Chapter 162

Shades of Black

The Twilight Cage had no sun. Perpetual night lingered over the purple and black realm. Keeping track of time was practically impossible. Amy tried pacing around her room and counting for an hour. The monotony of the task helped keep her mind off of Tails and their current predcicment. When she reached the end of the count, nothing about her surroundings seemed to have changed.

We could be here for weeks. She thought despairingly. Amy sat down on one of her cushions and rested her chin in her hands. Beyond her room, she could vaguely make out the voice of the Vice President. It seemed she was trying to argue something with one of the Nocturnes guards. At least she hasn't given up.

Thud. A familiar heavy sound echoed through the prison. Amy looked up at the ceiling towards the sound of the disturbance. Every few minutes or so Knuckles would continue his assault on the tower walls. A wistful smile spread on her face as she imagined the frustrated echidna trying to break through futuristic steel.

However, that happiness was extremely fleeting. Thinking about Knuckles only made her remember Tails which inevitably brought her thoughts to Sonic and the earth and the looming threat of Eggman. Amy closed her eyes and squeezed out a few lingering tears. This is too much for me.

This was not an admission of weakness. No one could be expected to endure this much pressure without cracking. Amy's close friends waited for a trial with the full expectation of summary execution, while her world darkened beneath the shadow of a metal hearted tyrant.

"It may not have been all that long."

Cream's face appeared at the window separating their cells. "Time here might be different from earth. It is relative after all."

"What?" Amy said weakly. She wasn't in the mood for Cream's oblivious optimism.

"I mean time will flow differently here than on earth."

Amy frowned. "An hour is still an hour-"

"Yes it is. But only for us. An hour here may only be a few seconds on earth."

"How is that-"

"She's right." Jet appeared at the window on the other end of the room. The green falcon was scowling heavily. "If this is a different dimension then time would most likely pass at a different rate. For all we know, no time has passed at all."

Amy jumped up. "Wait, how do you know that?"

Jet shrugged. "Wave mentioned something about that once. She says she got it from a book, but I'm pretty sure she just saw that in a movie."

Cream giggled. "But just because it's from a movie, doesn't make it wrong."

Amy looked back and forth between Jet and Cream. "So you're saying we may not be wasting too much time?"

"Or the opposite," Jet said flatly. "Years may have passed on earth."

Amy's stomach dropped. She imagined returning to the planet just to find the surface turned to glass while huge mechanized domes pumped black smoke into the air.

"We could just ask them," Cream suggested. "They seem to know everything."

"But what if it has been years?" Amy ventured. "What would we do then?"

"What could we do?" Jet answered, seemingly unbothered by the possibility.

Amy sat back down. The small flare of hope had already been extinguished. Time once again slipped away. She wondered if it were night as she stifled a yawn. Nocturnes soldiers came around and placed an utterly bland bar through her cell. She was told that it was food and that it would keep her full for long stretches.

I suppose they've learned to talk without even mentioning units of time. Despite herself, Amy ate the bar, subconsciously understanding that she had to keep her strength bland taste reminded her vividly of the low fat yogurts that dominated her diet. She cringed as she recalled with sudden forcefulness all the effort she put into maintaining her social media persona.

"They're not bad!" Cream announced happily from her cell. Her face appeared at the window, her cheeks stuffed with the bland tasting bar.

Amy failed to suppress a smile. Our whole world could be burning out there, and here she is smiling. Amy folded down the creases of her skirt, frowning as she did so. It isn't like being a realist is any more help. Whether she sat there feeling increasingly depressed or lost herself in delusions it would not make the slightest change in the outcome of their circumstances. There was no threshold of pain that once crossed, suddenly everything would have to turn out alright.

I have to stay hopeful. We can still get out of here.

Thud.

Amy looked round. Knuckles had resumed his assault on the tower. Amy stood up and resumed pacing around her room. Only now she was not mindlessly counting. Instead, she put all her effort into remembering everything she had seen and heard during their visit with the Ancients. It's because of me that we came here in the first place. She told herself. And I won't forsake us here without trying my very best to get us out. I won't give up hope.

