Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1- Prologue:

Crimson eyes reflected fire within their depths, their circumferences wide with numb horror. They watched as flames and ashes danced around the corpse, burning his possessions and destroying the prided mansion that belonged to the famous Rino family. The owner, a balding man in his late thirties, was tangled in his sheets, lower half dangling on the bed, his expression filled with absolute fear and surprise.

On the left side of his head, there was a gaping wound exposing a cracked skull and missing parts of his brain. From it, blood cascaded freely, gathering on the owner's luxurious mattress and dripping onto the floorboards, staining everything it touched.

Red-stained gloves rose to cradle his head as the memories came back to haunt him. This was too much. Too similar to that dreadful night. But this time, it was his fault.

Visions of that night resurfaced, plaguing his thoughts once more, allowing him to bear witness to the events that led him to this. His form shook, wanting to dispel the thoughts and forget the terror that had befallen them.

'Nothing would ever be the same again.'

The words echoed in his head, making him want to curl into a ball and cry. To scream at the world at the unfairness it held. To demand to go back to the days where they were safe and free. Where his morality wasn't so compromised and his ignorance shined bright. Oh, how he missed those days.

NO.

It was no use. He was far too gone for that. They had done it; turned him into the monster they had always wanted him to be. Even if he could go back, he was too broken to fix what he had done. The memories would still be there to haunt him.

The scientists had never held back, had poked and prodded them like a lab rat. They were keen to discover everything about them; finding their strengths and weaknesses, seeing what they could use to their advantage.

And they found it.

They were using this one weakness to keep him in line, to prevent him from escaping. The only person he had left from his old life; the only one he could trust. Even if he had a chance to escape, he couldn't bear the thought of leaving him at the monster's mercy.

Shadow had to do everything he ordered. Every mistake, every act of disobedience resulted in punishment. Or, this one weakness would be exploited in cruel and horrific ways.

A slow clap from the doorway yanked him from his thoughts, bringing his attention back to the real world. The slow chuckle that accompanied the clap made the black creature's fists clench in despair. He waited silently for the salt to be rubbed into metaphorical wounds. He must have been too open about his emotions.

"Well done, my pet!" The tall human praised with a gleeful tone. The words were worse than any strike to his body- they made his skin crawl with distaste. His heart sank as the man strode over and started to pet the small figure's fur as if he was some type of animal. "Such a good soldier. If you were alive, I would have given you some kind of reward!" He leaned in, whispering the next part in his ear. "But you're not alive, are you? You're not even real! You and your power source. The one that you insist upon calling your 'little brother.'"

A small gasp escaped his lips, heart racing at the mention of his companion. His only friend in this unforgiving world. The kindest person he had ever known.

A large hand curled around the side of his face to move it towards the direction of the body. "Oh, and look what you've done? What will happen when he finds out? Especially when he learns of the blood on your hands? All those lives you have ruined. Are you going to taint his innocence because his dear 'brother' couldn't control his temper? Or will he cast you aside for the crimes you've committed in his name?"

At these words, the poor creature began to tremble silently, thoughts of rejection and hatred bombarding his mind. The purring voice was too much. Crimson eyes slid closed, a familiar face surfacing within his mind. Green eyes shone with a mixture of sorrow and betrayal. His kind smile, twisted to one of horror and fear, as he backed away as best as he could from the one he idolised so much. The one who he trusted to finally take him from the clutches of the organisation.

The youngster didn't deserve such a betrayal.

How could he ever face his younger brother again, knowing what he had done? To stare into those innocent emerald eyes and lie to the face of the one he loved. To tell him that the acts he had done were nothing more than a fabrication of their master. Ensure the younger one that his personal vows were still intact. That he hadn't broken under the pressure of the Commander and carried out his will.

The creature shuddered. Those did not belong on his companion's face.

There again, the act of lying to him was also unforgivable. They were meant to trust each other! Never before had he been forced to lie to his charge. It was the most stable thing they had going for them.

And, yet, was the truth worth the heartache?

No. He couldn't do it. Wouldn't do it. He could never lie to his comrade. His partner. And yet, to admit his sins would shatter the kindest of souls. Their relationship would strain if he knew the truth.

Would admitting his sins shatter his kind soul? Would he even understand the implication of death? Of this, Shadow was unsure. His brother could never understand the reason behind the actions. The experiments had taken its toll on the youngling, both on his body and soul. Even if the physical scars healed, the mental damage remained.

His brother never got time to develop outside the facility; the delays to his development was destructive to his state of mind. Never progressing further than a toddler. His concept of the world was surrounded by pain, destruction, and death. It was hard to say how it affected someone who knows nothing of the outside world.

A grimace came to his face, knowing he was indecisive.

Just then, the human moved out of sight of the murderer, placing his arms around the smaller creature in a hug. "My poor Shadow. Hush, now, little lamb; it's not your fault. You can't help yourself. The monster inside you did this." A pause, then he continued his purr. "I can help you, but only if you help me, too. Just a tiny favour in exchange for his ignorance."

His grip tightened, forcing down the cough that tried to escape from all the smoke rising from the burning possessions of the victim. "It's simple. You do my will, without question or hesitation, and your precious freak gets to stay comfortably within his cell, blissfully unaware of your traitorous actions. If not, well..." He shrugged, "there's not much left of him anyway. A little more testing won't hurt anyone."

Teeth clenched, the small figure's fear turned to rage. "You leave him alone," Shadow growled out, anger punctuating every symbol. How dare this monster use his little brother for his twisted plans! This man had taken nearly everything from him! His home, their creator, Maria! And now, he was threatening to use the last member of his family.

'I won't do it,' he finally thought. He couldn't take the last thing, a child's innocence, away from him because he didn't want to sacrifice his own. He was the only person he had left from his old life; he had to protect him at all costs.

"So, Project, what's it going to be? Sacrifice your morals or possess a broken power source?"

He knew it was coming. The inescapable choice, just waiting to surface. At last, here came the threats. The lies. The manipulative bastard knew exactly which buttons to press. There was never any choice. Not really. He hated every single second of it. The familiar urge to protect his brother surged up within him, and he adopted a blank expression, once again.

Show no weakness, no emotion. Be the weapon they wanted him to be.

But despite thinking this, a pleading voice at the back of his mind shouted at him not to give in. To spare himself the insanity the request brought. Instead, he raised his hand to his quills and carefully extracted a gem. The green emerald gleamed under the firelight, blood staining its smooth surface.

A grin spread across the human's face; that was the best confirmation he could have hoped for. He moved his hands to grasp the creature's shoulders tightly.

"Chaos Control!" The black figure muttered mechanically, before a white flash of light burst from his form and the two vanished.

Outside, the blare of the fire truck's alarms flooded the streets as the vehicle pulled up on the side of the road. Multiple figures clambered out of the truck, soon putting out the flames with a hose.

Ten minutes later, the charred body of the banker was found.

Soon, the police were called and were on their way.

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 2- The Case of Ovi Kintobor:

Maria had taught him that every life was special; that all living things were equal. Whether they were a human, tree or animal. She had also tried to explain that not all people saw it that way. Those in a higher position would abuse their power and treat others badly because they were different or seen as subjects. Back then, he didn't understand. His innocence just couldn't grasp why someone would treat anyone else in that way. To this day, his curiosity burned with the same question, although the answers he could come up with were tainted by Maria and the professor's death, the constant imprisonment, and endless torture under the same organisation.

During his time on Earth, he had learned many things. The main one was that humans were all the same. Greedy, selfish individuals who took what they wanted; controlled what they feared. Their ambitions and fears drove them to commit cruel and selfish acts that endangered others lives. 

Sometimes, they would disguise their actions, claiming to be working for the 'greater good'. Trying to right an 'injustice' or to simply get revenge. Some individuals would even go so far as to sacrificing others lives for their goal, either through direct methods or through their actions. It was a matter of numbers or an issue of personal attachment that drove people to these decisions. To drive them over the edge. The perspective was a grim one to have, although Shadow knew that every living thing could succumb to it.

Commander Abraham Towers and his predecessor, Samual Kent, were prime examples of this. Their captors were leaders of a shady government organisation that called themselves GUN. The Guardians Units of Nations; Earth's great defenders. Yeah, right. Because forcing someone they have captured and tortured to do their dirty work, while they get all the credit, was so heroic. It happened over and over again and, yet, people were blind to see it. All employees were either scared of them or are thought to be their superiors.

How would the people of Earth react if they knew their saviour was not even of their race? That the same person had murdered their kind because of a choice they had made fifty years ago? Would it end in slanders and pitchforks at GUN's door, or would they accept the grim truth? It was an answer to the rhetorical question he never wanted to find out. From what they have seen, no one within the organisation showed any positive emotions towards them, even going as far as bossing them around and treating them like simpletons. To them, the brothers were resources; simple tools, to be used for the greater good. They had no rights because of their heritage and were seen as experiments, and valued like trophies by the predecessor's legacy.

Upon hearing of the existence of not one, but TWO, ultimate weapons, Samual Kent had ordered soldiers to raid their home, Space Colony Ark. Their orders were to kill all on sight unless they are willing to surrender and agree to hand over all their research. It was a surprise invasion, causing the scientists and their family members to panic, resulting in a massacre. Within the panic, their sister-like figure, Maria, had hurled Shadow out of their bedroom and rushed into the lab. She had managed to safely remove his younger brother from the growth chamber, before leading them to the escape pod. However, the time spent having detoured to retrieve the infant, the soldiers had caught up.

She had managed to usher Shadow into the room with their only exit and was just about to programme the coordinates to Earth when a bullet had struck her head. Shadow had to dive forward, saving the crying infant from colliding with the metal floor. Before he could do anything, the pair was surrounded and taken into custody. They had used the older brother's depression over losing two-thirds of his family members and had quickly imprisoned him.

To keep him there, they had experimented on and locked his brother away. Shadow would only gain access to the younger ultimate lifeform as long as he did what the Commander had wanted. Samual had promised that if he did his bidding, the brother would not be physically harmed. Being young and naive, Shadow had reluctantly obeyed, not knowing of the mental abuse and neglect being inflicted upon the child.

This lasted around five years until Shadow had noticed the lack of development from the youngling and became pissed. What had topped it off was the physical scars found all over his body from the examinations and physical abuse. He blasted his way through the facility all the way to the man's office, internally damaging the man's organs from a particularly violent Chaos Blast. It was so bad that the Commander became relieved from his position.

While they searched for a new one, the previous Commander's own son, Rhion Kent, took control. Filled with rage, he had started to beat Shadow daily, pumping drugs through the air vent to make him weak and unable to fight back properly. The vile man's slanders had affected him so badly, making the artificial hedgehog start to believe the lies being fed to him. Along with the beatings, he would force the GUN scientists to perform experiments. From how fast he could heal deliberately broken bones, to using his Chaos Energy to the point of collapsing. Even now, he had flashbacks to those dark times, cursing the human for treating him in such a way.

That's why, when Commander Abraham Towers had filled the position six months later, he was more accepting of the change. Rhion was fired for legitimate theft of thousands of dollars from the company's bank account just after Towers' promotion, meaning the beatings had decreased.

The new Commander was different.

At first, he acted as though he cared about them. He stopped the production of the drug strong enough to make him weak and drew up a system where he was able to see his brother. He had used physical comfort and praise to earn their trust. Providing Shadow with simple assignments and a training room suited for his needs had given Shadow some type of freedom within the base. The creature felt at peace with the arrangement, even though he had wished for freedom.

Three years later, Shadow was deemed worthy for missions under the full supervision of The Commander. By then, the act of showing fake concern for the two hedgehogs had dug deeper than any chemical or scalpel. The method was effective as Shadow had never received training or experience to deal with such things, leaving him open to mental and emotional attacks. It was easier, now that he had tested the boundaries of the older weapon of mass destruction, drawing out his strengths, weaknesses, and limits.

Ten years into their imprisonment, his brother was moved to a lower level of the base.

Through careful examination, they had found the true potential of his little brother. The youngling was born with the ability to absorb, regulate and disperse Chaos Energy from life forces, such as wildlife and humans. The amount of Energy he could soak up was enormous, allowing Shadow to top up his energy before he could experience Chaos Drain. A living, portable energy sponge, Maria had jokingly stated one night while they stargazed upon the observation deck. The memory, once filled with the innocence and mirth of a child, now stained by the reality of the situation.

Using his ability, they had built him an underground sanctuary, filled with wildlife, such as trees, small animals and streams. The sight was beautiful, the forest-like place filling most of the entire floor of one of the underground levels. The large habitat was more than enough for the blue hedgehog to run around in. However, just like himself, his younger brother was stuck, confined within a glass cage, strapped to a bed as he struggled to breathe. His limp form was strapped to a machine, greedily sucking the natural Chaos out of him as soon as it was collected.

Because of this, the youngster never had the energy to move. To talk. To walk. All he could do was stare at his surroundings, watching as the animals scurried about, listening to the rush of the river nearby, the sound of leaves rustling in the distance. It must be agonizing to be confined to one spot, surrounded by the best of nature, but never being able to interact with it. The thought made his stomach twist and his heart to ache, but he could do nothing about it without making a scene. The Commander had the younger brother's life in his hands and would harm him when Shadow would go against his wishes.

Due to the poor kid only being an infant when they were taken, he still had not been given a name yet. Their jailers had never bothered with such formalities, and Shadow hadn't managed to come up with something to fit his personality. Instead, the employees and Towers had thrown words around until one nickname finally stuck.

The Power Source.

Looking back on it, Shadow wasn't surprised. That was how everyone had started to see him as; their generator. The artificial being that powered their computers, the lights above their heads. The air conditioning on hot days. It made Shadow angry. He wanted to lash out. To scream about how unfair it was to use them as objects. Mindless machines. Just because the humans did not perceive them to have a will of their own, did that mean they had to live out their existence as lab rats? They had thoughts, feelings, emotions. They felt pain, regret, envy. Even if one didn't understand what they were experiencing, it was their bodies, their minds going through it.

Shadow just wished for one person- anyone- who would overlook the expectations and see them for who they truly are. To lift them out of the clutches of GUN and show them there is more to life than death, pain, and destruction. To allow them to walk upon the surface, free from their chains to explore the world as Maria had intended. The constant itch for freedom was always there, niggling at the back of his head, waiting to spring free.

For forty more years, things had stayed like that, getting worse as time ticked by. His hope had dwindled into dust, his prayers being unanswered. He became the cold, consulting killer the organisation had wanted him to be. The ultimate weapon. And yet, there was hope in the form of a now-teenaged hedgehog, trapped in the vaults below the base. The one thing that held him back from mindless destruction. The only one who could get through Shadow's defences to the broken life form within.

All it took was one mission to change their lives. The case of Ovi Kintobor.

But at what cost...?

Crimson eyes snapped open to a high metal ceiling. The creature's breathing quickened, body tense as he attempted to calm himself from the disturbing memory. It was one of the countless deeds the Commander had forced him to do and it most certainly won't be the last. His first kill fresh in his mind, how the vile human had used his one weakness against him. He never managed to tell his brother of what occurred that day, nor the events he was forced to commit afterwards. It left a bitter taste in his mouth and his heart heavy.

It had been fifteen long years since he had been forced to kill. The banker was one of the countless humans the organisation was displeased with. His first victim of a long list of kills since his reluctant role of being the Commander's errand boy. And he could do nothing about it. He was on his own against an army of humans that held the only thing he cared about. How was he supposed to go against them without losing his little brother? He couldn't risk it. And they knew it.

Turning, he forced his aching body to move, sitting up to assess his surroundings.

He was back within the large cell, which had steel walls coated by white padding. While the lining was soft, the material underneath was hard and hurt when hit with any force. Neither his Spin-Dash or Chaos Blast would penetrate the steel enough to reach the other side. The walls, ceiling, floor and doors were all decked out with the high-quality material. He had many bruises in the past to back up his claim.

With a growl, he threw himself back, hitting his head against the padding as much as possible. He could barely feel the impact. He sighed. There was only so much one could do in a room with no furniture. Not even a good blow to the head would knock him out enough to escape to the wonderful land of unconsciousness. Instead, he would sit here, listening to the white noise generator installed in the ceiling. Sometimes, he would be in here for days on end, other times, only for five minutes.

The thing was installed as a precaution, just in case he managed to sneak one of the communication devices into his cell. It ensures that he would never have a chance to contact the outside world... not that it would do him much luck, anyway. No one knew of his existence outside of the people he killed or stole from, or for, and was never given a chance to take anything without the Commander's authorisation. Yet, they were paranoid little buggers and inspected his quills, shoes, socks, and gloves, every time they left him alone or with the Commander.

Just then, a side door slid forward and off to the side, revealing four-armed soldiers in black uniforms. Crimson eyes darted over to them, apprehensive, although his face remained blank. The creature didn't move as the guards strode forward, sedative-filled weapons trained on his form.

"The Commander wants to see you," a brave soul spoke up in an emotionless tone. "Get up, slowly. Arms where we can see them."

He grits his teeth. They talked to him as if he was a child that needed to be disciplined; throwing short commands in emotionless tones towards him. It made him burn with irritation knowing that their belittlement of him was on purpose.

With an inward growl, he climbed to his feet, raising his arms with an outward scowl. He didn't want to go. To be forced to do the bastards bidding once again.

But, the agonising screams of his brother echoed in his ears, reminding him of the consequences should he go against the Commander's wishes. He couldn't put him through that again.

Shaking himself mentally, he straightened up and strode towards the door.

He had made a promise, and he was going to stick with it.

It was the one reward he could never resist; the opportunity to see his brother. The promise was something they could dangle over his head. A way to shut him up; keep him obedient. But the chance always came at a horrible sacrifice. Most cases, a life. Other times, when his Chaos Energy was low. Both scenarios were painful. This time though, it was for an Emerald. One cyan-coloured, hidden within the fortress of a supposed madman.

His mission was simple. He was to be dropped off a fair distance from the fortress and use the trees as cover. Meanwhile, a squad of G.U.N members would distract the man's robots while he would sneak in, steal the emerald, and rescue the estranged agent. He had explicit orders to not engage with the Doctor under any circumstances. The demand made him want to meet the human even more. The leader of G.U.N had to be hiding something. Something about this mission was different; he could almost taste it.

Regardless, he agreed and kept his real intentions to himself.

Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his seat and mulled over the information that was freely provided. Normally, the Commander would withhold information, stating that a weapon only needed to know who their target was and how to obtain his objective. This time though, there was something else than malice or greed shining in those heterochromia orbs. Something negative akin to regret or remorse.

The sight was amusing, to say the least. What had happened to make this ruthless man feel such emotions? Shadow would like to shake the hand of the person who caused it. Help the person responsible to replicate the incident, just to spite him.

The person behind it was the owner of the fortress. GUN believed him to be the deceased Ovi Kintobor, a scientist and inventor, who had been listed dead back in 1973. Forty-seven years ago, it was reported that one of his inventions backfired, destroying the dingy underground bunker he had called a lab. One of the cables had severed in two from the explosion and collided with his assistant's lab coat, starting a fire.

When the local authorities arrived, they could only find one body. That of the assistant. Ovi was believed to have perished in the fire. Others thought he did it to fake his own death so that he could go into hiding, for one reason or another.

None of them was correct.

According to a GUN satellite; three weeks ago, there was a power surge within the outskirts of the city, resulting in a temporary blackout. Upon investigation, they found a building that wasn't there before. It was white, large, and had a person's face plastered over the side of it. Outside, a set of robots in the shape of bugs scouted the place, standing guard. When they had sent a secret agent to investigate this mysterious structure, she had reported that she barely managed to crawl through the air vents before tripping the security system. They had never seen the female again, yet she had managed to send back a DNA example from a piece of his moustache, as well as the photo of the Cyan Chaos Emerald.

The two items grabbed GUN's attention immediately. What was further intriguing was that the DNA sample had revealed a ninety-eight percent match, with the two percent being an element found within the creations' DNA. Fundamentally, the man hadn't seemed to age at all from his time away. Physically, he had gained an excessive amount of weight. He had also chosen to swap his wardrobe to an outlandish style of redcoats, red boots and tinted goggles from the traditional lab coats, trousers and turtlenecks he used to wear.

Due to these facts, The Commander wanted to dig deeper. Anyone who was unable to age was a desired individual. Shadow knew that the man standing in front of him would use Ovi to find the secret of immortality. They were the same species, after all, born from the same place and doomed to wither away in their old age. Yet, this Doctor Kintobor managed to deny the forces of nature. Admittedly, Shadow's curiosity was piqued into how the human had stumbled upon it, but knew some things are better left forgotten.

Instead, he nodded to the Commander's briefing, unwilling to show his distaste of the plan. Chaos controlling in and then out of the facility sounded so much easier than the tedious spy method, although the Commander had stated that there was a force field to prevent any unwanted visitors. Whether the man was lying to make this more difficult to him was uncertain, he wasn't going to take the chance. Decapitation was never a fun way to die. Neither was rebounding off of a force field for that matter.

The Commander moved to his desk, swiftly taking a seat before leaning forward to place his elbows upon the desk. Hands clasped together as a smirk played on his face. "So," he began smugly. "Think you can handle the mission, or should I send someone more capable?"

A stab at his pride, something that infuriated Shadow. "You dare underestimate me, human?" He growled out before he could stop himself, crimson eyes glaring at the man.

The grin widened. "Oh, I do. You claim to be above everyone else, but you're nothing more than a freak of nature. An unpredictable enigma that needs to be studied, to be trained for the benefit of the entire world." He stretched his arms out as if he was making a grand gesture.

Shadow thought the urge to groan. Not this speech again. He had heard this speech for what felt like the millionth time, and the Commander never seemed to get tired of putting him in his place. "The world? You mean, the human race," Shadow commented dryly.

Fake pity shone in the man's eyes as he leaned forward, acting concerned. "We both know that's not true, Project. I have the best interests at heart when making decisions for you and your brother. You just can't see the benefits..." He trailed off as he put his hands on his desk, pushing himself up. The chair rolled away carelessly.

He strolled around the wooden obstacle and kneeled just out of reach of Shadow's claws. "You were created for mass destruction, a weapon against humanity. You're volatile, reckless, and have a disregard for life. We can't let you go until we undo what Gerald has done to you."

There was a growl as he mentioned their creator's name. How dare this man use the professor's name in vain. To say those things about someone who treated his creations as his own sons. Gerald Robotnick was a good man, who had put his life on the line to find a cure for his sickly granddaughter.

Despite this, he stayed quiet. He was not in the mood to spend another day being trained to the point of complete exhaustion. It made him weak and unable to react quickly enough to his surroundings. It was painful and demeaning when he couldn't move on his own.

He remembered several occasions where GUN had left him on a deserted island, drained of his Chaos Energy and without his Emerald, forcing him to live off the wild and entertain himself. Training, they had called it. An opportunity to rely on his instincts instead of his unique abilities. Assess his surroundings. Alter his circumstances and adapt his thoughts and behaviour. The place was empty, barren of any life, and surrounded by the ocean as far as the eye could see. There was no possibility of getting off it without a boat or drowning. They had traded one prison for another.

"That's rich, coming from you. I'm sure using us for your own selfish desires is also considered quite 'heroic,'" Shadow chuckled bitterly.

The Commander's face turned red before he took a deep breath to compose himself. Their interactions had always ended in arguments. The pent up tension from their current situation being released in each others company. Although, no matter how much they verbally fought, the smug bastard never took it too seriously. He would hide behind the guards, taking the outburst as nothing more as a childish tantrum.

"You should watch your tongue, Project: Shadow. It's a shame you cling to childish retorts and one-liners. I expected better from the Ultimate Lifeform," he chided, voice condescending. One of his fingers snapped against another, making the guards waiting outside to swarm in. "I will forgive this transgression, should you complete the mission. Fail me, and I will revoke your rights to see him for the next month, regardless of what mission you do for me. Do I make myself clear?"

Shadow never answered as the men shackled his arms once again and led him away from the office. He could only glare in the human's direction.

Shadow took a deep breath as he stood near the exit of the dropship. The cool afternoon air filled his lungs, making him close his eyes.

His right arm was raised as a woman in a black suit fixed a communicator to his wrist. The vice snapped in place, digging into his thin wrist uncomfortably. He suppressed a wince at the unwanted feeling and flexed his hand slightly, although the grip was still tight.

With a quiet huff, he resigned himself to his fate, choosing to glare at the female instead. She shrank under his piercing gaze, hurriedly gathering her equipment and scurrying away in a panic. Shadow resisted the urge to smirk, basking in his reputation amongst the GUN members. It made him feel the slightest bit of control over their current situation, enjoying the small fear and respect he had managed to gain from dealing with the low-ranking pawns.

In the distance, the canopy started to open up, allowing them to see a large building within the horizon. True to the earlier description, a huge emblem of the man's face was plastered on the side of the tower. To the left, the building protruded into a wide rectangle.

Without warning, the door opened slowly, causing Shadow to smirk. Before anyone could give him a signal, the artificial hedgehog leapt from the plane, arms spread as he free-fell to the ground. The wind rushing against his fur made him smile. Before he could hit the ground, his air-shoes kicked to life, scorching some stray leaves. His body levelled out and soon he was skating across the land, leaving slightly burned undergrowth within his wake.

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 3- The Improbable Signal:

Ash, metal, and debris exploded across the land, leaving dust clouds and fire in its wake. Both human and metal bodies littered the war-torn ground, abandoned by their fellow troops as they tried to advance towards the opposing fortress. However, despite their vast numbers of soldiers, the robots lacked morale and were merciless in their counter-attack.

Shadow snorted, crossing his arms as he stared at the scene. It was like watching an elaborate set of dominoes toppling over one by one, an end seemingly nowhere in sight. He was surprised how long they had survived like this; following orders of dictators and never asking why. It had always reminded him of mindless drones; sharing the same coding despite their outward appearance. A very disappointing reality for those who prided themselves on false claims of freedom and individuality. It was communism at its finest. He could almost feel pity for the pathetic race if they didn't willingly partake in violence and blood-shed.

"Why have you stopped?" The annoyed, yet slightly curious, tone of the Commander filtered through his wrist communicator. He tensed, trying not to shiver upon hearing that monster's voice so close. Managing to hold back the curses with some difficulty, he took an inaudible breath to calm himself before smirking.

Be the weapon they have always wanted you to be.

"Just admiring the view. It is rare to witness your minions fall in battle. I wanted to see your men fail before I show them how it's done," he sneered, hopefully unsettling the Commander with his chilling words. More than anything, he wants to skate into the chaos and assist the opposite team. To show these mortals every bit of the pain and suffering he and his brother had endured over these fifty long years, but knew he couldn't. One misstep and the defenceless hedgehog would be punished faster than he could say 'Chaos Control.'

With a roll of his eyes, he tried not to snap at the man as he emerged from the bushes. He ducked and rolled, using his superior speed and reflexes to sneak towards the force field unnoticed

A loud metallic whine came from his left, and Shadow leapt into the air before rolling out of the way so he wouldn't get crushed by a large, metallic frame. In retaliation, he spread his fingers, a manic grin spreading across his face. Dark energy crackled from his skin, buzzing with electricity.

The robot stood no chance as it fell, optics shuttering off to the image of the dangerous creature leering over him, menacingly.

_______________________________

Foliage crunched under sneaker-clad feet as the figure navigated through forest-like terrain. Eyes darted from one way to another as he hurried along the barely visible path that had been abandoned through time. His powerful frame was tense, muscled hands cradling a piece of tech he never bothered to remember the name of.

A few moments later, the figure came to what appeared to be a dead end. All around him, trees and bushes alike stood proudly, merging together to form a barricade, stopping him from advancing any further. However, the figure knew better. With a quick glance around, he made sure no one had managed to sneak up on him before kneeling down to pick up what seemed to be a random protruding root amongst many others. A swift pull upwards revealed a slight whirring sound coming from below it before it started to open.

Stray leaves, branches, and mud moved across the contraption as it slid across to reveal a ladder which he began lower himself down upon. Once he was down enough, he quickly pressed a button placed on the nearest wall, causing it to slide back into place and leaving him in the dark.

A small fox kit perked up at the sound of footsteps coming from the corridor. His hands paused their task, causing a screw to fall out as his makeshift tool was removed. "Knuckles?" He asked, biting his lip apprehensively.

There was a moment's delay as he waited for the reply he hoped would come, although his logic seemed to take a back seat in this terrible place.

The primary inhabitants of this world called themselves 'humans.'

At first, he was excited with the prospect of interacting with the same race as the doctor, although it quickly died. It soon became clear that they did not share the same sentiment, choosing to either attack them on sight or run away. They had barely escaped from being shot; although Sticks had been nicked by a stray knife while trying to protect Tails from being taken by a task force known as the 'police.'

Because of this, they shied away from human interaction, keeping to woodland and other remote areas around the large city. Within the forest, they had found an old underground bunker with tasteless rations of food that paled in comparison to its counterparts of this day and age. The beds were old and rickety, resembling cots more than anything permanent, and the scarce tools he found were rusted with age and disuse.

It wasn't much, but it was better than sleeping outside, scavenging for scraps of food and being hunted down like wild animals. The small fox shuddered, hoping to never go back to living how they did the first few days of being abandoned on this terrible planet.

He missed his home. The lush fields that seemed to stretch for miles, the seaside just outside his front door, and the only danger being that of the doctor's predictable shenanigans. How should he have known following Knuckles to get back his Emerald would lead to such adventures?

Speaking of Knuckles. He turned in his seat, taking the proffered item from his palm, a question shining in his blue irises. "You're late," he acknowledged, a hint of concern creasing his forehead.

The one called Knuckles chuckled, hand going up to smooth back his dreadlocks. "Yeah, kind of had to take the scenic route. Almost got seen," he admitted reluctantly, eyes darting to the side. Blue eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything and went back to his task.

It was unfair that Knuckles and Rouge had to risk going out there to run errands while he stayed safe within the confines of the borrowed base. He knew he was putting their lives at risk, but it was essential if they had any hope of getting back to their homeworld.

They couldn't count on the doctor anymore as he seemed to have his own agenda as soon as he realised what planet they were on, leaving them with Tails' biplane and their own brains to come up with a solution. And, as he hated to admit it, the only way to get back is through the way they came.

Replicating the incident with the Chaos Emeralds.

But first, they had to find and retrieve them. As far as he knew, the doctor had two in his possession, Tails held three, and some organisation held the final two. They had been after those for weeks, thinking to bargain with the doctor later when there was no more to be retrieved. First, though, they had to get the one permanently held within GUN's base.

With his hands working on autopilot, he managed to finish the device and he turned it on with a flourish of colour that seemed to light up the dingy room. The device chirped happily, the little lights flashing on the screen's circular grid as it scanned the area.

"It works," he called, head tilting up to blink at the sight of Knuckles almost spilling hot tea all over himself in the small kitchenette. The yellow fox blushed, stuttering out a half-assed apology for startling the Echidna, who quickly ignored him. He abandoned his task, rushing over to stare at the tiny detector.

"Um, Tails? I think it still has a few bugs. It's detecting eight Emerlads and one Master, not the six and the Master," he spoke up, confused by the discovery. Tails made a non-comical noise, turning to blink at the screen several times to only get the same result. He was right.

