Sorry! Sorry! I know! I've been slacking off lately… forgive me! Please!
Anyway… here we are with the copyright!
- Sonic and co. are of Sega.
- Johnson Kaler is mine; Alan Decò is just a name made up for an occasion or two.
(Johnson Kaler is a side/support character; he will not have a main part on the fic)
RichaCo: No, don't worry, it's not a Sonic/Shadow story, and don't worry for the 'stupid' question. It was just a question, and got the proper answer. By the way, I really appreciated your second review. Hope to not disappoint you with the next chapters!
Arken Elf: Thanks! I really appreciate that you like my fic. Your 'please continue soon' give me the strength to continue.
Incomplete13: Just wait and see what I have in mind (and because I'm very naughty I'm not going to tell you if you're right or wrong)! Kyahahaha! *runs away*
yugi's dragon friend: Thanks! For the drawings... you may be disappointed because my style is a very, very simple one. You can see it in my site and you can find the url in my profile.
Tails, Knuckles, Rouge and Amy's fans: I'm sorry if lately these characters seems to be left out of the story, but I have difficulties with them. I don't know what to do with them. In the next chapter I hope to 'enlarge their space'.
In the mean time, if you have some ideas and want to share them with me, send
me an email.
Very Important Authoress' note: Only now I realize that the fic title really sucks. But I can't change it… oh, well…
PS: Don't look at the errors! I am a better writer in English than in my own language, the Italian! (Strange, uh?)
That's mean that I don't see 'em and word can't find 'em!
Anyway, if there are incongruences on the story, forgive me! I'm passing a minor Writer's Block (it's little, but it's still giving me troubles…)
Very, very important PS/1: Ok, I must advise you that now I have three fics instead of one, so the update will be slowed down a little. However the updates will be in this order: Chaos' Twins, Just A New Life, and in the end Live, Open Your Heart And Learn (I know that someone will kill me for this last fic, but hey! We're in a free world, right?)
PS/2: I finally found the names of the GUN robots, so from now on I will be able to call them with their names.
Voice From Background: So?
Why are you always complaining?
Voice From Background: Because I am the voice of your conscience…
Bhaaa! That's enough of it! Shut up and let me work. And from now on I'll call you Gigia.
Za: BWAHAHAHA! That's a good one! Gigia! *Keep laughing until she falls over*
… What can I say? My other two lovely personalities…
And now, for the ones that wanted to kill me for the last chapter's cliffhanger, on with the show!
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CHAPTER EIGHT
Follow Me, I'll Set You Free
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The black hedgehog froze, both physically and mentally 'Is he…' He shakily placed his right hand on Sonic's left shoulder "Sonic…?" He whispered almost silently.
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What happened he didn't know. Before he was in a duct, now he was
in a black nothingness, unable to move, unable to speak or see; practically
his five senses were totally inoperative. He felt his awareness slowly drift
away; even thinking was something hard to do in that 'space'.
"Sonic…?" It was faint, but it was there and it stopped his drifting.
His ears twitched involuntarily.
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Shadow saw Sonic's ears move and breathed a sigh of relief. The blue hedgehog wasn't dead, but again, he could be in a few moments if he couldn't wake him up from that catalepsy status 'Must be the consequence of the blood lost in the battle.' "Sonic." He was determined to not lose him like that, not when he was there to prevent it "Sonic, don't die on me like this, you Faker!"
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" Sonic, don't die on me like this, you Faker!" He moved
his body a little and frowned for a fraction of a second; this voice was familiar
and it was determined to not let him drift away.
'Faker'
A word that reminded him of something that he had forgotten when he lost his senses "Wake up Faker!" The voice was whispering, but it was urgent "I'm not going to exit this hellish place without you! So stop faking death and wake up!" It not only stopped his awareness from drifting, but gave him back the ability to think straight 'Stop… faking death? Am I… am I dying?'
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"Sonic!" Now he was sure of it; he knew that voice, and its owner as well 'I'm here. I'm coming.' Everything started to slowly come back; noises from the background, the smell of metal and dust, cold and warm. Unfortunately even the pain from his legs.
Now in the blackness he could see a black shape and a luminous spot behind it; everything was tremendously blurry and hard to make out.
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Shadow put his other hand on Sonic's left shoulder and lightly shook him; his head bobbed lightly back and forth "Hey! You ok?" The blue hedgehog squeezed his eyes shut and moved his body a little. It was like moving a boulder, but the feeling was slowly dissipating away "W… What happened?" His voice was a light whisper, impossible for a human to pick up "I'd like to know! You were like dead! You… you…" He sighed, he was a little confused by his emotions; angry because the other hedgehog scared him, relieved because he woke up and confused because he was feeling them. He shook his head and looked at his blue double with an angry expression "Next time that you do that, I'm gonna leave you behind!"
Sonic smiled; his green eyes now full again of life "I guess I own you one, then." He moved his arms 'Good, my body is almost back to normal.' He got up on his hands and knees and started to wobbly crawl away. Shadow watched him and put the things back into the first aid kit 'What am I…?' He stopped and put it all on the side "Sonic! Wait!" He exclaimed in a whisper crawling away and leaving the box behind.
