Disclaimer- Nope. I own nobody.

Chapter 26- When rabbits fly

Shadow ignored Rogue's obvious statement in favor of staring at his knocked out counterpart, thoughts going around in a whirlwind. The Ultimate Lifeform squatted down beside the other, unconsciously rubbing his naked wrists. The black hedgehog just frowned, thinking that this situation was the worst one that could have happened. From what he had seen, the other him was seemingly feral, and apparently smart enough to recognize the difference between human and Mobian, G.U.N and not G.U.N. His twin was obviously going for the soldiers because of what happened fifty years ago on the ARK, whatever that may have been, since there was a difference between this world and Shadow's home. However, the biotic 'hog noticed that all the other did was growl and roar, not saying a single word. They were going to have to find out that mystery when the other him woke up.

That is… Shadow cut his eyes over to Vanilla who was picking herself off the ground with a haunted look on her face. If she doesn't have a fit about him leaving the island, which I doubt.

Rogue, who was staring at the downed hedgehog in curiosity and a bit of trepidation, glanced over to where Silver was quietly groaning on the other side of the room. He pointed over there with his thumb. "I'm gonna go help out Silver over there…" The bat winced when he saw the little glass shards covering the white hedgehog, even from a distance. "That's gotta hurt…" He muttered to himself before trotting over to where the psychic was.

Knuckles watched him go before turning toward Shadow, dropping the tranquillizer gun on the floor. The echidna then cringed when he pulled out a glass shard that had embedded itself shallowly in the white crest on his chest. The former guardian took a step forward towards the unconscious black hedgehog, crossing his arms. "Well, there he is in all his glory. What are we going to do with him now? You know, if we're still going through with that plan of yours."

Shadow furrowed his brow. Speaking of his plan, was it even going to work now? As expected, the other him had his powers, but he was as unpredictable as they come. Who knows what was going to happen once his twin woke up again. He could not attack, or he could target everyone in sight, especially since Shadow had a gut feeling that his doppelganger didn't like him anymore. But, the group still needed the newest biotic hedgehog to help with the problem of Eggman and Espio.

Shadow had to take the risk. "We're going to take him and-"

"And you will stop right there!" Vanilla's booming voice cut him off. Shadow and Knuckles both glanced over to an enraged rabbit who was out of that state of shock and horror she was in. The G.U.N agent stiffly walked up to where they were and glared hatefully. "That project will not leave this room under any circumstances! It is a danger to everyone around it! If you need any examples…" She gestured behind her to where the four unnamed soldiers were lying knocked out on the floor. She then pointed down at Shadow's twin. "That thing is a threat to society. I don't care if it could potentially assist in the robot problem. It is staying here."

Shadow just scoffed and stood back up, looking the rabbit right in the eyes. Defiance was rolling off him in waves, and Vanilla must have sensed it, if her narrowing her eyes farther were any indication. "He isn't any threat to anyone right now."

Vanilla rolled her eyes, highly irritated. "Yes, right now, but when it wakes up-"

"Nothing will happen. Trust me." Shadow replied smoothly with the ghost of a smirk. In the corner of his eye, he saw as Silver and Rogue made their way over, their heads turning back and forth between him and Vanilla like they were watching a tennis match. Knuckles was just staring at the ceiling with a bored expression on his face, but there was no doubt that he was still listening.

The rabbit scowled. "I trust you as far as I can throw you. No, not even that." She took another step closer, getting in the Ultimate Lifeform's face. "It isn't leaving. This. Room. Understand?"

The black hedgehog didn't back down. "No. Like I said before, he can't harm anybody." Before Vanilla could refute, he continued, gesturing down to the Mobian on the floor. "With those cuffs on, he is pretty much powerless."

The rabbit paused then, raising her brow the tiniest of margins. She was still was confident in her opinion, but now she was curious to why Shadow had even come to that conclusion. "And why is that?" She asked, her eyes still narrowed.

"You know what Chaos energy is, correct?"

"Of course I do." Vanilla scoffed, but she didn't reveal how she would have found out. Shadow knew immediately, had to be because of Sonic.

The Ultimate Lifeform continued, "Then you felt the surge of chaotic energy as soon as the other me was released." Vanilla nodded and Shadow inwardly smirked. She was hanging off his words, even though it didn't seem like it. "And how the level of it severely decreased down to zero when I put the rings on him?" The rabbit blinked, surprised, before nodding again with more hesitation. The black hedgehog then squatted down and picked up one of the other's limp wrist, rubbing the golden ring with his pointer finger.

"These are Inhibitor rings. They help me control and suppress my energy so I can manage it without overloading myself. I have gotten used to them, for many years they have been part of me." Shadow glanced up to see that Vanilla was still listening with rapt interest. "However, this 'me' hadn't experienced this kind of restraint before. He functions with all of his energy at the ready, it seems. Because of this, the rings brought the energy level down to one that he can't use. Yes, he will someday learn to, but not for a while."

