"...you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you."

~Genesis 6:19

Chapter 1

Something wasn't right in the air. City lights glowed against the patchy clouds while the sounds of civilization traveled upward from below. Shadow leaned against the window of his bedroom, garnet eyes moving from cars on the streets, to windows across the way, to the moon above. Somewhere right of the moon he could make out the faintest outline of the abandoned shell of a space station: the ARK. Shadow inhaled and exhaled deeply before moving away from the window. He sat on an old wood chair and continued perusing what he could of the sky. His thoughts turned to the nightmare that had woken him,curiosity pushing fear aside like an unwanted younger sibling.

It had been plaguing him for a month now, yet the reason it bothered him was vague as ever. It began with the typical spectral images and the muffled noises of the battle which had taken place during the ARK's final hours. Gunfire narrated the setting while screams were the music score. In the midst of it all, Shadow watched from the familiar capsule, where he had seen his best friend and sister-figure murdered in front of him. However, when most nightmares had her utter the words "Goodbye, Shadow", she instead had made a strange face somewhere between pain and desperation before hissing, "Come back."

This time, the black and red hedgehog had sat up faster than normal, his white chest fur slicked around his neck with sweat.

After a drink of cold water from the apartment's bijou kitchen, Shadow had paced his bedroom, deep in thought. He made is bed, organized his CD's, and even dusted a little. Then, when his fur was no longer damp with fear, he had put away the feather duster and leaned his forehead on the cool window. Now, he sat back in his desk chair and laced his fingers together.

Why had the dream been different? Bad pizza?

And why did it feel like there was something—or someone—calling to him? Was there something he had forgotten? An important detail about his past that might change everything? Shadow shook his head disdainfully; no matter what it was, he was already set in his ways of awkward Earth guardianship and few things short of a catastrophic event would sway him from his path.

Yet still... when he looked out his large window, beyond all borders of the things he was deeply familiar with, the fabric of reality disintegrated, leaving behind naught but time-bleached memories in the shape of a bridge to that ill-fated ship. There was a tug in his core as his eyes swallowed up the image of the cold, gray metal and the black void of space.

Would he be like so many cliché heroes who ignored the supernatural warning? Would he wait until something awful had happened, when he had the ability to leave now and uncover the truth of his dream?

No, he didn't really have that ability. The government had blocked all passage to the ARK after Doctor Ivo Robotnik had gone back and attempted to use it to vaporize the planet. There would be no way he could board it... legally.

Shadow scratched behind his right ear, pondering his options. He could always ask Tails for the use of one of his ships, but that would make the fox ask questions. Shadow didn't feel like answering these particular questions, especially when he knew so few answers himself. He would have to look elsewhere. Unfortunately, other than taking one of the government's aircraft for a joyride, he was left with one option.

Robotnik.

The black hedgehog leaned back farther, shifting his gaze to the ceiling where passing cars' headlights reflected every few moments. Shadow had promised Rouge he wouldn't work for Eggman anymore...

"You're too volatile", she had said. "GUN thinks you might betray them."

He had reluctantly agreed to a contract binding him from solo contact with the doctor. It wasn't really fair; Rouge was just as likely to change sides during a conflict. If anything, more so if Robotnik offered her a Chaos Emerald. Alas, bygones were bygones and now Shadow would have to make a choice. Was hypothetically discovering a piece of information about his past really worth losing his job and all acquaintances?

He was on his feet and reaching for the phone on his nightstand before the last fragments of the question rang clear in his mind. It was not often that he called the Commander... or anyone, for that matter. The communication device was presented to him by Amy, who liked to organize Sonic's parties far too much and far too frequently. It gathered dust more than it was put to use, but Shadow couldn't bring himself to get rid of it for whatever reason.

