Violet Dreams

Part II

Chapter 43: Man Made Disaster

Location: Ruined Dusk Hideout

High above the heroes, the beast that once threatened the safety of human life lingered in the sky. It's gaping, fanged maw hung open, revealing the dark abyss leading to it's belly. A thundering screech left the beast, shaking the planet as if it were made of plastic, warning everyone of it's return. Though, how could anyone not see it?

The clouds lingering in the sky seemed to orbit the gargantuan beast, as if worshipping its very presence. Dread swept across each of the heroes, sapping them of all the hope they once possessed. Standing triumphantly before them, Galaxy begun to cackle as the Chaos Emeralds floated around the Master Emerald to his left. Black smoke billowed out of the cracks forming across the gem's polished exterior, giving it a poisonous appearance. Slowly the divine green shine of the Master Emerald faded, as darkness surrounded its innards like clouds of smoke. The Chaos Emeralds followed the same fate, becoming smoking rocks around their master.

With a quick kick to the limp boy at his feet, Charmy tumbled down the stair case, and into the dirt at Vector and Espio's feet. They scooped him up, and shook him desperately, doing their best to hold back the inevitable tears. Although they didn't want to believe it were true, they knew in the back of their minds it was. It took every ounce of strength for Espio to voice the words through his tears, his hand resting on his young companion.

"He's...dead."

Everyone grew quiet, but Galaxy quickly broke the silence from his faint chuckle. Seven portals spun to life around him, as his underlings walked through. Sonic rushed forward in rage, his fist balled up tighter than ever before. With a powerful leap, the blue hero shot upwards in a burst of blue light and struck his enemy's cheek viciously. However, upon impact, the body of the demonic cat simply vaporized into a flurry of particles and moved through the blue hero. Sonic's quills wavered violently, and the cat reformed behind him. By now, his comrades had rushed to take action, only to be abruptly stopped by the presence of the remaining Dusk agents.

"What do you think you'll gain from all this?" Sonic shouted, the dark energy of the Master Emerald beginning to reach out to him. "Don't you realize what're you doing? That thing will destroy us all! Eggman tried controlling it, but he was killed too!"

"Foolish, hedgehog," Galaxy retorted, walking to the center of the base while the Chaos Emeralds floated around him. "The Doctor was but a puppet to the powers of Polaris. He cloned himself to try and bypass the one thing he overlooked. A sacrifice of someone that bears no alike blood to the summoner must be presented."

"So Charmy is really...gone..." Vector murmured, staring down at his young friend.

"He was the last piece to my puzzle, and soon," the indigo cat looked towards the other heroes. "You'll all face the same fates! Once Polaris is fully active, and has been released from the shackles of its eternal prison, this pitiful planet will be mine!"

"What makes you so sure?" Shadow barked. "You're a coward, and cowards all crumble."

"We'll see about that." The dark cat roared, and before any of the heroes could react, a portal swallowed them up, sucking them into oblivion.

Location: Pride Canyon, Mazuri – Time Until Release: 1 Hour and 55 Minutes

A vortex of purple, black and indigo light exploded through the fog of the desolate, dried up sea. From within, Amy tumbled to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust in her wake. A gentle groan escaped her lips as she rubbed her forehead gently, tending to the gash on her temple. A bright green object flashed across the horizon, then plummeted to the earth in the distance. A wave of dust, smoke and debris swept along the gaping stone walls, forcing Amy to sling her arm in front of her to guard her eyes. Once the sand storm had stopped, the young rose glanced up at the dark clouds churning high above, the hairs on her neck standing on end with each crack of thunder. Turning her attention ahead, Amy glanced around her, trying to get a grip on her surroundings.

"Where am I?" she wondered aloud, awe filling her voice.

Waterfalls crashed all around her, yet the area remain completely dry. Upon closer inspection, Amy learned that the elegant streams of water delved straight into the earth through long, carved out tunnels into the depths of the planet. The sounds of crashing water simply funnelled upwards from wherever it was the water ended. With a heavy sigh, the pink furred hero glanced back at the trail of smoke looming in the distance, quickly deducting it to be a Chaos Emerald.

