Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in during this revelation… especially for the one with two fathers.
~保護者~
"Genetics"
~保護者~
Tails took a minute to just listen to everyone in his home as they talked and interacted. A small smile played at his lips when he turned his attention to Sonic in particular. The hedgehog was almost sagging in his seat, one arm wrapped around Amy while he spoke on his communicator. It was hard to hear the other end of the call over the other voices in the room, but Tails could hear enough to know that Sonic was talking to Shadow.
It was hard to say which brother had called first (they could both be so amazingly stubborn), but if Tails had to hazard a guess he knew he'd bet his money on Sonic. Still, despite not having been the one to reach out, it sounded like Shadow really was doing his best to reassure his brother that he was truly okay. That only made Tails smile more. He's a great sibling when he wants to be… and when he doesn't feel like being a brat just to annoy Sonic.
Shaking his head in amusement, Tails turned his attention back to the table he was sitting at. The device they had been working on prior to the fight was set aside for now, replaced by a separate one. This, too, had all the appearances of being some sort of hi-tech tablet, but it was so much more than that. Can't wait to try this thing out. He glanced over at Wave, who looked like she might have been mentally arguing with Jet. Today didn't feel like a good day to die, but he interrupted her anyway. "Hey, Wave, mind helping us out with a bit of magic?"
Blinking, Wave returned from her mind and walked over. "What's up?"
"The corruption scanner," Tails began, "in this device is also needed in this one. Think you can do that little magic trick and essentially copy it?"
That made her laugh. "Okay, first of all, it's not a trick, Shorty. And second of all, that was a massive oversimplification. But since magic isn't your thing, I'll let it slide." Tails grinned at her. Wave did what he asked in no time flat. "There you go. I took the liberty of finishing the first one, too, so you guys can get a visual aid in finishing the second one. Since we know now that I don't need to be saving my energy for Kaden right now 'just in case' like I was before."
"That's great, thank you." While she walked away, Tails switched his attention to Wery. "Looks like we were actually really close to getting it fully and properly done, huh? I'd say that deserves a treat, like… I dunno, a cookie or something."
Wery chuckled faintly, smiling in his direction. "It seems like it. I'm hoping that it goes how we're wanting it to, but all things considered this is a fairly extensive project. I'd be surprised if there weren't any bugs."
"I think we're good," Tails answered happily. "I really do. It looks great."
She nodded in response. "I'm excited to try it out. I never really thought I'd be in a situation like this, but here I am now."
"Why don't we try it out now?" Tails suddenly asked her. "Nearly everyone is already here. We'll have plenty of scans to check out."
Wery's eyes shone with excitement. "Let's do it!"
Tails grinned again and called out, "Hey, Silver, come here for a sec!" The hedgehog was there in a flash, mouth open and ready to ask a question, but Tails spoke first. "Hey, we're gonna scan you real quick. Hold still."
Golden eyes blinked, then Silver shrugged. "Okay, sure. What's this scan gonna see?
"We're hoping it'll display a person's powers, mental and physical health, and potential weaknesses among other things," Wery explained.
"And since I already know exactly what your powers are, it'll be a good way for us to test if that function at least is working properly," Tails answered. "And we have a good idea about your health and general and biology, too, so if we see any weirdness we'll know it's the scanner and not you."
Silver nodded eagerly. "I'm sold, this sounds awesome. Scan away!"
Once the scan was complete, Wery smiled brightly. "Data's coming up." The tablet screen began to display information, and it seemed to give them everything they'd need.
Race: Tokarian (silver and blue)
Portion of the brain responsible for auditory processing larger than in most species, allowing for acute hearing.
Advanced hearing.
Body built for speed.
Age: 22
Powers: -Psychokinesis
-Flight
-Super Hearing
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 2%
Level of Corruption: 0%
The brown fox looked over this data and turned the screen to Tails. "This all seem right to you?"
Tails tapped the screen once to expand the list of powers, then nodded with a smile. "Yep, all accurate!"
Silver leaned over to look. "Dude, that's cool." He paused, reading, then asked, "Wait, Tokarian… what's that mean again?"
Though he wracked his brain, Tails couldn't remember where they'd learned about this, but he soon explained, "No idea anymore who taught us this, but Tokarians are the non-Mobian hedgehog race. They originated outside, in deep space somewhere. So, your family is Tokarian but, for example, Amy's is just hedgehog."
"O-o-oh. Got it."
Wery blinked a few times before nodding. "I'll accept that for now and question someone intently later," she said, simply turning the tablet back around. "Well… I guess now the question is, who's next?"
In answer, Tails gave her shoulder a playful nudge. "I dunno, who are you curious about? Pick anyone."
The female fox looked around before her attention fell on Wave. "Hey, uh, Wave? Would you mind letting us scan you as well?" she called gently.
"Sure, I'm game." The swallow walked over and took up the free chair beside her. "No need to be so shy about it, by the way. I don't mind."
"I'm just not used to talking to so many new people," Wery admitted with a chuckle before shifting and scanning Wave as well.
Race: Babylonian Swallow (magenta) / Hexan (tan)
High levels of magic detected. - Hexan.
No heart detected, core of aura energy in its place. Likely functions in a similar manner to a normal heart. - Babylonian
Advanced sight. - Babylonian / Hexan
Body built for strength.
[Further specifics unknown, data on Hexans needed]
Age: 19
Powers: -Arcane magic (unknown variety, possibly Hexan in origin)
-Hexan Magic
-Aura
-Flight
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 56% (slowly decreasing)
Level of Corruption: 0%
Initially, the high number for Wave's stress level alarmed Wery, but seeing that it was read to be decreasing calmed her immensely. Then, her attention fell on the two magic powers. "I… I'm not going to try and understand these. There's no chance of me getting it right now."
Wave tossed her an easy smile. "Don't worry about it too much. It's not a big deal."
As Silver walked away, Tails spoke up. "Wow. I didn't know magic literally coursed through you like blood. That's… incredible. Look, Wery, it follows a really similar path to her blood and aura energy, right alongside her veins."
"You're right," Wery remarked, eyes wide. "That's insane."
Now curious, Wave looked over. "Huh. I didn't know it did that."
