Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Shadow

Shadow clicked the battery into his ray gun, the pounding rain masking the sound, then secured the silencer. His target was moving, and the rain blurred the edges of everything on the street. However, that mattered little; his accuracy was always perfect. 

The ocelot he was tracking was an employee of the Empire, though not important enough that anyone would take notice of his death, save perhaps his family if he had any. Not that Shadow knew or cared. It wasn’t usually included in the files he was given before a job, which held basic information about their habits, their crimes, the things Shadow needed to know. Nothing more, nothing less. His job was killing. Anyone else could handle the body and its disposal.

Shadow took careful aim, his hand steady as he lay his finger across the trigger, then fired at the ocelot’s head. He was dead before he even hit the ground, a sizzling hole burned straight through his brain. The job was done. 

A vibration came from Shadow’s watch, and he huffed as he disassembled his weapon, disconnecting the battery first before anything else. The message could only be from Rouge; she was the only person he knew who managed to cut it that damn close when he was out on a job. 

Sure enough, when he turned on the holo-projection interface, there was a new message in their work thread. 

Rouge: Got another one for ya.  

Tap to see attachment  

Shadow: Do I have time to sleep before I have to get on it?

Rouge: Since when do you sleep? 💀

Shadow: Just a question

Rouge: Sorry, but no. Orders from up top. Nothing else for a bit after that though, unless something else comes up last minute. 

Shadow cursed under his breath as he shut off the watch interface and shut his weapons case. He hadn’t slept in a week, and the mask he wore against the city smog was soaked from the rain, but he knew better than to take a break. The minute the files were given to him, he was on company time. 

He picked up the case he’d put the pieces of the gun in and hurried away, his boots splashing in the rain puddles on the rooftops as he dodged furnace shafts and skylights. Once he was far enough away from the body, he could check the file and begin his next hunt, but he couldn’t afford any detectives on his ass. 

Finally, he found a place several blocks away where he could jump down to street level. He slid on some of the trash he used to cushion his fall, but he managed to regain his footing before checking his watch again. 

He panted heavily, wet fabric being pulled tighter on his face with every inhale as he opened the thread with Rouge again. He flicked his finger across the link she’d given him to open it. Inside the file were some pictures, and a single page only half-full of text. 

Name: Unknown

Age: Unknown

Sex: Unknown

Species: Mobian; Unknown

Last seen: Station Square

Top speed: Unknown

Status: Unarmed(?); Dangerous

Priority lvl: 1

Shadow frowned. He’d never seen so little information in a target’s file before, especially considering they were a priority one target. When he looked at the handful of pictures, his eyes widened. 

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. 

All that could be seen in any of them was a sapphire blue blur. There was no face, no hands, no nothing. Just a streaking blur. And the photos that didn’t depict the target made even less sense. 

They were just paintings on the walls of buildings, most of them depicting forests and babbling brooks like what Shadow had seen in books and on the internet, before all his searches had become trash for government bots to sift through. It wasn’t until he saw the last one that he understood why they were on the hit list. 

It was a painting of Robotnik, holding the rope of a guillotine, primitive but brutal. There were already many heads in the basket, but the eerie smile the artist had put on his face said it all. He would keep killing the long line of citizens as they lined up. 

That crossed a line. Anyone could see that, clear as day. Shadow knew they would have had to have been desperate to have even considered trying that, much less done it. 

Shadow closed the file and turned off the projection. Then, he set off towards Station Square.

His target was moving, and the rain blurred the edges of everything on the street. However, that mattered little; his accuracy was always perfect.  

Station Square was near the western edge of the city, so named because it was home to a hub of train stations with tracks that ran throughout all of Central City, as well as to a few more stations outside it, meaning it was one of several links to other cities. It was also within walking distance from the residential areas surrounding it, so most people also took the trains on their way to work. 

It was easy to see why Shadow’s target would choose a place like this to paint, especially if he wanted to incite unrest. Even now, in the middle of the night, there was a huge crowd of people, everyone rushing around to catch their train, or leave the station through the various exits. With this amount of foot traffic, it was one of the best places in the city for graffiti to get any kind of attention. The only way the target could do any better would be to post it on the Net. But if this person were smart, they wouldn’t risk connecting any kind of account to the crime. 

Shadow made a note to ask Rouge to search the Net later, after he’d investigated the station. Just in case.

There were four main walls, one in each cardinal direction. The graffiti was on each one, all near the entrances and exits. Shadow entered through the east entrance, and immediately found a painting of a forest, dappled afternoon sunlight streaming through the trees like golden ribbons, making the undergrowth glow softly. 

Shadow had to admit the artist had some talent. Each leaf, each tree trunk, was rendered in considerable detail. It reminded him of old comic book scans he’d found on the Net, a heavy emphasis on color with the detail residing heavily in linework. It seemed a shame that it would have to be painted over. 

The biggest question though, was how had they done it so fast? Surely someone would have noticed this way before it was finished and alerted the authorities then. This sort of piece would have potentially taken days to finish, and that was ignoring the other three in the station.

It was several minutes before Shadow finally managed to pull himself away from the painting and scan the floor around it. There was no sign of anyone having been there recently; no paint splatters, no brushes left behind. When he looked back at the painting, he realized there weren’t even any brush marks, almost as if it had been printed directly onto the wall. And there was nothing blue here either, no fur, no scales. It seemed they did a thorough job cleaning up after themselves. 

Great, Shadow thought with a groan. Of course they had to make my job even more difficult.

He scanned the crowd, looking for any sign of a blue mobian. He found a few humans with altered blue hair, but no mobians, nor were the humans’ hair the right hue. The target’s color, as far as he’d been able to tell from the photos anyway, was a deep, sapphire blue, dulled only slightly in color. Most of the blue-haired humans sported a brighter color, or something that bordered more on purple or green. Not sapphire. 

Shadow made his way around the station, keeping his eyes peeled as best he could, though his exhaustion was catching up to him. His vision blurred, and his eyes were heavy enough that he knew that if he stopped walking, he might fall asleep on his feet.

He had to at least find something before he could check in though. Then maybe Robotnik would let him sleep. 

He checked the northern and eastern walls, but it wasn’t until he got to the painting of Robotnik on the southern wall–which already had a crew of painters rolling pristine white paint over it–that he found something. 

There was a blue quill on the ground, and a snapped rubber band, both splattered in red paint. Shadow picked up the quill, wiping the paint off between his paw pads. It was too short to be from a porcupine, he could tell that much. Theoretically it could have been from an echidna, though it was uncommon for one to be blue. Then again, quills could be dyed. It could also have been from literally anyone else in the station, assuming they’d passed by a while before. However, he was fairly certain he’d just answered the question of the species of his target just by how familiar the quill felt in his hand. 

They were a hedgehog, like him. 

He pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket and put the quill inside, sealing it. Then, he put it in his pocket and got onto a train heading into the heart of Central City. 

Shadow picked up the quill, wiping the paint off between his paw pads.

The inside of the Capital building was clean enough that Shadow could finally take off the sopping wet mask that clung to his face. The first breath without it was a relief, dry air finally flowing into his lungs. It wouldn't be a good thing if he was fighting bronchitis while he was on the job. Or pneumonia. If he wanted to keep his income, Robotnik would make him work, sick or not, so it was better to just not be sick.

The city hall was bustling with people, workers going to and from various places with stacks of paperwork in their arms. Shadow rolled his eyes–like he often did–at the sheer amount of paper. Surely they could do all of that on a digital interface for a much lower price. In terms of maintenance and overall material cost, it had to be pretty damn expensive. Not to mention the potential impact on the shitty air quality. 

However, Shadow knew it would have been too much to ask for Robotnik to leave some trees within the city limits. His mood soured whenever anyone broached the subject, as if it were a matter of personal offense to him. His allergies were terrible, he claimed. In truth though, Shadow was fairly certain he thought them a waste of perfectly good building space. 

Shadow pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind as he walked over to the receptionist. "I'm here to see Robotnik," he said. 

The receptionist looked up at him briefly, then back down at his holo-screen. "He's open now," he said. "I'll let him know you're coming in, sir." 

"Thank you," Shadow said. Then he walked past the desk and made his way towards Robotnik's office. It was at the end of a long, empty hallway. There were doors to other offices along the sides, but the names on them had long been scraped off. No one worked in them anymore. Robotnik had made certain of that.

Shadow remembered some of the city council members. Before Robotnik's reform, there had been seven of them, Ivo's grandfather–Gerald–being one. There had been others, some men, some women, potentially one or two that were neither. Shadow had met a few of them when he and Maria had been young enough to accompany Gerald to work when he couldn't get a babysitter (which was often, as many meetings had been scheduled last-minute). 

Shadow's steel-toed boots thumped heavily on the carpet as he made his way down the hallway. It was several minutes before he got close enough to even see the office at the end, the hallway so long that Shadow wondered if the architect had been trying to drive anyone traversing it insane. 

There was a gold plaque on the door that read, "Ivo Robotnik, Governor". The words left a bad taste in Shadow's mouth every time he read them, but he was too tired just then to get properly angry. Instead, a familiar bitterness settled into his chest, cold, hard, and heavy. Memories tried to bubble up to the surface, but he forced them down. There was no point in thinking about her right now. He had a job to do.

Once he finally reached the door, he knocked. 

"Enter," said a voice, and he opened the door to find Robotnik sitting at his desk, tinkering with something. Upon closer inspection, it was one of his own hands, wires and chips strewn about, the control panel wide open. Robotnik looked up at him with a smile. "Ah, Shadow," he said. "Don't mind me. Just noticed the neuro-sync on this was a little off, so I'm tuning it up. How goes the search for the terrorist?" 

Shadow pulled the bag with the blue quill out of his pocket, privately balking at the label he had used. “Terrorist” seemed much too extreme a word for them, even despite the nature of their vandalism. "The suspect was long gone, but they did leave this behind," he said, setting the bag on Robotnik's desk. 

Robotnik's eyebrows rose. "I see," he said, though his tone implied the opposite.  

"If we run a DNA test on the quill, we can figure out who it was. Then Rouge can send me a location and I can take care of it." 

"Oh." Robotnik shook his head, waving dismissively. "Why'd you bring the thing here then? Take it to the labs and let them handle it. I’m no good at biology, boy." 

Shadow narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw to keep a sharp retort in his mouth. He hated when Robotnik called him that.

He grabbed the bag off Robotnik's desk and turned around. As he opened the door, Robotnik said, "Oh, and Shadow?" 

Shadow looked back at his boss, a chill running down his spine at the tight smile on his face. "Be snappy about it,” Robotnik said, his voice low, and even a little threatening. “This one smells like vermin."  

Shadow nodded, then left the room. 

Shadow dropped the quill off at the labs and headed home. It would take them at least a few hours to run the tests, maybe even a full day if he was lucky. 

The moment he stepped inside the apartment and locked the door behind him, he slumped to the floor, relief and exhaustion washing over him like a crashing wave. He debated getting something to eat before he lied down, but he was tired enough that he could have just flopped over and passed out. He was hungry though, so he settled for wolfing down a protein bar before he went over to the couch and curled up underneath the ratty blanket he kept there. He didn't even bother with a shower; that could wait until he had to get the test results. 

The moment his head touched the cushion, he was asleep.  

Hours later, he was woken up by his watch vibrating against his wrist. He blinked, still feeling warm and heavy. He was tempted to just ignore it and go back to sleep, but he made himself sit up and turn on the holo-screen. 

Incoming call from Rouge. 

Accept? Decline? 

Shadow groaned as he swiped his finger through “accept”. In a moment, Rouge appeared, lit only by the holo screens in front of her. He could just see the black cropped tank she wore, a circle cut at the top to show her cleavage, and the tops of the mesh fingerless gloves she wore up to her elbows. Everything else was out of frame or cloaked in darkness. She smirked at him, bringing a hand up to rest her cheek on it as she leaned towards the call screen. "How you doin', sleeping beauty?" 

