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Twin Tails of Vengeance chap 6

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I doubt anyones been on the edge of their seat for this story but a few have expressed their liking for it so I'm going to keep with it. It's been a while since I last installed a chapter so if you've understandably forgotten the plot I don't blame you I did to. Just quickly skim over the previous chapters.

I apologize for some of the text and spacing issues. DA fudges up the arrangements which is very annoying. If anyone can tell me how to fix I'd greatly appreciate it.

[link] Chapter 7


[link] Chapter 5




Twin Tails of Vengeance

Chapter 6 the Grave Diggers

Everything was spinning in Tails’ head. He knew he wasn’t having another nightmare. But he was still aware of the night air, bright casino lights and of the immediate danger that had no face he could recognize. His legs felt flimsy and weak. Like weak bendable wire collapsing under his own weight. He dropped down on one knee trying to get his bearings. But the casino park lights all began to blur into one psychedelic pool in Tails’ brain.

Shadow still sporting the hk416 assault rifle stood in a tense posture with the rifle raised, ready to fire.

The things surrounding them were all cybernetically altered and seemed to be mostly carnivorous and feral animals. Naturally the enemies would be meat eaters.

All of them were crouching and ready to strike.

Tails was still kneeling on the ground as he tried to clear his head. He was vaguely aware of Shadow insulting him. He didn’t bother to respond. He didn’t care. The days of emaciation, concussions, and other wounds under his emotional state were killing him slowly.

He rubbed his temples trying to bring himself back. His head was pounding and he knew he was in danger but everything seemed to be a blur in his world. Tails put his hand down to steady himself and suddenly felt great discomfort in his hand. He looked down and the emerald’s purple glow shining between his fingers caught his gaze.

Tails mentally kicked himself and realized he had forgotten it was there and he could’ve used it earlier. He squeezed the gem tighter and activated it. Tails couldn’t use the emeralds to their fullest the way Sonic had but he was able to use them to a small extent. He borrowed a small portion of the emerald’s power reinvigorating his self.

Now he his mind began to focus easier on the matter at hand. He stood up and looked around.

“Done with your little nappy time?” Shadow goaded.

“Be quiet,” Tails snapped as he got up and looked at the creatures around them. “Do you know what they are?”

“No, but I’ve seen them before.” Shadow responded. “They’ve attacked me before.”

“That’s odd. Back when Mobiotropolis was raided they were tracking me specifically, and they don’t look like the Robotnik’s…”

“Interesting. In other words we’re their main targets.” Shadow said.

Tails and Shadow went back to back, guns ready. “We can finish our argument later...” Tails said in a confident but serious tone. He suddenly realized his fear of Shadow seemed to have faded away.

“Just what I was thinking.” Shadow said in the same tone with a his dark smirk.

The Cyborgs were still crouching in a hunting-like posture. However it seemed like they were waiting for something…

“Okay, what else can you tell us about the Grave Diggers Celine?” Cream asked back in the safety of Knothole.

“I don’t know…. I can’t remember anymore.” She said quietly. “I can only say what I have already told you. But Mobiotropolis is a huge place. And since they’ve dared to attack a place as big and as populated… it means they’ve grown so much bolder and more powerful. I don’t know what they’re after…”

Cream sat pondering. Her memory flashed back to the night of the awful sudden attack… She clearly remembered herself and Tails running for their lives, she could hear the screams and explosions in her ears still. “Wait, that night…” Cream started. “I don’t know about everyone else in the city, but Tails and I were being chased.”

The girls turned to her. “Are you sure sugar?” Bunnie asked.

“I’m absolutely positive. In fact-” Her mind drifted back to that night. The first Cyborg that attacked had attacked her. But, her mind flashed again replaying the scene. She had been standing in front of Tails. He had been it’s target not her. Cream got that sinking feeling deep inside her. She had only been an obstacle to the GraveDigger, Tails was the one it was after. And all that night… now it was clear. She gasped out loud…

The GraveDiggers wanted Tails. But…. Why?