Tails shook his head. "It's incredible, like I said. But I'm more concerned about your stress levels here. Maybe you should go see Jet or your dad for a while to help you relax?"
The swallow sighed. "Yeah, I guess I should. I've bugged my dad plenty today, though. I'll go get Jet and bring him back here at some point for you two." She vanished before either fox could reply.
Wery blinked a few times before simply nodding. "Well then."
"Eh, you get used to it. She's just like that." Tails saved the data to the profile they'd made for Wave. "Alright, next up, I guess. Blaze, would you mind?"
Seeing as how Silver was already dragging her over to see the "freaking epic" scanner the pair were using, the cat smiled and said, "Alright. I may not hear the end of it if I do not."
"Aw, come on, you make it sound like I'm forcing you," Silver pouted.
"Not at all," was the easy reply. "I only meant that you have a tendency to excitedly chatter about things until I agree to experience them for myself. But no more pouting, I am not saying that I mind." The pair shared a smile, then Blaze looked at Wery. "I am ready whenever you are." Wery nodded with a smile and performed the scan.
Race: Cat (purple and white)
Body built for speed and agility.
Age: 23
Powers: -Fire (Light detected within)
-Shadows
-Agility
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 5%
Level of Corruption: 0%
"Wait… Shadows?" Wery questioned softly. "Does that mean you can control like, actual shadows and stuff?"
"It is a form of Darkness," Blaze answered gently. "Essentially, it is a weaker form of it, one that is less dangerous and far less volatile."
"You guys make less and less sense every day with these powers," Wery grumbled, sighing. "Well, either way… everything looks good."
Tails nodded with a smile. "Thanks, Blaze." The cat nodded and walked away with her husband. While they did that, Tails turned to Wery. "Alright, curious about anyone else?"
"Uh… what about that bat lady? Rouge?" she questioned, not exactly sure as to whether she'd gotten the name right.
With another smile, Tails said, "Yep, she's Rouge. I think she's in the guest room, so I'll go get her. Be right back."
"In the meantime, I guess I'll scan Steam," she answered, already moving off toward the green hedgehog in question.
Steam smiled as she approached. "Say no more, go ahead." She nodded and did so with little hesitation.
Race: [Unknown] (green) / Demon (breed unknown) / Dragon (breed unknown) / Babylonian Owl (breed unknown)
Missing race data similar to Hedgehog/Tokarian races.
Body built for strength, agility, and speed - [Unknown]
Unusual levels of endurance detected - Dragon
Predisposition for aggression and negative emotion - Demon
Disorder detected: autism.
Age: 25
Powers: -Dragonfire
-Hardening
-Magic [Origin unknown]
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 76% [Minor fluctuations detected] [Action may be needed.]
Level of Corruption: 12% [Demonic heritage detected]
Upon seeing this information displayed, Wery's eye twitched. "A- what?" she questioned, a touch harsher than intended. "What is this? What are you? Dragon?"
Steam chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. I'll just go ahead and say my mom was the oddball of the family. You can blame her for getting wrapped up with a demonic dragon."
Wery put her face in one of her hands, groaning. "You have managed to be the most confusing so far." She turned her attention to the data once more, frowning in thought.
It was about that time that Tails approached with Rouge in tow. Seeing her expression, the pair traded a look and Tails ventured to ask, "Uh, Wery? Something wrong?"
"Just… take a look at this," Wery said, handing him the tablet. "I have never heard of something this ridiculously insane."
For a moment, Tails just stared at the first line, muttering a small, "What in the…?" as he did so. After a few seconds, he gave Steam a bewildered look. "Dare I even ask?"
"I said it once, and I'll say it again. My mom is the oddball. I just got stuck with it," Steam explained, thoroughly amused.
"Right… ...Okay, I won't question you further, promise," Tails sighed, shaking his head in some form of dismay. "Thanks for the cooperation, though."
Wery glanced back at the tablet before frowning once more in thorough concern. "Your stress levels are really high, though. Everything alright?"
Steam shrugged. "Got a lot on my mind. Trying to make sure things go well so that we can make it out of this in good health and not just surviving."
Tails looked over at him. "I get that. Really, I do. But we want to see you healthy, too. And hey… if you need some space or to sleep, you're welcome to go to my room for a while. I've got a spare mattress and things in there, and plenty of stuff to tinker with just to keep hands busy. I know that sort of thing helps me, personally."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Steam answered. "I'll definitely take you up on that once I've got some time. Having said that… I should probably go speak to a few people. I'll see you guys around."
Once he was gone, Rouge finally decided to speak up. "So, I'm guessing I'm here for a scan, too?"
Wery nodded. "It just gives us information on you and the powers you've got so we all know."
"Alright," the older woman agreed easily. "Go for it, sweetie." The female fox blinked once at the nickname before moving on and performing the scan.
Race: Bat (white)
Wings on back for flight that are small but highly efficient.
Strong hearing.
Body built for flexibility, flight, and an unusual degree of physical strength.
Age: 26
Powers: -Flight
-Invisibility
-Strength
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 0%
Level of Corruption: 0%
"Looks good," Tails said once the scan was done. "Nothing worrying or abnormal."
Wery nodded. "Thank you, Rouge," she said kindly, appreciative of the normality of this scan.
Rouge offered a small wave and walked off, idly telling Sonic as she passed him, "I'm nominating you to go next."
The hedgehog blinked and turned his head to face her. "Wait, what?"
Deciding to just go with it, Tails called over, "C'mere for a sec. We're gonna scan you."
"Uh… okay." Still looking confused, Sonic stood up off the couch and walked over. Amy left off her conversation with Blaze to follow him.
"Just to explain, it gives us some good information about you. Stand still and it'll be over quickly," Wery said simply, smiling.
Now understanding, Sonic was quick to agree. "Okay. Go for it. Ames, you cool with this?"
"Of course," Amy answered. "I don't mind. You go first, though. You were nominated, after all."
Rather than wait for Sonic to do anything, Wery quickly performed the scan on him.
Race: Tokarian (blue)
Portion of the brain responsible for auditory processing larger than in most species, allowing for acute hearing.
Advanced Hearing.
Advanced night vision.
High levels of both Light and Darkness in the body.
Body built for speed and strength.
Depressive and anxious tendencies detected.
