ARAAT4: Origins

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A Rose And A Thorn 4: Origins

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Harley: Well, this is the last chapter-

Froggy: Apart from the Epilogue. Everybody needs closure.

Harley: And there’s going to be a lot happening here. Keep your eyes open for parts from flashbacks, because we’re not going to point them out. We’re going to deal with EVERYBODY here. Oh, and I’m incredibly glad that you all like Mirage. And also think Midnight is cool.

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Chapter Twenty-One: The Downfall of ARK

Mirage narrowed her eyes, “As far as I am concerned, you are as bad as the people who built this place!”

Numbness gave way to a sharp pain as Midnight's brain processed and confirmed the meaning of her words to him. He could only stare in disbelief, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to find the words. He had thought she would understand, would support his decision. He was right, he knew he was right; it was the only way they would ever be free, and yet she thought it was wrong, even after all the humans had done to them? Was she mad? Was he? Did he somehow become the bad guy when he wasn't paying attention? Did he make a wrong turn, go down the wrong lane to the dark side, and she was the one seeing it clearly? He realized with a morbid finality that it didn't matter. The choice was made; the damage was done. He had essentially ruined everything she had come back to save. And suddenly... he didn't care so much about escaping anymore. His eyes left hers, looking away in shame.

"There is not much time left," Mirage said quietly. She turned from the lab and ran out into the hall, glancing both ways before heading right, to the stasis pods.

Midnight followed behind her. Gone was the emotional intensity, replaced by lifelessness, driven on only because he couldn't think of anything better to do. Quilla had won another battle, and the damage could not be undone. He had lost Mirage's trust and respect. He couldn't think of anything more horrible, asides from losing her and their baby. He could barely hear the screams of the dying, the sound of shooting and slaughter. GUN was executing everyone who didn’t surrender immediately, shutting down the ARK and disposing of everyone associated with it.

"The stasis pods!" Mirage shouted above the noise, "They can be sent to Earth! There is something I have to do!"

"What is it? What do you have to do?" Midnight asked, just loud enough to be heard. It was no longer 'we' doing the changing. Midnight wasn't worthy to be part of that. All he had done was perpetuate more of the same; giving in to the same things he accused the humans of being guilty of.

Mirage skidded to a halt in front of the row of stasis tubes. Some of them were occupied and some had already been ejected - scientists had taken their chances with the uncertainties of ever getting found, or crashing, and launched them randomly. Mirage took out the little ball of red fur that was her son. The child looked up at her with trusting, violet eyes, "He is going to Earth."

That was what Midnight had been afraid of. Stepping closer, looking sad and defeated, he reached out and gently caressed their child's face, "Will we ever see him again?"

Mirage shook her head, "I just do not know," she couldn’t cry, but her heart burned with agony at the knowledge that she might never see or even recognise her son again, "Maybe... I am just not worthy... of being a mother..."

Moving closer still, nuzzling the hedgecat gently, he whispered, "You would be a great mother, Mirage. I'm the one who would be a lousy parent."

"I hope random co-ordinates will be enough to allow fate to take its course..." Mirage placed the child in the stasis tube, "If he ends up a long way from civilisation, it could be years before he is released...” She closed the door on the stasis tube, and walked over to the computer again.

Midnight stood silently behind her, like her bruised blue shadow, awaiting the final parting of their child that they had only known for a few scant minutes. Life simply wasn't fair.

"You know," Mirage selected a random location, "If you want to get in a stasis pod, now is your chance."

"No,” he whispered, "I won't run. I'm staying here until the end. This is my mess to clean up, and I'm not leaving you alone in the middle of it."

"Hmmm..." Mirage sighed, and pressed the 'eject' button, "Goodbye..."

With barely a sound, the pod separated away from the ARK and into history. The couple watched as their child left them, both grieving in their own way, "Come on,” the echidna spoke in a strained voice, "We've got a battle to fight."

