-Chapter 179-
Mephiles Meddling
Soleanna, Present
An hour had passed since Sonic and his team had vanished. The Freedom Fighters were coordinating with Soleanna's royal guard, spreading out to search for any sign of Elise. Sally was trying repeatedly to contact Sonic, to no avail.
"C'mon... Pick up."
"Anything yet?" Amy asked, approaching the squirrel.
"Nothing…" Sally lamented. "Nicole can't even trace Tails' Miles Electric anymore. It's like they just vanished. Poof!"
"Don't worry, Sal," Shard insisted."They'll be okay. They always are."
Off to the side, Nicole's eyes were closed in concentration as she broke through the Eggnet's firewalls.
"Alright, I finally did it. How Omochao does this so easily is beyond me."
"What have we got?" Sally asked.
"Orders to transport the princess to Eggman's main base. They'll be using the Night Train to move her under the cover of darkness."
"Then we'll head them off at the train station."
"We should coordinate with local law enforcement," Amy suggested. "They can help even the odds and better our chances at getting Elise back."
"Good idea," Sally nodded.
Soleanna Train Station
That evening, the Freedom Fighters had gathered at the train station, hiding in various places as they staked out the area. Their patience was eventually rewarded when a high-tech looking train came rumbling in. The engine was a grey torpedo-shaped machine with yellow lights on the front, red lights on the middle and circuit-like lines running down the sides. It possessed a raised bridge on the rear with a yellow windshield, a red roof and railing on the back. It also possessed a sharp, light grey cow catcher on the front and a large piece of plating on each side of its rear. And true to form, the Robotnik Empire insignia was emblazoned in black paint on the side.
"There it is…" Sally let out.
"Well, it's more subtle than the last train Eggman used," Amy remarked.
Shorty peered over a rocky ridge, looking through his helmet and scanning the train.
"Lotta Badniks onboard," he reported. "Eggman's not pulling his punches."
"Any sign of the princess?" Mina questioned.
"I'm looking…" Shorty perked. "Got her! Center of the train, and heavily guarded."
"So what's the plan?" Sticks asked.
"They've got her in the middle to try and cut off any chance of escape," Sally said. "So, we come in from above. My Ring Blades and Rotor's plasma laser should be enough to cut through it. From there, we jump ship, check Elise for any bugs or tracers, and find a place to hide her until Sonic gets back."
"The rest of us will draw the Badniks away, giving you the time you need to get her out," Shorty told her.
After a few minutes, the train began to start up. The rest of the Freedom Fighters jumped out, along with the royal guard, engaging the Badnik guards as Rotor flew atop the train, carrying Sally.
"Touching down now!"
They landed atop the train car, getting to work. Between Rotor's laser and Sally's Ring Blades, they were able to saw a hole in the top of the train relatively quickly.. Rotor grabbed on, peeling back the metal to reveal Elise. She looked up in shock to see them there.
"Hello again, Elise," she greeted.
She and Rotor both held out their hands.
"Going up?" Rotor questioned.
Elise knelt for a minute before jumping up, grabbing onto their hands. They pulled her out.
"Elise, what happened to Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails?" Sally asked. "We've been trying to contact them for hours."
Elise looked down at that.
"The doctor whipped up a prototype of my father's Solaris machine," she explained. "He used it to banish them across time. Even he doesn't know where or when they ended up."
Sally gasped, a hand going to her mouth.
"No…" she let out. "Sonic…"
Rotor placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Sally, don't give up on them," he soothed. "You know Sonic. If there's a way to get back, he'll find it. And he won't stop until he does."
Sally let out a shuddering breath, then nodded and wiped her eyes.
"Right. Let's-"
Suddenly, they looked to see a figure materialize from the shadows, floating overhead. They looked up, surprised.
"Shadow?" Sally let out before squinting. "No… you're not."
"I am Mephiles the Dark," the figure said simply. "And these are your final moments."
He threw his hands into the air as purple energy gathered around the tracks. They were ripped out of the ground, twisting and groaning as wooden planks splintered.
"Farewell." Mephiles laughed maniacally as he disappeared. Immediately, the three jumped into the train, running for the engine. Sally frantically looked for the brake.
"C'mon, c'mon!" she said frantically. "Where's the damn brake?!"
Silver looked at the train, then at the tracks.
"Silver, whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it!" Lara-Su pleaded.
"There's not enough track, Lara-Su!" Silver shouted. "Even if we use the brake, we'll still crash!"
"You'll give yourself an aneurysm!" Lara-Su objected.
"If that train crashes, a lot of people are gonna get hurt!"
Silver jumped out, floating as he held out his hands and focused his power on the damaged tracks. Slowly, the metal began twisting and flattening back out, but it was taking a lot out of Silver. He was sweating hard, and a trickle of blood was dripping down his nose. Still, he pressed on.
"Please don't screw this up…" he pleaded to himself.
