Shadow And Sarah
Shadow. That was the name. How fitting. Yet, not so fitting. It was a name that fit his description well, yet at the same time, it did not. Shadow the hedgehog pondered this as he sat among the ashes and ruins of a crashed ship. The crash didn't appear to have happened recently, in fact, it looked as though it had been sitting in the sand for decades, ignored and completely forgotten. To everybody but Shadow, it was nothing. For Shadow, it was the perfect sanctuary. In this world, he did not wish to be accepted. This was his home. He was meant to be alone.
Yet being alone did not last. He had found the most extraordinary being he had ever encountered next to Sonic the blue, speedy hedgehog, and she was hiding to attempt an ambush on him. He was ready for her. Memories of dear Maria flashed through his head. He was an artificial being created by Professor Gerald fifty years ago. He wasn't the real Shadow however. The real Shadow was long gone. He was a replacement. He was supposed to be the cure for Maria's illness, but as far as how he was, he did not know. After years of being imprisoned, used, and pursued, Shadow believed he had finally found his time to be alone. The arrival of this extraordinary being however, prevented that.
Snapping his eyes open, Shadow leaped to his feet and whirled around. He raised his arms up in front of his face, just as his attacker attempted to punch him in the head. Shadow grinned.
"Not quiet enough," he mocked. His attacker stepped back, and tried tripping Shadow's legs from underneath him. Shadow leaped, spinning a kick at the attacker's head. The opponent jerked its head back, then ran towards Shadow's chest to catch him off balance. Shadow felt the air explode out of him as the attacker successfully made its blow. He flipped backwards several times, landing on his feet, balancing himself with a hand on the ground.
"That's more like it," he commented. The two charged at each other, throwing punches and kicks at each other with as much force as they can summon. Shadow can feel the adrenaline rush through him as the opponent's attacks grew stronger. He suffered several painful blows to the left shoulder, his right shin, and right next to his right eye. Through his moves, he can feel the place next to his eye swell.
"Playtime is over," he said, his voice rising to an angry level. He grabbed the attacker's wrist as its fist came for him yet again and twisted it. The opponent let out a high-pitched shriek at the pain. Shadow smiled, turned around with the wrist in his hand, and then flipped the attacker over his head, slamming it down on the floor at his feet. He lifted his foot and casually stamped it on the attacker's neck.
"You win. Again," the opponent complained. Shadow looked down at the extraordinary being, whose name was Sarah. Like him, she was a black and red hedgehog. Technically, she was a clone of him, but she was of course, female. This got Shadow's attention, so he kept her around. He wanted to know how Sarah had come to be. Unfortunately, Sarah couldn't remember. Unlike Shadow, Sarah had different features that separated her from Shadow. Instead of curved up at the sky like male hedgehogs, Sarah's head-tails drooped downward. Around her bright, sparkling eyes that stared up at Shadow in pain was a dark shade that made it look like her eyes popped out from her face. The corner of her mouth constantly twitched when she didn't talk. She wore a large, black vest.
"Can I get up?" Sarah asked. Shadow nodded, releasing his foothold on her and stepping back. He didn't help her up as she got back onto her feet, brushing the sand from her legs.
"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes downcast.
"For what?" Shadow asked.
"I failed to surprise you."
"You were close. You're getting better, and the more you practice, the better you'll get," Shadow explained. Sarah nodded.
"Now leave me. And try again later."
"But…you promised you would talk to me. You told me you would talk about…Maria," Sarah pointed out. Shadow shuddered at the name, but he kept his temper in.
"Later. I'm not in the mood for it. I will tell you later," he insisted. Like a frustrated child being denied candy, Sarah walked away.
"She is improving. By a large percentage," a smooth, electronic voice said inside Shadow's head. It was Quell. A computer program that Shadow had discovered inside himself very shortly after attempting to destroy a being named Cosmos. He wasn't sure why it was in him, but he found it to be a source of power since he had lost the Chaos Emeralds.
"Yes. But I'm not ready to tell her about Maria," Shadow said. Shadow felt something like a brief sizzle in his head, then it instantly went away.
"I don't trust her," Quell replied.
"She's a good kid. She's…one of my own."
"Even so, she's dangerous. She's a constant reminder to you, and me, of Maria."
