Complications

Disclaimer: Shadow and Robotnik property of Sega, Kragok and the Dark legion property
of Archie Comics.

Just minutes later, Snare landed her jet- "The Guardian", just outside the limits of a very large city.

"This is 'town'?" Shadow wondered, not expecting any reply, and not receiving any. The glass cockpit door opened with a soft whoosh, and Snare jumped out, taking in the sights.

"Home sweet home..." she mused. Turning just as Shadow jumped out of the vehicle. "Welcome to Neo-Echidnaopolis, where the innocent suffer, the wicked rule, and Lord Kragok's word is law." She said with a sigh, "and people wonder why I search for relics of the Golden Age." She murmured to herself. "well, Entrez-vous mesa mis!" She gestured to the boarder leading into the intimidating city, smiling weakly. Shadow looked at her for a moment. 'This echidna sure likes to hear herself talk,' he thought, striding in with a discontented Snare trailing behind.

They wandered though the streets for what seemed like hours, all the while, Shadow's crimson eyes darting back and fourth, ever alert. He spied a paper hanging on a nearby building. Upon further examination he saw it was a reward poster, with his strange purple companion's picture on it. He was still studying it when-

"Yaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!" Smack! A tall, midnight blue bat crashed just inches away from Shadow into the side of the building. The strange fellow peeled himself from the building, doing a quick body check.

"Nothing broken?" He said, obviously surprised. "I'm ALIIIIVE!!! It's a miracle! Another perfect landing!" Spying two passing echidnas, he turned to them, "Don't worry about me, I'm okay!" He said desperately. His only response from one of them was, "—freak." His head sank.

"Nobody cares about me...:"

"I do batman!" Snare said, holding her arms out happily.

"Oh no freaking way, Snare! Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes. It had been so long I thought the Dark Legion finally caught you!" He exclaimed, giving her a big, bear hug. "Where have you been? Chronicle hunts again?"

"Tch, what else?" She grinned, "I found a bit more than what I bargained for this time though," gesturing towards Shadow. The ebony hedgehog raised an eyebrow. "I present, Shadow the Hedgehog, circa, some.... 2000 years ago or so." She said, shrugging.

"Ahh," the bat said, holding out a hand, "Good to meet ya, the name's Klip, Klip Nightwind!" Snare just rolled her eyes at his horrible Jimmy Bond: 008 impression. Shadow merely stared at his outstretched hand.

"You'll have to excuse him Klip, he must have forgotten his manners in that stasis tube!" She said with a laugh.

"Heh, yeah," nonchalantly returning his hand to his side, his expression turning serious. "You know, Kragok doubled the bounty on your head, your hide's work 100 million Kal by now! If I were you, I's seriously be on the look out for bounty hunters."

"So I noticed," she said, pointing to the wanted picture, "Gawd, worst photo EVER! When did they take that, when I was drunk!?" She protested, she was about to say something else, when—

Tssseeeewwww!!! A blast from a small particle rifle sliced clear through her shoulder. She cried out in pain, tightly clutching the wound, deep-red blood staining her dark green gloves.

"Damn bounty hunters!" She managed to yell angrily, still clutching the hole in her shoulder.

"You two make a break for the cathedral!" Klip shouted, pointing North, "I'll see if I can hold 'em off!" And with that he took to the skies, shouting obscene insults at the surrounding gunmen, drawing their fire to him, and easily dodging. Snare forced herself up, took a few steps and collapsed again.

"Ugh... Dammit..." She said under her breath. All around her, bit of the street seemed to explode with blaster fire. She was relieved most of these bounty hunters were such lousy shots. She tried getting up again, but felt herself being lifted by strong hands instead. She heard Klip shouting, but he suddenly sounded so far away, and was fading fast. She felt as though she were moving at a great speed, but had no idea how. Looking up, her blurred vision somewhat making out the face of the mysterious black hedgehog whom just hours before she had awakened. Then everything faded to black.

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So there's part two for ya. Sorry it's so short. ;; Anyway, if anyone would like to see any character designs from this series, check out my DA archive-- ann-chovi.deviantart.com