-Chapter 134-
Project Shadow
Robotropolis
A month passed after the Freedom Fighters' clash with the Battle Bird Armada on Cocoa Island. One seemingly ordinary day found Robotnik casually seated in his throne when the door opened, Metal escorting a new figure in. The man in question was an average-sized, middle aged man with slicked-back black hair, brown eyes, and a thick black mustache with handlebar curls at the ends. For attire, he wore a black trench coat, black trousers, black shoes, black gloves and black sunglasses.
"Dr. Ivo Robotnik, I presume?" he asked, holding out one of his fliers. "I'm here for the job offer."
"Excellent. Welcome to the Robotnik Empire," Robotnik replied. "I warn you, I expect nothing but the best from my staff."
Robotnik then busted into laughter.
"Did you honestly think it was going to be that easy?" he asked. "You certainly look like you belong in my empire, but what exactly do you have to offer? For starters, what's your name?"
"Amino. Nigel Amino," the man replied. "I'm sure you heard of me. One of Mobius' top minds in genetics and biology."
"Impossible," Robotnik insisted. "If that were true, you'd be over a hundred years old, and you don't look a day over thirty."
Amino smirked. "I modified my own genes, found the Fountain of Youth. Take a good look, Doctor. I've been like this for over fifty years and haven't aged a day."
From behind Robotnik's chair, Eggatha looked at Amino, something about the man making her skin crawl. She tugged on her uncle's coat, getting his attention.
"What is it, Agatha?" he asked.
"I don't like this guy, Uncle Ivo," Eggatha admitted. "Something about him just feels... Wrong. Like... Kodos wrong."
"I know what you mean," Robotnik admitted quietly before turning back to Amino. "Well... if this is true, I assume your expertise will be very helpful to my cause."
"Indeed it will, Doctor," Amino confirmed. "Starting with my official job application. Tell me... how much do you know of your grandfather, Gerald Kintobor?"
This made both Eggatha and Robotnik perk.
"Enough to know that it's rare anyone outside of our family knows of him," Robotnik replied. "He was one of the greatest scientific minds of his time, but was written out of history."
"I don't just know of him," Amino replied. "I knew him personally."
"Bullshit!" Eggatha snapped.
"Agatha!" Robotnik admonished.
"I'm a villainess, I'm allowed to curse!" Eggatha shot back.
"Yes, and I assume being evil also renders you exempt from washing your hands," Amino deadpanned. "Anyway, I speak the truth. I worked alongside Gerald on his greatest achievement. A top-secret military weapon they dubbed Project Shadow."
Robotnik nodded. "I'm listening."
"Fifty years ago, the two of us were part of a team working on Project Shadow," Amino began. "But the United Federation grew fearful of our work, and sent GUN to shut it down. Gerald didn't make it out, but I did. I fled from the Federation and went into hiding in the Misery Zone, where I remained until the day I found your fliers."
Eggatha was still glaring in disbelief, but Robotnik was intrigued.
"And this… Project Shadow," he mused. "What exactly is it?"
"The Ultimate Life Form. His greatest design," Amino replied. "I know not where the creature is now, but I've managed to pinpoint where they're keeping your grandfather's research notes. Your former Egg Dungeon. GUN claimed it and repurposed it into a base they dubbed Prison Island."
"Oh did they now?" Robotnik said. "Well, that will make storming it and acquiring my grandfather's notes that much easier."
"Uncle Ivo, do you really buy anything this guy's saying?" Eggatha questioned in disbelief.
"Trust, but verify," Robotnik replied. "If he does know something of Grandfather's work, there's no shame in looking."
"If your niece truly needs proof that I'm not lying, perhaps she'd like to accompany us to the base." Amino suggested.
Eggatha gritted her teeth.
"If she goes, so do I," Metal declared. "I'm her protector, after all."
"Very well," Robotnik nodded.
Metal placed two servos on her shoulders, optics boring into Amino, who merely shrugged.
"Whatever it takes for you to feel secure."
