? ? ?

"Shadow…"

Shadow runs through an endless sea of blackness.

The low, guttural voice echoes, "You can't escape your destiny, Shadow…"

Shadow shakes his head frustratedly as he runs. "Go away! You aren't supposed to be here!"

Three great red eyes open in the darkness, gazing down at Shadow with malice. "I am always here, Shadow… The same blood runs through our veins… You are one of us… Our connection cannot be severed…"

"It can't be you! I destroyed you! I destroyed the Black Comet! There is no 'us'! There is no 'our'!"

"Did you really think that the fate of our entire species would rest on one measly comet? Ha ha ha ha… You must be the greatest fool of our kind."

"You are not my kind! I am Shadow the Hedgehog! I fight for the planet Earth! I… I…"

"What's the matter, Shadow? At a loss for words? There is nothing you can say. We shall return. The Black Arms will have your planet, and you will be their ruler."

Shadow slows himself to a stop. In the distance, far beyond the alien glare, another pair of eyes fades into view. "There's someone else with you…"

—–—

Shadow bolts awake, still hearing the echo of a gasp that isn't his own. "What…?" Shadow looks around in confusion, down at his own hands and out at the cold metal interior of his quarters. Much like his old tent, the space is sparsely decorated. In one corner lies the same mass produced mini kitchen and cabinet structure shared by all of the quarters in the base. In another is an empty desk, save for Shadow's lone possession—a gold medal encased in glass. 'Hero of the ARK'.

Shadow's own bedspread has been similarly stripped of all luxuries. He sits up on an uncovered mattress, directing his attention next to the door, where a large digital clock screen is embedded directly into the wall, casting a dim red light through the room. In Shadow's hazy vision, the image almost resembles the three-eyed glare of his nightmare. But the image quickly resolves itself. '04:37'.

Shadow shakes his head in frustration. "Shoot… Overslept…" He swings himself around to get out of bed, performing a quick regimen of stretches as he prepares to start a day that would be early for anyone else. As he heads for the door, he stops to look back at his empty bedspread. "It was just a dream…" He shakes his head again as he presses down on a panel to open the automatic door. He stops one last time. "But that other presence… I've never felt anything like that before. How could I have dreamed it? Who was she…?" He seems to realize what he just said with a moment of confusion. "She?" He shakes off the momentary thought, and continues out through the door.

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Chaos Project

Season 3, Episode 3

Impending Doom

Written by ChaosProjectAuthor

Daily log, March 9th, 2 A.E. Sonic the Hedgehog reporting.

Eggman's been unusually quiet lately. Quiet for him, anyways. His robots still attack us on sight, of course. But even the public has been noticing that he's making fewer announcements, passing fewer laws, and building fewer machines. Fewer that we can see, anyways. He has to be working on something. I'm just not sure whether that something has anything to do with us this time around. Then again, a quiet year is exactly what Vector told us to expect. Maybe I'm just paranoid. Things always seem to start going wrong in the first few months of the year.

It's good having Vector back. It's good having everyone back. Well, Big's still missing, but everyone else. Anyways, Vector's new network of contacts pulled in something…unusual, to say the least. I'm not really sure what to make of it. I was almost ready to laugh the whole thing off, but Vector assures me that it's all been independently verified. It could be the new technology that Eggman's been working on. Or it could be something else entirely. I'll see if Shadow's awake. We'll find out what's going on, one way or the other.

—–—

The Eggshelter — Rebel Camp Alpha

Shadow steps into the intricate training room of the base to find it already occupied. In the nearest lane of the training course, Johnny grips a low hanging rope, climbing up hand-over-hand at an impressive pace while keeping his legs free. He practically throws himself from the rope onto the top-level balance beam, keeping up his pace in spite of the thin walkway. He bobs to the side to avoid being struck by the padded weight swinging at him from the side. For a moment, he appears to lose his balance. But that proves to be part of his plan. He falls to the side and grabs onto the beam from underneath, using the momentum to swing himself forward far faster than he would have been able to crawl under the next low-hanging obstacle. He finally flings himself onto the pole at the end, sliding back down to the starting position to ring the bell marking his completion.

"You're up early."

Johnny looks up as he wipes the sweat from his brow, reclaiming the combat helmet that was left on the ground there. "Shadow. You're up late. Here I thought the Ultimate Life Form only needed three hours of sleep."

"Two, actually." Shadow steps up to the lane next to Johnny's. "More if I've gone a few days without sleeping." He reaches into the red cuff of his glove, pulling out a small green shard of the Master Emerald to stare at for a few moments. "You did well on that course. Might be one of the fastest times I've seen."

"Didn't you say we weren't supposed to be comparing our times to each other's?"

"That's all up to you. But trust me when I say, some comparisons aren't reasonable to make." Shadow suddenly takes off down the track. Holding back nothing, he clears the bottom path before Johnny has time to blink. He leaps up, kicking off of the climbing wall to grab onto the same rope that Johnny climbed. He swings up with his momentum, leaping off at the peak. But that doesn't put him quite high enough to reach the top level. "Chaos Control!" He flashes the few extra feet necessary to land on the balance beam. Once there, he takes just a moment to find his balance before taking off once again. This time, he puts no words into a flashing warp that carries him straight through the swinging weight, keeping his speed all the way. Until a second weight slams into him from the opposite side, knocking him off of the beam and sending him splashing down into the pool of water below.

Shadow quickly swims back up to the surface, wiping his face off in frustration.

"You were saying?" Johnny kneels over the starting line, offering his hand down to help Shadow up.

Shadow takes the hand and pulls himself out of the water. "I'm still practicing with low-energy warps. It's disorienting."

"I wouldn't know." Johnny looks back out at the training course. "Poor, weak little me is limited by the constraints of the human body. That was sarcasm, by the way."

Shadow doesn't sound especially convinced. "Was it really?"

"That's why I'm here, Shadow. That's why I start my training earlier every day. You are all…incredible. And I will never forget what an honor it is to be fighting alongside you. But if I don't give absolutely everything I have, every single day…I'm going to fall even further behind than I already am. I refuse to be left behind. Maybe I am limited, but I keep up by pushing those limits as far as they can go."

"If we could all be so lucky…"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Shadow looks down at the Inhibitor Rings around his wrists. "You don't want to see me at my limits. Not all of us have such an easy time improving as you do. If I took these off, I wouldn't even need the Master Emerald to use Chaos Control. But these limits keep me alive, and keep the people around me safe, so I don't have the luxury of giving my all. I don't know the full extent of my power, and I don't want to."

"What do you mean, you don't want to? Are you trying to insult me? Are you telling me that my best isn't good enough to match your average day?"

"Maybe I am."

