25Hello, everyone. So very sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I blame writer's block and school. Plus, I didn't actually have a plan for how this chapter would turn out... (beats myself over the head with a stick for taking so long). Anyway, here's your long overdue chapter!
Project: Chaos Control
Chapter 7
Shells
Snowflakes danced within the flurry of wind, blowing against the hills and mountainsides as they careened into what seemed to be solid metal walls camouflaged to look like the rocks surrounding them. The never-ending whiteness made it near impossible to tell what time of day it was, nevermind where exactly this place was. Within the metal walls, however, one refugee knew all too well.
In one room of the secret bunker, a lone hedgehog sat hunched over a desk, staring at a blank piece of paper with a pencil in hand. His normally stoic ruby red eyes bore in full view all the guilt and all the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, and for a moment he seemed even afraid to write. However, the hard gleam of determination returned, and after taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he finally brought down the pencil and began to write.
Dear Maria,
Remember what Rouge told me last night? Well, it came true. Project: Chaos Control is now official. I and the others are now in hiding, safe from GUN for the moment.
Well, not all of us. Silver and Blaze are with me, but Sonic… he's gone. Taken by GUN, before I could get to him. Remember the attack on the ARK? I feel just as guilty about Sonic's capture as I did when I watched you bleed to death. I can't help but feel as if I could have done something more to keep that Faker out of harm's way, but… there's nothing I can do now. If Rouge's last bit of information is correct, then it really is too late to save him. By the time we find him again, he would be…
I don't want to even think about it, Maria. To see him weak, powerless, and normal… I hope you understand. It is simply too strange, and I would hate to look into his eyes and admit to him that I couldn't even-
The hedgehog stopped, taking a moment to collect himself. This letter was more emotional than he had intended, but hadn't Rouge said that these letters were supposed to be that way? Maybe he should talk about something else.
Sorry, I can't finish that thought. It hurts too much. But, there's something else I need to tell you before I go.
Remember the final battle? Yes, perhaps looking back the letter describing that sounded more like a report than a private letter, but I digress.
Well, do you remember that demon, Mephiles? Well, Rouge was on a mission for GUN when she found him. I refused to believe what I saw at first, but I had no choice but to accept it. He was curled up in a forest at the foot of a steep hill, shivering uncontrollably. Cuts and bruises littered his body, and I saw one especially bad cut just above his eyes was bleeding bad enough to blind him. Rouge was there with him, and for a moment I…
To tell you the truth, Maria, I didn't want to do anything with him. GUN would go after him once they find out he has escaped, and if they know we helped him… I fear we would be branded traitors as well as dangers to the public. But, that's not all.
Maria, I hate him. I know you would cringe and scold me for using such a strong word, but it's true. I hate him with all my being. I would never admit this anywhere else, but… he is just like me in some respects. Yet, how could someone so similar to me become so twisted and evil? I hate that about him, so I tried to tell Rouge to leave him, since GUN would come for him soon enough.
You would be proud of her, Maria, because she gave a… rather convincing argument. Not that I have enough guilt as it is. And so, that's how I ended up hovering over my enemy's bedside, waiting for him to wake so that I could interrogate him. That was perhaps the most humiliating thing to happen to me; well, aside from the time Faker threw a party for my 50th birthday…
Maria, something happened to Mephiles during his time in GUN custody. I don't know what they did, but he's... (I can't even wrap my head around this)... scared. I never thought that I would ever see that demon scared of anything, not even of death. But this… Dark, he spoke of… it must be a threat. He could barely lay still, he even tried to get off of the bed and run, he was so scared. I don't know what to do with him, maybe the others could help. I'm numb to him at the moment.
But he knows what happened to Sonic. I can't ignore that. I'll wake the others and actually interrogate him in the morning. At this point, any information helps.
Well, this is the end of my letter. I hope you get this, and… thank you for listening.
Shadow.
...
