Freeze this

"Freeze this for me please Shadow" he looked up at the short man with greying hair in the white coat. He held a conical flask with tongs where Shadow could reach; Shadow lifted his black hand up to the flask and placed his fingers against the glass. He concentrated, slowly white crystals formed on the flask and the liquid inside froze solid.
"That's enough now Shadow"
He took his fingers away and Mayfair the scientist put the flask aside, exchanging it for another.
"And this one please" Shadow again repeated the process.
"What are these things?" Shadow asked looking around the lab.
"My chemicals. I want to put them into storage, they're safer when they're frozen, but some of them need to be really cold, so I wondered if you would help me"
Shadow smiled "I like helping people"
"Good boy, now this one"
He held another beaker full of liquid out to him.
"How many more of these are there?"
"Quite a few, you aren't getting tired are you Shadow?"
"No sir"
Mayfair brought another batch of chemicals to Shadow but as he brought it over the flask slipped through the tongs and crashed to the floor, spewing chemicals and glass all up Shadow's leg.
"Sor-" Mayfair began, terror filling his face as he watched Shadow raise his arm towards him. Black fire crackled at his fingertips for a moment before leaping towards him. He was thrown back and his head smacked against a table. Shadow leapt furiously into the air, trying to escape the pain in his leg, wanting revenge on the one who had inflicted it, before he could use the Stick. Shadow leapt to where he lay, landing on his chest. He stared down on his blank face; he punched his face with a flaming fist before the pain in his leg drove him to move again. He leapt up into the air, briefly he stuck to the ceiling. Then he dropped down again. His anger turned to panic as he saw blood on his leg. The flames intensified, turning green. He jumped forward, smashing through more glass, and more chemicals, burning, raining down on him, filling the air with smoke and choking his lungs. He just kept moving, out of control, panic stricken, wanting to get out of the room, to clearer air. He raced around, the fire burning strongly. He wanted control, he needed it; he wanted the Stick, before he hurt anyone else. Mayfair would be carrying one. Shadow bounced towards his motionless form. Still burning with bright green fire he hastily searched him, ripping through his pockets until he found it. Shadow grabbed hold of it and the fire turned inwards and he was consumed with pain.

"Come on Shadow let go! You're not supposed to hold it this long" he was surrounded by people, one knelt at his side "Please Shadow, let it go" He pulled at Shadow's fingers "Shadowkin let go of the Stick" His hand was forced open and the Stick was wrenched from it taking melted flesh along with it. Shadow cried out in pain. After the Stick was gone only a brief spark of green fire licked around his hand before going out.
"… A-Are you going to lock me in my room father?" Shadow asked, his whole body shaking.
"Do you want to go there Shadow?"
"No… I hate it… but I've been bad… I burned a human… I should be punished…"
"Its ok Shadow, you've been punished enough" Shadow's father held his hand out in his, Shadow hardly dared to look, he could smell burnt flesh, his whole body seemed to shudder with the memory of pain. His skin in several places felt as though it was on fire. Shadow started to make ice to cool it.
"No Shadow" His father's hold on his shoulders tightened a little "I know it burns, but making ice will only hurt it more. There are doctors coming, and then we'll heal you"
"Will you heal me father?"
"Yes Shadow… just be still"
"Will Mayfair be ok… I shouldn't have burned him… It was an accident"
"He banged his head, and you burned him, but he'll be ok"
"Will I be punished?"
"No… Holding the Stick for so long punished you enough…"
Shadow started to cry.
"It cries?" One of the gathered scientists asked
"Of course he does, he's no different to your children" Shadow's father said "Shh Shadowkin… It's ok… don't cry" Shadow felt himself being rocked and was oddly comforted by that. "We'll give you some medicine and then the pain will go away… Come now, stop your tears… You don't want Maria to see you cry do you?"
Shadow sniffed and bottled the tears up somewhere.
"There's a good boy" his father soothed. He paused "Shadowkin Doctor Smith brought you a present from his visit to Earth" Gerald pulled something out of his pocket and help it up for Shadow to see. "He got you a metal one so you can't melt it by mistake"
Shadow reached up and took a small model shuttle out of his outstretched hand. At that moment the medical team arrived. Shadow more interested in his new toy barely noticed them enter or surround him.
"Shadow the doctors are just going to give you an injection to make you sleepy"
Shadow looked up in time to see a doctor put a needle in his bleeding arm.
"Hey-" He began before the sedative took him.

