Chapter 2: Finders keepers
.w.
…He couldn't tell what was happening to him. He felt too dizzy, too disoriented to be conscious. Yet the world around him was too real to be a hallucination. So he was probably just sleeping. Maybe remembering something from his past life in his sleep.
He didn't recall falling asleep, and didn't feel like waking up right now. He thought he had read that dreams usually brought up memories and thoughts previously buried deep inside one's mind. He briefly wondered what his own subconsciousness could tell him…
.w.
"He's being late," Knuckles growled with annoyance. "Does that hedgehog want us to leave without him?"
"Whatever he's doing, I'm sure it wouldn't take long," Tails replied, worried though. What kind of business might be holding Sonic on the colony anyway? "Don't forget it's Sonic we're talking about."
The echidna hemmed, but didn't reply to this.
They were waiting for Sonic in some kind of hangar where the rocket they had arrived in was left. Amy and Rouge had already made their way inside, while Knuckles and Tails still stayed on the top of accommodation ladder. Eggman wasn't present, and the kitsune had no doubts that the scientist had already found his own way to leave the colony.
The doors snapped open, and a blue streak made its way across the hall and up the ship's ladder. Seconds later, the hatch was battened down and the rocket began trembling, gaining speed slowly.
Remembering about the accident they had nearly escaped the last time, Tails shooed everyone - especially Knuckles, who snorted with annoyance - out of the cockpit. Although, like he predicted, not much time passed and the door behind the fox kit opened, revealing a tussle-quilled and very unhappy hedgehog.
"Man, 't was a nightmare. Being in an enclosed space with Amy, ugh…" Sonic shuddered in terror, landing into the seat next to his little brother.
"And how did you escape?" Tails wondered, slightly amused. He didn't turn his head away from the windscreen, but still managed to steal a glimpse at the hedgehog.
"She went after Rouge and Knux. I hope they'll entertain her with somethin' until we land."
Two-tailed fox chuckled. Although he did sympathize his brother about Amy, it rarely prevented him from feeling amused by the hero's hopeless struggle.
"So we're back to normal now?" the fox kit asked, becoming serious again. It was hard to believe - only a few hours ago they were fighting against Eggman to save planet, and now it was suddenly over. Despite the years of adventures together with Sonic, it was still hard for him to get used to.
This time it was Sonic who chuckled. "Normal? What's it?" Then the sparkle of amusement in his eyes dimmed just a bit. "Well, I don't believe Eggman learned his lesson, so I think we'll hear from him soon. An' besides…" he hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I'm gonna go and search for Shadow as soon as we're down there."
"You- what?" Tails gasped, turning abruptly to look at his previously-considered-to-be-sane brother… which resulted in the rocket heeling over sharply. Shrill shriek emerged from the state-room section, and the fox gripped the controls tightly to steady the course as he didn't want to face his furious passengers straight away.
"Isn't he-?" he begun, but trailed off as the word 'dead' refused to leave his mouth.
"I've seen a flash of light back then," Sonic explained, releasing arms of the chair he had clutched at and feeling a little more relaxed than a second ago. "It could've been Chaos Control, you know."
"Sonic…" Tails began, not knowing how to reason with him and whether it even was needed. "I wasn't out there, but I saw Shadow returning to his normal form right after the Chaos Control. I'm not sure he had enough energy to teleport himself at that moment…"
'And the light you saw could've been Shadow entering the atmosphere and catching fire,' he added to himself.
"I know," the hedgehog sighed, brushing his hand along his head quills. "It's ridiculous, but… well, there's still a chance that he's alive, and I have to check it."
"Wait…" suddenly it dawned on Tails. "You made us wait because you were searching the colony, right?"
Sonic nodded. "I thought it'd be the first place for him to go to, but I found nothing. So I guess he's somewhere on Earth."
The fox kit sighed. The idea of Shadow Chaos Controlling without energy seemed insane for him. He wasn't a pessimist, nor was he angry with the dark hedgehog for trying to destroy the world anymore, but… he was a realist. On the other hand, he wasn't good at bringing his sometimes too optimistic brother back to Earth. And besides, the vulpine himself would be glad to see Shadow alive…
Tails closed his eyes and nodded, admitting his defeat. "Fine. As far as I could learn about the Chaos Control, you can only go to a place you've been to before. So there're not too many places you'll have to check. I will land at the Eggman's base in the desert where the Tornado was left, and you may start searching from there. If you want me to help you-"
"Hm? Um, no, thanks. Better take Amy and others home." At the point the hedgehog had some trouble concentrating on his little brother's words as he thought he had heard footsteps and a certain high-pitched voice approaching the cockpit. He pressed himself deeper into his seat, praying that the pink hyperactive hedgehog wouldn't get a chance to glomp him and strangle him in her arms…
.w.
"…Professor? Where are we going?"
Shadow was puzzled. Shadow was confused. Shadow was panting slightly, being almost dragged by his hand and barely able to keep up with Professor Gerald. And somehow the expression on the human's face made his stomach flutter just a bit.
"Sssh. No need to be so loud," Gerald replied almost in a whisper. "We need to find Maria and… yes, we have to find her."
The hedgehog could feel a tiny pause and knew Gerald was going to say something different, and his curiosity only perked up. "What's going on?" he asked again, in a quieter voice now.
