Chapter Text
Nature will always be a catalyst for revolution.
Whether it's plants making breathable air or horses carrying soldiers into battle, humanity’s survival was dependent on the Earth’s creations. Even with the countless advancements man has achieved, their technology could not replace their need for the planet's resources. Humans could not generate their own oxygen or manifest food and water. Humans were inherently a weak race. Humans succumbed to a variety of diseases. Humans did not have fur to shield them from the elements. Humans lacked the sharp teeth or claws needed to defend themselves. Humans had no venom, poison, or camouflage. Yes, they could create what they needed, but those resources were finite.
Gerald Robotnik knew this, and he set out to find a source that will never end. It was a goal he carried since he was a child living in squalor. He knew what it was like to go hungry, to have no blankets to shield off the cold, to see his family deprived themselves of everything to provide for their children. His determination to discover an unlimited resource drove him to study rigorously, not stopping until he was at the top of his field with several degrees under his belt. At that point, his hair had gone grey and had two grandchildren. He was distant from his wife and children, too absorbed in his own studies and work to spend time with them, but Gerald suddenly became much more involved with his family than ever before.
Because his granddaughter was chronically ill.
It was enough for Gerald to change his original goals. What took lives more often than starvation or thirst was disease. He refused to allow such a thing to have such power over humanity. Over his family. Maria deserved to live.
And, thus, Gerald began working on his magnum opus. Something that cannot die. Something that could power entire countries. Something that can defeat all manners of foes. Something that will bring a cure to Maria and every other sickness in the world. The Ultimate Lifeform .
The project took place on the ARK, a space colony built for Gerald to work at his full potential and a safe place for Maria to live in. The Guardian Units of Nations or G.U.N funded his experiments, wanting a weapon above all else, and the scientist compiled easily. Anything for success. After several failures, Gerald finally made a prototype that exceeded all expectations. Unbeknownst to his colleagues and benefactors, what stabilized the Ultimate Lifeform was the blood of a race far from their planet. Their leader wanted a weapon as well, a one person army, and Gerald agreed. It would be hitting two birds with one stone. G.U.N was satisfied and Black Doom gave the power his project needed to survive.
Out of everything that Gerald did to make his idea into reality, the one thing that surprised him was his granddaughter. Maria became incredibly attached, and named his project herself. The two became inseparable from the moment the tiny hedgehog exited his test tube.
It did not matter that Gerald created Shadow from the ground up. Shadow was Maria’s . Her little brother, who she protected with a fierceness her frail body could not quell.
At first, the man did not mind their bond. He did not want Shadow to become like Black Doom, a ruthless dictator that held no sympathy for another’s life. However, Gerald’s opinion changed when he realized that Shadow was not growing at the accelerated rate he was supposed to. No. He stayed small . Gerald and his team tried countless new ways to increase the aging process, both physical and mental, but nothing worked. Shadow, perhaps due to Maria’s coddling, aged like a human. Which was unacceptable to G.U.N. They wanted Shadow to be the powerful weapon they were promised. Having to wait for Shadow to age naturally angered them greatly.
G.U.N gave him ten years to allow Shadow to grow, only saying that the consequences would be dire if Shadow were to disappoint them.
If there was anything that Gerald was known for, it was being prepared. He did not take the extra time for granted. While he created Shadow to be the Ultimate Lifeform, Gerald decided that it was too risky to place his entire career on one specimen, no matter how promising Shadow became. Everything needed contingency plans.
So Gerald decided to use the rule of three. It was easiest to remember what came in a trio, and he had seen proof of the effectiveness of presenting information in sets of three with his students. For example, his pupils often forgot that there were four states of matter, often recalling solids, liquids, and gases.
Accuracy will always be overlooked for convenience.
For once, Gerald did not correct such a behavior. Instead, he used the concept to his advantage. What would be remembered more than The Ultimate Lifeform?
Three Ultimate Lifeforms.