Knothole
Around that same time, at Freedom HQ, the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix were watching the latest episode of Sonic Man. This one featured a new minion of Eggborg, a dark, twisted doppelgänger of Sonic Man himself dressed in black and silver.
"Feast your eyes on my greatest creation, Sonic Man!" Eggborg declared. "Warp Man! Your evil twin!"
Warp Man let out an evil cackle that bordered on maniacal.
"My evil twin?" Sonic Man pondered. "Wow. Am I that ugly?"
"Laugh all you want, Sonic Man!" Warp Man shot back. "I'll end you!"
There was a pop, and Warp Man vanished, appearing right on Sonic Man's head.
"Hey!" Sonic Man cried. "Get off my head! I'm using that!"
He jumped off, the two clashing in an even match with the group on the edge of their seats.
"C'mon, Sonic Man!" Cream urged. "You can do it! Kick that faker's butt!"
"Show that Warp Man who's boss!" Charmy added.
"Heh," Sonic chuckled. "Evil twin. Closest I ever got was Dark Sonic, and frankly, I do not want to meet him personified."
"Believe me, Sonic, none of us do," Sally answered.
"Technically, isn't Metal your evil twin?" Amy asked.
Sonic waved a hand, dismissing it. "Robotic double. Doesn't count."
Tails shrugged. "Guess it depends on your viewpoint or definition."
"Shut up, you guys," Knuckles cut in. "You're missing the show."
Eventually, Sonic Man stood tall, panting, but victorious as Warp Man slumped unconscious.
"Curses!" Eggborg swore, snapping his fingers. "Foiled again!"
"That's what happens when you pit a copy against the original!" Sonic Man declared. "You just can't top it, Eggborg."
Eggborg scooped up Warp Man in a tractor beam, escaping
"I'll get you next time, Sonic Man! NEXT TIME!"
As he fled, the credits rolled. Everyone cheered and applauded
"That was the best one yet!" Charmy declared. "For a second there, I actually thought Sonic Man was gonna lose!"
"Not a chance!" Cream retorted. "Sonic Man is the hero, and the hero always wins."
"You said it, Cream," Tails told her.
After the credits rolled, the group slowly dispersed. Sonic made his way to the lab, where Chris and Uncle Chuck were at the former's worktable.
"Sonic, just in time," Chris greeted. "With Uncle Chuck's help, I finished my latest Power Sneaker mod."
"Lay it on me," Sonic Chuck held up a pair of sneakers highly similar to Sonic's normal ones. Featuring more foot-shaped proportions and outlines, they were mostly red with tongues, solid white cuffs, and thin white straps with golden fasteners on each end over their middle. The outsoles were yellow, red and grey, highly detailed, and had a red recess below the in-steps. The rims on the front of the outsoles were white, while the heel rims were grey and the rims on the middle had yellow and white arches.
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Soap shoes from Honey Clothing?"
"Based on some of her designs, yes," Uncle Chuck clarified. "We call them Hi-Speed Shoes. Specifically made for grinding and parkour. You'll reach new heights in athletics with these babies."
"Nice," Sonic grinned. "I'll have to take them out into the city to try them out."
"Bit late for that, sonny," Uncle Chuck pointed out. "Wait until tomorrow."
"Yeah," Chris agreed. "Sally will have a bird if you go out for a midnight run."
"Don't remind me," Sonic sighed. "But tomorrow, it's grind city in Station Square."
Prison Island
Across the sea was the former Egg Dungeon, now rebuilt into the GUN base known as Prison Island. All Robotnik Empire insignias and influence had been removed and scrapped, and the prison in general was far more humane. At the moment, however, it was under siege, an alarm going off as numerous metal doors closed.
"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" a woman's voice on the intercom declared. "Security breach at Gate 3! Intruder has been located in the north quadrant, and is moving in the direction of the underground base. All units prepare to engage: basic emergency battle formations. Standard battle formations initiated. Locate and stop the intruder from reaching the security area. This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill!"
