"Looking outside again?"
"...Yes."
"You sure do that a lot."
"..."
"Wanna play hide-and-seek?"
"...Okay."
The little six-year-old girl giggled at the dark-furred hedgehog, who could not help but smile back. She then ran off into the hallway.
Shadow closed his eyes and started counting aloud. Midway through the count, however, Shadow heard a small shout, followed by a crash. In an instant, he was out in the hallway, where the little girl was on the floor crying.
Shadow was not the only one to hear the noise. A few seconds later, a tall, bald man also stormed into the hallway, a look of deep concern over his face. Like most men Shadow had met, this man was wearing a lab coat, but what distinguished him in particular was his enormous mustache, grizzled from age and jutting out in both directions on his face, as well as his slightly overweight stature. He knelt down and rubbed the girl's shoulders, trying to comfort her. At the same time, he shot a glare at Shadow.
"What did you do?" said the man. "Did you hurt Maria?"
Surprised by the accusation, Shadow opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He was only a few years old, and he was still learning how to talk. He fumbled for the right words to say.
The man, however, took his silence as an admission of guilt. He got up and grabbed Shadow by his chest fur and slammed him against the wall, sending a jolt of pain through Shadow's body. Before anything else could happen, however, Maria shouted, "Grandpa, no!"
Maria was no longer crying. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, then stood up and faced her grandfather.
"It was my fault," she said. "We were playing hide-and-seek again. I was running through the hallway, and I tripped on that thing." She pointed to a box that someone had left in the middle of the hallway, right outside the door so that when Maria ran outside, she didn't have time to see it and dodge it. "Please stop hurting him," she said.
The Professor released his grip on Shadow and regarded him carefully. After a few moments, he asked, "Is that what happened, Shadow?"
Shadow nodded, rubbing his sore chest gingerly.
"So it was an accident," said the Professor. He knelt down again until he was at eye-level with both Maria and Shadow. "I'm sorry, Shadow."
Maria pouted. "Grandpa, you big dummy," she said.
The Professor smiled at his granddaughter. "I'm sorry for upsetting you, Maria. Are you okay, now?"
Maria nodded, and the Professor got up and patted her on the head before walking back to the lab to continue his research.
As Maria and Shadow watched him walk away, Maria shook her head indignantly. "He always gets so scary whenever he thinks someone hurt me." Maria turned to face Shadow and gently touched Shadow's now-unkempt chest. "Are you okay, Shadow?"
Shadow stared into Maria's caring eyes, and any lingering pain from the incident washed away completely. He nodded.
Maria's lips curled into a smile, and she wrapped her arms around Shadow, embracing him into a hug.
Shadow did the same.
Shadow opened his eyes with a start. He rubbed his head, feeling a wave of fatigue as he sat up. He must have exhausted his energy when he caused Chaos Control with one emerald. The loss of his inhibitor rings made him prone to frequent loss of consciousness—without them, he struggled to control his energy consumption.
However, his mind was not on his fatigue at the moment. It was on what he had dreamed.
Shadow did not often dream when he was asleep, but for some reason, he could vividly remember the details of the dream he just had. Maria had starred in it, but also the man that Sonic had told him was his creator: Professor Gerald Robotnik. He wasn't sure where the dream came from or why he had dreamt it now, but it had felt so real.
After a while, Shadow shook his head and began to survey his surroundings. As soon as he did, he began to experience an extreme episode of deja vu. His surroundings somehow felt more familiar to him than any other place he could remember stepping foot in, yet paradoxically, he could not recall any concrete memories of ever being here.
It was dark. Evidently, no one else was here, nor had anyone been here for years. A small amount of light shone in from the door to the room Shadow was in. When he gazed outside of the door, he could not help but let out a gasp.
It was the planet Earth.
Shadow remembered that in his dream, he had been staring at the Earth for quite some time. It was an incredible coincidence that his first sight upon waking again was the very same sight as in his dream. Shadow stopped and stared for several minutes.
Vaguely, Shadow started to remember certain feelings. Still no concrete memories, but as Shadow gazed at the sight of the blue marble before him, he realized that this was a sight he had definitely beheld before. Moreover, Shadow started to remember how seeing the Earth from up above made him feel: overwhelmingly, it was a sense of confusion, a sense of being lost, a sense of not knowing one's purpose for existence. It was all the same feelings that had come to plague Shadow yet again over the last several months.