As a scientist, Gerald knew how to accept his mistakes and learn from them. Progress could not be made when one obsesses over an error. If he wallowed in his failures, then Shadow would have never been created. He made Shadow to be a weapon and a cure. Undefeatable by all accounts. Injuries, no matter how severe, would heal. Diseases, no matter how chronic, would have no effect. Temperatures, no matter how extreme, would fail to harm. Starvation, no matter how prolonged, would not kill. Shadow was immortal, the unlimited resource Gerald always wanted. However, he knew that for all Shadow’s strengths, the hybrid was riddled with flaws. His chaos energy was incredibly unstable and would drain Shadow rapidly until he passed out for days on end. After a particularly brutal training session, the boy went into a coma after releasing a blast that nearly leveled the lab. Besides Shadow’s issues with his chaos energy, his DNA from Black Doom made the boy prone to lashing out like a feral animal. It was Gerald’s fault for not thinking about the repercussions of making Shadow half Black-Arms. The aliens were known for their incredibly violent tendencies, acting on instinct more than logic, and were all part of a hivemind that Black Doom controlled. Gerald could gamble that bees had more freedom with their queen than the Black Arms had with Black Doom.
Gerald never made the same mistake twice.
The second lifeform Gerald began to design would control chaos energy similar to Shadow, but in a completely different way. With the hybrid, Gerald already had the sword and shield. What he lacked was the bow and arrow, which struck down opponents before they had the chance to realize they had been hit in the first place. Shadow was undefeatable, but he certainly was not untouchable. Gerald needed a being that could attack from a distance. The solution that came to him was after an impromptu visit from Black Doom. It ended quickly once the alien saw a three-year-old Shadow having a pretend tea party with Maria, teasing each other until Maria snatched the hybrid into her lap and blew raspberries into his cheek. Shadow shrieked in laughter and quickly pinched the girl’s nose before sticking out his tongue, a gesture Gerald had seen Maria do repeatedly. They were acting like any typical siblings, and that was exactly why Black Doom became infuriated.
I do not want a child, Professor! I want an army!
Please understand, Black Doom, Shadow is growing at the rate humans do. Nothing we do works in making him age faster.
At this age, my soldiers would be conquering planets! Adding to my empire! They would not be doing something so useless! I gave you the honor of using my blood, and you dare disrespect me with this pitiful creature?! Is this the one you promised would deliver me the chaos emeralds?! Do you take me for a fool?!
Gerald could not respond as the Black Arms leader lifted him into the air with a flick of his wrist, an invisible pressure around his throat squeezing his airway shut. Eventually, the man was released with Black Doom promising to ‘finish the job’ if he was disappointed again. Months had passed after the incident, and Gerald found himself intrigued by the alien’s ability to use telekinesis. While the alien would not disclose any details, Gerald developed his own theories on how Black Doom’s abilities worked. From studying chaos energy during the making of the Ultimate Lifeform prototypes, the scientist realized that it was akin to electricity and water. For the former, as long as it had a conduit, chaos energy could be utilized in any way. The ladder came from its ever-shifting nature, able to go from calm to turbulent in seconds. What’s more, it did not stay in one place. Shadow could focus his chaos energy in any part of his body with little trouble. Gerald planned to make this new life form capable of wielding his chaos energy using a mere thought. He sketched ideas of how to implement such a concept, detailing that the subject’s chaos energy needed to be kept within its brain, frozen in place.
When creating the third lifeform, Gerald decided to be selfish. The world did not need another weapon. In place of prioritizing the creature's offensive capability, he used the third as a way to test his plans to create false chaos energy. All that Black Doom wanted in return for Gerald using his DNA was that Shadow would deliver him the seven chaos emeralds in fifty years. While the scientist accepted the terms, Gerald knew better than to assume Black Doom would use such power for good. Black Doom was an ancient being, more sadistic and cruel than any man in history. His request caused Gerald to think of the emeralds themselves. His own ventures to ancient temples revealed that the gems carried immense power capable of turning someone into a god . Gerald wanted to see that power for himself, to recreate it. To see what it would do to another creature. The third will be made of false chaos energy. A being of mass destruction capable of defeating Black Doom.
…Of course, neither life form could be created until G.U.N gave their approval. Even so, he made extensive notes on the two beings. Within each plan, the scientist depicted various ways on how to restrain them and keep them contained if they became dangerous or rebellious. To satisfy G.U.N further, he even included instructions on how to keep Shadow under their control. There was only a minor possibility for his two plans to come into fruition, but Gerald did not want to take any chances. He needed to keep G.U.N content if they were to give the funding he needed for his next two projects. More importantly, his life’s work and Maria’s life were at risk if he failed.