Robotnik stormed in, piloting his new Egg Walker. Far more compact and sleek than the model used during the South Island incident, it consisted of the Egg Mobile with a Volkan Cannon on the front, a missile launcher mounted on the back, and two heavily armored legs. Amino and Eggatha entered behind him, Metal carrying the latter on his back.
"Fools," Robotnik scoffed. "Such pathetic security is no match for my genius! Now then, let's take a look at what my grandfather was working on, shall we?"
"Provided Amino's not leading us into some sort of trap," Eggatha chimed in.
"So little trust in the world these days," Amino said flatly.
"We don't like you," Metal said bluntly. "And we don't trust you."
Robotnik blasted down the door, coming across a group of humanoid robots that were blue, white, yellow, red and gray humanoid robots with a top-heavy upper torso. They had a flat head with no neck, a single red eye, and a drop-shaped blue cap covering it. On their torso, they had red and blue chest plating with the number "02" on the left side and GUN's symbol on the right. They also had legs with large kneecaps, thick forearms, a hand on their left arm, and a large, red and black-barreled gun on their right arm.
"Ah, yes. GUN Hunters," Robotnik scoffed. "Julian helped build you back in the old days. And whatever he can create, I can destroy twice as fast."
"You built these?" Eggatha exclaimed. "Cool! Can I have some parts to examine later?"
"If there are any left once we junk them."
Robotnik then started opening fire, blasting them to pieces.
"An impressive arsenal you display, doctor," Amino mused.
Robotnik grinned. "You excel at biological science. My mastery is technology."
They continued on their way, knocking down another door before coming across new robots, these ones looking like grey balls with blue outlines and armor on the front. On top of them, they had a sharp blue cap with a red-striped edge. Below this cap, reaching from just behind the edge of their front armor to far behind their back, they had a horizontal yellow turbine disk with a red and blue-striped frame. On their "face", they also had a single yellow, red and white lens. They came equipped with a thin red gun barrel on their bottom and box-shaped magazines on their lower rear, all aimed at the good doctor.
"GUN Beetles too?" Robotnik remarked. "I see they're mixing it up a little."
"So it would seem," Amino said. "Miss Agatha, perhaps you'd like to be useful."
Eggatha rolled her eyes. "Fine. Put me down, Metal."
"Are you sure?" Metal questioned.
Eggatha nodded. "I got this."
Metal did so, and Eggatha pulled back her sleeve to reveal a watch-like device with the Robotnik Empire insignia in place of a clock. She pressed a button on the side, a blaster barrel protruding forward over her hand (1).
"Time for these beetles to get squished," she quipped.
Eggatha aimed carefully, taking down multiple Beetles with precise shots. When she was done, she blew a little smoke off of the laser, then walked back over to Metal. He picked her up, placing her back on his shoulders as the girl stuck her tongue out at Amino. As they headed for the final room, deep within the facility, they were blocked off from behind, faced with new GUN bots. These ones were similar to Shard, but with more rounded edges and lacking a mouth. They were blue and white in color, the GUN symbol emblazoned on their foreheads. All in all, they were a cross between a GUN Hunter and Metal Sonic.
"Needlemice!" Eggatha exclaimed.
So... these are the mass production models of that knockoff Shard," Metal mused. "I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted."
"Metal, show these robotic scrap heaps the door," Robotnik ordered, pulling Eggatha off his back.
If Metal had a mouth, he would be grinning. "With pleasure."
Metal proceeded to engage the Needlemice. While they gave him some trouble, it was clear that in terms of processing power, they were inferior to Shard, and he outwitted and destroyed them with relative ease.
"Truly little more than pitiful copies," Amino remarked.
"Technically copies of a copy," Eggatha clarified. "In any event, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this was their last line of defense. If Great-Grandpa Gerald's research is really here, it's gotta be past that door."
"Well then, Amino, time to make yourself useful," Robotnik ordered.