"I will explain everything when we find her, and now, please, keep quiet and hurry! It's much more important than you think."
'It's important' was probably the most common phrase he had used to hear from scientists in general and Gerald in particular. 'More important that you think' was less ordinary, but he had heard it before, too. So he wasn't impressed or frightened yet, far from that. He just tried to shrug it off and increased his speed, not wanting to be hauled so roughly.
Something was happening indeed. There were more people in the corridors than usually; some of them tried to call Gerald, but he only waved them off. Only once he stopped to exchange a few words with another scientist, none of which Shadow could understand. Meanwhile people were stealing glances at the hedgehog while passing by, and soon even he began feeling something close to nervousness.
He was used to being stared at, being observed, but this time was somehow different, and he couldn't help wondering if it was him who caused the panic.
He shuddered as the accident of several days ago popped up in his memory. He had kept his word to the blue runaway hedgehog and hadn't told anyone, and the memory about it even began to fade away… right until today, and the Ultimate Lifeform was asking himself if it was a mistake of him.
Shadow swallowed, suddenly aware of something that resembled a knot in his throat. "Professor… I…"
"Finally!"
The door in front of them slid aside, and Shadow fell silent and almost stumbled when the scientist dragged him inside. A girl rose from the chair towards them, her face worried. "Grandfather, what happened?"
Gerald didn't reply right away. He approached one of computers which were present in the room and pressed several buttons. A few seconds passed and he gave out a barely audible moan of desperation. "They are here already…"
Shadow and Maria exchanged glances and silently took their positions on both sides of the Professor. They were watching video from one of many surveillance cameras installed in the colony - one which was located in middle-level laboratories, if Shadow was correct. The hedgehog frowned; apart from scientists, some of whom he happened to know, there were people in black uniforms, striding in and out of the vision wordlessly. Shadow couldn't remember seeing people who worked and lived on the colony wearing black uniform. White - yes, light blue or green - yes, black - no, never…
He heard Maria gasping. "Grandfather, who are those people?"
Professor shook his head. He turned the video off and took a deep breath. "The government sent them to shut the colony down. I could foresee it, but I didn't know it was going to happen so soon. I have no idea how much do they know and what orders do they have, but we all - especially you two - have to stay away from them. I can't leave right now, I have to take care of my other experiments, but you…"
He suddenly turned and grabbed his granddaughter by her shoulder. "You'll have to go to the 17th level - I know you were sneaking around the colony and know where it is. You'll find the escape pod bay. Now listen… I want you to leave the colony." He raised his hand as he saw Maria opening her mouth to protest. "I can't go with you - not right now. I'll be fine, I promise - it would be hard for them to reach this level when I don't want them to." He smiled - almost grinned knowingly.
Somewhere in the distance a siren went off.
"Hurry," Gerald whispered. He was now facing both his granddaughter and the hedgehog. "Maria, I want you to make sure that Shadow left the colony and then follow him, not waiting for me. Shadow, I want you to protect Maria. I hope you remember your trainings - chances are that you'll need your power. Now go!"
He almost pushed them out of the room before they had a chance to object. The door closed behind them.
Shadow looked at his friend. Her cheeks were pale, but frightened expression vanished from her face as soon as she caught his gaze. She nodded to him. "We don't have much time, Shadow. Grandfather said he will be fine, and I trust him. You… you remember where the passage to the 17th level is, right?"
He nodded in reply. "Yes. Let's go."
…They were running through passages, stopping for a short time to remember what turn they had to take and running again. At first there were people around them, but soon all of them disappeared, leaving the runaways alone in sterile semi-darkness of the colony. Yet at least they were lucky not to meet any of those people in black uniform yet.
Shadow gulped at squeezed Maria's fingers even tighter. Gerald told him he might had to use his power, and that was troubling him the most. He had had some trainings where scientists taught him how to use Chaos energy, where he for the first time had realized that he was capable of destroying… well, a whole equipment-filled laboratory for sure. But all his previous targets were inanimate objects, and no one had ever warned that he would once have to use his power against living creatures…
He shook his head, shoving it off. They hadn't met anyone in black uniform yet, and he hoped they wouldn't.
They decided against the elevator since it depended heavily on the power supply, which could be cut off easily from the control room. Climbing a staircase was a torture, but none of them complained. Finally they reached the 17th level the Professor had mentioned; without giving themselves time to rest, they went on running again. The Ultimate Lifeform was barely worn out, but Maria already looked exhausted. Despite this, she shook he head in reply to his gaze which suggested a respite. "We're almost there," she whispered to him. "It has to be around here somewhere…"
"Wait." He held Maria's hand tighter, slowing his movements to a stop and making her stop as well. "I think I hear something…"
They exchanged glances and hid behind a column of broad pipes, holding their breath and listening intently. There was another passage ahead crossing the one they had been running along; no one appeared from it, but distant voices hit their ears indeed.
"…know that you absolutely can't…"
"We know what we can and what we can't," a second voice came out, harsh and loud and sounding like a choir of angry clegs. "Right now we want an answer."
Shadow swallowed, somehow unable to move, to keep going. 'They are here already…' - Gerald's voice revived in his head.
"…Where's the Project?"