However, amid all of those feelings, staring at the Earth did evoke yet another feeling, one that Shadow had not truly felt for a long time.
Hope.
Despite the negative feelings, Shadow could remember feeling hopeful whenever he stared at the Earth. He could not remember why. He was determined to find out.
Shadow turned and continued to survey his surroundings. He looked down at his hands and noticed that in one was a Chaos emerald, shining brightly yellow. Given the sense of familiarity he had with this place, it was clear enough that he had succeeded in teleporting to Space Colony ARK via Chaos Control. If that was true, then he knew that this place could unlock the secrets to his existence.
Shadow began to walk around. As he did so, he found his mind mulling over some of his most recent memories, especially of the boy that Sonic had befriended in this world, the one called Chris.
Shadow had a good impression of Chris. Although they had occasionally been in conflict in recent months, Chris was the one that had given him his inhibitor rings during the fight against the Metarex. He also understood that Chris's help was instrumental to the victory over the Metarex. Nevertheless, he still didn't trust Sonic, and it seemed that Chris and Sonic were now back together again. In fact, just before teleporting here, he had even caught a glimpse of Eggman himself next to Sonic again. How did Eggman get here? Why were Sonic and Eggman hiding things from him? Why was Chris seemingly on Sonic's side? Maybe Sonic was deceiving Chris. Maybe, thought Shadow, maybe there's something I'm missing.
Shadow's thoughts also drifted to a particular girl that he had met during the Metarex saga. While he and Rouge were with Eggman, they had encountered a group of resistance fighters led by a young woman named Molly. While Molly still held much hope for the future, her comrades did not. They betrayed and attempted to murder her in order to surrender to the Metarex. Overwhelmed by their betrayal and before Shadow had a chance to stop her, Molly launched a futile solo attack on an entire fleet of Metarex warships, which killed her immediately. Earlier, when Rouge and Shadow had warned Molly that she was being too rash with her own safety, she had told them that even if she died, she took comfort in knowing that someone would carry on her dream after her. Molly's words had moved him deeply. Why did they sound so familiar? And why did Shadow feel such a strong urge to protect Molly back then?
As these questions raced through his mind, Shadow made his way into the interior of Space Colony ARK. It was pitch black aside from the glow of the yellow Chaos emerald he held, but somehow, Shadow instinctively knew the way.
Before he knew it, Shadow found himself in the central control room of the space station, with one main computer in the center. He found a hole in the instrument panel and—also instinctively—placed the Chaos emerald inside.
As soon as he did, the emerald reacted by illuminating with greater ferocity, and around him, Shadow could hear the soft whirring of the decades-old machinery as they groaned to back to life. A few moments later, the room became illuminated by pale sets of lights lining the walls. The computer in front of him buzzed to life as well, and soon, text appeared on the monitor.
SPACE COLONY ARK
CENTRAL COMMAND
PROFESSOR GERALD ROBOTNIK, LEAD SCIENTIST
RESTRICTED ACCESS
* * * PASSWORD REQUIRED * * *
Shadow froze. There was the name that he had heard so much lately. The one people described as his creator. Doctor Eggman's grandfather. Maria's grandfather.
He realized instantly what the password must be.
With trembling fingers, he reached for the keyboard.
M.
A.
R.
I.
A.
ACCESS GRANTED.
WELCOME, PROFESSOR.
MISSION CONTROL / PROJECT FILES / DIARY / COMMUNICATIONS
Shadow started by clicking "MISSION CONTROL", but it just presented him with statistics and readings from the space station's instrumentation, as well as options to set a flight course and destination. There were also controls for a feature called the ECLIPSE CANNON. None of it was interesting to Shadow, so he quickly exited out and moved onto "PROJECT FILES".
There, he found some more interesting tidbits. There was a file called PROJECT NIDS that went into great detail on the biological mechanics behind an invariably fatal human disease called Neuro-immunodeficiency Syndrome. There was another project called PROJECT BIO LIZARD which detailed Robotnik's first attempt to create an "ultimate creature" capable of immortality and super-strength.
