Cool, a nice little update-time...right on!

The last part of this chapter was difficult for me to write for some reason. Not sure why, but it took me a couple days...meh. You might hate me at the end, though...cliffhanger...;;

There are some words in here that come from my fan-language of the Black Arms...*such a nerd* If you want some translations throughout any of this story, just throw me a PM. (Though in this one, one of em is flat-out translated FOR you! XD)

Super excited for your reactions and such! Don't be shy, folks! Gimme some feedback if you have time! :D
-Laz

"…kai…"

"…m-samokai…"

"Black Doom!"

The ebony hedgehog's eyes shot open, only to be stung and engulfed with a piercing white light. He almost instantly shut them, groaning quietly in pain as a dull ache spread through his skull. He lifted his hand to nurse his head, yet in doing so, he found movement to be extremely inhibited. He glanced down, finding glowing cuffs fastened around his wrists and ankles, tying him to the bedframe that he rested on. He gasped aloud, forgetting the voice calling in his head as he began to struggle and yank at the restrains.

The humans had found out something, and they knew who they were dealing with.

"Oh, Lord Doom, I've been calling you for at least an hour! Finally you've regained consciousness! Are you alright?"

He blinked, hearing the shaking voice echo in his head, but as he expected, saw no one in the room. He eased a little, but his unknown location troubled him still, his aching wounds acting as a constant teasing reminder that he needed more rest and care than ever before.

"I…wouldn't call my present state 'alright.'" he replied, eyes surveying the room. "I…believe the humans brought me somewhere."

"Eh? They brought you somewhere? Do…do they even know who you are?"

"Considering how they spoke before I lost consciousness, I would assume not, especially since I tried to keep my third eye shut the entire time. But…there's no telling what they did to me when I was out." Black Doom's heart raced at his own statement, realizing his third eye was now open and quite visible; a dead giveaway to his true identity. He growled, clenching his fists (ones that had two fingers too many) as his wounds began to ache once again. "You moron! I swear, as soon as I get back there, I will have your head for what you made me into!"

A fearful whimper responded. "I-I'm so sorry, Lord Doom! I didn't mean to, really – I was just thinking of that disgraceful bastard and how we'd rip him apart for what he did to you!"

"It could have easily waited five minutes, idiot…"

"I s-sincerely apologize, my lord…I-I will accept any punishment this has in store for me…"

"You'll be dealt with after our numbers get restored. I don't need another casualty to deal with…" Quietly he calmed himself as best he could, still feeling disoriented from both awakening and his new body. The alien leader felt strange, indeed, especially with the two…things attached to his hips. What were they called again? Legs? He frowned down at them, cursing them, but gasped as one twitched. They felt like whole different beings…He swallowed, distracted from the anger at his minion.

"Did you get back to the comet safely?"

"Y-yes, sire. Everything looks well in here."

Silently he thanked their divinity for having restored their dwelling; it was up to him, however, to resupply their numbers. It was beyond him how asexual reproduction worked in this body, and truthfully, he almost feared trying. "Very well. I…I'm in need of assistance, actually…it doesn't appear they know I'm awake as of yet, but it certainly would be nice to have someone come get me away from this filthy place."

"A-ah! Yes, of course! You wouldn't…appen…av…din…s…"

"…? Could you repeat that? I think you're…"

In that moment, Black Doom's head was met with a sharp pain, as a hushed yelp followed. His hand instinctively lifted up, only to come up a few inches before halting in the air. He growled as the pain died gradually, waiting impatiently until it completely vanished to contact his soldier once more. Even doing so, however, his own mental voice was eaten up by silence, with nothing coming back to him in return. He cursed, blaming it on his new hedgehog body.

He was alone.

A foreign, twisting feeling welled up inside of him, his emotions knotting themselves together into a giant mess of confusion. He needed to get out of this place, but in his current state, it wouldn't be easy in the least bit. Black Doom's three eyes began to trail around the room, searching for any means of escape. The walls were a blank, dull stone gray, windowless, and bleak, to say the least. It only further solidified his feeling of hopelessness; even if he could somehow find a way out of his restraints, much less move about, the only way out seemed to be the steel door to his right. The distance between he and the exit seemed miles apart.

Bringing his head down, he returned his glare to his restraints, mainly whatever he was laying upon. Strangely enough, this "bed" of sorts was more like a metal table with foam padding to cushion his back. With a shiver, he gritted his teeth as his fur stood on end, his wounds prickling in response. Slowly he realized the lack of robes on his body, and his face flushed at the sight of his bare black stomach, a white tuft of fur tickling his chin. He was indecent…! Those vile, perverted humans…how dare they strip him and leave him in the chilled air as he was.