The little journey in the ducts was tranquil, and Shadow got time to think 'Why?' He was trying to sort out why he felt scared when the blue hedgehog nearly died in front of him. His heart skipped a beat as his forehead hit something spiny; he instinctively threw his head back and hit the ceiling. The black hedgehog let out a low grunt and massaged the two hurting spots "Sonic, why the hell you stopped?"
Shadow looked forward; Sonic had stopped as he came across a junction. The blue hedgehog looked left then right "This way!" He whispered as he took the right path. The other hedgehog followed him "How do you know that this is the right path?" "The air is blowing from this way." It was a simple answer that gave Shadow the answer to one of his questions 'Sonic has a lot of tricks and know a lot of things, but he never show them until the right time comes. That's why he always surprises me.' He stopped and sat kneeled on the metal surface; he already saw this scene, with someone slowly crawl forwards. It was so familiar.
Sonic, sensing that Shadow had stopped, turned and neared his companion "What's up?" He asked raising an eyebrow. The black hedgehog snapped back to reality, ending the moment "I'm not sure… It was like I already lived the previous moment." "That was a deja-vu. Sometimes it happens. Nobody knows why they come or the meaning of such experiences." He explained resuming his advance. Shadow looked down at his hands 'No Sonic, I know what they feel like, and I am sure that that was not a deja-vu.'
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"General!" A man exclaimed opening the door of the office. The general looked up from the paper that he was reading "Have you found them?" "They are in the ducts of the D section on the fifth floor. And they are directed to the main fans. From there they could easily make their way to the service elevator." The man at the desk nodded "Use smoke bombs to drive them out. Open the walls if necessary, but I want them back at all cost. Do you understand?" "Yes sir!"
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Sonic looked out of the duct through the little splits of the grate; he could see a group of men talking between them "This is the plan. Ready men?" One of them asked. The others nodded and the group departed. The blue hedgehog's eyes narrowed and a low grunt escaped from his throat; it was loud enough to alert his companion that there was an incoming trouble "Sonic, what's up?" "They have something in mind…" He whispered back "And I bet that they know that we are in here."
They continued down the duct until Sonic stopped; he could see smoke coming their way "Shadow, we have a problem…" From his position Shadow couldn't see anything so he was going to ask what was happening when the problem showed itself "Smoke?" He asked "Yeah cough we have to plan something else. The ducts are no more safe." "We can backtrack to the last grate, it's only few feet away."
The white light of the neon lamps coldly illuminated the metal corridor; it was heavily shielded by a foot of thick smoke that danced near the ceiling. There was nobody there to see that a metal grate was kicked away from its place by a black furred foot with such force that it went sailing on the other wall. Luckily for them.
Shadow jumped down from the duct, coughing and crying from the smoke's effect; he wiped the tears from his eyes and turned around as he felt the other hedgehog grunt when he landed. He could clearly see the efforts that Sonic was doing to suppress the pain and to not become a burden. For a strange reason he felt concerned towards his ex enemy, and he couldn't understand why.
Now he had again total control of his body, the effects of that hellish experience dissipated ten minutes after that, but now he was dealing with something almost unbearable; it was something like searing pain, but more intense and localized. The blue hedgehog made a few unsteady steep; every little movement giving off pain. He almost fell on the ground a few times before he grabbed something; or better, something grabbed his arms and he instinctively grabbed it for support.
Shadow looked at Sonic; his body was badly beaten and low on energies, not to mention that it was deprived of a good quantity of blood, but it seemed that his mind was denying all the pain and tiredness "Sonic, how can you do this?" The blue hedgehog looked up and put a puzzled expression on his face "Do what?" "Walk, Sonic. How can you walk with those wounds on your legs?" Sonic chuckled softly "Willpower, Shadow. It a simple fact of willpower." Shadow let his arms go "Ok, but don't fall behind." He said walking away.
Shadow led the way, scanning the area for enemies; he looked back to make sure that the other hedgehog was behind him and not behind the previous corner. Sonic smiled; it was a sign that everything was ok and that nobody was following them. The black hedgehog stopped at a corner and peeked in the other corridor; he mentally sighed and leaned back on the wall 'Five robots and five humans. I can handle them but…' He was cut off by Sonic, who tapped him on his right shoulder "What?" He asked turning to face him and something else. It was one of those Golden Flying Beetles used for spying or scouting the surroundings; and now it had found them.
Shadow destroyed the robot with a well placed kick on the underside; the sentry sailed to the ceiling, then hit the floor hard making a loud clattering noise and alarming the nearby party. The black hedgehog looked around frantically for a way to escape. His eyes widened as a nearby door opened and a man in white coat walked out; he hastily grabbed Sonic's wrist and kicked the man on his belly. The scientist flew into the room accompanied by the two hedgehogs as the door closed immediately afterwards, saving them from an incoming battle.
The two leaned their ears on the metal door and listened "They fled before we got the change to even see them." One of the men said "Find them! Use the sedative guns to recapture them. I want them back alive!" The voice sounded like it was given off by a radio or something similar, and it was angry "Yes sir!" After some bustling noises the same man spoke again "Very well, men! Have you heard the boss? He wants them back alive, so we have to use only the sedative guns. But beware! Sonic may look weak and injured, but when put under pressure he can be really dangerous." "Yes sir." The others responded departing.
