Chapter 49: Maria's Wish
The ground below shook as a timer started its countdown. The heroes and villains alike watched as the recording of an old scientist began to play.
"The countdown has begun," he declared. "In 20 minutes, the Earth will be destroyed!"
"G-Gerald?" Shadow approached the monitor, watching as the deranged old man continued his speech, the ebony hedgehog's gloved fingers trembling.
"This is punishment for what you did to my precious Maria. My only granddaughter, slaughtered by the hands of the military. She was sickly and innocent, yet the cowardly soldiers who invaded the Space Colony Ark took her life. What's worse, Project Shadow, the Ultimate Lifeform intended to help cure Maria's degenerative disease, is now in the hands of the United States military."
"Normally I would denounce the wicked atrocities they have planned for Shadow, but what I have in store would even make them blush! Wooahhooohoohooo!" Gerald's laugh was reminiscent of his grandson's. "Even though I have been apprehended in this military prison, I haven't sat idly by!" The professor gestured all around, showing the audience the writings of a madman plastered all over the wall behind him.
"Say Tails," Sonic replied, "those look familiar to you?"
"Yeah," Tails replied. "It's the cell in Prison Island where we stayed!"
"The military, in their infinite stupidity, thought they could extract some value out of me by putting me to work repairing old appliances. Little did they know what damage I could do with spare parts snuck back into my cell…"
"Like grandfather like grandson," Decoe replied.
"Indeed," Bocoe added. "Seems the egg doesn't fall far from the hen."
"Pipe down!" Eggman barked, folding his arms and tapping his finger as his grandfather continued his speech.
"I knew one day the mystical Chaos Emeralds would be used to try powering the Space Colony Ark, and thanks to the remote programming I conducted from my cell, I have the Ark set to descend from the Earth's orbit and cause cataclysmic destruction! Given the size of the Ark, coupled with the magnificent buildup of energy from the Chaos Emeralds, the collision will cause a massive explosion that will destroy the entire planet!"
"And now that you were foolish enough to power up this decommissioned orbital station, the sight of one of the United States' worst crimes against humanity, you will be among the first to perish! Wooahhooohoohooo!"
The recording proceeded to rewind, preparing to automatically play back once more.
"Sh-shadow…"
The party turned to Helen, who was slowly awakening from her slumber, sitting upright in her wheelchair. As she opened her eyes, her vision slowly returning to her, the young girl felt disoriented, but as the recording started playing once more, she listened in, coming to same realization the rest of the party felt moments ago:
The Earth was doomed…unless they acted fast.
"Can't we just pull out the Chaos Emeralds?" Sonic asked, his gloved hand approaching the set of seven gems.
"No Sonic, don't!" Tails warned. "Even before this countdown began, the Ark made the Chaos Emeralds unstable. I'm sure Gerald programmed in safeguards to prevent anyone from trying to pull them out. That's probably why you got shocked earlier."
"So what, we're stuck?" Rouge asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Not quite…"
The party peered up at Eggman in his Egg Carrier, Decoe and Bocoe sitting behind him.
"It is correct that tampering with the Chaos Emeralds directly would do no good, likely even hurting the one who would so foolishly try prying it out of the console with brute force. While the console allows the Chaos Emeralds to power up and super charge the entire space station, the energy itself is stored in the central core of the Ark." The evil doctor returned to Knuckles. "I assume you brought the Master Emerald shards?"
"Yes," he replied, nodding his head as he repositioned the bag of shards across his shoulder.
"Very good," Eggman replied, giving a long sigh before making an unorthodox suggestion to his nemeses. "It should be plainly obvious that I don't like any of you, but we have a common interest: you guys want to save humanity, and I want to save the planet that I will one day rule, and I suppose none of us want to die in a fiery explosion."
"Therefore," Eggman concluded as he dropped from his floating Egg Mobile, stepping toward the blue hedgehog and offering his hand, "I propose a temporary truce. Once we prevent the Ark from crash landing into the Earth, our feud continues. Deal?"
"I don't like it." Sonic turned to Tails. "What do you think?"
"Eggman's understanding of the innerworkings of the Ark exceeds my own," Tails replied, "and with our mutually shared interest in not dying, I see no reason why Eggman would try double-crossing us now."
