Savannah's Story 1
My first memories are of an old man and a black hedgehog. They never spoke in English unless they had to, it was always some other language. I was only a newborn, but for some reason, I remembered everything I heard them say, everything I saw them do. Not that I understood any of it. But, there was one thing I remembered. A name. Shadow.
How many years ago was that? I can't even guess. One day I was put into some kind of glass container and left to sleep. Sleep wasn't even the right word. If I had been able to woke up, I would've wondered how long I'd been forgotten inside this thing?
I was suddenly awakened seventeen years ago. I didn't understand what was going on. Everyone was speaking in English, which I wasn't used to.
A stern-looking man came in, accompanied by two hedgehogs. They conversed for a while, but what they were saying didn't mean anything to me. Eventually the female hedgehog picked me up and held me close. I cooed happily. I liked being held and she knew the right way to do it.
I came to know those hedgehogs as my parents: Sergeant Danny the Hedgehog of GUN and his wife, Julie the Hedgehog. They loved me, and I loved them. My memories of the black hedgehog and the old man soon faded into a distant dream as I happily experienced my new life.
Until that life ended.
It was a stormy night in Westopolis about four years later. My parents and I were taking the bus home when it suddenly stopped. A group of mobians wearing black armor and masks boarded the bus, making a beeline for an echidna woman and her daughter. Sensing their killing intent, my parents stood up to help them, along with a male cat and his wife... but they were no match. I, the echidna girl, and the daughter of the cat couple, could do nothing as our parents were slain right before our eyes. I ran for the back of the bus, and the other two girls followed me. The assassins approached and we appeared to be trapped, or were we?
Glancing up at the the back of the bus, I noticed the writing there and made a quick decision. Instinctively, I curled into a ball, spinning at high speed and crashing right through the glass. The small window pane completely shattered as I uncurled and landed on my feet, unharmed. Seeing this, the other girls followed me without hesitation, scrambling through the shattered window to get out of that death trap of a bus. The assassins couldn't follow us. The window I had smashed through was too small for them. Without giving myself time to think, I grabbed the hands of the other two girls and raced off down the street, at a speed that far outmatched any other hedgehog my age.
After some time of running around aimlessly, we ended up at the docks. I stopped and looked behind me, confirming that I had lost the attackers. I pulled the other two girls into a nearby empty crate that was on its side to take shelter from the rain. I then tried to dry my face, but it did little good as tears welled up in my eyes.
"We have to go back! My mommy and daddy...!" Cried the little cat girl.
"No..." I said with a firmness that defied my age, "There's nothing we can do... They're dead..."
"'Dead'"? The cat girl repeated, "What does that mean?"
I looked at the two girls in confusion and saw that neither of them understood. I thought to myself that they must've been younger than me if they didn't understand. Of course, I would later realize that I was the abnormal one for being able to understand. I sighed to myself and tried to think of how to explain.
"They went away... forever..." I finally answered.
"But why?! Why did they leave us?!" The cat girl cried. I only shook my head.
"They didn't want to... those people made them..." I answered sadly. Hearing this, both girls quickly burst into tears. At that moment, the downpour suddenly became heavier, and I noticed a soft glow coming from beneath the cat girl's bangs. I brushed them back to see a shining blue gem that was embedded in her forehead as if it were a part of her. At that moment, however, sadness overcame my innate curiosity and I also burst into tears.
Somebody found us the next morning and took us to a police station. After that, we were taken to an orphanage. I didn't talk much to anyone around me. The adults tried to get me to talk to them, but I didn't want to. In my mind, there was nothing to talk about. At least, not when it came to people I didn't know. The kinds of things they asked me were stupid anyway. That's what I felt, anyway. I guess that's what happens when you're learning to spell while other kids are still learning their ABCs.
At that point, there were only two people in the world I had any interest in; the two girls I had escaped with that night. I had learned their names were Miranda the Cat and Heather the Echidna. They were both very shy, but they liked me. Maybe it was because we'd all been through the same thing. We didn't need to talk, because we already understood one another. Still, they were younger than me, if only by one year. For some reason, that gave me a need to protect them.
Nights were the loneliest, and we ended up sharing my bed. It was warmer that way, and less lonely, knowing there was someone right next to you. To help us sleep (or at least help me sleep), I used the song that was on the music player I'd had since infancy. I didn't recognize the voice, but the words and the melody were soothing.
