Gift Of The Forest
By Phantom Flickering Gundam-Ryuu and The Chuckinator
Chapter 1: A Shocking Truth Brought To Light
Shadow walked slowly through the halls of GUN Headquarters, his mind in turmoil as he stared at the slip of paper clutched in his trembling hand. H-How is this...even possible? He thought. I'm...I thought I was...a genetically engineered life form...how can he be my brother?
He found himself thinking back to when this shocking news was passed to him: the GUN Commander having summoned him to his office after a routine series of tests and checkups all GUN operatives took on a daily basis. It was only a few minutes ago. The Commander looked at him when he walked in.
"I have something you'd be interested in, Shadow," Commander Towers said, handing Shadow the paper.
Shadow had raised an eyebrow at this. "What's this, Commander?"
"Your DNA report. We recently did a DNA test...and yours matches Sonic's. You're his brother."
Shadow's eyes widened and he snapped his gaze down to the paper, unconsciously allowing his mouth to fall slightly open as he read the words on it. After a moment, he looked at the Commander again, eyes blazing with confusion, and some anger.
"H-How could he be my brother? I'm an experiment from the ARK!"
The Commander shook his head. "You were never created on the ARK, Shadow. You were born to the same parents as Sonic, and was kidnapped by GUN at a young age, then experimented on in the ARK."
Shadow opened and closed his mouth silently, then clenched his fists, rage sparking in his eyes as an angry shout escaped him. "You kidnapped me? You bastards KIDNAPPED ME?!"
"We did kidnap you, and Sonic as well. The two of you have...a strange DNA pattern...and we wanted to find out what it was."
"Just because we had strange DNA...you thought that gave you the right to kidnap us?" Shadow questioned in a dangerous tone of voice, tensing up as he did so.
"Your DNA is a mix of an anthropomorphic hedgehog and a normal wolf, so yes. It's...lycanthropic."
Shadow froze. "Are you saying...that we're...werewolves?"
The Commander studied Shadow for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "Half," Commander Towers said. "Only a bite from a full-blooded werewolf will awaken your wolf forms. And when it does, you will not be the same."
"What do you mean, Commander?" Shadow questioned. "Will we have wolfish behaviors and characteristics?"
"You will. You'll also have enhanced senses and abilities, as well as the weaknesses of a werewolf. But most of all...you'll be immortal."
Shadow stared at the Commander in shock. He and Sonic would be immortal? "Immortal?" Shadow whispered.
The Commander nodded. "Yes, you and Sonic will be immortal once becoming werewolves. That's the reason that we kidnapped the two of you when you were children. We wanted to learn the secret of immortality that happened to be in yours...and Sonic's...genes."
Shadow frowned. He grew even angrier as a Chaos Spear appeared in his hands as he began to shout at the Commander.
"Tell me...Commander," Shadow hissed, "Did you learn that particular secret at the cost of our FREEDOM?!" Abraham Towers gulped and nodded. "Then at least our childhood wasn't lost for nothing, eh?" Shadow's snarl had Towers cowering, even more so when he saw the Chaos Spear lengthen in Shadow's hands. Shadow glared at the man silently for a moment. "Pathetic...Tell me...why was I lead to believe I was an experiment instead of being returned to my parents with Sonic? And your answer had better be good, or this Chaos Spear will be shoved somewhere quite sensitive."
Towers gulped and nodded, unconsciously moving his hands to cover himself. "Your parents were killed by GUN when we took the two of you," he said. "Sonic escaped after we...experimented on him. You, however, we had to keep at the request of Gerald Robotnik to study."
Shadow's eyes widened in shock. He glared at the human and began to choke him. GUN killed his parents and used him? "You bastard KILLED OUR PARENTS?!" Shadow roared, shaking Towers, who was turning blue in the face. Shadow snarled at him once more, then loosened his grip, but not releasing it. "Why did Gerald want to keep me for study?" Shadow paused. "Was it for Maria? And your experiments...are they the source of Sonic's speed?"
"We never meant to kill your parents!" The Commander shouted. "A soldier went against our orders!" Shadow scoffed at that and shook his head, not believing what he said. "As for keeping you, it was for studying your lycanthropy, as well as Sonic's. But Sonic escaped, like I said, after we experimented on the both of you. The experiments we did endowed the both of you with powers: speed and Chaos Powers."
"Hmph, at least the experiments did one good thing." Shadow dropped Towers and cancelled the Chaos Spear as he turned around and began to walk to the door.
"What are you doing?"
Shadow turned his head and threw him his GUN badge. "I'm quitting. Are you so full of yourself to think I would stay with the Organization that lied to me my whole life, and is the reason I'm an orphan?"
"Sonic's an orphan as well!" The Commander insisted.
Shadow glared at him as tears ran down his face. He looked away from the Commander, and ran off at the speed of sound, sobbing as he did so. The Commander watched him go, pity evident in his eyes. He sighed before turning to stare out his window, knowing the higher ups would be there to deal with him shortly. He smiled sadly; he had after all revealed the most classified secret GUN had claim to.
Good luck with your new life...Shadow the Hedgehog, he thought.