Age: 21
Powers: -Speed
-Dragonfire
-"Magic of Lost Souls"
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 36% [levels rapidly decreasing]
Level of Corruption: 0%
Wery stared at the powers for a few moments before looking up at him. "...What? What is 'Magic of Lost Souls'?"
"Erm… Sonic?" Tails asked. "Care to explain?"
Sonic's ears lowered slightly as grappled with the task of explaining his dad's unique magic to her. "Um… well, to start with… how well do you know ancient history…?"
"Nevermind," Wery answered. "I do not want to get tangled up in trying to remember that on top of all this other unusual oddity." As she finished her sentence, Tails scanned Amy.
Race: Hedgehog (pink)
Body built for an unusual degree of physical strength and durability.
Age: 23
Powers: -Psychic [power underdeveloped]
-Strength
-Healing
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 8%
Level of Corruption: 0%
"All good here," he said once it was finished. "Thanks, you two."
"So, who else is there here?" Wery asked Tails.
"Armaris and Espio are outside," Sonic pointed out. "You might be able to convince them to cooperate." With that said, he walked off to reclaim his seat on the couch with Amy.
Wery nodded slowly, then glanced to Tails. "Could you… uh… please do most of the talking? Armaris scares me."
Tails let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Sure. No problem." He led the way outside with Wery and the device in tow. Spying the cat in question, along with Espio, sitting under a tree while Zei and Sako played, he tentatively asked, "Hey, would you guys mind if we did scans on you?"
Armaris raised an eyebrow. "Scans?" she questioned, seeming entirely not sold on this idea. "The hell does that mean?"
Since she'd indicated not wanting to talk, Tails went through the explanation once again in her stead. Once he was done with the whole spiel, he asked, "So, is that okay with you guys?"
The cat snorted, laying back down. "I'd rather not," she muttered.
Before Tails could even have a chance to be worried about how this might go, Espio unexpectedly nudged Armaris's thigh with one of his boots. "You do not need to be so obstinate."
She huffed at Espio. "I prefer my privacy," she answered, nudging his leg with a hand.
"The information will not spread to anyone who does not need to see," Espio correctly assumed with a huff. "It will be fine."
Armaris seemed to ruminate over this before groaning. "Fine, but if I don't have to stand, I'd prefer to not."
"Laying down or sitting is fine," Tails assured. He motioned for Wery to hurry up and do it while they had permission.
Race: Demon (breed unknown) / Cat (black)
Predisposition for Depression.
Body built for agility and flexibility.
Age: 19
Powers: -Hair Manipulation
-Darkness
-Wind
-"Darkness Magic" [Developing rapidly]
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 40% [Fluctuations detected. Emotions are highly unstable.]
Level of Corruption: 50% [High levels of fluctuation detected due to demonic heritage.]
Tails looked over the information quickly, but he opted not to make any comments this time. All he said was a quick and respectful, "Okay, Armaris, thank you." She grumbled some sort of reply in response and resumed relaxing.
Wery was quick to turn to Espio. "And it's fine if I scan you too, right?"
The chameleon offered a vague nod. "Yes," was all he said. Wery nodded and did so quickly.
Race: Chameleon (magenta and purple) / [Unknown]
More than half chameleon.
Uniquely adapted lungs for breath-holding and muscles for swimming, indicative of semi-aquatic lifestyle. - Chameleon
Semi-prehensile tail, adapted for grasping branches for the sake of hanging. - Chameleon
Advanced night vision. - Chameleon / [Unknown]
Body built for speed, strength, agility, and acrobatics. - Chameleon
Evidence of unknown acute respiratory distress disorder. Data indicates both similarities to and differences from asthma. Data indicates regenerative power currently mitigating effects of disorder. Risk of serious attacks remains present. Preventative action recommended.
Various disorders detected, including autism, anxiety, and mutism. [Expand for further details.]
[Unknown energy courses through body at irregular intervals, coinciding with peaks of negative emotions and Darkness]
Age: 21
Powers: -Polymorphism
-Darkness
-Phasing [power is semi-dormant]
-Bone Creation/Manipulation
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: [Unable to obtain reading]
Level of Corruption: 0% [Evidence of past corruptions detected]
Wery was… very obviously caught off guard, quick to hand off the tablet to Tails and back away out of mild fright. "Alright then," she said in a much higher pitched tone than usual.
It took Tails a moment to see what had freaked her out, and when he did his eyebrows shot up. "...Well then. Didn't know you had a power like that."
Espio quickly deduced what they were talking about and offered a one-shouldered shrug. "Nor did I, until the last decade or so."
Things were quiet for a second while Tails thought that over and then read the rest of the data more thoroughly. "Hm… says here that your respiratory disorder isn't quite as eradicated as we'd been hoping, unfortunately… despite the regeneration helping your body heal from stuff usually."
Armaris glanced over, a faint frown on her face. "Has it caused you issues lately, Espio?" she questioned softly.
He shook his head. "No. It has not."
"The scan says that serious attacks are the main risk. So you're in the clear from minor attacks and equally minor triggers. That's good, at least. But… you know, your serious attacks have always been really serious. We're going to have to track down your inhalers again, just in case. Your main ones have been broken in recent fights, right?" Espio only nodded. "Right. I'll find the spares we usually keep around here, then."
Wery tilted her head, then glanced up at Espio. Momentarily trying to forget her growing fright in the face of the chameleon, she asked, "You're… really strong, right?"
Her question made him blink and Espio looked at her. "...I suppose," he eventually conceded.
"Well… uh," Wery murmured. "If there's ever anything you need made, just say so and I can try to help."
It did take a moment, but Espio soon managed to pick up on the fact that she was trying to be friendly. He thought it best to return the favor. "Alright," he agreed mildly.
Now that she'd given her effort, she backed away once more, turning to Tails for advice on what to do now. However, she thought briefly and looked back at Espio. "Can… we uh… scan your children too? Just so we know if anything serious is happening…" After this point, she trailed off into a jumbled mess of words that grew more incoherent as it went on. Tails blinked. This idea hadn't actually crossed his mind.
Espio hesitated, unsure and uncomfortable with the idea. His instincts weren't particularly in an uproar over the matter, though, so eventually he was able to relax for the most part. "...Just do not touch them," he mumbled.
