Shadow clung desperately to the lamp post, soaked to the skin. He was
shivering uncontrollably, the icy rain cutting at him like a thousand
needles, and the water was rising. It was at his waist already.
His eyelids drooped...no! Stay awake! He forced them open again to see a car sliding quickly down the slope past him, glaring headlights half underwater, empty. Was there nobody around? Lightning flashed around him as the current surged.
The wind tore at him, forcing tears from his eyes. Of course. They were all already in shelter. Why had he Chaos Controlled here, of all places? He should have realised the danger, but no. He had been too busy trying to save Sonic. The thunder crashed.
His grip loosened again, and the water pulled at him, dragging him away. He squeezed his eyes shut, and hugged himself to the lamp post. He wouldn't let go...couldn't let go...but he was so tired...
The water was at his neck.
Rouge ran down the street, hating the wind for pushing her back and preventing flight, hating the black water, around her ankles, for slowing her, hating the rain that blocked her vision, hating the instinct that pulled at her to help Shadow.
Which road was it? This one? No...that one? No...no, no, no!
She dashed down into the deeper waters. Yuck...her clothes were ruined. Wait...there! Down the slope. A lamp post bending under the strain of the rising flood, and...a dark shape clinging to it.
She looked around, and then hopped onto a slippery window ledge that ran along the building face. She dashed down, almost falling off as the wind tugged at her. Then she reached the spot, above the lamp post.
Yes, it was Shadow, his red streaks were instantly recognisable. The water was flowing fast, up to his neck, trying to snatch him away. He looked lost and small...he could be swept away any minute.
There was no time to waste with planning. "Shadow!" she cried urgently, but the rain drowned out her words, and the wind snatched them away.
She jumped, spreading her wings to drift down.
She hadn't counted on the wind. It dragged her away forcibly, and she had to flap hard to stay on course. The post seemed to sway from side to side, evading her. There, there! She latched onto it.
Lightning flashed, illuminating the scene, closely followed by thunder. Rouge slid down the lamp post; this was what she was trained for. She reached the bottom, but...where was Shadow? He couldn't have been dragged away...?
Wait...there! Underwater, a glimmer of red. The water must have risen again...and Shadow was under. "Damn!" she swore, wind swiping at her words. She plunged both arms into the icy water.
Then she was pulling at the half-drowned hedgehog, pulling him out of the water, steel-tipped boots digging into her precarious perch. He was heavy; she couldn't lift him far...just above the surface.
Then she realised; he was clinging to the post with a death-grip. The thunder died away as she leaned down and shook his shoulder, hard. "Shadow! SHADOW!"
His eyes opened a crack, a small gleam of red. He coughed up some water and took a shuddering breath. "Let go!" she cried. "R-Rouge?" he stuttered in response, barely audible. She tugged his arm again, and said sternly, "Yes, me! Now, come on! Let go of the post!"
He did.
In a millisecond the pair were swept away, down the flood, into darkness, the wind howling around them.
Late that night, Tails was nodding in a hospital chair. The combination of fighting, carrying Sonic, and worrying about Shadow had tired him out. His head drooped...further...further. Suddenly a door opened with a bang, waking him up.
A doctor strode over, and said, "You're Tails?" He nodded. "Good. Come this way."
In a side room, the Doctor sat him down at a desk.
"Now...this isn't easy to say..." The fox's eyes were boring into him, challenging him, "But...Sonic may not make it to the morning." Tails jumped up, almost knocking over the chair.
"No...no! He always does! There must be a way to..." The Doctor was shaking his head calmly. "Sorry, we've done all we can. The weather is short- circuiting all our equipment. We can only wait." Tails clenched his fists angrily.
"There must be a way! You can't just...how can you be so calm?!" He was getting angry. The Doctor was looking at him with faint alarm, saying something about 'if he survives' and 'home in the morning'.
Tails stopped listening. He wanted to hit something, hard. He wanted to...
...................................................
The water was freezing, tugging her down, blanking her senses. What was she doing? She was...holding onto something...
