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The ARK was used by the U.F. (United Federation) government for scientific testing and experimentation, and housed some of the world's finest minds in the most advanced research center of its kind. It was the first space colony created by mankind, a Bernal sphere as envisioned by the Irish scientist John Desmond Bernal, which was built to house up to 20,000 people. In the ARK’s case, this was its researchers, maintenance workers, defense force, and their families.
March 1940 - Construction of the Space Colony ARK began
January 1954 - Maria Robotnik was born
February 1954 - Construction of the Space Colony ARK was completed
March 1954 - The United Federation’s government began recruiting all of its leading scientific minds as researchers to work aboard the ARK. Most sought after was Professor Gerald Robotnik, a world renowned astronomical and biological engineer.
Professor Robotnik received a letter in the mail from the United Federation’s president himself, in the letter, the president personally requested him to work as the head researcher of a biomedical research project that was scheduled to take place aboard the ARK. The hypothetical program was to be called simply the “Immortality Project”. Its purpose would be - according to the president’s letter - to achieve mankind’s ultimate and eternal dream, immortality. The end goal of the project was to create an “Ultimate Lifeform”, a biologically immortal creature.
Professor Gerald initially refused the offer and its numerous research grants, on the basis that he believed researching immortality would be crossing the limits of what mankind should ethically tamper with, he knew the consequences could be catastrophic. He also had a strong gut feeling that the project - and all of the others aboard the ARK - were being conducted in such secrecy because they were actually for the purpose of creating superweapons, as the United Federation and several other nations were currently involved in a cold war.
April 1954 - Already born frail and sickly, an infant Maria’s sudden rapid decline is explained after she is diagnosed with NIDS, (Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome) a spontaneously developing neurological disease that weakens and destroys the immune system.
It is an extremely rare disorder that is thought to be genetically linked, its development resulting from the occurrence of random mutations in the expressions of CD1c and CD141 during the course of a person’s life. What makes the syndrome so dangerous is how the genetic mutation entirely halts Somatic Hypermutation from occurring, rendering the patient totally unable to produce new antibodies. This is thought to be caused by mutations in the dendritic cells that are crucial during the molecular break down of foreign materials and subsequent Antigen Presentation.
Heritability is virtually unknown, as the disorder usually appears early in life and is considered invariably fatal. Although advanced medical research has led to the development of treatments that can act as placeholder immune systems for patients, these only work for a short time, as viruses and bacteria are much more easily able to build resistances towards artificial immune systems than natural ones.
April 1954 - Upon learning of his only granddaughter’s desperate situation, Professor Robotnik reconsidered the research opportunity, realizing that he could co-opt the Immortality Project to discover a potential cure for NIDS. Although he still felt that the project’s aim was reckless and unethical, he would pursue it regardless for a chance to save the life of his baby granddaughter.
May 1954 - Professor Robotnik accepted the request for him to apply as head researcher of the Immortality Project, and, with her desperate parents’ permission, took his granddaughter up with him to the ARK. Here she was able to receive the most advanced treatment the U.F. had to offer, free of charge in exchange for the Professor’s continued research.
Maria gradually improved and her condition stabilized. Her actual immune system remained virtually non-existent, although her artificial one was functional, it was still quite weak. Thankfully, the space colony was a much more sterile environment than Earth, which offered her some protection. The colony’s denizens were all properly vaccinated, but the common childhood illnesses experienced by the ARK’s children made it so Maria was required to wear a face mask in order to interact with them, which led to her being somewhat ostracized since the other children were ignorant and feared Maria was going to make them sick too. Because of this, Maria mostly made friends with adults, such as the researchers her grandfather worked with, as well as her nanny, governess and the ARK’s other domestic workers.
Despite how busy he was, Gerald made a point to always be a part of Maria’s life; never missing out on eating his meals with her, playing games with her when he could, and reading her a bedtime story every night. Although he was heavily supported by his domestic staff in caring for Maria’s needs, Gerald built a strong relationship with his granddaughter, becoming the most important role model in her young life.
June 1954 - Work on the Immortality Project formally began. The project was highly confidential, and only around 100 scientists and personnel besides project leader Professor Gerald Robotnik were even aware of what the project was actually about. Thousands of low-level researchers and construction workers carried on with only the haziest clue what the fruits of their labor would produce. All involved in the project, down to the lowliest custodial worker, were sworn into secrecy. Nothing about the project could be leaked to the rest of the ARK, at least not in the initial stages. This was done out of the fear that sensitive information could be stolen by spies working for the enemies of the United Federation.
Informally, the project came to be known as “Project Shadow” by scientists and personnel, since the project was seeking to create a lifeform that did not exist, something as intangible as a shadow. Robotnik became quite fond of the name, and it stuck, eventually even becoming the formal name of the project with government permission.
July 1954 - Professor Robotnik and his colleagues began research on the Chaos Emeralds as a possible route towards their goal, their incredible power unmatched by anything in nature and their properties poorly researched due to the complexity of their makeup. Robotnik was not most researchers, however, and he was unperturbed by the high difficulty and expense that would have to be paid to harness their true powers.
In an effort to research the rare gems at their source before beginning experimentation, Project Shadow’s top staff traveled back down to Earth to explore the ruins of the central Yucatán Echidna civilization. These were the remains of a once great city created by a lost tribe of SWL (Sapient Wildlife) echidnas that were known for having a particular affinity for the Chaos Emeralds and their Master Emerald.
The Master Emerald was still in the possession of the remnants of the echidna peoples, but the 7 Chaos Emeralds has been spread to the far corners of the Earth. Sometimes they were under federal or private ownership, but more commonly they were hidden far from civilization. During the time of Project Shadow, the powerful U.F. was in possession of three Chaos Emeralds, one of which they loaned to the ARK when Project Shadow expressed interest in Chaos energy.