The fox and hedgehog had now idea what they did but the Cyborgs had seemed to all simultaneously snap at once and were springing at them. Tails sprinted down the alleyway feeling a tendril of fear squirming up through his body. He had no idea why he was suddenly so afraid this time. He wanted to kill these things but he felt so desperately afraid. He bolted down the alleyway he and Shadow had fought in. Something like a bat was close on his heels. He turned around kicked a garbage can at it slowing it down. Tails blindly squeezed of a round at it through the trash and the creature fell back down. He stood there breathing heavily. He heard a loud snarl and he whirled around as a cybernetic cougar leaped and knocked him backward to the ground. As soon as Tails was hit he quickly thrust his legs out and as he was still falling he used the cougar’s jump momentum and kicked it off himself sending it into more alley trash.

Shadow was faced with his own troubles. He drop kicked the first large Grave Digger coming at him, then jumped over it and turned in the air kicked it in the back of the head sending crashing to the ground before it even fell from his first kick.

Shadow landed behind it and scoffed at it as he stood up. “Tch, your weakness disgusts me.” He turned to leave but was suddenly thrown to the ground as one of the Grave Diggers jumped on him grabbing him around the arms and forced him to the ground sending his assault rifle clattering to the street ground. Shadow tried to throw the thing off him but it held fast. The automatic rifle lay close by.

Tails crept behind a wall breathing heavily as his mind swirled like whirlpool. These were the Cyborgs he wanted to kill but now he felt afraid and-

A monkey GraveDigger screeched loudly as it jumped at Tails disturbing his thoughts. “Shut up, I’m trying to think!” He angrily yelled doing a judo kick to the side of its head silencing it.
He was about to go around the corner but something clubbed him in the face he and went down hard, his pistol falling to the ground. Tails felt himself hit the alley floor. He rolled backwards and sprung to his feet. He saw a huge fist coming back at him and bent over backwards as fast as he could and with some amazing balance he brought his leg swinging around cracking the creature’s arm. Thankfully it had used it’s organic arm. Tails then kicked his leg straight up striking it’s chin and fell backwards with a moan.

Shadow slid his knees underneath himself since the beetle Cyborg had it’s leg-like appendixes wrapped around him. Shadow pushed his feet under himself and even with all his restricted movement was able to stand. One GraveDigger ran over and raised it’s cybernetic arm which happened to be modified Kalashnikov towards Shadow. He gulped and quickly spun around and as he heard the Kalashnikov’s shots ring out the gripping cyborg’s hold weakened as it was shot by it’s own and Shadow grabbed the beetle by the leg and flung it off himself and at the shooter.

Tails backed into Shadow. They both saw the group that they had just thrashed back and ready for more. “Didn’t we just kill them?” Shadow asked.

There was a sudden clapping sound. Shadow and Tails looked around the lights in the night.

“Well done, friends.” Said a voice as footsteps came from the alley again. Tails looked at the shape coming towards them. It was another GraveDigger. A cyborg cheetah. The one from Tails’ nightmares. It was Sonic’s murderer. Feral.

He was a little taller then Tails, and the entire right side of his body was cybernetically altered instead of just random limbs like the other Gravediggers. The steel of his mechanical parts glinted sadistically in the multicolored lights of the casinos. His robot eye gave an eerie green glow as his natural, eye which was also green regarded Tails and Shadow coldly.

It all came back to Tails in an instant. The moment of Sonic’s demise to all those years of his own isolation. The pain of that loss that had manifested itself into the black gleaming pistol Tails now held.

“You…” Tails said in a soft but dangerous whisper while pointing his free hand at Feral.
“Ahhh, so you remember me…” The cyborg said calmly. “…But then again it’s hard to remember the killer of your hero.” He said with a sneer.

Tails burned inside. “Think that’s funny do you?” Tails said trying to keep his voice level. “Well that’s alright…” Tails said cocking Dark Angel loudly. “Cause’ I’m here to return the favor!” He swung the gun in Feral’s direction.

“I’d love to stay and play but I have things to attend to.” Feral said calmly stepping back. He snapped his normal fingers.

Tails didn’t know why he did that but he kept his firearm trained on Feral’s face. He seemed surprisingly composed for someone at gunpoint.

