Darkest Night: Chapter 18

Silently, Team Sonic and Team Dark slinked through the bowls of the Darkship, their gazes shifting nervously at every creek and groan which the hull made. As they weaved their way through the halls, it began to feel as though they were being led in circles. Where one corridor stopped, another began. It seemed as if they would never reach the bridge, where Xemus was certainly waiting for them. This was especially concerning for Tails, who could only imagine what horrors his love was being subjected to by that monstrous shade of dark power…

"This ship goes on forever," murmured the fox cub, "how far to the bridge?"

"I told you, the ship's layout shifts," Jaran answered, keeping his voice low as he peered around a corner, "we're somewhere in lower engineering behind the hyperdrive assembly, but I don't know exactly where…"

"How are we supposed to get there if you don't know where we're headed?" Demanded Knuckles impertinently, "I thought you had this planned out!"

"I'm following my senses," retorted Kai, casting a glare over his shoulder at the echidna, "they'll lead me to him--and keep your voice down!"

"Your senses better be damn good!" Knuckles continued to jab, "Screw this up, and Cosmo's a goner!"

"Knuckles, no offense, but can you please shut up?" Growled Tails under his breath, "You're not helping…"

"Let's focus on the mission…" Murmured Shadow, turning to Omega, "Omega, scan the ship and give us a count on the enemy."

"Unable to determine," Omega replied milliseconds later, "signatures returned too numerous to discern quantifiable numeric value!"

"What the hell does that mean?" Asked Rouge impatiently, "There can't be *that* many acolytes on this boat!"

"Oh yes there can…" Interrupted Jaran, waving them along as they passed down another long corridor, "The ship's overflowing with 'em."

"So why haven't we encountered any?" Asked Shadow suspiciously, "If they're everywhere, why are they making it so easy?"

"That's what worries me…" Replied the sentinel, taking point as he continued to lead them through the ship, alert for any sign of movement in the desolate corridors. Taking the rear, the Ultimate Life form glanced periodically over his shoulder, his gelid eyes scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

A sudden sound caused the hedgehog to turn sharply. A whisper, so slight that only he noticed, yet audible, nevertheless. Listening closely, the whisper once again manifested, a single word making itself apparent.

"Shadow..."

The hedgehog came to a sudden halt, drawn to the voice which spoke his name. Something in it sounded so familiar. So long had it been since he had last heard it, but the sound had never left him. As it repeated itself, Shadow's eyes grew wide, her voice clear as day…

"Shadow..."

"Maria?" The onyx hedgehog whispered into the darkness.

Staring down the corridor, the hedgehog saw a form approaching. A girl, blond and blue eyed, garbed in a blue dress, with fair skin and pale lips. The hedgehog shook, disbelieving at the image of his long lost friend. "No… You're not real. You can't be!" Shadow spoke slowly, walking toward her.

"What?" Jaran asked, turning in time to see the hedgehog wander off, "Shadow, what are you doing? Get back here!"

"It's her!" The hedgehog exclaimed, approaching Maria's image, "She's here!"

"Shadow, stop!" Jaran raised his voice as he quickly pursued the hedgehog, "Whatever you think you see, it's not real! The ship--"

"Maria!" Cried Shadow, running to meet her with a genuine smile on his face. As he neared her, however, his smile quickly began to fade. He suddenly became aware of her incredibly sickly appearance—something that should have been initially quite obvious. Her skin took on an unnaturally pale hue, and her body was riddled with deep-purple bruises. Her eyes, sunk in and glassy, stared back at Shadow as she stretched out her hand to him. Had she not met her early demise at the hands of a careless GUN agent, this would have been her state as her disease advanced. Coming to a stop, the Ultimate Life Form touched her hand gently, his own trembling. "Maria, how—"

"Shadow, I'm so cold..." Maria whispered, "I'm so very, very cold..."

"No, don't do this," murmured the hedgehog, visible tears escaping his usually stony eyes, "please, God, don't do this again!"

"What the heck is going on!?" Tails asked in a panic, "Shadow, what are you doing!?"

