Here we are, right on schedule!

I'm thinking 2 week increments at the max...I know, it sounds long, but keep in mind that this is a MAX deal. This past week was nasty emotionally for me...had to just take a real small break. So if that were to ever happen again, 2 weeks. But hopefully it won't be that long every single time. Follow me on deviantART for details!

Action action! There's some cursing here and there this round as well...that is, in fact, why this story's rated T! XD Nothing too serious. Just heads up.

Enjoy!
-Laz

An ear-piercing blast cut through the air, sending Black Doom's heart (and head) pounding. The bullet bounced off the table right next to his right shoulder, landing on the ground with an innocent "tink." Black Doom never understood human-made projectiles, but a fraction of his mind always paid heed to them, noting their merciless piercing nature. Normally he wouldn't worry too much about being hit, as anything on his body could easily be healed within a couple of seconds, but here, it was definitely a problem.

He tightened his grip on Shadow, who only stepped further back, Black Doom's spines just grazing the table; both their minds were scattered, uncertain of what to do or how to act in a tricky situation such as this. The men were growing more impatient by the second, and they could feel it in the air.

"Shadow, drop him!" the man without the gun shouted. Though it seemed as though this human had no weapon on his person, something about him still gave off waves of foreboding. The other stood steady, aim still directly locked on the bandaged ebony hedgehog. "You don't know what's going on…that hedgehog's sure as hell not normal…!"

As for Shadow himself, he was tempted to tell them both that he knew of this "strange" hedgehog's identity, but kept his mouth shut. Any mention of knowledge of this being would never end well for him. He dropped his head very subtly, eyes glued to the exit that was about the two humans, wishing that he had the energy to teleport both he and the alien out of the room altogether. Alas, he was trapped with no means, or hope, of escaping.

"Last chance, Shadow…" the armed man growled, displeased with the heavy silence between the pairs. Black Doom furrowed his brow, actually ducking slightly behind Shadow's quills; never would he have hid in such a manner, but here, he was so helpless, and so was Shadow. He couldn't seem to shake the feeling of impending permanent death…

Another shattering blast met the air, and a bullet nicked the side of Shadow's leg, knocking his balance off-kilter. He grunted, hands loosening significantly on his hold of Black Doom, and crashed to the floor, the alien hedgehog himself sailing the opposite direction. Black Doom hit the chilled floor as well, making a noise of pain and protest, snapping his eyes shut. He put a hand to his head, nursing the dull ache that was now spreading through his skull, blinking his eyes open. The heavy clunks of footsteps met his ears, growing louder as the man's shadow cast over the hedgehog's body. Black Doom looked up, wincing, only to see the hollow center of a gun pointed directly for his skull.

"If you know what's good for ya, you'll get back up on that table."

The alien leader was more than ready to reject, but the same could not be said for his preparedness for physically emphasizing his refusal. He only blinked, bringing a weak hand up to his chest level as if to protest.

"Bl…Black…!" a weakened, stammering voice cried out to his left. His gaze shifted briefly over to Shadow, where he had been pinned down by the other scientist. The hybrid struggled weakly beneath the human, a rare sight to be sure, but could tell that the impact with the floor had done him physical damage, reminding him of his severe wounds that were scattered across his body.

It was, however, Shadow that was in question, and there was much resistance still; enough for the scientist's labcoat to shift now and then, briefly showing something small in one of the pockets. It was cylindrical, with something else protruding out of the top of it; a needle. Though he could assume it was for Black Doom himself, he sensed that it wouldn't be hesitated to be used on Shadow. He was in danger.

"Shadow –!" he started, interrupted by the brief cocking of the pistol from above his head.

"You best be worryin' about yourself." The man scoffed, unmoved by Black Doom's partial plea for Shadow's release. The alien slowly returned his focus to the threat looming above him, giving him a weak scowl. Seeing how he could not flee very well from the man, nor could he fare well in a physical fight in this condition, he needed to improvise, and quickly. Out of his piqued peripheral vision, Black Doom caught a glimpse of the once-threatening mobile tray of those razor-sharp tools, and it was close enough to him that he could reach out and touch it with ease. His mind was struck with a grim idea.

His arm suddenly extended to his right, grabbing hold of the unit and flipped it over to its side, the metal tray crashing against the floor loudly. The man jumped back, smirking to himself as if he had dodged his adversary's true attack. This time not fazed by the ear-piercing noise, Black Doom directed his focus to all the intricate tools splayed on the floor as the human approached him again, weapon aimed for the alien's head.