She nodded rapidly before scanning them both. Sako was done first.
Race: Chameleon (magenta and purple) / [Unknown]
Predominantly chameleon.
Uniquely adapted lungs for breath-holding and muscles for swimming, indicative of semi-aquatic lifestyle. - Chameleon
Semi-prehensile tail, adapted for grasping branches for the sake of hanging. - Chameleon
Advanced night vision. - Chameleon / [Unknown]
Body built for speed, strength, agility, and acrobatics. -Chameleon
Age: 2 months
Powers: -Camouflage [still developing due to young age]
-Phasing [still developing due to young age]
-Speed [still developing due to young age]
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 0%
Level of Corruption: 0%
Once that scan was done, she scanned Zei… which was a bit more difficult to do since she was running around. Espio wound up having to distract her briefly so she would stay still for a couple seconds.
Race: Chameleon (magenta and purple) / [Unknown]
Predominantly chameleon.
Uniquely adapted lungs for breath-holding and muscles for swimming, indicative of semi-aquatic lifestyle. - Chameleon
Semi-prehensile tail, adapted for grasping branches for the sake of hanging. - Chameleon
Advanced night vision. - Chameleon / [Unknown]
Body built for speed, strength, agility, and acrobatics. -Chameleon
Age: 5 [this is the beginning of the toddler years for a chameleon]
Powers: -Strength [still developing due to young age]
-Camouflage [still developing due to young age]
-Speed [still developing due to young age]
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 0% [Noted to raise when more than a few feet of distance separates her from her father]
Level of Corruption: 0%
"Everything looks to be… more or less normal. Nothing out of the ordinary," Wery commented softly.
"Yep," Tails agreed, now smiling again. Then an idea hit. "Oh, hey, think your parents would be willing to do this, too? It could be useful. Plus, I just gave them both communicators the other day, so this'll also be a good way for them to practice messaging."
Though he shrugged, Espio went ahead and sent them both a message, anyway. Mere seconds later, Shei simply appeared without having bothered to message back. It took a few more for Aniko to appear, still idly messing with the communicator on her wrist. "This feels immensely wrong. I do not particularly enjoy wearing it."
"You will get used to it," Espio told her simply, settling back against the tree and closing his eyes.
Once again, Tails went through the explanations required and then asked, "Would you two be willing to let us scan you?"
Espio cracked an eye back open in time to see what Shei signed in reply, then translated quietly, "Father says he agrees."
Wery nodded gently, despite seeming very intimidated and surprised by them suddenly appearing. "Yep."
Aniko raised an eyebrow at Wery apparently knowing sign language, then glanced to Tails. "I don't necessarily trust this. A way to communicate from afar is one thing, but scanning us is another."
Her son interjected again. "It is another means of coordinating with one another," he told her. "We cannot effectively cooperate without knowing who is capable of what. Keeping an eye on health issues and corruption is also highly valuable during these times."
The woman clicked her tongue in agitation. "Fine, but if I am made aware of any inappropriate information, I'll have your heads," she warned, narrowing her eyes. Wery yelped, practically attempting to hide behind Tails.
"Mother…" Espio sighed, exasperated in his own quiet way, but he didn't bother to say anything else.
Shei motioned for Wery and Tails to not mind her and to just proceed. Gently taking the decice from Wery, Tails went ahead and scanned him first.
Race: Chameleon (purple) / [Unknown]
Uniquely adapted lungs for breath-holding and muscles for swimming, indicative of semi-aquatic lifestyle. - Chameleon
Semi-prehensile tail, adapted for grasping branches for the sake of hanging. - Chameleon
Advanced night vision. - Chameleon
Body built for speed, climbing, flexibility, and acrobatics.
Subject was born mute.
[Unknown energy courses through body at irregular intervals, coinciding with peaks of negative emotions and Darkness]
Age: 25
Powers: -Phasing
-Poisons (wide variety detected)
-Darkness
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 0%
Level of Corruption: 11% [Emotions and behavior unusually stable. Corruption not demonic in nature.]
Wery poked her head over Tails's shoulder and blinked a few times. "Poisons?" she questioned, purely confused.
"Think of actual poison, the stuff that kills you," Aniko said simply. "He can produce it from his body. I'd recommend not touching him."
Definitely not. Wery thought to herself.
Espio huffed again and clarified, "It is predominantly produced through his hands, which are always covered. If you happen to, say, bump into his shoulder, you will be unharmed. Do not worry yourself over it."
Wery blinked a few times before simply nodding. "Okay." Tails went ahead and scanned Aniko, just to get it done and over with.
Race: Chameleon (magenta)
Uniquely adapted lungs for breath-holding and muscles for swimming, indicative of semi-aquatic lifestyle.
Semi-prehensile tail, adapted for grasping branches for the sake of hanging.
Advanced night vision.
Body built for strength, climbing, flexibility, and acrobatics.
Age: 27
Powers: -Darkness
-Strength
-Adoptive Muscle Memory
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 54% [Fluctuations detected.]
Level of Corruption: 0%
Since there was nothing unusual or concerning, Tails didn't comment on Aniko's. He doubted she would appreciate a discussion, truthfully. "Oh, by the way, you know how we thought that Espio's respiratory disorder was taken care of because of the regeneration?" he asked her instead. "According to his scan, that's not the case. He's still at risk of severe attacks when he's exposed to too many of the right kinds of stressors."
Aniko thought about this, frowning faintly. "That's concerning, to say the least."
"He does still have inhalers in this era," Tails assured. "And, actually, we've managed to come up with a medicine that, for the most part, works even better than the stuff he was put on when he was a kid. So, in theory, he should be alright. I just thought you would want to know."
"I'll trust you on that," Aniko answered in a murmur. "Keep me updated."
"Of course," Tails promised. "I will." At that point, he waved a small farewell and guided Wery away… more for her sake than his own. Once they were out of earshot, he stopped walking and got on his communicator. "Hold on… gonna call Shadow. I definitely want an updated scan on him. I try to do scans on him pretty often…" He sent a message and waited.
Wery breathed a sigh of relief. "Remind me to stay away from them if possible. That definitely was terrifying."