"Oyasumi—Yume youkoso—Hikaru no hana wa umarete iru —Hikari no yousei no ai ga tasukeru—Kanojo to ironna fushigi wo miru—Mirai ga dare ni mo shiranai—Demo hitori janai..."
光る紗花
Four years later, we struck out on our own, which wasn't atypical for mobians ages eight and up. We supported ourselves by collecting rings from the nearby rural zones. Okay, I did most of the collecting. When we weren't gathering currency to support ourselves, we became addicted to the library, reading anything and everything that interested us. We all enjoyed novels, but I also gravitated toward advanced texts on various branches of science and books about the business world, Heather liked history and archaeology, and Miranda was attracted to animals and medicine. When I was thirteen, I ended up becoming an Extreme Gear mechanic after reading some books on the subject and gaining hands-on experience. I was nowhere near the level of a couple of famous mechanics I could mention, but I always had plenty of business.
Miranda became a nurse and started working at the local hospital. Heather continued studying archaeology. Over the course of the years, we also learned martial arts. We were determined that we were not going to meet the same fate as our parents.
Somewhere along the line, I learned that that other language I'd heard as a baby was Nigokunese. I could already speak it fluently, but I learned to read and write in it too. It was a useful skill after all. Overall, our lives were pretty average; if you put aside my abnormal speed and IQ of 200 anyway.
...But everything changed about one year ago...
It started out as an ordinary night. Miranda was playing with her Dark Chao, Turq, while Heather and I were each reading novels in our own rooms. I was pretty absorbed in my book, in fact, which was all the more reason to be confused by the strange sensation that suddenly pulsed through me. I looked up in confusion. What was this… sensation? Like something calling out to me.? I furrowed my brow and then set my book aside, making my way over to the skylight that was positioned near the edge of my room. I pushed it open and climbed onto the roof. I could feel it… but where? And why? I closed my eyes and tried to tune into it. A blurry image filled my mind.
"This is Scorpion Troupe's Hot Shot. Intruder has been located. En route to intercept and destroy."
*bzzt* "Copy that."
Whoa! Where did that piloted GUN mech come from?! And why was it shooting at—I suddenly hit the ground behind my house with a thud. It turned out, I was still at home and had just fallen off my roof. Anybody else probably would've broken their neck just now, but… well… I always was pretty resistant to injury.
I shook my head to clear it. That feeling was still there. After debating it briefly, I closed my eyes and tried to tune in again.
"Destroying that guard robot was spectacular!" A man's voice said. "So, Shadow… YOU are the military's top secret weapon?" Their top secret what now? "But what did you mean when you said you will grant me a wish?"
My field of vision shifted to the corner of my eye, glancing back at a human who had to be at least 50 in some kind of armored walker mech. "Bring more Chaos Emeralds." Okay, that voice was definitely NOT mine.
"Shadow, wait!" The man exclaimed.
"I'll be waiting for you… in the Central Control Room… on the Space Colony ARK."
"ARK?!"
I could hear and feel my footsteps clacking. Only they weren't my footsteps. Whoever the old man had been talking to, I could see, feel, and hear everything he could. I saw the white Chaos Emerald appear in that person's hand. "Chaos… Control!!"
A bright light and a surge of energy filled my vision, forcing me to end the connection. I put a hand to my forehead, "Ohh… what was that?" I stopped as I sensed a surge of energy near me. In a sudden burst of light, a black hedgehog with red highlights on his quills appeared before me. "Whoa!!"
"Huh? Is something going on out there?" I heard Miranda's voice coming from inside. Panicking slightly, I grabbed the other hedgehog's hand and ran for it, putting some distance between us and the house before I stopped and turned to him in a slight panic.
"Who are you?!" I exclaimed, "And how did you manage to appear right where I was?!"
"I simply followed the connection between us." The black hedgehog answered.
"Oh, so… you can feel it too?" I asked. "As if there's a magnet that's—"
"Drawing us together, yes." He answered. "I take it you don't know what it is either?"
"Psh. Beats me." I said with a shrug, "This is the first time I've ever felt anything like this."
"My name is Shadow."