"I wonder how it got here...Better yet, how did I get here?"

"My master sent you here," a familiar voice bellowed.

Green eyes darted up to an overhanging cliff, finding the bulky figure of Gaia standing still. His arms remained crossed over his broad chest, and a challenging smirk graced his mouth. Though she couldn't see his eyes through the thick, shaggy hair covering them, she knew he was delighted with their situation by his lips. Swiping her left hand to her side, a shaft of sparkling light suddenly shot upwards to create first a white pole, then, the head of a hammer. Amy was definitely ready to show this man a lesson, especially after their last run in.

"What are you doing here, freakshow?" She barked, getting ready to fight. "Shouldn't you be kissing your leaders ass?"

"No, we were sent to kill you all before you had a chance to meddle with our masters plan!"

Now anger had taken her over, and he'd be sorry for the pain he caused the families of Shamar. Dust jumped up at Amy's heels as she shot into the air with such velocity Gaia couldn't defend himself. Rock cracked and shattered under the force of her swing, but Gaia knocked her away with ease. Small fragments of his mineral armour clattered to the ground, and before they could settle, the gigantic bear had already cleared the distance between him and the shocked girl.

A rock infused fist collided with Amy's cheek, and she rocketed backwards across the desolate terrain that surrounded them. After finally managing to gain her bearings, the young warrior flipped back onto her feet just in time to block another punch with her hammer. An eerie grin crept along the man's mouth, and suddenly his body collapsed into a mound of sand. Quickly jumping back in shock, Amy kicked at the hands lurching upwards from the pile of rock particles, then smashed her hammer into it. The force launched her up into the air and away from the ghastly formation, allowing her to form a plan.

"Come back girly, I'm sorry!" The voice seemed to haunt the canyon. It echoed off of the walls, until finally becoming a booming laughter.

A sharp gasp left Amy's lungs, watching as large stone arms reached free from the solid walls around her. Wide, green eyes stared at the terrifying sight, but before she could fully take in the event, one of the arms reached for her. The agile hedgehog leaped backwards just in time, before the hand trampled her. Rock and debris shot upwards from the impact, and then another limb shot forth from the chaos, reaching for her again. Having grown sick of the creepy tricks, Amy heaved her hammer to the side, smashing it against the fist aimed at her back. Cracks shot down the forearm, when suddenly it exploded in a storm of rock and dirt. With another swing of her hammer, Amy veered forwards and smashed it against a fourth stone fist, shattering it like the last.

"Heh, I guess you aren't so strong, buster!" Amy remarked confidently.

However, just as the storm of rock and dirt had begun to clear, a group of four other hands shot up around her. First, one ensnared her between it's solid fingers, then the other three followed suit – quite quickly, too. The magical hammer that she had become so skilled with dropped to the ground and disappeared along with her hope. The teenage hedgehog growled viciously against the grip of her opponent, noticing him walk out of the canyon wall with a terrifying smile.

Pillars of rock formed beneath his each and every step, bringing him in front of Amy. The cloak that hugged his figure fluttered off into the distance, revealing his forest green fur to the young hedgehog. Gaia stroked the struggling girls cheek gently, tears forming in his eyes the longer he stared at her face.

"She didn't have to die either." His voice croaked, bringing him closer to tears. "I didn't get the chance to tell her how I felt. But, she was murdered. It's not fair...It's not fair!"

Gaia reeled his fist back, which had collected tons of rock around it. Amy watched in absolute terror, feeling her end grow near. Regrets, memories...everything begun to flood her mind. And like the opponent standing before her, she too burst into tears. She didn't want to die – not here. Not so soon. He growled and pulled his tightly compacted fist towards her, ready to end the pitiful girl. Amy clammed her eyes shut, bracing for her inevitable death.

After what felt like an eternity, Amy peered through hazy eyes, hearing a deafening crash. Confused, and generally thankful, Amy glanced around on the ground, only to find Cream. Hovering quietly at each shoulder, Cheese and Thorn chirped happily and presented the Green Chaos Emerald. Then, the tight grip around her body disappeared, and the solid appendages dropped to the ground in a sea of sand. Stumbling after landing, Amy's eyes darted around the battlefield, searching for her insane opponent.

