Chapter 12 – Black Hearted
The holographic screen of the ARK's mainframe computer displayed the emblem of Project Shadow.
For days now, Tails and Eggman have been sifting through the vast databases created five decades earlier by professor Gerald Robotnik, in search of any information which could help them in the development of the universal cure. But as they researched the log, learning about the long process of medical and bioengineering experimentation conducted within the station's laboratories, they encountered a huge gap among the regular entries. Namely, the database contained only those files which spoke of the Project's development up to the moment when the prototype of the ultimate lifeform, the Biolizard, was put away due to the creature's unruly and primitive nature. All the entries considering Shadow himself, were missing.
This only proved the theory that GUN had actually visited the ARK after its sealing, and that the government was trying to remove from it whatever could still be harmful to the people of Earth. Eggman himself only had bits and pieces of that data, so Tails came to a conclusion that he better try to recover as much of it as possible. In order to do that, he utilized his computer skills to the fullest, to the degree that the doctor himself had to create a small service robot to run errands around the station for the duo of scientists as they spent all the time they had working assiduously in the computer lab.
Tails could operate like a machine when he sat in front of the keyboard, but after a couple of days of unsuccessful hacking, even he became exhausted. Standing by his side, fawning his long mustache, Eggman gazed at the fox's blood-shot eyes, pondering. It was late at night, and he figured that if they didn't make any progress soon, a change of tactics might be inevitable.
"Any success?" asked the doctor, seeing that Tails had just finished re-scanning the hard drives with the data recovery software he had written especially for that purpose.
Before answering him, the fox checked the result of the scan yet again… and groaned in disappointment.
"Err! Still nothing," he spoke in a tired, raspy voice. "We've got 672 daily reports from before the gap, and I've only been able to retrieve 24 later entries! The latest one is dated as coming from 'day 1780', and that was even before Shadow was awakened for the first time! This means that all we possess amounts to anywhere from 20 to 30 percent of the whole database… And those files that are missing, which the government must have completely eradicated, are the ones we need the most!"
It was obvious that the child genius was becoming exasperated. After all, computers were his passion, and during his cooperation with Eggman both of them participated in a silent competition, attempting to impress one another with their skills. Now, however, it seemed that Tails was losing his favorite game. And the sight of the doctor laughing didn't help his in the least.
But why was Eggman laughing, anyway? Didn't he want to finish his grandfather's work, too? The tired fox sent him a curious look, what caused him to put his hands on his round hips.
"You worry too much," the nefarious scientist announced with an odd cheerfulness, though this time, Tails had a feeling that the doctor was actually not making fun of him.
"What do you have in mind?" inquired the young researcher.
Once again, Eggman exhibited an ear to ear grin.
"We may not have any files about Shadow, but we do have Shadow himself, don't we? It's he, the Ultimate Lifeform, who will make our names remembered throughout all of history! I told you already- computer skills will be of little use in this Project."
Leaving Tails stupefied in his office chair, the doctor then turned around to leave, saying-
"Tell everyone to gather in the medical lab."
Although the fox still considered the fact that Eggman thought more about his personal fame than the wellbeing of mankind suspicious, he decided to listen to his request. Activating his wrist communicator, he called Shadow and Ken, telling them that the doctor apparently had something to show to all of them.
Wrapping up his work for the night, Tails eventually made his way to the ARK's medical research center, dragging his feet along and sweeping the floor of the space station with the back of his oversized lab coat. When the automated door opened before him, he saw that the rest of his companions (apart from Sonic, who still wasn't allowed to move around) were already there.
Dressed in his white smock, still grinning mysteriously, Eggman was tinkering with the small utility bot he'd hastily put together using old parts, most of which came from an old toaster (thus dubbing his creation 'ToastBot').
Shadow and Ken were way more sullen, however. Both of them had been eagerly waiting for news of progress concerning the Project, and had expressed their impatience to the two researchers on several different occasions. Furthermore, it didn't quite look like Shadow enjoyed to be where they were now, among all the old medical equipment… Standing next to the empty tank from whence he'd emerged to life over fifty years ago, he stared at the fox with a somber demeanor.
"Well?" sergeant Mitsui was the one who spoke first when the four of them finally faced each other. "We're waiting."