She heard the soothing scratching of pencil on paper, heard every sigh of frustration and exhaustion. She vaguely sensed the brief surge of energy when he used Chaos Control, and felt it again barely a minute later when he returned. The lilac feline slowly opened a golden amber eye, catching the attention of the Ultimate Lifeform.
Shadow turned toward her as she lifted herself off of the bed, face carefully neutral. In the other bed, Silver remained curled up within the sheets, obviously fast asleep.
"Anything new?" Blaze asked, shrugging away the sheets from herself and reaching for her coat.
The scoff the imposing hedgehog gave as a reply caused her to look up into his ruby red eyes.
"You have no idea…" he said, glancing away as if debating something.
Blaze opened her mouth to question the look, but before she could utter a word, Silver groaned and lifted himself off of the bed, rubbing his tired eyes.
"Wh-whazzup?" he yawned, running a hand through his long quills. "What time is it?"
"I believe almost eight-thirty in the morning."
"Wait, that early? Nevermind, I'll just go back to bed and-"
"Not yet," Shadow's voice cut in, sudden urgency present in his tone. "Mephiles the Dark is now in our custody."
Blaze instantly froze, the implications behind those words raising the hair on the back of her neck. She glanced back at the Ultimate Lifeform, shocked to see the soldier actually show mixed feelings over what he had just said.
Silver stared blankly at Shadow before giving a nervous laugh, much to Shadow's chagrin.
"Heheh, nice one, Shad. Now what's really going on?"
"Nothing short of what I just said. Mephiles is our prisoner now," he put bluntly, ripping the metaphorical Band-Aid off.
"Prisoner?" Blaze spoke up, careful to reign in her emotions. "Do you mean to say that-"
"He didn't attack me, if that's what you two are thinking," he replied glancing from Blaze to Silver then back again. "But something attacked him, powerful enough to wound him. Plus, he knows what happened to Sonic."
Blaze couldn't shake the feeling that he was trying to convince himself of what he was saying, but decided to save that observation for later. Now was not the time for doubts.
"Where is he now?"
"In the clinic, temporarily blind and restrained to the bed." The fiery feline missed the slightest hint of worry at the edge of Shadow's tone.
"C-can we see him?"
Blaze shot a concerned glance in Silver's direction, all too aware of his fear and naivety. Despite his incredible power, the silver hedgehog was still vulnerable at the core. And since Mephiles was a master of deception and manipulation…
No, Soleanna won't happen again. If that demon tries something, I will protect Silver till the very end. Besides, with Shadow there, he won't even have an opportunity to attack.
... Won't he?
"I was just about to go interrogate him," Shadow replied, snapping Blaze back to the present. "You can come if you want, but he's not the threat at the moment. You'll see why..."
...
The floating island stood as a black outline against the near blinding light of the rising sun, hailing the birth of a new day. The last remaining stars winked weakly, as one by one they disappeared in the face of the bigger star until only one was left, glittering in the reflective surface of a giant green emerald that glowed with its own radiance.
A pair of purple eyes stared deeply into the glowing surface of the giant emerald, peering inside as if looking for some change deep within the jewel's depths and outright oblivious to the passage of time around him. The lines under his eyes gave away the fact that the watcher hadn't slept at all these last twenty-four hours, yet the determined gleam never left eyes, nor did his leaning frame change in the slightest. The spiked hands that propped his still body against the gem as he leaned forward remained curled into fists, as if this arduous task was trying at his already thin patience-if one could call it that.
Instead, only a small sigh escaped his pursed lips, the slightest tilting of his head the first movement he had made in hours. His eyebrows creased, worry and fear etched into his features, as he whispered fervently.
"Master Emerald, heed my plea. When Shadow called, he wouldn't answer my questions about my… friend, and I need to know if what I fear is true or not. Show me Sonic, show me he is safe. Please…"
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the great emerald glowed radiantly, far brighter than before. The guardian took a step back, raising a gloved fist to shield his violet eyes from the light. When it dimmed somewhat a few moments later, he swiftly closed the distance, completely enraptured by the reaction he got.