Two dots indicated where his bag was, safely concealing the yellow and purple gem within their possession, plus another for the master emerald kept under the Echidna's bed. Two more were far away, where the doctor seemed to be camping out. Another was going towards it at a fast pace, leaving two more dots within the human compound nearby that where only one should be. The last one was held all the way far out, supposingly in the next town or village. 

It seemed impossible but. yet, there it was. Two dots gleaming in front of them like a living being. Unlike the others, the one of the two stored in the human compound would flicker in and out of the radar, although when it was there, the dot seemed the brightest out of them all. "Knuckles? Does this world have their own version of the Chaos Emeralds?" He asked, racking his brain for a plausible explanation.

The question remained unanswered though as a head peeked into the room, a dishevelled Sticks waving her arms in a distressed manner. "The aliens are moving again! Half the base has just up and vanished!" She announced loudly, panic lacing her voice.

The pair looked at each other and nodded before leaping into action. They had to make this time count. They could worry about the spare two power sources when they encountered them.

The large man beamed at the screen, a pleased smirk playing on his lips as he sat back in his reinforced chair. The sound of his victory made him giddy with pleasure as the foreign soldiers were being massacred by his minions.

They would pay dearly for stealing from him. For taking away his greatest achievement. For what they did to them. Yes, he will make them wish they were never born. It had been his drive for years. To get back to this useless piece of rock and reclaim what was his.

"Er... Doctor. He's here. The one from the stories," a nervous yellow robot entered the room, ringing his servos together nervously, his whole frame shaking from fear.

The smirk widened. "Excellent!" He announced, getting up with a flourish. His chair hovered a few paces behind him from the momentum. "Let's give him a spectacle he will never forget."

Beaming, he reached over and pressed a button on his monitor. "Bocce, release the prototype!" He spoke into the mic. It was followed by an anxious confirmation accompanied by the sound of heavy metal being dragged across the floor.

Knuckles knew something was not right as he stepped within range of the base. The air buzzed with energy, making his fur stand on end and caused his nerves to be on full alert. It was wrong, unnatural to him as he was so used to the balance provided by nature and the Master Emerald. This place was contaminated by negative Chaos energy. It was full of negative emotions that made any empath want to jump off the nearest cliff.

Tightening his namesakes, he grits his teeth, wishing at least Rouge was here with them. She was the best at infiltration and theft out of all of them, and yet, when the opportunity to raid the place arose, she had to be on the other side of the city getting supplies. Even delaying the mission for an hour or two for them to return was a very bad decision. By the time she made it back, the human's may have returned, leaving them wondering if they would get an opportunity like this ever again. He knew going into the base with only Tails was a bad idea, but they had no other choice.

Sticks was unpredictable around technology, claiming that all electric devices were the embodiment of evil. And while Knuckles didn't share her sentiment, he couldn't help but feel she had the right to see them that way. The doctor's minions had stormed her village, crushing her burrow and setting the forest ablaze. The wooden structures, humbly labelled as the inhabitants' homes, stood no chance against the flames, making her homeless. She watched as her family and friends were taken to become roboticized, while others burned, screaming for help.

With no one to turn to, she had wandered aimlessly around the forest until she collapsed from exhaustion and was found by Knuckles. He helped her heal and quickly learned her story. Seeing as she had nowhere to go, he had offered her safe haven on his island in exchange for help in getting information on the doctor and his army. It was only meant to be temporary until he had got the Master Emerald back, but she ended up staying in the end, swearing vengeance on the machines that took her family and home away from her.

Even when Tails came to the island, she was still skittish around his inventions, despite his countless re-insurances. This resulted in her and Tails being at odds when technology was involved, so much that he banned everything electrical, except his miles electric and biplane from the island; unless it was an emergency. Even now, she refuses to go near places filled with technology that wasn't Eggman's base.

This is why Sticks had hung back, skulking in the trees of the small woodland, using a pair of old-fashioned binoculars she had found when exploring the bunker last week. Her trained eye was watching the entrance suspiciously for any activity from within. That way, she could warn them in advance through the walkie-talkies Tails had hastily whipped up so they could communicate. The range was small, but the signal was clear enough to understand. Before leaving, Tails had vowed to get working on a more effective device once he was finished with this. Being able to communicate with Rogue while she was out would set all their minds at ease.

Coming to his resolve, Knuckles strode forward, coming up to the wall that enclosed the base. Tails was trailing behind him, using the Echidna's body to hide his distinctive yellow fur that gleamed in the afternoon sun.

His head swept from side to side, nervous, yet excited at the prospect of being that much closer to getting home. From time to time, he would consult his tracker, not wanting to miss anything.

A small squeak sounded as he was lifted up and onto broad shoulders. His arm quickly encircled Echidna's neck as he glared at the back of the red furrie's head. The older male started to scale the wall, using his knuckles to gain purchase into its rough surface. His shoes bounced lightly against the Echidna's chest as he began to climb, although the yellow fox didn't seem to notice, lost in his thoughts.

This was the third time this week the older one had made him ride on his shoulders, and while he hated the feeling of being treated like a small child, he couldn't argue with the logic of it.

Upon their arrival, the soldiers had been more volatile towards the others, while they would only try to stun Tails. Whether it was underlying guilt due to his childish appearance, or because they thought he would be more easily manipulated by the show of kindness, he had no clue. However, Rogue had suggested that he would act as their last resort, portraying him as nothing more than mutated fox by keeping his ability to fly a secret.

Knuckles had quickly agreed, knowing that it would keep him safe and stump the humans enough should they ever get captured. Regardless of this, he missed flying. Growing up, he was teased for his mutation, resulting in having no friends; until a young rabbit named Creme had convinced him otherwise. She had taught him that he should be embracing his uniqueness and to use it for good deeds. Oh, how he missed his friend and her keen sense of noticing the good in people.

Without warning, the Echidna lept from the wall, falling behind a small outhouse, narrowingly avoiding the sweeping camera before it could detect them. Tails yelped at the unexpected movement, eyes closed, as he tightened his grip to an almost chokehold. Knuckles lifted his arms, trying to pry his startled friend from his back while muttering an apology for the rough treatment.

"I'm fine," Tails reassured, shooting his friend an annoyed look before consulting his device once more. "This way," he instructed, tilting his head, before rushing over to a set of bins that they could hide behind. Knuckles sighed, and followed, shaking his head slightly.

He couldn't wait to get back to their homeworld, if only to stop Tails from being so jumpy all the time. It really worried him how the kit was coping with the situation. Even though he tried to keep a brave front, Knuckles knew better that his friend was not alright, and that made him more protective over the kit more than ever. He just hoped something good would happen to re-spark the hope in the youngling's eyes before he broke from the strain.

Shadow spinned-dashed the forcefield once more, attempting to reach a speed that would either confuse the mechanism into letting him pass through or overloading it with the strain of the force being applied against it. Without warning, his third attempt smashed through, making the contraption spark and the blue shimmer to flicker and then die.

What was left of the GUN members flocked towards the fortress, wanting to arrest the murderer of their comrades. Their angry yells and mannerisms were akin to old-fashioned villagers finding out there was a witch poisoning their crops and stealing their water supply. Robots toppled and fell prey to the mob, no longer having the advantage of retreating to somewhere safe.

Using the commotion, Shadow slipped away, finding a large window to climb into. Spotting one high on the roof, he used his hover shoes to reach a draining pipe and used it to haul himself up onto the window sill. With no problem at all, he slipped in, bypassing the detectors and lasers placed beneath it as he worked his way through the silent room in search of the stairs.

His first instinct was to go down into the basement, knowing that was the best place to hold prisoners. The reinforced walls would stifle the screams of its captives, leaving their cries unheard and their pleas unanswered.

The sound of uncontrollable sobbing could be heard from within one of the many cells the cellar held. It was more of a dungeon than anything else, with several human occupants locked inside. Red eyes darted from one human to another, noting there was a variety of older teenagers and adults. No children, he quickly discovered with interest, filing the observation away for later,

The captives were either wallowing in their self-pity, trying to assure others in low whispers, or possessed a lost look in their eyes. The sight tugged at his heartstrings, but he chose to ignore it. His gaze moved over them mechanically, scanning for his objective.

It was near the end of the row that he found the woman, dressed in a torn hospital gown that was two sizes too big for her. Blond hair was long and tangled, while her make up was smeared across her face. She was chained to the wall, knees drawn up to her chest, as one hand fingered the thin layer of dust that coated the floor of her cell.

Awkwardly, he stood in the hallway, taking in the sight of her before charging his hand with Chaos Energy and blasting the barrier separating her from the rest of the complex. The sound of metal hitting concrete made her jump, head snapping up, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Human," he stated, voice flat and his tone cold. His arms came up in a subtle attempt to shield himself from the cold breeze that blew through the fortress' lower levels. "Stand up. The Commander has sent me to retrieve you," he continued, red eyes glaring at her. What made her so special that he had to risk his neck for her anyway? He didn't tell Shadow that there were more humans in here.

A look of confusion passed over her features before settling into one of fear and a hint of anger. She sprang to her feet, pulling her hands in a defensive position. Her bluish-grey eyes watched his every move warily, her body ready to flee, forgetting the fact that the chains were already straining from her stance, yet she didn't seem to care.

She had heard rumours of the ultimate lifeform who did the Commander's bidding but never saw him in person. The stories that floated around GUN portrayed him as a monstrous figure who killed whoever got in his way and didn't care who got hurt in order to complete his mission. A mindless being who's sanity was slipping away on the best of days.

They say he was as old as time and possessed great power. The people rumoured him to be a gift from the devil, punishing humanity for their sins and to spread evil and chaos wherever he goes. There were countless theories about why people were scared of him. His cold and distant tone. Those piercing red eyes that stared into a person's soul. They say that if you stared too long, you would go mad. Others say that it'll drive you insane with guilt as it brings your darkest moments to the surface, snuffing out all happiness and light within your soul.

She had never believed them. Those theories were nothing more than exaggerations and tales made up to scare the new recruits.

But the small figure that stood there, arms crossed and glancing around in boredom, was close to that of a child who had been told he couldn't have ice cream for dinner. If it was any other setting, this may have looked comical. Though, within a dungeon filled with people being held against their will, the sight unsettled her. It made her skin crawl at the casualness he displayed towards the inhumane environment. As if he was used to such sights and found them to be bothersome more than horrific.

Those crimson eyes were duller than the story suggested. They possessed a fit of deep anger, true, but there was also sorrow lurking in the background. A sort of pain that only presented itself after long years of loss and heartache. The owner resigned themselves to a situation they hated but could not do anything about.

He blinked as a look of determination crossed her face. Had he not pointed it out, she wouldn't have noticed these things, but he did. Standing there, he looked like a lost child, waiting for orders to follow more than debating what to do. The way he had his arms crossed over his chest looked more like a defence mechanism than an act of defiance.

"He was right," she spoke up, startling him as her voice added to the already eerie atmosphere. Red eyes stared at her as if she grew a second head. She tried not to shiver. A feeling of wrongness crept up his frame as he stared at the woman. She was suddenly not afraid of him, for some unknown reason, and it unsettled him more than he liked to admit.

Without warning, an explosion from down the hall and a blue blur flashed by him, taking the opportunity to snag him in the jaw. Disorientated, he stumbled and missed the chance to defend himself as a furry arm connected with the back of his head.

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 4- The Discovery:

"Can't we just bust through the main doors?" Knuckles whined as he watched his younger companion skillfully unscrew the air vent in order to get inside. Nudging his foot against the Echidna's chest, he silently commanded him to move sideward so he could work on the other set.

"There's only two of us. We won't make it past the front desk!" Tails answered distractedly, giving a noise of delight as the obstacle came loose from its bindings. "Now, quiet. We are in enemy territory, remember," he reminded his friend as he was lifted into the maze of vents. Without prompting, he turned back to him, offering out his hand to try and pull the Echidna up.

Grumbling, he accepted the small fox's help and came tumbling in afterwards, having to move on his belly due to the small size. "Where are we heading anyway, Tails?"

"Down... Deep down into the lower levels... My scanner is showing me through the data that humans are using one of the emeralds as a power source. We take that one first and this place goes dark long enough that we can take the second emerald and get out of here," Tails explained.

A faint and weak wave of energy reached Knuckles, the feeling of being in a tight and cramped space made his fur stand on edge, and his skin prickled with goosebumps. His chest felt tight and his airways constricted as he moved along the ventilation system. What was going on?

He stopped for a second as a partially bad wave passed over him. He closed his eyes, focusing on its frequency. There was something just on the edge of his senses. Something that he couldn't quite distinguish... Oh, wait!

Da, da-dump, da, da-dump.

"Tails... That signal. Is the pattern similar to that of a heartbeat?" Knuckles asked as the feeling got stronger. It echoed in his ears, clearer than before. His senses tingle in anticipation for his younger companion's answer.

"Umm... Maybe it's just the air vent you're hearing, Knuckles...?" Tails stated unsurely looking at his device and crunching through the numbers. "They seem quite old; at least a decade. It's a large facility, they probably can't replace all the air ducts very frequently," He enlightened, consulting his device. "We're making a left turn up ahead. Then we got a straight shot down to the generator that they got the emerald hooked up too..." He tailed off.

Tails turned, confused, as he didn't get a reply, nor could he hear the soft thumbs that Knuckles made as he moved. He turned to see his friend a fair distance behind, breathing heavily as his right hand had come up to his chest. The air had gone from bearable to suffocating for the red Echidna.

Tails began to panic as he crawled back to Knuckles and turned around once more wrapping his namesakes around the echidna, confused and worried for his friend. 'Knuckles never had this problem before. Even when he was treasure hunting and digging, he was never claustrophobic....

Could it be from the metal? From the bunker to these vents, he's had high exposure to it,' Tails thought as he dragged the red one behind him to the left duct and looked down. He winced. It was a bit of a drop.

"Knuckles, we're going to drop down the duct and, hopefully, find somewhere you can get your breath back," Tails stated aloud. He studied the Echidna's face, watching closely for any reply. A twitch of a finger? A small nod? Nothing came.

Taking a deep breath, he maneuvered them both over so that their feet dangled over the hole. "Ready?" Tails asked, not really knowing if he was talking to Knuckles or himself. Without a reply, he changed tactics. "Okay, on three," he continued, "one. Two. Three!" Just then, he pushed Knuckles forward as they both went hurtling down the hole.

Down they went, with Knuckles hitting and breaking the vent guard before landing in a tree, scaring away some of the squirrels and rabbits. Tails followed with a cry of surprise. As soon as he was out of the shoot, he quickly slowed down his momentum as he extended his namesakes, spinning them rapidly.

His eyes widened as he took in his surroundings, finding himself to be over some kind of Oasis. Plants, rivers, trees, and animals lay below him, expanding across the entire floor in a kind of funhouse. Momentarily, he wondered if he was back outside, but knew they had fallen below the ground's surface.

"Woah," he breathed out, memorised by the sight, however, it didn't last long as a groan below him stole his attention. Wincing, he looked down to see Knuckles was stuck. Whoops.

"Knuckles...!" Tails shouted at the Echidna, who was tangled within a few branches of a wild tree. He lowered down, offering a hand to his companion. "Are you okay?" All he got was a moan as he pulled as hard as he could to free him from the tree's persistent grasp.

SNAP!

"GAH!" Twin screams echoed through the terrain as Knuckles' weight became too much, causing the flimsy branches supporting him to give way. Tails grunted as he took on their combined weight, but gravity quickly came too much for him as the pair plummeted to the ground. The crash that occurred caused a collection of birds nearby to flock towards safety, fleeing the area and out of sight of the newcomers.

"Ow!" Tails moaned, sitting up from his position on Knuckles' chest. He cradled his left hand as he felt it throb from the strain. A low grunt came from below him, making him jump. "S-sorry!" The kit stumbled out an apology, blushing in embarrassment as he climbed off his friend.

"Ugh," Knuckles groaned, sitting up to look around. "What?" He gasped, climbing to his feet. "Tails, where on Mobius are we?" Was this an illusion? They were back outside.

"We're not on Mobius anymore, remember? It's under the base..." Tails informed as he consulted his miles-electric, taking the lead as he followed the blinking dot. The source was so close!

"Where is that Emerald, Tails? This place is giving me the creeps," Knuckles started with a suppressed shiver. This place felt too positive. Too peaceful. There was no natural destruction or loss of life. In fact, it seemed to be thriving in this environment. This felt more like someone kept this place in perfect condition, and refused to let in any chaos that would naturally bring this place to perfect balance. A tranquillity amongst the Chaos of the levels above. What exactly were the human's doing?

"Over there... But... Knuckles... I don't understand! How can it have similar readings to that of the Master Emerald..." Tails started pointing towards the centre of the floor where a structure was. It looked much like a generator, but something was off about it. There was something just sitting beside it. Something constructed of glass that caught and reflected the artificial lights above.

"Let's find out, Tails," Knuckles encouraged, placing a hand on his shoulder and leading them onwards. He was glad the discomfort had dulled to a bearable throb, although he could still feel the echo of pain in his chest. The feeling of being trapped. Oh, how he wanted to hurry and get back outside once more. Away from this place and those stupid vents. He hated the thought he had to transverse back through them...

Once they had found a way to get back up there, that is.

Too distracted by his thoughts, he didn't notice the protruding tree branch until his foot got snagged on it, causing him to stumble forward. Tails yelped as his back was slammed into, but a firm grip on his forearms steadied him. Looking up to his taller companion, the worry from earlier returned, his big blue eyes searching the red furries features for any signs of whatever had happened earlier. There were none he could find. He frowned. "Are you sure you're okay, Knux?"

A roll of the Ekinda's eyes was his answer as he lightly pushed the younger one forwards. Huffing, he turned back and saw that they were coming to an opening of the canopy. The trees grew fewer until they were standing on the edge of a wide, open space.

Within this area, an altar made of marble stone stood in the middle, encased in a thick glass-like cube. Upon this altar was a bed-like structure with wires coming from it, like a complex spider web of cables and machines. They snaked up into large tubes that were brought together by the massive generator hanging above their heads.

Knuckles narrowed his eyes and tapped a wire close to him, feeling glass under his gloved hands. His skin buzzed under the touch, almost like the substance instantly had warmed the spot where he made contact with it. "Tails, is there any of those weird machines around here?"

"Er, I don't think that's the right question..." His voice was off, causing Knuckles to turn and focus on what Tails had found. He stiffened, a feeling of dread overwhelming him as he saw something on the bed he had missed.

Or, rather, someone.

Emerald green eyes stared back at them, watching them with a wary surprise. His fur was covered in dirt and dried blood, making it harder to see the natural royal blue underneath, that once shined under the light. His arms were peach-colored from what Knuckles could see, but there were so many wires stuck in his fur he was unsure if the hedgehog was living off the generator... Or the generator was powered by the hedgehog.

As Knuckles stared at the weak creature, his dread quickly made way to blind fury. At Eggman, for bringing them here. At the humans, for taking what wasn't theirs. Taking advantage of an innocent mobian, lost in this new world and forced to face the inhabitants, alone. He couldn't imagine how scared he must have been. How lonely he must feel. This wasn't right, and he would make them pay for what they had done.

"Tails," Knuckles growled lowly in justified rage, cracking his namesakes. The small kit looked up, feeling very lost and confused about the situation. No creature, no matter how bad, deserved to be treated in such a way. This was an abuse of the highest calibre. Ripping the very life force out of an individual, especially when there seemed little-to-nothing left of them. How long had he been here, enduring this pain and suffering?

This had to end. Now.

"Let's crack this case wide open," he smirked before drawing his fist back.

The sound of thousands of tiny glass shards littering the ground echoed throughout the complex.

The strong smell of ammonia hit his nostrils, making them flare and putting him on high alert. Crimson eyes snapped open, his body already coming up to sitting position. He looked around, finding himself in a tube-like structure, positioned within the middle of a sort-of control room. Multiple display screens sat  in front of him, showing live footage of the war that raged outside, between the idiotic GUN members and the madman's machines.

"Surprising, isn't it? How little they learn. Messing with fire gets them burnt," a voice to his left commented, amusement lacing his tone. Shadow's gaze snapped over to see an overweight man, donned in a red long split-tailed coat, black trousers, and boots. His arms were crossed, staring at the screen even though he felt Shadow's eyes burning holes into the side of his skull.

"I wouldn't try breaking that if I were you. It absorbs the energy you give out, and you don't have the Little One to save you from the drain. Oh, by the way, how is that little blue hedgehog, Shadow?" A smug smirk was sent his way, one that said he knew the same secret as the receiver.

Shadow just glared, not answering, as the sound of metal came over to Kintobor. "Hello there, Prototype: Metal. You're not burning out your power core, are you? I rather not have to take off that 'skin' to replace it... Again. You're so delicate, I don't want to accidentally break you," Kintobor quipped to a short being lurking in the shadows of the control room. A huff of cool air came from its direction, but the creature stayed quiet otherwise.

Shadow narrowed his eyes as one of the screens displayed various security cameras from the GUN base, including his cell. "You've been watching us," he muttered in shock, fists tightening at the invasion of privacy. That aspect was already compromised by GUN, but knowing someone else had been watching his every move made him angry.

He knew.

The madman knew exactly what was going on in that base, yet hadn't done anything about it? His fists turned a shade lighter as he clenched them so hard his knuckles started to hurt.

"Naturally," the man hummed in agreement. "It is a visionary's job to spy on the competition. It would be very careless of me to abandon rare specimens, such as yourselves, to a bunch of neglectful imbeciles. We both know he can't last long if things continue as they are."

Shadow's heart clenched at these words. The man's sombre tone was oddly sincere as if he saw what others didn't. He knew his brother's body was failing him. The amount of energy they stole from him couldn't be replaced quickly enough. The imbalance was slowly poisoning his body. Every time he saw his little brother, the child looked sicker than before.

"I have a ... ah, as you say; arrangement, in mind, that is beneficial for both of us," Kintobor started, hiding his smirk as he stared at the screen. Shadow's gaze turned suspicious, suddenly wary of his next words. It sounded too close to what the former Commander had said before he started to manipulate him.

He glanced down and relief filled him when the communicator was gone. Good, he could speak freely. "What is your goal here? What do you want?" Shadow doubted he wanted his Chaos Energy The man already had an all-powerful army/robots and both of their emeralds to boot.

The man tutted. "Don't give me that look, Shadow. Betraying you is the last thing I want to do, especially now that we have similar goals. Mine, the Chaos Emeralds. And you? You're brother's safety. Imagine what we can do, together...! My genius and your abilities, we could be unstoppable. GUN will tremble at our feet as we crush the organisation."

A frown spread across Shadow's muzzle. A personal vendetta? With GUN? But why? "What happened?"

Kintobor grimace. "They took something important from me, and I'd like it back!" An emotion, of what others called, empathy, went out to this man, who also lost something close to him because of GUN. Unfortunately, the moment ended there, with the sudden shout of: "KNUCKLES!" causing the red and black hedgehog to cringe.

His eyes strayed to the camera that was supposed to show his little brother inside of his gilded cage. All there was were hanging and fritzing wires with an empty bed. Crimson orbs rapidly searched for that stunning blue, until he saw a red form carrying the limp hedgehog, while a small yellow fox kept a lookout for any agents coming their way.

His heart constricted painfully as they moved, a mixture of anticipation and stress filling his heart. Finally, his little brother was free, but not in the way he had expected. Not by his hands. Instead, he was being carted away by these strange creatures, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. To make sure he's safe!

Just then, the wailing noise sounded, soon filled with a mixture of orange and red light of the intruder alarm as GUN soldiers flooded the stairways and corridors. The intruders in the frame froze, sending panicked looks at each other, before glancing around nervously for any guards.

"What!" The taller male bellowed in disbelief, fist coming down to bang against his desk. "Those pesky rodents! One day, I am going to...!" He never got to finish as he was, once again, stunned into silence as the far-away trio got swarmed.

'Brother!' Shadow thought, giving the glass a powerful punch in worry and rage. Whoever these people are, they have made a huge mistake! And his brother was going to pay the price! He pounded against his prison harder, wanting more than anything to rush over to the GUN base, Chaos Blast those soldiers away and cradle his baby brother in his arms. But he couldn't. And it hurt more than anything he had ever known.

Before they could register what was going on, a thick kaleidoscope of colours sparked from the guns and flowed towards the blue hedgehog. It gathered around his form, weaving around his arms and legs, waiting for instruction like an obedient pet. A deep cry of distress rippled through his form, making him nearly wriggle out of the Knuckles' arms. Suddenly, there was a shockwave rippling through the base, blowing each agent off their feet and causing some humans even to crash into another person or object behind them. The electronics sparked wildly, shocking the agents before all of the cameras went dead.

As it cut off, Shadow slumped forward, staring in horror at the screen. No! He couldn't have used that ability, surely? Not without him there to heal him. It was bad last time, and that was on a much smaller scale. 'He must have Surged throughout the entire base!' Shadow thought, smacking the glass with his fist. The impact created a thin spider webbing beneath his fist that started to slowly crack, getting bigger by the seconds.

Alert, he watched the stranger warily, who typed furiously on his keyboard, cursing loudly at his monitors. He needn't have bothered. The other male seemed too engrossed in dealing with the disablement of his cameras to notice.

Red energy built up around his body as two gold rings popped off his wrists, the sound of metal hitting its replica a loud 'ting' in his ears. The energy seemed to flow from Shadow's body and it was, suddenly, 'sucked' downwards, almost absorbing through the floor of the capsule. It was as if someone had turned on a powerful fan, that was built into the floor, that was pulling him down, almost painfully so.

He cursed.

No. He was so close to escaping!

Even as his eyes started to close, he weakly pushed against the glass to no avail. He couldn't give up. Not now. His ... his little brother needed him. He couldn't let him be taken away, not again. Not like this...

"I warned you," a taunting voice came from in front of him, accompanied by heavy footsteps. "Now, my dear Shadow, you must pay the price." It was distorted, hard to tell if it was real or a flashback. He guessed it didn't really matter, not when he had failed to keep his little brother safe. Maybe he deserved to be alone...

'I'm sorry...' Was his last thought as he passed out, drained of all his energy.

"Holy Chaos..." Knuckles muttered in astonishment, mouth hanging open as he cradled the dead weight of an unconscious blue hedgehog hanging limp from his arms. The boy was so small and light that he had no trouble taking on the supposed child's weight, even if he didn't have his superior strength. The boy was extremely thin, a feather against his superior strength. He wondered when the kid had last eaten; it must have been at least a week! Small gasps of breath tickled his ears and neck, reminding him the kid was still alive, if only barely.

Tails hands had dropped, staring wide at his miles-electric, which had been knocked out of his prided tool belt by the blast. Groans and moans sounded around them, the GUN soldiers clutching their ears and hands in pain from where they had been shocked or burned. Most likely a feedback loop through a controlled E.M.P... But, where did he get the power to do it from?

"How did he..." Tails voice was small, barely audible, as he cradled his beloved device to his chest. The screen was fried, forcing him to see nothing but the black screen of death. Not even a flicker of colour. He bit his lip, promising himself to fix it later as he turned away from the glass shards scattered across the grass and the first few steps of the altar.

Just then, what looked to be high powered sprinklers rose from the ground and activated. The pair gave out a noise of surprise as their shoes, socks and lower feet were soaked as they got sprayed. Tails, being the shorter of the two, groaned, shaking his foot, wondering how this day could get any worse before shaking himself from his thoughts.

No matter how bizarre this base was, or how many obstacles are thrown in their way, they still had a job to do. But, without his electric to guide them, going to look for the Emerald would be akin to playing a city-wide hide and seek. Without assistance, it was near to impossible to find, even with Knuckles sensitivity to Chaos Energy signatures. Regardless, at least they could save someone's life if they successfully pulled this off.

That left the only thing they could do: retreat, and pray that they are not followed. Looking around for an exit, he was shocked to find that they were all a fair distance away. He cleared his throat before turning to Knuckles. "The E.M.P blast won't keep them down for long. We've got to get back up before they start to recover and get the backup generator online," he informed, before leading the way to, what he hoped, was the nearest exit. "Knuckles, this way!" He exclaimed over his shoulder, running as fast as he can to get away from the soldiers and the, increasingly, soggy ground.

The red furry quickly adjusted his burden, making sure he was cradled protectively within his arms before running after the fox kit.

They traversed through forest-like terrain, using bushes and trees as cover. The pain from the feedback seemed to have calmed down for GUN members to begin a search, although they had been smart enough to ditch their communicators in case the incident occurred again. Looking at the hedgehog though, the duo doubted he could do anything like that again any time soon. "So, how do we get out? The lifts are down, and the stairs should be a last resort, considering that's the most obvious escape route. We can't go the way we came, either...." Tail reasoned, biting his lip. He turned to Knuckles. "Any ideas?"

"How about the old-fashioned way, with running like mad to the exit and pummeling anyone who gets in our way?" He held up his namesakes as best as he could, careful not to jostle his burden too much as he did so.

Tails gaped. He almost yelled before he took a deep breath, his eye twitching. Instead, he whispered; "are you crazy? There are two of us! And one of us has to carry him," he gestured towards the hedgehog within Knuckles' arms, who hadn't moved for a solid twenty minutes. He hoped the older male was okay.

"Okay, then we dig. We can head down until we hit a river or sewage system," Knuckles suggested, his experience as a treasure hunter coming to the forefront. "There's water, right? It must be coming in from somewhere, possibly underground."

"Okay. Water. Easier to move an unconscious hedgehog around. You might have to bust a grate or two though," Tails responded. "I doubt they'll be able to follow us."

"I rather swim as well. This land doesn't go very deep and it feels like a thick stone barrier is under us, possibly concrete," Knuckles informed, poking at the foliage with his foot. The soaked earth moved easily, allowing him to see a glint of grey beneath the dirt. Gently, he lowered the limp form on the flattest part of a nearby rock.

Tails went over, checking the unconscious male to ensure he was alright, while Knuckles started digging. He started with his vitals, doing his best without the aid of technology before looking over his body for any wounds. He didn't find one.

Not a single nick from a wire or superficial scratch.

He was shocked. Not only did he survive with having his Chaos Energy continually sucked out of him (a process that would kill a regular Mobian), but it hadn't done any lasting damage for as far as he could see. Not only that, but he looked like the only nourishment he got was from an IV wedge into his thin wrist, but his messy quills were clipped short, leaving him defenceless from the cold breeze regulated frequently throughout the place. He could only imagine what type of hell he had experienced down here, trapped and at the mercy of his captors.

For every new bit he examined, he grew more curious. The questions seemed to be building.

Who was he? How did he get here? Did he come alone? What happened to him? Did GUN know what they were doing to him? If so, was it intentional?

The list went on. His mind itched to ask them but knew he wouldn't get any answers, possibly for a while from now... And that's if he was lucky. Recovery from such an event could take days to years to complete, depending on what they had done. Even if he wasn't hurt on the surface, who knows what kind of damage could be done internally. It was hard to tell when he wasn't even awake.