"You're pretty clumsy now, aren'tcha?" he laughed. The hedgehog discretely took the sharpest tool that lay closest to him, his third eye doing the searching for him. "Not so high and mighty now that you're just a – "

Without warning, Black Doom lunged for one of the man's legs, thrusting the scalpel through his clothing and impaling his shin. The sour scent of human blood encircled his nose as the man's sheer cry of pain sliced through the air. Normally the alien would have delighted himself in such screams of pain, but here, his heart was racing in genuine fear and panic that his sadism was long-forgotten. The man stumbled back clumsily, blood staining his khaki trousers, fighting the urge to fall to the ground and clutch his wound.

"You…you little shit…!"

The hedgehog proceeded to flip himself over on his stomach, pulling his body along with his hands desperately. He had no idea how to work these legs of his, and he was in no mood to try, and for once he began to ignore the decency of this action. To prevent his wound on his abdomen from grinding against the tiles, he propped himself up higher, quickly dragging himself along. Things never went well when improvisation was the plan, especially in a situation as dire as this, but he could only hope that Shadow would take over for him from here…

Black Doom's ears twitched, hearing movement above him, and just as he was about to duck around the corner, his ankle was snatched up and heaved over and onto the table. Once again his head throbbed violently, his skull being slammed against the weakly-cushioned apparatus harshly. He cursed under his breath, shockwaves of burning knives cascading through his veins. The alien felt something hard and hollow press up against a spot just shy of his third eye; another cold shock to his body. He was in for hell now, he swore.

"That was the last thing you'll ever do…"

Somehow, he found his new legs kicking and flailing in the air, desperately struggling to get out of the man's custody. He cried vile insults in his native language, cursing the man's ancestors and any generations that would follow, wishing that he was still in his familiar body with his familiar powers. Only then could he truly show what he was capable of.

Luck was on his side, though, as Shadow's captor noticed the commotion that was happening on the autopsy table. His eyes widened, loosening his grip on the still-conscious hedgehog significantly as he issued a direct, pressing command.

"Don't shoot him, idiot!" he yelled. Shadow froze, realizing who this was concerning; he had heard crashing and clamor over to his right, yes, but he had to keep all his focus on this blasted scientist. He suddenly felt the dire need to escape and help Black Doom – and God knew how much he didn't want to ever have to feel that desire. "You'll destroy him as a specimen! You might compromise something!"

Shadow longed to call out his creator's name, but kept his mouth shut in fear of blowing his own cover. He himself was beginning to lose energy; if he lost consciousness, the hope of rescuing Black Doom from his permanent death would be shattered.

"Tch, fine…" his cohort growled, narrowing his eyes with discontent. The alien could tell easily how disappointed he was that he was not able to take his life away, and he bitterly laughed at him internally.

His mood suddenly dropped as the human began to shift his grip on Black Doom. The leader ceased for but a moment as the scientist tossed the gun by the alien's leg, digging around in his pocket somewhat hurriedly for the next plan of action. Out from the man's front coat pocket came a syringe, much like the other, but he could tell clearly that this one indeed had a clear liquid inside. The alien could feel his new ears fall flat against his head.

"We'll just have to sedate ya a little bit, then…" a grim smirk spread across the human's face, and it struck blackened hatred within the alien leader. He continued his struggling even more so now, pulling at his arm as it was pushed against the table.

A sharp stinging sensation danced across his wounds, causing a stifled grunt to escape Black Doom's chest; so much aggravation to his body had occurred within the past few moments and he hadn't realized it until now. Even the arm he was trying to win back began to bleed dark liquid once again. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he would pass out.

No, he suddenly growled in his head. It wouldn't end like this. Being shamefully defeated on this rock once was more than enough; it would not happen again. He swore it wouldn't. He clenched his fists, fighting through the lasting pain, snapping his eyes shut. A flame of rage had been sparked inside of him; he was sick of these humans, tired of this planet, and had enough with losing…

Shadow made one final struggle, attempting to slide his wrists through the man's hold, but couldn't bear the stinging in his arm any longer.

"D-dammit, let go of me…!" he stammered, voice cracked as blood seeped through his bandages. Seeing this as an opportunity, his captor released the pain-encased arm to dig through his own pocket, following his comrade's suit in pulling out an identical needle – the needle that Black Doom had noticed before. Shadow swallowed the knot in his throat, assuming the worst of the drug that sloshed inside the syringe. He never was one for needles, either.