Instinct kicked in and she thrashed furiously, and shot to the surface like a cork. In a flash the wind bore down upon her, flattening her ears against her head. She remembered...Shadow!
She was still holding onto him. She pulled up, dragging him above the surface, and almost going under herself. He wasn't breathing...! She cursed again and thumped him in the chest. In response he coughed violently, eyelids fluttering.
The buildings were flashing by in a blur as the current tugged them onwards. It was all she could do to keep them both afloat, but she knew that if they didn't get out they would be carried to the sea.
Time stretched on until it was just her, the numbing water, and Shadow's shuddering breaths by her ear. She started to sink, into the icy depths, only to kick desperately back up again. Her legs were numb, and every breath was painful.
There was no way out.
...............................................
Cream jumped back in surprise as the door of her apartment slammed open, revealing Tails, wearing a long raincoat. He stepped inside, shaking water from his tails. She started to stutter something, but he said tiredly, "Threw me out of the hospital. And Sonic might not...might not..."
He couldn't finish the sentence.
.................................
The next morning, it was still raining. But the storm had passed, leaving the city savaged and half-flooded. No birds greeted the dawn. The city itself was swathed in a thick grey mist, and the lower half was almost entirely flooded.
Tails was by the wet hospital doors again, having snatched a few hours sleep. More nightmares...only, this time, Sonic was hunting a different Sonic, and Tails could only watch.
He begged at the reception, pleading, "He's my friend. He could be dead, I need to see him, you can't just...just..." The receptionist soon let him in, telling him the ward. He stumbled up the stairs doggedly.
The room was empty.
..........................................
Rouge was on a concrete surface. It could have been a bit of broken highway, or a rock, or anything. She didn't care. It was jutting out of the flood, enough to be safe. It didn't matter what it was. She did care that the water was all around them, that it was still raining, and that she was freezing cold.
And Shadow hadn't woken up.
She should have known that her boots couldn't grip a wet metal post well, that Shadow was already almost under the water, that his weight could pull her down. She should have remembered the strong current underneath. Well, at least she had managed to keep a hold on him, keep them above the surface, just, then drag them onto this rock. At least.they were alive.
She stood up, squinting through the grey hazy mist. Nothing. Nobody was coming out to search...not until the rain stopped. Too dangerous. They were stuck...she didn't dare fly out, the wind was still howling. One slip, and they would be in the sea, close by.
They had just hit the rock in time. Smashed buildings were looming, but none were nearby. They had almost been carried out of the city for good.
She crouched down again. She hated waiting.
Then a voice, beside her, "C-Cold..." Her head snapped down. Shadow was still lying on his back, his head was still turned sideways, but his eyes were open, and he was looking at the overcast sky and shivering all over.
She touched his arm. The fur was flat and sodden, and he was icy cold beneath it. His eyes moved sideways, trying to see her.
"...Hi." She said, leaning over. His tired red eyes locked on her worried green ones, and he said shakily, "...Rouge?" She nodded, and his eyes unfocused. "...it's...cold..."
She nodded, trying not to show how worried she was. "I know, Shadow, I know..." She was cold too, but her clothes offered far better protection.
"...and...dark...I...," he paused for a minute to cough, "I...can't...see..." His eyes shut again and his breathing slowed, shivering with each breath in, relaxing with each breath out. She couldn't tell whether he was conscious or not. She looked up at the grey sky. It wasn't that dark at all...so, why did he think that-
Then she became scared.
Scared that Shadow was going to die here. Scared that she was going to be left friend-less. He was the only one that talked to her on a regular basis, that bothered to visit her. He was going to leave her, and she was scared.
No warm sun would break through those clouds, she knew. Not for a while. And Shadow's body temperature was dangerously low; the water was like ice, and they had been carried along for nearly two hours, plus being in the freezing rain on this rock.
He had been in it before that, too, she reminded herself. Wait...body temperature...?
She leant forward, pulling him up to her. Brr...it was like hugging a block of solid ice. "Please don't die..." she whispered.