"What do you want?" Shadow asked with a sigh. 

"Test results came through," Rouge replied. 

"And?" 

"We've got ourselves a match." 

She moved her hand to tap at a keyboard Shadow couldn’t see, and a picture appeared on the screen. It was of a blue hedgehog with bright emerald green eyes. He wore a white mask over his muzzle, but that didn't hide the mischievous smiling crinkle of his eyes as he rode his Xtreme gear across the frame. His red cropped hoodie and shorts appeared to billow slightly behind him, the fabric hanging loose on his slim body. 

"His name is Sonic," Rouge said. "Age twenty-three, male, and apparently a speed skater." 

"Does he post artwork anywhere on the Net?" Shadow asked. 

"Negative," Rouge answered. "I already checked. In fact, he isn't anywhere. No accounts, no profiles, nothing. This was a post from an ex-girlfriend, Amy Rose." 

"Not even anything anonymous?" 

Rouge took the picture off the screen and shook her head. "If he does, he's made it real hard to find, even for me."

Shadow was quiet for a moment. "Keep looking," he said. "There has to be something. No one can go completely off-grid. And sift through the ex’s stuff. There might be something else there." 

"Will do," Rouge said. Then she smirked again. “I saw how you were looking at him by the way.”

Shadow rolled his eyes and scoffed, earning a snorting laugh from the bat. “He’s a target,” he said. “I’m not that stupid.” 

“I mean, yeah,” Rouge said. “But still, pretty cute, right? It’s a shame.”

“Whatever.”  

Rouge laughed again, then typed something. A notification chimed at the top of Shadow’s holoscreen. “That’s his address,” she said. “So you can start tailing him at your leisure.” 

Shadow grunted, then disconnected. He debated going back to sleep, but ultimately decided against it. The target probably knew he was being pursued, and if he didn’t yet, Shadow didn’t want to give him time to find out. 

He put his mask back on, grabbed his weapon case, and left the apartment. 

Chapter Text

Sonic

Sonic got off his Xtreme gear, panting as he took off his mask. The garage was empty, no Tails tinkering with anything at his workbench. He checked the time on the clock. Five-thirty-two AM. The kid was probably still asleep.

He set the Xtreme gear up against a wall, double-checked that the garage locks were engaged, then went into the house through the inner door. 

Okay, house was perhaps a strong word. Only the rich could afford actual houses. In reality the building was an abandoned warehouse-turned-abode that housed several squatters, Sonic included. 

Sonic crept across the floor, heading towards the makeshift kitchen as quietly as he could. The only other person who had gone with him was Amy, who was navigating a little slower through town in an effort to avoid being spotted by more Hounds. She should have been coming back soon though. 

The old fridge creaked open, revealing a meager stash of what looked to be some leftover ground beef and some carrots. They’d have to send Silver and Blaze on another supply run soon. But not now. There was enough here that he and Amy could eat before they went to sleep. 

The garage doors slid open again, and Sonic crept back over to check. Relief, small and warm, settled in his chest as Amy turned and shut the garage doors, then wearily got off her gear and removed her own mask. Sonic waved her over, engaging the locks as he did so. 

“How long do you think it’ll be before they take down those paintings?” he whispered to her. 

Amy shrugged, then yawned quietly. “Probably no more than a few hours, if that,” she said. Then her stomach growled. “Do we have any food?” 

Sonic nodded, then walked with her over to the kitchen, where they split what little there was between them. As they sat down, he noticed her hammer baton sticking precariously out of one of the pockets of her skirt, so he gently reached over and took it out, setting it down on the table. The trigger button was fast if it was pushed, and the last thing they needed was another chair getting taken out by a hammer accident. 

“Thanks,” Amy said tiredly. 

Sonic nodded, then ate quietly, too tired to say much. This trip wouldn’t have taken so long if they hadn’t had to lose the Hound-bots on their tail. Amy was there for backup, and she’d been able to smash a good few. But they knew it wouldn’t be long before they tracked them down. There was no telling what information they’d sent back to their masters before she’d destroyed them.   

“Amy?” said a voice, and they both looked to find Blaze stepping towards them, her tail up inquisitively. She leaned over Amy and kissed her gently on the top of her head, running her fingers softly through her quills, then turned her gaze to Sonic. “What took you two so long?” 

“Bots,” Sonic replied. “We got spotted. I thought it’d be fine if I used the paint scanner and just stayed out of sight, but they caught the scanner, then us trying to get away.” 

Blaze groaned, her tail flicking behind her in annoyance. “I thought you said you weren’t going to do the paintings,” she said. Then she looked at Amy. “And why did you go with him?” 

“Because if I didn’t go I knew Tails was going to try,” Amy replied. “He’s a smart kid, but we can’t let him go out with Sonic on missions like that, especially since he still doesn’t have a gear.” 

Blaze sighed. “Fair enough,” she said. Then she kissed Amy gently on the cheek. “Silver and I have been waiting up for you.”

Amy’s eyes widened. “What? Honey, no, it’s–” She checked the time on her watch “--almost six in the morning. You guys have been up all night?” 

“Silver was worried,” Blaze said, and Amy’s ears drooped guiltily. “And after a while, so was I.”

Amy looked between Blaze and her almost empty plate for a moment. Then, she took the last few bites of her food, said good night to Sonic, and followed Blaze over to one of the smaller offices they’d staked out as their room with Amy’s other partner, Silver. 

Part of Sonic ached as he watched them, with envy, with loneliness. He missed having someone to give him that affection.

He missed Amy. 

He and Amy had been together for a while, before their world went to shit. It was nice. It was nice having someone to hold him, someone to hold. But they both had different needs that the other couldn’t always fulfill. Amy was very affectionate, and Sonic was less so. Sonic was very hyperactive, and Amy less so. In the end, they’d decided they worked better as friends. 

Most of Sonic’s love for her was platonic now. He wondered how much of it ever had been romantic–if he’d ever felt that kind of love toward anyone he’d ever dated. But he knew he envied the way Silver and Blaze were toward Amy. He missed the days when she would come up and hug him out of nowhere. She still did that sometimes, but not to the same extent. 

It was easy to take love for granted until you lost it.

Sonic finished his plate, then put it next to Amy’s by the sink. Then, he walked down the hallway to his own office-turned-bedroom. 

When he got there, he found Tails curled up on top of his bed, his namesakes wrapped around him like thick blankets. Sonic was surprised. He hadn’t done this since he was a kid during thunderstorms, but now he was fifteen years old. It seemed a little odd for him to do it again, especially out of the blue like this. 

Sonic shook him gently. “Hey, bud,” he whispered as Tails’s eyes fluttered open. “Hey. What’re you doing in here?”

Tails looked around for a moment, as if unsure of where he was. Then, he stretched out with a groan. “Sorry,” he said. “I was just waiting for you to get back. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” 

“Oh,” Sonic said. Then he pulled off his shoes and sat on the bed. “What’s up?” 

Tails looked away, fidgeting with one of his tails, which was now draped across his lap. “Bad dreams,” he said. “You got shot.” 

Sonic frowned. “What led up to that, bud?” he asked. 

Tails shrugged. “It’s kinda fuzzy now,” he said. “All I remember now is hearing gunfire, then you screaming.” 

Sonic wrapped an arm around the fox, squeezing his shoulders. “Well, that didn’t happen. I’m right here, no holes where there shouldn’t be. You good to head back to your room?” 

Tails nodded sleepily. “Yeah. I just… kinda needed to see that you were okay.” 

Sonic smiled softly. “Fair enough. Go get some sleep, okay, bud?” 

With a yawn, Tails shuffled out of the room, leaving Sonic alone. 

Sonic took his gloves, shoes, and jacket off, stowing them on the floor near the foot of his bed. The mattress creaked beneath his weight as he laid down and closed his eyes. 

Blaze groaned, her tail flicking behind her in annoyance. “I thought you said you weren’t going to do the paintings,” she said.

The sun was shining high in the sky by the time he woke up, his room bathed in rays of red light. A glance out the window was fruitless, the smog too thick to see through. He could only see the few other warehouses and storage units in the lots closest to theirs. Anything further away was swallowed up by dust and smoke. 

He yawned and curled back up under the blankets, thinking of dozing off again until a pounding knock sounded at his door. 

Sonic groaned and shuffled out of bed. When he opened the door, Knuckles stood outside, his boxing gloves already wound tight around his hands. “You’re late,” the echidna growled. He must have looked confused, because Knuckles sighed. “Strength training?”

“Oh, right,” Sonic said, then yawned again. “I’ll be there in a minute, sorry. Ames and I were out late.” 

“How’d it go?”

Sonic shrugged. “Ehhhh,” he said. “The paintings went fine until we tried to get away. Then we got spotted.” 

Knuckles narrowed his eyes at him. “So in short we’re gonna have to pack up and move again,” he said. 

“Potentially,” Sonic admitted. 

Knuckles sighed and shook his head. “We told you not to do it,” he said. 

“Yeah, Blaze got after me too. But what else are we supposed to do at this point, Knux? The smog is taking a toll on all of us, even with our masks. And we can’t pay for the medical procedures we’re gonna need just to stay alive. Silver and Blaze’s ‘Netics were hard enough to get, and that was before Butt-nik took over.” 

“I know.” 

They were both silent for a moment. The truth was heavy, and as much as they all wanted to ignore it, they couldn’t. There was only so long they could keep going like this before they just… couldn’t.

“If I’m gonna go down, I’m gonna go down fighting,” Sonic said, breaking the silence. 

Knuckles cracked the joints in his fingers, a nervous habit of his, before he responded. “We don’t want you going down at all.”

Sonic sighed. “I don’t want to watch all of you suffer,” he said. 

They left it at that, and when Knuckles went down the hall a moment later, Sonic followed. 

There was a corner in one of the main rooms, which was still filled with rows upon rows of shelves full of boxes, that they’d found a few hooks protruding from the walls to hang a couple punching bags from. Said punching bags were old, and beginning to tear in places, especially the one Knuckles went after the most. His knuckle-spikes were not gentle on it. Sonic was pretty sure he’d caught him climbing with those things at least once, and he’d been on the receiving end of some of his punches. They were sharp. It had taken several days for the bruises to go away, and even longer for the deep scratches to heal. Not fun

Amy was already there, going to town on the less scratched bag. 

“Morning,” Sonic said. 

“Morning,” Amy replied, breathing hard. 

“How’s it going?”

“Fine. Silver and Blaze went out for more supplies.”

“Oh, that’s great, thanks, Ames.” 

“Talk later, busy punching.”

Her tone was clipped, and Sonic backed away, startled by her intensity. She seemed to be punching the bag a lot harder than usual too, to the point where he was worried that she might send it flying into him if he got too close. “Are you okay?” he asked. 

“I’m just anxious,” she said, continuing to slam her fists into the bag.

“Ames, I’m sure they’re fine. They’ve got the ‘Netics, remember? They can handle themselves.” 

Amy sighed as she stopped, checking the swinging bag with her torso before she leaned up against it. “I know…” she said. “But after yesterday, I’m more worried that they’re being followed, or that they got into some kind of fight and just…” She took a deep breath. “I just want to know they’re okay.”

“It was us that they spotted,” Sonic reminded her. “They’re gonna be looking for us, and they look nothing like us, so they’re probably not gonna be trailed as long as they keep their heads low like they always do. They’re gonna be fine, I promise.” 

“Okay,” Amy said. “I’ll… I don’t know… I just feel like I need to do something.” 

“If they’re still gone in a couple hours, we can go look for them,” Sonic said. 

