Dark City

Chapter 1: Welcome to Hell

(Shadow Narrating)

I woke up in a sleazy hotel room in the worst part of Night Babylon. The walls were stained with various fluids; beer, food, and god knows what else. Water didn't drip from the rusted sink faucets, instead it was a muck-like sludge or sewage. I had saved this world plenty of times and this is the thanks I get? Figures. Should've known better than to trust G.U.N. and their empty promises. Should've killed them when I had the chance. Should've…

My throat was parched and all I had to satisfy my thirst was a half empty bottle of whiskey. Not exactly my favorite, but in these parts you could get a crate of bootleg alcohol for 10 dollars. Who could pass that up?

It was only a few minutes ago when my eyes shot open. Three in the morning, I never usually woke up at this hour but something made me wake up. A feeling. Something telling me I shouldn't be asleep. And then it happened, an explosion on the south side of Metropolis. You could feel the vibration throughout the entire city. The flames were pretty hard to miss, considering the monstrosity of a machine that was producing them. Another invention of the doctor, I assume. After that, all you could here were the screams of the feeble minded fools running with no heads on their shoulders, metaphorically of course.

I stood at the window watching as havoc ensued the once peaceful city. Harmony never settled for long here, not with the doctor and all his failing attempts at taking over this place. What was so special about this one city? Why build the Eggman Empire here? It doesn't matter really, that blue hedgehog will come and do the Governments dirty work for them. And sure enough, there he was on T.V. being followed by dozens of news reporters trying their best to stay at his heels.

Then something unexpected and unwanted happened…I got a knock at my door. This could be anyone; GUN soldiers trying to pin this on me, Sonics little friends asking for my help, or even the good doctor himself via, floating video screen. I yelled across the room to whomever was at the door, "Who is it?" No answer, that's never a good sign. I didn't feel like waiting all night to find out who was on the other side of that door so without hesitation I unlocked the old, beat up plank of wood to see a bat, a white bat in a purple, leather trench coat and large hat that matched it. She seemed familiar but she had her head at an angle that I couldn't see her features. Then she looked at me, it was Rouge. She has inviting eyes and a seductive smile but I could see right through her, through her disguise. She wanted something, and somehow I knew nothing good would come of this.

Without even waiting for me to say something she walked right in as if it were her room and not mine. She walked around examining the small, dirty room. "Nice place." she said with an obvious, sarcastic tone. I didn't know what she wanted and I didn't want her to be here. She took off her coat and hat, rested them on the chair at the table, and sat on the bed.

"So how have you been?" She asked, trying not to sound too suspicious. I look at her with resent, but then I found I couldn't look away. She was the first friendly face I'd seen in a while, the first smile I'd seen in a while. "What do you want Rouge?" I tried my best not to sound too callous towards her. "Just droppin' in to see how things are going." Rouge got up and stood parallel to me, far too close for my own comfort. I tried to step back a few feet but I reached nothing but wall. She leans in closer, cutting me off from any escape. Smiling seductively she says, "I need you to help me with something."

-Hours Later-

I wasn't sure what had exactly happened. I re-awoke in a daze. I couldn't find my head to save my life. Everything became confusing all at once. Then I remembered she was here. But what had happened after that? I found a note she left on my pillow. It read, "Shadow, I had to go. Sorry I couldn't stay for a second round, I got a call on a lead for some more treasure. Oh, by the way, thanks for agreeing to that thing we talked about. See ya!"

"Just what the hell did we talk about and why can't I remember?" Something wasn't right about all this. Then the phone rang, it was Vector. He told me he needed to talk to me right away. He sounded strange. Something was bothering him. He said to meet him down at the Black Den, so I grabbed my coat and gun and headed out the door to meet him. I jumped on my bike and sped through the streets of Night Babylon.

It was a bad day and it was about to get a whole lot worse. The Black Den was a bar, a bar for the worst of the worse and the lowest of the low. The kind of place you'd see Hitler and Satan playing poker. It had gotten its bad reputation from the series of deaths that occur nightly. But it was my kind of place.

I got to the door when some steroid fiend stepped in front of me and told me to turn around, after laying him out I met Vector at the bar. Welcomed with four bottles and a pitcher, I sat down and asked him to explain himself.

"So what's this all about?"

He handed me a classified envelope with some pictures inside.

"I found these in Rouge's house." He sat flatly. They were pictures of me. Places I've been going, people I've been talking to. Even a few of Vector and I here at the Black Den.

"What the hell? Rouge? You say she's the one who took these?

"Yeah and I'm not sure why. All I can say is that she's after something." Vector down a beer and ordered another. "Just make sure to avoid her. Has she tried to contact you or anything?"

"No." I lied. Whatever she's up to, it's already started. I assumed we had sex and I was just too drunk to remember but it would seem that she's planning something. "I've got to go." I took the pictures and left the bar. "Don't do anything stupid!" Vector shouted as I got back on my bike.

So I drove. I didn't know where I was going or what I was doing. All I knew was that I couldn't go back to my shit-hole of an apartment. "Don't do anything stupid." I thought to myself. It was too late for that. I had to find Rouge.