Around them, the drizzling rain finally stopped, leaving everything sparkling in the shattered ruins of downtown Central City.
His eyelids drooped...no! Stay awake! He forced them open again to see a car sliding quickly down the slope past him, glaring headlights half underwater, empty. Was there nobody around? Lightning flashed around him as the current surged.
The wind tore at him, forcing tears from his eyes. Of course. They were all already in shelter. Why had he Chaos Controlled here, of all places? He should have realised the danger, but no. He had been too busy trying to save Sonic. The thunder crashed.
His grip loosened again, and the water pulled at him, dragging him away. He squeezed his eyes shut, and hugged himself to the lamp post. He wouldn't let go...couldn't let go...but he was so tired...
The water was at his neck.
Rouge ran down the street, hating the wind for pushing her back and preventing flight, hating the black water, around her ankles, for slowing her, hating the rain that blocked her vision, hating the instinct that pulled at her to help Shadow.
Which road was it? This one? No...that one? No...no, no, no!
She dashed down into the deeper waters. Yuck...her clothes were ruined. Wait...there! Down the slope. A lamp post bending under the strain of the rising flood, and...a dark shape clinging to it.
She looked around, and then hopped onto a slippery window ledge that ran along the building face. She dashed down, almost falling off as the wind tugged at her. Then she reached the spot, above the lamp post.
Yes, it was Shadow, his red streaks were instantly recognisable. The water was flowing fast, up to his neck, trying to snatch him away. He looked lost and small...he could be swept away any minute.
There was no time to waste with planning. "Shadow!" she cried urgently, but the rain drowned out her words, and the wind snatched them away.
She jumped, spreading her wings to drift down.
She hadn't counted on the wind. It dragged her away forcibly, and she had to flap hard to stay on course. The post seemed to sway from side to side, evading her. There, there! She latched onto it.
Lightning flashed, illuminating the scene, closely followed by thunder. Rouge slid down the lamp post; this was what she was trained for. She reached the bottom, but...where was Shadow? He couldn't have been dragged away...?
Wait...there! Underwater, a glimmer of red. The water must have risen again...and Shadow was under. "Damn!" she swore, wind swiping at her words. She plunged both arms into the icy water.
Then she was pulling at the half-drowned hedgehog, pulling him out of the water, steel-tipped boots digging into her precarious perch. He was heavy; she couldn't lift him far...just above the surface.
Then she realised; he was clinging to the post with a death-grip. The thunder died away as she leaned down and shook his shoulder, hard. "Shadow! SHADOW!"
His eyes opened a crack, a small gleam of red. He coughed up some water and took a shuddering breath. "Let go!" she cried. "R-Rouge?" he stuttered in response, barely audible. She tugged his arm again, and said sternly, "Yes, me! Now, come on! Let go of the post!"
He did.
In a millisecond the pair were swept away, down the flood, into darkness, the wind howling around them.
Late that night, Tails was nodding in a hospital chair. The combination of fighting, carrying Sonic, and worrying about Shadow had tired him out. His head drooped...further...further. Suddenly a door opened with a bang, waking him up.
A doctor strode over, and said, "You're Tails?" He nodded. "Good. Come this way."
In a side room, the Doctor sat him down at a desk.
"Now...this isn't easy to say..." The fox's eyes were boring into him, challenging him, "But...Sonic may not make it to the morning." Tails jumped up, almost knocking over the chair.
"No...no! He always does! There must be a way to..." The Doctor was shaking his head calmly. "Sorry, we've done all we can. The weather is short- circuiting all our equipment. We can only wait." Tails clenched his fists angrily.
"There must be a way! You can't just...how can you be so calm?!" He was getting angry. The Doctor was looking at him with faint alarm, saying something about 'if he survives' and 'home in the morning'.
Tails stopped listening. He wanted to hit something, hard. He wanted to...
...................................................
The water was freezing, tugging her down, blanking her senses. What was she doing? She was...holding onto something...
Instinct kicked in and she thrashed furiously, and shot to the surface like a cork. In a flash the wind bore down upon her, flattening her ears against her head. She remembered...Shadow!
