Sonic the Hedgehog

Resilience

A destructive barrage of bullets misses its intended target by the hair on his forehead. Knuckles dodging what could have easily been a violent, undesirable end, instead put the other three occupied Mobians in the direct line of fire. Shadow, seeing this in the nick of time, vanishes in thin air. Amy grabs Tails and takes him to the ground with her as the unyielding bullets continue on their current trajectory. The agent, still tucked away in the back of the hallway next to the very much decimated vault, has his entire life flash before his eyes. To his immense fortune, the death pellets hit the walls around him, creating a messy outline. He takes a deep breath of air, his back sliding down the wall and to the floor.

I might sit this one out.

Shadow materializes back to his previous spot and he turns around to give Omega a look.

"OOPS. MY BAD."

"Watch where you're shooting, robo-"

The vigilant hedgehog is not so easily caught off guard. He ducks, feeling the breeze Amy's hammer creates as it swings over his quills which softly blows to the right. Hoping to capitalize on their enemy's current position, Tails jumps up, ready to deliver a simple, but hopefully disorientating kick. This doesn't go as planned. The ultimate lifeform not only evades the blow, but he grabs hold of one of the fox's large tails. Without hesitation, he swings the boy into his pink ally. The painful collision sends the duo flying back a great distance.

Knuckles wishes he could lend a hand, but both are currently busy keeping the metallic claw of E-123 Omega from ripping into his face. He has to make a move and fast if he doesn't wish to be double-teamed. With his full might, the warrior delivers a blow that would normally render a skeleton to nothing but powder. In Omega's case, he flies once more into the elevator wall, this time, the impact not being so easy on its back thrusters, which are completely crushed.

"Omega!" Rouge calls out in concern She turns away from him and has her full attention set on Knuckles. "You need a time out."

Using the same unpredictable speed she did when in the ring, the agile bat decides to go with a more direct approach. She leaps forward, pouncing on her unsuspecting red enemy. She pins his arms to the floor, barely able to keep them restrained. In actuality, Rouge feels as though she's about to collapse at any moment. The hard slam she took only minutes earlier has her head aching in agony. Such resilience is spotted easily by Knuckles's trained eye.

"You shouldn't be standing," he says. "You may be more of a warrior than I originally took you for."

"I knew I was your type," Rouge smiles.

"Exa- wait, what?! That's not what I-!"

As his mind races to find a response, it fails to register the approaching metal footsteps before it's too late. Rouge rolls off of him, too exhausted to stand. In her previous spot is E-123 Omega, whose red eyes burn with anger. Before he can have a chance to react, Knuckles feels the inescapable titanium fingers wrap around his leg, and he's slammed into the left-side wall. All consciousness leaves him on the spot. Omega drops his dangling body on the floor and holds a triumphed fist in the air.

"HOORAY FOR TEAMWORK."

"I guess we do pull our weight, huh?" Rouge laughs.

"LET'S NOT BE HASTY."

Meanwhile, just a few feet ahead, Shadow stands over a weakened Tails and Amy. Much like Rouge's current condition, moving a single muscle is a big pain.

"Next time I won't be so generous," Shadow says before turning to face the rest of Team Dark.

One good look at them and he realizes they're in no shape to continue their pursuit of the emerald. He tries to approach his injured teammates, but something holds his leg in place. A gloved hand. Following the yellow fur of the arm it belongs to, Shadow eyes Tails, who must be using all of his willpower to stay awake.

"I... won't... let you go!" he grunts, his grip tightening even harder.

"Aren't you too young to be a martyr, kid?" Shadow regards. "Take your hand off... unless you want to lose it."

The young boy wordlessly denies the request, his grip remaining as firm as possible.

Every second I hold him here is another second Sonic has to get ahead! I can't let him down now!

"If you're looking for a fight..." Tails says, attempting to stand. "Then I'm right here! Bring it o-!"

Tails's words are caught in his throat once Shadow's hand grabs hold of it, slamming him into the nearest wall. The pain he felt before spikes to unimaginable levels.

"TAILS!" Amy yells, too hurt to get up.

"Tell me, boy, do you know what death means?" Shadow asks, leaning close. "That's it. Your life goals, your dreams- they will never come to pass. The only people who will suffer more than you are your loved ones. There will be no glory. There will be no gain. Only misery for everyone involved. If you're not happy with those terms... stand down."

"YOU DON'T SCARE ME!" Tails screams, bringing shock to Shadow's face. "Eggman won't win! Not as long as Sonic is around! You're right about one thing. I do have people I love! People I care about! Everyone does! That's why we're all fighting so hard to stop you! Because we can't bear the possibility of a future where our friends- our family- have to live under Eggman's oppression!"

"A life of servitude is better than none," Shadow says as a dim, yellow aura of chaos energy surrounds his left hand. "How careless of you to so willingly throw your life away. Every day, people have theirs taken for no reason at all! And you're giving up yours voluntarily... JUST TO BE SOME SORT OF HERO?! DO YOU REALIZE HOW LUCKY YOU ARE?!"

"SHADOW!"

That word was all the energy the weary bat had left in her. Like a brick, she's out cold, with her outreached arm falling to the floor. Seeing this, Shadow tosses Tails aside, landing right beside Amy who immediately brings him closer to ensure he's okay. In her arms, he fades in and out of rest, unaware of his current surroundings. Shadow's tightening palm and the pressure from the wall must have done a bigger number than the hedgehog anticipated. And yet, he would have never noticed- not even guessed that was the case as he stared into the fox's determined, unfazed eyes.

"Like I said, a waste of time," Shadow mumbles, walking to Rouge's current position.

He takes her in his arms, and with E-123 Omega, he finally starts making his way to the elevator. They may have been victorious in this battle, but one thing is clear. This was no victory.

...