The rabbit tapped her foot, still clearly agitated, but more open. "But you don't know precisely how long-"

Shadow stood back up and folded his arms in front of himself. "Long enough to teach him who the real enemies are." They stared each other down. "He will be a helpful asset." The hedgehog added, not showing any sign of giving up.

The tension in the air was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Silver, Rogue, and Knuckles were looking on from the sidelines, holding their breath. That was until Vanilla spoke again.

"You are making a huge mistake." Her voice dripped with venom. "I won't stop you from taking the project, but I am not going to have anything to do with it. You can ride back with me in my yacht and car – with that thing in the trunk – only because I know that it will still be under for that amount of time. When we return to my home, I want all of you out of my sight." She growled out. "And just remember, a threat that can and will destroy our society is in your hands." With those chilling words, Vanilla stomped over to the door they came in and yanked it open only to see a large group of G.U.N soldiers. They looked unsure if they would barge in or not until the rabbit made her appearance. The lesser agents then stood up straight and were going to ask about the ruckus going on in the room until Vanilla shouted out, "Get out of the way, cadets!" The group snapped their mouths shut and immediately obeyed, making a clear way for her. "And don't speak a word of this!"

The four Mobians standing inside the room stared after her in silence until Rogue blinked. "Welp, I guess we won that one."

Silver huffed. "Tch, yeah, we did." He glanced over to Shadow. "But what are we gonna do now, huh? We're freakin' kicked out of the rabbit's house." The Ultimate Lifeform looked askance at the white hedgehog and Silver gasped. "Oh my gosh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it to come out like that! It's just that, I'm worried, you know?" Seeing the tears welling up in the other's eyes, Shadow just shook his head and sighed.

"It's alright. Your question is a good one, actually." The Ultimate Lifeform furrowed his brow. "The only answer I have is that we are going to have to use Amy's and Tails' like a base. It isn't that close to Station Square if I remember correctly."

Rogue nodded. "Yeah, it should be out of harm's way and stuff." He then gestured to the knocked out hedgehog on the floor. "So who's gonna carry him?"

"I will." Shadow bent down and picked up his twin before throwing him over his shoulder. The black hedgehog stood back up with a grunt. "Alright, let's so."

Knuckles yawned. "That's a good idea, because who knows if she's gonna actually wait on us or not."

The four Mobians shared a look before they left the room faster than normal. The group passed by the horde of horribly confused soldiers before taking a turn, leaving the room behind. Shadow took the lead, basically knowing the exact way out of the place. His pace was slightly slowed by the Mobian who he was carrying, but he was still moving swiftly.

They didn't slow down until they saw Vanilla waiting impatiently at the entrance. When she saw them, the rabbit puffed before turning around and exiting the prison. The quartet trailed after her quietly. It didn't take long until all of the Mobians were on board the boat once more.

"Follow me, project." Knowing that Vanilla was talking to him, Shadow did so, understanding that she wanted him in her sight again. Rogue, Knuckles, and Silver went toward the front of the yacht like before. As the rabbit steered the boat away from the land, the black hedgehog gently placed his twin on the floor, propped up against the wall. Shadow studied his doppelganger's face for a moment, noting how relaxed it was now. A total difference than when he was attacking the G.U.N soldiers.

I wonder what happened up there that caused so much hatred… Shadow thought to himself. The other hadn't met Maria or Gerald, and hadn't seen the former die at the hands of G.U.N. So…why then? Ruby irises shifted over to Vanilla, who was busy focusing on her task. I bet she knows. She wasn't there of course, but she is second-in-command.

However, before he could open his mouth to ask, Vanilla surprisingly spoke up. "Have any of them experienced steering a boat before?"

It took a while for him to comprehend the question, but when he did, Shadow gave a small smirk. My guess is that she has to use the restroom. "Rogue and Knuckles haven't, and Silver is only fourteen." He tilted his head. "But you knew that already, didn't you? Because you've read their bios." The smirk widened. "But you haven't read mine." Shadow didn't go on, because he wanted her to get over herself and ask him outright. She tried to beat around the bush, but the hedgehog wasn't having it.

Vanilla gritted her teeth. "I'll wait."

Shadow shrugged. "Okay then. It is just a two hour ride…with the splashing waves and the-"

The rabbit let out an explosive sigh before turning her head and glaring at him. "If we die, I will kill you."

The hedgehog strolled up and grabbed the wheel when she moved out of the way. "Dully noted. Don't worry, ending my life – and everyone else's on this boat – isn't on my to-do list for today."