Then there was the sound of heavy footfalls and sharp racket of steel scarping the brick walls of the alleyway in front of them. Finally a vague shape appeared. It was very bulky and when it came into the dim light they could see it was a huge Gravedigger mole. He was a dark brown color with scarred fur and his cybernetic eye was an eerie red that rather resembled an old fashioned car head light except more advanced. The red glow bobbed like a ghastly specter in the dark alleyway. Both the mole’s fore arms where cybernetic and his paws were fashioned into long steel claws. Each finger was a long 12 inch blade as a finger. He came out of the alleyway and stood a little bit behind Feral who still stood facing Tails with Shadow standing a little bit behind them both.
“You called?” The huge mole said in raspy voice.
“And who the heck are you?” Tails said pistol still raised and trained on Feral trying to keep an eye on both Feral and the mole.
“It’s not very polite to point guns at people you know.” Feral said mockingly.
“It’s not very polite to murder people by pushing them off flying fortresses either. You bamboozle.” Tails snapped angrily at Feral. “And I know it was you who did it.”
“Goodness, very accusing aren’t we? But if Sonic was here, what do you think he would say about that object your holding?” Feral said mockingly while motioning to Dark Angel with disdain.
Tails felt his hand involuntarily shake.
“Tails! It’s a trick!” Shadow said from behind.
“Oh yes, think of him screaming to you not to become like the black hedgehog behind you. He’s a killer you know. Thousands died at his filthy hands.” Feral said narrowing his eyes at Shadow.
The fox’s grip on the firearm loosened and Tails looked over his shoulder at Shadow.
“Severic, butcher them both.” Feral said walking back into the dark alley and vanishing into the blackness.
“Well dearies shall we get a choppin’?” Severic said in a sadistically giddy voice.
He began to walk towards them slowly while scraping his claws together which made a sound like two big knives sharpening against each other.
“Would you knock that off… It’s very irritating.” Shadow said appearing non afraid of the mole.
Severic gave a laugh which sounded like a gag. “It won’t bother you for long deary!” He jumped right over Tails and made a wide swing with his claws at Shadow who smoothly back flipped over the claws and landed neatly next to the samurai sword he had discarded earlier. He slid his shoe underneath the blade and flipped it up into his hand.
Tails stood gun lowered to his side. His mind was spinning again. Sonic mad… Sonic hated guns. Would Sonic be mad at him for using a gun? No wait sonic was dead… But would he still be angry? The thought squirmed like a snake through his mind.
Severic swung again at Shadow with one hand. Shadow leaped straight up avoiding it, then he took his own sword in both hands. He brought it over his head and made a downwards slash at the mole who blocked the sword with his bladed fingers. Shadow while still in the air spun himself around in a spiral making a horizontal cut to the right at Severic’s head. The mole thwarted the attempt by ducking forward. He quickly reached up and grabbed shadow by the ankle and threw him against a wall. Shadow felt his head smack the brick hard and his vision went rather fuzzy. He could feel his senses falter as he saw the mole’s shape approaching.

Tails kept thinking about Feral. How he wanted to kill that cat. But his words were pecking at the inside of his mind. ‘Sonic hates guns sonic hates guns sonic hates guns…’
Tails dropped Dark Angel and gripped his head with both hands. He cried out as he hit his knees and tried to get Feral and all the memories out of his head. His mind was whirling madly again. He could feel himself about to collapse again. In the spinning of his thoughts something came to him, Feral had said Shadow was a killer too, so Feral and Shadow were both enemies…? But there was so much noise in his head and outside the alley. He couldn’t concentrate; his mind couldn’t focus on a single thought. ‘Am I going insane?’

The black hedgehog shook his head trying to straighten out his self. He made quick dodge roll forward and avoided the mole’s cleaver like fingers. He then rolled to his feet and took his emerald out of his small backpack.

Severic swerved back around and made another attempt to skew him but Shadow quickly used the emerald’s power and warped away.
“Hey! No fair!” Severic yelled at Shadow who was now on top of a building a safe distance away.

