Act I: CATACOMBS
Chapter XXI: Judas
"I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself. And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself." – Matthew 27:4-5
The sky did not let up – watching the purple and orange gain closer and closer towards one another.
A heavenly battle – one that would surely ravage all of Westopolis.
Was this the five-day ending Mephiles warned them of? By the end of the fifth day, would the battle conclude on the destroyed, desolate city that was once so prosperous and bountiful?
Sonic had to ignore the gnawing question for now. There were bigger things to worry about – the fact that Robotnik had assimilated the last of his followers to take them down was an obvious coup attempt.
Robotnik sauntered into that town hall with the intent to take one of them out.
There was no way he was going to let that happen.
When the firing started, Sonic immediately lept for cover, all the while trading a few shots of his own. From inside the town hall, Knuckles charged in with a club, battering it into anyone he saw in his way.
Shadow ran around the left flank, followed by Jet and the Rogues. They fired into the crowd, dispersing them as they split apart.
It became mayhem. Sonic and Amy were firing from the porch of the Town Hall, while Mighty popped through with his shotgun, blasting it into the crowd. Rotor took the left side with his own shotgun, blasting back the attackers.
Through the back of the Town Hall, Tikal, Tails, Cosmo, and Shade punched open the emergency door, ushering the townspeople out.
"Just keep moving! Keep moving, keep your heads low – and stay out of their fight!" Shade exclaimed.
"Do you believe us now?! Do you believe how despicable Robotnik is?!" Cosmo exclaimed, helping usher panicked citizens from the back of the Town Hall.
Vector should probably expect a sharp drop in population, Tails thought.
Pushing open the door to the bell tower, Rouge beckoned her gang up to the roof, clutching their weapons to their chests.
"Alright Rougie – what's the plan?" Julie-su asked.
"Keep firin' from up here, make sure they ain't doin' any funny business. Protect our boys down below!"
"You got it!" Honey exclaimed, sliding down the roof, followed by Tangle and Whisper, who had her rifle laid across her stomach.
Tangle looked across the way, seeing Sally, Nicole, Bunnie, and Antoine approaching on horseback, all holding rifles for crowd control.
"Perfect, backup!" Tangle shouted, before firing at the assailants.
The pandemonium continued, while Sonic and Surge traded back some blows. She swung a kick, only for Sonic to duck and sweep her leg, sending her to the ground.
"What gives, Surge? You really believe in everythin' fat man's sayin'?" Sonic spat.
Surge chuckled, wiping some blood from her mouth. "What's it to 'ya? It pays the damn bills!"
The tenrec jumped up, lunging for Sonic as she tackled him to the ground. Before she could lay a hit, a shotgun slammed into her head, sending her hurtling off of him. Jet stood over him, accompanied by Scourge.
"Come on, Blue! You really gonna let her pin you down?!" Scourge exclaimed, earning a cackle from Jet.
"Seriously! Don't be so pathetic, get'cha ass up!" The hawk exclaimed, hoisting Sonic to his feet.
"Why, thank you both for the kind wo-look out!"
Jet turned to see a man bum-rushing him, raising his gun in the air. Jet and Scourge cursed, preparing for impact. However, in a flash, a fox's hand grabbed his arm, throwing his back onto her knee as a crack was heard.
Fiona sent him to the ground, before fixing a bent nail. "Ugh, son of a bitch bent a nail."
Scourge chuckled, nuzzling into her neck. "Have I told you how much I love you?"
"No time, lovers! Keep fightin'!" Wave exclaimed, slamming a crowbar into the guts of assailants.
Shadow and Knuckles were back-to-back, shooting and swinging at any attackers that dared try either of them. As Shadow reloaded, Knuckles turned the shoulder.
"What the hell are we gonna do about that sky?!"
Shadow grunted, firing a few shots at moving targets. "Find Silver and Blaze – and find that damn Undertaker. We're inching towards a world-ending event!"
Knuckles sighed, clubbing down an attacker before stomping on his head. "Chaos and I are gonna need to have a goddamn word after this shit!"
Sonic joined Amy, firing from behind her as they took cover from behind a tower of boxes.
"Keep pushing!" Honey exclaimed from above, "We're close to finishin' them off!"
The trading of shots seemed to last forever, and at this point – the crew was getting exhausted.
Shadow plunged through the crowd, battering his gun into anyone he saw. Raising his arm to bludgeon yet another sorry attacker, a large hand grabbed his arm.
Shadow hissed, meeting eyes with Bark, who kept a iron-tight grip on his arm. Shadow attempted to shake it off, yet Bark held on with harsh determination.
"We need to talk, Shadow."
"Unhand me, Bark!"
Shadow attempted to free his arm from Bark's grip once again, yet to no avail. Bark was not letting go – he refused to miss this opportunity.