The Ultimate Lifeform shuddered. Project. Him?
"I have no idea what you're talking about," the first voice replied calmly.
"Hm… too bad for you."
A sharp and suddenly loud sound cracked in the air, making the hedgehog twitch again. For a moment he wondered what the hell could it mean; then a scream of pain exploded in his ears and a sound of something massive hitting the floor reached him, and his eyes went wide.
Gun fire. People sent from the Earth shot at the scientist.
He heard a gasp at his side and turned towards it. Maria was pressing her hand against her mouth, pure terror could be seen in her eyes. Shadow's own emotions were matched with her at the moment as it finally began to dawn on him what exactly they were threatened with…
The girl made a movement as if she was going to leave their hide, but the hedgehog caught her hand and pulled her back, shaking his head violently. He as well thought it was wrong, but he also knew they had to avoid getting noticed.
"But maybe your memory just needs refreshing?"
"I… I… Ah, no!" the scientist shouted as the weapon was probably pointed at him again. Shadow cringed at how shaky and miserable the voice sounded now. "Lower decks! It's in lower decks!"
Lower decks? Where Biolizard was kept? Smart choice, the hedgehog thought, - maybe the creature couldn't cope with all the military forces onboard, but it definitely could thin them out.
"Oh, thank you so much," the second voice lit up.
There was another burst of gun fire… only no screams could be heard this time.
"You shouldn't have killed him, you know," a third voice which had stayed silent before pointed out.
"We were told that we can fire if they resist, and he did resist, right? C'mon, we've gotta warn the others about the Project."
A sound of footsteps could be heard, fading until it disappeared in the distance.
Shadow swallowed, only now realizing how dry his throat had been all the time. He felt Maria's fingers trembling in his hand, and he looked up to meet her eyes. His heart skipped a beat as he realized he'd never seen them filled with so much pain and sorrow.
"They killed him," she whispered. "Just… because…"
Shadow nodded shakily. "And I did nothing…" He was now beginning to tremble himself. "If I had gone there, I could have saved him…"
He could have stopped them, he had the power to do so. Yet he had decided to stay where he had been, in safety, like a craven, and what is worse, he had done it right in front of Maria…
"No!" Maria almost shouted - and covered her mouth with her hand immediately. "I mean," she continued in a whisper, "If you had gone there, you would have got killed… or would have had to kill them, and I don't know which is worse…"
Suddenly she took a sharp breath and stood up straight. "Shadow, do you know what it means? They have an order to kill people who refuse to comply! And it means that grandfather and others are in danger!"
Shadow knew what she was thinking about even before she finished her last sentence. "We can't go back," he shook his head. He was still trembling slightly, but the first sharp shock already began to dull. "He told us to leave and- you yourself said we should trust him-"
"That's because I didn't know how dangerous those people were!" A frown settled upon her face and her gaze become surprisingly determined. "It's cowardice, Shadow," she said quietly and yet firmly. "Cowardice and treachery to leave now when-"
"Cowardice?" Now he was almost screaming even without meaning it. "Maria, your grandfather told me to protect you, and he won't thank me if something bad happens to-"
"It won't!" He saw she hated to shout at him, but she wasn't going to give up. "They're in danger, and I have to warn them-"
"They know already, and they'll be fine!"
She bit into her lower lip in sorrow, but shook her head nevertheless. "I'm going back. If you want to leave-"
"You're not!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her back firmly but gently as she actually turned to leave. "Professor told me to-"
"Shadow, please, let me go!"
"Hey, you! Freeze!"
Both of them fell silent and motionless at once at the sound of that voice. They exchanged fearful glances briefly and very, very slowly turned their heads towards the man.
It was a soldier in black uniform; he was alone and, as Shadow could judge from his voice, he wasn't one of those who had killed the scientist a few minutes before. But it wasn't a great relief anyway as the hedgehog lowered his gaze and found a submachine gun pointed directly at them.
Yes, Shadow thought sorely, it wasn't smart of them to just stand and argue in the middle of the passage while armed soldiers were around. Pity that it was a bit too late for the remorse.
The man swallowed, obviously less confident and more nervous than the previous two. The barrel twitched, now pointing straight at the Ultimate Lifeform. "You, hands off her!"
The hedgehog released his grip immediately and took a few quick steps back. If someone had to be held at the gun point, it would be him. Not Maria.
"Are you okay, miss?" the soldier asked, not tearing his gaze from Shadow. Without a pause, he continued, "What is this thing?"
"Um…" the girl was shifting her gaze from the human to the hedgehog and back helplessly, her face now even paler than before. "He… he's…"
Despite how much Shadow hated it, it looked like he was going to have to use his power against a human. He just didn't see another way out of this.
"He's just a hedgehog who lives here, nothing more."
The barrel swung a bit. "We have an order to find some 'Project'. Maybe it's him?"
"No! It's not him!" Her desperate cry could be simply taken as 'yes'.
It was just too much for Shadow. His left hand shot up and to the right, a beam of Chaos energy forming between his fingers quickly. If he remembered it right, he just had to concentrate and then 'throw' the energy at his target; maybe not kill the human, just leave him in shock until they would get away.
His movement was quick, but so was the soldier's reaction. His fingers tightened, pulling the trigger…
"No!"