"I have a gun, project. Don't tempt me."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Vanilla blinked before narrowing her eyes. "I really don't like your ton-" She was cut off when a ringing tone shrilled in the air. The rabbit froze for a moment before reaching in her back pocket and pulling out her phone. She put it up to her ear after she looked at the number. "Hello? Cheese hon, why are you calling? And how did you learn how to use a phone?"

Shadow deadpanned. Even if Cheese was calling, how in the world would you understand him? Because apparently the only who can is Cream.

The rabbit then frowned. "Wait, you're not Cheese. You sound like that girl form earlier…Amy. Why are you calling me? …Just to say that you all are in my house?" Vanilla's eyes then lit up. "My baby! She's fine? …It doesn't matter that the procedure took longer than necessary. I'm just glad she's healthy." The rabbit then left, her voice getting quieter. The last thing Shadow heard was, "Can you pass the phone to Cream? Also, you and your friends better not steal anything if you know what's good for you."

The black hedgehog let a tiny smile grow on his face. The other half were waiting safely, and it seemed like Big did his job well.

Tap tap tap tap.

Tap tap tap tap.

Tap tap tap-

"Holy shit, you're doing really well in annoying the hell outta me."

Tap tap tap tap.

Tap tap-

"Are you just going to sit there and stare at me all damn day?"

Sharp eyes narrowed and the tapping stopped. "All I want you to do is answer my question." A hand moved from the arm of a chair before its fingers linked together with those of its opposite counterpart. A body leaned forward in the seat. "Then I will leave you alone."

"But I'll still be trapped in here."

A smirk. "Nothing gets past you."

Hard eyes danced in defiance. "What will you do for me?"

A frown. "Nothing."

The other shrugged. "Then sorry asshole. Can't help ya."

There was a low hum. "You do realize that I can end your life in less than ten minutes, and you can't do a thing about it."

"Heh. It has been on my mind for a while."

"So answer me."

"Didn't ya hear me before? It's gotta be a trade, shithead."

Teeth ground together. "How about this, you answer the question, and I give you the gift of life."

"Hmm…not good enough."

"You're really stubborn, aren't you?"

"Just as stubborn as you are fucked up. Hurting people just for gain? Not cool."

"You're the one to talk."

"I've got my reasons. Mind your own damn business."

"Maybe I will, if you tell me what I want."

"Humph. Fine. I stole a motorcycle to get here."

"…That doesn't answer my question."

A chuckle. "I know it doesn't, you jackass. Why would I bend to you?"

There was a shift, and a hand was resting on the arm of the chair once more.

Tap tap tap tap.

"There you go with that shit again."

"I hate you, you know that?"

"I figured."

"You're such an unfortunate annoyance."

"Mmhmm."

Silence.

"Answer the question."

"Wow. And I thought you would take another approach to that."

"…I should, shouldn't I? Alright, you brought this on yourself." There was a squeak and a couple of footsteps.

"Don't act like you weren't going to fucking do that even if I did tell you."

A cold grin. "Like I said before, nothing gets past you."

Espio chuckled darkly, twirling a small remote between his fingers. Narrow golden eyes glinted in morbid amusement. "You're really going to risk your life for them? I didn't know you cared that much, considering how much you've fought with one specific individual."

Sonic scoffed on the other side of the glass, his arms crossed. He rolled his eyes. "The moment I care for them is the moment when rabbits fly." He refocused back on the chameleon. "I'm only doing this for myself. I don't follow orders, I give them. Nothing you do, asshole, will get me to answer."

The purple Mobian rose a brow. "Oh really? Challenge accepted, especially since you're at my mercy." He gestured to the container that the hedgehog was trapped in. "The tube you're in…" Espio smiled cruelly. "…is water tight."

Sonic's eyes widened to their fullest. "W-What?"

"Oh yes." Espio pushed the button with his gloved thumb. There was the whir of machinery and the hedgehog glanced up to see open pipes appear at the top of the cylinder. A second passed before water began to gush down, soaking Sonic from head to toe. The speedster began to hyperventilate and he put both hands flesh against the glass. The chameleon stepped up until he was right in front of the container. "Aw, look at you. I would be apologetic, if I cared." He held up the remote and tauntingly shook it. "I can stop this, if you answer my question."

"D-Dammit! Fine! I'll tell you!" Sonic yelled over the rushing water that was now at his shins.

Espio pushed the button again, stopping the flow. He watched as the water dripped off of the heavily breathing hedgehog. "Well?" Sonic's ears lowered as he glanced away. The chameleon snorted. "The great Sonic the hedgehog, defeated. Never thought I'd see the day."

The blue 'hog glared, but it was severely lackluster. "No…"

Espio tilted his head. "No?" That wasn't the answer he was expecting.

Sonic glanced away again. "You heard me. They didn't escape."

"Hm…" The reptile tossed the remote up once. "So you just left them there…" The hedgehog nodded. "Then how did you get out?"

