Chapter 11 – The Proposal
Quick but cautious, Sonic bolted into the guest room neighboring the nursery. A chilly draft met him from the open window, its screen resting on the floor.
In his selfishness and hate, he'd let the bastard right in.
He peered out into the darkness, but Shadow was already long gone. His wrenching gut warned him that there wasn't much time.
"I'll call the police!" Chris shouted as he scrambled downstairs.
"I'm gonna go after him," Sonic informed Amy, surprised by the calm in his own voice.
"Check the beach," Amy urged. "Seabright Beach…there's an abandoned beach house at the southern edge."
"Seabright? By Santa Cruz?" Amy nodded.
"Got it. Lock the window behind me and stay with Chris!"
He started to climb out when Amy's voice halted him. "Sonic, wait!" He leaned back and peered over his shoulder at her. "There's something he told me about that place that you should know…."
It took Shadow less than half an hour to reach the beach at his blistering pace. Winded, he stopped for a few moments on the far end of the darkened boardwalk. Mercury wailed loudly in his arms, as he had the whole way. He addressed his son between breaths, removing and rewrapping him in his tiny blanket.
"Whiney…aren't ya? …Just be glad…you weren't his."
Having been closed for the season, the entire beach was shrouded in night's cloak. It was the first time he'd come there since returning from Mobius, and the trip hadn't been a planned one. Discovering that Amy had borne his offspring instead of Sonic's had significantly altered what would have been a simple last act of vengeance. Now he was in need of supplies that would enable him to properly care for the infant. He glided along the boardwalk at a reduced pace, taking extra care not to run into anything. As the beach house came into view, he gazed beyond it at the rising tide. He'd have to work fast. He hopped off the boardwalk into the sandy clearing and suddenly found himself in the blinding radius of a spotlight.
"Freeze!!" commanded a man's voice, and Shadow became aware that several police officers were pointing their guns at him. Obviously the local authorities had been alerted and beaten him to the scene.
A hint of laughter laced Shadow's voice as he boldly defied them. "You wouldn't dare." He dashed forth toward the beach house, and as expected, no shots were fired. Police used standard protocol to carefully approach after he slipped inside. As they neared, however, they were met by the horror of flames that licked the boarded windows. They reorganized and hurried to break down the barricaded entrance.
Shadow pulled the trap door shut above him, holding Mercury suspended from the blanket by his teeth. He would have preferred to set the baby down, but water in the underground passageway was already several inches deep. The fact that it was so close to the shore made it susceptible to flooding during high tide. An even bigger problem was the tunnel's low ceiling, which forced Shadow to stoop most of the way through. He held Mercury safely above the salty water as he tediously waded along.
The flames spread rapidly through the beach house overhead, forbidding police from entering. By the time the fire department arrived, the upper floors had already collapsed. There wasn't much that could be done except to hose the burning ruins down. Chris' uncle arrived on the scene and watched helplessly from his vehicle. The chances of anyone surviving the blaze were slim.
The water was up to Shadow's shoulders now, and the final stretch of the passageway dipped down before it led up and out the other side. This area was completely submerged. He glanced at Mercury, whose blanket was soaked with seawater. He continued to express his fear and discomfort the only way he knew how. Shadow took a deep breath, then blocked the baby's nose and mouth with his free hand, plunging into the water. He dug his feet into the ground and thrust himself along as quickly as possible, finally reaching the far wall after several endless seconds. A makeshift ladder of giant metal staples led upward to his destination, and more importantly, fresh air. Both hands full, he clung to the staples with his elbows as best he could as he pushed with his feet. It took considerable effort, but at last he neared the surface. He lifted Mercury just out of the water still covering his own head and finally had a free hand with which to grasp and climb the rest of the way. He gasped an eager breath as he surfaced and pulled himself onto the dirt landing. After a few seconds, it dawned on him that Mercury was no longer crying. He quickly examined the infant, who wasn't breathing either. Frowning, Shadow turned him over and squeezed his belly, employing emergency procedures he'd learned aboard the ARK. Water and vomit exited the baby's mouth, who followed up with coughing and a new round of crying. Shadow closed his eyes and exhaled.
Sonic finally arrived on the scene, having lost precious time due to his unfamiliarity with the area. He gaped at the smoldering ruins of the beach house, then spotted Sam's car and rushed over.
"Do they know if he was in there??" Sonic demanded, shouting to be heard above the noise.
"Yeah, he went in and the fire broke out right after," Sam confirmed, not looking hopeful. Sonic turned and scanned the shops along the boardwalk. He strained to read the names of each against the flashes of red and blue.
