Violet Dreams
Chapter 6: Ashes of the Innocent
A lesson without pain is meaningless. For you cannot gain something without sacrificing something else in return.
Location: The Egg Carrier EX, Station Square
Sparks and small rays of light jolted away from an oval shaped casket. Pipes and rubber tubing extended from the top of the casket, and into the ceiling, while other wires and tubing connected into the metal casket from the floor. Ice plagued the glass door bolted onto the object, keeping a heavy amount of green liquid contained. Ten feet away, Doctor Eggman chuckled to himself, and continued typing in commands into the central computing system that had been connected to the casket. Charts and DNA strings popped up onto the screen, and finally the anatomy of a humanoid figure popped onto the screen, showing it's Chaos signatures. However, with only a few more moments, this figure would be unleashed.
The doctor continued to type away, his glasses reflecting the rows of data that appeared on the screen. Finally, two loading bars appeared on the screen, with a count down.
Eggman snickered devilishly, and directed his hover chair over to a second screen, displaying lists of life gauges for a number of his creations, and also the status of the Chaos Emeralds within his Death Egg. Yes, everything was going according to plan.
Suddenly, seven different coloured lights began to flash on the computer console.
"What!" Eggman roared.
The status bars belonging to the Death Egg, and the seven Chaos Emeralds suddenly diminished to zero, and the area around the eight bars began flashing red. After coming so close to victory, his plans were already beginning to crumble!
This had to be the work of Sonic.
As he smashed his hand onto an intercom button, he began to scream demands. "Army of the Eggman Empire! Prepare to invade Station Square!" His voice was merciless, and rage laced every word, "Leave no building standing and no square inch of the city untouched! Destroy everything!"
Powerful torrents of blue flame continuously shot outwards from the several massive thrusters equipped to the air ship. The launching haul of the airship suddenly opened, revealing endless lines of Egg Sentries. Their neon blue LED headlights flashed to life, and with one final attack order, the drones were unleashed from the sky, and onto the unsuspecting city.
Clouds dispersed from the sheer mass of mechs, as they rained down from the sky by the thousands into Station Square. Flashes of energy descended from the air ship, creating a storm of blue light. Each and every Egg Sentry activated it's weapon, and once they were only a couple hundred feet from collision, the first wave of mechs unleashed a devastating blast of compiled Chaos Energy. Twin beams of powerful energy spun around each other, creating a singular mass of light, directed at the centre of the city. Rings of white light erupted around the mass of blue, guiding its descent into the earth.
Finally a wave of smoke and dust exploded into the air from the attack. A shock wave exploded outwards from the epicentre of the impact, smashing any form of glass within two hundred kilometres, and disabling any form of electronics. Buildings caught in the immediate area of the blast were turned to rubble, and water shot up into the air from both the fire hydrants and the water lines below the city.
The pavement of the city had been destroyed, and cracked.
Vehicles were thrown into the surrounding buildings like play toys.
And the streets were littered with mangled bodies, void of any signs of life.
Smoke and steam slowly gathered around the metal casket, as the green liquid within slowly drained away. The frost lining the front glass panel began to disappear, revealing a look within. Tubes and wires quickly retracted from within the vessel, and disappeared into the ceiling, allowing the pod to slowly move to a ninety degree angle, allowing the door to swing open the moment it was unlocked. Alarms within the laboratory went off, and flashing red and yellow lights began to light up the entire room.
As the smoke settled, a loud clang echoed through the room, and the next second the door to the metal casket had swung open.
Whatever remained of the liquid from before splashed onto the ground, creating small, gooey puddles.
Then, as the alarms and lights turned off, and the room fell to darkness due to energy failure, a glowing white, upside down crescent moon marking appeared on the figures chest. Electricity began to crackle around two white hot claws protruding from the hands of the unknown figure. Finally, twin emerald green eyes flashed to life within a sea of black. Then, finally, rings of golden light flashed to existence, lighting up the entire room with a brilliant glow.
"Glad to see your functioning well, Metal Knuckles!" Eggman chuckled, "Now, let's not waste any time! Get down to Station Square and assist my troops!"