"I'm Savannah the Hedgehog." I replied. "…So… now that you've, uh, found me… what do you plan to do now?"
"I suppose I'll get moving. I need to find another Chaos Emerald." Shadow replied. "I don't suppose you know where I can find one?"
I chuckled nervously, "Nope. Emerald Hunting is not in my skill set. I wouldn't even know where to start."
"I see…" He seemed to contemplate something, but then shook his head, "In that case, I'll be going. Do yourself a favor and don't seek me out."
He left without another word and I chuckled nervously, "Not a problem…" It seemed he had no idea that I had accidentally synced with him, and I had no plans of telling him, nor of trying again.
光る紗花
The following days were chaos. Pure. Chaos. First the military, the police, and the news all mistook Shadow as being Sonic the Hedgehog, which resulted in Sonic being falsely accused for all sorts of things. Then Dr. Robotnik, who had suddenly decided to go by Dr. Eggman—which totally fit him—had gone and fired a laser and blown up half of the moon! He was threatening to destroy the whole planet unless all countries surrendered to him. Talk about crazy. I couldn't help feeling that something about the madman was familiar, but I didn't waste time dwelling on it. That is until the next day, when a video of the old man from my memories, broadcast across the entire planet with the message that the Space Colony ARK was going to crash into the planet and destroy us all as revenge for his granddaughter Maria's death. And here I had thought Eggman was insane...
The girls and I stood outside, along with the rest of Westopolis, watching the bright orb in the sky anxiously.
"Is this really it?" Heather asked fearfully.
"Daijoubu..." I reassured her in Nigokunese, "Kitto daijoubu."
"Huh?" Miranda asked in confusion, wondering where on earth my optimism was coming from. I clutched my music player in my hands. For some reason, even in this moment, I believed in Shadow. The words of the lullaby--Maria's lullaby--came back to me.
"Yami no toki—Miagete—Hoshizora ga ue node—Hana youna hoshi ga kirei—Kibou wo agete—Yami wo terasu—Watashi wa… zutto soba ni..."
Miranda and Heather stared at me quizzically. I couldn't really blame them. My behavior at that time was the total opposite of my normal self. I couldn't have explained it to them, but deep within my heart, I knew who Shadow really was.
光る紗花
As I had believed, Shadow saved everyone that day by working together with Sonic. I wasn't prepared for what happened a few months after that though.
The Commander of GUN, who had looked out for me after my parents' death, invited me to a ceremony held at the Presidential House to honor those who had helped stop the ARK that day. I could swear I saw the Commander glaring at Shadow with a burning hatred, but I didn't dare to ask. I did try to approach Shadow to try to speak with him about what we had talked about back then, but after briefly overhearing the conversation he was having with his friend Rouge, I realized there was no point. Shadow had amnesia.
A cold wind is now blowing
Sighing to myself, I dropped the idea of getting answers and tried to socialize. I caught bits of conversation from Sonic and the others upon my presence being noticed, but thought little of it. The reason for their surprise was obvious. Even I knew that I bore a resemblance to Amy Rose. To be fair though, hedgehogs are not an uncommon species and pink is a pretty common color for a female. We tend to be lighter colors than the males. For this reason, I simply ignored their murmuring.
I made no attempts to speak with Shadow that day. I thought that perhaps that party would be the end of my connection to Shadow the Hedgehog.
Not even close.
光る紗花
Two months later, I had a very strange dream about the old man, Professor Gerald. Looking back, it was probably a memory of the day I was placed in that capsule. He said things to me that I couldn't understand back then, but now, the whole memory was fresh. He was warning me of a coming alien invasion that only Shadow could stop, and what I needed to do to help him.
So sleep tightly
My 'Farewell-to-Spring'
I awoke from the dream with a start, wondering if what I had just experienced was really a memory or just a very, very vivid dream. I glanced down at the green Chaos Emerald lying next to me on the bed. I had heard that they could do mysterious things at times...
I sighed and went to the skylight, looking up at the sky to clear my thoughts; only to become further confused.
There was something there in the sky. Something that wasn't normally there. My brow furrowed. I usually kept myself up to date on astronomical events, but maybe I had missed something? I walked over to my desk, opened my laptop and quickly performed an internet search of the Black Comet. What I found astounded me.