"Knuckles... I think we should have one of our Emeralds near Blue here, until he wakes up, even when we are back at the base. His Chaos Energy must be extremely low," Tails called out, deciding to use a nickname of the hedgehog's fur colour instead of just calling him his species' name. "How's the digging going?"

"Very thick, and it's going to take too long. We're definitely taking the river out of here. We just need to find it," Knuckles stated to the kitsune. "Keep a lookout. It'll be bad if we get spotted." The latter nodded with a hum, trying to look around for any signs of trouble, but it was hard when the bushes were mostly taller than his short stature. He pouted, wondering when he would finally have a growth spurt. Sure, he was young and was still growing, but it sometimes irked him.

"Knuckles, stop digging!" He hissed, hearing someone approach them. Tails crouched, pulling himself closer to the bush they were hiding behind and held his breath. The shuffle of dirt stopped, the Echidna using the hole as cover as a head peered over their hiding spot. "Stupid rabbits," a voice scoffed with a shake of his head before scurrying away.

The red-furred creature reappeared, eyes wide as he shot Tails a look. The latter hung his head, thankful they hadn't been seen.

"River." Knuckles and Tails agreed as one.

The trek down was like trying to climb a soggy wet ladder in the middle of light rain. Water leaked through the surface, matting their fur and irritating their eyes. As there were no light sources, this made the task harder to the point where Tails wished he could fly properly, but the tunnel was way too narrow. A few minutes in, Knuckles' foot slipped, causing him to fall forwards, knocking into the smaller male, causing them to tumble down the rest of the way.

Splash!

The pair quickly hit the water, barely managing to take in a breath before they were drawn under. They fought against the current, hoping not to get swept away in the wrong direction. Soon, Knuckles found a rock and pulled himself up, gasping for breath. Seeing a yellow form spluttering a few meters away, he stretched out and pulled the kit into safety.

"How soon can you fly, Tails?" Knuckles asked.

"I- I'm not sure. T-this water sure is freezing!" He replied, his teeth chattering as he cuddled up to the Echidna's side in a poor attempt to get warm. "Wait... Where's Blue?" His tone rose as he started to panic, not seeing the blue hedgehog on the Echidna's back or near the rock.

A look of horror spread across the pairs' faces, eyes going wide in realization. "Tails I'm going to toss ya to the river bank then dive for the hedgehog," Knuckles started, catching sight of a small incline near the water's edge. He was the stronger swimmer at the moment and could easily carry someone within this current. "On three. One..."

"Two," Tails nervously added.

"Three!" Knuckles tossed the fox towards the rocky riverbank before the Echidna dived into the water to search for the drowning hedgehog. Tails hit the ground, letting out a pained 'off' as all the air in his body left him in one swoop. He was left, gasping on the bank, facing away from the river.

"Knuckles!" Tails called out, struggling to turn over to see if he could spot his friend. It took a few tries, but he managed to do it with a lot of effort. His gaze focused on the water, hoping to see a familiar red Echidna spring to the surface any minute. It didn't. Slowly he rose, gathering his strength back. His arms shook under his weight as he crawled towards the water, anticipation growing by the second.

"Knuckles...?" He whispered, biting his lip, unsure of what he should do.

However, this didn't last long as a ripple of water came near him and two forms broke the surface. One blue. The other? Red. Surprised, he jumped backwards, a half scream piercing the air before silencing into deep breaths. His heartbeat had skyrocketed, resulting in his left arm coming up to hover over his chest as Knuckles climbed out of the water with Blue.

"Tails we got to get the water out of his lungs, now!"

"What...?" He blurted out, trembling. Quickly, he crawled the last few steps before lowering his ear towards the hedgehog's face. He waited. And waited. Nothing. Snapping his head up, he stared at Knuckles, who was performing chest compressions upon the hedgehog's delicate rib cage.

Resuscitation through CPR.

This realization snapped him out of his shocked state, moving closer so that he could transfer air back into Blue's lungs. Once the Echidna had hit his twenty-eighth compression, Tails took a deep breath and lowered his mouth to his. At thirty, he exhaled. Silently, he prayed for a quick recovery but knew he was asking for too much. Blue had clearly been through a lot during the time he had with the cruel humans.

To his surprise, the second breath he supplied made Blue shoot up, coughing up water... And, alarmingly, blood. He gasped heavily, tilting sidewards to lean against Knuckles' broad frame. The poor hedgehog was trembling so violently, Knuckles had to pin him gently to stop Blue from accidentally hurting himself. Pure terror was in his eyes as he stared at the water.

"Knuckles, turn him away from the river," Tails advised, putting himself in the view of the hedgehog. He shaking subsided, his eyes dropping in exhaustion. Questionable awe swirled in his expression as he leant against Knuckles, nuzzling his face into the Echidna's arm. Blood dribbled carelessly from the corner of his mouth, and Tails reached forward to wipe it away.

He straightened. The shuffling of dirt from above reached their ears, causing Blue to become restless again, flailing uselessly in the arms that held him. The tallest flinched as he was socked in the jaw by a flying fist. Shaking his head, he tightened his arms around the frantic male and titled his head to the side.

"Let's go."

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 5- Hide and Seek:

Shadow groaned silently as he came back to semi-consciousness. He shifted uneasily, the feeling of countless tiny pricks against his back, upper arms, tail, and legs, made him wince. Sometimes, as he moved, the shards would go in deeper, bending his quills or drawing small flecks of blood from where his fur was short or his skin was exposed.

His limbs burned with every movement as he wriggled uselessly on the ground, barely having the energy to breathe, let alone lift his head. His chest felt tight and his stomach was starting to hurt. His body convulsed randomly, head lolling to the side as the horrible taste of bile forced itself from his stomach. Before he knew it, the little water that he had stolen from a passing guard (while he was walking past the cafeteria at GUN headquarters) came up, before it developed into dry heaving.

A noise of discomfort escaped his lips as a rather pointy shard scraped against the back of his neck. He froze, hovering slightly from the ground, ignoring the pain. The elbows supporting him shook violently, but he refused to let himself go any lower, scared of what might happen if it went in deep enough.

He knew, from many painful experiences, that many wounds inflicted on his body could be healed within a few minutes to a week... But, he couldn't be sure if this one would. Neither he nor his brother had received damage near the spinal cord or their brain, yet. It was the one part of the body that was safe from GUN- they never dared to test it out, just in case.

The thoughts of the experiences done to him made him want to curl up into a ball and sleep for the next ten years. His heart, heavy within his chest, wondering if his brother was alright. There was a fleeting thought just out of reach, teasing his senses, knowing that, to sleep in this place would be a very bad idea. Yet, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't think of a reason why.

Shadow groaned slightly as his head began to throb, making him want to curl up back into a ball and sleep for the next ten years. Or, at least, force himself into a healing coma... That always seemed to work. More than one disembodied voice reached his ears, sounding a mile away as if he was sinking in a river, and they were standing above the surface. He frowned in concentration, trying to make out the words.

"Is... he... okay?" One voice asked softly, sounding concerned.

"Of course... more... power... you..." A rougher voice one boomed, a hint of pride in his voice. "You... understand... genius..."

Opening his eyes, he was met by a ray of lights and colours that seemed to blur and swirl together, making it impossible to figure out what they were supposed to be. They were walking towards him and he braced himself, muscles tensing in anticipation. Instead of an attack, he felt warm flesh and pieces of fabric slide beneath him, curling around his waist and the underside of his legs as he was lifted into the air. His relief was short-lived as he tried to wiggle out of the grip, panic overtaking him, as the heat of the unfamiliar touch made his body tingle at the point it made contact. It was no use. He had no energy left to protest as his sight was overwhelmed by the red of the stranger's coat that was surprisingly soft against his cheek.

A sigh escaped his lips, his heavy eyelids fluttering in exhaustion, but he stubbornly stayed awake.

He couldn't sleep... Not just yet, anyway.

There was a soft mutter above him as he was jostled slightly as his captor moved. The creak of metal doors echoed in his ears, making him cringe. A cool rush of air accompanied it, making him shiver and involuntarily move closer to the man's body, loving the warmth it provided.

Soon, they came to a room. The warmth was suddenly gone, leaving him shivering on a metal-like table, that made his skin crawl for a different reason. The shards were back, leaving him in discomfort, once more, but he tried to ignore it. Prying his eyes open was more difficult, he found, as exhaustion tried to pull him back to the realm of unconsciousness. He strained them, trying to see the other two figures within the room, to no avail. As if sensing his discomfort, warm hands were back, pinning his legs and arms to the table.

"Shadow, it's okay, now. You're safe," the second voice he heard from waking up cooed, a hand expertly combing through his quills. He held back a purr at the gentle caress, wondering when the last time it was that he received affection such as this?

'How did the human do this without hurting himself?' He thought absentmindedly, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Was the room spinning?

"Where...? What...?" He started to say, but his throat was too dry. He was shushed as the hands restraining his ankles retreated.

"We'll find him..." The stranger promised, his voice soft, although it was filled with determination. "Together."

His sleep idled brain wondered briefly who the man was talking about, but found it to be fruitless. Before he knew it, a needled had entered his side, leaving him another puncture wound.

He heard another mutter from the man, although Shadow's muddled brain couldn't quite what he had said. Black eye-lids slid closed, his exhaustion becoming too much for him. Before he could register what was going on, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Tails groaned, feeling his feet slide across the mud bank. His ears were lowered in distress, namesakes twitching as he threw pity-filled looks over his shoulder as he trudged through the mud and leaves that littered the ground.

The sound of shouts from the GUN members echoed around the cave-like structure, making the three cringe.

They had been walking for a total of twenty minutes, but there was nothing in sight. It made them a little suspicious.

Knuckles sighed, shifting the squirming hedgehog in his arms to avoid dropping him. He had come close many times, wishing to Lord Chaos the kid would tire himself out. Yet, as the minutes ticked by, he was no closer to calming down then he was before.

The cries were loud enough that it made the two mobians cringe, both from the noise and the thought of being discovered. They quickly developed into full-blown sobs where the hedgehog was almost choking on his own saliva. His hands clawed into Knuckles' arms and back, digging into his flesh occasionally. Blue's large Emerald eyes were glazed over in his panicked state, unshed tears forming in the corner of his eyes, as they stared at the two strangers with a mixture of confusion, fear and horror.

"What the..."

Knuckles gave out a cry of surprise as he was kicked in the back of his knee, causing him to buckle over. Taking advantage of the moment, Blue sucked in a breath before using his feet and hands to push off the Echidna's chest. Already loose, the arms slipped enough from him to fly backwards, causing them both to fall from the momentum. The two hit the ground, falling painfully on their backs.

The red furry opened his mouth. "What the hell?"

Tails turned, surprised by his companion's yelp. A look of confusion passed over his face. He quickly took in their positions before he came over to assist Knuckles. "What happened?" He asked, concerned as he helped the Echidna sit up. The said furry growled.

"What the hell do you think you were doing? You could have hurt..."

He didn't even get to finish. The pair watched, with growing horror, as the blue hedgehog struggled to prop himself up against the nearest rock. The movements were sluggish, resembling a being with no limbs, his body screaming with the effort. Without warning, he turned slightly, brought his shaking right arm up and rammed his shoulder into the flattest side of the boulder.

Bang!

Bang!

Crack!

The agonising cry resounded within the cave. Tears no longer held themselves back as they flowed freely from his eyes. Blue leaned back, exhausted, but his shaking hand came up to cradle his dislocated shoulder. To surprise the duo even further, he pressed his claws into the flesh, drawing a black-type substance from under the surface. By this time he retracted his paw, a little black device was settled in his palm. With that done, he seemed to slump, all signs of life left him as he sat there, dropped across the bolder.

Knuckles stood, shakily. His breathing was laboured as he tried to take in what had just happened. He glanced at Tails, who was paler than ever. His form shook violently as he stared, wide-eyed, at the strange Mobian.

The former gulped.

He took a step forward, cautious as to whether the poor creature would freak out once more, but that wasn't the case. In fact, he seemed to be more focused on breathing than anything else. Bending down, Knuckles examined the wound, careful not to touch it. The strange substance seemed to become more pronounced, making itself known. He debated on touching it, his curiosity screaming at him to examine it, but the logical side knew better.

Whatever the human's had done to him, that could wait. It seemed to flow like normal blood, so he left it, for now. He silently prayed he was making the right choice as his eyes wandered down to a device cradled in peach-coloured palms. It was small and round, about the circumference of a daisy. In the middle, there was a protruding sphere that blinked happily at them.

The sound of breath hitching caught his attention. He turned slightly to his left to see Tails on his hands and knees, staring at it in fascination. "Wait, is that...? No, it can't be!" He turned to Knuckles, alert. "They planted a TRACKING device on him...! Er, rather, in him?"

There was a slow, condescending clap coming from behind them, causing them to freeze. They turned, dread filling the trio as their gaze settled on the Commander. Blue whimpered, curling into himself, his good arm coming up to cradle his ribs protectively.

"That was quite the show. To be honest, I'm surprised you made it this far, but the fun is over. Wouldn't you agree, Project?"

The animalistic snarl that came from the aforementioned project surprised the echidna and fox kit. Some soldiers stepped back, throwing looks over to the Commander for reassurance. Then the man just frowned. "Come now, project, why so hostile?" He stepped forward, towering over the anthropomorphic animals.

"Uh, Commander...?" A soldier started, most of them stepping back cautiously as the blue Hedgehog's fur started to stand up on end as a small group of brave (or stupid) agents gathered around his curled form.

Knuckles suppressed a grimace as the air began to thicken around them, making it hard to breathe. If he squinted, he swore he could see sparks of blue lightning around the hedgehog. He glanced down as a green glow caught his eye to see the miniaturized version of the Master Emerald had fallen out of his quills and was pulsating wildly. A realization struck him and he leapt over to Tails, tackling the kit to the ground.

Just then, a blue blur had hurled over their heads, bouncing on the nearest soldiers head and sticking the next in the back. As soon as all the guards were done, he went for the Commander and had to avoid a rapid-fire of bullets. He detoured, spin dashing a tree, bouncing off it stump, before rebounding off the cave wall before and nailing the human in the chest. The man went flying, almost falling in the river. The momentum he built seemed to stop as he narrowed down words, bouncing a few times before uncurling.

During this, Knuckles had gotten up, punching the nearest guards and dodging stray bullets. He caught sight of one and gasped. 'How did the human's get a hold of weapons that can drain Chaos Energy?!' He thought, astonished, as he dove underground to surprise and attack a couple of guards from the ground. As he burst out, he smashed his fist into the ground, causing a mini earthquake to ripple from where he landed. Several soldiers went flying, while some who tried to get up fell back down.

Once the blue hedgehog landed, he was panting heavily, barely holding himself up in a sitting position as he looked around at the Chaos, stunned by his own actions. He looked disorientated as if he blacked out, for a long moment or two, and had only just come back to awareness.

Blood was dripping freely from his mouth, nose and ears, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes were half-lidded and Tails swore they had a tinge of red to them. Without warning, he fell back, collapsing on the ground, shivering like mad.

Tails shifted from his position, watching the scene with stunned awe. He climbed to his feet, looking from one GUN member to another. His attention was snapped back to Blue when he started to puke up blood again, this time, there were specks of the black stuff in there too. Tails ran over, alarmed. Was it spreading?

"Knuckles, what do we do?" He turned around, looking for assistance. He found Knuckles standing a little off, his gaze was fixed on the Master Emerald, which was now in his hands as it pulsed so brightly, it nearly blinded the pair. Through Knuckles senses, he could feel a strong pull of Chaos Energy from it to the blue hedgehog. It was as if the Master Emerald was calling out to him, providing Blue with energy. The multicoloured light was flowing from the surface and sinking into the hedgehog's skin, healing any cuts and bruises he had. Knuckles could only gape at the sight, wondering how on earth this Mobian was so in tune with Chaos, and the Echidna tribe had never heard of him before.

Once it was done, the light died down to bearable levels and Blue's ragged breathing had calmed to the point of deep sleep.

"How did he...?" Tails asked, stunned as he knelt down. The blood had turned back to its red state, leaving no trace of the black substance.

"... I don't know, Tails," Knuckles muttered, rising. In the background, he heard some of the GUN members stir. He winced. "We should go," he announced, picking up the sleeping hedgehog. Tails nodded wordlessly, a million theories and unanswered questions floating around in his head as he followed the Echidna. Hopefully, this mystery would be solved soon, before his curiosity got the better of him.

As they left, they didn't see The Commander sit up, having watched the show with interest. He brought up his private communicator.

All his possessions got their power from the main grid, and he was thanking his past self for thinking ahead. "Higgins, release the bots. Project: Chaos has escaped! I repeat, Project: Chaos has escaped!" He had to harness that power. Could the secret to his immortality be kept in that green stone? He must know.

There was static, then a crackled voice answered. "But, Sir, they're not ready. They could revert back to their original..."

The robotic major was cut off. "I don't care. If we lose Project: Chaos, everything we worked for will be for nothing!"

"But, sir, we still have the..."

"It's incomplete. We still need him."

There was a sigh. "Yes, sir."

Far above their heads, multiple employees rushed about, doing final checks of the many robots they had collected from the battle sight at Eggman's lab. Their basic programming had been repurposed, hoping to take on the Doctor when he least expected it, all but one had been done successfully.

Unknown to them, a red-painted robot was laying dormant, scanning the area for any fluctuations of Chaos Energy. Just then, something reached its scanners.

Original target: located.

Mission status: Changed.

Error: fault detected.

Recalibrating matrix.

Restoring primary settings.

Restoration: successful.

Current Status: Standby, until activated.

The eyes flashed, before shuttering off, waiting dormant until he had the chance to capture and retrieve his target.

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 6- Unexpected Tail:

'Easy,' Rogue thought, looking down to the strawberry all-in-one shampoo and conditioner she had snagged from a nearby store. The store clerk, a teenager trying to save for college, barely noticed her presence, focusing on telling a bunch of kids off for a little dispute. All Rogue had to do was get it past Knuckles and his lecture about taking unnecessary risks, and she would be free. It's not like she could take it back now, no matter how much he complained. She hadn't had a proper bath in a month, and her fur was starting to lose its consistency and was beginning to tangle. She couldn't wait until she got back to base so that she could take up the bathroom for a good hour or so.

With a smirk, she placed it in the backpack with the rest before shouldering the stolen item. She was about to turn and leave when a small robot, that was the size of an earth cat, approached her. She groaned inwardly, wondering what the doctor wanted now, as she bent down to stroke the fur, feeling for the button to activate the hologram. As soon as she found it, she pressed it, causing three beams of light to come from its robotic eyes, revealing a see-through Eggman's upper body.

"Rogue, we... Have a situation," he started, looking distracted. His eyebrows were creased in worry and his gaze kept turning away to see something stationed behind him. Rogue was amused by this behaviour; the usually confident doctor looked almost anxious. It was a rare sight to behold. "Both G.U.N experiments have escaped, and one managed to stumble into my fortress," he continued. "I need you here... Humans are not his type. Maybe you can..." He trailed off as a groan was heard behind him. "... Don't forget, bat, you owe me...!" He rushed out before the hologram disappeared.

Rogue stared at the robot cat, caught between wary and amusement. If the doctor was asking for help, something big was going down. After all, he tasked her with infiltrating the 'Team Knuckles' ranks to gather intel on what they were up to while the doctor did his own thing. This worked out for her as she was handed information from both parties so that she could choose sides later should a situation escalate, all the while achieving her goal of getting closer to the master emerald. It was fortunate that the guardian secretly had the hots for her, even though he would never admit it. This arrangement left her with a lot of options for the future... and now, he wanted to risk her discovery?

Sighing, she spread her wings, hoping she wasn't making a mistake before taking flight. The cat started to move, running and weaving through obstacles only something its size (or smaller) could do as it led her to Eggman's base.

'This better be worth it,' she thinks, bringing up a hand to clutch at the backpack strap so it wouldn't fall off.

"Finally," Tails yelled, taking a breath of fresh air as they exited the maze of underground caverns and sewage systems. He wiped his shoes across the grass, trying to dispel as much dirt and water as he could with little success. Knuckles hummed, taking longer to climb up the incline of the bank with the deadweight of the blue hedgehog in his arms. He sighed, sitting down near the top of the slope and draping Blue across his lap.

The male still hadn't woken up, but that was the least of their problems. Soon after they fled the scene, they had been ambushed two more times, and someone nearly yanked the unconscious hedgehog's arm, ending up pulling too hard and dislocating the setting shoulder again. The blood had turned black again, and the pair had come to theorise that G.U.N had put something in it to make him heal faster.

They were not sure how the humans had stumbled across this miracle, but, apparently, they had. One thing was for sure though, is that it had something to do with the emeralds and that Blue had a definite connection with the Master Emerald. It's pulses resonated with his heartbeat, and there would be a heaviness to the air that was associated with the gathering of a vast amount of Chaos Energy in one area.

Knuckles had found himself racking his brain for a plausible explanation, but found nothing of substance. When exploring his home, Angel Island, he would come across memorials and carvings that would depict certain events, whether in the past, present, or future. Unfortunately, there was nothing that foretold this. This was either something new or a well-kept secret buried in the past by his ancestors. He had cursed, again, the fact that he was the last of his kind. Oh, how he would like to see another Echidna and ask them all the bizarre things that never made sense to him.

"Hey, Knuckles!" Tails' call brought his attention. He turned to see that his hand was covering his eyes, squinting towards the horizon. He made a non-comical noise, informing the kit that he was listening. "Do you know where we are?"

Looking around, Knuckles frowned, bringing the unconscious body closer as the early night air blew across the landscape, creating a chill. No, he didn't. All he could see was the outskirts of the city in the distance, the river and a long bridge. He cursed silently. "No," Knuckles deadpanned, feeling lost.

Tails slumped at the answer, coming over to sit down beside them. The last of the sunset was visible, leaving the sky an orange and yellow hue. He sighed, bringing his legs up so that he could encircle his arms around them and place his head on his knees. "I wanna go to bed," he whispered with a bitter smile. Today had been a whirlwind of emotions and unanswered questions. The adrenaline and awe had died down from everything that happened, leaving wariness and uncertainty in its wake. 'Was he ever going to sleep in a real bed tonight?' He wondered, briefly.

Knuckles snorted softly and reached out to ruffle his hair. "This has been one hell of a crazy afternoon, huh," he muttered, making Tails nod in agreement.

They stayed quiet for a while, enjoying the peace. None of them knew what to say, but they were just content, for the time being, watching as the sun disappeared, leaving the impending darkness in its wake. Overhead, street lamps flickered to life, helping the stragglers find their way home for the night.

Tails wondered briefly if they could guide them back home, before shaking his head. "We should get moving. If we can't find the base, we're going to have to set up a camp," he informed, standing up and offering his hand. Knuckles shifted a snoring Blue before pulling himself to his feet and smiling to the young kit, who rubbed at his eyes as soon as he let go.

"We'll find somewhere," he promised before picking a direction and going towards it. "... You never know. Maybe we'll bump into Rogue if she isn't back already."

Tails hummed, holding back a yawn. He looked up to Blue as his lips tugged down in worry. "How do you think he got here? Did he come with us or has he been here for a while?" He asked, trying to keep himself awake.

Knuckles followed his gaze and shook his head. "I don't know, Tails. Whatever the humans are doing, he's in the middle of all this. I've got a feeling that they won't give up. We'll have to hide and protect him until we find a way back to Mobius..." He sighed, letting out a puff of air as he straightened his back. The beginnings of a cramp were starting to settle in, and he wasn't looking forward to walking all night.

Even with the street lamps and lights from the evening and night venues from the city, it was still late and the chance of running into someone was higher with their visibility so limited. "We should set up camp for the night. Maybe sleeping beauty will be okay enough to walk in the morning and we'll find Sticks later to head back to base."

The echidna got a nod in return. Tails had started to slump over, wanting more than anything to rest and momentarily forget about the stresses of the day. "Okay," he mumbled out, changing direction to head to the nearest woodland.

It didn't take long to find a clearing that is covered by bushes and trees. He settled down the blue hedgehog against the tree and allowed Tails to sit down. The kit shivered, pulling Blue into a one-arm hug, preventing them both from falling over. Knuckles quickly set up camp, using skills learnt over living in the wild to build the shelter and start a small campfire.

First, he gathered some nearby feathers and fungus, as they were both highly flammable. He rubbed two sticks together to start a flame. Next, he threw them on a few leaves and branches before putting more sticks and logs near Tails to throw on when needed.

That done, he moved on to some nearby birch trees, cutting them down and stripping it off its bark to use as a covering. The wood was used to make the structure, tying them together with string created out of pulling up and stripping nearby roots that had been bathing in water for about half-an-hour.

As soon as he finished, he turned back to them to see them both sleeping, leaning against each other. He paused, taking in the sight before smiling. 'They look kind of cute together,' he thought before going over and picking up Tails. He settled them both in the hut, where Tails cuddled up to Blue's side for warmth.

Before going to bed, Knuckles set up a fireguard out of sticks, hopefully preventing the heat from escaping in the wrong direction, and put some more natural fuel on the fire. That done, he entered the hut, settling down on the other side of Blue to sleep.

Tails groaned as something poked his cheek. He peeked open one eye, ready to give the person a piece of his mind, but stopped. A shy smile greeted him, emerald eyes staring at him curiously. The events of yesterday came crashing down as he remembered what had happened.

"Blue?" He inquired, shooting up to stare down at the strange hedgehog. A tilt of his head was the answer he received, followed by a blink. "Were you... poking me?" Lips pulled up in a silent laugh, his hand reaching out to do it again. Tails watched, taken back, and flinched slightly as cold fur made contact with his cheek.

"Hey..." Tails jumped slightly, moving away. Emerald eyes widened at his reaction, his laughing immediately seizing as he shrank back. The fox kit felt instantly guilty, seeing the hurt expression flash across his face. "Sorry," he mumbled quickly, wondering why the other wasn't talking, before adding, "it was just cold."

Suddenly, Knuckles poked his head in, causing Blue to turn to stare at him. Tails felt relieved and scrambled to his feet. The inside of the hut came just above his head but didn't fully hinder his ability to walk underneath. "We gotta go. I can hear some human's nearby," he explained.

"Oh... right," Tails started, rubbing his eyes before he froze, his brain finally processing what the echidna had just said. He tensed. "What? Oh, no!" Jumping to his feet, he grabbed his tool belt that Knuckles must have taken off after putting them in here, before running outside.

Blue watched him go, confused, before looking to Knuckles, who had moved over to kneel down in front of him. A dirty tin can was in his hand that had a stick resting out of it. He swirled it around with a sigh. "Sorry, I could only find pine trees, so pine residue will have to do. It's not the best, but it'll relieve some pain on your shoulder..." He trailed off as he looked up and gasped. The wound was not there! "What...?" Reaching out, he inspected the shoulder, searching all angles, but found nothing. "How! You broke it yesterday. We saw you!" He looked up. "I've seen fast healers... But, you? You are something else entirely."

Distracted by his discovery, he didn't see the panic in the hedgehog's eyes or the fact he had begun to shiver and back away from him. Knuckles retreated and saw the panicked expression. "Hey... I'm sorry. I'm not going to pry, I'm sorry," he quickly reassured, mentally slapping himself. The humans had already done that enough, he didn't want to give him a reason to not trust them. "We do have to go, though. Can you walk?" He asked, ready to push himself up.

The Chaos Energy concentration thickened again, making his airways constrict before quickly dispersing. Blue shook his head after a few seconds. "Okay..." Knuckles gasped, feeling slightly dizzy. It had happened before many times that morning, especially when Knuckles would ask him a question or when he disagreed with him. Knuckles had chalked it down to him saying no. "Just nodding or shaking your head will do," he informed, petting Blue's head before holding out his arms.

There was a delay as Blue looked at him, confused before smiling and leaping forwards. Knuckles quickly adjusted his stance, attempting to not fall over, causing the hedgehog to giggle silently.

Tails' head poked in, grabbing their attention. He looked anxious. "Hey," he started. The humans were so close to their camp that it was said in a hushed tone. He bent down and put a finger on his lips. "Shush," he whispered to Blue, who repeated the action with a grin. His cheek was turned into Knuckles' fur as he rested against his shoulder.

"Tails, you don't have to. He can't speak," Knuckles informed, anxiously.

"What?!" Tails exclaimed, possibly too loud as his head snapped to the Echidna, who sighed.

"I've been trying all morning. Whether it is by choice or because of something the humans have done, he hasn't uttered a word," he elaborated. "The closest thing I get out of him is a 'yes' or 'no'. He also claims he can't walk."

Tails turned back, stunned. Blue hand was draped over Knuckle's shoulder, messing with red dreadlocks with a look of intense concentration and awe. The owner's eye twitched, trying not to get angry and startle the poor kid. He normally didn't want anyone touching his dreadlocks, but he knew from experience in the past twelve hours that the hedgehog didn't take too kindly to forced denial.

He suppressed a yawn, remembering the four hours of sleep he got before being woken up by a hedgehog trying to crawl out of the hut, terrified. It took him another two to him calm down, and he then concluded the fastest way was to give him something to fiddle with or distract him.

Before they could talk, a man's voice echoed in the forest. "Oscar! Come on, Oscar, we've got to go to grandpa's house!" This was accompanied by the shuffle of leaves and heavy breathing.

"Time to go," Knuckles decided, standing up and creeping towards the entrance of the hut without disturbing the leaves they had used to protect themselves from the ground. Tails hummed, following as best as he could. As soon as they were outside their makeshift camp, they started running towards the south, using the sun and moss as a natural navigator to find their way back to somewhere that was more familiar to the echidna.

What they failed to notice was the young human had spotted them and was starting to follow them. Unfortunately, he quickly lost their trail and bumped into a soldier, who was patrolling the area. He stumbled back, rubbing his forehead and glanced up to the woman.

"Sorry, young man," she apologised quickly, carefully stepping around him. She was about to leave when she turned back, an idea coming to her. "Oh, have you seen a hedgehog, a fox and one red creature, walking around the woods, by any chance?"

Blue eyes narrowed in thought. That was who he was following. He opened his mouth to tell her but decided against it. His hand tightened around the small communicator he had found while following their trail. The strange fox must have dropped it.

What animals could talk and carry around technology? This was too bizarre. He needed to get to the bottom of this. Especially if his grandad was after them. His family was full of secrets and he was getting sick of being left in the dark.

"No," he answered as sincerely as possible, shaking his head.

She hummed, not sure if she believed him or not, before noticing something. Her eyes lit up. "I know you... I'm sorry for what happened to your mother, she was a good agent. But, don't worry, we'll get her back," she said sincerely, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "Do you need a ride back to Commander Towers? I'm sure your grandpa should be finished for the day..."

A flash of hurt crossed his expression before it smoothed into one of annoyance. "No, I need to get back before father knows I'm gone. We were out camping and I took the wrong turn by the lake," he informed, stepping back before giving her a half-hearted wave. "Thanks for the offer, though. Bye!" And with that, he was gone.

She watched him go before sighing. "Worth a shot... Shame Oscar took the lesson about 'stranger danger' too seriously," she muttered before bringing up her communicator. "Kids a no-go. I guess we'll need to find another way in."