"Care to prove it?"

"My turn to ask. What's that supposed to mean?"

"Last month, you all got the chance to test yourselves against the toughest opponents you've ever had. Each other. I got left out of that. Let me take that test now."

"You're saying you want a sparring partner?"

"I'm saying that I'm tired of comparing my times against myself. I need competition. You said you were working on other training rooms, didn't you? What ever happened to those?"

"Tails' work was interrupted."

"Oh…yeah."

"Still, we have something that should work. Come with me." Shadow leads Johnny to the nearest door. On the other side is a relatively small room, padded on all sides save for one wall-sized mirror. "This one was a request from Espio. Tails didn't think there was much point in practicing against each other. I suppose he was wrong about that. Anyways, it's all finished now. With Sonic's rules about fighting, any sparring we do will need to happen in here."

"Looks perfect to me." Johnny begins unstrapping his various weapons and equipment, leaving it all in the corner. Resecuring his helmet and body armor, he turns back to Shadow. "You ready?"

"You're really serious about this?"

"Of course I'm serious. When am I not?"

"Just don't say I didn't warn you." Shadow raises his fists in preparation.

Johnny mirrors the motion. "I'm not worried." He starts to slowly shift his feet to the side, moving in a steady circular motion around Shadow.

Shadow matches his movements, keeping them facing one another. "You issued the challenge. Aren't you going to make the first move?"

"I know better than to accept an invitation like that."

"I just wanted to give you every chance I could. But since you insist…" Shadow leaps up, going in for a roundhouse kick to Johnny's face. Johnny ducks underneath and throws an uppercut in counter, nailing Shadow in the stomach and forcing him back down onto his feet. Neither one of them deterred by the interaction, they both resume their sideways shuffle.

"Not bad." Shadow nods in acknowledgement. "A lucky shot." This time, Shadow rushes straight in for a swift punch. Johnny uses his long reach to his advantage, stepping to the side and getting a hand around Shadow's arm before Shadow can even get within striking distance. He directs Shadow's weight into the ground, pinning him down with an arm behind his back in one swift motion.

"You were saying?" Not even allowing Shadow the chance to struggle, Johnny lets go and turns away.

"That was a fluke." Shadow climbs back to his feet. "It won't happen again."

"It will if you keep holding back."

"I'm not holding back."

"You were the one who just told me that you're always holding back. You're pulling your punches."

"I'm not using my powers, that's not the same thing as holding back."

"Either you're holding back or you've completely lost your touch. I've been working with you long enough to know what your best looks like, without any powers, and this isn't it."

"I already told you. You don't want to see—"

"I'm not asking you to go full rage mode on me. Just show me a little respect. Is that too much to ask of the Ultimate Life Form?"

Shadow raises his fists. "One more round. No holding back."

Johnny nods slowly. "That's more like it." He turns back around to find that Shadow is already flying at him. "Whoa!" He gets his arms up just in time to block, but the force of Shadow's blow still sends him staggering back. Shadow disappears in a flash, aiming a kick at the back of Johnny's head before he's even regained his footing. Johnny once again manages to duck underneath the blow, but this gives Shadow the opportunity to land on him from above, grabbing him by the arm and throwing him in an overhead spin. Johnny hits the ground hard, but he isn't pinned yet. The moment Shadow's feet touch the ground, Johnny kicks into a sweep at the legs, knocking Shadow off of his feet. Johnny leaps from the ground, attempting to pin Shadow down with his entire body. Even in a disadvantageous position, Shadow thinks fast. A single burst from his hover shoes sends him flying away from Johnny's hasty move. He rebounds off of the nearest padded wall and flies back in for a punch even faster than before. Even so, Johnny is left with just enough time to make the same move in response. A quick shift to the side gives him the space to grab Shadow by the arm.

"No!" Johnny's grip is torn away by a sudden shockwave that sends him flying back through the air, crashing into a padded wall and collapsing to the ground. Spiderwebbing cracks and splinters appear in the mirror wall as the pressure wave bursts through. Shadow gasps as he looks at the mirror. Through the cracks, a pair of red eyes can almost be seen staring down at him. "You again…?" When he blinks, the vision is gone.

"Ugh…" Johnny reaches up with a hand to support his head. "Who turned on the alarm bells…?"

"Johnny!" Shadow runs in to help him up. "Are you okay?"

. "Got what I asked for…" He still seems a little unsteady on his feet. "That must have been the famous Chaos Blast…"

"No. If that were a Chaos Blast, you'd be in the hospital. That was something else…"

"Chaos Blast? I didn't say anything about that…yet…" He shakes his head, but that only seems to worsen his headache. "Feels like you might've scrambled my brains a bit." "Guess that means you were holding back after all."

"I told you, I don't know what that was. I don't know how I…" Shadow trails off as he seems to realize something. "You didn't say that either, did you?"

"Say what?"

Shadow takes a glance back at the fractured mirror, but then shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. We should still get you to the infirmary, you might have a concussion."

"Actually, I…" He takes a step away from Shadow's grip, rubbing at his head for a moment, but otherwise appearing stable. "…I'm feeling a lot better all of a sudden." He takes a look to the side, seeming to notice the mirror for the first time. "Whoa… Looks like I got the lighter end of the blast."

"You're sure you're okay?"

"Hey, you're the one talking nonsense here. Maybe you should get checked out."

Shadow rolls his eyes. "I'd still feel better if you took it easy for the rest of the day."

"I don't have that kind of time to waste."

"Johnny… No one ever got better by breaking themselves. Even the Ultimate Life Form needs to rest sometimes. So do you."

"Yeah… You're probably right. I could probably use another day to fight off the last of that head cold from last week." As if to prove it, he lets out a half-hearted cough into his closed fist.

"Can't help you with that one. I don't understand you mortals and your diseases." After a moment of maintaining a serious face, Shadow cracks a smile. "That was sarcasm, by the way."

Johnny starts to laugh. Shadow even joins him with a chuckle.

"Aww, did I miss a joke?" Sonic steps in through the door to the sparring room, taking in the sound of the laughter. "Count yourself lucky, Johnny. Shadow only tells jokes to people he… Whoa." Sonic's eyes stop on the fractured mirror. "Did I miss something more than a joke?"

Shadow is quick to answer, "Everything's fine." He takes a glance back at the mirror. "I'll…work on getting that replaced."

"I don't care about the mirror, Shadow. Can we…talk for a minute?"

Shadow takes a look back at Johnny. "Do you mind?"

"What, too private for me? Here I thought we were friends."

Shadow thinks on that for a moment. "You know what? Fine. Stay. What did you want to talk about, Sonic?"