The Black Comet was a celestial body whose orbit brought it in close proximity to this planet every fifty years. The last cycle had occurred during the time when the ARK was still active. The perigee of its current cycle was in... one week! I bit my lip. There was no way this was a coincidence. The timing was just too freaky. I glanced at my computer's clock and sighed. There was nothing I could do at this hour, but tomorrow, I was going to have to begin making preparations.
Ko-imouto aishiteru
Osorenaide, daijoubu
"I'm sorry to call you out of the blue like this..." I told the Commander of GUN as I sat down at a meeting table with him in GUN HQ the next day.
"It's no trouble." The Commander told me, "Though I was surprised. You've had my number for years, but you've never called me like this. Is someone giving you trouble?"
"No, it's not that." I reassured him, unable to imagine anyone who could give me that much trouble, "It's... you know about the Black Comet, right?"
The Commander's face darkened, the same way it had been at the ceremony. "Yes, what of it?" He asked me.
I sighed and began uncertainly, "I... I can't really explain why, but I get the feeling that when it comes within range next week, our planet will be attacked." I told him. The Commander sighed and stood up, but I nervously continued, " I... I'm sorry. I don't have any solid proof. It's just a feeling."
Deep in your mind
In your heart
"No, it's fine." He assured me, "I've been suspicious of that comet myself. But I can't take actions that will frighten the populace and then have nothing happen. I don't suppose you have any ideas?"
I sweat-dropped. The Commander had been watching me my whole life. He should've known my records well enough to know that I am an academic genius, but a terrible strategist. I sighed. "My only suggestion is to increase the defenses of all major cities and have preparations made for emergency evacuations that can be enacted at the drop of a hat." I told him before standing up, "At any rate, I need to get home. Thank you for listening to my concerns though."
The Commander nodded at me. "Take this before you go." He instructed as he held out a small leather folder to me.
"What is this?" I asked in confusion.
"That ID marks you as someone whose safety is considered high priority." The Commander explained, "There's a chance the Black Arms will come after you. We cannot allow you to fall into enemy hands. If you find yourself in trouble, show that to a member of GUN, and they will secure your safety."
"I see..." I replied as I accepted the ID, "Thank you Commander."
光る紗花
When I returned home, I stopped at the steps that separated my shop on the lower level from our apartment on the upper level and glanced at the ID again. The reason for it made a certain amount of sense. I was gifted in the sciences and I did have an eidetic memory, among other abilities that could make me a target. Though I wasn't entirely sure why an alien race would care about any of it.
Sighing and shaking my head, I stuffed the ID into my pocket and then went upstairs. Miranda and Heather looked at me in confusion as I rapidly began packing up basically everything and taking it down to the basement. I can't say I really blamed them. When I had something on my mind, I wasn't known for explaining my actions.
"Um... Oneechan, what are you doing?" Miranda asked timidly. I knew my behavior was random, even for me, but I didn't really want to explain at that moment.
"I'm moving everything to the basement. It's safer down there." I replied shortly.
"We're concerned about that... why?" Heather asked nervously.
"It may be nothing, but I'm not taking the chance." I told her, "Help me move the furniture." That sentence was more directed at Miranda, since Heather was an infamous klutz.
Miranda sighed and helped me to lift the couch and carry it down, "Are you gonna tell us what's going on?" She asked.
"No, you'll just freak out." I replied, "And as I said, it may turn out to be nothing. But better to err on the side of caution. By the way, we're not taking any new orders after today, and everything needs to be out by the first day of the festival. Anything that isn't picked up by then goes in the basement with our stuff." I was trying to keep my answers as short as possible, but that particular piece of information was important. Miranda and Heather often helped me with my store by minding the counter while I worked.
When I had basically moved our entire apartment into the basement, I sat down at the kitchen counter with my laptop to do some digging. I took off the cover of my music player that connected it to its lanyard, revealing a USB drive, then plugged it into my computer. I opened the drive and scanned it. I had added my own music to this thing over the years, but I had never bothered to look within the file system itself. There was one file that stuck out, primarily because it was not an audio file. I double-clicked the file to open it, only to find that it was password protected. "Hm... I guess I'll try her name first." To my relief, the file opened immediately, and I smirked to myself, "Bingo."