"I agree," Amy replied. "We need to work together to pull through this." Knuckles and Rouge nodded in agreement.
"I'm in, too!" Helen exclaimed.
"I am as well," Bocoe added.
"And so am I," Decoe said.
"I suppose I'll play along," Sonic conceded.
The party turned to Shadow, the final hold-out.
"…Fine." Shadow turned around and waved her arm forward. "Follow me."
"Right," Sonic replied, being the first to follow her footsteps. The rest of the party soon followed, with Eggman climbing back into his Egg Mobile to travel alongside Sonic while the heroes remained closely behind.
"So here's the plan," Eggman began as they turned a corner, heading toward a long, downward spiral staircase. "Knuckles will need to put the Master Emerald back together in the center of the core. This should neutralize the Chaos Emeralds' power and allow us to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere."
"Won't there be a failsafe Gerald had ready to go in case someone thought to use the Master Emerald?" Tails asked.
"I'm not even sure my grandfather knew of its existence," Eggman admitted as he led the pack down the staircase. "The fact he knew about the Chaos Emeralds in general, and had possession of them for a time, is a great mystery in it of itself."
"Our worlds must've been interconnected before," Tails replied. "Unless there are multiple sets of Chaos Emeralds."
"Extremely unlikely," Knuckles replied from behind. "The Chaos Emeralds are unique. I felt no identical presence on Earth when we arrived save for the ones that came from Mobius."
"So Gerald was able to acquire the Chaos Emeralds before any of us were even born, perhaps even traveling from Earth to Mobius?" Amy asked.
"Seems so," Eggman replied as they reached the base of the stairs, revealing a large, metallic door. He approached a large, dusty computer, typing away at the console to open the door. "We can explore my family's genius later. I never imagined myself saying this, but we've got a world to save."
The party poured into the central core, a spacious room featuring a pedestal similar in shape and style to the Master Emerald shrine Knuckles guarded, albeit constructed with time-worn metal.
"How uncanny," Knuckles said as he walked up the pedestal stairs. "For Gerald to have constructed this…did he directly copy the Angel Island shrine? Maybe he was aware of the Master Emerald…"
"Hey Knuckles," Sonic interrupted, pointing at his wristwatch communicator, "time's a tickin'. You should get a move on before it's too late."
"Right," Knuckles replied as he poured the Master Emerald shards from his bag. Then, raising his gloved palms, the pieces began to float, and as the red echidna gently waved his arms like an orchestra director, the shards started piecing themselves together. It soon started taking the shape of the Master Emerald, but before Knuckles could finish, a loud explosion could be heard from above.
"What was that?!" Rouge exclaimed, peering up at the ceiling with the rest of the party.
"Everyone move!" Sonic exclaimed, sensing the shaking ceiling above. Pushing Helen away, Tails was the last to dive out of the way of the collapsing ceiling. As the dust settled, a large beast emerged.
"A…dinosaur?" Helen questioned as she peered up at the large, reptilian creature, machinery strapped all along its body.
"It's the Biolizard," Shadow replied as she bent her knees and raised her fists. "One of Gerald's experiments. It is dangerous and should be promptly incapacitated."
"I don't suppose we could team up to crack this dino wide open?" Sonic asked as a grin covered his muzzle.
"Help yourself," Shadow replied, "but just don't get in my way." She dove forward, preparing her first attack.
"Hey, that's my line!" Sonic replied, launching a spindash at the lizard. Unfortunately, the two hedgehogs were swatted back by the ferocious might of the Biolizard's tail, crashing into the half-complete Master Emerald, causing it to shatter into several pieces once more.
"Hey!" Knuckles exclaimed, angrily waving his fist in the direction of the blue hedgehog before he even had a chance to pull himself up.
"Sorry, Knux," Sonic replied, rubbing a bruise on his forehead. Shadow didn't respond, instead launching right back at the creature. "We'll try keeping away from the Master Emerald as much as possible. Just put it together while we take care of this thing." Knuckles merely nodded in response before gathering all the shards and restarting the process of restoring the Master Emerald.
A spindash from both hedgehogs sent the Biolizard rolling onto its side, shaking the ground beneath them, but it quickly regained its footing.