August 1954 - Research continued in Yucatán as the scientists and archeologists read through hieroglyphics and ancient manuscripts in order to gain more insight into the power of the mysterious emeralds. These ruins were also where the team’s archaeologists discovered an ancient deactivated gizoid robot, a find which they would bring back with them into orbit.
August 1954 - One day, while exploring in the deepest part of the ruins, Professor Robotnik came upon a gigantic mural depicting two figures surrounded by the 7 Chaos Emeralds. The larger figure was a massive leviathan, amphibious in nature and vaguely salamander-like, with a tapered snout full of rows of jagged teeth. Its body was so enormous that the artist did not depict it in its entirety, instead having its body dip beneath the waves at the bottom of the mural, as if to leave its vastness to the imagination of the viewer.
The other figure was far smaller, a little SWL hedgehog, hardly a speck in comparison, seemingly floating in the air above the leviathan, as if to strike it down. Its quills were splayed out unusually and it seemed to be enveloped within a lightning bolt, although it was now hard to tell because of the wear and tear time had meted out upon the artwork.
Professor Robotnik was enamored by the mural the moment he laid eyes on it, he was sure this was a sign, an answer to prayer. He was looking at a mural depicting the echidnas’ gods, ancient models of the Ultimate Lifeforms, surrounded by the very emeralds he had a hunch were the key to humanity’s ascension to immortality and godhood. It was the tiny sliver of proof that he needed to restore his resolve. This was still a pretty big leap in logic, Robotnik rationalized to himself. These could simply be depictions of the echidna’s mythology and have no basis in reality. Still, another part of his mind wanted to remind him, the presence of the very real Chaos Emeralds was exciting. Afterall, there is always a kernel of truth to every legend.
Bolstered by this breakthrough in their research, Robotnik’s team set out towards the mostly uninhabited Angel Island, where the Master Emerald was guarded by the echidnas. With the explicit permission of said echidnas, Project Shadow began sketching out and recording the architectural design of the Master Emerald’s shrine. Professor Robotnik was positive that the circular shape of the shrine, specifically the circular placement of the Chaos Emeralds, was the key to harnessing their power. Project Shadow planned to construct their own shrine aboard the ARK, in the Central Dome, located on the very most bottom floor of the colony.
September 1954 - Professor Robotnik and his team returned to the ARK to put their archaeological research to use. With the use of their government loaned Chaos Emerald, Project Shadow quickly made progress in discovering how to extract and harness Chaos energy from the elusive power source. During experimentation, Robotnik revealed that, according to his translation of one of the manuscripts they had unearthed, the key to harnessing Chaos energy was the proximity of the emerald from living organisms, as well as the conductivity of the stone upon which the emerald was placed. It seemed that the emerald released the most energy when placed upon a rare type of limestone found only in a specific part of central Yucatán, the type of limestone that the Master Emerald’s shrine was built from. This process worked best when the emerald was being handled by a researcher, some even said that more energy was released when you willed it to as you held it, although many of the veteran researchers dismissed the reasoning for these energy level shifts as psychosomatic.
The U.F. was intrigued by Project Shadow’s progress, never before had there been any measurable scientific success in extracting and harnessing Chaos energy consistently enough for there to be possible medicinal and military uses for it. Project Shadow’s success marked the discovery of an entirely new renewable energy source. Still, the U.F. remained optimistically cautious, as testing was still in its beta phase. The biggest question on the top officials’ minds was how this new energy source was going to be utilized in finding the formula for immortality.
January 1955 - Project Shadow revealed the “Heal Unit” to the United Federation’s top military officials. The Heal Unit was a highly portable plastic case containing antiseptics and regenerative stem cells enhanced by Chaos energy. Upon application, the Heal Unit proved to be able to completely heal what would be considered mortal wounds during trial experiments. It was designed to be carried by G.U.N. (Guardian Units of Nations) medics on the battlefield, its near instantaneous effects would prove invaluable in the future.
The U.F. was astounded by this invention, and immediately increased Project Shadow’s research grants, convinced that the breakthrough of the miracle Heal Unit meant that Project Shadow was making real progress in its efforts to create an immortal lifeform.
November 1955 - Project Shadow produced a new encapsulated energy source, a “Chaos Drive”. A machine drive derived from Chaos energy designed to act as a power source for the military robots of G.U.N.. They proved effective in trial runs, powering the robots for far longer than traditional energy sources and also enhancing the destructive capacity of their weaponry. The Chaos Drives were easily mass produced once Project Shadow perfected energy extraction from the limitless resources of the Chaos Emeralds. As a result, they became a smash success with G.U.N. just as the Heal Unit had, often considered invaluable on the increasingly mechanized battlefield. After this success, the U.F. granted Project Shadow even more funding, including a second loaned Chaos Emerald.
February 1956 - Emboldened by the triumphs of the Heal Unit and Chaos Drive, Project Shadow began to set their sights on actually creating an artificial lifeform enhanced by Chaos energy. True biological immortality still seemed to be a distant and far-fetched goal, but Professor Robotnik speculated that Chaos energy could be used to enhance the biological processes of an organism, which in the case of an organism with regenerative abilities, such as a starfish, sea cucumber, planarian, lizard, or salamander, could potentially allow the animal to not just regenerate lost tissue over a period of days or months, but correct the damage done to cells and DNA as it occurred, thereby entirely eliminating damage-related aging. Eliminating programmed aging would be more difficult, but by tinkering with a subject’s genetic coding, (favorably a subject from a species’ whose entire genome had already been sequenced) isolating the genes related to programmed aging and deleting them, hypothetically, a biologically immortal multicellular organism could be created.
