Shayla Robotnik is the property of Twilight the Gecko.
"Unky Scourge?" Shadow asked.
"Long time no see isn't it, Brother, Nephew?" Sonic frowned.
"I'm not your brother."
"And why would that be?" Sonic almost laughed.
"Why? After what happened aboard the ARK?"
"What, so you blame me for that too, do you?" Scourge snorted. "Because I can assure you that you're blaming the wrong mobian, just like everyone else." Scourge sighed.
"We're not stupid. Who else could have done that much damage? Santa Claus?" Scourge actually looked hurt.
"You know, out of all the people who wouldn't have believed me, I didn't expect my own brother to be one of them. Especially after those first eight years we spent together."
Sonic continued glaring.
"Scourge, we both know a lot's changed since we...or should I say, I was three. Or Eleven. Don't you think more recent events have changed that?"
Scourge turned around, paused, and turned back to him.
"I see you're not going to believe me by just me saying it. So I'm going to give you some advice. Shayla Robotnik. Look into her. And if you want to...." Scourge threw Sonic a disk, who caught it. ".... Go to the location on this disk. I'll meet you there." Scourge then turned around and sped off in a flash of green light.
"Daddy?"
"Yes, Shadow?"
"What's wrong with Uncle Scourge?"
"..."
That night....
Sonic already knew a bit about Shayla Robotnik. He knew that she had been the niece of Gerald Robotnik and also that she was a nasty piece of work who should have been locked up in a containment centre. She thought all Mobians were lower than dirt and that Shayla had also wanted Shadow to be nothing more than a weapon of destruction and had protested when Gerald had decided otherwise. But what could Scourge have meant?
Sonic loaded the disk full of ARK files that Rouge had given to him. She had offered to help him out on this. After a small amount of time searching, Rouge pointed at something on screen.
"Look. There's Shayla's diary! Maybe there'll be something in there that'll give us a clue!" She said. Sonic nodded and clicked on the file. He scanned down the file until one particular date caught his eye.
13th September 2146
While on another observation trip to the planet, we ended up finding a young blue hedgehog. We took him back. I shall make sure that Gerald only treats him as a test subject. These stupid creatures are lower than dirt, after all.
o-o
Rouge emitted a growl. 'LOWER THAN DIRT?!' she thought furiously.
o-o
17th September 2146
That idiot has not listened to me. He insists on treating that vile thing as an equal. Can't he see that these....mutants are no more than test subjects?! I'll make sure he sees sense.
21st September 2146
I saw that horrible thing in the corridor today, being shown around Maria. Can't that crazy fool of a scientist see he's a danger to her?! I glared down at it as I passed. I think I might have scared it as it emitted a squeak. Good. If I were allowed, I would've locked it up in a cage right there and then.
25th November 2146
The professor decided to give that mutant a companion. He said that it wasn't fair for it to be the only one of its kind aboard the space colony. I just say it's a waste of scientific resources, but that stupid fool JUST WON'T LISTEN!!!! This is a scientific laboratory, not a mutant freak reproduction centre!!!
o-o
By now, Rouge was gripping onto her chair so hard that she was impaling it. If Shayla was in front of her right now, she would have throttled her instantly.
o-o
29th November 2146
That...thing's... 'Brother' was created today, from that hedgehog's own DNA, speed-grown of course, to match the mutants' current age. Apparently, its name is 'Scourge'. Humph...Why even GIVE it a name?
9th December 2146
I saw those two playing with Maria again....and also with some of the other children on board....stupid kids, don't they see what danger they're in?!
25th December 2146
Looks like Maria taught the hedgehogs about a certain 'Holiday' of ours....because I saw them running around wearing Santa Claus hats. And they're both faster than otters sliding through cooking oil. When I get my hands on one of them, I'll.....I'll.....actually, I don't know, but it'll be something bad (to them).
o-o
"I take it that you and Scourge were really like brothers once, huh?" Rouge asked.
"Yeah." Sonic sighed. Then scrolled down the page for any other dates he could remember. One caught his eye.
o-o
June 17th, 2149
The professor today said that we'd been visited by Black Aliens who wanted him to help them. I think he needs a check up with our psychiatrist....