Sonic doesn't appear to be entirely sure about Shadow's decision. "Well, it's, uhh…about your…heritage?" He keeps taking nervous glances at Johnny as he speaks.

Johnny chuckles a bit. "I was one of the first to be informed about Shadow's connection to the Black Arms. The Commander wanted to make sure I knew."

Sonic breathes a sigh of relief, but Shadow winces just a bit. Sonic explains, "There are some things Shadow prefers not to talk about. I hope you understand that."

"Of course, sir."

Sonic nods. "Anyways, this is about a potential mission, if you want to accept it. There have been some…unusual sightings."

Shadow raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'sightings'?"

"Probably better if you see for yourself." Sonic turns the screen of TAL for Shadow to see. Johnny crowds over his shoulder to get a look for himself. Though grainy and in poor lighting, the image displayed appears to show the night sky, with a small portion blocked by a strange silhouette. It is vaguely teardrop-like in shape, with three long tendrils visible training out from behind it. "Does it make you think about the same thing as me?"

Shadow seems hesitant to say it. "The Black Comet…"

Johnny shakes his head. "It couldn't be. Could it?"

Words from Shadow's nightmare echo in his mind. "We shall return…"

Sonic explains, "Whatever it is, it's a lot closer and a lot smaller. We have multiple independent reports over the course of several nights, but this is the only image anyone managed to get. They say it was very fast, and that it would sometimes disappear completely. The sightings show a pretty clear pattern. The thing allegedly lands almost exactly a thousand miles farther each night, then lifts off in the morning. If the pattern holds up, it'll be landing somewhere in the Mystic Jungle by the time one of our transport pods can get us there. I figure if I ask anyone to look into this, it should be you. What do you think?"

Shadow seems deep in thought. "It can't be related…"

"I don't know if it is or not. It could be a hoax. It could be some sort of new technology Eggman's working on. But if there's even a small chance…"

Shadow nods. "I'll go."

Johnny is quick to volunteer, "I'll go too."

Shadow glares back at him.

"I told you, I'm fine. And I was on the front lines in Westopolis, I know a thing or two about fighting those Black Creat—…" Shadow's glare has gained a renewed intensity. "Uhh… Black Arms. Anyways, you need someone to watch your back, and I figure Sonic would rather avoid another sea trip if he can."

Sonic chuckles. "You got me there. I wish you both luck. And…Shadow…"

"What?"

Sonic takes another glance back at the mirror. "I know you. And I know you don't like to talk about your problems. But…as if we needed to have one more thing in common…I know what it's like, trying to move past the second life that you'd rather forget. I don't even know if that's the problem you're having right now, but…whatever it is. You can talk to me. I'm always here."

Shadow nods. "I appreciate the gesture. You said we need to hurry, right?" He turns to leave, waving Johnny along with him.

Sonic calls after them, "If it does turn out to be aliens, try not to get abducted, okay?"

Johnny starts to laugh. After a moment, the laugh breaks into a brief cough. Shadow looks up at him with concern.

Johnny repeats, "I'm fine."

—–—

Somewhere in the Eastern Ocean

As cramped as the underwater transport vessel was for Sonic, it is doubly so for Johnny, forced to curl up his knees to keep from hitting his head against the back. He holds something up to the glass, watching the water above rush past it. It's a small silver engagement ring, adorned with one clear diamond. He twirls the ring around between his fingers for quite some time. "Ayanna… What could've made you side with them?"

"Uhh… Johnny? You left your comm open."

"Oh. Sorry, Shadow."

"It's fine. Are you sure you're okay?"

Johnny lets out a brief sigh. "It is what it is. It's…not something I ever really wanted to acknowledge, but…back when Ayanna and I were engaged…things were already changing. I could tell that she was getting distant. She wouldn't talk about her job at all. That must've been when she joined SCOPE. When she started plotting to destroy everything I cared about. I don't think it ever would've worked out. And I think it's time for me to move on."

"That's probably for the best. There are…plenty of fish in the sea. Or so I've heard."

Johnny chuckles, watching as a school of fish swim past his viewport. "Been taking notes at movie night, have you?"

"I don't need to take notes. Apparently, I have eidetic memory. When my brain feels like working correctly, anyways."

This gets Johnny laughing even harder, ending on a hard cough. He preempts Shadow's concern with a stern, "It's just a cold." With one last sigh, he puts the engagement ring away. "So what about you, Shadow? Looking for anyone in particular yourself?"

Shadow's answer is quick. "I'm not interested in that sort of thing."

"Yeah, you might be saving yourself some trouble that way. Then again, maybe you just haven't discovered the right person yet."

"Believe that if you want."

"I'm just saying, I used to think the same way. It's hard to know until you know. Someday it might just…hit you."

"Whatever you say."

"You're just trying to appease me, aren't you?"

"Yes. Anything else for me to ignore?"

"I'll let you know, sir." He shakes his head with a smirk. "You've got a sharp wit, Shadow. That's increased about tenfold since Sonic got back."

"His positive attitude tends to rub off on you after a while. I always found that annoying about him."

"Well, it's good on you. I like you this way. It reminds me of being back on one of my old teams, being able to talk to someone like this. I remember this one time after Westopolis…"

"What is it?"

Johnny pauses for another few moments. "Well…I actually took a pretty bad injury there, had to get a medevac and everything. You remember the Red Fruits? The ones the Black Arms planted all around the cities?"

"Eidetic memory, remember?"

"Right. So anyways, I pretty much wrote the book on why you shouldn't touch them. I was in a firefight, and I got knocked into one. Breathed the toxic stuff right in. I'm lucky that Sonic showed up when he did. Because of him, I got treated almost immediately, and I was cleared to return to duty within a few days. Of course, that meant I pretty much slept through the whole invasion. And Burton, he was the AMMO explosives expert, he did not let me live that down." Johnny waits a moment for some response from Shadow, but gets none. "Oh. Sorry, you…don't like to hear about the invasion, do you?"

"It happened. No point in pretending like it didn't." Shadow's silence lasts only a moment. "You knew the entire time. That I was one of those aliens. But you still accepted me in a way that no one else in GUN would."

"Some people are just behind the times. As for me, I don't care if you're a hedgehog, a human, an alien, a…a god, a spirit, whatever. You're a person first. And I'm going to treat you like I would any other. That goes for all things. Not everyone is capable of valuing life above their own desires, but you'd done it. Twice, by the time I met you properly. That was enough in my book to offer you or anyone else the chance you needed."

"If only the world could be so open. So understanding."

"We'll get there. Someday. One problem at a time." His statement is ended by a series of quick coughs.

"We're getting close to shore. Prepare for deceleration."