Tails chuckled a little. "Yeah… they kinda are. But, don't worry, they won't hurt you. I swear, they won't." His communicator vibrated when he got a reply message. Thanks for texting me back, for once! he internally laughed. And you didn't wait three days or longer to do it, either. Extra points for you.
"I hope so," she murmured, shivering briefly as if to try and shake off the fear.
"Anyway, Shadow's gonna be here in a minute," he told her. "I told him we'd meet in the workshop, since it's more private. You can come with, of course, but if you'd rather go back inside I'd understand."
"I'll go," she answered. "I'd prefer to stick around someone I know."
Another small chuckle escaped him. "Yeah, I get that." He led the way across the grass to the outside entrance into his massive workshop. By the time they'd gone inside, traveled down all the stairs, and made it into the main open space, Shadow was already leaning against a wall waiting for them. Toru, unsurprisingly, was right beside Shadow. Tails greeted them both with a smile and a quick wave. "Hey, guys. Sorry for asking you to come back here so soon. I know you didn't get to be home for very long."
"So, what's the occasion?" Toru questioned gently, an eyebrow raised. "Shadow didn't exactly give me much information."
"You could've told him," Tails huffed at his old friend. Then, to Toru, he said, "We're just scanning people, gathering details on powers, stress levels, and that sort of thing. Shadow's really used to scans by now, so he said he was fine with it. Are you okay with participating, too? We won't even try to make you, I promise. Not that we could, but still."
Toru shrugged. "As long as it doesn't hurt, sure. Not in a mood for pain."
"Scans do not hurt," Shadow told him. "You do not feel them."
"Alright then, go ahead," Toru invited. "I don't really care." Having been given the go-ahead, Tails scanned Toru first.
Race: Chameleon (black [extremely rare coloration, crops up sporadically in families])
Uniquely adapted lungs for breath-holding and muscles for swimming, indicative of semi-aquatic lifestyle. -Chameleon
Semi-prehensile tail, adapted for grasping branches for the sake of hanging.
Advanced night vision. -Chameleon
Body built for speed, strength, agility, and acrobatics. -Chameleon
Age: 24
Powers: -Power Copying [Dragonfire; Unknown power]
-Kinetic Energy Manipulation
-Energy Redirection
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: 18%
Level of Corruption: 0% [Corruption attempted. Unsuccessful.]
Wery took a look at the tablet and deadpanned. "Power… copying?" she muttered, unbelieving.
"Yeah, exactly what it implies. I can touch someone and copy a power of theirs that I know they have," Toru explained easily. "If I copy too many, or a second of a similar kind of power, I have to start getting rid of them."
"And special powers," Tails added, "such as powers that run in families or are a critical part of existence - such as the Light and Darkness we talked about - are ones that can't be copied."
"...Right," Wery said before glancing back at the information. "Hold on, you can manipulate kinetic energy?" she practically demanded. "How?"
Toru shrugged. "I dunno. I just can."
Not missing a beat, Tails simply moved on. "Anyway, your turn, Shadow." He scanned the hedgehog without further ado.
Race: Tokarian (blue) / Black Arms [specifics unknown, further data needed]
Portion of the brain responsible for auditory processing larger than in most species, allowing for acute hearing. - Tokarian
Advanced Hearing. - Tokarian
Advanced night vision. Tokarian / Black Arms
Extreme resistance to a wide variety of poisons and illnesses detected.
Weakness to electricity detected due to high quantity of metal in the body.
Extreme sensitivity to cold liquids on skin noted. Every nerve ending noted to display the same intense reaction.
Past intensive drug use detected [street name: "Zero"]. Various withdrawal symptoms detected, including tremors, mood swings, irrational behavior, and anxiety. [Expand for further details.] Symptoms largely managed via [unknown medicine]. Addiction still present.
-Body built for speed, strength, and sturdiness.
[Multiple unfamiliar organs detected]
[Somewhat unusual organ placement detected]
[Many artificial parts detected]
Age: [Uncertain, but perhaps in early to mid twenties; data on Black Arms aging needed]
Powers: -Darkfire
-Speed
-Shapeshifting
[Expand for further details]
Stress Level: [Currently nonexistent, non-biological parts may be interfering with ability to feel stress]
Level of Corruption: 0% [Evidence of recent purification detected]
"...Shapeshifting?" Wery had to ask, avoiding the various information regarding an entirely new race and the drug use. She did not have the heart to speak of anything like that.
"That's come up before," Tails explained, "but he's never been able to use that power - accidentally or otherwise. So we have no real idea of what he can turn into. Honestly, my best guess is probably various Black Arms." He paused, then added, "Oh, uh, those are… well, aliens. Literally. I don't know how else to explain that."
Toru huffed. "Annoying bastards, at that," the chameleon added.
"That individual," Shadow muttered to Toru, "was not especially irritating compared to some others. Count yourself lucky it was the only one we had to deal with."
Wery frowned. "So… what do we know about them? Anything?"
"Admittedly, not a lot," Tails sighed. "The man who created Shadow was the only Mobian to ever establish any form of contact with that race, and I still have no idea how he accomplished it. They live deep within the blackest recesses of space, from what I can gather, and they're very reclusive overall." He set the device down. "And, what's worse, most of the data that the man - his name was Gerald - gathered was destroyed. Some of it's still around, though, it's just buried within secure databases that G.U.N. has taken to protecting these days. And, well, I'm not the best at hacking." Shadow chose not to make any comments, despite knowing full well that the larger reason at play was his own desire to just not know. But maybe he could stand going against that… just this once.
"Well… I'm not one for criminal activity, but maybe it wouldn't be an… awful idea to try and obtain that information? After all, we're not publicizing it or using it with malicious intent. Could also patch up anything I find so others can't get in," Wery explained, already scrounging around in her belongings for a computer.
Shadow raised an eyebrow. She believes she can hack in? He thought that matter over very briefly before abruptly deciding that he was okay with the idea of her trying. If she managed it, it would be interesting to see how. Already, he was mentally connecting to everything so that he could closely monitor her every action once she got started.
His minute eye movements told Tails what Shadow was up to, and he shrugged to himself. This might be interesting, he decided.
"I mean, what's the harm? We're fighting a war for existence. If they have a problem with it, they can kiss my ass," Toru answered, glancing to Shadow with a slight grin.