It was then, though, that he realized that another means of escape might have been near him all this time; the ceiling. With such cold air, it had to be coming from somewhere. He began to search for vent openings; if there were any ventilation shafts in this room, he pondered, he should be able to hoist himself up and crawl through. Nothing, however, appeared to be anything like vents; nothing but more blank concrete and humming fluorescent lights. Unfazed by the lack of escape points up above, he craned his neck upward still. How could the room be so cold without an air source? Unless…this place was naturally cold…

Abruptly before his eyes appeared a rather large metal lamp looming above his head. It startled him, as it had remained out of his vision until that moment. He took a closer look above, staring into it. He could tell there were four large lightbulbs stuck in their sockets, and though the lamp itself was off now, he could tell that its luminosity would be that of looking into a star directly. It made his eyes sting simply thinking about it.

As he gazed into the lamp, he was able to pick out small black lettering on the brushed steel. He focused in on the printed text, reading it in hopes of finding any clue to where he was. He raised a brow at the numbers and the strange word "watt", which was used frequently in the small line of words, but just as the hedgehog half-gave up, he picked out three letters of significance: "G.U.N."

Almost instantly, Black Doom narrowed his eyes darkly. The humans never knew when to give up…and they were true cowards for catching him off-guard and weakened like this. Though he did want revenge on the so-called "victors" of the recent war, the alien leader knew that in this form, he wouldn't be able to do much at all. For now, he needed to flee this place and return when he was in better standings.

At this moment, he needed out of the glowing cuffs about his wrists.

Black Doom stared at the blue things fastened about him, chained to the very table he was on. Risking the amount of pain he would receive, he rocked himself back and forth, testing the stability of the table. It didn't budge, much to his dismay, which meant it had to be bolted to the floor. He drew his mouth into a fine line, waiting for an idea to strike him. These restraints had to be like no other of their kind, especially with the strange hue it was giving off. His heart briefly stuttered at the thought of the humans understanding the form of Chaos and how to control it; if they had such understanding, these very things could potentially be inhibiting his own powers – his own essence.

But were the humans that intelligent? He gave up, trying to distance himself from the thought of paranoia and fear. Growling, he relaxed his head, letting it fall back onto the sorry excuse for a cushion. He cringed at the throbs that danced about his body, feeling his black blood seep from every opening. He furrowed his brow, glancing at the door with crimson eyes tinged with desperation. In doing so, however, a glimmer of light caught his eye. He managed to turn his head slightly before another stabbing pain struck his head. This time, more things shone, and he squinted, trying to focus his unstable, blurring vision.

At his right side sat a small tray full of intricate tools, almost all razor-sharp, gleaming in the fluorescent lights above. His eyes widened, slowly understanding where exactly he was and why he was bound in such a manner. For the first time in a very long while, he tasted fear.

Oh, holy gods above…

"I'm going to have to decline your offer, commander." Shadow the Hedgehog said simply, his arms crossed in an indifferent manner. The commander furrowed his brow, his hands folded in his lap in attempts to look as neutral on his decision as possible. With three of his best men coming back with nothing but a beaten, bloody hedgehog, the commander was already in a bad mood, to say the least, and Shadow could easily tell.

"And there isn't anything you want in return?" he urged. Shadow closed his eyes, irked by his persistence. Four times now the commander had offered him anything in return of joining G.U.N., and four times he had declined.

The gash on his arm throbbed, and he set a heavy hand on the bandaged wound, trying not to recall how his wounds had been treated earlier that morning. The military ushered him into a medical facility, bandaging the injuries he had received from Black Doom's super form, but the military's true intention had to be something more than just genuine kindness. That suspicion only solidified into a belief once Shadow was brought into the commander's office – where he was now – only to be pleaded to join their forces.

"I'm not one for material possessions, sir." The hedgehog looked away, half-apologetically now. This man was getting so desperate…it was beginning to be pitiful to even look him in the eye.

"It wouldn't have to be material, Shadow," the man forged a smile, hoping to persuade him by any means necessary. "You could be at a superior rank upon your registration! Admired by others, praised by leaders from around the world, credited for accomplishing the most dangerous of missions…! Of course, even if you didn't enter as a superior, it wouldn't take long for you to get there…"

The mere idea of being at a superior ranking still made Shadow shudder, a strange premonition of being used as a weapon yet again in his life. Half the reason he didn't want a part in the military was the constant, looming suspicion of being used like he always was. Yet, at the same time, he didn't want to stand around on his own and do nothing for the rest of his eternal life. His future was such a dilemma-ridden topic; all he knew was that he didn't want to be used in the military or the evil genius Dr. Eggman, nor did he want to associate his name with the world-renowned Sonic the Hedgehog.