A network of green lighting suddenly flashed to life all around the body of the android, and then the doppelganger itself disappeared.
Location: Tails Workshop, Mystic Ruins
Everyone had grown quiet, due to exhaustion and lack of things to say. However, one thing was present on all of their minds, and that was their plans to stop Eggman. Whatever the madman was intending to do, he was going to cause destruction one way or another. With three of his plans going at once, it wouldn't be easy for the heroes, and they knew that very well. Even Sonic, the energized hero of the world, was slumped against his chair, bandages wrapped around his shoulder.
The sliding door that allowed entrance to the shop suddenly slid open, allowing Tails to walk in. In his hands he was holding a small, yellow device. The young fox rounded the length of the large, oak table, and once in front of the massive computer screen, he pressed a button, allowing a hologram of earth to pop up in the centre of the table.
"I've been doing some research, and it seems Eggman is aiming at destroying the earth's atmosphere." Tails turned around to the hologram, just as a projected image of a small crystal sphere popped up, "And by using these, he's able to turn places like Mazuri into disaster areas!" A picture of a small crystal orb flashed onto the screen afterwards, as statistics lined the object.
"But for what?" Mighty grumbled, "It doesn't make sense!"
"The first great civilization of the world, the Precursors, once used an ancient power to distort the planet...maybe that's what Eggman is doing?" Tails speculated, running through information on his computer, "It says here that when Sauix, the fifth ruler of the Echidna's, used artifacts called the Twilight Keys, and when he did something happened to the planet .."
On the screen, images of ancient writings and pictures showed up, depicting several different wars and prophecies.
"There's more going on here than we think, Sonic..." Tails murmured.
Location: Lincoln Street, Station Square
The gigantic airship slowly floated overhead, allowing the destructive androids to fall down to the city from its insides. Above the metropolis, thick clouds of smoke and debris hung over the buildings, as the stench of burning bodies and free blood floated through the air. It was utterly revolting, yet, it was reality. A truth that GUN soldiers had to face at any given moment. They were forced to fight battles that no other could – or would – and under any normal circumstances, would be forced to kill.
Crackling flames, and puffs of smoke filled the downtown area of the city. The Emerald Coast hotel had been forgotten in the eyes of destruction, and its elegant glass exterior hopelessly shattered. Dead bodies littered the streets outside, and over turned cars filled the scene. The sun had been lost in a heavy smog, as it set behind the horizon. Military boats had docked at the coast, bringing GUN reinforcements to the battle, along with heavily armoured, human controlled sentry bots. Massive, steel plated tanks rolled through the streets, ready to obliterate anything within a split second. Soldiers ran through the streets, and washed through homes and shops, attempting to save any life left in the city and evacuate.
Hell was only just beginning.
Set on top of an overturned tour bus, the infamous crimson washed jet black hedgehog watched over his fleet as they invaded the battle grounds. Scarlet eyes scanned the stationary airship for any signs of additional attack, and also anything that might prove to be an advantage. The intense energy pulsating around the black hedgehog only proved his growing content towards the doctor. It had been countless times that Eggman had destroyed – and killed – to get his wish.
Today he would be stopped.
"You ready, sugar?" A calm, yet seductive, voice asked, "We're due for second wave in ten minutes."
Standing on the ground, and ready for battle, was Rouge the Bat, and despite her choice of attire, she had proved countless times she was more than ready for a fight. With a slight nod, the angered hedgehog dropped down from his look out on top of the bus, and tightened the golden rings around his wrists, ready to destroy whatever came in his way. However, he never moved.
Not an inch.
Suddenly, dust began to spiral around the central garden of the street, only to disappear. Glass began to shatter – or what was left – and car alarms began to go off. Whatever Eggman had sent down to assist the carnage, was much more powerful than GUN had anticipated.
"Rouge, don't let up your guard," Shadow explained, his eyes darting across the destruction in order to find the disturbance, "there's something here!"
"What do you mean?" Rouge panicked, her hands lighting with black sparks, "GUN's defence on the main road is impenetrable!"
"This isn't another of Eggman's cannon fodder."
