Act I: CATACOMBS
Chapter XXII: Goodbye Angels
"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves." – Luke 21:25
Rouge and Knuckles watched Shadow leave the church, yet his expression was clouded by the shadow of his hat.
Rouge immediately rushed towards him, followed closely by Knuckles. Rouge grabbed his shoulders, her eyes full of concern.
"Shadow, what the hell happened in ther-"
Rouge stopped when she noticed the tears that lingered on the hedgehog's muzzle. She inspected him closely, feeling her mouth dry up.
"Shadow, what happened?"
Shadow sighed, wiping the stray tears from his muzzle. "Bark told me the truth of how Maria died."
Rouge sucked in a gasp, quickly grabbing onto his wrists. Shadow shook his head, biting down harshly on his lip.
"Jesus – Shadow, I – I don't know what to say…"
"It doesn't matter. Bark and Tails have a plan – a plan to end all of this."
"Which is?" Knuckles asked, looking pointedly at Shadow.
"Robotnik has been plotting my death for some time now. Bark knows how we can fake it – that will show the citizens that he is a liar. The Undertaker will stay, and Robotnik will finally be exposed for what he is."
"How exactly will you fake your death? If you die, don't you just die?" Knuckles asked, grumbling slightly.
Shadow shook his head. "Tails has a plan – you can trust him, yes?"
Knuckles sighed, yet he nodded. Tails has never failed them before.
"Do you know the status of the shootout by Town Hall?" Shadow asked, to which Rouge shook her head.
"No, but we should get over there. If this is all truly about to end, then we-"
The loud crackle of thunder startled the three of them, the tremor of the celestial blast shaking the foundation they stood upon. The three looked towards the sky, seeing the purple and orange gaining closer and closer towards one another.
"They're getting closer…" Knuckles muttered.
"I don't know a damn thing about this deity stuff, but I can tell that's not good whatsoever," Rouge said, cupping her hand over her eyes to get a better view.
Shadow sighed, pulling his revolver from his holster.
"Time is running out. It's time to finish this."
The shootout had reached a standstill. The church's gang was sprawled around, tending to the pain they received.
Sonic huffed out a sigh, as Tails rushed to his side from the alley.
"Are you alright?" Tails asked, watching as Sonic clutched his side.
"Y – yeah. Yeah, I'm alright bud."
The flames from the demolition that finished off the fight still lingered. Espio led the police on horseback to survey the damage.
"So, who the hell are we arrestin'?" Nicole asked.
"It seems we're a little bit past just arresting people," Espio stated, removing his hat.
Mighty whistled, "No kidding."
Sonic and Tails regrouped with Amy, who wiped dirt from her dress. Her eyes wandered to Bean, who sat atop a keg of TNT, his fur charred black. He chuckled, laying over the barrel – earning a chuckle from Storm.
"How are you feelin'?" Sonic asked, to which Amy shrugged.
"Could be better – but hey, I think we won this one."
"We're not going to win if that keeps up," Julie-su filled in, pointing towards the sky.
"What the hell is that anyways?" Sonic asked, "Does anyone have any idea?"
"Gaia and Solaris," A voice said, causing the crew to turn around to see Silver and Blaze, followed closely behind with Gold and Marine.
"Wait, wait, wait – those are gods in the sky?" Jet asked.
"Pretty much," Silver said.
"And what the hell they doin' here?" Scourge asked, earning a sigh from Silver.
"Like Mephiles said – five days. Five days until they battle and Westopolis is wiped from the map."
"Are we just brushing over the fact that we can see two gods with our own eyes?!" Storm shouted, cupping his neck in worry.
"If we don't get rid of Robotnik fast, those two gods are gonna be our doom," Marine said, holding her arms across her chest.
Speaking of the devil, Robotnik sauntered from shadows, followed by Clutch as he looked at the sky. Soon, most of the townsfolk began emerging from their homes, as towns square was soon filled to the brim.
Robotnik shook his head, turning to face Sonic in the dark of the night.
"This is all your fault, hedgehog."
Sonic began thundering forward. "Not likely, pal. Give up and get the hell out. Then you'll see that this will all end."
Robotnik shook his head, bending down to face Sonic. "Not gonna happen. I'll make sure they see the light – and I'll make sure you won't be around any longer."
Sonic snickered, glancing up to Robotnik with a shit-eating grin. He pointed the revolver into Robotnik's gut. "Try me."
Clutch approached from behind, lighting a cigar before bending down to burn the face of one of the dead church-gang members. He inhaled, blowing a cloud into the night sky.
"What a force a' nature that is. Robotnik, don't think you understand that with those two colors in the sky – your whole doctrine is shot."
Robotnik growled, whacking Clutch in the back of the head. "Don't speak like that, Clutch! You know good as well our victory is closer than you think."
The crunching of footsteps sounded as Shadow approached, followed by Rouge and Knuckles. He had his revolver held close to his chest, spitting on the ground.
"And there he is – the one who hath brought this all," Robotnik mocked.
