((AN: You know what sucks? Having a massive fire in your home. You know what sucks even more? Losing both your computer and your backup drive due to said massive fire. You know what sucks even more than that? Having your cloud storage data corrupted and losing everything, including multiple novel length first drafts. You know what sucks the most? Not knowing about any of those things because you were in the hospital for smoke inhalation.
It's been a rough time. I'm rewriting the last third of this story (as well as my other stories) from scratch, as well as doing extra side jobs to help pay medical bills and repair costs for my home, so please bear with me while updates are being really slow.))
The helicopter lasted a little over two hours before it started going down. The sensors in the craft were strange - nothing lit up or beeped. Were he not paying attention, he may have wondered how that was; if the collective force were all just one giant mind, somebody had to know If he had been even a little more distracted, he wouldn't have noticed how it was drifting downward. Luckily for him, he was all too keen on completely focusing on the task at hand.
Sometimes he got like this when dealing with an especially stressful situation – on a more optimistic day, he might call it getting in the "zone," but today, he knew that it was more about not wanting to think about…well, anything. If he wasn't 100% on this task, then he'd think about Knuckles and the others. And if he thought about Knuckles and the others, he'd think about his own role in their loss. And if he thought about his own role in their loss, he'd get caught in a spiral of thoughts, wanting to know how to make it not happen, even though the enemy was constantly shifting and changing strategy, every day growing smarter, wider spread, bearing more faces of people he used to know….
In the end, he lead the helicopter to a "gentle" crash.
After gathering supplies from the wreckage, he ran off to put some distance between himself and the beacon of smoke. He was determined to move the rest of the way on foot, moving in zig zags and covering his tracks as he went in case he was being followed. A nagging voice at the back of his head kept warning him, even when he willed it to stop - what if there were a backup tracker, what if anyone saw him flying and sent The Taken after him, what if he got to Shadow and it was just a trap, what if-
And then he realized that kind of thinking was useless and kept moving forward.
It was strange. Normally, he didn't get stuck in his own head like this. In fact, his friends would laugh at him for having a one track mind and almost overly positive attitude. Nothing made sense, though, and sometimes the only refuge he could get was in his own head. He kept reminding himself to stop, to take deep breaths, and to focus on what he was doing. After all, there was only limited time before he'd need to meet up with Shadow.
The good news was, he knew he was near the Mystic Ruins. The swampland threatened to suck up his socks and shoes with every step, and the air was filled with the fog of waterfalls. He began to cough, covering his mouth with his arm to muffle the sound, but he didn't mind the thick humidity too much. The dusk's colors, beautiful even as a normal sunset, waved in the haze of the swamp, spinning in the air and pulsing like paint in water. There was a strange beauty to it, one that he'd never been able to find anywhere else. He told himself that if - no, when - the world was right again, he'd have to come back and watch it. He could come out here with a tent, look at the sunset, sleep, then watch the sunrise. This was another place he could really spend time with Shadow, showing him about the strange beauty of the world he seemed so apt to avoid….
Stop.
The bad news was, their first stronghold (and every one after that) was chosen specifically because it was hard to find, even if you were specifically looking for it. In this case, it was cloaked behind rushing water, which was in abundance here - there were waterfalls everywhere, every single nook and cranny. And by his count, he had about three hours to find this place before the sun set and he'd have to wander in the dark. Or conversely, somehow make a torch (that could probably barely light with all the moisture in the air) that would lead his enemies right to him.
Not to mention the thought of drowning while looking for it freaked him the hell out.
