Act II: REVELATION

Chapter VII: Nightcrawler

"Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains, on the hills and under every spreading tree, where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods." – Deuteronomy 12:2

Two days solemnly passed since Vector was removed from Westopolis.

Espio had searched tirelessly for clues as to where they had taken him. Consoling Vanilla and Cream was no easy feat – he had run out of comforting things to say to them.

He seldom left the offices, partly out of fear that he would be mobbed, cursed, spat at, or worse if he had. Besides that, Espio found it difficult to will himself to leave.

He only prayed Vector was okay. If they did not find him soon – Westopolis would soon buckle under the new influence of Eclipse, or worse.

He had no where else to turn – only one more option left.

Sitting down and removing his hat, Espio faced Shadow, the Rogues, Scourge, Bark, Razor, and Fiona. Next to them, Nazo and Zero had tied the last bag of money shut, with Nazo blowing a ring of smoke from his cigar.

"Well – all the money for this job is here. Any last questions, Espio?" Zero asked.

Espio sighed, looking at Shadow with a doubtful eye. "Are you positive this will work?"

Shadow sighed, taking in the faint, harsh whisper from the chameleon's tone. He was unsure what to say. He could see that everything truly rode on this job.

"This is the only place I can feasibly see Eclipse taking Vector. I know him well enough – if he isn't dead, he's here."

Jet whistled, rubbing his neck. "Sheesh, I gotta ask – why would Eclipse take Vector to a coal mine?"

"What's he 'gonna do, rub Vector's face in coal until he passes out?" Scourge chuckled, yet quickly shut his trap at one glare from Espio.

"There truly is no reason to some of Eclipse's decisions – this coal mine has commonly been a place he would kidnap and torture anyone he saw fit. You all want to get paid, right?"

The room was full of nods, except for blank stares from Bark and Razor. Shadow took one puff of his cigarette, adjusting the hat on his head.

"Then you won't ask questions and follow my lead."

"You got it, boss…" Fiona muttered, filing down her claws.

Shadow cleared his throat, turning to Razor and Bark. He narrowed his eyes at the pair.

"Are you both ready for this? It's your first job like this."

Razor shrugged, fiddling with a strand of wheat hanging from his lip. "Ready as I ever will be."

Bark merely nodded, biting his lip – some doubts crossing his eyes, Shadow sighed, turning towards the bounty setters.

"We're ready to do this tonight if that is alright."

Nazo shrugged, chuckling to himself. "That's mighty alright with me. Why don't y'all get movin' then? Sun's settin' on this one."

Shadow pulled his coat over his back, letting the lit cigarette hang from his mouth. He stole a look at Espio, nodding to the sheriff.

"I'll let you know what we find."

Espio sighed, looking at his feet. He felt shameful having to stoop down to illegal actions, yet he truly had no other option. Shadow knew more about Eclipse than he or any of the police did.

If Vector was alive, and Shadow was certain he'd be there, he had to give it a try.

He was praying to whatever was out there that they would find their mayor and bring him home.

Silver and Sonic stared blankly at the shimmering moon, sat atop Blaze's hut.

Amy, Tails, and Cosmo were inside, attempting to keep the destroyed mood light. Dire times had struck yet again, and seemingly quicker, and worse, then before.

Silver reclined on the roof, yet Sonic found it impeccably difficult to allow himself to relax. What the hell had gotten into him? He was always relaxed. It was part of what made it easy for him to succeed at his goals – he never let himself get tense.

Now, however, he was wound up like a bow. There was nothing settling him down.

Silver noticed this – and he tapped a couple times on the hedgehog's back, yet even this did not break the trance Sonic had placed himself in.

"Earth to Hero," Silver muttered, tapping again.

"Hm? Oh, heh – sorry…got lost in the moon."

Silver chuckled, struggling to sit up on his elbows. He met the hedgehog's gaze for a moment, cocking an eyebrow.