The receiver was lifted. Confident, gloved fingers punched in the numbers on the keypad and the tone buzzed. For a minute, Shadow wondered if the Commander would be up at three in the morning. Then again, the man never actually seemed to rest, so—

"Agent Shadow! Well, you're up early today! Thinking about coming in for overtime? Have I got the job for you!"

"Actually, Sir," Shadow frowned, pressing his velvety black lids closed. "Sir I was calling to request some time off."

The breathing on the other end stilled and Shadow could almost see the Commander stiffening with discomfort, "R... Really... Time off... I didn't think you'd be the type, Shadow."

"All the same," Shadow repressed a grim smile, "I hope you've been keeping track of my vacation days." Trying to negotiate a schedule change with the GUN Commander was never easy. When it came to Shadow and Rouge, the only anthro agents in the entire organization, only he had a right to decide when they worked. Normally HR would process any paperwork, but the Commander was more picky than that. He also had a terrible habit of trying to guilt Shadow and Rouge (mostly Rouge) into working instead of asking for time off (which Shadow never did).

"Actually," there was the sound of fluttering paper on the other side, "I must have forgotten to pencil in any jobs for you for... the next month."

Shadow frowned, not expecting the strange news, "Really?"

"Yeah, it looks like all of October is empty. About 'paid time off', though..."

"It's all right, Sir—unpaid is fine," the Ultimate Life-form shrugged. He decided not to test his luck too much; never look a gift horse in the mouth and all that. "Rouge will manage any calls or paperwork I have, I'm sure. I'll call you as soon as I get back."

"'Back'? Back from where?"

"Uh," Shadow bit his lip and slammed the receiver back into its cradle. Great, handled that perfectly. Now all that was left was packing. He jumped over to his desk and scrawled out a list on some scrap paper. He took the list to his small closet, which was filled not with clothing but instead a vast amount of things which would most likely only be used once. Or twice, considering his immortality. As his hands shuffled through the cardboard containers, Shadow's mind sifted through all the little differences in his changed nightmares.

The one permanent change was Maria saying "come back", but there were others. Sometimes she wouldn't get shot but instead would be standing over the military who were attempting to stop her, laughing quietly. Once, she had appeared in negative, with black hair and a yellow dress. That Maria had seemed very concerned about something, but the dream ended before Shadow could gather any information.

The dark agent went over his makeshift inventory, confirming once and for all that he had packed all of his necessities. He pulled open the black canvas rucksack and pawed through its contents. A notepad, pens, rubber gloves (for handling evidence), plastic baggies (to hold the evidence), and a camera. The bag was zipped closed once more. Shadow slung it over his shoulder and left the room, shutting the bedroom door behind him. He left a—vague on his whereabouts, detailed on the instructions—note for his roommate on the kitchen counter before exiting the apartment.

Riding the subway at night always carried an air of danger to it. Not a frightened, shifty sort of danger, but rather an adventurous, brave sort. Sure, the scruffy-looking man who appeared to be wearing all of his clothes at once might attack you in an alleyway, but the elderly turtle who was reading a decrepit, yellowed spy novel probably had a few good tales to tell. There was also always a group of punk rockers heading into the downtown area on any given Friday night.

Shadow, despite being a quiet supporter of diversity, opted to sit as far away from any people as he could. He crushed himself into the last seat in the carriage and faced towards the wall, crossing his arms and keeping his luggage at his feet. The only noise was the train itself. Its hydraulics hissed loudly, the greasy doors slid shut, and it pulled away from the platform into the gritty, populated night.

The train rumbled along its path—passengers came and went. The journey out of town was on the lengthy side and Shadow felt his lack of a full night's rest beginning to wear on him. He pulled his backpack up onto his shoulder and began to doze lightly. The hum of the fluorescent lights worked into his ears like white noise. He fell into a deep sleep.

There was a vortex of darkness, sucking away at the edges of visible universe. At first, looking out from his capsule, Shadow assumed it was the usual nightmare again. However, there was one distinct difference: utter silence. Where there was gunfire and screams most nights, there was instead a grating sound, like stone on stone.

