My dreams are becoming more and more vivid by the night.
I have always dreamed of scenes wherein I am relaxing on a lush plain under a big tree, Shadow standing nearby, clearly enjoying himself. No distractions in the distance. No one else to bug us. Just me and my favorite hedgehog, doing whatever we are up for. I can tell he's developed a fancy for me, as he seems happier when he's in my presense. Maybe I'm the only one who's ever really gotten to know him, or whom he's ever really gotten to know. I've seen him engage in lengthy conversations with my grandfather, but I can tell it doesn't quite give him the same vibe, and I think I can see why.
This dream is peculiarly different. Instead of me playing with Shadow, or my grandfather getting involved in making another experiment, I am visited by this angel hedgehog girl, long gold hair, a peach-flavored muzzle, a coat of fur that matches the hair, and — what is she wearing?! I quickly glance back and forth between this hedgehog and myself, hands, shirt, everything. This is me, I say more or less to myself. I know this, somehow. But why? I've never seen her before. Maybe one of us will be Shadow's guardian angel, and the other will stay in his heart. Or maybe I will assume her form as I watch over him. No, that's kinda silly. Although, now I wonder what being a hedgehog would be like.
"You are never alone," is all she says. "Everything falls into place."
Never forget that.
I slowly drift back into consciousness, the throbbing in my head interrupting the dream. I hear a flurry of commotion, some of which presumably having to do with me. Maybe I'll recognize some of the voices if I listen in. For the moment, my vision is completely blurry. My body is paralyzed from the neck down, so naturally I can no longer feel the pool of blood, but I can smell it from all over, giving me the implication that it has spread across the floor, all over my numb body, staining my favorite outfit.
"Am I dead?" I wonder. Maybe I'm really a zombie.
A slew of very surprised voices, then a swarm of clankering footsteps rushes towards me. Only then do I realize that I've said this out loud.
As I focus my still clouded eyesight, I find that I'm still actually staring directly into that frosty metal surface. Questions suddenly bombard my thought process. But that doesn't make sense, you don't leave an almost dead body to freeze on the metallic surface of a floor in space. It's not like I can get up and seek medical attention anyway, so how can no one think I'm still here? I grow increasingly concerned for my own sake. Why did this happen to me?
"What's going on?" I inquire. "How long have I been here?"
I am lifted up by a set of hands, snapping me fully into reality, and yet the forces holding me up remind me of Shadow, of all the occasions where we would observe the blue planet for extended periods of time in a special room that gave us the closest view (not that it matters, of course), and he would snuggle to me for comfort, and I would pull him close to me and kiss him lightly. "It's my way of showing affection for you," I would say, recalling the first kiss I gave him.
"Careful guys, she can't stand up straight," I hear one voice say.
"Jason, pull a chair up for her."
By now I'm welling up with tears. Not to mention I'm trying my darnedest to keep my head in place. Surely it won't be a pretty sight if it falls off, but so far, it hasn't.
As I am dragged backwards across the floor, I observe my lower body for a moment, actually dragging in front of me on the metal surface, my shoes making skid marks that mock me and any thought I may have that I'm floating.
When I look straight forward, the lever is the first thing that strikes my attention, so now I know I'm indeed still in the control center. Good, the blurriness in my vision is lightening up. Now, what am I still doing here? I don't think about turning my view towards either direction, even to find out where these people think about setting me down. Besides, before I can begin that thought, I feel a sudden, miniscule drop, then a jolt forward, causing my head to tilt in that direction. Whoa, easy does it with the working head on the numb body.
"That was scary," I remark once I know that I'm no longer moving.
"No doubt about that," one voice says before he reveals his presence. He has the look of a humanoid fox with a fresh coat of reddish-orange fur, making it awkward that I've used the word "person" to refer to him, as I've never said that about Shadow. No wonder he reminded me of the Ultimate Lifeform. Then again, I've never used the word "creature" to refer to anyone who isn't an experiment on the ARK. Unless this fox is also an experiment, but I doubt it.
"Our apologies for taking so long to get to you," he starts. I figure he and his presumed colleagues — which include a jade green-furred fellow whose quills really resemble those of Shadow, a pink-furred anthropomorphic cat, and a guy named Jason, all of them in pearly white lab coats — have never been on the ARK, and I don't blame them. "We should probably bring you up to date on what's going on." That would be nice, thanks.
The fox pretends to brush something off his lab coat, as I don't see any sort of stain on it. "They want everyone to evacuate this place, since it's too dangerous and we have no business here anymore."
