Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog... do you? ...didn't think so.
A/N: Thanks for being so patient while waiting for me to post. ^^;; My excuse? ...homework. --;; One big project after another...
Sonic lightly stepped down the stairs in front of the red brick apartment building. He looked up and down the normally-quiet street, but at this time in the morning it was completely deserted. Just early enough that no one was commuting to work, yet the shops that were open during the night were closed.
Grinning, he took a deep breath, smelling the morning air and dew...
...and sped off towards Emerald Coast.
~*~
About three or four hours later, Tails awoke, yawning, lying on the futon in Amy's guest bedroom. He sniffed the air and smelled breakfast cooking.
Smiling happily, he hopped down and headed downstairs.
"Good morning Amy!" he chirped, then took his place at the kitchen table. "What's for breakfast?"
Standing at the stove, she replied, "Eggs, pancakes, sausages... oh, just about everything." Tails raised an eyebrow. Amy asked, "Have you seen Sonic?"
"Nope," Tails answered, grabbing a plate. He asked Shadow, who was sitting at the table, "Have you?"
"Ran out this morning," Shadow said quietly.
"Did he say where he was going?" Amy asked, stirring the scrambled eggs.
"No... but I think he went to the beach."
"You should have gone with him... it's not good for you to stay cooped up like this, Shadow," Amy said.
It had been two days since they'd arrived at Amy's apartment in Station Square. Shadow had stayed indoors the whole time...
"I... I just don't know... the humans on this planet... what would they think?" Shadow mused.
Tails added, "He's got a point, Amy. And we don't really know if the military's after him."
Amy sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Well, they should learn. You're not such a bad person after all, Shadow."
"I just wish they didn't have that impression of me in the first place," Shadow answered dejectedly.
"Just go get some sunshine today," Amy replied. "After all, it'll be more difficult for you to be recognized, what with your fur and eyes different colors... and once people get used to you, then you just wash it off and show them who you really are."
'Will that work...?' Shadow wondered.
"And don't wander too far away! I don't want you getting lost," Amy added. Shadow reddened slightly, while Tails giggled.
"That goes for you, too, Tails."
"Oh, come on... it's not my first time in the city."
Amy turned around, plastic spatula in hand. "Do you see the way Sonic weaves in and out between those cars, running all over town, and I don't know where he is or if something's happened to him?! I won't have you two worrying me like he does!" She turned back to the food with a small 'hmph'.
Tails slumped down in his chair. "Sorry, Amy."
Amy waved the spatula in the air nonchalantly. "It's all right... but I do want you to get some exercise, you hear me Shadow?"
"Right... okay..."
"Breakfast is served," Amy declared, moving the food onto several platters that were sitting on the kitchen table. "Wow, I haven't had guests in a long time...! I'd better go shopping soon..."
Tails stared at the veritable mountain of food. "Maybe you should just cook less...?" Amy glared. "But it looks really good! Really..."
Amy smiled. "Good! Let's all go shopping later today!"
Tails groaned. Shadow was quiet, spreading jam on some toast.
The timer went off on the oven. Amy stood up. "That'll be dessert..." she said, grabbing some oven mitts.
Tails' eyes widened. "'Dessert'...?"
Shadow took a bite of the toast.
While Amy's back was turned, Tails leaned over and whispered to Shadow, "Get out of here while you can... you do not want to go shopping with Amy."
~*~
'Why am I shopping... with Amy?' Tails asked himself, as he and the pink hedgehog walked down the street, Amy looking in the windows and trying to decide which stores to visit first.
"Amy... weren't we going to get groceries?" Tails asked weakly.
"Oh, that can wait... oh! Look at that dress! It's so adorable..." Amy squealed, peering into yet another window. "Sonic would love it!" She rushed inside.
Tails stood on the sidewalk. He felt somewhat like calling after her, 'Sonic doesn't care about clothes...!!', but he somehow knew that Amy wouldn't hear him, anyway...
Tails folded his hands behind his head, ignoring the people who were smiling and whispering about him.
A little girl ran up to the two-tailed fox. "Mr. Tails... sir?"
"Um... hello."
"Can I have your autograph?" The girl held out a pad of paper and a pencil. "You saved Station Square!"
Tails laughed weakly. "Yeah... I did." He carefully printed his name on the notepad. "Here you go."
"Thank you sir!" The little girl ran off.
Tails sighed. 'No wonder Sonic likes really uninhabited places,' he thought. 'I'd never be able to stand it...'
"I wonder what Shadow's doing?" he mused quietly.
Meanwhile, Shadow opened the front door of the apartment. 'So far, so good...' he thought.
Wearing Sonic's old, red shoes, he stepped onto the concrete pavement. The sun shone through his dark blue fur, making it warm up quickly.
Shadow looked around, making sure that as few people as necessary saw him. He lightly stepped out onto the sidewalk.
"I... guess I'll go down to Emerald Coast...?" he murmured to himself.
Taking off at a slow run, he jogged down the street...
~*~
"AARGH!"
Sonic rolled into a ball, then spun out of reach of his attackers. "Who are you?! What do you want?!" he screamed furiously as he landed on his feet, scattering sand.
But he didn't receive an answer from the group of about seven humans and many more robots that were standing on the beach.
'Good thing this place is nearly deserted...' Sonic thought. 'But who are these people?!'
"Calm down, animal," one of the humans, a man, said, walking towards Sonic. "We just want to take you down to our lab for a while... nothing too important..."
"...what do you want..." Sonic asked, glaring. 'I can't even see his face...'
"Not to worry... if you're a nice, normal little hedgehog, we'll let you go..." A robot made a wild lunge for Sonic, who jumped into the air and smashed the robot's torso.
"What the heck do you mean, 'normal'? And what if I'm not?" Sonic asked, crossing his arms. "And what's the idea, interrupting my relaxation?"
"You stupid animal...!" a different man called out. "Give yourself up!"
"No! Don't you know who I am?" Sonic dashed down the beach.
"Get him!" the leader ordered. The robots took off after Sonic, firing at the blue hedgehog.
"My name is Sonic! And you aren't going to catch me anytime soon!" Sonic coiled himself into a ball, then spun rapidly.
"Get him! Now!" the humans ordered their mechanical weapons. The robots prepared to fire at Sonic.
But not fast enough. Sonic spun towards the robots, sand spraying behind him.
The leader watched in shock as each robot seemed to detonate, one after the other. After a matter of seconds, it was over.
There was no chance of capturing the hedgehog.
Sonic suddenly appeared him, standing before the scene of destruction. "Leave. Now."
One of the men in the group started to run towards the hedgehog. But the leader stopped him.
"Don't... it won't do any good. Pack up... let's leave." The group of people stood, dumbstruck... then obeyed.
As they turned their backs on Sonic, he growled, "And don't you dare come back. I'll be more than ready if you do."
"As you wish..."
The leader whipped around and jabbed at Sonic with an electrical stun gun.
Unable to dodge quickly enough at such a short distance, Sonic was grazed across his right arm. The shock ran through his body.
"Aah!!... unnh..." Sonic fell to the sand.
"Hehe... you won't stop us. No one will stop us." At the leader's command, two of the humans stooped to pick up Sonic, who was too stunned to move.
But someone did.
"CHAOS SPEAR!!"
A bolt of lightning flew across the beach, striking each one of the humans.
"AAH!!" The two men who were about to take Sonic fell to the ground.
By the time the people were able to look up, another hedgehog had joined the fray.
"What... what is that...?!"
The leader whispered, angrily.
"Don't be fooled by that stupid disguise. That's Project: Shadow."
One of the people gasped. "Sir...?! Should we... should we try to--"
"No. We don't stand a chance." The leader stood up. "Retreat and regroup."
The humans stepped backward and entered their helicopters.
Shadow looked at the leader of the group. "Do I know you...?"
Beneath the helmet, Shadow thought he could see eyes flash in anger. "No... but you will. You will...
"...and you'll feel my pain... you will perish."
The leader turned and entered his own helicopter, leaving the two hedgehogs dumbstruck on the beach.
Inside the helicopter, the leader sighed and motioned for the pilot to take off.
"Project: Shadow will die... it must," he growled.
"Sir... I have faith in you," muttered the pilot.
"And our company's mission will finally be accomplished..."
~*~
Back on the Emerald Coast, Shadow shook Sonic lightly.
"Sonic... wake up... it's all right now..."
Sonic winced slightly, then sat up. "What... who were they... what did they want...?"
Shadow looked grim. "It's no use, Sonic... I might as well go home and wash off this... 'hair-dye'..."
Sonic looked at his friend. "Why?"
Shadow growled, "Because... they're after me... and not just me anymore, I think..." He looked at Sonic.
"...what...? Me...?"
Shadow nodded.
Sonic stood up shakily. "Well, then, who are they?"
Shadow motioned to the beach, where the destroyed robots lay. "Take a look... then you tell me."
Sonic looked. And needed no explanation.
Amid the bits of metal and rubble, small shards of electrically charged material shone brightly, in several different colors.
"...Chaos Drives..." Sonic breathed. Shadow nodded glumly.
"Then... that was..." Sonic stared at the sky. The helicopters were long gone.
"...G.U.N."
The two hedgehogs sat in silence.
Sonic sighed.
"Looks like... I'm in trouble."
Sonic was surprised by Shadow's smile. He said, "And what would be so good about that, eh?"
But Shadow's answer was comforting. "You're not alone."