Most of the project files were technical in nature, containing mostly numbers and calculations, along with lengthy scientific analysis and occasionally a diagram of an organic chemical compound. It was difficult even for Shadow to comprehend. However, when he reached the end of the file about the Bio Lizard, he noticed a particular section.
PROJECT BIO LIZARD: CONCLUSION
We conclude that the BIO LIZARD project is a failed prototype of the ULTIMATE LIFEFORM. Although it is biologically immortal and capable of manipulating the energy of the Chaos emeralds, the creature's intelligence is limited and comparable to that of most animals. For this reason, we hereby close this project, cease all further development, and recommend the creation of a new prototype, one designed to have the same or greater intelligence to that of humans.
Just as Shadow was about to close the project files, he noticed the very last entry among the project files and widened his eyes. When he opened the file, he found much of the same incomprehensible technical analysis as the other files. Only when he reached the end did he find text that he could understand.
PROJECT SHADOW: CONCLUSION
G.U.N. concludes that the SHADOW project must be terminated. The strength of the lifeform created is a threat to the safety of the world. It must therefore be eliminated.
Shadow stared for a long time at this text. As he did, he felt a rising sense of dread. He noticed that the conclusion to the Shadow project file was written by something called G.U.N. rather than by the "we" who wrote the conclusion to the Bio Lizard project. Something about the text nagged at the fringes of his memory, and as he finally peeled his eyes off of the computer screen and looked around, he felt an increasing sense of foreboding—as if the room he was standing in was haunted.
He read on.
The next was the DIARY.
When he opened the diary, he found a mixture of what appeared to be both text files and video files. He decided to start from the beginning and open the first file, which was a video.
As soon as the first frame of the video appeared on the screen, he nearly stumbled back in shock.
There was Professor Gerald Robotnik—the same tall, bald man with the Eggman-like mustache that appeared in his dream—cradling a little baby. The baby looked like she was sleeping as Robotnik gently rocked her in his arms.
"Space Colony ARK, day one, diary entry number one," said Robotnik in a low voice, so as not to wake the baby. "Maria, this is going to be your home."
Robotnik stroked the baby's head gently, and she stirred in her sleep but didn't wake. Robotnik then took off his glasses and set them on his desk, revealing tears in his eyes.
"The goal of this mission is to conduct research into biological immortality. The codename is SHADOW." Robotnik paused to stroke the baby's head again. "With any luck, we will save you too."
The video ended there.
The next diary entry was a text-based one, but Shadow quickly skipped that. He found the next video diary entry and opened it.
Once again, there was Professor Robotnik, but this time, he was no longer holding Maria. "Space Colony ARK, day 199, diary entry number 41," said Robotnik. "We made a breakthrough in the lab today, so it's time to celebrate!" He raised a glass of wine in front of the camera and took a sip. Then, from within his desk he pulled out a shining object. Shadow recognized it immediately.
"This here is a Chaos emerald," said Robotnik. "There are seven of them, all emitting different wavelengths of light. We don't know where they came from, but they appeared on Earth not too long ago, and it came to the attention of the G.U.N. military, who sent it up to us for further investigation. We were able to determine today that these gems appear to possess an incredible amount of energy, energy that we may be able to harness. If a biological creature were to be able to harness their power, who knows what might happen?"
Robotnik took another sip of wine.
"These emeralds clearly weren't made naturally. Someone—or something—made them. Maybe they came from another world. Regardless, we can't contain our excitement. We are seeing endless possibility."
The video ended. Once again, Shadow scrolled past the numerous text-based diary entries and found the next video.
"Space Colony ARK, day 359, diary entry number 67," said Robotnik. "Research is progressing smoothly, and Maria seems to be adapting well to her new environment. Since there are no pathogens in outer space, this is a fully sterilized space station. We thoroughly sanitize all supplies that come in from the ground. She won't catch any disease here. Moreover, she said her first words today!" Robotnik brought his hands to his chest and uncharacteristically giggled with glee. "She said, 'Pa!' In fairness, it could've just been a fluke, but I choose to believe!"
Shadow opened the next video.
