strange times get even stranger
i dare say they get dangerous
Sonic's face hit metal once again. He gagged against the intense waves of nausea pulsing through his body, amplified by the recent meal he had ingested. Shadow's hands no longer restrained him, leaving him free to curl on the floor in misery. The feeling died down, leaving the blue blur with an overwhelming sensation that he hadn't truly felt in a very long time. Anger.
The sounds of footsteps echoing away from him reached his ears for the second time. This time he knew who they belonged to. The hedgehog pushed himself off the ground, adrenaline rushing through his body like electricity. Sonic launched himself towards the direction Shadow left. He needed answers. Rounding the corner, Sonic saw the black hedgehog slowly stepping his way through the corridor. Emerald eyes furrowed as the hedgehog noticed two shining jewels working their way around in circles in the elder's hand. The green and blue facets reflected beautifully, casting flecks of light onto the boring metal walls. Sonic felt rage boil through his body. Gloved hands clenched hard, creating creases in the young hedgehog's paws.
"Y-You." He hissed, small fangs shining softly in the dimly lighted hallway. Shadow merely looked over his shoulder. The Emeralds never stopped moving.
"Why did you do that?" Spat the hedgehog, blue quills bristling slightly. The black mobian merely looked away. Metal shoes clunked against the hard floor as the adult continued on his path.
"Not gunna talk, huh? How 'bout I make you talk." Sonic growled.
"I don't need to explain myself." Shadow calmly stated. He rounded another corner, Sonic angrily stalking after him.
"Oh you do need to explain yourself." He countered. "You need to explain why choking a girl is okay to do."
Shadow walked past the strange pools, green light eerily illuminating his body as the rippling surfaces scattered light across the room in patterns. His echoing footsteps were the only response to Sonic's angry words.
"Not a talker huh?" Sonic raced up to the older hedgehog. He reached for the rotating gemstones in the elder's hand. His gloved paws touched the smooth surface of the powerful jewels.
A loud smack echoed throughout the room as Shadow's rough hand raced across the small hedgehog's face. Sonic felt himself hit the floor as a burning pain crept into his muzzle.
"Will you stop?" Shadow hissed, words seeping with venom. "Every single object I hold has to be touched by you, doesn't it."
"Every single object you hold is something I need." Sonic hissed back, picking himself off the ground. Shadow turned and stormed down the hallway. Sonic was quick to follow. The large door to the Eclipse Cannon faded into view.
"You never do anything to tell me what you're doing, you don't even let me know why I'm here!" The blue blur cried angrily. The dark mobian didn't even react.
"All you ever do is steal, lie, hurt, and yell." Sonic hollered after him. The large doors opened, revealing the cannon core once again.
"I don't even know why I need you! You haven't done anything to show me I can trust you!"
Shadow made his way across the thin catwalk. The young hedgehog followed.
"You have done nothing to prove you are a good person, Shadow. Nothing!" Sonic's shrill voice echoed loudly in the endless chasm. Shadow began to type at the computer. The lack of reaction fueled the young mobian's anger.
"You don't feel anything, do you." Sonic spat, stomping his foot loudly on the ground. The cannon opened, revealing the first Emerald placed inside.
"You don't care! You never did!" Sonic shouted. "You don't know what it's like to feel happiness or regret!"
The adult placed the Emeralds inside the cannon. The technology glowed with power.
"You don't know what it's like to enjoy the warm sun on a lovely day, or a funny movie on a rainy night!"
The cannon closed, letting out bursts of light.
"You haven't felt those things, have you! You don't even know what those things are!" Sonic yelled, tears of anger lining his eyes. "You don't know passion...or-or fear!"
"You're just a faker!"
The adult continued typing things into the computer.
"You can't feel!" Sonic cried. "You don't even know love!"
The adult froze.
"You can't love." Sonic hissed. "You have never loved, and you never will."
A loud, angry yell erupted through the room. Before Sonic could even comprehend what made the sound, a hand whipped through the air and caught him around his throat, the sheer force of the movement knocking the wind clean out of him. He found himself looking straight into the enraged eyes of Shadow as he was lifted off the ground and over the endless chasm. The adult's fur trembled with fury as he breathed deep, shaking breaths of rage induced aggression. Sonic felt his very essence drain out of his throat as the gloved hands of Shadow squeezed hard around his lifeline.
"You know nothing." Shadow hissed, fangs bared in full and eyes glowing with every negative emotion Sonic had ever felt. The hedgehog kicked and squirmed, trying desperately to escape the deadly grasp.
"You know nothing of love; you haven't even felt it." The adult spat, eyes growing dark with emotion. "You are too young to even comprehend the deepness of emotion."
Sonic felt tears escape his eyes as the harsh air burned his ocular organs. He could feel every single movement of the adult through his choking hold. Every trembling muscle, every strained breath, and every anxious heartbeat. An alarm began to blare, creating flashes of red light that reflected off of every surface.
"You know nothing of the depth of love, or the absence of it! You know nothing of loss or terror! You know nothing of agony! You know nothing, hoglet, nothing!" Shadow shouted, tears beginning to line his own eyes in either rage or hurt. Sonic couldn't tell. All he could do was stare back at the terrifying adult that held his throat. The last word echoed through the cannon core, mixing with the loud screaming of the cannon alert system.
The two remained there for a moment, staring each other deep in the eyes. Sonic's large, terrified green ones meeting Shadow's enraged red ones in a desperate cry to stop. The young hedgehog began to turn blue, he had given up struggling against the fierce hold of the adult some time ago. All he could do was plead. Plead with his large, expressive eyes in the hopes Shadow would listen. The intense beams of pulsing red light cast strange shadows onto the duo, making everything seem altered and terrifying. Shadow's shaking arms never faltered, and his trembling breaths only grew more intense. Sonic felt his mind slip further and further from consciousness. He had to get out. He needed to breathe.
