We're almost at the final stretch. I have five more chapters, plus an epilogue, planned out for this story, and things are only going to escalate from here. Besides ch. 10, I think this is one of the more exciting ones I've written and I hope that you all see it the same. Other than that, let's get going again.
Chapter 15: Awakening
Planet Reign-14 Years Ago
It was a harsh spring living on the planet Reign. More so than even the winters and the summers. The rain and flooding wake through the low streets of everyday life. All while the government couldn't care less about what happened to their people unless they devoted their faith to their cult. A planet with a population consisting entirely of foxes. The home of the Abyss Voyagers. The home of Harrow. For her whole life, she had grown up under an oppressive regime that pushed for a united utopia and didn't care what the costs would be to achieve it. Naturally, there were those who would oppose such tyranny. Enter the Heralds, freedom fighters who swore the liberation of their planet from the Abyss Voyagers. Most of them were young, and many died young. But some were even younger. A trio of foxes, just four years old, had been brought to the Herald's operating base for protection while their parents went out to fight. Arsonal, Vulnter… and Harrow. For the most part, none of them understood why they were there in that condensed base, or why their parents were always coming back with wounds and scars. Harrow, especially, wanted nothing to do with it. There was just one window in the run-down base, showing a glimpse of the outside world. Harrow could see a wall with graffiti plastered around it. A drawing of a two-tailed fox saying 'Rise with us'. But beyond the wall was the sky, clouded by thick gray fog, and in the far horizon, the glare of the sun. They moved around a lot, so an opportunity to see this was rare for Harrow, so she drew down everything she saw, no matter how bleak they could get. It let her escape from the confinements of her life.
It took one day for it all to breeze through. In an instant. In a single afternoon… it was gone. The Abyss Voyagers had found their base and sent a strike team to finish off the leaders. Arsonal and Vulnter's parents caught wind of this attack but selfishly fled to save themselves. Harrow's father, however, stayed to protect her. As The Abyss Voyagers attacked, he took her away from the base and ran as far as he could. Arsonal and Vulnter were taken, but Harrow had a moment of freedom before it shifted back to a cracked reality. Her father's efforts to keep her safe were in vain, as once they fled, The Highest personally stepped in to stop them. Harrow's father was no match for The Highest's telekinetic nano swarm which wrapped around his neck and started to tighten. It tightened and tightened until *SNAP!* No more of him. The first life of innocence, for Harrow, was gone. At that moment, she wasn't afraid. She was furious. She ran down at The Highest, showing her claws and fangs to tear him to pieces. Of course, it wasn't an issue for him, as he just snathed her by the throat and held her up closer to look at. Despite all this, she still tried to slash him, which was intriguing. To him, he was staring at a young specimen with raging potential. "Hush, my delicate child. Save your riled thrills for me yet. There is much to be done."
Later, in an underground laboratory, Harrow was securely strapped in a chair. Bright light shining from a lamp above. Her eyelids were forced open by pins as she stared up. Dry tears drizzled down to the cold ground. The Highest walks up to her and places his finger on her forehead. Suddenly, Harrow freaks out in pain as her vein nearly breaks through her skin. A red streak of lines emanates from the branching veins. The first of many pieces of training for the power of hexes. She would become a carrier of its corrosive power. In each session of torture, The Highest was there, making sure she would handle it. The drawing of the sun turned into symbols of despair. The drawings of her home turned into a vacant memory. The drawings of her family… were now just a target. Through manipulation, Vulnter was the first to give into The Highest's teachings. She became obsessed with the god that was described to them as a savior and firmly believed that their parents were the real enemy. Arsonal was close to the opposite. While he was told that The Abyss Voyagers were doing the right thing, he only accepted that as a way to cope and become stronger to protect his childhood friends. But he didn't want to hurt the innocent. At one point, he froze because he refused to pull the trigger on a child. Harrow was transformed from a quiet and warm-hearted kid to a murderous puppet of The Highest. Although, she had every desire to kill The Highest, even if that meant killing anyone who stood between her and her goals. The Highest was more or less aware of this, but still led her to fight impossible odds and weave a passion for killing into her. Whether she liked it or not, she was turned into The Highest's 'killer toy'
Years later, when they were 18, they were selected to be a team to search the galaxy for the one called 'The Vessel'. Integrating them into this mission was The Highest. "Though your lives have been expunged from heresy. The debts of your makers have yet to leave you. To relieve yourself from this sin, you must achieve the impossibility our ancestors failed to do for a century. There is a vessel that our god must inhabit to regain its strength. A two-tailed fox, prophesied to be hiding amongst the planets and stars of this universe. Find them, and salvation will be rewarded."
"Yes, my Highest!" Both Vulnter and Arsonal said, although Vulnter's enthusiasm far outweighed Arsonal's apathy. Harrow remained silent and stared deep into The Highest's hood. After all these years, she was sure that her time for revenge was nearing.