To his great dismay, Tails noticed that everyone else was fixing their eyes at him, as if Eggman had told Shadow and Ken that the fox would be the one to deliver the important announcement. When, actually, the truth was completely opposite!
Stammering, the embarrassed youngster rubbed his aching eyes… Was the doctor, who should be working together with him as a partner, only trying to make him humiliate himself?
"B-but… I haven't found anything in the databases!" Tails yelped, fearing what the reaction of the others would be upon hearing such 'wonderful' news. "The hard drives in the mainframe… most of them have been formatted clean! The files that were once on them are lost, and I haven't been able to figure out a way to recover them…"
Under Ken and Shadow's angry glares, the fox hung his head in sorrow. Seeing how apologetic the young scientist was, they then turned toward his elder.
"You said that you've achieved some sort of progress!" the black hedgehog uttered threateningly to Eggman.
In spite of all that, the doctor himself still laughed like the maniac he was.
"My dear Shadow! But this is progress!" he announced with joy, patting the top of ToastBot's head.
Noticing that his interlocutors were not sure what he meant by that, the scientist quickly began to explain.
"During the time my furry colleague and I spent studying the incomplete files of my grandfather's greatest project, I was thinking. When we found out that GUN had erased most of the data, at first I was ticked off as well, but then I received a certain revelation. Why would we need those files at all, if my grandfather had never actually been able to synthesize this cure we're looking for? That kind of information was never there to begin with! The answer is in a totally different place, and not where we'd been looking for until now. That nigh-miraculous cure does not lie in mere words!"
Hearing how mysterious Eggman's words were, Shadow narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean by that?" he inquired impatiently. "Where is it, then?"
The evil scientist bared his teeth, and pointed at the dark creature standing before him.
"It is in your heart, Shadow!" he announced. "In your very blood!"
The hedgehog stood in silence for a while, wondering. Yes, that made sense- professor Gerald was only able to create the Ultimate Lifeform after Black Doom gave him a sample of his blood- the blood which now flowed through Shadow's veins.
Looking toward Eggman again, he then said to him passionlessly-
"If you need to conduct any medical procedures… it better not take too long!"
"Excellent!" the overjoyed scientist clapped his hands. "Why don't you take a seat over here?"
Not too happy about such a turn of events, yet surprisingly compliant, Shadow sat on top of a medical couch. He was soon surrounded by Ken and Tails, who curiously awaited to see what exactly Eggman had in mind. The doctor then addressed his small service robot.
"ToastBot! Bring me a 500 milliliter beaker, a syringe, and a few 21-gauge hypodermic needles!"
With a docile bow, the small robot drove off toward the supply cabinet. Tails then noticed the doctor bending over to whisper in his ear.
"The real question is- can the Ultimate Lifeform bleed?" Eggman asked so that the others wouldn't hear him.
"Well, I've never seen him bleed…" the fox admitted, also whispering. "But why wouldn't he? I mean, he's tough and all, but he's still a being of flesh and blood. Right?"
"Oh yes, yes! Naturally!" the doctor responded to that question with a rather awkward chuckle. "I mean, what else could he be? An android? No, that's out of the question! Heh-heh… I'm almost positive that this here is the real Shadow, not one of my old robotic clones… 80% sure. No, 90%!"
Not exactly satisfied with such a statement, Tails gave him a curious look… Fortunately for Eggman, ToastBot was already back with a tray upon which lay the items the doctor had requested.
"Ah, here we go!" grinned the scientist, attaching a fresh needle to the syringe. He then went up to Shadow and touched his arm… very carefully.
"Erm, this won't hurt much… so please, don't react by tearing my head off, will you?" Eggman said to the hedgehog, visibly nervous. His patient himself remained completely still, however.
First, the doctor split the fur on Shadow's forearm, looking for a vein. Then, with shaking hands, he put the needle against the skin, and…
"Huh?" frowned the doctor, seeing that nothing happened after he attempted to puncture the vein. Exasperated, he pressed a little harder. And then again.
Finally, he lifted the needle, which was now bent in the middle, in front of his eyes.
"Well, this is something I haven't predicted…" Eggman expressed his puzzlement.
"Ha-ha! That's right!" laughed Tails, happy that this time he wasn't the one who goofed. "I remember seeing Shadow reflect bullets like they were popcorn!"