"Shadow, it's a lie!" Jaran barked harshly, trying in vain to gain his attention, "Turn away before it takes full hold!"

"Shadow, I'm cold…" Repeated the girl, closing her arms around him tightly, "It won't let me stay..."

"Please—" Shadow begged, closing his arms around her as tears fervently trickled from his eyes, "You don't have to leave! We can help you! Stay here with me!"

"It won't let me stay…" Cried Maria, her own tears wetting the hedgehog’s shoulder, "I don't want to go! Don’t you still love me, Shadow?"

"Yes! Yes!" Shadow frantically replied, "You don't have to go! Not again"

"Shadow…" Whispered the child again, her voice fading as she began to grow heavier in the Ultimate Life Form’s arms, "So… cold—"

Slowly Maria's body fell limp, her eyes staring emptily at the ceiling as her head hung lifelessly over Shadow’s arm. The hedgehog cradled her body close to his body, shaking her gently as he rocked her back and fourth. "Maria, don't do this…" He whispered, "Don't go…"

A long silence permitted the already soundless halls, as the entire group watched Shadow kneeling on the floor, cradling nothing but empty air. Despite being unable to see what he was, enough of his words were heard by the others to gain a fairly clear interpretation of just what hallucination the onyx hedgehog was experiencing. Despite the pressing situation, Tails could not help but pity the Ultimate Life Form…

A sudden, loud crack, like that of a gunshot rang through Shadow's ears. Maria's form crumbled violently, dissolving into a pile of ash and scorched bone, which slipped through his fingers. The hedgehog stared in horror, eyeing the pillow of soot and calcium that had once been the image of Maria. Just as the onyx hedgehog thought he might scream out, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, turning to meet the gaze of Kai.

"Shadow," the sage spoke softly, "what did you see?"

The hedgehog was silent, staring blankly at his friend before turning his head back to where the remains of Maria had been, now vanished. Only an empty hallway, just as it had been before. The hedgehog slowly stood, his knees shaking as though bearing a heavy weight.

"Shadow?" Asked Amy, taking a step toward him, "Are you okay?"

The hedgehog turned, a fire burning in his red eyes as he gritted his teeth, once again resuming his march forward. "Xemus just signed his death warrant," the Ultimate Life Form murmured, "I'm not letting that pass…"

Shrugging awkwardly, Jaran returned to the head of the group, leading them down more endless hallways. Disturbed by Shadow's apparent hallucination, Tails pushed his way up to the front of the group, walking beside the sage and speaking in a hushed tone.

"What happened?" He asked, "What's the matter with Shadow?"

"I told you, Tails," murmured Jaran, "the ship knows your weaknesses. It plays with your emotions. Shadow was the victim. Looks like it worked, too…"

"But—Shadow's so strong," Tails said, tilting his head, "he's always so... serious. What could it do to him that would upset him so bad?"

"I think you'll find that those of us who are more 'serious' are often the most vulnerable," observed the sage, "Shadow's actually quite a sensitive person. He's shown more and more of that as of late. I'm not entirely convinced I haven't influenced that in some way. The experiences of his life have shut him down. In that way, he may be the most vulnerable of us all."

"What about me?" Asked Tails, seeming suddenly worried, "I'm not exactly calm right now. I don't want to become a danger to anybody by doing something too rash."

"The difference between you and Shadow, is you still have—"

"Alert!" Omega suddenly spoke, his cylindrical head rotating around observantly, "Motion sensors detect approaching creatures! Probability of targets being Xemus Acolytes: Ninety-eight point eight percent!"

"Damn!" Growled Knuckles, pulling his hands back in an offensive position, "Just what we need!"

"Hush!" Snapped Kai, ushering them into a small alcove to their left, "All of you, get over here and shut the fuck up!"

The party fell silent, stifling their breaths as they continued to listen for the approaching threat. Footsteps reverberated lightly on the metal floor of the ship, growing progressively nearer with each passing second. All at once, the corridor fell silent, the footsteps coming to a stop just around the corner. Jaran's hand slowly fell to his side, brushing his weapon as he prepared to draw…

"Tails?" A faint voice was heard, audible to the entire party.

