Disclaimer: All Sonic characters belong to SEGA. OCs are mine.
Chapter 39: The Final Battle Part 1
They were back in the arena.
Once Sonic, Shadow, and Silver entered, the door behind them slammed closed like it was never to be opened again. The familiar darkness shrank their vision, then sharp white lights abruptly flickered to life.
Without fear and anxiety coloring their vision, they could finally analyze their surroundings. The place was larger than they remembered. Dark gray steel panels lined the circular walls. It stretched beyond their view before meeting in what created a dome shape. The air inside was sterile and there was an eerie stillness that contrasted the chaos often unfolding within these walls. A large reflective surface ran across one side of the arena – most likely a one-way mirror for observation.
A strained groan drew their attention to a black and burgundy hedgehog standing in the center. Their mother was entangled in the mess of vines above him.
"Mom!" Silver cried out.
"Leave me! He's dangerous! He'll destroy the world if you three don't escape! Please go—mph!" A green stalk wrapped around Chelsea's mouth before she could say any more. She felt an unexplainable heat shoot through her body. Her head began to pound, and she fell limp from exhaustion.
"That's enough out of you," the strange hedgehog muttered.
"Listen you creep!" Sonic shouted. He and his brothers fell into a stance, ready to attack. "Let go of our mom, or you're in for a world of pain!"
Professor Darren gave them a smile as wicked as they came. "Is that any way to talk to your creator, Sonic?"
Startled by the revelation that they were in front of the man who claimed their existence, the three hedgehogs felt themselves rattled with a million questions. Emotions flooded their bodies and nearly overwhelmed their thoughts. However, the fear and panic in their mother's eyes were enough to ground them.
"Who are you? What is it that you want from us?" Shadow demanded.
"Excellent questions, Shadow. Allow me to reveal my true form to you."
Dark smoke engulfed the hedgehog's body as he rose into the air. Within the shadows, his limbs grew larger, and his body lengthened. Dangerously sharp claws extracted from his fingers and two large bull-like horns broke through his head. Once the mist cleared, a large alien figure was left, dressed in crimson and gold threaded royal garbs and chains hanging from his neck. One was a diamond. The other, a rare purple jewel.
Black Doom let out a breath of relief. He rounded his shoulders, muscles relaxing as if they had been flexed the entire time.
His hulking figure floated above the ground, black tendrils waving in erratic movements around him. All three of his eyes focused on his creations who looked upon him with utter shock and stupor. The alien overlord's laugh bounced off the walls of the arena.
"Behold! I am Black Doom, leader and creator of the Black Arms race. For thousands of years, we have traveled through galaxies, conquering worlds, colonizing inferior beings, and dominating wars across the universe. With each battle, my army gains strength and power. One day, we will rule the entire known universe, and I will reign as the Supreme King!"
"You're crazy!" Silver scoffed.
"So I've heard," Black Doom responded calmly.
"What does any of this have to do with us!? Why create us if you were doing just fine with your weird overlord stuff," he pressed.
"Why, it has everything to do with you, Silver," the alien lord retorted. "For two millenniums, I have planned to take over both Mobius and the Earth. However, the Black Comet, the celestial body the Black Arms resides on, cannot enter both atmospheres due to the massive amount of Chaos energy surrounding it. Therefore, my army cannot properly infiltrate without causing damage to our base. That is, without the help of the Chaos Emeralds."
Chelsea gasped behind her makeshift gag. Her eyes caught the confusion within her sons' expressions. She was right. He was after the emeralds and if he succeeded, they were doomed. Black Doom would be unstoppable.
The black hedgehog jerked back when the Black Arms leader met her eyes with slight curiosity. He patiently crossed his arms behind his back. "You know of the emeralds."
It was a statement laced with hints of a question. Chelsea wouldn't give him an answer even if her mouth wasn't covered. Although her heart slammed against her pinched ribcage, she mustered enough courage to glare back at him with defiant silence.
Black Doom leaned back and redirected his attention on the three hedgehogs who were clearly confused.
"Interesting. Well, listen carefully because this is where you three play a part in this," he instructed. Black Doom held out his hand and a purple light sparked within his palm. "Created by an unknown universal source, the Master Emerald was born – a massive relic of endless power. Birthed from this precious stone were the seven Chaos Emeralds. Each stone was infused with equal amounts of Chaos Energy. Anyone who controls the emeralds will possess unlimited power and undergo a transformation into a super being. The ability to destroy worlds will be at your fingertips.
"Every being has some amount of Chaos Energy, but not many can handle the power of an emerald, much less seven, without experiencing agonizing pain. My army cannot maintain the energy needed to surpass the barrier or find the lost emeralds, but you three can!" Black Doom exclaimed. The hedgehogs jumped as he flew over them, circling them like a famished lion in a den full of prey. "After years of research and endless experimentation, I have finally created, not one, but three ultimate lifeforms with the ability to harness Chaos Energy in ways unseen by anything in the universe. Sonic, Shadow, Silver...you will be the ones to help me take over the world and bring the Black Arms name above all!"
With every word Black Doom sewed into their alleged future, the three teens watched their lives unravel before their eyes. Sonic, Shadow, and Silver felt their hearts hammer against their chest and their thoughts bounce around their heads like angry bees. At first, they thought learning the origins of their beginning would bring them closure. All their lives they wanted to know what their purpose was. Why they were born into this world. Who commanded it. Now that the answers were given to them, they almost wished they remained ignorant.
Death and destruction. That was their purpose. A soulless journey to bring about never-ending torment at the hands of an alien overlord that didn't seem to find a care in the world to give. They were sworn so much power, yet they were destined to become enslaved to evil.
An overwhelming loss of identity threatened to suffocate them.