"I need to get you out of here. We must speak now."
"I'll give you five seconds to let go befo-"
"Please."
Bark's voice cracked, and Shadow could swear – even in the dark of night – he could see tears forming in the bear's eyes. Shadow lowered his arm, biting his lip in hesitation. Was he being led to his death? Should he even trust Bark?
"Why."
"I need you to trust me, Shadow. This will be our only hope."
Shadow grimaced, staring at the ground for a moment. Against his better judgement, he nodded. He allowed Bark to lead him from the commotion, heading to the church.
Rouge saw this, squinting through the dust that was kicked up during battle. She met eyes with Knuckles, who had seen this himself.
"Y – y'all stay here! Shadow's – goin' somewhere, and I gotta know what's up!" Rouge exclaimed, earning a nod from Julie-su.
"Is he a'ight?!" The pink echidna cried, to which Rouge only shook her head.
"That's what I'm gonna find out."
Silver and Blaze stared at the sky, ignoring the incessant glowing of their markings on their fur.
The Moonchild and the Sunchild.
Their primordial parents were arriving – they were telling them so.
Silver felt his mouth dry up at the site. He knew whatever was coming was doomsday for them all.
"We have done all we can," Blaze muttered, a somber look in her eyes.
"No – not even close," Silver replied, keeping his gaze locked onto the sky.
"What else are we supposed to do? They have already come, and Robotnik is still here. Without him gone – there is nothing we can do to stop them."
Silver grabbed her hand, beginning to walk towards the street over, dimly lit by lanterns and lampposts. The commotion sounded throughout the town, yet Silver needed to talk to Mephiles.
That was priority number one.
"Come on, Mephiles – where the hell are you…" Silver muttered.
"Looking for me?"
Silver jumped slightly, turning around to meet his gaze.
He grimaced at the sight.
Mephiles was crystallized fully, with glowing green eyes, red scleras, crystals lining his fur. Yet the unmistakable grin never left his muzzle.
"What do you know of their war, Mephiles?" Blaze asked, her eyes pointed.
Mephiles craned his head to the sky, breathing in deeply.
"They wish to finish what they have started long ago. They have waited and waited – yet they know the only way to win now is to take it into their own hands."
Silver shook his head, seeing Gold and Marine watching from the corner.
"I'm sorry – but you don't get to choose how this ends. We still have time!" Silver exclaimed.
"They are exhausted from waiting. They have grown impatient. The time is nigh."
"Undertaker, tell us what we must do. Tell us and we will do it." Blaze spat, for the first time there was a sense of no control in her voice. It shaked and quaked, and Silver grabbed her balled fist, caressing it lightly.
"You know what must be done. Kill the source of corruption. Gaia and Solaris will leave you alone."
"Is Chaos present?" Silver asked.
Mephiles chuckled, tipping his hat over his eyes. "Of course he is."
"Why is he letting the balance slip?" Silver asked worriedly.
"He has done all he can to contain the forces that are Gaia and Solaris. The end for this town is nigh. I will collect the toll and bring them forth for judgement."
"We've let you do your job, but not this time. We have a chance to save this town. The prophecy can still come true."
"The prophecy?" Mephiles asked, humor laced in his voice, "You speak of the trinity? They have failed themselves. They give into violence – fighting fire with fire is not always the most effective option."
"If you give us time-" Blaze started, yet a scoff from Mephiles silenced her.
"Time? As I have said, they have run out of patience. The other two of the trinity do not know of their place in the prophecy."
"Sonic and Shadow will learn soon enough." Silver said, anger in his tone.
Mephiles shook his head. "I apologize, Children of Gaia and Solaris. This is how it ends."
Silver sighed, squeezing Blaze's hand tighter. Before Mephiles could turn away, he raised his head, an ear fluttering.
"Oh, what is that?"
Blaze narrowed her gaze. "What? What do you hear?"
Mephiles smirked, brushing his chin with crystalized fingers.
"The Lamb is discovering the truth. It is only a matter of time now."
"Truth of what?" Silver asked, taking a few steps forward.
The Undertaker stared in the distance for a moment, before floating around to face them. Clasping his hands together, Mephiles smiled widely.
"The truth of what happened to her."
Bark led Shadow inside the church, closing the doors behind him. The tear was still laid into the ground yet covered by loosely nailed planks of wood.
Bark sighed, removing his hat, placing it down gently on a pew. Shadow scoffed, removing his hat, and laying it at his side.
"You best make this fast. I will not let you all win."
Bark shook his head, brushing a falling strand of hair from his face.
"I am not with them. I want to dethrone Robotnik as much as you do."
"Then why stay?" Shadow replied harshly, causing Bark's gaze to fall to the floor.