Maria had never been as fast as Shadow himself, but somehow she predicted what was about to happen even before he made his move. In a split second the hedgehog found himself flying onto the floor, numbly registering the hands that had pushed him and a sound of gun fire…
The next thing he knew, he was kneeling over his friend lying on her back, with her eyes closed.
"Maria…"
He reached forward, but drew his hand back as he wasn't sure whether he could touch her without causing her more pain. He looked at the stain of blood which was forming on her dress and looked away instantly, his gaze shifting back to her face.
"No… don't die…"
He was the Ultimate Lifeform. Them why on Earth couldn't he think of something that could help her, save her? How could he have let it happen anyway…?
Her eyes fluttered open, revealing a flash of bright blue. "…Shadow?"
He blinked and reached forward again, this time caressing her cheek gently. "You're alive… thank Chaos."
He had to say something more. Tell her how scared he had felt moments ago. Tell her he was sorry. Tell her that everything was going to be okay. And he would have done so if his mind hadn't gone completely blank and numb.
She turned her head, looking to her side. "Where is he?"
The soldier. The one who had tried to kill her.
Shadow looked at where the man had been standing, but saw nothing. "He's gone."
"Did… did you kill him?" the girl asked quietly, making an attempt to sit up.
Shadow shook his head, helping her. "I don't remember… But if I did, there would be a body lying around, right?" He didn't want to think that he could have eliminated the human so absolutely nothing of the body was left.
"I guess so…" She already was breathing heavily, covering the wound with her one hand.
The hedgehog took a deep breath. "It means that he'll return and bring more soldiers with him, so we have to go right now. Do you think you can walk?"
"Yes," the girl replied - and winced when she tried to get up to her feet. "Oh…" she closed her eyes shut and sank down again.
At least Shadow was glad that returning to Gerald didn't seem an option for her anymore. He squeezed her hand slightly. "Don't even think that I'm going to leave you here. We're going together or… well, actually there are no other options. Here, I can support you…"
"Thanks." Despite the pain and fear she had to feel, she actually smiled to him. The warm and soft smile which made him smile in response.
With Shadow's help, she managed to get to her feet. She was trembling with exertion, but not a single sound escaped her lips. For the countless time the hedgehog was amazed at how strong she was despite her young age…
"Let's go," he whispered, and slowly, carefully, clinging to each other, they went on their journey to the escape pod bay.
.w.
This last dream dulled and faded, and he was glad to push it aside. He had a feeling that he had seen it before, and somehow he didn't want to know how it was going to end. Now more dreams drifted closer, and he was glad to let himself drown in their warm embrace.
But it seemed like he wouldn't be given such a pleasure. His dreams were shooed aside as the reality tried to claim him; numbly, distantly, he could feel it all over himself. Voices. Touches. Movements of his own limbs which felt like pieces of plush. As if he was shifted, even carried. By whom? He didn't care. He didn't mind as long as he was allowed to stay in his dreams.
He couldn't check over his body right now, but he could guess it was in no condition right now for him to be conscious. So as soon as he was settled again, he was glad to shove the reality off and dive deeper into his subconsciousness…
.w.
Prison Island? Counted out since it had been completely destroyed. Not the best place to Chaos Control to when you're out of energy and need help urgently, eh?
Eggman's base in the desert? Sonic had searched it from top to bottom, but found nothing. Well, the hero wasn't quite sure whether Shadow had ever been there in the first place.
Railway near Pumpkin Hill? It was possible, but he still found nothing.
Roads of Central City where the encounter between Shadow and GUN forces had taken place? It was the last area Sonic wanted to go to; the panic among the citizens hadn't subsided yet, and the hedgehog doubted he wanted to continue his search with waves of scared and excited people crushing around him. But it looked like he had no choice.
About an hour passed with the same result - means, with no result.
He landed on the pier across the road from train station, his legs dangling in the air above the water loosely. He was looking at his own rippled reflection while different thought were pushing one another in his head. He had looked everywhere he knew the dark hedgehog had been and hadn't found a single black quill. Now only places he didn't know about were left, which made the issue much, much more complicated.
But wait. Maybe he wasn't dead wrong and Shadow had really Chaos Controlled to the city, but somebody had found him before Sonic and had called the ambulance straight away. Which meant the hero had to check all hospitals as well.
He clutched at this thought in attempt to shake the image of Tails' sceptic expression out of his head. Shadow wasn't dead- he couldn't be. He had to be alive… he was just hidden somewhere Sonic couldn't find him yet…
"Here you are! Glad to see you're fine again, I was really worrying about you!"
Sonic looked back and saw an old lady hurrying towards him. "Erm… Sorry?" he asked, a bit confused.
"The wounds!" the woman clasped her hands, unable to suppress her emotions. She was now standing two steps away from him, looking down at him excitedly. "The wounds all over you body! I still flinch when I recall them! Oh goodness, you're lucky that you're such a good healer!"
"…Wait." Sonic turned around in his sitting position, feeling hope rising in his chest again. "You mean you saw a wounded hedgehog looking like me, right?"
"Yes," she nodded, slightly confused. "But… wasn't it you?"
"Hm… no. It was my…"
'Yeah, Sonic, who's Shadow for you? Brother? Relative? A random passer-by?'