And Robotniks do not fail.
Bit by bit, Shadow’s power grew. When he was a few months old, still babbling and infantile, his chaos energy skyrocketed to the point where Shadow nearly died from the overload. Immediately, Gerald crafted inhibitors to go on each wrist and ankle, going through several prototypes until finding the one that could keep Shadow’s overwhelming energy contained. The tiny hedgehog cried as the golden rings were put on, but quickly stopped once he realized they made an excellent teething toy. By the time Shadow turned two, the hybrid could summon unstable chaos spears and create small chaos blasts. His toddler years ended, and Shadow showed just how clever he could be, often solving problems even Maria struggled to understand. Once the boy turned five, Gerald became frustrated with Shadow’s size. While his power had grown exponentially, his height did not reflect it. Maria could still scoop up the hedgehog without issue, something that made giggles erupt from Shadow. The sound should have filled Gerald’s chest with warmth, but it only served to wash him in cold dread. The halfway mark had come, and Shadow still lacked the ruthlessness G.U.N and Black Doom asked for. Shadow could rip apart the training drones like paper , yet he could not sleep by himself .
His childish tendencies needed to be removed, one way or another.
Trauma was Gerald’s final solution. Their tests became more intense and invasive, studying Shadow’s ability to regenerate and his internal structure while the boy was unable to move but awake enough to feel everything . In order to prevent Maria from discovering the new experiments, Shadow was kept in the lab for days until he was fully healed, being told to reveal nothing to her unless he wanted the tests to worsen. Needless to say, Shadow stayed quiet about what was being done to him. In fact, Shadow became quiet in general. His curious and cheerful personality faded into something meek and skittish. He only spoke in a soft murmur, no longer releasing the giggles that Gerald feared. Finally , the boy’s mind was maturing faster. It gave Gerald both a sense of relief and guilt. Maria figured out the truth eventually, she was a Robotnik after all, and screamed at her grandfather so harshly that she was bedridden for a week.
As if Maria could feel Shadow’s suffering, her health deteriorated as the years went on. Shadow’s blood already showed great promise in treating ailments like colds, fevers, joint pain, and headaches, but the scientists had not found a way to use it for more chronic diseases yet. They needed more time, but G.U.N was at the end of their rope. The agency would not extend the ten years, and once that decade passed…
Shadow did not have the chance to showcase his abilities. He wasn’t spared a single glance.
For G.U.N never planned on letting Project Shadow continue.
Ten years of effort were wasted. G.U.N raided the ARK, determined to erase all evidence of Shadow and their involvement. The decade given was only for G.U.N’s benefit, using it to get their affairs in order and figure out how to deal with Gerald and The Ultimate Lifeform.
Their soldiers took Gerald’s work.
He could not find it in himself to care.
Because their bullets took Maria.
Gerald was placed into handcuffs that day. Still hearing the echoes of guns firing and Shadow’s scream of Maria’s name. Still hearing the thump of Maria’s body falling onto the ground. Still hearing Shadow’s frantic sobbing while soldiers dragged the poor hedgehog into a stasis chamber. Still hearing Shadow pleading for the Professor’s help. Still hearing Shadow banging against the glass of the tube he was placed in. Still hearing Shadow’s last word before the chamber was filled with green liquid that froze the hybrid inside. It was a trembling whisper, only a syllable, yet it would haunt Gerald for the rest of his days.
Why?
Why indeed. The answer that came to Gerald was that humans were not just weak, but worthless. Humanity was nothing but a failed experiment.
Gerald refused to help failures.
His desire to save humanity died with Maria.
G.U.N locked him away in a facility on a distant island. They planned to keep him there until he succumbed to his old age. However, their minds quickly changed when Gerald created the blueprints of the Eclipse Canon on his cell’s walls and floor and revealed the plans of the two weapons he made all those years ago. All he wanted was freedom. His offer was accepted, but Gerald would still be executed. The agency never honored their word in the past, so they had no reason to start now. Gerald Robotnik’s weapons were world-ending and the agency was determined to use the plans to save the world. The Eclipse Canon would be their priority while the other two were dismissed.