It required all of Amy's willpower to hold on to that sentiment as time continued to pass. Moment to moment, the sunless persistence of the Twilight Cage held everything in stasis. It was tempting to lose herself to that otherworldly factor, to lay her head down and rest, content to allow the very concept of time to simply fade away.

Instead, Amy forced herself to relive the confrontation with the Ancients again and again. The entire ordeal had been terrifying and it was pointless to try and gain much insight on the Ancients themselves. However, there was one detail that kept rising to the surface of Amy's memory. The Ancients had been certain of Jet and Wave's guilt and were one hundred percent confident in their judgment. However, when Imperator Ix moved to carry out the execution, they had stopped him.

They would not have been moved by Amy's words, as they would have already known what she was going to say. So why had they intervened? Amy couldn't say why, but her instincts told her that the reason was important. Even more so, she guessed that it had less to do with the Ancients, and more to do with Imperator Ix himself. Hadn't he acted out of emotion during the trip through the city? He had attacked Rouge just because she had the nerve to talk back to him. This emotional immaturity seemed completely at odds with the sleek, almost machine like world of the Twilight Cage and the Nocturnes themselves.

Amy stopped her train of thought when she heard doors slide open. Boots marched across a metal floor and a host of Nocturnes guards came storming into view with Shade at the head of the column. The echidna warrior held Jet and Amy's extreme gear in her hands.

Shade gave a motion and the electrified bars of Amy's cell turned off. The same was done for Jet's. Nocturnes guards went into his cell and dragged Jet over to Amy's room. Shade had put her helmet back on so Amy could not read her expression.

"I thought I might speak privately with you two," Shade said offhandedly. "The rest of your companions are asleep. Does that bother you?"

Amy saw Jet rubbing the sleep out of his eye. How long had she been pacing in her cell?

"What time is it?" Amy asked desperately.

Shade held up her arm and the black metal near her forearm flashed into a translucent screen. Neon numbers and figures flashed up to reflect upon Shade's helmet. "By your reckoning you were brought here ten hours ago."

The revelation hit Amy like a hammer. She suddenly understood why she was so tired. "But what about earth?" Amy persisted. "How much time has passed there?"

Shade made more calculations. "From the time the world engine was fired until now only three hours have passed."

Relief swelled through Amy with such force she fell onto her hands and knees. There's still a chance.

"So time passes more slowly on earth than here?" Jet asked, now sounding fully awake.

"That seems to be the case," Shade admitted. "But never mind that, I've come to ask you about these." She held up the boards. Within each one, there was a sparkling pink Sol Gem. "We recovered them from your-from the world engine."

"That's our extreme gear," Jet snapped. "I'd appreciate it if you left our stuff alone."

Shade ignored him. "Our scientists flagged these because they were registered as potentially dangerous. This fuel source, these pink gems, emit a tremendous amount of energy. We've never seen anything quite like it."

"Neither have we," Jet admitted. "And I couldn't tell you anything about them. We got those from a different planet."

"You stole them."

Jet's face twisted with rage. "I didn't say that. We traded for them."

"So you don't know how to manufacture them, or what dangers they might possibly pose?"

Jet shrugged. "They're powerful, but when used they don't leave behind any waste. They're the perfect fuel."

"And what about these?" Shade held up the boards. "What do they do?"

"When we ride them we can achieve incredibly high speeds. She even outran your ships." Jet motioned towards Amy. "We can't travel very far with them, but they're very handy in a localized environment."

"The Babyloininas were known for their advanced ships. They weren't suited for intergalactic travel, but they were very swift. Thieves and criminals they might have been, but they were also extremely gifted."

"Keep calling me a thief and see what happens." Jet's eyes were blazing and his hands locked into fists.

"Do you deny it? Aren't these boards your tools for heists are other actions of low cunning?"

"What does it matter?" Amy interjected, pushing herself between Shade and Jet. "All that stuff happened a long time ago. Even if his ancestors did steal from you, it isn't right for Jet and Wave to pay the price. They weren't there. We aren't beholden to what our ancestors did."

