The Chaos Project

by ChaosProjectAuthor

The End came for countless worlds. Though this calamitous power was sealed away tens of thousands of years ago, its effects across the galaxy remained. Now, somehow, that power has returned. The homeworld of the Black Arms was destroyed by that power. And Earth could be next. Unless Sonic and the Rebellion can stop it, all while trying to end a war with Eggman.

89. S3 E12: The Last Way Part 1

Five months ago…

The Black Asteroid — In Orbit Around Planet Skenoua III

A Black Arms bioship drops out of Mega Warp in a flash, pulling immediately to meet the orbit of the massive piece of floating space debris that circles the planet below. The planet, though covered in oceans and clouds, appears barren and gray across all of its exposed surface. The Asteroid, slightly smaller than the Black Comet and Black Meteor before it, bears jagged edges and what might have once been the surface of a different planet, showing a continent worn by rivers and seas that have long since dried. The ship disappears into the Asteroid.

In the very center of the Asteroid, a bright bioluminescent chamber of much the same design seen on the Comet and Meteor is occupied with what might be the tools of a mad scientist. The chamber appears quite cluttered, filled with bone-like shelves of strange glowing objects, translucent bladders filled with bubbling fluids, and life forms not clearly plant nor animal rooted to the ground. The chamber's only occupant, dressed in flowing brown robes decorated with more pendants and jewelry than Black Doom and Black Gladius combined, with long draping horns and three glowing red eyes, can only be the monarch of the third house of the Black Arms, Black Morbus.

"Gladius…has fallen…like Famis before him." Her voice, though clearly feminine, is as deep and gravely as the others. "But the Black Arms…are triumphant."

Behind her, the door to the chamber irises open, and a Black Oak soldier walks in, carrying a heavy load.

"For at last, we have what we did not before."

The courier lowers its load to the ground—recognizable as the sleek black form of the Core Disruptor bomb.

Morbus looks carefully over the device. "The weapon used to destroy our planet…finally ours." She places a hand on its surface. "And its power source…" Her hand becomes intangible as she reaches in to the bomb's core. Slowly, she pulls out what she finds inside. "A mirror?"

Her eyes narrow as she glares with scrutiny at her reflection in the simple round plate of reflective material. And after a moment, her reflection speaks. "Mortal… What does death look like to you…?" The voice carries a familiar echo, as if projected by multiple speakers simultaneously.

There is no hesitation in Morbus' answer. "I am death."

"Then that…is what you see…"

"So I speak to The End itself. Ha ha ha… What a pitiful form you have taken. Reduced to a mere battery to fuel the destruction wrought by another."

"I am the all-consuming void. I am the light of judgment. My form is irrelevant."

"Then you could consume my enemies. Yet, in their possession for thousands of years, you did not."

"It can yet be done. But what would you offer me in return?"

The flesh of Morbus' face twists into what might be a smile. "Equal value, of course. The corpses of your enemies. The planet Earth."

---

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Chaos Project

Season 3, Episode 12

The Last Way Part 1

Written by ChaosProjectAuthor

---

Daily log, December 28th, 2 A.E. Captain Johnnathan Naka reporting.

We just got word from Seraph. She's coming down to visit. Today. It's a lot sooner than I was expecting to see her. I mean, I guess she couldn't have chosen a better day, but I don't think I'm ready!

I…don't know exactly what it is that I'm not ready for. For things to be more real, I guess? It's not like I haven't been through all of this before, but Seraph is obviously…different.

Is it too soon to be thinking about the future? I mean, technically, we've only met twice. We've been sending messages back and forth every day since last time, but still…

If Victor were still here, he'd be telling me to just propose already. And now that I say that out loud…I feel like he has a point. I still wonder if I waited too long last time. Maybe I shouldn't be wasting my chances when I have so few of them. If I'm not ready yet…maybe I should get ready. For whatever comes next.

—–—

The Eggshelter — Rebel Camp Alpha

In the blue skies above, a rippling distortion pierces down through the thin clouds, resolving into the form of a new White Arms ship, bearing more pointed fins that flare outwards, accented by a blue grid pattern on the main body. The ship drifts down into the open hangar bay of the ocean-bound remains of the Death Egg.

As the ship touches down inside, a panel opens on the bottom, allowing the armored White Seraph to be lowered down on a floating elevator platform.

Sonic, standing at the ready for her, crosses a fist over his chest and bows his head. "Minister Seraph. It's a pleasure to finally have you here under friendly circumstances."

Seraph retracts her helmet and duplicates the motion back to him. "You honor me, leader of Earth's Rebellion." She looks around for a moment. "I was expecting—"

"Me?" Johnny waves hello from behind her. Without another word said, they close the gap between them, join hands, and kiss passionately. When they finally separate, Johnny greets, "I think about you all the time, Seraph. It's good to finally be with you again."

Seraph closes her eyes and breathes a contented sigh. "It is. The light joins us once again." She glances back at Sonic. "And I see that you told everyone about my promotion."

"We don't get a lot of good news around here, but it seems like it's nothing but good things coming from your neck of the galaxy. I tell them everything we talk about." With a noticeable blush, he adds, "Well, almost everything. Oh! Speaking of what we've talked about, thanks to your help…" Johnny unstraps a weapon from his back. "...I finally managed to put this together to replace my old plasma rifle!" He presents her with his work, a high-tech white rifle with glowing blue lights running down the length of the barrel.

Seraph takes a moment to admire the shape of the weapon. "You built this? Impressive."

"It should be a bit more precise than your original ice beam, and I managed to get some of the recoil down. Plus…" He takes her arm and easily slides the rifle into a slot where it locks in place. "...it fits right where the old one did."

Seraph removes the weapon and hands it back to him. "Johnny, I meant for you to keep it."

"Of course. I just figured, you know…if we end up…working together again…it would be good if we could both make use of it."

Seraph laughs. "Ever the mind of the kindest soldier, you have. Your efforts are recognized. And…it's not quite ready yet…but I'll soon have something to show you as well."

As Sonic leaves the room, he calls back to them, "You two lovebirds had better hurry if you don't want to miss it."

Johnny realizes, "I almost forgot! You came to study the final metamorphosis, didn't you? Come on, I'll show you the way."

Johnny leads her by the hand out of the hangar, and down several corridors to the elevated crew quarters, where one door is already open and filled with the chatter of people gathered inside.

Charmy's voice stands out among the others. "So what's it gonna be? One of the cool ones, right?"

Seraph and Johnny enter, and the packed crowd of Rebels inside offer them various quiet greetings while Knuckles answers, "I've been teaching Chadis everything I know about Chao Karate. She'll be a power type for sure."

Seraph and Johnny look over everyone's heads to see the glowing blue Chao cocoon sitting in the center of the room.

Tails counters, "The way she's been winning races against Cheese lately? No way. She's a natural born speed type."

Rouge objects, "Don't any of you pay attention to how she chooses to spend her own time? She's always floating around in the ocean. My money's on a swimmer."

Amy nods along to every side of the debate. "Well, whatever it is, we can at least count on her being a Hero Chao, given all of us raising her, right?"

Shadow raises an eyebrow. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. You're forgetting that she spends most of her time with Rouge."

Cream interrupts, "Guys, it's happening!"

The glowing cocoon reaches its peak of intensity before the light begins to subside, and its walls begin to fade.

Amy gasps.

Knuckles whispers, "It can't be…"

Even Seraph voices a surprised, "Oh my…"

Sonic questions with dismay, "Discord? Is it back?"

The Chao that has risen from the cocoon has skin that has turned almost entirely white, except in the places where it fades into a translucent watery substance, especially around her hands and the protrusions that drape from her head. Looking around, she quickly grows disturbed by the fearful looks all around her. "Cha…?"

"It's okay, everyone, it's okay!" Cream runs up to the Chao to pet her on the head. "It's incredibly rare…but when a Chao that's regenerated is raised with lots of love and care…and learns lots of different skills…it can evolve into a form like this."

Tails stutters, "B-but it looks like…"

Seraph finishes, "An Ancient. It looks like an Ancient." She steps forward and kneels down to run her scanner beam over the Chao. Chadis flinches away from the bright plane of red light at first, but quickly finds that it isn't harmful. "Fascinating… It was rumored…that the DNA of the Ancients persisted on the planet where they found refuge. But I never would have imagined they could evolve into a creature like this. They hardly resemble their old form at all, but under the right combination of circumstances…dormant vestigial traits can be reactivated."

Cream explains, "Eggman forced this to happen to her before, but this time, it's natural."