"Shadow, I'll tell you this right now," The scientist said, his voice low. The hedgehog growled back, expecting nothing good to come of whatever he was going to say. "Because of what you've seen, and what you've tried to do, you'll be kept here in the base for a while."

The ebony hybrid found his words jammed in his chest. These people…these people were monsters…

"I hate for it to come to this, but I'm just doing my –"

Suddenly, surges of black erupted through the metal floor, three breaking through next to Shadow's sides. The hedgehog winced, clearly not expecting, nor commanding said streams of darkness, but merely kept still. The scientist above him, however, was much different, in that he audibly gasped, shrieking pathetically in terror and shock as they wound themselves around his abdomen hastily. Shadow's heart raced, his mind relating such a sight to that of a monster grabbing at his prey with appendages, ready to scarf it down in a ravenous manner. It had secretly been one of his fears during the invasion; to be eaten by one of Black Doom's creatures…he had kept it shut away in his mind until now.

The floor was icier than before, Shadow noted as the human was lifted into the air carelessly. He had never felt such coldness in his life. Struggling to sit up all the way and nursing his arm with his other hand, the hedgehog watched with wide eyes as the agent was tossed across the room, landing on the floor with a dull thud. His crimson eyes stared after the now-unconscious man that lay limp on the floor, wondering where such appendages had come from. A cold breeze whistled by Shadow's ears, and soon after the other man followed, flying through the air and slamming against the wall. The black had vanished into thin air.

"Wh…what was…?" Shadow stammered, ears falling against his head. He turned back to the medical table, seeing a shivering Black Doom halfway propped up. His hand was weakly stretched out in front of him, his expression weak, yet stunned and confused as well. "Did you do that?"

"I…believe so…somehow…" the alien mumbled tiredly. Whatever he had done was taking a toll on his already-low energy, but he fought to keep himself conscious; he needed to get out of this place intact with Shadow, and fast.

Taking note of his creator's worsened state, Shadow hastened over to Black Doom's side, hands latching onto his legs and sliding him to the edge of the table. The alien leader, though surprised by the sudden movement, found that he had no energy to protest, and let himself fall into the mercy of his biological child. As his legs hung limply from the edge, Shadow swiped the roll of gauze, looped his arms beneath Black Doom's knees, and hoisted him onto his back.

"Hang on tight." Shadow said, certain that they would make it out of the room this time. His shoulders were squeezed weakly, and Shadow read it as a plea to hurry. Suddenly the hybrid began to feel a pang of fear for the alien's life…

Without a moment more, Shadow lunged forward, beginning to run as fast as his wounded legs could carry him. He bit through the pain, especially the fresh sting that the bullet's graze had granted him; again he cursed beneath his breath as he turned out of the doorway. Running would drain more of his physical energy, and it didn't help that he had no way of navigation around the newly constructed ward. With a huff, he darted down the hallway and made a right, continuing down and away from the direction of the commander's office.

The halls were silent, save for the heavy footsteps of Shadow's, and it greatly pleased both the hedgehogs. The longer the military went without knowledge of Black Doom's escape, the better. Shadow, however, knew that the entire facility was under tight surveillance, and it wouldn't be long before they would be spotted. The thought of this gave a spring into Shadow's step, but just as he did so, he fumbled, losing his footing only slightly. It was enough to shake him off balance, and Black Doom certainly felt it. Though all three of his eyes were closed and head limply resting upon the other's out of pure exhaustion, his perfectionist ideals shone through.

"Mind your footing…" he grumbled, his speech uneven. As much as Shadow wanted to throw the alien down the hall for such a critique, he merely paused, gathering his composition and continuing onward.

"You weren't sedated, were you?" Shadow asked, his tone uninterested and monotone. He felt Black Doom's head move side to side slowly.

"No, but I'm – nngh…!" the alien trailed off, feeling sharp pains in his stomach. He took a few breaths to regain himself and continued. "I'm very exhausted, and I think I'm losing…"

"S-shut up; you'll be fine…" Shadow mumbled, his bandages now soaked through with his dark blood. His eyes grew heavy, longing for a rest, even a small one. His pace slowed to a jog. Black Doom's ears perked as the speed decreased suddenly, shifting his head so that it looked directly forward. His third eye atop his forehead squinted, only to narrow after noticing that there was no exit still in sight.

