ARAAT5: Resurrection

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A Rose And A Thorn 5: Resurrection

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Harley: Well, after complicated discussion and arguments about how Froggy doesn’t want to do Time Travel with Shadow, we finally came to an arrangement about ARAAT6.

Froggy: You’ll find out when we get there! But it is better than torture or vampires or evil clones.

Harley: Back to the present. The start of this chapter may seem a little dull, but we did say to watch out for amnesia! And of course there’s the matter of the second half, which is wonderfully violent.

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Chapter Eight: Darkness

Mirage paced in front of her contractor’s desk. Or, to be completely accurate, the desk of the President. She was getting angry, and she hated getting angry; bad things always seemed to happen after that.

“Quilla, Project Midnight, whatever he is calling himself at the moment… I know you have information on him,” she ranted steadily, “And I would love to know how I am supposed to do my job when you are hiding things from me!”

“Project Mirage, I’d appreciate it if you calmed down and acted rationally,” the President told her, looking worried.

“I am calm! It is the echidna who is being irrational!” Mirage snapped, “He has every intention of wiping GUN off the map, and that would be great, but before he does, I want to know why I matter so much to him!”

“GUN has released very little information on him,” the President told her, “There was a Project Midnight, and he was put into stasis. And Doctor Eggman woke him.”

“I KNOW that!” Mirage almost screamed, yet still somehow maintaining her clipped voice, “What I want to know is, what has he got to do with me?!”

“That information remains confidential,” the President told her, “Please, calm down, Project Mirage.”

“Confidential?! How can it be confidential to ME?!” Mirage shrieked, “If it is confidential to me, it is confidential to you as well! I DEMAND to be told the truth!”

“The truth is confidential to GUN,” the President sighed, “I’m sorry if this is disrupting your mission, Project Mirage. We’ll happily reassign you-“

“That is what you always do when somebody digs too deep!” Mirage continued to rant. She turned to the desk and her claws dug into it, “Listen… I am not against you or GUN… I just want to know what is going on… I have a right to know what is going on! I know that man, and one way or another I am going to find out how I know him… unless we do this the easy way, which involves you, or an officer of GUN, telling me.”

“I’m afraid we can’t do that, Project Mirage,” a calm voice spoke behind the feline. She turned to face the Commander of GUN, a cool, granite-faced man almost 60 years old, flanked by several soldiers, “Not just yet. When we have Project Midnight in custody-“

“You mean when his guts are all over a cell?!” Mirage ranted, “I just want the truth!”

“We will explain everything to you after he is taken prisoner, you have my word,” the Commander repeated, “Until then, you are strongly advised to disassociate yourself from him, for everybody’s safety.”

“Including your own, I suppose?” Mirage snarled, “Do you not want me to find out something I should not? Did you do a little memory altering? Am I a clone? What is going on?”

“Will you leave the matter to rest?” the Commander asked her, “At least until the matter is under control?”

“Hell no!” Mirage screamed, bristling in rage, and the Commander snapped his fingers, “I will find out the truth…” she hissed, “One way or-“ she keeled over and her head bounced off the desk, before she hit the floor.

“This is awful!” said the President, looking over at the tranquillised feline, “She’s one of our top operatives! I don’t know how we’ll do without her!”

“Yes, her situation is distressing,” the Commander sighed, “Mr President, you and I are both fully aware of Project Mirage’s powers. She’s a defender of Earth, but she was also created from the blood of monsters. If she discovers her relation to Project Midnight, her ‘morals’ may result in her sympathising with him. It’s a risk we cannot afford to take. Alone, Midnight is slaughtering our soldiers. With Project Mirage on his side, God alone knows how many innocent lives will be lost.”

“So, you’ll be throwing her in a cell?” the President asked.

“And have her escape?” the Commander shook his head, “Project Mirage doesn’t let silly things like locks and chains get in her way. If we had Project Midnight in custody we could tell her everything, and the risk to national security would be minimal.”

