Disclaimer- I don't own anything remotely related to the blue whirlwind and co.
Hehe, I believe this is the chapter you all have been waiting for…
Chapter 25- That…could've gone better
The journey over to Prison Island was actually uneventful, to Shadow's complete surprise. He had expected from the moment the small group had left Vanilla's home that there would be an unmeasurable amount of resistance from other G.U.N members. One, because it was practically forbidden for anyone besides inmates and G.U.N soldiers – well, except Faker and his friends back home because of specific reasons – to be permitted. And two…because of who Shadow was. His identity alone should have caused heaps of upheaval.
However, because of Vanilla's powerful position – second only to the Commander himself – she had her own yacht at the ready at her personal dock on the nearest coastline. The ride to the large motorized boat took about an hour; it should have taken close to two, but Vanilla wasn't very keen on driving the speed limit in her sports car. She never got pulled over, and traffic was not a major problem, the reason being the contrasting G.U.N insignia on her light grey vehicle.
Nothing happened on the ride, besides the occasional sneaking glances Shadow received from Vanilla. He had been demanded to sit in the front with the rabbit so she could keep an eye on him, and he obeyed, not wanting a gun pointed at him again.
When they loaded the boat, the black hedgehog had to follow after the G.U.N. agent and stand near her when she steered the yacht away from land. Shadow completely understood the steps of caution Vanilla took. She had no choice to believe that another Shadow was still being held in Prison Island, but that didn't mean that the whole situation wasn't unusual. The hedgehog himself would have been on high alert if a stranger had appeared in front of him, not where they were supposed to be at the time.
Silver, Knuckles, and Rogue were free to do what they wanted during the two hour ride. For most of the time, they stood at the front of the boat, enjoying the scenery and the gentle wind. Cheese had been left at home – the Chao tried to protest, but one look from Vanilla halted all attempts – to let in the other half of the separated group if they arrived before Shadow and the others got back.
Those hours passed by in a blink, and now the five were standing in front of the entrance of Prison Island, said structure standing proudly.
And Shadow was staring down the barrel of a gun…again.
"Stand down, cadet." Despite the authoritative tone Vanilla used that promised harm to anyone that went against it, the other G.U.N agent continued to aim right between Shadow's eyes. The Ultimate Lifeform thought had if he was the gun wielding man in from of him, he would be a little more than intimidated by the mere sight of the rabbit, her wearing the usual G.U.N uniform with two weapons in her holder and a menacing-looking tranquilizer gun being held against her body. Any smart-minded human would have obeyed her command.
Apparently, this one had a few screws loose.
"Cadet. Stand down." Slightly shocked, Shadow, Silver, Knuckles, and Rogue glanced over to Vanilla in various degrees of bewilderment. None of them had heard a rabbit growl before. A first time for everything.
This time, the unnamed agent tore his heated gaze off of Shadow and onto Vanilla, his whole body tensing at the sight of her glare. The guard snuck another glance of the black hedgehog before speaking. "I apologize Vanil-" The agent swallowed his words and tried again when the rabbit narrowed her eyes farther. "I apologize Sergeant, but I am just confused to why you have civilians and the project out here with you, and to why I can't put the latter down for escaping." The man resumed scowling at Shadow. "Also, how you got out unnoticed in the first place…"
"Are you…questioning me, cadet?" Vanilla's voice dropped lower and Shadow saw Rogue step a bit away from her from the corner of his eye.
The other agent's posture switched from confident to slightly nervous. "No!" He cleared his throat. "No. No I'm not. I'm just-"
The cream rabbit stepped closer to the cadet, towering over him even though she was the shorter one. "Then I suggest you stop aiming your gun at my charge before I put you down." The other quietly gulped before shakily lowering his weapon, nodding his head. Vanilla just hummed before she stepped up beside the man. "Good choice. And if you ever, ever, question me again, you will regret having met me." She passed him and opened the door. Vanilla took one step before glancing back at the four Mobians. "Come." With that simple word, the quartet slipped past her and into the base. The rabbit regarded the slightly shaking agent again. "Oh, and radio to all of the other members here at this time to keep their guns to themselves if they don't want to face me personally. Thank you."
