I wrote a whole summary for the Author's Note, but then I accidentally 'x'ed out of the page I was on because I was reading fanfiction and listening to music and reading about Sonic stuff in preparation for this story. I am not going to write it again. -.-
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER AND ALL OTHER CHAPTERS AFTER THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT SHADOW'S PAST.
However, I am still trying to work on the next chapter for Knight of the Stars. I've been incredibly uninspired and am trying to figure out how to work things into the story. However, I started writing the chapter, and I think that I have a tiny idea on what to do. If it's not out by early July, then I'm banned from the computer for a year. I'm serious. -.-
So anyway, I've been a fan of Shadow the Hedgehog since I first saw him in Sonic X. Honestly, who wouldn't love that adorable little fluffball full of joy and peace? -3- Oh wait, I'm thinking about Kirby. Oh, well. Shadow's still cool. So a few years ago at age nine or somesuch, I discovered he had his own game, and I rented it. Fell in love with it. And I bought it about two years ago. Still love it. Still love Black Doom, and Shadow, and Rouge, and everybody! (Yes, even Eggman. You can kill him, which is kinda disturbing.)
IN WHICH SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG STRUGGLES BETWEEN THE MORALS OF SAVING THE EARTH FROM EXTINCTION AND ALLYING WITH AN EVIL RACE INTENT ON DESTROYING THE PLANET WITH WHICH HE HAS A SURPRISING CONNECTION WITH.
...Seems I ended up repeating what I said and was deleted, after all. ... *clicks 'Save'*
An allegiance with the humans was the best way to get them to lower their guard. By fooling them into believing that they were allies, it was easy to gather the information they needed, make proper observations of the planet below, and strike a bargain with the leading scientist. The scientists would later be destroyed by the Black Arms, and the amusement they served for him would dissipate.
It took Black Doom a lot of persuading to get his alien offspring to believe the idea that it was simply for amusement, simply for enjoyment. He meant nothing by it. They'd destroy the evidence afterwards, he said, like it never existed. So, hesitantly, the Black Arms Army went along with what their leader wished, and they contacted the Space Colony A.R.K.
"Splendid," said the head scientist. "We'll see you here in fifteen minutes, then?"
Black Doom agreed. He had seen what humans looked like, what to expect. The scientist, however, had never seen one of his kind. So, of course, when they finally shared words and saw each other in person, he was surprised to find that Black Doom looked so, as he put it, 'strange'. How absurdly disrespectful - to refer to the most renowned leader of any race in the cosmos as such; he had half a mind to strangle the plump man where he stood. But alas, it would be useful to him to hear what he had to say.
He spoke of creating the 'Ultimate Life Form'; a creature that can withstand any strike and live almost eternally nigh aging. A creature who could combat any illness and heal from the worst of injuries in mere minutes. A creature that has high intelligence, combat skills, strength, speed, and flexibility. The more Black Doom thought about it, the more he was intrigued. The more he was intrigued, the more he desired to learn. Could such a perfect being exist? he thought. Surely this is just tales of fantasy, after all.
But no. They were already testing and forming bound bodies so that they could see - which would best befit the Ultimate Life Form? Does the form even matter?
The closest thing that they'd gotten, apparently, was that the 'Ultimate Life Form' was a large, unnatural-looking brown lizard that required a life support system. Funny, he thought as the lizard tried to catch the scientists in a dark ball of shadowed electricity. Ironic that the greatest creature on Earth needs life support. Humans are far more pitiful than I first thought.
Black Doom was a scientist in his own right. He could see with great ease that the power was impairing its sense of judgement and its intelligence. The life support system was required simply because the strength it had not mastered was destroying it from the inside. What it needed was a way to interfere with this power - a way to intercept and restrain it.
But when Professor Gerald asked his thoughts on the matter, Black Doom claimed ignorance and explained that he would deeply consider the options. The proposal, after all, may prove to be useless. He wouldn't want to unveil any information to the scientist if he wasn't getting anything in return because it would defeat the whole purpose.
"Our hypothesis is that the Biolizard, as we call him, has no control over the energy within it. Reflecting on it now, it was idiotic of us to think that it would be able to master it from the start. This is potentially the Ultimate Life Form, but until our studies are completed, we are willing to render it inconclusive." He let loose a short laugh. "After all, what kind of 'Ultimate Life Form' needs machines to live off of?"
Hmm... perhaps the professor wasn't as stupid as he first believed. They might get along better - or worse - than he thought.
"Have you considered ways to inhibit the energy?" Black Doom pondered, watching him with deep trepidation. The intelligence that this man displayed, even, was worrisome. What if their plot was discovered before the time came?
The professor looked evenly at him, and despite him being smaller and weaker than Black Doom, there was no denying that his intelligence was strong and his confidence sure. "Well," he said, voice steady, "we were thinking that on the next attempt, we might try using rings."
"Rings?"
Well, perhaps he didn't have anything to worry about. If 'rings' were the best he could come up with, he'd hate to see the worst. Black Doom almost allowed himself a chuckle, before he remembered - no, he did not mean those rings, the ones that you place upon your fingers and displayed to the world. He meant those rings, the ones that mysteriously appeared in the universe many years before them. The ones that could repair machines slowly but steadily with their strange energy. How could he forget about those rings?