Shade rounded on Amy. Adorned head to toe in impressive steel armor, the futuristic echidna warrior towered over her. "You don't strike me as someone with lineage. Perhaps if you had any connection to your ancestral people you would understand. You keep claiming we aren't beholden to our ancestors, but do you see this one complaining?" Shade pointed at Jet. "He doesn't argue because deep down he knows that we are right. The preservation of our heritage, our legacy, that is what is most important."

"If you really believe that," Amy countered. "Then you'll understand why we have to return home right away. A monster will destroy our planet, and we are the only ones that can stop him."

"That is not our concern," Shade said. "The law is the law. The technology we have can threaten the entire universe. We cannot risk our secrets getting out."

"We aren't going to tell anyone. We barely even know how we got here."

"To return home you would need the world engine. That technology belongs to us."

"What about a trade then?" Jet interrupted. "Let my friends use the Ark and we will give

you all the Sol Gems we have. You can even keep me. My only request is that you would allow Wave to go. I can trace my lineage back to the captains of the Bablyonian fleet. If any should face justice it should be me, and me alone."

Amy's stomach dropped into her feet. She hesitated to come up with some sort of counter. Jet's request was more than fair, and not the least bit noble. Even Shade hesitated to dismiss it out of hand.

"You're in no position to make deals," She said at last. "Our scientists will study these gems and so long as they don't risk any threat to us they shall be returned to you."

"What gives you the right to go through our stuff?" Amy replied hotly (though inside she was inwardly relieved that Shade had refused) I don't want anyone else to have to sacrifice themselves.

"This is our home. We can't take it on trust that these gems aren't weapons."

"Your morals seem pretty flexible," Jet chided. "One moment you are all about law and fairness, and the next you flip things around."

"I wouldn't expect you to understand. You two are barely children to me."

Amy put a hand on her hip. "You can't be that much older-"

"I was one of the first to be born here. My father died along with our home planet, and my mother lived just long enough to have me. I have been alive for thousands of years-hundreds by the reckoning of your planet."

"That only makes it worse," Jet scoffed. "All that age and not an ounce of wisdom. If you were even the least judge of character you would realize we don't mean you any harm. We only used the Ark to escape certain death. If that's some sort of crime then your laws are backwards."

"And what would your people know of law?" Shade challenged. "You come from a race of thieves. If this earth is as enlightened as you claim, then why does it face imminent destruction?"

Amy opened and closed her mouth. The question was left in the open, but neither her and Jet could come up with a good response.

"Now," Shade continued, her tone shifting back to normal. "Back to the point. You say you got these from another planet. So you have no idea how to make them or even what their true function is?"

Jet growled fiercely but could do nothing but nod his head in answer to the question.

"I thought as much. Your people seem too primitive to have access to such powerful supplies of energy. You seem all too familiar with the misuse of technology beyond your skill or control."

"Did you come here just to lecture us?" Jet spat.

"I just wanted to confirm what I already suspected."

"You don't know us," Amy said fiercely. "I don't care what the Ancients say or how long you've lived. You don't know anything about what we've gone through."

"Save your speeches for the trial. I can't imagine why the Ancients agreed to your request, but their ways are a mystery even to me."

"You play your part easily enough," Jet said. "But I bet you aren't so tough without that helmet. Why are you afraid of showing us your face?"

Shade recoiled. "What are you trying-"

Jet raised his hand and his extreme gear board instantly roared to life. The sudden movement startled Shade and in that moment of confusion, Jet tackled her to the ground. They wrestled across the floor and the Nocturnes guards standing outside leapt to their feet. Before they could rush into the cell, Amy reached around the bars and pressed the locks. Electricity whizzed through the posts locking Shade inside with her and Jet.

Amy turned around to see Shade attempting to throw Jet off. He wrung his hands around her helmet and twisted it around. Shade kicked him up, but Jet managed to rip off her helmet in the process. Shade's spines rose in fury and she lunged forward with her wrist blades activated.