Shadow, who was standing inside and filtering through his memories – not all good – about the base, smirked a bit at Vanilla's words. He was beginning to like this woman.
The rabbit strolled passed the four with purpose, not giving them a glance. "Knuckles, Silver, Rogue," Her voice carried back, "Stay behind me and don't wander off. Shadow, you're up here at my side." The four Mobians shared a look before trailing the second-in-command, the hedgehog meeting Vanilla's step, but not before Rogue muttered a, "It's someone's time of the month…"
He was lucky enough not to have Vanilla hear.
As they traversed the floor plan of the structure, the group had caught the attention of many G.U.N agents working there. Shadow saw their eyes widen before their hands would either tighten around the weapon they had in their hands, or just simply twitch, itching to reach back to their occupied weapons holder. However, none of them made a move or showed outward hostility, just glared in suspicion and horrible confusion at Shadow and the other new Mobians. Mostly at the former. The guard out front must have already informed them of their presence and any possible repercussions.
When the group were just a few turns away from the room, Shadow's mind started to go on overdrive. The pink organ was unconsciously thinking of the many different scenarios of which that could happen when the other him was released. The perfect situation was that this Shadow didn't have the exact same personality as he did, for the Ultimate Lifeform knew that he had been a little more than stubborn way back when. Dare he say it, Shadow believed that the other him should have more of a personality like the Faker, the old one, that is. The reason why was that two headstrong Ultimate Lifeforms could not be getting in each other's way constantly. The group needed full cooperation from all members – the 'hero' Faker here didn't count, he was never really in the group in the first place – to make sure Eggman's and Espio's take-over failed.
Shadow almost cracked a smirk when his mind remembered what Vector said before they all split up. The other him speaking a totally different language…that would be an amusing yet frustrating situation. He could image this world's Shadow talking fluent German or French, and then one of the three behind him would complain about hiring a translator or something similar. Although, Shadow doubted that would be the case, since the Professor spoke English and he wouldn't teach-
Wait a minute. This Shadow never met the Professor.
"It hadn't finished absorbing Chaos energy from the Chaos drives in the machine next to it, so it has to stay in the cryogenic tank a while longer. It's too bad, I thought it would make a nice little friend for Maria on the ARK…"
Shadow's memory replayed Gerald's recorded voice in his mind, his eyes getting wider as it did so. Will he be able to talk at all? He asked himself. Was Vector not that far off in the language category?
"Hey, how much longer until we find him?" The Ultimate Lifeform glanced back at a curious Silver who was looking around his wide eyes at every single detail of the place. If that's the case, we'll just going to have to teach him then… "It's not that far from here." Shadow answered. "Less than five minutes." Silver just nodded before waving at a passing G.U.N member, not getting the same gesture in response.
"About time…" Rogue muttered, scratching at the gauze wrapped around his shoulder. "It seems like we've been in here for forever."
"Been receiving glares for forever…" Knuckles added, cutting his eyes over to a group of soldiers standing to the side who were watching all of them like hawks.
Vanilla frowned. "Leave your shoulder alone, Rogue." The bat stopped, partially because he was confused to how she knew he was messing with them in the first place. She glanced down at Shadow. "And how do you know that?"
The Ultimate Lifeform crossed his arms, looking ahead. "I told you, I'm from a parallel dimension. I've technically been in here before."
The rabbit just scoffed as they turned a corner. At the end of the hall was a lone agent standing in front of a similarly lonely door. Shadow assumed that there was the room they were looking for. "Just a lucky coincidence." She commented before going to stand in front of the other G.U.N. member, who had a look of complete surprise on her face.
"Sergeant! What are you doing here? I heard from the guard out front that you would be here with…" She peered around the rabbit and eyed the four Mobians. "…interesting company." The female cadet refocused on Vanilla. "But why? If you already have the project somehow, then why do you-"
"If you're going on that logic," Vanilla cut her off. "Then why are still guarding this door?"
The cadet blinked. "Touché."
"Exactly. Now step aside."
The other member nodded before sidestepping, but she still had more to say. "But Sergeant…what do you want with an empty room? And does the Commander know that-"
Vanilla sneered. "If you haven't noticed, the Commander is quite busy at the moment."