With a sigh, he shook his head, pushing his contemplation to the back of his head for the time being. The black hedgehog wasn't easy to fool, and if there was one thing he hated, it was being buttered up like this.

"Shadow, we need you here on our side…after your performance yesterday in killing that horrid monster – !"

Suddenly the ebony hedgehog stood, resisting the urge to flip the commander's desk over as his heart raced in his chest. "That 'performance' was as best as I could conjure up with the given circumstances, commander, and almost killed me. I could barely stand by myself after that fight." His voice was sharpened with bottled rage, but oppressed with as much formality as he could find. To be honest, Shadow never wanted that battle with the Black Arms leader to be brought up again in his life after it ended in his favor. Something had nagged at him, pounded away at his sanity as soon as he landed on safe ground, and he never wished to dwell on it in fear of uncovering more undesirable feelings.

That…monster was Shadow's biological father, after all. The hedgehog swallowed a mild feeling of nausea, his throat dry with the twisting feeling of regret. Such stress had taken its toll on his well-being, and he needed his rest. It had only been a day since the fight, and his wounds were still fresh, as was the chilling truth of what went on behind his creation.

"Like…like I said…I appreciate the offer, but I decline. I can't be here." Shadow stood, bowing his head in faux gratitude, and started for the exit to the room. The commander said nothing and did not try to stop him, which surprised the ebony hedgehog, especially after how insistent he was. The silence certainly didn't stop Shadow in his tracks, though.

Just as the hybrid set a hand on the cold metal handle, the commander suddenly cleared his throat. Shadow looked up at the ceiling briefly, expressing his deep hatred for this man's determination, but decided to humor him and wait for his last words to be said.

"Shadow, it may interest you…" the older man said, rising from his chair, "we're opening a new ward to our base that happens to be dedicated to extraterrestrial studies."

Shadow's ears perked, his eyes widening. He stared at the door blankly, inferring on his own what he was getting at, stomach dropping at the very idea. He swallowed once again.

"In case you have any information or remains of Black Doom, please consider at least dropping by again to assist our advances in this field." The commander continued nonchalantly, hoping to spark some interest in the black hedgehog on his way out. "Perhaps you would even fit in with our researchers…?"

Researchers…of alien life? The thought barely registered in his mind before he rejected it; that position was only above being used as a pawn. Shadow wasn't a scientist, and he certainly wanted to be far away from any aliens for at least the next decade after the madness that ended one day prior.

Shadow turned back, facial expression almost as monotone as his voice. "Thank you for your offer, commander. But like I've been saying, I don't belong here." He went out the door before another word was said, latching it tightly on his way out.

The moment his gloved hand left the door handle, his entire body slumped against the steel door in relief. Such tension, such anxiety had been filling his head to the brim. It enraged him that the military was so hasty in finding him just for this purpose. They were…so selfish. Dragging him into this place, treating and helping nurse his injuries, and then to just dump him off at the commander's office, expecting an instant "yes" in regards to their affiliation offer was so absurd.

Those wretched, vile humans.

He growled lowly at the thought, hearing Black Doom's own voice speak those words. They may have been selfish, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let that bastard alien corrupt his mind. He shoved himself off the door, his head pounding, the gash on the side of it beginning to sting. Shadow started down the hall, clenching his fists and shutting his eyes. He needed out of this place as soon as possible.

Gradually he became aware of a muted buzzing in the back of his head. At first, Shadow merely ignored it, but as it grew louder, he set a hand on where the sound seemed most concentrated. Feeling nothing, he froze in his tracks, ears twitching as it continued, only to increase in volume. Only then did Shadow swear that he heard someone whispering, but as soon as his ears picked up on it, both sounds ceased. He furrowed his brow, blinking and looking all around him. Not a soul to be found, not a trace of anything that could have caused the strange buzzing…

With a growl, he pushed it out of his mind. Nothing strange was happening, he chanted in his mind; it was most likely his head trauma affecting his hearing and thoughts. A small rest would certainly do him well. With the bright thoughts of escaping this metal hell-hole, Shadow continued onward down the straight hallway. As he walked in silence, however, the scent of fresh paint and sterile steel began to encircle him. Slowly, he remembered the commander spoke of a new facility here in the building was in development. Sure enough, a newly-mounted plaque hung on the wall next to the hall proclaiming such thing.