Will be our bond
Even when apart
It would seem Professor Gerald had used my music player as a thumb drive in order to leave me some important information. I scanned the contents of the file I had opened, muttering to myself as I did. "Hm... Eggman would've needed that file to have even learned of Shadow's existence... I bet he deleted it from GUN's database when he obtained it... This is beyond my abilities." I decided, before opening an internet browser, "I'm going to need to find some specialists."
Listen closely, find the proof
On the first day of the Firein the Sky Festival, I began putting my plan into action. News reports were already coming in of alien attacks on other cities, so I left Miranda and Heather with a pair of emergency survival kits and went to see the specialists I had been looking into.
My business took me into a rather unsavory part of town, but I had heard that these guys were great at their jobs, yet terrible with money. I found their office easily enough. It was a somewhat dilapidated building, so I opened the door cautiously. "Hello...?"
All at once, three Mobians came rushing out of the back room, tripping over themselves and landing in a dog pile on the floor. That was both sad and impressive, considering one of them had been flying. I raised my brow at the green crocodile, purple chameleon, and young bee in front of me. Were these guys really as capable as my research had claimed?
The crocodile stood up, causing the chameleon and bee on top of him to tumble onto the floor, "Welcome Miss. How can we help you?"
I pulled off the hood of my jacket after shutting the door. It was best nobody knew I had come here. "Vector the Crocodile, right?" I asked before glancing at his companions, "And you two are Espio and Charmy?"
"Yeah, that's right." Espio the Chameleon said as he stood up.
"I've come to ask for your help in dealing with a... delicate situation." I explained as I reached into the messenger bag I was carrying. "And of course, you'll be well compensated." I assured them while pulling out an envelope and handing it to Vector. "Here, consider this an advance payment, just so you know I'm good for it. I'll give you the rest if you actually pull off the assignment."
Vector glanced at the amount and his eyes widened in surprise. I guessed that this was more than what they usually received, but what I had come to ask of them was by no means easy or simple. "So what seems to be the problem?" The crocodile asked as he gestured for me to sit down.
I carefully took a seat on their beat-up couch after Espio shut the curtains and began to explain, "Before the Space Colony ARK was shut down, Professor Gerald Robotnik prepared a final message for his creation, Shadow, to warn him of a coming invasion and provide instructions for how to stop it. The time for the invasion is drawing near, but the data for the video has been scattered. It must reassembled and played before nightfall on the day that the Black Comet will reach its perigee."
"If it isn't?" Espio asked.
"The video is embedded with a timer to ensure it can only be played within a certain date range." I explained, "If it is not assembled within that time frame, it won't play, and we'll all be doomed."
Your memories will hold the truth.
"Now hold on." Vector began, "There's always a chance Shadow will stop them on his own, isn't there?" It seems that these guys not only knew Shadow, but trusted him.
I sighed and answered his question, "Although I trust Shadow to do the right thing when it counts, the fact is that his memory loss will inhibit his ability to do this on his own. I'd do this myself, but I'm afraid this is beyond the scope of my abilities." There was something else that I wasn't telling them, but I believed that answer was enough to satisfy them.
"Okay..." Espio began, "So the data is scattered, right? Where are the pieces?"
"You'll have to go to three different places to retrieve it." I replied, "The first is Prison Island."
"But didn't that place go 'boom'?" Charmy suddenly piped up.
"Yes, but it wasn't completely destroyed." I told him, "The data archives in particular were well fortified and are sure to have survived. Within those archives are five disks that each contain a portion of the data."
Yes, listen carefully
"What's the second location?" Vector asked.
"I'm afraid it's not exactly in a 'physical' location." I replied, "The second portion of the data should be somewhere within the Eggnet. You see, Professor Gerald embedded part of the data within his digital diary. Eggman stole that diary from GUN and has stored it within the Eggnet. You'll have to get the diary in order to get the data."
Try to hear
"And the last part?" Espio inquired.
I sighed, "That is perhaps the most difficult part to reach. You'll have to travel to the Space Colony ARK itself. The remainder of the data is stored within the ARK's computer, as is the program for playing it. You'll need to take the other pieces with you, and assemble the data there. Once all the pieces are together, the video should play automatically."