The female guard blinked. "Oh. Right. But it still doesn't answer my first question."
The rabbit breathed hard through her nose, obviously irritated. "You're in no position to ask me questions, but the room isn't empty." Before the other could ask anything, Vanilla waved her off. "Go get a tranquilizer and tell three others to do the same thing. I expect four of you to accompany these four and I in there in no more than three minutes."
The younger female agent gaped like a fish. "Wait…what?"
"Tick tock." At those words, the guard sprinted past the five before turning the corner, out of sight. Vanilla humphed. "Newbie." She then held out her hand and placed it on the scanner mounted beside the siding door. When it glowed green, the metal barrier slid open and showed the room's contents.
Shadow glanced around as they entered, noticing that the room was identical from before, from what he remembered. The space was dimly lighted up until the point of entry, when the automatic lights dissipated all the darkness of the room. Only one thing here claimed the focus of all that was in its presence. Shadow's eyes were glued to the figure floating in the tank surrounded by tinted gel. The other him was suspended in the liquid, wires buried underneath the skin in multiple places. Also, there was a thicker wire protruding the doppelganger's nose, the carbon copy of what Shadow must have looked like floating in that tank up in the ARK.
Also, the Shadow who was contained had no articles of clothing. His hands and feet were bare. The Ultimate Lifeform currently standing frowned thoughtfully. But I guess that makes sense, since G.U.N. soldiers seized him before he got out on his own… Hold up. That means that someone had to make another tank for me to float in up there. Who would go through so much trouble…? Shadow shook his head a bit. He was going to get back to that mystery after Eggman and Espio were taken care of. One thing at a time.
"Do you really need five tranquilizer guns pointed at him?" Knuckles yawned out, his hands linked behind his head. "A bit of an overkill, don't you think?"
"No." Vanilla answered shortly, checking her own gun for any flaws. "Better safe than sorry."
"Don't have to be snappy about it…"
The rabbit glared. "You better watch your- Hey! And what do you think you're doing, project?"
Knowing that the G.U.N member was calling out to him, Shadow glanced back at her, but kept moving forward. "Nothing you should be worried about." He smirked at the frown thrown his way before turning back around.
Shadow, standing right in front of the tank now, looked up at his double floating in the pseudo-slime. He crossed his arms, realizing how sorry a sight he must've been when he was in the exact same situation in his home dimension. Just floating in there…practically trapped against your will… It takes a blow to anyone's pride. The black hedgehog sighed before going back over to where the others were, wanting to prevent anymore friction between him and Vanilla. Another plus for getting you out of here.
As soon as he did so, four more agents came running in with their tranquilizers ready. The female member from before looked from Shadow to the striped hedgehog still in the cryogenic tank, then back to the first Ultimate Lifeform. She let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm so going to get a drink tonight after work…"
Rogue and Silver let out chuckles while Knuckles rolled his eyes.
"Focus!" Vanilla snapped at the four newcomers. "Have your weapons ready. Don't let your guard down! Anything could happen." The agents readied their weapons as the rabbit made her way toward the suspended hedgehog. "I don't care if it can potentially help with Eggman, if it shows any hostility, I'm making sure it doesn't leave this room." All eyes were on her as she strolled confidently to the tank and its controls. Shadow heard her let out a low sigh before pressing a series of buttons in a complicated pattern. When she was done, there was a whooshing sound and the rabbit hopped back to where the group was, pointing her gun like the other four by her.
However, Shadow was paying no attention to them. He was focused on the wires being yanked out of the other's body none-too-gently. The black hedgehog inwardly winced when the tube down his twin's nose was pulled out. Then, Shadow watched as the gel drained out of the tank, leaving through the holes in the bottom of the container. The other black hedgehog was now lying on his side, still covered in a thin layer of gel in the clear tank.
Now that this doppelganger was fully visible with no visible distortions, Shadow noticed another little difference in appearance. The other him…was darker. It was just the red stripes that where a different shade, it being a deep maroon rather than the regular crimson. Shadow glanced down at his own arm to check to make sure. Yeah, definitely different…
After enough time passed that the Ultimate Lifeform started to fear that the other was dead, harsh breathing and coughing filled the room, coming from one source. Everyone except from that person seemed to tense. The wheezing continued for a while in the tank, the second black hedgehog trying to get his lungs working on their own, before the breathing seemed to even out. It was slightly muffled because of the glass, but it was still identifiable. However, the other striped hedgehog was still laying on the bottom of the tank, nothing but his chest moving.