"This is not the time to fuck with me, Father."
Robotnik grimaced, stomping forward. "What would be the time then, hm? What will you do now? You have brought us this close to the end!"
"You are staring the true deities of our world in the face, Robotnik! How can you not see that?!" Knuckles grumbled, pointing towards him.
"Gods this, gods that – you are all full of wicked evil! That is what is truly important here! The longer you are here, the closer we get to death! I will make sure that it ends!"
Shadow suddenly whipped out his revolver, pointing it towards the preacher. Surge and Kit retaliated by pulling out theirs, though they were injured and clearly exhausted.
Espio immediately whirred his horse around, pointing towards the houses. "Everyone, inside now!"
The townsfolk began clamoring away quickly, and the police then raised their guns on Shadow and Robotnik.
"Stop this madness! Can't you see we're all scared?!" Sally exclaimed. Shadow's hand grip tightened on the revolver, the gun shaking ever so slightly.
"Shadow, just – come on! We're gonna figure this out!" Amy exclaimed.
"Seriously?! This is where you all draw the line?!" Shadow exclaimed, hissing, "We've wanted this man dead all along!"
"You know deep down that I am right, Shadow," Robotnik spat. "You know that even in the end of everything – killing me will only damn you more."
"Not even a little bit."
Clutch chuckled, taking a drag from his cigar. "Who cares anyways? We're all gonna die. Might as well just accept it."
"Not if we can stop it," Blaze spat, joining sides with Shadow as Silver followed.
"Your tyranny ends now, Robotnik. Just leave. We know how to fix this – not you," Silver said, gritting his teeth.
"Not going to happen," Robotnik slammed yet again.
Then, Sonic stepped forward, joining by Shadow and Silver.
"Then we'll make you."
"Stand down!" Espio exclaimed, "Right now!"
Blaze crossed her arms, glancing at the sky. She turned to look at the three, smiling to herself.
"The trinity is here. Do you see, deities on high? The trinity is here!" Blaze cried towards the sky, fervor in her voice.
"Trinity? What do you mean?" Sonic asked.
Blaze sighed, shaking her head. She knew that if they didn't know soon – it would only shorten the time they had left to fix this.
She pointed to Silver.
"The Shepherd."
She pointed to Sonic.
"The Spirit."
And then to Shadow.
"The Lamb."
Sonic and Shadow exchanged confused looks, yet by the amused look on Silver's face – they knew she was right.
A holy trinity.
"Preposterous!" Robotnik bellowed, growling through his teeth. "There is nothing holy about the three of you! We are all facing down the grave because of your misdeeds!"
"Just stand down! That's an order!" Antoine exclaimed from his horse.
Shadow ignored this call once more, taking a few steps closer to Robotnik, aiming the gun harshly towards the preacher.
"Not until he gets what he deserves."
Clutch snickered yet again, removing his hat. "Oh, what? It's all revenge for that girl, huh? Just say that – we'd understand. I cannot even fathom how much it hurts you, Shadow."
Shadow smirked. "I'll just give him what he gave me."
Turning slightly, he moved the gun from Robotnik onto Clutch – shooting him in the head.
Amy shrieked, watching as blood poured from the hole in Clutch's forehead, as the opossum collapsed to the ground.
"Shadow?! What the hell?!" Bunnie exclaimed, yet Shadow merely put the gun in his holster, spitting on the ground where Clutch's corpse lay.
"I knew you would give into yet another evil temptation, Shadow! You always have been the devil in the flesh, Shadow! Now everyone can see it! Everyone!"
Espio raced forward, grabbing Shadow's arms and forcing them behind his back.
"Espio, wait!" Sonic cried, but Shadow's glare cut him off. Dropping his head, he gritted his teeth.
"Let him. It's part of the plan."
"Wh – what? What plan?!"
Shadow remained silent, allowing Espio to remove Shadow from the scene. Sonic watched as the crew hurried away from the scene, all wearing expressions of panic. Sonic ran over to Knuckles and Rouge, his breath shaken.
"What the hell was that? What is going on?!"
"We'll explain everything. Just follow them," Knuckles said.
Sonic nodded hurriedly, rushing to meet the crew.
All Sonic could hear was the shouting voice of Robotnik, as he stood over Clutch's dead body.
"You've all damned us! We're all going to pay for what you've done! All of us! The wicked has poisoned us all!"
Sonic had to fight to ignore Robotnik's words, keeping his gaze ahead.
They're so close. They cannot give up now.
Tails stood outside the police building. He watched his breath float in the cold night's air – seeing the orange and purple thundering closer and closer together.
It was the night after the shootout. He was starting to believe Mephiles' timeframe wasn't exactly accurate. Those two forces in the sky were inching closer and closer by the minute. Tails swears he can feel the surmounting dread pinching all over his fur.
Soon they'd be reduced to nothing. This plan had to work. There were no other alternatives now.
From the alleyway, Tails heard the rustling of footsteps. Turning his head, he saw Bark sneak from the alleyway, wiping dirt from his eyes.