Amy nodded, then walked away from the bags, grabbing a ratty old towel and wiping the sweat off her face and shoulders. “You guys can use the bags now.”

“Thank you,” Knuckles said. 

The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get Sonic to make the bag swing, and while it was going a little better than last week, Sonic was still struggling. Upper body strength wasn't his... well... strength. He was more of a runner, having built himself up more for speed and endurance than for impact strength. It had paid off in high school, when he’d been on the track team. He could run circles around Knuckles easily, and they both knew it. But Knuckles could also quite easily break some ribs with a single punch, which Sonic could not. 

After Robotnik–or Ro-butt-nik as Sonic liked to call him–took over the city-state of Central City, the streets had gotten a lot more dangerous. Running fast wasn't gonna cut it if the security bots managed to corner him, and neither would the Xtreme gear, no matter how fast Tails rigged it to go. 

So, here he was, punching the old bags until he was practically drowning in sweat and couldn't feel his arms anymore. 

Knuckles put a hand on his shoulder. "That's enough for today," he said. "You're going to take tomorrow to rest. And that means no late-night vandalism tonight."

Sonic rolled his eyes and punched Knuckles’s shoulder lightly, though there wouldn't have been anything behind it anyway. "Awww come on, Knux," he said. "Live a little. Come with me tonight." 

Knuckles crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at him. "And why would I do that?" he asked. 

"Because you've been cooped up here for too long," Sonic said. "You're starting to grow roots." 

"Oh yeah?" Knuckles grabbed Sonic by the shoulders, pulling him in for a noogie. "Do these look like roots to you? Huh?"

"Lemme go!" Sonic laughed as he tried to squirm out of Knuckles's grip to no avail. 

"Take it back then." 

"No!" 

At this, Knuckles shifted and hauled Sonic up by his waist, hefting him above the ground like a barbell. "How about now?" he shouted, a deep laugh echoing through the space. 

"Okay okay fine, you're not growing... that many roots." 

Knuckles tossed him into the air, and Sonic curled, landing on the floor in a spiky blue ball. When he untucked, they were both laughing. "Alright, fine. I'll join you tonight. But only to keep you out of trouble."

Sonic grinned. "And when have I ever gotten in trouble?"

Knuckles rolled his eyes and muttered something Sonic couldn't hear, but was probably an insult. 

When they left the "gym", they found Silver and Blaze working together to put away supplies. There were several big crates, and Knuckles joined in without hesitation. Sonic would have attempted to help if his arms didn't still feel like jelly. 

"Good to see you guys made it back!" Sonic said to Silver and Blaze, who were hauling a single metal crate between them. "

Blaze smirked. "Good to see you deigned to help," she said. 

"Oh I'm not helping," Sonic said. "I can barely move my arms right now."

"Lame!" Silver shouted. "Come on, at least help with the smaller stuff."

"Fine," Sonic said, groaning as he picked up one of the bigger cans of orange slices and took it into one of the lower levels where they kept their food stores. Amy and Tails were already down there, sorting through the stuff and putting it in piles on the shelves. When he saw Amy, he smiled. "I told you they'd be fine," he said quietly. 

Amy rolled her eyes and punched his arm playfully. "Uh huh, drink it up," she teased. But then her smile faded. "Knuckles said you were planning on going out again tonight. You're not going to do anything crazy are you?"

"Define crazy," Sonic said. 

Amy leveled a reproachful look at him. "No more paintings," she said. "Not tonight. And don't get caught, either of you."

"We won't, Ames, it'll be fine."

Amy stared at him for a moment longer, then turned back to the growing pile of foodstuffs. "You'd better be, or you're gonna get a hammer upside the head when I break you out of jail."

"Noted." 

The night was cool when they set out on their Xtreme gear, though it was still much too warm for the hood that Sonic had over his quills. It was either that or get spotted at this point though, and he didn't want to take any chances, especially considering they were headed back to Station Square. 

Knuckles had protested when Sonic had said that was where they were going, but he went along with it once he'd assured him that it would be a quick in and out. He just wanted to see if the paintings were still up. 

They hadn't counted on running into old friends on the way though. 

Well... friends wasn't quite the right word. 

When they were about three quarters of the way to their destination, a trio of racers zoomed past, their Xtreme gears leaving trails of light. Green, pink, and yellow. 

Sonic knew those gears. 

"Well if it isn't Mister Righteous," sneered a familiar voice, and Sonic's stomach curdled. 

"Hello, Jet." 

The trio slowed down, allowing Sonic and Knuckles to catch up to them, the green hawk in the center between Sonic and Knuckles while Wave and Storm stayed on either side of them, closing them in. "Where're you headed with him?" Jet asked. "Did you replace me that quick?" 

Sonic rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here?" 

"Heard the buzz on the feeds. We're supposed to be on the lookout for a terrorist, and I'd know that blue streak anywhere." 

Knuckles growled from Jet's other side. "You lay a finger on him and I'll--" 

"You'll what, meathead?" Jet taunted. "Swipe and miss? That gear is a fucking snail compared to mine." He turned his gaze back to Sonic. "Guess that answers my question. Good to know I meant so little to you." 

Sonic blinked. "All I said was that I was ace, Jet," he said. "You're the one who got pissed and stomped off." 

"Still, you could have waited." 

"Knuckles is like a brother to me. We’re not dating. And you and I only dated for like a month, geez." 

Jet's expression hardened. "So you're saying you didn't care? I bet you're still simping for that pink chick." 

Sonic narrowed his eyes. "Watch it, hawk," he growled. 

"Ha! I fucking knew it! Gaia, you're such a loser." 

Sonic rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Knux," he said, and he sped ahead of the Babylon Rogues, Knuckles following close behind. "Glad that one was a short one." 

"How long has it even been since you broke up?" Knuckles asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. 

"A year." 

"Damn, he's..." 

"Yeah. Like I said, glad that was short."

Knuckles nodded, and the two of them settled into silence. Sonic glanced back once to make sure the Rogues weren't following them, but he didn't see anyone. And yet he couldn't quite shake the feeling they were being followed. He shuddered and tried to ignore it. There weren't any bots around, nor anyone else who would recognize him, as long as he kept his hood up.

Chapter Text

Shadow

It was difficult to see them with how fast they were going, but their voices left a trail of their own as Shadow did his best to keep up with them. Their Xtreme gears were fast, but the cybernetics in his feet–a "gift" from Ivo–allowed him to follow them without too much of a problem. When they'd encountered the hawk and his gang, Shadow had hung back, still within earshot, but not close enough that they could tell he was following them.

He wanted this to be quick and clean, and for that, there could be no witnesses. 

The echidna was more of a problem than the hawk, despite the latter's seemingly more combatant nature. He stuck to the target like glue, almost as if he were protecting him. It was terribly annoying, and Shadow had to keep himself from groaning and giving himself away. 

His watch buzzed again, but at the speeds he was going it would have been dangerous to try to read it. It wasn't until the buzzing grew more incessant that he finally looked. Then, he screeched to a halt and accepted the audio call. 

"Yes, sir?" he answered shortly. 

"Any progress on the terrorist?" asked Robotnik's voice from the other end. 

"Affirmative. Permission to hang up to follow?"

Robotnik laughed, the sound making Shadow's quills stand on end and cross. "Wonderful!" he exclaimed. "Permission granted. Keep up the good work, my boy." 

Shadow rolled his eyes as he disconnected the call and resumed the chase. "My boy." As if that would ever mean anything. 

Unfortunately, even with as brief as the call had been, he'd lost their trail, and he swore quietly before he turned back, climbing the fire escape of an old apartment building to reach the rooftops. Not that the bird's eye view helped that much. The smog was thicker tonight, no rain helping to clear the air, and so his target was lost in a sea of foggy city lights. 

Damn it.

Shadow racked his brain, trying to think of anything the pair might have said that would have given away their destination, but there was nothing. All he knew was irrelevant tidbits about the target's personal life, which he couldn't have cared less about. 

Still, he made his way through the city, jumping from rooftop to rooftop as he searched for the target. All the while, he kept thinking of Sonic's reaction to Jet's accusation. It shouldn't have mattered. It didn't matter. And yet there was something about it that made Shadow's chest feel sort of heavy. Was he... disappointed? 

He scoffed quietly. Ridiculous.  

As he went further into the southwest corner of the city, he finally caught sight of the pair again and hastily followed them from above. They were checking fervently over their shoulders, making sure they weren't being followed on the ground. Even if they did look up though, they wouldn't have been able to see him. His dark fur blended almost perfectly with the starless night sky, and the smog acted as a veil, further obscuring him from their sight. Soon, they came to Station Square, and moments after they stepped inside, Shadow made his way to street level and followed. 

The paintings were gone now. All that remained to suggest that they had once existed were swaths of pristine white paint sticking out like a sore thumb from the dingy gray of the surrounding walls. The pair stood near the one closest to the door, the target's hood still up to cover his quills. 

A shame, a little voice said in the back of Shadow's mind. They're such a nice blue. She'd love--

No. He couldn't let her ruin this. 

Slowly, he made his way through the bustling crowd to the pair, waiting just out of their line of sight. Several impatient commuters shoved past him, even cursing him openly, but he didn't move, didn't even blink. He would not lose sight of him again. 

The pair stayed for long enough though that Shadow's adrenaline began to drain, and his exhaustion set in once again. He kept his eyes on Sonic, but his thoughts began to wander. 

He wanted to see those quills again, and those eyes. The colors had been dulled in the picture Rouge had found, the sky a dull gray behind him, but in the glimpses he'd been able to catch he saw his eyes, gleaming like emeralds and full of fire. His quills and fur were as blue as sapphire and yet as bright as the sky's edges during an eclipse. 

That's what he was. He was something so dazzling, so bright that even the sun had to bow to him. 

If Shadow had been able to think clearly, he would have stopped this train of thought long before Sonic and Knuckles moved to the next painting instead of shaking himself out of his reverie to follow them. 

Gaia, he needed sleep.  

The pair stopped at every blank wall, Shadow not far behind them. The hum of the crowd kept their voices from reaching his ears as they talked, and he bit back a frustrated groan. What they were saying could have been important. 

Finally, they headed back to the entrance, keeping their faces hidden from the security cameras as they crossed the threshold of the sliding doors. It was here that Knuckles hesitated, argued with Sonic for a moment, then walked back inside the train station towards the bathrooms. 

Shadow stepped out, scanning the area for the target. He caught a red hoodie out of the corner of his eye and moved toward it. He was sitting on a concrete step off to the side, keeping his face hidden. It was close enough that he would be protected by witnesses unless Shadow could find a good place to hide and fire. 

But then their eyes met, and everything inside of Shadow went still. 

Sonic tensed, his jaw clenching as he managed a stiff wave with his left hand. Left-handed then, Shadow noted. His eyes burned as they bore into Shadow, as if he were challenging him. To what, Shadow wasn't sure. To try and kill him? To turn him in? 

In his hesitation, he lost his opportunity as Knuckles came back out, grabbing his gear. 

Shadow didn't take his eyes off of Sonic until the last moment before he kicked his gear on and sped away in a red-and-blue blur. 

Fuck...

Fuck.  

When Shadow got back to his apartment that night, a call from Rouge buzzed on his watch, but he silenced it. He was getting some sleep, Robotnik be damned. He took a shower, washing the days of sweat and grime out of his fur and quills, then climbed into an unmade bed and passed out.

There was the sun, bright and golden. There was Maria. There was her parents’ old orchard they used to play in. They were kids again, running between the trees without a care in the world. Dirt and grass tickled Shadow’s bare paws as he ran from Maria, laughter bubbling forth from his chest. 

When they stopped, Maria smiled at him, and yet there was something wrong. Shadow didn't know what it was but he could feel it, a cold sinking feeling in his chest as his laughter died on the wind. 