“So, in the interests of national security it comes to this,” the President sighed, “Wiping out her memory and dumping her on the streets…”

“Temporarily wiping her memory,” the Commander reminded him, “The serum will last for a little less than a week. After all, someday soon, we may need her abilities. By the time it wears off, Project Midnight MUST be in our hands.” He turned to the soldiers behind him, “Strip her. Take her to Westopolis. Make it look like a mugging. And for God’s sake, don’t damage anything important!”

~~~

Three Hours Later…

The top hierarchy of GUN was nearly in a panic. Several bases had been destroyed with few survivors in a matter of days, and the perpetrator of the crimes seemed to be a single being, one whom GUN had thought to have died a long time ago. The past had come back yet again to kick them in the ass, and something needed to be done about it. The leaders had gathered in the secret GUN Fortress to decided how to deal with the threat, secure in the knowledge that, with the base on high alert, they were all but invulnerable to attack. That was what they believed. However, belief alone didn't make it true. It all started with a thunderous bang.

A massive explosion wasted the iron gates of the fort, reduced walkers and robots to slag, and shredded the troops patrolling the area. And then he entered, the blue warrior with the steel parts, burning away pieces of confused soldiers with his arm blaster, toppling robots with thrown explosives, getting up close and spilling blood with his blades. It seemed impossible to touch the echidna as he leapt from cover to cover, predicting the human's attacks and retaliating with his own. His mechanical limbs gave him an unnatural advantage, slamming through barriers and leaping high above his enemies' heads. Quilla slowly but surely slaughtered his way deeper and deeper into the base.

"Like I said,” Shadow told the assembled group of heroes, looking around at the destruction in Quilla's wake, "We just have to follow the screams." They certainly could hear screams, further into the fortress. Using the coordinates that Rouge had given them, they had made their way to that secret location only to discover that Quilla had arrived before them, not very long in the past.

"This is AWFUL!" Amy wailed, holding her Piko Piko Hammer in one hand, looking around at the dead and dying.

Sonic looked slightly sick in the face, apparently feeling the same way, "We've got to stop him!" he said.

Shadow glanced around at the destruction and bodies with a passive, detached look. He had long ago gotten used to such scenes of violence, "Yes. Let's hurry. It should be easy to reach him; he's taken care of all of the resistance and doors."

Sonic and Shadow, followed closely by Amy, Tails and Knuckles, ran deeper into the fortress. It was barely conceivable that one person could do so much damage. Amy was crying, and Tails looked as if he was about to be sick, whereas Sonic, Shadow and Knuckles just became grimmer.

They ran over the debris and around bodies and ruined equipment. They leapt through blast doors that had been torn apart. Soon, up ahead in an area that looked something like a garage, they could see the flashes of weapons fire and hear the sounds of combat.

Shadow skidded to a halt, "Alright guys,” he said, "You remember the plan. You guard the exits while Amy and I go and talk to him."

Tails looked nervous, "Are you sure it's safe?" he asked, "I mean... Shadow... this guy is crazy!"

"Clearly. And this is dangerous, no doubt,” Shadow spoke in total agreement, "But if we really want to bring him in peacefully, it’s the only way. Are you ready, Amy?"

Amy sniffled and nodded, wiping some tears away, "Yes, I'm ready," she told Shadow, taking a deep breath.

Giving Amy's hand a squeeze, the dark hedgehog stepped into the cavernous space, walking towards the warrior in his berserker rage. Sonic stood tensely behind, ready to spring forward in an instant. Knuckles walked to Tails' side and laid a comforting hand on the kit's shoulder. As Shadow and Amy got closer, Quilla finished off the last soldier in the room, driving the spikes on his metal hand into the human's skull, violently ending his life. As the corpse slumped to the ground, the echidna whirled around to face the two hedgehogs, breathing hard, covered in blood that dripped off his dreads during the sudden movement, and his eyes filled with hate. The hate was quickly replaced by shock and curiosity, although the anger remained.

"Shadow,” he breathed, "And your mate. What the hell are you doing here?"

"We want to help you, Quilla - or would it be easier to appeal to Midnight?" Amy said softly, ignoring the comment about being Shadow's 'mate', "Can't you see you're hurting innocent people? Please stop - we can help you!"