Amy charged, slamming her shoulder into Shade and knocking them both to the ground. Shade reacted instantly, quickly readjusting and pinning Amy's arm behind her back. Whack! Jet swung his board into the back of Shade's head. Her eyes crossed and she slumped onto her face.

"Get back!" Energy rifles hummed as the guards outside raised their weapons.

Jet ripped one of Shade's energy bracelets off her arm and activated the blades. He lowered them onto the exposed skin beneath her chin. "Drop your weapons, or I cut her throat."

It had all happened so fast Amy barely had time to process. She sat on the ground breathing hard, looking back and forth from Jet to the soldiers. "What have we done?" She squeaked.

Jet snatched Shade's hair and pulled her up so that she was now a shield between him and the Nocturnes weapons. "I said drop them." He pressed the plasma blades closer to Shade's neck. The close contact to her skin caused Shade to regain consciousness. She started to squirm but went limp when Jet put more pressure on the blades.

"Don't move," He hissed. "I won't hesitate."

"Kill me and you lose your hostage," Shade snarled back.

"As long as you die first."

"Wait!" Amy jumped to her feet. She waved her hands up and down trying to force everyone to stop what they were doing. "There is no need for this. We don't want to fight."

"I'm not waiting to be executed," Jet argued. "If this is how things are done here then we'd best play our part. If they think we are thieves and criminals, then we had better start acting like some."

"You won't get out of here," Shade told him. "Your ship has already been taken to one of our hangers. There is no leaving this place."

"You'd better hope there is," Jet fired back. "Your life depends on it." Jet shoved Shade forward and walked slowly to the energized cell bars.

The Nocturnes guards exchanged looks. They had all lowered their guns, but they had not dropped them.

"Drop the guns, turn around and sit on the floor."

They didn't respond.

"Are you really going to make me do this?" Jet groaned. He moved his wrist slightly causing the blades to gently scratch against Shade's neck. Smoke billowed from the instantly cauterized line.

Shade winced and instinctively drew away from the weapon.

"You're a lot less intimidating without that helmet," Jet said mockingly. "Not so high and mighty now are you?"

Amy approached Jet cautiously. "We should be careful," She told him. "There is still a chance we can talk our way-"

"Not this time," Jet said. "This time we make our own way out."

"Drop your weapons," Shade told the guards. "Do as he says."

The guards once again exchanged looks, but they did not argue the point. The rifles were placed on the floor and the electrified cell was opened. Jet pushed forward and the guards stepped away to allow them to pass.

Amy followed tepidly, stepping lightly past the guards. She motioned for Jet to wait as she went over to Cream's room and pressed the button to shut down the electric bars. Once they were turned off, she rushed inside to find Cream napping in the far corner, barricade behind a wall of pillows. Amy woke her up and beckoned her to follow.

"What's going on?" Cream yawned. She looked dully at Jet and Shade and it took a second for her mind to process what she was seeing. Once it did, Cream instantly went on high alert.

"This way!" She pointed towards a set of stairs to their left. "I think Knuckles and Rouge are being held up there."

"I'll hold her here." Jet braced Shade against the wall.

Amy scooped down and retrieved two of the Nocturnes rifles. She handed one to Cream. Neither one of them seemed comfortable holding the guns, but they were light and Amy hoped they would at least cause the other Nocturnes guards to hesitate.

Cream led the way up the stairs. The next floor was not openly patrolled so no one blocked their progress as they hurried to the twin cells. Amy opened up Rouge's while Cream freed Knuckles.

"It's about time someone thought of something," Rouge said sardonically. She motioned for Cream to hand over the rifle and instantly seemed far more threatening as she braced the butt of the gun against her shoulder. "This one just kept punching the wall all night."

"Never mind that," Knuckles growled. "We gotta find a way out of here."

Back down the stairs, they regrouped with Jet. Rouge smiled brazenly at Shade as she pointed the barrel of the rifle at her face. "Where are our people?"

"They are all here," Shade answered calmly. "No one has been separated."

