Chapter 80

Scattered to the Wind

Sonic leaned against the wall in stunned disbelief. Bodies moved all around him, but they seemed to move in slow motion. The only thing that remained still was the corpse in the center of the room. It was as if Sonic was looking into the frame of a living painting. Everything felt so surreal and out of touch.

"Darren's gone." Those words snapped Sonic back to reality. Gawain had just marched back into the hall. "We've searched everywhere. He's the only one that is missing."

"Murderer!" Roran tore his robe at the chest and fell to his knees. His cries of dismay stabbed Sonic in the heart.

The sun was streaking through a high window shining directly onto Jacob's body. Golden light reflected off the circlet that had fallen to the floor. Sonic felt sick. My fault…The weight of his guilt literally pressed down on Sonic, forcing him to slump back onto the wall.

"Bring the girl!" Silver shouted. A few moments later, Maren was dragged into the hall. The Masada guardsmen threw her at Silver's feet. She was weeping uncontrollably. Silver's eyes flashed with white hot rage. "Where did he go!"

Maren shook her head. "I…I don't know…we…he didn't tell me. I swear I didn't know-"

Snap! Silver flexed his hand and a wave of energy smacked Maren in the face. The blow whipped her head backward and split her lip. Sonic leapt to his feet, but Gawain was quicker. He soared over to Silver and spread out his wings. "Restrain yourself!" Silver trembled with anger.

"Allow me." Gawain knelt before Maren. He took her by the chin and spoke softly. "Please, if you have any idea where he went, you must tell us."

Maren choked by her tears. "The rendezvous…we were supposed to meet at a camp near the shore.. I wasn't exactly sure where. Darren knew everything. I…it was my sons who knew the plan…I never…I never wanted this-" Maren howled with grief and buried her face into her hands.

"His leg. Was he really injured or was that a feint?"

"I…" Maren seized her head with both hands and squeezed. She seemed quite crazed. "I didn't know…I'm sorry! He told me to follow along. I never knew what he intended to do…please…"

Gawain rose and turned to Silver. "He's been gone for hours. We'll never track him down now."

"He has the Sol Gem!" Silver shouted. "We've come all this way for nothing!" Silver pointed across the room at Sonic. "This is all your fault. If you had only listened to me.."

"You should have let them go!" Sonic countered. "You chose to bring them here, to take them prisoner-" But Sonic's words failed him. He did not have the conviction to argue. His guilt was proof enough of his true feelings. "I'll go after him. It doesn't matter what kind of head start he has. He can't outrun me."

Silver scoffed. "Is this your attempt at making things right? Do what you will. You've already cost us everything." With that, Silver turned and stormed off.

Gawain came up to Sonic and handed him a small metal device. "Take this. It will allow you to contact me."

Sonic accepted it and placed it inside his shoe. "I'll comb the entire desert if I have to. I will make this right."

Gawain sighed and motioned back towards the dead priest. "I'm afraid that won't be possible."

Sonic curled his hands into fists. "I thought I could trust him. He told me what he was really up to. He said he was only looking for a chance to slip away…I…I never thought he would…"

"War changes people," Gawain directed. "We are all surprised by what we are capable of."

"I…I'm sorry."

Gawain simply nodded. "You'd had better get started, Sonic the Hedgehog."

He did not need to be told twice. Sonic ran outside and covered his face against the bright sun. He would not need to rely on stealth or secret entrances. On his own, his speed was sufficient to keep him safe from the imperial blockade. "Wait!"

Sonic turned to see Maren racing over to him. "I…I can't believe what Darren has done. At least let me point you in the right direction." Together they walked around the curtain wall. Maren pointed out towards the north west. "Darren said there was a camp near the border of the desert. On the shore of the great sea. That's where we were going before we were stopped. Even with his leg healed, he can't have made it all that far, he isn't nearly as fast as you."

Sonic thanked her and leapt off the wall. He curled into a ball and slid down the sheer side of the rocky spyre. His momentum built until his speed burst past the sound barrier. Pop. Pop. Pop. Sonic used a sudden turn in the rock face as a ramp. He was propelled high and far out into the air. Within seconds he already passed over the imperial blockade. Sonic stretched out and allowed the sun to warm his limbs.