Sally grabbed the brake, yanking it down with all her might. The brakes squealed and screeched, but flew over the repaired tracks with no ill effect. Eventually, the train stopped and Silver dropped to the ground, utterly spent. Rotor flew over, Elise and Sally in his hands as the others gathered around Silver, who was utterly dazed.
"Yes, Mr. President…" he mumbled. "I got the license number of that broccoli... it wasn't armed…"
Lara-Su grabbed him, shaking his head like a rattle. He quickly snapped to.
"Wha... where am I? What happened?"
"You were an idiot and a damn hero," Lara-Su hugged him. "Never do that again, you frickin' fern-head."
Silver returned the hug before pushing her away gently.
"Mephiles…" he let out. "We all saw him blow up the tracks. But he said he had to remain behind as a temporal anchor."
"Well, he lied about Sonic being the Iblis Trigger," Blaze said flatly. "Pretty sure that means he lied about everything else too."
Silver let out a groan, burying his face in his hands.
"I'm a complete fool for trusting him…" he let out.
"Yes you are," Lara-Su told him bluntly. "But that's another story."
"C'mon, we're getting out of here," Sally insisted.
"Where do we go now?" Rotor asked. "The hotel's compromised, and so is the palace."
"First things first," Sticks cut in.
Realizing her intent, Elise stood straight, arms out on either side as Sticks patted her down, checking for any bugs or trackers.
"She's clean," she reported after a few minutes.
"Didn't we take the Sky Patrol here?" Tekno asked. "We could hunker down there."
"Tekno's got a point," Amy realized. "It's not perfect, but it's the only place we have to hide Elise.
Plus, in a pinch, it's armed to the teeth."
"Then let's get moving," Sally insisted.
They all tossed their warp rings, vanishing into the night.
Onyx Island, 200 years later…
Teams Sonic and Dark had crowded into the boat and rode out to sea. It wasn't long before they saw Onyx Island.
"Damn…" Rouge let out. "This place has seen better days."
Knuckles wasn't saying a word, gripping the front of the boat so tightly that the wood was creaking. They docked the boat, running in and finding the charred bodies of several people in the village. From the island's surface, they could see the still-burning remains of the Space Colony ARK in the water, a massive hole in the top. As they entered the remnants of the village, they found a single house where a light was flickering.
"That's… that's Mom's place," Knuckles realized.
"She's gotta be in there," Sonic decided.
They carefully approached the building, opening the door to a surprising sight. The entire living room inside was basically a massive trophy/memory shelf devoted to the original Freedom Fighters and Chaotix. It included such things as Tails' cracked Miles Electric, Nicole's shattered handheld, the Piko Piko Hammer, the Shovel Claws, and Sonic's Power Sneakers. What stood out was a group photograph of the Knothole Freedom Fighters and Chaotix, posing in the aftermath of the Black Arms invasion. Other photos included images of Kat with the boys and Hope, her with Knuckles, and so many more.
"This... this is what's left of our legacy…" Tails realized.
Sonic picked up one of the sneakers, seeing the cracks in the rubber from overheating.
"What's left of us…"
"In here…" Shadow's voice came. "I found her."
He was standing in the doorway of a back bedroom. They headed in, all gasping to see Old Kat laying on her bed, visibly pained and covered in cuts, bruises, and burns. She had bandages over the worst of this, and an old blanket was laid over her. She had her eyes closed, no doubt in some form of pained slumber as she waited for the end.
"Kat…" Knuckles let out.
He went over to her, taking her hand in his. Old Kat groaned as her eyes slowly opened. She turned her head, and went wide-eyed at the sight before her.
"How…" she wheezed, her voice barely a whisper. "How is this... possible? You all... you're dead… or... am I…"
She coughed hard, a horrible wet noise. Sonic came over, kneeling beside her bed.
"It's us, Kat. We're really here."
She looked at him, a shaky hand reaching for him. He held still, letting her do so. When her fingers touched his face, she gasped.
"It... is you… How... are you-?"
"Time travel," Sonic answered as he took her other hand. "How... what happened to-?"
"Got old... But... still went out... fighting…" A tear rolled down Old Kat's cheek as she turned back to Knuckles. "I've missed you, Knux… So much…"
"Quiet down," Knuckles urged, gently petting her head. "Save your strength."
Old Kat just chuckled, which devolved into more coughing.
"Knux... I'm done... I held out... as long as I could... I- I'm the last... Freedom Fighter... now... we're all gone…"
Sonic was tearing up as he held her hand.
"Kat... I'm sorry... I promise, we'll go back. We'll stop this. Iblis will never see the light of day."
She removed her hand from his, lightly slapping the top of his head.
"Don't be sorry…" she insisted. "This... isn't your fault… I don't care... what that... fern-head thinks… You're a hero… and you will... save everyone... this time…"
Her eyes began to close, then she gasped again, fighting to stay alive.
"Wait... Silver... Lara-Su... Did they- Did they make it... Please…" her tears returned in earnest as she struggled to cling to life. "I need to know they made it…"
Sonic nodded. "They did. We saw them. They made it back."
