Chapter 101

The Phantom

Silver hung in the air, his wrists and ankles chained by the metal arms which dangled him over the vat of swirling green liquid. Dozens of opaque lines were plunged into the hedgehog's arms and legs. They pulsed slightly as thin drips of blood and liquid pooled down the tubes and refitted back into the machine to some unknown end. Silver looked as though he had lost a third of his body mass. His head hung loosely on a frail neck and his face was gaunt and thinned to the bone. "No," He gasped. "No, get out."

Levi and Sonic pushed forward, both of them too disturbed to say anything. It would have been easier to feel rage, but the horror of Silver's condition prevented Sonic from feeling anything else but shock. "We're here to save you," Levi announced, his voice strained from the effort of keeping it controlled.

Silver shook his head feebly, that was the only amount of movement his restraints allowed him. "Go, leave before he catches you."

"Not without you," Sonic said.

"I can't leave." Silver looked down at them. The yellow in his eyes had faded slightly, turning them almost colorless. "Mesto made this machine himself. If I'm detached, even for a second the vat will explode."

Sonic paused. He studied Silver's bonds intently, wondering how long it would take him to take Silver down and escape the room. "It's no use," Silver said faintly. "You couldn't cut me down in time, nothing can break through the metal."

"Nothing?" Sonic reached back and drew Caliburn. The sword gleamed like a red flame in the darkness. "Get out of here Levi, I'll cut Silver down and escape before it blows up."

"You can't," This time it was Levi who spoke. He strode towards the bottom of the vat and pointed up. Sonic came up beside and saw what the fox was referring to. Silver's fur was pinned with two pressurized hooks. "If you remove him, the weights will release and it will trigger the explosion."

"It's a trap," Silver groaned. "Mesto made it for my sister. He wanted Blaze to come after me. This was the only way he could try and kill her. This liquid, when it ignites it won't be like an ordinary fire, anything caught in it is incinerated instantly."

Sonic shook his head, refusing to accept the hopeless situation in front of him. "We can get him out. I just have to move fast enough."

"It's not a matter of speed." Levi closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. "It's like Silver said, this is a trap, and a cunning one at that. There is only one thing to do."

"Leave," Silver groaned. "You must go before you're caught." He looked down at his former mentor with pleading in his face. "I don't want to be Mesto's lab rat anymore. He's testing my blood to try and find the source of my power. Kill me and leave."

"No!" Sonic shouted. "There must be another way."

Levi seized Sonic by the shoulder and held him firm. "Mesto has already beaten us. He wants you to try and save him and die in the process. We can't lose you."

"Levi," Silver started, his voice shaking. "Someone has to die, that is the whole point of this. Let it be."

"But it can't be you." Levi unfastened his cloak and folded it. "Mesto wants us to make a choice, and so we have." He unbuckled his sword belt and held it out to Sonic.

"What are you doing?"

"If you move quick enough you should be able to put me in Silver's place. I'll hold out until you are away and then trigger the explosion."

"No!" Both Silver and Sonic shouted in unison.

"This is the only way," Levi said fiercely. "You two are much more valuable than me."

"I'm not leaving you to die!" Sonic argued. "We can think of something."

"We already have," Levi tossed his folded cloak over to Sonic. "Do me this one favor, return my effects to the princess. Tell her, it was an honor to serve her."

Sonic had no choice but to accept Levi's belt and weapons. The fox stretched his arms over his head and inhaled slowly. "You will still have to be quick. I'll hold the chains as long as I can, but it will only buy you a minute or so. Once it blows, I assume it will raise the alarm. Do you remember how to get out of here?"

"Don't do this. You're falling right into Mesto's trap."

Levi smirked. "Yes, but as cunning as he is, Mesto has proven he does not possess an ounce of wisdom. To him, this choice would be a torment, because he doesn't value anything more than his own life. There are far worse fates than death, Sonic the Hedgehog." He turned and approached the base of the vat. "Silver, are you ready?"

Silver shook his head. "This is a waste. I can barely move. If Sonic frees me, I will only be a burden to him. Please, just leave."

"Is that the way a knight should respond?" Levi challenged with a spark of white fire in his eyes.

Silver looked down at Levi, and Sonic caught a hint of the profound bond the two of them shared as master and pupil. "You are not dead yet, Silver. As long as your heart beats you have a duty to the realm. Blaze needs you, you are far more powerful than I am, and you know it. As long as you live, then my legacy will not die here. Take what I have taught you and use it to free the country that I love."

Silver's expression hardened and some of the color returned to his eyes. "I'll make Mesto pay for this."

"It is not revenge that motivates a knight," Levi corrected. "You are the shield of the innocent and the vulnerable. Do what you can to protect them, and you will have honored my memory." Levi turned back to Sonic. "I cannot force you to obey me. Perhaps, your world works differently than ours. It may go against your instincts, but help me save Silver."

The temptation to continue arguing flared up inside him, but Sonic pushed it down. This world did work differently than his. Levi wasn't Tails or Knuckles, and Mesto wasn't Eggman. Sonic would never have considered trading lives, but now, it wasn't his call to make. The rules had changed, this wasn't an adventure where everyone gets to return home, this was war, and war meant sacrifice and victory would always be mingled with sorrow. "Tell me what to do."

Levi scaled the machine and positioned himself near the hooks that were cruelly twisted into Silver's fur. Silver cried out in pain as his master loosened the binds and he lurched forward precariously as the hooks came free. "Okay," Levi said. "When I signal Sonic, you rush in and cut Silver's arms and legs free. I'll place myself on the hooks to stabilize the weight."

Sonic braced himself. His gloves were slick with sweat and his heart was thumping loudly in his chest. "O and Sonic," Levi said suddenly. "I apologize that I was unable to finish your training. Remember what I told you, learn to trust in Caliburn and it will do the same to you." Levi smiled earnestly, the dread of the moment unable to rob him of his spirit.

He held up three fingers and slowly counted down. 3…2…1! Sonic sprang forward in a streak of blue and silver. Caliburn cut through the metal chains as though they were made of paper. As soon as Silver was released, Sonic caught him and leapt to the far side of the room. Before the pressurized hooks could release, Levi leapt onto them.

"Now go!" Levi swung on the hooks, hanging dangerously over the liquid. "Solaris save you both!"

Sonic didn't look back. He heaved Silver over his shoulder and sprinted out of the room. The white crystal hallways quickly ensnared Sonic as he fruitlessly attempted to retrace his steps back to the elevator. His heart hammered in his chest like the ticking of a clock, and Sonic kept expecting the final BOOOM! A shockwave of energy blasted Sonic causing him and Silver to fly forward.

The hallway directly behind them had been completely destroyed by the blast. Smoke and sulfur filled Sonic's nostrils as he staggered to his feet. There was no time to mourn Levi, a second later the white crystal transformed into burning red coals as a crimson light washed the entire floor. A siren rang overhead and Sonic heard doors slide open all around them.

He seized Silver and tossed him back over his shoulder. Silver was so emaciated that Sonic barely registered his weight. Sonic ran down hallway after hallway, the expanse of the Hive, seeming to have no end. He turned to find himself face to face with a squadron of heavily armored sentinels. Sonic let loose a battle cry as he dashed towards his opponents. Their barrage of fire turned the crystal room into a hall of smoke and cinders. Rage and anguish doubled Sonic's speed and ferocity as he cut the sentinels down into a scrap heap of broken parts.

He could not savor his victory. The next hall brought him in face of more sentinels which were reinforced by armored imperial guards. Sonic retreated and raced back the way he came, taking turns at complete random. Panic started to set in as Sonic realized he had no idea where he was going. The wailing siren screamed so loudly, Sonic could barely even hear himself think.

At last he found an empty hallway and a door materialized at his right. Sonic leapt inside and was relieved to find himself in a relatively empty room. The door slid shut, and for the moment, he and Silver were safe. Sonic lowered Silver onto the ground and tried to catch his breath. The room consisted of one wall sized screen with a humble console at its base.

Sonic pressed himself against the door and listened. Beyond, he could hear the movement of sentinels and the thundering footsteps of Mesto's guards. "I…I'm sorry Sonic," Silver groaned. He held himself into a ball on the floor. "I'm sorry for doubting you."

"This isn't the time," Sonic insisted. "We have to get out of here."

Silver smiled faintly. "You don't know when to give up, do you? Very well, I won't either." He laid his head back against the console and gazed unseeingly up at the ceiling. "I was always jealous of Blaze. She was so strong, and everyone seemed to love her. Everything was hers, while I was pushed to the shadows. I suppose I felt the same way about you. Just when I thought I had grown up, I realize that in some ways, I'm still just a child."

Sonic crouched down beside him. "I'm going to need your help if we are going to get out of here."

Silver exhaled and stiffened his jaw. He raised his arm feebly and pointed it at the nearby console. His eyes glowed with a faint silver light. The console lit up and activated. Just that small use of his power seemed to drain Silver, his head leaned back as though he was about to pass out. Sonic jumped up and approached the monitor. A map of the upper floor flashed on screen. Sonic tried to memorize the route back to the elevator, but something caught his eye. One of the rooms was labeled with a symbol he swore he recognized from somewhere. It was a triangle set inside a circle and crossed with twin diamonds. Sonic clicked on the symbol and the monitor changed from a map to a series of strange schematics.

The blueprints appeared to be the design of a massive megastructure that dwarfed even the Space Colony Ark. Sonic could not fathom what its purpose was, only that in the image the machine seemed to be pulling power from a sun. However, when he looked closer, Sonic saw that the machine was not powered by a sun, but by a living flame. Inscribed into the fire was one word; Solaris.

"Sonic!" Silver gasped. "The door!"

Sonic wheeled around just as the door slid open. Mesto's guards had hardly stepped inside before Sonic torpedoed into them as a spinning bullet. He uncurled, heaved Silver over his shoulder and started racing down the hallways. Sentinels and guards gave chase and soon the crystal hallways were smoking with the discharge of blaster fire.

Sonic did his best to follow the map and somehow he managed to find the elevator. As he expected, there was a host of guards there to stop them. "I got this," Silver groaned. The elevator doors lit up with silver light and were pulled off their hinges to crash onto the guards. Sonic leapt into the empty elevator shaft and plumpented freely down the dark descent.

To slow his fall, Sonic drove Caliburn into the metal sides of the shaft which allowed them to fall gracefully onto the bottom floor. Silver could not replicate his display from before, so Sonic had to open the elevator doors by prying Caliburn's point into the slit and pulling them apart. They had made it back to the bottom floor and the hallways of dark glass and dizzying lights.

Sonic pulled Silver along and tried to find the storage room he and Levi had entered from. The darkness helped him feel slightly less exposed, but he had no time to feel secure. Bright white lights erupted from above and sirens started to wail. Sonic gritted his teeth and charged into the next hallway, straight into an oncoming host of guards. He broke through them, but one of the guards's blaster shots managed to singe Sonic in the back. The injury made Sonic wince and his back cramp up in pain.

Panic started to set in as Sonic had no idea where he was or where he was going. Eventually, one of the guards was bound to get a lucky shot, and if that happened, Sonic would not be able to escape. His heart pounding with desperation, Sonic started to run as fast as he could, not even bothering to try and engage in any combat. The sound of blaster fire and the pitch of the sirens made his ears ring, while the smoke stung his eyes, and caused his senses to start to dim. I have to get out. I have to.

By some miracle, Sonic took the next turn and found himself face to face with the storage room. He flung himself and Silver inside and started pounding on the trap door. Boots were thundering outside, any second and they would be trapped with nowhere left to run. Please! Please! Sonic took Caliburn and struck it against the unadorned white floor, pleading for the trap door to reveal itself. The boots were nearly outside. BANG! BANG!

Crack! The trap door slid open. Hands reached out and Sonic and Silver were pulled down into the tunnel. Darkness overcame them and hands were placed over Sonic's mouth. The trap door was reset just as the door to the storage room burst open. Sonic felt the footsteps overhead. No one in the tunnel dared to so much as breath. For five anxious minutes they waited for the footsteps to recede. Only then did they dare to climb down the ladder and return to the cellar.

Sonic collapsed onto the floor while the Underking's guards tended to Silver. A cold pack was placed on Sonic's back and he was helped to his feet. Sonic barely took any notice as the guards led them out. His attention was purely on Silver, who seemed to have exhausted the last of his limited energy in opening the elevator. The guards helped them along, through the Barrow and back to the throne room of the Underking.

He was lounging in his chair, examining the Chaos Emerald when Silver and Sonic were brought before him. "So you survived?" He said without so much as looking at them. "Where is the fox?"

Sonic shook his head. He felt asleep on his feet. His body was shaking with fatigue and his stomach groaned from lack of nourishment. "My friend needs medical attention. Do you have any healers here?"

The Underking turned slightly to look down at Silver. His expression hardly seemed to change, yet somehow, his guards had understood their master's intent. Sonic did not even have a chance to move before Silver was taken by the arms and dragged towards the throne. Suddenly, all the bandits had drawn weapons and were aiming them at Silver and Sonic. "What the-"

The Underking threw back his head and laughed. It was a cold, cynical laughter which echoed in the vast chamber. "You naive fool," The Underking chuckled as though he thought of Sonic as a promising student who had turned in a subpar assignment. "I told you I would show you how to get into the Hive, I never made any promises about what would happen after."

Sonic drew Caliburn, but all did was cause the bandits to direct their weapons at Silver. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you," The Underking said, his voice positively dripping with polite menace. "If you want your friend to live, I'd suggest you drop that sword."

Sonic felt a wave of indignation and rage surge up inside him. It was too unfair. Yet there was nothing he could do. Silver could not defend himself and the bandits had them cornered. Sonic dropped Caliburn and the Underking sent his goons to retrieve it. He smiled from ear to ear as the sword was placed in his hand. "Now this is quite the treasure. It will make a fine addition to my collection."

Sonic was seized by the arms and guns were set against his back. They pushed him down onto his knees. "Now, I shall call Lord Mesto and have you delivered up to him."

"Why?" Sonic challenged. "Mesto is your enemy, why help him?"

The Underking clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I have no enemies, and I have no allies. Everyone and everything is merely an opportunity. You do not have anything more to offer me, so I will give you to Lord Mesto, as I still have need of that particular partnership."

"You're the lowest of the low," Sonic spat.

The Underking accepted the insult with a little bow. "It's in the name, didn't you notice?" He smirked to reveal his sharp and yellowed teeth. "Now, call Lord Mesto." One of the guards ran out of the room to obey his master.

"Tie them up, back to back."

Sonic and Silver were strung with their arms interconnected, making it impossible for either of them to move. They were set at the feet of the Underking's throne. A small army of bandits encircled them. It was clear that the Underking meant to put on a formidable show of force to immediate Lord Mesto when he arrived.

"Thanks for trying," Silver whispered faintly.

"This isn't over," Sonic returned. Though he couldn't see any way out of his current predicament, Sonic's rage overruled his despair.

The Underking hummed jovially as he ate a large red fruit and continued to stare into the depths of the Chaos Emerald. Caliburn lay across his lap. Sonic watched him and wondered how he might get to him. If I could get the sword and the Chaos Emerald, I could cut us free and warp us out of here.

WHOOOSH! A current of hot air exploded from the center of the chamber, causing a number of the guards to fall over and the Underking to nearly topple out of his throne. Sonic turned to see a swirling void of black and pink energy. The Underking's guards swarmed around it with their guns raised. A black figure emerged out of the portal. He seemed to levitate eerily off the ground, supported by an aura of power and danger.

The hairs on the back of Sonic's back stood on end as the figure slowly raised his hands. He wore a mask unlike anything Sonic had ever seen before. It had long pointed ears with spiraling black and white stripes. The snout was pointed and sharp like the end of a spear. One eye was covered while the other was open to reveal just a fragment of the wearer's true face. Sonic grimaced as he saw skin that was burned raw, the eye that remained was a burning yellow that pulsed with hatred.

The Underking slowly rose to his feet. "Have you come from lord Mesto?" His voice trembled slightly.

The figure nodded. However, it did not look at the Underking. It had spotted Sonic and was staring at him intently. Sonic's insides went cold as a pink mist started to swirl around the newcomer. He glided forward and Sonic noticed the gem that was attached to his chest. At first, Sonic thought it was a Sol Gem, but at a closer inspection he saw that it was not entirely pink. Something had corrupted the gem, cracking the surface and turning the inside a faint black color.

Sonic wiggled feebly, but his restraints were too tight. He felt himself pulled to the masked figure's gaze. A hatred, pure and more absolute than Sonic had ever known was directed at him. The look seemed to slip into Sonic's mind, filling his thoughts with dread. Sonic no longer entertained any hope of escape. It was over. This hatred would consume him, annihilate every trace of his existence. Sonic would not try and run. There was no point. He could never escape that hatred, it was as vast as the universe itself, infinite as the void of death.

"Those are my prisoners!" The Underking bellowed. "I assume lord Mesto brought you something to trade with me."

The masked figure paused. It turned slowly in the air. Sonic felt the spell of dread break. He was aware of himself again and he searched frantically for a way to escape. He spotted it. The Underking had left Caliburn alone on his throne. Sonic fidgeted to get Silver's attention.

"Can you not speak? Why would Mesto send you? I demand to speak to him!" The Underking had taken up position in front of his army of bandits. Their weapons were locked onto the masked newcomer, but no one seemed eager to fire.

"Silver," Sonic whispered. "Use your power to lift the sword, cut us free."

Silver groaned feebly. "I…I don't think I can…I'm sorry Sonic.."

The masked figure stopped in front of the Underking. The pink mist that encased him started to expand.

"You have to," Sonic continued. "We'll die if you don't!"

Sonic watched as a faint trace of silver light enveloped the sword. It hovered an inch over the throne then fell back down. "I…I can't.." Silver's voice trailed off. "I…"

Without warning, the masked figure held up his hand and a solid block of pink energy materialized out of space. Hundreds more appeared after the first. The masked figure turned his hand and the blocks shot forward. The bandits tried to fire but it was no use. None of their weapons could penetrate the mist like barrier that encased the masked figure. Sonic grimaced as he saw the solid blocks crash into the army like meteors. The criminals were absorbed into the pink blocks and screamed in agony as their entire bodies dissolved into mist.

In mere seconds, the entire army had been obliterated. Only the Underking was left. Sonic squirmed to try and shake Silver awake. "Do it! Now! Come on!" Silver stirred. Again, light enveloped Caliburn and it raised a little higher in the air before falling back down.

The Underking was the only one of the bandits left. He stood shaking like a reed in the wind. All his former majesty and grandeur was gone, replaced by utter cowardice. The masked figure moved just one finger and the Underking vanished in a puff of smoke. The Chaos Emerald fell to the floor.

Snap! Caliburn cut the cords and Sonic and Silver were free. Sonic leapt to his feet just as the masked figure turned back around. Sonic seized Caliburn and charged. He was inches away from the masked figure when some invisible force seized him. Sonic hung frozen in mid strike. The masked figure's eye expanded with hate, and Sonic felt a paralyzing rush of dread fall over him.

"SONIC!" Whoosh! The masked figure was pushed back and Sonic was let loose. In the brief second that followed, Sonic raced towards Silver who had retrieved the chaos emerald. Silver placed the gem in Sonic's hand and Sonic held onto Silver. "CHAOS CONTROL!"