Mirage was about to say that it was too late for that too, when she shrugged. What did it matter if she died horribly now? Anyway, she’d woken up. She’d live. As long as she didn’t bank on it, she’d live, "Oh, very well..." she said quietly, "Let us go fight with the others..."

Unslinging his battle axe, Midnight slowly turned towards the exit and began to march towards certain doom, "This is all my fault,” he said, "I'm sorry I got you into this."

Me too, Mirage thought, "Did I change anything at all by coming back?" she asked out loud, "Or did I just relive it? Or maybe I am trapped in a time loop and this was entirely and eternally pointless. Maybe I am actually much older than I thought I was…"

"I guess you'll find out soon enough. Or never. Either way, it’s almost done,” replied the echidna, hefting his axe and preparing for battle. They could both hear the shouts and footsteps of GUN troops getting closer.

"Midnight..." Mirage's voice shook as the troops came nearer, "When I said you are as bad as the people who made this place..." her mind was remembering certain events, and cringing as it reached its horrible and inevitable conclusion.

"I know,” Midnight replied softly, "And I love you, too." He said what really needed to be said, because there was time for nothing else. The troops had arrived. Giving out a mighty battle cry, the echidna warrior charged the GUN ranks, hurling his axe at the head of one of the shocked soldiers, drawing a pair of daggers as he got closer.

Mirage pulled out her own pair of knives. Who was the enemy, anyway? Did it matter anymore? She didn't know what to do. She tried to command her legs to step forward, but she couldn't see the point. Was it all over? Wouldn't it be easier to surrender? The word burned white hot across her mind, and she knew she couldn't - but she knew it was pointless to fight here, "Midnight!" she called out, "We have to go to the professor's lab!"

A fair idea, but Midnight was too close to the soldiers to turn tail and run. His only option was to fight. Jumping and weaving and dodging their deadly weapons, he lashes out with his blades, cutting open the human soldiers and spreading their gore on the steel floor. And they just kept coming. He was holding his own, though, fighting far better with a pair of daggers than they were with fully automatic weapons.

Mirage now had two options; cut and run, or help Midnight. So what if history was going to find a way? It would have to find a damn good way, because Mirage was not just going to stand down and let it win. She held her two knives in one hand, and outstretched the other, the Shard glowing as she did so. One soldier baulked as he fell forward and his digestive system fell out onto the floor. Another died as his brain fell out. I am going properly insane all over again! Mirage almost cheered in her head, We are so close to the end...

For a moment, it seemed like they were actually going to win. All their training and skills were paying off spectacularly. Working together in battle, the two of them were outfighting two hundred. Mirage standing in the shadows, using her powers to kill at a distance, and Midnight in the middle of it, covered in the warm blood of his kills, they were a lethal team that could not be underestimated. And then, suddenly... the troops fell back, retreating down the corridors. Panting with exhaustion, wiping blood out of his fur, Midnight wondered if it was over, if they really had changed everything. Then he heard the deep, rhythmic thumping, growing closer. It rounded the corner slowly, ominously, a massive GUN mecha walker, bristling with Gatling guns and rocket launchers, plated with steel armour.

Midnight looked down at his pitiful two knives and realized that his skills could not match such sheer power. Dropping the daggers, snatching up a rifle, and unleashing a stream of metal irritants at the walking tank, the echidna warrior cursed loudly, "Mirage!" he called out, "Get out of here! I'll hold it off!"

"Do not be a fool!" Mirage told him. She ran forward and grabbed his wrist, "We are not heroes, Midnight! Let us get out of here!"

It was too late for that. The machine and its pilot were already zeroing in on them, aiming its mighty weapons at them. Their lives could be measured in seconds, and an experienced warrior like Midnight knew it. Oh, he could try to run with Mirage, try to get away, but they both would die. There was only one alternative. He was calm with this knowledge, his understanding of the only path set before him. He knew why Mirage did not remember him before. As the GUN walker opened its launchers, the echidna dropped the rifle, spun to his left to grab onto Mirage, and shoved with all of his might, hurling her into a nearby narrow hallway, "Run, Mirage!" he shouted. It was all he could say before the missile hit at his feet. The fiery explosion caught him on his right side, tossing him away like a rag doll, sending his fragile body through the air to slam against a wall and tumble to the ground.