Tails continues, "We knew there was some sort of connection between the Ancients and the Chao. We've seen another creature, Chaos, that was a sort of protector of the Chao, and it looked just like the Ancients as well. But you're saying that the Ancients actually evolved into Chao? In just a few thousand years? How is that possible?"

"I…don't know. But it's certainly a topic for further research."

Johnny nods. "Well, that's what you came here for, right? Research away. I can give you the grand tour later."

"Actually…that isn't entirely true. I said in my message that I was coming to study Chao evolution…and that is what I told the Empress as well. But…I did have another reason."

Johnny holds her hand. "Well, that goes without saying."

"True, but also not what I meant. Does this facility have anywhere I can play a holo-recording?"

Johnny nods. "I can take you there right now."

"Please do. And Shadow." Shadow looks up at her in acknowledgement. "You should come as well. I may need your help in discerning with certainty…but I believe that the White Arms may be in great danger. Perhaps the entire galaxy."

—–—

Eggman's Hidden Base — Location Unknown

In a massive hangar with scaffolded platforms reaching all the way around its circular walls, a towering silver machine sits in the center, with crescent-like horns rising out of its helmet-shaped head. A red glow illuminates the Sentinel's face. The source of that glow, hardly larger than an insect by comparison, is Sage, her eyes closed, and her hand pressed against the smooth metal.

Far below, Eggman's voice shouts up, "Sage! Report!"

Sage obediently stops whatever it is that she's doing, removes her hand, and floats down to Eggman's level at the Sentinel's feet. "My apologies, Father. I did not hear you come in."

Eggman doesn't appear to be interested in pleasantries. "It's fine. Tell me about your progress."

"Unfortunately, I am still unable to take control of the Sentinel's core systems. However, I have confirmed, as you speculated, that its architecture bears a strong resemblance to that of the Starfall Island Titans. Although it was not constructed by the Ancients, it was most likely built by someone with extensive knowledge of their technology."

Eggman shakes his head in contemplation. "Humans, playing copycat to the Ancients tens of thousands of years ago, and we never knew… Yet even now, their technology is beyond our reach?"

Sage shows a moment of worry. "No, Father. Not beyond you. It is only a matter of time before I crack the systems."

"What are the odds that you'll be finished within twenty-four hours?"

Sage only pauses for a moment. "Approximately thirty-two percent."

Eggman doesn't appear to like this answer. His hand moves up to his chin in deep thought.

"Is something wrong, Father?"

Eggman takes another moment to consider his answer. "Sage… My daughter… You've hardly had the chance to see our new Empire since I got you back. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be considering something like this. But there's still a whole world for you to see. And I'd like to make sure it's still around for you to see it."

"I…do not understand."

"Take a break from this project. There's something else I'd like you to do for me."

—–—

The Eggshelter

Seraph hands Tails a transparent device etched with blue markings. "This is the one."

Tails scans the data card with his Handheld. "Reading in the data now. The Virtron room will be ready to show your holo-recording in a minute or two." He hands the card back to her and exits the box-shaped room with plain white walls, leaving Seraph, Shadow, and Johnny alone.

Johnny questions, "Seraph? What's all this about? And why all the secrecy?"

Seraph closes her eyes. "It's…complicated. When I received my…promotion…it was under some strange circumstances. I learned some things about the Empress which have been kept secret from the White Kaosian Empire. Things that I found…disturbing. Things I could be executed for discussing. But in spite of the danger, I did some further investigation. This is what I found."

"You're risking execution for this?"

"As are you, by agreeing to watch."

This doesn't seem to deter Johnny at all. "I want to help. A little risk never stopped me from doing that."

Shadow finally voices, "Not that I don't believe this is important, but what does it have to do with me?"

As the lights in the walls around them activate, Seraph answers, "Look for yourself."

The room is quickly populated with Virtron cubes, taking the shape of a tall throne, two figures, and a curved dome of screens around them.

"This security footage was taken five months ago, during the battle of the Black Meteor."

The three-dimensional footage begins to play, as the holographic image of White Genesis lands on her back from the blow of her opponent, her three-eyed alien face exposed through the torn metal of her destroyed helmet. The slash against her cheek draws a thin line of green blood. The moment she tries to move, her opponent's foot slams down onto the wrist of her blade hand.

Shadow recognizes, "Saturn…"

"Curses," Genesis mutters. "Reserve power is low. It seems I was in error to loan out my power source."

Saturn inclines his head as he points his sword down at her exposed chin. His eyes narrow as he takes a closer look at the details of her face. Slowly, his muzzle begins to curve up in what might be a smirk.

Though nothing spoken by Saturn was recorded, Genesis responds to whatever it is that he said. "So you know my face, do you, Mongrel? I told you already. You'll find me quite hard to kill."

Saturn stares down at her silently.

"Black Famis became Black Doom when he ascended above the rest of his kind. Why shouldn't I do the same?"

Saturn bends down slowly, drawing his face closer to hers. He swipes a claw along the cut on her face, scooping up a drop of her blood to take into his hand.

"Compare us all you like, Mongrel. We are nothing alike."

Saturn slowly raises his blade, preparing for a finishing blow. As his blade reaches its peak, he suddenly freezes. He remains in that position for several more moments.

"What? What are you talking about? … About what? … Excuse me?"

Saturn casually tosses his sword over his shoulder and takes a step back.

"The way of your planet? The planet you destroyed?"

Saturn's nostrils flare in amusement.

With Saturn's foot gone and his weapon discarded, Genesis is able to spring up nimbly, redeploying her light blade and pointing it at Saturn's throat. "You came here to kill me. Exposed my true face. Do you really think that I'm going to let you walk away unharmed?"

Saturn smirks in return.

All three of Genesis' eyes glare at Saturn for several moments. Finally, she retracts her blade. "You have my interest."

The footage freezes there.

Johnny shakes his head slowly. "I…don't understand. Genesis…was hiding her face? Took a different name when she became Empress? What does that even mean?"

Shadow comments, "And whatever her old identity was…it meant something to Saturn."

Seraph questions, "Saturn never told you anything about this encounter?"

Shadow shakes his head. "I wasn't aware there was such an encounter. Which is odd. Saturn isn't one to refrain from sharing a story. Could he have been hiding it for some reason?"

Johnny asks, "And her face didn't mean anything to you, Seraph?"

"No. And I couldn't risk running facial recognition through the Master System, not when it works for her."

Shadow comments, "This is certainly suspicious. But hardly galaxy-threatening."

"Perhaps not. But there is more. Again, something beyond my full understanding. The Empress has shared with me her means for extending her lifespan. It involves temporarily storing her mind within the Ancients' Cyber Space." Shadow and Johnny both appear intrigued by this. "She discovered, as I assisted her with this process, that doing so may have somehow affected her mind over the eons. Dulled her emotions. Perhaps it's just intuition, but…my investigation included networks connected to Cyber Space, including this planet's EggNet. I learned a great deal about Cyber Space, including the entity that was trapped inside it for all those thousands of years that the Empress was making use of it. If that entity…influenced her in some way…perhaps led her to create a new identity…to serve a particular purpose…"

Johnny finishes, "It could be a threat to your people. And to the galaxy."

Shadow frowns. "That shouldn't be, at least not anymore. The entity was destroyed by Sonic and Sage."

Seraph raises an eyebrow. "Sage? You don't mean…?"

Another voice answers, "I believe he is referring to me."

Seraph, Johnny, and Shadow all jump at the unexpected voice, readying weapons and fists for a fight. Johnny, quickly regaining his composure, demands, "Hands up! How did you get in here?"

Sage looks around at the Virtron room projected around her. The image appears to corrupt and distort near where she floats. "Fascinating. So the Rebellion is operating from a facility equipped with a functioning Virtron system." She seems unconcerned by the threats against her.

Shadow glares at her with distrust. "So you'll be sharing our location with Eggman? That's some thanks for saving your life."

Sage looks back at him apathetically. "There is no cause for concern. I have accessed this system through a series of connections in the Ancients' network. I have no ability to determine its physical location." Her eyes move to Seraph. "I see it may not even be on Earth."

Shadow doesn't appear to be convinced. "What do you want?"

"I have come to deliver a message on behalf of my father, Emperor Eggman. He wishes to take up the offer made by Sonic the Hedgehog last time we all met. He is prepared to negotiate for peace between the Empire and the Rebellion."

Johnny looks back at Seraph. "Honey, I think your concerns might have to wait a bit."

