Chapter 9
Blood Brother
The once noisy, busy streets and kiosks that were filled with Marmolians, was now reduced to empty trinkets and lost memories. Sonic, Amy and Chris lead the team to the pink palace, followed by Rouge, Éleos, Tails, Cream and Cheese, followed by Knuckles, Vector, Espio and Charmy. They passed tables filled with cards, carts with foot ointments and all manner of charms. They were a flamboyant species. It was rare to see a color repeat itself. The palace wasn't too far now.
The pink hedgehog held Sonic close to her,"Um Sonic? You don't think something happened to them do you?" She did not look at him for she was busy looking at the now decrepit sight that once was Marmolim.
"There's only one way to find out."
The middle group stopped,"Why don't we split up? We'll cover more ground that way." It was Rouge.
"Good Idea." Éleos backed up. The group stopped momentarily and Sonic addressed them,"Alright if you think so. We'll meet back here in an hour or so." Everyone agreed, team Sonic entered the palace, team Rouge stayed at the kiosks, and team Chaotix followed on and found some small houses.
"Look." Rouge pointed out, "It's a ship." She was pointing at an old ship, it made up part of a kiosk where apparently they sold love charms. The ship was bigger and it seemed to go in deeper through a large crack on its bottom. As Rouge entered she looked back at the rest,"Aren't you kids coming?" She laughed and went in. The rest followed, what they saw they probably expected, it was a torn ship that had three different levels. It was turned on its side which made it queer to walk through. Éleos went on after Rouge while Cream reached for Tails' arm. He accommodated and they both went together.
"Do you think they are alright Tails?" Followed by a quiet,"Chao, chao."
"I'm sure they are Cream." Tails winced, he felt his scar opening, but when he looked down it was nothing. Tails looked at the wall, and what was hanging there was a poorly drawn figure of two Marmolians and a smaller one. "A family used to live here." Tails said unhappily. He did not want to believe that the Metarex had gotten there too, or even their new enemies.
Up ahead Rouge searched for any personal belongings in a drawer next to a bed. "C'mon work with me here." The bat rummaged through more belongings making a mess. "Ah, here we are. Hello beautiful." She pulled out a string with a single, shiny, white rock attached to it. "These Marmolians sure have, well some taste in jewelry." Rouge pulled the object closer to her, admiring only the rock and her sneaky ways.
"That doesn't belong to you."
"Waa?" Rouge turned around, "Oh it's only you. What can I say? It's mine now." Éleos was not amused.
"You don't know if they will be back, plus it probably has some importance to these good people."
"Finders keepers' darlin'."
"Put it down Rouge."
This the bat did hear and turned over to the minted hedgehog. "Listen here bub, I don't have to listen to you. Who are you anyway? Coming on our ship? Telling us what to do. Hm!"
"One could say the same to you. I refuse to fight with you over something so subservient such as this." He extended his hand. Rouge looked over the threshold. The other two had just walked in, and probably heard the whole thing.
"Fine take it. It was in poor taste anyway." The white bat stormed off, pushing Éleos while doing so. Éleos sighed, with the rock he set it gently in its place. Cream and Tails both noticed the kind act. The hedgehog did not turn around to see them both, "I hope they are safe." He clenched his smooth, red, stone in his hand. It began to pulsate from red to white.
"Look at me Espio!" Charmy spooked Vector for a second with an indigenous mask. The mask had no eyes or eye-socket openings, nor did it have a mouth either, which made it particularly spooky, it only showed two dangly horns.
"Quit foolin' around Charmy, we got us a job to do."
"Sheesh, tough crowd. Hey look at this!"
"Anybody home?" Espio would say that each time they moved into a different home. The walls and structures of the houses looked pretty much the same, made out of either clay or even rock. They appeared smooth and made a circular shape on the outside. At times the Chaotix had to crouch to move since the Marmolians were so small.
Knuckles had gone to another nearby town in fact.
They stopped for a moment in the middle of what seemed to be the town center, which had a semi-large fountain with beautiful sculptures of some animals they were not familiar with. Espio spoke right to Vector,"What do you think happened here?"
"Well as you can see, all of their belongings are left in their houses, therefore if they were invaded, it wouldn't make sense because there really was no sign of struggle."
"Odd. And quite perceptive boss."
"Of course it is. That's why I'm the boss."
"So if not an invasion, then what?"
"That's what I'm tryin' to think Espio."
"Hey guys! Check this out!" Both Vector and Espio ran to Charmy who was in a larger building close to the fountain, it looked like a chapel or town hall. The bee was standing outside the threshold with another door halfway opened. He pointed at something at the ground. Upon further inspection a small trail of black ooze could be found leading all the way in the edifice. With two fingers the crocodile pressed the ooze and put it up to his nose.