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 7- Feud of the Past:

The human known as Ovi Kintobor hummed, sitting back in his chair with a thoughtful expression. His calculating eyes were trained on the screen that displayed the black hedgehog, who was pacing back and forth within the reinforced cell. He had already explored the walls, floors, bed, and ceiling for an escape route, but have found none. The circular dome left no weak spots to speak off or doors to bash. Several emeralds were placed in tubes nearby, out of reach to the black and red hedgehog, but close enough to help provide energy for the weak lifeform within. A perfect place to confine the, proclaimed, Ultimate Lifeform and a system that kept the lifeform conscious and responsive without letting him store reserve Chaos Energy.

"Where's that bat?" The doctor huffed, crossing his arms and tapping his foot against the side of his desk, impatient. He was still in the dark about what happened these past fifty years, and he needed to know every detail he could squeeze out of Gerald's creation. 

Unfortunately, ever since he woke up, Shadow had been irritable and closed off. He would scratch at his fur, glare and curse at anything or anyone who would get close. It was strange but oddly amusing. What had G.U.N done to them was something he could never forgive, although it was clear he wasn't getting the whole picture. They had mentioned another project directly linked to their former captives that the higher-ups and scientists were closed-lipped about. 

He growled out in frustration, bringing a fist down on the desk. The Towers family had always had their secrets and lies; those backstabbing snakes. They were the reason they were in this mess. It was their fault for his absence and they still denied his right. Abraham and the rest of his family would pay, dealy. He wouldn't stop until they were eradicated and condemned to the pits of hell.

"My, with the mess outside, I see that I missed out on a hell of a good time," a feminine voice purred. He turned to see the bat standing there, hands on her hips, smirking at him. "I guess my invite got lost in the mail, or you have been one bad boy, making a girl late. What a scandal!" She mocked gasped.

The doctor rolled his eyes, swirling his chair to face her with a bored expression. "You're late. I sent Ri out last night," he commented, eyes narrowing. 

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Well, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," she teased, coming forward to peer at the monitors. Her eyes widened, her expression brightening. "Oh, my. And who is Mr. Handsome? I thought we were the only ones who were transported. You even had your robots scan the area." She turned and looked up at him. "Don't tell me you were holding out on me, now?"

Kintobor was caught between exasperation and amusement at the bat's behaviour. Her confident nature and constant teasing got a bit too much, but in certain situations, could be strangely entertaining. The bat was unpredictable and managed to keep things interesting. And her charm may be the thing he needed to gain Shadow's loyalty; a task he seemed to be lacking in now he couldn't use the 'brother' as leverage.

"That's because he didn't. He's a result of human experimentation. From the files I received from G.U.N, he is one of two projects. His designation is Project: Shadow, The Ultimate Life Form," he started to explain, pulling up the primitive records of the data the organisation had managed to poorly scrape together. The idiots were vaguely scarce when testing his limits. It made the doctor wonder what they had been doing since his capture.

Rogue frowned, eyes scanning over the information. She whistled. "Damn, doctor, you have some serious firepower in that cell. I love a man who's durable," she offhandedly commented in a low tone, obviously distracted. She blinked, drawing back before exclaiming. "52? He's 52?" 

Kintobor sighed. "His age is irrelevant," he cut in, wanting to get back to the point. "He's a valuable asset to have. His power could be the key to getting off this planet and back to Mobius." 

"Is this what you've been doing? Finding him? No wonder you've got a battlefield on your front lawn! They must really want him back," she remarked, impressed. The robots were still cleaning up the sight and it seemed the humans had retreated in the early hours of the morning. She was kind of glad she waited until this morning to enter.

"Yes. Acquiring him was the easy part. Now, getting him to work with us is a... delicate matter. I was hoping you could use that charm to calm him down. Humans are not his favourite at the moment... Let's see if we can change that, shall we...?"

Knuckles sighed, relieved, as they finally reached the area of where their base was. He couldn't wait to have some proper food and make sure all his friends were safe. Since waking up that morning, he was concerned for Rogue and Sticks' safety, secretly hoping they had made it back to their little hideout before nightfall. He really didn't trust them being around these humans but knew it was necessary for their survival for them to leave once in a while. 

Blue shifted on his back- the azure hedgehog had been riding piggyback style for the last half-hour. Every time they would come past a low tree or see a bug, he would reach out to stroke it with this odd smile on his muzzle. Knuckles found it strange but decided not to comment. The kid had also seemed to develop a habit for messing with his dreadlocks and Tails' namesakes, annoying the kit most of the way.

"Finally," the yellow fox commented with a grin. His legs were starting to ache and, with the no-fly rule, he was stuck to endure it. Bending down, he quickly deployed the mechanism and they descended down the ladder. 

Blue whimpered, hiding his face into red fur as they descended into a new, enclosed environment, that was dark and mostly cold. He never liked the enclosed space of his cell before he had been moved, and he despised being trapped. He blinked as light flooded his vision and he looked up to see a row of beds with a kitchenette with a small dining table opposite them. 

Knuckles sighed, lowering his load on a nearby bed. He turned, setting down a Chaos Emerald on the chest of draws. Blue ignored it, looking around the room with wary curiosity. It took a few tries to gain his attention as Knuckles sat down in front of him, blocking his view of anything that may catch his attention. The hedgehog pouted. "I need you to sit here for a while. I know it's boring, but Tails gets mad if someone messes with his equipment. We have to find the others before something bad happens to them and, to do that, we need to get his miles electric... Er, his device... To work," he elaborated, seeing the confusion in his eyes. "Are you going to be okay? Do you want something to tinker with?" He asked seriously. A nod was his answer and Knuckles was glad that the air pressure didn't change this time. 

Humming, he looked around the room for something to give him that isn't too complicated and was safe enough. Briefly, he wondered if Blue could understand him completely or was comprehending a few words and putting the rest together? It was annoying how he couldn't ask a million questions whirling around his head, but knew impatience is a curse. He learned from Tails that kids talked on their own time, especially those who were committed to the silent act to save their own skin. At least he had practice with this before, otherwise Blue had little chance of talking in the future.

His figures curled around something, causing him to smile. "How about...? This?" He asked, reaching over to pick up an old cup and ball set. The cup was made of plastic, the string was long enough to get a good swing and the ball was soft enough it barely hurt if it accidentally hit you. Totally kid-proof. Unfortunately, the glare he got was unimpressed, maybe a little insulted, and he deflated.

"Okay... Not that, then, but how about...?" He reached out to shuffle through the bedside draws. "Ah! This!" He pulled out a delicate looking butterfly from the draw, that was made of thin but durable materials. It had a hover feature to simulate flight and could only go up and down and side to side under the remotes supervision. Tails had been working on it for Cream's birthday for a while now in between projects. He hoped Tails didn't mind Blue using it.

His eyes light up, immediately attracted by the bright colours and reached out to take it. Knuckles held it out of his reach. Blue whined before settling back down."It's really delicate and remote operated. You can touch the remote, but not the butterfly, okay?" Knuckles informed, shuffling around the draw for its controller. It took him a while and he found it in the bottom draw. He gave out a grunt of triumph and demonstrated how it worked to the impatient teen. After a few moments, Blue had mastered the controls enough that Knuckles felt safe enough to leave him to it. He turned to see Tails over by the kettle, smirking, as he made them both a hot drink. 

"Care to explain?" He started with a raised eyebrow, wondering how Knuckles' patience was holding out. The hothead had a short fuse on a good day, yet Blue's lack of attention and impatience didn't seem to phase him. In fact, he seemed at home with caring for him. It was kind of endearing. Tails remembered back to when he first met the Echidna and it took a while for him to trust him. There were a few rocky starts and a lot of being nervous in his presence, but, eventually, they managed to get along and became good friends over pure stubbornness to give up on Tails' part. It was the first person who could know how lonely he had become.

"Explain, what...? I simply gave him something to play with, so he wouldn't get bored," Knuckles tried to evade getting teased for showing a soft side to Blue. He had used the technique on Tails and Creme when they came to visit. It was not often, but seeing the pair made him break free from the boredom that hung in the air of his mundane life. It also helped him adapt to life outside of his island, but it was slow progress. 

Being able to talk to someone other than Sticks was enlightening and kind of nice, as long as they let him have his space afterwards. Vanilla, Creme's mother, who unofficially adopted the small kit, needed a babysitter for the pair and he had nothing better to do, living alone and away from civilisation.

A snort came from Tails' mouth, making him clear his throat, eager to change the subject. They had more important matters to attend to. "Now, let's figure out what our next plan is?" The echidna injected, this time with a serious tone.

"The others ain't here... I have a bad feeling about this..." Tails started, hugging himself while looking around. He rubbed at his arms, uncomfortable with the situation.

"I'm sure they're fine. They're pretty resourceful when they put their minds to it," Knuckles waved off, watching Tails timidly go back to pouring himself a cup of coffee. He debated whether to reprimand him for having such a drink, but one look at his tight expression, made him notice there were other, more important things, to be talking about. "We can go look for them if it would make you feel any better?"Knuckles asked, wanting to reassure that everything was fine.

Tails bit his lip. As much as he was worried, he didn't like the idea of going back out. With GUN looking for them and his miles electric broken, the risk was high. Blue had to be high on their priority list judging the number of guards who were sent to get him back. And the HQ only had half of its staff available? He shuddered. Blue had almost died, twice; he didn't want to push their luck any further. "It'll be better to wait until evening time. That way, there'll be fewer people around, but still light enough to keep an eye out. Maybe Rogue has taken a long way round, to avoid detection, and Sticks has probably set up camp, just like us... Thinks we're still in there or something...."

Knuckles nodded in agreement, reluctant to go back out as well. The humans seemed to be afraid of the dark and hibernated as time went by. And this time, they could take supplies as well, taking their own light source and food. 

Unfortunately, there was only one problem with their plan. 

"What about Blue? What do we do with him? He can't walk and he barely talks... not to mention, GUN is after him," Knuckles thought out loud. "But, why? That's the real question. What's so special about him? Was he the first mobian they've encountered or is it something else?"

Was that what they would do to them, should they get captured? Lock them up and drained of their energy until they have withered away into nothingness? He shivered. What a horrible fate.

Tails slumped against the counter. He sighed and glanced at Blue helplessly. The hedgehog was staring at the toy in awe, watching as it soured over their heads. He looked so childish, so innocent, that it was hard to believe that someone would ever do something like that to him. It made him wonder about his backstory once again. How old was he? When was he taken? Did he have any family? Friends? A home? They must be worried sick. "I don't know," he muttered out. "Maybe I can hack into their database? I mean, now I know what I'm looking for, it should be much easier to dig up some information on him."

"True. And if they're up to something more, we could probably put a stop to it... Right?" Knuckles asked, more than ready to find information about Blue, as well as G.U.N. He wanted answers and sitting around, twiddling their thumbs, wasn't going to give them any. Right now, anything is useful. Even if they found out his name or how he came here would be a major help in learning who he was and what happened to him, up to the point of his rescue. 

Also, he was hoping to pick up any information onto who that guy was in the tunnels. The one who spoke. And what connection did he have to Blue? He voiced his thoughts. "Do you remember that old dude in the first ambush? The one who told us to hand him over? The other's had no problem with him ordering them about. I was thinking if, maybe, he was their leader or an important scientist?" Could he have discovered the Choas energy? It was possible. 

Tails eyes widened as he recalled the earlier event. Blue seemed to whimper at the mention of that man, the toy falling on the bed at his lack of steering and concentration. Tails regarded him in sympathy. It was the same look he would give to his abusive parents before he finally ran away. They had never liked his mutation, his farther claiming it to be a sign that they were cursed. Although this seemed to be on a deeper level as if the man had inflicted hell itself upon the hedgehog, causing the hedgehog to curl up into a ball and shiver, spikes going up and slightly ripping the bedsheet. 

Tails sighed. At least his parents took care of him, even if it was reluctantly. The human had tucked him in a display case, killing him slowly over time and exploiting his gifts for the greed and comfort of others. Tails had to help- to do something that would make Blue's pain easier to manage... Maybe if they knew more about this guy, he could help the frightened mobian more effectively?

He racked his brain, analysing everything he could remember the human saying. One word stuck out at him, causing him to blurt out; "Project!" Knuckles jumped at the announcement, causing Tails to blush. "He had called Blue, 'Project'. Maybe if we search for it through their data banks, something would come up!" He leapt over to the table, flipping open his laptop, and grinned. He began typing, fingers expertly flying over the keyboard. 

Knuckles hummed, getting up after handing the toy back to an apprehensive Blue. He got up, walking over to the kitchenette as tiny clicks filled the space. The kettle had boiled and he finished making the drink as he addressed his companion. "What are you doing?" Debating whether he should disturb him or not. Whenever Tails had an idea or came up with something creative, it was best to leave him be unless he spent too long on it or needed to fulfil a basic need, such as food or sleep, but he was too curious. 

Knuckles watched Tails with concern. This was too much pressure to place upon the kit. It generally was, but there was nothing they could do. He was stunted with technology from living remotely and then having Sticks on his friend's list leaves him limited the technology he was exposed to. It was a miracle that he even knew how to call, and that was by Rogue's insistence after he got teased of being an 'old man' too many times. 

Despite getting bullied into learning, he was grateful for the lesson. Communication devices made knowing what's going on in the world so much faster. No wonder Tails relied on them.

Tails sighed and rolled his eyes, fingers never hovering too far from the keyboard. "It's going to take a while to get back into their data banks, but it will be worth it. They may have detected and erased my programme from their systems, but I can just create a new virus that won't be detectable to their firewall." He sighed, thinking how long it was going to take. 

A couple of hours? 

A day or two? 

Maybe a week? 

It seemed to have gone through a massive upgrade since yesterday morning. Guess G.U.N was finally stepping up their game? This was going to be tricky, but Tails always loved a challenge. "What secrets are you hiding?" He muttered, taking a deep breath before getting to work. 

This was going to be a long day.

Taking a calming breath, Knuckles perched himself on the edge of the toilet seat, cradling the flailing teenager close to his chest. His purple gaze traced the chipped, painted ceiling, wondering if he had the strength to do this. The hedgehog's pitiful cries were loud in his ear as he clung desperately to the Echidna's neck, eyes glazed with tears and unwanted flashbacks. 

Great, he was also hydrophobic as well as an insomniac, mute and anorexia sufferer. The list just kept growing and it was stressing him out. He didn't know what to do, nor if he had the strength, and the patience, to help.

"Hey, it's okay," he cooed, hand coming up to stroke his quills gently, wincing at the grime and dirt that had collected underneath. The hedgehog needed a clean at some point. How did the human's do it? Could they have caused his phobia or did he acquire it before? Gaining an idea, he reached over and pulled out a sponge and cleaning rag. Next, he filled the sink up with water and poured the products inside. He then dunked the sponge in the water and started to clean Blue as best as he could.

Blue whimpered, flinching when the sponge made contact but seemed to be more relaxed with the arrangement. It was a long, painful process, but it was worth it, getting most of the grime and dirt off his fur and quills. Red fur was damp and he used the awaiting towel to dry them both and go into the main area to see Tails fighting back sleep. He was hunched over, eyes dropping as he typed slowly. Tails had sat there all day, working on cracking into GUN's database with slowly growing success. 

Placing Blue down on one of the beds, he strode over and placed a palm on the kit's shoulder. "Maybe you should get some sleep?" He suggested with a sympathetic smile. 

Tails turned, blinking slowly, his fingers still resting on the keyboard. "How's Blue?" He asked, avoiding the question. He didn't want to give up; they needed to find their friends and get the information on the mysterious hedgehog, not sleeping.

"He's fine and all of us need some sleep. Come on," he replied firmly, taking hold of the kit's shoulders and forcing him to stand. Tails mumbled incoherently, probably protesting, but a loud yawn made him give to the gentle command. They walked towards the nearest bed and he helped him lie down. Once he was settled, Tails eyes narrowed, noticing the Echidna was wearing his hat, a sign he was going to leave the base. 

He tried to get up, only to be pushed back down by a large hand. "You're not going without me!" The kit protested, shooting Knuckles a challenging look. 

Knuckles sighed and shook his head. "No, Tails. Rest that incredible brain of yours and I'll be back with Rogue and Sticks before you wake up. We're going to need you if we get caught."

"...But."

"No buts. I need to go before it get's too dark. Be careful and don't go outside. I'll be back as soon as I can," he reassured, causing Tails to reluctantly back down. Blue crawled closer to the edge of the next bed, large emerald eyes staring at Knuckles expectantly, arms outstretched.

"Oh, no. No. No. No. You'll stay here. It's dangerous out there," he explained, ruffling the teen's fur. A growl was his answer and he glared back. "Blue, I said no," he refused. The hedgehog thrust out his arms stubbornly, touching his arm with a finger and sending a tiny bolt of Chaos Energy through his fur. Knuckles jumped, startled, before closing his eyes.

Blue sure had a stubborn streak. 

"Fine," he growled, taking his arm and dragging him a little too forcefully towards the wardrobe. If they were going to go out into Station Square, they were going to need a disguise. 

Fortunately, Rogue had raided a child's clothing shop the day they had found this place.

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 8-  Wary alliances:

A five-week-old Shadow smiled, crimson eyes watching the tube-like structure in front of him. He had woken early that morning, filled to the brim with excitement and bugged Maria until she too was dragged into the world of wakefulness and forcefully brought into the lab. He couldn't wait for the completion of his baby brother; the only one who could match him in speed, stamina and Chaos usage. Gerald had told him that his brother was special and created especially to be his eternal equal and companion in this mortal plane.

At first, he was wary of having a sibling. He was unsure whether the attention would shift onto the unsuspecting young one, resulting in the scientists experimenting on him. He couldn't bare for another lifeform to be put under the same torture he experiences every day. It was an unnecessary evil. He, alone, was capable of fulfilling the task set our to cure Maria, but quickly warmed up to the idea, especially after Maria had claimed his brother was a gift from the scientists on space colony ark as an apology for the pains of his past. The idea of having someone to care for and look after, especially after Maria and Gerald had withered away from the hands of time, was too good to be true. It gave him purpose, something to strive for.

According to Gerald, his brother was created to help stabilise his powers to prevent him from losing control of himself and dooming the world. He became afraid, for once, questioning his abilities and the usage of his inhibitor rings. As useful as they are keeping in his Choas Energy, it was unable to replenish it. His brother was created to correct this, using his natural ability in soaking up the Chaos Energy around him. 

Maria revealed that he would be released from the pod early on a two-week experiment in how the learnt from an infant standpoint. Not preinstalling anything was a tricky move, but there were endless possibilities in what to teach him. Gerald was secretive when they asked him why, which made the pair suspicious of his true intentions.

With this knowledge, his obsession grew, wanting to know every detail of his new sibling's creation. Unfortunately, they weren't allowed to be apart of the process, which made them curious with the need to investigate. They never found much but they would always find a young human, possibly in his early twenties lurking about the lab. Even to this day, they had no idea what he looked like or who he was, but the only thing Shadow could remember that he had a thing for turtle necks and disliked him for some reason. Shadow figured that was the reason that Gerald didn't want him around while the other was there.

There were many problems extracting his little brother from the 'birthing tube.' The infant stopped breathing many times, crying out when handled as if he were in pain. His eyes switched rapidly between red and green irises and he would stare off in the distance. Upon learning of the creations poor health, Gerald had ushered them out of the lab, leaving the children worried for the young one's life. 

Late that night, they snuck out of their shared room and went to see him. He looked tiny, almost doll-like, laying there in a toy crib of Maria's, alone and in the dark. His heart burst with emotions as he stepped closer, wondering why the infant was abandoned by their creator, left to fend for himself.

 Shadow couldn't stop himself from picking him up, making sure to support the head after prompting from his sister, and instantly fell in love with his brother's blue fur and large emerald eyes. Right there, he had promised to protect him from anything and everyone who would use or abuse them. It didn't matter who, he would take care of this innocent life who was so small and defenceless against what the world had to throw at them.

The sound of footsteps brought his attention. He turned, ready to ask why Gerald had abandoned the newborn when he felt a knife press against his throat.

Red eyes snapped open, his memory failing to finish the scene. He always presumed it was that guy who was there during his brother's creation who held the knife. He presumed all three of them came out fine, mainly because the GUN raid didn't occur until three weeks after. He had pondered over the memory countless times with little success. He knew the humans had done something to his memory, something he could never forgive, but he never knew why or what had been taken. It made him angry his past was so muddled, that his memories of Maria had been tampered with by the very people who killed her.

A movement in the corner of his eye made him turn his head to a shadow looming over him, it's hand hovering over his wrist. Before the figure could react, he sprang sidewards, tackling the stranger to the floor and pinning them down as best as he could. A growl escaped his lips. 

"Woah, calm down," a feminine voice breathed out as the intruder struggled beneath him. His gaze settled on a pale-furred face, red lips and long eyelashes.  "Geeze, you're really strong," she muttered after noticing her efforts were fruitless. His eyes bore into her soul, making her gulp. He seemed the type of guy who didn't mess around. Deep down, she appreciated that. The forward approach was much easier than beating around the metaphorical bush. 

He stared, confused as to how she got into his new cell, and how she... No way, this couldn't be... But, she was... she was just like them! But how? Did that mean there was more of them, just like the red guy and that fox kit? He must know.

"Who are you? How did you get in here? Are you another creation, like me? Who are the red guy and that fox kit? What business do they have with my brother? Where have they taken him? Did they manage to escape the humans? What's their goal? Why am I here and why hasn't he tried to kill me yet? I demand to know. Tell me!"

Ever since he woke up in this cell, he had been going out of his mind with worry. His brother was taken by two apomorphies that shouldn't exist, he was trapped in a madman's lab and couldn't find a way to break out. He also didn't have any news on his brother's condition, no information on who they were and what they wanted. Who they worked for. Was he hurt? Are they doing worse things to him than GUN? Where did they take him? By now, they could be on the other side of this world and he wouldn't know where to look!

He wanted... no, needed answers. And he needed them now!

 "Red guy...? Creation? What?!" Confusion struck her and she went still, waiting for an answer. The words had tumbled out of his mouth, too fast for her to comprehend and her head was still spinning from being slammed into the ground so hard.

"Answer me!" He demanded again, squeezing her wrist a bit harder to see if she would talk. His fangs were bared, trying to intimidate her even more. The female just stared, going lax in his grip. Having read his file, she was almost certain he would snap her neck should she piss him off, so making herself seem most obedient as possible was the best way to calm the enigma. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but if you want to talk in a civilised manner, maybe I can shed some light on the situation," she posed, hoping he would take the bait. Before coming in here, she was warned to be calm, level headed and always truthful in her answers by the doctor. Apparently, Shadow only valued honesty and it got ugly when he was deceived. She had been warned to be vague with her answers, only giving enough to satisfy his curiosity.

Eggman said that it was like playing chess or cards. Your opponent had to take the lead, but you pulled all the strings. She loved the thrill of being in tricky situations such as this, despite the echidna's and fox boy's worries; it always gave her the rush of adrenaline more than any theme park ride could. The uncertainty and danger was something she couldn't get enough of.

She could tell he was hesitant to comply with her indirect command but looked intrigued none-the-less. Wondering if he was wasting his time or not, he let her go and leapt backwards, putting as much distance as possible between the two. "Don't try any funny business, otherwise, next time, it'll be the neck," he warned with an edge to his voice.

As soon as he let go, she scooted backwards before pushing herself elegantly to her feet. His gaze was intense, watching her warily with a look of suspicion. Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke. "You first. A question for a question; seems like a fair trade to me. The information doesn't come cheap, hun. It can be so valuable in the right hands, after all..." She started, crossing her arms in an authoritative stance.

Shadow was taken back for a moment before smirking. She was playing a dangerous game; he kind of liked it.  It didn't matter if she was toying with him; he had no qualms in dishing out punishment for every deceit he received. "Who are you?" He decided to ask, wanting to get the pleasantries out of the way. An easy question to start off on to lead her into a false sense of security. 

From what he had witnessed, others were more willing to talk should they know another's name. If he could figure out who she was and where she came from, he could figure out if she was natural-born or an experiment. The evidence seemed to lean towards the second option, but if there was a secrete colony of his 'species' out there, he could use it as a back up to hide should GUN come looking.

At this, she seemed to straighten, a smirk working its way onto her lips. "Rogue the Bat, at your service, oh great Ultimate Lifeform: Shadow," she introduced with a mock curtsy. Her wings stretched out behind her, showing them off. "To be fair, I thought you would be taller, but I wonder if you are big where it matters...?"

He raised an eyebrow, half-amused by her response, half-annoyed. Damn. What does the last statement even mean? Shaking himself mentally, his mind quickly going through the various questions he could ask next. She knew his name; what else did she know? That means she was a question or more ahead, while he was starting at square one.

Unfortunately, he had used up his question and it was Rogue's turn. "Oh, looks like it's my turn. Now, let me think..." Her arm came up as a manicured nail tapped her cheek gently. She could tell Shadow wasn't dumb, but he lacked experience and knowledge of Mobians and the doctor had every intention of exploiting that fact for their benefit. The feelings of guilt surfaced in her gut, but she chose to ignore it. She couldn't divert his plan so early on without him getting suspicious, but, maybe...

Without warning, the communicator in her ear burst to life. "Remember our deal. Get information on the brother and I'll give you supplies, including the parts the fox boy needs to get his plane running again," the doctor's voice filtered through, and she held back a retort. She eyed the camera out of the corner of her eye. Damn, she forgot that Eggman was watching them. It was a shame that she needed to come back with more supplies than usual to explain her absence. He had backed her into a corner, summoning her here.

Shadow's ear twitched and he followed her snapped gaze. He turned his head back to glare at her, fists tightening. He had to be careful. Anything he said would be kept as evidence, but he did have to let something slip if he wanted answers from her. This was bad. 

Very bad.

"I have three. They kind of need to be answered in one go, so I am going to answer one of your earlier questions. The 'red guy', as you so equivalently dubbed him, is Knuckles the Echidna. His hideout is unknown to us, but he's been a thorn in my side for a while now. And I have no idea who your brother is and what they want with him." She started, feeling smug. She had answered without providing any extra information. With Eggman watching, she couldn't say more about them being allies and she wasn't sure to trust Shadow yet with the location. Although it did intrigue her as to what they were doing with this so-called 'brother.' Hell, she wanted to know who he was. 

Another experiment? 

Possibly, but it could be someone he saw as a brother?

Ugh, she was so curious.

"Okay, my turn, big guy. First, what does he look like? What's GUN's objective with him? And what's his name?"

A grimace settled on Shadow's muzzle as he pursed his lips. Two of those he didn't even know himself! Her eyes narrowed, hands on her hip as she stared him down expectedly. She wanted those answers. And, admittedly, he secretly did too. 

"My brother was extremely unfortunate. He has many titles, but, I'm afraid, he wasn't named," he started, unsurely. His tone was bitter, hands clenching into fists, hard enough his claws dug in and drew blood. "The power source. Subject. Project: Choas. Those are the ones that stuck. GUN had forbidden his right to his own designation, twisting it to fit his situation or use to them.  They locked him away, restrained him to a table and sucked the very Chaos out of him. And, for what? Just so they can be comfortable?" 

He was shaking now in pure rage and suppressed anguish. He was rambling, a stream of words flowing from him like a waterful that was impossible to stop. It was the first time anyone had listened, anyone who cared enough to ask. He had always bottled up his emotions, leaving them to stew and bubble in his chest for the next time he saw that bastard that called himself their Commander.

Those human's had taken everything from them... 

And they deserved to pay!

He was about to take a step forward, to bust out of this cage and hunt every last GUN agent when something crashed into him. Arms snacked around his shaking shoulders and he was engulfed with warmth. The force caused him to stumble back, his thoughts dissipating into a confusing mess. The embrace felt warm... safe. Like, despite everything that happened, he could finally break down without judgement or regret. 

At that moment, it didn't matter who she was or who she worked for. What she had done and what she hadn't. The gesture was enough to say that she cared. He felt himself slowly relax, turning his head into her shoulder.

And for the first time in forty years, he allowed himself to drop his defences...

If only for a moment.

Green eyes stared at the massive coat sleeve hanging over his paw with a frown. He looked up to the Echidna, who was close to snickering. "Come on, it's not that bad. We had to get it big enough to cover up those quills of yours," he stated with an amused smirk. The echidna was now wearing a long brown detective coat and matching hat to cover his red figure from any future prying eyes while Blue was donned in a blue and white dress and a red raincoat. 

According to the echidna, there were supplies for a human girl in one of the rooms on the lower levels of the base and the rest was adult-sized. The dress and overcoat were a little too big for him, but not by much that rolling his sleeves up and shortening the straps wouldn't fix. The dress was even long enough to come down to his ankles to hide his blue legs.

Suddenly, the Echidna straightened. "Let's go. Time is getting on," he stated seriously.

Blue followed his gaze to glance at the clock. He had never been able to tell the time, so he would have to take the others word for it. Before now, time was just a concept he had never been interested in. Not when every single minute of every single day was almost the same. He was glad to not be in so much pain though. There was so much to see that now there seemed to be no time at all.

'Life is short and full of pain. Time will run out eventually,' the voice in his head reminded him. Sometimes he wondered if the figure was wrong, surely time couldn't run out completely, can it?

Without warning, he was hauled on to the stranger's back before the said individual started to climb the ladder. He held on tight, looking down at the ground and threw one last look over at the yellow fox. His eyes lowered, wondering why they were only going when it had been the three of them last time, but knew he wouldn't get an answer. 

As they reached the top, he was again greeted with forest-like terrain and his ears perked up. He had spent too long watching the small animals scurrying about in his glass cage and hearing the rivers and the artificial wind that he longed to experience the scenery up close. To interact with the animals, to feel the wind through his quills, to smell the river that flowed freely. It was like he was living a dream; allowing that longing to become a reality. Shadow had always told him what the outside felt like. His descriptions and senses became his own, shared over the time the evil man had let them unite for a couple of hours. 

He was told stories of the humans and how they would decimate the landscape, building unnecessary structures for their amusement and steal the world's natural resources. The thought scared him. How much they were polluting this world, risking the lives of animals and plant life for their own gain. What happened to all the animals who lived there? Soon, there will be nothing left for them to scavage. To use. Human's were selfish, bad creatures who only thought of themselves.

It was a shame. Surely co-existence was reachable? If such habitats like this existed, the human's couldn't be all bad, right? Unfortunately, he lacked the experience or knowledge to know. There must be some good humans out there, right? It was just a matter of finding them? Then, maybe, they wouldn't have to hide in fear and the pain and suffering wouldn't have to return. They had done what they asked, for all those years, so wasn't it time something good to happen?

Shadow had told him that the world was full of light and darkness. That one couldn't exist without the others. If they had lived in darkness, was Knuckles and Tails there to show them the light? The thought made him giddy with excitement.

If this was true, he couldn't wait to see what the future held!

Knuckles had been walking for twenty minutes until they reached the city. Blue had started dozing off, bored with the lack of things to do, and was drooling against his shoulder. He made sure the hedgehog's hood was up before moving forward, knowing that, if they where to be spotted, both of them would be put them in danger. They had already trekked closer to GUN and had run into one of their agents. 