That comment caused Shadow to make a slight face. "I could do without the imagery," he commented dryly.
Toru snickered. "I can imagine a reason why."
Wery was off in her own world, already beginning to type on the laptop she'd set up. "If I had my full computer, I'd probably be better off," she said, sighing gently with no realization that she was ignoring everyone. "It shouldn't be that long, I hope." Within minutes of furious typing and waiting, the female suddenly smiled brightly. "I'm in!"
In response, Shadow quirked a brow. Interesting.
Tails immediately peered over Wery's shoulder. He took a moment to look over the fragmented files that they were presented with before excitedly pointing at one. "Hey, look, this one has 'Black Arms' in the title. That's promising."
"I'll go ahead and start downloading them in case their security notices. I don't want to be locked out," she answered, doing so before opening the file Tails pointed out.
Crimson eyes blinked. "The security systems are shut down temporarily. Long enough for you to work."
The female fox immediately turned. "H-how do you know that?"
"I turned them off," was the casual response.
Her eyes widened and she spun around, frightened. How the hell? "Uh, anyway… let's take a look at this."
Once the folder was opened, it became clear that a lot of the data was impossible to read as they were now. "Yeesh… this stuff is a mess," Tails commented, eyes scanning the screen. "There are a few folders in here that look like they might be in-tact, though."
"I'll run this all through some programs on my computer to try and recover what's broken," Wery murmured as she navigated to the few Tails had pointed out.
"With how ancient all of this is, that could take a while," Tails said. "We can work on that a bit later. Here, let's try this folder, see what's in it." He reached over and clicked on the one he was talking about. Once it was open, he started to read what was there. His eyes lit up almost immediately. "What luck!" he breathed. Then, for Toru's benefit, he explained, "These are some notes on biology! There are a bunch of folders within this one, with labels like appendages, organ placement, and so on."
Shadow discreetly navigated in and out of each folder before shaking his head. "All but the last one are useless. The information is too corrupted."
Tails sighed. "Crap. What about the last one, then? Looks like it's title, whatever it was, is pretty corrupted, too."
In reply, Shadow initially just shrugged. Then he said, "I did not read it, but there is some legible data."
Wery went ahead and opened the folder, browsing through it quickly.
The Black Arms are an alien race with an unusual biology. A number of their kind have tentacles, some lack limbs, and many have unusual body shapes. Absolutely none of them have a gender, thus rendering normal reproductive means unusable.
On the topic of reproduction, it seems to me that all of their members are capable of doing so, but they do not reproduce asexually or self-replicate.
My first guess is their blood. Blood usually contains large amounts of DNA that allows me to perform the experiments I am currently attempting. However, their blood is unusual. It allows them to form what is essentially a… hivemind. That alone makes me believe there is more to the situation. Their blood is also highly corrosive and toxic
Returning to the idea of their blood, however, I may have a better guess. Perhaps the introduction of another's blood (maybe even the blood of another race?) alone is how they perform reproduction. However, the attempt of reproduction introduces another problem. How do they grow their spawn?
I am left to assume that their offspring will grow within their body as a way to protect them from the dangerous lives of their race. Laying eggs makes little sense, as it would only lower the chances of their kind actually being capable of raising more spawn. The process is likely extensive as well, lending to the need for said spawn to be grown within their bodies. They likely also possess an organ that would allow seamless transfer of an acceptably grown offspring to simply pass through and out of their body (this may be why they appear so 'fleshy').
They have several other organs that are certainly unusual in placement and use. More research would be needed to even make an inference as to what most of it is.
A final point to be made, as I think of it. The amount of blood needed is likely of decent size. Perhaps a teaspoon to what would be considered a handful. I only believe this due to the potential for a foreign race to be able to have offspring with the Black Arms. If they are incapable, this idea will have to be forgotten.
Wery blinked several times after reading through this, unsure as to what she'd just read. "Does… what? What in the world?" She was confused. Greatly so. Having read the notes himself at the same time, Shadow was scowling in expression of his own confusion and remained silent.
Tails's only comment was a bewildered, "Uhh…?"
"What in the actual fuck are these things?" Toru questioned nobody in particular.
"I… couldn't even begin to tell you," Tails sighed. "Beyond the basics of 'they're aliens' and whatnot, I've got just about as little knowledge as the rest of you."
"Well…" Wery murmured. "We could… try to examine a specimen? Perform some experiments and all?"
That got Tails thinking. He turned to Shadow, who snorted derisively. "Good luck with that," he muttered. "I am not in the mood to try and force any of them to cooperate with you."
"Maybe we don't need to," Tails replied. "Any chance there would be a dead one somewhere?"
"The dead are normally eaten by individuals who can't properly hunt," Shadow answered, still sort of scowling to himself. "It is possible that there will be a few bodies here and there, but it is unlikely."
Wery shrugged. "If we can find out more about them, that could let us figure out more about you," she said in return.
"Would it be a problem if I just went and killed one, then came back?" Toru questioned, glancing at Shadow.
"It will be significantly less problematic to try our hand at finding a corpse," was the unhappy reply. "If you attack a live one, the collective will seek vengeance against you and this world as a whole. We do not need more violence coming here."
"Then let's just go find a dead body," Toru said, completely unaware of how his wording seemed to creep Wery out a little.
Though clearly still very unhappy about this, Shadow didn't argue further. He took out the teleporter he used specifically to go to the home of the Black Arms and activated it without a word. When they all reappeared, Tails was surprised to see that it wasn't just empty space. There was an immense amount of debris, mainly massive fragments of asteroids and broken planetary bodies. And all around them, both within the debris and not, were swarms of pitch black creatures with glowing crimson eyes.
Wery clasped a hand over her mouth and practically clung to Tails out of fear and desperation. She couldn't even bring herself to attempt to scream because she thought she might run out of oxygen due to being in an area that definitely had no atmosphere. It took Tails a second to realize what was wrong with her, but once he did he was quick to explain, "Oh, hey, you can relax. Mobians are one of the lucky groups of beings that virtually always have the passive power needed to breathe in space. I'm almost certain you have it. Just try to breathe."