“All’s fair in love and war and this thankfully is not love.” Shadow said.
Severic jabbed his fingers into a nearby car, heaved it over his head and hurled it at Shadow. The black hedgehog nimbly leaped upwards and gave a powerful swing and with a deft stroke cleaved the car in half. He swung the blade skillfully over his head ready for more as the other two halves of the car crashed behind him.

Tails was still kneeling clutching his head trying to find himself. The anger he had for everyone underestimating him, the media making him look like the victim, the cyborgs and killers… everything he was beginning to hate more and more. “They die now,” Tails grimly told himself. “I don’t care what it takes, they shall die!” He said out aloud. The fear he felt earlier… there was to be no more of that he told himself. Now they were going to be the victims.

Shadow took a running leap and did a double jump into the air gaining momentum as he came down at Severic with his sword raised over his head. The same move he tried to use on Tails earlier. Severic however saw the move coming and crisscrossed his claws and when Shadow came down he grabbed the blade and swung both the hedgehog and sword around and let go sending shadow crashing through a bus and into a another brick wall. He hit the wall with a loud thud and slumped to the ground unmoving. His sword fell clattering away from him.

Severic lumbered over to where he was laying and raised his hand eager to kill.

“Lights out deary.” Suddenly he coiled back screaming. He looked over his shoulder.

Tails stood his arm stretched out to the side. The mole followed Tails’ arm to see Judgment Day in Tails’ hand with a small streak of blood on the tip of the blade.
I’ll get you for that!” Severic said cursing.
“I’m always afraid. Always running.” Tails gripped to sword with both hands and held it vertically upwards in a ‘ready to strike’ stance. “But no more. Now I’m ready to fight.”

Tails ran at him sword standing by as he charged. Severic lunged out at him. Tails jumped to the side but was sliced on his shoulder. Tails rolled to the ground with a rip in his coat and a long bleeding gash. Tails lay on his back slightly dazed. He dodge rolled to the side as Severic plunged both sets of claws into the ground where he was lying. Tails caught himself and vengefully struck at Severic’s head. Severic blocked with his blades and sword glanced off with sparks.
Severic countered with a long swipe. Tails easily flipped backwards avoiding them
“You’re so predictable.” Tails booed.
Severic cursed a threat and attacked again. Tails countered with a quick right diagonal strike.
Severic caught the sword with both hands. However he couldn’t throw Tails with his current certain grip.

Tails kept trying to over power him but Severic was holding trying to hold the sword back. The two strained as they tried to out maneuver each other.

Severic quickly swung his leg under Tails knocking him off balance. Then he raised his claws and slashed downwards. Tails brought his legs up in a flash and kicked Severic in the midsection knocking him backwards. The mole staggered clumsily and fell backward. Tails leapt at him and brought the sword straight down an inch away from the mole’s face.
“Where are they taking those prisoners?!” Tails demanded.
“What prisoners??!”
“The human man and other mobians fool!!”
“Oh them, well they’re being taken to be roboticized deary but I’ll never tell you!!”
“Then you’ll die.” Tails raised the sword again for the blow, but Severic bashed Tails with the metal side of his head and then kicked him off. Tails managed to catch him self on his feet and looked up.

He looked up and saw the mole charge at him. He tried to swing at Tails but the fox quickly swung Judgment Day hastily as the claws prepared to kill him.

There was scream and spray of blood.

And Tails fell backwards bleeding excessively and screaming as he tried to pull Severic’s cut off arm out of himself. It fell to the ground completely severed from the shoulder.

Severic yelled as he tried to hold his empty shoulder, blood staining his own claws.
“You wretched, @#&%$, fox. I’ll be back for you carcass later.” Severic spat. He lumbered away still trying to hold his shoulder.

Tails lay on the ground bleeding red everywhere. He was mortally wounded to the point his blood loss was causing him to slip in and out of reality. Shadows were getting bigger and smaller, and he thought he could see things moving. He tried to sit up and choked as he began coughing up blood. He fell back down. He tried to reach for his emerald.

It was gone.