"That's how I got this scar" Shadow said softly. He opened his hand to show him the thick scar crossing the palm of his right hand, where no black fur grew. "That's the only scar I've got, all the others healed and went away. But not this one." He clenched his fist a few times then started to put his glove back on "Even though I was covered in chemical burns, they all went away… with time… I guess I healed slower then… It hurt a lot" Shadow finished replacing his glove "But that hurt the most… but I think I might have a new scar today" he reached up and touched his shoulder, he winced but smiled "It's worth it"
Knuckles sat in silence for a few seconds not knowing what to say, a sensation of nausea rolling in his stomach.
"Mayfair was alright… Once I was able to I healed him so that he wouldn't be scarred… I was so upset, I liked him, which was half the problem, I thought he would hate me forever for what I did, but, he forgave me… We remained good friends…" Shadow sighed "I was so stupid, it was an accident and I just reacted… I was so full of anger…"
"We've all done things in fear we'd rather not remember. Anyone would have reacted as you did, it wasn't anger, it was fear and self-defence"
Shadow shook his head "You are so kind to me… but you need not try to justify my sins to me. I am aware of them…"
Knuckles nodded "As am I" He turned his eyes to Shadow "Those sins will haunt us all our lives…"
"What have you done that could be so terrible?"
Knuckles smiled weakly "I've made many mistakes in my time… When you're a Guardian… mistakes cost lives-
A loud crack stopped him mid sentence. It was quickly followed by a scream. Shadow and Knuckles stared at each other, before racing back towards where they had left the others. As they drew closer they heard the sounds of fighting. They ran through the trees and as they stepped out into the glade they'd been camping in they met the Thousand. They both entered the fray, Knuckles perhaps more keenly than he would have been otherwise, eager to vent his anger and frustration on the enemy. Shadow was the opposite; having met Apolloi he had his doubts about fighting the Thousand. He was afraid he could kill Epsilon or another good soul in his haste. As he watched Knuckles move away from him his doubts held his flaming limbs. Then a hissing voice said something… something Shadow didn't quite catch. He saw a pack of the Thousand turn towards him. He saw something silver flash one of in their hands, and his heart filled with terror. Blue and green fire burst out around him, which was the last thing he wanted… His mind was screaming "please no, anything else" The Shαdøw came closer to him.
"Knuca-" Shadow began to say, before his other self shoved a Stick into his back.

Shadow screamed in agony. Knuckles looked back. He spotted one of the Shαdøws pressing a metal rod into his back. A wall of enemies had formed between him and them.
"They've got a Stick!" Knuckles cried.
Shadow continued to scream, he was fighting it.
"Someone get that thing off him!"
He fought, trying to get close but couldn't. As he watched another Shαdøw approached and pressed a similar rod into his chest, over his heart. Shadow's cry intensified. At that moment Knuckles was seized by a strange kind of detached pain, almost as though the Stick were against his chest.
"They're killing him!" Knuckles shouted as he broke one of the Thousand's spines. As he watched he saw Tails fly up behind one of the Shαdøws holding the Stick. Tails grabbed hold of it and flew up and away before dropping it from a great height. Knuckles broke through the wall of enemies. Then Vector caught hold of the other a Shαdøw and ripped it apart. Knuckles arrived just in time to catch Shadow as he collapsed. Seeing their plan failed the Thousand turned tail and ran.
"Tails the metal rod, don't let them take it!" Knuckles called. "Shadow… Don't be dead, don't be dead… Shadow can you hear me?"
Shadow moaned softly.
"Father?"
"No, Knuckles, always Knuckles… and I'm the last person you want…"
"You promised… you said I didn't need to worry about the Sticks anymore…"
The others had surrounded them, mostly unscathed; clearly Shadow had been the target. Tails landed and held the Stick out to Knuckles. He took it and found the other one on the ground near where Shadow had fallen. Leaning Shadow against his chest he held them up.
"You must not let them touch him with these things!" He shouted angrily, then broke them in both two and threw the halves in opposite directions.
"What are they?"
"Instruments of torture" Knuckles growled "an invention care of the scientists on the ARK. I don't know how they work and I don't care. Just keep them away from him" He said his voice sounding defeated.

…Why did you make me like this?"
"We were curious, we'd done the artificial womb, artificial insemination, genetic manipulation… you were the logical progression"
"Your curiosity has become my curse. Why a weapon?"
"The government were getting itchy to see some rewards for their investments; we had to give them something"
"Me"
"Yes, they were very pleased with you, and your power, but you were a gun that backfired. When they released you they encountered the full fury of your rage. Rage a few Sticks were powerless to control…"
Shadow's world came into focus. He was wet, locked in a cage and very, very angry. As soon as he was released he leapt forward into the midst of some gathered soldiers.
"Project Shadow, we are your new masters and you shall address us as such"
The soldier was twiddling a Stick around his fingers. Shadow tilted his head on one side for a moment, staring at him. Then lifted his hand and burned him to embers. There were shouts, a few of the soldiers found their guns before he filled the room with flames. Above a one-way mirror smashed. Shadow jumped up some containers until he was level with it. He smirked in at the people there before sending a wave of red and black fire at them. The base was being locked down, but they weren't prepared for him…
"For your sins you were locked away, deprived of a life for what they thought would be an eternity..."
The faces of the hundreds he must have killed were bearing down on him, flesh hanging off their burnt faces. In the background he could hear children crying for their mothers and fathers.

"I did kill people!! I did kill people!! I burned them, I burned them all!!!"
"I know" A calm voice answered. It rather took Shadow by surprise, averting his numb panic and leaving him simply confused.
"You know?" He asked bemused.
Knuckles was sitting beside him, weaving some fronds of bark together with surprisingly dextrous hands, given his gloves. For a moment Shadow just watched mesmerised, following the weave of the different shades of green, rapidly becoming a mat. Finally Shadow spoke.
"H-How do you know, I didn't remember till then?"
Knuckles continued to weave "Rouge told me. I asked her to find out about you and the Thousand. I know rather a lot about you, your dad, and Maria… Not all of it was stuff I wanted to hear… but… I know, at least, I know the human side of the story. "
"My memory is so fragmented I don't think I could tell you my side… I've told you almost everything of any value as I remember it…"
"Is there anything else… I liked hearing you tell your story… it made a change from me being the one speaking."
"I remember the day I was born… If that interests you… I suppose that would sort of be in telling you my side of the story…"
"You remember the day you were born? Wow! I wish I could! Can you remember what being born was actually like?"
"Kind of… but you forget, for me being born was not the same as it was for you. I can actually remember a time before I was even born… as a kind of hazy train of thought… but yes…. I can remember the day I was born…