As he moved through the swampland, each step making a sucking sound as he pulled his feet out from the mud, he tried remembering as much as he could about where this place was. If he was asked about the inside of it, there would be no problem - he could probably even sketch it out, if asked. He hadn't been allowed to leave, really, and he was constantly bored, so he knew every nook and cranny from exploration. The only times he'd seen the outside were when he'd gone there the first time and when he had to leave it behind. The memory twinged with a fear that was now ever-present, but at the time was still fresh and new. They didn't understand their enemy; just the loud clattering of the break in, and the racing heart rates as they fled for their minds. It was a bittersweet place to return to. The first few weeks after the outbreak, Shadow, Eggman, Tails, Rouge, and he just traveled and camped by themselves, picking up "strays" and combining with other groups as they moved. They eventually had enough people for a small village, with jobs and tasks and, to Sonic's annoyance, rules.
Still, despite everything, he was glad for a place where they could still be themselves. It was why the group that eventually formed called themselves The Individuals; because while they had to work together, what made them special and ever more unique was the fact that each member was independent. They had their own thoughts, goals, ambitions, and priorities. It was chaotic, but it was human, and they had no intention of losing their humanity like so many others.
Sonic closed his eyes for a moment. How could they have known back then that, out of all of Eggman's schemes, this was the only one they couldn't easily fight? Every other seemed as easy as beating a robot down, destroying a computer, going Super and taking out some monster looking thing. But this? Where they knew their enemies were just people at the wrong place at the wrong time? It was much harder. Even from the first group, Rouge was gone. Eggman was MIA. Tails was starting to feel the effects of being closed off and isolated for months at a time. And Shadow… Shadow was always in danger. The whole world was against them, and if they didn't do something soon, the whole world would win.
Sonic could feel something stir in him, and he had a strange idea. Normal means of finding the guy wasn't going to get him anywhere. When he had found Shadow on Angel Island, it was just It was a lot harder to do without the Master, or even a normal Chaos Emerald, but if he could tap into the Chaos, even now….
He sat down, trying to cross his legs and meditate like he'd seen Knuckles do a few times. His hands still stung like hell from repelling, even though he managed to bandage them with a med kit from the copter before he headed out. He'd lost his other glove in the process - it had been too stained with blood for use anymore, and besides, it looked funny on him anyway. The stinging of his pain and the bizarre, foreign feeling of crusted bandages on bare hands was distracting, and that was all it took for him to lose his concentration. He groaned, loudly, and he could hear it echo through the fog and the trees.
Breath.
He closed his eyes again, trying to move away from the pain.
Inhale.
Exhale.
He could almost feel his heart beating in his chest, and he tried to reach out. It almost felt like he did at Angel Island, but it was a vague haze. It reminded him of a time he tried on someone else's glasses, then tried to see far away. He felt like he was being watched, but tried to ignore it. It was irrational. It had to be.
Inhale.
Exhale.
He almost could make out a shape. Not seeing, really, but feeling. Spines splayed out from its head, and power came off of it in waves.
Inhale.
He reached out to it. His entire body light up like touching a live wire.
"You look like a fool doing that."
Sonic shot open his eyes and looked up, beckoned by that deep, familiar voice, and he resisted the urge to jump up and hug him. Shadow! Completely okay, and right here!
Instead, he replied, "Aren't you the one who's always telling me I should be better at this Chaos stuff?"
Shadow huffed, but had a small smile on his face. "I'm not talking about you being completely inept at something as basic as finding the most powerful Chaos user in the world when he's literally five feet away from you. I'm talking about the fact that your body seems to be sinking in mud, and you're not even bothering to move."
Sonic's eyes darted down. It was true - the entire outsides of his legs, shoes, and socks were buried in swamp sludge. "Oh, man," he said, trying to stand up and failing. "Did I seriously just sit in quicksand?"
Shadow offered his hand, and Sonic took it. It felt warm… comforting. "No. But honestly, how did you expect to find me in the Chaos of Mystic Ruins, of all places, when you can't be aware enough of your surroundings to avoid sitting in sticking tar?"
Sonic got pulled out of the sinking mud, and he couldn't suppress the urge to hug the other one anymore. His arms wrapped around his torso, and after a beat, Shadow returned with his own grip. "I missed you," Sonic said, the humor gone from his voice.