"Wh-what do you mean…?" he rasped, suddenly sounding much older than his seventeen years of age. "Master Emerald, please… what is this darkness that is coming? What happened to Sonic? Please…"
The emerald glowed stronger again, not blinding like before. Instead, this reaction seemed to be giving off comfort, or at least something close to that. The red echidna seemed to relax under this new warmth emanating from the gem, but his heart remained heavy.
"How will we survive this... if…"
The question remained unspoken, as a sudden new light burned within his eyes along with another strong glow from within the Master Emerald. He straightened up, standing firm as a refreshed resolve lent new strength to his tired body.
"The servers…. The servers are the seven Chaos… Chaos is the power enriched by the heart… The Controllers exist to unify the Chaos…."
The four Controllers, joined by a fifth…
...
"Man, you weren't kidding," Silver gasped, peering through the one-way window into the only occupied clinic room. Inside, Shadow's most hated enemy swept his bandaged head around the room, trying desperately to pinpoint something familiar without the use of his blindfolded eyes. His ears swiveled in every direction as he tugged at the restraints pinning him to the bed, barely keeping from having a full-blown panic attack. The sight left a bitter taste in the time traveler's mouth.
"Whatever did this to him…"
"... Has to be a threat," Blaze finished, an indiscernible frown on her face. Her ears strained forward, and her frown deepened. "He's panicking," she stated. "Saying something about being too late, too weak, to save-"
She froze suddenly, backing slowly away from the window as her normally stoic mask crumbled for a moment. Her words came out as only a small whisper as she shared her revelation.
"Iblis is dead."
"Wh-what?!" Silver gasped, too shocked to say anything else. "I thought Iblis was immortal!"
"Not anymore," Blaze replied, recovering from the shock. "I'm trying to detect his Chaos Aura, but I can't feel anything at the moment."
"And if Meph has that twin thing going on…"
"... Then it must be true," Shadow cut in, breaking his silence. He turned and reached for the door that would let him into his rival's room. "Are you two coming or not?"
Silver glanced at Blaze, noting her determined glare, before nodding.
"Let's do it."
The door swung inward with the faintest sound of a creak, but it was just enough to alert the lone occupant of their presences. Silver entered to find Mephiles turned in their direction, ears strained forward to catch the sound of their footfalls.
To Silver it was extremely hard to tell what the shade was thinking at this point. But one glance at Blaze's thoughtful and somewhat relieved expression assured him that an impending attack was out of the question-for the moment at least. As Shadow moved closer to the (insert choking noise) helpless prisoner, Silver couldn't grasp that the Mephiles he was used to had been broken down into this frightened shell of a person. As the former demigod tried to shift away from the others' direction, only to give off a faint whimper as the restraints held him in place, Silver felt that bitter taste return to his mouth, further intensifying the sick feeling roiling in his gut.
Whatever did this to him… better watch its back. We'll find it, and we'll stop it before anyone else gets hurt. I swear...
...
Barely a half-hour later, Shadow threw the door open as he exited the one-way room, the steam from his anger and frustration almost smoking off of his body. Silver followed on his heels, struggling to catch up to the steaming hedgehog.
"Sh-Shadow, wait!" the younger gasped, stumbling on his own two feet.
"That demon thinks he can keep that secret from me…" the Ultimate Lifeform growled to no one in particular, turning the corner to enter a different set of hallways. He continued to skate/stomp down multiple corridors, pausing only to enter the computer room. Once inside, he rushed to the keypad and after typing a certain number, he leaned back and waited rather impatiently for some response. Sure enough, the form of a certain two-tailed genius appeared on the screen.
"Shadow? What going on?"
"I have a lead on where they took Sonic," Shadow stated, cutting to the chase. "But the person who possesses this information is unwilling to give it up. I need you to craft a machine, one that will allow me to access his memories…"
Silver tried to keep up, but the icy burning in his chest forced him to stop. Gasping for air, he leaned against the wall just around the corner and closed his golden eyes, thinking back on the interrogation.