The soft magenta purple glow soon caught his eyes. It was lying out of reach to the right.
He slowly and painfully dragged himself to it. Tails reached and his fingers brushed it’s perfectly angled surface. He strained his arm and grasped it. A warm rush went through him as he was slightly healed by it’s power.

Suddenly a white and red shoe came down on his hand. Tails snarled in pain as his hand was pressed against the now sharp emerald’s edges.

“Finders keepers.” Said Shadow looking down at him bleeding lightly from the side of his head from hitting the wall.

Tails growled and yanked his hand painfully from out of the heaviness of Shadow’s foot. Tails seethed with anger as he shakily stood up. His gloved hand stained in red whipped out and pointed Dark Angel at Shadow’s face.

Shadow gasped in alarm as he backed away.

“Wait Tails! What are you doing?!” he cried out raising his hands.

“He’s right,” Tails said in a deadly whisper still pointing straight for the hedgehog. “You’re a killer too.”

Shadow stood looking down the black barrel. “Tails… come on put that down.”

“The ultimate life form can’t escape unscathed from gunshot wounds can he?” Tails said, an sadistic grin beginning to come onto his face.

“Tails...” deep down he knew Tails wasn’t bluffing. The look on his face just didn’t match the way he thought he was. The way he used to be. Shadow sighed. “…I’m not proud of my entire past. But that doesn’t mean I delight in the pain of others.”

Tails tilted his head to the side. “Well let’s see you were ready to kill me in the alleyway over an emerald. I’d say that caused me pain. What’s to stop me from shooting you now? I could fire now and tell G.U.N. officers it was in self defense you know.”

Shadow said nothing with his hands still raised. He looked to the ground then looked back up. “Do you believe in forgiving others?” He said out of nowhere. Then he shook his head. “Listen are you going to stand there with me at gunpoint or rescue that friend of yours?”

Tails waited and then drew back the gun, sighed and closed his eyes. “You’re right. I’ve wasted too much time here. And I hate wasting time.”

Suddenly they heard a wailing sound and they both looked around as the siren drifted through the night filled with the neon lights of the casinos. Tails realized it was a G.U.N. siren. It was very close. He could see the car lights from around the corner illuminating the dark they had fought in.

Tails looked back and saw the flames of Shadow’s jets leaving the ravaged scene.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?!” Tails yelled after him.
Now the car was turning the corner. Tails’s field of vision flooded with a blinding yellow as the officers shinned a searchlight on him. He held up his hand in front of his face trying to shield his eyes from the light.

“Stay where you are! We have you surrounded!” The officer said through a megaphone. Tails could hear and another car pulling up behind him.

“It’s me Tails! I haven’t done anything wrong!” Tails yelled to them.
“Drop your weapon!” They called at him.

Tails looked down at his hand bearing Dark Angel’s gleaming shape. “Crap…” Tails began to raise his hands.

Suddenly there was an earsplitting engine roar. It quickly got louder and louder. It was the gritty roar of a motorcycle. Tails strained his eyes and he could see it. He did a double take. “What?!”

The bike was racing alongside the building coming right at them. It swerved off onto the ground and seemed to fly right over the squad cars. Tails couldn’t see the rider but-

He suddenly saw a white gloved hand reaching for his own hand. The white glove catching all the yellow shades of the searchlights for one moment.

“Grab on!”
And Tails did.

It felt like his arm was yanked out of it’s socket as Tails was swept up off the ground and dumped roughly onto the seat. Tails felt he was suspended in the air for a moment as the bike hit the ground with no acceleration. Shadow thumped Tails into the seat behind him and they both were jolted as the bike’s suspension absorbed the shock.

“Hold on tight and keep yourself together.” Shadow said with a smirk as he revved up the Saint Maria. The G.U.N. officer yelled and fired a warning shot as Shadow made the bike’s tires spin kicking up gravel and screamed away. Shadow was practically flooring it out of the alley and driving so fast Tails flung his arms out and grabbed Shadow around the abdomen for dear life. The motor roar was deafening in his ears.

They screamed around sharp turns and only by grace of God made it onto the highway with out crashing into oblivion.