"What is it?" Espio asked.
"No smell."
"What? Let me smell!" The bee almost covered his face with the stuff. They entered the hall and followed the trail which lead to a closed closet door.
Charmy piped up nervously,"Uhh! You go first!"
"Quiet Charmy!" Vector came first then Espio and Charmy. When they crept next to the door they paused for what appeared to be the longest time. Slowly and anxiously Vector grabbed for the door, to reveal a black creature. It was dying. A pool of black ooze seeped from within it and formed a puddle around itself. It breathed heavily and noisily. Its eyes were yellow and mouth gaped open. A smear of red skin lay on its chest, the rest of the body was more of a grayish black. Vector tried to shut up Charmy for making nervous sounds in the background. Vector snatched a pan that the bee had been conveniently holding. He neared the creature with the pan.
"H-Hello?" The creature made no indication it knew they were there. But when the crocodile got close enough it grabbed his arm with one quick movement. The creature was strong and it spoke in a strange accent not heard by anyone in millenia. The sound it formulated from its gaping bloody mouth was a simple,"Doon't Loook. Seeee." The creature gave its last breath. Before long no more blood seeped and its eyes dulled.
"This place gives me the creeps."
"You said it Chris."
"I'd rather not stay here that long," Amy clung to Sonic as if there was no more tomorrow. She noticed the hedgehog was trembling. "Are you cold?"
"Uh, no." The palace was a lot different than the outside, it actually looked like it had been ransacked. Precious pots were strewn in pieces all over the clear floor. Drapes were decorated around stairs. Tables even occupied rooms. Instead of having colorful rooms they were disgusting shapes of hues and other miscellaneous shades. The more they walked the cloudier, and hotter it seemed to get.
"What about up there?" Amy asked, and they looked up at what must have been Ghana's personal quarters. They took to the stairs, their eyes fogged up, but there was no smoke. When they made it Amy gasped loudly, there was a blue, blood stain on the wall behind a desk. Adjacent to was a knocked over shelved library.
The three stared blankly at the stain. "Look around for anything, any clues will help." They kept at full attention and retention. Sonic looked all around the large desk, but opening and closing the drawers helped nothing. Until he noticed on top of the desk there was a metallic switch, so he did what any reasonable hedgehog would do and switched it.
Along came a hologram on the far wall, it was hard to see because of a misplaced drape. It quickly changed so the entire room was a hologram. The other two stopped and saw. It was Ghana. The small Marmolian had pressed a button under his desk. He spoke to a stranger that the hologram did not pick up on the other side of the recording space.
"All was done according to plan, as you said. The blue hedgehog and his friends suspect nothing."
"Job well done my friend. But," He paused and walked in the room, his face was not visible still for he was wearing a cloak, "It seems that you have left out one little detail." The stranger grabbed a drink from Ghana's desk and helped himself.
"I assure you the deed was done."
"No my friend, it is not that. My sources tell me you have been harboring Black Arms fugitives."
The Marmolian was speechless for a moment,"I, I assure you these are only rumors my lord."
"Oh really? Then how do you explain this, Ghana you filth!?" The stranger was holding a single ring.
Sonic Interrupted,"What?"
The stranger backhanded the old man. It sent him flying to the wall where he grunted in pain. He pleaded for his life,"My lord I swear even if this were true, we would not have known it was him. The stranger looked at him in shock still.
"You dare lie to me still?!" It was a meaty punch to the face this time.
"My lord, please have mercy on my people."
"Mercy? Mercy?!" The stranger laughed maniacally." Oh Ghana, you pathetic backwash of an animal." At this the stranger took off his cloak and revealed a familiar physique.
Chris interrupted this time, "Is that Shadow?" Upon further inspection the creature resembled Shadow in many ways, but it was lighter than him. He had blues instead of blacks, and he wore no shoes or gloves, he still had red though, but splattered on his head and body.
A confused Ghana spoke,"Y-Y-You... It can't be... Ékleipsi̱?"
"You will suffer with the rest of them!"
"Please no, no! NO!"
The hologram turned off,"I've seen enough of this," It was Sonic. "And I'll give you three hints of where he is." The blue blood trailed to an adjacent room. Sonic, Amy and Chris followed. And when they opened the door, Ghana was not the only one they found.
Sonic held his mouth with his hand, as did Amy who ran from the room. Chris stared in shock, when he looked back all the others were there.
But Sonic would not allow anyone to go any further, "Don't let the kids see!" He pushed everyone away.
When they left the planet, there were ten lonesome, three lost, two out of place, two misplaced, three dead.
End of Part 1