In the meantime, the black hedgehog himself was becoming increasingly tired of this procedure. Fixing his eyes at the crestfallen doctor, he angrily uttered-
"Do you always have to be so useless? Are all your academic titles good for nothing?!"
Afterwards, Shadow turned toward Ken, who was standing by the side of his couch.
"Sergeant Mitsui, would you mind if I used your sword?"
Now that was something unexpected… Looking even more perplexed than Eggman, the old soldier stood speechless for a while. But then, considering that Shadow knew exactly what he was doing, he unsheathed his katana and handed it to the hedgehog.
The two scientists looked at one another, quite astounded…
"Err, Shadow… you may want to watch out with that thing!" his creator's grandson warned him. "This blade looks like it could sever your arm!"
The dark creature, however, wasn't bothered with similar worries.
"The sword may be able to sever your arm, or even your head, doctor," he responded rigidly, "but it'll take a bit more than that to cut through my skin."
With everyone observing him in awe, Shadow grabbed the glass dish brought by ToastBot in one hand, holding the katana in the other. Suddenly, waves of light similar to electric discharges began dancing over the surface of the steel.
"He's empowering the sword with chaos energy!" Tails pointed out to the others, himself deeply astonished.
Shadow then put the edge of the blade against the skin on his forearm and, without the slightest twitch of pain appearing on his face, made a deep incision.
A wave of pitch-black, thick liquid rapidly gushed from the wound, flowing down to the hedgehog's elbow. Holding the beaker underneath, Shadow carefully collected every single drop of it.
"Is that… hydraulic fluid?!" Tails gasped in shock at the strange substance's color, dreading that the hedgehog may have indeed been an android. But Eggman dispelled his doubts for him.
"No. That is his blood!" the doctor was no less shocked. "Shadow! It appears you've punctured your median cubital vein! Here, let me give you a tourniquet before…"
"Stay away!" the hedgehog sternly refused to receive any aid. For a few moments, it did seem like he was about to bleed himself to death, but before the dish was completely full, the flow of blood ceased. A few seconds later, the incision closed up by itself, not even leaving a scar.
"Did he… regenerate?!" the completely mesmerized Tails asked, opening his eyes wide.
"Ah yes, I completely forgot you could do that, Shadow!" Eggman said, taking the beaker with the hedgehog's blood sample from him.
Shadow then gave Ken his sword back, thanking him with a nod. After shaking the last black drop from the katana, the sergeant placed it back in the sheathe on his back, bowing in response.
Throughout the whole procedure, Shadow remained completely collected and bereft of all emotion.
"Well, it appears you're not as heartless as some people say you are!" Tails pointed out to him jokingly, happy to see that the hedgehog was okay. "I mean, if you can donate a blood sample, that means you have to have a heart! Even if it's a black one…"
When Shadow looked at him after he said those words, however, the fox bit his lip. The dark creature then jumped off from the medical couch, and addressed all those gathered around him.
"My creator, professor Gerald, had told me that it's the blood of the Black Arms that flows through my veins- a race gifted with extreme longevity, the ability to survive in radically hazardous environments, and the power of Chaos Control. Now, I am the last representative of that species."
"But, wait a minute," being as inquisitive a mind as he was, Tails wrinkled his brow. "Wasn't the blood of the Black Arms green?"
"Yes, that is true…" confirmed sergeant Mitsui, who had himself killed many of those alien creatures during the war.
Eggman then offered them another chuckle, lifting up the glass dish containing the black substance solemnly.
"Ah, yes! The Black Arms!" he said, grinning. "After the prototype turned out to be unsatisfactory, my grandfather began to fear that creating the Ultimate Lifeform was impossible. But then he had an inspired idea- to turn to an alien civilization, known for its remarkable endurance and long life! Indeed, the aliens' blood is green, as it does not contain iron-based hemoglobin, like with humans or mobians, but hemocyanin, which is based on copper. Yet, we must remember that Shadow is not exactly a full-blooded Black Arms, either. What he is, is a hybrid! The mix of red hedgehog blood with the green one of an alien might be the reason why his blood has such a dark color… but in order to know that for sure, we will need to put this sample under a microscope! Ooh, I simply can't wait!"