However, there was one question that throttled their bones. It was Shadow who dared to ask. His voice was uncharacteristically quiet.
"Experimentation...You mean, there were others?"
Black Doom blinked as if surprised that was even a thought to be considered. "Yes, indeed. The number escapes me. Most before you were unable to live or self-destructed from rigorous testing. Those that did live for more than 48 hours were feral in nature. They lacked the ability to follow instructions and proved more annoying than useful despite their murderous nature. However, we kept most of them around, and were great test subjects for your development. Your battles against them were truly marvelous to watch," he answered flippantly.
Horror filled the small family's bellies. Chelsea closed her eyes and turned away as if that would block out the terrible images in her head. Sonic swallowed down the bile threatening to make an appearance. Shadow sneered in disgust and Silver pressed his palms on his burning eyes.
"You sick bastard," Sonic growled, his canine flashing in the harsh white light of the arena. "You threw away their lives and forced us to end them."
"I did not force anything. You acted on your own. Did you not?" Black Doom hummed.
Sonic's ears flattened in remorse. Silver stepped up, ignoring the tears running down his muzzle. "We had no choice! We would've died if we didn't fight. Had we known, there could've been another way. If we're of the same blood, maybe we could've talked and—"
"Not entirely."
They looked at the alien in confusion. Silver shook his head. "But you said—"
"There were others before you. But remember, they all failed. Each host was unable to maintain mass amounts of Chaos Energy and became insane. Therefore, we needed a different approach. That was when I added my blood. The first subject was Project #24."
A choking gasp rattled Shadow's throat. "But I was #19," he whispered.
Black Doom nodded. "Correct. You were part of an old batch and remained in stasis as we pivoted. However, you were the only one out of that group who survived a postpartum injection after full development. Another nod to your remarkable abilities."
If one thing had gone wrong, he would've been one of the test subjects for his brothers to face. Shadow felt a chill run down his spine. He didn't think he could stomach any more information, but he had to ask.
"What happened to...them?"
"It lived but proved uncontrollable. It lacked the ability to understand loyalty, the capacity to obey orders, and lacked tact. Within days of its existence, it tried to eliminate my soldiers. Even after a postpartum injection, it could not obey. We detained it indefinitely. After that, we reached an impasse, and I was close to destroying the MRF before I was given a suggestion by the captain of the security team of all Mobians."
The Black Arms leader then made (or attempted to make) a more irritated rather than angry expression. It was a face someone would make if they were about to sit on a four-hour car ride with the most annoying person they knew.
Black Doom flicked his hand and the black tendrils that trapped the young mother dragged her by his head. She let out a muffled shout, attempting to push down her dizziness. Chelsea's eyes widened as long black claws encircled around her chin and pulled her forward. Her sons yelled after her. She watched their muscles tense to react, but she threw them a stern glare to keep them away.
Once again, brown eyes met three red beady eyes that glowered at her with hatred she thought unfounded. She wasn't the one who ruined his entire life and tortured his children. But, whatever.
"Your beloved Noah was the one that suggested we were missing a 'human' element."
They all frowned with surprise.
"Noah?" Shadow repeated. He looked at his mother with questioning eyes she did not meet. "You mean, he was in on this from the start!?"
The alien leader continued. "We had the formula for the host to control the energy, but my alien blood mixed with Mobian DNA created a personality swing in the opposite way of the desired outcome. We needed another source of DNA to help temper the aggression." He narrowed his eyes in contempt before they shined with vindictive glee.
"So then came along you, caretaker. Humans possess Chaos Energy, but it's so little it's virtually insignificant compared to any other race. It wouldn't be a problem to alter the genetic code to isolate the desired behavioral traits. Human DNA is simplistic enough, it would only take even the most amateur scientist half a day at their slowest."
Black Doom's dehumanizing words weren't the reason why Chelsea felt her heart drop. It was the revelation of her connection to her sons that made the young mother shudder in shock.
As if they were connected by thought, Sonic, Shadow, Silver, and Chelsea's gaze met one another. So many emotions rushed between the four. Confusion. Anger. Unease. Excitement. Belonging. Love.
Black Doom confirmed their thoughts. "We used your DNA, and it was a success."
A black spine slipped from her lips, and she didn't suspect that it was an accident. He probably enjoyed the tears that burned her eyes and flushed her cheeks. The evil maniac could most definitely feel how difficult it was for Chelsea to breathe.
"They're my...we're actually blood-related?" she choked out. Chelsea let out a shaky sigh and couldn't help the smile on her face as she looked at her beautiful boys. They were always her children, but this was another layer of emotion she couldn't have expressed.
"You might call this a family gathering," he shrugged. If they weren't so overwhelmed with emotion, they all might have jumped at Black Doom's attempt at a joke.
"If it worked, why give us up?" Sonic asked. His voice broke as everything settled in. The pain in his eyes broke his mother's heart. "Why give us to her in the first place?"
"It wasn't my initial plan," Black Doom shrugged. "However, Noah said we needed a human caretaker who would mold the desired traits into our projects. His first hypothesis was correct, and I'm a patient man, so I allowed it. We used biotech to shrink you down into infants to allow for a smoother imprinting process. Besides, you were easy to find. We needed someone lonely but with resources to spare. Malleable and willing to overextend. Preferably a female who no one would miss if she were to go missing. Spying on you would be child's play. Manipulating your trust wouldn't be difficult. Ripping them away from you would be easy. We needed someone pathetic. He said you were perfect."
Chelsea swallowed down the humiliation and looked away. His words stung this time. It was too cruel to bear.
"Don't talk to her like that!" Silver spat.
