Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. They all belong to SEGA.
The story, however, belongs to me.
Story Beta Read by: Pepper1622
~11~
-Make Do-
"So a creepy alien abducted Shade and Shadow? Did you see where they went off to? Were they in some kind of ship?" Tails asks while fingering his chin in thought.
"He… I-I don't know! The sky was blood red, for Chaos' sake! I couldn't really see. I would assume they'd have to have come in some ship," I rationalize while pacing across the cement floors of the workshop. Staying still is not part of my mindset right now. I'm far too on edge after that encounter.
"Is there anything else that you remember that can be helpful in figuring out who they were?" Tails asks tentatively.
I look up from the black oil stain my focus has been on while I made my continuous trek in order to see the empathy expressed in my brother's angelic eyes. A sigh escapes me as I rub a hand warily over my face for a moment. "Well, I think he called the aliens he was with the 'Black Arms.' The dude's obviously the leader, seeing as the others were nothing more than mindless man-eating beasts."
Tails nods and gives a small smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Maybe that'll help. Don't worry, Sonic. We'll get them back in no time. The others will be here soon enough, and then we can make a better plan of action."
I give a curt nod and then head for the stairs, leaving him to try and look up anything on these Black Arms aliens. As I pass by the kitchen on my way to the front door, I hear Cosmo on the phone speaking with one of our friends, as her task was to inform them of the situation and to call them here ASAP. She catches my eyes for an instant, the compassion there making me feel that much more wrecked on the inside.
The cold air is hardly refreshing; it just makes things far clearer in my muddled mind as I exit the humble abode. I find myself in a familiar position upon the roof as the image replays of Shadow going after Shade, so brave and heroic, only for the two to end up lost to the unknown regardless.
It should've never have happened. If I'd just taken Shade and run, maybe Shadow would've gotten away on his own. We wouldn't be separated like this right now. He and I could've been fighting those Black Arms together, but because of me…
"Damn it!" I exclaim, anger towards myself finally breaking free from its contained state. My breathing is heavy, condensed air displaying my rattled emotions in seamless wisps. I hardly catch the sound of displaced snow as two figures approach in a hurry until an exclamation of my name is made.
"Sonic!"
Amy. Scourge. Of course. The two stay in Emerald Hill. It makes sense that they'd show up first. The concern is too obvious on Amy's face and in the air around Scourge. I wonder how they'd feel if they knew I was the reckless parent who brought on the whole situation in the first place.
"Tails is in the workshop, if you want to hear an in-depth analysis on what happened in Hill Top," I say rigidly before turning my eyes back to the horizon, seeing nothing, everything.
"No, I do not want to hear what happened from Tails, Sonic, and you know it! You get your blue tail down here right now, mister, and talk to me! …I can see you're hurting. I just want to help," my pink friend expresses intensely as she lets her concern for me get the best of her, like usual.
"I'm not the one who needs help," I mutter sullenly as I wrap my arms around my bent knees, placing my head in them shortly after.
"But—" she says softly, dejection bleeding into her voice before her counterpart finally speaks up after having observed our situation in silence.
"Just let him be. He needs to work this out alone for now."
I have to give Scourge credit. He may not seem like much, but he's pretty observant and is far cleverer than given recognition for.
Their feet amble through the snow before the sound of the front door opening and closing reaches my ears, notifying me of my solitude. I shake my head ruefully for a moment before I pull my face up and stare dully at my surroundings. I'm isolating myself from my friends. I guess I'm taking the place of you while you're away, huh, Shadow?
My smile is watery, shaky as tears gather in my eyes, beginning to chill as they slide slowly along my muzzle. "I'm sorry, guys… so sorry."
~XxoOoxX~
"That sounds horrible… We have to do something, guys. Tails, do you think this is going to involve the Blue Typhoon again?" Amy asks with her hands clasped near her chest. All four of them were centered in the workshop in various chairs they pulled from around the house.
The bright screen from the super computer behind Tails shines decisively behind him in his failed search on the Black Arms as he responds, "Yeah, I think so. I can't find even a hint of information about those aliens Sonic described, giving us no clue on what we're up against, unfortunately. I haven't the slightest indication where we'd start searching…"
Silence fills the room like a smog until he speaks again. "But I think I have one idea that just might work."
"You weren't planning on leaving us out of the information loop, now were you?" the almost femme fatale member of the group asks in faux surprise as she and her gruff echidna mate enter the base of operations.