Regardless, the theory still sounded insane to most of the veteran researchers, and several of them found themselves questioning the professor’s thought processes. Still, they knew that what the government had asked of them was in itself far-fetched, so it was more understandable that the professor would put forth such wild speculations.
Despite some of the researchers’ misgivings, Project Shadow went forward with Robotnik’s speculative experimentation. Testing on the highly regenerative Ambystoma mexicanum began in late February of 1956, in which Chaos energy was utilized to rewrite scripts of the subjects’ DNA, altering chromosomal expressions to enhance and repurpose their incredible regenerative abilities (axolotls are able to regrow lost limbs, internal organs, and even the less vital parts of their brains) to instantly repair cellular damage that occurs as a result of the natural aging process.
Although Professor Robotnik chose Ambystoma mexicanum primarily because it was a model research subject, he could not help but favor its usage over the other available species because of how much it reminded him of the massive amphibious beast on the mural in the Yucatán ruins, not to mention that axolotls were also native to the area. What may have once seemed superstitious to the other lead researchers was beginning to make more and more sense. They knew the fickle and mysterious nature of the emeralds was not to be underestimated, and it terrified them. It dawned on them that they may very well have been creating the Ultimate Lifeform.
January 1958 - Creating artificial life proved far more difficult than anything Project Shadow had previously tackled. It took years to even properly edit the axolotl embryo’s genes to produce the results that were desired. Early in development, the deletion and alteration of certain genes related to regeneration often turned the axolotls into walking cancerous growths. Even when the axolotls were observed to be showing no signs of senescence - not even negligible senescence - this did not really matter because the subjects would inexplicably grow at such a rapid rate that their bodies would prove to be unable to support such massive frames, and they would inevitably succumb to organ failure .
To combat this, Project Shadow’s top medical engineers devised a Chaos Drive powered life-support system known as the “Eternal Engine” to take some of the strain of supporting such an enormous body off of the experiments’ organ systems. Due to the high risk and cost of the procedure, only one Eternal Engine was produced, so extra precautions were taken when genetically altering the experimental embryo and preparing it for life outside of its artificial utero. At the government’s request, there had also been work conducted on editing the livers of the axolotls to filter and store Chaos energy (for military purposes). This axolotl was to be the first to be altered in such a way.
The experimental axolotl was brought out of artificial utero at 12:30 A.M. on the 27th of January, 1958. At birth, it was approximately 25 cm (9.85 in) in length and weighed .45 kg (15.9 oz.). Due to the alterations to its genome that resulted in the development of a “Chaos organ”, the axolotl was genetically distinct from any other lifeform. Truly, it was no longer an axolotl, it had instead become the final prototype of the ultimate lifeform, the “Bioengineered Amphibious Immortal Lifeform” B.A.I.L., better known as the Biolizard. With the aid of the Eternal Engine, the Biolizard grew exponentially, reaching a massive size far beyond that of any of the other bioengineered axolotls. In its first 3 days of life it reached a length of 2.7 m (8.6 ft) and a weight of 350 kg (771.6 lbs).
February 1958 - Because of its rapid growth rate, the Biolizard was quickly moved to the Central Dome of the ARK for further testing. A peculiarity of the Biolizard’s biology that was quickly noted was that it had metamorphosed from the juvenile axolotl form to a true salamander form as it had matured, which was thought to be impossible for axolotls to undergo without chemical interference. Interestingly enough, as opposed to resembling Ambystoma tigrinum (tiger salamander) as chemically matured axolotls tended to do, it looked far more like an extremely large instance of either Andrias japonicus or Andrias davidianus (Japanese or Chinese giant salamander).
Although its exponential growth rate was alarming, the Biolizard began to show many of the traits that the U.F.’s top officials - and subsequently the researchers - had been looking for; self-restoration, complete regeneration, insenescence, the ability to utilize Chaos energy for defensive and offensive purposes, and minor teleportation.
However, none of this was possible without its life-support system, and due to its colossal size, it could not even walk, although its neck and tail were exceedingly strong. In fact, as its growth continued, it began to develop a body plan similar to that of sauropod dinosaurs, with a squat body and a long, sweeping neck and tail. More concerningly, it appeared that it was also developing cancerous growths all over its body, a residual problem from earlier designs. Thankfully, its edited genes seemed to be able to miraculously repair the cancerous tissue, and the Biolizard seemed to suffer no complications from cellular damage.
As the government began to express an interest in using the Ultimate Lifeform as a superweapon, (likely their true interest all along) more problems revealed themselves. A major issue that stood in the way of utilizing the Biolizard as a superweapon was its primitive amphibian brain, which was barely able to pilot its vast, ungainly body. It was almost impossible to train because it had difficulty processing the more complex commands of the scientists. It was also a very unruly beast, and just about the only way to get it to cooperate was to shock it with an electric cattle prod, much to the researchers’ dismay. Because of its cognitive failings, the researchers feared that the U.F. would reject the prototype in Project Shadow’s next report, since it could simply not be used as a reliable superweapon.
However, this would soon prove to be the least of their worries, because as the Biolizard continued to grow, reaching astronomical proportions, (according to later reports it had apparently reached 72 m (236.2 ft) in length, 30.5 m (100.1 ft) in width, and was 17.4 m (57.1 ft) tall at the highest point of its back, not including its life-support system. It weighed nearly 300 metric tonnes (330.7 short tons) it became invulnerable to all outward attacks, even massive electric prods specifically designed for it began to have absolutely no effect. It became wild and violent, destroying equipment and injuring staff, even killing a few members during a particularly bad incident.