Embedded high above the canyon floor, Gaia seemed to twitch within the imprint he had made in the stone. Amy whistled in shock, and then turned to her best friend to hug her as tight as she could. With a short giggle, Cream smiled and the two stood side by side to face the Dusk agent.

"How did you manage to shoot him that far up?" Amy asked, bewilderment in her voice.

"My mom was Chao Handler when she was young, too. She taught me a lot of things! Thorn has a lot of potential, too!"

However, with a short lived victory, both Amy and Cream jumped to the defensive. Rock crumbled and fractured under Gaia's sudden weight gain, while his fur started to turn metallic, mirroring the surface of the heavenly gem within Cream's grasp. Seismic tremors rumbled beneath the heroes feet as Gaia smashed to the earth. Slabs of earth shot upwards around his body, and from within the crater, a haunting laugh filled the battlefield. Moving into a ready position, the girls prepared for what was to come, each of them getting a terrible feeling. From within the newly formed hole, stepped Gaia, his fur now reflecting the sunlight from above like glass. The sound of cracking bones then filled the air, and barbs of diamond pierced through his back, creating deadly spines.

Each step produced another feature to his diamond armour. He was morphing like a creature from outer space. Amy and Cream took four trembling steps backwards, trying to figure out how they'd stop such a monster.

Rock, diamond and steel began to encase his fists, causing them to double in size. Diamond plates darted up from his neck, encasing his head in an impenetrable helmet, leaving only his never before seen eyes visible. Eerie, glowing blue orbs shone from behind the shadows of the mask. Then, with a quick lunge forward, Gaia slammed his armoured fist into the earth. The ground rumbled dangerously, then split open at a rapid pace. Both Amy and Cream jumped out of the way, only to notice the spears of black rock erupting all around them. Amy quickly summoned her hammer once more, then pivoted on her heel just as one of the spears shot up beside her. The golden face of her mallet slammed against the spear, crushing into little particles. Dust scattered as the fiery willed girl jumped upwards, narrowly avoiding being skewered by a swarm of barbed spires.

Meanwhile, Cream had been left to avoid Gaia's onslaught of attacks. Green barriers of light continuously flickered around the young rabbit, becoming weaker with each terrifying blow. Gaia howled and then thrust his right fist down at the rabbit, and upon impact, eight piercing shafts of rock jutted up into the barrier along with his fist. Cream gasped, realizing her barrier beginning to break, watching as the surrounding spears just barely made it through.

As quickly as they had come, they disappeared the second Gaia jumped back. With a relieved sigh, the young rabbit prepared herself for what was next, but much to her dismay, Amy had taken the initiative and attacked.

With a mighty swing of her mallet, Gaia rocketed across the canyon floor, leaving craters in his wake. Geysers shot up from the sudden disturbance, showering the once dry landscape in much needed moisture. Amy dashed through the mist and swung her hammer back around to crush Gaia's armour even more, intent on shattering every one of his bones. Blue eyes darted up from his limp, broken right arm, forcing him to use the weaker of his limbs. Metal met with diamond in an unrelenting clash of power, sending shock waves rippling through the canyon. The armour surrounding Gaia's muscular arm began to crack, giving way under the pressure from Amy's swing.

"I remember who you are now, little girl." Gaia remarked, his armour beginning to chip away. "You're a Rose!"

Her name seemed to strike delight in him. As if he took pleasure from uttering her name. Disgusted, Amy jumped away from her attacker, quickly to be joined by Cream.

"What's it to ya, creep?" The pink hedgehog shouted angrily.

"How are your aunt and uncle...Amy?" He bellowed, laughter following close behind.

To these words, her face grew pale. Her trembling hands causing her to drop her lethal weapon. "How do you know about them?"

The helmet protecting the bears face suddenly receded, allowing his sorrow stricken face to be seen. "You're the girl I let escape that night, aren't you?"

Flashback

The darkness of night seemed to shroud the truth so well, but yet, it was all too clear to her. It would be to anyone witnessing such an event. Blood soaked the elegant carpeting that graced the floor of the prestigious Rose manor. Though, it had a source.

Where?