"I've gotta help them," Helen said to herself as she pressed a sequence of buttons on her armrest, transforming the wheelchair into her signature Helengelion mech.
"Hey, ugly!"
The Biolizard peered toward the mech moments before it received a metallic foot to the face. A shriek of pain erupted from the beast as some of the wiring keeping the tech around its body intact came loose, producing black smoke.
"Here's our opening," Sonic declared before charging another spindash, soon joined by the ebony hedgehog. The two sent it flying back, crashing through a wall and rolling into the hallway, causing destruction in its wake.
"This thing isn't all that tough," Sonic boasted.
"Do not underestimate anything created by Gerald," Shadow replied.
"Yeah, I hear ya," Sonic replied with a shrug.
As if to challenge the blue hedgehog's cavalier attitude, the Biolizard rolled back onto its feet and re-entered the central core, letting out a roar as a trickle of green blood dripped from its lips and black smoke billowed out of its frayed wires.
Now joining the two hedgehogs were Helen, Rouge, and Amy, who entered their fighting stances as the Biolizard charged in, knocking them all back like bowling pins.
Meanwhile, Tails and Eggman were booting up the aged computer necessary to connect the Master Emerald to the central core while the red echidna was putting the finishing touches on restoring the mystical gem.
Amy was the first to pull herself up. Jumping high in the air, she swung her Piko Piko Hammer back before landing a clean blow to the top of the monster's head, temporarily paralyzing the beast, giving Rouge the opportunity to send it back using her screw kick. Helen then charged at the Biolizard in a sprint, kicking the creature back like an American football player going for a field goal.
"At this rate, we won't get any more of the action," Sonic complained. Shadow remained silent, instead checking the nearest monitor to show a time of 15 minutes remaining.
"Let's wrap this up," Shadow declared, jumping up as she generated a bolt of energy from her palms. Launching at the creature, she shouted, "Chaos spear!" This caused an explosion resulting in even more black smoke emanating from the Biolizard's artificial components, making it impossible for anyone to see.
As the heroes were coughing up smoke, the Biolizard used its last ounce of strength to gallop up the shrine steps and hurl itself toward the Master Emerald, which was now connected to the Ark's terminal.
"What is it doing?!" Tails exclaimed moments before the large creature made impact.
The collision sent a wave of energy in all directions, the resulting burst of light blinding the party while knocking them back. When the energy dissipated, and the flash disappeared, the party gasped in shock to find both the Master Emerald and the Biolizard gone.
"What? Impossible!" Knuckles exclaimed, slamming his fist on the ground.
"Look!" Tails pointed at a large monitor showing live footage of the Eclipse Cannon. The party watched in horror as the Biolizard affixed itself to the top of the cannon, with the Master Emerald now connected to what remained of the machinery wrapped around its back, a golden aura now surrounding the beast. It let out a blood-curdling roar as the Master Emerald atop its back started glowing a majestic green.
An explosion could be heard from above.
"Ah geez, what now?" Sonic complained. On a separate monitor, Tails shifted the feed to the terminal room where the Chaos Emeralds were held. They had since vanished, however, leaving the terminal smoking. Changing their perspective back to the main screen, the Chaos Emeralds made their way to the Biolizard, circling the beast like electrons spinning around an atom.
"This is bad," Eggman remarked. "The Biolizard has fussed with the Space Colony Ark and is harnessing the power of the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald."
"Is there anything we can do?" Amy asked.
"…I think I may know," Tails replied, earning the attention of the rest of the party. The orange fox approached the nearest computer terminal, typing rapidly. "If the Biolizard has become a part of the Ark's network, then I may be able to diffuse it."
"Unlikely," Eggman replied. "I'm sure my grandfather engineered every possible contingency. He planned on the Biolizard to steal the Master Emerald if anyone tried using it to thwart his plan, and I'm sure he has fail safes to prevent any hacking at this stage."
"But clearly," Tails replied with a confident smirk before pressing the Enter key, "he's never met me." The equipment latched to the Biolizard's back exploded, sending several Master Emerald shards in all directions. The base of the large gem remained attached to the creature, however, and while the Biolizard appeared weakened, it was enraged beyond all measure.
