Okay, let me offer you a heartfelt apology for such a long, long, long long long delay on this update! *bows* I'm so so so so sooooo sorry!
Not only have I been consumed with writer's block, I'm starting my freshman year in college in about 12 days. I've been working really hard to get everything ready for it! Luckily, my schedule this semester will allow me a LOT of free time between classes a couple times a week. (We're talking about 5 hours here!) So maybe we'll be able to continue updating during this school year? I hope so. ;D
Alright, enough talk! Enjoy!
-Laz
Shadow took his time returning back to the campsite, and unfortunately, that was the wrong move to make in Black Doom's eyes; upon coming into sight of their hideout, Shadow was suddenly aware of a small rock flying through the air. It was headed straight for him.
"Idiot!" a shout cut the air clean, piercing Shadow's ears. The ebony hedgehog barely had enough time to dodge the stone, wounds throbbing as his heart raced. He crouched down behind the safety of a bush, sensing that the ammunition had not run out quite yet. Another stone thumped on the ground nearby. Shadow winced.
"Get out of there, Shadow, you imbecile! I'll have your head for this!"
Ears falling in defeat, Shadow crawled out cautiously from the bush's protection, only to see a steaming Black Doom clenching a fist. There was, what appeared to be, a significantly large black tendril sprouted from the ground near him. Shadow furrowed his brow, trying to understand what the thing was; this dark stream was almost the size of the tree the other hedgehog sat under. What was it?!
The Black Arms leader was becoming increasingly impatient. With a frustrated cry, his fist shot forward, the tendril following suit and throwing a rock directly for Shadow. The hedgehog gasped, realizing that Black Doom had control of this thing—whatever it was. He was quick to catch it, though, and he tossed it to the side.
"What the hell are you so angry about?" Shadow demanded, approaching his creator, who glared at him in response.
"Where in the world were you?!" Black Doom shouted. "When I awoke, you were nowhere to be found. I thought you were in danger—trapped or kidnapped by those insolent humans!"
Shadow had half a thought to retort with a remark about having the ability to take care of himself, but he held back. Black Doom was showing weakness...caring for Shadow...! He couldn't hold back a smirk. Black Doom was quick to notice and scowled even harsher than before.
"Don't you dare look at me like that!" the alien snapped. The tendril retreated into the ground. "I am in no mood for your snide remarks regarding my attitude changes; I am defenseless here, and you blatantly neglected me—in my sleep, mind you— to wander off doing gods-know-what! Explain to me this instant what the meaning of this is!"
Needless to say, Shadow didn't wish to vocalize what ordeal just took place; he made a deal with Sonic, of all people. He accepted help from that overzealous blue hedgehog, and if it was shameful in his eyes, what would it be in Black Doom's? Sighing, Shadow shook his head, deciding to keep it covered up for the time being; what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Black Doom glared impatiently, waiting for his answer to come.
"Nothing. I was on a walk," Shadow lied casually.
"Damn, Shadow, at least convince yourself you're telling the truth if you're going to lie like that; your vitals scream falsehood," Black Doom snapped, fuming. He repeated his question again, this time more intense. "Tell me this instant. What were you doing that was so important—"
"What was that thing, anyways?" Shadow gestured to the ground where the dark tendril had been. It was not his primary intention to actually switch subjects so abruptly, per se, but he was genuinely curious. The moment he realized he had done so, he prided himself on it internally. Explaining the situation would have been hell. Black Doom glanced at the spot and closed his eyes.
"I...discovered something inside of me," he replied, "now don't interrupt! You will te—"
"Discovered what?" Shadow persisted, sitting on the ground next to the alien leader. Black Doom blinked, face nearly red from frustration. Never before had someone been so persistent in interrupting him and derailing his train of thought! Damn this hedgehog, he cursed. He narrowed his eyes, heaving a sigh and finding a way to satisfy both their curiosities.
"After I tell you, you must honestly tell me what you were doing," Black Doom said, folding his arms. "Get it?"
Shadow nodded, though secretly hoping his explanation would last long enough for him to forget. The alien cleared his throat and eased back into the tree. Shadow eyed him over as he gathered his thoughts, noticing how particularly stained his bandages were with dried, dark blood. Shadow focused on his own, finding the same condition. It was probably time to change them...
"Yesterday when you rescued me from that lab, do you recall those streams of black attacking the personnel before our escape?" Black Doom asked. Shadow's attention snapped back to the alien as he nodded. "Those things sourced from my anger and hatred yesterday...but today, as I awoke from my rest, a small one was wrapped around my hand. I found I could easily manipulate its movements and size. It was remarkable."
Shadow noticed one poking at his ankle as Black Doom spoke. The alien's hand was moving accordingly, directing its every move. Shadow knelt down and lifted his hand over the tendril, silently gesturing that he was willing to touch the strange element. Its master gently wrapped it around Shadow's hand.
The very appearance of the black thing was as if someone had taken scissors to the fabric of the universe and cut a section of it out from his hand. What he saw was the black backdrop that was left over. It felt almost as strange as it looked; there was now a numbness of sorts about his hand, yet perhaps there was nothing to feel at all? It puzzled the hedgehog, and he furrowed his brow.
"It feels so...empty." Shadow muttered.
"Exactly. It has a certain coldness to it—a lack of feeling altogether. It's almost indescribable," Black Doom explained, "but I've come to a conclusion. It's dark matter."