"I know. But I can't just let her go off on her own. She needs me."
"She doesn't need you, and you don't need her. Get rid of her while you still have a chance."
"Why do you care so much?" Shadow demanded.
"Your feelings affect me. And right now, they are negative. It's making me feel miserable."
"You can't influence my decisions, Quell. You're only a program."
Shadow and Sarah ran along the fortress wall, dodging the gunfire that flew over their heads. They were being fired at by Overlanders. Ancient enemies of the Mobians that had fought with them in the past. Sarah didn't find them intimidating in the least. She and Shadow were able to destroy every turret, and every armored opponent that got in their way. Together, they were unstoppable.
Shadow was such a mystery. She knew where he came from, but she didn't feel that Shadow had told her everything. He refused to chat, and he preferred to be left alone most of the day. She had learned the first time never to argue with him. The place around her eyes hurt. She knew there was a dark shade around them like the result of a lack of sleep. She could never stop the twitching of her mouth. It was as if it was a natural thing that she couldn't stop.
Sarah ran up the wall alongside Shadow. The way she saw it, they were meant to be together. They were a great team. The question was: were they going to get along as friends? Or would they always be isolated when they weren't fighting together side by side?
Sarah finished her run up the wall and punched down a robot's head, smashing it to bits. The robot slumped to the floor, sparks flew from the large cracks in the head. Surprisingly, the top of the fortress appeared to be completely deserted. Sarah can see abandoned laser rifles scattered across the ground as if the Overlanders dropped them and fled. But before she can bring it up, there was a mild trembling underneath their feet, and the center of the ground opened up. A large round robot ascended through the hole. It had a large head, revealing two Overlanders sitting inside it, controlling the robot. The arms were long, its hands were moving, silver spikes. In the center of the robot's chest was a round, purple core that obviously kept the monster's energy contained.
"Ready?" Sarah asked Shadow.
"Ready." The robot aimed its arm at them, revealing a missile launcher between the spike-hands. A missile shot towards them. Sarah could feel its intense heat as she jumped away. She felt the impact of the blast behind her. She looked around for Shadow, until she finally spotted him running towards the robot again. This time, he held a laser rifle, firing at the robot's purple core. Energy screamed from the core, but the robot remained standing, firing missile after missile at Shadow. Shadow flipped away and dodged every one of them. Sarah heard a deep growl erupt from the hedgehog, and she watched him fire at the head. Glass shattered, and the Overlanders were overwhelmed by the vicious attack. They shrieked in fear, continuing to desperately fire more missiles at Shadow. Shadow got closer, and fired dozens of rounds into the core. Sparks flew from the core, threatening to blow. Then, Shadow became a fast blur of motion, crashing through the core and out its back. The robot stopped moving. Small sparks exploded everywhere on it. Shadow ran backwards, grabbed Sarah, and threw himself and her over the edge off the fortress. Above them, the robot exploded in a fiery ball of debris. Glass and metal flew in all directions. Finally, the two of them landed on the ground. Sarah lay on her back, watching the fire and smoke above her. She breathed heavily, her heart wildly thumped in response to being thrown off the roof. She looked next to her, and realized that Shadow was already on his feet, staring up at the destruction he had wrought.
"Let's go," he said, motioning to Sarah to follow her. Sarah hesitated for a moment, staring after him as if he was insane.
"Now. Before more arrive," Shadow urged. This time, Sarah obeyed, marveling at what she had just seen. She had never seen Shadow like that. She wondered if she had the same talents.
Jonas watched everything from the screen given to him by the security camera monitoring the Overlander fortress. His suspicions were correct. The hedgehogs that had challenged those Overlanders were indeed beings that his late tutor Professor Gerald had created. Jonas was only fifteen years old when the G.U.N. forces had invaded the space colony ARK and shut everything down. He had been taken, tried, and imprisoned for thirty years for participating in Gerald's suspicious work. For the next twenty years, he worked to find ways to transport himself to the planet Mobius, where he would escape from the government. The results were phenomenal. By arriving here, he had become young again, making him a more fit and active young man than he was.
He was watching the news when earth realized that Professor Gerald had set ARK to plummet to earth as means of revenge against the human race for destroying his life's work and taking his granddaughter Maria away from him. A strange hedgehog named Sonic prevented this. When the government routed out members of the G.U.N. forces that plotted against them, Jonas was called to be brought before the president for questioning. Wanting nothing to do with the government and this case, he seized upon the opportunity to use the transporter he had created to come here to Mobius.