The speed of the water rushing by slows drastically as the pod rises closer to the surface. After a moment, the pod hits a bump, sliding up at an angle until the viewport rises above the water completely. With a hiss of air, the glass pops open, letting Johnny climb out onto the beach where they have landed. He takes a look around at the sunset colored sky as he stretches out his long stagnant legs.

Shadow steps out from the pod beside Johnny's. "We're a few minutes behind schedule. We should get moving."

Johnny stands up straight and takes a moment to cough. "Lead the way."

The area they've landed in is filled with dense, swampy vegetation reaching all the way to the beach. High above their heads, wide aqueducts supported by vine-covered stone pillars carry fresh water away. Shadow points up to a low, climbable cliff face. "This way." He starts walking. "It sounds like your cold is getting worse, not better."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm fine? It's too late to go back now anyways."

"If you say so. Just…try to take it easy."

—–—

As the night sets in, Shadow and Johnny have arrived at one of the highest points in the area, giving them a wide view of the illuminated forest. Or at least, what's left of it. Wide swaths of the forest show barren ground and the charred remains of trees, where fires burned years ago. Those are the only areas being ignored. As far as the eye can see, the boundaries of the living forest are lined with heavy machinery, bulky equipment that saws away at every tree in its path. Each tree that falls is funnelled in through more machines, processed on the spot into usable planks of wood, which are loaded onto egg-shaped transport vehicles and shipped away. Each machine spews its own billowing cloud of exhaust, combining in the air to form a smoggy cloud that blocks out most of the sky.

"At this rate," Shadow says, "there won't be a forest for much longer."

"Look!" Johnny points up at the sky. "Up there!"

"Right on cue." Where Johnny points, a strange shimmering effect punches a hole through the cloud of smog, leaving a slight trail of it behind as it slows down, its form beginning to resolve into a solid shape. What appeared in the photograph as a teardrop-like shape turns out to be exactly that—perfectly smooth, rounded on the front and pointed in the back, painted in a stark white color. Trailing behind it are not organic tendrils, but rigid, wide, razor thin fins, painted a dark blue. Just as the strange craft becomes fully visible, it sinks down below the treeline in a controlled landing, not far from their position.

"Come on!" Shadow races down the hillside toward a visible ruins structure near the landing site, leaving Johnny behind.

"Hey, wait up!"

—–—

Shadow has taken cover behind a thick, thorny shrub, carefully looking over at the craft that has landed in the clearing. Up close, it becomes clear that the craft is actually quite small. The central teardrop would likely not fit more than a few passengers. As Johnny approaches Shadow from behind, Shadow motions for him to keep his head low. He whispers, "No sign of movement yet."

"Should we get a closer look?"

"We have no idea what could be inside. Give it time."

Not much time is needed. A circular panel on the top of the craft slides open, and something begins to rise up from the inside. What appears to be a tall, humanoid robot, plated with cybernetic armor sharing the design of smooth plates and pointed ends with the ship, slowly turns its head to look at its surroundings. Suddenly, it makes a jet-assisted leap off of the ship, somersaulting through the air to land on the dirt in a crouch. It straightens up in a steady, methodical motion, and marches with careful feet towards the nearest tree. The helmet-like head of the armor, elongated in the back and adorned on the front with three eye-like lights, projects a wide plane of harsh crimson red light, stretching a straight line of that light across the tree. The light sweeps slowly downwards as the robot's head tilts down to look over the tree. The light cuts out to the sound of a brief two-beep chime, and the robot holds up one of its three fingers, ejecting a long claw-like needle. It jams the needle through the bark of the tree. After a moment there, it pulls the needle back, retracting it again. Its work with the tree finished, it shuffles just a few steps to the side, kneeling down to cast the light of its scanner beam over a lone flower.

Shadow whispers, "Why would a robot be scanning plants?"

Johnny shakes his head. "It's not a robot."

They both watch as it takes the flower between its fingers, turning it around as if to examine it by eye. After a moment, it looks up and out into the trees, eventually settling its gaze on a distant patch of similar flowers. Appearing satisfied by that observation, it plucks the lone flower out of the ground. A compartment opens up near its waist, and it places the flower inside.

Johnny continues, "Do you see the cautious way those feet move along the ground? How an arm is always kept close to the chest? A robot wouldn't have to do that. Those are the movements of a trained soldier."

In one swift motion, the armored soldier suddenly turns and points their close-fisted arm straight at the shrub Shadow and Johnny hid behind, as mechanisms in the armor rapidly fold out into the shape of a cannon around the arm. The cannon instantly fires off a white hot shot of plasma, blasting into the shrub and setting it aflame. Keeping a hand over the arm-cannon to steady it, the soldier shuffles closer to the burning bush. They point the weapon threateningly over the top at anyone who might be hiding behind it. But no one is left there. They take another careful look at the surroundings before turning their attention back to the shrub. They turn the cannon over, causing mechanisms inside to whir, before firing another shot. This time, a bright blue beam fires out, instantly quelling the fire and leaving much of the target encased in ice. The soldier kneels down, finding an exposed and unburned part to scan and stick a needle into.

"We mean you no harm."

The soldier rapidly stands and pivots, pointing their cannon straight at Johnny's face.

With his hands held up by his head, Johnny continues calmly, "I am Captain Johnnathan Naka, formerly of the GUN Advanced Munitions and Mechanical Operations unit. We'd like to know who you are and what your purpose here is."

The soldier pulls the arm-cannon back only just far enough to make room for their scanner beam, which sweeps down over Johnny much as it did the plants. When the scan chimes at completion, the weapon is pushed right back into place. A filtered voice projects out from the soldier's helmet. "Who is with you?"

With a slight groan, Shadow steps out slowly from his new hiding place, hands raised like Johnny's. "That would be me."

The soldier immediately turns their head to scan Shadow. The moment the scanner beeps off, the arm-cannon jerks from Johnny to him.

Shadow maintains his calm. "My name is Shadow the Hedgehog. I—"

The soldier cuts him off. "I know exactly what you are."

The arm-cannon fires. Shadow flips back to dodge as the grass beneath him erupts into flames. The soldier keeps up a rapid barrage of fire, forcing Shadow to keep up his backwards movement.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing!? He was trying to—" As Johnny takes a step too close to the soldier, they turn to strike him across the face with the broad side of the cannon, then reach across to grab him with the opposite hand and throw him down onto his back with one quick movement. He coughs as he hits the ground. A drop of blood reaches the corner of his mouth.

Shadow leaps back in through the flames, preparing to strike in the soldier's moment of distraction. The soldier once again manages to counter with a physical strike from the cannon, knocking Shadow aside and following up with a plasma shot. This one hits dead on, sending Shadow tumbling across the ground as smoke rises from his body. He struggles to get back up to his hands and knees.