Quilla's eye twitched at the mention of his past name. He snorted, "If you want to 'help' me, then pick up a weapon and start killing. Look around you! You call these people innocent? They are a bunch of hypocrites and liars, arrogant murderers drunk on their own power! I will not allow them to hurt the true innocents again!"

Amy looked desperate, "We've heard about what happened to you, Midnight! We know that GUN hurt you! We know you lost people you love because of them! We have too! But it's because we're better than they are that we don't resort to senseless violence and killing! Please, don't bring yourself to the level of the people you hate!"

Shadow stepped forward, "I've tried it before, Midnight, and revenge doesn't solve anything. In the end, all you've caused is more pain and suffering, and you're still alone."

The echidna glared at both of them, "Then I cause more pain and suffering. It’s no more than they deserve. Frankly, I don't have any other reason to live this miserable life, so I might as well. Just stay out of my way, and I'll remove this threat for you. It'll be on my hands, not yours."

"If we just let you hurt these people, it will be on our hands too," Amy told him. She saw the shift and pressed on, "You do have a reason to live. Mirage isn't a clone. She's the real thing, just like Shadow. You see, we know you knew her from ARK."

"No..." whispered Quilla, shaking his head, "It can't be her. Mirage would have remembered me, would have remembered all of it! She's a clone, a creation of GUN given the most basic memories of me. It's what Gerald's grandson told me, and it’s the only explanation that works."

Damn, he really could be Knuckles' father, Amy thought, You can tell by the absolute refusal to change his mind, even when he knows he’s wrong, "What about Knuckles then?" she asked him, "If he really is your son... he's something to live for too."

"If he can ever forgive me. He IS my son, after all,” Quilla pointed out grimly.

Shadow narrowed his eyes, "My sister is not a clone, and Eggman is a manipulative, lying scumbag. He saved you, enhanced you, and fed you lies so that he could use you for his true goals: dominating the Earth. Nothing more. To him, you are a tool, a means to an end."

Amy spoke again, "Please, Midnight," she begged him, "Please trust us. Find a place deep inside of you that remembers how wrong this is. Your body might have been destroyed by GUN - don't let them destroy your heart too!"

"They did that when they killed Mirage!" the echidna shouted.

Shadow growled, "She's not dead, you idiot! You think I wouldn't recognize my own kin? And supposing she is dead, would she have wanted to be remembered by spilling more blood? Think about it, Midnight!"

Finally, their words seemed to be having an effect. The echidna cyborg looked from one to the other, confused and uncertain. "I... I..."

"Please, Midnight," Amy said, "Mirage hates unnecessary violence - and how can it be any more unnecessary than this?" she gestured to the room.

"But... it has to be..." the echidna muttered, looking at his feet, "I just... want things to be the way they were..."

"You mean you want the darkness and the destruction to come back?" Amy asked him, "Things can never go back to the way they were. Sometimes they change for the worse, but if you make the right decision, they can end up better - for everybody. One person can make all the difference."

"I'm doing it again..." Midnight spoke softly, "I did it aboard the ARK, and now I'm doing it on Earth. I'm killing Mirage's dreams. She didn't want this..." The echidna couldn't meet the pink hedgehog's eyes. He was suddenly all-too-aware of the blood clinging to his fur. "I'm sorry..."

"Come with us," Amy said, "We can help. We can't change what has happened, but anybody can change what has yet to come. And maybe you can reconcile with Mirage. So she forgot you - she had to survive somehow. We always hurt the ones we love - but we always forgive them too."

Midnight glanced towards the far hallway, hearing the footsteps of more soldiers running to join the fray, "Let's go,” the echidna said, "I just want to get out of here..."

Amy reached forward and took his hand, "Come on, Midnight," she told him, "We'll have to move fast."

Nodding and squeezing the offered hand, Midnight took off running, this time towards the exit. Shadow zipped ahead to the other heroes. "Alright, we've got him, but we still have to leave this place. Move fast." That, thankfully, was something all of them were well experienced in. And so they moved fast, again travelling the field of death and destruction unopposed.