Station Square: City Center-Present Day
"They're beating us to the punch!" Tower yelled to the rest while shooting back at a flock of drones diving in on them. Arriving in the city full of GUN reinforcements was to be expected, as it was made well aware that Sonic and the rest would be headed here to find Tails. Sonic just hoped that GUN wasn't able to track their message and know where Tails was now. If they did, then they for sure would get to him before they did. Perhaps it would be better to split up and head in different directions in the city. If they all rushed in one direction, it was possible that GUN would predict where they were going and cut them off. But, Sonic didn't want to risk losing anyone else by his side, and with how overwhelming the number of GUN soldiers there was, they needed everyone at once to fight back effectively. Even with all of them together, they were at a standstill. Surrounded once again in the center of the city. It helped that Silver was as powerful as he was, but it was like the whole city was filled with GUN. There was no end to them.
"What are you going to do?" Vector called out to Sonic. The hedgehog was at a loss for words. He had never experienced a force this persistent before. There was nowhere to run without bumping into more GUN units and nowhere to hide. Things were getting worrisome as he saw sweat pour from Silver's quills. The pressure was getting to him as he tried to push back bullets, shells, and people away. Sonic knew that Silver could only last so long in a constant battle and the heat of it all was crashing down on his stamina. Soon, he'd be unable to fight back, and Silver knew it too. As he chipped away more at the GUN frontline, he could see an opening where they could escape. An intersection with little defenses other than a few tanks and soldiers, but somehow it was the best route.
With this next push, they could make a breakaway to Tails and save him. He had to try with what little strength he had left. "I can't hold out much longer." Silver said. "But I can force one last push. Just don't waste this opportunity, ok?" Everyone nods. They were sure that once he made the move, it would be obvious how to act on it. The time was now, and Silver concentrated all his power towards that one opening. Pulling his arms back and shooting them forward sends an incredible shockwave that rocks the sturdy tanks out of the way. Sonic and the others saw the opening now. The intersection would be the most direct route to Tails' place. "Go!" The last fumes in Silver's body burned out as he fell from the sky, quickly losing consciousness. Fortunately, he fell right into Vector's arms, a safe bastion to rest.
"Everyone follow close behind!" Sonic shouted. "Before anymore-" The Blue Blur's train of thought was derailed once hearing the burning of the air off in the distance. Thrusters firing red flames as they descend slowly in a vast row surrounding the heroes. GUN BigFoots, large mecha units with a duo of missile launchers, reinforcing the open space that Silver had put in the effort to attain. It was put to vain. They came from the red sky, covered by the fading clouds ahead of the blood moon. Flares trailing down one at a time. The walkers were in place, ready to stop Sonic and his friends for good. Sonic was confident that he and the rest could handle a handful of the BigFoots at a time, but this was a whole battalion backed up by another army bent on striking them down. "Where did they come from?"
"Where does GUN keep all of these?" Amy exclaimed. The latch of the missile launchers swung open. The rockets were prone to fire as the lead mecha stepped forward, followed in unison by the other ones. "Sonic, what are we going to do?" She eyed Sonic, awaiting any plan to be made in the light. But… he couldn't think of anything. He could run but he was not sure if anyone else could follow without getting hurt. Silver would no doubt be able to stop the missiles but he was out of commission for the time being. Before he could devise a strategy, the first barrage of rockets ignited into the air and hurled toward them. What was he going to do now? With little time left to spare and ponder what the next move was going to be. All there was to do now was brace for impact. However, that fate would not come, as a blue aura forms around the missiles, stopping them in place. It was Silver's power, no doubt about it. But glancing back at him showed that he was still out of it, resting deeply. So… who was saving them? Suddenly, an energy spear plummets from the heavens and pierces through the lead mech, instantly destroying it. All attention was turned to the horizon, facing an arching hill just outside the city limits. A black speck blazing through the middle, leaving a fiery trail behind in its wake. "Who is that?" Amy wondered as she squinted her eyes to try and see who was coming. Although, the speck was too small to spot with the naked eye. But with Espio's keen sense of sight, he could see further away with ease. His eyes widen with shock and glee as he makes out the figure. It was Shadow!
