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A gentle tug was felt on his arm.
He hummed, looking out longingly at the horizon where the massive expanse of the ocean seems never-ending, before curiously looking at the girl sitting next to him.
“What are you gonna do after we defeat The End?” Sage looked up at him, the flower crown on her head shifted slightly as she spoke.
He was stunned to silence for a moment, then huffed out an awkward laugh. “I… don’t know to be honest…” he started, “All I’ve ever known and ever been… has been here, y’know?” He gestured around them, Ouranos Island bathed in sunlight slowly peeking out from the horizon. A Koco that’s been cuddled closer to them stumbled a bit because of the movement, but all they heard were some soft bell-like noises. It was silent for a while, probably Sage trying to process the information.
The gentle breeze of the wind seemed to somewhat fill the quiet, as if trying to fill the silence.
His mind started to wander.
Because, yeah, what will he do? With The End defeated and the Chaos Emeralds probably flying off to who-knows-where once more, he wouldn’t have anything to protect anymore. There’s also no way Sage and the Doctor would stay here, they have bigger and grander ambitions after all, something far beyond what he has known all his life. Something inside him ached painfully at the thought of Sage and the Doctor leaving him, moving on to forget him as they continue their journey for world domination according to the Doctor the last time they visited him in Cyberspace.
He’d be completely and utterly alone.
Well— not completely alone, since Elder and Hermit Koco would still be here, along with the other Kocos. But it won’t be the same!
“Maybe you can join us… our family…” Her words cut through the gentle wind and his worried thoughts like it was nothing.
Eyes wide, he sat up straighter as he looked back at Sage.
“A-are you serious?” Bright green eyes, slightly wavering with nervousness, met with blue.
“Yes. I spoke to my father about the possibility of you joining us after the battle.”
“You did? What did he say? What does he think about me?”
Sage paused, recalling what he said during the last time she joined him in Cyberspace while the hedgehog dealt with something on the islands.
“He said he’d be eager to get to know you better and potentially help us with our goals.”
“H-he is?! That’s great!” He smiled wide, feeling lighter than air as he tackled Sage in a hug, the little girl briefly glitching out from the sudden movement causing the petals on their flower crowns to flutter away.
Sage, still getting used to how physically affectionate the hedgehog is, reciprocated the hug by patting the quills on top of his head gently.
A small smile made its way on her features, as she held his hands, “...It is great.”
“We’ll be a family, Sonic.”
“A family…” Sonic repeats breathlessly with a huge grin on his face, his hands tightening just a smidgen over smaller ones.
“That’s… all I ever wanted…”
-----
“INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! SECURITY BREACH AT GATE 3!”
Two distinct figures ran down the halls of the Prison Island base, as air shoes and mechanical roller skates sped past the number of metal doors slamming shut behind them. An alarm blares loudly. With the speakers barking out orders with urgency. The taller one gestured the other faster as they looked on ahead, holding onto the other’s hand tightly. Both of their hearts were pounding and their blood was pumping as their limbs moved in tandem to ensure they were on the same pace. “Shadow! We need to hurry!” A grunt was all the verbal reply she got, when in an instant, she felt white gloves tighten back in her grasp. Shadow’s air shoes lit brighter and suddenly she was being pulled along as they accelerated, the boost catching her off-guard for a moment as she shrieked. A trail of electric yellow light followed them as they weaved through machines and drones programmed to chase after them.
“-LOCATE AND STOP THE INTRUDERS FROM ENTERING THE SECURITY AREA!”
More heavy metal doors closed shut, this time in front of them. “Maria! Up ahead!” He warned, not looking back. Shadow had no need to slow down as Maria cocked a blaster gun at the weak points, swiftly aiming at them as they speedily approached it. “I got it!” From the camera feeds, the guards watched on with bated breath, fully expecting the intruders to run into the heavily guarded door at full-force, but it didn’t happen. Time seemed to stop for a moment as Maria inhaled, focusing on feeling the familiar flow of Chaos Energy from Shadow’s hand to hers, she can almost visualize the sparking energy under her skin latch directly to the muzzle of the weapon. Then, she exhaled.
BOOM!