"Who's they?" I interrupt.
"Uh, G.U.N." The men that were just here. I should have figured. "They were here last night at, if we're talking time zone conversions, I'd say eight in the evening." I observe a digital time clock that reads in a bold, red, digitalized font: 9:41 am. "They went to shut down Project Shadow, but the creature escaped in a capsule headed to Earth." I wonder if they know me from someplace. "So everyone went back home, and we're collecting the things we don't need here."
I become suspicious as I notice that a tall fellow is attempting to dislodge an experimental pod containing one of my grandfather's creations. "Who are you... folks?"
"We're the Professor's interns," replies the fox in a prompt manner. "I'm Lysander the Fox. The green one is Adrian the Hedgehog. The pink one is Tamora the Cat. And Jason is our own human intern." Luckily these guys are all conveniently in my view, eliminating the need for any more head-tilting shenanigans. I am amused at the thought of a human intern to a trio of humanoid animals who are also interns. "And what business do you have for being here, if I may likewise ask?"
"I'm Maria..." I take a much-needed deep breath. "I'm the Professor's granddaughter. And... I sent Shadow to Earth."
I will say anything to see to it that we're all on the same page.
"Interesting." The fox, whom I presume to be the leader of this bunch, is now pacing in front of me, as if giving a speech. "Well as I'm sure you know, G.U.N. ordered the Professor to get rid of all of his experiments since they threaten the well-being of everyone on the planet. He didn't, so we're doing it on his behalf."
"Of course he wouldn't. They're not harming anyone."
"No one really knows that." Implying that I don't?
"Where is my grandfather, anyway?" I inquire.
The fox sighs. "I'm afraid the Professor is... no longer with us."
I know exactly what he means by this, but I'm nonetheless puzzled.
"They had to execute him after he went berserk," he pauses as my tears start flying like saucers, "because he'd thought you were dead yourself."
I am quietly sobbing, having lost most of my composure by now. The cat sticks some tissue paper in my face, holding it in place such that she can keep my head still in the very likely event that I should lean towards the tissue to cry.
"I'm so sorry, grandfather..." I muffle this into the tissue.
I continue like this for a good minute, then lean back, after which the cat takes the tissue for disposal.
"Thank you, Tamora."
She looks towards me and simply nods.
"As I was saying," the fox starts again, "we can't stick around for long..."
I am fixing my focus on Jason, who is still unscrewing the experimental pods from the walls. I hope they'll keep the creatures safe. They might be useful somewhere.
"Now we're going to keep them in our lab and fine-tune them ourselves." Sweet. I think.
"Hey Lysander!" I hear Jason shout from the other end of the room. "Is this the creature you were talking about?"
The fox turns around and almost immediately gives the "thumbs-up". "Yeah, we'll get to that one soon. Don't worry."
But worry I do, as I notice this creature, the only one remaining in the room, is the scarlet-furred experimental hedgehog, which I have never seen outside of his pod for reasons unknown. Admittedly, as far as I know, he's never been given a name.
"What do you plan to do with him?" I press.
The fox turns back towards me and lays it on me. "Well since he's so unstable physically, we thought it was best to kill him... put him out of his misery."
"No..." I shake my head lightly. "You can't do that."
"We've got no choice, Maria."
I'm suddenly frantic. "You're taking all the creatures back to your lab. Why can't you take him with you?"
The fox folds his arms. "He would never survive on Earth..."
I am hit hard by this remark. "You don't know that!"
"And if we leave him here, then G.U.N.'s forces will surely find him and get him first, then go after us for not cleaning the place out." You mean they're coming back?!
"Please, just spare him." Another single tear drips from my right eye. "I never got to meet him... and since he's already been brought here, I think he should get a chance to live. He never did anything wrong, anyway, but please, don't kill him!"
The fox unfolds his arms, relegating them to hang loose on either side of him. "Where will we leave him that's not in plain view?"
"Right next to the cannon."
He snaps his fingers. "You're right. No one would ever think of looking in there." Hence why I mentioned it.
"You know how to reach the cannon, right?"
"Of course I do." The fox nods. "The only thing is that all the security clearances are down now that no one's using the ARK anymore, but yeah, no one will be using the cannon."
He turns around for a moment. "Jason! You're strong enough to lift that pod on your own, right?"
"Yes, sir!" He immediately does so. Wow, he's stronger than he looks.
