Beta Project: Epsilion
by Visler
* * * * *
Author's Note: This chapter was difficult to write. I hope you all like it. Be forewarned:
This chapter is a long one, but they're only goinig to get longer.
PS. Thanks for all the R/R's. I love hearing what you have to say.
* * * * *
----- Chapter 4: Secrets of the Dark -----
"Shadow..." the drawn-out whispered called to him from far away. His ears twitched; catching
the sound and he stopped running. He turned to the person who had whispered his name. She
stood like a ghost staring out the window at the blue planet below. Shadow knew her; went to
her, and held her around the waist as if he were a child.
"Maria..." He cried into her sky blue dress. She placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled
warmly as his ruby eyes focused on her. She pointed out the window at the blue planet. Shadow,
in curiosity, stood on his toes to look out at the planet below.
"The time is coming, Shadow. The light will be here soon. Will you go to it?" Maria whispered
stepping back to watch the black hedgehog. He turned to face her, his eyes distant and full
of fear.
"I- I'm afraid." Shadow whispered in response. Maria closed her eyes and smiled almost knowingly.
"Then you will not go to it, but instead return?" Maria whispered kneeling down beside him.
"I... Don't know..."
"They're waiting for you, Shadow. Go Back." Maria said extending her hand to the frightened
hedgehog. He looked at it for a minute, then turned to the window. The light was indeed
coming. The edge of the planet was surrounded by a halo of white light. The sun was rising,
and with it would come his end. He closed his eyes.
"I love you, Maria..." Shadow whispered. A tear slipped down his cheek as he took her hand.
"... Mom..."
* * * * *
He heard the sound of water running; distant, but he knew it was close. He was laying on his
back in something soft. Except for the the water, this place was silent; something he hated.
He wished for a noise to disturb the peace he hated so. It reminded him too much of... No.
He wouldn't think about the past. He couldn't. It hurt too much to remember her.
Something cold and wet was placed on his forehead. This scared him; jarring him awake. He
stared at the pink blob before his eyes until his vision cleared. He immeadetely recognised
the startled pink hedgehog before him.
"Amy Rose?" He whispered weakly. The young hedgehog beamed, apperently happy he had remembered
her. But that's how he was created; to remember... forever.
"You're finally awake!" she exclaimed hapilly and a little too loudly. Shadow's ears shifted
back as if he were ready to fight. Amy covered her mouth. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so loud."
"I'm sure you didn't." Shadow winced trying to sit up. A hand, gently placed on his chest,
stopped him.
"You're still too weak. Please just lay down." Amy watched as the obsidian hedgehog closed
his ruby eyes in pain as he laid back. She bit her lip; worried. "You okay?"
"Fine." he said bluntly. Shadow glanced around the small, well-lit room. He guessed the room
was supposed to be warm and welcoming, but it seemed too much like his prison on.... He
shook his head; halting his train of thought. "What is this place?"
"You're in the hospital, Shadow." Amy answered removing a washcloth from his forehead. She
smiled at him and pointed at a vase of blue roses on the nightstand. Shadow looked at them
confused and a little surprised. "Sonic, Knuckles and Sally sent you these. I still haven't
figured out where they found blue roses. They're extremely rare"
"How could he have known?" Shadow whispered. Amy looked at him confused.
"How could I have known what?" Sonic's ever-cheerful voice called from the hall. Shadow
and Amy turned to see Sonic in the doorway. Knuckles and Sally were flanking him and smiling.
"How did you know I liked blue roses?" Shadow asked sitting up; dispite Amy's protests. He
faded into a shadow and disappeared when she tried to push him back down. He materialized
on a chair by the window seconds later. Everyone stared at him in shock.
"I think I just figured out why they call him Shadow." Sally whispered to Sonic. The blue
hedgehog nodded in agreement and stepped further into the room.
"The Chaos Emeralds give him that ability." Knuckles whispered to her.
"Well? How did you know?" Shadow asked narowing his eyes at the echidna. Sonic winced at the
question.
"If I tell you, you can't get mad." Sonic said raising his hand in front of him. Shadow raised
an eyebrow at him and motioned for him to continue. Sonic swallowed hard. He wasn't gonna like
this. "Sally found Robotnik's vault..."
"Which one?" Shadow asked almost amused. He knew of at least five Robotniks who worked on
the Shadow Project. They also worked on the... No. He didn't want to remember him. He hated
him too.
"Ivo." Sonic answered jarring Shadow from his memory ravine. The obsidian hedgehog nodded.
He knew that one. Hated him, but knew him. He motioned for Sonic to continue. "Anyway, Sally
found Ivo's vault and drug back, like, zillions of reports on all sorts of things. The
Roboticizer, the De-Roboticizer-- that's why we broke into it in the first place-- you, and
some Beta Project thingy."
"The Beta Project?" Shadow shouted standing. Sonic ducked expecting an attack, but none came.
He looked at Shadow. The dark hedgehog's eyes were downcast and dancing across the floor in
confusion. Knuckles noticed this too and went to Shadow.
"Are you okay? Shadow?" Knuckles placed a tentative hand on the hedgehog's shoulder causing
him to look up. Shadow's eyes never saw the red echidna. He stared out the window focused
on something farther away; something no one could see yet.
"He's coming... Epsilion is coming."
* * * * *
Author's Note: Dun Dun DUN! What's gonna happen? Only time will tell.
Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter, Chapter 5: Face-off
by Visler
* * * * *
Author's Note: This chapter was difficult to write. I hope you all like it. Be forewarned:
This chapter is a long one, but they're only goinig to get longer.
PS. Thanks for all the R/R's. I love hearing what you have to say.
* * * * *
----- Chapter 4: Secrets of the Dark -----
"Shadow..." the drawn-out whispered called to him from far away. His ears twitched; catching
the sound and he stopped running. He turned to the person who had whispered his name. She
stood like a ghost staring out the window at the blue planet below. Shadow knew her; went to
her, and held her around the waist as if he were a child.
"Maria..." He cried into her sky blue dress. She placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled
warmly as his ruby eyes focused on her. She pointed out the window at the blue planet. Shadow,
in curiosity, stood on his toes to look out at the planet below.
"The time is coming, Shadow. The light will be here soon. Will you go to it?" Maria whispered
stepping back to watch the black hedgehog. He turned to face her, his eyes distant and full
of fear.
"I- I'm afraid." Shadow whispered in response. Maria closed her eyes and smiled almost knowingly.
"Then you will not go to it, but instead return?" Maria whispered kneeling down beside him.
"I... Don't know..."
"They're waiting for you, Shadow. Go Back." Maria said extending her hand to the frightened
hedgehog. He looked at it for a minute, then turned to the window. The light was indeed
coming. The edge of the planet was surrounded by a halo of white light. The sun was rising,
and with it would come his end. He closed his eyes.
"I love you, Maria..." Shadow whispered. A tear slipped down his cheek as he took her hand.
"... Mom..."
* * * * *
He heard the sound of water running; distant, but he knew it was close. He was laying on his
back in something soft. Except for the the water, this place was silent; something he hated.
He wished for a noise to disturb the peace he hated so. It reminded him too much of... No.
He wouldn't think about the past. He couldn't. It hurt too much to remember her.
Something cold and wet was placed on his forehead. This scared him; jarring him awake. He
stared at the pink blob before his eyes until his vision cleared. He immeadetely recognised
the startled pink hedgehog before him.
"Amy Rose?" He whispered weakly. The young hedgehog beamed, apperently happy he had remembered
her. But that's how he was created; to remember... forever.
"You're finally awake!" she exclaimed hapilly and a little too loudly. Shadow's ears shifted
back as if he were ready to fight. Amy covered her mouth. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so loud."
"I'm sure you didn't." Shadow winced trying to sit up. A hand, gently placed on his chest,
stopped him.
"You're still too weak. Please just lay down." Amy watched as the obsidian hedgehog closed
his ruby eyes in pain as he laid back. She bit her lip; worried. "You okay?"
"Fine." he said bluntly. Shadow glanced around the small, well-lit room. He guessed the room
was supposed to be warm and welcoming, but it seemed too much like his prison on.... He
shook his head; halting his train of thought. "What is this place?"
"You're in the hospital, Shadow." Amy answered removing a washcloth from his forehead. She
smiled at him and pointed at a vase of blue roses on the nightstand. Shadow looked at them
confused and a little surprised. "Sonic, Knuckles and Sally sent you these. I still haven't
figured out where they found blue roses. They're extremely rare"
"How could he have known?" Shadow whispered. Amy looked at him confused.
"How could I have known what?" Sonic's ever-cheerful voice called from the hall. Shadow
and Amy turned to see Sonic in the doorway. Knuckles and Sally were flanking him and smiling.
"How did you know I liked blue roses?" Shadow asked sitting up; dispite Amy's protests. He
faded into a shadow and disappeared when she tried to push him back down. He materialized
on a chair by the window seconds later. Everyone stared at him in shock.
"I think I just figured out why they call him Shadow." Sally whispered to Sonic. The blue
hedgehog nodded in agreement and stepped further into the room.
"The Chaos Emeralds give him that ability." Knuckles whispered to her.
"Well? How did you know?" Shadow asked narowing his eyes at the echidna. Sonic winced at the
question.
"If I tell you, you can't get mad." Sonic said raising his hand in front of him. Shadow raised
an eyebrow at him and motioned for him to continue. Sonic swallowed hard. He wasn't gonna like
this. "Sally found Robotnik's vault..."
"Which one?" Shadow asked almost amused. He knew of at least five Robotniks who worked on
the Shadow Project. They also worked on the... No. He didn't want to remember him. He hated
him too.
"Ivo." Sonic answered jarring Shadow from his memory ravine. The obsidian hedgehog nodded.
He knew that one. Hated him, but knew him. He motioned for Sonic to continue. "Anyway, Sally
found Ivo's vault and drug back, like, zillions of reports on all sorts of things. The
Roboticizer, the De-Roboticizer-- that's why we broke into it in the first place-- you, and
some Beta Project thingy."
"The Beta Project?" Shadow shouted standing. Sonic ducked expecting an attack, but none came.
He looked at Shadow. The dark hedgehog's eyes were downcast and dancing across the floor in
confusion. Knuckles noticed this too and went to Shadow.
"Are you okay? Shadow?" Knuckles placed a tentative hand on the hedgehog's shoulder causing
him to look up. Shadow's eyes never saw the red echidna. He stared out the window focused
on something farther away; something no one could see yet.
"He's coming... Epsilion is coming."
* * * * *
Author's Note: Dun Dun DUN! What's gonna happen? Only time will tell.
Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter, Chapter 5: Face-off