—–—

Stellar Observation Facility — Moon Base BABEL

A datapad is held up to a panel on the wall by a gloved hand. After a moment, the panel lights up with a message. 'Biometrics confirmed. Granting entry to Operative M1647793.' A door slides open, revealing a busy workplace on the other side. SCOPE agents work at individual stations, each with its own high tech set of displays showing various starfields and celestial bodies. Though the workers occasionally turn and speak to one another, most of the noise in the room comes from the computers themselves, and the continuous typing on them.

The SCOPE operative who entered the room makes his way directly to one station in particular, where someone apparently shorter than the others is at work. He stops behind the chair to take a breath. With resolve, he raises a fist in front of his face—the face of Mighty the Armadillo. After another breath, Mighty manages to force a vaguely convincing smile onto his face. Then he greets, "Morning, R."

"Oh! Morning, M!" The occupant of the station turns around in his chair, revealing his own face. The face of a yellow animoid with bright eyes and a brighter smile. Despite how much he has aged, it is plainly recognizable as Ray the Flying Squirrel.

"How's the Orion Spur looking today?"

"Super. Stars are as bright as usual. Busy, too. They've definitely got some kind of trade hub going out there. Can you believe we actually have the technology to see out that far at that level of detail, with no delay? I feel so lucky to be one of the first people ever to use this equipment."

Mighty doesn't appear to fully share in Ray's enthusiasm. "It's…good that you're happy."

Ray's smile grows even brighter. "Even happier, now that you're here. You're not like all these other guys, you know? Stopping by to say hello every morning and all that. It's nice to have someone to talk to."

"Well, most of you started working with the old Sergeant, right? I heard that he discouraged socialization between agents."

"Yeah, he was a bit strict. He was a great man though. He saved the world more times than I can count, and he's the reason a guy like me was able to get a job like this. Anyways, I'm glad you and I were stationed together. Otherwise, we never would've met."

Mighty has a hard time keeping his smile up through the pain in his eyes. "Yeah. Well, I'm sure a guy like you has lots of friends back home."

"Not really. I didn't have much of anything before I started working here. I owe a lot to SCOPE, and the Sergeant. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You commute from Earth, don't you? Who do you spend your time with down there? Any friends? Family?"

"A few friends. There was someone I was…pretty close with. But that was a long time ago."

"Yeah, I think a lot of us have stories like that. Problems down on Earth feel a whole lot smaller from up here, don't they?"

"I suppose they do."

"Well, let me know if there's anything I can do for you, M. You know where I'll be."

For a moment, Mighty's smile finally appears to be genuine. "Thanks, Ra—… R. I'll let you know. For now, I have a meeting with Sergeant A."

"Oh, right, sorry to keep you. Good luck with that!"

The moment Mighty turns away, he lets his guard fall, showing the full extent of the sorrow on his face. He walks away, leaving Ray none the wiser. He makes his way to the other end of the room, where a door opens for him automatically.

The next room appears to be an isolated office, with a workstation similar to those outside, though a bit more sophisticated. Far behind the desk, a wide window taking up the entire wall looks out at the lunar horizon, and the stars beyond. A lone figure stares out through the window.

Mighty stops when the door closes behind him. He greets curtly, "Sergeant."

Sergeant Ayanna Brown remains silent for several moments before turning away from her view. "It's traditional to salute your superior officer upon meeting, Agent M."

Mighty crosses his arms. "Well, I'm not much of a traditional guy. You know I'm only going through this whole charade for one reason. Tell me what you have."

With a sigh, Ayanna picks up a datapad from her desk and walks it over to him. "Be warned. It isn't much. Everything I could find on what the Master Sergeant called the 'Substantial Negative Impact Precautionary Entry and Reassignment program for SCOPE'."

Mighty rolls his eyes as he takes the device. "SNIPER SCOPE. Of course."

"Your information helped. The Master Sergeant had this buried deep. But I can confirm that Agent Black was a primary driver of this program. Many of his missions that went into SCOPE records as assassinations were secretly used for these…reassignments. Your friend among them."

Mighty's free hand tightens into a fist. "So you really did mark him down to die?"

"It's quite ingenious, in theory. Some of the most skilled, intelligent, exceptional people in the world, who were deemed too dangerous to live, had their talents put to work for a good cause rather than be erased entirely."

"You abducted Ray…when he was barely older than a child. You faked his disappearance, wiped his brain, and forced him to work for your murdering, secret-worshiping cult. And you're proud of that?"

"Better that than dead, right?"

"Congratulations, you had the restraint to stop yourself from murdering this child. What an accomplishment. How silly of me to ask. Of course you're proud of that."

"I did say 'in theory.' If I'd been told about this, I would have assumed it referred to terrorists, not children. I don't know why your friend was marked for this program. These secrets are well beyond my access."

"I need to know why. How could Ray the Flying Squirrel possibly be dangerous enough to anyone to warrant this kind of treatment?"

"I told you, I don't know."

"Are you or are you not in charge here?"

Ayanna turns and looks back out at the lunar horizon. "I'm beginning to wonder that myself."

"Speculate for me."

"It's possible that you didn't know your friend as well as you thought you did. Maybe he was a terrorist."

"Try again."

"It's possible that he stumbled across information SCOPE doesn't permit civilians to know."

"Who are you to control what people can and can't know?"

"Information is power. If that power could threaten countless lives, who are you to tell us we can't?"

"Didn't I tell you when we met? I'm the guy who's gonna tear this whole place down if you can't answer for what you did."

"Watch yourself, Agent M. You already know more than you should. That makes you a potential threat. I believe that sharing this information with you is in the best interest of all parties involved. For now. But as we've just established…I may not be the one in charge. I offered you this position so we could meet and exchange information without garnering unwanted attention from the rest of the organization. But if there's a power beyond mine at play here… If you're not careful, you could end up just like your friend—or worse."

"I don't take kindly to threats."

"That's something we have in common."

"Then let's skip the intimidation game and get back to business. What's been done to Ray…can you reverse it? Keep in mind that if your answer is anything other than 'yes,' I'm taking him and leaving to find someone who can. Today."

"I would advise against that."

"That doesn't sound like a yes."

"I don't know if we can. I doubt that it's ever been considered, let alone attempted. If it has, there's no record. I can pursue the matter further, if you don't act so brashly."

"Not what I was hoping to hear." Mighty turns to leave.

"You would take him from a job he loves against his will? Force him to give up everything he has? How would that make you any better than us?"

Mighty's fist clenches tighter. "He has so much more…"

"He doesn't know that."

"I'll tell him."

"He'll think you're crazy."

Mighty has no answer for this.

"The best thing you can do for him is to continue supporting him while we work this out."

"Why do you care?"

"Because I don't trust selfish people. And I'm still trying to figure out just how much I can trust you."

This seems to catch Mighty's attention. "Oh, so you trust me now, do you?"

"You don't seem to listen very well. I said I'm thinking about it. Of course, if I didn't think you to be trustworthy at all, you never would have left this base after your first visit."

"Didn't we just agree to stop the posturing?"

"You've been pushing the boundary ever since. Now do you want to hear what I'm trying to tell you, or are you still stuck on the idea of storming out of here to prove your point?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Just listen. One year ago, the Master Sergeant took me into his confidence and offered me my current position. He told me it was because I was the only SCOPE operative who was in it for the good of the world, and not for the organization. I know that you couldn't care less about the good of SCOPE. And I know that you're here to do good. So if I'm to follow the Sergeant's example, I should offer the same to you."

"Am I hearing this right? You know that I want nothing to do with this job…so you're offering me a promotion?"

"I've uncovered certain information in my other investigations. If I were to share this information with the wrong person, it could make matters far worse."

"Worse than what?"

"I can't tell you that. Not unless you agree to accept this information and help to save the planet in any way that you can."

"Does this 'help' include murder?"

"Of people? Unlikely."

"That's a suspicious distinction. What exactly are you defining as 'people'?"

"If you're not willing to fight for Earth, then we have no need to continue this conversation."

Mighty sighs. "…Just show me the data."

—–—

The Eggshelter

The Virtron room creates a single round wooden table in the otherwise black environment, with three chairs on each side. Sonic takes a seat on one side, with Shadow and Knuckles beside him. Appearing alongside the table, Eggman sits at the other end, though Sage and Heavy King remain floating and standing, respectively, by his shoulders. Eggman nods to each of the Rebels in turn. "Sonic. Knuckles. And how are you doing today, Shadow?"

Shadow growls in return.

"Wonderful setup you have here," Eggman comments. "Minimalistic. Straight to business. I respect that."

Sonic slowly shakes his head in disbelief. "So we're just…going to pretend like this is normal, then?"