Ever so slowly, Wery removed her hand from her mouth. Disbelief colored her expression as she started breathing before simply groaning internally. Of course…
Tails looked around a bit once he was sure Wery was, in fact, fine. "Honestly, I did not expect there to be any semblance of a structure here. Much less many. Am I wrong, or have they burrowed into those?"
"They have," Shadow answered. "There are innumerable tunnels, chambers, and so on. There are specific places where the dead are often left, as well. There may be uneaten corpses in one of those rooms." Wery raised a hand to protest, but ultimately realized this was her idea. She hadn't intended to be brought along… but she supposed it couldn't be helped now.
Toru glanced around briefly, arms crossed. "These things weird me out."
Apparently decided to be snarky, Shadow muttered to him, "I would say 'you get used to them,' but…"
"If one of them hits me again, I'll fucking slaughter it," Toru answered, somewhat deciding to ignore what Shadow had said for a moment. "I refuse to try and get used to them after that."
"I would prefer you didn't," Shadow huffed. "I do not need the entire hive biting at the bit to try and kill you in revenge. They would not succeed, but that is not the point."
Toru scoffed. "I still don't take kindly to being hit," he murmured. "Regardless, let's get moving before they eat the dead bodies." In response, Shadow teleported them within the largest of the debris structures, having decided that that might be the best place to look since it had the most occupying Black Arms. Higher population meant more dead individuals, after all. Once they were in the tunnels, he began walking.
Tails began to follow, speaking to Wery as he went. "Hey, I meant to ask, but was there anything else in that folder that could be read? If not, I guess we'll have to spend some time recovering stuff from there, too."
"I don't believe there was," Wery answered. "It seems like most of this being transferred over the years has caused many of the files to become corrupted. It'll probably be a pain to recover it."
He sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that. But… whatever. It's fine. We can work on that another day. No big deal." Turning his attention to Toru, he asked, "Hey, question. How well do you know beings of Darkness as a whole? I asked because obviously I don't know, but also because Shadow and the rest of the group don't know a ton either. Since, you know, lack of means of learning this stuff and all that for many years."
"I mean… depends on what you want to know, I suppose," Toru answered, shrugging. "I'd say I know a decent bit due to being one and all."
"Right. Well, I was just wondering… is all of this… erm, wackiness in terms of biology and all that normal?" Tails inquired, almost exasperated. "Or are these guys even weird by the somewhat unusual standards of beings of Light and Darkness?"
"Define weird," Toru jokingly demanded. "These things are absolutely unusual, if you ask me. I don't get it."
"Huh." Tails was quiet for a moment, thinking, before saying, "I guess that means that asking other beings of Darkness we know won't do any good, then. They'll probably be just as clueless as us. We're better off just learning what we can on our own, I guess."
Wery nodded and grabbed one of her storage devices that she kept on her tool belt and reached inside, pulling out a flashlight in hopes of making it possible for her to see. Several small winged aliens on the walls screeched and scurried away. "I suppose so…" she murmured. Dismay wrote itself on her face as she watched the aliens move out of her line of sight right before realizing that this light didn't really help all that much.
"Do not stray at any point," Shadow warned the three of them as he led the way around a wide turn. "You will not be attacked so long as you remain close."
The female fox nodded and immediately shifted closer toward Shadow, chuckling nervously. "Got it."
A few short minutes later, Shadow motioned for them to stay put and made his way down a sharp incline into a pitch black cavern that expanded beneath the floor. Tails shifted his weight from one foot to another, suddenly feeling exposed and uncomfortable. "This is probably a stupid question because I know you're a shinobi, Toru, but… uh, you have weapons just in case, yeah?"
Toru, as if to make a point, clicked a blade free of its sheath. "Never go without."
"Glad to hear it…" Things were quiet for a moment before Tails asked a new question. "Can you see what in the world he's doing down there? I didn't figure it would take this long for him to find something, since he can just scan the room."
"He's gone too far away for me to see him right now," Toru answered.
Tails had been about to say something again (he did not like things being silent on top of pitch black) when there was a thump and, suddenly, there was a body at his feet. Shadow appeared out of the hole a second or two later. "That was the most intact. Only the legs have been gnawed."
The moment this happened, Wery nearly jumped out of her skin. Her flashlight left her hand and went gliding down the incline Shadow had just returned from. The light shut off and it disappeared into the darkness. "C-can we please leave now?"
Shadow shook his head. "This needs to remain here," he told her, though not unsympathetically. "If it is taken elsewhere and smells too off-putting, it will not be eaten. That is valuable food lost, usually for the young."
Hah… of course… Wery thought to herself before pulling out another device alongside her tablet. "I… suppose I'll just scan it and bring the diagnostics back…" she practically whispered.
"If you don't want to get too close, I can do it," Tails offered quietly. "Believe me, I've seen worse."
"Y-you don't have to," she was quick to assure (not well, however). Wery shifted closer to it and shivered, letting the device float out of her hand and begin doing a deep scan of the corpse. Tails lingered by her side, offering silent support. Once she was done, she grabbed her scanning device and backed away hurriedly. "Alright, I'm done."
At Tails's nod, Shadow idly kicked the body back down the incline and then teleported everyone back to the workshop. Tails breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness…"
Wery quickly tapped away at her tablet, shivering once more as she attempted to relax. "Well… I've got the scans up where we can easily view them at any time from any of our devices."
Tails went ahead and pulled the scans up on a larger screen so that they could all easily see. He smiled at their quality. "These are great scans. That's an impressive amount of detail we have to work with."
The female fox laughed sheepishly. "I'm sure you would've used something of equal or better quality," she replied.
"Mine aren't quite this good," Tails told her. "Yours are definitely better." He abruptly pointed at the image. "Anyway, to start off with, that's clearly a heart. Nothing unusual about it at first glance. Placement is normal, too." Just like that, he and Wery were off in their own world as they discussed the data before them.
Toru turned to Shadow after passing a glance at Wery and Tails. "So… you're actually partially one of those things?" he questioned, realizing afterwards that his sentence was more than poorly worded.
"Half," Shadow grumbled. He tapped a few times on his communicator screen and showed Toru an old picture he had stolen from Gerald's files many years ago. "That is Black Doom. My other 'father'."