Only for a blue hedgehog to arrive in the tiny town of Green Hills, Montana.
And, suddenly, those two plans were of much interest.
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Sonic wanted to stop running.
Rain soaked through his fur and quills, making the six-year-old shiver violently. Mud caked his shoes. His stomach roared in emptiness. His throat ached with thirst.
Sonic was just tired.
Branches whacked him in his face as he traveled through the forest at an unsafe sprint. The growls of the bear chasing him had faded hours ago, but Sonic continued to run despite the ache in his lungs and legs. Terror pushed him forward, ignoring his body’s pleas to stop like a cruel king to his subjects. Warm and cold droplets cascaded down Sonic’s face, turning the beautiful rays of moonlight into an unflattering, grey blob.
In his distress, the hoglet did not see the rock in the path. Sonic shrieked as he crashed into the grass and mud, flipping several times from the incredible momentum he had built. On instinct, he rolled into a ball to soften the impact. Like a marble, Sonic bounced from tree to tree until the forest suddenly ended, and he flopped onto the ground. Once the adrenaline relinquished its shielding grip, Sonic felt pain bloom everywhere . A whimper left his throat when he tried to stand up, collapsing from the agony that throbbed in each ankle. “Ow…”
It was the last straw for the boy.
Sobs burst from his chest, and Sonic could not find it in himself to be embarrassed. He hated crying, always insisting to Longclaw that he was a ‘big boy’ now, but it didn’t matter anymore. Longclaw was dead . He saw the arrows pierce her body before the portal closed. Sonic’s cries grew louder as he remembered the owl who had raised him. Longclaw made him feel like the luckiest kid in Mobius. She would read to him, her soothing voice never failing in making him fall asleep in her wings. Despite their physical differences, Longclaw put in the effort to care for Sonic’s quills and teach him how to maintain them. If his fur or quills were particularly messy, she would use her beak to preen him until she was satisfied. Even when Sonic discovered his ability to run at super speeds, Longclaw kept her patience with the hyperactive hoglet. If other Mobians tried to mock him for his abnormal speed and energy, the owl would be the first to defend Sonic and later reassure him that there was nothing wrong with him. Sonic got to join her on flights as a reward when he behaved or as a present for his birthday. Longclaw loved him unconditionally, and he loved her. Her soft feathers, her hoots when she laughed, her gentle voice, her beak tickling his stomach or preening his quills, her coos and trills that acted as a lullaby when Sonic was scared, her everything …Sonic wanted her back. That desperate want for Longclaw burrowed into Sonic, leaving a hole that could never be filled. He missed her so much it hurt.
Longclaw was dead.
Sonic would never have her back.
Longclaw was dead. She was dead. She was dead and had left him on this stupid planet. This stupid planet that was scary, cold, and filled with predators out to eat him. This stupid planet where Sonic was alone. She left him alone. Because she was gone. She was gone. She was gone. She was gone. SHE WAS GONE.
He wanted to go home.
Why couldn’t he go back home?
He hated this place. He hated living in a cave. He hated looking for food in dumpsters. He hated staying away from humans, but they were dangerous. He hated being alone.
As the hoglet’s cries became mournful wails, blue sparks crackled through his fur. It traveled from the arms he had around his middle to the legs kneeling in the dirt. The small sparks elongated into bolts of lightning. Sonic did not notice. He cried and cried and cried , unable to stop the festering loneliness threatening to consume him. The lightning grew brighter as his fit of sobs intensified.
Then the lightning burst.
A sharp gasp interrupted Sonic’s sobs, giving him the chance to breathe. His head snapped up to take in his surroundings. The realization froze him in place. Sonic was in someone’s backyard. What was worse, all the electric objects were flickering with the same blue that escaped from him. From every direction. It sobered up the panicked boy in an instant as his ears picked up the murmurs of the people he alerted. If he stayed any longer, the humans would spot him and try to capture him. Longclaw warned that people would always want to use his power for themselves. He needed to run, yet his body refused to move.
“Is someone there?”
