Disclaimer: IDONOTOWNSHADOWTHEHEDGEHOG.
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.:Knight in Black Armor.:
.:Chapter 1: Punishment, Thy Name Is Ruin.:
50 Years ago, Space Colony ARK:
Vague memories...that is all that remains. What am I doing here, and what is happening to me? I am cold...very cold. My body feels weightless and I can't move. What is going on in those fragmented memories of mine? Even as I think, my thoughts are shattered and disorganized.
These ethereal voices in my head won't cease their laments, they scream and mourn constantly. And I wonder: why are they crying? What happened to these poor souls to make them grieve so terribly?
But amongst those that lament, there is a stronger voice, one that holds nothing but defiance and supernatural strength. He addresses me like I am his brother, but I cannot answer. My mind is so fragmented right now...
And slowly, I force my eyes to open...and the lamenting stops. I hear no voices...perhaps I was dreaming?
A quick look about the room reveals that I am in some sort of capsule, nestled in what looks like a lab of some sort.
But the lights are bright and they hurt my eyes, so I close them and sink back into the Darkness again, where I am greeted by the mournful voices once more.
Why must they grieve so much? Can't they just be quiet so I can sleep peacefully?
And there is another voice...soft, feminine, and it quietens the lamenting voices. It soothes my own soul, and I listen intently.
"What...he...experiment...? Why..."
What I hear comes in fragments, and it seems that fragments are all I'm made of...my thoughts...my mind...my hearing...my soul...it all lies in shards.
My soul flares up in resentment of my flawed senses...and I slowly sink into a deep, dreamless sleep.
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Present time, Westopolis, 12:00
Emily sat on the soft, green grass, basking in the warm, April sun. It was just warm enough to wear short sleeves, and she happily did so as the sun played on her pale skin.
She held a strawberry ice-cream cone in one hand, which had started to melt and drip down the cone. A book about the supernatural lay open in front of her, and she studied it dubiously.
The child was definitely an eccentric one, no surprise as her father was the commander of G.U.N. She held an unbridled interest in things people didn't understand, and the young girl strove to learn as much about it as possible.
Everything about her was strange, from the way she dressed (vintage Victorian and Rococo style dresses) to the things she was interested in (aliens to ghosts).
She wore one of these dresses now, frilly, delicate, and very detailed. Her big blue eyes scanned the pages of the book frantically, searching for something within the pages.
"Where is it...that article I wanted to read about those...those...uhhh...Black Arms! Yeah, that's it."
She took a few licks of her melting ice cream before going back to the book. "Hmmm...There it is!"
"Emily, what are you doing? Your dress is going to be filthy."
"Oh! Hiya, Dad!" Emily sprung up from the grass. "Look at this new book I found!" She thrust the book into her father's large hands, and he slowly flipped through the book. One white eyebrow raised slowly before glancing down at his beaming daughter.
"That's...great, honey. You're going to know more about aliens than the guys back at the base."
An incredulous look crossed her face and she bounced up and down happily. "Ooh! Do you think they can teach me about aliens? I wanna know what they know!! I bet they know a lot don't they?"
The Commander chuckled. "Ok, ok that's enough ice cream for you."
"What's that gotta do with aliens?"
The Commander shook his head as he lead his daughter away from the meadow, listening to his daughter's excited jabbering. "...and aliens can even eat humans too! Can you believe that? Aliens eat humans!!"
"Those must be some big aliens," the Commander remarked as she continued to yap. "Yeah! So big they could just swallow you! They just pick you up and gulp!" She clapped her hands together as she jumped into the black seat of her father's Jeep.
"Emily, I think Shadow said he was going to drop by for a while. We should get going so he won't get bored."
"Do you think Shadow knows about aliens? I bet he's seen lots of aliens living out in space for so long!"
The Commander's face hardened briefly before responding, "Yes, I'm sure he has."
Emily stopped jabbering. "What's wrong, Dad?"
"Oh...nothing."
The Commander started the Jeep and the two started off back to the base. The drive was made in silence, with Emily sneaking worried looks at her tense father.
Finally she spoke. "What's wrong? What did Shadow do?"
"It's nothing, Emily. Shadow's just...had a bad past."
A quizzical look clouded Emily's face, but disappeared when she saw the black and red hedgehog leaning against the doorframe. His crimson eyes were half-lidded, and he looked tired, or bored.
"Shaddie!!" Emily cried out before hopping out of the Jeep. A smirk formed on his face as barely veiled excitement came into his eyes.
No matter how much Shadow said Emily was an annoyance to him, everyone knew that he enjoyed her company and quirky attitude. They could see it in his eyes, the way they seemed to dance with happiness when she was around.
She gave the black hedgehog a tight hug before batting at his chest fur, giggling as he swatted playfully at her.
Shadow was so different around her, like he was a totally different hedgehog when she was present. Suddenly she grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the base, most likely to interrogate him on aliens.
The Commander walked slowly into the base, taking off his coat. He flung the coat into the nearest chair as he sat down at his mahogany desk. His desk was absolutely piled in paperwork, and he knew he wouldn't be seeing Emily until Shadow left.
This was going to be hell.
"Hey, Leader." The sly voice made him jump, and he looked up to see a slender male hedgehog leaning against the doorframe. Said hedgehog was dark blue, with wild spikes that went every direction, and long silver bangs that hung down in his silver eyes. Dark circles framed his eyes, making them stand out from the rest of his face. Three black belts encircled his slender waist, while his boots were knee-high, seven-buckle shitkickers. His gloves were black, with spikes that stuck out of the wristbands.
"Oh..hello, Rexvir. You've gotta stop doing that..."
"Doing what?" Rexvir waved his hand in the air, as if to emphasize his point.
"Just appearing out of nowhere."
"Oh." Rexvir paused. "Know what's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"So ya don't know. That comet thing, y'know. The Black Comet is returning tomorrow. But they said there's some kinda weird energy coming offa it. Like it's alive."
"Well, are they keeping an eye on it?" The Commander said, his brow furrowing.
"I think so. But hey, what do I know, eh?"
"Stop beating around the bush, Rexvir. Do you know when this thing's supposed to get here?"
Rexvir sighed in exasperation, putting his fists on his hips. "I told ya. Tomorrow."
"If anything weird happens..." the Commander sighed, "I want you to infiltrate that comet and ..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Gotta go be a double agent spy. Build up their trust, raid their systems and bust outta there. Gotcha. After all, that's why you decided to keep me here after I did what I did here, huh?"
"..." A frown came across the Commander's face, and he waved his hand at Rexvir dismissively.
"What, I'm not even gonna get a goodbye? I thought what we had was special, James."
"No more about it, Rexvir. Leave."
"Alright, alright. I'll be good. I promise."
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End. Of chapter one.
Emily and Rexvir Copyright to Me.
The time has come,
you know what to do
I've written, you've read,
Now read and review!