"Just a friend." Huge, bright smile crawled across his face. "But we look alike… sort of. So, do you know where he is?"
"Of course I do!" the old lady exclaimed; her initial shock was over, and now she was bubbling over with excitement again. "I was the one who found him! Poor thing, he wasn't moving, and at first I thought he was killed by Eggman's robots; but then I approached and noticed that he was still breathing! I felt so relieved, and I went to call help as quick as I could. Gosh, those ambulance cars always take forever to arrive…"
"Uh…" Sonic flinched, desperate to squeeze a word into her monologue. "So, em, where is he now?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you? He was taken to the first city hospital! Oh, I hope he's going to be okay… When I saw you, I-"
"Yeah. Sorry, but I have to go visit him now." Sonic stood up, shaking the dust off his rear. "By the way, where was he when you found him?"
"Oh… in the park, in one of the city parks! I felt too curious to stay home, but people on the streets were so loud, so I decided to-"
A small 'whooosh' interrupted her, and when she looked at where the hedgehog had stood seconds ago, she found nothing. Surprised, she could only open her mouth and close it again.
Sonic already was far away. He happened to know where the said hospital was, and now was rushing towards it, so many emotions boiling inside him.
Shadow was alive. And some old woman had found him in the city park.
Sometimes logic really could go hang.
.w.
Dark hallway. Naked walls on the left and on the right, hollow nothingness behind and in a few steps in front of him. Clicking of handcuffs around his wrists. Two massive figures escorting him, following him silently... like shadows.
How ironic.
Poorly alight room with a lonely man inside. Himself being forcefully pushed in.
"You have only fifteen minutes".
They didn't mention anything about surveillance, but it wasn't actually necessary. He already knew that he and the man would never be left without anyone watching them.
The door closed behind, and the man lifted his head slowly to look at him. A strait-jacket was restraining his movements, but his eyes were glowing ferociously. "Nice to see you… alive, Shadow."
For some reason he found it unbearably hard to meet those eyes.
"Tell me... What do you feel?"
Gerald was going to ask why he hadn't been able to protect his granddaughter, to prevent her from being killed right in front of him. He had to be, since the GUN must have already informed him pleasantly about everything what had happened on ARK in mind-numbing detail. He wanted to know what his creation thought of failing his master like that.
And he knew he had nothing to say in response.
"Don't you feel hatred for those who took away everything from you? Who killed Maria?"
"Don't... don't say... it still hurts..."
He wasn't looking at Gerald. He couldn't. There were absolutely nothing and no one in the room except them, nothing for his eyes to rest on, but he fought hard to never let his gaze meet Gerald's, keeping it on the floor instead. It was easier.
"You say it hurts you… so you probably can imagine the way I feel now."
He hated this conversation from the very beginning. He should have known it was going to be this way, should have prepared some kind of repulse, but his mind had been in sort of haze recently. He didn't even remember getting caught by GUN forces; he only knew he had given himself up on purpose. In spite of everything, the only person he trusted who was left was Gerald, and he had no other place to go.
"Then tell me, Shadow... Those people who killed her… all the people who live on this planet…"
He twitched. This sounded so painfully familiar…
"…don't they deserve revenge?"
In a heartbeat, he found himself looking directly into two small dark glasses without even realizing it.
Revenge? Maria hadn't said that. She had told him to let all the people be happy.
"Maria didn't want this…"
"Maybe," the professor's face was emotionless, almost casual. "But she also didn't want to die. Don't you think she would have changed her mind if she knew that the people she loved so much were capable of killing her, an innocent child, for no reason?"
Shadow blinked. He wanted to look away from those twin black lenses, but somehow he couldn't. Yet now his mind finally became clear as he remembered the last time he had seen Maria. Dying, giving her life in the cause of his escape and knowing it, she was still smiling, forgiving the ones who had caused her so much pain… even wishing them to be happy. Shadow trusted his creator, but this time he simply couldn't be right.
"No…" He swallowed, forcing his voice to become firm again- well, at least trying to. "No. She wouldn't. She still wanted people to be happy, even despite… despite…" he didn't finish, but he hoped the professor got the idea.
"Shadow, you don't quite understand," Gerald sighed, visibly tired of the bluntness of his creation. "Maybe Maria really wanted those stupid humans to be happy. But she is dead now- she was killed. And now I want you to destroy them for taking her life. Just like you do. Am I right?"
Shadow swallowed, hard. He couldn't tell for sure. There were pain, bitterness, sorrow… he searched for the anger and hatred in his soul, but found nothing.
He didn't want to kill anyone. He just wanted Maria to be alive and with him again.
"I promised her…" It wasn't supposed to be a whisper. Where on Earth had his strength, his composure gone…? "You can't break your promise just because the person you gave it to is dead, can you?"
"You did?" the professor pretended to be surprised. "And what exactly?"
Shadow blinked. He honestly tried to recall it; but all he could think of was just Maria's face before him. Her hair a bit tousled after running for long, her eyes shining at him, her lips moving slightly, telling him… telling him… something…
Something he didn't remember.
It was something more than just important - something his whole life depended on. How could he have forgotten it so soon?