"Splendid. Leave him near the cannon and wait for us. We'll meet you down there."
"I'm on it." He exits quickly, but slow enough that he maintains control of the capsule. I smile a little.
"We'll have to cryogenically freeze him," the fox continues. "That'll give him the best chance of survival until we can treat his... instability." I nod lightly. "In the meantime, you've got to come with us down to Earth."
"I'd love to go, but I can't..."
"You have to," he repeats shortly.
"You don't understand," I beckon as firmly as I can without shouting, "I'd never survive on Earth. I've got an incurable infection that weakens my immune system, so I have to stay on the ARK." Why does he think my grandfather was so interested in his experiments?
The fox grasps my left hand and holds onto it. "Whoa," as if noticing that I still can't feel these things. "Honey, it's too dangerous. Besides, we have no other options for you. We..."
"Lysander, chill." The green hedgehog steps in between me and the now puzzled fox. "There is another option..."
"What are you talking about, Adrian?"
"Well..." The hedgehog takes a deep breath. "It's kind of a last resort, but just hear me out."
I am very interested in what he has to say for some reason. However, the three humanoid mad scientists sort of huddle up to discuss... some things. A small group meeting soon turns into a press conference, and I find myself drifting off into my thought process as if almost falling asleep again. I recall the only time I've ever really interacted with the red hedgehog creature, before Shadow came along. When he would gaze at me from within his pod, he seemed to be in anguish himself. I never understood why this was until recently, actually. In any case, it pained me inside to see him in his unstable condition, and so I avoided eye contact with him ever since.
The group breaks up their huddle. Adrian speaks first, as expected.
"It's a last resort, as I said. Now, come with us." I am puzzled for a split second. "Oh, right. Sorry. You guys know what to do," he snaps, addressing his colleagues. He gives them the "chop-chop" and soon enough I am lifted off my seat. Now I'm really floating.
I don't keep track of where I'm going, with my point of view locked towards the desolate, barely touched ceilings. Meanwhile the alleged emptiness of the halls within the ARK certainly tells. I'm still mostly anxious to know what they plan to do with me, but a part of me tells me to just go with it.
I wonder if Shadow has landed yet, knowing he'll have to find his way around the planet once he does. But I'm sure he will, he's Shadow the Hedgehog.
"This is your stop, Maria," states the feline intern.
They flip me over just enough that I can get a straight view of where I am.
"My room..."
It may be just any given room, only with a twin-size bed in a corner, a dresser across from the bed, and drawings all over the walls, the ceiling, wherever Shadow could help me reach. Virtually identical to how I remember it minutes before they showed up.
The hedgehog intern points me to another capsule, in front of the center of the furthest wall from the entrance to this room. I remember one of my grandfather's creatures would reside there for my viewing pleasure, but now the capsule is empty.
"We've rewired this pod, so that we can operate on it from back in our lab. For now, we need you to get in this pod," Adrian explains. Now, where have I heard that before...
As they lead me towards the capsule, Tamora continues, "A glowing green liquid is going to fill it to the brim, but you won't feel a thing."
"But..." I stare down at the wound on my left side that remains unplugged, "what about my...?"
"Don't worry about it," Lysander replies in a reassuring tone. "It'll fix itself in due time."
The interns flip me a full 180 degrees so that I'm facing them instead of the capsule, giving me one last real view around my room, before I am finally directed into the capsule. As they let go of me, I find that I'm barely touching the base of the capsule, in no danger of falling. The fox forces a lengthy, tubular syringe into my right side, although again, I don't feel it. I have been breathing rather heavily through the process of getting me into the capsule, but soon after the tube goes in me, I can breathe normally.
"Good luck!" the hedgehog exclaims before latching the door closed, encasing me in... my capsule.
I simply nod in acknowledgment.
As Lysander flips a switch near the entrance to my room, all sources of bright light within the room flicker off, and after a few seconds, the indeed glowing green liquid appears from a pair of jet streams near the base of the capsule. Higher and higher the liquid rises, until there's enough liquid to illuminate the humanoid interns, and presumably my whole, nearly lifeless body, bullet hole included. All three give me the "thumbs-up". The liquid reaching over my shoulders, tickling my neck, I nod again.
I'm actually floating.
Dear Shadow, I'm in a faraway place right now. But I'm ok, because I'm sure we'll meet again someday...
As the liquid fills up over my head, I breathe out for the last time, to be taken over by the liquid's relaxing effect.
I have become the experiment.