"Wha's the problem with you? You ain't ever this…lost."

Sonic shrugged, tipping his hat lower onto his eyes. "I'm wound up, man. Vector's gone for two days, and Eclipse has spread like a virus. Do you know how many forehead marks I counted today?"

"How many?"

Sonic scoffed. "I don't have any earthly number."

Silver whistled lowly. "I figure you wouldn't. This is how he goes, Sonic. He's like a plague – he goes into a new town, spreads his ideas, gets people to convert to his cult'a personality, then leads them to doom. It's brutal."

"It's undefeatable," Sonic spat dryly, "No matter how many despicable things he does, he wins. He twists everybody – there ain't a way to make him lose."

"'Course there is," Silver said, standing up as he stretched his back, "It ain't gonna be easy, but there's a way. It relies on how much we're willin' to see it through, that's all."

Sonic sighed, rubbing his eyes, taking another look at the brilliantly shimmering moon.

"We need to put a bullet in his head and end this," Sonic spat.

"And repeat the cycle? Sonic – I don't think you understand what's happening here."

Sonic scoffed, running a hand wildly through his quills. "If I don't, mind explainin'? 'Cause I'm really lost on what to do!"

Silver sighed, biting his lip. "Eclipse opened the First Seal of the Apocalypse a few days ago. He's never opened a seal before – in fact, they've never been opened before."

"What does that mean?"

"The First Seal is the release of Conquest. It manifested by Eclipse, pretty much literally, conquering Westopolis by gettin' rid of Vector. Now that he's done, the deal is sealed. We're lookin' at the Apocalypse."

Sonic scoffed. "Is – is that some sort of prophecy? If it's a prophecy, who wins?"

Silver smirked, "That's the thing – it's not quite decided that far in advance. Westopolis is the grounds for battle. If Eclipse wins, Solaris ravages the planet. If he loses, Gaia defeats evil and restores purity over the planet."

"So how do we win?"

Silver stared with a smile, scratching his muzzle. "We keep fighting. The Apocalypse is going to arrive either way – but can we win that battle? Can we win with just us?"

"So, we have to do what we did with Robotnik? Get people to see he's leading them down into darkness?"

Silver nodded, "Somewhat like that. It's a bit more dire, though. It's going to be a bit more violent."

Sonic sighed, sitting down. He stared the moon again, nodding to himself. "Alright, then we better get ready to fight."

Silver nodded, thudding him on the back before hopping up, beginning his climb from the roof. "You're goddamn right!"

Sonic smirked, watching Silver began climbing down the roof. He took his eyes back to the moon, studying it closely. How beautiful it was – despite the darkness, Gaia's moon shone so bright.

She could scare a demon into hiding if she so wanted.

Until the hideous shade of red began filling the shining white moon.

Sonic felt his heart plummet through his chest, watching the Blood Moon take place in front of him.

Another eclipse? Was it an eclipse?

"Uh – Silv? You seein' that?"

He looked over the roof, seeing Silver staring ahead, his arms crossed tight across his chest.

"It's what I thought would happen."

"Which is what?"

Silver craned his neck, gesturing for him to come down. Sonic obliged, practically sliding off the roof onto the ground. When he landed in front of Silver, the white hedgehog already had beams of sweat forming.

"He's opening the Second Seal."

Shadow kicked down the wooden boards, leading the crew into the coal mines with his shining torch. Jet and Scourge followed behind with theirs, looking left and right as they descended into the tunnels.

Despite the burning light from their torches, the mines were still abhorrently dark, and the energy was brooding and formidable.

The smell of smoke and smog pervaded the air, nearly blinding their sights and cluttering their senses. Storm let out a cough, earning a hiss from Shadow.

"Shh!"

Storm swallowed his guilt, opting to continue following along.

Shadow turned another path, inspecting it. Dead end.

Turning to his right, he saw the next path was open. The hedgehog led the crew down there, keeping his footsteps light and his noise to a minimum.