And then, the next thing he knew they were back in the city, Maria standing next to him as they stared at her gravestone. But then it wasn't hers. It was Sonic's. 

“I trust you, Shadow,” Maria said. 

When he woke, the details faded, and within moments he remembered none of it, though the hollow ache in his chest stayed, though it was so familiar he almost didn’t even notice.

On his nightstand stood a photo screen, pictures of him and a young girl with long blonde hair standing side-by-side, displaying in a random order. In most of them she was standing mostly by herself, maybe with a cane, but there were a few, most of them taken closer to the end, in which she sat in a wheelchair, looking up at the camera. 

Even now he could hear her laughter, bright and sweet, as he looked at each photo. Sometimes he would wake up, swearing he could hear it, only to run into the living room to find it achingly empty. Two years later, and he was still being haunted every day by her phantom. 

He shook away his thoughts as he got dressed and left his bedroom. When he picked up his watch, there were several missed calls on it. Most  of them were from Rouge, but some were from Robotnik. Shadow sighed as he went through the barrage of texts Rouge had left. 

Rouge: Dude, I fucking saw what you did. 

Rouge: Pick up! The boss is pissed!

Rouge: Shadow!!

Rouge: Okay fine, your funeral, dumbass. Can I have those opal earrings you've got stashed in that drawer in your bathroom? 

Shadow didn’t even want to know how she knew about the old pair of Maria’s earrings. He groaned and swiped at her contact, hitting the call button. While he waited for her to answer, he scrounged around the kitchen. There wasn't much that was still edible, most of his produce and leftovers having gone bad days ago, so he grabbed another protein bar from a cupboard and stuffed half of it in his mouth. 

Rouge appeared on the holo-screen interface, an inquisitive eyebrow raised. "Well?" 

"Well what?" Shadow asked, though it was muffled as he spoke around the food in his mouth. 

"Why didn't you do it?"

Shadow swallowed before he answered, "I took too long to decide." 

Rouge's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. "You took too long to decide? What's to decide? You were assigned to kill him! Why didn't you take the chance?" 

"He looked at me." 

Rouge laughed incredulously. "Seriously? You're putting your livelihood on the line just because a cute guy looked at you?" 

Shadow told himself the warm blush in his cheeks was from anger. "I was fucking tired, okay? I was running on fumes!" 

Rouge groaned. "Try telling that to him!" she said. As if on cue, another call from Robotnik came through, hovering at the top of the holo-screen. Rouge stared at Shadow. "He's pissed. You'd better answer that." 

Shadow grunted as he cut the call with Rouge and answered Robotnik's. 

His boss stared at him, his brows furrowed deeply behind the dark glasses sitting on his face. "May I ask why you disobeyed a direct order, Shadow?" His tone was disapproving, as if he were a father scolding an errant child. 

Shadow swallowed. "Forgive me, sir," he said. "With all due respect, I was exhausted and not thinking clearly." 

"Do I pay you to sleep?" Robotnik demanded, his face flushing red. "No! Get your ass back out there and get rid of that damn rodent! I don't want to hear another word about it until it's done." 

"Yes, sir," Shadow said, and Robotnik hung up. 

Shadow sat down on his couch and pinched the bridge of his snout. Great. Perfect. He was lucky Robotnik hadn't fired him then and there. 

At least he was thinking a little more clearly now though. He wouldn't make the same mistake again. 

Shadow waited outside the warehouse again that afternoon, the summer air finally cooling against his skin as the sun began its slow descent towards the horizon. No one had come in or out at all today. It wasn't until the pink hedgehog, Amy (Rouge had told him all their names while he’d been watching the day before), stepped outside that he got confirmation that they were still there. Shadow would have thought they would have already been scoping out other locations to move to, given that Sonic had seen him. 

All of Shadow’s behavior last night made him shudder. None of that should have happened. He had to end this quickly, and if he couldn't find a quiet opportunity soon, he'd have to make do with a messy one. It wouldn't be the first time, and probably not the last either. 

Despite his embarrassment, or maybe because of it, his mind kept wandering back to that moment when their eyes had met. He wondered how he must have looked to Sonic. A tired, bedraggled hedgehog with a semi-military uniform, loaded with all kinds of weapons, staring at someone like him. Surely he would have known what he was if not what he was doing. 

He looked back at the files Rouge had sent him at the beginning of this assignment, just the other night. Mentally, he started filling in the blank information. 

Name: Last name: unknown; First name: Sonic

Age: 23

Sex: If Rouge was right, then male

Species: Mobian; Hedgehog

Last seen: His residence in the warehouse district

Top speed: Still unknown

Status: Unarmed; Dangerous(?)

Still priority level one.

Shadow wondered why Sonic had even done the paintings now. At first, he had seemed desperate. But as far as he'd been able to tell, they'd been living comfortably, though illegally. He'd seen two of the other squatters, Silver and Blaze coming back with a load of food that they had more than likely stolen. Given the state of the economy though, Shadow couldn't blame them. Even his government job left him with only a little bit left over from his rent payments. Prices of living were high and jobs were scarce. They were eking out the best living they could. 

But that just brought him back to his question. Why would Sonic have painted those things on the walls? Was it just for show or was there something Shadow was missing? 

And how the hell had he done them so damn fast? 

He kept his eyes on the warehouse until long after the sun set, and Sonic emerged alone.

Chapter Text

Sonic

The moment Sonic stepped outside, he could feel someone's eyes trained on him. He shuddered, but when he looked around, he saw no one. Everyone else was asleep inside, and he made sure the door was locked before he got on his Xtreme gear and rode off. 

The night air was cool, a small breeze brushing pleasantly along the fur on his arms and legs as he rode past the other warehouses. Most of them were empty, few people desperate enough to live in the condemned buildings. Sonic was though, especially if he wanted to keep his friends safe. 

He kept his hood up, not wanting to risk being recognized. Instead of heading downtown, he headed north, towards the outskirts. The fence was too high to jump, and electrified to boot, but still, he was more likely to find solitude there. He was getting a little tired of having to look over his shoulder. 

As he went along, his thoughts started to wander. 

The stranger outside Station Square last night had been haggard, his legs even a little shaky. And yet they looked at him... curiously almost. There had been a voice in the back of Sonic's head that told him to be afraid, that this guy might turn him in and get him killed. But the louder voice, the one that screamed he would not go quietly, was the one that won out. 

Part of Sonic hoped he'd see him again, just to see what he would do. It was probably better if he didn't though. 

Finally, after about an hour of riding, he came to a stop at the edge of a grassless baseball field. He remembered playing here as a little kid in elementary school. He'd never been the best pitcher, which was unfortunately the position he played most often, but he had made a pretty good outfielder.

Sonic got off his gear and stepped onto the field, the dirt crunching softly beneath his feet. There was some equipment left here, though it was old. There was a bat, a helmet, and a ball, all dirty with what looked like months of neglect. 

He tried to remember the last baseball game he’d seen. There hadn’t even been any advertisements for games on the Net, and after a moment he realized it was before the takeover. Back when the air was fresh. Back when his world hadn't felt like it was crumbling around him. Back when Uncle Chuck was still around. 

His mood plummeted even further then. It had been about two years now since Uncle Chuck had died. He'd been stubborn, not wanting to get the 'Netics he would need to keep going. By the time they would have even been able to afford them, it wasn't just lung cancer anymore. It had spread throughout enough of his body that they would have had to replace everything on his torso. They would have tried for chemo, but that was even more expensive than the 'Netics. 

In the end, it had probably been for the best. He knew Uncle Chuck wouldn't have wanted to see the state of things now anyway. But that didn't make the longing to hear his voice any better, especially on nights like this, when Sonic was alone with his thoughts. 

He went over to the dugout, sitting down and pretending he was a kid again. What had that been like? It was so long ago now, and so much had happened since. 

He was so tired. 

His ears perked as a new sound approached, a flaming whoosh like a flamethrower. Sonic tugged his hoodie further down his forehead before he peeked out from beneath the dugout. He couldn't see what was coming, but his quills were already standing on end, and the compulsion to curl into a safety ball was strong. He made himself step out of the dugout, holding his gear up like a shield in front of his body. 

A dark figure was rapidly approaching him, orange-white flames roaring beneath his feet. It was a split second before he grabbed Sonic's throat that he recognized the stranger. Red eyes, red stripes, and his mouth twisted into a snarl as he slammed Sonic into the chain-link fence. His gear hit the ground with a heavy thud, the force knocking it out of his stunned hands. 

Sonic tried to cry out, but the stranger's grip was tight, cutting off his air. 

"Finally," the stranger said, his voice a deep growl. "I found you." 

Sonic's heart pounded in his chest as he kicked desperately, trying to get him off him. He shouldn't have come out alone. He shouldn't have come out at all. Now his friends were going to wake up to find him gone and no one would think to look for him here, assuming his body would be left here, which was unlikely if the guy knew what he was doing. 

Then, the stranger's grip released, and Sonic collapsed to the ground, gasping and choking before he scrambled to his feet, his quills standing straight on end. "Who--" He coughed. "--are you?" 

"No one you should know," the stranger replied. "What I want to know is, why'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Sonic asked, his voice hoarse. 

"You know what you did," the stranger growled. "How long did you really think you could get away with it?" 

Sonic refused to open his mouth. His eyes darted everywhere along the stranger's body, searching for concealed weapons. Unfortunately, he had too many pockets to put them in, so there was little choice. He'd probably die whether he spilled or not, but if he didn't spill, his friends had a better chance of survival. 

The stranger seemed to sense his unwillingness to talk and pulled out a laser gun, clicking the safety off. "Answer me!" he bellowed. 

"Go ahead," Sonic said. "I dare you. You're not getting shit outta me so you might as well pull the trigger now!" 

The stranger hesitated, then switched the safety back on and tucked the gun away. "So that's how you want to play it, huh?" 

Sonic nodded. 

The stranger sighed. "I just want to know why you're so desperate." 

Sonic scoffed. “Isn’t it obvious?” He gestured to the air around them. “Nobody can breathe this shit!” 

The stranger was quiet for a moment, then nodded. “Fair enough,” he said. Then he pulled the gun back out, pointing it once again at Sonic’s head. 

“Please,” Sonic said. “Leave my friends alone. I know you’ve probably been ordered to kill them too, but please… Don’t hurt them.” 

They stared at each other in silence, Sonic’s heart thumping a loud, steady beat in his chest. His quills were still standing on end, crossed with fear. But he made himself look into the stranger’s eyes. 

A click. The safety was off. Sonic swallowed. 

Then the stranger spoke. “I wasn’t ordered to kill them.” 

He clicked the safety back on one last time, then tucked the gun into a pocket. “How much longer before you need the ‘Netics?” he asked. 

Sonic frowned in confusion, but shrugged. “A few more months? If we’re lucky? Our masks only do so much.” 

The stranger nodded. “And I take it the masks with better filters aren’t an option either,” he said. 

Sonic rolled his eyes. “Yeah, no shit.” 

The stranger looked at him, tilting his head slightly. “How many of you are there?” 

Sonic stayed silent. 

The stranger sighed. “Look, I’m not asking so I can go after them.” 

“Okay but considering you were literally about to kill me not even two minutes ago, I don’t trust you.” 

“Ah, so you’re not a complete idiot then. I was starting to wonder.” 

Sonic’s jaw dropped incredulously. “The hell’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You knew you were being pursued,” the stranger said blankly. “And yet you went out alone anyway. You think I didn’t know where you live? I’ve been watching you for a day and a half now.” 

Sonic wrinkled his nose. “Well that’s not creepy at all,” he said. 

The stranger narrowed his eyes at him. “Watch it,” he growled. 

“Okay but can I have your name now if you’re not gonna kill me? I’d like to put a name to my stalker’s face.” 