"And our ship?"

"The world engine has been taken to our docks. You have no chance of-"

Rouge ignored this and turned aside. "Amy, you and Knuckles check the lower floors. Bunny, you and me will sweep the top floor. Hawk guy, you stay here and make sure miss self-righteous here doesn't call for reinforcements."

"My name is Jet." But Rouge wasn't listening. Knuckles grabbed Amy by the arm and the two of them went quickly to the stairs.

Amy looked back, her heart thundering. She wasn't sure if separating was the best course of action. On the next floor, Amy and Knuckles found Mighty, Ray, Strider, and several other members of Cream's village.

"The Vice President is somewhere here too," Amy told Knuckles. "I heard her arguing with the guards earlier."

Knuckles frowned. "We won't have time to look around-"

"We aren't leaving them," Amy said firmly. Despite the intensity in Knuckles' gaze, Amy made sure to match it with equal force.

Knuckles sighed. "Fine, Mighty go with Amy and find the humans. Ray will come with me and we'll secure our exit."

Amy led the way and the red armadillo jogged to keep pace with her. The tower was difficult to navigate as it had many sets of stairs and dozens of identical looking hallways. With every missed turn, Amy felt the pulse in her neck accelerate. If they were going to have any real chance of escaping they would only have precious few minutes to pull it off.

"Here." Mighty stopped suddenly and pointed down. Amy paused and listened close. She could faintly hear footsteps and the sound of the Vice President's voice.

"How do we get there?" Amy wondered. She looked around but all the nearby stairs seemed to take them away from that point.

"No worries." Might jumped in the air and rolled into a ball. Suddenly, and violently he slammed into the ground like a falling comet. The impact was so fierce it cracked the metal floor. Again and again he slammed the floor until it shattered into pieces. Mighty dropped straight through the hole and landed in the room below.

Amy peeked down. He had made a perfect exploit into the other prison hall. She jumped down beside him and the two of them began opening all the cells. The Vice President was not all pleased. "What are you doing?" She snapped at them. "This will mess everything up."

"We don't have a choice," Amy told her.

"I know that," Acorn switched instantly into fight mode. She barked orders and her human soldiers instantly began searching for any nearby weapons. Most of them only came back with shards of the broken ceiling.

Amy fell back and allowed Acorn and her soldiers to take point. Though most of their entire group had now been freed, Amy still felt a sickening sense of doom lingering over her head. This isn't right. She told herself. We can't fight our way out of this.

Everyone intersected at the entrance to the tower. The remaining Nocturnes guards had been taken hostage. With Wave and Rouge each holding one by gun point. Jet stood at the front of the group with Shade still firmly locked in his grasp. All of Cream's village and all the GUN soldiers seemed to be accounted for.

Knuckles walked up the front of the pack and addressed Shade. "We don't mean you or your people any harm. Just let us leave and we can all pretend that this never happened."

"You can try," Shade told him. "But it seems you just can't wrap your head around your situation."

Knuckles opened the tower doors. As Amy had expected, the Nocturnes had ways of communication that they never could have accounted for. Hundreds of guards barricaded the road with dozens of ships floating in nearby orbit. A veritable army stood before them, blocking their path into the main city.

The forward soldiers parted to allow Imperator Ix to pass to the front. He raised his ephod high and all the soldiers took aim, rifles primed.

In response, Jet moved forward and held Shade out like a shield. "Let us go!" He yelled. "Or I cut her throat."

"Spoken like a true brigand," Ix replied coldly.

"You have no right to hold us here!" Knuckles announced, coming forward to stand beside Jet. "Allow us to leave, and no one dies."

"I will not have terms dictated to me by lower life forms." Imperator Ix advanced, his soldiers following closely behind. From this distance, one volley of blasterfire would be enough to kill Amy and her entire group.

"Please," Amy said, rushing forward to stand between Ix and Jet. "This is all just a misunderstanding. We need to get home right away. Our world is in danger. We didn't mean to come here. We won't tell anyone, and it isn't like we'd know how to get back anyway."