Shadow was racing towards the city, with a look of determination stained on his face. The flowing chaos energy was rampantly moving around his body at an even greater pace than it had before, but most of it bordered around his hands and wrists, which were extended to both sides of his body like he was conjuring something heavy to follow, and follow it did. Arising from the concealment of the other side of the hill were a storm of chaos spears dashing through the sky, trailing to wherever Shadow was directing them with his arms and hands. With a push of both hands forward, the chaos spears fling toward the GUN army like a rain of arrows. Sonic and his friends watched in absolute amazement as the chaos spears cut down the GUN forces like thin paper, causing disarray within the soldiers. Just then, the suspended missiles changed trajectory and launched back at the BigFoot mechs, destroying many of them. A retreat for GUN was necessary, as they quickly became outmatched with this sudden shift in the tide of battle. An audible 'fall back!' was heard by Sonic from the frontlines. He sighed heavily with relief as he realized that they were saved, for the moment at least. The one thing irking him now wasn't Shadow's abrupt appearance, but instead, what had suspended the missiles. Silver was out and yet that power which saved them was identical. He and many others were just as out of it too. Hopefully, with Shadow zooming into their crowd to meet up with them, answers would become apparent.
"You sure took your time." Sonic told Shadow with a smug attitude.
"I could say the same." Shadow impatiently added. He was not in the mood for this small talk. Sonic opened his mouth, ready to retort back with what could only be a snarky comment, but Shadow quickly cut him off. "This isn't the time for chatting. Take this seriously."
"Just relax a little bit, Shadow." Sonic shrugged and shook his head. "We have everything under control." In essence, Sonic did a good job setting himself up to be humbled real quick. The air cracked and a whistling sound plummets just above Sonic. The source of the noise falls through the clouds. A capsule with quad thrusters barreling to the ground. It crash lands mere inches behind Sonic, sending a shockwave of dust to cover the site of its fall. Sonic widens his eyes and blissfully lets the shockwave push forward his quills, while Shadow braces himself and pulls all of his concentration to the capsule. The dust is becoming a concerning hassle as it floats up longer to block everyone else's vision. Didn't help that they heard something approaching from within. Clanking and metal hinges shifting in at a slow and methodical pace. The smell of fresh oil stenching up Sonic and Shadow's noses. The clanking periodically stops before accelerating rapidly towards them. A metal claw reaches out and aims for Sonic's throat. That claw… Sonic has seen it enough to recognize who it belonged to. Thankfully, before the claw could squeeze down and tear Sonic's throat, it is encompassed in Silver's aura. Another wave of air gusts through the dust and pushes it back, revealing the attacker. It was as Sonic thought… It was Metal Sonic. Both hedgehogs saw its sleek design and chrome armor plating. They put together that somehow, The Abyss Voyagers got a hold of the robot and modified it to their own needs and will. That aura again, saving Sonic just in time. Now he knew for sure it was Silver's, but a glance back still showed him out. A whirring in the air alerts him to look up, and the sight of who he saw blew his mind. It was Silver II, descending down with Rouge by his side. 'Two Silvers?' Sonic was distraught, trying to rationalize what he was seeing. He started to consider if he had been nicked by a bullet or shrapnel and was losing blood and was starting to see things. But after checking himself, he was fine. So, he started to wonder… 'WHAT WAS HAPPENING?!'
"Two Silvers?" Knuckles said.
"It's a long story." Rouge replied. "I'm sure he can explain once we're out of here."
"Rouge! You're alright!" Amy shouted to her. Without saying a word, Rouge relieved Amy with a short nod and a smirk.
"We can talk later. The path is cleared. Get to Tails now!" Silver II commanded. But before anyone could get a move on, the snared Metal Sonic forces out his black diamond shield to free itself from Silver II's grasp. Metal boosts forward and lunges after Silver II, who was distracted by talking to the others. Fortunately, Espio quickly spears through Metal's hand with a kunai tied to a rope, which Espio pulls back to hold off the murder bot. Vector and Charmey jump in too to hold back Metal.
"We can help fight this bucket of bolts too, ya know?" Vector called out to Silver II. Charmey was also eager to battle.
"Yeah! Let us at em!" Silver II seems touched by their help, but he is unsure whether to endanger their lives against Eggman's most dangerous robot. But he lived the same life that their Silver also lived, so he heard the stories about the Chaotix being able to hold back Metal before. Guess it was enough to work with, as Silver II sighed and nodded at them.
"Someone will need to protect your Silver then if the rest of us will be busy."
"I'm fine." Silver II heard his voice below him. He saw Silver standing on his own two feet, with just a little assistance from Tower to keep him on balance. He could tell he was fatigued and exhausted, but it was admirable that he was standing at all. "I know that if there are two of me in the past, then the future must be even worse than I thought. I won't lie down now. I'll fight to the end."
"That's good." Silver II responded. "You, Sonic, Shadow, and Amy go to Tails' house and find him. Once you do find him, don't worry about us and get out of the city as fast as possible." That last bit kinda concerned the Chaotix and Knuckles just a little. Guess they were just a distraction so the others can achieve the big mission. Well, they'd make quite a bombastic distraction if it came down to it. Silver agrees with Silver II and cruises away, followed by the other hedgehogs, racing through the intersection.
