So I had it pointed out to me a bunch of flaws I had in my story, and so I've tried really hard to get myself to not make such mistakes so often. Yes, I realize the story was very slow and had next to no plot, but I guess I justified it to myself because I believed I was slowly setting things up for the main plot to take over. I realize Sonic wouldn't have let Shadow beat him up so easily, and that Knuckles would have done a lot more, but I've already planned to put in 'omake' fillers for if my attention span starts to wander from the story, as to what happened right after my shorter starting chapters ended. Trust me, Sonic had a reason for why he was easily beaten, Knuckles definitely got his revenge, and the blue Chaos Emerald on the bed really does have a reason for suddenly being there. It wasn't something nice Shadow was doing, it had a purpose for suddenly showing up, though it definitely wasn't stated at the time. I thank you very much for reviewing and remind me of those finer points, and I'll definitely be sure to hit on them during the story. Please review again to tell me about any complaints you have again on this story, and tell me if you just want me to add lots of more stuff to the chapters before this one, because I can go back and rewrite parts of it and add stuff if I need to. That's enough of my blabbering though, continue on with the story.
Disclaimer: Dude, I'm nowhere near good enough to create and maintain the awesomeness that is Sonic the Hedgehog. No way would I ever take the credit for such an awesome series, and such wonderful characters.
Dr. "Eggman" Robotnik. Famed to be a genius, with over three hundred IQ points. Inventor of many different kinds of robots, all of which are highly praised by the government, and many of the designs for said robots had secretly been stolen by the govornment and remodled to be their own. This man was brilliant in many different ways, coming up with plans that seemed so hairbrained they could never work, and even though they didn't, it was only because a hedgehog and his friends always stopped him. Otherwise, every one of his plans would have suceeded.
Seeing the dumbfounded look on the supposed "genius's" face after the twelfth time of explaining his brilliant plan, Shadow had to wonder if any of the stories about him were true at all. Three hundred IQ points? More like 30 at the most, was his more acidic thought. To be fair, he didn't really think he was so stupid, it was just that having to explain the same thing twelve times in a row tended to make even the most patient person a little exasperated, and Shadow was in no way patient with explaining things to people.
"Let's start it this way Doctor: What are you confused on?" Shadow said, speaking slowly and pronouncing every syllable like one who was talking to a slow child. Somehow, he had a feeling the man was intentionally trying to play dumb with him, since the plan outlined to him was so outrageous and crazy that even he surely wouldn't dream it up.
"I fail to see how this is going to actually solve anything, or even get anywhere," the Doctor said, frowning as he gave Shadow a look for speaking to him in that way.
From under half-lidded eyes Shadow regarded the good Doctor, the slightest twitch upward of his lips indicating how inwardly amused he was. Oh doctor, he mused to himself, if only you knew how you dance in the palm of my hand. You find it easy to manipulate others, but do you realize how easily manipulated you yourself are? He thought not, and inside he was laughing just barely at it.
"As I have explained, with this plan your most annoying problem, Sonic the Hedgehog, will be thoroughly distracted by me, and as such you could get rid of him while I'm distracting him," he patiently explained, this time just not going through the preliminaries and getting straight down to the meat of his plan. At least, what he had told the Doctor his plan was.
"And you'll distract him by… making him fall for you?" Eggman said slowly, almost incredulously, as if he expected Shadow suddenly to shout, "Fooled ya!" any second now and stop his brain from actually processing this thought track.
"Precisely. Already he's doing so, and all I have to do is encourage him to fall even further. Once fully smitten with me, he would pay more attention to me, leaving you to do what you want: Namely achieve full control over the planet and create your empire."
Shadow had pre-thought through everything he told the Doctor, and he knew the one thing the Doctor wanted now was to control the planet, everything else be damned. He would take it completely, without so much as an afterthought if Shadow were to promise such to him.
"And what do you get out of this?" the moustached man asked suspiciously, frowning as he looked over the hedgehog. Both knew Shadow never did anything if he got nothing, and so the only main question that seemed to be remaining was what he wanted.
"The ability to utterly humiliate him and crush his little pathetic heart into dust, then grind that dust into utter nothing. One of the annoyances in my life will be gone with minimal effort. Just be glad you're getting something out of this as well," Shadow only added the last part to remind the man that he could have done this all along and not involved him. It was only through Shadow's thoughtfulness that the man was even getting the chance to get his empire while Sonic was otherwise not aware of his actions.
Both of course knew perfectly well that there were others who would find out what Eggman was up to, but with small efforts, Shadow had secretely sabatoged all emerald tracking devices in Sonic's little circle of friends, and the only ones that remained now were in G.U.N. hands, and the Doctor himself had one.