"We can keep you safe until things have been worked out," Amy panted as they ran, "We have contacts within GUN and the government. They owe us a lot. Shadow nearly destroyed the world and they tolerate him." Of course, Shadow had saved the world too, but that was something best left unsaid for now.

"So, he's not going to be killing people?" Tails asked as they ran.

"No," Amy said simply.

Running through the ruins, Knuckles glared at the other echidna the whole way. Midnight gave the red echidna a shamed look and said softly, "I'm sorry, son. I made a terrible mistake."

Knuckles snorted and again focused on the escape. "Don't mention it, dad."

"Wait a minute," Tails said, not slowing down, "If Midnight's your dad and he cares about Mirage so much and they were on ARK together..."

"Tails, buddy, do not make me think hard about it!" the red echidna snapped off, his eyes widening. He immediately tried to extinguish any and all possibilities out of his mind.

It was too late for that. The thought had already gone through everyone's minds, "Look on the bright side, Knuckles!" Amy shouted, "Your uncle is the Ultimate Lifeform!"

Knuckles and Shadow both looked at each other with wide eyes and simultaneously said, "No way!"

Sonic snickered nearby as they left the main gates of the GUN Fortress behind them, rushing towards the jeep that Tails had prepared for them and would carry them away to safety. The base was too disorganized and confused to form an attack in time.

"That's nothing," Tails panted as he leapt into the driver's seat, "Amy's gonna be your aunt!" He slammed his foot on the gas pedal.

Knuckles sat beside Tails and looked over at Amy. The pink hedgehog was younger than he was, "Oh gods, smite me now..." he uttered. The other heroes and Midnight took their own seats even as Tails accelerated away.

After they'd put a suitable distance between themselves and the GUN Fortress, Tails took the modified jeep out of top gear, "Okay," he said, "We have item one - the most wanted man on the planet, and this time it's not Shadow. What the hell do we do now?"

"I'll need a place to lay low, obviously,” Midnight spoke up, "But other than that, I think you should stay far away from me. I don't want you being punished for my crimes."

"You know, Eggman's gonna be pissed when he finds out you didn't kill the GUN officers off," Tails pointed out, "So you'd better be hiding from him too. Man, are you good at making enemies!"

"What can I say? I'm my own worst enemy,” the echidna said miserably.

Sonic glanced over at the dark blue echidna and said, "Hey, Rouge has some extra space over at her club where you could stay for now. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

“There could be a problem with that,” Tails said, rummaging in the glove compartment. He pulled out a small device and pointed it at Midnight, who was sitting directly behind him. It beeped, rather fast, and he looked at the screen. On it were several small, red dots on the basic schematic of Midnight’s body.

“What’s that mean?” Amy asked him, looking over his shoulder.

“It means Eggman’s implanted trackers in Midnight. Worse still, they’re in parts that I can’t remove without a good few hours in surgery. Wherever he goes, Eggman will find him. Whoever he’s with, he’ll endanger.”

“He what?!" the echidna growled, "That bastard... meh, figures. Never, ever trust a human..." Midnight fumed silently, looking at the floor of the car. "Alright. Where, then, can I go?"

"There's nowhere on this planet you can go without being tracked," Tails said, "I can sort out something to disable the signal, but it'll take a few days. During that time, you'll be vunerable. In other words," he said quietly, looking up at the sky, "You can run, but you can't hide."

"Then I will run,” Midnight said with a nod of his head, "Keep moving and stay in populated areas. That way, it will be hard to stage any sort of attack on me."

"Good luck," Tails said simply, and handed Midnight an earpiece for his real ear, "And take this. I'll call you when I've made something that can help you. Now run!"

He calmly took and placed the device in his ear. Nodding to Tails and the rest of them, he told them, "Thank you. Thank all of you. I'm... sorry about what I've done. I hope we can meet again in better circumstances." And with that, the cyborg opened the door and rolled out.

Tails drove on, "How long do you think he'll last?" he asked the other passengers of the jeep.

"As long as he has to,” Shadow replied confidently. Others in the car didn't look nearly so confident about the dark blue echidna’s chances.

~~~

Froggy: If you didn’t enjoy it, tell us why. If you did, tell us why! We enjoy being told we’re amazing. Or, indeed, otherwise.