Tails continued his death grip around Shadow as they sped rapidly along the road going at a speed that just had to be illegal. In fact with Shadow it probably was.
Tails looked over his shoulder behind them and there were the G.U.N. officers behind them giving chase as if to confirm his fear.

“Shadow!” Tails yelled over the motor’s roar. “We’re running from G.U.N.!”
“I know.” Shadow replied.
“They’re the law!”
“Those two-faced, contradicting potheads wouldn’t know the law if it bit their butts!” Shadow yelled. Images of Maria came to his mind.

Tails recalled past encounters with G.U.N. and went over it in his head.
“I guess you’re right… crap.”

“What?” Shadow asked.

“Now we’re BOTH fugitives.” Tails stated.

“You know it...”

“Whatever. Hey, how did you drive along the wall like that?”

“Magic of course.” Shadow smirked.

Shadow continued their insane ride as he dashed and zigzagged through the traffic as the officers behind them tried to catch them. Shadow weaved around cars far surpassing them in speed. Tails risked a glance over his shoulder and judging by the distance of their pursuers it appeared they would never overtake them.

Suddenly Tails remembered that in all the commotion he’d forgotten about the kids back in the hotel...
‘Oh no. I’ve left them alone way to long! What if the GraveDiggers attack while I’m gone?’ Tails became filled with a new terrible anxiety.

Meanwhile back at the hotel the supervisor who was supposed to be taking care of Mori and Ragnarok had had a long day and fallen asleep slumped in a chair in the room Tails had rented. Unfortunately it was a mistake tonight. The light in the room was on and a small shape crept towards the sleeping man.

A sudden scream cracked the silence. Ragnarok stood on top of the bed watching a horror movie on the TV. A victim lay on the floor screaming loudly.
“Why aren’t they running away?” the small chimera pondered. Then began jumping up and down on the bed during a chase scene.

Mori crept over to the sleeping now snoring man and poked his cheek.

“Woah, he sleeps so weird!” She exclaimed amused. She then walked to a corner of the small hotel room and lay down by several scattered crayons and sheets of paper all with childish crayon drawings of her and Tails in various activities and places. She took up a crayon and kept drawing.

Cream sat on a log outside the meeting hut in Knothole. She gave a weary sigh. Her thoughts on everything that was happening just made her feel so tired inside.

“There you are suger.” Said Bunnie coming over to her. “I’ve been looking for you. How’re you feeling?” Bunnie asked now standing right next to Cream.

“I think I’m fine. Just tired that’s all.” Cream said though inside she was very worried for Tails’ sake. Cream didn’t even know Bunnie that well. But for some reason listening to her warm southern accent just made her feel safe for some strange reason.

“I’m really sorry about earlier. You know the whole way we met earlier.” Bunnie apologized.
“It’s okay, I can understand the way you must feel with the Grave Diggers running around.” Cream said.

After awhile of driving the streets became less crowded and the officers gave up and left. Eventually Shadow allowed the bike to slow down and they were cruising at a leisurely but efficient pace. They had picked up the children and had them sitting asleep in between them. Now they were just rather drifting through the city with nothing after them or anything. All was quiet except for the droning of the motor.

“Shadow…” Tails said breaking the quiet. “why did you come back for me? Why didn’t you leave me to get arrested? And please don’t say because I have your emerald.”

Shadow didn’t say anything at first. He just stared ahead thinking. Then he answered, “Because you didn’t answer my question earlier. I asked you if you believed in forgiving others.”

Tails sat quietly for several seconds. “…When I was young,” Tails said very quietly. “When I was young I believed there was good in everyone and that everything was for the better. But now…” Tails’ mind thought of Feral the evil he had committed. He could never forgive his appalling crime. Tails narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “Now Shadow, I can’t believe in something like that. After everything that’s happened to me I just can’t.” Tails said finally shaking his head despondently.

“I see. No forgiveness… no redemption.” Shadow said in a quiet forlorn voice.

Tails could’ve sworn that he thought he saw a small tear glistening in Shadow’s eye.
The rest of the ride was in an awkward silence…

To be continued…
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Alex7950's avatar
emotional just what a good story needs this great
i can read this for hours this is cool
i'm interested more and more by the minute