The soldier marches up to close the distance between them. The light in the barrel of the cannon grows steadily brighter as a more powerful shot is charged. "Prepare to die, Black Mongrel."

"Not today." Shadow kicks into a sweep at the soldier's legs, knocking them off of their feet. He leaps forward into a spin that bounces off of the fallen soldier and keeps going. Back on the ground, Shadow takes a look back at the collapsed form of Johnny, and the soldier, already getting back up. Changing tactics, Shadow takes off at a full speed run.

"You won't get away that easily." Around each of the ankle joints of the soldier's cybernetic armor, a tight circle of spinning blades is ejected, rapidly rotating up to speed and producing enough lift to elevate the soldier slightly off of the ground. They skate off after Shadow at a speed much the same as his. Until that speed is boosted by the jets on the armor's back.

Though Shadow sprints through the forest, a glance back confirms that the soldier is rapidly gaining on him. Shadow leaps up, rebounding off a tree in front of him to fly back at his pursuer, intending to combine the force of their opposing movements. The soldier ducks into a roll, the smooth and rounded plates of their armor easily maintaining their momentum as they pass underneath him. They come up out of the roll and turn, still sliding backwards, to flip over the arm-cannon and fire off an ice beam at Shadow's feet, just as they hit the ground. Ice sticks Shadow's nearest foot to the ground. The soldier keeps up their movement, skating above the ground in a circle around Shadow as they fire off a constant barrage of ice beams, each one adding to the growing towers of ice that begin to encase him. With one last charged shot, the prison of ice seals him in completely.

The soldier finally settles onto the ground, their hover blades retracting as they reach up with a hand to where an ear might be. "White Seraph contacting White Dreamnet. I've had an unexpected encounter with the Black Mongrel. He will be returned to the mothership for study. Flora sequencing will resume after his delivery."

"Stay away from my friend!"

The soldier, Seraph, is struck in the shoulder by a bright green plasma shot. Johnny charges at them with plasma rifle raised, firing a barrage of his own. Each and every shot hits the mark, sending Seraph staggering back as their armor is peppered with singe marks. Johnny finally gets close enough to dive straight into them, tackling them to the ground. His hands go for the armor's helmet, trying to rip it off. But it appears firmly attached in place.

"Who are you!?"

"This doesn't concern you!" Seraph throws Johnny off and climbs back to their feet. "Believe me, I'm doing you a favor."

Johnny props himself up on an elbow and smirks. "Hope that armor of yours is as durable as it looks."

"What?" Seraph looks down to find a blinking device stuck to their chest. A second later, the timed explosive detonates, sending them flying back into the woods.

Johnny's attention turns to Shadow's ice prison. He pounds a fist against the side. "Shadow! Can you break out of there!?"

Inside the ice, Shadow struggles to move, but his limbs are firmly locked in place. He thinks with irritation, "I could break through using a Chaos Blast. But I can't do that anymore. I won't…"

The faintest voice whispers a single word into his mind. "Survive…"

A burst of pressure from Shadow's mind shatters the walls of ice instantly, forcing Johnny to guard his face against the flying ice shards. Shadow grabs Johnny by the wrist. "We have to move."

Johnny struggles to keep up as they run off. "Do you have any idea what's going on here?"

Shadow shakes his head. "Whoever that soldier is, she is very angry at me, and she's still following."

"She called you…Mongrel? What does that mean?"

"I only have one guess. And I don't like it. Wait, did you say 'she'?"

"So did you. Did you not realize you were thinking it? Her voice, the way she moves…I thought it was obvious. She's…kind of amazing."

"You're right, but maybe stop praising the person trying to kill us?" Shadow leads them up a set of stone steps to a wide castle-like ruins structure, overgrown with dense thorny vines, and retrofitted with glitzy neon lights, most of which have long since shattered and broken, contrasting against the dim yet persistent glow of the ancient stone pillars holding the structure in place. They head straight in through the dark entrance.

Johnny stumbles behind him, gasping for breath. "What're… …we supposed to do here? Barricade ourselves in?"

Shadow shakes his head. "There's something in here that can stop that soldier. Or at least slow her down. I…felt it."

The only object of interest in the small entrance room is a round, grated elevator leading down. Its design would be right at home in a casino. They both cram onto the elevator platform, and it starts to take them downwards. A bolt of plasma strikes the wall above their heads as they sink out of sight. Seraph leaps over the last step and into the dark room just in time to see them go. Little more than a few scratches have been left on her armor. She waits patiently for the empty elevator platform to rise back up before stepping on for herself. She stays attentive and alert as the elevator carries them down into the depths.
The room below was clearly once meant to be a full casino, now left unfinished and neglected. Malfunctioning neon lights send occasional flashes into the otherwise unlit room. Seraph steps off of the elevator with arm-cannon held up at the ready, scanning the room cautiously.

Something clatters on the floor. Seraph turns and fires. The plasma beam strikes a low-hanging vine, instantly setting a fire that spreads up to the ceiling. The glow of the flame adds a more consistent lighting to the room. Seeing nothing new illuminated, Seraph turns to scan other parts of the room. But something looms slowly into the light of the flames. A pair of piercing yellow eyes precedes the appearance of the monstrously large serpent. It lets out a roaring hiss as it lunges at Seraph, catching her attention a moment too late. Seraph is swallowed whole. But she isn't trapped for long. A spot lower down on the snake's body suddenly bulges outwards by a force from the inside. It hacks up Seraph along with a cloud of smoke, but not before a second bomb left behind in its mouth also detonates.

Seraph rolls out onto the floor, coming up to turn her weapon back at the snake. The bombs only seem to have enraged it further. It bares its teeth and lunges once again. This time, Seraph successfully counters, knocking the snake's head aside with the broad side of the cannon. She jumps up to grip her arm around the back of the snake's neck, forcing it to the ground as she directs her cannon down the snake's throat and opens fire. When her barrage finally lets up, she kicks the head away. This time, the snake stays down.

Seraph finally takes a moment to breathe, shoulders heaving as the sound of her panting is filtered through their helmet. Once she's finally collected herself, she takes another moment to run her scanner beam over the snake's fallen form. She nods in satisfaction.

"Wow."

Seraph tenses right back up, turning her arm-cannon on Johnny.

"That was… …incredible."

Seraph marches a step closer to him. "You had a chance to run. I have no conflict with you. What are you still doing here?"

Johnny clutches a hand over his chest. His breathing is harsher than hers, despite his having time to rest. "I can't… …run anymore. And I get the feeling… …that we got off to the wrong start."

She presses the cannon against Johnny's chest. "Where is the other one? I won't let him get away."

