Chapter Ten

Bark was the first to spot the locusts through the conference room windows, and Espio activated his armour once again. The music was shut off and everyone ran to grab weapons from the cashe one floor below.

Rouge stopped the chameleon in the hall. "What's going on?"

"It's Angel's Flock, his followers are launching an attack. I've gotta get to Hang Castle."

"Your not going alone."

Manic absorbed his medallion's energy and joined them. "Damn straight, but it's just going to be me and him. We're the only ones with the gear to withstand them."

"I'm going with you!"

Espio held her close. "He's right, it's gotta be us. Everyone here needs all the help they can get. It'll be fine."

"You come back here when it's done."

"Promise."

She kissed Espio and squeezed his hands tightly, then he was on his way with Manic. The tandem ran through the ground floor entrance and Corben activated the Liberation Tower's security system which deadlocked every window and door. Metal bars sealed everyone inside just as the locust swarm began moving in.

Manic created a jade shield around himself and Espio as they rushed through the frenzied swarm. The cloudy sky was filled with locusts and anyone unfortunate enough to be outdoors was ripped apart by the murderous insects. The zone leader swore to avenge everyone who met this fate.

They finally reached the castle and predictably, the switches to open the gate were disabled. Espio ran, kicked off the wall and sprung to the top of the gate, while Manic squatted down into a deadlift position. At the count of three, Espio shot both grappling hooks into the gate and pulled up, while Manic's body illuminated jade while he deadlifted from the bottom. They strained for a moment but eventually ripped the heavy gate open and barrel rolled inside before it shut.

As they caught their breath, Magdalaine's second in command greeted them with scorn. The towering female Ox was joined by the locust headed man and his swarm.

"I knew letting you live would be disastrous!" She roared.

"What you're doing is dis-"

"He KILLED our ward! Magdalaine is dead because of you!"

Manic and Espio exchanged confused looks before turning back. "Shadow, you mean? He killed your leader?"

The Ox stepped closer. "…with no remorse and no mercy, he slaughtered his way through our people! You gave him the power to travel through the portals! And in his wake, left death behind."

"The chaos emeralds," Espio said. "Shadow acted alone, we'd concluded our business with him and separated, so don't take your anguish out on these innocent people here."

The locust man reached his hand out and made a grasping motion, then his swarm mimicked this and grabbed Espio.

"You will pay for his sins against our people."

Manic blasted the swarm back with jade energy and Espio landed on his feet, ready to fight.

"This is my home, lady, and you've killed my people. It's only ending one way for each of us."

The chameleon fired his hooks around the castle and evaded the swarm attacks, while Manic dodged the Ox' murderous blows. They countered each other and exchanged energy attacks, scorching the locusts but an infinite amount were spawned by the mysterious man controlling them.

The fight was taken through the endless halls and into massive corridors, and Espio knew the waves of locusts wouldn't stop unless the source was taken out. He was picked up and slammed into tables and knocked paintings off the walls, but kept getting up.

Down at the entrance, Manic was kicked backward and he took a second to wipe blood from his face. As he took deep breaths, he watched the gate open from the outside so he turned his attention to this intruder. A gear bag was slid inside and Alastair lifted the gate. He stepped inside then released it and the ground shook once it slammed off the floor.

"You again? I thought we took care of you at the courtyard!" Manic shouted.

The gigantic soldier had a brand new suit of armour so he was protected from the insects for the time being. He reached into the bag, snapped together a long weapon and attached a fuel tank. He fired flames which burned the locust swarm around him and he advanced toward the green hedgehog.

"Flamethrower! Come on!"

As he forced Manic to flee to the second floor, Alastair picked up a grenade launcher and aimed at Espio on the third floor. The chameleon's HUD warned him of incoming projectiles and he barely managed to duck before the grenade struck him. It exploded on a wall beside him and more grenades were fired his way, so he ran down the corridor to escape. Ox and Locust Man growled as Hang Castle was starting to fall apart around them.

"Ninja, what's the play here?" Manic asked through his comm.

"The man controlling the swarm, target him. That should solve the locust problem-"

Espio roared out when a grenade exploded under him, which sent him flying over the railing. He wasn't fast enough to fire a hook before bouncing off a flagpole, backflipping in mid air and smacking off the tile floor.

ARMOUR INTEGRITY - 54%

MEDICAL ATTENTION RECOMMENDED

His vision was blurry, voices were incoherent and his ears rang. He felt like shell shock was setting in. The CRACK his back made upon impact was followed up with a severe stinging pain. He could only let out groans of agony and roll to his back.

Get up! You gotta keep moving!

Manic's words echoed and Espio tried his best to stand up, but the pain nearly shut his body down. Nothing would work.

"Don't quit now! Espio, get the fuck back up!"

Manic had to turn his attention back to Ox as she ran in with powerful blows. Alastair dropped the empty grenade launcher and loaded a double barrel shotgun on his way over to the downed chameleon. He couldn't choose between the 12 gauge or the flamethrower, so he decided to use both to finish Gaspar off.

One blast to the knees made him groan, and his HUD flashed a warning.

ARMOUR INTEGRITY 13% - RETREAT

Another blast to the torso pushed Espio a few feet across the floor.

ARMOUR COMPROMISED - DEATH IS IMMINENT

As Alastair lowered the 12 gauge and aimed the flamethrower, Espio flicked a Shuriken at his face. The blade cut through his visor and blinded the big man in one eye. He cried out angrily when pulling the blade loose. He took the helmet off and frantically searched for his med kit, allowing the chameleon a chance to breathe.