Meanwhile, inside one of the BigFoot mechs, Vulnter was spying out from the hatch. She had listened in on everything they had said. She snatches the radio strapped to her waist and begins to relay all that she heard to Harrow and Arsonal. "There are four heading to the vessel's household. I'll be with you two soon to cut them off. Let's give them a fight they'll come to regret."
Tails' House: Underground Lab
The rattling and shaking of the earth above Tails and Whisper caused a bit of distress between them. From the loud booms and movement from up top, Tails deduced that a battle was taking place outside in the city. Of course, he was worried, but he needed to stay strong and hold out. Long enough until Sonic and the others find him. He wished he could activate the defenses to his house to make the path there clearer, but he couldn't risk letting GUN know that he was there, even if there was a chance that they already did. It wasn't worth it to try. Here's also hoping that Sonic is strong enough or has backup with him to bring another person along since Tails didn't want to leave Whisper behind as well. "How will your friends get to us?" Whisper asked.
"Like I said, Sonic already knows about this place. I'll just have to ring him in once he arrives."
"And if he brings any unwanted guests?" Tails figured Whisper was talking about GUN or any Abyss Voyagers. There was a possibility that they would be followed, but he trusted Sonic enough to have taken care of them before they arrived.
"I'm sure Sonic is mindful enough not to attract any attention." Whisper doesn't seem so sure though. Tails was talking in certainties and that was something Whisper couldn't rely on, not with how she used to always take them at face value, and not take them with a grain of salt. She tried to tell Tails that same lesson she learned a long time ago.
"We're not always willing for the misfortune we carry to latch to others."
Outside Tails' House
There it was, finally within their reach. Sonic, Shadow, Silver, and Amy shook off what company was following them before arriving here. Now, with hopefully no other distractions, Sonic and Amy could save his friend, Shadow could deny the Abyss Voyagers their victory, and Silver could ensure the safety of his future. They all had every reason to be here, although Sonic did think that if anyone else should be here to bask in this moment, it should be Knuckles. He felt bad that he was left behind to fend off Metal and not help clean up the mistake he said he made before. But if that's what Sonic thought of the situation, then he'll do his best to make sure that Knuckles doesn't have to fret any longer. "I'll go in and find him. Can all of you stay outside and guard the entrances?" Sonic said to the three others, to which all of them nodded in unison. This had to go as smoothly as possible. Sonic then ran forward and barged through the door. He speeded all through each room and level of the house, looking and calling for Tails. In retrospect, Sonic thought of what he was doing as pretty naive. If the whole city was hunting him down, would he really be hanging out in the living room where anyone could spot him if they were passing by? Sonic put it all together in the end, as he knew of the one place here that would hide him. The underground lab he kept a secret from everyone but him. It had been a while, but he faintly remembered how to open the pathway there or to put it more accurately, ask to be rung in. Sonic ran over to a mantle top with a line of nostalgic pictures. He only took a second to look at one of them. The one in the middle was his favorite, as it was a picture of his fondest memory of his buddy. It felt like a long time ago since it happened, but in reality, it was just a couple of years. Back when they defeated perfect chaos and helped repair the city, the city also congratulated Tails for saving the city as well, back when Dr. Eggman was about to destroy it. This picture was when he was given the chaos emerald. That happy look on his face would always make Sonic's day. Where was he? Well, he was just in the background. And you know what, he was fine with that. Sonic always feared that one day he would get slow, and wouldn't be there for everyone. At least that was before this picture was taken. What it proved was that there would be someone to take up that role as a hero, even if he was gone. To him, Tails proved everything he needed to do.
Back outside, Shadow was standing guard with both Silver and Amy not too far away. It suddenly became silent, making Shadow feel a bit on edge, as this didn't seem right. Silver, on the other hand, was more at peace, and felt like he had to make amends. "Shadow… I'm sorry for leaving you to take care of Rouge all by yourself. Looking back, it wasn't right for me to put that burden on you."
"It all worked out fine, didn't it?" Shadow said to Silver. "Last time I checked, Tower was in the custody of GUN. I can only guess that you did something to help break him out and staged this operation. If anything, I should say that I'm so-… well, I'm not going to say it but you know what I mean." Silver instantly cheered up and was gracious towards Shadow. But there was still something he was pondering about, and it wasn't even about Silver II.
"You're right. Things are turning out for the better. But… what's going on with you?" Silver pointed out the streaks of chaos energy loosely flowing through Shadow's quills. "Is that disease cured?" Shadow shrugs while keeping his arms crossed.
"It's complicated. But I'm back at full strength now. I just hope that it'll be enough."