With an awkward blush, the stranger replied, “Shadow. And I wasn’t stalking you. I was doing my job.” 

Sonic snorted. “And your job is to stalk people,” he countered. “Doesn’t matter if it was love stalking or hitman stalking. It’s still stalking. Creepo.” 

Shadow didn’t seem to like that, but Sonic was having too much fun to stop now. “Who hired you anyway? Wait, no. It was Butt-nik, right? He’s the only one who’d want to kill me for that. Not that it worked. The Net’s too quiet about it.” 

“If anything’s being posted on the net, it’s being suppressed,” Shadow said. “You and your friends should move by the way. And don’t tell anyone. I was given your address when we figured out your identity.” 

“Let me guess,” Sonic said. “The Hounds sent pics. Did they get my good side?” 

Shadow rolled his eyes. “No,” he said. “They got a blur.” 

Sonic grinned and pumped his fist. “Yes! Wait… Then how did you figure out it was me.” 

Shadow pulled a baggie out of one of his pockets, and Sonic’s stomach dropped as he reached up to touch his quills. The blue had faded a little, but he knew the quill in the bag was his. 

Shit. 

Shadow turned around, tucking the quill back inside the pocket. “I’ll tell him you’re dead,” he said. “But you gotta stop fighting. It’ll only kill you faster.” 

Sonic laughed, though there was no humor in it. “Wouldn’t that be a mercy at this point?” 

Shadow stopped, turning back to look at him. Silence stretched between them. 

“I’ve seen what happens when you’re dying slowly,” Sonic said. “And I know what happens when you become all ‘Netics too. No one wants that.” 

Shadow scoffed and walked away. “You’re lucky you’re still standing. My advice? Leave the damn city.” 

“Yeah. Like that’s an option.” 

But if Shadow heard, he didn’t acknowledge him. He only walked away, his dark silhouette fading slowly into the night. 

 Sonic didn’t return until it was nearly dawn. Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed he’d been gone. He tiptoed as quietly as he could to his room. 

Until Blaze stood in his way, her tail flicking behind her. “Where were you?” she demanded. “And before you ask, Amy’s still asleep.”

Sonic’s eyes widened, and his ears drooped guiltily. “I just wanted some air.” 

“Uh huh,” Blaze said. “Because that air is so refreshing.”

“Blaze, look, I’m tired. I’ll explain later, but for right now, I need sleep.” 

Blaze narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re hiding something,” she said. “Out with it.” 

“Since when do you get to boss me around?” Sonic didn’t mean for it to come out as harshly as it did. 

Blaze’s tail froze. “You’re right,” she said. “I’m sorry. But I can just…” She let out a soft, frustrated groan. “Whatever you won’t tell me is important, and I can see it in the way you’re fidgeting.”

Sonic was quiet. Blaze had a knack for seeing into the core of people, and her golden eyes matched the intensity of the ‘Netic flamethrowers she had tucked away in her hands. He’d heard her talk with Amy a few times about auras, which Sonic wasn’t sure were real, but he could almost believe it with the way Blaze could read him like an open book. 

“You’re right,” he finally said. “There’s… Something happened.” 

Her hackles and tail puffed up. “Sonic, what did you do?” 

Sonic took a deep breath. “So uh… you know those paintings you didn’t want Ames and I doing?”

Blaze groaned. “For Sol’s sake…” 

“Yeah, I got a hitman after me.” 

She looked at him, golden eyes burning with fury. “So we have to run again, don’t we,” she said, and it wasn’t even a question. 

“Well…” 

“YOU HAVE A WHAT AFTER YOU?” 

Sonic jumped and turned around to find a very disheveled Amy standing behind him, Silver by her side in much the same state, his eyes heavy with sleep and his brows furrowed in confusion. Amy’s quills were attempting to stand on end, her jaw hanging open in horror. “Tell me I didn’t hear that,” she pleaded. 

“You did,” Blaze said, though her tone had lost its furious edge, the resignation taking its place somehow even worse. “And if they’re after him it means they’re after us too.” 

Sonic’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry… I thought we could do it. And I mean, we might have… if the Hounds didn’t come after us. But… on the bright side, I’m not dead. For whatever reason, he let me go.” 

“He let you go…” Amy echoed. “You mean he found you?” 

“Uh… yeah…” He decided to leave out the part where he’d been watching the warehouse. He knew the longer Amy thought about it, the angrier she would get, and he did not want to deal with that just now. 

As it was, Amy pinched the bridge of her muzzle. “Fuck…” 

Silver put his arm around her. “Okay, this is pretty bad,” he said. “But if we get moving now, I think we can get away. And! We can leave Jet and his posse behind in the process. Maybe this was a good thing!” 

Blaze’s tone was icy. “Sonic nearly getting killed was a good thing?” she challenged. 

Silver blanched. “Well, no, not that part, but I mean… I mean…” 

“An opportunity for a fresh start,” Amy finished. “Honestly, that doesn’t sound bad. If we had a good way to transport everything then maybe I would be happier about it.” 

Sonic sighed. “I’m… I’m so sorry,” he said. “I should have listened.” 

“That doesn’t matter now,” Blaze said, though she wasn’t looking at him. “What matters is our safety. We don’t have much time.”

The other three nodded in agreement, though Sonic felt hollow. Part of him was convinced it was just a bad dream. That he’d wake up and it would all be over. 

But it wasn’t. He had done something risky with absolutely nothing to show for it. Now they had to leave, and there was no guarantee that they could even find another place anywhere else in the city. 

The city that was their home and yet not. 

He wished Uncle Chuck were here. He would have known what to do. 

Chapter Text

Shadow

Shadow kept sending every call from Robotnik to voicemail. Rouge knew what he did, and she’d done her best to keep him out from under the bus by erasing the surveillance video, but there was only so long that would work before they were caught. “I don’t know what possessed you to do that,” she’d said. “But I can guarantee he’s not going to like it when he finds out.” 

Not if. When. 

And so far, Sonic didn’t seem to be helping his case. Shadow spent his afternoons outside the warehouse, waiting to see when they’d leave. They didn’t. In fact, after a week it seemed like nothing had changed. The same people kept going in and out. Nothing was being hauled save some food supplies. 

Why weren’t they leaving? 

He’d marked the files as complete and sent them in, then hadn’t said a word to Robotnik since he’d left Sonic in the baseball field. 

Sonic had said he’d seen what happened when people became completely cybernetic. Shadow had thought that was impossible, but if there was truth in what he’d said, then he thought it might be worthwhile to follow up on. 

It wasn’t because the curiosity was slowly driving him insane. Of course not. 

And there was still that question of how the hell he’d gotten those paintings up so damn fast. 

Finally, after eight consecutive days of no activity, he caved and asked Rouge to find a way to contact him. 

Rouge: Oooh, gonna ask him out are we? 

Shadow: I have questions for him

Rouge: Questions like “wanna **************”?

Rouge: Damn it, they’ve upgraded the censor bots again.

Shadow: …Good. I don’t even want to know what you said.

Rouge: It wasn’t even that bad! It started with a K!!

Shadow: Hmmm

Rouge: Anyway, here’s an email address. I don’t know if he still uses it or not, but it’s all I could find

Shadow memorized the address and moved over to his desk, turning on the larger holo screen he rarely used. A laser keyboard projected onto the desk, and he typed the address into a new draft, then sent a simple message. 

Shadow: We need to talk. 

Part of him wasn't even expecting a reply. Like Rouge had said, there was no way to know if he still used it. Hell, he might not even check it anymore. 

But the other part of him, the one that was burning with curiosity, demanded answers. 

Once he was done typing, he rubbed the dust off his paw pads, then sighed as he noticed the tracks his fingers had made in the thick layer of it covering the desk. He got up to get a cloth to wipe it away. 

When he came back, there was an unread message in his inbox, and his heart pounded as he opened Sonic's reply. 

Sonic: How the hell did you even get my address?! Were you stalking me again?

Shadow rolled his eyes as he typed out his reply. 

Shadow: Informant. Now, why haven't you moved yet? 

Sonic: SO YOU WERE STALKING ME! GO AWAY!

Shadow: I told you, it's not stalking. And I'm trying to save your ass.

Sonic: After trying to take me out? Nah. I'm good. 

Shadow: Look, I get it. But if you don't get out of the city, Robotnik is going to fire me and send somebody else after you, and I doubt they'd be as merciful as I have been.

Sonic: Huh... '"have been"... interesting word choice. Okay, I'll bite. Why do you want to save me so bad when it's obviously putting you at risk? I'm literally a dude trying to wake people up and get Butt-nik out of power. Why are you turning on your boss? 

Shadow didn't respond for a while. Why was he doing this? Sonic was right. He was potentially putting his life on the line for an enemy of the Empire. But said enemy of the Empire might have been the only person stubborn enough to pull the kind of stunt he did. And if Robotnik wanted him dead so bad, then maybe it was because it was working.

Wasn’t that maybe reason enough? 

It wasn’t like Shadow had ever liked Robotnik anyway, and he certainly had never enjoyed his job . He remembered wanting to help people, help Maria. He remembered saving up for medical school... before Gerald had died. Now he'd ended too many lives with his own hands to deserve any hope of a future medical license.

Maria would have hated the person he'd become. He sure did. 

And yet, her face flashed in his mind's eye. Her smile, encouraging. 

He swallowed. Then he typed out his reply.

Shadow: You're not the only one who's lost people to him. 

Sonic didn't reply for a bit. Shadow wasn't sure if he was going to, if that was a good enough reason to listen to him. 

Several minutes later, there was a new reply. 

Sonic: I guess everyone has. But then why have you gone along with it for so long?

Shadow: I don’t know. 

Sonic: ...Yeah, I still don't trust you. How do I know you're not gonna come here and murder me in my sleep anyway? 

Shadow: If I were going to do that, I already would have.

Sonic: Sure... Anyway, is that all? Because I'm hungry and I can smell my roommate making chili.

Shadow: No. I want to know how you got those paintings up so fast. And you said you'd seen it when people become completely cybernetic. How?

Sonic: Question numero uno, trade secret. Question numero dos, you don't want to know.

Shadow: I work for the government and even I don't know. I didn't even know that could happen.

Sonic: Oh, it does. All the time. Not pretty.

Shadow: How do you know?

Sonic: ...Alright, look. I'm gonna set up a more secure account. I'll message you on the one condition that you don't tell anyone who the account belongs to. We can go from there after I've eaten.

Shadow: Fair enough. 

Sonic: Okay, cool. Bye.

Shadow didn't bother responding to that, surprised to find his heart pounding a loud drumbeat in his ears. This move was risky for both of them. If he got caught, it would seal his fate, whether Robotnik fired him or not. 

He sighed, running an anxious hand through his quills. Was this really the right thing to be doing? 

Since when do you care whether what you're doing is right? mocked a little voice in his head, and it was unnervingly close to Sonic's. You've been snuffing people out for years without even complaining. Whatever the right thing was, you shoved it aside a long time ago.  

A message from Rouge came through on the holo-screen. 

Rouge: Got another one for you. Not sure you're gonna take it though.

Click to open file

Shadow: Sonic's a special case.

Rouge: Oh, I already knew that, hon. But still, sounds like your faith's been shaken.

Shadow: What faith?

Rouge: Your faith in money?

Shadow: Eh 

Rouge: Let me guess, you never cared much about that either?

Shadow: Sure. Let's go with that.

Shadow: On another note, how attached to your job are you?

Rouge: 0_0 

Rouge: Nah, I'm sitting this one out. You have fun.

Shadow: Fair enough. 

There was another chime, and a new email address appeared in his inbox. No profile picture, and the name was a string of nonsensical numbers and letters. 

yy783y7hhuqq7ht: Would have come up with something cooler if my roommate had let me but oh well. It's me. 

Shadow rolled his eyes before he replied. 