The chameleon's eye twitched faintly, as if bothered by seeing this. "At least you've got some manners," he joked, attempting to diffuse his own mild irritation. Where had that come from, to begin with, he had to wonder.
Shadow turned off his communicator screen. "Depending on who you ask."
"I'd venture to say you do." The only reply Toru got was a vague hum. Shadow was distracted by thinking about all the new information he had unexpectedly gotten about his heritage today. Information he did not like. Toru bumped his arm with an elbow. "Oi, let's not think too deeply about that shit right now. Alright?"
Initially, Shadow thought about at least attempting to agree with that. He soon realized something, however. "If that data is accurate - and knowing the man who wrote it, it will be - these are things I need to think about. It is a matter of safety." Granted, he had already known about the toxicity of his blood and all that shit, but the rest of it? Not a clue in hell.
"However," Toru started, setting a hand on Shadow's shoulder gently. "Dwelling on it will get you nowhere. Let's go talk it out at the house while those two lovebirds continue to fail to realize they're borderline perfect for each other."
With a huff that was equal parts tired and amused, Shadow nodded. He was pretty eager to go home, regardless of everything else that was going on. "Fine." He teleported away, reappearing an instant later in the hallway leading to his bedroom.
Toru followed suit, leaning up against the wall with a smile. "So, what's bothering you about it?" the chameleon questioned easily.
More out of an effort to be comfortable than anything else, Shadow crossed his arms. "I don't know," he admitted. "Everything, I suppose." He decided not to bring up the specific part that he kept thinking about, almost as if that would make the matter go away.
"Shadow," Toru murmured. "Come on, talk to me. Don't make me question any harder."
Crimson eyes rolled, but for whatever reason Shadow somewhat gave in. "Talking about that will not make it less… weird."
"Doesn't have to," Toru answered.
Things were quiet as Shadow tried to organize his thoughts. Eventually, he admitted, "The idea of combat now feels… extremely undesirable, knowing that this is a potential risk if I become injured."
"That's reasonable," Toru murmured. Truthfully, that was a good point. All things considered, he wouldn't really like the idea of that either.
On that same note… Shadow suddenly realized he had another concern. However, he wouldn't have even brought it up if not for the fact that they often spent a lot of time together these days, and they were both rather known for enjoying rather dangerous lifestyles… to put it mildly. Scowling a little at the wall decidedly away from where Toru was standing, he added, "This also means you and I need to be careful when doing anything that may cause injury." This was absolutely not a conversation he wanted to be having. This wasn't a conversation he'd ever imagined he would be having. It was better that he wasn't ignorant to the risks anymore, sure, but even so… part of him wished to have never learned about this.
"I know," Toru answered. "And we will be. We just need to be careful about it and move forward together, how we have been." The chameleon smiled. Though the method was unusual, he couldn't shake the idea that doing something like that would be… alright, as long as it was with Shadow. The hedgehog in question merely shrugged. "Regardless… let's not dwell too much on that. We can relax together and still do normal things without any risk."
"I am aware," Shadow answered easily. He hesitated for a short moments before tentatively (in his own way) asking, "This does not… bother you?"
"Not… too much. It's a bit much to wrap my head around all at once, but it doesn't seem to be something I can directly oppose. It's alright by me," Toru murmured.
A bit much to wrap one's mind around, indeed. Shadow agreed with him whole-heartedly about that. But Toru was… alright with it, apparently. Somehow. Alright with it to what extent though? And to what extent was he himself alright with this? He wasn't sure of the answer to either question. For fuck's sake… Fuck you, Gerald.
Toru's gaze fell more fully on Shadow than it had in the past minute or so, an eyebrow raised almost in response to Shadow's thoughts. "What's up? Something in particular on your mind regarding this?"
"Nothing that needs to be talked about," Shadow grumbled unhappily. Could this be any more awkward than it already was? He suspected it absolutely would be if they kept this up. Which was just great.
"I'm being honest with you," Toru said suddenly. "If you decide you want to go down that route, I'll tread it with you. I've got nothing really against the idea, mostly just concern for your own safety."
Shadow resisted the urge to sigh. "If there were any risk to my safety, Tails would have said something by now." He didn't comment on the rest of what Toru had said yet, mostly because he was still thinking about what to say.
"I said it 'cause it matters to me," Toru answered in kind.
With a small nod, Shadow acknowledged Toru's words before giving in and sighing softly. He forced himself to address the other issue at hand finally, and directly. He just hoped they wouldn't stay on the topic too long if things got any more awkward. "Is having children even something you want?" He partly asked just because he was curious… maybe even morbidly so. And, well, he didn't think Toru would react badly enough to the question to make him regret asking.
Toru had to think about this properly for a moment. Truthfully, he was a bit unsure. The thought of being a parent that ended up like his mother scared him greatly, but at the same time… he wasn't sure he could become like her. His father had instilled so many good morals in him early on that he still held onto to this day. "Until recently… I hadn't thought too deeply about it. I never wanted to become like my mom, but I think I would like to have children someday."
This was all too fucking strange. Still, Shadow supposed that things weren't going wrong, per se, so there was that. "I have not thought about it, either," he admitted eventually. "Not since Lia."
The chameleon nodded softly, frowning in thought. "It's still a bit too early to be considering having a kid, if you ask me. We do not need to add the risk of a kid being kidnapped to our lives."
"It happened to me once already," Shadow muttered in agreement. "I will not go through it a second time."
"Then, let's consider it more once this war has ended and we can finally sit down and really determine if we want a child still. Sound okay?" Toru smiled to Shadow. Shadow only nodded, glad to have gotten rid of many of his private worries enough that he was able to let the rest go. "Onto another thing I've been thinking of," Toru started, crossing his arms with a thoughtful frown. "Would you say that we're dating?"
Shadow blinked and looked over at him in mute surprise. After a pause, he asked in return, "Would you?"
"...Honestly, yeah," Toru said simply.
Secretly pleased, more so than he had expected he would be, Shadow glanced away and admitted, "I would as well."
Toru smirked at Shadow. "Good, cause I wouldn't have it any other way."
That earned an amused huffed. "I did not figure you would."
~保護者~
10,126 words this time around. Many thanks as always to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support. Posted (at about 2:00 p.m.) 12-06-20.