Extraterrestrial studies. Dear God. He himself was an alien, even if he was just half of one. Just reading those two words on the sign twisted his insides, visions of Shadow himself on an autopsy table clouding his mind. The only people who knew of he and Black Doom's blood-relation was Gerald, Black Doom himself, and Shadow; everyone else just assumed the Black Arms leader assisted in some undefined way. If the commander ever heard about his true heritage, there was no telling what G.U.N. would want with him – and his blood.

Suddenly, Shadow's head buzzed again, this time with more strength. He grunted as it sent shockwaves down his spine, his knees almost instantaneously giving. He braced himself against the metal wall, trembling as the strange sensation in his head continued. Shadow brought his hand up to his skull, applying pressure to it in hopes of ceasing the irksome noise; it made him wince, the throbs in his head growing stronger, blood beginning to seep through his bandages. Feeling his warm blood soak through, he attempted to take deep, even breaths in hopes of stopping any more blood from being lost. He couldn't faint here…not now. Slowly, he leaned over, snapping his eyes shut, simply focused on the very act of calming himself down and slowing his heart rate.

After moments of hunching over, his knees slowly began to gain their lost strength, the noise fading away enough for Shadow to remove his hand from his head. He glanced at it, seeing no trace of blood stained on it, and let his hand fall to his side. The hedgehog, however, wasn't anywhere near comfortable with leaving the wall yet, fearing the distinct possibility of something more violent overtaking his head. He remained firmly in his place, not daring to move an inch as he braced himself for anything.

Then, his ears twitched, hearing that strange voice echoing softly again in the air, but this time, it was clearer than before.

Dosuna…

Help.

His head snapped upward toward the weak groan, eyes narrowing. His mind was in a complete blur, losing control of all his thoughts, emotions, actions, and pain; all Shadow cared about now was to find the source of this voice and to offer them his assistance.

He knew now that he wasn't hallucinating; that voice seemed so real…so desperate. And if anyone were trapped in this godforsaken place, Shadow would be the first to rescue them. Hands still lightly trailing along the wall, he started down the new ward of the G.U.N. base cautiously as the humming grew stronger with each step. The hedgehog took this as a sign that he was nearing the source of the plea for help, and though he was willing to aide whoever it was, he remained as cautious as he could be.

He cast his eyes from one side to another as he advanced down, brow furrowed. Each door looked as if they were extremely heavy, plated with the same bleak metal as every other wall in the building, but unlike the others, these had no windows of any sort. It reminded him of the doors in the research labs in the ARK; so concealed and confidential. He swallowed the painful memory of being prodded at with needles and continued onward.

In the same time that Shadow's pace quickened, it slowed. His eyes beheld a clean, freshly-painted wall that might as well have been mocking his feeble attempts at locating this voice. It was a dead end.

What was he supposed to do now, he asked himself, check all the doors of this hallway? His stomach turned at the thought of walking in on an autopsy of a Black Arms soldier that had been left behind. Something deep inside of him wished no such thing would ever happen.

Nonetheless, Shadow was faced with a dilemma. The buzzing had quieted down again, which only further confused him. Its pattern fluctuated so often that he began to wonder if it was truly leading him somewhere or aimlessly changing. His hand left the wall, resolving to leave the new ward and its sickening fumes. Just as he turned, though, the sensation spiked again. Shadow stifled a groan, holding his head. This was much more powerful than any of the previous sensations, and his entire body began pounding, numbing every twinge of pain there was.

Just as he expected his head to erupt with unthinkable pain, everything ceased. A stronger, clearer echoing cut through the air, and Shadow definitely heard it. The tone sounded more desperate than before, as if it were losing hope in its cries. More foreign sounds were added to the last word; Shadow couldn't comprehend it, for he was too absorbed in the volume.

Shadow's feet stopped, turning his body to his left. His eyes trailed up to the door in front of him, and somehow, he could feel something alive inside. The rushed thumping of a heartbeat, a tense air filling the room, a stinging, aching pain…yes, this had to be where the call sourced. He stepped forward unconsciously, setting a hand on the door handle, pushing it down carefully. Never did Shadow appreciate the role of the hero – the glory, the fame, the glitter – but here, this seemed different. It was as if he wanted to help this being, even if there was no personal gain.

Had that fight with Black Doom changed him?

As the door silently and slowly crept open, Shadow's curious, cautious gaze was almost immediately met with one of shock and a spark of fear. There across the room sat a table with a hedgehog of Shadow's appearance, held down with glowing restraints. The hybrid would have normally run forward to try to help the poor, defenseless creature, but one thing froze him dead in his tracks.

This hedgehog had a third eye.