Fortunately, they were near a hiking trail and claimed to have gotten lost at some point. The oblivious agent had redirected them to a trail that would allow them to get into the city and Knuckles thanked them with a squeaky voice. He never felt so much tension in his life, apart from yesterday when they nearly got caught in the bushes. Something about GUN made him want to run and hide. There was something wrong with humans. Something sinister about that human organisation he couldn't put his finger on. 

With a sigh to calm his nerves, he ascended down the hill and onto the streets of Station Square.

"Anything you don't want him to hear, tell me now," she whispered in his ear, making sure the camera wouldn't pick it up. "I don't work for him; he's just an acquaintance, but I have experience with Knuckles and the kit and want to help you. For that, I need you to trust me. Help me get the Chaos Emeralds so we can go back home, and I'll help you find your brother..."

She trailed off as Shadow stiffened in her arms. It was a risky move, but it might just work. If he was desperate enough, she may be able to make him an ally for now. With that power and strength he holds, they can be an unstoppable force. That's if, they can fool the doctor...

Shadow's brain was going through all the pros and cons. He cursed, knowing he was at a disadvantage. She held all the answers and the freedom, while he was stuck in the cage. He needed to find his brother, but he had no leads and no target to Chaos Blast. Escape was impossible with no Chaos Emerald and his own reserves almost spent. He could see two Chaos Emeralds dangling in a box high above the dome, taunting him. It provided just enough energy for him to move, but no way near enough for a Chaos Control. 

He sighed. As much as he hated to depend on others, he couldn't do this alone. But, the second he was betrayed, he would show no mercy. He would give the bat the benefit of the doubt, for now, but that didn't mean he was going to let his guard down. With great reluctance, he spoke. "It's a deal. But fail me, Bat, and I'll crush you," he agreed and the two flew apart, her with a slight gasp of surprise.

Suddenly, the dome retracted, sinking into the floor and the Chaos Emeralds released, each falling to a single occupant. Shadow smirked and caught it, happy to have it back in his possession. Finally, he would be able to use his abilities once he was strong enough again. On the other side, Rogue gave it an adoring look and slipped it into the holster on her hip. 

"Excellent," the doctor praise from his position by the open door. He was currently sitting in an egg-shaped hovercraft. Rogue gaped at him, knowing the man was listening in, but he didn't seem angry. In fact, he was beaming. Well, he did say 'any means necessary.'

"Follow me."

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 9- Origins and robots:

The city was too quiet for half-past seven at night. A few stragglers should be out and about, especially since the sun had yet to dip below the horizon. Knuckles glanced around nervously, wondering what was going on. Normally, the city was bursting with teenagers and young adults ready for a night out.

A cold wind blew across the land, rustling their clothes and making his head turn as something grabbed his attention. To his right, a whirring noise sounded as a large, white robot turned onto the street. Knuckle's tensed, backtracking his steps and hid behind a decent-sized bush. The large machine looked like patchwork, some new metals melded into that of the older design. Upon its pristine surface held the G.U.N stigma, although it looked to be tacked on recently.

The sense of foreboding got stronger, causing the echidna's skin to crawl and his legs want to run. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. For now, though, he made slow movements, knowing sudden ones would startle Blue unnecessarily. There were robots in the area? Who was behind it?

Normally, when he thinks of robots, he would think of the doctor, but with the humans apparently knowing about it enough to stay clear, and with the few stragglers acting calmly in their presence, it couldn't have been him. But, as they had witnessed, the human's were long away from creating such feats, that makes him begs the question. 

Could the two be working together?

The genius of the doctor seemed to be unrivalled by another except Tails. The kit and the doctor possessed knowledge more superior than those he has seen from the majority of the human race. He would have felt saddened by the news if it didn't leave them such a big advantage. Having to go up against another being with the intelligence that's equal or greater than the madman would overwhelm their small group sooner or later.

Holding his breath, he waited for the patchwork powerhouse to pass by before sneaking over the road, wishing to never encounter something as shocking as that. Deep in his mind, he prayed for their continued invisibility to G.U.N's radar and continued in his quest to see his friends.

If they where growing wiser, it was a matter of time before his group got caught.

Rogue visibly cringed at the tense atmosphere as the doctor led them back to the control room. Shadow was still clutching the gem in his hand as he glared at the metal floor. He had crushed the tracker she had planted when they hugged and was throwing her the occasional mistrusting glance. Despite his supposed meltdown earlier, he seemed to have closed back up as if nothing happened.

Sighing, she looked down to her own emerald, see the obvious signs of a fake. Being a jewel thief, she knew which gems were real and which weren't and she definitely recognises this one.

Tails had created it in order to fool Eggman into retrieving it instead of one of the real Emeralds. The plan would have worked if it weren't for the fact that it was incompatible with the others. It was a shame really. If it had held out a few more hours, they would have captured the real yellow Chaos Emerald and wouldn't have ended up stranded in this world. Regardless, she couldn't change the past and at least Tails would be happy to have it back as a keepsake for his plane.

"You have no idea how much it delights me to see you again, Shadow! You have to forgive my transgressions, but I had to make sure you were the real one. It has been a long 50 years, has it not?" The large man started, his arms spread wide as he beamed down at the ultimate lifeform.

Shadow huffed, folding his arms and turning away. The infliction at the end of his speech seemed to be implying something, although he couldn't figure out what and he was too stubborn to ask.

Memories had always been a sensitive topic to him and others had used this to their advantage in the past to gain his trust. He didn't want the man to see how vulnerable his mental state actually was, how he was so desperate to find the missing gaps of his past, but was afraid someone would fill them with fabrications or misleading facts, like before.

He wanted to remember everything as it was. He couldn't allow someone to taint the memories of their time together as a family, to spoil the memory of his dear sister, to prevent his creator's name from being soiled.

"Even so, I am curious as to how you have been holding up, old friend...." Eggman started but was shot down quickly.

Hands clenched into fists as he turned to glare at the doctor. "We are not 'friends'." Shadow declared in a seething voice. It was impossible for this man to be anything further than a stranger. He looked too young; a man in his mid-twenties to early-thirties, at maximum. Mere mortals couldn't manipulate the passage of time or find the key to eternal youth for the 'traditional' born. So, even without his memories, there was no way he was old enough for them to be 'friends' back on the arc. 

Screw what the commander had told him. Most of what comes out of his mouth were probably lies anyway.

He couldn't be anything more than one of the descents of the colonists back on the arc, could he?  Although, it still didn't explain how G.U.N was certain he was Dr Kintobor unless it was a ploy set by The Commander to piqued his interest. Maybe he had gotten old tapes or one of the scientists had gone rogue and fled before the incident, spreading stories of him?

And, if he was, he was no one important enough for him to remember. Surely he would have shown up in his dreams of the past? He had to be lying. To know someone made it out, unscathed, without little care to the other people aboard getting mascaraed was the type of person he didn't want to be friends with, regardless if he was related to a person or there personally.

An eye twitch was his response with a frown. "My mistake. Our ... relationship has always been complicated, so to speak," the doctor replied regretfully before turning to the middle of the control room.

The holding tube was gone, replaced by a round table with the outer edge covered in large buttons you would find on a keyboard. He could feel Shadow burning holes in the back of his head, which he chose to ignore, wanting to get down to business first. He could freak out over and deal with this complication later. The more time they waste, the more time the enemy has to make their moves... and, this time, he was up against an entire government and Knuckle's band of misfits.

Fan-f**king-tastic.

Four more robots later and Knuckles was itching for a fight. Every time he would see a robot in the distance, his nerves would scream at him to punch it into oblivion. Unfortunately, he couldn't without blowing his cover, and with no one to help him, he could be overwhelmed by the sheer force of them that seems to be roaming in Station Square.

Tired and frustrated, he settled to look for answers. There had been no sign of his comrades and he was beginning to get worried. Hopefully, someone would know what had happened to them. As much as they were capable fighters, Knuckles had taken responsibility for their safety and he wasn't likely to abandon them now, especially when stranded in this new, cruel world where everyone seemed to be after them for one reason or another.

It was lucky he seemed to spot a store-clerk closing up their workplace. The girl was in her late teens and was muttering to herself. With moments hesitation, he wondered over, careful to keep his head down in order to conceal his face. There was no point in causing necessary panic, but he needed information.

"Where is everyone?" He started, using a higher pitch than usual in his tone. Comparable to humans, he had the height of a young child, despite how powerful his form was and didn't want to raise suspicion. He winced, knowing a hint of his gruff voice showed. "What's going on here?" He coughed slightly, hoping to pass it off as irritation of his throat.

The young woman jumped violently and turned around to face the speaker, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She was taken aback, looking down to the two children, one standing in the middle of the road with the other on his back.

"Holy... You scared me!" She exclaimed, hand hovering over her heart. Quickly, her shock melded into concern. "You... shouldn't be out at this time," she started, voice tight. Knuckles rose an eyebrow but waited patiently for her to continue. "There's a curfew, didn't your parents tell you?" Taking a step forward, she sighed and reached out to take his hand in hers. "Come on, we should get you home before the bad man comes out to play. He hates children, and with the military robots going around, I would hate for you to be caught in the crossfire or get yourself into trouble."

Ducking under her arm, his eyes widened in alarm. "Don't touch me," he growled, quickly readjusting Blue on his back as he began to slip, causing the younger to wake up and tighten his hold. He felt a nuzzle against his neck as Blue straightened to peer over his shoulder in curiosity.

The girl paused, hand outstretched, openly hesitant. Knuckles saw the confusion in her expression under the brim of his hat, causing an idea to form. "I don't want to drop my sister. She hates it when stranger's get near," he lied smoothly, taking a step back to provide some distance. Understanding replaced the confusion and he breathed inwardly. "We don't live far from here. She fell asleep at the park and I lost track of time. I must go now, our parents will be worried," he dismissed, ready to leave. His tongue felt sour, testing out the new word. He hadn't thought about his parents for a long time, trying to avoid thinking of their deaths. Being a few years old, he barely remembered them but was reminded of them every time he was guarding the Master Emerald alone up on Angel Island.

"Oh, okay, then. Do you want me to walk you two home? Just in case? I have to babysit tonight, but I've got time. The parents are normally still there half an hour after I arrive to make sure the children are settled, so I can..." Her prattling got cut off by the shake of Knuckles' head.

"We'll be fine. Goodbye." And before she could say anything, he had walked off, leaving her to wonder who the pair was and what they were doing out so late. Just to be sure though, she stuck a hand in her shoulder bag and extracted her cell phone to call her second employer to explain exactly why she was going to be late. 

She started to follow them, but they dipped down an alleyway and seemed to disappear into the shadow.

Looking around in confusion, she checked the spots, saw no one and then sighed. With the shake of her head, she walked back out of the ally and towards the bus stop.

If they had disappeared like that without leaving a trace, she was certain they could look after themselves.

Greif was never new to Abraham Towers. He had his fair share of deaths of both personal and professional relations. You could say it was apart of his job description, being the head of a military organisation and whatnot. There were certain sacrifices one had to make for the good of mankind and there are countless decisions to be made- it made a lot of enemies in his timeline alone. Regardless, none has ever been a bigger threat than the doctor. 

The mental scars ran deep as the cousin of his dear friend spiralled into madness.  He was a kid back then, scared of what could happen, so he told his parents, who reacted, starting the catalyst for this bitter war between two families. The personal element made him more determined to not lose. 

Lord did he try to fix it; to prevent the ark incident from ever escaping to the public. And he mostly succeeded, picking up where his predecessors left off. But who knew Kintobor survived. The one loose end that got away, back for revenge and what was promised to him. The young genius had always been crafty, even back then. His goals and ambitions became too great. The promise of power and control he held as an inventor. 

As long as he had the brothers, there was still a sliver of hope. A light in the darkness. The bargaining chip. He refused to hand them over, even at the expense of his step-daughter's capture. 

He had them in his grasp; the abominations crafted from the hands of desperate men, only for them to slip away and return to that psychopath. His pity for them grew, knowing the pair would prefer the madman over himself. He knew what he did could have been counted as cruel, but it was necessary in order to keep the world safe. His main duty was to serve and protect the human race, and there was no other way to ensure humanity was furthest from destruction.

His grandchildren were next, he just knew it. The more he thought about it, the more he feared. His son was scared of losing his offspring, who were overcome with the grief of losing their mother to an unstable psychopath. The doctor will come looking for them, trying to reunite his family once again. His stepdaughter was seemingly compromised; he would have to put her on trial upon her return. No doubt has Kintobor told her of her origins, why she ended up as an orphan. The children would miss her dearly, but the custody papers were already being processed. It was inevitable from the start.

They would have the children, Kintobor would have the abominations. 

Unfortunately, he would never settle for a tie. 

It was nearly complete; his last-ditch effort to end this bitter war. Fifty years was a long time to have the pair in their custody, and G.U.N hadn't wasted any time in improving their defences. For ten long years, it had taken years to perfect, but they had nearly done it. Finally, the doctor would be stopped and earth would be safe once more.

Suddenly, the door nearly flew off of its hinges as a ragged man flew into the room, nearly stumbling over his own feet. In his hand was a cell phone that he clutched so tight that his knuckles were white. His face was pale as a sheet and his voice was a whisper as he spoke. 

"Sir, we've captured one of the intruders!" He announced frantically. There were exclamations and sounds of fighting filtering through the device. "And they are fighting back!"

At these words, he shot to his feet, hands balling into fists. 

"Show me!"

Two blurs raced through the forest and onto the streets. The blue blur huffed, watching his black and red counterpart skate silently alongside him. "Retrieval mission? What is Egghead thinking? We used to lead armies, and now some kids- some humans- are worth our time?" He complained, weaving in and out of his companion's path with a snort.

The black and red being grit his teeth, trying not to snap at the blue annoyance. "As much as a point you make, you dare to question our creator's motives?"

A challenging smirk appeared on his muzzle. "Don't you? As soon as he finds the flesh counterparts, we would be pushed aside. He would have no need for us anymore. That should happen, I may go on vacation, see what's up. Apparently, the human woman was supposed to Huawei with her family until Egghead involved her... That, or, I can just join the fox boy. He saved my life, remember? So, he can't be all that bad..."

A growl cut him off and he raised an amused eyebrow. The two slowed down to a stop, the red and black one's eye twitching. "Do you EVER shut up? We are on a mission and you're being loud enough that the other side of this pitiful planet can hear you!"

"Na," the blue speeder dismissed with a wave of his hand, his original's carefree attitude shining through. "Technically, that's impossible. The rate and frequency that sound travels, it is bound to..." He stopped as a metal hand squeezed his neck. Inside, wires started to lengthen and constrict. Upon habit, he struggled. 

"You're original is annoying. It is a shame that trait was copied over. Speak again, faker, and I won't be responsible for my actions." He tightened his hold, making the blue speeder's eyes widen. "Do we have a deal?"

A small nod was his response as the black and red-streaked one let go, causing him to drop on the floor. He breathed heavily, staring up into the cold dead eyes of Shadow's counterpart. Secretly, he started to compare the behaviour between this Shadow and the one he knocked out yesterday.

That Shadow adored his blue original and would do anything to have him by his side. He missed those days his own counterpart embraced him, took care of him, loved him, but now they were so distant. It seemed his Shadow didn't want him around anymore, seeing him as nothing more than a nuisance... 

The blue speeder wondered when and where their relationship had gone wrong.

"Move it, hedgehog. We've got some human spawn to save."

It was then he ultimately decided he liked the original Shadow better. 

"Let go of me, you overgrown apes!" Sticks screeched, thrashing wildly in her captor's grip. 

She had spent four hours waiting for the boys to come back out and was dozing off on a low branch in the nearest tree when two robots attacked and apprehended her. Next thing she knew, she was lying on an examination table and she ended up freaking out, stabbing the head scientist with his own needle and took out several guards before being overwhelmed. Ten minutes later, she and a handful of robots stood inside a large hall-like room. To her surprise, she was released and the robots wheeled out of the room, locking the doors behind them. 

By now, the sedative effects were fully waring off, but she was too late to follow them out. Her fist pounded against the metal door, unable to breakthrough. Damn, she was stuck with those tall creatures who like to act first and ask questions later. 

Letting out a deep breath, she looked around, confused as to where she was until her gaze settled on a panel of glass high above the observation room. Three figures could be seen moving behind the protective screen, although it too higher for her to make anything out. With nothing else to do, she glared at them, wondering what they wanted and why they haven't killed her yet, like what those 'police' were trying to do when they first arrived.

'They're probably deciding whether to eat me alive or kill me first,' she thought, remembering the way human's would eat animals without any remorse. It disgusted her. At least the meat in their world was vegetarian-friendly. Even the chilli dogs.

Her body shifted into a defensive position, hand reaching into her dreadlocks for her trusty boomerang when she heard a mature voice echo around the room. His tone held a tint of anger, but it stayed mostly professional. 

"Good evening. I am the commander of the Guardian Units of Nations based in Station Square and chairman of the board. You are hereby charged with high treason by trespassing on G.U.N's private property. Usually, this would result in a fine, sentence or death, depending on the severity of the crime, but as long as you are not apart of the United Units of Nations, it falls to me to deal with you personally. It is within my right as chairman and commander of G.U.N to ensure your presence is not a threat to my staff nor the citizens of the United Federation. In accordance with the law, unregistered objects or creatures must be placed through vigorous testing in order to see if they are a threat. Under G.U.N policy, if we find you useful, you shall be granted a pardon in exchange for your service to this organisation, if not, we shall have no need for you and will dispose of you, indefinitely." 

 Teeth pulled back in a snarl, the beginnings of a growl began to form in her throat. This was simply barbaric. How can they treat another in such a way? The feeling of dread began to build as she stared warily up at the window.

"You have 30 seconds. Prepare yourself," the voice announced once again. True to his word, a clock cast from holo-projections on the wall shone brightly and a simple set of numbers in the form of a digital clock started to ominously tick down the seconds.

As soon as the clock reached zero, a hoard of robots flooded into the room, tasers at the ready.

'Well, oh sh*t.'

Rogue let out a breath, turning to her new companion, who stood by the wide-spread window over-looking the forest-like terrain. His arms were crossed and his face was stoic. The doctor had left ten minutes ago, providing them with blueprints of the G.U.N base with the mission to infiltrate it in order to retrieve the Choas Emeralds left within. 

One look at the map was enough to send Shadow to the other side of the room. He didn't want to go back there, but he needed the information Rogue had. She had made it clear that she wouldn't give it up until they had at least another Chaos Emerald in their possession. 

He grits his teeth, frustrated with himself. He needs to know where they're hiding. From within here, he can't get a lock on his brother's Chaos Signature and the forcefield was back up and running. It would take too long to escape and, with little energy, he wouldn't get very far until the doctor's robots will have caught up with him, putting him back to square one with little trust from either side.

For now, he had to bide his time and work with the unlikely duo until he had a better plan. He hoped his brother was in safe hands, for now.

The mission was simple and required little preparation on his part. He had already memorised the building from top to bottom should they ever be given the opportunity to escape. It was funny how he was using the knowledge to sneak back in. With how much the commander had messed up, he couldn't wait to taunt the man and give him the payback he so desperately deserves... and, this time, his brother wouldn't be there to stop him.

"What's the matter, Sugar?" Rogue began, striding over to him, swaying her hips. A hand fell on his shoulder and he moved away, the beginnings of a growl in his throat. He had allowed her to touch him before to keep up pretences, but now they were alone, she didn't have that right. He couldn't trust anyone anymore; that's how The Commander deceived him in the first place. After each beating, each trickery reinforced this fact.

"Back to being hostile? That's no fair. I thought we shared a moment." Her tone was sad, making him wince. Despite knowing she was doing it for effect, he hated when people were upset. Negative emotions would dance in their aura, reaching out to infect another. He could get why the humans would always say that surrounding yourself with negative people would always bring disaster. Even the simple act of worrying can make his fur stand up and put his nerves on edge.

That's why he valued his brother's and Maria's company. Their light souls were something to marvel at and put him at ease whenever they were around...

His head lowered as he grounded his teeth. 

His little brother...

Maria...

He shook his head. He could still save his brother. Now they were out of that horrid place, he would have to bide his time until he got a location. Hopefully, he was alright...

"He's probably fine, you know. Knuckles may be a hothead, but I guarantee that he won't let anything happen to him. He took in two orphans before; the fox kit, who's name is Tails and a badger called Sticks. He's a bit rough around the edges, but he's always loyal to his friends and wouldn't harm an innocent kid."

Shadow turned, eyes widening slightly at the admittance. He hadn't given her any information and he certainly didn't speak out loud. 

Could she read minds? He snorted.

No, that was a ridiculous idea.

"You know, it's okay to be worried. I would be if one of my benefactors went missing!" She sighed and glanced out of the window. Night had fallen across the landscape, leaving the half-moon shining amongst the starry sky. A content smile spread across her lips at the scene. "You know, I've always loved nights like this. It reminds me of back home when I used to sleep rough. Childhood was not a good phase for me. Kicked out at 13, was homeless until 17 when the doctor offered me a roof in exchange for my skills... Kind of miss it, you know? Playing by my own rules. I still have my own agender and the security made up for it."

Shadow had risen an eyebrow, throwing her a look. "And, you're point?"

She smiled, a laugh escaping her as she leaned against the rail. "Does there have to be one?" The glare she received made her smile develop into a smirk. "You may are an enigma to others, but I can read you like a book. The point is that life is messed up; it is a complete sh*t show. No matter how hard you try, you can't ever get it right. There are always people you wrong and things you regret and wish to forget. You lose the ones you love and watch others turn old and grey. No one ever has a happy life; no matter what people say. Your destiny is your own; so stop moping and help me get closer to finding your brother."

A small, amused smile forced itself onto his lips without his consent at those words. He held up the emerald. 

"You have a funny way to tell me to do something."

Rouge snorted.

There was a few moments of silence between them, this one more comfortable than the last.

"How did you know... What I was thinking, that is...?" His voice was a mutter as if afraid to ask.

Her hands tightened around the railing, eyebrows drawing together in thoughtful contemplation.

"It's not that hard, not really. It is both the easiest and most complicated to thing to understand." She turned to him, eyes shining with emotion he could not place. "Were all looking for something. It may be easy to obtain or a faraway dream, but there is always more to explore. To discover. I thought I found it all until I met Knuckles, the most clueless, yet loyal guy I've ever met. He drove me crazy with his obsession with his Emeralds, but it was something I can also admire about him. He may have a one-tracked mind, but through him, I found there was more to life than just my jewels and my own selfish desires. He opened my eyes, showing me that my hobby was causing others distress and I found that I had to change my ways into something more productive. So, I started to treasure hunt in old ruins instead and look for the Chaos Emeralds. I felt better, doing my thing without someone getting hurt," she sighed and stretched, her wings lifting slightly behind her. She then winked at him.

"I guess the moral of the story is: always pursue your goals, but never let bystanders suffer to achieve your dreams."

Shadow stared at her in amazement, his mind running the words through his head. His eyes followed as she stranded him in the room. As she went, her voice reached his ears. "Now, be a dear and do your homework like a good boy while I take a long, hot bath."

And with that, the door shut behind her, leaving him to his own thoughts.

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 10- Ovi's past:

The passage of time was a fickle thing. Sometimes, hours felt like days while days felt like minutes. Once, he never seemed to have enough of it. Always working on projects, talking with his grandfather over midnight caffeine boosters as they tried to fight off sleep. There never seemed to be enough hours in the day to get everything done.

Now, the passage of time seemed to trickle on forever. Every second was agonisingly slow as he waited for himself to get old and, eventually, die. It was an evitable event and he found himself pondering over the thought countless times, laying in bed and staring at the metal walls that encased him. The thought drove him mad. He didn't want to die- who does?- but there was nothing he could do about it.

He had lost his purpose. Lost his sanity. He was a former version of himself; a lifeless doll that completed the meaningless tasks day in and out, like the rest of the sheep that made up the majority of the human race. It would have disgusted him if he was able to muster up the energy to argue against his new reality.

But that's what it was now, his reality. A bleak existence left in the shadows of another government-led disaster and far away dreams.

It was not like he could follow his grandfather's legacy. To recreate and improve the original designs. The research had been burnt along with the bodies of those who occupied his previous home. The once advanced space station; left abandoned amongst the stars. A true fairytale and myths for the select few that was slowly diminishing.

He couldn't let that happen. Not when people were counting on him. He couldn't let their deaths be in vain. So, with determination in his thoughts and a heavy heart in his chest, he clambered out of bed, dragging his broken form across to the bathroom to freshen up.

There was a way out of this bleak and monotonous life. One way to leave the shadows and take revenge on the organisation that did this to them and be reunited with what was his, yet he was reluctant to go through with it. Abandoning who he was as a person until the time comes was always hard on one's mental health. It caused an identity crisis at best, insanity at worst. But, he was determined. He wouldn't lose himself.

He could do this for the ones he loved.

Lifting his head, dark eyes glanced in the mirror, wincing at the ghost of his former self. Maybe this form was already dead? It would make sense. Maybe he died back on the arc when his world was shot or dragged away, screaming for help that would never come. His form was now an empty shell, awaiting a purpose and a new identity.

Ivo Robotnick died in the fire and lost dreams; left to be reborn. Remodelled into this new form.

While the old him was a coward who lived in a world of expectations and broken promises, the new him will rise up, reforming the world into his own image.

A better one where people like Maria wouldn't have to suffer as she did.

A world where creativity wouldn't be shunned and creations can run free.

No matter how long it would take, he would build this world.

For him.

For them.

And for his son.

She was pretty, rich, and single. A perfect target for someone who is looking for a quick climb to the top of the social chain. His ticket to power.

Fresh out of an abusive relationship, the young woman was easily charmed by this amusing and clever man he modelled himself to be. Ovi Kintobor was the man of her dreams because he paid attention to her and made things interesting. He dressed well for a commoner, worked hard to ensure he could treat her and asked for little in return. He was a well-mannered young man who had the potential to be a great inventor.

For her birthday, he fashioned a one-of-its-kind bracelet that reminded her of her appointments and predicted the weather. She was thrilled with the present and accepted his proposal to a regular courting ritual. 

Finally, he was invited back to one of the villas she resided in and it was everything he expected.

His crimes were simple at first.

He tinkered with the expensive cars and her alarm systems, making sure his 'soon-to-be fiance' was safe. Little did she know, he created his own tracking system to know her family's movements. It made it easier to sneak into her grandfather's company and to steal supplies for his projects. To steal small fortunes that wouldn't be missed. 

Then the parents pressed for when he was going to pop the question and things started to go south. 

They invited him to elegant parties, fancy dinners, family meetings, and a holiday. He spent less and less time away from the woman and her family, resulting in a lower income. The family knew someone was stealing from the company account but didn't know who. He couldn't afford the stuck-up life anymore, so he knew something had to change and soon. 

By this time, he had managed to create an underground laboratory in the next town over and knew it was time to cut his ties and flee. 

So, he faked his death a week after, making sure to leave clues to the scene.  A simple kidnapping and murder. He crafted a set of realistic bones and set them alight, making sure to burn them beyond recognition of the technology of the time and dumped the 'body' in the river.

A simple, yet effective method that left little questioning.

He hid for a while in the woods, making sure no evidence was left behind of his existence. 

Luckily, there was none.

Soon, he was able to shed the expensive suit and leave the high-life behind.

Isolated and alone within the safety of his bunker, he became obsessed with his work.  Insomnia and horrific thoughts crept back into the spotlight, leaving him evidently depressed. The rush from the criminal life had dulled to a throbbing in his head, itching for action but never receiving much.

He came focused on learning, spending day after day surrounded by books and his notes. His efforts became so desperate that he even looked at time travel, yet it seemed an impossible concept to pursue. Next, his focus shifted to the multiverse theory. He had always dreamt about what would happen if all of them managed to escape the Arc, alive, well and together. The thought relighted his determination. His fantasies.

Surely, there was a universe out there that answered his prayers? If he couldn't get them back here, why shouldn't he look somewhere else? He had to try! 

So, he did. 

Night and days blurred together as he drew up blueprint after blueprint. Invention after invention... But, he could never get it right. 

His anger grew. 

Nothing was working. The equipment on the arc was far superior to those assessable here. His funds were limited and he lost his ticket to materials only attainable through governmental methods. It was beyond frustrating to have his brilliance shunned so rapidly.

He was never going to reach his goal at the rate.

He had to adapt.

Things continued to remain bleak. His hope dwelling into dust before fate decided to be merciful and one of GUN's henchmen stumbled over his humble abode. He jumped at the opportunity to catch the young man in his clutches. Overworked and underappreciated, the unsuspecting young man eagerly jumped at the prospect of being his lab assistant. 

He was a scientist who was shoved into the robotic division of GUN, where the only position was available. While he was average in his knowledge of robotics in the past, he had mostly failed to get his degree and was deterred from the position. His previous job was that of a lowly intern, so this position was an upgrade into something he enjoyed.

The man was a new perspective on his work, finding flaws that didn't seem right within Ovi's equation. It got him to second guess some of his work that it managed to eventually nudge him on the right track. 

Despite how helpful the young man was being, Ovi found it hard to be around him. His assistant was nosy and loud, always asking questions and was popular amongst the small town's people. It drove him crazy. The bubbling bafoon was attracting attention, claiming he was working on a project that 'benefited mankind.' 

He guessed it was Ovi's fault. He lied to the young man, stating the project was revolutionary and a huge leap in the development of the human race. It seemed a good lie at the time. He should have gotten rid of the guy before GUN came knocking on his door. Apparently, in the extension of his town, the man had also been very vocal at work.

It was hard to hold himself back from straggling the smug bastard. The commander had strutted around his lab, demanding explanations and declaring the lab now GUN's property. The glare he gave the commander was venomous, ready to strike once his back was turned, yet he couldn't. The man held leverage, regardless of if the bastard knew it or not. He couldn't risk their lives just yet.

Instead, he put on a fake smile and nodded, secretly planning his murder. It would have been so simple; so easy to end his life. 

Unfortunately- or fortunately- the visit was short and he was stuck again in the same position he was all those years ago back on the arc. This time he wasn't going to back down. He wasn't going to allow them to take his things. 

So, that night, he activated the prototype and the last thing he knew, every cell in his body felt like it was on fire and he knew nothing more.

He missed it; living amongst the stars. It was so peaceful up there, in space, and a bit lonely. His family was his rock, his pride and joy... But now they were gone, leaving him to reminiscent about good times and to wallow in his nightmares and regret.

They didn't have to die; they could have survived! But they ignored him. Dismissed his warning as some crazy babbling. He wondered if things would have worked out differently if they just left when he said. The 'what if's' had haunted his thoughts, drove his nightmares.

He should have done more...!

The large human's form shook slightly as he stood in front of a set of doors that led to the abandoned wing in his home. All his bases had them, regardless of how big or simplistic they had been, and were always hidden from prying eyes. The rooms would always be constructed in the same way; the same shape, size and held the same furniture and equipment, right down to the carpet. He had never had the guts to touch it, regardless of how dirty it became. Even his closest robots had been refused entry.

