open it." Syix said impatiently. "I am only related to him through the marriage of our parents now stop talking and open it!"
The female bat seemed disturbed by her uncle's change in personality and did not question him. She placed the locket within the hole in the door and removed her glove. Look down at her wrist, she reminisced on the fact that she still kept Rogue's matching bracelet all these years. She was getting off track. Using her fangs, Rouge pricked her thumb and smeared a line of blood on the locket. The effects were immediate. The mystic symbol glowed with am ominous light and the cavern shook restlessly as the massive doors slid out of the way.
"At last!" Syix exclaimed. He grabbed Rouge's shoulder and threw her ruthlessly to the floor. "After years of waiting, the Bat Colony's greatest weapon is finally mine!"
"A weapon?" Rouge repeated shockingly. "I thought you said it was my father's legacy."
"It is." Syix grinned menacingly. "But I never said it was a clean legacy."
When the doors were fully opened, the Bat Colony Commander immediately charged into the room. Rouge, feeling a sense of regret, flapped her wings and followed in after him. Much to the female's pleasure, she found her uncle staring at the so-called "Weapon". Syix growled angrily as he stood before a small stone throne with only a skeleton acting as its occupant. Judging from the shape of the skeleton, it was the species as the rest of the Bat Colony.
"So much for your precious weapon." Rouge said smugly.
"This can't be right! There has to be some explanation!" Syix roared furiously, turning back to his beloved niece. "Rynod would never have left behind such a useless corpse! I swear, when I find out..."
"Who are you calling useless?"
The bats were horrified – the voice belonged to neither of them. Without warning, Rouge fell backwards on her behind as she watched her uncle pay the price for his greed. The skeleton had suddenly come to life and stabbed its fangs into the side of Syix's neck, causing great suffering for the Bat Colony leader. The former commander gasped horrifically and his skin started to cling to his bones. At the same time, the skeleton seemed to be growing stronger and developed a new set of piercing-gold eyes within its skull. After finishing its feast, the skeleton tossed Syix aside. Rouge whimpered at the sight of her former uncle – his body was nothing more than an empty shell.
"Ah...so delicious." The skeleton said sophisticatedly, wiping the blood from his jaw. "It must have been centuries since I have been able to satisfy my hunger."
"W-who are you?" Rouge asked fearfully.
"You must have heard of me before in countless legends." The skeleton said deviously. "I am the first bat in existence, the vanguard of the darkness, and devourer of blood." He bowed politely. "I am Alucard the Bat. But you may know me as...."
"Dracula."
A shocking new tale develops from a forgotten legacy. Will Knuckles and Rogue work together to defend the one they love? Do they stand a match for the monster of ancient legends? Or will this be the end of the Heroes and the world? Find out on the next Sonic Heroes!
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