Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in this fic except for Prof. Kagaku and Talula.
A/N: ^_^ Just so you know, all of my original characters have, well, kind of like puns for names (except Talula). So, if anyone wants to know what the names mean, feel free to ask. A lot of my original character names are plays on Japanese words or, better yet, Japanese words themselves. Ha ha... Well, hope you enjoy the next chapter!... and that's really all I have to say.
"Professor! Talula! Guess what!" The young girl from Station Square called as she dashed towards the small, wooden house.
A young, pinkish-brown female hedgehog clothed in a simple brown dress stepped into the doorway. She smiled. "Sh! Professor Kagaku is busy researching!"
The girl slowed to a halt outside the door. "Hi Talula! Guess what!"
The girl's father panted as he hurried to keep up with his daughter. "Phew... I need to start getting into shape..." he breathed. "Hello, Talula. Is the professor in?"
Talula bowed politely. "Yes, sir. But the professor is researching right now. He's researching jungle herbs... he's very busy..."
"Not too busy to greet friends," an old man said suddenly, appearing from the back of the house. He had a head full of white hair, and wore thick glasses, behind which blue eyes sparkled.
Wiping his hands on his white coat, he said, "So! Mr. Tanken, how nice to see you again! Been a while, eh?"
Mr. Tanken, the girl's father, laughed. "Not soon enough for Nina, here," he said, clapping a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Anyway--"
"Oh, what am I doing? I should invite you all in," Prof. Kagaku said, slapping his forehead. "Come in, come in..."
Talula bowed again, then laughed. "I'll fix you all some tea! Come, Nina," she motioned for the girl to follow her.
"Talula! While you're at it, could you please try to use that herb in the kitchen--"
"Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but the last time I used one of your herbs for tea you were unable to taste anything for a week..."
Prof. Kagaku smiled sheepishly. "Well, that was something else... this herb is a little different." He grinned. "Contains a lot of vitamins, this one does."
Talula sighed. "Yes, sir, if you say so..."
Mr. Tanken sat down on one of Prof. Kagaku's woven bamboo chairs. "So, anything new happen recently, Kagaku?"
"Not especially... although I have been picking up something strange on some of my equipment."
"Really?" Besides being an explorer, Mr. Tanken was also quite interested in other fields of science.
"Yes... it's like some sort of strange energy waves. It's very strange, but somehow familiar." Prof. Kagaku rubbed his chin. "I can't quite place it, though... my memory's going on me."
"Tea's ready!" Nina called, walking into the main room while carrying a small tray with teacups on it. Talula followed, carrying the teapot.
"I have a good feeling about this one!" Prof. Kagaku exclaimed. He took the teapot from Talula and poured himself a cup. Talula poured tea for the others and herself.
Prof. Kagaku took a long look at the tea, then took a sip.
"Well? How is it?" Mr. Tanken asked.
Prof. Kagaku sighed. Then he smiled enthusiastically. "Terrific! Try it."
The others smiled, relieved, then took their own teacups.
Nina suddenly remembered something. "Professor, guess what!"
"I don't know. What is it?" the old man asked, slowly sipping his tea.
"Sonic the Hedgehog has a brother!"
Prof. Kagaku raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Mm-hm! I shook his hand! His name is Shadow!"
Prof. Kagaku's eyes widened, and he choked on the tea he was drinking.
"Sir?!" Talula exclaimed, standing up quickly. Prof. Kagaku shook his head, cleared his throat and took another sip of tea to calm himself down.
"Sorry about that." He turned to Nina. "You say his name was Shadow?"
"Uh-huh!"
"By any chance... did this hedgehog have black fur, with red stripes, red eyes, and quills that turned up at the ends...?"
Nina shook her head. "Nope. He had green eyes and blue fur, but it was darker than Sonic's. But you're right about the quills." She took another sip of tea. "This is pretty good..."
Prof. Kagaku laughed. "It had better be good... I've been researching that herb for about six months now! Made some tea out of it myself before, but I'd never had anyone else taste it."
Talula sighed. "Professor, please stay out of the kitchen. The last time you tried to cook anything--"
"I know,I know..."
Nina laughed. Prof. Kagaku smiled at her.
"Why don't you go take a look at the garden?"
"Okay!" Nina hopped off her seat and followed Talula out back.
Mr. Tanken turned to Prof. Kagaku. "Just wondering, but why did you ask about this hedgehog?"
"Well... a long time ago, I worked on the space colony--"
"You don't mean the one that nearly crashed, a few months ago?!"
"Yes, that one. I was only a young man then," Prof. Kagaku mused. "But I used to know a young hedgehog named Shadow. Lived there, with the head scientist and his granddaughter." Kagaku smiled. "Yes, I had a lot of good memories on that space colony. I used to love to watch the granddaughter and the hedgehog play. Now, what was her name? Margaret...? No... Marcia... Mary... oh, it's been so long, my memory's quite fuzzy..." The old man suddenly fell into deep thought.
"...Kagaku?" Mr. Tanken asked.
"...I wonder..." Prof. Kagaku suddenly put down his teacup, stood up and dashed to his apparatus.
~*~
The past few weeks had been quite trying for a certain bat.
Sitting at the edge of Angel Island, she opened her hand...
...revealing that she held a Chaos Drive. It shone green in the afternoon sun.
But Rouge clenched her fist tight again. It was only one victory against many losses...