August 5th, 2149
Ok...I absolutely can't BELIEVE this, but I was wrong about something. Yes, I, the great Shayla Robotnik was WRONG about something! Those Black Aliens that the professor told us all about turned up on the ARK. Their leader's name was 'Black Doom'. They said that they were looking for an 'Ultimate Life Form' or something like that. Uncle agreed to help them, for if he achieved, it would be one of the greatest successes in scientific history. Hmm....I haven't seen those...mutants all day....maybe those aliens scared them off. If they did, then I hope they stay for a while.
o-o
"Nice woman...." Rouge growled.
"Isn't she?" Sonic muttered, and then they continued reading the diary.
o-o
November 15th, 2149
Plans for the Ultimate Life Form are currently in their final stages. In a few months, we shall begin the construction.
January 8th 2150
I today learned that somehow, that mutant and his clone have been training in chaos abilities. Why waste such time and energy on a pair of freaks?! This is insane!!! As soon as I inherit this place, those two will be thrown into containment cells....
March 24th 2150
Preparations are almost ready. Doom's DNA will be fused with the mutant's. Apparently, he was the only choice. I pray that his disgusting DNA doesn't make something go wrong...
April 2nd 2150
The fusion was a success! The foetus is currently in a cryogenic tube in the main laboratory. Black Doom has already left. I (and a third of the other scientists on board) want the foetus speed-grown, but dear uncle won't allow it. He said it'd be best for it to be raised "the hard way".
November 3rd, 2150
It's now two months until the planned date for the 'birth'. I found out that Gerald has no intentions of letting the unnamed project be used for destruction. I also found out that he intends for it to meet the mutants. WHAT THE HELL IS HE THINKING?! DOESN'T HE KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN?! We argued about this for hours, until he told me that if I carry on, I'd lose my job, regardless of the fact that I am his niece.
o-o
"The only reason that Gerald hadn't fired her already was because she was one of the best scientists on the ARK." Sonic explained.
"He should have fired her, anyway." Rouge muttered, Sonic nodding in agreement.
o-o
January 13th, 2151
Today was the day of the birth. Everything went successfully. The still unnamed project is currently in an observatory container, where scientists will study his progress. I have been banned from anything concerning the project, as Gerald knows what may happen. I would argue my case, but I know that I'd be likely to lose my job if I did. Dear Uncle wants the blue one to see the project in 2 days, and also to name it. I can't believe this.....
January 15th, 2151
Well, no matter how much I hate it, the blue mutant met his....'son'....named it Shadow....how sweet....I think I'm going to puke.
o-o
Rouge stopped reading and looked at Sonic. She saw a tear slowly work its way down his face.
"How could she...." She heard him whisper.
(Flashback)
Two seven-year-old hedgehogs were waiting at a large door, along with a young, blonde-haired human girl. The two troublesome hedgehogs were trying see through the crack in the door and see what was happening inside the room. Eventually, the door opened, causing the two to jump backwards. Gerald's assistant, Gemma, appeared at the door.
"Sonic, I think someone wants to meet you...." She told him, leading him inside. Scourge tried to follow, but Gemma blocked his way, telling him that he would have to wait awhile. Scourge folded his arms and began to pout.
Gemma lead sonic into the lab, where Gerald was waiting, with a small bundle in his arms.
"Would you like to hold him, Sonic?" Gerald asked.
Sonic nodded excitedly, holding out his arms. Gerald carefully lowered the bundle into Sonic's waiting arms. Sonic looked at his son for the first time. He was a beautiful baby boy hedgehog. He was black in colour, red highlights in his quills, some of which were burnt upward and had a just-visible white tuft of fur upon his chest. The baby hedgehog looked into his father's eyes with his own beautiful ruby red ones.
"Would you like to name him, Sonic?" Gerald asked the new father.
Sonic looked at his son again. He looked almost like a Shadow due to his black fur....Shadow....
"I want to call him Shadow."
(End flashback)
By this time, tears were streaking down Sonic's face at a hundred miles a minute.