It was after this incident that information about the Biolizard leaked to G.U.N., presumably from internal staff who had witnessed the prototype going out of control and had begun to question the duration, significance, and safety of the research. The U.F. considered cutting funding and ending the project, but when Professor Robotnik offered the ancient superweapon, the Gizoid, in exchange for more time, the U.F. relented, and research was allowed to continue.
Although the Biolizard was a technical success in creating a biologically immortal organism, its numerous shortcomings (many of which that were near incompatible with life) meant that it was simply unviable as both a biological superweapon and as a stem cell donor. It was certainly rather ironic that the supposed ultimate lifeform - the first truly immortal organism - was unable to live without its life-support system. Reluctantly, Professor Robotnik formally ended research on the Biolizard, and the Central Dome of the ARK was sealed off. The Biolizard was left in darkness for the rest of its immortal life, as Project Shadow was hesitant to euthanize it in case its living tissue and genetic material would be required in later experiments. The Biolizard, the prototype of the ultimate lifeform, was a failure.
May 1958 - Professor Gerald Robotnik found himself at a crossroads after the failure of the Biolizard, on the one hand, the genetic blueprints of the Biolizard were so close to perfection, if it weren't for its few fatal flaws, the United Federation would have had their bioweapon, and, more importantly to Gerald, Maria would have had a viable stem cell donor. He was just so close, the key to immortality was so very nearly in his grasp, and still it had managed to slip through his fingers; intangible as a shadow.
On the other hand, Professor Robotnik realized he would need to start fresh if he wanted to continue to make progress towards Project Shadow’s goal, and ultimately, save Maria’s life. As much as it pained him to admit, the route taken with the Biolizard seemed to be a dead end.
Robotnik began listing off the major flaws of the prototype, in order to regroup and reorganize his thoughts so that he could pinpoint what the team needed to focus on correcting. He knew the Chaos Emeralds had to be the key, it wasn’t their power that had let him down and he wasn’t yet willing to abandon what were essentially the foundation of the project. It wasn’t like he had any other option anyway, Project Shadow had simply spent too much time researching the gems, there wasn’t enough time or funding to start completely from scratch and explore an alternate route.
Intelligence was one of the first major flaws that sprung out in Gerald’s mind, the Biolizard was simply not intelligent enough to follow orders during military operations, it would never be of any practical use to G.U.N.. The ultimate lifeform needed to be intelligent, smart enough to follow complex instructions and make its own independent decisions. It was unfortunate that none of the regenerative species possessed such intelligence. Robotnik considered acquiring SWL instances of these species, as they were highly intelligent; unfortunately, little was known about these rare species, and their genomes certainly were not sequenced. Again, there simply wasn’t the time nor the money to follow that path.
Size was another issue, one that was impossible to avoid utilizing the prototpe’s blueprints. It seemed that altering the necessary scripts in its genome would invariably cause the organism to grow exponentially. It was naturally incompatible with life, and even when the subject was provided with life-support, its sheer size meant that it would eventually prove impossible to control. Robotnik realized that he would need to find a way to scale down the Ultimate Lifeform while still maintaining its regenerative abilities and insenescence, a daunting task.
The third, and most glaring failing of the prototype’s design was its need for a life-support system. Thankfully, it was also one that would likely take care of itself once the size of the organism was corrected, since it was the prototype’s body mass that was threatening it with organ failure and thus making the life-support system necessary.
So, Gerald thought, the ultimate lifeform must be small, small enough that it does not crush itself under its own weight, but also small enough to be easily controlled. It must also be intelligent, intelligent enough to follow orders and make decisions. It also must be able to live without any life-support, the ultimate lifeform could not be physically flawed and vulnerable.
Gerald halted his train of thought for a moment, and then it hit him. The mural - the figure above the leviathan - the hedgehog, of course! He couldn’t believe it, the answer he had been seeking had been hiding under his nose the entire time. The hedgehog depicted in the mural, a SWL hedgehog, the European species most likely (Pheidippidea sapiens erinaceus europaeus), based on the shape and size of the quills, even if they were splayed unusually. A SWL European hedgehog was small, generally 85 - 105 cm (2” 9’ - 3” 5’) tall and weighed around 29 - 39 kg (64 - 86 lbs) on average when full grown. Portable and easy to control, especially when compared to the Biolizard. They were intelligent enough, possessing similar cognitive abilities to that of humans. The SWL European hedgehog would have been a model research subject not only for those reasons, but also because its entire genome had already been sequenced.
There was only one glaring problem, SWL hedgehogs possessed no regenerative abilities. This was always a problem with research models it seemed, few of them would possess all of the traits needed for experimentation, leaving the scientist at an impasse. It was a shame that there was a negative correlation between cognitive function and regenerative ability. It seemed that the genetic traits necessary to create the ultimate lifeform were incompatible. Professor Gerald was running out of time, and he needed to find a solution soon.
July 1958 - During mid-July in 1958, the Black Comet passed by Earth, as it did every 50 years. This was the first time a space colony had been in orbit when the comet passed by, and the denizens of the ARK were all very excited to watch its passage from such a unique point of view.
Professor Robotnik was also happy to observe the passing comet, it was a welcome distraction from his troubles. As he was teaching a 4 year old Maria how to view through a telescope’s lens properly so that she could watch the comet, he received a transmission through his wrist radio. Expecting it to be a work call, he told Maria’s nanny that he was going to step out for a moment. When he checked his radio, he was surprised to discover that he didn’t recognize the caller. He answered it anyway, and a deep, gravelly voice spoke up. The voice told him that its name was Black Doom, and that he was the leader of the Black Arms, an ancient race that resided upon the Black Comet. He explained that the Black Arms had been wanting to contact humanity for many years, but had waited until they were suitably technologically advanced.