It became obvious that Eggman was experiencing the highest possible level of thrill for a scientist, having in his hands something as unique as the blood of the Ultimate Lifeform. Shadow and Ken noticed that Tails was also looking very excited, in spite of having been completely exhausted just a few minutes ago.
"ToastBot!" the doctor called his servant. "Bring me my electron microscope!"
The robot did not possess the ability to speak, but when its master issued his order, it displayed the word 'ERROR' on a small LCD screen installed in its toaster head. That made the doctor angry.
"Err! You piece of trash!" growled the Eggman. "What do you mean by 'error'?!"
The words 'REQUESTED OBJECT UNOBTAINABLE' then appeared on the screen. Suddenly remembering something, the scientist frowned in embarrassment.
"Oh. It appears that I forgot to bring my electron microscope from Caviar Cavern…" he mumbled, making Ken and Shadow roll their eyes.
They all thought that now somebody would have to travel back to Earth only to bring the doctor's equipment back. But, fortunately, Tails showed them that this would not be necessary after all.
"Wait a minute!" exclaimed the fox. "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back. I just need to get something from my tool bag!"
With his two tails swinging, the youngster took off out of the room, leaving the others behind, wondering. But when he returned but a few moments later, he was carrying something that looked like a regular, miniature microscope.
"Hmph! What do you expect me to do with that?" Eggman sneered at Tails' little present.
Unfazed by that, the fox set the microscope on a table, and said-
"You may want to keep yourself from judging by appearance, doctor, as any good scientist would. I knew that some medical equipment may come in handy, so I brought my invention along with me. I present to you the quark microscope."
"The what?" asked the unimpressed Eggman, still looking at the small device without much conviction.
"The quark microscope!" Tails explained, grabbing the blood sample from his hands. "If an electron microscope allows you to see viruses, the quark microscope will let you count a virus' nose hairs! Come, see for yourself!"
Working with a lot of skill, the fox quickly prepared a specimen from Shadow's blood and, placing the glass slide under his device's lens, invited Eggman to take a look.
Skeptical at first, the doctor then went up to the microscope and, looking through the eyepiece, remained silent for a long while. Finally, Shadow himself encouraged him to reveal to everyone if Tails' invention really worked the way it should.
"So?" the black hedgehog asked impatiently.
Eggman then turned around to face them, bearing a demeanor of complete astonishment.
"Gentlemen… I believe this is the most baffling material I have ever examined throughout my career as a scientist!" the doctor announced to them seriously. "The cellular content in the plasma is way more diverse and dense than in any human or mobian! Erythrocytes are present, yet they are definitely not based on iron… Most likely copper, judging from their emerald color. The leukocyte count is way above average, yet all of them are completely achromatic, for some reason! Thrombocytes, on the other hand, seem to be totally absent… There are, however, other small cells, the likes of which I have not observed in any species of terrestrial vertebrates!"
The old, seasoned scientist was truly impressed by what he was witnessing. Unfortunately, his technical jargon was of little use to Shadow himself.
"But what does all of this mean?!" he inquired with a red spark in his eyes, unsure if Eggman's observations brought them any closer to finding a cure.
This time, Tails took the floor, attempting to translate the doctor's message to make it more understandable.
"It means that your red blood cells are green, whereas your white blood cells are black… the reasons for which we don't understand. Or at least not yet. We're gonna have to spend a little more time in the med lab before we figure out what secrets are hiding in your blood, Shadow."
Although he was not happy about the fact that the cure could not be invented on the spot, the dark creature nodded, and Ken soon did the same. Eggman himself, however, did not seem to be able to stop gazing at the sample under the quark microscope, admiring it as if it were the pinnacle of scientific research.
"The genetic structure within the nuclei of Shadow's black leukocytes is like a trip into another dimension!" he continued to gasp in glee. "It's like our DNA is 8-bit, whereas his is advanced, photorealistic CGI!"
AN: Well, I guess this was inevitable. As much as he hates it, Shadow has to return to the same medical facility where he was created, and become a test subject. The problem is not just that his skin, much like his will, is almost impenetrable (as we can see in his game). Shadow's DNA is also that of an extraterrestrial being. The question is- will Eggman and Tails be able to decipher its mysteries? What secrets about the Ultimate Lifeform lie within his black heart?
Stay tuned and find out!