"You don't remember, do you?" his master nodded, obviously not needing an audible answer. "That's okay actually. Now you'll have to give another promise- this time to me. I want you to take revenge on them, on every single human living on Earth. GUN will seal you up, but I arranged so that one day you'll get a chance to get free. The Eclipse Cannon- you know what you'll have to do. Now tell me, Shadow: will you do that?"
It was strange. He felt like hypnotized, mesmerized, standing still and falling free at the same time, so far away from his master but unable to break this sudden link between them. He didn't want it to be. He wanted his own will to be with him, wanted to be able to tell wrong apart from right on his own. He didn't need those two black gimlets to thread their way through his mind, leaving it burnt, dark and empty.
"Shadow, we don't have time for that. I can hear the soldiers coming here. Do you promise me that?"
Shadow himself now could hear heavy footsteps echoing outside the room. Fifteen minutes they had had run out…
After all, wasn't it exactly what Maria wanted? He still couldn't remember, but wishing your killers to suffer would be logical, wouldn't it?
And what Gerald was saying was right… right?
"Shadow?"
He swallowed, his throat completely dry. He heard the scraping in the keyhole; in a few seconds he would be led out of the room, and only Chaos knew if he would ever get a chance to see Gerald again.
Maybe he wouldn't, and it was their last talk to each other. So…
"I…"
His reply was lost in the rumble of the door opening behind him. A second passed, and he already couldn't remember what he was going to say or even had actually said out loud…
.w.
He woke up and sat up harshly with a strange and intense feeling surging through his veins. He might have never experienced it before, but out of some instinct he knew what it meant. His life was in danger.
Next, though, this thought receded into the background as sharp pain stung every part of his body, and he was forced to curl up into a tight ball, falling clumsily on his side.
Maybe it wasn't too smart of him to wake up now, when he was in such a nasty condition.
His eye, one which wasn't buried in thick pillow, cracked open and scanned the space around him in search of danger his subconsciousnesshad tried to warn him about. He was in a dark room which could easily be an individual hospital ward; in the poor light he could see a closed door, a table with some medicines on it near his head and a jalousie window above it. Plus a bed he rested on. And as far as he could judge, he was absolutely alone here.
Now certain that he wasn't going to be attacked right away, he concentrated back on his own body.
He felt awful. The feeling made his memory travel back to when he had sneaked into the laboratory he hadn't been allowed to enter and had turned some strange-looking device on, which resulted in it spilling a nice puff of fire onto his palm, burning his glove out and stabbing his skin with thousands of needles. Later Gerald had told him that his shriek had been heard miles away… And even despite Shadow had always been a fast healer, it had taken him good free days to get rid of the shooting pain in his palm.
Now was pretty similar to how his hand had felt back then. The only difference was that now not a single limb, but his whole body turned into useless pulp throbbing in agony.
He looked down at himself and regretted it almost immediately. The sight of his bare wounded skin covered with occasional wisps of scorched fur definitely wasn't something he wanted to hold in his memory. He closed his eyes quickly and let his head rest on the pillow. Learning from his previous experience, the wounds were going to heal, but thoughts of it didn't help him much right now.
What is more, he was almost out of his Chaos Energy. A lump formed in his throat as he became fully aware of the feeling; almost having an enduring reserve of it in his body, being used to at as if it was an extra limb, and now suddenly almost empty, he felt… helpless. Defenseless.
Looking down at his hands, he also noticed that one of his power rings was missing. Thank Chaos other three still remained on.
And the worst part of it was that he didn't remember how he had ended up like this.
He didn't remember anything.
Though wait… He actually did remember something. He was Shadow the Hedgehog, the Ultimate Lifeform, created on space colony ARK by Gerald Robotnik… Robotnik… Maria…
He gave out a barely audible moan and turned his head so his face was now buried in the pillow completely. He remembered her dying, too… and he wished he didn't.
Shadow tried to push it aside, catching his previous train of thought - or better memories - instead. His escape from the colony… He had avoided being caught straight away, but had ended up on the Earth - in the foreign world, with no place to hide, no one to go to… except Gerald. So he had given himself up, supposing it to be the fastest way to meet his creator. They had been allowed to talk- the memories of their conversation were vague, but he thought it wasn't important right now- then he had been restrained and frozen…
At that point his train of thought halted. Shadow didn't remember waking up from his cryogenic sleep, nor getting injured, nor ending up in the hospital.
But he has intent on finding out what had happened.
The pain had dulled by that time, but it returned immediately as the hedgehog tried to uncurl himself and sit up again. He winced several times, but didn't cease his movements until his back rested against the pillow. He thought bitterly that his journey outside the hospital- Chaos, even outside the room was going to be a very long and painful one… when he for the first time heard footsteps in the corridor.
Shadow tensed all over; his muscles cried out, but he refused to pay attention to them. The footsteps were indeed approaching his ward; the door opened, revealing a man in a white coat with a small tray in his hands. The hedgehog thought it had to be one of the doctors supposed to take care of him, but didn't relax just a bit.
"Who… are you?" Shadow managed, suddenly aware of how hoarse his voice was. It felt like he hadn't spoken for years.
The man looked down at him disapprovingly, meanwhile approaching the table and placing his tray on it. Taking more medicines off the tray, he said in a quiet, but firm voice, "You better not talk right now. Your throat can be burnt as well, and talking will only make it worse."