"My apologies. This is my first time negotiating with terrorists, so I wasn't sure how formal you wanted things to be."

Knuckles starts to raise a fist, but Sonic stops him before he can say a word. "Don't let him get to you, Knuckles." He turns back across the table. "Like you said, Eggman. Straight to business. What's this all about?"

"Well, I thought it was your idea. Something about 'we're all in the same room and not trying to kill each other, and that's a good sign for peace.'"

"So that's really it? You want to end the war, just like that?"

"Believe it or not, I don't want to fight this war any more than you do. For the peace and safety of my planet, I believe it best to put an end to all this silly fighting."

Knuckles rolls his eyes. "Right. Like you just spontaneously came to the decision that war is bad after 3 years?"

Shadow comments, "More likely, he sees where this has been going, and he's eager to bargain while it still looks like he has the upper hand."

Eggman lowers his head and sighs. "You helped save my daughter. I owe you one—precisely one—favor. You said you wanted to talk peace, so I'm hearing you out. After this, we're even. So tell us, then. What are your demands?"

Sonic's face quickly goes blank. "My…demands?"

Eggman clearly pretends to be surprised at that reaction. "Yes…your demands. As in…the things you want me to do in exchange for an end to hostilities between us? I assume that you've been obstructing the Empire at every turn because you want something, and not just because you feel like it."

Shadow angrily whispers into Sonic's ear, "Were you seriously not prepared for this? You made a rulebook for us, but nothing for what we want out of him?"

Sonic holds up his hands in defense. "Don't look at me like that, I didn't think it was going this way!"

Knuckles adds in a low tone, "Well, we're here now, so you'd better figure something out."

"Right…" Sonic folds his hands on the table as he looks back across at Eggman. "Demands. Our demands…start like this."

Eggman waves him along. "Go on, then. You have my word it will be given due consideration, whatever it is."

"We want…the Empire to end. Full stop. That's what we're fighting for, that's our demand."

Eggman shakes his head slowly. "Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Sonic laughs incredulously. "Well, I see your word's good for about as much as it ever was. That doesn't sound like 'due consideration' to me."

"No no no, you misunderstand. Consideration must go both ways, of course. So do tell me. How do you plan for us to deal with the rampant global anarchy that will result from the sudden removal of the entire structure of power?"

"The…what?"

"Whether you like it or not, Sonic, the Eggman Empire has taken the place of all former governments, and now supports every sector of society on every corner of the globe. No more Empire means no more laws, no more security, and no more jobs for more than half the population. In a word, anarchy."

Sonic takes a glance back at Shadow. Shadow nods. "He's right."

Sonic sighs. "Fine. Forget that one. Instead, we want you to step down as Emperor."

Eggman's response is quick and practiced. "Why?"

"Wh—… What do you mean, 'why'?"

"Why should I step down as Emperor? Do be specific, this is an open discussion after all. If I meet all of your other demands in such a way as to run this planet henceforward in a manner befitting your every standard and desire, what purpose would my abdication serve?"

Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles all appear to be dumbfounded beyond words.

"And who would replace me? Someone who would have far less incentive to meet your other demands than I do, I'm sure. Or are you suggesting that you should be Emperor, Sonic? What would the people think of that, I wonder? A new violent usurper taking the place of the old one. I know I'd be displeased with my former hero."

Sonic finally gets out, "It doesn't matter who. It doesn't matter why. That's the demand, take it or get out of here."

"So it's just a personal grudge, then? You've been fighting this war, endangering all of these lives for no other reason than because you don't like me. Maybe for a power play as well. Very disappointing, Sonic. I certainly wouldn't let word about that get out about that if I were you. Or have I misunderstood?"

Sonic groans, "Fine! You win again! Forget that, we'll try demand number three. What we're in agreement on so far is that I don't approve of the way you run this Empire. So if you're going to insist on keeping the throne, it'll be as a figurehead. Everything else needs to change. The power to make and enforce laws should be distributed among representatives elected by the people, not you. No more robot intimidation to keep people in line, and no more forced labor camps to imprison people whose only crime is not liking you. And we are going to be involved at every step to make sure that all of the changes are made honestly and permanently."

Eggman nods slowly. "Ah, I see. Now I believe we're starting to understand each other better. You seem to know a little bit more about politics than you let on."

"What, no complaints against this one?"

"Not at all. In fact, I believe I've reached a decision. I am prepared to meet…all three of your demands."

"Wait, what?"

"That's right. I will see to the particular policy changes you've requested before stepping down as Emperor, to be replaced by an elected official who can more steadily oversee the end of what we call the Empire. On the condition that you meet just one demand of my own."

Knuckles mutters, "There it is. Of course he wants something else."

"What I want hasn't changed," Eggman continues. "I want you, Sonic, to turn over yourself and your three Chaos Emeralds to me. Do that, and the entire world will be shaped to your desires."

Sonic's chair screeches back as he stands suddenly. "I've heard enough." He calls up to the ceiling, "Get ready to shut it down, Tails. We're done here."

Shadow puts a hand on Sonic's chest to stop him from walking out. "Hold on. All things considered, don't you think that sounds pretty reasonable?"

"This is the same bogus deal he tried to make with me on day one of this war, Shadow. I don't know what he wants with me, but that doesn't matter. We all know that he alone can do a lot more harm with all seven Emeralds than his whole Empire ever could without them."

Eggman opens his arms in a show of innocence. "Oh, it's nothing like that, I assure you. If you really wanted to know my intentions, all you had to do was ask."

Sonic eyes Eggman with suspicion. "Okay, Doc… What are your intentions?"

"Nothing more or less than scientific study and advancement, of course. I want to know more about your connection to the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic. I want to complete my Chaos Project. I've wanted that for some time. As I've promised before, no physical harm would come to you. And when my study is complete, you would be free to leave."

Sonic contemplates that for several moments. Then he says, "Yeah, if you just said you wanted to torture me, I'd probably believe you. We're not gonna play these games with you. Let's go, guys." This time, Shadow doesn't stop him, and Knuckles stands to follow him.

Sage suddenly cries out, "Wait!" All eyes fall to her, Eggman's scowl the most venomous of them all. "We can't allow the negotiations to end this way. Right, Father?"

Eggman sighs. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Perhaps we've both been aiming too far in the extreme. If we can't come to an agreement that ends the war, we can at least arrange a…stepping stone, of sorts."

Knuckles asks, "What are you proposing?"

"An alliance. Temporary, of course. Let's say…one year of agreed nonaggression between us. In that time, we work together as protectors of peace and order on planet Earth."

Shadow crosses his arms. "So you get an end to every inconvenience the Rebellion has been causing you, and all the time you need to build your defenses unhindered, while we get to keep doing what we've already been doing in spite of your best efforts to stop us. Are you trying to imply that's a fair deal?"

"I should certainly think so. Don't you all want to walk the world as free men again? Without fear of arrest or attack?"

Sonic laughs. "Your world? Free? I think we both know that's not how it works. I think we're all better off hiding out under our own rules than living 'free' under yours."

Heavy King speaks up for the first time, simply warning, "Emperor…"

Eggman growls. "Yes, yes, I know." He sighs. "Since we've established that this deal is slightly more beneficial to me than it is to you, I do have an…incentive that may balance the matter." He pulls out the white Chaos Emerald. "Say yes, and this is yours to keep. At least until a different agreement is made, or this one is broken."

Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow all look at one another. After a few moments, they seem to reach an unspoken agreement. Sonic voices, "That's quite an offer, Doc. I'll need some time to discuss it with my friends here."

"But of course. Take all the time you need. In fact, we'll let you have some privacy." Eggman, Sage, and King all turn away in unison, their forms dissolving as they walk past the wall of the Virtron room.

Sonic looks up at the ceiling. "Tails, mute us!"

Tails' voice projects, "You're muted."

Sonic turns around in his chair so he can huddle closer together with Knuckles and Shadow. He looks to Shadow first. "All right, Shadow. What are you thinking about this?"

"I'm thinking that if Eggman is serious about this, he's an idiot. We have everything to gain from accepting the offer, taking the Emerald, then turning on him immediately."

"Unfortunately, he's smarter than that. He knows we won't. What's a lot more likely is him turning on us. For starters, we need to know if that Emerald's real."

Shadow answers, "If we were actually in a room with it, I could tell you. The hologram wasn't enough to go by. Even if it was, that doesn't mean it will be when the time comes to hand it over."

"And do we think he's serious about giving it to us?"

"It's certainly suspicious that he's offering to give away exactly what he was just asking for."