He told the professor that he knew of his struggles, and wished to make a deal with him. Professor Gerald listened incredulously as Black Doom spoke, almost positive that it was a prank call from one of the younger researchers in Project Shadow done in poor taste. Still, as the voice kept on talking, a sinking feeling hit Gerald in the pit of his stomach, and chills traveled down his spine. It was as if, in the bottom of his soul, he knew that was not the case. He also knew he was running out of options, that he was desperate. He stopped pacing and looked through the window of the door to his room, watching as Maria giggled and told her nanny all she knew about the Black Comet.
He asked Black Doom to tell him more. Black Doom revealed to Robotnik that he himself was biologically immortal, and that he would be willing to donate genetic material for Project Shadow if Robotnik promised to repay him in the future. As repayment for his assistance in the project, Black Doom requested that the progeny resulting from the experiment bring him the 7 Chaos Emeralds in 50 years time, when the Black Comet would once again pass by Earth. Professor Gerald agreed to the deal, although he secretly distrusted Black Doom’s true intentions. Anyone who desired all 7 Chaos Emeralds was after nothing but power.
Professor Robotnik allowed Black Doom aboard the ARK in total secrecy late one sleep cycle, no one else was to be made aware of the alien king’s involvement in Project Shadow. The Professor extracted blood and stem cells from Black Doom, and stored the samples in a cooler for safe keeping. Black Doom made Robotnik promise him that he would regularly update him with his progeny’s development. Robotnik agreed, and Black Doom went on his way.
August 1958 - Now armed with this sudden saving grace, Professor Robotnik quickly requested frozen SWL European hedgehog embryos. The U.F. granted this request, even if they were a bit perplexed, and Robotnik received his embryos in a few weeks.
Professor Gerald wished to begin experimentation right away, but knew he would have to come up with an explanation for the alien tissue that was to be the keystone of the experiment. He decided that the best course of action was to forge some tissue extraction reports to make it appear that Black Doom’s genetic material actually belonged to the Biolizard. No one suspected anything, the tissue did not really even look that different. Besides, who would even remotely suspect the absurdity that was the truth behind the experiment?
The typical gestation period of a SWL European hedgehog is about 155 days, or roughly 5 months. After which, the pups are born blind and deaf, until they develop sight and hearing about a week after birth. Like humans, the pregnancies are broken up into 3 three parts. The primary difference is that the trimester-equivalents are a bit shorter, lasting about 50 days as opposed to 90.
10 of the frozen embryos were selected for the experiment, the rest would act as the control group and be sent back down to Earth after birth and subsequent comparative examination. 5 of the embryos were injected with both blood and stem cells, 3 were injected with stem cells only, and 2 were injected with blood only. The embryos all developed normally for the first week or so, until the neural tubes of the embryos that had been injected with blood only failed to close at the end of the second week. Around the end of the first trimester-equivalent, the 2 deformed embryos spontaneously aborted. The fetuses that had received stem cells only began to present physical anomalies late into the second trimester-equivalent when previously they had displayed only normal development. When certain vital organ systems began to develop abnormalities and their functionality decreased rapidly, the researchers made the decision to voluntarily abort them as they had become unviable.
The 5 fetuses that had received both stem cells and blood continued to develop normally to the end of the third trimester-equivalent, at which point, on the 155th day, the fetuses were prepared for delivery. Unfortunately, there were unforeseen complications, and 4 out of the 5 infant hedgehogs were unable to survive outside of utero. The single surviving hedgehog was placed back into its artificial womb. Professor Gerald and the other researchers prayed that the final remaining hedgehog would survive.
After the disastrous delivery, Professor Robotnik contacted Black Doom to update him on the fate of the experiment. To Gerald’s surprise, Black Doom did not seem at all upset. In fact, he seemed rather pleased, and explained to Gerald that he had only wanted one offspring out of the exchange, and that through the researchers’ experimentation, they had allowed only the strongest specimen to survive. He also explained to the professor that because of the hedgehog’s Black Arms DNA, it would require more time in utero to grow, as it was developing internal organs that a normal SWL European hedgehog would not (this is likely what killed the other hedgehogs). He predicted that the hedgehog would be ready for delivery in about 5 months, at which point its alien organ systems would be fully developed.
June 1959 - Under Black Doom’s instructions, Professor Robotnik ordered the hedgehog brought out of utero at 5:00 P.M. on June 19th, 1959. The delivery was a success, and the hedgehog survived without any complications. It was highly developed, seemingly postmature, born capable of sight and hearing and better resembling a 2 year old toddler than a 5 month old infant. Sex was male, length at birth was 50 cm (19.7 in), and weight was 6.76 kg (14.9 lbs). Perhaps most intriguing was its appearance. While it was not uncommon for SWL to exhibit bright fur coloration, the pattern exhibited by “Shadow” (as the researchers had named him in honor of the project) was highly unusual. Jet black with red-striped quills and limbs, even his eyes were a bright crimson. It was alarming, but the researchers assured themselves that it was most likely just a harmless side effect from using the Biolizard’s DNA. Professor Gerald, who knew the truth, could not help but think how familiar that coloration looked.