Shadow remained very still, wary of this contrast. Suddenly, the door across the room hissed open and the negative-Maria rushed in. Taking one look at Shadow, she dropped the crowbar she was holding and began smashing at the keys on the control panel. The capsule opened and—almost as if his legs were useless—Shadow collapsed forward into her arms. She grabbed his cheek and turned his face up, her coppery eyes burning into him with a feral sort of fear.

"Thank Chaos you've come back! She's mobilizing!"

"W-what?" The dream-state became apparent, pooling like thick cotton in Shadow's mouth. He gummed his tongue, trying to bite feeling back into it. Negative-Maria dragged him to his feet and picked up the crowbar once more. Her gold shoes squeaked on the metal crate-tile.

"She's mobilizing! What about that don't you understand! Please, you must help us!"

Shadow frowned, a fogginess stealing over his mind. Whenever he tried to move, it felt as though he was swimming in molasses. As Negative-Maria continued her shouts, he slipped from consciousness.

Several stops later, Shadow's head bumped into the wall and he woke. He reassessed his surroundings, heavy brow furrowing. Something about the fluorescent lights seemed strange. Almost... painful. The black hedgehog squinted and raised a hand in front of his face.

The train ground to an abrupt halt, all power shutting down. In the last moment between the lights being on and the lights turning off, he saw her. Black hair floating upwards at the ends ever-so-faintly; skin pale in a jaundiced way; and that painfully-bright, lemon yellow dress. She smiled.

But the lights were out... and Shadow, although ultimate in many ways, could not see in the dark. There was a surge of energy and the train roared to life, lurching forward so Shadow slipped and fell onto the floor. There was no one else on the train. The Ultimate Life-form sat frozen on hands and knees, his red eyes flickering left and right, up and down. Had he been dreaming still? Or... or was he just sleep deprived? Yes, sleep deprived. That's what it was.

"Next stop: Central City," the overhead crackled, jolting him out of his thoughts. Gathering himself off of the filthy floor, the hedgehog dusted his white gloves on his thighs and picked up the rucksack. He held it close in front of his body as he sat; he didn't want to fall asleep again.

The air of Central City was grimier than Station Square. After all, it was a little further inland, away from the refreshing ocean breeze. Shadow adjusted his rucksack as his feet met the pavement above the subway entrance and he turned on his heel. The good doctor didn't live within city limits but rather just outside, in a small forest beyond a river. Shadow followed a sidewalk until it became a bike trail on a tall, heavily-reinforced bridge. Cars rushed beside him, sending a chilled breeze through his quills and causing him to curl in on himself.

The cars dwindled to nothingness and the brush on the side of the road grew... and grew... and grew until it became saplings. The saplings turned to trees which turned into the forest Shadow was searching for. He paused his walk, shoes biting into the sandy dirt on the side of the road. He realized that he wasn't even sure if Robotnik was still out there, but it was the last place he'd seen him. Shadow liked to plan things out, but this whole trip was turning into "destination by approximation". There was no guarantee that—even if he made it to the ARK—he would find anything new.

Something trembled in the wind at his feet. Red eyes glanced down to see what could only be interpreted as some sort of sign: a yellow hair ribbon, dirtied and crushed with the grass.

Shadow didn't believe in signs, but he stepped off the road and proceeded into the trees anyway.

His hoverskates roared to life, illuminating him from below and painting an image of a spectral being haunting the woods. The wind whipped around him as he navigated the trees, tugging at his bag and chilling his face. He was far beyond city limits when he finally found his quarry. A massive airship—the Egg Carrier—nestled against a stone cliff face. Debris from the dense surroundings had caked up on top of it in leaves and needles, while sap and countless other sticky substances ran down the sides. There was a worn trail in the grass below the ship's access. Shadow frowned.

If Robotnik is still alive, he certainly hasn't been doing much lately.