"That would explain why he didn't freak out when he found us," Sonic mumbled with rising anger. "Why he knew what to do when Silver had that incident."
"And why he always conveniently shows up to save the day," Shadow ended miserably. Crimson eyes glowed with rage that was shared amongst his brothers. "Did you know about this, mother?"
She bit her lip and hung her head in defeat. "I...When you three were taken, he confessed to me that he worked with the MRF. But—but I didn't know about everything else."
"You begged me to trust him!"
"I had no other choice! He and Cathy were my only shot of getting you three back!"
"And look where the hell that got us!" Shadow roared. His fists shook and he could barely contain himself. "He betrayed us. He betrayed you! That hedgehog better pray I never get my hands on him!"
Anger and self-loathing filled the young mother's heart. "Malleable and easy to manipulate."
How stupid.
"I'm sorry," Chelseawhispered. "I thought I was doing the right thing."
"As I said," Black Doom started. A cruel glint in his eyes. "Pathetic. You might have bewitched my head of security, but it was to your detriment. Not only was your mother near-sighted, but she prioritized her own feelings instead of your safety. Years of care to throw it all away for a romantic plight with someone she clearly did not know. A shame and disgrace to your importance."
Sick and tired of his rambling, Chelsea felt cold fury rip through her throat as she spat, "Enough!" The fur on her neck stood and her ears flattened with anger. A growl vibrated her chattering canines. She knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to wither their trust in her. "You shut the hell up, you demon! None of that is true! There's not a single thing in this universe I wouldn't do for my sons!"
"Be mindful of who you speak to, rat," he hissed.
"You and your ugly mug don't scare me."
A twisted wrathful laugh echoed off the walls. "Beneath it all, you are nothing but a powerless, hopeless, insignificant human with nothing to show for it. You would do well to fear who will reward you your death."
Shame boiled into fury, rushing through Chelsea's veins like wildfire. Heat exploded up her spine, fueling the rage that burned behind her eyes. Even as Black Doom's expression soured with hostility, Chelsea felt nothing but hatred. Hatred towards him. Toward this place. Towards the cruel map of fate that had led her here. Everything was ruined, and it was because of him. She swore on her grave that he would regret ever choosing her.
Yet, within the blackness of her hatred was a glimmer of hope – a hope that stitched a fateful smile on her lips.
"I don't fear you because I don't fear death," Chelsea proclaimed boldly. The sincerity in her gaze made the alien overlord growl, and her grin only widened. "I may not be there. I may not survive to see it. But I know how your story ends, Black Doom."
Black Doom's entire being vibrated with barely contained fury. The young mother took pleasure in how easily she'd gotten under his skin.
"And yours ends here!" he snarled. Looks like the whole torture bit went out the window.
Chelsea was suddenly released from the tentacles, only to feel black claws wrap around her body. He dragged her closer to his face, unhinging his jaw, ready to devour her until...
She grabbed his horns and forced him to meet her gaze, eye-to-eye.
"It'll do you well to remember this: Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned."
With all the strength she could muster, Chelsea swung her fist back and punched his third eye. Black Doom recoiled in shock, the pain and surprise forcing him to release her as he clutched his pulsing eye.
"You anserine wench!" he cursed.
"Mom!"
Chelsea screamed as she flipped in the air. Her back collided with a thick vine, knocking the wind clean out of her. Gasping for breath, she managed to wrap her arm around a large thorn to keep from falling. Winded, but safe, she signaled to her sons with a shaky thumbs-up.
Once they had seen their mother okay and, more importantly, away from Black Doom, they returned their attention to the Black Arms commander. Sonic stepped up and pointed to him with unwavering conviction.
"Hey alien freak! Thanks for the history lesson, but we've heard enough outta you to know you're bad news. Creator or not, we're not helping you do anything but crawl back into the hell hole you and your army of roaches came from!"
Any leftover essence of patience and amusement quickly fled Black Doom's body. He whipped towards the three hedgehogs and rose to the air, claws protracted.
"You dare go against me!?" he roared.
Silver's hands glowed with cyan-blue energy as if to confirm. He clenched his fists, tensing his muscles for action.
"You've destroyed countless lives aboard the ship and who knows how many outside of it. Taking lives and molding them into slaves for you only to toss them away when they're not of any use – it's sickening! You've tried to take everything we have and ruin it. You tried to turn us into the monster you are, but we won't bend to your will," Silver said firmly. "You rule with fear, but we've got something stronger!"
The air grew still with danger. Dark smoke and red energy circled Black Doom in wisps. They watched as he began to grow in size, body contorting with each crack and crunch.
A dark chuckle thrummed in his chest. "I gave you life, and yet you defy me? You are willing to sacrifice a life of great power and rule for those who you don't know. Those who will curse you once they know your true origins!"
Shadow let a deep breath through his nose as his inhibitor rings fell off his wrists. A sudden surge of light and power began to envelop him and his brothers.
Throughout the pain, confusion, fear, and danger, one thing had become clear in his journey. Shadow met his mother's proud eyes and returned his gaze upon the transformed demon lord.
"You said it yourself, Black Doom. We're special. You might have given us life, but we choose our own paths." He felt a Chaos Bolt send electricity up his arm. "And we choose our family. As long as we're together, there isn't anything we can't overcome."
Black Doom transformed into a creature sketched from nightmares. Blood red wings sprouted from his back, scaling far beyond four meters. Hardened scales of black and red amassed his body, and his belly grew swollen out to the floor. It was as if a comet sprouted from his body and blackened vines germinated from its core. Pulsing veins spored from his neck and throughout his body.
At the top was his head sporting only one greedy eye that glowed red with hatred. In front of them was the overlord's complete metamorphosis into the Black Devil.