"Look!" Helen exclaimed, pointing at the Chaos Emeralds, whose rotation around the beast began to slow.
"Sonic," Shadow said, "we must hurry. This is our chance to take out the Biolizard."
"You lead the way," Sonic replied with a smirk. "Ladies first."
Ignoring Sonic's comment, Shadow led him to the escape hatch. There were none remaining, having been utilized during the incident that left Shadow scarred all those decades ago, but her plan wasn't to flee. Instead, with a simple press of a button, an opening would appear that would allow the two hedgehogs to jump out of the Ark and into space.
"You can breathe in space, right?" Shadow asked.
"Of course!" Sonic replied with a smirk. "Makes no sense, but I'm not in charge of canon."
"Good," Shadow replied. "Our target is the Chaos Emeralds. Now that the Biolizard is weakened, we should be able to get close enough to take control of the gems."
"Now you're talkin'!" Sonic replied. "Super Sonic, here I come!"
Moments after the ebony hedgehog pressed the button, the two hedgehogs dove out of the Ark. Sonic was able to run along the side of the ship while Shadow glided with the aid of her air shoes.
"I take it this Super Sonic you alluded to is the result of using the Chaos Emeralds?" Shadow asked.
"Yep!" Sonic replied. "That golden aura around the Biolizard? I can do that too! I know you can use the Chaos Emeralds, but have you done anything beyond Chaos Control?"
"Can't say I have," Shadow replied, running alongside her blue counterpart.
"Well, if this works out as expected," Sonic continued with a grin, "get ready for an experience you'll never forget!"
"Yeah, it's great!"
Sonic nearly tumbled forward in fright before spinning around and running backward to find the two-tailed fox right behind them. "Tails? What are you doing out here?"
"I figured you two could use some support," Tails replied.
"And he's not alone!"
The party peered back to find Helen close behind, the magnets on the mech's feet keeping the Helengelion connected to the ship while still allowing for enough maneuverability to run and fight.
"Looks like it's becomin' a party!" Sonic exclaimed.
"Oh, goodie," Shadow groaned.
"Hey, cheer up!" Sonic replied, slapping the ebony hedgehog's back. "You'll get used to us."
"Yeah," Tails replied, raising a finger, "Sonic does tend to convert former enemies into friends after all."
Shadow mustered up the will to contain her vomit. Of course, this talk of friendship was soon abated as the sight of the Biolizard entered their view.
"I'll distract it while you three head of the emeralds," Helen instructed.
"Right!" Sonic and Tails replied as they, plus Shadow, made their way to the back of the cannon, hoping to catch the creature off guard.
"Hey, stinky!"
The Biolizard shifted its focus to the mech that was now closing in, using its propulsion system like a rocket.
Helen landed a single punch to the Biolizard's face. With a grin, she declared, "Now I'm gonna give you a beat down like what Ryden did to Senator Armstrong." The young girl, now floating in place, proceeded to land blow after blow, serving the creature dozens of punches. Helen strained her fingers as she rapidly tapped the buttons on her Nintendo Switch Pro controller serving as her primary mechanism for piloting the Helengelion.
"It's time to end this!" Helen declared as she launched herself up. "Limit break!" Her metallic fists began to glow as she cupped them together before descending rapidly, giving the Biolizard a devastating blow to the noggin, causing it to drop its head, seemingly unconscious.
"I did it!" Helen exclaimed, giving an anime-style victory pose, complete with a peace symbol with her mech's metallic hands. Meanwhile, the Chaos Emeralds previously floating around the Biolizard dropped out of the creature's orbit, allowing Sonic, Shadow, and Tails to collect them from below.
Unfortunately, the victory was short-lived; the Biolizard creaked its head up and let out an angry cry. The base of the Master Emerald still affixed to its back started glowing once more, and the creature opened its mouth, revealing a white glow from within. Helen gasped at the sight, and deducing what was about to happen given her extensive knowledge of anime tropes, the young girl dove out of the way.
The Biolizard turned its neck ever so slightly, launching its Master Emerald-powered energy beam at the young girl, completely shattering the Helengelion's mechanical arm and sending her flying back, spinning like a top toward the base of the Ark.
