Chapter 15

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Shadow snarled, the fur on his back raising in a line. Amy gripped her knife tightly, ready to spring at a moment's notice.

"I was for a while, my son," the thing patronized. "But did you really think you'd get rid of me forever? I am your father, after all."

"Shadow?" Rouge whimpered.

"Black Doom," the dark hedgehog spit. "I was technically made from his DNA. I defeated him a while back, but it clearly didn't work. That thing is not my father."

"Definitions don't lie, my boy," Black Doom grinned. "The nerve gas was a poor choice on my part. If I'd known you were coming along with the group, I would have come up with another method of annihilating you all."

"Fat chance," Amy glared.

"Yeah, I may not be able to stand up on my own, but I can still beat the shit out of you," Sticks growled.

Black Doom pulled a staff from behind its back. It looked like it was made entirely of shadows. "We'll see."

Shadow grasped the Chaos Emerald hanging from his neck, and quickly disappeared into a burst of blue light. He reappeared just to the left of Black Doom's head, striking out with a vicious roundhouse that would have cracked anyone else's skull. Yet somehow, Black Doom sensed it coming and smacked Shadow aside like he was a toy. The black hedgehog flew across the room, slamming into the opposite wall hard enough to leave cracks.

"Shadow," Amy gasped.

"Okay, now I'm mad," Rouge complained, narrowing her eyes and readying her crossbow. "Ready, Ames?"

"You bet your ass," Amy grinned. Brandishing her knife, she darted around to Black Doom's backside just as Rouge fired six arrows in succession. True to her mark, all six buried themselves in Black Doom's chest.

"Stupid bitch," he chuckled, but Rouge saw a slight glimpse of pain as he pulled the arrows out and threw them aside. "You really think- ergh!"

Amy had taken a running start and managed to jump all the way up to the back of his knee, shoving her knife in and using gravity to pull herself down, opening a three-foot-long slice in Black Doom's right calf. Black blood spilled out.

"You're going to pay for that," Black Doom promised. He kicked out at Amy, quicker than she could dodge, and the impact was like being hit by a truck. She felt herself sail about ten feet, then skid through the dirt on her shoulder for about twenty.

"Ow," she groaned, blood staining the ground beneath her. "You know, you're a real pain in the ass."

"Couldn't agree more," Silver taunted, speeding across the room, taking off, and using his telekinesis to flit around Black Doom's head, momentarily distracting him.

Those few seconds were all Shadow needed. He sprang at his 'father', delivering a massive blow to his jaw. Black Doom, stunned, fell backwards. Shadow jumped on top of him, punching him again and again.

"You-" he snarled, punctuating each word with another hit, "are… not… my… father!"

Black Doom threw him off, wiping blood from him nose and mouth. "And yet my DNA is alive and well within your body."

Amy came from behind, kicking him in the temple and knocking him off-balance again. "We're his family, you douche canoe!"

"You can't-" Black Doom began to roar.

"Pardon the interruption," Silver cut in, a giant rock floating above his head. "But we have somewhere else to be!" He hurled the rock directly at Black Doom's head, finally knocking him on his back for good.

Shadow approached his head, half-buried under a rock and streaming black blood.

"You can't defeat me for good, you weakling," Black Doom growled.

"Maybe not, but I can defeat you for today," Shadow retorted. He reared back, bringing both fists down on Black Doom's chest with everything he had in him, yelling like a crazy man.

Black Doom howled in anger and pain, beginning to disintegrate from that very spot, like ashes flying up out of a fire. Within a few seconds, he was gone, and all that was left of him was a pile of dust and a puddle of black blood. Shadow knelt beside it, his chest heaving from exertion.

Silver glanced over at Amy. "Douche canoe?"

She shrugged, wincing as a bolt of pain went through her shoulder "It was the first thing that came to mind." She pressed her hand to the large open wound there, feeling blood seeping through her fingers. "Is everyone okay?"

"Fine," Shadow ground out darkly.

"All good here," Rouge affirmed, fluttering a few feet above the ground, still wielding her crossbow.

"I didn't even have to help you guys," Sticks grinned. "Nice shot, Rouge."

"Thanks," the bat beamed. "Shadow? You okay?"

The dark hedgehog rose. "I think it's best you continue this journey without me."

Amy looked at him with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't have time for this," he snapped.

Silver sighed. "Cut the bullshit, Shadow. That creep isn't your father. You had nothing to do with that attack.

Rouge made her way over to him, her gaze narrowed. "You aren't going to leave us high and dry just because you feel like you're to blame for all this crap."

"I think you would run into fewer obstacles without me here," Shadow said firmly.

"Yeah, except Black Doom would have destroyed us if you weren't here," Amy snapped. "Shadow, this isn't your fault. And we need you. Who else is going to carry Sticks?"

Sticks waved from the corner. "Hi."

"I'm not a pack mule," he retorted. "I'm the Ultimate Lifeform."

"You're the Ultimate jackass right now," Amy spit. "This is my assignment. O'Malley made that perfectly clear. You aren't going anywhere, and that's an order."

Shadow looked like he was about to snarl a response, but all the fight suddenly dropped from his being. "Fine."

"Good," Amy nodded curtly.

"You know, you're pretty hot when you're in charge, Rose," he grinned.

"Shut up," she snorted.

"Not to interrupt, but is that what I think it is?" Rouge pointed. Amy turned, following her finger to see a small blue gem, almost completely buried within Black Doom's ashes.

"Yes!" Sticks cried. "One down, one to go!"

Amy scooped it up and dusted it off. "It was worth the fight, then." She tucked it into a tiny pouch that was secured to her belt.

"Amy, your shoulder is pretty torn up," Silver started.

"It's fine," she shook her head. "I'll patch it up once we get out of here."

"Speaking of which, how are we planning to do that?" Sticks questioned, motioning towards the only exit, which was the entranceway that they'd had to seal off earlier. "It kind of looks like our only way out is blocked."

"Gee, if only you had another team member willing to help you guys out," a sarcastic voice rang out from the ceiling.

All five group members looked up to see a familiar blue hedgehog, and an opening in the ceiling streaming sunlight.