"You say that every time we're apart."
"Because I always mean it."
He trailed his fingers through the other's spines and smiled. It had been a while since he and Shadow were close like this. He felt the other's heat against his, his real, physical heartbeat against his chest, and sighed in contentment. For a moment, all the tension and the anxiety faded away. He was here. Shadow was here. They were both safe and together at last.
When they broke apart, he remembered why they were there. "I thought I was supposed to meet you at night. You said the new moon, right?"
Shadow's face darkened, even more than it usually was. "There's been a change of plans. Angel Island has been compromised." He scowled at this, and Sonic could see his fist clench tightly. "The Master is likely taken, and Knuckles as well. We need to move quickly."
Sonic flinched at the mention, trying to suppress it as much as possible but failing. "Yeah… I was there," he said, shifting in his steps. The mud on his legs started to dry, making him feel even more stiff than he already was.
"On Angel Island? Why would you be there?"
"Knuckles found me when I was on my first Scout mission. He didn't know what was going on at all. He didn't know about The Taken-"
"The Taken? I thought we were calling them The Hivemind. Or The Brainwashed."
"Not important right now, Shadow. Point is, he didn't know, and they could have come at any time. I tried to tell him what was going on, and he needed me to help him with something, but they followed me there. If I hadn't come… they might not have found it." And Knuckles would probably still be okay, he finished in his head, before squashing the thought down.
Shadow stopped, adjusting his gloves on his hands. "The echidna. He was still himself?"
"Yeah. He was looking for clues, and I was looking for you."
Shadow crossed his arms. "And why would you be looking for me? You're a Scout now, right? You shouldn't have been seeking out another Scout."
"Are you serious? You sent me a message! I thought you'd be happy to see me."
Shadow deflated a little, and suddenly, he looked exhausted. "It's not that I'm not happy to see you. And I'm glad you got my message. I wasn't sure you would, but I had to try."
"They sent me to look for you. The doctor, and the others. They saw your sketches."
"Right. We need to hurry, especially now that we have less time. Chaos Emeralds are hard to find these days, but I should have known you'd have one. And now," he said, pulling out an emerald of his own from his spines, "we can fix this whole mess."
Sonic tilted his head. The emerald glinted red, flickering like a candle. "Fix it? What are you talking about?"
Shadow looked at him like he was being particularly stupid . "With the Chaos Emerald. The one you talked to me with. The one you got my message through."
Sonic's stomach sank, and he looked at his mud covered legs in embarrassment. He wanted to go back in the mud and sink again, never coming out this time. "I can't."
"What do you mean, you can't?"
"I…" he said quietly, rubbing his fingers hands together. "I don't have one. I'm sorry."
Shadow gaped at him for a second. After a time, he replied with an eerily flat, calm tone of voice. "What do you mean you don't have one? You said you got my message."
"Yeah, but not from a Chaos Emerald! I got it from the Master!"
"The Master? What do you mean you got it from the Master. The only way you could have done that is if you-" He stopped, His eyes shooting open, then faded with disappointment. "Right. On Angel Island. You were there. You saw it fall."
Sonic didn't know what to do, so he reached out and touched Shadow's shoulder. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."
The dark hedgehog turned from him and cursed, grimacing, before speeding away. Sonic darted out to him, trying desperately to close the gap. "Where are you going?"
"We have to get to the cave, and then we need to find a Chaos Emerald."
"Why do we need a Chaos Emerald? Not that I mind getting one, but-"
"I promise I'll explain everything, but we don't have time now. You need to come to the cave with me."
"I thought we weren't going to the cave after all."
"I mean, we're not going to the cave after dark. They would know to find us there. But I need your help."
"What is it?"
Shadow sighed and shook his head. "I have Doctor Eggman tied up there, and I can't carry him away by myself. If we're going to get out of this mess, we'll need to do it with his help."