Jonas' plan was to take Shadow and the female hedgehog that was with him to use them for his own experiments. He can chemically change their mindsets to turn them into his own personal servants. He can clone them, then use them to dominate Mobius. Going back to earth would be too risky. For all he knew, the government had found the transporter, and going back would mean his own arrest. He needed Shadow and the other one, and he would start with the female hedgehog.
A terrible storm raged outside the shelter of the ship wreckage. Rain blew across the empty land. Lightning lit the black sky. The wind screamed through the night, never ceasing to leave Shadow and Sarah alone. Shadow opened his eyes when a drop of water splashed on his ear. He looked up, noticing a crack in a large chunk of ship allowing water to fall through. Taking his blanket, which was basically just a big, dark rag, he moved to a different spot against the remains of a wall.
Just as he closed his eyes again, he opened them again at the sound of violent coughing over the rage of the storm. Looking in the direction of the coughing, he saw Sarah, trying to make herself comfortable in a bed of wet ashes. Her entire body shivered, and her mouth twitched more than ever. Shadow couldn't stand to watch the pitiful thing suffer. Getting up, he grabbed his blanket and walked over to her. He put the blanket down over her, making sure it comfortably covered her sides, so that she was basically wrapped in it. Sarah opened her dark eyes and looked up at him.
"Can you tell me about Maria?" She asked. Shadow grimaced.
"It's late, Sarah. You need to sleep."
Sarah looked out at the storm, which appeared to be dying down just a bit.
"We lied down hours ago. I haven't slept at all tonight."
"What about me?"
"I know you don't sleep."
"Alright. Looks like you win," Shadow sighed, defeated. He sat down, making sure to get close enough to Sarah so that she can hear him over the pounding rain, and the angry thunder.
"Like you, I was created by Professor Gerald Kintobor. I was made to be the cure for an illness that his granddaughter Maria had. Maria had NIDS. It weakened her immune system. She can catch just about any sickness without being able to fight it off."
"Was she a friend?" Sarah asked. Shadow flinched.
"She was my best friend. She cared about me. We were always together."
"What did she look like?" Sarah asked, shutting her eyes as if preparing to picture Maria.
"She had short yellow hair. A very soft, kind face. She always wore the same blue dress. She was very kind, delicate, gentle. Everything you would want in a friend," Shadow described.
"What happened to her?" Sarah asked. Shadow blinked in surprise.
"You don't know?"
"No."
"She was murdered. By humans," Shadow explained, his hatred rising in his voice as he said it. Yes, he had helped save earth from certain doom alongside Sonic, but he would always have a permanent hatred for humans deep in his heart. It was like a wound that can never be fully treated. As far as he knew, that wound was there to stay.
"I can't remember Maria. At least not…clearly," Sarah admitted.
"It's alright. You don't need to worry about it."
"Shadow?"
"Yes?"
"Will either of us die?"
"No. We were created to be immortal life forms. We are eternal," Shadow said. At this point the rain was letting up, and the thunder was only a faint rumble now. A glint of sunlight pushed out from in between the dark, ominous clouds, shining through the cracks in the broken roof of the ship.
"Shadow?"
"Yes?"
"Do you love me?" Sarah asked. Shadow caught a gasp in his throat before it could happen. How could she ask such a question?
"Why do you ask?" Shadow asked, turning to look at her. In the faint sunlight, he could see Sarah's dark, sunken eyes. The corner of her lips twitched as usual, though more so this time.
"I just…want to know."
Shadow thought about it for a moment. He stared long and hard at Sarah, studying her features, paying attention to the details that differentiated her from him.
"I love you…like a brother loves his sister."
Sarah's eyes widened, and out of the corner of her left eye rose a single tear that slid down her cheek.
"Shadow, you will not look for her," Quell insisted.
"Shut up," Shadow sneered in reply. He frantically kicked chunks of the shelter aside, looking desperately for Sarah. It had been three hours since their conversation about Maria, and Sarah's shocking question. Now, she was missing. No matter how thoroughly Shadow looked, and no matter how many times he called her name, he couldn't find her. Where could she be?