"Rouge, Knuckles, you made it," Cosmo says with a soft smile.
"You bet we did. Sunshine and little Shade in trouble? Of course we'd come. Poor Blue. He seemed pretty upset on our way in," Rouge comments as she takes a seat next to Amy with her legs crossed at the ankles.
Knuckles huffs and stands off to the side near the Tornado, the green scarf he adorns making the action far less effective in retrospect. "Poor Blue? He nearly bit my head off when I asked if he was crying!"
"Don't be mad, Knux," the albino bat remarks casually as she adjusts her winter coat, more intended for fashion purposes than weather protection with how tailored it is to her form. "I saw you crying just as much once when the Master Emerald was shattered, remember?"
He splutters nonsensibly in denial, much to her amusement, before her teal eyes cut back to the kitsune in charge at the moment. "So, fox boy, what plan do you have?"
The cerulean eyes in his youthful face transform into determined jewels. "Well, you all know I have a Chaos Emerald detector? I was thinking maybe I could rework it into a Chaos Signature tracker so that I could find a trace of Shadow's energy, and we could follow that to wherever the Black Arms took him and Shade."
"That's brilliant!" Amy exclaims as she jumps up from her seat in excitement.
His smile is strained as he continues, "Yeah, thanks… The only thing is, it'll take me a little time to shift the frequencies and test it to make sure that it actually works. Maybe a few days at most."
The less encouraged faces around the room was what he was expecting, the figurative bomb to drop.
"A… a few days? But who knows what those creeps could be doing to Shadow. To Shade. And Sonic. Once he hears this, how do you think he's going to react?" Emotions running wild once again, the high-spirited hedgehog takes things out on her longtime friend.
"Rose." Stern and unmoving in his tone, Scourge commands her silence.
She looks at him fretfully, noting his casual posture, but the crystal blue of his eyes speak volumes. "He's doin' everything he can. Maybe you should be offerin' your help instead of makin' things harder."
Sinking back into her chair in shame as her actions become clear, her head nods slowly. "You're right. Sorry, Tails."
His sigh is tired. "It's fine."
"Amy, maybe we could gather items needed for our stay in space like before? It could take your mind off things," Cosmo offers with a hopeful smile; the wide persuasiveness of her eyes makes it hard to turn down.
"Oh, all right. Plus, we can use it as time to hang out, since we haven't really, you know?" she agrees warmly.
The others, feeling the pressure of having Amy taken care of off their hands, turn back to the two-tailed fox as his eyes lock on to the grumpy red echidna. "Knuckles—"
"Yeah, yeah. You want to use my Emerald again. Fine." His arms are crossed tight and his eyes closed, the epitome of indifference.
"Thanks. We would use the Chaos Emeralds—as long as Shadow didn't have any when he was taken—but Sonic will most likely want to use them during the final confrontation," Tails explains further. His eyes wander around the people ready and willing to help for a time as he decides to wrap things up. Time is of the essence, after all. "I guess that's everything. We just need to work together and… we'll get them back."
Everyone shares silent nods before Scourge exclaims boisterously, "Meeting adjourned!" gaining surprised and amused looks from all.
~XxoOoxX~
Three glowing red eyes look on whilst hovering at the handy work his offspring have managed to accomplish with the two priceless Inhibitor Rings. Two small diamond-shaped slots on opposite sides of both Rings lie open, awaiting the insertion of the final piece.
"Excellent. Now all we need is a little something we picked up from planet Minc Trodnol some time ago," the Black Arms leader states in satisfaction.
The "something" is a set of jewels among many on the planet said to influence the mind or even control it. The sophisticated beings thought they would be able to use their gems against the invading aliens. Perhaps persuade them into leaving or even twisting their minds into more well-rounded and modest people.
Of course, they didn't expect total paralysis and brain-washing in return.
In the end they willingly gave themselves up for a better cause and even left some nifty jewels for the crafty leader to keep. When he looks down at his large, grotesque palms, the four tiny blue diamond-shaped gems pulse with a hypnotic light, much to his approval.
Nodding to the less sinewy-like alien—one of the small few trained for other things that don't center on man eating—the leader gives it the go-ahead to secure the golden rings around the wrists of the prone hedgehog lying upon the cold, sleek metal table before them. Shadow, completely out and unable to heal until this point, finally starts to breathe with less labor when the soft chinks are heard.