Manic blasted Ox with jade energy and she tumbled down the carpeted staircase. When he saw she was knocked out, Manic targeted his next attack at the Locust Man. He conjured a ball in the palms of his hands and got a running start.

Locust Man made a wall to protect him but the blast was so powerful, it destroyed not just him but also the secret compartment to a portal. Manic looked through the portal and saw the infinite waves between what looked like another planet.

"What the… is that real?"

While he pondered this, Espio injected himself with another adrenaline needle. He felt restored, but the damage done would be permanent once the adrenaline wore off. He gingerly pulled himself back to his feet and shook off the painful ringing in his ears.

The swarm flew into the portal once their controller was dead and Espio approached his ally. "Manic, we need to do something about this portal before it becomes a problem."

"Ha, as if it isn't one right now? I'm looking at a freaking galaxy through this portal! Oh shit, that's what The Flock was guarding this entire time!"

"Shadow wanted to use the chaos emeralds to protect him while he traversed the infinite waves, at least that's what Rouge told me."

"Tails' theory was right, there are other worlds out there.. how do we close this?"

Espio repeated the same question to his HUD and waited for an answer. Manic kept watch over them while the chameleon listened to the response.

"…there's no way to close it, but we can keep it contained inside the castle. It won't pose any danger as long as there's no one to tamper with it further."

Manic turned to Ox. "Time to make my first eviction."

Espio heard Alastair's boots running across the floor so he spun around and readied himself for round two. The giant emptied a magazine on the chameleon, and two bullets penetrated his armour. Al tossed the empty pistol at Manic and engaged Espio. He ducked and dodged the razor hooks, kicked his smaller opponent's weakened knees and pummelled him to the floor.

Manic jumped in to help, but was thrown back by Ox. She wanted him to herself, and Alastair continued his beating on Espio.

"Don't do this, we'll all get sucked in and die out there." Manic warned.

"None of this would've happened if your friend didn't start his war on The Chambers. We protected Hang Castle for years, and you bottom feeders destroyed everything! We all deserve to die because of this failure."

"Things change, I'm zone leader now and I feel differently about this situation. Nobody has to die."

"You're a fool if you believe that."

"You're probably right, but I gotta try. Either you leave the castle, or you will leave me no choice."

She swung her blade at him so he ducked and used her momentum to flip her over his shoulders. She landed on the edge of the broken floor and her legs dangled while halfway inside the portal.

Manic stood over her. "Final warning."

"To hell with your warning."

Ox reached up and punched the floor with a thunderous blow. The tile cracked under Manic and burst, sending him, Alastair and Espio tumbling through the portal. A grappling hook caught the wall inside and Espio strained to hold himself up.

Manic, Ox and Alastair bounced off a dark crater twenty feet below. The green hedgehog gasped when he slid to the edge, there was nothing to grab onto if he fell off. He quickly ran back to the middle of the large crater but he couldn't jump high enough to get back inside the castle.

"Espio, you've gotta beam me back up, I'm a sitting duck out here-"

Alastair punched him in the face and ripped the medallion off the necklace he wore, rendering him vulnerable. Al followed up with body shots so Manic covered up to block them. The solider's attacks were relentless and he didn't allow the green hedgehog a chance to counter. Alastair grasped Manic's vest and tossed him off the crater.

Manic screamed out when he fell further toward the waves. He smacked off a smaller crater and dug his fingers into the jagged edged surface just to hang on to something. Alastair jumped over, landed two feet away and revealed a large knife.

"So long, green devil."

He saw Espio's razor hook coming so he used the knife to block his head, and caught the weakened chameleon mid-attack. Espio grunted as the giant's grip got tighter, so he improvised a counter. Manic watched the right gauntlet release from his forearm, then Espio slapped it on Alastair's forearm and fired a hook straight into the waves.

"A goodbye long overdue." Espio said.

Alastair screamed out when he was pulled into the infinity. The duo watched as the giant was reduced to particles and eventually fade into the unknown blackness. Manic sighed in relief at the close call, then Espio helped him up.

"Come on, green." Espio said, sounding physically weak.

Manic took his forearm and Espio fired the left hook at the large crater, pulling them back to the start. Manic picked his medallion up and went to grab his forearm once more, but saw Ox coming at them with her blade.

"Look out!"

He pushed Espio aside and jumped in the way. Ox thrust the blade into his abdomen, but it didn't penetrate. Manic's body glowed jade and he growled before knocking the blade away. Ox ducked his counter strike, punched the crater and broke it from underneath them.

"What're you doing?!" Manic shouted.

He barely grabbed the ledge in time, but Ox grasped his leg and Manic struggled to hold them both up, even with his medallion's energy. Espio tried pulling him up but he had no strength left.

Come on, get him!…

Alright..

After a moment contemplating it, Espio released his left gauntlet, attached it to Manic's forearm and dove over the edge. As the grappling hook fired and pulled Manic back into the castle, the chameleon clotheslined Ox and she let go of his leg.

Manic rolled to safety and quickly looked back into the portal. Ox was first to combust, then it was Espio's turn. He looked up at Manic through his helmet one last time, then shut his eyes.

WARNING: ACTION IS IRREVERSIB-

The HUD was silenced as Espio was overwhelmed by the waves. His was reduced to particles and his essence faded into the infinity.

Manic watched for a brief moment longer, then finally pulled himself up and ran for the exit. He lifted the gate open, stepped outside and slammed the gate shut, then fell down, exhausted and at a loss for words.

oh fuck…