"Up there!" Amy yelled while pointing at a field of thick bushes. All three of them could see a pair of fox ears sticking out from the bushes. Whoever it was, they were trying to get the jump on them. Thankfully Amy was attentive to her surroundings. Seems that they were followed on the way here. Maybe they were setting a trap for once Sonic and Tails came out. Right now, there was no other choice but to foil their plan before they had a chance to react. Shadow moved up without hesitation and also without subtlety. The ears in the bushes perked up and were now aware of Shadow's approach. They scurry further away into the deep bushes where Shadow chases them too. Soon, they were both lost in the vegetation. "Where's he going?"
"I wondered when we would meet again." A mysterious and familiar voice spoke to Silver. Both he and Amy snap back to see Arsonal treading towards them. "Step aside, or this gets ugly." Arsonal pointed one of his fire cannons up and aimed at Silver.
"Who's that?" Amy asked.
"Heedless trouble." Silver weakly put his arms out to conjure more of his power. Spectating this confrontation was through an isolated window at a neighboring house. A young wolf pup was eyeing all of them with a tense and worried expression. He seemed scared of what was about to happen and frightened of what might happen to Silver and Amy.
"Not this debate again. If you just give up now and walk away. I won't resort to violence."
"Yeah, you and the rest of your friends have been doing a great job at upkeeping that!" Silver sarcastically said, slightly taking Arsonal aback. "Is peace to you finding a common cause for everyone to unite for or just silencing everyone who speaks out against you?"
"If I fail to follow orders again, then I endanger Vulnter again. I won't stop for you or anyone else." Silver clenches his fist as he sees Arsonal heating up his cannon.
"You can't achieve peace by being a coward. Even if you take one life in the name of peace, you've already failed. Achieving peace is saving every life you possibly can!" Arsonal shoots a fireball from his cannon and forces Silver to redirect it elsewhere.
Back with Shadow, he was chasing the figure in the thick bushes. He attempts to throw a chaos spear at them, but the figure notices with just enough time left to dodge out of the way. Shadow was impressed by their nimbleness, but they were still his target. They weren't nearly as fast as he was, so Shadow decided that the best approach was to dive in and tackle them down. However, before he could execute his plan, he is halted when his shoe steps on a hard bulb-shaped object. It cracks and breaks open, releasing a haze of toxins that fills the air around Shadow in an instant. It was gas! He accidentally breathed in some of the fumes, which causes him to become lightheaded and fall to the ground. Fortunately, he held his breath to seal away the rest of the gas from entering. But even with how little entered his system, it still was substantial enough to knock him down for a minute. The figure in the bushes turns around, revealing Vulnter with her gas mask on. She doubles back and runs past Shadow, making her way back to Tails' house.
Inside the house, Sonic now decides it is time to activate the buzzer. On the mantle, he presses down on a pristine bowl of fruit, which turns out to be a fake set that sinks into the mantle. This was the activation button. A camera flips open from the wall ahead and blinks to life to look at Sonic. The hedgehog waves to the camera before speaking. "Hey, buddy. Think you can buzz me in?" It wasn't long before Tails answered through a hidden speaker nearby.
*I sure hope you brought some ID.* He joked. Just then, a seam in the wall next to the mantle props open. This was the entrance to Tails' hidden lab. It was going to be Sonic's second time being in it, but would for sure be the quickest. Just as Sonic was about to go through the secret door, something snagged his foot. He looked down and was horrified to see a black oozing puddle forming below him. What had been seizing his foot was a claw emerging from the puddle. The claw raised up, showing more of the one residing inside the ooze. It was Harrow, ascending from the ground and picking Sonic up, and holding him upside down in front of her.
"Thanks for letting me in." She grinned, enjoying the helplessness and terror in Sonic's eyes. She swings Sonic to the side and throws him out through the window. Harrow creaks the hidden door open and looks down a fleet of dimly lighted stairs. She takes her time to step down each one, inching closer to her prey each instance.
Underground
Tails leaned away from the control panel and stretched his arms back. He rubbed his eyes with both hands in an attempt to freshen and focus up. He was under the impression that he was finally going to see his best friend soon, unaware of who was actually coming into his place. He peaked up the stairway, covered in darkness, awaiting Sonic. Whisper also stared up the same way, somewhat eager to meet the Blue Blur himself. While she and the diamond cutters were separate from the resistance, and subsequently Sonic too, she wasn't oblivious to the tales spoken about him. That was why after every empty second where Sonic didn't come running down, Whisper felt more on edge and eased more on the handle of her wispon. Tails too, although tired and just hoping for his troubles to be resolved by now, tensed up as he heard footsteps methodically pacing down the steps. It didn't scream 'Sonic' which is what was the problem. Tails started to theorize if he opened the door for someone else instead, which became more apparent once the fox yelled up the stairs for Sonic to respond. All that was returned was a chilling sequence of words. "Finally… I found you." Harrow's voice echoed down in the lab, followed by her silhouette bleeding through the darkness. Her white grin being the most prominent feature. "And no one to get in the way now." Whisper was quick to fire first without a moment of delay. She aimed her wispon and was about to fire at Harrow, but Harrow swiftly shoots a crimson orb from her palm and it sends Whisper flying back off its contact. She smashes against metal cabinets and equipment boxes.