That and G.U.N. connections had underhandedly offered Sonic's snoopy friends a wonderful vacation out on the ocean in one of the government's most expensive cruiseships, the reason being told that of gratitude for their latest heroic efforts. They didn't mention that Sonic wasn't joining them, for the blue hero had had the same offer extended to him, but as Shadow predicted, he declined since it would be too little room for him to run and way too much water surrounding him.
It was the perfect time to strike, for the only one that remained to stop Eggman was the echidna, who was now back on Angel Island and wouldn't bother to do anything so long as the Master Emerald would not be involved, and Sonic himself, and as Shadow already informed the Doctor, the pesky hedgehog would not bother him.
"Oh of course, I graciously thank you for your forethought Shadow," Eggman said, pouring on the sugary tones to placate the hedgehog in front of him. His mind had already thought through all the ways the hedgehog could betray him, but he truly couldn't see any reason the other would have for doing so. For now, he would go along with things, staying prepared for if the other decided to betray him for reasons unknown.
The Doctor could think all he wanted, Shadow's plan was already coming together very smoothly, and soon he'd have all he wanted. So far, all the little pieces he had in the palm of his hand, and while they thought they were dancing somewhere else under their own power, he was the one who held all the strings. The fact that he was now slowly seducing Sonic hadn't been a part of his plan to begin with, but when Sonic had suddenly kissed him that one time, he saw the opportunity to attempt this line of tactic and had taken it.
The frown on his dark tan muzzle deepened as he realized he was thinking off topic from what was going on in front of him, and so he returned his attention to the man in front of him. "Flattery is false and should be avoided Doctor," was what he said, in an almost scathing tone, used to reprimand him for thinking he could sugar-talk Shadow into dropping his guard around him.
A slight frown stole over Eggman's face as the small hedgehog reprimanded him so casually, and for a second he thought he was going to snap back at him, but the man just shrugged after a few moments. "Very well then, Shadow," he said, pretending he hadn't spoken to him like an inferior. "I assume you have a very brilliant plan on how you're going to 'distract' the annoying hedgehog, other than him falling for you?" Apparently, he'd already gotten over the insanity one had to have to think of evenmaking the blue hero fall for the dark, cold hedgehog, and Shadow had to smirk at that. So amusing this petty human was.
"Of course I do," Shadow immediately replied, smirk on his lips darkening at the direction the track of conversation had turned to. "If the hedgehog doesn't fall for me… I'll kill him." In addition, the menacing, icy tones in his voice gave the human he was talking to the shivers, because in his cold blood-red eyes he saw no hint of mercy. If the creature before him had ever known what it felt like to pity someone, there was no trace of the memory in his eyes. This merciless gaze was what blew away the final bits of doubt he had about the blackness of the inky hedgehog's heart. Deep inside him, his heart was just as black as his fur.
A cold chill ran down his spine, and deep down the scientist wondered just what he'd gotten into. There was an evil look in the dark hedgehog's bloody eyes. That look warned him of how he was in danger just as soon as the other's plan was completed. He could only hope that he'd find a way to get rid of him during the execution of the plan, so that the murderous habits of the inky one wouldn't turn to him as their newest prey.
"I have no doubt in your ability to do so," was all he said as he made a quick retreat back to the computer terminal he had been looking over before the black hedgehog had Chaos Controlled in. On the screen was the image of a slowly rotating blue Chaos Emerald, beside it were numbers that were meant to show reading of the energy contained inside it, but the numbers were swiftly changing so rapidly it was nearly impossible to read them and get an accurate measure of it. On six different screens, the same image glared down at them, but instead of blue, the other Chaos Emeralds were all different colors.
Behind him, Shadow shifted forward to stand beside the chair, red eyes gleaming in the glare of the computer terminals, they flicked between each terminal methodically. A dark smirk took over his lips, and a soft, cold laugh tore from his throat, intent on making itself known, if only to startle and make the human in the chair shiver again. Soon, very soon, they would all be in position, with enough power in them to start hell for everyone.
The dark hedgehog turned slowly around, turning his merciless gaze onto a larger computer screen that was behind the two of them. On it, seven different colored dots blinked innocently in different places on the map of the world shown on the screen. Five of the dots were moving, slowly but surely, towards where five dull black 'X's were marked on the screen. Shadow's eyes tracked each dot's movement for several seconds, before he closed them and he let out a satisfied sigh. Fools were so very useful, even if they didn't realize it themselves.
It was now a waiting game, and Shadow had as much patience as needed for such a game. He could wait for years if he had to, but he just knew it would only take a few days for everything to be set in place. Then he would have his way, and everyone be damned. Sonic, the Doctor, Knuckles, the fox, the annoying girl who followed Sonic everywhere, Rouge, Omega if he thought about it, and anyone else he had ever known that lived on this planet now. If any of them tried to stop him, he would eradicate them, without a single second thought. Nothing was getting in the way, and his eyes blazed with an inner hellfire as his resolve firmed itself once again in his mind. Everyone was damned in a few days. Himself included.