Shadow's eyes widened. The very matter that existed between stars, planets, and galaxies—the matter that scientists on Earth had puzzled over for centuries—was here in his hand, being controlled by his biological father. A feeling of awe and fear overwhelmed his senses.
"I...I can't believe it," Shadow stammered, "Are you sure this is really dark matter? It sounds so farfetched."
Black Doom nodded. "That it does, but hear me out," he explained. "As you know, you and I can manipulate the element of Chaos itself—stop it in its tracks, thus stopping time altogether; bend certain essences out of it, thus creating what is the green matter you can control and the fuchsia that I can—and everything in between. See, though, I have discovered a way to take Chaos, rip it, extract the nothingness that is left behind, and control that.
"In a way, the method in which I move these things is like moving the Chaos around the rip." Black Doom shrugged and relaxed his hand. The tendril shrunk back into the ground consequently. "I'm still a bit uncertain about the technicalities of it, but it's a promising development in my recovery, wouldn't you think?"
Promising indeed, Shadow thought. It was only day two, and Black Doom already discovered a new power, unlocking a section of his Chaos powers. Perhaps this would go faster than planned; it was a pleasant thought. Not only would he be back to his normal life, G.U.N. would be off his tail.
Suddenly, Shadow felt a sharp pain on his forehead. Black Doom withdrew his hand, wagging his finger half-jokingly.
The bastard hit me...?!
"And now you—shame on you for thinking you could get away without holding up your part of the deal," he said, narrowing his eyes. Shadow glared to the side in defeat. "Really, though, Shadow, where were you? I was truly worried, as much as I hate to admit..."
Shadow cursed in his head. He should have known better than to have thought he could skip out on explaining himself to his parent. He had often heard about woeful tales about how strict, watchful, and paranoid parents were to their children on Earth, but never before had he experienced it first-hand.
"Fine, I'll tell you the truth," Shadow sighed, allowing himself to fully sit on the ground comfortably. He began to unwrap the bandage on his arm. "I was discussing things with...a friend."
"'Things'? What kind of things? Who is this 'friend' of yours?" Black Doom demanded. Shadow winced at the relentless questions; how he wanted to slap the alien to silence him for one mere moment!
"Dammit, Black Doom, shut up. If you'll let me talk, I'll explain..." Shadow made sure to include a long, heavy silence before continuing, ensuring that the leader in question followed the orders given. "Someone—Sonic the Hedgehog—is...is helping us. He's bringing us food and water as we speak."
The other ebony hedgehog jolted at the name, fuming. "Sonic?! You mean that blue little rat?! You can't be serious, Shadow! He aided the humans during the invasion; what makes you think he won't squeal to that blasted Commander?!"
"Listen, Black Doom, he's not like that! He wouldn't tattle on us; he said so," Shadow retorted, enraged at Black Doom's distrust.
"Yes, and we all know how well promises are kept around here," Black Doom scoffed sarcastically, crossing his arms. Shadow fell silent, at a loss for words. He knew Sonic, and he knew his honesty...hell, he didn't know Black Doom was here at all! After moments of silence, the alien sighed, rubbing his temples. "Shadow, I just...don't want to get tangled deeper into this mess. You have to understand that; I just want to go home and restore my family. I want to heal up and relearn my abilities. I don't want to be here anymore."
"I understand." Shadow mumbled. "In all honesty...I'm not sure if I want to be here anymore."
The thought slipped from his mind and out his mouth, and he wished it hadn't. Black Doom stared in shock at the hybrid, eyes widened.
"W-what?" the alien stammered. Had he heard correctly?
"Let's just change our bandages right now," Shadow said as soon as Black Doom spoke, throwing his stained bandage into where the fire once burned. "The food will be here in an hour; that's plenty of time for us to clean up a little bit. We'll eat then, and...we'll take it from there."
The alien hedgehog wished to pursue the thought that Shadow had led him onto, but he held back. Something in his subconscious told him to wait and leave the hedgehog be. He bitterly hoped it wasn't a parental instinct forming—he had one, of course, but he never wanted to form one for Shadow. Not after the invasion, at least.
He looked down to the ground, knitting his brow. His stomach throbbed and he did nothing to express his discomfort; instead, Black Doom began to undo his own bandages. He tossed them in the pile of the charred firewood, glancing occasionally up at Shadow. What a heavy silence it was. Shadow began to unwind the roll of gauze and proceeded to rip it after several inches.
Shadow held one of the ends in his mouth, attempting to wrap his arm with one hand as gently, yet firmly as possible. He went through several motions and tries to accomplish his goal, but it was of no avail. Pitiful, Black Doom thought. He restrained himself from referring Shadow as a "poor thing."
"Would you like help, Shadow?" Black Doom asked in what seemed to be an uncaring voice. Shadow's ears twitched, and after a moment's hesitation, he turned to the other hedgehog. He offered his arm to him, and Black Doom held one end of the gauze in place as Shadow wrapped his own arm. The hybrid's face was tense and almost shameful that he had to ask for help twice already that day.
After a few cycles of wrapping, Shadow folded the loose end into one of the layers. He glanced up regretfully at his father.
"You don't need to thank me, by the way," Black Doom said. "Just help me with my stomach and I'll consider it payback enough."
Shadow didn't need to hear it a second time.