The secrets of Maria's song
"I notice the word 'should'." Espio remarked.
"Well, you will be working with data and technology that is older than the three of you combined." I replied, "I'd be lying if I said there was no possibility of a glitch."
"In that case, will it really be our fault if we fail?" The purple chameleon asked. I understood his hesitation. Why take a job in which you could do everything right and still fail, and not get paid for your efforts?
"Well not necessarily, no. However, if you don't succeed, we'll all be doomed and you'll have no use for the reward money anyway." I explained before standing up, "I need to get going, but here's my phone number." I said as I held out a business card to Vector, "Call me if you need advice, but be forewarned that I may not be able to answer." With that, I turned to leave, but Vector stopped me.
"One last thing: How do you know all of this?" The crocodile asked, "You're obviously not with GUN. If you were, you wouldn't need to come to us."
I smiled wryly, "You're very astute, Vector. That's good, given your occupation. However, I'm afraid I cannot reveal my sources to you. On that note, do not reveal the nature of this assignment to anyone, especially Shadow. And even when you finish the job, don't tell anyone who hired you."
As I pulled up the hood of my jacket, Vector nodded to me, "You got it." It seemed he understood my need for secrecy.
I quickly left the Chaotix's office and raced back home, knowing that time was short. When I reached the store, I pulled out my cell phone and called the Commander.
"Sir, I believe you should begin evacuating Westopolis immediately." I informed him as I burst through the front door. I placed my hand over the speaker and called up to the floor above me, "Miranda! Heather! Grab your packs and let's go!"
My two adopted sisters came down the stairs almost immediately with the bags I had given them. "Where's the fire?" Miranda asked in confusion.
I had returned to my phone call, providing both the Commander and Miranda with an explanation at the same time, "I just saw on the news that five major cities have been attacked by black aliens. According to my calculations, the timing of the attacks coincided with when dusk fell on each city. I suspect that this is the point in time at which the cities in question were most directly facing the Black Comet. Westopolis is the largest city in this timezone, it's only a matter of time before--" I stopped short as something caught my eye outside. Ominous red clouds were swirling over the city. "Sir, forgive my directness, but--mobilize the troops and evacuate the citizens now!" Without waiting for him to answer, I turned to my sisters, "Miranda, Heather, get outside! Right now!" Miranda opened her mouth to ask why, but Heather dragged her out the door, apparently sensing that now was not the time for questions. I quickly followed them as I listened to the Commander's response, "Yeah, good luck to you too, sir. We're all gonna need it."
I ended the call and rushed over to Miranda and Heather, who seemed to be stunned by the chaos that had suddenly erupted throughout the city.
"What are these things?!" Miranda cried in alarm.
"No time! Move it!" I told her, "We need to meet up with the evacuation unit!" At that moment, I noticed a member of the Black Arms coming from above and quickly jumped back to avoid its attack. Miranda and Heather both screamed my name in alarm. Without hesitation, I round-housed the alien, striking it in the head. "Go on ahead! I'll catch up!" I told them.
"But--" Miranda protested.
"The evacuation team might need your help, now go!" I told her. I knew Miranda well enough to know that she would only listen if she felt like she was being useful somehow. With a hesitant nod, she turned and ran off with Heather as I turned to see that the Black Arms had surrounded me. "Okay... this is unexpected." I muttered. Was there a reason they were targeting me specifically?
I prepared to fight them, but out of nowhere, a small, bird-like creature dive-bombed into the back of my head, knocking me flat on my face and causing me to drop my Chaos Emerald. To my horror, one of the aliens picked it up. "No!" Before I could stand up, two of the other soldiers grabbed me and held me in place. I struggled, but they were stronger than me. Confusion crossed my face as something that looked like a six-pointed starfish with a single eye flew up to me and projected an image of who could only be the leader of these aliens.
The three-eyed monster narrowed his eyes at me, "What is this? Why do a sense a... resonance with this female hedgehog?" Resonance? What the heck did that mean? Did I have some kind of connection to these things?
"Psh. Your guess is as good as mine." I quipped. I knew I wasn't really in the best position to be impudent, but I couldn't help it.
"Hm... Secure the Emerald and take this girl to the tank." The leader commanded, "We'll take her with us."