"Sonic?" Rouge asked, putting an arm around him.
"I'm Ok, it's just...just....how can she even SAY these things?!" Sonic cried.
"Because she was a horrible, smelly, awful, ugly, disgusting b*tch. That's why." Rouge told him. Sonic let out a watery chuckle, then continued to read, no matter what his mind was telling him.
o-o
August 7th 2151
I now know that Shadow now stays with Maria and the mutants.....this is just getting out of hand...
o-o
(Flashback)
Sonic was on the couch in his room. He had Shadow sitting on his lap, and was holding a bottle of milk to the baby hedgehog's mouth. Sonic watched as his son slowly fell asleep while drinking the milk. Shadow fell asleep with a bit of milk still left in the bottle. Sonic lifted Shadow carefully and carried him into another room, where he lowered him into a cot. He then leant forward and kissed his forehead.
"G'night, Shadz." Sonic whispered, before turning the light off, leaving the room and closing the door, before heading off to his own bed.
(Scene change)
"Come on Shadow, open wide." Sonic held the spoon of Baby Food to Shadow's mouth. Shadow opened his mouth.
"Da-Da." He said, making Sonic drop the spoon in surprise. Shadow blinked. "Da-Da." He repeated.
(End flashback)
Sonic sighed and turned off the computer screen. He looked down.
"Sonic?" Rouge asked nervously.
"Getting out of hand.....she has no idea what she's talking about.....Grr." He sighed, turned the screen back on and scrolled down to a familiar date.
o-o
June 23rd 2153
I have put up with this long enough. I gave Gerald a faked report on Scourge's danger level. Gerald had no choice to agree that he should be locked up...that fool....the blue one will be next.
o-o
Silence.
"What?!" Sonic yelled. Rouge took a step backwards. Sonic scrolled down the file, finally stopping on the date he was looking for.
o-o
October 5th 2156
Today there was an accident in my own laboratory. One of the Super Chaos Drives exploded. I was unharmed, as I was not there at the time. Thirteen of my male assistants were killed in the explosion, however. Of course, I pinned all the blame on Scourge. Wouldn't want any attention to be drawn to myself now, would I?"
o-o
Rouge read the last entry several times over, as did Sonic. His fists were so clenched up that his nails were digging into his hands, causing them to bleed.
"THAT (BLEEP)!!!! SCOURGE WAS INNOCENT ALL THIS TIME!!!! And look what I did to him! If she's still alive, I'll kill her!!!" he roared.
o-o
July 17th 2158
I've decided to alert GUN about how dangerous project Shadow could be. I can't stand those...things being here any longer. They told me they shall be her within the week.
o-o
That was the last entry. GUN had obviously attacked the ARK faster than Shayla had thought they would.
(FLASHBACK)
Sonic, Shadow and Maria were running down a long corridor, sirens blaring. Sonic turned a corner, and then turned round to see that Maria and Shadow weren't behind him. He didn't notice the GUN soldier creeping up on him, armed with a taser, until it was too late. Sonic felt the 4000 volt shock tear through his body, then collapsed, unconscious.
(Scene change, 45 years later)
"Man, those soldiers sure are messy, aren't they, Bob?" a cleaner asked his companion.
"Sure are." The other answered, propping his mop against a control panel, not noticing the button he pressed in doing so. There was a hissing noise and they both turned around to see a cryogenic tube to open and a Blue Hedgehog to step out of it. 'It' opened its eyes to scan the room. It saw the unlucky cleaners and raised its hand.
"Chaos...Spear!"
Later...
Sonic kicked the pile of destroyed droids. He'd looked all over the base, destroyed every robot, defeated every human and blown most of the place apart, but Shadow was nowhere to be found. Sonic turned and ran out of the base, intent on finding his son.
(End flashback)
Sonic opened his eyes again. He hated that memory. He ejected the disk and inserted the one Scourge had given him.
"It's a map to Shayla's base!" Sonic exclaimed.
"So she's still alive?!" Rouge asked.
"No matter how much I hate to say it, Shayla was an amazing scientist. She probably found a way around mortality....come on, lets go!"