"Space Colony ARK, year three, day 151, diary entry number 113." Robotnik in this video held another glass of wine. "We've done it! After more than three years on this space station, we believe we have devised a mechanism whereby a biological entity can harness the power of the Chaos emeralds to halt the progress of cell senescence. This halting should theoretically remain indefinitely, even if the Chaos emeralds are no longer present. We should be able to use this mechanism to create a biologically immortal creature! This creature will no doubt become the Ultimate Lifeform, and it might just hold the key to curing Maria."
In the next video, Robotnik appeared a little frazzled. His mustache was slightly unkempt, and it appeared that he had not slept well in some time.
"Space Colony ARK, year three, day 257, diary entry number 149. After countless failed attempts, we have finally developed a prototype for the Ultimate Lifeform. Let's just say we had some… outside help. However, we were able to do it using a lizard embryo. We will see how it goes! By the way, Maria turned four today. She's at an age now where she can start making friends. So far, she's made friends with many of my colleagues here, but I'm worried. She needs someone her age to be her friend. I'm not sure what to do."
Robotnik looked even more stressed in the next video. He made no effort anymore to take care of his mustache. It seemed like he had been working non-stop.
"Space Colony ARK, year four, day 61, diary entry number 193. We have made the difficult decision to stop working on the Bio Lizard project. Although we have confirmed that the creature is biologically immortal, it's just… dumb. It is no smarter than an actual lizard, and it also ended up growing at an incredibly fast rate, such that we are having trouble controlling it. It will be placed under observation in one of the lower chambers of the ARK, but we'll spending no further research and development on it. Instead, we're going to start from scratch. Instead of using lizard DNA, we'll be using a hybridized DNA of a hedgehog and a … classified entity. With any luck, this prototype for the Ultimate Lifeform will be more manageable."
When Shadow clicked the next video, he expected to see a further deteriorating appearance for Robotnik, but to his surprise, Robotnik appeared well-dressed and healthy.
"Space Colony ARK, year four, day 341, diary entry number 181. Project Shadow is looking very promising! The hedgehog creature we created is not growing nearly as fast as the Bio Lizard. In fact, if anything, it is a little concerning how small the creature is. Nevertheless, the creature appears to be intelligent. It is able to learn from its experiences, and we are also slowly teaching it to respond to language as well. So far, it is able to nod its head for yes and shake its head for no. We have also confirmed that it appears to be able to manipulate the energy of the Chaos emeralds."
Shadow noticed that Robotnik's mustache started to have some streaks of gray hair—just as he remembered from his dream. He gulped as he clicked the next video. He still could not shake the sense of foreboding he felt, which only grew as he advanced through the diary.
"Space Colony ARK, year five, day 1, diary entry number 191. So it has been five full years since we arrived at the ARK. Maria is still healthy—if you met her, you would never realize she is immunocompromised. That just goes to show how seriously we take the security of our facility here. She's starting to get to the age where she's asking questions, like why do we live here and not on the Earth, and why there's no one else here that's a kid too.
"Project Shadow has been advancing smoothly. We started calling the creature itself Shadow—Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow is much more intelligent and more docile than his Bio Lizard predecessor. He has even started talking! He's able to say a few words like 'yes' and 'no' now. We even felt confident enough to introduce him to Maria. That turned out to be a great idea. Maria absolutely adores Shadow, and Shadow seems to like Maria as well. I'm still a little nervous, given the violent tendencies of the Bio Lizard, but so far it seems that Shadow would never even hurt a fly. Maria has even taught new words to Shadow, and they play games like hide-and-seek all the time. It seems like Maria finally has a friend her age around here!" With that, Robotnik began to laugh heartily.
Upon hearing Robotnik's laugh, he realized this was definitely a laugh that he heard many times long ago, and hearing it again made him feel all sorts of different feelings he could not remember feeling before: a mixture of intense happiness, sadness, and dread. He clicked the next video, and when he did so, he experienced a shock the likes of which he'd never felt before.
There, on the computer screen, was the spitting image of the little girl he saw in his dreams.
Unlike past videos, Robotnik was nowhere to be seen in this one. It was just Maria in a dark room, her face illuminated only by the glow of the computer screen, and directly to Maria's left sat a certain dark-furred hedgehog.
In the video, Maria was giggling softly with a devious look on her face, but Shadow was looking on with concern clearly written on his face. He reached out and gently tugged on Maria's sleeve. Maria turned to face him, saw his worried expression, then laughed out loud.