Johnny stands his ground. "His name is Shadow, and he's my friend. If you want him, you'll have to go through me."

Seraph presses the arm-cannon more firmly. "You think I won't?"

"I know you won't. That armor's not for war, is it? It's for self-defense. You can't convince me otherwise, I'm a weapons expert. You're not trying to attack us, you're trying to defend yourself, maybe others, against something you see as a threat. But I'm no threat to you. So you won't attack me."

Seraph holds the cannon in place for another moment. Then, with a brief hesitation, she lets it drop. "That thing is no one's friend. He's an invader who seeks nothing short of the destruction of your world."

"Shadow has saved my life, saved this planet, more times than I can count. I know where he came from. I know who created him. That isn't who he is. The only invader I see here—" Johnny cuts himself off to let out a loud, bellowing cough. "—is you."

Seraph pauses. "You…" A strange sound filters out through her helmet. "You think my intention is invasion?" As she doubles over, it becomes clear that she's laughing. "Oh, I suppose this does look very bad, doesn't it?" She straightens up, clearing her throat. "Please, allow me to start over." She reaches up, pressing down on the side of the helmet. The mechanisms in the helmet instantly begin to retract, exposing Seraph's bare, alien head. Reflective white scales frame two deep, bulbous yellow eyes. Like the shape of the helmet, her skull is elongated in the back, the scales fading to a clearer blue the farther back they go.

Her strange appearance doesn't seem to repel Johnny in the slightest. In fact, he only seems to stare at her more intently. In spite of the brighter colors, the similarities to another alien species seem clear to him.

Her voice, clearly feminine without the filter, takes on a polite tone as she places a hand over her chest and bows. "I am White Seraph, Chief Xenobiologist of the White Arms."

"White…Arms? Are you…" He stops to cough. "You—" He can't seem to stop this coughing fit. He drops to his knees, clutching at his chest, completely unable to stop the violent hacking. What seems like minutes later, when he finally gets a moment to breathe, he pulls his hand away from his mouth to find it covered in globules of blood. He only has a moment to contemplate this before his eyes roll back, and he collapses to the ground.

"Johnny!" Shadow rushes out from his hiding place, only to find that Seraph has already caught Johnny in her arms.

She stands back up, cradling his weight effortlessly. She only takes one sidelong glance at Shadow. "Stay close, Cur."

Shadow growls, "Put him down. I'm warning you…"

"He needs medical attention. I have equipment on my ship. Stay close, so that I can keep an eye on you, and you can keep an eye on him. Unless you want him to die here. In that case, we have a problem."

Shadow clenches a fist in frustration. But after a moment, he relents. "Lead the way."

Seraph's helmet automatically jets back into place as she turns to leave, carrying Johnny in her arms.

—–—

The inside of Seraph's ship is quite different from the exterior. The cramped cockpit is filled with incomprehensibly high-tech control panels and screens, with one padded chair squeezed into the center of it all. Directly behind it is a wide circular panel on the floor, the elevator platform that allowed her to rise up out of the top of the ship. The walls are lined with plants of every imaginable color and shape, many of them with stems and leaves draping all the way down to the floor. A single white flower from the Mystic Jungle has already been placed among them. Hanging from the ceiling are two small cages, each with a strange alien creature held inside. Behind this miniature vivarium is the medical area in the back of the ship, where Johnny lies out on a table that appears to have been raised up from the floor. The long arm of a device attached to the ceiling automatically sweeps back and forth over Johnny's chest, scanning him with a bright blue plane of light.

"It's worse than I feared." Seraph appears to be looking at readings sent straight to screens inside of her helmet. "His lungs have become filled with spores from the Red Fruit. A Black Arms terraforming agent. They're transforming the proteins in his body into a form that his body is rejecting. If this had been spotted any later, what remains of his lungs might have been completely destroyed by his own body. Of course, you should know that. This must be what happens to those who call themselves friends with you."

"That's not possible. There aren't any Red Fruits on this planet, not anymore."

"What, you mean you don't eat them for breakfast? Or do you simply prefer human flesh?"

Shadow, leaning against the opposite wall, does the best he can to ignore the jab. "Can you treat him or not?"

Seraph presses down to activate the removal of her helmet. "Treatment has already begun. The ship is isolating the spores, as well as the foreign proteins, and removing them one by one. It will take time. Get your foot off the wall, I just cleaned it."

Rolling his eyes, Shadow puts his foot on the ground and shifts all of his weight to his back. "What are you?"

With a groan, Johnny meekly voices, "Answer him…"

Seraph puts a hand on Johnny's shoulder. "Try not to speak. You don't want to move those spores around too much." With a sigh, she turns back to Shadow. "As I said, I'm a scientist. I was sent here on a standard assignment for planets with dying atmospheres. I am to scan and sequence the genetic code of as many plant species as possible, preserving them against their inevitable extinction."

"Dying atmosphere? Extinction?" Shadow shakes his head with a sigh. "Actually, that's not that surprising. But you… You said you were part of the White Arms, what does that mean?"

"You honestly expect me to believe that you don't know? About the history of your species? The reason they came to this planet?"

"Assume that I know nothing. It's beginning to look as though I don't know much more than that."

Seraph closes her eyes. "Very well. I'll start from the beginning."

—–—

Somewhere in distant space, a planet revolves slowly around its sun. Its surface is covered with oceans of purple, magenta, and blue, and two large continents—one facing away from the sun, with red vegetation over dark charcoal earth, and the other in direct sunlight, white on metallic grey.

The planet called Kaos was tidally locked—eternal day on one side, and eternal night on the other. The vast differences in temperature, atmospheric conditions, and countless other factors made natural travel between the two Kaosian continents near impossible, and led to the independent development of two intelligent species. For millennia, they lived out separate histories. The White Kaosians were blessed with bountiful land and abundant resources. The Black Kaosians were plagued by constant war, and by the bloodthirsty Black Beasts that roamed their land.

On the dark continent, lines are drawn to split the land in three. The lines constantly shift and rearrange.

The continent of Black Kaosia was split between the three ruling houses—House Gladius, House Morbus, and House Famis. Their war went back farther than their recorded histories. Each equally powerful, each sought to control the known world. But their view of the world was soon to change.

A metal-plated sailing ship pops up on the coast of the bright continent, and begins to sail its way across the alien ocean.

White Kaosian technology had reached a state of rapid advancement. As soon as it was possible, an explorative ship that could withstand the long journey over the treacherous ocean was sent. It was entirely unknown what they would find on the dark side of the planet. The last thing they expected was another intelligent race. They landed in the territory of Black Famis. Famis did not take kindly to foreigners invading his coveted land. Only one crew member escaped.