"I have no one else. He separated me from my family. He told me all I had was the 'mission', whatever the hell that means. There hasn't been an escape for me. Not until now."
Shadow began pacing, feeling the warm glow of the candles lit around the congregation room. His gaze never left Bark – and he could see the slight shaking in the bear's figure. For such a big, reserved guy – Shadow was stunned at how little hold Bark had on his composure.
"What is your escape?"
Bark didn't answer for a moment, yet when he met his gaze, Shadow could see water forming in his eyes.
"The truth."
Shadow narrowed his eyes, stopping in his tracks. He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow.
"The truth of what?"
"It's something that should have been revealed for so long now. I held onto this because – because I was terrified. Terrified of what might have happened to me. Terrified that what happened to…what happened to her might happen to me."
Shadow froze. He felt his eyes widen, his legs stiffen, and his hand begin to shake. He knew who he was referring to.
"Her?"
Bark met Shadow's gaze, shaking his head slightly at the black hedgehog.
"You need to know what happened to her. It cannot be kept from you any longer."
Shadow began walking forward, his fist beginning to shake slightly. "You know what happened to Maria, don't you?"
Bark stared, a pitiful look in his eye. He nodded solemnly, leaning against the pew slightly.
"I do. I know more then I wish I did."
Shadow shook his head. "What happened?"
Bark sighed, crossing his arms. At this point, Bark was utterly unable to look Shadow in the eye.
"When you and Maria arrived, Robotnik paid no mind at first. However, when you began making a fuss…that is when Robotnik began to grow angry. Despite that, Maria was different then you. She still attended services, never made a fuss. However, by association with you - Robotnik still hated her. Regardless of what she was like - the mere association with you was enough for him to despise her."
Shadow paid attention to Bark, examining him closely. He could barely contain the shaking of his legs, and the rising of anger through his body. He had been searching for the answer all this time.
And he was about to find out.
"Robotnik needed to make a spectacle. He needed a reason for the town to begin to turn on you. In his mind, if something horrid had happened to the person closest to you – he would be able to use that as reason for them to hate you. The Lord would only do something so awful to someone so evil – someone as evil as you."
Shadow's eyes began widening slightly, a bite on his lip so hard he began to savor the sweet metallic taste of blood.
"She would be his example. So…he told us she needed to be disposed of. This was not the first time Robotnik has had someone killed to make an example. He never tried to kill any of you…because he knows he can't."
Shadow grumbled. Bark immediately felt his face heat up, shooting his gaze back to the floor.
"He told me that I was to do it. I protested, no – I pleaded for him to stop. I couldn't allow him to kill her – this innocent person. He told me if I didn't – the same would happen to me. So…"
Shadow began approaching him slowly, his entire figure shaking.
"I did it. I made it quick – I made it painless. I didn't want her to suffer. I was so manipulated, so misled into doing such…dark things. Things I never wanted to do. The night she died has haunted me ever since. Robotnik has destroyed me. I can never go back to who I once was. I stole your closest friend…I destroyed you. Shadow, I-"
Bark stopped, biting back tears that began to form. He refused to look at Shadow. Shadow simply stared, his mouth hung open as tears began to prick his eyes as well.
"I am sorry. No apology can ever express. No words can ever express. I will never be the same after what I have done, and I will carry this torture to hell."
Bark sighed, keeping his gaze locked at the ground. Suddenly, Shadow began thundering towards him. Bark accepted what was to come, hanging his head – allowing Shadow to approach him quickly, knowing what was to come was his demise.
Yet Shadow grabbed him by the shoulders, staring at him with an unreadable expression. Bark lifted his head, allowing a tear to race down his cheek.
"This is not your fault. This is the bastard Robotnik's fault – and he will pay. The truth has set you free – you are free."
Bark nodded, wiping a tear from his cheek. Shadow sighed, turning to see Rouge and Knuckles, watching through the window. He nodded to them, before turning back to Bark.
"He will pay."
Bark nodded again, but a determined gaze fell over his face.
"And I know how he will. However, I'll need your help."
Shadow nodded. "What do I need to do?"
Bark sighed, before looking back at Shadow.
"You are going to pretend to have died. Robotnik has been planning one last charge to take place soon – one where he will kill you. I, however, have been talking with Tails – and we have devised a plan. One where you will survive, and the people will see that the Undertaker is not after you – but after Robotnik."
Shadow scowled, seemingly struggling to take everything in. First, he finds out how Maria died, and now – he's going to fake his death?
Yet Shadow could not doubt – as he saw the determination in Bark's eyes. He knew Bark was serious.
How could Shadow ignore such determination?
With a sigh, he placed his hat on his head, before nodding.
"Tell me what you need me to do."