Knuckles counters, "If he needs all seven, it doesn't make much of a difference to him whether he has three or four. If he were to get the rest, he'd be getting them all at once from us either way. Not that we're letting him do that."

Sonic adds, "But for us…think about what that means. Our fourth Emerald, to his three. Not exactly a tipping point in the war, but…a sign that things are turning around in our favor. A sign that we can win."

Shadow notes, "For someone talking about making peace, it sounds an awful lot like you're expecting the war to continue."

Knuckles laughs. "It sure looks to me like it will. It's a question of if round two starts as soon as this deal falls through, or if it starts in a year when it expires."

Shadow closes his eyes in a moment of thought. "Has the goalpost really moved that far?"

Sonic looks over in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm telling you to ask yourself if this is worth it. Yes, we want that Emerald. But somehow, Eggman seems to have convinced us all that it's worth putting a halt to everything that we've been fighting for. One extra year of this world suffering under the Empire. Do you think that's worth it, Sonic?"

Knuckles objects, "Maybe it's not when you put it that way. But think about what we'd actually be capable of doing in that year. Over the last three years, our progress has been measured by nothing but staying alive, keeping the world relatively safe, and grabbing a few Emeralds. By that same measure, this deal sounds like progress. Eggman's giving us the chance to keep a closer eye on him, and if he does put the world in danger, that'd be him breaking the deal."

Shadow shakes his head. "Is that really what we're hoping for? We want him to go back on his word? Is this deal only worth taking if he does? That sounds like another reason to be suspicious to me."

Sonic shakes his head. "I'm not an expert here, but that sounds to me like the opposite. If he was planning on breaking the deal, he would be making sure we can't benefit from that. If we can, that sounds like a reason to…" Sonic shudders for a moment. "…trust him."

Shadow nods slowly. "It may depend on the details of this…'alliance' he's proposing. Eggman was trying to keep it vague, but judging by Sage's reaction, this whole setup seems to be about more than just war negotiations. They want our help with something in particular."

Knuckles proposes, "We'll just have to ask. Eggman's been pretty open about answering all our questions so far. If he doesn't want to answer this one, that alone will tell us something. If we threaten to back out from there, his reaction will tell us even more."

"Agreed. We should keep an eye on Sage as well."

Sonic turns to Knuckles. "Alright. So let's suppose we take this deal. It needs to be on our terms. We can't let him decide when and where he hands it over, because that's pretty much guaranteed to be a trap. So what's our plan?"

While Sonic and Knuckles discuss, Sage's voice quietly announces, "Shadow the Hedgehog. I wish to speak with you."

Shadow is startled into looking back at where Sage has resumed her position. "You? What are you— Right, you can't hear me."

Sage answers simply, "I can read your lips."

Shadow glances back nervously to confirm that Sonic and Knuckles are both facing away from her as they continue their conversation. They both look up as they realize that Sage is there. Shadow tells them, "Keep going, she can't hear you." Satisfied, he looks back at her. "What do you want?"

"You were created by Professor Gerald Robotnik. Grandfather of Emperor Eggman. That would make you…my uncle?"

Shadow's face contorts into a scowl. "No. No it wouldn't."

"You say that because I am not Eggman's biological child?"

An increasing amount of curiosity grows on Shadow's face. "I of all people would have no right to think that way. No. I say that because Eggman is no family of mine, and his connection to you is irrelevant."

"I see… So you are saying that just as family can be born entirely through the bonds of love…family can also be unbound by the barriers of hate."

"You make that sound like a bad thing. All it means is that you have a choice. Family can't be decided for you. It consists of only the people you choose to keep close to you in your life."

"If it is not predetermined, then why have you categorized me based entirely on my connection to someone else?"

Shadow pauses for a moment. "Are you claiming that this is the first time you've thought of any of this?"

This causes Sage to pause. "I…do not know. I have no memory of my life after the incident on the Starfall Islands. I do not remember if you and I have met before."

"And you don't remember how you died?"

"Father…has not told me."

"Then take it from someone else who came back. That's the one part you're better off forgetting."

Sonic and Knuckles have both gone silent as they stare with curiosity at the conversation between Shadow and Sage.

Shadow concludes, "Go tell…your father…that we're ready to talk."

Sage nods her head. "Of course." She vanishes.

Sonic announces, "Tails, you can unmute us."

Tails' voice answers, "Mics are back on."

Sonic quickly asks Shadow, "What was that about?"

Shadow shakes his head. "I wish I could tell you."

Eggman, King, and Sage reform at the edge of the room and resume their positions. "Well, that was quick. Shall I take that as a good sign?"

Sonic does his best to maintain a calm expression. "We've discussed your offer. And we need to know more before we can consider accepting it."

"But of course. What do you have in mind?"

"First, we want to know what you need our help with."

"Did we not already discuss that? I said that we would be working together to protect—"

"Cut the games, Doc. If the world's in enough trouble that you're asking for our help to fix it, we need to know. Now."

Eggman crosses his arms. "I don't know what you're implying."

Sage voices quietly, "Father, please…"

Eggman scowls at her.

King picks up, "Emperor, they will learn soon enough, with or without our contribution."

Eggman lets out a prolonged groan. "Fine… If I must give up my best bargaining chip… Sage, prepare the file."

With a wave of Sage's hand, a floating video screen appears in the air between them, showing a paused frame of the former SCOPE Master Sergeant standing in front of a dark background.

Eggman explains, "I'm sure you recognize this unnamed gentleman. This recording is from a communication between him and myself about two years ago. You should pay extra close attention, Shadow. It's all about you."

The video begins to play.

—–—

Moon Base BABEL

On Ayanna's datapad, the same video begins as the Master Sergeant greets curtly, "Doctor."

Eggman's voice responds in the recording, "That's 'Emperor' to you."

The Sergeant doesn't comment. "You've received my order for construction materials?"

"To build a fleet of space worthy combat vessels, yes. I have a few questions. For example, 'Why?' and 'How is this worth diverting resources from my robot army?'"

"Don't forget that we were the ones who put you on that throne of yours, Doctor. If you can't follow our instructions, we can replace you with someone who can."

"I never said I couldn't. In fact, I'm happy to expand the glory of the Eggman Empire into the final frontier. But we have some issues here on Earth to deal with first. I'd like to make sure your priorities are straight, Sergeant."

The Sergeant pauses. "I don't share such information without regard. However…given that the matter may fall into your hands…and your potential personal involvement…it may be best if you know. Very well. You've dealt in your time with an ancient prophecy or two, have you not?"

"I would say that was closer to my grandfather's area of study, but yes, I suppose I may have been responsible for one or two of them coming true."

"You've cut right to the heart of the matter. The ancient Echidnas prophesied the coming of the Death Egg and of Perfect Chaos. But their fortune-telling techniques were not their own. Their entire civilization was derived from what was left behind by the Ancients of Starfall. Long ago, SCOPE uncovered what is believed to be the last prophecy of the Ancients, and the first to be recorded by the Echidnas. The Ancients were far more precise in their predictions than were those who emulated them. From these records, we've translated an exact date. The final appearance of the full moon next year. December 29th."

"You seem to have skipped the part where something actually happens on that date."

"It's a complicated matter. The prophecy speaks of the galaxy colliding above us. Foes from across the stars engaged in a great battle against our own forces over Earth's skies."

"And you want us to have a fleet because some hallucinating pre-evolved Chao said we should have one?"

"Have you ever known such a prophecy to be false? Regardless, I did say it was a complicated matter. There's another major component to this. The prophecy speaks of the one who will end this battle. The child of three worlds. One who carries the DNA of Earth, of the Ancients, and of the invaders—depicted in black and red. We've confirmed these invaders to be the Kaosians. Black Arms, as you would know them."

"A hybrid of Earth and Black Arms blood? That certainly sounds like someone we know. But the Ancients as well?"

"Professor Gerald's original design for the Ultimate Life Form was, coincidentally, based on an Echidna prophecy, depicting the destruction wrought by Perfect Chaos, a living rebirth of the Ancients themselves. We did not know at the time that the Professor did more than just copy its visual form. He sampled the waters of the Mystic Ruins, which contained trace amounts of the DNA that belonged to the Chaos creature. His project was only of minimal concern to us. Until we discovered his negotiations with Black Doom to create the final incarnation of his project. Shadow the Hedgehog carried on the blood of the Biolizard, as well as blood of Earth and of the Kaosians. His appearance was enough to confirm the matter. He was the child of three."

"I see. So you had the project shut down, my grandfather and cousin murdered, and Shadow himself brought into your control."