Shadow: What would you have come up with?

S0n1c: idk, fastest.thing.alive? Oh, wait... fuck, that's my ex's email. DAMN IT WHY'D HE TAKE THE COOL ONE?

Shadow bit back a laugh as another message from Rouge came through. 

Rouge: Look, just be careful, okay? It's not just losing your job you'll have to worry about.

Shadow: I know. 

He closed the window with their chat and turned his focus back to Sonic. 

Shadow: Anyway, who is it that's gone completely 'Netic? 

Sonic: ...Alright, here's an idea. It would be easier if I showed you. But since I can't trust you not to try and shoot my brains out, you come unarmed, and I bring back-up. 

Shadow: Alright... but come where?

Sonic: The Mobius Strip. It's an Xtreme racing track. I used to race there not too long ago. 

Shadow: Why did you stop?

Sonic: Eh, dated a guy I met there for a little while, but he's just kind of a douche so \_ツ_/. 

Shadow recalled the green-feathered hawk he'd seen talking to Sonic the night he followed him and Knuckles down to Station Square, and his quills stood in revulsion as he shuddered. If that was who he thought he was, he could see why Sonic would want nothing to do with him. 

Shadow: Do you miss it? 

Sonic: Well, yeah, I guess... It was decent money for me too. But I couldn't trust that he wouldn't sabotage me because we broke up, so I cut my losses... 

Shadow: I take it you won quite a bit then? Or were you a foul player?

Sonic: >:( Rude, man. I race fair and square. Not my fault I'm aerodynamic. 

Shadow: I've seen you on your gear. That's abnormally fast. 

Sonic: Okay, yes, but that was after I quit. I had a friend juice it up for me. Better for running from the Hounds. And you. Oh, wait... you have those stupid rocket boots. Nevermind. 

Shadow: Implants. Got them shortly after the Council died. 

Sonic: Dude, just say they were murdered. We all know they were. Hell, you might have even done it.

The murders in question happened over the period of several months, the first victim being Gerald. The investigations never garnered any news coverage, and instead were labeled simply as untimely deaths (Gerald’s had been staged as a car accident). There still wasn’t enough proof that they had been murders, at least not publicly accessible proof anyway. Shadow had always suspected that a certain someone had had a metallic hand in them, but up until lately it hadn’t seemed worthwhile to investigate. All that had mattered in the immediate aftermath had been keeping Maria alive, so he’d done what was necessary. 

Shadow: Now who's being rude? I didn't. If those were actually murders, that was somebody else. At that time I was still in college.

Sonic: You went to college?

Shadow: Had to drop out before I got my bachelor's.

Sonic: Oh. Why?

Shadow: Couldn’t pay tuition and my sister’s medical bills. 

Sonic: Makes sense. So you’ve got a sister? 

Damn it. He didn’t need to know that. Why had Shadow mentioned her? 

Shadow: When did you want to meet?

Sonic: Damn, okay. Well, let’s go for nightfall. That’s when the races are so that’s when we’ll be most likely to run into our friend. Tomorrow night, 7 pm. Don’t be late.

Shadow: Same goes for you. 

Sonic: Pffft, as if XD

Sonic: Bye

Shadow: Bye.

Shadow closed the tab and sighed. Well, at least there was a plan. A stupid plan that was probably going to go up in a ball of fire, but a plan was a plan. 

Another call from Robotnik rang through on his watch, but he silenced it like all the others. It would probably come back to bite him later, but at the moment, he hardly cared.

He wasn’t even sure why he was doing this. Sure, he hated Robotnik just as much as the next guy, but why was it so important that he knew… what? What was it even that he wanted to know? 

A tiny voice in his mind whispered, I just want to know about him .

Shadow ignored it.

He opened the new job file Rouge had given him, skimmed through its contents, then set about gathering his weapons. Maybe if he was lucky he’d sleep again tonight.

Several hours later, the job was done, and Shadow was far enough away from the body that he wouldn’t be stopped as a suspect. He was on his way to city hall to report back when a familiar voice reached his ears.

“Did you even see that reward? I could buy like fifty yachts with that money.”

Shadow turned to look in the direction from which the voice had come, and sure enough, there was the green hawk and his posse. They were heading down the street, their Xtreme gears held at their sides as they turned a corner. Without thinking, Shadow followed them, staying within earshot, but far enough behind that they would think nothing of it. 

“Jet, we’re land-locked. We’d be better off spending it on ‘Netics,” said the purple swallow on the hawk’s left. 

“I know that, Wave,” Jet said dismissively. “I was exaggerating.” 

“What kinda ‘Netics do you think we should get first?” asked the gray albatross on Jet’s left. “I’ve been thinking about those cool arm guns.”

Jet shook his head and muttered something Shadow couldn’t make out, though it sounded like an insult. “I want those rocket feet,” he said. “Then Sonic’ll finally stop trying to steal my damn thunder. Him? The fastest thing alive? Please.”

“Don’t he got that fox kid still?” asked the albatross. “He’s probably rigged his gear.” 

Wave scoffed. “That little twerp? I could do what he does in my sleep. It’s just against race rules, so there’s no way I can do it without jeopardizing our income.”

“Storm’s got a point though,” Jet mused. “If we get rid of the kid or somethin’ and you rig my gear up, I could finally show him what he’s missing.” 

Wave sighed. “This again, Jet?” she said. 

Jet muttered something again, and Shadow could just make out, “Ace my ass. He just thinks he’s too good for me.” 

At that, Shadow stopped, narrowing his eyes at the trio of birds. It was as if Jet’s words had set something in his veins on fire, hot blood flooding his muzzle and ears as they disappeared from sight. He was tempted to chase after them, to pummel Jet into a green pulp on the sidewalk. 

But when he asked himself why, he didn’t have an answer. So he turned on his heel and walked away.

Chapter Text

Sonic

“Are you insane?” Blaze was pacing back and forth in the space they’d dubbed the “living room”, her tail flicking with agitation. “You agreed to meet up with the guy who tried to kill you?”  

“Look, I know it sounds crazy, but he seems sincere,” Sonic said. 

Blaze turned on him, her eyes narrow. “You were emailing,” she said. “Anyone can lie over email. The worst liar in the world could lie over email and get away with it. And why does he even have your email?” 

“He said something about an informant,” Sonic said, his shoulders slumping. He knew he was losing this argument. None of the others–who were all currently sitting on the floor around him and Blaze–were stepping to his defense. 

Blaze sighed, pinching the bridge of her snout between her fingers. “This just proves that we need to get out of here,” she said. 

“And go where?” Sonic gestured to the world outside the warehouse. “We’ve looked all over and we can’t find anywhere within the city, and we can’t even access any records outside! The only way we can get out of the city is to pack up and get on a train, and then what? Just find an empty place? I don’t think other cities are as lenient about squatters, Blaze!” 

Blaze’s hackles were starting to rise, her lip curling in a snarl. “You think I don’t know that? I’m not the one giving up and handing myself over!”

Sonic took a step back, her words stabbing through his chest. When she saw his face, she seemed to realize what she’d done. Her expression shifted, her gaze apologetic, but the firm line of her lips said it all. She wouldn’t take it back. 

Sonic turned around, refusing to look at her anymore. “Fine,” he said. “Guess I’m going alone.” 

“Sonic, no,” Amy said. “If you’re alone, he’s more likely to try to kill you again. I’ll go with you.” 

“No,” said Knuckles. “I will. You’re one of the only ones around here with a job, and you don’t need to be tied to a known criminal in public.” 

“I’m going too,” Tails said. “There’s no guarantee that he’ll actually show up unarmed. You might need some extra firepower.”

Sonic shook his head. “I’m not letting you come with me on this one, bud.” 

Tails groaned. “When are you gonna stop treating me like a little kid? You can’t shoot these things without me teaching you how. And I can fly circles around you guys on the gear. I won’t even engage unless you give me the signal, but I’m sick of being left on the sidelines. I wanna help.”

Sonic looked at him, taking in the determined crease of his eyebrows, the stubborn set of his jaw, and sighed. “Alright,” he said. 

He ignored the angry look Blaze was giving him as Tails pumped his fists. “Woo!” he exclaimed. “I’m gonna go get the guns!” he ran off, leaving everyone else still in the room. 

Sonic turned to leave. “Guess that’s settled then,” he said. Someone put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. 

Knuckles bore into him, his violet gaze piercing. “Be careful,” he said quietly. 

Sonic nodded, and Knuckles patted him hard on the shoulder before turning back to the others, letting Sonic leave.

When the three of them stepped into the Mobius Strip the next evening, Shadow was already waiting for them. Tails bristled when he saw him standing near the admission counter, but he didn’t back down. Knuckles stayed close behind Sonic, ready to pounce if Shadow so much as moved funny. 

Sonic’s heart was pounding in his chest, his quills crossed. But they’d agreed Shadow wouldn’t bring any weapons, and Sonic could bring backup if he wanted. At least, so they’d said. Blaze had a point; it was easy to lie over email. They’d have to see if Shadow kept up his end of the bargain. 

Shadow looked… different, almost out of place. Instead of the dirty military uniform he’d worn during their first encounter, he wore a nice gray-ish green button-down shirt and some slacks, which were way too fancy for this kinda place. He almost would have fit in better with the uniform. Then at least they might have mistaken him for a security guard. 

He did look nice though, Sonic had to admit. 

Sonic leaned closer to Tails. “You brought something, right?” he asked. 

Tails nodded, raising his arm just slightly, high enough that Sonic could see the tiny laser attached to his wrist with a strap. “Mild damage,” he whispered. “But if I shine it in his eyes he won’t be able to see anything for long enough for us to get away.” Then he lifted his arm, exposing a glimpse of a small handgun concealed beneath it. “If the laser doesn’t work, I’ve got that too.” 

“Why are we letting the teenager handle the weaponry again?” Knuckles asked. 

“Because I made them,” Tails replied. Then he smirked. “And Sonic’s aim is shit anyway.” 

“It is not,” Sonic hissed, though Tails was right. He’d been banned from handling firearms outside of emergency situations because he never hit the targets. 

He peered back up at Shadow, whose arms were now crossed impatiently. He looked back at Tails. “If something happens,” he said, “don’t hesitate.”

Tails pressed his lips together and nodded grimly, his ears pinning back. 

When they were finally close enough to speak to each other, the trio stopped. “Knux, check him,” Sonic said. 

Shadow rolled his eyes, but raised his arms as Knuckles patted him down quickly. Once he was done, he stood and gave Sonic a nod as he walked back over. “Nothing,” he reported. 

“I’m nothing if not a man of my word,” Shadow said. 

Sonic raised an eyebrow, smiling beneath his mask as he held back laughter. “Your word to who?” he asked. “Me or Butt-nik? Because I’d be tickled pink if it weren’t for the fact that you’re disobeying orders you said you’d carry out.” Shadow didn’t respond, and Sonic’s smirk widened. “Anyway, we aren’t here to watch a race. We’re here to talk to the boss.” 

Sonic led the way, Shadow staying level with him while Knuckles and Tails trailed slightly behind. A ways away from the race track entrance was a small door. It was worn down to the point where most people mistook it for a janitor’s closet, which was just as well. Omega didn’t generally like to be bothered. 

Sonic stepped forward and opened the door. The floor went from polished concrete to cheap carpet, and Sonic gestured for Shadow to step through first before Knuckles and Tails followed the two of them, Knuckles pulling the door closed behind them. Shadow's eyes narrowed at Sonic in suspicion, but he said nothing as they traversed the carpeted hall. In a moment, the left walls gave way to floor-to-ceiling windows, revealing the thick crowd in the stadium. Even from here, Sonic could make out the tiny blurs of the racers, and one of them in particular had him wrinkling his nose. "Forgot Jet races today," he muttered. "Damn it." 