"Whisper!" Tails cried out, trying to head there to free her, but he wouldn't have the chance to. Harrow was already right behind him but did not immediately attack even with his back turned to her. Tails eventually notices her and swipes his two tails at her face in an attempt to knock her off her feet, but she simply tilts her head to avoid it. Laying next to the control panel was a wrench, which Tails picked up in the meantime to swing at Harrow again. Once more, Harrow stops the attack by grappling Tails' wrist to halt his advance. However, it was a distraction, as Tails secretly placed one of his shocking devices that latches onto her. It activates and electrical pulses surge through Harrow's body. It was enough voltage to put even Knuckles down, but Harrow wasn't even flinching. She just smiled in his face.
"I love your fighting spirit. You really are the vessel." Harrow rips the device off her and grabs Tails by the forehead. She begins to chant, and a murky-red substance leaks from her fur and into Tails' eyes. The ritual has begun.
Outside
Sonic was picking himself back off the ground. Glass shards were stuck in his arms. But they were all minor annoyances. He had to bear through them to get back inside and find Tails. He couldn't let Harrow get her way with him, not now, after everything he had to do to get here. As he stands up, he heads back to the window to clamber through, but once again, he was shut down and distracted by a canister rolling below and between his legs. He had to move. He dove out of the way before the canister erupted with toxic gas, rising high. Sonic looked in the direction where the canister came from, finding Vulnter staring him down. "You again?" Sonic groaned. "This didn't go well for you last time, get out before you see me without holding back."
"It only takes one inhale to put you down. Even the ultimate lifeform failed to hold his breath." Sonic removes the glass shards from his body and lifts his fists up to fight. "Before we inevitably duke this out. I just have to ask… why do all of this for Tails?" Sonic almost looked offended by that question. How could she be so out of the loop to ask that? Wasn't it obvious why? "I told him that if he came with us, he would fulfill a glorious purpose. It is better for him- better for everyone. What you are doing is selfish. Denying a greater life for-" Sonic didn't give Vulnter a chance to finish. He cut her off with a homing attack to the chest. Vulnter was knocked back and went into battle mode. Sealing her gas mask and releasing the toxins from her bo staff to flood the air. She assumed that surrounding herself with the gas would keep Sonic at bay, and give Harrow enough time with Tails. However, Sonic holds his breath and runs through the gas. His speed creating large gusts that push away large portions of the toxins. Eventually, Sonic starts to run in a circle around Vulnter, picking up speed every lap. The wind being emitted in the center of the circle, making the gas float away, leaving Vulnter open to an attack. Sonic spin dashes into her and knocks her bo staff out of her hand. To ensure victory, Sonic targets the staff and dashes through it, splitting it in two and destroying its functionality. Vulnter collapses to the ground, totally outclassed by Sonic's speed. In hindsight, this was not an optimal matchup for Vulnter.
"To answer that question." Sonic stood in front of her. "It's not just because of him being my best friend, but because if he took the easy way you present to him, he'd have to throw his life behind. He has too much going for him, and you will not take that away from him." Vulnter doesn't have the strength to fight on, even if she still wanted to fight. If she was at full power, she suspected that she still wouldn't stand a chance against Sonic. "I have my own question. Isn't there someone in your life that you care enough about to protect them from danger?" Vulnter's eyes widen. "One important enough that you would sacrifice everything to save them, just because of the history you have with them?" Vulnter started to take in his words. Thinking about who actually stood up for her. The ones who had been with her before she turned to the Abyss Voyagers. Harrow… and Arsonal. Coming to peace with that, she closes her eyes and falls unconscious on the ground. After that, Shadow joins in and meets up with Sonic from the bushes. He was still loopy, but the gas started to wear off a bit. "You feeling good?"
"Yeah…" Sonic was glad to hear that since something in his body was starting to lose energy.
"Good, because I think I inhaled a little bit of that gas." He smiled and puffed out a tiny cloud of gas. Sonic fell to his knees. Shadow kneeled down to catch him. "I'm not going to be much help soon. Tails… you have to save him. He's inside… and that scary fox is going to get him. Help… him." Sonic's eyes drooped and he too fell unconscious. Shadow helped rest him on the ground before racing inside the house.
Back with Silver and Amy, Silver was doing his best to fend off the flames from Arsonal, while Amy tried to smash him into the ground with her piko hammer. Arsonal saw Silver's fatigue and almost felt sorry for him. Such a determined life didn't deserve to be cut short. Maybe he could still convince them to back away, even if the notion to do so would be met with dismay. "You're not going to last longer. Please stop. This is futile." He almost distracted himself away from Amy, as he almost got smacked in the head again.