The door was blasted off instantly as multiple flashes of concentrated Chaos energy in the size of bullets made contact with the small explosives. Unbeknownst to them, a desk slam shook some of the guards standing by the camera feeds. One of them ordered to bring out one of their deadlier mechs on hand. A guard saluted, tasked to prepare and do whatever it takes to not let it out. This continued on to the next set of doors, all of them crumbling like paper from the might of the bullet-shaped Chaos spears.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
They zipped past the now-heaps of metal. Like it wasn’t there to begin with. “THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! ” If the speaker sounded a bit more panicked, it didn’t deter Shadow and Maria at all as they kept running through more rooms and halls. A barrage of soldiers and mechs armed with weapons tried to stop their momentum, but they were either too slow for the black hedgehog or too weak for the human girl and her trusty Chaos blaster. Slowly, they skidded to a stop as they approached an elevator shaft. Looking down from it, both of them could tell it was a long drop with how dark and endless it seemed, but they also recognized that it was also the last stretch. The loud alarms were slightly muffled from where they stood, which potentially means they’re safe for now and no GUN mechs would disturb them. Shadow glanced at Maria, who was slightly panting and catching her breath. He decidedly offered to pause and take a breather before they could continue down to the lower levels, which Maria thankfully took as she sat down while Shadow took watch. Carefully, she opened a small compartment of Chaos Drives from a holster bag. The small colored vials full of Chaos Energy made it slightly glow. She took one out, a yellow one, Shadow notes, and slipped it in a small syringe-like device with a sharp needle. A procedure that’s almost second-nature to this point, Maria took the cap off and rolled up a sleeve, then she calmly inhaled before the needle breached skin. Slowly and methodically, she pushed the plunger. She winced a little, but it was more out of habit really. When the barrel of the syringe was now empty of Chaos Energy, she meticulously disposed of the drive by placing it in another compartment. “How are you holding up, Maria?” Shadow asked, worry faintly written on his face. ”I’m doing well, Shadow,” Maria smiled back reassuringly at him, “Thanks a lot back there.” “Same to you, your aim has been improving a lot.” Maria beamed up at him, “Thanks to my super cool little brother who taught me!” Shadow looked to the side to hide his small blush, “It was nothing…” “Come onnn~ Don't be embarrassed now!” She teased as she stood up, dusting off her lap as she did so, “There’s no one else who would have the patience to teach me how to handle a weapon!” “Rose would.” “Well, Amy too!” Maria grinned, “And Knuckles but his training is too intense for me when he tried to teach me hand-to-hand combat…” she frowned at the memory, wincing as she remembered how much her arms ached when he instructed her to lift weights way beyond her ability. “You did impress him when you tried to punch him with Chaos Energy, though.” “The point is!” she waved her hands, “You’re also kind and amazing Shadow, you should give yourself more credit!” “You’re the Ultimate Lifeform for a reason after all!” she added with a snort. He huffed a laugh, shaking his head fondly, “What would I do without you, huh?” “Probably brood and be angsty,” Maria laughed good-naturedly, as she turned to look around their surroundings. “I’d definitely be a completely different hedgehog.” Shadow grimly thought. He kept it to himself, knowing how Maria tends to react when Shadow starts thinking of the ‘what-ifs’ from the past. She truly believes Shadow would be the same regardless, but the prickling feeling under his skin at the thought of being consumed by revenge with the Black Arms DNA heightening said feeling made him uncomfortable. It was truly a miracle Maria and Shadow were able to outrun the GUN soldiers a few years back when they raided the lab, especially when Maria’s condition was way worse since her body wasn’t used to the Chaos Energy yet. And by Chaos, he was eternally grateful for it. Not only would he make sure the Professor didn’t die in vain but also to protect Maria no matter what, while also making sure to appreciate all life on Earth regardless what GUN put them through. Subconsciously, he rubbed on the inhibitors around his wrists as he was lost in thought. Maria gathered her belongings in comfortable silence as Shadow kept his guard up in case GUN sends in more backup. Shadow looked down at the elevator shaft once more, a small frown on his face, “We’re close to the location,” he started, ”It’s time we take a look at what your cousin was working on according to the Professor’s journal… ” Maria nodded, expression more determined. “Whatever it is, hopefully this ‘top-secret military weapon’ will help us with Black Doom.” Something under his skin prickled at the mention of Black Doom, but he refused to let it show. Instead he replied, “I hope so too.” A hand reached out to him. “You ready?” Shining blue eyes met with red, who was equally determined. He held her hand. “Of course.” It was silent on their ride down the elevator shaft, save for the mechanical whirring of the elevator itself eerily echoing during their dark descent. Fortunately, Maria’s blaster, which she fashioned herself, came with a flashlight so she could see better. While Shadow was able to see in the dark as he normally would in normal lighting thanks to his alien genetics.