"I take it by the tone of your voice that you don't entirely approve of that course of action. But you're a man of logic, Doctor Eggman. Most of the time, anyways. To conclude the matter of this prophecy, it was stated that the child of three would be faced with a choice—to save only one of the three. The legacy of the Ancients. The sovereignty of the Kaosians. Or the vitality of Earth."

"And you're concerned that Shadow wouldn't choose Earth?"

"SCOPE isn't in the business of taking one-in-three gambles on the fate of humanity. We took every effort to ensure that we would be making the choice for him. Unfortunately, he is not, at present, under our control. Nonetheless, we will have a battle to fight. If we can't regain control, and Shadow still makes the right choice, we'll have to back him up. If he makes the wrong one, we'll have to stop him. Either way, we must be prepared. Or it will end for us all."

"Not necessarily…"

The Sergeant raises an eyebrow in interest.

"Suppose that Shadow didn't have to make the choice at all. Suppose we had our own Shadow to do it in his place. Or perhaps…a few dozen? Sharing his biological uniqueness while being mechanically under our complete control?"

"A loophole in the prophecy. Intriguing idea."

"I'll send a few blueprints your way. With your resources, the newest line of Shadow Androids is sure to be even better than the last."

The video ends.

Mighty looks up. "Unless you're claiming that I'm the black-and-red child of three, I'm not sure what this has to do with me."

Ayanna frowns. "You aren't concerned by the fact that our planet is about to be invaded?"

"Assuming for the moment that I believe this 'prophecy', it sounds to me like the matter is already settled. I may not be best pals with Shadow, but I trust him well enough. Better than you, that's for sure. He's not going to let anyone destroy Earth, despite your best efforts to make him hate the whole lot of us."

"The prophecy tells us how the battle will end, not how it will be waged. This station is Earth's first line of defense, and our actions could mean the difference between the battle ending here, far from the surface, or there, after millions of deaths. Is that what you want, Agent M? Millions of deaths?"

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"I need someone I trust running the defenses of this station. Someone who will prioritize the good of humanity over the good of SCOPE."

"Sounds like you're asking for a sacrificial lamb. Where exactly will you be during all this?"

"That's classified."

"Of course. Why do I even ask?"

"Because you're trying to find out if I'm merely throwing you to the wolves."

"And are you?"

"I'm not expecting you to win this battle single handedly. There will come a point of no return where this station's defenses will be overwhelmed, and if that happens, the lives of everyone here will be in your hands. You must weigh those lives against the ones you are capable of saving. You must act to preserve humanity. Whether that sounds to you like a 'yes' or a 'no' is a question only you can answer."

"And here I thought SCOPE was undefeatable."

"SCOPE is more than just one station. Your choices, Agent M, knowing what you know now, are to either save your own life and abandon your post now, or remain here to fight alongside your friend. Which do you choose?"

Mighty crosses his arms. "I choose neither."

Ayanna raises an eyebrow.

"Because I'm going to save Ray and everyone else."

Before Ayanna can respond, the door behind Mighty flies open, and Ray comes running in with a datapad in hand. He pants, "Sergeant! Something big… …on the radar! Really big… …coming this way!"

Ayanna asks procedurally, "Hostile?"

"Probably."

"Kaosian?"

"Definitely."

Ayanna looks back over at Mighty with a silent question.

Mighty raises a fist resolutely. "I'll do it. Just watch me."

—–—

The Eggshelter

"The lack of Shadow Androids is your fault, by the way." Eggman directs the comment at Shadow. "Not that I'm holding that against you. As long as you make the reasonable choice in the battle tomorrow."

Shadow's eyes are closed, as he appears deep in thought.

Sonic mutters, "Wow… That's a lot to take in…" He looks at Shadow first, but, seeing him distracted, looks at Knuckles instead.

Knuckles nods. "Echidna prophecies always come true. I believe it."

"Any insight on what it means? That whole thing about the choice sounded a bit vague."

"Well, the 'vitality of Earth' is clear enough. Not necessarily a total eradication of life or destruction of the planet, but definitely a lot of death if it isn't saved."

"And the sovereignty of the Kaosians?" Sonic again looks at Shadow. Shadow again remains silent.

Knuckles picks up, "That would be their rulers. Possibly their entire system of power. Black Doom and Black Gladius are already dead, but Shadow said there was a third ruler somewhere. I think we can all agree that nothing is lost if we ignore that one."

Shadow finally speaks up, "No." Everyone looks at him. "Luna is the new hive queen of House Gladius. And I…am the heir to Black Doom. I have no reason to believe we wouldn't be included as well."

Sonic grimaces. "Well that complicates things a bit… What about the last one? The legacy of the Ancients?"

This time, it is Sage who answers. "I have managed to run several million calculations regarding the probable meaning of this particular statement. Comparing it to similar wording used in texts from both the Ancients and the Echidnas, I have isolated several possible solutions. It could refer to some means of restoring their civilization."

"Restoring? Like, bringing them back to life? How is that possible?"

"That is beyond the scope of my calculations. There are other solutions as well. It could refer to their descendents, the Chao. It could refer to the tangible remains of their civilization, both on the Starfall Islands and in Cyber Space. It could also refer specifically to the child of three. Or any combination of these options. Other possibilities make up less than one percent of of—"

"Are you saying Shadow's included in that one too? Doesn't that mean he dies no matter what he chooses?"

Eggman dodges the question. "So we're in agreement, then? Shadow will choose to save Earth?"

Sonic and Knuckles glare at Eggman intensely.

"What? He's sacrificed himself for Earth before, what's the difference now? Tell them, Shadow."

Shadow appears to have once again retreated back into his own thoughts.

Knuckles responds, "You may be in the business of making sacrifices, Eggman, but we're not. The history of the Ancients is important, and we won't let that be destroyed."

Sonic adds, "And we're not sacrificing our friends, either. We're going to find a way to save all three."

Eggman grumbles, "We just agreed that the prophecy was true, didn't we? The child of three can only make one choice."

Knuckles crosses his arms. "Weren't you the one trying to come up with a loophole from the very beginning?"

"Indeed I was. And if I still had a couple of Shadow Androids, perhaps each of them could choose independently. Unfortunately, that's impossible now. So if Shadow dies, that's entirely his fault."

Sage looks solemnly over at Shadow. Shadow doesn't notice.

Sonic folds his hand on the table. "Okay, Eggman. Let's say we believe you. Let's say we believe that you did everything you could to save everyone, and when that failed, you turned to us. You tried to recruit our help under the guise of an 'alliance'. That means two things. One, you know that you need us. And two, you're willing to give up a lot to get it. So here's what's going to happen. We'll take your Emerald in exchange for this one-day alliance. We're going to put everything we both have together towards coming up with another loophole. If you refuse, Shadow will just have to make his own choice. What's your answer?"

Eggman, for the first time, has lost all composure in his show of complete bewilderment. "Wh— H— He wouldn't! He wouldn't let Earth die just to save his own life!"

"Are you willing to bet your Empire on that, Doc? Or would you rather spend one Emerald to make sure of it?"

Eggman grumbles something unintelligible.

Heavy King answers, "We accept."

Eggman glares at him furiously.

"You've lost these negotiations, Emperor. Nonetheless, we all agreed to do what was necessary."

After another moment of grumbling, Eggman finally mutters, "Fine. But if we don't find this second loophole, he…" Eggman points aggressively at Shadow. "…chooses Earth, no matter the consequences. That's the deal. And if you break your word to me, Hedgehog, I think you'll find that you've far underestimated the amount of 'harm' I can do."

Shadow, his eyes still closed, gives one slow nod.

Sonic nods as well. "Then it's a deal. We should get to work on a solution right away. How much time do we have?"

Shadow finally opens his eyes. "None. I've been in contact with Luna. They're here. Now."

—–—

Moon Base BABEL

The Black Asteroid snaps out of Mega Warp first, closely followed by a fleet of Black Arms ships flanking it on all sides. No matter how many ships come in, there always seems to be more about to arrive.

As the ships begin to move past the Moon, Mighty's voice declares across space over an open frequency, "Black Arms fleet, this is Earth's lunar defense station. We have reason to believe you're here with hostile intent. Last time your people invaded here, we were caught unaware. We still defeated your king and wiped out your forces. I think you'll find that our defenses have improved greatly since then. This is your only warning to turn back. Earth is off limits."

Moments later, the rumbling voice of Black Morbus responds, "Earth creature. Death has come for you, as it does for all. You can accept it now, or later. This is the only mercy you will be offered."

