Beta Project: Epsilion
by Visler
* * * * *
Author's Note: Sorry about the delay on this chapter. I had writer's block again.
Anyway, I hope you like it.
PS a very special thank you goes out the Metal Sonica for creating the coolest
fan art pic of Epsilion. I couldn't believe he got fanmail! Check it out at:
* * * * *
----- Chapter 9: A Way to Space -----
She had disappeared from the public's eye after Sonic had interupted her meeting
with Shadow. She had spent that time removing old photographs-- wrinkled and
yellowed with time-- of her once faved blue hero. Time seemed to have fogotten
her for when she started, the sun was still visible behind the few clouds that
brushed the sky. Now, the sky had grown dark, nearly matching her dark hero.
She sighed heavily as if exhaling tears long dried and forgotten. She wondered
where her Shadow, Sonic's better, would be now. He didn't have a place to stay
or call home except that cold, dark space colony, but she doubted that he would
return to that. He would only venture there to retreive his lost Maria. Was he
thinking of her now?
Amy Rose shook her head, clearing it. She had forgotten what Shadow's brother
had said. Maria was alive, and Shadow was determined to get her back. She felt
the need to help the obsidian hedgehog, but she'd need to find him first. She
should ask Sonic for help, but she didn't dare turn to him now, so she left her
hut with out so much as a whisper.
* * * * *
The air had grown cool, but he didn't seem to notice. His ruby stared up at the
black zenith, longing to return. Home. Such a funny word. It is defined as an
establishment affording the comforts of one's own abode; a residence. What good
was it if the only home you knew provided nothing but torture and pain? The
ARK wasn't his home, it was his prision. But the planet he had spent countless
hours longing to see from the surface was alien to him. He couldn't call it home
either. So where did he belong? Where was his home? He sighed.
Where was their home?
* * * * *
She had found him more easily than she thought she would. He was in the same
place that she had ran from after Sonic tried to talk to her. She wondered if he
even left, or had he returned seeking the silence he was accustomed to?
She moved towards him silently and slow. She watched where she stepped as to
not step on the same twig that had given him away to her. Suddenly, a loud crack
sounded and reverberated off the silence. She looked at him, worried that she had
disturbed him, but the black hedgehog hadn't even flinched. Was he that deep in
thought, or was he asleep?
Amy relaxed a bit and moved closer. She was taken a back as his face became
visible to her. His bright ruby eyes were focussed on the sky, and he appeared to
have been crying. She knew he missed Maria, but she didn't realize how much. She
felt bad for intruding on him and turned to leave.
"Please stay..." ShadowÕs sad whisper caught her off gaurd. Amy looked back at
him, but he was still focussed on the sky. Was he talking to her, or his thoughts?
Amy narrowed her eyes, curious, and stepped closer to him. She gently placed
her hand on his arm. "I don't want to be alone..."
"Shadow?" Amy whispered and shook him as if her were asleep. The obsidian
hedgehog turned to her and blinked. She was surprised by the amount of
confusion and pain she saw painted on his face. He blinked again and turned back
to the sky.
"I'm afraid..." Shadow whispered sadly, his voice catching in his throat. It took
Amy a while to find her voice before responding.
"What are you afraid of?"
"...Home..." Shadow's eyes fell from the sky to look at her. She shivered under
his gaze. Her heart pounded wildly in her ears and her breathing became abnormal.
What was this feeling?
"Sh-Shadow?" Amy stuttered staring into his eyes. She broke the gaze, and fell
into him, embracing him in a hug. The black hedgehog held his breath, but didn't
tense from the contact. "Don't be affraid. You don't have to be affraid. I'll
help you."
"Amy..." Shadow whispered slowly and tentatively wraping his arms around her. "Why
are you crying, Little Flower?"
"I-I don't know" Amy whispered burying her face in the white patch of fur on his
chest. He suddenly faded away, leaving her feeling betrayed. A gently hand grasped
her shoulder making her jump. She turned to see Shadow standing with a finger over
his lips. She nodded noticing his ears twitch. Her ears caught it too. Someone
was coming.
"Hey, Shadow, are you here?" Amy scowled as she recognised the character behind
the voice instantly; Sonic. Her jaw tightened in anger. Shadow caught this and
smirked.
"What do you want, Faker?" Shadw said annoyed by the presance of the blue hedgehog.
To Amy, his tone of voice told her that he had converted back to his old self.
"So you are here. Good. I have some great news for you." Sonic replied stepping on
the broken twig. It cracked again, but he failed to notice the reverbirated sound.
He was too buisy staring at Amy to even care. "Oh..."
"Don't even say it, Hedgehog!" Amy warned snubbing Sonic. Shadow sighed heavily
and stepped towards the confused, blue hedgehog.