They were in comfortable silence anyways, even though they were breaking into a secret military base, they basked in each other's presence. Feeling secure that they could get out of any situation. And they were also being careful, making sure there’s no other ominous noise looming behind them. Absent-mindedly, Maria began to think out loud. “We should’ve brought Amy and Knuckles for this…” “You know why we couldn’t, Maria.” He started. “Yeah I know… it’s too risky,” she sighed with a pout. “Knuckles is busy with the Master Emerald anyways.” “And we need someone back at the base just in-case Professor Prowler suddenly attacks us…” Maria grumbled, mood souring at the mention of the evil fox villain, “he might be planning something nefarious and we wouldn’t want him to find out what we’re doing right now.” “We can update them on the situation as soon as possible at least.” “Hopefully this doesn’t take too long… I promised— eek!” The moving platform screeched to a halt, cutting their conversation short. A large metal door towered before them with a number seven painted on it. They both glanced at each other apprehensively before taking a step towards it, making it open automatically. Shadow moved in front of Maria first, doing a quick once-over of the cold cold room. Shadow wasn’t normally one to feel cold, as he can withstand more extreme temperatures, but the eerily familiar chill of the room felt clinical and sterile. Something uncomfortable prickled under his skin once more, causing some of his quills to stand on defense. He spots a terminal in front of them with a small holograph of… someone one it. A Mobian, clearly, but what surprised Shadow the most was that it was another hedgehog (based on the silhouette anyways) “So this is the military’s secret weapon,” he muttered. “It’s a lot smaller than expected too, I was expecting a huge cannon or mech or something …” Maria trailed off with a frown, “I wasn’t expecting a living being .” She moved to inputting the user data based off of the information given to them by Gerald’s journal in the console. She flipped through the pages, the writing on them gradually turning to scribbles the farther she did. Fortunately, the writing was still mostly legible when she found the password. It was next to an entry about her cousin, Ivo Robotnik, or most infamously well-known as Dr. Eggman . Reading through the last few meetings her grandfather had with her cousin, it was almost uncanny how flippant and uncaring her grandfather’s tone was when recounting the time Ivo was imprisoned by GUN. Like he deserved it , Maria’s hold on the journal tightened, the pages rumpling just a smidge as a deeper frown set on her face. She never really talked to her cousin much, especially since she was busy fighting off her NIDS. What she can recall was mostly her grandfather frustrated at Ivo when he was mentioned, but she mostly chalked it up to her illness growing worse at the time. Her eyes scanned through the words quickly until it fell on a scrap piece of paper taped on one of the pages. The handwriting was also messy and scratchy, surely a common Robotnik trait, she mused to herself, but it was also different from her grandfather’s. On it was one word. It read:
S̸̤̃͘A̷̫̹̍Ḡ̷̜͈̚E̴̻͑
Her fingers lingered on the keypad for a moment, the shaky and almost unreadable writing making her lost in thought wondering what kind of person Ivo truly is like, then she shook her head. This is no time to hesitate! They’re so close and they need every help they could get from a looming Black Arms invasion! They can deal with the repercussions later! “The password is S. A. G. E.” she said as she typed each letter, then she looked at Shadow determinedly, “Now all we have to do is place the Chaos Emerald into the console.” Shadow nodded and pulled out a green Chaos Emerald from his quills, placing it securely on the console. Instantaneously, the ground shook and rumbled. Surprising them both. A platform beyond the console ominously rose and revealed a large test tube covered by metal plating. The room grew even more colder, with Maria just barely suppressing a shiver, and then the ground stopped shaking. Maria shared a worried look with Shadow for a brief moment until the metal plating screeched to uncover what was in the large test tube, surprising them. What was revealed to them made their