"Poor guy…" Silver looked over worriedly. He then turned to Vanilla. "Why is he still trapped in there? Can't we let him out?"
"Not yet. We have to wai…" The rabbit trailed off, looking at the white hedgehog with her lips pursed. She then nodded to herself. "Alright. You can. The button to lower the glass is at the top on the right on the panel. It's blue."
Silver smiled brightly. "Okay! I'll ju- Wait a minute…" He pointed accusingly at Vanilla. "You're using me as a distraction huh? A 'sacrifice' in case he attacks?" The silence was all the answer he needed. Silver crossed his arms and pouted. "Alright, I see how it is!" The white hedgehog stood there for a moment before making his way over to the tank with a, "I'm gonna do it anyway," muttered under his breath.
Silver walked to the container before bypassing the control panel altogether. With a raised brow, Shadow watched as the white 'hog rose a fist to knock on the glass like how kids would do with fish tanks. He tapped on the clear surface twice. "Hey! Time to wake up man! It's moving day!" Unsurprisingly, Silver's loud voice earned an ear twitch from the sleeping hedgehog. The psychic chuckled. "Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!"
With those words, Shadow's twin began to move. First, his face twisted up in mild annoyance before his mouth opened up wide in a yawn. Tired eyes blinked open and Shadow noticed that they were darker as well. The maroon irises shakily focused up on Silver and just stared, curiosity and confusion swirling within them.
The white hedgehog's smile widened, threatening to split his face in half. "Hi there! Time to go bud!" Silver gestured behind him and angled his body so that everyone behind him was visible to the one sill contained. "We're all here to get you outta here!" Sleepy eyes shifted from Silver and slowly swept over the room until they got to the G.U.N soldiers.
Something akin to recognition sparked in his eyes.
And then all hell broke loose.
The high-pitched sound of glass shattering reached Shadow's ears a split second before he felt the surge of uncontrollable and raw energy that blew against him, crackling around his body. The black hedgehog closed his eyes when the harsh red light stung them, and then he felt some glass shards leaving miniscule cuts on his arms and stomach. He slid back some because of the strong blast, but he retained his balance and stayed on his feet, escaping the fate of most of the people in the room.
Gritting his teeth, Shadow opened his eyes a crack to see that the four unnamed members had fallen to the floor along with Rogue and Silver, who had taken the brunt of the blast, had multiple cuts on his whole front, slouching against the other wall. Vanilla and Knuckles, along with himself, were the only ones still on their feet. The rabbit was the only one to keep hold of her weapon, for the other G.U.N. agents had theirs torn from their hands by the surging energy. One had landed at Knuckles' feet.
When the energy surge ceased, no one took the time to relax. They all were looking wide-eyed at the black hedgehog in front of them. The Mobian was on all fours, quills bristled and canines bared. Every single muscle was tensed, ready to uncoil at any moment. The 'hog's fur was crackling with red energy, once in a while jumping from quill to quill like static. His wild maroon eyes were focused on no one but Vanilla, pure hate shining through, pinning her to the spot.
The rabbit couldn't move, haven't felt this afraid of anything her whole life. Not even crossing Sonic had ever made her life flash before her eyes. The project's glare paralyzed her body, thinking that if she moved a mere millimeter, her life would be sapped from her in a heartbeat. Her grip on her gun was so tight that there was a dull ache in her fingers, but she couldn't pull the trigger.
Shadow, who was faring much better, was still completely shocked at the turn of events, almost not accepting what was going on. Why…? He thought, staring wide-eyed at his supposed twin in front of him. What…happened? Is this all because he hadn't met Maria and Gerald? Or is it something else? Shadow studied the other, looking at all the pieces, trying to put them together somehow. The darker fur…this behavior…that blast of chaos energy felt different. I don't know how to explain it, it just did.