Sonic sighed with relief as he walked away from the door and sat on a chair "Hey Faker, why they are more frightened by you than by me?" He looked up to see Shadow walk to him with eyes half closed; they where expressing total confusion "I'm the 'secret weapon'. Not you." The blue hedgehog chuckled softly "Who knows." The black hedgehog raised an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest "Do I have to believe you?" "Believe what you want, Faker."
Shadow turned to face the door as a group of men passed talking about something 'There's something mysterious in him.' He turned his head a little; Sonic had his eyes closed and a peaceful expression on his face, like he had total control over the situation "How can you be so calm?" "Being nervous in these type of situations will only make it worse." He responded keeping his eyes closed and smiling slightly. The black hedgehog's eyes turned back to the door "Maybe it's more than something." He whispered to himself.
Sonic opened his right eye "What's up?" He asked hearing that the black hedgehog was mumbling something to himself. Shadow shook his head and carelessly waved a hand "Nothing at all." Sonic smiled again opening his other eye "Don't lie to me, Shadow. I can understand you better than I can with Tails." The blue hedgehog shifted in the chair "It's strange, but for me you are like an open book."
It was the second time that day that Shadow was speechless 'Sonic, you are not a simple guy that loves adventures.' He sighed and looked around the room, in hope to find something which could change the subject of the speech between them; the last sentence of Sonic made him feel quite uneasy 'How can he understand me so well after only two, maybe three days of friendship?' He stopped dead in his track, pondering at the last word that had formed in his mind.
Shadow smiled for a fraction of a second before frowning; that was something impossible. How could he, the 'bad-guy-who-tried-to-blow-up-the-world', have possibly made friendship with the same person that used to be his enemy? Nobody could possibly have done that. Beside Sonic was being nice just because he was the good guy, right? He knew that he secretly respected the blue hero, but… He mentally sighed and looked around; he had to distract his mind from those thoughts or he would get crazy before he could find an answer for his questions.
The room was a lab with a lot of machines used for test on materials; he knew it because he remembered to see very similar ones in a lab on the ARK. In a corner he saw two plastic bags containing what they were searching for "Hey Sonic! I don't know if it was luck or something else, but we found our shoes and gloves." He said walking over the bag; he grabbed the one containing his things and used his little claws to tear it apart. Sonic turned his head and smiled "I think that was my ability to be on the right spot at the right moment that led us here." He paused, thinking about something "Or it was 'to be on the wrong spot at the wrong moment'?"
The black hedgehog put his shoes back on and instantly remembered Eggman telling him his past experiences with the blue hedgehog; he chuckled amused and opened the second bag. He had found the answer to why Eggman hated so much his blue enemy and why Sonic was always in the right place to meddle in his plans or simply discover what was going to happen "I think that depend on which side a person is." Sonic gave a confused look "What I mean is that for Eggman it would be the second option," He walked to him and handed him his shoes and gloves "and for the rest of the world it would be the first."
Sonic put his shoes on, shrugged and looked up; the smoke in there wasn't so thick "I was talking looking from my point of view. Sometimes it come in handy, but sometime I get into big troubles and end up risking my life more than one time at a day." He said mindlessly putting his gloves up "Oh…" Was the response that he heard. He continued staring at the smoke floating near the ceiling and nearly dozed off. He shook his head and looked at Shadow, who had finished to put back on his gloves "Have any idea?" He asked stretching a little and grimacing for the pain in his legs; they were improving, but it was too slowly. The black hedgehog hummed and looked around 'We can't pass through the air ducts again and I'm not sure if Sonic can fight properly with those wounds.'
Shadow sighed; they were basically stuck in there without a way out. He looked up through the thin layer of smoke and saw the mouth of a rain fire extinguisher 'I don't think that will be of any help, the robots are waterproofed. Still it could give us some advantages, we're more used to strange weathers than humans, and robots, do.' He looked at Sonic "You up for a fight in the rain?" He asked; Sonic shook his head "I really don't know. I may be able to walk and fight, but don't ask me to run at top speed right now." Shadow nodded "Fine by me. If we have to run I'll just give you a lift. Ok?" "Ok."
The black hedgehog took a chair and sat in front of a computer "What are you doing?" Sonic asked nearing him with his seat "I'm going to hack in there and restart the fire alarm program; they were deactivated to prevent them to go off because of the smoke." "You're a hacker?!" "A little…"
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Chaos stopped as the loudspeaker grated again "Attention to all personal; the self-destruct sequence is initiated. Forty minutes until end countdown. Evacuate immediately. Repeat…" He left the thing babble the same line and walked away; he had to leave the base before the self-destruction.
Before he could make the second pass his element started pouring down on him; he looked up and saw that the water was leaking from a strange thing on the ceiling. After studying it for some seconds he looked down; now the floor had a thin layer of water. Whoever had done this, was not his enemy; he knew that they knew that he was in the base and that giving him such a tactical advantage was a suicide. His thought went back to the two fugitives; they said that one of them was blue, so they probably meant that same blue hedgehog that had stopped him.