It had quickly become clear that the hedgehog was maturing at a rapid rate, reminiscent of the Biolizard, although its growth was thankfully in line with what was expected of its species, and it was simply hitting milestones at an accelerated rate. Early testing revealed that the hedgehog possessed well-developed cognitive abilities and minor regeneration. Even though his regenerative abilities were minimal, Gerald’s colleagues were overjoyed by the fact that he possessed these abilities at all, as they were skeptical that the Biolizard’s DNA could influence the hedgehog’s genetic makeup. While Gerald could not feel the same surprise, he was excited regardless, even if he was a bit nervous.
As it matured, the hedgehog continued to exhibit enhanced physical abilities. While this was very common in SWL, the hedgehog’s speed was of particular note. SWL being able to run at supersonic speeds was not unusual, but Shadow’s speed was shocking. Even as a young child, in only his first few months of life, he could reach speeds exceeding 8,065 kmph (5,011.4 mph), faster than any of G.U.N.’s hypersonic military aircraft. Typically for a SWL, he was physically entirely unaffected by the heat from the high energy flow and the force of the resulting shock waves. The same could not be said for the ARK’s trial tracks however, whose surface was virtually melted by the hedgehog’s speed. To combat this, the trial tracks were reinforced with heat resistant material and Shadow was outfitted with specially designed air shoes to help protect any surface he ran upon.
What the scientists found most exciting, however, was his capacity to harness Chaos energy so easily, his abilities far exceeded that of the Biolizard. He was able to manifest Chaos energy as physical attacks capable of destroying heavy machinery. Not only that, but he was also capable of teleportation, far more impressive than that of the Biolizard, able to transport himself nearly 5 km (3.11 mi) away from his starting position. He could only do this when he held a Chaos Emerald, however, and his teleportation without one was more in line with that of the Biolizard.
All of these feats were possible thanks to an internal organ formed during fetal development that produced and stored Chaos energy. Developed without risky gene editing and entirely functional. The researchers could hardly believe their eyes as they observed the CAT scans. The only issue with this organ was its propensity to severely exhaust the hedgehog’s energy when utilized too frequently; particularly powerful blasts of Chaos energy released by Shadow during testing even revealed that organ damage had occurred. To prevent the hedgehog from hurting himself accidentally, he was outfitted with inhibitor rings on his wrists and ankles that limited the amount of Chaos energy he could emit at any given time.
Years into the project, after the hedgehog had fully matured, he would fail to show any signs of senescence, not even negligibly. He would stay as a young adult, forever.
The hedgehog was perfect; small, intelligent, superpowered, immortal. He was everything the United Federation had wanted and more. Now, Professor Gerald knew that Shadow was destined to be used as a superweapon, there was no denying G.U.N.’s intentions. To combat his dehumanization and the possible threat he could pose if he fell into the wrong hands, Gerald ordered that Shadow was to be treated personally, as if he was a denizen of the ARK just like everyone else, and not as a scientific experiment. The other researchers questioned this decision at first, citing the hedgehog’s potential threat level, but Shadow’s near perfect behavior, kind personality, and unquestioning loyalty to Gerald softened their opinions.
In the months after preliminary testing had been completed, Shadow was presented to several U.F. and G.U.N. officials, including the president himself, who even had a photo taken of himself and Shadow together. It was safe to say that the nation’s leaders were astounded, they had been sure that Project Shadow was going to go under after the failure of the Biolizard. Highly impressed by the team’s ingenuity and resourcefulness, the president had Project Shadow’s funding increased; Professor Gerald Robotnik was even named as a potential Nobel Peace Prize nominee. They were ordered to continue running performance tests and training the hedgehog for the time being. New instructions would come in the following months and years as the government was updated through reports.
December 1959 - Unbeknownst to the U.F., Professor Robotnik had the confidentiality of Project Shadow loosened in order to socialize Shadow. His true purpose as a superweapon was hidden from most of the ARK’s denizens, although his secondary purpose as an “immortality formula” was revealed in part.
Gerald introduced Shadow to Maria on Christmas in 1959, as both her therapy animal and her new friend. Gerald had surmised that this would be good for both of them, Maria had been very bored and lonely, as there were really no other children to play with, and the adults she was friends with were always busy. There was only so much a young girl could do to entertain herself on a scientific research facility. Gerald knew that she had been craving companionship - a peer she could relate to. A strange choice then, it seemed, for that companion to be her grandfather’s laboratory experiment. Yet it was also not so strange, as Shadow was an outsider to the people of the ARK, so too was Maria an outsider to its children, her own peer group. She had always felt so ostracized, so out of place and useless in a world where everything and everyone seemed to have a specific purpose. Meeting Shadow then, made her feel a little better, like she had found a kindred spirit - a cute and fuzzy kindred spirit!
Shadow was good for her beyond having his tissue used for her gene therapy, beyond being unable to get her sick due to his species and his immunity to disease. He was good for her emotionally, which perhaps had the biggest impact on her health in the end. Even as she grew older, and her artificial immune system continued to weaken, she seemed to glow whenever Shadow was around, her smile so radiant it could light up a room.
Although all of their interactions were at first highly supervised out of the fear that Shadow would accidentally hurt Maria while they played, these fears turned out to be unwarranted. It seemed that Shadow understood that Maria was only human and very frail, so he was always gentle with her. In fact, if anyone was ever getting too rough when they played, it was Maria, who had yet to learn that it wasn’t good to pull a hedgehog's cranial quills.
She and Shadow soon became inseparable, much to Gerald’s delight. This was good for Shadow too, socializing him by having him interact with people every day would familiarize him with human customs and morality, attaching him to humanity and hopefully making him feel like he was included among their ranks. Gerald tried to give him enough independence so that he could develop a sense of free will as well, hoping that such treatment would result in him being able to make his own educated decisions when it came time for G.UN. to inevitably recruit him. Professor Robotnik refused to supply G.U.N. with an unthinking drone capable of such destruction.