Usually, the pure bliss of speed mettled all his troubles. But now, his guilt and anxiety remained. Sonic felt the pressure meld into his limbs, slowing him down. When he finally landed on the dry earth, he took off in a dead sprint towards the distant edge of the desert. His body felt heavy and uneven. Each time he tried to push into a deeper level of speed, something prevented him, like some weight thrown over his back.

It took him far longer to cross the desert than he would have wanted. He zigzagged and swept back and forth in long winding circles, searching for some sign of trail of Darren's he could follow. It was already midday before he saw the first tracks. Footprints and an empty water pouch circled around a small cacti which served as the only shade for miles in any direction.

He can't have gone much further. Ahead, Sonic could see the outline of the desert's edge. To the north west, the land dipped and Sonic could see the glint of the sun reflecting against water. That must be the sea.

Sonic followed the trail but came to a stop only a few minutes later. Something else marred the dry land. Two parallel lines cut a groove along the sand. An obvious trail of some kind of vehicle. Had Darren already been picked up by his Tralagian allies, or had the empire been on his pursuit?

Sonic sped ahead. The sloping ground made it easier for him to pick up his pace and soon the wind was whistling in his ears. Salt mixed into the air and presently Sonic reached the shore of a great gray sea. The shoreline was covered in small black rocks and to his left rose a small ridgeline of cliffs. In the distance, he could see smoke issuing from the opening of a wide mouthed cave.

He approached with caution, spreading out in a wide angle before getting any closer. While sweeping around, Sonic saw what he had been dreading all along. Imperial tanks were parked behind the ridge. Soldiers in red armor marched around in groups, clearing searching for something.

Sonic hid himself within the boulders of the ridge. As he got closer to the cave, he saw more and more signs of imperial interference. Sentinels swept the nearby shore and there were imperial soldiers everywhere. Sonic crept forward as silently as he could. Near the mouth of the cave, he poked his head inside. Several hastily made tents had been burned down. A stake had been driven into the center of the cave and someone had been strapped to the wood.

The imperials were not paying any more attention. Sonic waited for the sentinels and soldiers to move further down the beach. Once they were out of sight, he crept into the cave. Darren's face was swollen and covered in blood. His good eye was covered by puffy skin and his bad eye leaked blood. His chest bore the scars of whips and his arms were broken, twisted and tied tightly behind his back.

He stirred at the sound of Sonic approaching. He turned his head and laughed grimly. "You're too late. All that speed…and you're too late."

"Why?"

Darren shook his head. "Why not? I saw my chance and I took it."

"You didn't need to kill the priest."

Darren smiled revealing a mouth full of congealed blood. "Should I have just asked nicely then?"

Sonic could barely conceal his disgust. "Why steal the Sol Gem at all? You already had one."

"One Sol Gem? The emperor has thousands. One will not be enough to turn the tide."

"Did they take them from you?"

"Of course. I tried to hold out, but there is no point in resisting. No one could ever desire more pain. I gave in. As I should have done a long time ago."

Sonic grimaced. At that moment, he loathed everything about Darren. He felt absolutely no pity for his obvious pain and suffering. "What happened to you?"

"It was a trap. The Tralagians were never here, or the empire got to them a long time ago."

"You killed that priest for nothing."

"Does that make you angry?" Darren mocked. "Perhaps you are regretting your decision to save me."

"I gave you a chance. Everyone deserves one."

Darren spat out blood as he chortled. "How noble. Make sure they write that on your tombstone."

"Better than what they'll write on yours."

"I won't have one. My body will be burned and my ashes scattered to the wind. Every record of my life will be tossed into a furnace and my very existence will be wiped away. There is no point in resisting the inevitable. Annihilation comes for us all."

Sonic turned away. There was no point in talking anymore. Darren groaned with pain and wheezed as he tried to laugh. "What? Have you nothing clever to say? I thought the only thing faster than your feet was your mouth?"

"You can't make me give up hope. Is that what you want to see? Will that ease your conscience?"

"My conscience is dead. Even now, you still cannot see." Darren closed his eyes and took a slow intake of breath. The effort caused him terrible pain. At last he sighed. "I told them everything. They are already on their way. Even as you waste your time with me they are starting the assault. They know that rebels have come to save the priests.." Darren looked at Sonic, his features twisted with resentment. "You had best start running, hero…or you will be too late!"