"Shadow, you can't stop; it's too much of a risk; I'm worn as well, but we shouldn't – "

Loud sirens sliced through the air, sending an aching throb through both the hedgehogs' heads. Red lights mounted on the ceiling began to shine angrily throughout the hall; Shadow glanced above uneasily, but remained determined to keep his cool, even as his ears picked up distant shouting from behind them. The military was fast to act, that was certain, and Black Doom grumbled lowly in response. He elevated his voice to command his creation.

"Faster."

He wasn't sure if it was of his own will or not, but Shadow found his feet carrying them faster than before. Deciding not to question it, he continued onward, holding onto the alien as tight as he could in doing so. Quick pops and bangs pierced the air around the couple. Shadow cursed as one barely missed his head, summoning a pale green shield of light behind them briefly, deflecting a fraction of the bullets that whizzed through the air. His head felt light in doing so, and he brought the shield down, feeling scarce when it came to chaos energy. He really needed that rest to rejuvenate himself…

"Save it," Black Doom agreed with his creation's actions, his eyes heavy. "You're going to need that energy to get us out of here…"

Shadow realized how correct he was; using Chaos Control on one person would be difficult enough in the condition Shadow was in, but two would be nearly impossible. He withheld the urge to scatter chaos spears behind them, especially as his shoulders felt heavier suddenly. Shadow looked over his shoulder, only to see the wounded hedgehog looking worse than before. He started to question his well-being, but was interrupted by the alien's low, quiet voice.

"I'll try to…loan…you some…" Black Doom muttered, his speech slurred.

"What?" Shadow asked, not fully comprehending. Black Doom didn't respond, his consciousness vanished for the time being. Shadow spat a curse once again, feeling how much heavier the alien was now. As his insides felt tightened with the sense of urgency, he quickly dashed over to a door, swinging it open as he felt no presence of life behind it.

Men's shouts and the twangs of bullets were the only things Shadow could hear at that point; he used the door as a temporary shield as more and more shots rang out. Clearly the humans didn't mind killing Shadow now that he was helping a wanted terrorist. He waited for the opportune moment, then snatched the door handle and slammed it shut. The sharp noises were only muffled, gunshots ceased, but he heard loud, booming voices commanding for all the men to go into the room they now resided in.

After setting the alien leader down onto the floor, Shadow locked the door tightly. He knew that even with the lock in place, he hadn't much time to work. The soldiers' brute strength would break through the door easily; tending to both their wounds would have to wait, unfortunately. He backed up slowly, casting an uneasy glance at the unconscious hedgehog on the floor. He crouched down, checking for any vital signs, catching himself actually hoping that he was still alive. Black Doom's limp body felt cold as ice, however, and right away Shadow could tell that such a temperature was not normal, not even for an alien race.

Eyes darting around the room, he caught a glimpse of a midnight-colored coat of sorts. Grabbing it, he felt the soft cotton texture, deeming it to be good enough for the alien leader to wear. He himself had never felt his original robe and its material, but he could guess that it was some alien equivalent to cotton. Shadow only hoped that he wouldn't complain and whine about how "rough" it felt. Carefully, he leaned down to Black Doom's level, settling the coat's shoulders on the unconscious alien's own gently. He didn't bother to put his arms through, nor did he button it up, for he knew that there were raw wounds still to be treated. Already, however, Shadow noticed that the sleeves were far too long for Black Doom's arms; he could only predict that Shadow would be forced to fix said flaw.

The voices drew nearer, and Shadow's heart stopped for a brief moment. He threw himself onto the alien leader, snapped his eyes shut, and conjured all the chaos power he could find within every cell of his body.

The door flew open, slamming against the wall, and the sounds of cocking guns swarmed the entryway.

"Freeze, both of you!" one shouted. His demand was absorbed into the still, dense air, as there was not an opposition to the small fleet of soldiers at the door. The room was empty.

"Shadow…!" the commander started, shoving his way past the soldiers. His eyes widened as they beheld nothing; no signs of life, no signals of hiding. Both Shadow and Black Doom were gone. His brows furrowed darkly at the spot that the two hedgehogs once had been. "Dammit…Goddammit!"

"Sir, what do we – "

"Find them. Find them both. Bring them back dead or alive," their supreme officer barked, gloved hands forming tightly wadded fists. "I'm getting sick and tired of this cat-and-mouse game."