"Geez, he's even uglier than before," Sonic blanched.
"Very well then." His voice was gruff and cracked like broken glass. "If that is what you wish, I shall put an end to your foolish attempts to defy me, and your miserable existence! You will die along with these wretched ingrates!"
"Bring it!" they said.
In a flash of lightning and power, the three hedgehogs vanished, leaving behind only afterimages of themselves. They darted through the air, attacking Black Doom with such speed and precision that they evaded his strikes effortlessly. Their coordination was flawless as if they had been fighting together their entire lives.
If Sonic's spin dash missed its original target, there was Shadow ready to jump off the walls and kick the hurdling ball straight into Black Doom's weak spot. When Shadow unleashed Chaos Spears, it was Silver who would distract the alien by flying around his eye, expertly avoiding his swipes and leading him to turn in a way that would get the spears to land on a sensitive area.
If one hedgehog was thrown down, the other would take their place. If there was an opportunity to clear a path for an attack, it was like they could read each other's minds and move accordingly. They fought together. They protected each other. It was a beautiful sight to behold.
Honestly, Chelsea couldn't tear her eyes away.
Watching them in action was a thousand times more exhilarating than the shows and gameplay videos she used to eyes could barely keep up with their movements, yet they moved with frightening precision. Each punch and kick landed with an air boom that rattled her balance.
There was a side of her that wanted to geek out over watching them fight. However, the larger more pressing part of her knew part of her knew this wasn't a game anymore. This was real. Sonic, Shadow, and Silver were fighting for their lives.
And if they lost, there would be no respawns. Not retires. Their 'Game Over' would be forever.
She had to act.
Looking towards Black Devil, eyes scanning over the comet until a glint of purple caught her eye. Wedged between two thick veins on his back was a Chaos Emerald.
Chelsea watched how it lit up, enveloping the Black Arms leader's body with a faint glow. She herself felt the same rush of heat that recently blasted up her body when she was captured.
Unfamiliar with its energy, Chelsea was unsure if what she felt was the true thing. But it was a rush unlike anything she's ever experienced. It was warm, but suffocating. Overwhelming, yet inviting. It highlighted her anger but fueled her hope. There was no mistaking it.
They needed to get that emerald. If they had the Chaos Emerald, their chances of surviving this would skyrocket. Her sons were holding their own, but she could see their current skill sets weren't equal to the thousands of years of experience the warlord had. Luckily, Black Doom couldn't harness Chaos Energy as well as the three hedgehogs, so she had no doubt the odds would turn in their favor with it – even if they were unacquainted with its full power.
If she could reach the stalk hanging in the corner above the fight, where it formed a net toward the ceiling, Chelsea might be able to drop onto the crater and pull out the emerald.
Set in her mission, Chelsea jumped to the ground. She quickly ran to hide behind the thick forest of vines forgotten by the alien, ensuring she stayed out of sight as best as possible. Pressing herself against the wall, she edged closer to the reflective surfaces, moving as quietly as possible.
Her heart raced as she watched Black Doom grab Sonic's leg and catapult him into the wall. Chelsea clamped her hands over her mouth, stifling the urge to scream and give herself away. However, she watched in dread when a ball of dark purple energy began to collect in Black Doom's mouth. He spat it towards the recovering hedgehog.
Fortunately, Silver stopped the ball with his telekinesis. He grunted in pain from its mass, but successfully threw it away. It exploded near the spot the female ebony hedgehog was, tipping her off her feet.
Chelsea covered her eyes to avoid the debris and struggled to find her footing. She leaned back to break her fall. Her elbow lodged into the wall by accident, but she was taken by surprise as it sank into the stone.
The dark gray panels hissed open. Behind them were test tubes of projects.
It seemed like the others were too busy to notice.
Chelsea felt her heart stop. She stumbled back as dark yellow eyes narrowed at her within the darkness. Her breath quickened, fear tightening in her chest—but something stronger took hold of her feet.
One foot in front of the other, she thought to herself as she dared to look at the creatures Black Doom had spoken of. Failed projects they decided were not worth the comfort of a bed and light. Creatures, people, who shook from the frigid temperatures and whose bodies spasmed from the intense panic and mistrust that drenched their lives from the moment they opened their eyes.
A ghost of a gasp hung on the young mother's lips as she approached one. In the glass casing was a dark hedgehog that looked no larger than Silver. By the long lashes decorating bloodshot eyes, she could tell it was a female. Her thin bony frame was swallowed beneath a dirty torn rag that reached down to her knees. Her midnight blue fur was matted with blood and dirt and the black tips on her quills were bent out of shape.
The mysterious hedgehog was curled up on the opposite side of the tube, nursing what looked like an injury on her arm.
A threatening growl grew on the hedgehog's lips, ripping through her throat as Chelsea stepped closer. Yet, the ebony hedgehog was not deterred. Perhaps it was stupid to get so close, but she couldn't help it. Something in her eyes was familiar.
Once the project took notice the perpetrator was not backing off, she gave her a nasty snarl and lunged for the glass. Even as her head rammed into the container, her claws ferociously scratched where her face would be. Chelsea winced from the impact and worried about the bump forming on her forehead.
What was she doing? She was wasting time. It didn't look like they were to be released, so there was no point investigating this. She needed to get the emerald!
Except...
Finally mustering up the courage, Chelsea rested her hand on the glass where the cut was. She looked to the cut and stilled when her arms traveled to the '24' branded on her shoulder.
Project 24 stilled when she observed silver tears fill up the kind eyes of the intruder.
"I'm so sorry," Chelsea whispered. She couldn't help her next question. "Does it still hurt?"
The dark blue hedgehog's ears flickered from the sound of her voice. It was a voice she had never heard yet somehow knew. It was different from anything else she had experienced in her life.