"I'm not tellin' you lying piece of shit! I answered your question! Now leave!"

Espio grunted. "Oh I'll leave all right. Enjoy the next five minutes." He pressed the button once more and savored the sound of Sonic's labored and panicked breaths over the splashing water. The chameleon turned around and headed for the door, grinning when the hedgehog started shouting. He pushed a switch on a wall and the metal door slid open. Espio stepped through and it closed behind him.

Sonic counted to ten in his head before he stopped his shouts of terror. He scowled down at the water that was at his waist, streams of the cold liquid running down his head and neck. "Chaos this stuff is annoying." He then smirked. "I gotta admit though, pretty nifty little trap he has here. Too bad it won't get to do what it was built for." Sonic reached into his quills and pulled out a broken pipe that he had found on the ground on his way to this base. He was lucky enough that his plan worked perfectly, and that Espio would have something like this to 'finish him off'.

Moments later, Sonic wasn't inside the cylinder anymore, but outside it. Shattered glass was on the floor and water was flowing out, but he wasn't worried about it. The hedgehog looked to what had his attention ever since he was in here and grinned before shaking off a bit. Sonic took a step only to frown when his sock squished in his shoe. "I absolutely hate getting my socks and shoes wet. Ugh." He continued to make squishing sounds as he made his way over to the computer he had been eyeing.

Because this room is pretty small, I bet it's the asshole's private space. Sonic grinned at the piece of technology in front of him as he took off his soaked gloves and put them in his quills. And that this is his private computer. After looking behind himself to see if the coast was clear, the hedgehog pushed the 'power on' button. I have to make this fast. Who knows when he will come back in here.

Sonic tapped his foot impatiently as the computer to life. He then groaned in frustration when a password slot popped up. "Well crap. I've shoulda known…" Let's see… The hedgehog typed in the word 'ninjastar', and it was accepted. Sonic laughed to himself. "Dumbass should've cleaned up after himself." He said as he glanced at the couple of ninja stars resting on a shelf. The blue Mobian rubbed his hands together before using the mouse to move the pointer over to the 'files' icon was. Now let's see what was in that serum…

About three minutes later, Sonic was reading the last bit of a very interesting file.

"…all of those ingredients mixed together cause a limiting effect, and even a negating effect if the substances are highly concentrated. The mixture could maybe be made into serums, pills, patches, and – it would be extremely difficult, be still plausible – rings. –Professor Gerald."

Sonic raked his naked hand through his dripping quills. "Thanks for the freakin' science lesson, but it doesn't tell me how to reverse the effects!" He threw his arms in the air in exasperation before moving to different files, but not seeing anything that was related to what he just read. "Dammit! Why is there nothing else here?" Sonic started to pace, really missing his speed. "What did that report tell me? Diddly squat, that's what it told me. I know absolutely nothing about those long scientific names, and the things that it could be made into don't help me at all! I mean, I seriously doubt any hospital would do this type of thing, so pills and patches were out. I most likely don't have any damn time to search this place for leftovers of the serum, if there were any. And rings? I don't even remember the last time I've even seen a fu-"

Wait…yes I have! Sonic stood still and held his head in his hands, thinking hard. I've seen rings lately! But where? Come on brain, think! Where? Where…? The speedster gasped, standing up straight. "Stripes. He has those ring…things on his wrists! And I mean, why would he wear them if they weren't limiting his Chaos powers, right? Right." He groaned to himself. I can't believe I'm about to follow this ass trail, but it's the only thing I've got. Now I've got to find him…he should know how those things work. Sonic looked to his left to see a high window. Already figuring that the glass was his way out, the blue Mobian made his way over there, took out the pipe once again, and broke the glass after he shut down the computer.

Sonic jumped through the window, winced when some shards cut his chest, and landed on the ground with a roll. Hopping back on his feet, the hedgehog glanced back and forth before running around the medium-sized lab. His ears were perked to detect if any robots were after him. None were.

The hedgehog hugged the wall, careful to duck when there were windows, until he got back to the front of the lab. He spotted his motorcycle parked just behind the tree line, barely noticeable. Sonic turned his head to peer inside the window he had broken with his pipe to get in to see if there was anyone walking around, alive or otherwise. When nobody was in sight, the hedgehog made a mad dash toward the trees.

Surprisingly, Sonic got to his ride with no problems. The hero grinned as he revved up the engine before u-turning and riding out of sight. I've gotta go to that rabbit's house. That's where Stripes said he was gonna be.

Unbeknown to the fleeing Mobian, golden eyes on the second floor watched his every step until the blue hedgehog disappeared. "Follow him." Espio commanded the robots standing behind him. "See where he goes. Be on stand-by for more orders." When the chameleon gave them a signal, five bots exited the lab through an open window and took to the sky.