"Shadow, it's fine!" she said. "No one is gonna catch us in here. Besides, it's fun to use Grandpa's computer!"
As soon as she said that, though, the door behind her burst open, startling the two and causing them to jump up in fright.
"Maria!" shouted Robotnik. "You know you're not allowed to be here! Go to your room, now! Shadow, you too! You both know better!"
Crestfallen, both Maria and Shadow slowly trudged out the door. Robotnik then sighed and sat down at the desk, stared into the camera for a bit, then ended the video feed.
In the next video, Robotnik was back by himself.
"Space Colony ARK, year six, day 1, diary entry number 271. In the last year, I have started to homeschool Maria, and Shadow has been sitting in on the classes as well. We have primarily been focusing on reading, writing, and basic arithmetic. I asked G.U.N. to send up some picture books as part of their regular supply shipments. Naturally, all of the books have stories set on Earth. Maria and Shadow both seem to be curious about the Earth—in their shoes, who wouldn't be? I promised Maria that one day we would go down and visit Earth, but I explained why we couldn't do so now. She was upset at first, as you would expect, but in time she accepted it. She is no longer as bratty as she used to be.
"Shadow is also getting stronger. The energy of the Chaos emeralds has extremely unusual properties that can be harnessed in equally unusual ways. We were able to come up with a method Shadow can use to concentrate the energy from the emeralds into a physical form that he can project outwards. There are potential military applications of this method—essentially, the energy that Shadow concentrates can be made to strike a target, damaging or even destroying it. That is why we have started calling it the Chaos Spear."
Shadow looked at his hands and conjured a small Chaos Spear, then let it dissipate without firing. Frowning, he moved on to the next video.
"Space Colony ARK, year seven, day 1, diary entry number 317. We were able to invent a special kind of shoe that Shadow can wear. He is already an extremely fast runner, but in theory, these shoes could enable him to run at speeds that could even rival airplanes. We are still exploring Chaos energy and the ways that we could potentially manipulate it. The going is a little slow now, but there are a few different angles that we are exploring. I am excited for the future."
Shadow kept speeding through the videos. As they progressed, Robotnik's appearance gradually grew older: he developed wrinkles, his mustache turned completely gray, and his voice became a little raspier.
"Space Colony ARK, year eight, day 1, diary entry number 367. I can't believe it has been eight full years since we arrived on the ARK. It feels like just yesterday when I was holding Maria in my hands. She and Shadow are still the best of friends. Shadow spends a lot of time these days looking down at the Earth. I do wonder what is going through his mind." Robotnik sighed deeply. "Man, where did all the time go?"
…
"Space Colony ARK, year nine, day 1, diary entry number 409. We recently made a breakthrough in our research. In theory, there could be a way for us to manipulate the energy of the Chaos emeralds to distort the fabric of space and time. Doing so naturally requires a considerable amount of energy, but it seems to us that the energy of the Chaos emeralds is effectively infinite. If Shadow could master a technique that lets him manipulate space and time… at that point, he truly would become the Ultimate Lifeform."
…
"Space Colony ARK, year ten, day 1, diary entry number 461. That's right, it has been a full decade since we arrived on Space Colony ARK. We are continuing to homeschool Maria, and Shadow is still sitting in on the lessons as well. Shadow is able to understand the lesson material much quicker than Maria. He even helps her with her homework occasionally! He's almost like her big brother, heh. We've started to cover more advanced mathematics, and I've asked G.U.N. to bring more books. Maria spends much of her time these days reading about the world below us. She's started to join Shadow in staring out the window. I will find a cure and take her down to the Earth—even if it is the last thing I do!"
…
"Space Colony ARK, year eleven, day 1, diary entry number 503. Our research has hit a bit of a roadblock. It seems that every time we see a potential solution to our calculations, there is always something that we missed. It's like that feeling when you're trying to put the lid on a box, but the lid doesn't quite fit the top of the box, so when you try to push down on three of the corners, it just causes the fourth corner to pop back out again. However frustrating it may be, we'll keep trying. For the sake of humanity. For the sake of my granddaughter."