The fox's ears perked, the voice easily recognizable by the kitsune. "Cosmo? Cosmo, is that you?"

Rounding the corner limped the image of Cosmo, hobbling as she dragged her right foot behind her. Clearly she had sustained some form of injury. The fox leaped in shock, dashing into the middle of the hallway as he took the green girl in his arms.

"How did you escape!?" Exclaimed the fox, "I thought I lost you!"

"Tails, don't touch it!" Kai ordered frantically, "It's not her! It's another trick!"

"But... I can see her too!" Amy interjected, her voice reflecting her own uncertainty, "Doesn't that mean it's real?"

"Not even close!" The sage responded quickly, "A ship of this kind of power can easily manipulate multiple minds!"

"Lord Xemus was speaking to one of his other servants and had his attention drawn," the apparent Seedrian answered Tails, paying no mind to the others' exchange, "I managed to escape the bridge!"

"Tails, listen to what she's saying!" Jaran raised his voice, managing to gain the fox's attention, "Xemus' entire goal was to kidnap Cosmo! Do you honestly think he'd allow himself to become distracted enough that he wouldn’t notice if she were gone?"

"Probability of Cosmo escaping Xemus single-handedly: Zero-point-nine percent!" Omega interjected in his electronic monotone.

"Since when did Cosmo start calling Xemus 'Lord'?" Reinforced Rouge the Bat, "He's no authority to us!"

"But—she's right here!" Tails insisted, pointing at her, "There's got to be some rational—"

"Am I the only one who noticed she said 'other servants'?" Knuckles said surprisingly observantly, "As in—she's one of them!"

"But—" Tails tried to speak, again finding himself interrupted.

"Alert! Scan indicates subject is disguised acolyte!" Omega informed, his forearms folding inward to be replaced by two large mini-guns, "Recommend Miles Prower retreat!"

"Tails, it looks like her because you want her to be safe," Jaran spoke gently but sternly, looking over his own shoulder as the sound of approaching footsteps from behind, "your link—you'd be able to tell if this was Cosmo! Look at it and tell me, is it really her!?"

Tails turned, looking into the eyes of the girl before him—the same eyes that managed to melt his heart every time he gazed into them. Perhaps that was the point though. While being his greatest strength, Cosmo was also his fatal Achilles heel. Studying her more closely, his mind reached out, attempting to merge with his fiancé's as they had done many times before. While he could still feel Cosmo, he was also aware that she was in agonizing pain, and no where near where they happened to be on this hellish ghost ship.

"Tails—" Jaran murmured, turning to stare down the corridor behind them as a trio of decrepit slaves appeared around the corner, hobbling quickly in their direction. The sage ignited his double-bladed weapon, holding at the ready. "If you don't mind, look faster!"

Slowly, the fox's expression began to dissolve, gritting his teeth angrily as he glared at the entity before him. The girl stared back, looking confused and somewhat frightened by this expression.

"Tails, don't you believe me? It's me! Your fiancé! I love you!"

"How dare you… take her form!" Growled the kitsune, barring his fangs aggressively.

Spinning suddenly, he heaved his namesakes with a mighty swing, striking the Cosmo look-alike squarely in the chest, sending her careening through the air. The illusion quickly dissolved, as it was not the image of Cosmo who collapsed against the far wall, but another wretched abomination commanded by Xemus. Slowly rising to its feet, the creature looked up at the fox, gritting it's rotting teeth as it let out an animalistic howl of attack.

Thrusting out his hand, a flurry of arching bolts careened from the fingertips of Jaran Kai, striking the acolyte as it withered under his power. This had the effect of enraging the other acolytes, who all drew their swords and charged down the hall after them. Quickly, the sage turned to face the back wall of the alcove, driving his blade into the wall and carving an uneven circle into the bulkhead. With a gesture, he ripped the detached slab of metal from its place, tossing it into the three charging acolytes, knocking them to the ground.

"RUN!!" Shouted the sage, leaping through the makeshift path. The rest followed, Omega being the last as he laid down suppressing fire against the recovering acolytes before fleeing...