Come on – he had to be down here.

They searched for a while, following every path, and ignoring every dead end. The mines were large, yet Shadow knew that somewhere – Eclipse had been here.

"Wait, look," Razor whispered, pointing his torch down the next tunnel.

In the distance, Shadow could see the glimmer of fire, as well as some muted noise.

Shadow nodded, immediately rushing down the path. They followed behind, and the closer they got, they heard the sounds louder and louder.

Howling dogs, barking men, guttural yelling.

These were no beasts, however.

Shadow got down to his knees, gesturing for the rest to do the same. They crawled closer to the mouth of the tunnel, nearing the fire that was ahead of them.

"What the hell…" Wave muttered to herself, her ears catching the incessant howling, yelling, and barking.

"Why are they – why are they doin' that?" Bean asked, to which Shadow silenced him with a glare.

Pressing a finger to his mouth, he turned back to the scene in front of him, making his crawl.

They stopped midway, staying glued to the ground to avoid inspection. Inside was a large cave-like room, where a massive bonfire burned in the center. Shadow's eyes wandered, inspecting various messages and symbols written across the cave walls in red. He assumed it was blood, but he saw no signs of any dead bodies…

And no sign of Vector.

Shadow cursed to himself. Where the hell was he?

What he did see, however, was one of Eclipse's classic rituals.

Men were crawling around the ground, wearing only fabric around their waists. They had blood, dirt, and mud smeared on them.

The look in their eyes was demonic.

They howled, barked, screamed, cried – the noises exiting their mouths were guttural and haunting.

They thrashed around the fire, while Mimic walked around, jangling chains to an inaudible beat.

And in the center, in front of the fire, was Eclipse – eyes closed, lips pursed tight, and a pitchfork in hand.

He looked towards the ceiling, breathing deeply as he no doubt allowed his ears to consume the sounds of the men.

Jet shook his head in disbelief, and Bark merely stared over Shadow's head.

Eclipse raised his pitchfork, opening his eyes towards the fire.

"Arise!"

The men stopped, rising to their feet. Eclipse walked around them, licking his lips as he inspected the men.

Pointing the pitchfork at the second man, he began to sink the pitchfork slowly and gently into his back. The man bit back the pain, allowing a few trickles of blood to stream across his back.

Eclipse withdrew the pitchfork, bending down to his ear – breath hot and eyes wild.

"Do you denounce her Majesty of the Earth?"

"I do."

Eclipse pointed the pitchfork at his neck, lightly cutting across it. The man growled like a rabid beast, and the darkling chuckled softly.

"Do you denounce her?!"

"I DENOUNCE HER. I DENOUNCE HER IN THE NAME OF THE FLAME!"

The man hopped to his feet, growling, and yelling towards the ceiling. Eclipse kicked his legs out from under him, sending the man back to his knees.

Eclipse did the same to the next man, watching as he immediately hopped to his feet, crying out in defiance of Gaia, yet crying out in servitude to Solaris.

Shadow bit back rage.

Eclipse lifted his arms, as all the men rose to their feet.

Mimic continued shaking the chains about, as Eclipse clicked his tongue.

With a venomous, hoarse, and crass whisper – he spat towards them.

"Denounce her name."

"WE DENOUNCE HER. WE DENOUNCE HER. WE DENOUNCE HER."

Shadow couldn't tell how long the chanting had been going on. He turned to Bark, who merely stared in complete amazement.

"When are we gonna break up this party?" Scourge whispered through gritted teeth.

Shadow shook his head, staring back at the ritual. He pondered his next moves carefully, examining the scenario around him.

Suddenly, however, Eclipse silenced the shouting. He stared at the fire for a moment, before gesturing to Mimic.

"Go and grab me my revolver."

The octopus nodded, removing a revolver that was previously wrapped in red fabric. Handing him the red and black revolver, Eclipse twirled it, walking around the fire.