... He knew the idea was a simple act of a sentimental fool. No matter how he tried, he could never let go of the past. His families death had scared him more than he liked to admit.

It twisted his thoughts, turning him into a ghost of his former self. He longed for the life he had left behind, that he was driven from. At least then, he had true intentions. He was able to think clearly.... something that didn't come easily these days.

And now he was stuck in the past, using it as the only motivation to march forward and take revenge on the one who prematurely ripped the once abnormal family apart.

It was not fair...

The isolation had made him volatile. Driven him mad with grief and regret. Countless times, he found himself waking up from nightmares. Staring longingly into the distance. Lashing out at the world in fits of anger.

His spiral into madness had been rapid, clouding his thoughts and driving his actions. He didn't realise the consequences of his anger until it was done. Most times, he didn't care. All those lives he ruined couldn't quell his rage. Other times, he felt numb, almost hollow inside. Nothing could compare to the lives that were taken.

But then the accident happened, and his faith returned. He became obsessed with revenge, letting the thoughts of what could consume his very being. He embraced the feeling, finding it more appealing than the constant anger and crimpling depression. It was like a drug. He would sabotage, destroy and even kill to gain back what was his. Finally, his plans were back on track, despite the major set back.

It didn't matter if Shadow had lost his memories, he would soon be under his control, regardless, and then he would finally achieve his one and true goal. The thing that drove him through his crazy schemes and endless defeats.

Looking back, it was all worth it to be on the verge of victory and not even that meddling commander will get in his way.

He was determined to carry out his plans. No matter the cost. He had waited too long for this to fail. He couldn't let GUN or Shadow get in the way.

He would reshape the world into his own image and they could finally be reunited. His hand tightened on the locket's chain. To see his cousin's face again was most encouraging, and he hoped Shadow would be too distracted to notice the swap.

Suddenly, there was an announcement coming from his communicator, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Sir. It's the GUN's Commander," a robotic voice informed, making him grit his teeth. That man.... the bastard who...

"Patch him through," the doctor snapped, fists curling.

There was an interference before a voice spoke, tone caught between exhaustion and determined.

"Ivo Robotnick?"

The moonlight reflected off the rusted metal as the figure crept forward, form a dark silicate roaming the woods. It's footsteps clanked against the ground, sending small animals to scurry away in fright. The form paused in the clearing, red eyes surveying their surroundings with purpose. Its gaze landed on a small bunker door hidden well beneath the undergrowth and the figure flexed his fingers menacingly before getting to work.

A loud bang against the metal above startled the young kit out of his sleep. Half-awake, he glanced around, blue eyes wide as he clutched the comforter closer to his chest. It sounded again, making him flinch. He strained his ears, listening for the sound once more, but instead, he heard a metallic whine as if something gave way.

"Ah!" Tails screamed in terror as something heavy crashed against the floor down the hall. He jumped out of bed in terror, hand coming up to clamp over his mouth as the fritzing sound of warn engines was heard and was coming closer. Quickly, he looked around for somewhere to hide from the unknown intruder and dove under the bed, taking the remaining Chaos Emerald from the bedside table with him.

Pulling the sheets down, he tried to control his own heart rate, feeling the blood rush to his ears as heavy thuds echoed across the room as the unknown entity approached. A green light scanned the room and Tails pulled into a tighter ball, blinking rapidly in disorientation once it reached him.

"CHAOS EMERALD, LOCATED," a monotonous tone announced mechanically. The thuds started up again causing the kit to whimper. Terror gripped his heart as the flimsy bedsheet lifted as a primary red form came into view, its blood-red eyes boring into Tails'. Before he knew it, the robots clawed hand reached forward and Tails scream echoed throughout the bunker.

Behave yourself, she said. Be a good boy, she said. Who gave her the right to talk to him like that? It annoyed him to no end. He had enough patriotism for a lifetime at G.U.N, he wasn't going to take it now they were free. 

Shadow huffed, fingers dancing over the keys with little success. The words 'access denied' flashed warningly in red once more, causing his scowl to deepen. His eye twitched, mind racing through the benefits and cons of just punching a hole into one of the monitors.

He was trapped in the control room for over an hour with nowhere to go and was unable to hack the computer for any information to tell him what the hell was going on.  Leaning back in the doctor's oversized chair, he sighed, staring daggers at the password screen. It seemed he would never get into the base's mainframe at this rate...

Suddenly the doors swung open, emitting someone. He turned and was taken aback upon seeing one of the various helper bots the crazy doctor had around this base. This one was a long, clear cylinder on a long stick that opened up in a half-sphere that reminded Shadow of a bowl. The unit was tiny and seemed to hover a few inches above the ground.

His flimsy arms were swinging about the duster as he hummed a happy tune as he started to brush over the desk by the door. Shadow watched it cautiously, palms unconsciously falling from the keys to his lap. The awkward silence for Shadow hung thick in the air and he held his breath, wondering if he was going to be spotted by the 'bot or not.

He wasn't sure if the robot reports his activities to Kintobor or if he was even allowed on the computer. The man had just left them here with barely any direction or rules. Shadow failed to understand how he felt about that.

For the first time in 50 years, he wasn't given explicit orders and it made him anxious about the unspoken boundaries of this new base. He didn't want to piss the man off so soon without knowing what he was capable of. His energy levels had a long wait to replenish properly, even with the emerald in his quills, and he hated fighting an unknown opponent with such a severe handy cap. And, without his brother around, there was little he could do other than rely on the single Emerald he possessed.

Before he could decide what to do, the door opened again, gaining both of their attention.

"Someone's been a naughty boy, going through Egghead's stuff," Rogue commented, caught between amusement and surprise. Shadow felt like a deer in headlights, staring dumbly as she walked over, hips swaying. Her eyes were alight with mischief. "Be a dear and share the files you've had a look at, and I won't have to tell the doctor how much of a bad boy you are, hmm?" She leaned over, hand unconsciously landing on his shoulder.

Red eyes widened a fraction before he shoved it off, throwing her a glare before turning to the screen, frown fixed in place. "It's password-protected," he snorted, feeling a little embarrassed at his failure to access the mainframe. 

A grin spread across her face, making him feel a rush of unease, as well as .... excitement? "Oh, honey. Your skills are so limited. Scooch over," she heaved herself onto the massive seat, seating herself next to him so their legs were touching.

He looked away, the rush of heat burning his cheeks. She cooed at his reaction before her delicate fingers flew across the keyboard. 

"So..." She begins, making him turn his head to face her again. It did little to quell the embarrassment. He felt like a child waiting to be questioned about their day. "Ultimate lifeform, huh? I did expect someone bigger, but you know the saying- beware the weak and the seemingly vulnerable before they bite your a*s.  How'd you get locked up? What's your story, hun?" 

Suddenly, all embarrassment was gone, leaving an uncomfortable silence that seemed to suffocate. Each tap against the keyboard was loud and grating in the control room. "I... Don't want to talk about it," he mumbled, uncertainly. 

The expecting anger never came, leaving him confused and his skin crawling. This was wrong. Unwanted or diverse answers should result in punishment. Instead, emotion shone in her eyes and she nodded.

"That's fair, I guess." She muttered, afraid to break the silence. Despite her hesitance, her smirk softened into a genuine smile. "Well, whenever you're ready, I'll be here to listen." She told him with a sense of sincerity. "Ah!" She exclaimed and he looked over, his expression morphing into surprise as he found she managed to get in. 

How in the world...?

 "Now, let's see what the good doctor is hiding, shall we?" She asked, already clicking on a file.

What they saw shocked Shadow to the core. "M-maria?!"

TBC:

https://discord.gg/ hEyxbsNK (have your say in the future of this story!)

Chapter Text

Chapter 11- Robot Smackdown:

Green optics widened at the sight, mouth hanging open in disbelief as he stared at the robot infested streets. Beside him, the black and red striped hedgehog's processor was working on overdrive, a thousand theories and thoughts racing through his head, expression calculating.

"Woah. Eggface is gonna flip," the first commented in a wonder-struck tone. He turned, beaming, his hand going up to swipe over his nose before extended out into a thumbs up. "What ya say about trashing these bots, Shads? Give Towers something to be furious about?"

The Metal version of Shadow rolled his optics, but he couldn't stop the manic smirk from gracing his lips.

With that silent agreement, they burst from behind the library, the first spin-dashing the closest to him, meanwhile the other pulled out his prized twin guns.

The pair started picking them off one by one, working in harmony as if they had weeks to cograph the moves. They weaved behind each other, the blue one using his companion as a springboard for the perfect aim to the robots weak spots.

The collection of bots fell within minutes, the final one's chest blasted open, leaving severed wires sparking and flaying in its wake. Shadow spun his guns before placing them in back quills. He turned to see where his companion went and saw him perching on the side of a building, sporting an awestruck expression.

"What?" He snapped, slightly annoyed that Sonic had abandoned the fight enough to watch him in action.

The said companion cleared his throat, a sheepish smile forcing his way onto his face against his will. "Well... er. You are..." He swallowed on reflex, his processor struggling to form the words he wanted to say. Instead, he settled for the truth. "Do you know that you're so HOT when you fight?"

An eye-ridge rose, stunned, before he shook himself, brushing off the unexpected compliment. "Of course, Fighting puts stress on our systems, which generates heat..." Metal Sonic sighed, placing an elbow on his raised knee while his palm cradled his cheek. He drowned out the lecture, probably about not paying attention to his own system and bluh, bluh, bluh.

To be honest, he didn't care.

Even if they were considered 'robots' despite hitting the criteria for 'androids' at best, they did have feelings. It baffled the doctor at first, causing him to experiment on them both to find the cause, but he said that he couldn't locate the fault. After that, he gave up, leaving them to their own devices. As long as it didn't interfere with the mission, he couldn't care less...

Metal Sonic wondered what would have happened if he didn't give up. He wondered if he would be better off without his emotions. Metal Shadow seemed to dismiss them at every corner. It made him wonder what exactly was wrong with him.

Most times, he loved having emotions. The ability to feel in a body that couldn't be a relief- a retrieve to all the madness. But then there are times like this where misunderstandings and non-reciprocated feelings dragged him down into a never-ending spiral.

It was like he was falling, losing hope of ever being loved or accepted. Even the doctor gave up his affections. When he was a newer module, the man treated them both like family. He showed off their skills to the rest of Mobius, allowing them free reign of the base, praised them for jobs well done and even created power-down cycles that were close to sleeping patterns. They even had their own room!

All that faded when he moved on to the next big thing: the Chaos Emeralds.

The pair were cast aside, suddenly being treated like his other robot minions. Deep down, Metal Sonic saw the change as refreshing. It helped him gain a new perspective on the matter and allowed him to meet others. Tails, Sally, Bunny, Nicole, Antonie, Mighty, Fang, Ray, Storm and all the rest.

They were sceptical at first, but he proved his worth by saving Tails from one of Eggman's traps. His memories were hazy between then and the accident, but he was reactivated in the doctor's base and the human refused to let him leave. They said he was badly damaged and he couldn't join Shadow on his missions anymore. And, while Metal Sonic felt fine, his fading memories made him obey.

He still wondered what happened to his new friends and if they ever made it out of Nutthole. What exactly was the 'accident?' He feared his friends were caught in whatever it was. If they were dead or alive.

"Are you even listening to me, Hedgehog?"

Jolting out of his thoughts, he scratched the back of his neck and looked down into the crimson eyes of his counterpart. His body wanted to dissolve into the rooftop out of embarrassment.

"Hmm?" He called, unintelligibly, down to his comrade.

There was a huff of air. "I said: 'do you see any more robots from up there?'"

It took a moment for his processor to register what was asked. He glanced around, trying to avoid the glare off the many lights that littered the city at night, and nodded. The tops of the robots heads could be seen a few blocks away. 

"Yeah, but they're spread out. We may have to split up for this one," he informed with a sigh, climbing to his feet. The metal of his kneecap scraped against the tiling, making him cringe slightly.

Metal Shadow rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Fine by me. At least I don't have to babysit you during that time." He turned in the direction, then hesitated before saying. "Don't be late for our original mission. We can't let Towers get his hands on those kids. The doctor will scrap us on the spot. And don't, for the love of chaos, get yourself scrapped or captured because I am NOT saving you."

The blue one saluted- which Metal Shadow couldn't see- and joked. "Aye, aye, captain. Received and understood your royal highness... Any other requests you like to stow upon me? Any words of wisdom?" Silence followed as Metal Shadow's hands curled into fists, his teeth clenched. "None?" He continued with mock surprise. "Oh, well. Because, I'll be lost without your nagging- I mean, assistance."

Apparently, that was enough for the black and red-striped hedgehog as he activated his jets and went skating down the street.

Back on the roof, the blue one sighed, tilting his head back to look at the sky. He missed his home... and he missed the Shadow that was left behind.

The last few rays of sunshine started to dip below the horizon, plunging the city into near darkness. The street lamps acted as mini-suns, casting spotlights within the populated areas.

Knuckle's travelled by shadows, avoiding the increasing number of robots roaming the street. They checked everyone and everything, leaving no space unchecked. Not even the alleyways and abandoned buildings were safe from the ruthless hunt.

He had to intervene from a rogue security bot found a group of homeless teenagers and decided to get a little too trigger happy. From then on, he was steadily growing paranoid. Even if it was a common occurrence for an Eggman robot to fritz, it would never seek out innocents without direction. The doctor had fail-safes installed in case it turned on children. No matter how bad the situation got, the doctor always had an aversion to harming children. It was an unwritten rule he was grateful for.

He slipped into a nearby park, taking a deep breath as a pair of patchwork robots sped past. With a sigh, he placed a tired Blue against a tree before peering through the bushes warily. The robots had stopped just down the street, scanners sweeping over the area. He drew back with a churning feeling in his gut.

Exhaustion had started to seep into his mind, and he stretched, hoping to wake up his muscles enough to take them back to base.

Despite wanting to find his friends, his hope was wavering and it was beginning to get too hard to search in the growing darkness. It had been more than 24 hours, they could be anywhere. If he wanted to find them, he needed to seriously switch up his strategy. The threat of getting caught became too much to bear. Even with his advanced night vision from countless nighttimes without artificial light back on Angel Island, he deemed it impossible to find his allies unless he stumbled across them by blind coincidence.

With a heavy heart, he sat down on the thin grass, thoughts swirling through his head as he looked up to the night sky.

His mind drifted back to the old days, where he would spend months at a time reading and re-reading the ancient texts to ensure he memorised them. Before her death, his mother expressed their importance. She had told him that, should the emerald fall in another's hands, he would need the knowledge of the scrolls and the power of the guardian that rested inside him to get it back.

It was his job to keep it safe. It was his mission until the end of his days. He believed that. The one and only goal in his life, and he had accepted that wholeheartedly.

And that is when Sticks came along and broke the mundane. Despite her efforts, he was still a social wreck with an 'obsession'. While Stick's didn't understand it, she tried her best to accommodate. She hurt and lost everything she knew that he had to let her stay. He wasn't that heartless and the Master Emerald showed him that her intentions were true.

Next thing he knew, Tails came along with Robotnick, who recked his island and stole the Master Emerald.

To say Knuckles was devastated was an understatement.

It was the first time he had failed the Master Emerald and he wallowed in his failure. Luckily, Sticks and Tails were eager to help and they finally defeated Eggman and sent him packing.

During that journey, he got to know the fox better and was able to get a glimpse of the outside world. It wasn't bad, considering. The residents were questionable at best and rude at worst, but the thing that captivated him was the beauty of the bustling city, of the endless fields and rivers that seemed to go on forever. He knew that being cooped up was not how he wanted to be.

He would never abandon the Master Emerald, but he would check up on the fox kit and enjoy the company.

Tails was an extraordinary kid. The yellow fox was ferociously intelligent, to the point of abnormally so, and was an incredible inventor. He had managed to come up with a machine that could track vast amounts of Chaos Energy, had repaired and learn to fly an old plane he had saved from a junkyard and was able to decipher ancient runes.

The eight-year-old was a force to be reckoned with when given the chance and he had a bright future ahead of him, under the right guidance. That said, Knuckles was scared of what others would do should they discover the kits talents and he placed it upon himself to visit him regularly when he deemed it safe to do so.

Back then, Tails had lived in the fields ever since he was abandoned by his parents and was fed by a small rabbit named Creme who brought her mother's infamous cookies to share. As their friendship grew, Creme's mum, Vanilia, had invited the fox kit into her home and was told to stay for as long as he needed. He accepted and never brought himself to leave, much to the pairs' delight.

It was a shame the kit had gotten mixed up in all this. The little guy figured something was wrong when the Chaos Signals started to gather in one place and Sticks had to save him from falling for a trap just yards from Eggman's base. Knuckles wished he had more sense and turned-tailed when he had the chance. Unfortunately, the kit wanted to stop the doctor before things got out of hand, like the rest of them.

And now they were all stranded here and in danger of being discovered.

Most nights since their arrival, he found himself wondering if things would have turned out differently if they stayed back on the island.

If they didn't have to live being treated like fugitives.

If he managed to stop Stick's and send the kit home, would he have ever found a way off this unforgiving rock?

The possibilities are endless...

And utterly pointless to dwell on.

They were here, in this situation, without guidance or instruction. He had to step up. To be a leader he was shying away from.

He wasn't a loner anymore.

He had people to protect.

Blue jumped as he stood up, a determined look on his face.

"Let's go," he whispered confidently.

Blue's breath tickled his ear every time he lightly snored. However annoying it became, it lured him into a sense of relaxation he knew he couldn't afford to be in. He needed to be alert to avoid capture from the robots, but it's hard when Blue was unconsciously sending out a wave of peacefulness through his Chaos Signature. It reminds him of the days when he was younger. The Master Emerald would do the same thing for those restless nights filled with dark thoughts and the eerie quiet.

Again, he questioned how Blue's Chaos Energy was similar to that of the Master Emerald. Sure, there were obvious differences, but the fact that they both possess positive and negative Chaos was unnerving. It was known for a fact that a living thing couldn't possess both without there being a major imbalance. Even though there were such things as Chaos Bonds where the energy was shared between two individuals, no one ever started out harnessing both.

A Chaos Bond was something from ancient times, read about in the many texts back on his beloved island. It was much rarer now as the wielders became fewer and far between. It was hard to find someone attuned to Chaos, let alone find someone of the same calibre, yet with the opposite energy, to bond with.

Chaos Bonds were formed between a positive and a negative Chaos user. Once the link has been formed, the bond is unbreakable. Both sides would emit a signal to keep the bond alive, even over long distances, yet there was no such thing coming from Blue he had ever seen. If he was Chaos Bonded to another, his energy would be extremely erratic by now. Without their partner to stabilize the energy, it would build up to unmanageable proportions, the overload of energy slowly driving the Chaos User insane...

That's if the overwhelming feeling of emptiness didn't get to them first. It was believed that Chaos Bonds lived in their partner's mind and the longer they are separated, the weaker their link becomes... until one day, the link just snaps.

There was a reason modern Chaos User's didn't Chaos Bond with others. Back in the day, Chaos User's were forced to bond with others from their tribe. It was a tradition when two children were born with the gift so they could grow strong together, making them get used to being around the other. Relying on their partner and letting their strength grow together.

Once they reached adulthood, they would be considered a unit. Closer than a married couple. To separate them forcibly would be considered treason by endangering the clan. They would work together to protect the others, using the strength of their bond and Chaos abilities to fight off enemies. For some tribes, they are considered higher beings, some even ranked just below gods. Especially those with other forms.

Sadly, nowadays, even if two did bond, there was no excuse to stay together. They didn't have traditions to follow, laws to abide, or honour to keep. Chaos Users ran wild, free of the threat of being bound to another until death marked its claim on them both.

His thoughts were interrupted by a noise at an intersection next to a school. It sounded like fighting!

Allured by the noise, he trailed the wall before peering around.

His jaw dropped in disbelief at the sight.

Tails waited, quivering in a tight ball for the pain to come, but it never did. Instead, he felt something grasp the Emerald clutched in his grasp and yanked. Hard. He yelped, feeling himself rollover from the force of the tug and nearly went face-first into the dresser if another claw didn't curl around his middle and lifted him effortlessly onto the bed.

The kit let out an indignant squeak but said nothing, his brain still processing what the hell just even happened.

"CHAOS EMERALD, ACQUIRED," the metallic voice of his captor filled the room, echoing slightly off the bunker walls.  "LIFEFORM FOUND. DESIGNATION: MILES 'TAILS' PROWLER. SPECIES: ANPROMORPHIC FOX. HOMEWORLD: ERROR!" Tails eyes widened, watching in fascination and a hint of horror as it listed off what was in his data banks (how did he know all about him?)... That was until the last one, in which the robot started to glitch for a moment, repeating the word 'ERROR' for a solid minute or two before recalibrating.

"CONFLICTING DATA FOUND. SWITCHING TO MANUAL OBSERVATION AND DATA GATHERING.  CREATING A SEPARATE PROFILE. CURRENT STATUS: NOT HARMED, ALTHOUGH NEUROTRANSMITTERS, INDICATE THE LIFEFORM IS SCARED. SWITCHING TO SUPPORT MODE." Without warning, the claws retracted into plates on his arms and hands sprouted in their place. The dots that served as optics switched to sky blue as it crouched by the bed, placing his charge upon it. It stayed there, hunched over, as it stared at Tails, waiting for... something to happen.

For a moment, Tails wasted time to get his nerves back up to a level where he wasn't useless in shock and fear. He still eyed the robot, still wary by its presence, but it seemed to be in standby mode.

Gathering the courage, he finally slipped off the bed and circled it, blue eyes taking in its simple design. He hummed, unconsciously eyeing the wiring exposed in the connection between its head and its shoulders. 

"What are you?" The kit muttered in wonder, gaze trailing down to the many scuff marks and scratches upon the robots metal plating. "Are you one of Eggman's? If so, why didn't you attack me?"

Despite it being rhetorical, the robot seemed to whirl to life at his question, like a fortuneteller in one of those little boxes at a fairground. Tails jumped back, namesakes twitching in surprise as they carried him back towards the bed. "DOCTOR IVO ROBOTNICK IS MY CREATOR, YET I AM NOT DESIGNED TO HARM, LIKE THE REST. I WILL NOT HARM YOU."

A mixture of confusion and surprise bubbled in his stomach, making it lurch in discomfort. His mind quickly analysing the words with a small spark of disbelief. The doctor had always created robots to either conquerer the world or work under his servitude. It was rare for them to have freedom, and the only one he had remotely seen thinking for themselves was glimpses of Metal Shadow, who, by principle, seemed to hate everyone and everything within a mile radius. If this robot was purposed for battle, why did he have the ability to do so? It was not if they were designed recently- there were still scars on his arms and claws.

"What's your purpose then? Your original goal?"

The next words the robot had said sent shivers down his spine and he fled the room and up the ladder.

He had to warn him!

Knuckles was in danger!

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 12- Commander and the metal blues:

The last thing he expected was to run into the royal twat himself; Commander Abraham Towers. Never mind getting smacked into the wall by a flying fist while going at Mark 2. It caused his optics to shutter off momentarily and cracked his communicator. 

Swearing, he peeled himself from the nice shaped-hole in the wall, ready to activate his shoes when his foot snagged on something solid, causing him to lose his balance and trip. The world tilted sidewards as he went down, processor grinding to a halt as he looked up to the very man himself, looming over his form like a predator to his pray.

Trying to lighten the mood, he unwisely chooses this time to jest. "If you want me, at least buy me a drink first," he laughed nervously, hand moving to scratch the back of his neck before a foot pinned it in place, pushing down on the appendage.

"Enough of your games," the Commander commented dryly, a hint of curiosity bleeding through. "You're one of Robotnick's abominations, correct? A prototype? I feared he continued his project from all those years ago but, standing here now, I realise that you're just a robot. A minion to do his bidding."

As he spoke, he placed a hand in his pocket and brought out an over-glorified laser pen."Now, here is how things are going to go down. You OWE me for every robot you so selfishly destroyed, so I am going to ask you a question for each one, and every time you answer wrong or give me an unsatisfactory answer, one of your limbs will be dislocated from the rest of your body. Understood?" The metal stud of his shoe pushed deeper as the figure below him began to struggle, the words sparking fear within him.

"Hey, come on! No need to be so hasty. We can work this out WITHOUT any violence, I'm sure," the metal hedgehog stuttered out, attempting to pry the human's leg off with one of his claws, to no avail. It was positioned on his joint, preventing it from lifting further than a few centimetres from the ground. He growled in agitation, throwing the man a glare, his eyes flashing red momentarily.

"Get off of me!" He demanded as his lips pulled back in a threatening snarl. The human didn't even flinch. Instead, he had the nerve to laugh.

Bloody laugh.

"Oh, and why would I do that? I've had bigger threats from Project: Shadow, and I'm still alive. What are you going to do, huh? Suddenly find the strength to shoot me into the nearest wall? Try to shoot me? Claw at my leg, like the scum you are? You robots, going around thinking your superior, but you're really not. Any move against me, and you will quickly learn how to crawl back to your master."

The blue hedgehog winced, knowing how hard it was to hop with one leg until he got a replacement, never mind having to crawl miles at a time or call for help. That's just embarrassing. The others would never live it down; defeated by a pesky human. Hah. He would be the laughing stock of Eggman's gallery of 'bots.

The laser lowered in threat, sparking to life, ready to slice through metal joints under his kneecap. His joints locked up in anticipation, fear racing through him as the man looked him deep in the eye, grinning. Those heterochromic orbs peering into his soul. He shivered.

He felt so exposed. 

So helpless. 

Was this how his origin felt every day?

It was terrifying, waiting for him to move or speak... or, do anything apart from stare at him.

The man didn't seem happy, observing his body with a thoughtful expression. He forced back a whimper. It looked like he wanted to examine him. Dissect him. It made various alarm bells in his mind to scream at him, 'get out!'

Was he fated to be dismantled, and stitched back together, acting as a tool for the humans.

No, he refused to do so. He couldn't.

He won't be anyone's puppet. 

Never again!

"Where is Project: Chaos and Project: Shadow? Where is the 'good doctor' keeping them?"

Well, crap. His panic rises.

Silence follows and the Lazer flicks on, hovering just centimetres from the wiring to his legs. He felt himself whimper involuntarily. "I don't know, okay! He doesn't tell us anything, I promise!"

The heated tip ghosted over one of his cables, severing one of the many tubes that acted as nerve receptors. He hisses, unable to hold back the pain. He couldn't let this mad man have the satisfaction. "Wrong answer. You look EXACTLY like him, Robotnick probably created you to take his place! Now, I will give you one more chance before I sever the limb and use it as a pitching wedge at my next golf tournament. Where are they?"

If he had lungs, he would be close to hyperventilating. His best asset was his speed, that counted as a lethal weapon most days, as he refused to take up arms against a living creature. No matter how much justification, threats or bribery tactics others tried to throw at him, he just couldn't consciously harm another unless it was in self-defence.

That's why Eggman made Metal Shadow lead the army, who had no qualms in punishing those who stood in their way. He wondered if that just made him the rational one, or the coward. There were many situations where it would have been easy to fight back, but he refused to, leading to injuries on both sides.

There had been many occasions where his opponent had been harmed more than was necessary when he ended up in a state of repair. Shadow was merciless to those who managed to hurt him, and even time hadn't taken this away. Sometimes it scared him, other times, it made him feel safe and protected

Right now... He was growing angry.

This man... this MONSTER had imprisoned his and Shadow's origin, used them. Manipulated them for all those years.

It was the first time he wanted to hurt someone... and he hated it. Anger was something he avoided at all cost, always finding the lighter side of circumstances if only to save both sides from the conflict it caused. Anger was pointless without someone to defend.

To protect.

And the base programming of all bots designed by the doctor to protect one family in particular; the Robotnicks... or, what was left of them.

And this man had done everything short of killing the last remaining members. Torture, experiments, imprisoned, threatened, starved, maimed. 

The list went on.

No more.

It had to end.

He didn't think his consciousness could handle someone walking away free after all that.

With an inhuman screech, he let out all the energy that was built up inside him and burst outwards, rippling in controlled shockwaves as the men were blasted backwards. Soldiers and robot parts went flying as a golden light enveloped him.

Metal Shadow skidded to a halt, head snapping to the direction that the explosion of energy came from. Similar to a Chaos Blast, the energy exploded outward, but unlike his signature move, it only capacitated those within the area, not out to kill. The skill was unique to Metal Sonic, the energy sending a shock to the system of its target, causing temporal paralysis to their limbs.

It was a useful attack, although it did not last for very long.

It was an escape plan at best. A diversion tactic at worst.

Something to stun his opponents until helped arrived or he slinked away.

And, the fact that the epicentre isn't moving spoke volumes about his state.

'For f*ck sake,' he thought with a roll of his eyes before he sped away, following the pull of the source of the blast. 'Leave it up to Metal to mess their plan up.'

Before he could make it, however, his communicator burst to life as the doctors voice filtered through. "Shadow, report," he starts, annoyance lacing his voice. "Sonic's signal has gone offline."

He swore under his breath, mind going through multiple excuses and plausible reasons as to what may have caused it. As a condition of allowing them to leave the base, they had to travel as a unit due to Metal Sonic's 'hero complex'. And every time one of them disobeys, Shadow faced the punishment. It was unfair as it is mostly his companion's fault, but the doctor had always played favourites.

Regardless of what Metal Sonic had gotten into, he is fucked. The doctor would know eventually unless he lied. 

It was a gamble, but it sometimes worked if he was distracted enough. Hopefully, the situation with G.U.N provided an admirable distraction. Save himself some time to bring Sonic back before they both get in trouble. 

The doctor could get very... creative when angry.

Instead, he sends images of the patchwork bots, hoping to provide a distraction.

The rage and cursing that followed proved it worked a little too well.

He grinned and began his search, going to the general area that he had last heard Metal Sonic, hoping to find him before the worst happens.

To say the android was pissed was an understatement. He was livid at himself for leaving the morally debilitated hedgehog to handle things on his own. His companion always had this tendency to do things the hard way, trying to find a third option in a choice of life and death situations. To find a backdoor, another path that is considered 'righteous' and it always costs him.

Eggman tried and failed, to make him see sense, but it was in his nature to see the good in people. It was an almost pathological need to do good and help people that drove Metal Shadow up the damn wall.

Leaving their opponents alive was almost a mistake. A kind of mercy that should never be granted to anyone, especially ones who were desperate enough to come back and finish the job.

Commander Towers was a paranoid man who would lose everything should the arc incident ever get out. He would be dishonoured and fired from his job if the higher-ups ever find out about his failer to contain two known-weapons, who were allowed to run ragged near the general public. If they ever knew that, he not only failed more than once to recapture them but put his innocent men's lives on the line to subdue or kill the ghost who just kept coming back to save his own skin.

His actions were scandalous and would cause the type of media attention he couldn't afford to have.

He was a man with many mistakes. Many regrets. But he was now too deep within the lies, too deep within the secrets and the mysteries and the cover-ups that he had no choice.

He thought he was doing the right thing all those years ago, and he couldn't change his mind. Could never look back. No amount of reminiscing and second-guessing never brought anyone back from the dead, so why should he start now?