She let out a breath of relief .
"Thank Aurora... they... will live…"
With that, she finally let go. Her eyes went glassy and her hand went limp, dying with a smile on her face. Sonic cringed before closing her eyes. A moment of silence passed, everyone tearing up and looking down. Hope just buried her face in Shadow's fur, weeping as he gently held her. Sonic and Knuckles looked over her sadly, before exchanging looks and nodding.
"The Master Emerald can wait," Sonic insisted. "We're not leaving her like this".
Shadow nodded. "Kathryn died as a warrior, so we will send her off as one."
-X-
Some time later, Old Kat's memorabilia had been loaded into the boat. Sonic and Knuckles solemnly bore her on their shoulders as an honor guard. They respectfully lay her down in the boat, Sonic placing the photo of the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix in her hands.
"Goodbye, Kat. Say hi to the others for us."
They sent her out into the water, Shadow summoning a Chaos Spear and throwing it, lighting the small boat ablaze. Then he, Rouge, and Hope all raised their weapons, firing in the air three times. When it was over, Hope lowered her weapon and sniffed.
"I know... I know that she's technically not our Kat, but this still hurts so much."
"I know…" Shadow said solemnly.
Everyone present saluted the burning boat before heading for the Shrine. The Master Emerald was now sporting more cracks, looking like it was barely holding together.
"Should have enough juice for one last trick." Knuckles said.
He focused, reciting Tikal's Prayer as Sonic and Shadow placed their hands on the Emerald.
"Chaos Control!" both hedgehogs shouted.
Like before, a swirling time portal opened up, ready to deliver them back to their correct time.
"Leaving so soon?"
They all turned to see Mephiles standing there.
"But you only just got here. The fun's just getting started."
"You again?!" Shadow shouted.
"You know that thing?" Sonic demanded.
"That's the thing who sent us to this time!"
Shadow went to confront him.
"Shadow, what are you doing?!" Knuckles exclaimed. "We have to GO!"
"You go!" Shadow shouted back. "I'll hold this thing off!"
"Shads-!" Rouge tried, only to get cut off.
"GO!"
"I'll stay with him!" Hope promised. "Just go on and get out of here!"
They hesitated before doing so, leaving Shadow and Hope to face Mephiles. The portal closed and the Master Emerald shattered, the pieces scattering as the power finally died.
"How do you know my name?!" Shadow demanded. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
"Oh Shadow, I know all about you," Mephiles replied. "We've known each other for a very long time."
Shadow shook his head. "No, I'd remember someone like you."
"For you, I suppose that meeting in the ruins was our first, but that matters little at this point," Mephiles remarked. "Let me tell you a story. For starters, don't you find it a little odd that out of all the original Knothole Freedom Fighters, Kathryn Winters was the only one still active in this time? You're the immortal Ultimate Life Form, after all."
"Even I can die." Shadow insisted.
Mephiles snorted
"You survived a drop from orbit with little more than induced amnesia. You think a fire demon can kill you?"
He snapped his fingers. They suddenly found themselves in an old GUN base. Shadow and Hope gaped with wide eyes at the sight of a future version of Shadow. He was imprisoned in a strange laser cage, limbs heavily bound and forced into a form of eternal stasis.
"This is how your heroism was rewarded, Shadow," Mephiles declared. "The people of Mobius were jealous of your power. They feared it; to them, you were nothing more than a freak. Iblis' flames devastating the world gave them just the excuse they needed to hunt you down."
"No, you're wrong!" Hope cried.
"Naive child," Mephiles scoffed. "When you died in the flames, Shadow lost his only supporter. His own team turned on him, and your 'Goodnik' companion is the one who took him down."
Hope gasped, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Humanity hurt you, Shadow. They caused you nothing but pain. So now, I ask you to join me. It is only fair to give back what was intended for you. You have every right to want justice."
Shadow took that in, before shaking his head.
"Justice… or vengeance?" he asked. "Whatever it is you want to do, you can do it alone."
"So… you forgive humanity's sins against you?"
"Humanity is still good," Shadow insisted. "They kill, they betray one another... But they can rebuild. They can do better. And I'm going to ensure they have a chance. I determine my own destiny."
He took Hope's hand, facing Mephiles with determination.
"And this future will NOT come to pass!"
Mephiles scowled before his form shifted. He was now a crystalline, anthropomorphic hedgehog with no mouth, nose or even feet, instead his legs ended in a purplish mist. His eyes also changed color in this form, gaining red sclera and lighter green irises, and his quills were more bushy and ended in white tips. Lastly, his hands, gloves and all, became crystalline like his arms, with the fingers now ending in white-tipped claws.
"So be it."
The two charged at one another, coming together for a furious clash…
Author's Note:
Can Shadow defeat Mephiles and get back to the past? Can Sonic undo the future that is Iblis? The climax draws near...
Please R&R. Until next time!