"Helen!" Tails cried. Just as he was about to make his way to the young girl, however, she raised her remaining mechanical arm to give him a thumbs up. The orange fox smiled and nodded. "I see…very well." The young kitsune turned to face the two hedgehogs. "We doing this or what?"
"Now that's the kind of confidence I like to see!" Sonic complimented.
Without having to mutter an incantation, and as if the Chaos Emeralds knew the will and intentions of the trio, the mystical gems started to glow in their palms. They soon took to the air, floating around them until a flash of light erupted, and moments later, when the light narrowly dimmed, what resulted were the three heroes glowing yellow, a golden aura surrounding them. Tails' fur color had changed from its tangerine tint to the signature yellow color that defined the Mobian super form, matching Sonic's fur as well. Shadow, however, retained her red streaks while her black fur matched the same yellow hue as her Mobian counterparts.
"One second," Tails requested as he teleported from the party to Helen's side. Placing his gloved palm against the cold metallic siding of the Helengelion, the super fox teleported to the control center of the Ark, where Rouge, Amy, Knuckles, and Eggman since relocated. Helen was unable to move in her mech's current state. Smiling at the young girl, Super Tails simply gave her a thumbs up before teleporting back to the hedgehogs, who had since taken their places several yards of the Biolizard, prepared to stop the creature from hurtling the Ark toward the Earth.
A golden aura surrounded the Biolizard once more as it began charging up another beam, opening its jaw to show the energy growing within. The three heroes simply threw their arms forward and opened their palms, and once the creature launched its energy beam, they flew toward it, stopped immediately by the sheer force of the beam. Screaming, the three resisted the pressure, and as the aura around the heroes grew even larger, they redirected the beam away from the Earth, narrowly bypassing the planet's atmosphere.
"Now!" Sonic ordered. The three launched themselves at the beast, circling it in all directions as they delivered blow after blow, punch after punch, kick after kick, and spindash after spindash until the Biolizard let out another horrifying cry, sending shockwaves that pushed the heroes back. The Master Emerald on its back glowed once more, and the aura surrounding the creature grew even larger.
"Sonic, Tails," Shadow said, "get out of here while you still have the chance."
"What are you sayin'?" Sonic asked. "The Ark is gonna crash into the Earth in a couple minutes tops. We can still win this!"
"No, you can't!" Shadow replied. "But I have a back-up plan…" She loosened the rings around her wrists.
"No…" Tails deduced her plan as steam shot out from where the inhibitor rings fell. "Shadow, this is suicide!"
"It's been a long time coming," Shadow said, "but being with Helen, even for a short time, helped put the pieces back in my memory." The aura around the ebony hedgehog grew as fire filled her pupils. "Maria's final wish wasn't to cause mayhem and destruction. Her final wish wasn't to enact revenge. It was…to fight for and protect all of humanity! And that's exactly what I intend on doing."
"But…"
Sonic simply placed a gloved palm on Tails' shoulder, shaking his head slowly. "C'mon, Tails, she's made up her mind, and there's nothin' that's about to change it." Peering over at the Ultimate Lifeform, Sonic simply gave her a nod before teleporting back to the Ark, Tails joining him shortly after.
Now alone, save for the Biolizard charging its final attack, Shadow gave a small smile. The weight of the world, and all the uncertainty she had felt since Dr. Eggman freed her from her frozen prison, had all vanished, replaced with one, singular objective.
"My name…is Shadow the Hedgehog." The golden hedgehog, combining her uninhibited power with the strength afforded to her by the Chaos Emeralds, threw her arms back, cupping her hands to form an energy ball in her palms. "And I will fulfill Maria's wish!"
As the Biolizard unleashed its energy beam, so too did Shadow, the beams colliding and fighting for dominance. Shadow screamed as she mustered all her strength to slowly but surely overtake the energy beam launched by Gerald's creature until her own beam engulfed the Biolizard, the Master Emerald, and the Eclipse Canon. With one final shriek, and one final explosion, the Biolizard was reduced to ash.
But Shadow knew her job was not complete.
The golden hedgehog placed her palms on the side of the Ark, which was now entering Earth's atmosphere, flames surrounding the entire ship. Pedestrians throughout and surrounding Washington, D.C. watched in horror as the Ark was about to cause complete and total destruction.