Ix glared at her. "There is no misunderstanding. The crime of theft stains you all. If it is the Ancient's will that you are not to be charged for your association with the criminals, then that is mercy for you. But the two whose blood is befouled with ancient corruption, they shall face the tribunal."

"How about I spill her blood?" Jet spat back. "Let's see if it's the same shade of red as mine?"

For the first time, Shade actually looked afraid. However, it wasn't the glowing blade at her neck that terrified her. Amy saw that Shade's eyes were firmly locked on Imperator Ix.

"A murderer as well as a thief," Ix said contemptuously. "Your every move only proves our judgment of you correct."

"This is madness," Knuckles resumed. "Just let us go."

"Madness?" Ix mused. "You lack the intellect to fathom what is at stake. The world engine is ours. We shall never part with it again. You make demands but you have no chips to bargain. Now behold, the true power of the Nocturnes!" A ball of golden light flushed out Ix's ephod. It hovered in midair charging a tremendous amount of energy. With a mere flick of his wrist, Ix launched it forward directly at Jet.

"No!" Amy launched herself sideways and pushed Jet and Shade out of the way.

Crack! The ball of light struck Amy just above her hip. The impact instantly drained her. Her legs turned to jello and Amy collapsed to the floor. There were shouts and blasterfire and a tremendous roar. Amy's vision blurred and darkness consumed her.

When Amy woke the first thing she saw was Vanilla's face leaning over her. Amy stirred and tried to sit up, but even the slightest movement caused a rush of pain to trigger near her hip.

"O dear." Vanilla moved aside and Amy felt a cold rag press on her forehead. There was some small relief but the muscles and skin near her hip continued to burn.

"What happened?" Amy groaned. "Where am I?" Slowly, the room around her came into focus and her second question was answered. She was back inside a cell within the tower. This caused Amy even more alarm as the memory of recent events stormed back into her mind. "What happened!" Amy tried to move, but was once again stopped by a violent flare of pain.

Strong arms pushed her back down onto the table she was lying on. "Where is everyone? What happened to Jet?"

"He's fine." A bored, slightly annoyed sounding voice answered. Rouge the Bat came into view with her hand on her hip. "We're all fine. After you pushed Jet away Shade managed to escape and we had no choice but to stand down."

Amy inhaled slowly as the pain in her hip receded. With her composure returned, she sat upright. She was in a cell, but it was different than the one she was in before. It was more spacious and better furnished. Several large pots housed strange violent and pink plants. A tall window gave her a view of the dark and purple void of the Twilight Cage.

Rouge, Cream, and Vanilla were in the room with her. Amy sat on a cold, sterilized slab of white metal and was surrounded by basins of water. Her pink skirt and dress hung by the door, and someone had changed her into a pair of pristine white robes. Timidly, Amy lifted up the robe and peeked at her injury. The skin near the top of her hip was burned black. It was a grizzly injury that extended from the middle of her left thigh and carried up to her hip. Someone had covered it in a strange, mucus like substance. Amy winced as she gently lowered her robe.

"It's alright dear." Vanilla put a reassuring hand on Amy's shoulder. Tears were already welling up as Amy contemplated whether the wound would ever heal completely.

"It's disgusting…" Amy whispered. She knew it was a preposterous statement considering the circumstances, but Amy loathed the stain on her body.

"The doctors did what they could," Vanilla told her. "There weren't many options."

Amy covered her face. She was ashamed that she was reacting like this, but the sight of the wound lingered in her mind. Amy was already prone to insecurities about her appearance, and now this would make that fear even worse.

"You saved our lives," Cream said, coming up to the table. "If it wasn't for you that Ix guy would have ordered his troops to open fire."

"She's right," Rouge said, her tone suddenly gentle and sympathetic. "Jet bet that they wouldn't sacrifice Shade and that nearly got us all killed. Good on you for knowing better."