Unfortunately, the choice left him with an axe to grind.

The seemingly immortal man. The one who always survived, no matter what was thrown at him, no matter how many times he tried to kill him. No, the figure would haunt his fear, pop up in his nightmares until he was a sobbing mess on the bathroom floor at 3 am, avoiding the mirror.

Who would even look into the face of a killer?

No, he couldn't turn back. His only choice was to march on, taking responsibility and finally right the wrongs as best as he could.

He was doing well, until the man showed up again, fury burning bright since the day he left.

His axe had dulled but was still ready for battle. His fiery death nothing more than a party trick. A true illusionist amongst normal folk.

He demanded what he thought was rightfully his, all diplomatic and reasoning as if he mellowed down by his time away. The moment he denied the request, the man got ugly. He outright declared war against G.U.N, cursing its name to the moon and back and promising their demise. He was ruthless, picking off agents, one. At. A Time. It started off slow, at first, leaving their bodies along with various messages. Clues about what happened that was useless to those who didn't live back in the 1970s, hinting at things best left forgotten. It wasn't long until Towers cracked under the pressure.

He instructed his team to send an agent to gather intel and directly regretted it. His PR team faced his wrath, and a half of the department was fired on the spot for their choice in who to send.

They didn't know, how could they? But it was just another mistake to add to his growing list of failures that could eventually lead to the decision that caused his legacy to crash and burn

He could see his life unravelling in no time at all. People who start to see him for the man he really was.

It started with the scientists; just a few agents who questioned his leadership skills a bit too much. They started to see his obsession with the 'Ovi Kintobor' case and the way he threw wave after wave of soldiers at the problem until the dwindling numbers forced them to retreat.

Certainly, they got a few robots in return, fashioned into security 'bots to increase security around Station Square as he tried to plan his next move, but most couldn't see the worth, himself included.

It was hard, filtering between plans of what to do with the badger girl, how to get both Projects back and how to silence the doctor once and for all or imprison him effectively enough until they could have a long 'talk'.

The goals were ambitious, but he always prided himself in being able to adapt to the new situation. Twisting them to his favour. So he told the public that a serial killer was on the loose in the area and they bought it. Fewer innocent casualties and even fewer places to hide. It was a win-win situation.

Just like before, fear was a great motivator, resulting in barely anyone roaming the streets past seven o'clock and the homeless seemed to banned together to find places to hide from the main parts of town. It was almost too perfect. He would ensure that if anyone was sneaking around the city for supplies, they would be caught and captured for questioning. There was little place to hide from the high tech trackers installed on the patchwork bots.

He could almost thank the doctor for designing them in a way that GUN scientist could easily repair and equip them with a little extra.

It was all going to plan- a little too well- until a bunch of signals went offline. It was like someone had to a remote to each of their cameras feeds and was rapidly turning them off one by one.

Unable to access the footage, he took it as an open invitation to investigate the mysterious occurrences himself, taking a squad into town to find the culprit.

Seeing Project: Chaos not only making quips but also running around was shocking, to say the least. He remembered himself thinking how the hedgehog on the verge of death was able to bounce back in the little of just over 24 hours. He hadn't even talked before, now he had a sense of humour?

It just had to be another one of the doctors twisted creations to psych him out.

Getting close enough to the target revealed his worst fear; a robot resembling the blue hedgehog, right down to the green eyes, it's peach arms and the fur! It scarily looked like skin slapped onto an exco-skeleton, combining both mechanical and biological elements. That said, bits and pieces stuck out, mostly on the arms and legs, mostly the joints. You could see wires connecting the pieces together as if it was the only way to keep them together.

He struck the fake, hard, making it fly back into a brick wall of the library. The thing recovered, getting up, only to trip. The display would have been comical if he wasn't so pissed.

Didn't Robotnick realise their mistakes the first time! Why create more? For his own amusement, perhaps? For revenge? To prove a point?

All of them were plausible.

Abraham entertained the thought that he created more just so he could watch the world burn.

The doctor was driven mad by his families death and where-ever that accident sent him too. It could be the fact that his humanity was simply withered away, leaving an insane mad man who wanted to watch the world suffer as he did all those years ago. Despite his rejection of the idea, he can kind of relate.

His actions had been shaped by the arc incident, every move made was related to ending the sealing the whole thing away as a bad memory and youthful naivety.

He realises, now, that life wasn't that simple. History always had a way to resurface; to pick up where it left off.

These events were inevitable, and he finds himself doing the same last time. Continuing this pointless feud spread across his lifetime.

Ignorance sure was bliss.

The 'interrogation' doesn't go as planned and he's left paralysed on the cold floor, unable to move as he watches the light die from the figure who blasted his men away and probably impacted them too.

It isn't like anything like the E.M.P, but its similar enough to bring back bad memories of broken ribs and ringing ears.

At least it wasn't Project: Shadow's Chaos Blast. He had heard many horror stories following those, and after what happened to the previous Commanders, he figures himself lucky.

He watches as the robot collapses, one leg severed from his body.

A surge of pride wells up within him as he remembered to drop the blade in a way that it cut through his wiring all in one go.

The best thing? The little sucker didn't even notice. Didn't even feel it go snap because he had severed the nerve endings first.

It's now hobbling around, losing its balance as it crashes to the floor, the metallic thump e going in the empty street. Its eyes are wide, gathering up the missing limb and cradling it to its chest.

The thing glances around, a look of something unreadable on his face before it morphs into utter disappointment with a hint of shame.

A gasp tears their attention away from the injured creature, and he curses the fact that he couldn't turn his neck to see who the intruder is. Luckily, it moves and he gets a brown coat and a blue dress flew pass him to kneel down.

He watches the exchange with as much intensity as possible, but his vision is blurry and ears don't seem to be working.

Instead, he hears static.

Knuckles is not freaking out. Nope. He is cool and collected, just like always, and this situation wasn't any different...

Ah, screw it.

Okay, maybe he was freaking out. Just a little on the inside.

Finding the second blue hedgehog, surrounded by G.U.N soldiers with a missing leg could definitely do that to you. Without little thought, he dumped the original in the doorway, promising he would come back for him soon before running out there, kneeling next to Blue's lookalike.

From there, he noticed the wires poking out the stump of his leg, seeing the exoskeleton mostly hidden under the fur and skin. An android, then? Wouldn't be the first time. But why copy Blue.

The smaller one looked perfect, curling up into a ball and shivering uncontrollably. Mutters of 'Metal' and 'Shads' was streaming out of his vocal modulator, his hands clutching at his quills as they changed to the words 'I didn't mean to' and 'I'm sorry'.

Knuckles stared at the figure, eyes narrowing in sympathy before he moved forward, hands going out to help him stand.

As his hands touched the android, however, it sprang up, almost butting foreheads with Knuckles before hopping back, expression terrified. The two stared at each other, one concerned, the other, wary before the silence became too much. Knuckles cleared his throat and spoke, trying to sound as non-threatening as possible.

"Hey, its okay," he started, hands out in a placating gesture, finding it the best approach, for now. The poor bot was scared and injured and that can make them deadly with the wrong move. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to know what happened and if I can help you before these human's start getting trigger happy again. Are you apart of G.U.N? Can you speak freely?"

He knows he's probably asking too many questions, and that they are probably pressed for time, but he had to take it slow if he didn't want the other to run away. If this robot had gone through a fraction of the torture and abuse Blue had seemingly gone through, no wondering it was acting like this.

The spark in those eyes. That tell-tale fear cammed into his small frame was signs if held some sentient. Fabricated or not, the emotions the android felt were real enough to affect him, and that fact shouldn't be taken lightly.

Suddenly, recognition sparked behind his optics and his mouth fell open slightly.

"You... you're Tails' friend, aren't you? The one who saved my origin?" A grin broke out on his face and he hobbled over, slowly, careful not to fall in the process. He beamed as Knuckles brain short curated. Did he know Tails? He knew him, too! But how?

"You are!" He almost yelled with childish excitement. "It's always nice to meet a new friend! I don't have many, so its always an honour to get to know someone. I hope we can be the best of friends?" A hand was thrust out, the claw that served as a hand glinting under the moonlight.

Without thought, he took it, mind still catching up with the situation. Many thoughts whirled around his head, trying to grasp his attention. Who was this? What did he want? How did he know them? Who was this origin?

The list goes on.

Instead, he found himself settling on the first question. The one question that matters. "What, and who, are you?"

The grin spread wider as he held up a thumb in a friendly gesture. "I'm Sonic The Hedgehog, aka, Metal Sonic, and we should get the heck out of here before they wake up." He pointed behind him to the bodies that littered the floor.

He felt himself nodded, mind finally registering the twitching limbs of the soldiers on the floor before scooping the smaller upon reflex and fleeing the scene.

A few minutes later, a black and red-striped hedgehog entered the scene as the agents started to collect themselves and climb to their feet. 

He smirked as a hoard of weapons was trained on him.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 16:

Knuckles carried both forms, one on his shoulder while the other was held securely in his arms. They made it to an old-fashioned church, taking shelter just inside the entrance as the rain started to fall from the sky.  It was on the outskirts of town, surrounded by a small graveyard and was probably rarely used due to the fact its small size was no longer big enough to accommodate the growing population.

"We should be safe here for a while, at least," Knuckles started, wary of the greying sky above their heads.

With a sigh, he set Mental Sonic down, who hobbled slightly before leaning against the wall. Knuckles followed his movement with an air of curiosity and expectancy. On Knuckles' back, Blue tightened his grip around his neck, peering over his shoulder at the newcomer with a strange look in his eyes. It looked sad and worried. 

"I... Thank you for getting me away from there. I really appreciate it," Metal Sonic started in a grateful tone. His grip still clutched the leg in his arms, hugging it close to his chest, as if he loosened his fingers, even a little bit, the thing would disappear. His eyes soften, going half-lidded as his smile dropped. He looked worn down as if the light from earlier had faded. He stared out at the darkening rain clouds and the puddles that were slowly forming on the ground. Above their head, the rain started to pound harder, leaving small thumps from the roof. 

Blue shivered, curling closer in reaction, burying his face against the red fur of his carrier in reflex. Just then, Knuckles was reminded of the younger one's reaction to water and winced. He guessed they were stuck here for a while.

Hearing a noise from further inside the entrance, he turned to see that Metal Sonic had moved, making his way over to the door and was glaring at the handle. Knuckles followed after him, curious, as the small hedgehog pulled out a loose wire from the severed leg and was using it as a lock pick to easy the doors mechanism open. It took a few minutes for it to click and swing open slightly, allowing them access to the large area. 

Metal Sonic grinned at him over his shoulder before throwing open the door and making an 'after you?' gesture with his right hand. Raising an eye ridge, he threw the smaller form an amused look before shuffling in, eyes darting around the area. 

The inside looked more cared for than the outside. The walls were still aged, but their stone-like structure held firm. They were tall;l some curving inwards to create elegant archways and overhangs, which were supported by thick columns periodically throughout the place. Rows upon rows of benches were crammed into the hall, armed with pillows and took up most of the room, barely giving a human enough space to walk between them.

The windows were stain glass, catching and reflecting the little light it could find. Near the far end stood an altar with a man nailed to a cross and above it was a painting depicting a woman donned in robes, cradling a baby within her arms. There was an adoring look upon her face as she looked down slightly at the child with a loving and open expression. The sight tugged at Blue's heartstrings although he couldn't place why.

He felt himself being lowered onto a bench before Knuckles start pacing, mind thoughtfully observing the behaviour of the two identical hedgehogs in the process. They watched him curiously as if waiting for something to happen. For a moment or two, there was silence as they listen to the rain outside before Knuckles paused and glared at Metal Sonic.

"You pick locks?" He began, decided that enough was enough and he wanted answers and now. He had waited too long with no clue as to what has been going on for the past day or so, and he found himself at the end of his rope. Hopefully, this 'bot knew more answers than Blue and was able to give him more than the silent treatment he had been objected to.

"Naturally," the android snorted, crossing his arms.

"Regularly?"

"It's more of a rare hobby."

"Right," he hummed before pausing in his steps. His mind scrambled for a question and latched onto the first one. There was something that was nagging at the back of his mind ever since they had met. "So, what's your relationship with GUN?"

There was a moment of hesitation before he conceded, looking away. "I have no connection on a personal level, but my creator and origin do."

Knuckles frowned, his forehead creasing as he narrowed his eyes. "Explain."

Metal Sonic looked uncomfortable with the request. He didn't want to bring up bad memories around his origin. It was bad enough that Blue had to hear about the events that unfolded from the original Shadow, and he probably didn't want to be reminded of what occurred all those decades ago. Instead, he pushed himself off of the column, staring Knuckles in the eye. "Not here. We can talk later," he began, tilting his head slightly towards Blue, who had lost interest in their conversation and was now picking off fluff from a small pillow he found under his seat. 

Knuckles looked confused until Metal Sonic whispered 'bad memories for him'. Purple eyes blinked and then nodded in understanding.

"Fine." He glanced around for a place to go for them to talk in private, took a step towards a secluded spot and froze when something soft hit his back. A wave of annoyance and fear hit him as he turned around, his sight settled on the frantic gaze of the blue hedgehog, arms draped over the back of the bench. His rising anger died to a dull throb as he took in the sight.

Within Blues' expression was stubborn determination and slight betrayal. His eyes were slightly glassy, his lip wavering. "B-blue?" There was a sniffle. "Oh, crap, I'm not... I didn't mean to... I just want to..."

Besides Blue, Metal Shadow was watching him with narrowed eyes, hand going out to stroke his counterparts quills in a calming gesture. "Dude, so not cool. You can't just abandon him, even if it was for a moment." His voice was low, almost a whisper, but the words were clear and send chills down his spine. "We can discuss this, later. We can't just leave him here. How would YOU feel if you were suddenly all alone, in a new environment? Thinking your friend had abandoned you and being ruthlessly hunted by others?"

It was as if he was struck by the words that made his stomach drop and leaving him feeling horrified. He was used to being alone before Sticks; that was normal. After her, though, he started to see the benefits of people's company. Of gaining allies to help protect the Master Emerald. Got a glimpse of what others were like and he got more used to being around people, even savouring some of their company. He didn't think he could fully go back to being alone again. To live upon Angel Island, isolated from the outside world and trapped in ancient times. He just couldn't.

And, he believed the fact that he lasted so long being alone was the fact that there was no one else. The last of the Echidnas. He didn't know any better because there was no one else to talk to. To interact with. 

He couldn't imagine for a person to go through similar circumstances but in reverse. It must drive them mad, for a social creature to suddenly being forced to cut all ties, wondering if your friends and family were out there, searching for you, as you wither away in a basement, haunted by the knowledge that you were alone and may never see a friendly face again.

He shivered.

Within his mind, old questions he had dropped for new ones had resurfaced.

At that moment, he had to know. 

"D- Do you know how long he was down there?" He started, feeling timid and scared of the answer. Surely, it couldn't have been that long? He would have died with the constant abuse and neglect. There had to be some hope, right?

A devastating look crossed Metal Sonic's face as he closed his eyes. The expectation of his answers was no way near the reality of the situation. There were many things that should just stay secret, yet stumbling over the information could be worse, especially if the situation needed them to be on the alert. Pre-knowing information helped lessened the shock that may be the choice between life or death. Just a split second can be enough time for a knife to slip through a person's defences or pause in their advance or trigger a trap.

Besides, it wasn't in his nature to hide something. He was terrible at keeping secrets. At withholding information or misdirecting; In fact, he had gotten in trouble more than a few times for telling people he knew information beforehand but failing to reveal it. Those situations usually took a nasty turn for the worst.

He sighed, voice crackling as it spoke aloud the words;

"We're not entirely sure, but according to Eggman's files, he's been down there for around fifty years."

An old newspaper clipping popped up, along with a short video at the side. On its greying pages, it claimed to have been made in 1965 and reported that a strange object had fallen from the sky and caused a crater. No metres or satellites were documented to have impacted, causing the locals to check it out. Amongst them was the Robotnick family, who found an emerald the size of a human adult's palm.

Upon investigation, they found that it couldn't be cut or melted down, had no cooling or boiling point and was known to be one of its kind. What they did find out, however, was the energy it possessed was nothing they had ever seen stored within its small frame. They started to experiment on it but found no use to the energy it possessed.

A few months later, it became known by government officials, who wanted to study it. To do this, they wanted to see how it would react in different environments and pitched the space colony art project, offering them a workspace, living quarters and a grant for their research. The oldest Robotnik jumped at the chance, allowing to provide a safer environment for his granddaughter, who had been diagnosed with Neuro-Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (NIDS). What grabbed their attention was the large photo in the middle depicting the Robotnick family of the time; little Maria, a person standing behind her was Julius, and a person next to him was a teenager with his face cropped out. Gerald by his side with an arm around his wife, Jennifer and in front of her was Betha Kintobor.

The camera footage was old, less defined but was manageable to make out to the two onlookers. In the corner of the screen, there was a timestamp dating back to April 1970. In the frame, a young girl was sitting at her desk, staring at her work in concentration as she glanced at something out of the camera's view.

"Can I move yet?" A voice very familiar to the two called out, sounding bored.

She glanced up, flashing the figure a smile and a fond eye roll. "Not yet. I need your counter to be perfect. Just hang in there for a little bit longer. Can you do that, Shadow? For me?"

Rogue's jaw dropped at the name drop, turning to see the modern-day Shadow, who was staring at the screen, gaze transfixed to what was being played. She turned back, focusing on the security footage with newfound interest.

There was a bang as an old man rushed into the room, grinning, as he ran up to the two. He looked almost ready to burst, giddy with excitement, as he addressed the pair. "Maria, my dear, I need to talk to Shadow, privately. You can have him back to finish your game once I'm done."

Maria shared a look with Shadow, who got up and followed him out, claiming he will be back. The young girl watched them go, curiosity sparkling in her eyes before she looked down at her creation and groaned. As she got up, the two could see a clay figure which held most of Shadow's features that sat on the table.

Shadow smiled, his tears coming as he remembered back to that day. The morning had started off like any other; having breakfast with Maria, hanging out on the observation deck until lunch and then she decided to use her new-acquired skills from Mrs Sans weekly pottery making class to create a sculpture of him and Maria to decorate their room.

Little did he know that, until a month before her death, she was planning for him to keep it as a keepsake to remember their friendship. After finding out about his immortality, she had taken it in stride and found new ways to create small objects for him to use to keep the memories of them alive after she was gone.

While he appreciated the effort and time that went into the gifts, he was unable to take anything but the locket that he had always stashed in his quills. GUN hadn't given them time or the opportunity to take any of their belongings upon their capture and most of the possessions were either burned or left to gather dust back upon The Arc.

He sometimes wondered if it still up there, abandoned in space and forgotten in time, or if GUN repurposed it for their own uses. Either way, it was a depressing thought. There were so many good and bad memories relating to that place, that he couldn't imagine it ever changing. He hoped at least the rooms were left alone, like a spaceship time capsule of the past. At least then, the ghost and memories had the chance to be laid to rest.

He was brought out of his thoughts as a new video replaced the first, this time within Geralds lab. Inside, two men were arguing passionately. Shadow straightened, his stomach churning as the man who pulled a gun on him in his dreams had cornered the professor, looking furious.

"... are not listening to me! Project: Shadow is incomplete, flawed without him. We owe it to him to provide him with a companion who could always be by his side. To stop him when his power becomes too much! It's his anchor, his..."

Gerald sighed, shaking his head. "So you create another project to fix the first? To tame him? It is not a valid solution! You cannot fix your failers by condemning another! What if this one is flawed too, huh? We already have GUN breathing down our kneck, we don't need another reason for them to shut the project down. Isn't one weapon enough for you?"

"And what, pray tell, do you expect me to do?" The answer was followed by silence. The man snorted before pushing off of the wall and started to pace. Gerald watched him with a concerned expression.

"I expected better from you," the professor muttered, suddenly subdued, his expression wary. Sadly, this feed was of poorer quality, as if it was tampered with, so you couldn't see the man's features this clearly.

"Life isn't something you can play with. He needs to have the choice for a life of his own. If we do this, we do this properly. I will not allow for this child to be abused or neglected by anyone on this station. Project: Shadow has already suffered enough, and I will not allow for these outrageous acts to continue."

The strange man crossed his arms, stepping in front of the other. He looked down at the shorter man with a hard expression. "Agreed. This has been going on for too long. He is mine and I won't let you use him as another project to abandon once our work is complete. We may work on this together, but remember that if anything happens to him under your care, accident or otherwise, I will turn you into GUN myself."

Gerald looked about to argue, changed his mind, then hung his head in defeat. "You're right, as always. I promise he will not be harmed and full custody will be handed over once Project: Shadow is stable."

The grin that spread across the man's face was victorious, a hidden emotion shining deep within his eyes.

The next ones involved the planning, creation and awaking of his brother. Shadow was still stunned by the earlier exchange that he barely paid attention to. It was when the raid came on the screen that he snapped back to reality, tears trailing unnoticed by his cheeks as he relived the worst day of his life from a different perspective. It went by quickly, cameras changing to different rooms to show most of the scientists' deaths or arrest.

He found himself go into a flashback, alarms ringing in his ears. Red and orange lights flashing across his vision. Maria's words were clear in his mind as he clutched his head, trying to scream not to out loud.

Things were too much. Visions of Maria's death running over and over again in his head on a demented loop.

By now, he was curled in on himself, nearly unconscious from the pain running through his head as he tried to dispel the images away to no avail.

Finally, he was screaming, calling out his sister's name as he nearly pulled some of his quills out. Sob after silent sob blocked his vision and congested his nose and mouth.

It was the first time he was really allowed to morn the loss of his family without anyone there to stop him. To yell at him to shut up or berate him for his failure to save them. To yell at him to shut up and get over it. He let his emotions flow, suppressed memories and emotions bubbling to the surface, making his body shake harder and for his eyes to water even more.

Beside him, Rogue started in a mixture of horror, sympathy and terror, watching as the ultimate weapon broke down for the second time this past day.

And, with what she saw, he couldn't even blame him.  The tapes were one of the darkest she ever knew and it was only the first set of files they had found. She had clicked on the first one, labelled Version.1. Below the first, there had been three other folders filled to the brim with more videos and pictures.

She had no idea what they contained and was afraid to find out. They could be filled with Shadow's past, contain files about whatever GUN had done to him, or... well, it could be anything, but just in case, she didn't want to trigger another bad memory. It was hard to live through something once, never mind multiple times.

So, with that thought, she closed the tab for now and decided to watch them later... alone, promising if she managed to find something important, she would tell him when he was ready.

Tails groaned, looking out at Station Square with a frown. It was bigger than he anticipated; no wonder the two hadn't return yet. It must have been looking for an object in a maze down there. Biting his lip, he considered his options.

One, he could go back to the bunker and wait for them to show up. Two, he could blindly search the streets, hoping to stumble over them. Neither option seemed desirable.

He turned as he heard light thumping to see the robot from before marching up to him. "WHAT IS YOUR DESTINATION?" It asked, glancing around, wondering where in the world the small fox was heading.

Blinking up to the hulking machine, he found his original fear had melted away. It hadn't touched him again and lowered his voice slightly as to not scare him. It seemed to adapt and seemed to want to help.

 "I was going to look for them, but the city is just too big. It could take me days- when they can move around freely- to even get a clue as to where they are." He explained, worry churning in his gut. In his haste to leave, he failed to pick up anything that could help, and he was really regretting the decision now.

Beside him, the eyes of the robot (now back to red) scanned the area for traces of Chaos Energy. It took a few minutes before he pointed along the outskirts of Station Square. "I AM DETECTING VARIOUS AMOUNTS OF CHAOS ENERGY IN THIS DIRECTION. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT, IF WE FOLLOW IT, THE SIGNAL MAY LEAD TO THE PEOPLE YOU SEEK. YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE BLUE HEDGEHOG, CORRECT?"

Tails mouth opened, then closed. He continued the action, gaping like a fish for a long moment before he beamed at him. "You're equipped with Chaos Detectors?" He asked, marvelling at the tall figure.

The robot let out a huff of concentrated air. "NATURALLY. I AM SUPPOSED TO CARE FOR AN ULTIMATE LIFEFORM, AFTER ALL." It took a step forward. "WE SHOULD GET MOVING. IT WOULD BE HARDER TO TRAVERSE WHILE THE HUMANS ARE AWAKE. IT IS BEST TO RETRIEVE YOUR FRIENDS BEFORE SUNRISE."

"Oh, um, yeah. We should..." He agreed, flabbergasted. It took him seconds to catch up and the pair continued on their path, hoping to find the wayward duo sooner rather than later.

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 14- Disconnect:

Sticks always knew when she was out of her depth. Today though? She was way past it and over the cliff, plunging into the water with no hope and no escape.

She couldn't move. Couldn't speak. All she could do was lay there, hoping they would leave soon.

Her mouth tasted foul, her brain sluggish.

Did they poison her? Sedate her? Or was the exhaustion of fighting off waves of robots until she collapsed?

She could barely remember; her memory foggy and disjointed. Almost frantic.

They hovered above her, disembodied voices conversing quietly to each other as they twisted and manipulated her body, twisting and manipulating her limp body, scalpel leaving marks all over her skin.

She prayed to Chaos the others had made it out of her. Get far away with the Emerald and noticed she was missing.

But, if they did, that begs the question; would they come for her? Were they even looking for her? Would they ever find her? Rescue her?

Whatever the humans were doing, it scared her. From what her limited senses can gather, she was in a lab of some kind, strapped to a table surrounded by serval humans. Even though she was well aware of aliens' trope to probe and prod at another species, it did not prepare her for the reality of the situation.

Would they brainwash her? Turn her against her friends? Use her to lore them into a trap? She couldn't let them! She had to fight them... but she was so tired. Too beat up to do anything but lie here, powerless to thwart their schemes and evil plots. They probed and prodded, shouting incomprehensible words and phrases she only heard coming for geniuses like Tails.

She couldn't see what exactly they were doing to her, but she could feel the needles prodding around her thighs and upper arm. The odd swap in her ears, mouth, and nose. The odd devices squeezed her arms to point of aching. That pinched her fingers or flooded her nose cavity, making it hard to breathe properly.

She felt something cold settle against her upper thigh. She stiffened, body tense as she waited in anticipation.

It moved upwards, trailing along her leg and closer to her stomach.

She screamed.

The form haunted his nightmares. The black fur, those red-stripped quills, and those blood-red eyes boring into his mind. See the figure here, surrounded by a cascade of human carcasses in various degrees of dismemberment, but equally dead.

It must have followed them here. Must have been in Eggman's base when they were transported. The last he heard was that the doctor had put him under lock and eye after an unfortunate incident where it mercilessly leads an attack on a village, gunning down or capturing the inhabitants based on usefulness to Eggman's scheme. The robot seemed to malfunction after he killed a child who was protecting her grandparents, who were almost killed.

Tails were unsure of the details as was helping others escape, but the emotions that flowed from Metal Shadow were- somehow- tangible. The rage that followed was unrivaled as he attacked both allies and enemies ruthlessly without thought or reason.

The doctor had been furious by the robots' actions and coming to the scene himself. Metal Shadow had been hostile towards his presents, attacking his own creator until he brought up a name mentioned many times; Sonic. It wasn't the first time he had overheard a conversation regarding that name but, for the life of him, he couldn't visualize who it could be or how the name made Metal Shadow froze and easily submitted to his creator's will.

It had amazed Tails to learn how quickly just the mention of another can bring Metal Shadow to his knees, crimpling his resolve and doing anything to please his master. Tails wish he had the context to how important this 'Sonic' was to him and who he was to Metal Shadow, but it seemed someone important to the robot to gain such a reaction.

The scene and memories it had brought had him backtracking and cowering in fear as he pressed himself into the wall. The robot, Omega (he learned after introductions were made) turned to him questioningly. "WHY HAVE WE STOPPED?" It asks, standing in the middle of the alleyway, unaware of the fact he could have been spotted easily if someone were to look.

The sound of his voice was loud and clear, making Tails cringe. He peered around the wall to see out to the street once more, namesakes twitching nervously, and watched as Metal Shadow leered over the man, teeth pulled back in a snarl as he thrusts a gun between his eyes. The non-descript human whimpered, shaking in fear as he cowered against a lampost. Blood dripped from his legs and hands as he clutched at his wound desperately.

"Where is he! Who helped him escape! Tell me, mortal." Metal Shadow growled lowly.

The man cowered, looking up to him, dread filling his very being. "I don't know what you're talking about...?" He started to say, voice wavering and filled with panic. The gun cocked as the robot stepped forward, metal shoes stepping onto his ankle.

"I saw the camera footage you were trying so desperately to delete before I arrived. Your pitful attempts to erase your crimes will always be foiled. Your organisation can no longer spread the lies and misdirect others any longer. The downfall of G.U.N is upon us, and your loyalty means nothing to me nor the Commander. At least, if you answer, I may let you live. Now, puny speck, where is he."

"Please... don't kill me! I don't know how you're talking about... and, oh god!" The G.U.N agent pleads, tears welling in his eyes as he sobs. "Please... just tell me who you're talking about! I have a wife and two kids. You cant... I can't leave her alone again. I'll do anything to see them again, please..."

Metal Sonic rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. This wasn't going anywhere. "Where is the blue hedgehog? The android called Sonic! Where's Sonic! Which way did they go? Tell me!" He grounded out as he lowered his gun and shot the man in the leg. A grim satisfaction welled up in him. It was the same limb that Sonic would have lost if he wasn't a robot. The man screamed from the pain, biting back his cries. "That way!" He screamed at the monster in hysterics. "They went north with some kids in a gray coat and the other in a red raincoat. I swear I don't know anything else. Please, just leave me be." 'Let me grieve in peace,' went unsaid. 

His friends. His colleagues, dead, because of this physcho robot... over just removing a limb of another. They didn't deserve it. They were good people! They had families; partners, children, grandparents, cousins, aunties uncles... What was he going to tell them? That their loved ones never stood a chance! That they died for no reason! He couldn't...

"Willingly?" The robotic voice held a tint of confusion and worry behind it. 

The man nodded, enthusiastic. "Yes!" He hurriedly informed. "He introduced himself and went. Said he was Metal Sonic; Sonic The Hedgehog!"

A huff of air followed the revelation as he looked up to stare at the camera in thought. "Why is GUN interested in him? What's so special? What were your specific orders?"

"Why are you so interested in...?" 

Metal Shadow's head snapped down to the human, glaring. "I ask the questions here. Now speak, mortal!"

The soldier cowered again, biting his lip enough to draw blood. "A few days ago, a highly dangerous project escaped from the lab. We were dispatched to track him down and recapture it before it decides to turn on the public. The robot and our target looked similar at a distance, so we cornered it. The Commander was convinced we could get some answers out of it, even if it was by forceful means. It seemed that it had similar abilities as the Project: Chaos! I mean, the amount of energy could..."

Images and bits of information flashed behind his Metal Shadow's optics and he inwardly shuddered. His eyes tightened around the trigger unconsciously.

Bang!