…
As soon as Shadow clicked the next video, he realized instantly that something was wrong. The sense of dread he had been feeling in the background suddenly shot into the foreground.
Robotnik was no longer sitting at his usual desk. Instead, it appeared that he was filming from a completely different location. His mustache had returned to the unkempt state it was in when he was stressed.
"I don't quite know what happened or what went wrong," said Robotnik. "Was it a mistake to create the Ultimate Lifeform? I thought it would be something that would benefit mankind, but then the military guards landed on the Colony that day. They were sent to destroy the research project that I had been working on. My colleagues at the research facility—my granddaughter, Maria—I hope you are all safe."
Shadow instantly clicked the next video, and he watched in horror as Robotnik's appearance deteriorated further. He was now on his knees, banging his fists on the floor. He was crying.
"The Colony was completely shut down," said Robotnik, "probably to keep the prototype from falling into the wrong hands. The ARK was shut down under the premise that there had been an 'accident'."
Robotnik looked up, choking back his tears.
"Revenge," he said. "That is all that matters to me now. When I began my research, I only wanted to do good. That's why I worked to make the Ultimate Creature. But the leaders of the project worried that I'll use it to take over the world, so they seized my lab on Space Colony ARK, then they took Maria from me, and my life took on a new purpose. Instead of helping people, I would get revenge on them. Night and day I've planned, so that long after I am gone, my revenge will be complete."
The next video was the last one.
"I've done it!" Robotnik exclaimed. "My greatest design is now complete! The Ultimate Creature, Shadow. My enemies think they have defeated me, but Shadow will carry out my orders without question. Now it sleeps, but one day in the future it will be reawakened! Shadow will bring total destruction!"
As the video ended, Shadow stared blankly into the screen. He just stood there, staring, for minutes. Then, suddenly, he fell to his knees. His arms fell limp, and the Chaos emerald he was holding fell to the ground, bouncing a few times before coming to a rest near the wall.
Shadow started crying.
Eventually, he felt his consciousness begin to fade again.
"Looking outside again?"
"…Yes."
"You sure do that a lot."
"…"
"May I join you?"
Surprised, Shadow turned to look at Maria. This time, it was not the eyes of an energetic six-year-old that met his, but rather the kind and caring eyes of a twelve-year-old.
"...Yes," said Shadow.
Maria smiled at Shadow, and just like last time, Shadow could not help but smile back. Maria climbed onto the windowsill that Shadow was sitting on and leaned softly on Shadow's shoulder as they both stared at the stunning blue marble below them.
For several minutes, the two sat in silence, enjoying each other's company.
After a while, however, Shadow began to frown.
"Shadow? What's wrong?" asked Maria, noticing the hedgehog's change in demeanor.
Shadow turned briefly to look at Maria, then quickly averted his eyes to look back out the window and replied, "Nothing."
It was Maria's turn to frown. "Shadow, please don't hide anything from me. We're friends, right?"
Slowly, Shadow turned to face Maria again, but his eyes were pointed to the floor. "...Yes," he said.
"Then tell me," said Maria. "What's on your mind?"
Shadow was silent for a bit. Once again, he turned to look back at the Earth. Just as Maria was about to prod Shadow even further, he spoke: "Lost."
Maria tilted her head in confusion but said nothing, waiting patiently for Shadow to explain further.
"I feel… lost," said Shadow. "I feel like I don't know my purpose."
Shadow's eyes were pinned on the Earth outside the window. He rarely talked about his own feelings with anyone, and he felt self-conscious even now.
Maria looked at Shadow and smiled with understanding. She reached out to hold one of Shadow's hands, then she turned to face the Earth as well.
"I want to get better as soon as possible so that I could go down to the planet," she said.
This was finally enough to prompt Shadow to face Maria.
"And I want to make a ton of friends just like you, Shadow," she continued, turning to face Shadow as well. Now they were finally looking into each other's eyes.
"For all people who live on that planet, give them a chance to be happy. Let them live for their dreams. Shadow, I know you can do it. That's the reason why you were brought into this world."
Sonic and his friends were left dumbstruck at Shadow's sudden appearance and disappearance, and evidently, so were the agents that had attacked them. As soon as it became clear that they had failed in their attempt to retrieve the Chaos emerald, the agents made a hasty retreat. The agents that were in the SUV that Shadow had flipped got out of the vehicle in a daze, hopped into the other SUVs, then they all drove off.