Shadow skated the rest of the way to stand below the door. He looked up, searching for a camera or some way to contact the inside, but the door suddenly wheezed, releasing a good deal of built-up pine needles onto him. The black hedgehog backed up so the door could descend, revealing stairs to a dimly-lit interior. Marching up the stairs, Shadow quelled his foreboding feeling and began to call out.

"Doctor? Doctor, are you here?"

A baseboard light came to life to his right, lengthening to expose a pathway into another part of the ship. With little else to guide him, Shadow shrugged and followed it. It twisted and turned throughout the Egg Carrier, leading him through like arrows in a labyrinth. At last, the pulsing light ended at a sliding door and throbbed in place. The door slid open and Shadow stepped in.

"So," a gravelly baritone filled the room, causing Shadow's ears to twitch, "I take it you've been seeing her too." The black hedgehog looked past the piles of scrap metal and loose wires, past the two inanimate robots who were slumped against the wall and covered in dust, past the stacks of books on the large desk to see the madman, hunched over his computer keyboard, egg-shaped body cloaked in a red military jacket. Shadow studied the doctor's face; it looked much older than he remembered. Had it really been so long since he'd seen Eggman last?

"Doctor... you look... different."

"Yes, well," the man shrugged, turning his gaze to his gloved hands, now idle on the keys. "Age catches up to you when you learn... difficult things." They fell into silence, Shadow unsure how to approach his request in light of Eggman's bizarre demeanor. He leaned against the door jamb, crossing his arms and studying the room absently. After a few minutes, the doctor spoke again.

"Shadow, I know why you're here."

"Oh really," the Ultimate Life-form muttered dryly. "Have you been practicing clairvoyance all this time then?" Robotnik's brows creased above his black glasses, his mouth becoming a thin line below the faded-red mustache that dwarfed it. He turned his chair to lean forward, holding his palms against his knees.

"I'm not going to trade quips with you, Shadow, not in light of this."

"In light of what, Doctor? You're being anything but helpful, right now. Not that I'd expect anything more from you."

Robotnik snapped, "Don't go back to the ARK!"

Shadow's eyes went wide, "How—"

"I told you I knew," Robotnik stood and paced the room, straightening piles of rubbish and running a hand over his scalp. He turned back to the hedgehog and gestured wildly, "I finally got into the hidden files in my grandfather's journal, Shadow. I broke the code and read... I wish I hadn't. I know it's asking a lot, but trust me!"

Shadow shook his head somberly, "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I have to go back, even if I don't find a single thing."

"That's exactly it, though!" The madman sank back into his chair, an exhale escaping him like a dying breath. "You will find something... something that will destroy you."

Shadow turned and stalked back towards the door, waving a hand behind him dismissively, "I shouldn't have bothered coming here... I'll find my own way to the ARK." Robotnik glared at his back, a smudge in the dim lighting.

"You're going to regret going there, Shadow. Don't dredge up the past we've so carefully forgotten."

Shadow glanced at the doctor over his shoulder, weighing the uncharacteristically cautionary words. So rare it was that Robotnik had these moments of clarity, where all thoughts of world domination were far from his calculating mind. The computer screen's light glinted on the madman's dark glasses eerily as he tilted his head lower.

"I read my grandfather's diaries, Shadow. Listen to me; there are things that should never be remembered."

"But that's just it," Shadow murmured as he turned back to the door, "I am remembering them, Doctor." Robotnik was powerless to stop the black hedgehog as he disappeared into the night. He could only hope that when Shadow had gotten the answers he sought, he wouldn't fall to despair.

Hello everyone! While I'm working on The Infamous Residents of SLK, I need something that is a little more my style to work out the kinks, as it were. We're coming up on fall, which is when I'm most inspired. Therefore, I present to you my creepiest story to date! I will updating as the writing flow comes, so expect this or SLK randomly! Thank you for your time!