"Damn it!" Sonic sped out of the cave, Darren's laughter still ringing in his ears. He unleashed every ounce of energy he had to propel himself forward. It wasn't enough. Sonic could not break through the resistances holding him down. The ground slanted upward at an incline making every step an effort. Sonic tried to let go, to let everything burn away and allow his instincts to rise to the forefront "When I'm conflicted…I…I can't run as fast. I need…I have to be certain of where I'm going, of what I'm doing. . "

Flashes of the explosion at Hot Crater flashed into Sonic's mind. He felt the heat of the explosion he had failed to stop, the fear that had overwhelmed him…No…No! Sonic pulled himself back into the moment. He willed his legs to move faster. He had to get back in time, he wouldn't let anyone else down. Slowly, but surely, he felt himself getting faster. The world around him blurred out of focus. Sound dimmed, everything around narrowed, blending all his senses into one. Pop. Pop. Pop!

He crashed through the sound barrier and a second later came into view of Masada. Smoke rose above the fortress. Heavy artillery rained down upon the fort. The imperial camp had woken up and started storming up the spyre.

Sonic sprang into action. His sudden burst into the camp broke a wide gap through the line of soldiers. The force of his speed alone sent shockwaves in every direction. There were cries and shouts, then the air turned to smoke as the imperials took to firing their blasters in random directions. Sonic avoided these with ease and ran straight up the sheer side of the spyre.

The battle had already reached the fort. Hundreds of sentinels were swarming the keep. The rebels unloaded a barrage of blaster fire, but for every sentinel that was destroyed a dozen more took its place. Sonic curled himself into a ball and dashed forward. He pin balled from machine to machine breaking dozens in a row in mere seconds. The roar of metal and fire was in his ears.

"SONIC!" The rush of wings echoed overhead. Gawain soared high into the sky and fired his sniper rifle. Every bolt hit its mark and a ring of sentinels were destroyed. "Follow me!" There was no point in arguing. Sonic launched himself at a row of Sentinels, jumping from one to another to cross over in the air.

Gawain caught Sonic by the arm and flew him over to the top of the keep. From there they entered a trap door. Shouting echoed inside the fort and Gawain quickly escorted Sonic back to the main hall. The furniture had been set before the doors as a barricade. All the rebels were encircled around Silver.

"We have to take the secret exit. Perhaps we can escape in the confusion!" Silver shouted.

"You can't!" Silver did not look pleased or relieved to see Sonic. "Darren told them everything. They'll know about the secret entrance. They're probably climbing up it as we speak!"

Silver's expression broke. His shield of knightly courage faltered and he appeared childlike and fearful. "Then…there is nothing to be done. All we can do is hold out…and keep our honor intact."

"Screw that!" Sonic seized Silver by the shoulders and shook him. "We are getting out of here. All of us!" Sonic turned to face the rest of the room. "Get ready. We'll meet them head on and break out of here."

"That won't do any good," Gawain protested. "We're surrounded. Even if we manage to break out there is nowhere to go."

"I'll cover you." Sonic faced Silver. "I know you doubt me, and I realize I messed up this entire mission. But you're out of options. Don't choose to fight without hope." Sonic held out hand. "Give me this chance, I won't let you down."

Silver stared at Sonic's offered hand. His expression was set with doubt. Silver turned to the fox beside him. Levi nodded gravely. That seemed to decide something for Silver. He reached out and shook Sonic's hand. "Do what you have to do. I will lead the sortie myself."

Sonic returned to the rooftop while Silver gathered the Thirteens in preparation for the final assault. Atop the keep, Sonic felt the stones beneath him rumble. The imperial war machines were breaking through the barricades one by one. There was a flutter of wings behind him, Gawain had come to Sonic's side. "What can you do? There are too many of them."

"But they're all in one place." Sonic smirked. "They think we're the ones caught in their trap. But all they've done is make things easy for me."

"If you make it out alive. Meet us to the southeast. If we can reach the mountains we can try to lose them in the trees."