"Shadow, your obsession with her is a problem. You can live without her," Quell said. Shadow stopped for a moment, closing his eyes in concentration.
"No, I can't. I need her. I want to know where she came from. If Gerald really created her," Shadow replied.
"I don't think you'll like what you find out."
"You know about her?"
"I only have suspicions. I can only speculate," Quell admitted.
"Then I'm going to find her, and you can't stop me, understand?" Shadow demanded. Quell didn't answer. Shadow could only hear an uneasy ringing in his ears. Finally it faded away, and there was absolute silence.
"Quell?" No answer. Shadow shrugged the matter away for now, intent on finding Sarah. Obviously, she wasn't anywhere here. Had he somehow offended her? Hurt her feelings? When he had told her that he only loved her like a brother loves his sister, was she devastated? Did she love him beyond a friend or a parent figure?
No. That wasn't possible. Yet, he needed to know. He had to find her. And he knew how to do it.
Shadow stumbled through the rush in the forest. Somehow, he and Sarah had a bond that allowed them to communicate with each other through their minds. Sarah knew Shadow was coming for her. But all he could hear back from her was panic, pain, and horrible fear. He tried to assure her that he was close, but somehow, his connection to her mind was cut off. Now there was nothing. Feeling motivated, Shadow pushed himself through the thicket, until he saw it. A large shack of a house sitting in the middle of nowhere. Faint thunder rumbled in the distance in an overcast sky. The air was gray and gloomy, and sprinkles of light rain peppered the muddy ground. Dashing towards the shack, Shadow flung himself against the left wall right next to a window. He peeked through it to get a look at the room inside. It was a small room, and tied in a chair against the left wall with a gag around her mouth was Sarah.
If she had looked sick before, she looked sicker now. Her eyes were bloodshot, and was that loose fur on the floor in front of her? Shadow lightly tapped on the glass to get her attention. Sarah craned her neck to look, and her eyes widened at seeing him. Shadow put a finger to his mouth to signal her to be quiet. Whoever took her was going to pay for what he did. Concentrating on a special skill he had, he teleported himself with ease into the room. He walked over to Sarah, pulling the gag off and covering her mouth before she can say a word.
"Come on, I'm getting you out of here," he muttered. He untied her, and took her by the hand to teleport the two of them out of here. Holding onto her, he vanished again and teleported outside. He immediately realized in shock that Sarah had not teleported with her. He saw her inside, looking at him with the same expression. What went wrong? How come she couldn't do what he could do? He froze when the door to the room flew open, revealing a tall man. He had a buzz of brown hair, and wore dark glasses, and a lab coat. When he saw Sarah, his eyes widened. He pulled out a pistol and aimed it at her. Shadow couldn't hear what he was saying to her, but he needed to get back in there. And fast. He vanished again, teleporting himself into the shack again, appearing in front of Sarah.
"You aren't going to touch her. I'll kill you if you do," Shadow said. The man stopped in his tracks, his expression betraying extreme fear. The look made Shadow smile an inch.
"Shadow," the man replied. Shadow lost his smile, completely caught off guard by this.
"You know me?"
"I worked for Professor Gerald. I was there when you awoke for the first time," the man explained. Shadow's hands dropped to his sides in awe.
"Then you knew Maria," he said, not as a question. The man nodded.
"Maria was the one who created Sarah," he declared. Shadow's jaw dropped. His mind exploded, and his legs went numb.
"When Maria saved you from the G.U.N. forces, she launched two tubes. One contained you, the other contained her," the man explained, motioning to Sarah. Shadow and Sarah looked at each other, astonished. Shadow couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it.
"My life, my career, my future was torn away from me, and now I will strike back. By conquering this world, using you two as my servants," the man declared. Shadow shook his head.
"I will never join you. I've joined forces before, I will not do it again," he insisted. The man raised his pistol at Shadow.
"Then I will subdue you," he said. Before Shadow could make a move, Sarah charged past him and tackled the man, slapping him, kicking him, tearing at him to protect Shadow. Shadow had to stop her; he couldn't let her do this. But before he could intrude, the man managed to grab Sarah by the neck, punching her in the shoulder with the other hand, and tossing her across the room. Shadow helplessly watched as Sarah crashed against the wall and crumpled to the floor. He ran to her and got her to her feet, wanting so badly to yell at her for trying something so foolish like that. But he held his tongue, knowing that she did it to protect him. He didn't need protection.