Burnt. He had been in fire indeed and didn't even remember it. Wonderful.
Shadow narrowed his eyes stubbornly. "You didn't… answer… my question."
The human sighed, evidently displeased with his patient. "I'm doctor Sine, and, as you might have noticed, you're in the hospital." He picked up a disposable syringe, unpacked it and began filling it with some colorless liquid. "I don't know what exactly happened to you, but your body is covered with burn marks, so I can guess you went through severe fire. Now hold out your hand." The syringe was full, and the man turned towards Shadow.
"Wha… what's it?" his voice still was failing him, so he concentrated on burning the man with his glare, not moving an inch towards the syringe.
"Painkiller. Pills may be not enough in your case, plus, as I said, you shouldn't irritate your throat. Now your hand, please."
Reluctantly, Shadow hold out his left hand. He forced himself not to wince when strong fingers wrapped around his upper arm, nor when the needle pierced his skin. When finished, the man turned away, returning to manipulating with small bottles on the table, while Shadow, frowning deeply and fighting not to hiss in pain, began massaging his arm gently.
Right after waking up in some unknown place he had had an urge to leave immediately; now, though, he was hesitating. The hospital wasn't an absolutely safe place - if GUN was looking for him, and it definitely was, then its soldiers were going to search places like hotels and hospitals in the first place. On the other hand, he couldn't think of any other place to rest and wait for his wounds to heal right now. So maybe it would be wiser of him to stay here for a little longer; to have some sleep, maybe food and water to make the gaining of Chaos energy speed up…
He suddenly realized how thirsty he had been all the time.
"Aren't you… supposed… to drink much… when burnt?" asked Shadow, his voice by no means pleading… just a bit implying, as he would call it.
He squinted at the man beside him, looking him up and down… and then gasped, noticing something he hadn't noticed before. The white coat rode up a bit, revealing a tight belt around the human's waist.
And a handgun holster on it.
.w.
"Once again: not now," the 'doctor' murmured, screwing the last lid down.
A lack of reply made him frown and turn towards Shadow. The look on his face and his gaze lying on the holster told everything the hedgehog himself couldn't. The man tensed and stepped back and to the side, blocking the door, and in one smooth movement reached for his weapon.
Shadow remained still, checking his body quickly and silently. It looked like he was in no condition to fight right now… which was going to make things much more difficult as he had no intention of giving up easily.
"G.U.N.," he muttered, shock replaced with disdain. Then, without a pause: "What was… syringe?" He hated the stammer, but could do nothing with it.
"Sedative, obviously," the man replied in calm voice. "Don't worry, just wait a few more minutes, and you will fall asleep."
'Oh yes, a great comfort to me indeed,' Shadow thought sarcastically.
It was bad. He was weak, injured, out of Chaos Energy, and he doubted he would manage to stand upright if he got a chance to get out of the bed. He had no weapon, but was at the gunpoint himself. And the sedative was already running through his veins. It didn't affect him yet; he knew his body was resistant to some kinds of medications, but he wasn't sure it was going to last for long.
Was it time to give up? Maybe not.
He shifted, so he was now facing his enemy. The man noticed it and tensed up. "Don't be stupid. The building is surrounded by our forces, there's no way for you to get away."
"Called them already?" Shadow was pleased to hear his voice becoming firm again. Probably the adrenalin in his blood was doing its work. Which was good, as it might help him ignore the pain that was going to come quite soon.
"Up here? No, not yet. I don't think-"
"That's good." With those words, Shadow grabbed the pillow and threw it at the man.
He practically reached his goal. The 'doctor' didn't lose his balance, but stepped back and apparently lost his sight of the hedgehog. The Ultimate Lifeform wasn't going to lose such a chance. He rolled over and fell off the bed; the blanked his legs had been covered with flew off him and landed on the table. The hedgehog himself fell to the floor and tried to stand up immediately…
A jolt of pain shot through his system, making him shrivel on the floor, twitching, shuddering. He bit at his lower lip furiously; he had to move, he had to get out of here before-
"Nice try," the soldier said almost pleasantly, tossing the pillow aside. "But you didn't actually have a single chance. Now sleep already!"
Slowly, stubbornly Shadow stood up. He wasn't sure whether his growing dizziness was caused by sedative, or was it the result of his abrupt movement; he just knew he had to move, to do something before it was too late.
"No," he said blankly. "If you want to stop me… ugh… you'll have to shoot me."
"You know, I'm staring to like the idea." The human didn't fire straight away, though. He lowered the gun, aiming at Shadow's legs; slight frown settled on his face as if he wasn't sure whether he was allowed to injure the hedgehog.
The blanket chose this exact moment to slip off the table, bringing a load of medicines with itself. The formed lump hit the floor with a strange clinking sound, which made the soldier gasp and turn his head sharply. It was a second chance Shadow needed so desperately. He jumped forward; ignoring the pain, he grabbed the man's hand, making him release the gun, and made his body run into the soldier's. The momentum he gained was strong enough to make his enemy step back and hit the door, which flew open, inviting their bodies to fall outside.