Amy wasn't brave enough to find out. Besides, what could she of all people do? She was only five.

Small, trembling fingers wrapped tightly around the pendent resembling a rose and its thorn that hung around her neck. A gentle laughter echoed through the manor, and rhythmic dripping sounds filled the pauses between. Slowly, Amy crept forwards on her hands and knees, moving silently behind the elegant sofa in the living room. She could hear breathing.

One was much too heavy to be her uncles, but she was smart enough to distinguish three people present. Suddenly a woman screamed – very loudly, in fact. Amy stopped, a chill darting down her spine. Next, she heard the pattern of dripping again, but this time it was faster. Like a faucet had been turned on just slightly. Silently working up the courage to peer behind the end of the sofa, Amy gulped.

Her eyes widened, the sight beyond freezing her in place. Amy quickly brought her hand up to her mouth and bit, trying not to scream. Two, soulless, green eyes stared back at her. Blood leaked from the corner of the woman's mouth, forming a small puddle around her head. The matted, pink locks of hair suddenly seemed less vibrant. Her once flawless skin seemed a little bit more flawed. And that loving gaze no long existed.

She could feel tears running down her cheeks, dampening her frilled, white gloves. With a gentle sob, Amy tore her attention from her dead aunt – whom she had grown to know as a mother – and up to the man standing above her. She knew him as her dad, but really, he was her loving uncle. Never afraid to defend his family, and never willing to let harm come to his household. A perfect father figure.

Through the horror, Amy hadn't even realized the shouting. The sound of her aunt's scream seemed to deafen her to all other sounds. Amy stared up at her uncle, a brilliantly colored red blade held in front of him. Trying to force herself to slow her breathing, Amy struggled to focus on the words being shouted back and forth.

"You monster!" The violet hedgehog roared, preparing to attack the intruder. "What are you here for?! What did we ever do to you?!"

Amy couldn't hear a response, but rather, a gentle laughter. It was then that the stench of blood brought her back to reality, and she remembered the dead body in front of her. Amy stumbled back, sitting on her knees as she covered her mouth, trying not to vomit. However, another voice then spoke up.

"Forgive me," the voice stammered. Amy realized this was the intruder, but...why was he crying?

Rage began to swell up in her chest. Why was this wretched man crying? He was murdering an innocent family, continuing to live, yet he was crying?! Amy trembled, and without thinking thrust herself up to peer over the back of the sofa, realizing the shouting had stopped. She was met with a gruesome, yet hopeful sight. The claymore that her uncle wielded had been shoved through the intruders shoulder. Blood leaked onto the floor, mixing in with the rest. But, Amy's hope was quickly dashed at the sight of her two cousins lying motionless at the wounded mans feet. She wasn't sure if they were dead, or just unconscious.

She so dearly hoped for the latter. The young girl then thrust her eyes back up at the sound of the sword being wrenched free of the man's body. She gazed fearfully at his face, trying to get a glimpse of his eyes through the inky darkness. Though, despite the sickening grin on his face, tears streamed down his face and fell to the ground. Why was this sick man smiling after he just destroyed an innocent family?

"I'll give you five seconds to apologize," the man growled angrily, his voice croaking more often. "Or I'll kill the kids, too!"

Amy gasped ever so quietly. A fountain of hope had been found! Silently, Amy prayed that her uncle would give into the juvenile words of this murderer. She wanted to scream, to beg him to just apologize like the man requested. But she couldn't urge herself to do it. Amy knelt quietly as the events unfolded. Her fountain of hope growing dry with each second that passed.

"Four," he murmured, earning an annoyed growl from Amy's uncle. "Five."

Before the violet hedgehog could even so much as scoff, spears of rock exploded through the carpet, impaling the sword wielding man and the teenagers. Blood sprayed across every inch of the room, forever staining the manor of the treachery taking place.

That was the last straw. She couldn't take anymore.

Tears gushed from her eyes, and before she could bite her hand as she always did, she screamed. At the top her lungs. The scream seemed to shake the room, but of course the imagination of a child is always crazy. The man thrust his worried eyes to the source of the scream, landing on the sofa. Amy had slumped to the ground, and rolled up into a ball on the ground. She sobbed uncontrollably, realizing that she too would face the same fate as her family. Hearing the heavy footsteps of the murderer stomp closer, her crying became more intense.