Sitting at Ayanna's command chair, overlooking the Moon's surface and the fleet of ships beyond, Mighty switches from one communications button to another. "All hands, this is Acting Sergeant M. Ready defense procedures and prepare to evacuate all nonessential personnel. This is war." The lights in the base turn red. He thinks to himself, "I'll catch up with you soon, Ray." Out loud, he concludes, "Let's light 'em up."

Panels across the artificial surface of the moon begin to open in rapid succession as cannons and turrets deploy from inside, spreading like a wave until it appears as if half the moon is guns. They all open fire at once, illuminating the night sky with a stellar-sized storm of lasers and projectiles.

The ships in the alien fleet scatter. Many of them lock together, combining their shields into a defensive position around the Asteroid. The rest move to attack the lunar surface, making wide synchronized motions to evade the oncoming fire. Of those, many open their doors to release further swarms of Black Hawks and armored Black Volts, spitting vollies of worm missiles as a first counterfire.

When a laser strikes the glowing shield of a Black Arms ship, it bounces off or scatters away. But when a worm strikes a lunar defense turret, it shreds through as easily as paper. What appeared to be an overwhelming display of force suddenly seems no more effective than a light show.

Mighty clings to his chair as the base rumbles from a missile striking nearby. "Not backing down, huh?" He taps the key to make another announcement. "Launch every remote combat drone we've got. I want every available pilot in control of at least one." From the side of the desk, he picks up a large pilot's helmet and quickly throws it on over his head.

When he lowers the visor, it lights up with a virtual reality display of the inside of a high-tech cockpit. "We all saw what happened six years ago. They're a hivemind. If we take down their command center, the whole army crumbles." Stars whizz by on Mighty's display as his drone takes off from the far side of the moon. The display tints several shades darker as the blinding display of laser fire comes into view. "Every drone captain is armed with a nuclear payload. And that Asteroid looks like it's practically falling apart already. If we can get just one inside and armed, we'll win this battle."

From the outside, Mighty's black jet-like drone takes point in a formation with four others. They turn up sharply when they reach the edge of the defense lasers, taking advantage of the cover fire from the surface. Several Black Arms ships break off to intercept them. Before they can lock in their sights, Mighty's drone dives deeper into the laser storm. The rest of his formation and the opposing ships both follow. The drones, smaller and more maneuverable, have a much easier time keeping clear of the lasers at their backs than the Black Arms ships, which are frequently struck by glancing shots as they charge in closer. These setbacks are enough to allow the drones to slip right past them. They turn to pursue.

With the Moon's gravity behind them and the Black Asteroid ahead, the drones drop bombs back into the paths of the pursuing ships. The ships make synchronized movements to evade, but one of them is struck by a bomb, knocking out its shields and blowing it into the path of a surface turret, vaporizing it completely.

As Mighty's drone makes tighter and tighter turns around lasers in the storm, more and more of the pursuing ships are picked off by the shots they can't avoid, until none of them are left. Several of the drones backing up Mighty's are picked off as well, but his remains unscathed.

Mighty smirks as he puts his attention back on the straight shot to the Black Asteroid. Then there's a blinding flash, and his screen goes black. "What the—!?" With a growl, he taps a button on the side of his helmet, switching his controls to a different drone in the formation. Already, a second drone is going up in a fireball to his side. "Where…?" For just a moment, he catches a glimpse of the ship that destroyed them, a larger vessel with long trailing fins making a spiraling dive past his field of view, a movement far more fluid than the mechanical synchronicity of the others. "Who is that pilot…?"

"Pilot is Saturn, friend of Shadow."

"What!? Who are you, how did you get on this channel!?"

"Saturn speaks directly to Protector Mighty's brain. Protector Mighty is good pilot too. Pleasure to meet."

Mighty thinks to himself, "If a friend of Shadow's is fighting on the side of the invaders…maybe the choice he'll make isn't so obvious."

"Saturn doesn't know about any choice." Mighty shows surprise at his thoughts being heard, but Saturn keeps going. "Saturn has not much time. Only Friend Shadow can stop Mother Morbus. Protector Mighty should flee before moon base is destroyed."

"I don't care who you say you are. We will not surrender. We will not flee."

"Then Protector and companion will not survive."

"Companion?"

All this time, Mighty's drone and Saturn's ship have been making intricate maneuvers through space, each trying to get the other in its sights while staying out of the line of fire. But now, Saturn's ship changes tactics, letting itself back into Mighty's view just as it fires off a volley of worm missiles. Mighty dives to the side to avoid them, but they've already homed in on him, approaching rapidly.

Another drone races past Mighty's view, destroying the missiles with lasers as it passes.

"Nice shooting, Agent…" Mighty taps a finger in the general direction of the other drone, and information about its pilot appears on his HUD. "R!? What are you doing here!? You were supposed to evacuate!"

Ray's voice answers, "You said you needed pilots, right? You're close now, M, I can get you through to that Asteroid."

Mighty growls in frustration, but, seeing that he has no other backup drones left, answers, "We'll need to get past this guy first, I think he's one of the leaders."

"I've got your back. Just tell me when to shoot."

"We'll flank him. Just follow my lead." The drones break off in opposite directions. "If he can still hear my thoughts, this probably won't help…"

Saturn's ship remains focused on Mighty, giving Ray a clean shot at its side.

"Do it now!"

Ray's drone does not fire. It travels in a line straight forward, missing Saturn's ship by a wide margin, and still not turning back.

"R? What's going on, why didn't you shoot?"

The unchanging path of the drone makes it an easy target for a passing Black Arms ship. It is quickly blown apart.

"R, can you hear me? R? Respond!"

The radio remains silent. Mighty's drone is the only one left in sight. And without any backup, it can do nothing to avoid Saturn's next volley of missiles.

Mighty's screen goes black. "No!" In frustration, he pulls his helmet off and hurls it at the ground, slamming his fist into the desk hard enough to leave a sizable dent. "It can't be over just like that…" The base rumbles as it's hit by another run of bombs. The lights flicker. "We can't just give up…"

"H-help me!"

Mighty looks up in shock at the sound of the voice in the other room. "Ray!" He races for the door. "Ray, what's—" He stops dead as the door opens.

The room has been nearly abandoned, save for Ray, and the human SCOPE agent that holds a weapon against the side of his head. In a panic, Ray tries to plead, "M, you have to—"

The agent silences him by grabbing him tighter and jabbing his weapon even closer. "Quiet. You're both coming with me."

Mighty slowly raises his open hands. "Put the gun down, Agent. We're all on the same side here. There's no need for that."

The agent agrees, "Yes, we are. No one has to get hurt if you follow my instructions. Keep your hands in the air, keep your distance, and follow me."

"Okay." He puts his hands up the rest of the way. "Okay. I'll go."

The agent pushes Ray along towards the elevator that Mighty entered from, and Mighty follows at a distance behind. When the door opens, he steps back and motions for Mighty to enter first.

Ray blurts out, "Don't worry about me, you can—"

This time, the agent covers his mouth to silence him. He repeats his motion to Mighty. "Go."

Mighty allows some of his concealed rage to show through his eyes he passes the man holding Ray hostage. But he makes no other move as he shuffles to the back of the elevator.

The agent pushes Ray along behind him, and the door shuts behind them. Still with his weapon pointed at Ray, he touches his datapad to the panel, and the lift begins to move.

With the agent's grip on Ray momentarily removed, Mighty takes careful stock of the situation—the distance between himself and Ray, how tense the man's hand is around the trigger, and the confinement of the walls around them. The base shakes more strongly than ever.

Ray nervously shakes his head to discourage him.

Mighty seems to come to the same conclusion. Instead of acting, he asks, "So who put you up to this? Was it Sergeant A?"

The agent answers flatly, "No."

"The Master Sergeant, then?"

"No."

"I suppose there must be a few of us under Eggman's thumb. I can't imagine what he would have to gain from this, but you have to realize it can't be anything good. If he wants me, fine, but leave Ray out of it! He's innocent! He doesn't even know—"

"Just stop. I'm not working for anyone. I'm not even working for SCOPE. Not anymore."

"Well, that almost explains the blatant disregard for the fact that this base is about to go down. With us in it."

"Not for long."

"What do you mean, not for long? Are you saying you're trying to save this base by taking hostages?"

"No. I'm saying you won't be in it for long." The elevator stops, and the door opens on a small room with a teleporter pad already active. The agent gets his grip back on Ray and beckons Mighty into the room. "You first."

"You're…forcing us to escape?"

"There's someone I used to work with who was a lot like you. I know you would've gone down with the base. And your friend here would've died with you, without ever knowing the whole story. I couldn't allow that. Now go."