When Shadow wasn’t busy with experimentation or training, he and Maria did just about everything together; they explored the many labyrinths of the massive ARK, played hide & seek, ran down the halls together hand in hand (at an appropriate speed of course - mostly), listened to music on Maria’s record player (she was a fan of Frank Sinatra in particular), drew pictures, read books, Shadow even ate his meals with Maria and Gerald. Maria liked to tease him for eating bugs, to which Gerald would reply that it wasn’t nice to make fun of someone for being different. Maria would pout and give him an unconvincing scowl in response, then burst out laughing, to which the others would follow suit.
While Gerald considered the two to be perfect little angels, and they usually proved him right, this was not to say they did not ever get up to any mischief. Forbidden or abandoned sections of the ARK did not always go unexplored, cookie jars were not always unraided, sprawling pillow forts were not always contained to one’s room, and the occasional lost quill did not always stay far away from the seat of that one really mean researcher.
Whenever Maria was hospitalized, either because she was undergoing treatment or her illness had taken a sudden turn for the worse, Shadow was always right by her side, reading her stories and sleeping curled up at the foot of her bed.
One of their favorite things to do was watch outer space from the ARK’s observatories. Maria loved to look at the Earth in particular, she really wanted to go down there someday. She couldn’t remember the few brief months she spent living there, as she had only been a baby when she had to leave to go to the ARK for treatment. Her grandfather’s stories made Earth seem magical, she would have given anything to have seen for herself those deep green forests, vast oceans, rolling hills, and craggy mountains. She also wanted to meet the animals that she had only ever seen in pictures from her encyclopedias. Shadow was the only one she had ever really seen, not including the ones fed to her on her plate. When I get better, she would tell herself, I’ll get to see it all when I get better, and Shadow will get to see it too!
What was perhaps Maria’s greatest dream though, was her dream to be a care worker. Maybe she could be a nurse, or a teacher, or maybe even a scientist! Maria was brilliant like the rest of the Robotniks, she could have done anything she wanted to. She wanted to be like the people who had helped her, she wished to help all of the people of Earth, great and small, good and bad. If humanity could give someone like her a chance, then why shouldn’t everyone be given one?
Although he was glad to see that Maria had found her purpose, Shadow still found himself questioning his own. He understood that it was his job to help make sick people better, but his mind always drifted back to thoughts of the incredible power he held. Shadow knew he must have possessed this power for a reason, but he didn’t know why. Why exactly had he been created? The scientists always used words when talking about him like “entropic”, “vaporizing”, “incinerating”, “annihilating” and “ far surpassing re-entry speed”. One of them had even joked that he could “make our fastest space shuttles look like tortoises if we gave him the chance”. He wasn’t sure if he liked the way they spoke about him, he thought maybe they were afraid of him, and he didn’t want the scientists to be afraid of him. When he brought up his concerns to Maria, she told him not to worry, and that his purpose was just like her’s, the only difference was that he would get to use his superpowers to help people and protect Earth. She told him that it was his duty to always use his powers for good, even when being good wasn’t easy. This message would always stick with him, in the back of his mind.
March 1960 - Robotnik and his most trusted researchers began work on a planetary defense weapon known as the “Eclipse Cannon”. The U.F. readily accepted his plans, thinking that his motivations were to protect Earth against potential unseen threats, such as asteroids and other debris. More importantly, it would show off the strength of the United Federation to other nations. Only Robotnik and a few of the most senior researchers knew the truth, that the Eclipse Cannon was being developed to combat the Black Arms when they returned for the 7 Chaos Emeralds in 50 years. Gerald had a sinking suspicion that Black Doom held nothing but ill-intentions for humanity, and he wasn’t going to stand by and leave future generations in such a mess.
The Eclipse Cannon was to be a weapon of unprecedented power, able to destroy planets and pierce stars. The only energy source it accepted were Chaos Emeralds, and it required all 7 to operate at full power. It was still functional when utilizing fewer than 7, but the laser would be weaker and would require longer cooldowns.
May 1962 - Project Shadow began designing mass-producible bioweapons for G.U.N., who had commissioned their own “Chaos monsters”. They were built upon an Aurelia aurita (moon jelly) biological base and outfitted with a basic military A.I. that had been infused with Chaos energy. The design was made to resemble the god of the ancient echidna culture. The bioweapons were dubbed “Artificial Chaos”.
October 1963 - During experimentation, something went haywire with the Artificial Chaos’ A.I. and they began attempting to destroy all organic life aboard the ARK. Total pandemonium erupted, and several people were killed in the ensuing carnage. G.U.N. were called in to help the defense force destroy the bioweapons and protect the ARK’s workers and their families.
Maria was able to find Shadow in the swarm of panicked people, and to protect the little girl from being crushed by the terror-blind crowd, Shadow took her on an alternate route to the safe rooms. When they encountered the rampaging Artificial Chaos, Shadow made short work of destroying them, his quills proving to be deadly weapons. Shadow ended up destroying dozens of the experiments, nearly as many as the defense force and G.U.N. squad combined. All of the malfunctioning Artificial Chaos were eventually disposed of, and the ARK was secured.
Professor Robotnik ended up in a lot of hot water over the accident, and it became clear that the U.F,’s trust in his ability to control his bioweapons was diminishing. Although the Artificial Chaos were obviously the primary issue, the speed at which the G.U.N. squad had reported the hedgehog was able to destroy them was also highly concerning. Looking back on the hedgehog’s performance reports made the situation seem even worse, what exactly would happen if the hedgehog went rogue as the Artificial Chaos did?