Amino just nodded before typing in 12-02-01 (2) on the keypad next to the door, which slowly slid open. Aside from a computer next to the capsule, nothing else was there.
"Well now, what do we have here?" Robotnik pondered.
"Is that… a stasis tube?" Eggatha questioned. "I thought Amino said they only got the research, not the weapon itself."
"I was under the assumption that they did," Amino said matter-of-factly.
Eggatha slid off Metal's back, approaching the tube.
"Well, if Project Shadow still lives, it will be made to serve me," Robotnik decided, approaching the console. "Amino, the password please."
"Ma-ri-a." Amino listed off.
"Maria… intriguing," Robotnik remarked.
As he typed it in, Eggatha wiped off some fog on the window of the cryotube, and recoiled at what she saw inside.
"Holy cow…" she let out. "Uncle, you're not gonna believe what's inside this thing!"
"What is it, my-" Robotnik cut himself off as he saw what was inside. "By Aurora!"
"It's him…" Amino managed in a mix of awe and fear.
Inside the tube, visible through the glass, was a Mobian hedgehog similar to Sonic, but with black fur, red stripes on his quills, around the edges of his closed eyes, and on his arms and legs, and a patch of white fur on his chest. He was donned in a simple white jumpsuit, his quills were curved in multiple directions, and he also wore white gloves with black cuffs and red tongues, matching sneakers, and golden bangles on both his wrists and ankles.
"The top-secret weapon Professor Gerald was working on... is a hedgehog?" Metal asked incredulously.
"Just what the world needs," Robotnik sighed. "Another hedgehog."
"He looks like Sonic," Eggatha mused. "Only… cooler color scheme."
After a minute, Robotnik shrugged. "Well, we didn't come all this way for nothing."
He finished typing in the password, a Chaos Emerald-shaped indentation opening up.
"Now I just pop a Chaos Emerald into the console, and…"
He pulled out the green Emerald, inserting it into the indentation. The capsule started powering up. It then opened up, allowing the hedgehog's eyes to begin opening. As this was going on, Amino was slowly backing away, as if nervous the hedgehog would recognize him. The hedgehog looked around, then climbed out.
"Who are you?" he questioned.
"I am Dr. Ivo Robotnik, grandson of your creator Professor Gerald," Robotnik boasted. "It was I who freed you from your captive slumber."
The hedgehog remained silent for a moment before smiling.
"Greetings, Doctor," he said. "My name is Shadow. Since you were so kind to release me, and since you have ties to my creator... I will grant you one wish."
Before Robotnik could question it, an alarm started blaring, followed by metallic footsteps approaching outside.
"Perfect timing," Shadow declared. "Behold the true power I possess."
They headed out, seeing a massive bipedal mech staring them down, its sights on Shadow.
"This is Scorpion Troop's Hot Shot," the pilot said into his com. "Enemy movement has been detected. En route to intercept and destroy."
The Hot Shot opened fire on Shadow, forcing him to speed out of the way. He leapt onto the wall before shooting at the mech, speeding through one of his legs, severing it.
"Mayday! Mayday!" the pilot cried. "Enemy has proven stronger than anticipated! I need backup!"
Shadow ricocheted off another wall and landed on top of the Hot Shot, grabbing one of the missile launchers and tearing it off. He then leapt up into the air, rolling into a spin dash before plummeting downward through Hot Shot, causing it to explode and crash to the ground. The coughing pilot fell out, crawling away as Shadow approached him. He held up both hands in a warding-off gesture.
"Please…" he pleaded. "Have mercy. Spare me!"
"To catch a fly from the ass of GUN is not worth my time," Shadow waved him off dismissively. "Be gone with you."
The pilot got up before fleeing as fast as he could.
"That was spectacular!" Robotnik exclaimed. "So you truly are the Ultimate Life Form my grandfather created. But... what did you mean when you said you would grant me a wish?"
"Bring more Chaos Emeralds, then meet me in the central control room on the Space Colony ARK," Shadow replied cryptically. "Your questions will be answered there."