"MIDNIGHT!" Mirage screamed, reaching out. She ran forward. She remembered that part - running forward to him rather than fleeing... "Midnight!" she screamed again, trying to put out places where his fur was on fire. The right side of his body was burnt beyond all recognition, parts of it right down to the bone, "Midnight, do not leave me! I will get you to a stasis pod, and then I will... I will..." Mirage was totally unaware that she was weeping for the first time, "Please don’t die, Midnight... I don’t want to have to forget you again..."

Midnight thought he could hear Mirage's voice, but it was hard to make out what with all the ringing in his ears. He couldn't tell if he was in pain or not. Perhaps the damage was so bad that his brain had given up trying to express it to him. The echidna opened his eyes, his vision blurred and incomplete. He thought he could make out Mirage's face over him, terrified and weeping. He felt that he should be surprised about that, but there was plenty to cry about, most of it his fault, not the least his suicidal attempt to save her. He tried to move his right arm to reach up and touch her, but he couldn't even feel it. His left arm still worked, painfully, so he reached up with it, touching her cheek gently, leaving a smear of blood behind. He opened his mouth to speak and gagged, coughing up blood.

"No... no..." Mirage felt the pain of a terrible loss rising up inside of her, "I love you... don’t do this... please don’t-"

“Mirage… I’m dying…” Midnight managed to choke.

“No... please don’t leave me...” Mirage sobbed, the words choking up inside, I can’t believe I’m finally speaking and thinking in contractions, she thought, “I’m sorry... I love you... please stay with me..."

Midnight took a laboured breath, “I love you too, Mirage… so much…”

Mirage looked back down at Midnight. It hurt... it hurt real bad... being so damn helpless... She leant forward and kissed his bloodied lips one last time, "But I love you, Midnight," she whispered, "Please don’t leave me..."

The echidna managed to speak, "Don't... forget me. Not this time..." The act of speaking was like moving a mountain. Despite the many burns on his body, he felt cold. With absolute certainty, Midnight knew that he was dying. It was fitting, perhaps, to be killed by one of the humans he was trying to destroy. Killed by his own hatred. He was no better than them.

Finally, he had to accept that what Ashura had said was true; Midnight and Quilla were not separate beings, not alternate personalities separated by time. They were one, and all of the terrible crimes they had committed were on his hands. It was his dying hope that somehow, in his act of saving Mirage, he had redeemed himself and that she had a chance for happiness.

"I love you,” he strained to say, shaking with cold, his fingers slipping from her face to fall limply on the floor. "Go, Mirage... leave me..."

“I can’t…” she moaned.

“You have to… You said it yourself… I don’t matter… I never did… It’s necessary…” Midnight coughed up blood again, “Remember me… Mirage…”

“Don’t die…” Mirage whispered, “We can change this, we can-”

“I’m sorry… Mirage… There’s some things… you just can’t change…” Midnight coughed up more blood, and his head fell back.

Mirage closed his eyes and stood up, turning away from him. Her expression hardened, “Yes I can…” She felt the ability to use contractions flow away.

She finally understood why she had forgotten Midnight… How could she have fallen in love with him if she’d known he was just going to die? How many times had she lived this life? Once? Twice? Ten times? A thousand? Maybe she was older than the universe itself. And she knew what she had to do this time.

She had to break the loop.

I cannot believe it has come to this, she thought, I am not a hero. Heroes have good hair and a shiny sword without chips and when they smile their teeth go 'ting', the bastards. And they never run out of strength and they arrive in the nick of time and get a princess and half the kingdom for their trouble. I gave birth two weeks ago and shot myself a couple of days ago and the painkillers wore off half an hour ago and I am pretty sure 'the nick of time' was ten minutes ago and I am covered in blood. If I get through this, I will be allowed to live, if I am lucky.