After Shadow had been discharged from the hospital, she'd lost track of him. For weeks.
Too long.
Merely looking for them was highly inefficient, since Sonic's speed and even Tails' Tornado could cover many miles in a single hour. There wasn't any way to track them down, either... no one could be sure where they'd gotten to.
Knuckles had few answers.
"One, they could be at South Island."
"Where's South Island?"
"...that way." Knuckles had pointed south. "It's hard to tell... Angel Island keeps moving..."
"Then how do you know where it is?"
"Keep heading that way... it's there, somewhere. Just keep looking."
Precisely why it was not a good idea to ask Knuckles for directions. All right, then if South Island was 'one,' what was 'two'?
"Station Square. Amy lives there. Look for her. Who knows, maybe they took Shadow there to recuperate."
So she'd headed to Station Square.
Three weeks after Shadow had reappeared.
Exactly one day after G.U.N.'s attack.
The news was everywhere. People were flocking to the newspaper stands, clamoring to read about what had happened.
The truth hadn't been uncovered yet... the only thing that anyone knew for sure was that a large number of destroyed robots had been found, scattered on Emerald Coast, only a few miles from the public swimming area.
Rumors were flying, people were gossiping... Rouge's sensitive ears had picked up most of the information she needed.
So she headed down to Emerald Coast.
It was true. The entire area was roped off by the police.
So she waited for night's dark cover.
And was able to see the wreckage.
Chaos Drives.
Only one company used those.
G.U.N.
And here she was, Rouge the Bat, the once infamous spy, sitting on an island, floating above the ocean...
...and completely frustrated.
An attack by G.U.N. could mean only one thing.
They were after Project: Shadow.
She knew. After all, she had spied on them... and for them... for quite a while.
The only reason that G.U.N. existed was for the destruction of Project: Shadow.
Rouge swallowed. She knew that she knew too much.
G.U.N. had highly confidential information. It was dangerous to announce that she had resigned her job as a spy. It was safer to let them think that she was still on their side.
But knowing too much, in this case...
...might save a life.
Shadow's life.
Rouge looked to the darkening sky.
"If G.U.N. is really still after him... he's in deep trouble."
Rouge closed her eyes.
"Something... something is going to tie this all together..."
Chaos Emeralds...
Immortality...
Project: Shadow...
Chaos Energy...
G.U.N....
Shadow himself...
~*~
Knuckles walked up to Rouge, who was deep in thought.
"Hey... almost time for some dinner. Want something?"
"Hmm?" Rouge looked up. "No... no thanks..."
Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "Still pondering your Project: Shadow?"
Rouge looked away. "I can't explain it... but something's wrong."
Knuckles sat down next to the white bat. "...I know."
Rouge looked at him, surprised. "What do you mean, 'you know'?"
Knuckles shook his head. "I can't explain, either. But something's happening. The Master Emerald can feel it. And so can I."
Rouge continued to stare at Knuckles. "You can feel...?"
Knuckles looked at the setting sun. "I'm a part of the Master Emerald. I've been guarding it my whole life. My entire race has been guarding it, for as long as anyone remembers.
"The Master Emerald's energy flows in tune with that of the Chaos Emeralds'. So does mine, my ki. Everything's finely in balance. And anything that contains Chaos Energy, pure Chaos Energy, also balances with us."
Rouge opened her hand and looked at the Chaos Drive. "Wait..."
A sudden memory...
...a bomb, about to go off...
...but...
"Chaos Control!"
...a blinding flash of light... a strange feeling, through her whole body...
...and she was safe.
"Shadow...?"
"Yes... Shadow is also in tune with the Chaos Energy." Knuckles nodded. "And so is Sonic. That is what allows them to utilize the Chaos Control."
"Chaos Control," Rouge breathed. "It's... coming together..."
"What?"
"G.U.N. disliked Project: Shadow and its participants because they feared a being more powerful than Mankind. I understand now." Rouge stood up and faced the west, where the sun was nearly gone. "Everything has a natural weakness, no matter what. But for a being to be in tune with Chaos Energy... no, to utilize Chaos Energy, that gives them an unfathomable power."
It was nearly dark. Rouge continued, "Chaos Energy lasts for eternity, in one form. Pure power. And because Shadow utilizes Chaos Energy... and he was the end result of Project: Shadow... what's to say that his entire body doesn't run on Chaos Energy? I mean... there's nothing that disproves that..."
Rouge's voice was shaking. A fog started to roll in, making the mood even more despairing.
"...Shadow's not a being composed of pure Chaos Energy?... I mean... is that possible...?!"
Knuckles sighed. "I... I can't answer that. I don't know..."
The fog continued to thicken.
A sudden flash of reddish-pink light distracted Knuckles. Rouge watched in half-hopelessness, half-amusement as Knuckles' face broke into a rare smile.
The red echidna stood up. "But maybe I know someone who does..."
Rouge noticed the small orb of light, floating all by itself. She stood up in surprise and nearly fell over backwards.
Knuckles laughed. "Don't worry... this is an old friend of mine." He turned to the light. "An old ancestor of mine."
"W-what...?"
The two watched as the light made its way to the Master Emerald.
There was a flash of light...
...and in the floating orb's place stood a young echidna girl.
Knuckles smiled. "Long time no see, Tikal."
Tikal smiled back. "I've been listening to you... and I think I can help you.
"After all, I was once the Guardian of the Master Emerald, too."