"If this is some kind of trap…"

"It's not."

"If I don't see Ray on the other side in the next ten seconds—"

"You will! Go!"

There is a violent crack overhead as the roof loses integrity from the most violent tremor yet. The lights go dark as rubble begins to break from the ceiling. Mighty runs for the teleporter pad.

The agent puts something in Ray's hand before shoving him into the growing light of the teleporter. Mighty catches Ray in his arms and curls protectively around him as the roof collapses completely.

—–—

In a room that would have been identical before the battle, the transporter pad activates, and Mighty and Ray appear in a pulse of purple light, still holding each other close. They both cautiously open their eyes to see that the danger has passed. Mighty quickly takes his hands off of Ray. "Sorry."

Ray whispers, "Is it…over?"

Mighty moves for the ladder attached to the back wall. "We should go."

"But what about…?" Ray looks back at the now deactivated transporter pad.

"I don't think he's coming." At the top of the ladder, he pushes open a panel on the roof, letting moonlight flood inside.

They both climb out into what appears to be a jungle clearing, where the hatch they emerge from acts as the only sign that this is not untouched wilderness. In the sky above, the full moon is lit and shaped oddly by the spread of weapons that still remain on half of its surface. But a short distance to the right, another light begins to shine even brighter. Motes of harsh red light gather around what must be the Black Asteroid until its menacing glare is almost as bright as broad daylight. Then a single laser beam fires at the moon, almost as wide as the moon itself. In a single moment, Moon Base BABEL is obliterated, leaving only the familiar molten remains of half a moon.

Mighty mutters softly, "Is this what destiny looks like…?"

"Half the moon is gone…again?"

Mighty closes his eyes and takes a long breath. "I guess we'd better start figuring out what to do next."

"That guy…gave me this." Ray holds out a small data drive.

Mighty looks it over for a moment. "Maybe it'll give us some answers."

Ray nods, and inserts the drive into his datapad. A video file appears on the screen.

What must be the same agent from before removes his helmet, revealing his dark hair and well-groomed mustache. "This message is for Agents M and R. I'd like to apologize for my…unorthodox means of getting this to you. I hope it doesn't come to this, but if it becomes clear that the base is going down, I know there won't be enough time to get it through your thick head that you need to leave. If there's one thing I learned from studying up on my old friend Vector, it's that you can't always get things done playing it by the book."

Mighty raises an eyebrow. "Vector?"

The man in the recording shakes his head. "Sorry, I should start from the beginning. I am Operative D1805307. Formerly known as Dixon Montse. I was a target of SCOPE's Substantial Negative Impact Precautionary Entry and Reassignment program. They wiped my memories, but I'm still an investigator at heart. When I found out what they did to me…I knew what I had to do. I've spent over a year now compiling all the information I could find on the others who were affected by this program, so I could give them their lives back. I had a data package like this one given to every one of them stationed on BABEL—you were the last one, Agent R. Ray the Flying Squirrel. But there are others I couldn't reach. Those still stationed on Earth. Their data is included in this package. I know it's a lot to ask from someone who just threatened to kill you, but…please, make sure they receive it. And…i-if I could make just one more request…there's an additional message in here…for my daughter. The girl who had her father taken away from her. Whose father…couldn't bear to go home, look her in the eyes and tell her that he can't remember her." He stops to wipe away his tears. "Even if it's all you can do, please…get the message to her. Let her know how sorry I am that I couldn't come back…"

The message ends abruptly.

Ray blinks several times as he takes it all in. Tears are in his eyes as well. "He…he called me 'Ray'… That's what you called me before too. Why…?"

Mighty takes hold of Ray's shoulders. "Because that's your name. Ray. You had a life before SCOPE. And they took that from you. And…I know you don't remember it, but…you and I…we were inseparable. You did have someone before. You had me. When you disappeared, I searched every corner of the globe for you, and when that wasn't enough, I searched the stars. And when I finally found you, I—"

Ray suddenly backs away, pulling himself out of Mighty's grip.

"I…I'm sorry." Mighty wipes his own tears away. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"You… Your name… What's your name?"

"Mighty. My name is Mighty. Do you…remember?"

Ray clenches his eyes shut. "I…don't know…but…" He looks back up into Mighty's eyes. "... you've proven, more than enough, that I mean something to you. So whoever you were to me before…" He springs forward to embrace Mighty in a tight hug. "...I'm glad that I have you now."

For what might be the first time, Mighty finally relaxes. "Me too."

A raspy voice shouts from the jungle, "Both of you, hands in the air!"

Mighty and Ray both step back and obey. Mighty mutters, "Here we go again…"

From the shadows of the trees, a figure wielding a sharpened spear emerges. "All right, which one of you government bozos is responsible for blowing up half the moon?" Sticks the Badger steps the rest of the way into the light, joined by Dave the Intern, Zooey the Fox, and several others from Rebel Camp Delta.

Mighty takes a step forward. "I can explain everything. But first I need to speak to Sonic the Hedgehog."

—–—

The Eggshelter

Lit from behind by the flash of the moon being destroyed, a Black Arms ship flies down into the hangar of the Eggshelter, coming to a stop in the spot next to Seraph's ship.

Seeing what's left of the moon, and the alien ship coming from its direction, everyone in the hangar tenses up, ready for a fight. Shadow motions for them to relax. The back hatch of the Black Manta opens, and Luna the Orthani steps out slowly. She looks up to reveal the tears in her eyes.

Shadow runs up to her. She hugs him before saying anything. "Luna, are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

She shakes her head. "I managed to slip through unnoticed. But…Shadow…Saturn is with them."

"With them? What do you mean? He's on their side?"

"I…I don't know. He refused every attempt I made to contact him, but…I heard him give the order. He's the one who just destroyed your moon."

"Why…? How…?"

"Black Morbus is Saturn's mother. I didn't think he was loyal to her, but…maybe she's forcing him somehow?"

Shadow closes his eyes. "We'll stop her. And if he won't help us…we'll stop him too."

"It won't be that simple. Morbus isn't like Black Doom or my father. She may have an army, but she has little reason to use it. She's a genetic engineer first and foremost. If she wants this planet to die, she'll drop a targeted bioweapon that can wipe out every living thing in a matter of hours. We have an hour at most before the Asteroid is in a close enough orbit to make that happen."

"Then we have an hour to come up with a plan."

On Seraph's ship next to them, the bottom panel opens, and Seraph is lowered down on a floating panel from inside. She retracts her helmet to look at the occupants of the hangar, nodding in greeting to Luna as she steps out. "I have news."

Sonic questions, "Good news or bad news?"

"Is there a point in distinguishing?"

"I…guess not. What do you have?"

"The Empress refused my request for aid."

"Bad news, then."

"Until she saw the image I provided of your moon being destroyed. Now she wishes to address the matter personally."

"Oh. Make that good news."

"I wouldn't be so certain. She did not promise the assistance of the White Arms. She promised only her own appearance. Then she terminated the communication. I've never seen her so emotional."

"That's…vague."

"You see why, don't you? That blast was not some new Black Arms weapon. It was something ancient. Something the Empress recognized instantly."

Sonic's eyes go wide as the realization dawns on him. "It looked similar, but…you don't mean…"

"The power that destroyed the Ancients. The End. The Black Arms have taken control of it."

—–—

Eggman's Hidden Base

The Sentinel's eyes light up red. Sage draws her hand away from the side of its head. "I have successfully taken complete control of the Sentinel. I am now integrating it with the network."

At the foot of the massive machine, Eggman watches on a datapad screen as half the moon explodes. He mutters something vaguely intelligible about "stealing my thunder." Then he looks up at Sage. "You've done well. We may have a chance to save the Empire after all."

"Father…may I ask you a question?"

"We don't have time for a long philosophical diatribe right now. One question."

"How important is the Empire?"

"You need me to answer that? It's the most important thing in the world, obviously. The first completely global government this world has ever seen. A legacy that will long outlive me and everyone else on this planet. Perhaps even you."

"So…it is more important than any one person?"

"That's two questions. Get back to work."

Sage bows her head. "Of course, Father."

Eggman exits the room.

Heavy King surprises Sage by speaking from behind her back. "He wishes to spare your feelings. But you know his answer as well as I. You are but one person. The Empire is everything he has ever worked for."

Sage looks up at the darkness of the hangar ceiling that stretches high out of sight. "I believe that I can protect Father. But if, to protect his Empire, I would have to…leave him…"

"Then he would expect you to choose what's most important."

Sage clutches a hand over her heart, echoing, "What's most important…"

To be continued…