Yellow eyes met brown and instantly, something sparked between the two. Project 24's pupils dilated as she felt her heart begin to hammer against her ribcage and her throat tighten. A familiar feeling of knowingness occupied Chelsea's belly. It was similar to when she first laid eyes on her sons.
Nausea settled into her throat.
It couldn't be. Not another one.
How many more were there?
A weird sound rattled around Chelsea's vocal cords. One that she couldn't control, and she was shocked to find the hedgehog begin to whimper. She scratched at the glass again. This time, without the anger from before. Instead, it was just fear and desperation.
Chelsea didn't know what to do or say. All she felt was this overwhelming desire. A desire to rescue. A desire to get out of this place. A deep desire to watch that evil demon burn in hell for all eternity and then some.
There was so much she wanted to say but somehow couldn't find the words. She shook her head in denial.
"I-"
"Chelsea? Chelsea! Can you hear me!?"
A voice came from the reflective surface. A voice that she knew all too well.
"Noah?"
A small square panel opened from underneath the metal to reveal a half-working speaker. He struggled to get it online but eventually succeeded.
"Can – zzt! – hear me now?"
"Just fine," she snipped. Chelsea narrowed her eyes. "Where are you?"
"Oh, thank goodness. I think I can get access to the controls of this thing and help fight. Also, I'm right here."
He pounded the glass so Chelsea could locate the general area where he was. Although she couldn't see him, he could see her which was perfect because Chelsea could rip into him way easier without seeing his stupid face. As he worriedly went on about her safety and what they should do next, anger clouded her expression. She scowled an ugly one and suddenly found the words that once escaped her.
Screw the situation, she needed to get this out now. She wouldn't keep making any more mistakes.
"Even after everything you did, you still couldn't tell me the whole truth," she accused.
Noah sputtered mid-sentence. She could imagine the confusion on his face. "What?"
"After many failed projects, the Director of the Security Department suggests they're missing a human element to the operation alongside Black Doom's DNA," she continued, brown eyes hard and unmoving.
Silence. Then he smacked his teeth. "Fuck," Noah cursed. "Chelsea, wait –"
She ignored the tightness in her chest. There was her confession. She pressed onwards because if she had to hear it, so did he.
"You needed someone that would temper their personality and raise them. A woman who was – what was it? Malleable. Willing to overextend herself. Easy to manipulate. Easy to trust. Someone no one would miss if they went missing!?" she shouted before reminding herself to stay quiet. Still, Chelsea bit her lip with rage and embarrassment staining her cheeks. Thank God she couldn't see him. "How cruel can you be? Why didn't you just tell me?"
"I didn't say –"
"I know you think I'm pathetic, but I won't –"
"I don't! I never did! Chelsea, I'm sorry! I'm so incredibly sorry about everything. You're right. I should've told you everything from the start, but it would've crushed you and you already were so vulnerable. I didn't want to distract you from the mission or hurt you any more than I already did."
Chelsea rolled her eyes and laughed without any joy behind it. "You've beyond hurt me, Noah. To think I was starting to forgive you, and I thought if we make out maybe –" She gulped down the cry that threatened to come out. No more crying. It was enough. Chelsea looked at the glass, finding her reflection hard to see but still stood strong with resolve. "I can deal with the humiliation of being stupid, and naive, and...lonely enough to fall for you. But what I won't deal with is you lying to my children. I begged them to trust you and Cathy because I thought you changed."
"I would give anything to go back and change it all. To make it right from the start. If Black Doom wasn't threatening to kill us all, I would've never suggested something like that, Chelsea. But I did, and I'm sorry and I am doing everything in my power to make it up to you and the children now. You have to know that's not a lie," Noah begged. "I swear when we get out of here, I'll tell you everything and anything else you want to know. No more secrets."
"But why now?" she exclaimed. "If it was to save yourselves then, why change now!?"
"Because I love you! That's why!I love you and I love the boys!" he shouted back.
"Wh –"
Another explosion rumbled and Chelsea pressed a hand on the wall for stability. She turned over her shoulder and saw the tired and beat-up faces of her sons. Looking at the purple jewel in Black Devil's back, she steeled her heart once more.
The young mother swallowed the lump in her throat. She had to make a choice. "I can't trust you, Noah. Unless it has something to do with stopping Black Doom...we don't have anything else to talk about."
"No. No, Chelsea. Baby, don't do that. Don't shut me out."
"Thank you for your help until this point, but you should take Cathy and go." She stepped back and made her way towards the backroom vines. Chelsea tore her eyes from her reflection and to the fight. "...Goodbye, Noah."
Chelsea didn't wait for a response. She wiped the tear that escaped and made a run for it.
The sooner they end this, the better.
(0...)
"ARGH! YOU ARROGANT FOOLS!"
It was the fourth time in the last five minutes he'd called them that. Or a derivative of it. Shadow was starting to think Black Doom wasn't the cool, calm, and collected man he painted himself out to be. Each time they landed a hit, he would lash out and his attacks would grow angrier but sloppier.
Granted, he was still a warmonger at his core. Even his sloppiest movements were more calculated than they had ever prepared for in their short lifetimes. Yes, they were keeping up, but they wouldn't last forever.
Black Doom didn't seem to tire out. However, Shadow knew his energy was depleted and his brothers felt the same as well.
Their mother had given them the hint to attack his eye. It was his weak spot amongst the hardened armor and muscle all over his body. They did their best to do so, but he was fast. It was hard to keep up sometimes.
As Silver kept the alien lord busy as he fought with a broken off stem, Shadow saw his mother run by the wall. Throughout the battle, he tried his best to keep an eye on her. He noticed she was eyeing the Black Arms leader's back and wondered if it had anything to do with the shiny jewel attached to him. As much as he wanted to help her out, he went against it so as not to draw attention to her. It was one less thing to worry about if she was out of his claws. Literally.
"Shadooooowww!"
A force rammed into his back and Shadow found himself face first into the wall. The black and azure hedgehogs groaned, shaking away the metaphorical birds that flew around their heads.
"Sorry," Sonic bashfully said.
Shadow just groaned again before they got to their feet. "We can't keep doing this."
"We have no choice," his brother sighed. He perked up when he saw his mom start climbing over the huge roots, diving into small pockets of spaces each time Black Doom flew over her. "What's mom doing?"
"I think it has something to do with the purple emerald in his back," he responded.
"Yeah, I noticed that thing. Is it important? I thought he was just being flashy," Sonic laughed.
"Every time I'm close to it, I feel some sort of energy coming off it. Whatever it is, mother is trying to take it. We need to help her and distract him. Perhaps that's the key to defeating Black Doom."
"Sure thing! Distracting's my middle name."
"No it's not. It's Maurice."
"Figure of speech, Shads."
"Whatever. Let's go."
Off they went with their mission as well as to take some of the heat off their youngest brother who looked exhausted.
Silver panted with fatigue, holding his bruised cheek. He gave his brothers an irritated glare as he floated down to them. "Enjoyed your break?"
"Pipe down, pipsqueak. We're here now," Sonic teased. He looked at the black and red hedgehog and grinned. "Hey, Shadow. How about a game of pinball?"
Shadow hummed in faux thought before smirking. "Thought you'd never ask. Silver? Give us a boost?"
The two folded over and turned on themselves, spinning into a ball. As they gained speed, they felt their brother entrap them in a glow that fed them even more power.
Silver raised them into the air, preparing for launch. He couldn't help the slight jealousy he felt. "You guys totally have to teach me how to spin dash when we get home."
Twisting his torso, Silver threw the two hedgehogs towards the alien. Black Doom equipped himself to defend but blinked in confusion when they split. They bounced around, hitting the surface and slamming against Black Doom in the blink of an eye. It was hard for him to keep up and he was growing even more frustrated.
Amidst their attack, the three didn't notice they were hitting the glass tubes surrounding the dome. With each strike, the glass cracked worse and worse. Finally, when they both hit Black Doom with a four-strike combo, they bounced off the walls hard enough to shake the dome and for the glass to give way to the pressure.
A red alarm began to sound through the speakers. Everyone froze in their places when the doors that were already shut closed were reinforced with three more layers of steel.
"Umm, what's going on?" Silver asked.
A haunting laugh rose above the alarms, and they turned to Black Doom who looked both ultra pissed and very amused.
"You feeble minded cretins," he growled. "You've just signed your death certificate."
"Huh?"
They nearly snapped their necks when their mother's screams pierced through their ears. They looked over and found a disheveled midnight blue hedgehog lunge for her. Chelsea's head cracked hard against the floor, and she hissed as the hedgehog's claws dug into her arms.
"Mom!" Sonic ran towards her but felt his instincts kick in when another figure darted towards him. He barely missed the impact. Sonic looked around and realized they were surrounded by the same 'monsters' he was made to fight before. He gasped. "It's...It's them."
"Why yes indeed, blue hedgehog. Please welcome the other projects infused with both mine and your mother's DNA. Go ahead and kill them like you were trained to do," Black Doom taunted.
Different species littered with wounds and grotesque features gone wrong snarled and growled at them. The three hedgehogs froze in their spots, unable to decide what they should do.
"We can't fight them," Silver said shakily. "Not after what we now know."
Shadow gritted his teeth in mental anguish. "We don't fight, we're dead. They can't...they can't think right, Silver."
"Sonic?"
His other brother grabbed his head. "I don't know!"
"Better think fast, hedgehogs," Black Doom laughed. "They look hungry."
Chelsea didn't look away from Project 24's scowl. Although she was at her mercy, all she saw was a frightened girl who knew nothing more than to fight for her life. Even as the dark blue hedgehog displayed her canines, as if preparing to bite her jugular, Chelsea dared herself to smile in understanding.
"Does it hurt?" she whispered.
The female hedgehog paused. She then dislodged her claws from the woman's arms and looked down at the blood as if she was noticing it for the first time. Chelsea gently raised a hand to touch the girl's muzzle.
Slowly but surely, her hand cupped her cheek, and she let the girl lean into it. It was probably the only gentle touch she ever experienced in her life.
"I'm sorry they hurt you," Chelsea said. And she meant every word. "I can help you."
Project 24 narrowed her yellow eyes in confusion. The young mother pointed to Black Doom to which the girl's upper lip curled into a nasty snarl. Chelsea pressed a hand on her elbow.
"We can stop him, but I need to get to the emerald. Those three are trying to take him down. Do you think you can help us?"
The girl frowned and looked at the scene before her eyes and studied the ebony hedgehog's hand. Her neck bobbed forward, and her lips hung open as she tried to speak.
"H-Huu—huuelp?"
Chelsea gasped in shock. She then smiled warmly. "Yes. Help. Please?"
Project 24 hummed before suddenly hissing as another project closed in on them. Just before she pounced, a laser hit Black Doom's wing. Laser canons opened from surrounding panels and continued to shoot. The Black Arms leader roared in anger, looking for who was responsible for the attack.
Chelsea looked in the reflective mirror. Noah.
Her attention was taken away when Project 24 leaped off her before galloping towards Black Doom who was assaulted by the canons. With a chance for vengeance, she leaped for him, sinking her claws in his bloated stomach and never letting go.
In what was a miracle, the other 'failed' projects followed her lead. With all the aggression and rage within their bodies, they took the chance to pour it out on the sole cause of their oppression. Even with the confusing thoughts in their head, they could never forget the hatred they had for Black Doom.
The alien overlord's voice was like thunder, his words drenched in death as he cursed them for their attacks. Overwhelmed by their assault, he began to twist and turn without much thought. His only aim was to throw off and kill as many as he could.
The young mother rolled onto her stomach in disbelief. Then, her eyes snapped to her sons.
They all knew they couldn't let this pass by. This was their chance.
Sonic, Shadow, and Silver jumped into action and joined the ambush.
Pushing past the sting in her arms and the blurriness in her vision, Chelsea lifted herself onto her feet and pushed her heavy legs to run towards the tallest vine. She jumped the thick root and used the large protruding thorns to lift herself upwards. By the time she got to the top, her lungs were burning and her body felt like it was doused in acid. The blood rushing to her head made it hard to blink away her double vision, but she ignored it.
Brown eyes narrowed down to Black Devil's reeling body. Carefully, she waited for him to move closer in his fury. If she didn't time this right, she would fall to the ground – and it was a long way down. There was no way she'd come out of that without broken bones.
Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long.
Project 24 climbed up his belly and launched herself upwards. Going in for the kill, she sunk her claws in his eye.
Black Doom's howl shook the entire spaceship. He ripped the hedgehog off his head, and she hit the ground with mighty force. She struggled to lift her head and blood began to pool by her temple.
Chelsea reached out in complete panic. "NO! —"
Black Doom backed into the vine she was on and her grip on the thorn was knocked loose. Suddenly, she was flying. Then, she hit a hard surface.
Chelsea felt all the air in her lungs rush out as her chest smacked against the demon lord's hardened wings. She coughed, curling into herself to try and ease the prickly pain spreading throughout her limbs. When she uncovered her hand from her mouth, she found her glove stained with blood.
"Shit," she whispered, voice strained.
However, there was no time to think about any internal bleeding as Black Doom shook and spun with fury. Chelsea held onto his wings as she and the other projects were tossed around.
"GET OFF ME, YOU WORTHLESS INSECTS! I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL!"
"Give it up, Black Doom!" Sonic shouted.
"SHUT UP!"
Blind (literally) with rage, the Black Arms leader charged towards the teen's voice. However, instead of sinking his claws into a blue hedgehog, his horns rammed into a glass surface. The mirror shattered into a million pieces, dispersing everywhere. As Chelsea tried to avoid getting cut, the impact weakened her grip, and she started to slide down his back.
She sunk her claws into his stony flesh, grunting in agony from the searing pain that shot up her body. It hurt to breathe, but she couldn't think about it. Not when the Chaos Emerald was right beneath her. Its warmth burned the skin on her ankle.
"Ha! Can't catch me!" the azure hedgehog taunted.
Falling for the distraction, Black Doom once again charged towards the irritating voice. This time, he ran shoulder-first into the wall. A white and gold hedgehog with spines protruding from his back was knocked off from the strike and hit Chelsea on the way down. She fell a foot downward before grabbing onto the metal encasing that was buried in the overlord's back. The ebony hedgehog hooked her legs on two pulsing veins, locked her hands around the emerald, and pulled on it with everything she had.
The emerald flashed.
Shaken from its position, its energy sent a wave of disturbance through the Black Arms leader's body. Black Devil growled in panic and fury as he finally noticed the black hedgehog trying to rip the emerald out of him.
His hands swiped at his back. Due to the awkward length of his arms, he wasn't able to effectively grab her, but that didn't mean he couldn't get to her through other means. Black Doom nicked her face with one hand and then ripped a long gash down her arm with the other. Chelsea cried out but held on for dear life.
This was their one ticket out. Even if he clawed through her chest, she couldn't let go. She wouldn't. Over her dead body.
Again, she pulled on the gem, and it started to shift loose.
"Come on! Come on!" she hissed, gritting her teeth.
"I should've ripped you apart when I had the chance!" Black Doom bellowed. His blinding rage swept past the other hedgehogs that chewed and swiped elsewhere on his body. "I swear on my life you will regret the day you were born!"
He grabbed two of his failed projects and threw them to the wall. There was a sickening crunch, and they laid lifeless on the ground.
Silver's heart nearly stopped. Nausea gripped his stomach as he ran to them. He pressed a finger to their necks.
No pulse.
His shoulders shook with bleeding anger. Silver extended an arm toward the fallen shards of glass, and they ascended into the air. Just as he was about to shoot them at Black Doom, his eldest brother stopped him.
"Wait! Silver, you'll hit mother!" Shadow yelled.
The telekinetic teen gasped, and the glass instantly fell to the ground. They were joined by their other brother. The three nervously watched as she struggled to take the gem out with Black Doom's sporadic movements.
"We need to help her!" Sonic said.
"And the rest of the other projects! We can't let anyone else die!" Silver added.
Shadow narrowed his eyes as he silently formulated a plan. "Right. Silver, use your powers to hold Black Doom for as long as you can. Sonic, you're the fastest. Try to get to mom and help her with the emerald. I'll round up the rest and —"
A silver hedgehog with blue eyes suddenly jumped from behind the broken surface and ran towards Black Doom as he charged, back first, into the wall.
"CHELSEA, WATCH OUT—"
All three moved toward their mother before they could fully comprehend what happened. But it was too late.
Black Doom slammed into the wall with a force that dented the surrounding area. A crater-sized impact crushed through steel and concrete, tearing off sections of vines and panels with it. A bloodthirsty smile lifted his 'mouth' as he slowly parted from the wall.
The pain was so terrible, it was numbing. It felt like a million shards of glass were digging into her muscles and her head was drowning in water. The little air left in her body hurt to breathe. The bones in her chest, hips, and legs felt loose like a lazy knot.
Chelsea knew the gargling in her throat and the muffled voices in her ears weren't good. Her vision went in and out with every blink. She wasn't sure what the warm liquid dribbling down her muzzle was, but she didn't have the mind to care that much.
Not when she held the purple Chaos Emerald in her hands.
Slamming her into the wall might have destroyed her ribs, but it also cracked the casing in Black Doom's back. With nothing left to hold it in, it easily remained in her unrelenting grip.
Although it sounded fuzzy, she took pleasure in Black Doom's angry screams once he realized what he had done.
Jerk, Chelsea thought. She huffed out a laugh, and then she fell.
"MOM!"
Noah dove toward her falling body, catching her just before she hit the ground. He curled into her, hands horribly shaking as he cradled her close to his chest. She looked awful. There was too much blood. Too many limbs twisted at unnatural angles. Limp in his arms, she was like a broken doll.
He shook his head in denial when her head lolled to the side. Noah clenched his jaw and held her muzzle. Her labored breathing was hard to listen to.
"Chelsea? Chelsea. You need to stay awake, okay?" he demanded, patting her cheek. He frowned when his response was only a grimace. "Come on, sweetheart. We're almost there. You got the Chaos Emerald. We're so close to winning."
Chelsea muttered something that he couldn't catch. Noah was about to ask when Black Doom's voice cut through.
"No!" he roared. "Impossible! This can't be happening!"
Cut off from the emerald's power, he could not maintain his final form as Black Devil. Black Doom shrunk to his original size, but his injuries remained. He looked at his hands with bewilderment before all three of his eyes narrowed at the young mother with hatred that could turn an ocean into ice.
He would not let it end like this. Despite the setback, he would have his revenge. Black Doom flew towards the two huddled in the rubble, but his movements halted abruptly.
A familiar turquoise ball of energy trapped his body in midair. "What is the meaning of this?" he spat.
The golden irises within the youngest hedgehog's eyes disappeared behind the whites of his sclera. The Chaos energy that rampaged through his veins burned hot as rage took hold of him.
Sweat pooled at his temple and his arms shook from the strength it took to hold the massive figure still, but it was nothing compared to the rage that buried itself within Silver's heart.
"You demon," he growled.
"What!?" Black Doom twisted his arm out of the grip only to be frozen again. "Unhand me!"
He watched Sonic and Shadow take his side, glowing with darkness he'd never seen in even the most uncontrollable subjects he experimented upon. Crimson eyes jumped around the dome as they caught other forms of movement. Soon, all the other projects that were left standing joined them.
Black Doom wouldn't admit it, but he began to feel nervous from the encroaching crowd.
Still, he maintained an air of arrogance.
"What is this? A revolt? Do you insects think you can overpower me—"
"We've heard enough out of you," Sonic said stoically. His power electrified the air around them.
Shadow clenched his fist and allowed Chaos Energy to overtake his body with a crimson hue. His eyes promised an end to this battle.
"You're going to regret ever creating us. This ends now."
That was their declaration of war. With what little strength they had left, every project charged into battle, determined to defeat their creator.
Noah watched with hope as they attacked Black Doom — and they seemed to be overpowering him. Maybe they really could win this. Maybe the government would reach the ship in time before anyone else died.
The silver hedgehog turned back to the young mother. She groaned from the blinding pain butstill clung to the jewel like her life depended on it.
Noah gently wiped the blood from under her eye and smoothed down the quills near her face. Even in this state, she was still so startlingly beautiful that he found it hard to tear his gaze away.
"You're going to be okay," he reassured her. Maybe it was more for him than anything. Was that selfish? "Black Doom will be defeated. We'll go back to Mobius. I'll build you a huge house. Somewhere by lots of pasta restaurants and amusement parks, near the water, and full of flowers. No one will ever bother you again. I'll make sure you and your boys are safe and happy, okay? All you have to do is stay awake, baby. You hear me?"
The ship rocked with multiple explosions.
Her eyes fluttered open, though barely. He could see how much even that simple action hurt. Noah wished he could take it all away.
"M...m'sorry," Chelsea gasped through her pain. "M-mean to...you."
Noah shushed her gently. "Honestly, you should've been meaner," he chuckled, then sobered, a sigh of sadness escaping him. "I'm truly sorry, angel. For everything. If I could take it all back, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
Black Doom was hurled into the wall, and Sonic spin-dashed into his stomach.
Brown eyes sluggishly scanned the battlefield. Through the dizziness, she marveled at how everyone fought against the commander. They really were incredible. All of them. Yet, she wished they didn't have to fight. They deserved a different life. A happier one. One with freedom. One without cages — whether it was a test tube or a brick house in a small town.
Silver let a shower of glass and rubble rain upon the Black Arms leader.
Again, the Chaos Emerald gleamed in her hands before its light began to shine brightly. Its radiance and warmth embraced her heart, and Chelsea allowed a small smile to lift the corner of her lip.
"Chelsea?" Noah asked, watching in shock as purple light wrapped around their bodies.
Shadow jumped onto a screaming Black Doom and wrapped his hands around his neck. The alien called them the true demons, but his mother thought they were incredible gifts of life.
"CHAOS —"
"Me too," she wished.
"BLAST!"
A blinding white light engulfed the entire spaceship and the arena was empty.
A/N: Imagine having to co-parent with Black Doom. Yuck.
One more chapter left. I can't believe it's happening. Never thought I'd get here. Haha! Hope you enjoyed the longer chapter!