She was still holding onto him. She pulled up, dragging him above the surface, and almost going under herself. He wasn't breathing...! She cursed again and thumped him in the chest. In response he coughed violently, eyelids fluttering.
The buildings were flashing by in a blur as the current tugged them onwards. It was all she could do to keep them both afloat, but she knew that if they didn't get out they would be carried to the sea.
Time stretched on until it was just her, the numbing water, and Shadow's shuddering breaths by her ear. She started to sink, into the icy depths, only to kick desperately back up again. Her legs were numb, and every breath was painful.
There was no way out.
...............................................
Cream jumped back in surprise as the door of her apartment slammed open, revealing Tails, wearing a long raincoat. He stepped inside, shaking water from his tails. She started to stutter something, but he said tiredly, "Threw me out of the hospital. And Sonic might not...might not..."
He couldn't finish the sentence.
.................................
The next morning, it was still raining. But the storm had passed, leaving the city savaged and half-flooded. No birds greeted the dawn. The city itself was swathed in a thick grey mist, and the lower half was almost entirely flooded.
Tails was by the wet hospital doors again, having snatched a few hours sleep. More nightmares...only, this time, Sonic was hunting a different Sonic, and Tails could only watch.
He begged at the reception, pleading, "He's my friend. He could be dead, I need to see him, you can't just...just..." The receptionist soon let him in, telling him the ward. He stumbled up the stairs doggedly.
The room was empty.
..........................................
Rouge was on a concrete surface. It could have been a bit of broken highway, or a rock, or anything. She didn't care. It was jutting out of the flood, enough to be safe. It didn't matter what it was. She did care that the water was all around them, that it was still raining, and that she was freezing cold.
And Shadow hadn't woken up.
She should have known that her boots couldn't grip a wet metal post well, that Shadow was already almost under the water, that his weight could pull her down. She should have remembered the strong current underneath. Well, at least she had managed to keep a hold on him, keep them above the surface, just, then drag them onto this rock. At least.they were alive.
She stood up, squinting through the grey hazy mist. Nothing. Nobody was coming out to search...not until the rain stopped. Too dangerous. They were stuck...she didn't dare fly out, the wind was still howling. One slip, and they would be in the sea, close by.
They had just hit the rock in time. Smashed buildings were looming, but none were nearby. They had almost been carried out of the city for good.
She crouched down again. She hated waiting.
Then a voice, beside her, "C-Cold..." Her head snapped down. Shadow was still lying on his back, his head was still turned sideways, but his eyes were open, and he was looking at the overcast sky and shivering all over.
She touched his arm. The fur was flat and sodden, and he was icy cold beneath it. His eyes moved sideways, trying to see her.
"...Hi." She said, leaning over. His tired red eyes locked on her worried green ones, and he said shakily, "...Rouge?" She nodded, and his eyes unfocused. "...it's...cold..."
She nodded, trying not to show how worried she was. "I know, Shadow, I know..." She was cold too, but her clothes offered far better protection.
"...and...dark...I...," he paused for a minute to cough, "I...can't...see..." His eyes shut again and his breathing slowed, shivering with each breath in, relaxing with each breath out. She couldn't tell whether he was conscious or not. She looked up at the grey sky. It wasn't that dark at all...so, why did he think that-
Then she became scared.
Scared that Shadow was going to die here. Scared that she was going to be left friend-less. He was the only one that talked to her on a regular basis, that bothered to visit her. He was going to leave her, and she was scared.
No warm sun would break through those clouds, she knew. Not for a while. And Shadow's body temperature was dangerously low; the water was like ice, and they had been carried along for nearly two hours, plus being in the freezing rain on this rock.
He had been in it before that, too, she reminded herself. Wait...body temperature...?
She leant forward, pulling him up to her. Brr...it was like hugging a block of solid ice. "Please don't die..." she whispered.
Around them, the drizzling rain finally stopped, leaving everything sparkling in the shattered ruins of downtown Central City.