"CHAAAAAOSSSSS…CONTROOLLLLL!"
Mere seconds before impact, a blinding light engulfed the Ark, and by the time the humans below regained their vision, the space vessel was gone.
Inside the Ark, the party watched in amazement as the turbulence was replaced with a near static view of the entire Earth. The planet appeared more majestic and welcoming as ever as the party shared a collective sigh of relief: the Earth was saved, the Ark was back in orbit, humanity did not go extinct, and those onboard the ship were unharmed, but…
"Shadow!" Helen exclaimed, rolling her wheelchair toward the window to find the ebony hedgehog's lifeless body beginning its descent back into the Earth's atmosphere. The party gasped, however, when the seven Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald shards surrounded the Ultimate Lifeform before teleporting her back into the control room of the Ark. The party watched in amazement as the shards scattered across the floor all around Shadow while the Chaos Emeralds materialized outside once more before scattering themselves to each corner of the Earth.
As the red echidna collected the Master Emerald shards, Sonic and Tails approached the ebony hedgehog's body. Tails placed a gloved palm on her forehead, pressed a finger against the side of her throat, and placed his ear against Shadow's chest. With a sigh, the orange kitsune pulled herself up and shook her head.
"Helen…" Tails placed a gloved palm on the young girl's shoulder. "I think Shadow is…dead."
"Dead?" Helen's eyes began to glisten with tears, unable to take her eyes off the Ultimate Lifeform lying below.
"Shadow gave her life for the planet," Sonic replied with a nod. "She fulfilled Maria's final wish, even at the cost of her life."
As the party collectively shared an informal moment of silence, Dr. Eggman, Decoe and Bocoe tiptoed to the door but were soon stopped by the pink hedgehog.
"And where do you think you're going?" Amy asked, blocking the way with her Piko Piko Hammer.
"As far as I'm concerned," Eggman replied, "my business here is done. This ship is no longer in operational order, and I've already extracted all the data contained on the Ark's decades-old hard drives, including as much information about Shadow as I will need to reconstruct her. As far as I'm concerned, the military can reclaim this derelict wreck and Shadow's body."
"And what's stopping us from handing you over to the military?" Amy asked, an anger vein growing across her forehead.
A grin appeared across the evil doctor's face as he pulled a smoke grenade from his jacket pocket. "Why, this!" He threw it against the floor, filling the room with smoke, causing the party to cough profusely as the evil doctor, along with Decoe and Bocoe, were able to make their escape on the Egg Mobile, fleeing to a secret bunker where Eggman's getaway spaceship was stored. With a modular design, all Robotnik needed to do was land his Egg Mobile into the central base of the ship and take off, flying the space cruiser out of the Ark and making his way back into the Earth's atmosphere with rapid efficiency.
"Shouldn't we go after him?" Tails asked.
"…Nah," Sonic replied with a smirk. "Let the humans try apprehending him again. 'Sides, it's a futile cause with that Egghead. The only way we can permanently keep the humans safe from Eggman and his mischief is for all of us to return to Mobius."
"To…Mobius?" Helen asked.
"Yeah," Tails replied, "but we're no closer to reaching this goal than we were before Shadow came into the picture."
Helen sighed under her breath, discreetly enough to hide her relief from the rest of her friends.
"Well," Sonic concluded, "I think it's time we head home."
With that, the party filed out of the command center: Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, and Helen. The last to leave was Tails, who took one final look through the window, with Earth in its majestic glory on full display.
"Sayonara…Shadow the Hedgehog." The orange fox pulled Shadow's inhibitor rings from his namesakes and put them back on her wrists. Taking one final look at the Ultimate Lifeform, Tails sighed, lamenting the life he couldn't save, before joining his friends on the trek back to the ship that will take them home, leaving the Ark uninhabited once more.
As darkness descending in the abandoned command center, and as the heroes' ship returned to Earth, a lone whisper could be heard.
"Ma…Mar…Mar-i…a…"
Thank you all for dealing with the long gaps in chapters! My life has been as hectic as ever, with a new baby, a workplace promotion, and other duties and responsibilities. I told myself I'd never allow myself to go a month without posting an update, but here we are. Hope the next update will be out by the end of June!