With a malicious smile, the dark leader begins to slot in the gems, each glowing softly then dimming to a soft, almost unnoticeable light once settled. At the final placement, a deep chuckle forms in the looming alien's chest as his plans set in motion. "It is only but a matter of time, Shadow. Your trials have just begun."
His red eyes glance at the alien machinery connected to the unconscious hedgehog, the device showing a gradual progress towards total recovery—Shadow had to be monitored while the Inhibitor Rings were worked on. It wouldn't bode well if he died this soon.
Black Doom drifts into the large, oppressive room, its walls lined in silver, the ceilings projecting direct lighting that gleams off the lethal instruments lying about. His eyes pass over the steel bars that line the back wall, as his target is one of his more power-centric offspring. Once he casts a sharp nod to the lumbering alien, it begins to head over to Shadow's lying form, picking him up carelessly and heading to the specially designed cell not located in this room—the torture room.
The creature enters the room and tosses the bio-hog carelessly inside, most likely causing his percent in-healing progress to drop down a few digits, much to Black Doom's annoyance. When it exits the small five-by-seven prison, its clawed hands shut the cell door, allowing a soft white illumination to run along the bars before dispersing.
Black Doom approaches the bars slightly, his hands flexing in confidence, the air around him beyond sinister. "You'll join my side in time and gather the Emeralds as promised… for now I must check on my bargaining chip."
Turning sharply, he wondered if his most well-trained offspring managed to figure out how to handle the loud nuisance. Yes, it would be good to be able to raise it to be as strong as Shadow, but he didn't want to have the headache of being near it all the time. It ending up dead because of incompetence would be an inconvenience as well. No need to have Shadow more against him than necessary.
~XxoOoxX~
My mind rekindles slowly, and I feel as if my very bones were forced through a wringer, a sensation I haven't experienced since last week's training session with GUN where they had me functioning under simulated extreme weather conditions for hours on end. Of course, I can handle those conditions, but doing so for many hours is no laughing matter. When Maria found out, her face reddened in anger at their cruelty. She'd wanted to confront them, uncaring of what trouble such an encounter could lead to. Only my reassurance that a full night's rest would get me back to full strength helped curb her righteous fury.
I suppose I passed out after another meeting with them. The thought trails sluggishly through my mind as my eyes peel open. Stone-cold black ceilings greet my eyes, a far cry from the usual sterile silver that I'm used to. And then I realize I'm no longer aboard the ARK with Maria and the Professor. GUN is no longer a threat.
But this Black Doom guy is.
Sitting up slowly as my newly healed bones take a moment to settle properly, I see similarly colored walls on three sides of me, a metal frame for a bed like one you'd see in a holding cell, the mat flat and limp, a sorry excuse of a pillow sitting on top right across from me. My eyes trail left, and I also notice a toilet and… nothing else.
What? No sink for me to wash my hands, you sick bastards? I roll my eyes as I stand, turning towards what has to be the exit, and see steel bars lining the way out. My lips curve slowly, allowing a fang to peak out just slightly. "Far too simple."
Echoes clang as my shoes hit the ground with each step, my gloved hands reaching out to grasp the bars in order to pry them apart easily.
Not a second passes after my palms grasp the seemingly innocent poles before I'm plunged into a white-hot agony, writhing in tortured pain. I try with impressive strength to hold back any screams of anguish, but they slip through, and soon I'm repelled with the force of my will, back onto the cold, hard ground. My body trembles with the remnants of the electrocution… no, it wasn't that. It felt like—seemed like—my very own energy was forced to attack me from the inside.
I cough softly and lift a hand slowly when I feel liquid begin to trickle from my nose. It's hard to tell with my glove being stained with blood already, but the freshness of this new tinge is still somewhat clear. I close my eyes briefly at my rash impulsiveness. Nothing is ever as easy as it seems.
"Ah, Shadow. It seems you've become acquainted with my Negative Chaos Energy Repulsion system. I know all about your Chaos energy, Shadow. Our technology far surpasses your own, so taking the time to develop this was no inconvenience. I never thought I would have to use this once we met again. I assumed you would have liked to join me, your father of sorts, in working towards a better world—a better universe, even.
"But alas, you've grown weak, infected by those feeble-minded creatures upon that planet. We'll go about correcting that, Shadow. There's no need to worry."