Pretzel Lady. Recognition filled Sonic as he spotted the house of the couple he attached himself to. During his first weeks on Earth, Sonic stayed in the forest he landed in until a biting cold appeared, forcing him to search for supplies in the town he was avoiding. Quickly, he grew to enjoy watching the humans of Green Hills. Besides foraging for food and water, Sonic did not have anything else to do. Once he learned how to observe the townsfolk undetected, it was all he wanted to do. Eventually, Sonic found his favorites in Pretzel Lady and Donut Lord. They stood out to Sonic the most due to their kindness towards animals. Pretzel Lady was a vet while Donut Lord protected all creatures from being run over by the weird metal things everyone used. It was enough for Sonic to pretend that they found him and took care of him like the puppies Pretzel Lady nursed back to health or the ducks Donut Lord corralled from streets.
“Hello?” Her voice was closer than Sonic expected. The hoglet flinched when he heard the crunching of leaves against shoes and the beam of a flashlight. Sonic scurried backwards to hide himself in a bush. Unfortunately, the cuts that littered his paw pads decided to throb, causing him to hiss. He trembled harsher the closer she got. Pretzel Lady was probably nice to normal hedgehogs, but she would freak out if she saw Sonic. His mind conjured images of the woman screaming and calling for animal control. Sonic needed to run. He needed to. He would die if he didn’t. Even so, his legs remained too unstable to use. His ankles throbbed from his earlier fall. His energy was depleted from the stressful bear chase and his breakdown. Was he going to be captured and taken away?
Sonic’s breath hitched and his bottom lip wobbled.
When Pretzel Lady spoke again, her voice carried concern and a gentleness that made Sonic’s eyes water. “It’s okay. You can come out. I won’t hurt you. I promise.”
“What are you doing, Mads?” Donut Lord asked from a distance, making Sonic’s stomach drop. His heart hammered in his chest. He didn’t want them to find him. Anyone but them. When Sonic tried to move further into the bush, the leaves audible rustled. Crap.
The scent of disinfectant and lavender was directly in front of him. “There’s something in the backyard. I can’t tell if it’s a person or not, but they sound hurt.”
Her hand reached for the bush Sonic was hidden in.
“Nothing is going to happen to you, okay? I just want to help. Don’t be scared.”
Pretzel Lady began to pull the leaves apart.
“Don’t!” Sonic squeaked out, slamming his paws on his mouth immediately after.
What had he done?!
Maddie prided herself on being a level-headed person. She frequently calmed down her older sister Rachel when they were children and that habit continued into her adulthood. Of course, she still became stressed out at times, but Maddie used yoga to extract any unnecessary anger. It was this calmness that made her fall in love with Tom. He brought an excitement to her life that she always wanted. Even better, she never needed to worry about Tom’s temper. He could handle his emotions, giving Maddie a permanent vacation on being the mediator, and Tom reminded her often that she was not responsible for everyone’s needs.
It felt like a breath of fresh air to be cared for. Despite what her sister thought, Maddie knew her husband was an incredible man. He was willing to work multiple jobs to pay for her veterinary school. No one had ever sacrificed so much for her. She loved her husband dearly.
But sometimes…
“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!”
“THOMAS MICHAEL WACHOWSKI!”
She really wanted to slap him upside the head.
There was a strange creature in their backyard, which did not belong to any species Maddie knew of. It was an alien , likely the first undeniable evidence of extraterrestrials in the world. Part of her could understand why her husband screamed at the top of his lungs, her own heart was pounding in her chest from the shock. However, Maddie could see how terrified the tiny, blue alien was. It resembled a hedgehog, and she felt a pang in her chest when she saw a stream of tears falling from its snout. If this was an aggressive alien, it would have attacked her already. This hedgehog looked like a child. She was certain of it, and Maddie’s gut instincts had never been wrong before.
After taking a deep breath, Maddie gazed at the shaking hedgehog. “Hi there. I’m Maddie. Are you alright, hun?” Her husband tried to approach the bush she was kneeling by, but she waved him off with a glare.
A long beat of silence followed. The creature’s emerald eyes locking onto hers with awe. Seemingly realizing that she was not a threat, the hedgehog bowed its head and mumbled in a boyish voice. “You’re not scared of me?”