"Pl...ease…" Sonic choked out. "Shadow…"
"I'm...begging you…"
The elder's eyes grew small and distant. His hand waivered slightly, allowing the blue blur a precious gasp for air. The adult's chest shook, breathing growing more erratic by the second. His eyes trembled, showing an emotion far too distorted for the choking child to read.
Eventually, Sonic felt himself drop onto the cold metal catwalk. He wheezed and gasped, crumpling into a ball in an attempt to make himself look small. He breathed deep, wonderful breaths of air as he squirmed around on the catwalk, coughing from the lack of oxygen. Shadow turned his back, still shaking from the fury blazing through his system and his gloved hands clenched tightly. The shrieking cry of the alarms echoed throughout the room, only serving to amplify the feelings of fear and helplessness that drowned the room.
Sonic pushed himself off the floor. He found himself shaking from the intensity of Shadow's outburst. The blue blur turned his eyes back towards the adult. He backed towards the exit in an attempt to get away from the dangerous hedgehog. His quills hit metal, and Sonic realized the door was shut. He turned to find where the emergancy button to open it might be, only to find it six feet in the air. There was no hope of reaching it. He was trapped.
Shadow began to act strangely. His shaking had only increased since Sonic had antagonized him and his quills began to puff out. Sonic didn't know what to do. If Shadow became aggressive again, he would have nowhere to run and he was not in the mood for a fight.
The alarms continued to scream, making even more adrenaline rush through the young hedgehog's body. The only way for him to get out was to enlist the help of the one trapped in here with him. Sonic looked back up to the button. He had to at least try.
Briefly disoriented by the rapid flashes of light, Sonic turned to fully face the hedgehog. Shadow was absorbed by the intense red light and volume of the alarm. His silhouette was barely visible within the scarlet curtain. Sonic squinted against the beams. His ears burned from the volume of the alarm, making the little triangles flatten against his skull. The cast shadow of the adult fell onto the hedgehog, illuminating the shape of the mobian. His arms were extended away from his body with his head tilted back. His knees buckled underneath his weight leaving the adult kneeling on the floor. An indecipherable cry could be barely heard over the deafening shriek of the alarms.
The dark mobian reeked of malice and ill intent. Everything in the young hedgehog's body screamed for him to run away from the dangerous mobian, yet he needed Shadow to escape. The paradoxical nature of the situation burned at the young hedgehog's mind. Shadow was dangerous. Period. Sonic regretted ever releasing him from Prison Island. Easily the worst decision the hedgehog had made in his life so far. Red sneakers tapped nervously, the soft sounds completely drowned out by the horribly loud alert system. What could he even do? Sonic had a decision to make.
Slowly walking towards the hedgehog, Sonic nervously licked his dried lips. The adult now sunk further to the floor, hands planted against the cold metal as his chest heaved in and out. The flashing red lights blinded the young hedgehog. Shadow seemed so close yet impossibly far away. Ebony spines contrasted dangerously against the red atmosphere, giving off a threatening aura. Sonic felt a numbing fear rush through his body. No. he couldn't give up now. There had to be a way to reach through to the hedgehog. Somehow, some way, Sonic felt that what he saw wasn't the whole picture.
"Shadow, we're trapped here!" Sonic shouted over the alarms. Gosh there had to be some way to turn those off. Shadow didn't react. The only movements the adult made were the subtle trembling of his skin that rippled through his body like waves, and his desperate breathing that shook his entire body. Sonic inhaled sharply. Shadow probably couldn't even hear him.
"Shadow come on!" Sonic shouted, jumping in front of the hedgehog. He took the hedgehog's muzzle in his hand and forced the adult to look up at him. Sonic's eyes widened in shock. Shadow looked completely lost. His eyes were dull and unfocused, face completely expressionless even when Sonic shook him harder.
"Wake up Shadow!" The blue blur cried, grabbing him by the shoulders and rattled him harder. "Snap out of it! What has gotten into you?"
It was no use. Shadow was completely unresponsive to the outside world. Sonic began to panic. The constant screeching of the alarms and the overwhelmingly bright flashing lights made the hedgehog feel lost himself. There was a mission to be achieved, however. Shadow was vital to the hedgehog's escape from all this madness. There was only one thing the hedgehog could think of to snap him out of whatever daze he was in.
Sonic struck him. He threw back his arm and slapped him harshly against his face. Shadow reacted accordingly. The adult reeled back, nearly throwing himself off the catwalk in an attempt to get away from the blue blur. He crawled a few paces further before recognition flashed into his eyes.
Shadow flipped himself upright and raced towards the computer. He frantically typed in several codes before a window popped open on the screen. A few clicks more, and the lights and noises faded off, returning the ARK to its normal state. Sonic slumped onto the floor, heaving a heavy sigh of relief. That. Was. Close.
Shadow pressed a button on the console, releasing a woosh behind the blue blur. Sonic turned to find the large door ajar. Before the hedgehog could pick himself up, a metal shoe came down next to his arm. Shadow walked right past the hedgehog and into the space colony corridor, leaving Sonic alone in the maze like facility. Sonic didn't even care. All stress and anxiety he had just gone through left him exhausted and in pain. The hedgehog didn't even bother to follow the older mobian. The floor felt comfortable right there where he laid. Nothing even mattered anymore.
Sonic closed his eyes, and fell deeply unconscious.