"What?" Shadow asked, his quills rising. 

"Nothing," Sonic said. "Just my ex. Anyway, we're almost there." 

"Are we seeing your ex?" Shadow asked. 

Sonic rolled his eyes and jabbed a thumb in the direction of the race below. "Green one." 

"Oh, him," Shadow said with distaste. 

Sonic raised his eyebrows. "Okay, how long have you been stalking me because this just keeps getting freakier and freakier, dude." 

Shadow rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I happened to be following you and the echidna the other night," he said. "Heard him come up and threaten you. And I ran into him yesterday." 

Knuckles narrowed his eyes and started cracking the joints in his fingers. "As if you weren't trying to kill Sonic yourself," he said, his tone challenging. 

Shadow didn't look at him, which Sonic knew would just piss Knuckles off even more. “I don’t see how that’s relevant,” he said. 

"Wait," Tails said. "You don't have a gear." 

Shadow looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Why'd you bring a kid along?" he asked. 

"I'm not a kid," Tails protested, seemingly emboldened by the comment, his hackles puffing up. "I'm fifteen." 

Shadow blinked and opened his mouth, but Sonic cut in before he could speak. "Because he's a genius, 'nuff said. Figured our friend might need a tune-up or somethin'." 

Tails still looked annoyed, but he left it alone, and Shadow looked back in front of them as he said, "No, I don't have a gear. What of it?"

"How did you manage to keep up with two of the best gear racers in the city? On two of the best gears on the market?" 

"I'd rather not share that information," Shadow said. 

Sonic knew though. He remembered how fast Shadow had come at him last week, the roar of the jets in his shoes nearly deafening. He looked back at Shadow and narrowed his eyes at him. What was he hiding now? 

Tails pursed his lips, frustrated at Shadow evading his questions, but he was quiet after that. There was a glint in his eyes though that told Sonic he'd figure it out eventually. He was too stubborn about learning how things worked not to. He'd always been that way. 

Sonic smirked. Shadow's secrets wouldn't stay secret for long. 

There was a metal door at the end of the hallway, and Sonic knocked loudly on it. 

"IDENTIFY YOURSELF," said a loud, digitized voice on the other side. 

"Yo, it's Sonic! And I've got some friends with me!" 

"PERMISSION TO ENTER: GRANTED." 

Sonic turned the knob, the door creaking on its hinges as he pushed it open. Inside was a wall covered in holo screens, some of which depicted angles of the race going on below. Others showed a human man and two teenage girls. The man looked to be middle-aged, the smile lines near his eyes more pronounced. The girls' faces looked similar enough to him that they were probably his daughters. These holo screens were the only sources of light in the room, but there were enough of them to illuminate the lone figure in the center. 

He was huge, his upper torso several feet in diameter. He looked like he was sitting, and one of his feet seemed to be missing, sparking wires hanging from a stump around where the knee joint would have been. His head swiveled around, glowing red visual sensors landing almost immediately on the four of them. "GREETINGS. I WOULD STAND BUT THE NEUROSYNC ON MY LEFT LOWER APPENDAGE IS MALFUNCTIONING." 

Tails moved around to assess the damage. "How'd you lose that foot, Omega?" he asked. 

"MEMORY BANK: FAULTY. NO RECORDS OF 'LOSING FOOT'." 

Sonic looked at Shadow, and though he couldn't see his mouth behind the mask, the horror in his eyes said enough. 

As Tails set about attending to Omega's foot, the robot finally seemed to notice Shadow. The red of his eyes glowed brighter then. “UNIDENTIFIED HEDGEHOG. IDENTIFY YOURSELF.” 

“Shadow,” he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“SEARCHING DATA BANKS FOR ‘SHADOW’. MATCH FOUND. SHADOW ROBOTNIK. EMPLOYEE OF THE ROBOTNIK EMPIRE. HITMAN.” In an instant steel claws broke down and reconfigured themselves into machine gun attachments. “MUST DESTROY.” 

His last name was Robotnik?

Sonic’s eyes widened and he stepped in front of Omega. “Whoawhoawhoa, wait! Don’t shoot!” 

Omega was very still for a moment. “QUERY: WHY NOT?”

“He’s on our side. For now anyway.” He looked over at Shadow’s terrified expression and smirked. “If he turns out to be a traitor though he’s all yours.” 

“You little–” Shadow muttered, but he shut up when Sonic shot him a look.

“TERMS ACCEPTED,” Omega said, retracting his weaponry. “HOWEVER, I WILL WATCH THE TARGET CLOSELY.”

“He just wanted to see what happens when…” Sonic looked away awkwardly. “When someone is all ‘Netics.”

“UNDERSTOOD. HOWEVER, I DO NOT FEEL LIKE SHARING FILES CLASSIFIED WITHIN PERSONAL INFORMATION.” 

“No need,” Shadow said quietly. “It’s just hard to believe you were actually a person.” 

“I AM A PERSON,” Omega said. “I CONTINUE TO BE A PERSON. DO NOT MISTAKE ME FOR NOTHING MORE THAN A ROBOTIC SHELL.” 

“Then why do you talk like one?” Shadow asked. 

Omega was quiet for a moment. “I RETAINED MY WILL,” he said. “I LACK THE ABILITY TO SPEAK THE WAY I WANT TO, HOWEVER. THAT FAULT LIES IN THE SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE LIMITATIONS.” 

Shadow was quiet after that. When Sonic looked back over at him, his expression had changed from a hard, defensive glare to something profoundly… gentle. His ears had relaxed, and though his quills still stood on end, his eyes shone with sympathy. “I see,” he finally said, his voice soft. “This is what he’s doing.” 

Shadow turned and left the room, Sonic following him. “Whoa, hey, where ya goin’?” he asked. 

“That seems a fate worse than death,” Shadow said, a sudden hard edge to his voice. “The choice is either die or lose all semblance of one’s humanity. He’s a mind trapped in a metal shell and there’s nothing that can be done about it. Is there anything organic in that shell?” 

Sonic bit his lip, hesitant to answer truthfully. “No,” he said after a moment. “They uploaded a program that was based off of how he was before the procedure. That was a thing before Robotnik took over and it’s still… pretty standard. But the tech Butt-nik makes seems to have something in it that keeps the personality program from being executed.”

“Of course it does,” Shadow growled. “I’ve… God… ” He took a breath. “I’m leaving,” he said. “Thank you for showing me. You won’t be hearing from me again.”

Sonic’s eyes widened, and he said nothing as Shadow walked down the hallway, exiting in the direction from which they had come. It took a moment for Shadow’s words to settle in his mind, for him to understand exactly what they meant. 

You won’t be hearing from me again. 

They seemed to stab his chest, the pain sharp and heavy. 

Sonic ran after him. “Wait!” he called. “Shadow!” 

Shadow had just reached the door when he turned around. 

Sonic stopped a few feet away from him, unsure of what he wanted to say now that he was there. “Look…” he said. “I just…” He ran his hands nervously through his quills. “I uh…”

“Spit it out,” Shadow said. 

“Can we at least chat? Like emails?”

Shadow’s eyes widened, and he raised an eyebrow. Sonic’s cheeks felt warm, and he smiled awkwardly. “I mean, y’know, just in case Butt-nik sends somebody else or something. So you can, like, warn me.”

Shadow shrugged. “I suppose,” he said. “If you end up moving, don’t say where you are. Anywhere.”

Sonic sighed. “We can’t,” he said. “We’ve looked about everywhere, but there’s nowhere left in the city, and outside isn’t really an option either.”

Shadow was silent for a moment, then he nodded. “I’ll let you know if things change best I can,” he said. 

Sonic smiled a little more genuinely. “Thanks,” he said. 

Shadow turned to the door, then looked over his shoulder. “Let me know if that green shithead becomes a problem,” he said. “I can take care of it.” 

Sonic’s eyes widened, but Shadow left before he could say anything. 

Sonic turned back towards Omega’s room, still puzzled. Was that a threat? An offer? Some mix of both? 

Knuckles was in the doorway, watching with his arms crossed. “What was that about?” he asked. 

Sonic looked away awkwardly. “I just uh… wanted to keep in touch,” he said, though it sounded more like a question than a concrete statement. 

Knuckles raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that?” he asked. “‘Cause to me that sounded a little suspicious.” 

Sonic sighed. “I dunno,” he said. 

Knuckles was quiet for a moment. Then, he said, “Just be careful, okay? And I get to smack you upside the head personally if this screws us all over.”

“Noted.”

Chapter Text

Shadow

Later that night, Shadow sat in front of his computer, tapping his fingers against the desk as he waited for Rouge to answer his messages. 

Shadow: What do you know about neuro-netics procedures? 

Shadow: Rouge, I know you’re awake. 

Shadow: You’re a bat for Gaia’s sake. 

It was several agonizing minutes before Rouge finally replied.

Rouge: …

Rouge: Okay fine, you caught me. I was watching a drama. 

Rouge: BUT WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ASKING ABOUT BRAIN SURGERY???

Shadow thought for a moment. What could he tell her that he could be sure wouldn’t be incriminating? 

As if on cue, his watch buzzed with a message from Robotnik, which he ignored. 

Finally, he typed a reply to Rouge.

Shadow: Let’s just say I’m morbidly curious.

Immediately, the typing icon popped up just before another message came through.

Rouge: Aight… well, I guess I could look into it bc I know next to nothing about it. Never been something that I’ve cared about so :P 

Shadow: Thanks. 

Rouge: Np 

Rouge: So… How’d your date go? :) 

Shadow rolled his eyes and closed their thread, checking the screen for any other messages. There was nothing, save some scammy advertisements and the message from Robotnik, which read, “New assignment. Meet me tomorrow morning.” 

Shadow grimaced, then closed the messaging software and opened his email. 

Had he messaged already? 

Stop it, he admonished himself. Not happening. 

Besides, when the email screen finally loaded in, there was nothing. There were no new emails from anyone, not even in his spam folder. He buried the disappointment as he turned the computer off. 

He looked around the small room, his eyes landing on the tangled sheets on his bed. How long had it been since he’d changed them? He couldn’t remember. 

His watch pinged as he got up, and he groaned as Rouge’s name lit up the hologram. 

Rouge: ANSWER MY DAMN QUESTION! 

Shadow ignored her and walked over to the linen closet, grabbing the spare set of bedsheets he kept in there. He coughed; they were dusty. 

He checked the time. It was nine fifty-six PM. The cleaners were probably closed by now. 

Well, he thought. Might as well change them anyway. 

His watch went off again, and he was about to type a scathing reply to Rouge to shut the fuck up until he saw Sonic’s email. 

Shadow dropped the sheets and hurried back over to his desk. He sat hard enough in his chair that his tail protested soundly, but he hardly cared. He pulled the computer screen open, his fingers tapping his thighs impatiently as it booted up. He entered his passcode and immediately opened his email.

Sure enough, there was an email waiting for him to open it. His heart pounded as he clicked it.  

Sonic: So… Your last name’s Robotnik?

Shadow winced, his excitement deflating. He typed a quick reply, then sighed, running a hand down his face as he hit send.  

Shadow: I don’t want to get into my personal life. 

A minute later, another email appeared. 

Sonic: I mean… Fair enough, but also… Given that you’re Butt-nik’s family, I think it’s fair that I’m still suspicious 

Shadow: Ah, so you wanted to keep contact to keep an eye on me. 

Of course it wasn’t him just being friendly. Of course he wouldn’t give him the benefit of the doubt. Not that he cared.

Another email. 

Sonic: Well, kinda. But idk… I like talking to you.

Shadow blinked, staring at the words on the monitor. 

I like talking to you. 

Shadow swallowed, ignoring the fluttering in his stomach as he typed. 

Shadow: Look, I hate him as much as you do. I’ll leave it at that. 

