Chapter 1: The Dream
March 1st, AD 2123, 4:00 AM.
Location: ARK Space Station, orbiting the planet Earth, somewhere above North America.
The sound of gunshots rang throughout the ARK. Explosions could be heard in the distance, and the dead periodically lay in pools of blood along the hallways. The entire ARK was in chaos.
Ivan and his sister, Maria, were running for their lives. They had to reach the escape pod before the soldiers caught up to them. Maria was looking around frantically, and Ivan practically had to drag her. She had been crying for the last couple of minutes, and every now and then he would hear her sob "don't let them take Shadow. Ivan, we can't let them have him! "
Ivan assumed that she was just delirious. After all, her home was trashed, her friends all dead or dying, and her grandfather nowhere to be found.
As they rounded a corner, they heard a moan coming from one of the doors they passed. Maria began sobbing again, frantically yearning for the door. "Stop, Ivan, Stop! That could be a survivor. We can't just leave him!"
Ivan continued dragging her onward, his mind single for survival, but Maria kept pulling back. Finally, Ivan gave up and turned around. "Fine."
"Maria… Ivan… is that you?" A voice floated out of the room. It sounded like their grandfather, Professor Gerald Robachnovitch; now Ivan was curious. He and Maria entered the room to see their grandfather lying on the ground, his blood oozing from a bullet wound in his right thigh. His hair and once impressive mustache were as white as snow, and his once proud face was haggard, haunted, and full of pain and sorrow.
Behind him, lay the back of the machine that had brought about this horror. Its back panel was open, and a mass of wires, computer chips, and other hardware lay shattered on the floor next to the opening. Beside the machine, lay a small mobile stasis capsule.
Inside the pod lay a black anthropomorphic hedgehog with red stripes on the back of his spines and a white tuft of fur at the base of the neck. That must be Project Shadow, Ivan thought, the rumors were true, and my sister was a part of the experiment. Professor Gerald spoke again, bringing Ivan's attention back to what really mattered.
"Maria, Ivan, Come… closer. I am nearing unconsciousness.", he Moaned, "We do not have … much time. We must split up the two most important parts of Project Shadow. If either part falls into the wrong hands… then the world is lost."
"Maria… take Shadow with you… Make sure he can escape. Split up, and don't let them catch you. They want me alive, but they will kill you. Ivan… Take this… the plans for building the Creator", Professor Gerald said as he pressed a small green flash drive into Ivan's hands, "I… destroyed all other copies, and the… machine itself. Don't let… the government find it. Guard it with your very life. Make sure that Project Shadow stays alive… Finish… what… I started." Then his grandfather fell unconscious.
Maria began pushing the stasis capsule toward the door, then stopped, and opened it. The black hedgehog jumped out, his red eyes flashing open, as he heard the sound of voices coming from outside the hall. "Shadow!" Maria yelled, "Get out of here. If they capture you, the whole world will fall!"
He glanced briefly at Ivan, and noticing the flash drive that Ivan held, said, "That has the plans on it?" Ivan nodded. "Then, you are more important than I am", Continued the Dark Hedgehog, "I will not let them hurt you Ivan, or your sister. We must split up; Ivan, you and Maria need to get out of here. I will distract them while you escape, and I will try to catch up with you later." Shadow walked out of the room to confront the soldiers.
A few minutes passed, and then the voice of a GUN soldier was heard.
"Hey, You! Halt!"
"Damn it! You bastards found me faster than I thought!" the hedgehog yelled.
Then, the sound of gunfire echoed around the hallways, followed by what sounded like fists connecting with bone, and then terrible screams that suddenly cut short. Blood flowed in front of the doorway and Shadow walked back inside after a few heartbeats.
"Change of plans, since more soldiers will be here soon. Ivan, I will take you to the escape pod now! Maria and I will take an escape pod on the opposite side to give you a chance to escape with the plans. I promise that I will protect Maria as best as I can, but if I die, then Project Shadow will still live on, in you! I am the first Mobian. If I fall, remember me; if I die, let everyone know the Ultimate Lifeform has fallen. " He turned toward the door, gesturing for Maria to follow him.
Shadow froze at the door. The sound of more footsteps could be heard outside. As quick as lightning, he dashed back, and grabbed Maria and Ivan by the arm. "Damn it! I haven't tried this before, but now is as good a time as any; CHAOS CONTROL!"
Things became blurry as time and space warped around the trio. When the vision cleared, Ivan was sitting by the entrance to an escape pod, and he was alone. Ivan looked around, but Shadow and Maria were nowhere to be seen. He took one last look around, then sadly turned and entered, with the computer chip still in his fist. "I vow to continue Project Shadow, and fight this oppressive world government", He said, "This world deserves to be free." And he pressed the Launch button.
February 28th, AD 2153, 10:30 PM. Eve of the 30th Anniversary of the ARK massacre.
Location: Top Secret Research Facility, Robotnik Enterprises, Somewhere in North America.