"I'm fine, I'm alright," Sarah assured him, taking a few steps forward. Shadow looked at the man again. He vanished, and teleported himself so that he was hovering at the man's side. He spun a kick at the madman's head, forcing him to his knees. Shadow landed on his feet and grabbed the man's pistol, tossing it to Sarah.
"Shoot him. We can end this now," he said. Sarah aimed the gun at the man's head, but her hands violently trembled, refusing to obey.
"Do it," Shadow demanded. Sarah's hands got so bad, that the pistol wasn't even aimed right anymore. She took a deep breath and dropped it.
"I'm sorry, Shadow. I'm not like you," she confessed. Shadow listened to the man laugh. An uneven, cracked one. The man's laughter ended immediately when another hard kick to the side of the head rendered him unconscious. This time, his glasses flew off and skittered across the floor, one of the lenses cracked straight across. Shadow motioned to Sarah to follow him out of the shack. Neither of them spoke a word all the way back to the wrecked ship. Shadow ignored the blasted rain, and he didn't care if Sarah came back with him. He didn't want to talk to Sarah. He didn't want to see her. When they arrived, he walked over to a corner in the back of the ship and sat down, his arms wrapped around his knees.
Violent coughing startled Shadow awake. He thought that they would pass any minute, and there would be peace again, but the coughing persisted. Something was wrong with Sarah. He could feel a funny feeling begin to rise in his stomach, and it motivated him to get up and run to the source of the coughing. At the front of the ship, sitting at what remained of the pilot's seat was Sarah. And sure enough, that's where the coughing was coming from.
"Sarah, are you alright?" Shadow asked, running to her. Sarah's face was wet with sweat and rain, her eyes were red and watery, and her hands trembled at the arms of the seat.
"What's wrong?" Shadow demanded, grabbing her shoulder. Mercifully, the coughing stopped.
"I don't…feel good. I'm…I'm feeling weaker," Sarah replied.
"Quell," Shadow called, hoping to arouse him from whatever had silenced him earlier. For a long terrible moment there was nothing. Finally, Quell spoke.
"Shadow," he answered.
"What's wrong with Sarah? I need you to analyze," Shadow requested, placing a gentle hand on Sarah's head.
"I will not Shadow, I told you to get rid of her. She is an unhealthy burden," Quell replied.
"Do it now, Quell! Now!" Shadow screamed. There was a grumbling sound in his head, and for a moment Shadow was afraid Quell would do something to his head, but then, he felt something strange course through his arm and up his hand and fingers. Sarah groaned in pain underneath Shadow's hand.
"It's going to be alright. Don't worry," Shadow tried to assure her. The cold, dreadful fact was that Shadow knew nothing.
"Shadow, am I going to die?" Sarah asked. Shadow felt his heart sink at the question. She had asked the same question just last night, and Shadow assured her that both of them were eternal. They were never meant to die. But here, Sarah was obviously very sick, and was in danger of dying. Shadow took Sarah's hand with his own that wasn't on her head.
"No. You won't. I promise." Finally the feeling through Shadow's arm stopped.
"She carries NIDS. She suffers from a life-threatening fever. Her system shows that she doesn't have long to last," Quell reported. Tears flooded Shadow's eyes.
"No. No. We have to do something! We have to…" Then it hit him. He remembered what he was created for in the first place. He had never gotten the chance to fulfill that purpose, and now he had the opportunity right in front of him.
"Quell, we're going to heal her. You are the source. You are the energy that was supposed to cure Maria."
"I knew that. It is my programming," Quell confirmed.
"Then help me," Shadow said, placing both hands on Sarah's wet forehead.
"On three. One…two…three!" Shadow yelled. He suddenly felt extreme power explode through his arms and out the tips of his fingers, engulfing Sarah. Sarah gasped, not of pain, but of surprise. For a moment, Shadow felt the energy course out his fingers, continuing to do its work. Then it finally subsided, then disappeared completely. When he opened his eyes, he gasped in astonishment. Sarah sat on the seat with her hands clutching the arms. The dark shades that surrounded her eyes were no longer there, and as she breathed, the corner of her mouth didn't twitch. Her eyes were restored to their original color. The same color as Shadow's.