He never told us who Dark was, the time traveler reflected. Just said that he was coming to finish him off. He kept trying to get away, so I guess that's why Shadow had to restrain him like that…
But, I can't believe GUN actually took away some of his powers! And we didn't even figure it out until Blaze spoke up about it-
"Silver?"
And speaking of…
Silver turned as Blaze appeared where he came from, looking a lot less winded than him, like she just came back from a light jog. She walked up to him, hands on her hips and a curious gleam in her beautiful golden amber eyes.
"Where did Shadow go?"
"Computer... (huff)... room… (huff). Dunno… why…."
"Probably contacting Rouge," Blaze stated. "Perhaps to ask for more information."
"Right," Silver scratched the back of his head. "Hey, how did you know that Mephiles was depowered? Shadow and I couldn't really tell until you asked him."
"His entire behavior screamed weak and defenseless, akin to prey," Blaze replied, tail flicking back and forth. "At first I thought he was acting that way because he was blinded and unable to escape. But the more I thought about it and the more I watched him, I realized he never tried to use his powers. It was as if he had given up."
"And, Iblis…?"
"Dead," Blaze looked away, hiding the strange sorrow that threatened to break through her stoic shell. "When Shadow left, I asked him about Iblis' missing Aura. He… he saw the body. He's gone."
"And that's good, right? I mean, no more eternal fire elemental to turn the future into a fiery wasteland again. No more Solaris to wreck the timeline!"
"Silver," Blaze sighed, shaking her head. "I don't think that's the point. As evil as he is, Mephiles just lost a lot of his power and his entire family, if you can call them that. His proud identity has been utterly shattered, and now he is wounded, in a strange place, among his enemies, blind and unable to escape or lash out at anyone that comes close. And all of that is overshadowed by his fear of this, Dark he keeps whimpering about."
Silver looked into Blaze's eyes, and could see the questions raging inside. The one thing about Dark they were able to figure out was that he was a threat, nothing more. No description, no elaboration. Nothing. It was maddening.
For Silver, at least.
"Why do you think he won't tell us who Dark is, or what he looks like? I'm really confused…"
"I don't think he can say for sure, because he might not know much about Dark other than the fact that he is something to fear. Perhaps that is the name given to him at the time of their meeting, or perhaps it is something he has come to associate with GUN and the experiments. Either way, he is keeping that knowledge from us for a reason.
"... And I intend to find the secret hiding in his shell."
...
Unending darkness surrounded him, parting only before his glowing white eyes as he paced restlessly, waiting for some unspoken command. He growled low, patience running thinner and thinner until he let out a roar and upturned the small bedside drawer that was sitting innocently within striking distance to his left. He let out a puff of air and calmed down considerably, although the rage still boiled underneath his skin.
How long is this going to take? He thought, frustration clawing into his train of thought. It's only been a few hours; he should've told them about me by now. I should know it if he does; that weakling could barely keep his mouth shut when I-
"Dark," an overhead mechanical voice cut through his train of thought, turning his eyes from pupil-less glowing white to emerald green in the span of a heartbeat. "The Commander will see you now."
"About damn time, it's already noon," Dark Sonic grumbled, righting the small dresser and reaching for the door. Before he opened it, however, he paused and allowed a small smirk to play on his lips.
Time's running out for you,too, runt. You better tell them, and watch your back, cuz I got an ace up my sleeve.
As he opened the door, the light that entered his room illuminated the new combat suit the former hero was wearing, and the crest knit into the shoulder pad.
The very crest of a GUN soldier.
I promise, the rest of the chapters will never have this long a wait again! The rest are already planned out, and I should be getting another chapter up sometime by the end of this month.
Until then, please leave a review. I really appreciate it that Frentic Kinetic and Zosonils have been diligently reviewing each chapter, you guys are the best! However, I have 15 other followers whom I haven't heard from at all. If you're reading this, and you aren't one of the above, then please leave a review telling me what you think of this story. I really want to know what is it that you love about this story, or like enough to follow. Pretty please? You don't know how much this will help!
Anyway, hope y'all are having a good day!