Amy moved her hands. There was no point in hiding so she allowed her tears to flow openly. Vanilla rubbed her back while Cream sat up beside her on the table. Together they waited in silent commiseration, each carried away into the depths of their own tortured thoughts. Amy tried to put the image of her injury away. She was not dead nor crippled and for that she should be grateful. But a small, girlish voice deep inside her heart lamented the loss of her own beauty.

"What are you doing here?"

Amy was brought out of her reverie by Rouge. The bat had puffed out her chest and was scowling heavily. Amy turned around to see Shade standing outside the electrified bars. She pressed a button to turn off the bars and entered. She had come alone.

"I wanted to see how you were doing." Shade did not wear her helmet. Her orange pink hair was tied neatly in a bun. She seemed slightly pensive as she walked over to Amy. "I owe you a thanks. If you hadn't tried to save your friend, I would have died as well."

"Now you've seen her," Rouge said darkly. "There's no need for you to stay. Unless of course you want to play hostage again?" The bat flashed her sharpened fangs as she smiled.

"Can we speak privately?" Shade said, her attention focused solely on Amy.

Vanilla stood up to stand between them. "I don't think-"

"That's fine," Amy said. "Would you all give us a minute?"

Shade stood back to let them pass. "You need not return directly to your cells. By now you should know that there is no point in trying to escape."

Rouge glared at her as she stepped outside. Vanilla looked uncertain, but Cream took her mother by the hand and led her out. Only when the others were out of earshot, did Shade start speaking.

"You and your friends are very brave. Misguided but none could doubt your courage."

"Thanks," Amy said, rolling her eyes. "But I don't really care what you think."

Shade kept her back to Amy and walked over to one of the potted plants. The stem was purple and the splayed leaves were a vibrant pink. "I fear you've been given the wrong impression of us," Shade continued. "We are not tyrants. The laws of the Ancients keep us safe. They have safeguarded our people for centuries. We may seem intransigent to you, but our systems and methods are what have allowed us to endure. Many species have sought immortality, but none have come closer than us."

Shade gently lifted one of the leaves and brought it close to her face. The stem was perfect and each leaf was exactly proportional. It looked like those plastic plants the humans used when their apartments couldn't support real plants. "Some societies build great monuments as a testament to their existence. By the extension of their legacy they live on. For the Nocturnes, we left nothing in the outside world. Our legacy is our persistence. When the universe outside goes dark, we shall continue."

"That's great," Amy said dully. "But if you're expecting me to forgive-"

"I'm not apologizing," Shade said sternly. She left the plant and turned back to Amy. "It was your friend's recklessness that put you in danger. His kind are as violent as the stories say."

"And who tells those stories?" Amy retorted. "You said yourself that you were born here. You don't know for sure if what the Ancients told you is true."

Shade bristled. "You don't know what you're talking about. The Babylonians inflicted disaster on my people. It is because of them that we could not save our home world. Because of them most of our race was wiped out. Because of them…" Shade paused. "My father did not get a chance to escape."

She glared at Amy, her pink eyes flashing dangerously. "The Babylonians saw our end and used it to their advantage. Had it not been for the cunning of Imperator Ix and the other scientists we would have been wiped out."

Amy didn't back down. "Yes, Imperator Ix seems like a real hero. Is that why you were so terrified of him?" Amy scooted on her bed to draw closer to Shade, wincing as pain slashed up her side. "The only reason I was even ready to save you and Jet was because I saw the look on your face. The whole time Jet had a blade to your throat and you didn't so much as flinch. But as soon as you saw Ix you went as pale as a ghost."

Shade looked stunned and was at a temporary loss for words. Amy relished in the momentary triumph and pushed her advantage. "You know taking us prisoner is wrong, and deep down I bet you can even realize that punishing Wave and Jet for crimes they didn't commit is wrong. You're just too scared to stand up and say anything. And to think you call yourself a-"

Flash! Shade's pink blades screamed forward and nearly cut Amy's head from her shoulders. The dazzling sharp energy just zipped past Amy's face, missing her by a few inches. Shade's face was bloodless and her mouth shrunken to a narrow line. "Careful how you speak to me," Shade hissed.