But don't rings give off power? How could an object filled with energy inhibit energy? Especially energy that the so-called 'Ultimate Life Form' would have! The idea was preposterous... unless...
"Have you discovered a way to have these rings contain and restrain energy?" he asked.
Gerald's head lowered. Gradually, he shook it. "No, not yet," he admitted.
"Hmm... such a shame," replied the alien lord, smiling devilishly on the inside, though he couldn't smile physically in this form. "Perhaps it would have been a great partnership, professor. But if you have no method of retaining energy now, then how can you expect me to assist you?
This was simply an effort to take note of how the professor would react. Black Doom had the technology to create an inverse of energy that would act as the energy's shackles and hold it down until the owner of the power wished to let it loose. Occasionally he made it so that his prisoners would be unable to expend any of their energy at all.
Around them, the A.R.K. hummed. The lights on the ceiling were bright and stable. The only researcher in the area had just entered the room and stopped, staring at Black Doom with his own trepidation. Trepidation that he no longer felt, for if he fell for his little joke, it would give him the cue to leave - possibly destroy the A.R.K. and continue along his merry way.
But Gerald wasn't an idiot, he found. Rather than resort to begging on his hands and knees like a sniveling little swine-bug, he instead drew himself up and said, surely, "I beg to differ, Lord Doom, that you haven't got technology to match our own. After all, how else would you have been able to create a whole civilization on a comet - excuse me," he added, seeing the dark lord tense - "black comet. You're very intelligent, I can see this. It would truly be an honor if you'd give me the chance to work with you."
The man was sincere, polite, and straight to the point. Just as Doom was about to say something else, the professor added, "Besides, I'm sure you've always wanted an heir to your throne."
What do heirs have to do with anything? he thought, startled. Was the professor truly so desperate that he would give away the Ultimate Life Form to a complete stranger - an extraterrestrial warlord, at that! Surely things were more complicated than they seemed. Quietly, Black Doom thought, but in reality, he was tapping into the professor's memory banks.
He saw a young eleven-year-old girl who was fatally ill and needed treatment they didn't have. There was no known cure. Despite her illness, it seemed that he brought her to the A.R.K. His granddaughter, possibly? Apparently she had a disease called Neuro-Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, which weakened the nervous system while also weakening the immune system.
He was doing this for her. It was all for her. He must love her very much, he pondered. How foolish - forming sentimental attachments to children was nothing but a waste of time. Then again, for the Ultimate Life Form to be among his ranks - the Black Arms... the offer was tempting.
However, there must have been a catch. The professor surely wouldn't just let him have the Ultimate Life Form. Gerald surely knew who he was, what he would do with the creature. Wouldn't it be dangerous for the human race?
No, to have an heir would be disastrous. Even if it was the Ultimate Life Form, it would be difficult to calculate whether or not he could trust it. Black Doom shook his head. "No, I'm perfectly fine without an heir of my own," he said coldly, "though I do sincerely appreciate your concern."
Gerald's head hung, and Black Doom decided he'd had enough playing around. However, as he turned away, he caught out the corner of his eye a bright scarlet gleam, which attracted his attention. He paused for a moment before hovering toward it, sensing the power that lay within. Chaos power... could it truly be?
The red Chaos Emerald lay in a machine that was attached to the life support system on Biolizard's back. It shone with great strength as it emitted chaotic waves that were caught by the machine and transferred back into the gigantic lizard. Bemused, he extended a hand to tap his finger on the glass keeping him from touching the Emerald. "This," he said suddenly, "this red emerald - where did you get it from?"
"Where...?" said the professor, looking up. "Oh! Where? I got it down there on Earth," he explained. "The government provided it for us to use for Project Shadow."
"Project Shadow?" he asked, turning back to the lead scientist. "Why is it named that?"
The scientist's good humor made him chuckle, and he put a finger over his grey, thickly-mustached mouth. "To remind everyone about how quiet we need to keep it," he admitted, which seemed like a plausible explanation for Black Doom. Ah, well. That wasn't what concerned him. What did concern him was where exactly the rest of the Chaos Emeralds were. Here was the red one - the one for power; how long would it take for the humans to collect the rest?
Hmm...
Perhaps he would have a use for the Ultimate Life Form, after all.
YAY FIRST CHAPTER OF SHADOW'S PAST. In case you can't tell, this has spoilers and stuff from Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (which I also have).
I'm telling you, this didn't take too long. It seems whenever I start a story, it's like all on full power or something, but when I get three chapters in, I get really drained. ._.
So Biolizard's TECHNICALLY Shadow's big brother. XD
The first few chapters will be basically the cooperation between Black Doom and Gerald Robotnik, who is the grandfather of Maria Robitnik and Dr. Eggman. So I think that basically makes Maria and Eggman siblings. ._.
This took a lot of studying. Seriously. I went on the Sonic wiki and read all this stuff. I read it about Gerald, I read it about Shadow, and Black Doom (who is voiced by the same voice actor as GOKU FROM DRAGON BALL), and Project Shadow, and Maria (kinda, not really), and even a little on the history of the Black Arms Army. O.O