But where he could be? He had no link with him like the one he had with the chao. He could scan the now inch deep water for disturbance, but the radius would be limited to only a corridor length and maybe some more of the branching off ones. Instead he decided for a more direct search with his eyes and 'ears'; the previous idea would only waste his energies.
He traveled along the maze of corridors, avoiding detection by just melting into the water. Yes, he could have fought his way, but that would waste his energy, even if he had the aid of a Chaos Emerald. He found a corridor without robots or humans and reformed his body; the sensation had returned. It wasn't like the mad hunger of the now dead beings; it was a controlled draining. He decided to follow the trace and discover who was doing this.
Chaos reached a cross intersection; he could hear battling noises came from the corridor at his right. He put his head out of the corner to see what was going on and had to retract it to avoid a flying robot that went skidding on the inch deep water floor; it broke on impact. The beast peered again, and there he was; the blue hedgehog was fighting alongside another hedgehog. And surely, the draining feeling was coming from one of them.
The unknown hedgehog was flung to his way; he landed on his feet and skidded a few feet before returning into the battle. Chaos got a good look before the hedgehog disappeared in the artificial rain; he was a black hedgehog with red strip across his head and limbs, and looked a lot like the blue one. That hedgehog also reminded him of the life forms in that room; maybe it was him who drained from the emerald.
The water being watched the black and red hedgehog fight; he not only was looking like the blue one, but he also had the same techniques, the same fight movements and the same speed. Chaos pondered what to do as the last robot fell to the ground; he was going to decide his move when the ceiling gave in and blocked the way to the hedgehogs. It would be easy to just melt into the water and pass under the rubbles, but something hit him in the brain; his only weak spot. For the shock his body fell apart, and when he reformed he saw a group of human point their stupid arms at him.
Chaos stared at the men "Shoot at his brain!" One of them said; Chaos raised a hand and covered his brain from the rain of bullets and waited. When they stopped he launched himself to the attack. It lasted only a few seconds and the humans where all on the floor unconscious. Chaos looked up from the men and faced a dozen of robots; they only lasted a little longer than the human had done. He looked around, then down at the emerald; the sensation was gone. That meant that the two hedgehogs were gone, and he was right at the start point. He looked at the pile of rubbles that was blocking the passage; then again, he looked down at the emerald. Decision made, he melted in the water and passed under the rubbles; he hoped to find the hedgehogs soon or he would lose them for good. He was determined to discover who the black one was.
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Sonic walked beside Shadow; his legs had improved a bit in the fight, but he still couldn't run. He sighed and looked up, shielding his eyes from the water; he was annoyed. Not only he couldn't run, but also lately it seemed that water was pursuing him on purpose. It started with the storm in the forest meanwhile they were fighting the BioLizard; then he teletransported them right next to a fountain and fell into it, and now this. Yes, it was Shadow's idea and he had agreed with it; but he didn't think it would be so annoying. The water had penetrated his fur and the bandages, getting to his wounds; they were itching and hurting at the same time. Not a lovely experience…
The two arrived at another intersection "Which way?" Shadow asked eyeing the three roads; Sonic stepped in the middle of the cross, followed by the other, and looked for something that may tell which way was right "I hate this…" He muttered putting his hands on his hips; he really had no idea where to go. His fur suddenly stood on end as he heard something mechanical start up; it was barely audible through all that water noise. The blue hedgehog faced Shadow, seeing that he too had heard it; Sonic glanced at the left corridor and saw a shielded Hunter appear from behind a corner followed by a squad of humans.
In the little time he had before they started shooting he grabbed Shadow and threw him forwards; the black hedgehog was surprised by the move. He didn't have the time to straighten himself and skidded on the water, getting a mouthful of water; he raised his head and spit the liquid. He rolled on his back as he heard shooting, and saw the blue hedgehog crash on him. The two didn't waste any second and jumped to their feet, running away from the spot "Sonic! Another move like that and I'm going to kill you myself!" Sonic only laughed in response.
"Sonic!" Shadow exclaimed pointing at a huge metal door that was closing in front of them. Sonic shot a grin at his black doppelganger; the ebony hedgehog watched him with a shocked expression. He already saw that grin and he strangely knew what he had in mind "Sonic! W…" He couldn't finish his sentence that the other hedgehog accelerated, taking the lead "Follow me, Shadow! I know the way!"
The two crossed the door when it was in the middle of its track; then Shadow had only to follow Sonic, for he didn't know the way out. They ran, avoiding every robot or human that they encountered; the blue hedgehog even increased his speed as he saw the doors starting to close. The humans wanted to cut off every way of escape; but they were too slow to do that.
Sonic saw the last door at the end of the corridor slowly close and he increased again his speed; his legs started to ache really badly. Now the strain was too much 'Only a little longer…' He let a pained scream leave his throat as he crossed the last few feet and jumped, crossing the door; he rolled on his side on the metal floor for several feet and stopped leaving his back to the now closed entrance.