"No!" I cried, struggling harder to get free. I didn't have any desire to find out what he had planned for me. Unfortunately, my efforts were in vain. These creatures were still stronger than me and my efforts were being hampered by the fact that my feet were no longer touching the ground. They had stepped onto a pair of hover disks, probably to make it easier to drag me off.
Fortunately, those disks were fairly slow except when traveling downhill, so by the time the laser attacks had ended, I was still struggling in their grasp. "Let go of me you freaks!" I demanded. The next thing I knew, I was flying forward as both creatures were struck from behind. I once again landed face first on the street, and then turned to see Sonic the Hedgehog and Shadow disposing of my captors.
"You okay?" Sonic asked as he turned to me.
"Yeah, thanks." I replied, accepting his outstretched hand, "Although a word of advice: you might want to try a more delicate approach to rescuing a damsel in distress. You guys almost dislocated my shoulders doing that." I brushed myself off and then noticed that Shadow was holding both the blue Chaos Emerald, and the green one I had had. "Oh good, you found the Chaos Emerald that they took from me." I remarked.
"You were carrying a Chaos Emerald? Is that why they were after you?" Sonic asked.
"Nah." I remarked calmly, "If that was all they wanted, they would've just disposed of me after taking it. Anyway, thanks for the help, but I'd better get moving before more of them show up. Oh, and you can keep the Emerald." Noticing Shadow's indignant glare at my giving him permission, I held my hands up in mock surrender, "Not that I'd be willing to fight you for it, but it's better off with you anyway. Sayonara!" With that, I took off running, though at a much slower speed than I normally would. Best to wait until I was at least out of Sonic and Shadow's sight for that.
Grow strong, be brave
Unfortunately, the next day, I was captured by the Black Arms and imprisoned within their comet. Their leader, Black Doom, wanted to figure out exactly who--and what--I was. Frankly, at this point, I did too. However, he was currently too busy commanding his army, so he just left me in a room somewhere inside the comet with a couple of his best soldiers outside to guard me. Since I literally had nowhere to go for the time being, I just stayed put, but I wasn't merely twiddling my thumbs.
Though you may fear
After testing some things out, I learned some valuable information. First, the Black Arms were a hive mind, and only Black Doom himself possessed free will. Second, I was able to tap into that hive mind to probe for information about what was going on. This was likely a sign that I myself was part Black Arms, but I didn't exactly have a solid means of proving that at the moment. Nonetheless, I was able to use this ability to keep tabs on everything that was happening without getting in trouble. It also gave me the means to access a map of the Comet's interior, knowledge that I figured would eventually come in handy.
I vaguely wondered if Black Doom knew about my probing, but if he did, he wasn't concerned by it. However, because I was tapping into the common knowledge of the hive mind and not the thoughts of Black Doom himself, he likely didn't notice me. The following day, I was still sitting in that room, waiting for the chance to make a move, when I was suddenly blinded by a bright light and a strange sensation took over me. When I could see again, I probed the hive mind for information and discovered that Black Doom had just teleported the comet down to the surface of the planet using the Chaos Emeralds.
"Shoot!" I muttered before looking up in the direction the ARK would presumably be in, "Come on Chaotix, get your tails in gear!" I continued to monitor the situation through the hive mind. Shadow eventually set off to face Black Doom, but Sonic and the others were paralyzed by some kind of Black Arms biological weapon, and worse, they were about to become lunch! I sighed. These creatures really were creepy. Oh well. Since Shadow was currently pursuing Black Doom, I decided that now was probably a good time to make a break for it and go rescue Sonic and the others. I was the only one who could, after all. The gas in question was not affecting me, which was further evidence that I was at least part Black Arms.
The secrets you knew all along
I exited the room I was in and the guards immediately tried to attack me, but I simply sped past them. I had learned through my probing that these "Black Assassins" could only teleport short distances. Leaving them behind would be easy. I encountered very little resistance beyond that, but my connection to the hive mind told me that this was because nearly all of the Black Arms currently within the Comet were trying to stop Shadow. As I had suspected, the internal map I had accessed turned out to be very convenient, and I was able to make a beeline for Team Sonic. I stopped just before the last turn I would need to make and opened my backpack. Among the emergency supplies I had packed were multiple rebreathers. I had suspected that the Black Arms would use biological warfare, and had prepared these in advance. I didn't need one myself, but it was better if Sonic and the others didn't know that, so I put one on and hurried to help them.