"Is the armor ready?"
Tails nodded, stealing a glance towards the door. "It is. We only have a little bit of time to prepare everyone. Have you talked to Robotnik?"
Bark nodded. "I'll be calling service soon."
Tails sighed. "Good – this is our only chance."
Bark crossed his arms, turning back to take one more glance to the church. He knew what was in store – and he was terrified.
"When the church bells chime, that's the cue."
Tails nodded, brushing falling strands of hair from his eyes. "This is it, Bark."
Bark sighed once more, before turning to make his way back to church.
Tails sighed, taking one more glance at the sky before walking inside.
Shadow fastened the metal armor around his stomach, before turning to see Tails.
"Are you sure this is gonna work, Tails?" Tangle asked.
"It has too," Shadow answered for him, placing the hat on his head.
"Well – since Shadow isn't going to actually die – will Gaia and Solaris truly leave this place? Will Mephiles?" Amy asked, holding Cosmo close around her arm.
"Once Robotnik is fully exposed, the wickedness that he has brought will begin to fade. The town will turn on him – and Mephiles will leave. He will have no other choice," Blaze said.
"And – if I can just ask…what is this about a trinity?" Sonic stepped forward, taking his place between Shadow and Silver.
Gold stepped up, shooting a glance towards Blaze. "The Tres Prophecy spoke of a trinity that was destined to defend against any malfeasances that were brought by mortal hand. One was the Shepherd, one was the Spirit, and one was the Lamb. The Shepherd is the closest to Gaia – Silver. The Spirit would be the one that unites the three, and everyone, together. The Lamb…is the one that will always sacrifice himself for the greater good."
Blaze and Silver gave Gold and approving gaze, with the tenrec turning to hide the red on her cheeks.
"Well, that makes sense," Nicole remarked, leaning her frame against Sally's.
"So, that's us?" Sonic asked, earning a giggle from Silver.
"Sorry you had to find out that way – but at least you know. It'll give us the clarity to finally win."
Rouge was standing with her team, as well as the Echidna's. Knuckles held onto the amulet tightly, allowing Tikal and Shade to lay their heads on his shoulder.
"Chaos is here too. I can feel him."
"There is…another part of the prophecy," Blaze spoke up, earning the attention of the room.
"While each member of the trinity represent what Gold has told you…each also represent one deity of the trinity. Gaia is the Shepherd, Chaos is the Spirit, and Solaris is the Lamb. You may not feel it like Silver and I do – but you are connected to them as well."
"And the three of us," Shade stated, "Are Chaos' chosen. We are very connected to that deity,"
"Huh – so wait…" Sonic trailed off, as Knuckles, Tikal, and Shade pulled up their fur sleeves.
Each three had a green drop of water marked onto their fur.
"Sonic – meet the Children of Chaos. It wasn't just the Moon and Sunchild, yanno!" Silver exclaimed, throwing an arm around Sonic's shoulder.
Sonic shook his head, letting out a scoff.
"This just gets weirder and weirder. I need a cigarette."
"Look, prophecy aside, I think we can all see that our time is cutting short. We need to know…what if this doesn't work?" Whisper asked.
"Fair point – if the town doesn't fully wake up to this – then what?" Mighty asked, holding Charmy with an arm around the shoulder.
Blaze looked towards Silver, the two sharing a knowing glance.
"If it doesn't work – then Westopolis is gone," Blaze stated.
A shockwave of worry was sent through the group. They had one shot left. The townsfolk were almost there. They needed one final push to see the truth. How much further can they go?
He had to keep pushing. They all did.
Sonic's thoughts were cut short by the chiming of church bells. Espio turned to Vector, giving him a nod.
"The time has come," Shadow remarked, before heading through the door.
"Shadow, wait!" Sonic exclaimed, hurrying after him. Shadow turned over his shoulder, meeting the green-eyed gaze of the hedgehog.
Sonic sighed, rubbing his quills fervently. "Look – I know I used to be some…fanboy of yours. But – now I feel like we actually have somethin' goin on-"
Jet whistled, "Oh, you're tellin' me!"
Wave shushed him with an elbow to the gut, though Sonjc only chuckled to himself.
"Point is – don't actually die out there. I just have a feeling after this is over – it still won't be."
Shadow nodded, knocking on the metal fastened on his torso.
"I won't."
Shadow walked through the streets, ignoring the flux of townspeople that trudged into church. The night was cold, and the colors of purple and orange were bright and harsh.
Making it to towns square, he eyed Bark – who began climbing down from the bell tower. Before walking inside, Bark turned, giving a longing look to Shadow.
An understanding spawned between the two – an understanding that they were putting everything on the line for this one plan.
It had to work.
The pair nodded at each other, before Bark sauntered inside.
Shadow took one more gaze to the sky, letting a sigh escape his lips. He fished for a cigarette, flicking on the lighter before sticking it in his mouth.
He enjoyed the rush of buzzing sensation that collected in his head, taking his seat on a rock.
He let out one last fateful sigh…
And waited.