Shadow got up and turned around, grabbing the sheets he’d dropped and billowing them a bit in an effort to get the dust out. Then he set them down on the chair as he stripped the bed. His watch pinged a few times, but he made himself finish this task before he looked. 

He didn’t like how high his heart rate spiked every time it went off. 

No, no, no. Not. Happening. 

When he finally got the comforter on the bed, he threw the old sheets into a corner, making a mental note to take them to the cleaners when he could, then he sat back down at his computer. 

Several unread emails sat in his inbox.

Sonic: I mean, yeah, I knew that :P

Sonic: But I mean, family obligations and all that. 

Sonic: Are you just lying about all this to get me to let my guard down? 

Something sank in Shadow’s chest. Of course he would think that. And Shadow couldn’t even blame him. 

But instead of denying it, he ignored the hurt in his chest and typed out something else that was true enough on its own. 

Shadow: I’ve never really considered Ivo family. 

It was several minutes before Sonic replied again. 

Sonic: Hmmmm… Alright. Now, this is off-topic, but what kinda foom do you like? Just curious. Like, what’s your favorite?

Sonic: …How did I miss foom? FOOM? THE HELL IS FOOM?

Shadow chuckled as he typed out a reply.  

Shadow: I don’t know, you tell me. 

Sonic reacted to his message with a middle-finger emoji, and Shadow laughed even harder as his next message came through.

Sonic: Ugh… Anyway, what kind of *food* do you like? 

Shadow: You’re gonna hate my answer.

Sonic: 0_0

Sonic: Ok?

Shadow: Coffee beans.

Sonic: … 

Sonic: YOU EAT STRAIGHT COFFEE BEANS???

Shadow struggled to keep himself from laughing too loud and disturbing his neighbors. As it was, his shoulders shook uncontrollably, and he was practically wheezing as he typed. 

Shadow: Told you. 

Sonic: You really are a weirdo!

Shadow: Mhmm. 

Sonic: HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?

Shadow: I didn’t say I eat them all the time, dumbass.

Sonic: STILL!

Sonic: You sure you’re not a mutant?

At this, Shadow sobered. The truth was he had no idea who his parents were. He’d bounced from foster home to foster home until he was about twelve, and the Robotniks finally took him in. He couldn’t even remember a time before he’d been in the foster system.

It didn’t bother him as much anymore; most of the Robotnik family had treated him well, especially Gerald and Maria. But it still stung. But he wouldn’t let Sonic know that. So instead, he typed out what he hoped was a nonchalant response. 

Shadow: No fucking clue. 

Sonic: You should take a DNA test or something 

Tried that. Did nothing useful.  

Shadow: My sister always swore I was an alien, but that was because my retinas freaked her out in the dark. 

Sonic: Don’t her eyes do that too?

Shadow winced again. 

Shadow: No.

Damn it, he was doing it again. He closed the email window and stood up. He looked out the real window for a moment, the city lights shining through the smoggy haze like ghost lights. He closed the blinds and lay down on his bed. 

His watch went off again. This time it was Rouge. 

Rouge: Oh come ON! I need the details! What happened?! I don’t have camera feeds there.

Shadow sighed. 

Shadow: Nothing. It wasn’t even a date. 

Rouge: Oh, boo! 

Shadow took his watch off and changed out of his tight clothes, opting for a pair of comfortable shorts. He debated brushing his teeth, but decided against it. He was too tired. 

His computer chimed, and he went over to check it, reopening the email window. 

Sonic: Sorry, looks like that’s a sensitive spot. I’ll stop asking about her. 

Shame colored Shadow’s cheeks as guilt churned in his gut. After a moment, he typed two words, hitting send before he could think better of it.

Shadow: She’s dead. 

Sonic: Oh… 

Sonic: I’m sorry, man, I didn’t know 

Shadow took a deep breath, shoving down the annoyance of hearing “I’m sorry” again. That was always the first thing anyone ever said. What purpose did “sorry” serve? There was nothing to be done. “Sorry” didn’t do shit. It didn’t undo what was done. It didn’t undo her illness. 

It didn’t bring her back. 

But he didn’t say any of that. Instead, he typed another generality in return.  

Shadow: It’s fine. 

Sonic: Still, I’m sorry. 

Shadow: No need. It’s not like it was your fault. It was a while ago anyway. 

Sonic: …I still feel bad. I mean, it wasn’t that long ago that my uncle died either, and I know… I don’t like strangers prying into it much either. 

Shadow didn’t know what else to say after that, so he took off his watch, putting it on the charger. Then he closed his computer and lay down to sleep. 

At least he sort of understands, he thought. 

With that, Shadow crawled under the covers, closing his eyes. He had nearly drifted off when his watch beeped, and he groaned as he looked at it one more time. 

Sonic: Well, anyway… I’m gonna go for the night. You’d better not be snooping around here. Hate to have to hand you over to Omega :P

Despite himself, Shadow smiled. 

Shadow: I’m going to bed for once. If you wake me up I swear to Gaia I will end you lol

Sonic: 😱

Sonic: DID YOU JUST USE LOL?!

Shadow laughed again. 

Shadow: Stfu

Sonic: HA! YOU DO HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR! 

Shadow: I’m muting you 

Sonic: Okay okay, sorry

Sonic: Good night 

Shadow: Night

Finally, Shadow turned on the do not disturb function on his watch, laid back down, and fell asleep. 

The next morning, Shadow reported to Robotnik’s office once again. Weirdly enough, he’d woken up in a relatively good mood. He must have finally gotten enough sleep for once. 

Too bad that was going to be ruined, given the file Robotnik had given him (a paper copy, of course because somehow that was easier than sending it digitally). This one would be a challenge to track down. She was a wolf, known for interfering mostly with construction projects. 

Name: Unknown

Age: Unknown

Sex: Unknown

Species: Mobian; Wolf, Mazurian

Last seen: Downtown Central City

Top speed: 7 mph

Status: Armed; Dangerous

Priority lvl: 3 

Enclosed was a photo of a wolf with beige fur with darker brown and gray markings on her face.  

He sent a message to Rouge asking her to look into it. 

Rouge: Gotcha

Rouge: Also, I found some stuff on the neuro ‘netics. 

Shadow put his mask back on as he finally walked out of the building. Smog obscured his vision as he made his way down the sidewalk, but it was better than it would have been if it had been raining at least. 

He typed off a reply to Rouge. 

Shadow: What is it?

Rouge: It’s so gross, I don’t know why you wanted to look into it. 

Rouge: So what they do is they cut into the part of the brain where most thought occurs, and they put a little chip in there. Said chip can inhibit certain behaviors based on signals it emits. 

Shadow frowned. 

Shadow: That just sounds like a lobotomy. 

Rouge: That’s just one example. Other times they’ll put it in the parts of the brain that process sensory information. Sight, smell, hearing, all that junk. 

Shadow: What about… replacing the brain entirely?

Rouge: That one’s been tricky to find…

Rouge: It feels like it’s actively being suppressed. I can probably find it, but it might take a little longer. 

Rouge: Why do you want to know anyway? 

Shadow: … 

Shadow: A certain someone has enlightened me to people who used to be flesh being turned completely into ‘netics. 

It took a while before Rouge responded again. Nearly ten minutes had passed when Shadow’s watch pinged. 

Rouge: You’re shitting me

Shadow: I wish I was. 

Rouge: …

Rouge: …I knew there was some weird shit going on but that’s… Did your friend tell you why they do it? 

Shadow: No. 

Rouge: ****

Shadow: Yeah 

Rouge: I’ll keep digging. But you owe me! 

Shadow: What is it this time? 

Rouge: You know that good Chun Nan place over on Escape BLVD? Gimme a big pile of stuff from there and I’ll consider it even. 

Shadow groaned. That place charged nearly his entire monthly rent just for one meal.  

Shadow: You know I can’t afford that. 

Rouge: Yeah well I’ve barely eaten all day bc you’ve got me on this and the boss has me chasing a hacker. Good one too. 

Shadow: I’ll stop by and make you something. It’ll be cheap, but you’ll at least have eaten. And you don’t have to rush on the brain stuff. 

Rouge: You know me :3 

Unfortunately, Shadow did, and Rouge had a nasty habit of focusing so hard on her work that she forgot to feed herself. This wasn’t the first time he’d had to bring food over to her. 

Not that he really minded all that much. He pretended to be annoyed, that it was a bigger inconvenience than it was. But the truth was, it was nice being needed sometimes. And though Rouge was annoying, he did enjoy spending a little bit of time with her here and there. 

He’d never tell her that though. 

Shadow: I’ll come over in a couple hours. 

Shadow: Quit shrimping btw 

Rouge: I AM NOT

Shadow smiled. 

Shadow: Liar 

Rouge: 🖕

Shadow chuckled and closed their message thread. 

The assignment was proving a lot more difficult than Shadow anticipated. Even with the intel Rouge had dug up for him, his target was elusive. She hadn’t even been able to find anything on what her name was. She was completely off-grid. Smart, but incredibly difficult to track down. She even wore a mask that covered not just her muzzle but her entire face. All he had to go off of was her body type and the light tan of her fur. Unfortunately, both were relatively common. 

After a couple hours of searching and finding nothing, Shadow finally took a break and stopped by the grocery store on his way to Rouge’s apartment. He was in the pasta aisle when he caught sight of a familiar figure. A flash of pink and purple caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to find the pink hedgehog that lived with Sonic. She wore what appeared to be a pink leotard with a purple mesh shirt over it, a purple skirt, and a matching mask and boots. If he remembered correctly, her name was Amy. 

Part of him was tempted to strike up a conversation, ask her a bit about Sonic. But if he did, he doubted she would tell him anything, which was understandable considering the circumstances under which he had met Sonic. 

Besides, he’s her ex, Shadow reminded himself. Hell, they could have gotten back together for all he knew. 

Shadow didn’t even want to think about why that even mattered. 

However, Amy seemed to have other ideas. She finally met his eyes, her gaze narrowing as she tilted her head questioningly. “Got something to say?” she asked. 

Shadow’s cheeks flushed beneath his mask. “No,” he said. “Sorry. I didn’t realize I was staring.” 

Her face relaxed, and she giggled softly. “I’m taken, unfortunately,” she said. 

Shadow blushed even harder, his face feeling as if it were on fire. “That’s not—“

“I’m teasing,” she said reassuringly. “I’m Amy.” 

“Shadow.” 

Her eyes widened, and she took a step back, pulling what looked like a baton out of a pocket in her skirt. “Huh,” she said. “Surprised to see you here. Here to try to kill him again?” 

Shadow winced. “It wasn’t anything personal,” he said. 

Amy pressed a button, and in the blink of an eye she had him pressed up against the shelves, a hammer almost crushing his chest. Amy’s face was inches away from his, and he could hear the snarl in her voice. “Sonic’s sticking his neck out because of you, and as much as I trust him, I want to be crystal clear on this.” 

Shadow swallowed, startled to find that he couldn’t move his arms. He sent a signal to his rocket implants to turn on, but the moment they ignited, Amy lifted the hammer and slammed it into him, knocking him to the floor hard. As he struggled to get his breath back, she pinned him again, this time to the floor, holding his legs down with her foot. 

She leaned in close. “If you so much as look at him funny, I will not fucking hesitate. And I will have backup. Do you understand?” 

Shadow nodded. 

Slowly, Amy lifted herself off him, lifting her hammer last and pressing the button to turn it back into a baton before sticking it back in her pocket. Then her eyes crinkled, and Shadow could hear her smiling as she said, “Nice meeting you.” 

Shadow could only wave as she walked away, out of the aisle and away from the wreckage she left behind. 

I can certainly understand why Sonic would be into her , he thought, then shook his head as he  pushed himself back up to his feet. 

He still had to get Rouge some food.