Shadow managed to cross the door only curling up into a ball; he stopped rolling on the ground and found himself already sat up. He suppressed the urge to just lay down and wait for the world to stop 'Mental note… never do that when tired.' He thought raising; it was the first time that he felt like this after a roll. He looked at his surroundings and silently exulted happily when he saw that they where on the big service elevator, but stopped soon after; that was something unlike him, but again, he kind of liked the sensation. He walked to the controls shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness and took a look. Only six buttons.
The hedgehog sighed and punched the first one. The elevator groaned loudly and started to ascend obliquely, toward the exit; hopefully. Sighing again he let his body and mind relax, and turned as he heard a cough. Sonic was still on the ground were he stopped before; he was slightly curled on his left side and was gently gasping for air. Shadow walked to him and stopped when he raised his left hand and carelessly waved it "I'm fine." He simply said, his hand flopping back and resting on top of his side. The black hedgehog's eyes narrowed at that statement because he knew that the blue hedgehog wasn't fine; he could see that his wounds had started bleeding again, staining the white bandages.
Shadow growled under his breath, wondering why he was so concerned for the other hedgehog and glanced up; the end of the elevator's path was still far away. He looked away when he heard Sonic move; the hero now was sitting up, but was still giving him his back. After a few moments of recollection he tried to stand up, only to give up after three attempts. Shadow walked up to him "Why did you ran like that?" Sonic laid back down and looked up; the black hedgehog was looking at him directly in the eyes "Are you mad?" Shadow's eyes closed halfway in an annoyed mode "I told you that if we needed to run I could carry you. Now I surely have to carry you through all the base." "But you didn't know where to go and if you carried me I wouldn't had enough time to tell you which way to go." "How did you know where to go?" "This base is pretty similar to the one on the island. I remember the track." "Do I really have to believe you?" Sonic just smiled.
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The general looked at the screen of his computer with pure anger in his eyes; a red writing was flashing brightly telling him to evacuate the base in thirty minutes. He tried to erase the command, but the hacker modified the accessing codes needed to do it; he flopped back into the seat and sighed. He had lost another base, but he wasn't going to lose the 'war'.
"General!" A man exclaimed entering in the office; the man at the desk looked up from the screen "Yes?" The man stopped "The fugitives are on the old service elevator to the surface and Chaos is on their trace. It appears that he is interested in them." The general hummed thoughtfully for a few seconds "The old service elevator?" "Yes sir. The one that fell into disuse when the new ones were built. It's very slow so nobody use it anymore." "Then this will give us time to prepare the welcome for the hedgehogs." He chuckled, savoring the opportunity "Evacuate the base and send every remaining robot to the entrance, alongside the last Hot Shot of this base. You have to recapture them before Chaos reaches them. When they are secured take them to the base on Red Island." "Yes Sir." The other responded running away.
The head scientist walked into the room for the second time that day "I just came back from the A1 storage room and look at what I managed to recover." He said handing him a few papers full of diagram "If I am correct, these are the growth diagram of the failed specimens, right?" He said examining them "Yes. When Chaos fused with the emerald, activating it, the specimens started to grow abnormally. Maybe that's why Chaos destroyed everything." The general nodded in agreement.
"What can you save with only twenty-five minutes?" The scientist smiled "The papers and the CDs are all on a folder in my office, and for the files on the main computer… well, I can use the one in my office to send them to the base on Red Island." "Ok, I count on you for that." The scientist nodded and departed.
The general sighed once more; that day had proved to be a real hellish one. He never faced so much problems in only one time; he cursed the hedgehogs for being so stubborn, in particular the blue one, Chaos for his bad timing and the hacker for giving him only half a hour to evacuate the base and save the salvable. He raised from the chair and put the valuable things into his overnight case and left the room; luckily his office and the one of his friend were on the first floor, so they had more time at their disposal.
His thought shifted again to the cursed hedgehog 'Damn you, hedgehog… damn you!'
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Shadow was sitting cross legged with his arms folded on his chest, waiting for the ride to end. He glanced at his double; he was napping on the metal floor without worries. The ride was long and tranquil, and looking at the oblique conduct, it was going to be tranquil for another five minutes. Shadow suppressed a yawn without success "Hmm… What time is it?" Sonic asked waking up; the ebony hedgehog shrugged "Who knows. But you slept only for a few minutes." The blue hedgehog rubbed his eyes a little "And we are still on this thing?" "It appears that the base is deep and the floors are well distant between them, not to mention the slowness of the elevator. The panel tells that we are between the second and third floor." Sonic sat up and turned his head to face Shadow "And nobody attacked us?" The other hedgehog shrugged again, not knowing what to say.