"Is somethin' wrong?" Mimic asked, narrowing his hollow eyes.

Eclipse took a deep breath, before pointing the revolver towards the tunnel.

"Come out, brother."

Before Shadow could act, Eclipse fired the revolver, causing the hedgehog to leap back.

"Get down!" Bark ordered, as Eclipse's men began approaching the tunnel.

Shadow turned around, a frenzy in his eye. "Run."

Scourge nodded, pointing his torch towards the back of the tunnel. "Go, go, go!"

They followed Scourge out quickly, yet Shadow only took careful steps back as Eclipse approached him, a devilish gleam in his eye.

"You've come to break up the party, ey? Why not just join us – you're always invited to participate!"

Shadow growled, keeping his revolver pointed as he walked backwards. He stole a look over his shoulder, seeing Scourge leading them further and further away.

"I'll have your brains splattered on these tunnel walls before I join you."

Eclipse cackled loudly, shaking his head about like a frantic animal. "Why so much hostility?! We're brothers! We're family, Shadow! Embrace your roots boy! Stop all this nonsense!"

Shadow spat harshly, clicking down the hammer on his gun. "Then I'll die before I ever call you my brother!"

"Well, if that's how you want it! Rip his limbs apart, men!"

The men darted towards him, holding revolvers themselves. They fired wildly, causing Shadow to roll out of the way, as the bullets struck the sides of the tunnel. Shadow returned fire, striking two men in the guts as they collapsed.

Eclipse growled, rushing forward with his pitchfork. He swung it at Shadow, who kicked it out of the way. Eclipse leapt forward, battering the end of the fork into his gut. Shadow collided into the wall, rolling out of the tunnel. As he hit the ground, Fiona turned around sharply.

"Shadow?! Dude, what's goin' on?!"

"Just get the hell 'outta here!"

Suddenly, Razor plowed through them, his shotgun in hand. "Not happenin'."

Eclipse's men rushed from the tunnel, and as quickly as they came into the shark's view, he fired. The bullets struck a few of the men, causing them to fall limp onto the ground.

Eclipse whipped his head towards them, pointing his pitchfork. "Oh, please! You brought all your friends here too?!"

"Where the hell is Vector?!" Jet exclaimed, pointing his revolver.

"Oh, the mayor? You thought he was here?!"

Eclipse turned to Shadow, who was still lying on his elbows. The darkling cackled, planting a kick into the hedgehog's side as he let out a loud groan.

"'Course I didn't bring him here! I knew you would poke around here for him soon enough, brother! I decided not to give you that satisfaction!"

"You opened the First Seal, you bastard! Do you know what you've done to us all?!"

Eclipse bent down, hissing slightly as he licked his lips. He playfully batted at Shadow's face.

"Well, 'course I do! That's why I did it after all! Westopolis has gotta make way!"

"Where's Vector?!"

Eclipse groaned with a roll of the eyes, shaking his head. "Why do you care so much about that guy? If you were lyin' hurt on the streets, he wouldn't do anythin' for you! He wouldn't so much as even steal a glance! To him, y'all are just criminal outlaws who fuck with the very system he built! Why even pay him any mind at all?!"

"You're wrong, Eclipse,"

"I'm wrong, I'm wrong, I'm wrong," Eclipse muttered, blabbing incoherencies to himself before turning back to his brother sharply.

"Who are you to say I'm wrong? You have many, many skeletons in your closet, brother! That's why I ask you to embrace them all with me! Stop living a lie!"

"I'll be damned if I join you," Shadow spat, "You come here, open the seals of the Apocalypse, and expect that we'll let you win in the end. I will never join you."

Eclipse cackled in his face, until he stopped, looking at the roof of the tunnel. He smirked, cracking his neck.

He turned to his men, pointing towards the exit of the mines. "Go! The moon is red! The time for the Second Seal's opening has arrived!"

The men hollered, rushing forward with fury. Jet cursed, beginning to lead the crew from the tunnels.