The U.F. no longer trusted Gerald to hold custody of Project Shadow’s hedgehog, they began to see him as an unstable Dr. Moreau-like figure. A civilian scientist was in no position to act as guardian for such a powerful bioweapon. It would not have taken much at that point to set them off.
November 1965 - The Eclipse Cannon beta was completed. The beta was entirely functional, just unrefined and in need of polishing.
September 1966 - A whistleblower exposed Gerald to the U.F. for being in unauthorized contact with an alien race who had aided him in his experiments (the whistleblower would remain anonymous, but speculation in later years would suggest that he may have been one of Project Shadow’s top researchers, and that he had given up Gerald in exchange for leniency). A flabbergasted U.F. considered this the final straw, and both Professor Gerald and the entire ARK were viewed as threats to planetary security. Professor Gerald Robotnik was quietly declared unfit for research and the entirety of Project Shadow was declared forfeit. The U.F. planned to have G.U.N. confiscate all of the project’s experiments, Shadow in particular, imprison or execute all of its head researchers, force all others involved to take a vow of secrecy, and completely shut down the ARK. This procedure would be known as the “Ark Seal Destruction Operation” or A.S.D.O. for short.
October 1966 - Gerald received a tip about the U.F.’s plans just days before A.S.D.O. was undertaken. He knew he didn’t have much time, but he spent as much of it as he could devising an escape route for Maria, Shadow, and the other researchers when the time came. Lastly, he created a video addressing Shadow where he apologized for working with the Black Arms and explained that the Eclipse Cannon was designed to destroy the Black Comet when the Black Arms came knocking in 50 years time to conquer Earth.
The G.U.N. raid happened much sooner than Gerald expected, and he was caught off guard while working with Shadow when the ARK’s defense squad activated the intruder alert system. Maria came running, completely panicked, but a resolute Gerald managed to calm her down. He entrusted Shadow to her, and told them to keep running until they reached the escape pod room, where Gerald had already preset several escape pods for this exact emergency. Once they were inside an escape pod and had ejected themselves from the station, he would redirect their course towards a safe landing destination.
Shadow led a tearful Maria through the halls of the ARK as they raced toward the emergency exit facility, dodging the gunfire of frightfully determined G.U.N. soldiers as they went. Just as they were about to reach the last wing of the ARK before they got to the escape room, they were intercepted by a manned maneuverable military vehicle called “Heavy Dog”. Although Shadow was able to destroy it, doing so slowed them down considerably and allowed the G.U.N. soldiers to catch up.
The attack squad was right behind them when they reached the escape room, and they were barely able to lock the door behind them. Then, just as they were about to step into an escape pod, the G.U.N. soldiers managed to break down the door. Maria hurriedly pushed Shadow into the pod ahead of herself, but just as she was about to step in with him, a gunshot rang out. Maria crumpled to the floor like a marionette cut from its strings. Weakly, she used the last of her strength to press the button that would seal the escape pod and prep it for ejection. With a wavering voice, Maria asked Shadow to promise her that he would always do what was right, even when it was hard, for the sake of all the people on planet Earth. Shadow cried and begged for her to let him out, but Maria simply pressed the button to eject the capsule, then laid down her head, and did not move again. Seeing that the escape pod had been ejected, Professor Gerald then steadied its course for a safe landing on Earth.
Elsewhere aboard the ARK during A.S.D.O., a G.U.N. squad had attempted to secure the Biolizard; the entire 20-man team was wiped out. As a security measure, the Central Dome was resealed and the Biolizard was left to rot. All of the ARK’s research labs were also sealed. After G.U.N. had taken control of the ARK, they maintained the story that the ARK was being shut down and evacuated due to a biohazardous accident - which was blamed on Professor Gerald. All casualties resulting from the G.U.N. raid were blamed on the accident. In a little over a week, all civilian workers were evacuated and the ARK was abandoned.
November 1966 - Gerald went willingly and was detained on Thornton Prison Island in the Pacific. He felt secure in the knowledge that he had directed Maria and Shadow’s escape pod to safety. When he was shown the list of the ARK’s casualties and saw Maria’s name, he couldn’t believe it, wouldn’t believe it. Everything - he had done everything for her - he had trespassed against God for this little girl, and now she was gone. No, he couldn’t believe it, he went mad with grief. His mind became consumed by thoughts of revenge. They had gunned down his little girl, they had…
January 1967 - Shadow was recovered by G.U.N. after he was found living out in the woods of Montana for months. He was transported to Thornton Prison Island so that Robotnik could finish experimenting on him before handing him over to G.U.N..
February 1967 - Instead of experimenting on Shadow and finishing the Eclipse Cannon as he had been instructed, Robotnik instead created a doomsday override program for the Eclipse Cannon which would cause the ARK to fall to Earth. The damage would be catastrophic, and cast the planet into a nuclear winter from which it would never recover. He entrusted a grief-stricken Shadow to carry out the program if he ever managed to get back to the ARK. To activate the doomsday program, all 7 Chaos Emeralds would be needed to be placed within the Eclipse Cannon. The program was also delivered to the Biolizard still aboard the ARK through radio transmission, who would carry out the program in the case that Shadow failed after activating phase 1.
May 1968 - Realizing that nothing useful was going to come from Gerald’s continued “research” and fearing his possible retaliation, the U.F. decided to totally abandon the project despite the enormous net research loss. Professor Robotnik was executed by firing squad at 6:00 P.M. on May 18th, 1968 and received a burial at sea. Shadow the Hedgehog was placed in suspended animation upon Thornton Prison Island and sealed away in a high security facility.