Sonic laid back on the ground "Hey, Shadow!" The black hedgehog looked up from a seemingly interesting spot on the ground "What?" "When this story ends, we're gonna take a great holiday!" His voice was joyful "We?" Sonic rolled on his belly, crossed his arms and put his chin on them "Yes, why?" "Why would you take me, a rival, with you?" Sonic smiled "I don't deny that you are my greatest rival, but you deserve to have a holiday after all this. And I know the best places for that." "And you still want to take me with you?" "Heesh! What's the problem? Are you afraid that I could kill you to be the only supersonic hedgehog around?" "You kill me? Ah! That's something impossible! You're too goodhearted to do that. I, instead, could take advantage of your conditions right now to kill you." "Then do it." Shadow was really shocked; Sonic had said these three very words with such simplicity and carelessness that he told him that he wasn't joking "What?" "If you believe that you can do that, then kill me." The black hedgehog looked at Sonic's confident eyes, then he lowered his head and closed his eyes in defeat "I… I can't." Sonic said nothing, but smiled knowingly "Still… I'm not your friend." He muttered nearly scared "Too late, Shadow. You're already my friend. Whether you like it or not." He said stretching and closing his eyes.
Shadow looked up at him; Sonic was right. And the proof laid on the scare that he took when they were into the ducts "Alright Sonic, I'm looking forward for this vacation." He whispered smiling; he was starting to get fond of him "You will not regret it." Shadow's eyes widened as soon as he heard Sonic talk; the blue hedgehog had picked up his whisper "And we'll finally find out who the best hedgehog is." The black hedgehog smiled; he was feeling happy again. He had found a new friend.
Finally after another five minutes of ride the elevator came to an end and Sonic stood up "Are you sure you can walk on your own?" "Yeah, my legs recovered well from the precedent strain." He answered walking to the door "See?" Shadow walked beside him "Just don't strain up again like before." "Are you preoccupied for me?" Shadow grumbled under his breath "C'mon, Shadow. Tell me! Are you preoccupied for me?" "Shut up!" Sonic laughed a bit at the ebony hedgehog's rambling words. The other mumbled something and punched a button; the door opened slowly revealing nothing more than an empty floor. The water had stopped pouring down and little grates on the side of the corridors quickly drained the leftover that was on the floor. They stepped into it "Sonic, this is too strange. I thought that at this point they would attack…" Sonic was deep in thoughts "Then we have to not let our guard down. I saw the eyes of that man… he want us, and he will do everything that's in his power to accomplish this task."
They crossed the first floor of the base without encountering robots or humans, and finally reached the only exit. Sonic stopped; his eyes narrowing to almost a slit "This is it…" He turned "Are you ready to face an entire army?" Shadow looked back at him, not sure if he could do something like that. Yes, he could take care of almost everything, but an entire army was something too big even for him; he opened his mouth and closed it as the blue hedgehog made his famous grin "Shadow, if you follow me, then I will make sure that you'll get out of here safe and sound."
The ebony hedgehog looked at the far away open door; there was no light coming through it, so it meant that it was night "Sonic, you surely know that an entire army is too much even for the two of us… but still… I will follow you. I want to know if you are right or not." He said slowly walking away. Sonic walked beside him "You know, this could be also our end… there are many risk… we could lose our life, or worse… lose our freedom." "Why are you so attached to freedom?" "Because it's my true nature. If I didn't love it so much then I never would have started fighting Eggman, and I never would be who I am." He paused a little, seeing that they were near the opening "But again, it was my very choice to do it… I could have left the entire story to the government."
Shadow glanced at him with his eye "So in the end, it's always freedom to you, right?" "Yes Shadow, my life is based on freedom. I choose to fight not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because it's my choice. I fight… for life… for freedom… and for myself." "Then if you lose here, you will lose your very essence." "Then I have one more reason to not lose."
The two hedgehogs stepped out in the open field, watching as hundreds of Hunters raised their stun guns at them, and half of them were equipped with the shield. A Hot Shot landed in front of the robots "Surrender and we will not harm you." The pilot said somewhat scared to face the two hedgehogs. Sonic lowered his head and folded his arms, snickering; but he stopped soon and raised his head towards the mech, putting his most feared grin. A combination of confidence, resolution and knowledge "Make me."
Shadow never saw that grin on the other hedgehog's face, but he had the sensation to know what it meant; he was also shocked to seed that the big mech backed off "C-capture them!" The pilot commanded retreating to a safe distance; he had seen the eyes of the blue hedgehog and was scared to see what was going to happen to him. Everyone knew to not piss him off for he could get really dangerous; not even Eggman dared to do it personally. The mad scientist knew by a past experience what Sonic could do when angry and under pressure.
Sonic briefly glanced around, then he returned it to the robots "Shadow, can you see the hangar that's to the left of us?" He whispered not taking away his eyes from the mob of Hunters. The black hedgehog occasionally glanced at his left and nodded "Yeah." "Get ready to fight through the robots, I'm sure that they have a plane or something similar in there."
The robots started to advance, closing the space between them and the targets; when they were a few yards from them, ready to capture the two fugitives, and Sonic and Shadow ready for running, the base exploded. Every plan that was put on the ground by the two sides was ruined, and the two hedgehogs found themselves flying away, alongside the robots.
When Shadow felt again the ground, he opened his eyes, surveying the surroundings. A big hole was now claiming the space where the base was; bright yellow flames were sprouting from the metal rubbles and black smoke was raising to the starred sky. The heat was almost unbearable 'I forgot about the self-destruction that I had initiated…'
The black hedgehog sat up, looking out for his friend. He found something blue amongst the fallen robots "Sonic?" He called hoping that the blue hedgehog was still alive. Seeing that he didn't move he began to somewhat panic and rapidly walked over to him.