Amy's heart was thundering, but she knew she could not afford to look scared. She forced herself not to show any signs of being unnerved. The two women glared at one another. Amy's nerves were on fire, her stomach flushed with butterflies, but she forced herself to remain absolutely still.

Shade was the first to break. She retracted her wrist blades and sighed heavily. "I apologize," She said, her voice soft and her demeanor slightly defeated. "That was unseemly. It is wrong to question our leader as you did, but it doesn't justify my actions." Shade bowed curtly. "Please forgive me. Unlike a majority of my kin, I have elected to maintain all my organic tissue. This helps me in combat, but leaves me susceptible to fits of emotion. I am still working on evolving."

Shade turned aside and walked over to the window. She gazed out towards the void of darkness and swirling neon clouds that counted as the sky in this world of grim twilight. "How do you know what time it is here?" Amy said offhandedly. "How do you know when to go to bed or when to wake up?"

"We have evolved past the need for external stimuli. My body tells me when to rest and I wake when I am refreshed."

"Spoken like a machine," Amy observed. "I thought you just said you kept your organic tissue?"

Shade laughed. "The Twilight Cage has changed us all. Even the few who have kept our bodies have not been unaffected."

"But you've never seen one then, have you?" Amy asked, moving up on her bed to get closer to the window. "A sunrise?"

Shade shook her head. "I've never seen the sun, nor the sky. I've never felt the wind or the touch of grass. I know about these things from the records of the past, but I have never experienced them. A lifetime of lifetimes I lived in this place, under the shadow of the twilight."

Amy noted the faint sadness in Shade's tone. "This place has its own beauty," Amy offered.

"It is the beauty of the void. A world of darkness enclosed in its own sphere, isolated from the rest of the wider universe. We are united to this place, conjoined by a common purpose. It was our refuge and we are now its guardians." Shade turned back to Amy. "That is our great secret, though in truth it is not hidden. The very air of the Twilight Cage has its own power. The very ether of this realm fuels our technology. It is what has allowed us to advance so far."

Amy nodded. "That is how things should be on earth. But it rarely is. We have consumed our world to power our technology. We keep telling you that we are on the verge of destruction and that's true, but in reality, even if we stop this threat our world won't be completely safe. We should be the guardians of nature, committed to preserving the very thing that allows us to live."

Amy sighed and sat back on her hands. "Earth's sunrises leave you breathless and we have crystal clear oceans that stretch beyond the horizon. It was a world of color and beauty, and we failed to appreciate it. Now I fear that the sun will set for the last time. The oceans will burn and all the color will be drained away."

"This foe you face?" Shade wondered. "Is it an earthling?"

Amy nodded. "But he won't stop at earth. He won't be satisfied until the entire universe is under his control. I hope that this place really is unreachable, because if it isn't, he will come for you."

"The Twilight Cage fears no one," Shade said dismissively. "It is for the wider universe that we hide ourselves away. If lesser beings had access to our technology, then all life could be in danger."

Something about the way she spoke gave Amy the impression that those words were rehearsed. Amy watched Shade closely, searching for subtle clues that would hint at her real emotions.

"During a sunrise," Shade said suddenly. "Does the sky really turn a shade of orange?"

"Not just orange. Sometimes there is purple and red as well."

Shade gazed up at the swirling clouds of the nebula. "Amazing. The sky here never changes. It is beautiful, but it lasts forever, never altering."

Amy waited. "I wanted to ask you something. Why is this place called the Twilight Cage? Doesn't that make it seem as if you were trapped here?"

Shade hesitated. "The Ancients gave the name. Many times I have wondered why they chose one that seemed all too reminiscent of a prison. But over the years I have come to understand. The Cage is not one of a physical barrier but of symbiosis. It is our duty to remain here, safeguarding this place, and in a sense, that is a Cage, but in that we also have our freedom."

Shade turned aside and walked to the cell bars. "I am glad that you are doing alright. You should try and get some rest. The Ancients have scheduled the trial for your friends. It is in twelve hours by the counting of your people." Shade left the cell and reignited the electrified fence.