Shadow stumbled to his legs, catching his fleeting breath. He stole a look at Eclipse, who sauntered past him.

"I'll let you live so you can enjoy this!"

With that, the darkling darted from the caves, only for Shadow to curse as he began sprinting behind.

Yet before he went too far, another light in the distance caught his eye. Shadow darted down the tunnel, catching his breath and heaving as he ran towards the light. He felt his legs stiffen, the pain of the blows catching up to him.

Reaching the room, he stopped, almost throwing up at the sight.

A corpse hung from the ceiling by a chain, and Shadow approached it. He could tell immediately it wasn't Vector, which quenched many of his fears. He turned his shoulder, ensuring no one was watching him.

All clear.

He turned back, using his revolver to break the chain. The corpse fell to the ground, and Shadow bent down – immediately picking it up.

The people need proof of who Eclipse is?

Fine.

Yet before he left, he caught a phrase on the wall that froze his blood cold.

"THE SECOND SEAL BREAKS. THE FIRST WAR OF MANY ARRIVES!"

Sonic led Tails and Amy out to the center of Westopolis, where a crowd had gathered to bear witness to the blood moon.

Amy hung close to Sonic, shaking her head. "Sonic, what is happening? Is Silver right – is this some sort of omen?!"

"I 'dunno…"

Behind Sonic, approached Manic and Sonia.

"Hey bro, when's the last time you saw a red fuckin' moon?" Manic asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Exactly…" Sonic muttered. He saw Silver rushing to the fountain, as the white cowboy hopped on top, cupping his mouth.

"People! People! Listen, there – there is no cause for fear or panic! However, I recommend takin' your families and findin' a way out of town tonight! I do think there's a bad omen here, and for your safety you should go away if you can!"

"Why? What's happening?"

"Yeah, what the hell gives?!"

"Are you doin' this just so you can fight Eclipse? What the hell do you have on that guy anyways?"

"It-" Silver muttered, catching his breath, "It's not that! A blood moon is a sign of dangerous bloodshed, and if you don't wish to be caught in it, leave! Remember when we warned you when the Undertaker was here?! We were right! So please – listen to us this time!"

"Why should they?"

Silver stopped, turning over his shoulder. Hopped on the top of the fountain was Eclipse, looking down at Silver. He smirked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Come on, Silver! You are tryin' so hard to scare them, but so what? What if they wanna get a little violent? Bloodshed this, bloodshed that – what's the point of wearin' chains?!"

Silver turned to Eclipse, getting close to his face. He clenched his teeth, jamming a finger in the darkling's chest.

"You know exactly what you're doing."

"I'm freein' their minds. It's only temptation if you say it is."

The darkling turned to the crowd, pointing a fist in the air. "If it's bloodshed he wants, it should be bloodshed he gets, yes?"

Many of the crowd hollered at this statement, while many sunk in fear. Immediately, many families began darting away, and Sonic rushed towards the fountain.

He pointed at Eclipse, a curse in his eye. "Do you see what you're doing?! You're scaring these poor people! Why do you want division so bad?!"

"Oh, Sonic – I don't want division! It's up to them if they 'wanna get with my vision or not! Tonight, however, you say a bloodshed is coming – so why shouldn't it?!"

Sonic was about to quip back, until a large crowd approached the city from the distance. He could hear them yelling into the night, and it shrunk Sonic's heart to smithereens. He felt his veins freeze up, walking back in disbelief.

Silver turned the shoulder, hissing before facing Sonic and Tails.

"It's starting! Tails, open your workshop for refugees! This is going to be a bloodbath! Go! Now!"

Tails nodded hurriedly, pointing into the distance, ordering anyone that could to run towards his workshop.

Eclipse licked his lips with a grin, staring down Sonic coldly.

The blue hedgehog only returned the glare, readying his stance as the onslaught of the crowd behind Eclipse gained closer and closer.