Shadow felt tears stream down his cheeks, and he wrapped his arms around Sarah, trying hard not to weep against her shoulder. Sarah cried with him. The two of them were locked in an embrace in the wrecked ship, the sun finally revealing its full light over them. When they finally let go, Shadow had a decision to make. He began to walk away.
"Where are you going?" Sarah asked. Shadow stopped.
"I have something to deal with."
Jonas sat at his desk in despair. The side of his head where Shadow had kicked him twice was bandaged. Fifty years had not at all erased the way he remembered Lei's face. Long, dark, silky hair. Dark brown eyebrows that batted over shiny, blue eyes. Her face so soft, so delicate, so loving.
Maria wasn't the only one that was heartlessly taken by the G.U.N. forces. Lei was his dearest friend, his comfort, his life. He didn't think Gerald's attempted act of revenge against earth was off in the least. He understood Gerald's feelings. If he hadn't spent so much time in prison, he probably would've done the same thing.
When he heard the footsteps behind him, he didn't budge. He knew who had come.
"If you're here for a challenge, I don't have one," Jonas exclaimed.
"Really? That's what you were asking for not very long ago," Shadow replied behind him. Jonas massaged the place where the bandage covered the hideous mark.
"I underestimated you," he admitted. Shadow didn't answer. Jonas smiled and turned his chair around so that he was facing him. Shadow stood right where he knew he was with a pistol in his hand, aimed at his head.
"Go on ahead. I'm unarmed. Shoot me. I know you want to," Jonas challenged. Shadow's pistol-hand trembled, trying to keep it still, but failing over and over.
"What are you waiting for?" Jonas asked, leaning forward. Shadow gritted his teeth, then shut his eyes and dropped the pistol to the floor.
"I'm not like you. I wasn't created to take life. I was created to save it," he declared. Without another word, he turned around and walked away. Jonas watched him go, his disappointment rose to a violent level. His hands clenched into tight fists. Before he could scream, his eyes fell on the fallen pistol. The longer he stared at it, the more he realized what he was going to do. He picked it up, and then got onto his knees.
Shadow found Sarah staring out at the barren landscape outside the wrecked ship underneath the setting sun.
"Did you kill him?" Sarah asked when Shadow approached her from behind.
"No. I let him live," he replied. Sarah looked down at the ground.
"I knew you wouldn't do it. Maria would've thought the same."
"I know," Shadow agreed. There was a short moment of silence. A soft, gentle wind spread through the air, allowing Shadow's and Sarah's head tails to flutter.
"I'm leaving," Sarah finally said. Shadow's eyes widened in shock. Had he heard her right? Was it just a trick of the wind?
"What?" He asked. Sarah turned to look at him. She looked even fresher and healthier than she looked right after she was healed.
"I have to go. You'll understand."
"Why?"
"Quell. That thing in your head. He doesn't want me to be here. And you know that whenever you see me, it only causes you pain, because I remind you of Maria," Sarah explained. It was true that Sarah reminded Shadow of Maria, and the revelation that she had created her was even more compelling.
"My feelings don't have to change anything. You'll be safe with me," Shadow urged. Sarah shook her head.
"The more I'm with you, the more you're reminded of Maria, and the more you will hate the humans. When you left, I chose to forgive them," she replied. Shadow was speechless. He couldn't decide what to say. Everything that Sarah said made perfect sense. If she stuck around, Shadow could possibly be a danger to her, and his only wish was to protect her. To make sure she was safe.
Shadow felt a single tear begin its journey down his cheek. Sarah approached him and caught it with her finger.
"Shadow, it's better this way. If you really love me, let me go. Forgive the humans and put the past behind you. You don't have to feel pain anymore," Sarah said. Shadow looked at her through blurry vision.
"You can go. If that's what's best for both of us."
"It is," Sarah agreed. Then she turned, and began to walk away. But Shadow needed to know one last thing first.
"Sarah?"
Sarah stopped.
"Yes?"
"Do you love me?"
A brief moment of silence, then:
"I love you like a sister loves her brother," she confessed. Shadow watched her go, and didn't look away until Sarah's form disappeared in the dusty landscape surrounding his shelter.