"I wasn't gonna say anything." Sonic shrugged innocently. "Oh! And, Shadow, Sally
says she found one of 'Butt-nik's old space rockets. It looks to be in working
condition and it's not far from here."
"Oh?" Shadow replied crossing his arms. Sonic didn't seem too surprised by the
lack of emotion displayed by the dark hedgehog.
"Yeah. She said she'd take us all there tomarrow morning. Don't be offended or
anything, but me, Tails, and Knux are going too." Sonic watched as Shadow
narrowed his eyes and turned away.
"Do as you wish, Faker. Don't blame me when Epsilion kills you."
"I'm not affraid of him!" Sonic yelled at the older hedgehog's back. Then his last
words finally sunk in. "How do you know if he's even up there?"
"First of all, he is up there, and Second, I know because I can feel him." Shadow
wispered looking at the sky. "He's waiting..."
"Oh..." Sonic replied confused. He looked at Amy and found her staring up at the
sky as well. He felt bad for hurting her, but she wouldn't let him appologise, or
would she? "Amy, will you please listen to me for just one second?"
"Why should I?" Amy shouted turning away.
"Because I want to appologise."
"It wouldn't help if you did, so just leave me alone!" Amy shouted walking away.
"But, Amy-"
"Let her be." Shadow interupted following the pink hedgehog with his eyes. Sonic
looked at him sadly. The two stood in silence for a long while before Sonic broke
it.
"Do you have a place to stay the night?" Sonic asked and watched as the black
hedgehog chuckled and lept into the tree. "You're camping out?"
"So?" Shadow replied lounging on one of the low branches.
"It's gonna get cold! Why don't you com-"
"Cold does not bother me." Shadow whispered as he closed his eyes.
"Are you sure? I can make you a bed in my hut if you want." Sonic waited for a
reply, but none came. He sighed and looked up at the partially destroyed moon. He
closed his eyes and walked slowly back to his hut.
Behind him, unnoticed, a figure waited. It's light blue eyes followed the
hedgehog as he entered the small village, but it wasn't that one that interested
him. He turned his blue eyes to focuss on the tree, a mere silouette against the
bright moon. He was waiting for this one, but he could wait longer. He smirked
and faded back into the shadows he blended so well with.
* * * * *
Author's Note: *Evil Smirk* I know what you're thinking: What is Epsilion planning.
Find out next chapter!
Next Time on Beta Project... Chapter 10: ARK
by Visler
* * * * *
Author's Note: Sorry about the delay on this chapter. I had writer's block again.
Anyway, I hope you like it.
PS a very special thank you goes out the Metal Sonica for creating the coolest
fan art pic of Epsilion. I couldn't believe he got fanmail! Check it out at:
* * * * *
----- Chapter 9: A Way to Space -----
She had disappeared from the public's eye after Sonic had interupted her meeting
with Shadow. She had spent that time removing old photographs-- wrinkled and
yellowed with time-- of her once faved blue hero. Time seemed to have fogotten
her for when she started, the sun was still visible behind the few clouds that
brushed the sky. Now, the sky had grown dark, nearly matching her dark hero.
She sighed heavily as if exhaling tears long dried and forgotten. She wondered
where her Shadow, Sonic's better, would be now. He didn't have a place to stay
or call home except that cold, dark space colony, but she doubted that he would
return to that. He would only venture there to retreive his lost Maria. Was he
thinking of her now?
Amy Rose shook her head, clearing it. She had forgotten what Shadow's brother
had said. Maria was alive, and Shadow was determined to get her back. She felt
the need to help the obsidian hedgehog, but she'd need to find him first. She
should ask Sonic for help, but she didn't dare turn to him now, so she left her
hut with out so much as a whisper.
* * * * *
The air had grown cool, but he didn't seem to notice. His ruby stared up at the
black zenith, longing to return. Home. Such a funny word. It is defined as an
establishment affording the comforts of one's own abode; a residence. What good
was it if the only home you knew provided nothing but torture and pain? The
ARK wasn't his home, it was his prision. But the planet he had spent countless
hours longing to see from the surface was alien to him. He couldn't call it home
either. So where did he belong? Where was his home? He sighed.
Where was their home?
* * * * *
She had found him more easily than she thought she would. He was in the same
place that she had ran from after Sonic tried to talk to her. She wondered if he
even left, or had he returned seeking the silence he was accustomed to?
She moved towards him silently and slow. She watched where she stepped as to
not step on the same twig that had given him away to her. Suddenly, a loud crack
sounded and reverberated off the silence. She looked at him, worried that she had
disturbed him, but the black hedgehog hadn't even flinched. Was he that deep in
thought, or was he asleep?