Gods, the ego on this alien is damn near the size of a super-giant star. I don't have nearly as much patience to listen to his inane dribble, especially with the way my head is feeling…
I lift my hand to my head as a sort of fogginess settles in, my Chaos essence working to mend the damage done earlier, but at the same time something's not quite right. I stagger to my feet and stare at the imposing form through the bars of my chamber, a soft growl on the cusp of escaping. "What did you do to me? Something's not right. I can tell. You've done something," I hiss furiously, the thought of him experimenting on me while I was out beyond my ability to be calm.
"Why, Shadow, I don't know what you're talking about. It's all in your mind. You're letting your temporary imprisonment get to you already? I thought you were stronger than this." He tsks in artificial sympathy.
"Screw you! I've had enough of your games! You let me out of this cell! Release me this instant and return my son to me! I'm about three seconds from blowing the roof off this place. The Repulsion system be damned. If I find out you did something to me or so much as ruffled one quill on my son's head . . . you'll see the true face of evil. I can promise you that."
Our eyes hold for a long moment, him gauging my seriousness or perhaps just inner-monologuing about his perfect utopia. Eventually he turns and makes a strange set of low rumblings, the natural language of his kind, I suppose. The single corridor leading to my cell is dimly lit, casting shadows ominously down the hall. As a figure approaches behind Black Doom, I wait with baited breath, expecting to see my son bearing wounds of sorts all around. The very thought runs my blood cold. Not only is him being here my fault, but Sonic would kill me if I let anything happen to Shade.
The figure steps around Doom, far thinner in stature than his brethren, clutching Shade in his claws—a very naked Shade, devoid of light blue overalls, diaper, and all. He seems rather shaken—being around aliens would do that to a three-month-old—but otherwise unharmed. The moment his emerald eyes land on me, he gets reasonably excited, squirming in his captor's arms much to the black alien's displeasure, a chorus of baby babble tumbling from his lips.
I smile in spite of myself and find my hand almost to the bars in an attempt to reach him when I recall the painful experience I felt previously and force myself to stop. "It's okay, Shade. Everything will be fine, little one." My eyes simmer when I turn my gaze in Black Doom's direction. "Give him to me. Now."
As if to taunt me, he takes hold of my son, whose face, once happy, furrows in disheartenment, little tears beginning to shimmer in his eyes. "Now, that won't do, Shadow. I still need your full cooperation, do I not? Shade—is it?—will be just fine under my care," he condescendingly states while petting the black-and-cobalt-red-streaked fur atop the little hedgehog's head in a show of false appeasement.
"And how is that? You don't know the first thing about raising a kid. What have you been doing with him, exactly? He's naked, displaying your incompetence with the welfare of children. Shade needs a true benefactor. He needs me."
My words are smooth and drizzled with a tall helping of persuasion as I gaze at the desperation Shade has for wanting to be in my arms. I'm taken aback when a slow smile begins to form on Doom's monstrous face, it speaking volumes on what he thinks of my little speech. "Manipulative. Very good. It'll do you well when we begin to conquer worlds. Unfortunately, I am a different matter. Shade stays with me for now." He turns and begins to drift down the corridor, his silent offspring following right behind him.
My fists clench tightly as urgency takes hold. I can't leave him with that monster. He won't survive. "Wait! Do you even know how to feed him? What to feed him? How to even change him?" I demand with ferocity in my voice.
"It can't be that difficult. He does have some of my blood within him. He should be fine with what I give him. As for this 'changing,' you have let those creatures weaken you and your son. He shall learn the way his brethren have," the tyrant explains, pausing in his departure for a moment.
Alarm blazes through me in a fury. "Are you daft? He isn't one of your disfigured monstrosities! He needs milk, pasteurized milk, and to actually be taken care of. Something you're clearly not willing to do. He isn't just of your blood, which you seem to not understand, Black Doom. If you kill him, your death will be paid in kind to an unfathomable degree," I whisper icily—the tendrils of a tundra can practically be felt in the very air around us.
Black Doom tries to hide it by walking—floating—away indifferently, but my high senses pick up his words before he exits the hallway. "Look up this 'pasteurized mi-lk' immediately."
I breathe a sigh of relief. At least he's making an effort. Now I must as well. Sitting down silently in front of the cell bars, I begin to test out its true worth, enduring bouts of pain and torment when my energy rebels, silently awaiting his next move.
A lot of people have been waiting for this next chapter... I hope it was satisfying ^^