Sonic decided not to pursue them. Instead, he looked around to check to make sure no one was hurt, but before his eyes were able to scan everyone, they got blocked by a flash of yellow, which tackled him, making him lose his balance and fall on his back.
"T-Tails?" said Sonic.
"Sonic!" cried Tails, who embraced him in a tight hug. "Thank goodness you're all right."
Sonic returned the hug. "It's good to see you again, lil' bro."
Tails tightened his embrace on Sonic. "I-I thought it might've been my fault," he said. "I was in the X Tornado, and I fired a shot at you and Shadow, and then after that… you were gone! I didn't know where to look. I was so worried, Sonic! I'm so, so sorr—"
"Stop," interrupted Sonic. "Don't apologize. Number one, it was not your fault. Number two, you're here now! I can't believe you made it here so quickly. That's incredible! Number three… now that you are here, you would not believe which world we ended up in."
Amy, Cream, and Cheese had been watching silently out of respect for Tails, but at this point, all three of them rushed to join in on the hug.
"Sonic!" cried Amy.
"We found you, Sonic!" said Cream.
"Aww, hey!" said Sonic. "It's good to see you guys too!"
Sonic's eyes finally landed on the other member of the interdimensional transportation party.
"Hey Egghead," said Sonic.
"Eggman. You know my name is Doctor Eggman. You do that on purpose."
Sonic smirked. "Do what, Egghead?"
Sonic nodded towards Bocoe, Decoe, and Bokkun before his eyes landed on the final member of the crew, but before he could call out to her, Amy intervened.
"What in the—Rouge?!" cried Amy.
"Where did you come from?!" said Tails.
Rouge smiled and pointed at the capsule. "When none of you were looking, I hid in a nook in top corner there," she said full of pride. "No one noticed me."
Sonic smiled back at her. "Good to see you too."
Eventually, Sonic led his friends plus Doctor Eggman back to the Thorndyke residence. As soon as it came into view, Amy, Cream, and Tails all gasped. They recognized it immediately.
"Well, this explains how those guys had stolen my designs," said Eggman. "So we're back in the world where I was born, huh?"
"Who were those guys anyway, Sonic?" asked Amy.
Sonic sighed. "It might be easier to explain with everyone in the room," he suggested.
Amy, Cream, and Tails nodded eagerly. They all wanted to see the Thorndykes again.
Sonic led the group into the residence, which was still empty. In the fight, Chris, Chuck, Ella, and Tanaka had fled out the back door. It made sense that they had not returned yet, given the risk that there might be more agents.
"Huh?" said Amy. "Where are they?"
"So, it's like this—" said Sonic.
Before he could continue, however, the front door swung open with a bang, startling everyone.
"Hands in the air!"
"Hands up, now!"
Oh great, speak of the devil, thought Sonic as another group of men with guns—this time dressed in military uniforms—entered through the door. Ordinarily, he would've been excited to fight, but he had long since decided that he'd seen enough action for one day. Plus, this time, Cream and Cheese were here, and he had a feeling Vanilla wouldn't be too keen on Cream seeing men with rifles.
As Sonic got ready to fight, he heard a female voice shout, "Wait!" It was a voice that he had definitely heard before, but he did not immediately recognize it.
In the back of the group of agents, he saw a figure push her way forward. When she reached the front of the pack, she gasped. To Sonic's surprise, the woman was not staring at him, but rather behind him. When Sonic followed her gaze and looked behind him, his eyes stumbled again onto Rouge the Bat.
"Hey there, Topaz," said Rouge. "Long time no see."
Author's note: Yay! Managed to complete another update to Hopping Universes ... and in less than a year too, haha! Many apologies as usual for the lengthy hiatus between chapters. Life is busy.
In this chapter I borrow some flashback-sequence dialog from Sonic Adventure 2 and the English dub of Sonic X. Additionally, there is a paragraph in this chapter that makes a reference to the original Japanese version of episode 68 of Sonic X, in which a character named Molly dies at the end. Note that the 4Kids English localization of this episode censors the death of Molly. There are a few other references sprinkled throughout.