Shadow's breath hitched when he came to a conclusion. Is it…because of Black Doom? Did Gerald use a different mixture when making the DNA? That has to be it! The hedgehog groaned to himself. I should have looked through those papers I glanced at up there! Dammit…why didn't I think that this could happen? Rouge is a boy in this dimension for Chaos' sake! That means anything's possible!
Gritting his teeth, Shadow, after making sure that the other him was still focused on Vanilla, tried to get Knuckles attention, who was staring at the charged Mobian like one wrong move could set him off. "Knuckles." He whispered loud enough for the echidna to hear, but not his twin. Luckily enough, the former guardian heard because the red Mobian glanced over his way. Shadow subtly pointed down at the gun at the echidna's feet. The Ultimate Lifeform knew that this was extremely risky, but it had to be done. That was…if the dart did enough. All that power the other me has got crackling around and inside him would probably cancel out the tranquilizer's effects! That energy needs to be cut down some… Shadow glanced down at his wrists, or more importantly at his Inhibitor rings. I can't use any energy anyway, so it won't matter that I remove these, right?
Knuckles, understanding what Shadow was getting at, shot him an 'are-you-freaking-crazy?' look. The Ultimate Lifeform shook his head tensely. The red Mobian let out a silent sigh before making sure that the other striped 'hog wasn't paying any attention to him. Slowly, the echidna bent down and picked up the gun. He stood straight up and pointed the weapon at the twin's shoulder. Knuckles looked down the scope and Shadow wrapped his right hand around his left ring, getting ready.
However, just when the echidna was about pull the trigger, the unnamed quartet of soldiers decided to stop being stunned and light-headed. One by one, they all stood back up, still a bit dazed from the sudden surge and resulting fall.
Shadow then pinned his ears against his head when a rage-filled roar echoed throughout the room accompanied by another surge of energy. It wasn't as strong as the first one, so everyone managed to stay on their feet.
After readjusting his aim, Knuckles was ready to fire again until Shadow's twin sprinted over to the closest member, jumped up, and headbutted the man. He was out like a light. "Dammit! He moved!" The echidna gritted out.
"Just get him!" Shadow nearly growled, loosening the ring.
"I'm trying!" Knuckles pulled the trigger and the dart flew out, missing its target completely when the doppelgänger went to the next member and side kicked her into the wall, her yell filling the room. He then quickly jabbed the third two times in the throat, narrowly dodging another dart. It had only been about ten seconds, so the women guard from before barely had time to register what was happening before she was rammed against the wall with the force of a speeding semi. The newly awakened Mobian dropped back down to the ground on all fours and prepared to lunge again, this time at Vanilla. A menacing growl was the only warning before he leapt into the air.
Then time seemed to move in slow motion.
As the twin reared back a clenched fist, Knuckles aimed for one last time. He barely checked his aim before he let the dart fly. To Shadow's relief, it hit its target right at the shoulder. The jumping hedgehog let out a surprised gasp before he relaxed his fist and went to pull the tranquilizer out of his shoulder. But it was too late, the medicine was in his system. And I have to make sure it stays there. Shadow thought.
Because he was distracted, the other striped hedgehog crashed into Vanilla in a pile of limbs, both hitting the floor hard. The rabbit let out a sharp yelp while the twin hissed painfully. Taking his cue, Shadow removed one ring, ran over to where the duo was, and snapped it on one of his doppelgänger's wrist. The chaotic energy in the room dropped drastically. The other him was confused, so Shadow took off his other ring and put it on another black wrist. He did the same with his two ankle rings.
The Ultimate Lifeform let out a sigh when the room reverted back to normal and the static on his twin dissipated. Crimson irises met maroon ones and saw the spark of anger along with a bit of betrayal before the strong effects of the tranquilizer took over. The dark eyes glazed over as the hedgehog slumped and relaxed, still on top of Vanilla. Said rabbit blinked, slowly focused on the mass on front of her, and then quickly flung the biotic lifeform off her, breathing quickly.
Rogue, who had been watching the series of events on the floor, carefully stood up and ran a hand down his slightly bleeding face. "Well…" He winced when he moved his shoulder some, realizing that he had landed on it when he fell. "That could've gone better."
I would love to know how many people guessed this outcome or something similar! Or was this a complete surprise to everyone? XD