"Eyes on me!" It still was a close fight, as even with Silver being hindered, Amy was proving to be a troublesome thorn in Arsonal's side. If he kept attacking Amy directly with his fire cannons, Silver would just keep dissipating them away, and if he tried attacking Silver first, Amy would catch him when he wasn't on his toes. Either he had to endure long enough for Silver to collapse again, or… use that. If he let loose and removed the flame retardants from within his cannons, the fire build-up would be even more intense, and none of them could handle it. However, the flames would most certainly burn him, if not kill him entirely. But he was running out of options, as he feared that he would make a mistake eventually. He had no choice. He punched a button on each of the cannons, and a disk component ejected from the bottom like a magazine. The fire being shot out became wild and spread uncontrollably. A ring of fire surrounded Amy. The intense heat started to get to her head, and she fell to the ground. Silver tried with all of his might to push back the flames, but Arsonal pushed back harder, despite the blazing fire eating him alive. At full strength, Silver could hold out, but he was spent. As with Amy, Silver fell down too. Through the neighboring house, the wolf pup yelped at the sight of Silver losing. Arsonal had just squeezed out a victory and was ready to finish off Silver. The pup thought of anything he could do to stop him. There was one drastic action he could take which might work. The pup ran away from the window and burst through the front door of the house.
Arsonal hovered over Silver. Pity in his eyes, looming over the fallen hedgehog. "You fought well. I'll make sure that your ideals don't end with you." Arsonal raised his cannon at Silver and prepared to fire. Out of nowhere, the little wolf pup stood in front of Silver, shielding him with his arms.
"Please don't hurt him!" Arsonal hesitated. His hands started to shake.
"Kid, get out of my way!" The pup kneeled next to Silver and put his hand on Silver's chest, making sure he was still breathing. The pup looked back up to Arsonal, a stream of tears flowing down. "Kid…" Arsonal took a step back. Another beat of silence as Arsonal still held the cannon up. He started to growl. "This is ludicrous!" He shouted. "Don't throw your life away now! You have a… full… future ahead…" Arsonal's mouth quivered. He's seen this before, although now he's seeing them through a different pair of eyes. This was a memory, back when he was taken by The Abyss Voyagers. It was the exact same scenario. But this time, he was the enforcer, ready to take away the innocence of a child. Could he pull through, as they once did to him? Could he sell himself to The Abyss Voyagers now? Arsonal lowered his cannon and looked at his hands. They were shaking profusely. He couldn't control it. Silver started to open his eyes, and saw Arsonal backing away. "I…I…I can't-'' Before Arsonal could back down, Amy jumps right back onto her feet and runs forward while Arsonal is still preoccupied. She slams her piko hammer right into his gut and sends him hurling into the house's wall, which collapses onto him. The debris trapped him.
Underground
Tails was laid down on the cold floor. His eyes rolled back and his limbs spread out. Harrow had drawn a circle around him with a red powder, continuing to chant in an unknown language. Once more, the demon in her head started to speak to her. "You're almost done. Recite the final verse." Harrow clasped her hands together and raised them high. The red powder started to lose gravity and floated up to the top center above Tails. It all condenses into a crystalline orb and spreads across into a flat plate. The middle of the plate shatters open, creating a ripple in space-time. Easing through the ripple was a foggy and elongated claw, descending down into Tails' head. The tip of the nail taps Tails' head, and the fog embodying the hand was entering through Tails' pores, causing him to spaz out. Just in the nick of time, Harrow was struck in the back of the head, interrupting the ritual and sealing the ripple. Harrow turned to her attacker and saw Shadow.
"There you are, Shadow!" Shadow didn't have time to fight again. He needed to get out now! Harrow manifests her spear and runs at him. Just then, a cyan wispon laser stops Harrow in her tracks. Both Shadow and Harrow turn to whoever shot the wispon, revealing Whisper crawling out of the pile of destroyed electronics. Shadow figured that whoever she was, she had to have been helping Tails. He figured she could be trusted as well. Shadow grabbed Tails and Whisper and shouted at the top of his lungs as the chaos energy inside him started to flow through his head.
"Chaos control!" Shadow, Tails, and Whisper enter through a bright flash that blinds Harrow. Within an instant, they were gone, leaving Harrow alone. For whatever reason, she didn't seem upset, just a bit irritated. Eventually, she grins.
"Oh, Shadow. Just a moment too late."
Outside
Shadow and the other two pop into existence right outside of the house. He lets go of Whisper, who stands beside him. They look around and see Sonic and Silver out cold, with Amy and the pup trying to help them. "You." Shadow directed to Whisper. "Thank you for keeping him safe." He held Tails tighter. "Help Amy out with those two. I have to get Tails to safety." Whisper nodded as Shadow dashed away from the area. He was already gone and hopefully would be out of the city soon. Whisper turned to the remaining hedgehogs and approached them. Amy was on edge, but Whisper soon calmed the mood.