Distant, happy memories of being with her mom, dad, brother, aunt, uncle and cousins raced through her head. She wanted to hug her own family again, and say goodbye.

Then she felt her weight being pulled upwards by her waist. Her small hands remained clamped over her eyes, but the sound of crying, like her own, caught her attention. Hesitantly she peered at her family's murderer, finding his blue eyes bloodshot, and his cheeks wet.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't want to."

Then, he set her back down and disappeared into the shadows of the manor. The smell of blood finally overwhelmed the young girl, as she fell back to the ground and crawled behind the curtains, continuing to cry amidst the gore.

End Flashback

"You're...the one that broke out of the asylum that night," Amy muttered horrifically. She stared deep into Gaia's glowing blue eyes. "You're the one who killed my family. They were all I had, and you took them all away from me! I sat and watched as you murdered them! All you had to say to me after...was...sorry?"

Her voice became weak at that word. That one word he seemed to repeat whenever she was around him. It all made sense now.

She didn't ever want to hear it again. Finally her knees became weak, and Amy fell to the ground, breaking down into tears. Cream quickly knelt by her side, holding the pink hedgehog close to try and provide whatever comfort she could. Standing quietly across from them, Gaia too begun to cry. His helmet returned to conceal his face, while the diamond armour repaired itself. The broken limb quickly fell to the ground, allowing for a limb made entirely of rock to take its place. His sobbing mixed in with Amy's, and the closer he got, the louder he became.

"Everything about that night...no, those next three years became a nightmare. Something that I shoved away to the back of mind. I never wanted to hear your name, or those words again. I pretended like that night never happened...like it was all a dream. But, here you are...still as real as ever. Don't you feel remorse? Have you forgotten about me, or my family? Or were we just another number in a sick game of yours?"

Amy turned her attention to Gaia, becoming angry. "Why did you do it?! What made you choose our home?!"

Cream turned her attention to Gaia, fear, sorrow and anger washing across her usually happy face. Both Cheese and the newcomer, Thorn, swarmed around the two friends just as Gaia jumped towards them. Then, a powerful blast of green light expanded out from Creams wristbands. Gaia smashed against the barrier, his armour chipping away particle by particle. Within, he could hear Amy's sobs, but then the barrier expanded at such an intense velocity, Gaia shot backwards faster than the speed of sound. The sudden acceleration and sonic boom numbed his ears, causing them to ring. The bear flew through the sky, spinning head over heels, then smashed head first into the rock. The ground shook from the impact, while the barrier shrunk back into Cream. The duo sat in silence, with the exception of occasional weeps from the young pink hero. Cream held her friend close, watching their immobile foe in the distance.

"I was supposed to be given...paradise."

The words seemed to linger across the air. Like an airborne poison. Amy pressed her hands against her ears, then turned her attention to glare at the man. The canyon shook once more as Gaia flopped onto his back, his chest slowly rising and dropping. Slowly a light engulfed his body, chunks of his armour and flesh dissolving into the air like paper in the gentle wind. After the light disappeared, lay a frail, hollow figure. His limbs nothing more than skin and bone, while blood leaked from the severed stub that was his arm.

Despite his weak body, he stood up. His face sagged, and his hair begun to fall out in chunks of white. Amy watched in horror as he crept closer, Cream becoming equally as terrified by this point. Gaia staggered ever closer, then fell to his knees in front of Amy, smiling uncontrollably, yet his eyes seemed to reflect nothing but sadness.

"There wasn't going to be anymore sadness if I just listened. I'm a good boy."

Flashback

Two men dressed in black watched through a window, gazing at a young, frail boy in a room beyond. His face void of passion, and any emotion. They were discussing something, but what, the young boy didn't know. He knew, though, it was about him. It always was. He was dying, he knew that as well. Eventually, whether it be in his sleep, or while he was eating – at any time, really – he knew he'd die. His heart was becoming increasingly weak, being unable to send the blood he needed to all the parts of his body. Though, each and every one of his organs were weak.

His name was Gaia, named after the Earth itself. His mother named him that because she knew he'd grow to be strong. He couldn't help but feel like a disappointment now. Gaia turned his attention back to the men behind the window. One of them pointed at him and slammed his hand on the table, shaking the cups of coffee sitting on it. Gaia clutched his weak hands around the teddy bear in his lap, holding it close to his chest like he had always done when he was scared. Even at the age of nineteen, that plush item of comfort remained his best friend.

Worried eyes darted around at the alien tools set out around him. His eyes had been latched open by strange devices, ensuring he didn't blink when the needle pierced his pupil, and dug its way to his retina. Why such a painful place of insertion was needed, he didn't know. But he knew of one thing, and that was the promise they made to him. Whenever he cried, whenever he became unsure. He clung to that life long promise he had been told since that day they decided to take him in. He didn't know at the time, he didn't know much. But those men. Those men dressed in black were discussing if he'd be good enough. One of them fought to save him.

So that's why he looked so angry.

Gaia stared upwards at the covered faces of the surgeons surrounding him. One of the doctors held a needle between his fingers, ensuring it was working properly. Gaia shot his attention over to the far wall, where his saviour stood beside another man dressed in a military uniform.

"What an interesting hat he has," Gaia thought to himself.

The needle was then brought to his neck. A cold sensation caused his body to tingle, and then a razor cut away a patch of fur on his body. Gaia bit his lip, knowing what came next. The needle he saw earlier pierced his skin, causing him to lurch. He yelped briefly, then fell limp against the operating table. His head remained positioned upwards, due to the leather strap around his forehead. His eyes stared at the symbol on the ceiling, as he mouthed the letters to himself, sounding them out in his head.

"G..."

Another needle neared his left eye. He wished he could move.

"U..."

The needle pierced his pupil. As much as he wanted to scream, or writhe from the insidious pain being inflicted on him, he couldn't. His body, his voice – everything – didn't seem to work.

"N..."

Light in his left eye receded like a candle being covered, then extinguished.

He could hear talking and murmurs, then another needle neared his right eye. He could feel the tug as it entered, but this time it didn't hurt as much. The second time never did. His vision disappeared in that eye as well, like it always did. Everything became dark. He wanted to panic. He wanted to scream. He wanted to run.

But he was trapped.

His body suddenly lurched, as the table he was strapped to spun around. The cold air usually tingled his back, but not today. This would be the final operation. Today he'd be able to walk, talk, and play like a normal boy. He heard more voices, some women, some men.

Then he felt another needle against his back. A much thicker one than other times. He jolted briefly as the device stabbed his skin and entered into the bone of his spinal column. He wasn't sure what came next, but he was certain he'd find out. He could hear shouting from the man in the black suit; his saviour was angry. A gunshot came next, and the man stopped talking.

He felt a liquid rush through his body. Unlike blood. It was foreign. Alien.

His body tingled, and he screamed.

Wait. Screamed? The sound quickly stopped, his body being spun back around to the right side up.

"What...happened?" he murmured, completely shocked by his new found ability to speak.

"You're now a product of GUN, young man," the man in the fancy hat proclaimed with a scowl. "Your new name is H003. In the next couple hours, you'll begin to feel your muscles ache. They will be growing. You mustn't walk during this time. By tomorrow, you will be trained to control molecules of rock and mineral. We expect you will grow to be around six feet tall by two days. However, you are programmed with movements from a computer. You can walk, and react, but through our commanders. If at any time you disable the microchip implanted in your spine, your body will recede back to it's former build at the age of 30. We are not responsible for any impulsive actions prior deactivation of the obedience chip. Understood?"

"Yes," Gaia replied.

End Flashback

"I'm sorry."

Gaia slumped over on the ground, his body no longer moving. Blood continued to drain from his wound, while Cream and Amy stared in horror at the man before him. What he meant, they weren't sure. But it was all over now. Amy watched the man quietly, memories of her family running through her racing mind.

Justice had been dealt.

"We as human beings are called to love, and be loved. For what is life without love?" ~ Tikal the Echidna - Echidnian Scholar, 2 Years Prior the Destruction of the Knuckles Tribe.

To Be Continued