Sonic was laying on his side; back facing the crumpled base. Shadow kneeled at his side and lightly shook him; to his relief the blue hedgehog muttered something about a truck and lazily opened his eyes "Sonic, are you ok?" The ebony hedgehog asked checking his friend for injuries; he found none besides the ones covered by the bandages "Sort of…" He responded sitting up and massaging his back. Shadow stood up and looked around "I think that the Goddess of Fortune love us." "Yeah. In my life I discovered that fortune and supersonic hedgehogs go on really well with each other."
Shadow narrowed his eyes as he felt that something was missing "Shadow, what's up?" Sonic asked raising to his feet "I don't know… I feel that something is missing…" He said still looking around; the blue hedgehog did the same. The only things that they could see were robots and big pieces from the base everywhere; it was a miracle that nothing hit the two. Then, in sudden realization, Shadow spoke "Where's the Hot Shot?"
Sonic's eyes widened when he heard a cracking noise "RUN!" He yelled before the Hot Shot shoot out of the debris and a good chunk of the robots reactivated. The two hedgehogs ran towards the remaining hangar and locked themselves into it "Sonic! You know that this will only give us a bunch of seconds before the robots burst into there, right?" "I know Shadow, that's why we're gonna use this to escape from here!" Sonic exclaimed pointing a fighter plane with two seats. Shadow looked at the monstrosity then to Sonic, who was climbing in the front seat "Sonic…?" He asked uncertain if he should follow him. The blue hedgehog looked back at him and grinned "Don't worry! I'm not good like Tails, but I can fly these things." He said securing the belts and turning the engine on "Now, climb in there." He finished pointing the seat behind his.
Shadow looked at the plane, unsure if the blue hedgehog could actually fly something like that, but after hearing the bangs on the hangar's door he quickly accomplished the request; he secured himself with the belts like Sonic had done and watched the glass hatch close upon them "Sonic, how do you plan to get out of here?" He asked seeing that there was no exit. Sonic looked at the stick and smirked upon seeing the red, inviting button. The plane was already facing the door so the blue hedgehog had only to wait the right opportunity; when the door burst open he trigged the button and the fighter started shooting; every mech on the plane's range was brutally destroyed by the bullets "Serves you right!" He exclaimed taking the plane out into open field.
Shadow had to slightly stretch his body to look out of the glass; he saw other robots rounding the corner "Sonic! The robots!" He urgently said. The other hedgehog looked briefly at the enemies and muttering something under his breath he pulled the lever to its full extent. The plane shoot forwards, barely missing the enemy's fire, and after a few hundred yards the monstrosity raised into the night sky.
"Out off all things, I never would have expected you to be able to fly such a plane, Sonic." Shadow said laying back in the seat; Sonic chuckled "Living alone makes you learn many things even if you don't want to." "You lived alone?" "Yes, for almost two years." "Sonic, living alone only two years…" He stopped as he heard a sniffle come from the blue hedgehog "Sonic?" "Shadow, you asked me many time who I am, right? Now you will receive that answer." The black hedgehog perked up in his seat "Then tell me, Sonic. Who are you?" Finally he was getting that answer; finally he would know why he looked so alike him and why he possessed every move and ability that he had.
The occasion was ruined as a blip came from the console in front of Sonic "What's up?" He asked worriedly; he didn't know how a fighter worked, so he didn't liked the steady blip "Get ready, Shadow. We have company." "How many?" "Ten of them…" The other responded flatly. Sonic looked at a little screen where the enemy formation was showed. Another blip resounded in the air as the computer picked up the enemy lock on "So they want to fight, uh? Very well…" The blue hedgehog murmured annoyed. He pulled the lever to himself and the plane shoot upwards.
The plane completed a loop and the two hedgehogs got a good look of the enemy "Blue Eagles." Shadow murmured seeing the dark blue fighters "Blue Eagles?" "Yes, they are smaller fighters and don't need a pilot because they are AI controlled." Sonic smirked "Then this will be their downfall!" He pushed the button on the stick and the plane started to fire; the robots scattered but two were hit and exploded into mid air 'Two down, eight to go.'
The plane turned to the left, following two robots, and after some second of pursuing he shoot them down. Seeing that he was looked on Sonic made a sharp turn and avoided the enemy's fire; he circled them and when he was on their tail he shoot again. One of them was fully hit and plummeted to the ground; the other was hit only on the wing, making it unable to turn, thus making it unable to avoid a nearby cliff "Four to go!" The blue hero exclaimed looking for the other robots; he saw two of them to his right. They were coming directly towards them; and he decided something that would be dangerous but would also give him a good chance to hit them. He turned the plane towards them and started shooting. One of them was hit and got out of control; the robot touched the other and made it go upward. The first smashed to the ground and the second hit another robot, causing an explosion in the air. Now only one remained.
The computer told Sonic that the enemy was aiming at them from behind "Oh holy shit!" He exclaimed as the Blue Eagle's AI launched two missiles at them. His eyes widened and he felt cold sweat run down his back; he quickly pulled the lever to the left, making the plane roll two times on its axis. Shadow screamed in surprise and dug his feet on the internal sides of the plane meanwhile he grabbed the sides of the seat with his hands "SONIC! NEXT TIME WARN ME!" He yelled to the other hedgehog "Sorry bud!" He quickly apologized.
The blue hedgehog saw the missiles turn around and come directly towards them "Shadow! Prepare for the worst!" He said pulling a little lever on his console; it was marked black and yellow, and under it there was the red writing 'Eject'. The glass dome was blew away and the two were shoot upwards; soon after the plane exploded as it came in contact with the two missiles.
Shadow stifled a scream as he started to descend towards the ground; he guessed that the fall would be a few miles long and that the landing would be rather painful, if not deathly, but he was relieved when something stopped his free fall. He looked up to see a red parachute; he sighed and let his body relax meanwhile the light wind carried him to the east "Shadow! How is it?" He heard a faint voice call over the night silence. He looked at his left and saw Sonic "Fine, I guess! You?" He called back "Nothing that a good rest can recover!" The blue hedgehog answered laughing a little.
The black hedgehog landed pretty well, but the parachute covered him "Hey! Where's the exit?" He started to move under it, but tripped and fell on his belly "Argh!" Shadow rolled on his back, making the situation worse than before. He stopped struggling as he heard a muffled laugh "Shut up!" He exclaimed as he recognized the owner; he took some deep breath and tried again to free himself. He was relived when his right hand felt the cold night air; he also felt Sonic's hands that were trying to enlarge the hole.
The hole got big enough to let Shadow put his head out of the hellish bundle; he sighed relieved and looked at the blue hedgehog. Sonic saw the expression that his double had on his face and had to try hard to not explode with laughters. The black hedgehog watched as his friend forced himself to stay silent with little success; that was a very uncommon sight for him.
A few moments passed in total silence, then the two started snickering; Sonic cleared his throat and managed to somewhat stop, but another look at the bundled hedgehog made the things worse, and soon he was laughing out loud. Shadow followed the blue hedgehog when he saw him collapse on the ground clutching his stomach.
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Knuckles peeked out of the manhole keeping the lid as low as possible; he saw the train station right in front of him "Is the way clear?" His companion asked looking at him; he looked around for a few seconds then looked at the white bat "Yeah, but I don't know if there are hidden agents." "Shall we take the risk?" "I don't know. We could ride the train back to Station Square, then take the one for the ruins; but it'll be risky." He paused sighing "But again it's the fastest way."
Rouge thought about it for a few moments; then an idea struck her mind "Say, Knuckles. Are you famous?" She asked. The red echidna was taken aback by that question "Well, I don't know for sure. But many people know me to be the Guardian of the Master Emerald."
The bat nodded "We can use this to our advantage. They can't attack us meanwhile we're in public or else everyone will know that something big is up." She explained. The Guardian looked at her and smiled "Good idea, but we have to keep our guard up. Who know what they'll try." He said lifting the heavy lid that was blocking the way.
Knuckles sat in the train next to Rouge, so far they didn't encountered nobody hostile; and he didn't felt observed or followed "Say, Rouge. What's exactly in there?" He asked pointing the folder in Rouge lap. She opened it and started shifting sheets upon sheets until she found some tied together. She lifted the first blank page and read the second "It's some sort of report that Gerald made upon a failed project." She said. Knuckles leaned over to read it as she shifted to the third page.
ULF-Project
Current subject species: LizardStatus:
Suspended
The embryo of the lizard is responding badly
to the exposure of the Chaos Energy. It grew too much and I had to put it in
stasis before it could destroy the entire ARK in its quest for other Chaos
Energy.
ULF-Project
Current subjects species: Hedgehog
Status: Active
I finally understood why the lizard responded so
badly at the exposure. Now the two new specimens are responding very well to
the different exposures.
ULF-Project
Current subjects species: Hedgehog
Status: Active
After four
years of continuous exposures I tried to shift place of the two specimens. I
never should have done that. Energy readings went crazy and every machine in
the lab exploded. The two specimens entered in a deep coma for four months. However,
now the two subjects have balanced energy. I never would have imagined that I
could create such powerful creatures.
ULF-Project
Current subjects species: Hedgehog
Status: Active
S-01 is badly
eyeing the BioLizard in its stasis tube. Every time that he goes near it he fold
his ears and growls. I think that he see it like a danger. S-02 just gets nervous
and covers behind S-01 or flees.
ULF-Project
Current subjects species: Hedgehog
Status: Deleted
S-01 died
in an incident. I will not create another specimen. S-02 will do fine for my
goal. For many reasons I had to totally change the projects' names. Now this
will be called Project Shadow; from the name of the S-02 specimen.
The train stopped at Station Square's station. Rouge closed the folder and looked at Knuckles "Do you think what I'm thinking?" "Yes, Rouge." He said looking at her; after a brief moment of stare they nodded and stood up.
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It's incredible. More I go and more I write.
Anyway liked the chapter?
I'm sure that you want know how this will evolve. But
I'm gonna say only this.
Wait for the ninth chapter:
'Make Thy Path Through Deep Dangers'
Az