With a rush of his great wings, Gawain ascended back into the sky. Sonic exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. He could not afford to doubt now. If this was going to work he needed to push the limits of his speed. His first instinct was to fuel himself with rage. The death of the priest, Darren's senseless betrayal, the capture of the Sol Gems, with each thought Sonic's anger grew, but along with it came fear and the weighted bands of despair. Sonic shook himself and pushed his rage aside. He searched within for some means of power, some drive that would override his fear and allow him to slip into the unconscious drive of speed. Unbidden, his mind brought him to the Overlook, to that night he had spent with Blaze, to the feeling of her hand in his.

A sudden sensation of weightlessness stole over Sonic. He opened his eyes. The energy inside him was swelling without constraint or barrier. He crouched down and readed himself. A tingle raced down the edge of his spine and when it reached the base Sonic exploded outward. The ground split beneath him from the impact of his takeoff. Sonic blitzed down the winding path of the spyre. Imperial war machines were knocked off the edge of the cliff by the shockwaves.

Sonic did not stop to take them all out. As soon as he reached the bottom of the spyre he sprinted outward until he reached the edge of the camp. Here we go! Sonic pinned his ears back and put everything he had into his feet. He ran a great circle around the imperial blockade, once, twice, a dozen times, a hundred times, a thousand times. The sand beneath him rose, carried along by the centripetal force he was creating.

Within moments, a massive tornado filled with sand twisted around Masada. Sonic couldn't see anymore. The air was filled with dust and dirt. Great stones lifted into the air and went soaring into companies of Sentinels, destroying them all. Get out…Get out…

All Sonic could do now was keep running and put his trust in Silver. He had given the Thirteens the best cover he could provide. But Sonic could not help them anymore. He had to keep running to keep up the energy of the tornado.

Sonic did not know how long he ran for. Daylight vanished into a haze of blurred darkness. His repeated cycle delved a deep ditch in the dry cracked earth. Yet still the tornado remained in place, twisting and throwing everything inside its eye into disorder and confusion.

Cramps knotted in Sonic's legs. He grimaced and tried to ignore the pain. His muscles were throbbing, on the verge of giving out completely. I won't stop. I won't stop. His eyes were strained by wind lashing against his face. Heat burned within him like a great fever. Against his will and effort, Sonic could feel himself slowing down. The necessary speed required to hold up the tornado was slipping away. At long last, Sonic let up and jumped out of his own wake.

He landed on all fours breathing hard. His chest burned and every muscle in his legs flared up at once. Sonic cried out in pain and punched the ground. Behind him, his tornado quickly fizzled out. Within its center, the imperial camp was completely thrown down. Tents were scattered in every direction and even the steel barricades had been pulled down. Atop the spyre, the fort had been destroyed. Either by imperial weapons or Sonic, it was impossible to say.

Sonic was alone and everything was quiet. He picked himself up to one knee and tried to catch his breath. In the distance, Sonic could see the outline of the mountains Gawain had mentioned. Had they made it?

Thinking about the others was difficult. His head ached horribly. Bile was in his throat and acid churned inside his stomach. Sonic tried to spit them out but there was no moisture in his throat.

Grimly, Sonic checked his feet. To his surprise, his shoes were undamaged. A smile spread across Sonic's face. "You did it Tails…" Suddenly, Sonic remembered the communicator. He wrenched off his shoe and drew out the small device. Sonic clicked it and it blinked twice. "Gawain…are you there…can you hear me?"

There was silence for a moment that was broken by static. At last Gawain's voice issued out. "Sonic?" There were more sounds as well, the sound of rushing footsteps and heavy breathing.

"Did you make it out?"

"We did. Come to the mountains Sonic and hurry! Hurry!"

Sonic enjoyed a second of relief before he doubled over in pain. Every muscle in his body screamed out in sharp agony. Sonic could feel his calves and hamstrings twisting and writhing beneath his skin. The episode was so intense, Sonic nearly lost consciousness.

As the pain slowly faded, Sonic propped himself up on his hands. Lights streamed from above. Sonic looked and felt his stomach drop. A massive floating fortress hovered in the sky above Masada. It appeared similar to the Egg Carrier, only larger and painted with a metallic white exterior. The fortress opened a hatch at its bottom and hundreds of small black machines emitted out of it. Sentinels, thousands of them covered the sky. After searching Masada, the machines returned to the floating fortress.

The engine of the machine made no noise. Soundlessly, it zoomed away towards the eastern mountains. Sonic grimaced and picked himself up. "Fast…but not faster than me."