Amy relaxed a bit and moved closer. She was taken a back as his face became
visible to her. His bright ruby eyes were focussed on the sky, and he appeared to
have been crying. She knew he missed Maria, but she didn't realize how much. She
felt bad for intruding on him and turned to leave.
"Please stay..." ShadowÕs sad whisper caught her off gaurd. Amy looked back at
him, but he was still focussed on the sky. Was he talking to her, or his thoughts?
Amy narrowed her eyes, curious, and stepped closer to him. She gently placed
her hand on his arm. "I don't want to be alone..."
"Shadow?" Amy whispered and shook him as if her were asleep. The obsidian
hedgehog turned to her and blinked. She was surprised by the amount of
confusion and pain she saw painted on his face. He blinked again and turned back
to the sky.
"I'm afraid..." Shadow whispered sadly, his voice catching in his throat. It took
Amy a while to find her voice before responding.
"What are you afraid of?"
"...Home..." Shadow's eyes fell from the sky to look at her. She shivered under
his gaze. Her heart pounded wildly in her ears and her breathing became abnormal.
What was this feeling?
"Sh-Shadow?" Amy stuttered staring into his eyes. She broke the gaze, and fell
into him, embracing him in a hug. The black hedgehog held his breath, but didn't
tense from the contact. "Don't be affraid. You don't have to be affraid. I'll
help you."
"Amy..." Shadow whispered slowly and tentatively wraping his arms around her. "Why
are you crying, Little Flower?"
"I-I don't know" Amy whispered burying her face in the white patch of fur on his
chest. He suddenly faded away, leaving her feeling betrayed. A gently hand grasped
her shoulder making her jump. She turned to see Shadow standing with a finger over
his lips. She nodded noticing his ears twitch. Her ears caught it too. Someone
was coming.
"Hey, Shadow, are you here?" Amy scowled as she recognised the character behind
the voice instantly; Sonic. Her jaw tightened in anger. Shadow caught this and
smirked.
"What do you want, Faker?" Shadw said annoyed by the presance of the blue hedgehog.
To Amy, his tone of voice told her that he had converted back to his old self.
"So you are here. Good. I have some great news for you." Sonic replied stepping on
the broken twig. It cracked again, but he failed to notice the reverbirated sound.
He was too buisy staring at Amy to even care. "Oh..."
"Don't even say it, Hedgehog!" Amy warned snubbing Sonic. Shadow sighed heavily
and stepped towards the confused, blue hedgehog.
"I wasn't gonna say anything." Sonic shrugged innocently. "Oh! And, Shadow, Sally
says she found one of 'Butt-nik's old space rockets. It looks to be in working
condition and it's not far from here."
"Oh?" Shadow replied crossing his arms. Sonic didn't seem too surprised by the
lack of emotion displayed by the dark hedgehog.
"Yeah. She said she'd take us all there tomarrow morning. Don't be offended or
anything, but me, Tails, and Knux are going too." Sonic watched as Shadow
narrowed his eyes and turned away.
"Do as you wish, Faker. Don't blame me when Epsilion kills you."
"I'm not affraid of him!" Sonic yelled at the older hedgehog's back. Then his last
words finally sunk in. "How do you know if he's even up there?"
"First of all, he is up there, and Second, I know because I can feel him." Shadow
wispered looking at the sky. "He's waiting..."
"Oh..." Sonic replied confused. He looked at Amy and found her staring up at the
sky as well. He felt bad for hurting her, but she wouldn't let him appologise, or
would she? "Amy, will you please listen to me for just one second?"
"Why should I?" Amy shouted turning away.
"Because I want to appologise."
"It wouldn't help if you did, so just leave me alone!" Amy shouted walking away.
"But, Amy-"
"Let her be." Shadow interupted following the pink hedgehog with his eyes. Sonic
looked at him sadly. The two stood in silence for a long while before Sonic broke
it.
"Do you have a place to stay the night?" Sonic asked and watched as the black
hedgehog chuckled and lept into the tree. "You're camping out?"
"So?" Shadow replied lounging on one of the low branches.
"It's gonna get cold! Why don't you com-"
"Cold does not bother me." Shadow whispered as he closed his eyes.
"Are you sure? I can make you a bed in my hut if you want." Sonic waited for a
reply, but none came. He sighed and looked up at the partially destroyed moon. He
closed his eyes and walked slowly back to his hut.
Behind him, unnoticed, a figure waited. It's light blue eyes followed the
hedgehog as he entered the small village, but it wasn't that one that interested
him. He turned his blue eyes to focuss on the tree, a mere silouette against the
bright moon. He was waiting for this one, but he could wait longer. He smirked
and faded back into the shadows he blended so well with.
* * * * *
Author's Note: *Evil Smirk* I know what you're thinking: What is Epsilion planning.
Find out next chapter!
Next Time on Beta Project... Chapter 10: ARK