Dr. Ivan O. Robachnovitch, the 38-year-old CEO of Robotnik Enterprises, woke up with a start. He had fallen asleep at his desk again, and as he had every night since he found out about Maria's death, the nightmare mixed with memory of his escape from the ARK had returned. After his escape, he had been found by a local engineer in North America, where he was raised. He later went to college, excelled in engineering, robotics, mechanics, and genetics.
I shouldn't have left, Ivan thought, I shouldn't have left her there to die. She was my sister, and I betrayed her. No… no I wasn't, I did what I was supposed to do. She died to give Shadow a chance to escape, and with luck, he managed it. With her sacrifice, the resistance still lives on, even if the rest of the world has become ignorant.
"Dodge! Get your lazy fat ass in here," Roared the doctor," Get those damn department heads in here; I don't care what they are doing, it is time to kick this rebellion into full gear!" Due to a lack of good sleep, Ivan was subject to sudden and random irritability.
Dodge was his secretary. He was a fat and lazy piece of shit with huge dinner plates for eyes and a sulky disposition. If you even just glanced at him, he would whine like a pig and waddle off to do his own dirty work. "Y…Y…Yes Doctor," Dodge whined sleepily, "right away."
Dodge gave the intercom a punch, and sent for the three department heads that were highly concerned with Project Shadow. "Will the managers of the Robotics, Genetics, and Aviation Departments please report to Dr. Ivan's office immediately?" He then picked up his book, and began to read.
When his secretary was no longer paying any attention, Dr. Ivan turned around and swung the picture on its hidden hinge, revealing a safe built into the wall. He punched in the six-digit combination, and opened the outer door of the safe. The second door revealed an eye scanner, a thumb scanner, and a voice recognition device, which promptly requested him to identify himself. As his eye and thumb were being scanned, Dr. Ivan promptly replied with his full name, "Doctor Ivan Orvenori Robachnovitch." The small scanners quickly processed the information, and then all three flashed green with recognition. "Welcome, Dr. Ivo Robotnik." The voice said. Ivan glanced around secretly. Not many people knew of his secret name.
The second door popped open, revealing a third door with two locks in it: one requiring a card swipe, and the other requiring an old fashioned key. He pulled out his scan card and a small metal key. He put the key into the lock, then swiped his card, and then turned the key.
The third door popped open, revealing a single flash drive sitting in the middle of the safe. He picked up the flash drive, put it in his pocket, and closed all three doors to the safe. He then swung the picture back into place, and sat down at his desk to wait for his three most trusted managers. They'll probably be late, He thought, yawned sleepily. This is going to be a long night…
March 1st, AD 2153, 12:01 AM.
Location: Top Secret Research Facility, Robotnik Enterprises, Somewhere in North America.
"Very well, now that we are all here, let's begin with the reports. Johnson, what do you have to say concerning the stealth drones?" Dr. Ivan wearily asked. He feared that the Robotics department was behind schedule.
"The stealth drones are coming along well," replied Johnson, head of the Robotics department. He paused as he pulled up schematics for the stealth drones and then continued with his report. "The Class S5 battle drones are more streamlined in appearance, and are designed more for spying and sabotage than the standard battle drone. That said, they needed to be lighter. Due to the weight, we had to significantly reduce the amount of armor and weaponry in favor of the stealth factor. We replaced most of the armor and weaponry with the following: experimental cloaking, anti-radar capabilities, and long range spy and communication equipment, an emergency self-destruct, as well as a capsule that can store and deploy small explosives. The stealth drone can also be fitted with a small cargo hold, with which it can transport small amounts of equipment, food, ammo, or weapons. As far as weaponry goes, the stealth drone is compatible with only light weaponry, and may be custom equipped with up to two of the following: a short range Taser, a dart gun with a clip of 8 paralysis darts, or a drone issued .35 SMG with two spare magazines."
"Very good Johnson", Dr. Ivan grunted, "and what else do you have to report?" It seemed like he had been mistaken about his first assumptions
"We now have 3 classes of battle drones up and functional, sir. The S5 stealth drone, the H2 heavy support drone, and the AP14 Omega battle drone. The engineer drones are receiving their finishing touches, and will soon be added to the drone arsenal. The R3 recon drones are currently being specifically remodeled to act as a better short-range scout", Johnson droned on, "as the long-range recon function has been filled by the S5 drone. As far as drone numbers are concerned, one hundred thousand drones that are fully operational, with another fifty thousand being assembled and tested right this moment. Fifty percent of the army is, as you directed, made up of standard model battle drones, with the rest being stealth drones and heavy support respectively."
"Excellent, Mr. Johnson," Ivan replied, "It seems that you are on schedule after all. See that you keep it up."
The doctor turned to the head of the Aviation Department. "Mr. Smith, how is my aerospace fleet coming along?"