The ship returns to where it came from in tatters. But through the ocean behind it, Black Worms follow.

The White Kaosians would have happily avoided the Black continent forevermore. But they were followed. Famis had not yet finished teaching his lesson to the invaders. The port city of Miracworl was terrorized. And so, a war was declared. We took up arms against these violent creatures from across the planet—the White Arms were formed.

The landscape of the bright continent rapidly begins to change. Cities grow skyscrapers, and roads stretch out to connect them.

To combat this threat, technological advancement proceeded more rapidly than ever. But on the other side of the planet, a similar transformation was occurring. For the first time, Houses Gladius, Morbus, and Famis saw a threat greater than one another. Peace among them was considered unlikely—until Black Famis, a master of arcane magic and genetic engineering, tamed the Black Beasts. Even if the other houses wished to fight, they would no longer have stood a chance. In one great show of power, Famis united the continent in a single day. As ascended leader of the newly formed Black Arms, he took on a new title—Black Doom.

The borders dividing the dark continent slowly fade away. The landscape here also changes, as red vegetation concentrates immensely in three major areas.

The ensuing Arms Race lasted for generations. For every new technology the White Arms developed, the Black Arms bred and engineered an equally powerful biological weapon. The war escalated to extremes never before seen in this galaxy. And the planet was…quite literally…torn apart.

In a blinding flash, the planet is blown into pieces. Flying away from the rubble that remains is a great space ship, its shape not so different from an old sailing ship from generations earlier.

The White Arms saw the inevitable coming, and escaped on a fleet led by our mothership—the White Dreamnet. It was built to house millions, and ever since has served as the closest thing that exists to home for our species. We are now only nomads among the stars. The Black Arms, though ill prepared, were resilient.

Out of the largest surviving chunk of the planet, three long organic tendrils begin to grow, waving to propel the comet away through space.

They survived underground, and engineered the remains of the planet itself to do their bidding. The largest of these planetary pieces became what you know as the Black Comet. They were not so keen on the notion of a nomadic life. They set out to find a new planet they could claim as their own. Earth was selected as their prime candidate.

—–—

"The rest, I'm quite certain you know."

Shadow shuts his eyes in deep contemplation. "So Black Doom's plan…was to terraform this planet into a new Kaos."

"How could you not know that? Are you not Doom's Black Herald?"

"Doom's what?"

"They call it a Herald. We call it a Mongrel. A Black Kaosian hybrid designed to infiltrate and seize power within the ranks of the native species."

"That is what Black Doom instructed me to do. But I didn't know him. I didn't know who he was. I seized the Chaos Emeralds for myself, and used them to destroy him and his comet. This planet is my home. I have no loyalty to the Black Arms."

Seraph glances away.

"What is it?"

"It seems…I owe you an apology, Shadow the Hedgehog. It was rumored that the Herald turned against his master, but…I didn't believe it. When I return to the mothership, my report will be…controversial, to say the least. I am sorry. I misjudged you."

Johnny mutters, "See? Told ya we all got off to the wrong start."

Seraph puts a hand back on his shoulder. "A little longer, please."

Shadow interrupts, "I don't understand. The Black Arms were your enemies. You seem to care about what happens to life on this planet. So where were you when they invaded?"

This question causes Seraph to visibly wince. "I…don't pretend to agree with every decision that has been made by my people."

"What does that mean?"

"The Black Arms…are not the only ones who long for a new home. Our Empress, White Genesis, made the decision that we were to let the Black Arms transform this planet—and then take it from them."

"What!?"

"You must understand, we don't have the terraforming capabilities that the Black Arms do. Even my line of work borders close to taboo in my society, dealing with genes and cloning. We are a species that thrives on technology and fears biology. In our thousands of years searching the stars, we've never found a planet that can properly support us. Such a planet was almost created. We had to—"

"Oh, you had to, did you? What amazes me is that you somehow maintain the impression that you're the good guys in this situation."

"How dare you—"

"How dare you!? Have you even seen a Black Kaosian in your lifetime, or am I your first?"

"I fail to see how that—"

"It matters. You are so completely convinced of their evil that you jump to the defense of any action taken against them. Your kind fought the war that destroyed their planet, you drove them to come here, you sat back and let them do it. You believe in your moral superiority so thoroughly that you ignore how you're just as responsible for what almost happened to this planet as they are. And you have the gall to hunt me down for being a threat?"

Johnny mutters, "Shadow…"

Shadow asserts, "She needs to hear this." He looks back at Seraph. "You were raised in a world of black and white." He spreads his arms wide. "Welcome to Earth. Things are rarely so clear here." Finished speaking, Shadow turns and steps onto the circular central platform. "I need some air." The platform activates automatically, lifting him up and out of the hole that opens above.

Seraph looks down. After a moment, she reactivates her helmet. "The spores have been removed. The equipment will continue to work on repairing your lungs, but you're free to speak now, Johnnathan."

"You'll have to forgive Shadow. He's been through a lot."

"I've nothing to forgive him for. He spoke the truth. I've known that for a very long time."

"But you've felt like you couldn't do anything about it."

"That it took the Black Herald of all creatures to make me question that assumption… I ought to be ashamed of myself."

"There's no shame in learning to be better. Not in my book, anyways. The next step is…showing others what you've learned."

"Mine are a prideful people. Changing the way they compare themselves to others…would be difficult."

"You're the Chief Xenobiologist, aren't you? That sounds like a respected title. Even if it's just the scientific community, people will listen to you, won't they?"

"Perhaps so. You are wise and compassionate, Captain Johnnathan Naka. You seek unity even in the midst of conflict. My people could stand to learn much from you."

Johnny visibly blushes. "People…close to me…call me Johnny."

"I would be honored to do the same. Johnny."

"What about you, White Seraph? Is the 'White' part of your name?"

Seraph laughs. "No, no. It's a military title. Like your 'Captain'."

"So you are a soldier?"

"Everyone's a soldier."

"What do you mean? Tell me more about your people."

Seraph seems surprised at Johnny's interest. "There's little distinction between White Kaosian and White Arms any longer. The galaxy is a dangerous place. If you wish to contribute, you must learn to fight. There's much ceremony and circumstance around the distribution of the power armor I wear. My mother crafted the armor for me after I proved my combat capability. I've since made modifications to suit my own needs."

"That's…fascinating. It's an incredible machine, but useless in the hands of someone less skilled than you. I'd love to try it for myself."

Seraph glances away. "That…wouldn't be appropriate."

"What do you mean by that?"

Seraph suddenly removes her helmet, and the medical arm working above Johnny retracts back into the ceiling. "I've done everything I can for you. The damage has been undone, but you'll have to regain your lung strength on your own. Given that, you will make a full recovery." She offers a three-fingered hand down to him.

