Chapter One: a plot considered
The only light filtering though the compact den was given off by the surplus of gauges, buttons, and other various switches held within its recesses. Everything in the dimly lit area was metal. How a living thing could even survive in the completely mechanical shell of a room would be astounding. Yet something was living in the space- something that had done so for many years long past.
A body shifted, as though it had just awakened from a drugged slumber. In the faint light of the room, the dull living tissue stood out in sharp contrast to the reflective, hard-edged, industrial, lifeless surfaces surrounding it. A groan could be heard emanating from the being, expressing some masculinity in its voice. As the creature lifted its oddly shaped head it was apparent that the entity was a human male. He had a rather large mustache, and from the physical condition of his body it was obvious he did not move around often.
The man hung his head down once more, but this time not to rest. He heaved a deep sigh and shifted himself forward toward a blackened computer screen in standby. As the LCD lit up, the man's identity came into full view within the still shadowy cubicle. His expression seemed despondent and his features gave the impression of a man who had lost all drive in his life. Finally, he voiced his desperation to the emptiness around him, "All these years…..all this effort and what do I have to show for it?"
He paused in tension as though he waited for the unconsciousness enveloping him to somehow respond back.
"NOTHING!!" He roared as he slammed his fists hard against the control panel in front of his portly midsection. The screen started to show random visuals from different areas around the world. He obviously had tapped into various satellites surrounding the planet, some of them showing classified governmental areas never before seen by an outsider to their locations, save this disconsolate oddity of a human.
"What do I have to show for myself? What have I done to set my place in history forever? I still haven't even conquered that speeding blue terror…."
A visual of a restricted island base completely demolished passed over the screen.
"My grandfather left his legacy. His curse of an ultimate life form will succeed him forever…"
He suddenly paused in his vocalized lament as a revelation came to form in his mind. As he began to process the idea, an image of a dark quilled creature skating along a forested area came into focus, as though summoned by his thoughts.
"Shadow"