Flashes of white energy suddenly tore through the ground in three slices, dividing the earth up, and uprooting chunks of rock. The bus that Shadow had once sat upon had been viciously torn apart, and a mess of scrap metal now lay in its place. Shadow and Rouge, however, had jumped into the air seconds prior, and landed behind a mass of fallen cement from the parking blockade beside them.
Shadow's heart thumped against his chest.
Another flash of light tore through the rock, forcing the GUN duo to retreat, and duck behind more reliable cover.
"What is that?" Rouge cried out, just as another flash ripped through a limousine beside her.
Within a burst of green energy, Shadow had managed to warp from the opposite side of the area, and rescue Rouge. The two reappeared on top of the main corridor of Twinkle Park, where they could figure out a plan of action. However, allowing them no time to recover, the same force shattered the panels of glass, and smashed the black hedgehog into the drainage system below. Water splashed high into the sky, allowing Shadow no chance to catch a glimpse of his attacker. Only a second had passed, and the mysterious attacker was already gone – so it seemed.
"Rouge! Get out of here and warn the troops to defend North and South exits!" Shadow barked, just as another blast of light ripped through the drainage pipes.
"But what about -"
"That's an order!" Shadow snapped.
Large, leathery black wings suddenly flapped, allowing Rouge to take off into the sky, and down the road to the rest of the troops.
However, Shadow was now alone against a force he couldn't see.
Crimson eyes darted through the square like street, only to catch a glimpse of a red flash aimed at the seductive bat. Another flash of green opened up around Shadow, and allowing no longer than a blink of an eye, he smashed his body into the unidentified attacker, forcing it into the pavement. The street exploded with a series of cracks, and chunks of cement popped upwards from the force of the hit. Shadow held onto the cold – metal – shoulders of the opposing fighter, staring into lifeless orbs of green.
"Who are you?" Shadow scowled viciously, "Or should I say, what are you?"
A few painfully silent seconds passed, and no response.
"Under the authority of Doctor Ivo Robotnik, surrender the Chaos Emerald in your possession," The figure demanded, no emotion present in its voice whatsoever, "and the invasion will cease. Surrender to the power of the Eggman Empire."
Whoever had the nerve to tell Shadow the hedgehog to surrender, peacefully, was out of their mind!
His crimson orbs never faltered from the face of the unknown fighter on top.
"Two words, scrap heap." Shadow sneered, "Piss off."
A sudden eruption of radiant – yet destructive – red energy swirled, and pulsated around the two fighters. Slowly it expanded, and finally two rings of light wrapped around the upper regions of the gigantic dome that had formed around Shadow. Dust blew away from the epicentre, and the water from the beach began to wash away from the shore, and crash against the current. The entire sky lit up with a brilliant, yet deathly, light. From within, the faceless figure of the loyal Eggman Empire began to wash away from the ferocious power of Shadow.
Only seconds flashed by, and the dome had faded into nothingness, and all that remained in its wake was a crater holding the ultimate life form.
Whatever had attacked him, was now destroyed.
Light suddenly flashed across the cement structure of the parking blockade.
It was just beginning.
Location: GUN Blockade 1A, Station Square
Sparking limbs of the attacking forces littered the grounds of the outposts. Soldiers manning laser turrets and rocket launchers sat ready, aimed on the horizon where another wave of enemy robots marched closer. Snipers had been arranged around the four way crossing, armed with Chaos Core energized rifles, able to rip apart the armour of a military tank with ease. The forces of Doctor Eggman were being tested, and brutally destroyed. However, everyone had a feeling this was just the beginning. A feeling that the pawns they had destroyed were simply cannon fodder, only there to use up their resources until the real threat came.
"Redirect defences to the north, immediately!" Rouge demanded, landing in the midst of the soldiers.
"What's going on, Rouge?" A gruff voice asked, belonging to a tall man. He was of African American background, and had a strong build. The GUN assigned uniform barely fitting him.
"Eggman's forces are coming from the north as well, Captain McDunn!" Rouge replied quickly, "Now, set up your men before Eggman's reinforcements get here!"
"Got it, Commander!"