Shadow emerged from his secret passageway inside of a dry goods storage room. Ironic that he came into it dripping wet. He grabbed a dry cheesecloth and wrapped Mercury in it, discarding the soggy blanket. His original intention had been to come here to acquire useful goods, but he decided under the circumstances that it would be best not to load himself down any further. He drank some bottled water and used the rest to rinse Mercury's face and mouth. Next, he turned his attention to the locked door between him and his escape. It was thin and wooden, easily handled, he determined. He set Mercury out of harm's way and executed a homing attack on the barrier. A large portion of it cracked and splintered. Another blow took care of the rest.
"Time to go," he stated as he retrieved his son. He exited the shop adjoining the storeroom and sneaked off the beach while police concerned themselves with the remains of the beach house. Sonic finally located the same shop seconds later, which Amy had identified as the outlet. Noting the broken door, he whipped around and surveyed the area for any sign of Shadow. The darkness worked in his favor as his eyes caught the telltale flare of the elusive hedgehog's skates in the fast growing distance.
Mercury quieted down a bit, seeming to take comfort in the swaying movement now that his father's pace was not as ruthless. Shadow took particular care to shield his wet body from the frigid night air, as the temperatures in the region remained well below average. He held him close, gliding past the medley of city lights in a surrealistic moment that soothingly enveloped him as well…until the rapid footfalls began to close in. His mouth formed a scowl as he abruptly diverted his course and picked up speed. Battle would not be possible; his only choice was to lose his pursuer.
Amy sat in a foreign zone as Chris tended to Dr. Garrett's wounds, assisted by Ella and Mr. Tanaka, who had also been roused by the commotion. Since receiving news from Sam regarding the beach house, hardly anyone had said a word.
"There's still a chance he survived," Ella croaked of Mercury, her eyes blurred with tears. Chris said nothing, but his frown grew deeper. Tanaka shot a grim look at Dr. Garrett, who blinked uncomfortably and drew a hesitant breath.
"Actually…he's not there." All eyes, even Amy's, were on him as he continued. "Uhm," he cleared his throat, "a few days after Mercury was born, an RFID tag was implanted on his body…which…was the cause of his infection. I'm terribly sorry." Everyone looked as though their jaws had become unhinged, except for Tanaka, who was quick to add more.
"But because he has this chip, we're able to pinpoint his location anywhere in the world."
Chris' shock transferred from Garrett to Tanaka. "Y-you knew about this?!"
Tanaka eyed him directly. "It's not my place to divulge what goes on in this household. The Mobians were a secret once too."
"Oh my…." was all Ella could manage as her hand slid down her face.
Dr. Garrett reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled out a handheld device. He depressed a button, and a map instantly materialized on its screen. A tiny green dot could be seen crawling along the pixel streets.
"We can track him with this."
Amy, who'd stood speechless, wavered as if about to topple over. Chris bolted over to catch her, but instead of fainting, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him to her face.
"TAKE ME THERE NOW!!!"
Despite his efforts, Shadow had not been able to lose Sonic. The pursuit had traversed several miles and neighborhoods, leaving him exhausted and frustrated. This needed to end now. With his remaining energy, he tore down the highway, soon coming onto the International orange span of the Golden Gate Bridge. He leaped onto the perilously narrow support beams and ran along them. Sonic didn't hesitate to follow. The two hedgehogs made their way upwards, jumping, sidling, and grinding where necessary to proceed. They were near the highest point of the bridge when Shadow stopped and turned to face Sonic. He gripped the blanket containing Mercury tightly and extended his arm outward, over Golden Gate strait. Sonic skidded to a standstill and held both hands before him.
"Whoa whoa whoa, take it easy!" he panted. "You don't wanna do that."
"Fine then," Shadow breathed, eyes knifing, "I have a proposal for you. How about we call a truce? You keep the girl, I keep the kid, and nobody has to die. Otherwise…you'd better hope he's a better swimmer than you are."
Sonic's eyes shifted from the crying baby to its father and back. He didn't sense a bluff…but giving up Mercury was out of the question. His breaths roared in his ears.
Shadow clenched his teeth. "Make up your mind or I'll do it for you."
A frail female voice carried from behind Sonic. "Take him!!"
Sonic gasped. "Amy?!" Her limbs were shaking from the arduous ascent, but she pulled herself onto their level, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Just take him!!!"
Several seconds passed in which the only sounds were Mercury's heaving cries and her own. Finally, Shadow stepped back and, after gazing upon her somberly, descended by grinding down the parabola support cables with their son in his arms. Sonic could only watch as the baby he'd tried so hard to save disappeared into the night. It was over. He slowly turned and took hold of Amy, who was still sobbing, and helped her to her feet. She slumped into him until only his arms were holding her up. He whispered the only words that brought himself any comfort.
"We'll get him back…."