Tears sprang from the echidna's single functioning eye, mixing with his blood as it ran down his broken body, struggling for a few more seconds of life, and a few more moments of worshipping his lover's continuing life with his mere existence. He could hear his heart beating, his blood pounding in his ears. But no matter his passion or love, the limitations of the flesh would not allow him to stay any longer, Remember me, Mirage... Those were his last thoughts.

And then the darkness claimed him.

Mirage continued to run. Now all she remembered was that he was Midnight, and she loved him more than shadows loved the light that made them. She held onto that memory - it was for now all that drove her to Gerald's labs. She slaughtered any soldiers without even hesitating, I cleared away the soldiers in front of you, Shadow, she thought, You had fucking well better live to appreciate it...

There were two stasis pods in the lab. One had Ashura in it, just like she remembered. The other was empty, waiting for Gerald, or Maria…

She set the co-ordinates for the occupied pod, and ejected it, walking over to the window to watch it head towards the sun.

“Am I close to your heart now, fucker?” she spat.

~~~

The darkness was full of monsters.

And as the darkness cleared, Midnight was standing at the steps of a burning stone altar, the legacy of the echidna race.

"It’s your legacy, too,” a voice spoke behind him.

Midnight spun around to face himself, his spitting image dressed and painted as an echidna warrior and wearing a vicious smirk that he never had. The stance was somehow different too, and his voice was different – harder, more lofty, "Quilla, I presume,” he said, to which the other blue echidna gave an exaggerated bow, "That can't be right,” added Midnight, shaking his head, "We're the same person, and we’re both dead." He stared.

“Not you,” Quilla waggled his finger and corrected him, "You’re dying. Your brain just hasn’t caught on yet. I must say you did a pitiful job against that mech."

Midnight snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, "Oh, and you could do better?"

Quilla took several steps closer, snarling, "I would have done everything better if you would have let me take charge!"

Midnight's eyes tracked his double as he paced back and forth like a hungry predator, "I didn't want to become a monster."

"You let yourself be held back by the crossbred freak! You were a slave to your weaker emotions!"

Snorting in disgust, Midnight turned away, "I'm not going to argue with a figment of my dying imagination."

That was when Quilla's foot connected with the back of his head, "I’m the figment that is going to kick your ass, you stupid, pathetic waste!"

Growling, Midnight spun around and slugged Quilla in the face, “If I’m a waste, then sure as hell you’re not any better!”

The other echidna spat out blood and smiled, "How can you do that when you don't have an arm?"

And suddenly, Midnight's right arm was a mere agonisingly painful skeletal stump, "Bastard. That's cheating."

Quilla shrugged, "Hey, I wasn't the one who tossed away a perfectly good living shield."

Midnight swung his remaining good arm at his antagonistic alter-ego, trying to bust his smug face, “Shut up, you bastard!”

Quilla ducked, and reminded him, "You lost your right leg too. And the sight in your right eye. And your right ear. Plus, you're covered in third, fourth, fifth and sixth-degree burns." And Midnight was on the ground in agony, a ruined shadow of his former self. Quilla kicked him hard in the general region of his kidneys, "And now, at the end, you see which one of us is the greater,” Quilla gloated, "Too bad we don't have any more time. I could have finished you off."

Gagging on his own blood, Midnight asked, "Why not?"

"Oh, just that,” was Quilla's casual reply, gesturing to his side. And then the wall of water hit them.

The darkness was indeed full of monsters. Monsters like Chaos. Monsters like Quilla. Monsters like Midnight. He considered himself the lesser of the evils, but he didn't delude himself into thinking he was the good guy. He had committed many evils, and now, he was paying for them. His lover and son were both gone and he was a ruined, dying wreck, drifting under cold, black waves, his blood-filled lungs burning for air. He tried to swim upward, but the force of the water held him down, numbing him. He could only thrash with his one working arm, just spinning him in circles and further confusing what was up and what was down. He was lost, alone, doomed. And the worst of it was that he was the one who put himself in that situation. Not Black Doom, not Ashura, not the humans, and not even Quilla. He had no one to blame but himself. Screaming in agony and despair, the liquid flooded his lungs, and Midnight faded away.