His blush returning, Johnny takes her hand, and is helped back up to his feet. He has to take a moment to find his balance before looking back up. Even standing straight, he has to look up to meet her in the eyes. "You've saved my life. I'm very grateful."

"Life is a precious thing."

Johnny smiles. "I couldn't agree more."

"You can let go of my hand now."

"Oh, uh, sorry." Johnny quickly takes his hand back and changes the subject. "There's just one thing I still don't understand. You said that I breathed in spores from the Red Fruit. And I did, but that was in Westopolis. I was treated, my lungs were pumped, I recovered. That was years ago. Soldiers who weren't so lucky showed symptoms like this within hours. How could it have happened again without me knowing?"

"It's my fault." Shadow descends back down into the ship, seeming to have come to this conclusion himself.

Seraph glances over at him. "So you're saying I was right?"

Shadow ignores her. "This morning, I…I accidentally hit Johnny with…something that came from my mind. I don't fully understand it, but that must have been it."

Seraph glances down in contemplation. "I see. Telepathic abilities aren't my area of expertise, but the Black Arms are known to utilize them. Black Doom in particular. It's necessary to control the hivemind. You carry his blood. It is possible…that, through your mental attack, Doom's telepathic command was recognized by even just a small number of dormant spores left in Johnny's lungs, inadvertently reactivating them."

"I have…psychic powers?"

"You are the offspring of Black Doom. You have all of his powers."

"That would explain…why I was able to feel the minds around me. But…"

Johnny places a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, Shadow. Accidents happen."

"I have no idea what the extent of this power is. I have no control over it. I should have been more careful. I need to make sure this never happens again."

"You didn't know. No one can blame you for that."

Seraph affirms, "He's right. You've gotten enough blame today for things you can't control. And as Johnny told me…there is no shame in learning to be better."

Shadow looks over at them, realizing for the first time the way that Johnny looks at her. Shadow smirks at Johnny. "It just hits you, eh?"

Before he can respond, Seraph interrupts, "This has been…a most fortunate encounter. But the Empress will be expecting me after the report I made. I…have a lot of explaining to do."

Johnny takes a step closer to her. "You're leaving? Just like that?"

"Believe me, I would love to stay and study…all that this planet has to offer. It simply isn't an option."

"What about your assignment? It isn't finished yet."

"It will be. If not by me, then by whomever takes my place when the Empress executes me for fraternizing with the Black Herald."

Johnny gasps.

"Relax, I'm only joking. …Mostly."

"Seraph…will I ever see you again?"

Seraph's eyes momentarily go wide. Then she closes them for a moment. "Come. There's something I want to show you. Both of you." She leads them only a few steps away, to the cages hanging in her vivarium. "Ordinarily, my work deals only with plants. The Empress sees value in the possible discovery of new medicines or infrastructural developments. The rest is not considered worthy of our time. But every now and then…in my trips to dying worlds…I come across an animal that I take interest in. One that I simply can't allow to die out. I'm permitted to study a small number of such creatures, so long as they don't interfere with my assigned work." She moves a hand up to the cage on the left.

The creature in the cage resembles a small bird, though with four folded wings and a mouth that more closely resembles lips than a beak. As her hand gets close, it begins to sing.

"This is an Orthani Songbird. From planet Orthan IV. It isn't sentient, though it is a distant relative of the intelligent species that used to dominate that world. It has four sets of vocal cords. Its song is said to be one of the most beautiful in all the galaxy. Now, it's the last of its kind. And this…" She moves on to the opposite cage. "…is known as a Skenouan Astropede, though its planet of origin has come under debate."

The creature inside is insect-like, with many segmented body parts that are shelled on top, but beneath the shells still appear to be almost perfectly spherical underneath. The floor of the cage is built like a racetrack, with many bumps and hills wrapped around in a circle. The Astropede energetically races around the track a few times, making a sound not unlike that of a toy car.

"It's the only creature in the known galaxy to have naturally evolved the wheel and axle as an organic part of its body. The planet that this one came from…is now void of nearly all life." Seraph finally turns to look back at Shadow and Johnny. "You may not be the last of your kind, Captain Johnnathan Naka. Nonetheless, you have caught my attention in much the same way. If you wish…I would like to offer you the chance to come with me, so that, through you, I may learn more about your planet. And perhaps, my people may learn as well."

Johnny looks up in surprise.

"You said you wanted to know more about my people. We can learn from one another. Whether you come or not, I…could make no guarantee of ever returning. But…I would be happy to have you."

Johnny takes a questioning glance at Shadow. Shadow gives him an encouraging nod. Johnny closes his eyes and shakes his head. "That sounds like a once in a lifetime opportunity. But I still have business here on planet Earth. A war to fight. An atmosphere to save. It's a cause I've dedicated myself to, and it's too soon for me to leave that behind."

Seraph nods her head. "A noble cause. I wish you both the best of luck in that pursuit. And for you, Johnny…" She activates her helmet, but pulls off a device as it folds into place. "I leave you with this. If ever I come near your star system, it will allow us to communicate."

Johnny takes the small device in his hand. "Really?"

"Don't contact me. I'll contact you."

Shadow questions, "Why's that?"

"The galaxy is a dangerous place. It's a bad idea to send signals astray when you don't know who could be listening. It could attract the attention of any number of unwanted species. There's the Zoah, the Algolian Monsters, the Black Arms of course, the Titans of Star—"

Shadow corrects, "Formerly, the Black Arms."

Seraph cocks her head to the side. "What do you mean, 'formerly'?"

"Formerly. As in…they were a threat. Until I destroyed them. Now they're not anymore."

Seraph begins to laugh. "Destroyed? Oh, you poor child, you really had no idea, did you? The Black Arms are very much alive."

—–—

Daily log, March 10th, 2 A.E. Shadow the Hedgehog reporting.

Three. Three surviving pieces of the planet Kaos. Three comets engineered. Three Black Kaosian rulers, three Heralds born, three planets invaded. And only one that survived. The Black Arms are alive. And they're as dangerous as they ever were.

Maybe my dream wasn't a dream after all.

—–—

Thousands of lightyears away — Planet Orthan IV

In the darkness, surrounded by walls that ooze and glow, a robed figure floats off of the ground. His guttural voice echoes, "His mind is strong. We must try again."

Another silhouetted figure, far more animoid in shape, kneels at his feet. She shakes her head slowly. "It won't be possible. Not from this far away. Even with help, I would need to stand right there with him to have any chance."

The floating figure contemplates this. "Hmm… Perhaps you're right. Perhaps the time has come at last to unite the three Black Heralds."

The other one bows her head lower. "As you wish…father."

To be continued…