To my great relief, the Chaotix managed to come through in the nick of time. With the strength given to him by the Professor and Maria's final message, Shadow was able to overcome Black Doom's mind control--which I was apparently completely immune to--and put a stop to the invasion. I had already left Sonic and his friends behind, but I watched from the streets of Westopolis--what was left of it anyway--as Shadow used the Eclipse Cannon to obliterate that deadly comet.
"Otsukaresama deshita... Shadow." I voiced my congratulations quietly, despite the fact that nobody was around to hear. I then blinked in surprise as my cell phone rang. I could scarcely believe that any cell towers had survived! Without much more thought, I answered the call, "Hello?"
"Hey did you see?! We did it!" Vector's overly loud voice rang over the phone, causing me to wince.
"Well I didn't see so much as heard, but yes. Well done Team Chaotix. This planet is in your debt. I'll give you the rest of the payment I promised you when you return home." I informed them.
"But won't you need it?" Espio asked in concern, "I mean, you lived in Westopolis too, didn't you?"
"Don't worry about it." I assured him, "I moved all of my belongings underground, where they would be safe from the laser strikes. I've lost my shop, but nothing else. And you needn't worry either. Your office is far enough away from downtown that it was missed altogether. I already checked."
"Gee, thanks." Vector replied with genuine relief in his voice. I can't say I blamed him.
"Otsukaresama deshita, Team Chaotix." I congratulated, "Take care in coming home."
"Right." I heard Espio reply before the call ended.
When a warm breeze starts blowing
A few weeks later, another party was held at the (newly rebuilt) presidential house to celebrate our planet's survival. The Commander invited me again, as an apology for GUN's failure to protect me, but huge social gatherings with people I don't know just aren't my thing. I hung out at the edge of the garden for a bit before eventually wandering off to a different part of the estate to be alone.
We'll meet again
Although I had fulfilled the tasked I'd been entrusted with, my heart felt heavy. Shadow still didn't remember me, and as long as that was true, I would likely never know the truth of my identity.
My "Farewell-to-Spring"
I stared up at the sky before looking back at the group. It didn't look like Shadow would be escaping the party any time soon, but oh well. I hoped that with all this, he would be able to move on to the happy future that Maria and the Professor had surely wanted for him.
Ko-imouto, aishiteru
Somehow, I knew it, even though I'd never met her. As long as Shadow was here, Maria's wish would live on.
When the time comes, I will find you...
Okay, first, a quick translation of the dialogue that is in Japanese (I insert them to practice my skills in the language).
Daijoubu: It will be all right.
Kitto daijoubu: I'm sure it will be all right.
Sayonara: Goodbye
Otsukaresama deshita: Good job/Thank you for your hard work (this phrase is normally used when a job is completed or at the end of the workday. It's hard to translate as it lacks a true equivalent in English)
I possibly could have spent more time on Savannah's life before she was reunited with Shadow, or perhaps expanded on her experience during the Black Arms' invasion (I honestly might, at some point). However, this story was originally written back when Sonic Forces came out and published on my DA. I meant to put it here a long, long time ago, but I was having issues since copyrighted song lyrics are not allowed and also some general life issues that got in the way.
EDIT 08/27/22: I ended up removing most of the singing scenes and replacing the original lullaby with a parody of All is Found from Frozen II.
I will put as a side note here that Gerald had already made plans to create Savannah before receiving the order from GUN. He had realized that there was a chance that Black Doom would be capable of controlling Shadow, and so he purposely designed Savannah to have full immunity to Black Doom's mind control. There was also the fact that as someone who doesn't age and can survive practically anything, Gerald realized that Shadow would probably need someone who could share that burden with him.
To clarify the lyrics a little "Farewell-to-Spring" is another name for the Silk Flower. Silk Flower is the meaning of the kanji assigned to Savannah's name, and is the common name of Clarkia amoena. This alternative name comes from the fact that the flowers bloom in June, during the transition from Spring to Summer. This is also when Savannah was born, so due to its relation to her name, birth season, and even the similarities in her coloration and the petals, this flower is something of a personal symbol for Savannah.