Oh, he is so adorable! The woman shook her head softly. “Surprised? Yes. Scared? Absolutely not.” Maddie noticed the state his little body was in. There were scrapes, cuts, bruises, matting, and evidence of malnutrition and fleas. It was possible that the hedgehog had mange as well. When she raised her hand to point at his injuries, Maddie’s chest panged from the immediate flinch. She lowered her arm. “You seem pretty banged up. I can help. I’m a vet, so I know how to help with that fur of yours.”
“I know, Pretzel Lady.” He kept his head down, still cowering away from her. The quills on the back of his head were bristled, revealing that several of them were broken.
His admission made Maddie blink. If he knew her well enough to give her a nickname and know of her job, then the boy did not arrive recently. How long had he been on Earth? For now, she pushed her questions aside to focus on the hoglet. She chuckled. “I’ve never been called a pretzel before. How about I call you Blueberry so we can both have food nicknames?”
The giggle that came from the boy made Maddie’s resolve to help him harden into steel. She glanced back at Tom, knowing he was listening in, and was relieved to see the tension in his body disappearing. This time, the hoglet did not flinch when she offered her hand again. Maddie noticed the gloves he had on and the ruined state his shoes were in. Several seconds passed until a small hand grasped onto hers.
“I’m Sonic. Do you promise not to send me to evil government guys?”
To Maddie’s surprise, Tom answered in her stead. “Nope. If Maddie cares about you, then I will too. But I do expect an explanation for why you called her Pretzel Lady.”
“You got it, Donut Lord!”
Tom’s eyebrows raised, but Maddie spoke before her husband could interrogate the boy. “Let’s get those injuries taken care of, hm?”
It only took two failed attempts at standing until Tom picked up Sonic. The boy flailed for a bit, but eventually melted in the hold like a content cat. As they walked to their house, Sonic made a noise of doubt. “Do you really promise not to hurt me?”
His words were laced with so much fear that both Tom and Maddie shared a look of agreement. Their brain’s were all over the place from the fact that aliens were real and their nerves had become numb from how shot they were. Despite their anxieties, the couple knew that they wouldn’t let anything happen to Sonic.
“How about we power bump?” Maddie offered.
“What’s that?” The boy’s ears flopped as he tilted his head in confusion. Both ears looked in desperate need of cleaning, so Maddie added that on her extensive list of treatments this poor child needed. She curled her fist and raised it towards his thin arms.
“It means an unbreakable promise. You’re safe with us, little guy.” Tom continued, keeping his tone gentle.
Sonic’s eyes became glossy, but he nodded. His little fist met Maddie’s. “Power bump.”
“Power bump.” The woman repeated.
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It took five days for that promise to break.
On a trip to retrieve his rings and Longclaw’s feather from his cave, Sonic was surrounded by armed men, who all shouted commands he did not understand. When he tried to run away, an electrified net was shot at him by a man with grey hair and a fierce scowl.
Sonic’s last memories before his vision went dark was Tom and Maddie screaming his name.
When he woke up, he was in a dark cell and told that this would be his home from now on.
Sonic was confused and terrified, but he knew one thing for certain.
He was alone again.
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Why?
Alarms blaring.
Why?
Thundering footsteps across the hall.
Why?
People shouting and arguing.
Why?
Blonde hair.
Why?
Blue dress.
Why?
Blue headband.
Why?
The squeeze of a warm hand.
Why?
“It’s okay, Shadow. We’ll make it out! Just hold on to me, alright?”
Why?
“Thank goodness! We made it to the escape pods. We’re going to be-”
Why?
A shot.
Why?
A thump.
Why?
Red staining blue.
Why?
“You have to leave this place. I’ll be fine. I love you so much, little brother. Promise me that you will…”
Why?
Blue eyes fading away.
Why?
“MARIA!”
WHY.
W H Y.
WHY. WHY. WHY. WHY. WHY. WHY.
W H Y ? ! ? !
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Red eyes snapped open.
“Good to see you awake, Subject 01. You have friends to meet.”
With one punch, the glass keeping Shadow contained shattered to the ground in a mist. A deep snarl rose from his chest as the hybrid located the one responsible for ruining everything. His anger boiled over, another growl escaping. “Commander Tower.”