"ARK?" Robotnik questioned.
But Shadow merely walked off at that.
"The orbiting research center where Project Shadow was conducted," Amino explained. "The very first space colony created by mankind."
"More stuff you're keeping from us," Eggatha said, glaring at him. "You seem to have a lot of secrets, Amino."
"Whether you believe it or not, I genuinely didn't know Shadow was being kept prisoner here," Amino defended. "I was expecting Gerald's diary and research notes, nothing more."
"Well, he's ours now and seems to be willing to work for me," Robotnik cut in. "No use complaining about what's here and what's not. All we have to do now is see how this project of yours turns out."
Station Square
Shadow had made it to Station Square by this point. Hopping on the rooftops, he soon came across Honey Clothing.
"There we are," he mused. "Just what I needed."
He curled into a ball, then smashed through the window. He landed triumphantly, then got up and dusted himself off.
"Let's see what I can find here."
He unzipped his jumpsuit, casting it aside before looking around the displays. He began going through various pieces of clothing, eventually grabbing a black T-shirt with a red Sonic symbol on it. He also grabbed a pair of black pants, and a black jacket with white fur on the collar.
"There we go," he said, putting them all on.
"Um, sir…"
Shadow perked, turning to see Honey standing there, hands on her hips.
"You're gonna have to pay for that," the cat informed him. "About five hundred Mobiums for the whole ensemble."
"How about zero?" Shadow retorted. "I don't have time to waste on such trivial matters."
"Make time," Honey snapped. "Because you're not leaving with those clothes."
"Yes I am. Now back off."
Honey narrowed her eyes. "Look, pal. I'm trying to be nice. I run a respectable business here. Now you have three options. Take off that outfit and get out of my store, pay for it... or I take payment out of your black-and-red hide."
"You'll try. And you'll fail."
"Don't say I didn't warn you!"
Honey got into a boxing stance, throwing multiple punches which Shadow blocked. They went back and forth for a while before Shadow shoved her back.
"Get out of my way, you mangy feline!" he shouted.
He launched a roundhouse kick, which just went right through her. Honey smirked before fading away, revealing it to be an afterimage. Suddenly, multiple images of Honey surrounded him.
"How do you like my Shadow Sneak technique?" Honey taunted.
"Paltry," Shadow scoffed. "Now it's my turn."
He reached out, grabbing Honey by the neck as her afterimages faded. She gasped in shock.
"No way…" she managed. "Nobody but Sonic can see through the Shadow Sneak! How did you-?!"
"Whoever this Sonic is, they're nothing compared to me." Shadow boasted.
"You just wait till he finds out you trashed my store! Sonic's gonna kick your ass for this!"
"He's gonna have to catch me first."
With that, Shadow tossed Honey through a display case, sending her rolling across the floor. She lifted her head up, groaning in pain
"Now then, I've humored you long enough. Put this on my tab."
He walked out as Honey passed out on the floor. As he headed out, Shadow closed his eyes, focusing his senses before getting a lock on what he was searching for.
"Lucky me. There's a Chaos Emerald right in this city."
Shadow darted off with purpose, heading right for the Station Square Museum...
Author's Note:
(1): Think like Deadshot's arm-mounted guns.
(2): The date Sonic Adventure 2 first came out.
Well, the SA2 adaptation has begun. What will happen now?
The character of Dr. Amino is an OC of mine, based on a mix of sources; Anton Sevarius from Gargoyles, Dr. Genus from One-Punch Man and Dr. Watts from RWBY; as you may have guessed, his appearance is based on Jim Carrey's Robotnik. As for what role he played in Project Shadow, you'll just have to wait and see.
Next chapter, Sonic finds himself on the run from GUN and comes face-to-face with Shadow. Can he prevail?
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Amino - Terrence Stone (Mayuri Kurotsuchi from Bleach, Shinomori Aoshi from Rurouni Kenshin, Agent No-One from Spy Kids: Mission Critical)
Please R&R. Until next time!