The soldier finally lost his balance and landed on the floor. Shadow was more lucky for he remained standing upright. He dodged the hand stretched out to grab his ankle and took off, running as fast as he could. The thought of activating his jet skates raised its head, but he had to turn it down as he was still running low on Chaos energy. He still could run fast even without his special power…
"Ugh!"
He turned around the corner and crashed into something massive and was thrown against the wall. His heart sank immediately as that 'something' gave a sharp gasp of surprise and pointed a gun straight at his face instinctively.
His thoughts were lightning-quick. "There!" he shouted, holding back a coughing fit and pointing at the corridor he had emerged from. "Some maniac broke away and… kha… he threatens to kill everyone!"
The human snorted. "Nice one. I would even believe it if I didn't know that all patients were evacuated." After those words something hard - probably a gun handle - came crushing into his temple.
Shadow fell to his side, sucking for air sharply. For a brief second everything went dark before his eyes, but his desire to escape brought him back to consciousness- just in time to hear a second man he hadn't spotted before speaking, "…need to hit it when you can simply sedate it?"
There was a small click and stinging pain in his upper arm as tiny dart bit into his skin. The pain wasn't too bad, but it meant that another dose of sedative was injected into his bloodstream, his chances to escape thus becoming even slimmer. The hedgehog growled. He couldn't give up so easily, he wouldn't…! He twitched upwards, trying to get to his feet, but his muscles refused to support him and he fell back, trembling with helpless anger.
"We were told that this thing is pretty tough and… look, it's still struggling! Say what you want, but I think some precautions won't hurt." As the dark creature was now lying on the floor, the human simply stepped closer and gave a kick to the hedgehog's chest.
This was just too much for Shadow. Burnt, beaten up, with double dose of sedative running through his system - it looked like his body reached the limit of its possibilities. He choked, feeling his own blood filling his throat; once again the world turned over around him and his mind finally slipped into the darkness.
.w.
"Hello?"
Sonic was surprised… to say the least. The panic was still boiling, everybody was ready to start a street fight and let the chaos go on, but the hospital, where all the victims were supposed to be taken to, seemed to be closed. And the hero didn't like it.
"Hey, is anybody alive there?" he shouted again, knocking noisily at the front door. Again, nobody appeared.
'Maybe she misheard the number? There are many hospitals in the city… Chaos, this is still strange.'
He descended the steps and began walking along the wall. The first and the second windows he passed by weren't open, but the third was. As far as the hedgehog could see, the room beyond it was empty. Sonic bit into his lower lip uneasily, thinking rapidly; a couple of seconds passed and he made his decision. He placed his both palms on the window sill and leaped inside.
The hospital was silent. Everything looked like people had been here less than an hour ago, but then had left hastily for some unexplainable reason. Rumpled sheets, pieces of clothing lying everywhere, platefuls of food, open windows here and there, doors - closed, but not locked… but no blood, thank Chaos. Small comfort, but still.
Sonic proceeded to the second floor, becoming more and more anxious with every passing second. He hated to admit it, but his chances to find Shadow were getting thin quickly- yet the thought about it was washed away at once as the first door which was wide open on its own came into his view. His heart sank and then begun pounding heavily; he sped forward, for a moment holding his breath and preparing to the worst…
…Yet he let his breath go on again as he was greeted with empty room.
The mess was here, too; green eyes registered a pillow and a blanket lying on the floor and some small bottles of glass buried beneath the fabric. The hero approached them and took a few sniffs as he squatted down. He wrinkled up his nose at the strong smell - he had never been a fan of medicines.
Sonic stood up and stepped closer to the bed. He flinched as he for the first time saw blood strains, dark and evident on the white sheets. So someone indeed had been there, lying and bleeding, before then disappearing…
Shadow?
Maybe not, the hero tried to cheer himself up. Maybe it was another sapient, injured badly enough to be taken to the hospital. And the woman had mistaken and the dark hedgehog was now sleeping peacefully on the other side of the city. And the doctors along with their patients… hmm… went for a walk altogether?
He wished it didn't sound so stupid.
A sound of footsteps hit blue ears. Sonic looked back at the door, tensing slightly; a few seconds later a male cat in a white coat appeared before him. Alarmed yellow eyes ran over the room, registering the mess; then they rested on the hedgehog and went wide. "What happened here?"
"No idea," replied Sonic, for some reason feeling just a bit more relieved- right until it came to his mind. "Wait a minute. You're a doctor and work here, right? Then you should know what's going on!"
"Some… men in military uniforms surrounded the hospital," the cat licked his dry lips, his voice hoarse from anxiety. "They forced us to leave the building… even the patients… they said that something dangerous was inside and they had to take it under control. That's all I know. They left about ten minutes ago, but we were too scared to go back…"
Ten minutes. Too late to track them down. Damnit.
"Say… a black hedgehog was taken to this place today, right?" The hero asked slowly just to make sure it was not a mistake.
"I don't remember. Many citizens arrived here lately - you know, Eggman's robots, GUN forces, battles on the streets, panic…" If the cat's eyes were just wide before, now they turned into two perfectly round circles. "We… we made it wrong, didn't we? We shouldn't have let them in, right?"
"It's okay. Not like you could do something to stop them," Sonic replied perfunctorily. What was left of his high mood was now gone completely.
He was too late. And now Shadow was in hands of GUN again.