"You could have lived out your pathetic life, but you choose to antagonise me," he kicked the body in the side, causing it to fall over uselessly. He snorted. "Filthy human."

Tails screamed as the man went limp. Shadow's head snapped over to where the two were hiding. His eyes narrowed as he disappeared and then reappeared in front of them. Tails backed off, eyes wide in terror. He spread his palm out, producing a Chaos spear, and threw it at Omega, sending the robot flying.

Metal Sonic knew this wasn't a good idea. The other clearly wasn't ready for the truth, yet he had to open his big mouth. His version of Shadow had always said that he talked too much and didn't know when to be quiet. In moments like this, his counterpart was proven right. Lately, it has been one bad decision after another. It seemed he couldn't do anything right anymore.

"Over 50 years, you have got to be kidding me!" Knuckles blurted out, caught between hysteria and disbelief. This robot had to be lying for his own amusement. Maybe a time in his past he would have fallen for this lie, but he had learned not to believe everything being said. The doctor had fooled him so many times that he had no choice but to be wary. "I'm not an idiot! Just look at him; does he look a day over sixteen to you? He's not immortal and definitely not like you, no matter how much Chaos energy he has!"

It was impossible. The boy aged; his quills had grown since they rescued him! Even if it was barely noticeable, he had still pricked a finger on the tip just earlier today. They hadn't done that before. In fact, they seemed to be growing back a little too fast. 

"I told you the truth, or what is perceived as the truth. The doctor has been very scarce on the details, but he has put too much care into his research. He strongly believes this fact to be true, and so do I. To my great annoyance, Eggman has always been scarily right when researching that particular event," Metal Sonic huffed, crossing his arms, looking caught between annoyed and frustrated.

Wait? What! "You work for the doctor? Then why you tell me this?" Suddenly, he felt sick. This robot must be a spy.... or a trap... He couldn't... He wouldn't! ...Would he?

He had to get away. To run. He should have left the android to GUN. This was a mistake! One terrible decision. He would tell the doctor their plans, take away Blue before they could get any answers, and leave them with false trails. And he fell for it, again? He was such an idiot. He growled, hands balling into fists.

His memories flashed back to Shadow, the strange hedgehog who claimed to be on their side months after the Doctor Robotnick had surfaced. He was an antisocial prick but seemed to generally want to help him. A seemingly indestructible worrier and valuable allay to have... That was until they betrayed them, selling out the coordinates of the base and took all the emeralds, including the Master Emerald, to the doctor.

He was a traitor that played off of his lack of experiences. A true spy. The reveal that he was created by Eggman and served him was the revelation that broke his trust in people and nearly got Tails killed. He couldn't let that happen again. 

The robot, Metal Sonic (if that's even his real name?) flinched at his claims and ducked his head, staring at the ground as the Echidna backed away. Metal Shadow's and this Metal Sonic's circumstances were easily similar. Too much of a coincidence to be just a fluke. Why didn't he see this before?

At that moment, he wished Tails was there. He would be able to connect the dots.  To find the mystery behind this bizarre case. Would be able to make sense of the madness. 

But he wasn't. He was back at the base, snoring away without a care in the world while he was here, facing an improbable situation.

"Hah, working for Eggface? Never again! Not that I had the choice before, but this time is good as any to kick my feet back and go on a long vacation. He's mostly careless this day, with his pointless spat against GUN that he won't be keeping tabs on me as much. After all, he would never let me out... At least, not after what happened last time..." His expression became thoughtful as he stared at the door behind Knuckles, lost in memories.

The robot had to be lying. There was no other way around it. He couldn't accept the alternative. That begs the question; why would the robot lie? What was his goal? What was it trying to achieve? But, that look... that wistful, far away look was too real for anything else. 

He blinked, realizing that he must have zoned out himself for a moment and that the robot was still walking.

"...Sometimes, I wonder if I could do more. Be more, you know? As far as I know, I was built to be a replacement. Some copy... But, that doesn't seem right. There's something more. I disobeyed orders and saved that fox who was so kind to me. Who wanted to help me." He frowned, his tone going from reminiscing to curious. "I wondered what would change if I took his hand that day. To accept his help. But, I couldn't leave him, no matter what. I promised to be by his side through thick and thin because no one else can understand the pain and suffering we're going through. The pain HE caused us. My memory may be hazy, but I can remember the promise and the kit I felt behind. I hope he's okay out there. I worry about him, wondering what would happen without someone to protect him. I'm glad he found you."

As he talked, Knuckles found it hard to keep up with what was actually being told to him until the last bits of his speech. The words 'fox' and 'kit' stood out to him, along with the sentence, 'I'm glad he found you.' His mind reeled, suddenly bringing an image of his little friend to the forefront of his mind.  "Wait, you said that you knew Tails before when we first met? Where did you meet him? He never mentioned you."

The robot seemed to be generally shocked at this, snapping back to reality to stare wide-eyed at Knuckles. "You don't mean...?" They narrowed into slits as his voice tightened. "I guess everyone forgets about me." 

It has happened before after he was rereleased after the incident. No one seemed to remember him as if their memories had been erased during those few months. It seemed the outside had changed slightly too back on Mobius. It was as if he was frozen in time, stuck within Eggman's base as the world moved on without him. 

He would have cried if he could. Would have screamed and wailed about how unfair the world was. He wondered if Eggman had a hand in it; trying to erase him from existence by scrubbing every mention and memory of him away. It made him wonder how the man could meddle with everyone's memory, including his own. His memory banks and central processor were secured and locked away. Metal Sonic vowed never to let him near it again.

"What do you mean? Who are you... Really? From what Tails said, androids aren't meant to sound this real. There's always been a decent distinction between artificial and anthropromorph. Your body is metal underneath the fur and skin, but you don't think like a robot."

Suddenly, the smile was back in place, but Knuckles could see the sadness that lingered in his eyes. He had seen it before when people have grieved for their loved ones and were trying to keep up a facade of calmness to stop the empty promises and listless formalities. 

"Who knows..." He started mysteriously, a hint of cockiness lacing his voice. He leaned casually against the collum. "How about we raid Egghead's base to find out?"

Just as he said that, the doors blast off his hinges, leaving a dust cloud as three figures entered the room.

The leader looking pissed.

TBC:

Chapter Text

Chapter 15:

Edited: 05/09/2021 (dd/mm/yy)

Ivo Robotnick had a long history of betraying others or being betrayed. Some were earned, some were anticipated, while others seemed to come out of nowhere. It was rare in life to find someone who is truly honest in their intentions and was loyal to a fault, even amongst his robots. He was just too good of an inventor that he had to risk-free will for his followers to adapt, leading to various results. 

Simplistic designs in the forms of Bocoe, Decoe, Orbot and Cubot were essentially personal assistants, scared of their master's wrath and would do anything to please him. 

Then there were worrier classes. Separated into insect-type badnicks, androids, and  E-Series. While the insect-type badnicks were limited in emotion and abilities, they followed orders to the letter, the E-series were more trouble than they were worth. Androids consisted of five conversions, including Metal Sonic and the Shadow Android. Only two were fully operational, one was offline, and the rest were being punished for their crimes against the Eggman Empire.

And finally, the E-series. Built for bigger threats and to command, the E-series were defective in their programming. They were either mindlessly destructive or disobedient. One, in particular, E-123 Omega had disappeared serval days ago after his initial instruction to infiltrate G.U.N's base and find the prototypes. His GPS single showed him lurking sulking around the forest for the past few days. He had sent others to spy on the seemingly malfunctioning robot while he was busy, but none never seemed to come back. It seemed hopeless tracking the odd robot, so he periodically checked upon him when he had time. Nothing seemed out of the unusual behavioural patterns until today.

He was startled out of his tinkering on a project by a bleep of his computer, announcing that E-123 Omega had breached city limits. The man rushed over in anticipation with hopes of the robot coming to his senses and finding the G.U.N base to finish his initial mission when he continued onto the streets. From what information Hope had given him, the G.U.N base was on the outskirts of the city, not the centre...

Curiosity got the better of him, so he abandoned his pet project and boarded his Eggcarrier, mulling over several possibilities. Before he left, he checked the camera feed and put the base on full lockdown, ensuring the forcefield was fully charged and online, and making sure no other emeralds were near his main control room. It would be a waste for Shadow to find an escape until Robotnick got some use out of Gerald's pet.

A loud bang rang through Tails' ears and echoed around the alleyway. His body was frozen, eyes wide as his new ally crashed through the wall and into the room behind it. Dust flew from the wreckage, stunning his eyes and blinding him temporarily.  

He heard heavy breathing as a Shadow drew closer, the distinct sound of metal slapping noisily against the concrete. "Get up," the robot growled, teeth pulled back in a snarl. The whirl of gears sounded as Omega climbed to his feet, red eyes piercing through the smoke and dust.  A gust of wind swept across the ally, leaving Tails enough senses to observe the scene in front of him. 

Shadow shifted, holding his hand out with a determined expression. "Give me your Chaos Detector." 

Omega head lifted in response, eyes scanning his attacker. "REQUEST DENIED. SAID ITEM IS NEEDED TO ACHIEVE CURRENT OBJECTIVE."

Shadow's frown depended into a scrawl, his eyes narrowing in anger. "It wasn't a request."

Before Tails could comprehend what was going on, Shadow launched, metal clashing against metal as the whirl of gears sounded. They moved in sync, matching claws to crawls and punch to punch. They seemed evenly matched, dancing around each other, anticipating the others move. 

This continued for a few minutes before Shadow got tired of the routine and decided to teleport behind him, striking him in the back. Omega buckled under the weight of the bunch and fell forward, hitting the ground, hard. 

"You're weak. You failed to protect either of them, even before you deserted us. I won't make that same mistake again. I may not be able to kill you, but I will be taking your tracker and Chaos detector. Have fun with the humans, traitor." He monologues before lifting his claws, ready to plunge them into Omega's back, right above the said components.

"NEGATIVE. THE PRIMARY DIRECTIVE WAS REINSTATED. OVERWRITE WAS NON-SUBJECTIVE. MUST FIND ORIGINAL OBJECTIVE, SUBJECT: CHOAS."

These words made Shadow pause for a long moment, his arm coming down to rest by his side. Tails could almost see the gears in his head whirling as the android stared at the robot. "That isn't your mission, anymore." Shadow started slowly as if being careful about what he was saying. His tone held a hint of sadness and resentment in it. Tails stored the observation, wanting to analyse the behaviour later. "We've all been replaced."

A movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned his head to stare at the fox, face full of concern and dread. His eyes were wide and glossy, tears forming in the corners from fright and confusion.

He knew someone else was there, huddled within the corner, but didn't believe they were a fret to achieving his goal. Bystanders were generally quiet, hiding in the showers and observing the horrors unfolded with feelings of hopelessness and loss. This one seemed different though. Something was shining in his eyes. A ferocious intelligence disguised under a childhood innocence. This kit looked amazed and disturbed at the same time.

"AFFIRMATIVE." The robot agreed somlenly, inclining his head in a nod. "BUT I ALWAYS KNOW WHERE OUR LOYALTIES LIE. NOTHING HAS CHANGED."

Shadow sighed, removing his foot from Omega's chest plate before offering a hand. A small smirk making its way onto his face. "Had to check." He tried to apologise as a metal clawed hand grasped his own. With one big heave, the android had his faithful ally back on his feet. "Can't be too careful these days. Welcome back, old friend."

He could spot the yellow fox a mile away. His fur gleaming in the setting sun. He hovered high above the city, watching the two dots make their way into town. Beside him, Cubot's eyes glowed, following their every movement as he both recorded the event and sent the feed to his holo-screen. 

"Interesting," he hummed, turning his attention to the screen in compensation. Who would have fought that the fox kit and the traitious Omega-123 would be working together? He wished he could hear what they said to each other. Could they be plotting? Scheming against him? It wouldn't be the first time and certainly wouldn't be the last. 

His attention was yanked away from his rogue creation as it flashed a warning red. "Subject's tracking signal: Offline!" It screeched in big obnoxious lettering. His eyes widened in surprise before narrowing, the beggings of a growl making its way to his lips. Underneath, there was the words 'iniciate self destruct sequence', with a two-choice option depicting, 'Yes' or 'No'.

His finger went to stab the 'Yes' button before pausing. His mind whirled, thinking of the pros and cons of going through with this. His hand withdrew slowly.

"Cubot," he started in a questioning tone. The minature robot jump, surprised, at his call. It turned, nervous, it's blue-tinted eyes glaring up at his master's face. 

Robotnick suppressed a wince as his screen showed his own face,. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see how tired he was. His red eyes had become duller, sadder. His mushtash was frigid and tangled. His checks were red and his outfit was stained in dust and grime. 

When was the last time he had a shower?  Slept for more than a couple of hours at a time? Eaten a decent meal? 

A few days ago? Last week? Last Month? He didn't know. His concept of time seemed to have disappeared to make way to his new objectives.

He turned to peak at the streets below, ignoring his reflection. He didn't have time for such trivial things. Who cares how he looked, or how bad he smelled, he could care about that after he fulfilled his promise.

With newfound determination, his smirk returned as he gave the order. 

"Release the spy. We have more urgent matter's to attend to."

Rogue had never been good at comforting people. Sure, she had been good at giving other's a reality check, but that was when she knew all the person, and their situation, very well. So, seeing him break down next to her was disconcerting and a little heart-breaking. 

Her usual go-to was; 'it's all in the past now' and that 'things will get better', but she knew from personal experience that some things never got better. Some experiences just stick with you forever, period. No matter what you tried, sometimes it was better to accept your fate and live with it. Instead, she tried to focus on the future.

Before she could scramble what to say, alarms blared within the base, the computer going nuts as the once-there-files began to delete themselves before their very eyes. "WARNING, FIREWALL HAS BEEN BREACHED. CLASSIFIED FILES HAVE BEEN ACCESSED. INCITE DESTRUCTION SEQENCE IN: 10"

Shadow's head snapped up.

"9."

They both rose to their feet. 

"8."

Rogue grabbed him by the arm.

"7."

They ran towards the exit.

"6."

"5."

They tried the door.

"4." 

It was locked.

"3." 

Shadow tried to Chaos Spear it open. It didn't even leave a scorch mark.

"2."

Rogue closed her eyes, curling into a ball and waiting for the pain. Something grabbed her wrist.

"1." 

The bomb exploded, sending the room in flames and dust, coaching everything and anything in it. 

There was a wet cough, a flash of blue light, and then silence.

Just like that the fight was over and done for before it really had gotten started. Tails watched in fearful curiosity as the Shadow Android, one of Eggman's top of the line robot and leaders of armies, helped the other up and began chatting a whispering quietly to each other in a rapid, heated argument.

His head spun, trying to make sense of the situation before Shadow turned and glowered at him. "You can come out now, fox boy. I know you're there." 

The sound of his deep voice made the kit jump, body jerking to attention as he sat up. The two were looking straight at him, emotionless expressions boring into him. He fought the urge to curl back into a ball for either fear or embarrassment from having the metaphorical spotlight being shone upon him but willed himself to walk- albeit shakily- instead.  

"Come with me." The Shadow Android clipped, turning around to stalk down the road, strides purposeful and face determined. 

Confused Tails glanced towards Omega, who inclined his head towards where Shadow was disappearing around the corner of the next street. Finding it was the best option, the two rushed after him, hoping to get some answers.

Four betrayals in one night? This couldn't be a coincidence, especially with his plan coming to fruition. It happened in rapid succession, one after the other.  They had to have some connection. Someone was playing him for a fool, alright.

The arc incident made him relise that he couldn't trust anyone, not even his family members. No one was off the table, so to know that Metal Sonic had ran at the first chance he got and Rogue hacked his computer made him pissed, but not surprised. 

No, what surprised him was Shadow Android's actions. Not only did he abandoned the mission in favour of going after that knock-off, but he blocked his Chaos Signature. Even with the conversion, it was clear he retained some memories of his old life. He was loyal to a fault once he gained the respect of another. The fact seemed to be a common trait in Shadow, despite what form he took or what path he led...

It was a shame he chooses Sonic. 

They would pay; all of them will pay for betraying him. He needed them; trusted them to give them an important role to play and now his niece and nephew is home alone with that dictating ass, his control room (and by extension, base) was comprised, GUN was recycling his robots, and he was down two generals for his army. 

How could this night get any worse? 

Oh, yeah. 

Now he remembers. 

Upon following the last place Metal Sonic's signal came offline, he found Android Shadow had killed most of G.U.N witnesses and had no one to integrate about the whereabouts of his creations. To top it all off, the rodent had bumped into Omega and the fox kit and agreed, rather reluctantly, to find Sonic and Knuckles together (after a bit of a squirmish between his creations.)

(Seemed Shadow seemed to hold a grudge for abandoning his post to protect Rogue. Interesting. He should have to keep an eye on that. Maybe it'll lead him to the person who organised this small rebellion...)

Seething within his anger, he followed the three unlikely companions to an odds and ends store tucked away within the middle of town. He lost sight of them as they ducked into the building, and he cursed, covering his egg carrier to circle the building. 

What were they doing here? He wonders...

TBC:

Chapter Text

Edited: 04/10/2021 (Day/Month/Year)

Android Shadow felt the silence suffocating as they traversed the streets, a half-cocked plan forming in his central processor. His fights were clenched, his body tensed. He didn't like leaving Sonic on his own for too long- disaster always seemed to follow the blue hedgehog wherever he goes.  It was best to stick nearby to avoid pro-longed physical- and emotional- damage.  Short bursts were the easiest to heal; the real danger was letting the hedgehog stir in his thoughts for any sort of time.

Since the accident, Sonic had lost most of his usual optimism for life. He was becoming more robotic, more... stoic. Sure, he had his moments of excitement. Moments of when he truthfully enjoyed the things he did, but captivity was never a good thing to force upon such a social creature. More so, when his captor was messing with his mind and body to the point he couldn't remember what is real and what is pretend, anymore. 

Android Shadow almost missed the days where the blue blur would run freely, annoying people to either play hide and seek with him or give him food. Other times, he would rally his friends to fight for what he thought was right, explore the world in a day, or bounce back from daily fights without a care in the world.

Now, they were stuck here, searching desperately for a way out of the doctor's grasp. 

It was within their reach. They had left the mad man's fortress and was finally free from the demons of their past...

Or, so he thought. 

Sonic had to go and get himself into trouble. 

Getting ambushed by the GUN agents, and then getting kidnapped by Knuckles' band of misfits? It was just his luck that something would go wrong.

He should have Chaos Controlled them away and out of the city when they had the chance... but his programming held him back. His constant connection to his creator overwhelming his logic circuits. 

To run would be dangerous. 

They knew too many of Eggman's secretes. 

Knew the layout of his base. The ranks and capabilities of his creations. Knew the doctor's fears and weaknesses. His past and his mistakes.

That information would be too valuable to lose; he couldn't risk them talking to either side. 

The doctor would always come after them if only to keep such things intact. 

He had done it before with the others. Haunted them down. Tortured them for information before putting them through a permanent deactivation. 

It proved how desperate he was. How dangerous he could be towards their continued existence.

The last time this occurred, he feared he would lose Sonic. One of the others had got out of containment and wreaked havoc, before stumbling across the blue hedgehog. Shadow didn't know what the rogue experiment actually said, but it, apparently, had gained the sympathy of his companion, who ultimately distracted the doctor long enough to disabled the security system in place. 

(Sonic had always been too kind and empathetic for his own good.)

They escaped that night, hand in hand, running off into one of the secrete colonies in the woods. 

It took months to find them. 

Every second was a mixture of agony and fear to Shadow. It was the worse seven months of his life. Every failer and every mislead would be punished. 

The doctor was beyond angry at the point, sending wave upon wave of minions out to the far corners of the map, hoping to get a glimpse of the blue hedgehog, but his efforts were fruitless. Sonic and the other experiment seemed to be gone.

He doubled his efforts, hoping to find the blue hedgehog and bring him back before the doctor could spiral into insanity. It was horrifying what lengths the doctor was going through to bring him back. Hundreds of bodies, dead or converted, from his rampage.

By the time they found him, it was too late for this world. The few survivors scattered across the globe had little hope to cling to.

They found him curled up in a basement, clinging to the body of the escaped experiment, broken down in tears.  The figure laid prone, a hole through his chest. Most of the residents of Nutthole lay, dead, serval feet above their heads. 

It had been a massacre; the bodies in serval states of decapitation and decomposition. 

Sonic had babbled on hysterically, but nothing was coherent over the sobs that wracked his body. He rambled on about 'new worlds', 'other forms' and 'imposters'. At the time, Shadow couldn't make sense of it. It was too fictional. Too theoretical, to be true.

Instead, he picked up the sobbing hedgehog and carried him far away. At first, he had put up a fight, trying to reach the dead form on the ground before he collapsed against his chest, tears pouring down his face as he clung to Shadow to dear life.

When he got back, Shadow was banished to his pod while the doctor worked endlessly in the medbay. He didn't know exactly what he was doing in there, but, when the pair emerged, Sonic was back to his old self.

Momentary relief had sparked deep within his system until the blue hedgehog had come up to him and demanded him to tell him who he was in a playful voice.

Shadow was devastated. 

The doctor said that the amnesia was the result of the trauma afflicted upon the blue hedgehog that made him forget. Shadow didn't believe him for a second. The doctor did something to him. Something irreversible.

Shadow lost all faith from then on of every getting his friend back. The memories were gone. He just knew it. It wasn't like his situation. An outside force had taken them.

Just moments after this, the doctor sent him on a mission. He couldn't bear to be in the same vicinity, looking at the empty shell that his friend use to occupy. So he went in search of the Chaos Emeralds.

That night, he had returned, his hands stained with blood and his heart strained with regret. The doctor was pacing anxiously in front of the computer screen, his face contorted with contemplation. As soon as he stepped into the room, the doctor had stopped, turning to him and started to tell him the truth... With proof.

To say he was shocked was an understatement. 

What was said that night echoed around his head to this very day? He had launched into an explanation of who the experiment actually was, how he escaped, what happened to the village, and what the insane rabbling was about.

Shadow couldn't bear to believe it. His head was still buzzing hours after Robotnick had left him alone in the console room.

He had been working with the wrong man... 

For months, now. 

He had been the cause of the village's death. 

Had been the cause of why Sonic lost his memories.

Things had started to slot into place.

It was all too much; the entire situation was f*cked.

It was then he decided to get revenge. 

He would ensure that the fake Robotnick was stone dead by his own hands.

Everything went blank after that. Despite his creators best efforts, there was very little he could remember. His memories were so hazy, that he could only get flashes that caused disorientation, confusion and headaches.

Memories were sacred these days. His timeline was so patchy it was hard to ignore. Something must have happened between that moment and getting re-constructed by his creator. Something that was enough to warrant repair. Serval times, he finds himself thinking if ever got his revenge on the fake? If he ever got close to giving his friend some relief? Some closure? 

Thankfully, the memories had started to come back in fragments for his friend. Momentary flashes and odd pieces of information cropping up in random fits and episodes. It wasn't a lot, but there was hope. 

The doctor had said that a fresh start would be the way to go. 

New life. 

A fresh identity. 

Shadow found himself agreeing, refusing to let his friend stay in a war zone. So, he gathered all the emeralds and helped bring them somewhere new. Someplace to finally call their home. 

It was a shame it didn't work out that way. 

Things were fine for a while. 

They started to make friends with the locals until Robotnick ruined it all. 

He went quickly back to his old tricks, his old schemes, and Shadow had made the mistake of abetting him.

Soon the nearby villages feared the doctor's name and then Shadow was back to leading armies again... This time, though, without his faithful companion by his side. 

It was new, certainly, but not the step forward that he wanted. Rebels started to rise in various factions, trying to hold back the army. 

Another war was stirring on the horizon, and he was on the front lines.

He refused to oblige; refused to obey... But Robotnick was too cleaver. 

Too anticipating. 

He used the blue hedgehog's life against him, threatening Android Shadow with his best friend's deactivation.

He couldn't back down. Couldn't cower in the corner. He had to do it.

Robotnick may treat them like mindless machines that were to be discarded as soon as he was done playing with them, but Shadow knew better. They both were alive. With feelings and thoughts and memories.

Right there, and then, he promised to do anything he could to keep Sonic alive whatever the coast... 

Even if he didn't like it.

Things only got worse from then on.  Another Sonic had stumbled on the scene, tall, nibble and full of terrible quips and one-liners. It had happened before, seeing another distorted version of his best friend. The last one- the first copy- turned had tried to gain their trust, acting innocent and child-like until their true nature started to unravel. That version had been corrupted by Chaos and had developed a second form, who revelled in death and destruction. 

Back then, Sonic had his heartbreak at learning the truth but still wanted to help him. To make him better. The results had ended badly and Sonic's faith in others began to slip, burdened by all the death and Chaos his 'help' had invertedly caused.

Fortunately, this one seemed more open- more normal to the travellers, even if he was an annoying pest. Sure, he had super his superspeed, but that seemed to be standard for any version of Sonic. Apart from that, he was a normal teenager, thrust into a position he struggled to fill. Nothing 

Through this double ganger, Android Shadow had started to learn why the doctor was so averse to this world. Just the sight of him brought back painful memories of a pre-memory wiped Sonic. It made his heart sting and his skin prickle. The sight was reminded of what Sonic would have been if Robonick didn't interfere with their lives. If he hadn't been created.

His body always itching for a fight. To punch him in that smug face and gangly limbs so he didn't have to look at this cheap imitation any longer. 

The animosity for him only grew as beef between not-Sonic and the Doctor grew into hate. The blue hedgehog started to do surprise inspections of the base just to ensure himself that Robotnick wasn't cooking up anything evil in any moments of peace. It happened so frequently and randomly that their Sonic wasn't allowed out of his room during the day and had to be on alert at night. 

He hated it. Everything about it.

Sonic had been forbidden to make contact with anyone from this new world, especially when it comes to his double, rendering him trapped in the base, forcing him to play a twisted game of hiding and seek when they had any unwanted visitors. It got so bad that Robonick had resorted to locking him in one of the Chronic Capsels around a near run-in with this version of Tails.

Every night, Android Shadow would come and sit by the capsule, guarding and talking to his unconscious friend. Every night, his hatred for the situation grew, and when morning broke he would do something more foolish, more reckless. 

He had to find those Emeralds. He had to fix this. This world was better, yet so much worse. Just like before, they couldn't stay here. The Doctor was slowly making the planet unsure by his pointless battles with the nearby villages, putting the whole country on alert.

Surely, the same trick would work again? Take them to another time or place. To save this planet from the Doctor's tyranny? The Doctor's grief? 

Maybe they could keep doing this forever. Hop from planet to planet until they came across what Robotnick was searching for? They had been to three already, what is stopping them from visiting another? It would stop the fighting, and keep the Doctor busy. 

Maybe the rage and disappointment would fade one day. There's got to be a world where he would just give in and stop, right? There just had to be...

Meeting Rogue was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Seeing her fall three hundred or so feet from an airship was something he was not ready for. She had passed out early on, way before the fall could get to her. With one big leap and a careful Chaos Control, he had swiped her out of the air and saved her impacting the unforgiving ground.

It took him a long moment or two to register his reaction before placing her down and backing away. The bat had slept peacefully, unconscious of the world around here. Oblivious to the conflict going on in his processing. 

He hadn't done this before. Saved someone without a reason. It was strange. It was new...

He had shaken himself. Sonic's heroic behaviour must be rubbing off on him. 

... Although now he thought about it, her form was similar. 

That purple outfit. 

Those wings.

They brought back faded memories of a time long forgotten. A sting of remorse and begrudging acceptance wash over him. 

Feelings of guilt had stirred in his gut as a wave of primal protectiveness washed over his form.

Android Shadow stepped back, confused and slightly fearfulness stirring at his strange display of emotional weakness. 

This was wrong.

He should be feeling these things.

He wasn't programmed to...

And, yet those feeling were strong and so real. 

In his daze, he approached her once more and carried her from out of the forest, towards the Doctor's base. 

She was hurt. 

She needed help.

... And for some reason, he felt he was the one who had to help her.

He would hide her from the doctor and help her heal until she was strong enough to leave.

It felt the right thing to do.

The only thing to do.

He just hoped it was the right decision...

Android Shadow was jolted out of his thoughts by metal footsteps getting closer. He glanced up to see Omega staring down at him. Despite his lack of expressive features, he knew the other was cornered.

"IS THERE ANY REASON WHY YOU HAVE CEASED WALKING?" It started, an almost concerned tone coming out of its voice modulated. Shadow knew that shouldn't be possible- Omega wasn't like him or Sonic- but there it was... Maybe he was just imagining it.

Pushing that information to the back of his processor, he focused on more important things.

"Where's Rogue?" He asked first, knowing the robot was supposed to stay at the base, looking after her. It was the last order he gave until he came out... in case things got ugly.

"SAFE. YOUR ORIGINAL IS WITH HER. SHE IS VITAL IN OUR MISSION. I PROMISE THAT NO HARM WILL COME TO HER IF THAT HAS GOTTEN YOU DISTRACT." Again, phantom emotions seem to come from the modulator. It was reassurance and a hint of protectiveness.

He nodded. It was strange to think back to those days where he saved her from near-death. They didn't meet much after that. The doctor kept him busy. Rogue was spotted three weeks in but Robotnick didn't seem that bothered. Sure, he was intrigued by her and her skill to pick locks and rewire doors so she didn't have to deal with the facial recognition software. 

She had kept Sonic company and released him from capacity in his frozen prison from time to time, but she also saved him from doing anything stupid or reckless. 

Upon learning this, the doctor had let her stay in exchange for her talents. 

She graciously accepted, having nowhere to go and no family to return to.

She was a quick learner, and with the right training, she was one of the best hackers they had.

She and Sonic grew close, forming a bond like brother and sister. Android Shadow was jealous but tried to stay out of it. Sonic had perked up a little bit, finding comfort in the small socialisation he got. 

Even Robotnick seemed to take a shining to her, his depressive episodes getting further in between. They still happen, and were devastating, but was a push in the right direction...

A clawed hand landed on his shoulder and he shivered at the contact. "YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON THE PRESENT. ROGUE IS ADAPTABLE AND WILL FIND A WAY OUT OF ANY SITUATION THE DOCTOR THROWS AT HER. RIGHT NOW WE NEED TO FOCUS ON FINDING METAL SONIC BEFORE THE HUMAN'S OR THE DOCTOR DOES."

Shadow bit his lip before looking away. He was right. He was getting too emotional... Too nostalgic. He needed to focus on the here and now. And that's following the signal and saving Sonic for whatever situation he found himself in.

"You're right," he smiled momentarily before his face went stoic. He turned to the fit for the first time, who was standing serval paces behind them, staring intently at a store's glass with a frown and narrowed eyes.

Shadow and Omega shared a look before approaching, wondering what had attracted the kit's attention. Once they were close enough, the kit snapped his gaze away to them. "We can't go." He whispered, voice shaking slightly.

This surprised both creations. They glanced at each other before looking back to the kid like he grew a second head. "And why not?" 

The smallest took a shuddering breath before slowing. 

"Because Eggman has been following us for, at least, the last few blocks now."

TBC: