Author's Note: Thank you all for your praise (and haze) in your reviews. I really appreciate it. I apologize for how long it's been since I last updated anything. Honestly, this chapter has been waiting on my computer for some time now, and I had forgotten to upload it. (-.-;)Here you go, my fans. Chapter three.
Chapter 3: Shadow's new home
Shadow, please, do it for me...
Shadow's head filled with pain, thoughts, and a few painful thoughts. But the one thought that stayed glued to his memory was Maria's last words.
And all the people on that planet...
He couldn't move. He could barely breathe. The pain throughout his body immobilized him in every place.
Give them a chance... to be happy...
Shadow waited a few more minutes for the pain to stop. After what seemed like a half hour later, Shadow felt he could finally move his arms & legs. He slowly and carefully lifted himself up to his feet. He stopped and looked around. He could tell he definitely wasn't at the ARK anymore.
His surroundings, while they were new to him, felt oddly familiar. From as far as he could see, he could see nothing but curved, yellow fields that spread left and right of him. Behind him there was a flat, blue surface that seemed to go on forever until it turned into the orange sky.
Shadow's brain spun. Could this possibly be what Maria had told him about?
Earth... So many people... so bright... so natural...
"Are you okay?"
He spun around, his thoughts scrambling. Behind him was a small, young girl with short, black hair. Her sorrowful expression reminded Shadow of Maria. "Mister? You okay?" she said again. "You look confused."
Shadow hesitated. "Do you know where I am?" he finally said.
The girl looked more confused than him. "Umm, this is Emerald Coast." She said. "It's a beach... in Station Square."
Beach... coast... Station Square...
"Umm, thank you." He finally said. "I'll go now." Shadow began walking to the sidewalk that was a ways away.
"Mommy! Mommy!" he heard the little girl shout.
"Hi, Julie," he heard another voice say. "Who was the friend you were talking to? He looked a lot like Sonic the Hedgehog."
Shadow continued walking until he finally got to the city. Shadow looked up and around at the extremely tall structures that loomed over him. The area was filled with bustling activity. Metal contraptions spewing smoke rushed past him, people in crowds moved as a whole, and the commotions and sounds and honks and revs felt inescapable.
As he walked around, he noticed that as he walked, more and more attention was drawn to him. A space formed around him, and more and more eyes closed in on him. People murmured things under their breath.
Shadow's eyes darted across the people. There was a man dressed in blue, a woman dressed in red, two children in white, and a tall, burly man dressed entirely black. He seemed to be talking into his collar.
Shadow walked faster, keeping his eyes on the man in black. The man seemed startled, and began to change the direction he was walking in. He was now following Shadow.
Shadow started to walk faster. He felt more nervous than before. The man said more things into his collar. His sunglasses (which seemed odd, considering thesidewalks and streetswere covered by the shadows of the tall buildings) hid his dark brown eyes and partially covered his thick, brown eyebrows, both revealing his frustration.
There was no mistaking it. Shadow was being followed.
Shadow's casual walk immediately turned into a mad dash through the crowd. The man in the black suit began a sprint towards Shadow. "Alpha leader to base," he said aloud. His voicematched his muscles. "Suspect is attempting an escape route headed in your direction. Engaging intercept plan C."
Shadow ran off the sidewalk and onto the street. Tires of stopping cars screech to an abrupt stop. The man chasing him stopped. Shadow dodged every car that came in his direction, whether he was jumping, rolling, or running. After finally reaching the sidewalk on the other side, he looked back at the strange, suited man. The man gave a look that appeared to be a combination of anger and confusion. After catching his breath, Shadow gave the same look back.
Men in black suits... avoid... traffic... avoid... humans... avoid... humans... avoid... humans... avoi-
"Sonic the Hedgehog, please come with me."
Shadow spun around, startled. Another man in a black suit sporting dark sunglasses was standing near him. He looked like the other man, but taller, and less muscular.
"Umm..." Shadow said, not knowing what to think about his situation. Had they really wanted him, they would've probably captured or killed him by now. "Why do you want me?" he finally asked.
The man seemed more confused than Shadow. "...You're not Sonic, are you?"
"Sonic? Who is Sonic? And why do I keep hearing about him?"
The man searched his pockets, pulled out a photograph, and showed it in front of Shadow. The person in the photo slightly resembled him. The hedgehog had Shadow's size and shape, but was completely blue, rather than black and red. In the bottom-right corner of the photo was what Shadow figured was Sonic's signature.
"This,"the man's voice was more friendly,"is Sonic the Hedgehog."
"Okay, well, if I am this 'Sonic,' what would you want with me?"
The man gestured him to follow. He started walking away. Shadow hesitated, wondering whether or not this man can be trusted. Finally, he hurried after him. "Seriously, who are you, and why do you want me?"
"My name is Smith." He said. Shadow knew he was lying. "I work at the FBI, and we have a certain mission for..." he glanced at Shadow, "Sonic."
"So, is Sonic part of the 'FBI,' too?"
"Kind of. We've asked him to do numerous things in the past. Have you ever heard of him? If it weren't for him, the Earth would probably be engulfed by water. Everyone would be dead"
For all the people... on that planet...
Shadow shook his head to get rid of his painful memories of Maria, but Maria's dying words were imprinted on the back of his mind.Smith said more, but Shadow stopped listening. One question answered, a million more raced through his complex, yet confused mind.
Why were the red lights and sirens wailing on the ARK when he woke? What had happened to Professor Gerald Robotnik? What is this "Earth?" And how will he get back? Would he want to get back? Was the ARK still intact?
While these questions echoed in his mind, more questions were heard even louder. What about Maria? Is she still alive? Is she still on the ARK? Has she, too, landed on Earth? And her last words? Bring hope to humanity? Was she talking about Earth? And how would he do that? Shadow stopped walking, almost ignoring Smith, and closed his eyes. Then all his thoughts vanished, almost instantly.
Shadow, please, do it for me, and all the people on that planet...
Give them a chance to be happy...
"Shadow?" Smith asked. "Shadow, are you coming?"
Shadow opened his eyes, rather annoyed. "Yes," he said. "Sorry, I was caught up in my... thoughts..."
Smith eyed him with suspicion. "Oookay, well, anyway, the industry I mentioned is up ahead."
A tall, grey building with countless windows towered ahead a few blocks ahead of them. As they entered the sliding glass doors, Shadow noticed how generic the building felt. The people dressed in black suits, like Smith's, walked around with shades and suitcase, even though they were indoors. They were hiding something, but what it was baffled Shadow.
Smith led Shadow into an elevator that contained few buttons. The only accessible floors were floors one through ten, but when shadow saw the building from the outside it looked like it had at least twenty. But the only thing more suspicious than the buttons was the large, silver plate on the wall below the buttons.
Smith pressed his right hand against the plate. The plate emanated an odd, orange color as the door to the elevator closed. The elevator, without any notice, plunged deep below the building in a huge, roaring descent. The lights in the elevator flickered occasionally, and the elevator shook rapidly. Shadow held onto the convenient handrails on the sides of the walls to keep from smacking into the ceiling. He glanced quickly at Smith every now and then, surprised at the fact that Smith seemed unaffected by the drop.
"This elevator drops very quickly," said Smith. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Shadow closed his eyes and remembered how quickly his escape capsule shot toward Earth. The elevator quickly reminded him of it. Everything turned white, then black. Shadow couldn't see anything at all. All the sounds of the roaring elevator seeped out his mind until he couldn't hear them at all. He blacked out.
"Shadow? Are you all right, Shadow?" he heard a new voice ask him.
Shadow was on his back, although his eyes were still closed. He twitched occasionally. "Maria..." he muttered. "Don't let me go..."
Someone shook him. "Shadow, wake up," said Smith. "We're off the elevator now."
Shadow finally opened his eyes. Smith and a strange-looking man in a white lab coat were leaning over him. "Wha... what happened?" Shadow asked.
"You lost consciousness a few minutes ago," replied Smith. "Don't worry about it - happens to all first-timers." Shadow gave him a life-threatening glare.
Shadow sat up and looked around. It was a large room, filled with many tables with computers, test tubes, and scraps of metal. It slightly resembled Gerald Robotnik's lab, except this was well-lighted. More weird men with goggles and lab coats were roaming around.
"You took a mighty nasty bump there, Shadow," said the man next to him. Shadow was startled and spun toward him. "Oh, allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Nuclear. I am the head scientist here at HQ."
Shadow looked around again. "Where is this?" he asked.
"This is our top-secret laboratory in the lowest level of HQ," answered Prof. Nuclear, with a grin across his face. "Welcome to your new home, Shadow."