"It's ok. I'm here to help." Whisper tells Amy, instantly relaxing her with her soothing voice. "Let's get them out of here. This house seems like it's about to fall." Whisper points out the crumbling roof and lack of structural integrity. It indeed was about to collapse. Amy picks up Sonic, while Whisper picks up Silver. They then make their way out of the area before it becomes any more unsafe. Good timing too, as Vulnter just woke up from being down all that time. She wasn't hurt that bad and had enough energy to fight still. So seeing Amy and Whisper run off with two down hedgehogs sparked an initiative. But just as Vulnter was about to chase them down, she heard grunting and a struggle close to the house. There, she saw Arsonal trapped underneath debris, trying to crawl his way out. Vulnter quickly saw how the building was about to crumble. If she left Arsonal now, he would be trapped forever. But if she let her targets get away, she would fail The Highest again, and the price would be high. But before she made her choice, Vulnter recollected the words Sonic told her. Someone in her life that she cared about enough to save them from danger. If she lost Arsonal now, who could she tease, joke with, and talk to who had the same pain she held? Without thinking, Vulnter scurries to the debris and moves it to the side, freeing Arsonal. She drags him out, just in time, as the rest of the house collapsed. Vulnter turned back around and saw that both Amy and Whisper were gone. She had lost them. But at least she could save someone.
Blazing through the empty road was Shadow, still carrying Tails in his arms. Before entering the city, Silver II told him that if he had Tails, he should just forget about the rest and just focus on escaping the city. And that was what he was going to do. He trusted that the others could make it. All he had to worry about was getting out himself. He was so focused about going forward, that he failed to notice Tails stirring. For some reason, something wasn't right. When the little fox opened his eyes, his irises and pupils were gone, leaving a blank white void. Through the tips of his gloves, sharp nails grew out, just barely not ripping open the fabric. Suddenly, Tails let out a loud roar, almost a shriek, and lashed out at Shadow's face. The claws left a deep gash in his cheek before he fell of course and dropped Tails on the ground. Shadow loses control of himself and too falls to the ground and skids across the road. He was up in no time and looked around for Tails. 'What was that about?' Shadow thought. But soon his wonders would be even greater, as he spotted Tails. But it couldn't have been him. He was on all fours. He didn't even speak, but just growled at Shadow. "Tails?" Shadow uttered in total shock. Out of the blue, Tails prowled forward and rushed Shadow like a feral beast. Shadow avoided the claw swipes, but he didn't want to fight back, unless he wished to hurt Tails, if he was still in there. "Tails! Snap out of it!" It was pointless, Tails' mind was gone. The kid had become something else. What did Harrow do to him? Shadow was getting careless, as he didn't expect Tails to pounce on him and pin him to the ground. A red aura started to form around him, especially around where his tails were. The concentration of aura started to sprout out, and in an event that made Shadow even more shocked, the aura forms another tail and sways naturally with Tails' other ones. He had to do something to defend himself. Perhaps if he bought enough time, he could find a way to lock away Tails back at the base until he regained his senses, but that required getting him there first.
Finally, Shadow decided to act and used chao control to teleport out of being pinned and right behind Tails. He chops down on Tails' neck and knocks the beast out. He was sorry it had to come to this, but this wasn't a time to think. It was time to move. Shadow picked up Tails again and prayed that he could get out of the city in time before he woke back up.
City Center
Silver II, Rouge, Knuckles, Tower, and the Chaotix were getting eviscerated by Metal Sonic. He had to have been given some serious upgrades if he could fend off a 1 vs 7 and still have the advantage. At this point, fighting was slowly becoming less of an option and more to buy time. If they knew that if someone had Tails and was leaving the city, the first act would be getting out themselves. As if on cue, Rouge started to get a ring from her radio. It was Shadow on the other end. *Rouge, I got Tails. Where are we meeting up?* Rouge gave the thumbs up to the rest of the gang. Now they knew that they didn't have to be in this mess.
"Tell them to meet us at Mystic Ruins!" Knuckles told Rouge. Rouge nodded and relayed the information back to Shadow. Sensing that the curtain was closing, Silver II was ready to leave. With one final effort, Silver II grabs a mass of empty cars and brings them together to form a giant ball of scrap. He throws it down at Metal, keeping the murder bot in place and allowing escape.
"Come on!" Silver II wasted no time in picking up everyone else and floated high into the air. Finally, they could escape this death trap of a city. But once they did, how would they react to what happened to Tails? They achieved what they were sent out to do, but at what cost in the end? Would the future change, or would the cycle repeat?
To be continued…
Up next: Fading Friends!