~~~

Shadow the Hedgehog raced down a long corridor towards Professor Gerald's, leading Maria behind him. He was panting, but not out of exhaustion. He couldn't be tired out by the mere act of running. He was scared. He had done what Maria had asked of him and destroyed the artificial chaos and healed the scientists, but that didn't stop the madness. After he did that, the GUN troops turned on him, and started killing everyone. Why are they doing this? The question would have to wait. He had to get his best friend to safety first.

As they reached the lab, Shadow saw the shadowy feline - although 'feline' was pushing it a lot, even more than usual. She was covered in blood, and typing on a control panel, apparently oblivious to him. Suddenly she looked up, "Those military bastards murdered Midnight!" she said, tearfully. It was the only thing in her head right now. And then it was gone.

Shadow shook his head sadly. He and the echidna had been competitive, sure, but he had nothing against the man. More importantly, he knew how much the echidna meant to his sister.

"Why are they doing this?" asked Maria helplessly, voicing the question which Shadow felt.

"Because," Mirage answered, and sniffled, wiping away tears, "A lot of things boil down to ‘because’. Now you two have to get into the pod! Right now!" there was a pause, “JUST GET IN THE GODDAMN POD!” she screamed.

"Right,” Shadow said breathlessly, taking a step forward.

But Maria didn't move with him, frozen in place. Turning to see what the matter was, Shadow found his gaze locked on the emotionless gaze of a GUN troop's visor and the pistol in his hand... which was aimed at the young girl. A loud bang rang out and Maria stumbled back, clutching her chest and the growing stain of red on her dress.

“Maria!” Shadow cried out, barely noticing the soldier aiming at him.

“Bugger,” said Mirage. It didn’t even begin to express her feelings at the moment, but then again, right now there was no word that did.

"Shadow... get in the escape pod..." Maria whispered softly.

When Shadow didn't move, Mirage just let her instincts guide her. She leapt at the soldier, who turned and fired at her. The speed of the attack resulted in her lying on top of a corpse. She rolled off it, clutching her lower stomach. If there had been any hope of her retaining the ability to bear children, that shot wiped it out, "Get... in the fucking pod... asswipe..." she wheezed painfully. Looking into the corridor, she could see more soldiers approaching.

When Shadow started to move forward, Maria spoke, her voice a series of gasps, "Shadow... I beg of you... please, do it for me... for a better future..."

Numb inside, the grief threatening to spill over, Shadow was about to step forward to Maria and comfort her in her last moments. But the pod closed around him as she pressed a button.

"Maria!" he cried out again, banging his fists against the reinforced glass.

"...for all the people who live on that planet... give them a chance to be happy. Let them live for their dreams. Shadow, I know you can do it. That's the reason that you were brought into this world. Sayonara, Shadow, the Hedgehog..." She pressed another button, and Shadow was dropped into space. "Bring hope... to humanity..." she whispered, and her eyes closed slowly.

Mirage watched the young girl die. If she hadn’t been shot, she supposed that she could have picked up the girl and ran, but she couldn't see the point. There was no escape, she might as well wait to see what happened next. Besides, she'd just forgotten something important and maybe if she had some time to herself she might remember it. The girl's words rang in her mind... Bring hope to humanity... "I will," she promised the child, and waited for the soldiers to arrive, “I will…”

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Harley: HAHAHAHA!!! We PWN you bitches! Check out Chapter Eighteen of ARAAT3! It’s correct!

Froggy: And it’s not QUITE over yet! Watch out for the Epilogue!