In lieu of a response, the grey-haired man pressed a button on a panel, smirking at Shadow through an observation window. Shadow’s desire to maim him grew tenfold, and he felt his claws unsheathe completely. Steam billowed from his soaked fur due to his body temperature rising as Shadow readied his chaos energy to blast the commander to bits. Before the hybrid could enact his plans, a door in the center of the room opened. Waves of agents filed in, each aiming charged guns, but they did not attack. Their mistake. Shadow bared his teeth at the agents and raised his hand to summon a chaos spear.
Only it did not come.
“What?” Shadow whispered under his breath. He then tried to warp a few feet away. Nothing. In a panic, the hybrid attempted countless attacks and warps until he felt a scalding heat around his neck. When he tried to find the source of the burning, Shadow’s stomach dropped once he felt familiar metal. They placed another inhibitor ring around his throat, but it was not just solid metal. A strangled gasp left Shadow as the ring on his neck began to tighten. While he could hold his breath for significant periods of time, Shadow would need oxygen eventually. It was similar to how Shadow technically did not need to eat, but he benefited more if he did. Strength sapped from his limbs the tighter the ring became, making his airway feel like it was being ripped apart and crushed simultaneously.
“Are you quite done, Project Shadow?” The commander’s voice was bored, but his eyes held a wicked satisfaction.
No. The hybrid wanted to say. Of course not. You and your pathetic G.U.N soldiers took everything away from me! Maria’s blood was spilt under your command! It’s your fault! EVERYTHING is your fault! YOU KILLED HER!
Yet the words could not come. Shadow gazed at his captors with pure hatred as they approached his trembling form. He only flinched when his wrists slammed together from a magnetic piece added into his inhibitors. One soldier broke from the formation with a pole in their hands. In a desperate attempt to protect himself, Shadow tried to bite the agent. Immediately, the pole connected to another magnet in the center of the ring on his neck. No matter how hard Shadow pulled, the pole would not budge.
No. No. NO. I NEED TO ESCAPE. I HAVE TO AVENGE HER. I PROMISED HER. I PROMISED HER ! A mix of anger and humiliation filled the young hybrid as the soldier dragged him forward like a rabid dog. Instincts overload his logical mind, screaming at him to get out run run get out get out get out GET OUT- Shadow began to thrash violently. Howls left his mouth when he was dragged further and further into the facility. Shadow snarled, clawed, bit, screeched, and did everything else he could to free himself. To no avail.
Eventually, the soldier would open a metal door at the end of the hallway. They threw the hybrid inside the dark room after deactivating the magnetic charge of the pole. Once the door slammed shut, Shadow took in a deep breath as his airway was released.
He kneeled on the cold floor, eyes wide yet unseeing.
One day, I’ll take you to Earth, and I’ll show you the best bakeries for that sweet tooth of yours!
Looks like Grandpa’s going to evaluate the both of us, huh? At least, we can have matching band aids!
Shadow, guess what I found! It’s Grandpa’s record player! I can’t wait to teach you how to dance! I wanted to be a ballerina when I was younger, so I have a lot to show you!
I know it hurts, Shadow, you don’t need to hide it from me. It’s okay to cry, I’m here for you. You’re a kid, just like I am.
No matter what those scientists say, you aren’t a monster. You’re the sweetest person I know. They’re wrong for not seeing that.
The stars are always so bright here. Grandpa says it takes years for the light of a star to reach Earth. There’s a chance that the star is already gone by the time we see it. Heh. Kinda like you and those coffee beans you like so much. They’re finished before Grandpa can even use them.
I wish I could take you away from all of this, but I know I can’t. Let’s just promise to protect each other, okay? You have your awesome powers, and I have my hugs and the cuddles I know you secretly like.
I love you so much, little brother.
Tears quietly fell down his face. Shadow failed to protect her then and he failed to give her justice now. The hybrid had never felt so hopeless before. “I’m sorry, Maria...”
“Are you okay?”
In an instant, his head snapped up towards the foreign voice. Shadow froze when he saw that the speaker was…another hedgehog. No. There were two hedgehogs, both huddled in a corner while clinging onto each other. One with blue fur and emerald eyes and a much smaller one with grey fur and gold eyes.
Shadow’s dwindling hope to escape became just a bit stronger.