Shouting a string of commands, McDunn directed his troops towards the north road, which lead back to Lincoln Street. Blockades were quickly set up, and weaponry replaced with ease at the new defence.
Sure enough, in the distance, another wave of devilish mechanical warriors made their way towards the troops.
"Brace yourself, men!" McDunn hollered, "We won't stand down now!"
Location: Tails Workshop, Mystic Ruins
"So, what you're saying is," Mighty gulped, "Eggman is trying to disturb the ecosystems for power?"
With a simple nod, Tails nodded and moved towards the hologram by his computer, and drew a small diagram, depicting the artifact known as a Twilight Key, giving off energy to a certain continent.
"If Eggman collects all seven, the planet will be left to ventilate the excess Chaos Energy, and the only way it knows how," Tails grew silent, and pulled up videos of natural disasters, "is by resetting its climates..."
"But what is he gaining by destroying the cities then?" Sonic piped up, "And what does he need with the Death Egg! He's doing something more, Tails!" The blue hero steamed, his head overloading due to the situation.
Amy looked towards her hero; she had never seen him so fired up over one of Eggman's plots. Up until now, everything the doctor did was to provide her blue hero fun and entertainment. Now, however, he was actually angry. Maybe the old rivalry of the two would end?
"I haven't quite translated the rest of the glyphs from the Echidna prophecy, but maybe once I do it will hold more information to what these Twilight Keys that keep turning up are all about." Tails replied, bringing up a news cast for Station Square, "Until then, we have bigger problems..."
A newscaster and her cameraman ran through the destruction of the streets, gunfire and yells of terror in the background. The camera suddenly fell to the ground, and the two continued running, as the camera spun around to show the two fleeing civilians get swatted away by a gigantic hammer, wielded by a heavily armoured robot.
"Come on! If Eggman's in Station Square, now's our chance to get answers!" Knuckles grunted, earning a nod of compliance from the rest of the group.
With little hesitation, the group of five heroes dashed out from the safety of the workshop.
Bad mistake.
Moments after the group had made it outside, they were stopped by the menacing red eyes of the navy blue doppelganger – Metal Sonic.
"Metal!" Sonic yelled out, his smirk returning, "Back for more, huh?"
"Greetings, my sickening copy..." Metal sneered, "You don't like to remain dead, do you?"
"What can I say?" Sonic snickered, "I die hard!"
"Then you're luck runs out today."
Location: Lincoln Street, Station Square
Tossed aside like a used, and torn rag doll, Shadow bounced across the pavement, and smashed against the Emerald Coast Hotel. Massive panels of glass fell apart and smashed against the pavement, spreading dangerous shards of glass across the road. Within one of the luxury hotel rooms, Shadow groaned and pulled himself up, his white glove stained by the pool of blood that had formed under the corpses on the elegant red carpet. He would have cared, if the entire city weren't under attack.
Then again, this wasn't a new sight for him.
Violet energy danced around his cut up arm, as the trademark three energy flashes tore through the steel foundation of the room, allowing Shadow the opportunity to jump through the debris. The upper half of the hotel slumped to the right, due to its supports being destroyed.
"Chaos Wave!"
In a chain of warps, Shadow had managed to sneak around the floating attacker, and plant his open palm against the being's cold body. A wave of purple and black energy pulsed outwards, and suddenly a shock wave blasted the attacker into the ground.
However, nothing happened. No crater, no crash, no plume of dust.
Nothing.
Shadow quickly spun around, only to catch a glimpse of a vibrating arc of blinding, white energy.
"No matter the situation, a man labelled as a hero stands up to any amount of destruction, tyranny and malevolence." ~ Alphonse R. Truman, GUN Commander, 1967
To Be Continued
Authors Note~ Honestly, this chapter was supposed to come a lot later in the arc. But, I kept finding things to replace this chapter, so it came sooner than expected. The battles taking place now, will not be finished, I'm sorry. But they're just teasers to the real battle coming up! And you guys will not be disappointed! I've been at work on this chapter for a long time, and I apologize for the lateness. My major influence for this chapter was "Ashes of the Innocent" by BFMV...thus the chapter title. Anyway! Leave your comments, theories and tips in a review! Hope you enjoyed!