A Shadicks Story Part 4)
The Next Morning
"Sticks! Sticks wake up," Amy cried worriedly as she shook her friend's shoulders. The team had spent all night looking for the missing badger, only to find her unconscious in the middle of the jungle. The orange and brown mobian groaned as everything began to register with her. Sticks suddenly jumped up, eyes wide and panicked.
"Shadow!" she screamed, startling her teammates. The crazed girl grabbed Sonic by his bandana and shook him back and forth, "We gotta go find him! We gotta go fast!"
"Easy there, Sticks," Tails stated calmly and rescued his big brother from her firm grip, "Now, what happened?"
"I was out looking for him last night, and that wolf guy with the big hat popped outta nowhere! He grabbed me, and Shadow came out of the...well the shadows. They talked, and Shadow agreed to join his stupid circus if he let me go," she looked down with a sad expression as she remembered what happened, "He knelt down to see if I was okay, but then that jerk put some kind of collar on him that zapped him pretty good. I don't know what happened afterwards, but I'll bet that wolf must joined forces with the alien spidermonkeys. They're the only ones with that kind of tech."
The rest of group sweat-dropped at her last thought, but they figured the rest of her story was accurate. That still left the question of where Shadow was now.
"We need to figure out where Barker's circus is. He's always on the move, so we need to act fast."
Sonic perked up and jabbed a thumb at himself, "You know me. Fast is my middle name!"
"I thought your middle name was 'the'," Knuckles pointed out.
"He's got a point," Tails agreed," But enough about that. Let's head back to the village and come up with a game plan."
With that said, the crew quickly left the jungle and made their way into the village. Surprisingly, the townspeople were buzzing with activity. Zooey the Fox ran up to them, waving a poster excitedly.
"Guys! Guys! Guess what? The circus is coming to town!" she beamed, "Are you coming?" Tails blushed and looked away, too nervous to meet the vixen's gaze. Amy took the poster and studied the vibrant bold print.
T. W. Barker's Circus Extravaganza
presents
THE BYGONE TERROR!
One night only!
"Bygone terror?" she asked allowed and squinted to make out the dark silhouette printed on the already black background. She let out a loud gasp as she put two and two together, "It's Shadow! That's where he's gonna be!"
"Shadow?" Zooey asked.
"Long story," Sonic cut it, "Thanks for telling us about the circus, Z. We'll be sure to see ya there."
"Awesome!" the golden fox cheered and waved goodbye to them, but not without sending a small wink in Tails's direction, "Bye, Tails."
"Uh...," he hesitated before getting a hold of himself and waved back, "Bye Zooey!"
Sonic elbowed his little brother, earning a swift glare, and the team resumed their efforts to find the location of Barker's circus.
With Shadow
The black and red hedgehog stirred and slowly opened his eyes. He found himself in a large rectangular cage the size of a train car covered with a thick tarp. The only things in it with him were two dog bowls, one empty and the other filled water.
Seriously? Does he think I'm some sort of mutt? he thought and disregarded the degrading bowls. He glanced down at his bare hands and feet, feeling both apalled and embarrassed as he stared at the short black claws protruding from his fingertips and toes. It had been a while since he had trimmed them. He was only grateful that he still had his inhibitor rings. A smirk graced his tan muzzle as he imagined Barker getting a nasty burn for trying to take them off.
Bare hands reached up to grasp the metal shock collar fastened tightly around his neck. He gripped it and tried to rip it off, only to receive a biting shock. He growled and scanned the cage instead. He may have promised to be part of this stupid circus, but that didn't mean he was going to allow them to treat him like a wild animal. Testing the bars with a flick of his finger, he rolled himself up into a spindash and rammed himself into the side of the cage. It was safe to say he was more than surprised when nothing happened other than a hard bump on the head.
"I see you're becoming acquainted with your new home," Barker said as he lifted part of the tarp, "This is a special hedgehog-proof alloy, so I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere anytime soon."
"My cave was more comfortable than this," Shadow snapped back, crossing his arms and legs, "I would like my gloves and skates returned to me at once."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Barker apologized in mock despair, "I've already disposed of them, since it's clear you won't be needing them anymore."
The wolf fell backwards as Shadow flashed directly in front of him with nothing but the bars between them. The ebony hybrid snarled, baring his pristine fangs, and the faintest tint of red accented his charcoal fur.
"What do you mean you disposed of them!?" he growled, "I've had them for over fifty years, and you just throw them away!?"
Barker was inwardly terrified, but he covered it with a coy mask, "Don't worry. You can get them later, but for now, you won't be needing them."
"And why is that?" Shadow demanded, trying to get his emotions back under control, and the red tint began to fade. The wolf's tail swished back forth, his confidence growing as his prisoner calmed down.
"Your first performance is tonight, and I intend to make it unforgettable!"
I'll bet, Shadow thought begrudgingly, "And what does that have to do with me being almost naked?"
"You shall see," he replied with a toothy sneer, "Now, save some of that fire for tonight. You're going to be the main event!"
The wolf waved dismissively and dropped the tarp back down, preventing the hedgehog from seeing anything outside. Shadow growled. He wouldn't admit it, but his inward claustrophobia was beginning to rear its ugly head. His super speed was a result of sustaining enormous amounts of energy, and his current confinement was too small for him to properly release any of it. This resulted in an increasing irritation in his chest and legs. It wasn't long before he was pacing the confines of his prison, ears twitching every so often. He hated how he could become as restless as his blue counterpart after a few minutes, but all he could do was wait.
With nothing else to do, his mind began to wander back to the reason he was here. A pleading face of an orange and brown-striped badger appeared. Why did she come looking for him in the first place? It's not like he couldn't handle her pathetic team. He was just tired of being around them; at least, that's what he told himself.
Once a villain, always a villain, he repeated in his mind. He didn't want to admit it, but Knuckles' words stung more than he thought they would. However, Sticks didn't see him that way, he realized. She acted as if she actually cared about him, always trying to find him, looking after his injury... Maybe there was still a chance for him to start over.
With Barker
The gray wolf idly adjusted his wrist controller as he made his way to his personal tent. The fair grounds were a steady hum of activity, and he was excited about the upcoming performance. As he pulled back the flap, he came face to face with his current business partner, Dr. Eggman.
"Ah, doctor! How wonderful to see you here. What brings you to my fine establishment?"
"I've heard the news. You work fast," he replied with a knowing grin. Barker easily returned it.
"All he needed was the right...incentive, I should say. Luck and fortune were on my side last night."
The human's gaze wandered to neatly folded pair of red and white gloves and rocket skates, "Are those--?"
"Yes, but he will not need them for tonight's act."
"And why is that?" the scientist asked. Barker revealed a fanged sneer.
"I could actually use your expertise for this. Let's just say I had something a little wilder in mind for our latest catch."
Dr. Eggman chuckled darkly, and the two shook hands, "I know exactly what you need."
A/N: Sorry for the slow updates on this story. Please tell me what you think of it so far. Ciao!! ;D