Archive of Our Own

The damp, metallic tang of the lower levels of Prison Island clings to the air like a wet shroud. It is November 30, 2003, and the concrete monolithic structure, looming off the coast of Nagasaki, feels less like a military installation and more like a tomb. Down here, the ambient hum of high-voltage security grids vibrates right through the soles of their shoes. Tails adjusts the digital readout on his handheld Miles Electric, the screen casting a pale blue glow over his face. He glances sideways at Shadow, who stands perfectly still, arms crossed, the absolute picture of brooding impatience. The ultimate lifeform does not do well with stealth, or waiting, or really anything that requires him to suppress his natural inclination to just blow holes through reinforced steel.

"His energy signature is definitely down this corridor," Tails murmurs, tapping the screen with a gloved thumb. A tiny grin tugs at the corner of his mouth as he slides the device into his belt pocket. He looks up at Shadow, eyes gleaming with a sudden, mischievous spark. "You know, for someone who claims to find Sonic's entire existence a massive inconvenience, you sure didn't hesitate to fly halfway across the world the second we lost his signal."

Shadow shifts his weight, the rings on his wrists catching the dim, flickering fluorescent light of the hallway. He doesn't look at the fox. "The blue nuisance owes me a rematch. I am simply ensuring he survives long enough to deliver it."

"Riiiight," Tails says, stretching the syllable out with an agonizingly playful, sing-song cadence. He nudges Shadow’s arm lightly, completely unafraid of the lethal hedgehog. "Keep telling yourself that. But honestly, building a whole rescue op just to see him? You're totally in love with him, aren't you?"

Shadow snorts, a sharp, dismissive sound, and turns his back to march further into the shadows. "Do not be ridiculous, fox. We have a job to do."

They navigate the labyrinthine corridors, passing heavy titanium blast doors until they reach the high-security block. The isolation cells here are designed to hold the world's greatest threats, completely soundproofed and reinforced with electromagnetic dampening fields. Tails quickly splices into the local terminal, his fingers flying across a hardwired keypad. With a heavy, pneumatic hiss, the outer security lock disengages.

Inside the observation room, however, a flashing red light catches the automated systems. The guard monitors flare to life. High above, hidden within the ceiling grates, a series of advanced, camouflaging security drones begin to whir. They bleed into the background, their optical-illusion plating shifting to match the drab gray concrete of the facility as they descend silently into the corridor.

Tails steps back from the console, looking down the final stretch of the hall. "Okay, his specific cell is right at the end of this block. Security is totally offline on this level, so we just need to—"

A subtle ripple in the air catches the fox's eye. A metallic shimmer, like heat rising from asphalt, hovers directly behind Shadow, who is already stepping toward the heavy reinforced glass of Sonic’s cell. The drone expands, its automated stun-batons sliding out from its chassis with a soft, dangerous click.

"Shadow! Watch out! Behind you!" Tails shouts, pointing frantically.

Shadow doesn't even flinch. He merely stops in his tracks, his quills flattening slightly as a wave of pure, unadulterated annoyance washes over him. He is this close to breaking the door down, this close to seeing that ridiculous, smug grin again, and some mass-produced piece of military junk thinks it can interrupt him? He turns on his heel with predatory grace. His crimson eyes lock onto the cloaking drone just as its optical camouflage glitches and fades. Before the machine can even register his position, Shadow moves.

He leads with a brutal, spinning kick that shatters the drone’s primary camera lens in an explosion of sparks and glass. He doesn't stop there. Channeling his raw combat prowess, he rains a barrage of heavy, precise strikes down upon the chassis. His fists are a blur of black and crimson fury.

"Don't you know it's rude to show up someplace uninvited?!" Shadow growls, his voice echoing fiercely off the concrete walls.

He delivers a devastating downward hammer-fist, denting the top armor plate. The drone wavers, its internal thrusters sputtering wildly, trying to recalibrate. Shadow grabs it by its main sensor array, hoisting the heavy piece of machinery as if it weighs nothing at all.

"And don't bother me when I'm trying to rescue Sonic!" he roars, slamming the drone straight into the reinforced floor.

The machine collapses with a deafening metallic crunch, wires sparking violently, smoke billowing from its shattered core as it goes completely dead.

Tails blinks, utterly speechless for a second, before a wide, impressed grin breaks across his face. "Wow. Okay. Note to self: never interrupt your quality time."

Inside the isolation cell, sitting cross-legged on a metal bench behind a thick layer of reinforced polymer glass, Sonic leans forward. He had been listening to the muffled thuds and yells, and now that he can see the smoking wreckage through the window, his eyes light up. He gives a low, appreciative whistle, tapping his knuckles against the glass to get their attention. Shadow ignores the display of admiration entirely. He steps over the smoking carcass of the drone, his chest rising and falling with slight irritation, and approaches the cell's heavy electronic locking mechanism. His hands begin to glow with a faint, chaotic energy.

Tails walks up beside him, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall with an incredibly smug expression. "Riiiight~" he teases again, his voice dripping with pure amusement. "You're totally not in love. That was definitely just a normal, platonic drone-smashing."

Shadow’s ear twitches. He raises his right hand, channeling a concentrated burst of Chaos energy directly into the keyhole. "Shut up," he mutters, his voice low, a dark flush briefly threatening to show on his tan muzzle.

With a loud BANG, the internal lock shatters, and the heavy door slides open with a heavy scrape. Sonic steps out of the cramped cell immediately, stretching his arms over his head and shaking out his legs with a relieved sigh. The dim lighting of the prison corridor bounces off his blue fur, and despite the dampness of the room, his energy is instantly infectious. He walks right up to Shadow, leaning in close with a brilliant, knowing smile dancing on his lips.

"Hey, don't sweat it, Shads," Sonic says, his eyes sparkling with absolute affection as he tilts his head. "I won't tell anyone."