Mr. Smith briefly glanced at his papers then stood up to speak. "We have finished the designs for your capital ship, the Gambit. It will be like a flying fortress, able to withstand a major battle. The s Gambit will be able to endure the rigors of space and can carry up to 50,000 drones and 5000 passengers, not including the people who run the ship. It will be equipped with enough firepower to level entire cities, and the most powerful armor available. Hangers are to be built into the Gambit to allow for fighters and transports to enter and leave at will. I am sure that when it is finished, you will be most impressed, sir." Mr. Smith replaced the schematics of the battle drones with a detailed 3D module of the Gambit on the holoboard.
Dr. Ivan's eyes narrowed, as he examined the enormous module. "Mr. Smith… How will the ship be powered? There is not enough fuel, even in the entire solar system, to get this thing off the ground, much less get it into space. How do you plan to power it?"
Mr. Smith grinned impishly. "Dr. Ivan, surely you remember your grandfather's journal? Well, I took the liberty of looking through it, like you asked me to, a while back. In his journal, Professor Gerald mentioned a rare type of crystal occasionally found in certain asteroids and meteors. Crystals of this type tend to radiate an immeasurable amount of energy. Your grandfather had designed a device that can use this energy as a power source. I call this device the Chaos Reactor, on account that the energy ratings of the power source may possibly be unpredictable and chaotic. All we need to do is find a meteor that contains this crystal, and we will have a good source of energy to covert to fuel."
"Do these Chaos Crystals have any effects on life forms?" The doctor asked, "There could be some problems if my workers start throwing up and dying from radiation sickness."
"As far as I can tell, the energy output of this Chaotic Crystal has no harmful effects on humans, or any life form for that matter. I believe, however that if you concentrate enough of this energy in one place, it may actually enhance a normal person's abilities. When I gain a sample, I will study it more closely."
"I get the idea Mr. Smith," The doctor said, "I just wanted to make sure you had thought this out completely." Next, he turned to the Genetics Manager. A few moments of silence passed.
"Well, Professor Jason?" Dr. Ivan said ominously, "I'm waiting for your report concerning the next phase in Project Shadow."
"We have made little progress, sir," Professor Jason responded nervously, his eyes flicking back and forth.
"WHAT!?" Exploded the CEO, "You have been working on rebuilding Project Shadow for over a year, and you have nothing to report at all? You are a disgrace!" Dr. Ivan's face was beet red, almost the same color as his huge red mustache. The doctor looked around embarrassed. Coughing a couple of times, he slowly regained his composure. "I am sorry, gentlemen, I didn't catch much sleep earlier. Anyway, why wasn't any progress made in Project Shadow?"
Professor Jason sighed in relief. "I suppose it is because you haven't given us the schematics for the Creator yet, sir. I didn't want to bug you about it, and I thought you already knew. I filled out the report 11 months ago."
Dr. Ivan winced. "Sometimes, I don't even get those monthly reports Jason. My secretary has long thought it amusing to hide some of the papers from me. Every time I threaten to fire him, that little smartass looks at me with a forgetful expression on his face, and scrambles around, pretending to look for it, each time saying, 'I am sorry boss, It must be here somewhere. Are you sure that it was even sent?' I then get a small feeling of compassion for the idiot, and I find myself unable to fire him, even though I know very well that he is driving me crazy. "
"Very well, I will give you a copy of the schematics," the doctor continued, as he reached into his pocket, "Anyway, I had a hunch that I forgot to give you a copy. I will forward it to your department network." He pulled out the flash drive, and plugged it into the interface.
"Um… Sir?" Mr. Johnson said hesitantly, "Sir… You gave me the schematics for the individual parts for the Creator over a year ago. I already have built them, and they just need to be assembled. "
Dr. Ivan paused briefly, then opened the flash drive, and copied one of the documents into an email, which he directed to the Mr. Johnson. "Excellent, Mr. Johnson, "he said, "I assume that you need the instructions on how the Creator is to be assembled? Good. I just sent it to you. Now get it built, and ship it over to the Genetic Department. How long do you think it will take?"
"A week at the least boss, "Mr. Johnson replied hesitantly, "Three weeks tops. "
"Now, since that was taken care of," the doctor announced, "I think this meeting is adjourned, so good day, gentlemen. I need to ponder what everyone here has told me, and I am in desperate need of some sleep. Remember, there will be a general meeting of the executive council in two days, and everyone is to attend." The three department managers quickly shuffled out.
Now time to get some sleep, He thought. He left his office, and walked down the many hallways of the underground research center, and finally came to his personal quarters. He changed, and then hopped into bed, knowing that tomorrow was going to be a very long day. He opened the small fridge that was by his bed, pulled out a bottle of strong wine, drank a couple swigs, and then put it back in his fridge.
He lay down on his bed, and for a time gazed at the celling.
"Maria… Shadow…" the doctor said as he slowly drifted off to sleep, "What happened to you on that fateful day?"
For the first time in a week, the doctor was able to fall into a deep, sound sleep. If he had been awake thirty minutes later, he would've heard the roar and crash of something huge falling to the ground, not so far away, but he didn't even notice.