breath hitch audibly. It was another hedgehog, trapped in cryostasis. The red flashing light lit within the tube filled with green liquid made the Mobian’s fur an indiscernible dark color, and for a second, Shadow was convinced he was looking at a reflection of himself until he had to mentally shake his head because no— that’s not him. He’s free , he’s not in a tube anymore and hopefully never again. Maria ran past Shadow, breaking him out of his stupor, as she approached the now-opening test tube. Liquid poured out causing the hedgehog inside to slump over on the ground, unmoving. “Is he—” “He’s alive.” Maria gravely muttered, the weight of what’s in front of them was so heavy Shadow could feel it. She was kneeling next to the strikingly cobalt blue hedgehog as Shadow approached them, both of them eyeing for any signs of distress and injuries as the chest with a pair of scars shakily rose and fell minutely. Countless thoughts raced around his head, and they screeched to a stop as he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve as he continued to stare. Maria was looking at him, a worried expression on her face as blue met with red. Then she spoke, softly. “Shadow, are you okay?” Shadow gently smiled back, reassuringly, “I am, thank you for asking.” Maria let out a relieved sigh. She was about to say something until an alarm interrupted her as it started blaring. Loud. “Now what?!” Annoyed, Maria looked behind them to see who was chasing them until it was revealed to be a piloted defense mech.
“THIS IS SCORPION TROOP HOT SHOT. ENEMY MOVEMENT HAS BEEN DETECTED.”
It began to take off into the air, flying towards them. She cradled the hedgehog protectively as Shadow growled as he prepared to fight off the disturbance, kicking his air shoes to life.
“EN ROUTE TO INTERCEPT AND DESTROY—”
“SAGE, WATCH OUT!!!” A blur of blue sped past Shadow. Instantaneously, the military fighter was knocked out of the air and was destroyed. The blue hedgehog stood before them, back turned towards Shadow and Maria who stood up during the silence, clearly panting from the sudden fight (which was pretty one-sided, Shadow thought) Shakily, the stranger turned around with a frazzled expression. “Are you okay, Sage—” he stopped as his Emerald eyes marked with confusion and fear stared back at them, “Oh… you're not…” In front of them, they were able to see the blue hedgehog more clearly. His cobalt blue fur was still dripping wet, with some patches trailing down his leg being a darker shade in a cyber-like pattern. Tan arms with bandages wrapped around it tightly where his fingerless gloves start, claws cut unnaturally short with the paw pads visibly clenched. Red shoes with white and yellow accents, adorned with some metal gizmo things with a small eerie green glow from the back. As blue ears twitched from the unwanted attention, they also noted a small nick on one of them. Unlike Shadow, his quills were also bent downwards. The blue hedgehog looked somewhat… feral and untamed in general? Growing uncomfortable, white fingerless gloves shakily pointed at them, specifically at Maria, as his head tilted with wonder, “W-who are you?” “Me?” Maria, also confused, pointed at herself. The hedgehog nodded. Warily keeping his distance from them. “I’m Maria… Maria Robotnik!” she introduced herself with a smile. His eyes widened, which both Maria and Shadow noticed, but didn’t let show. Maria also gestured at Shadow with a welcoming smile, “And this is Shadow!” He grunted which made him receive a hard nudge from the girl. The blue hedgehog slowly and hesitantly approached them, eyes wide with curiosity until he was standing in front of Shadow. Shadow was about to voice out his dislike to being observed until suddenly, like a light switch, the blue one grinned widely up at him. “You have some sick red highlights too huh… do all hedgehogs have them or what?” “No, and get out of my personal space.” he deadpanned. “Yeesh, you’re the shy type aren't cha?” He shoots a cheeky grin as he did back off. Shadow growled in return, already annoyed, which earned a snicker from the blue hedgehog. And to think he mistook him as a reflection of himself! Maria also giggles at the banter, before coughing to get their attention.
“What about you? What’s your name?” “I’m Sonic! Nice to meet you both, Maria and Shadow!” He shakes Maria’s hands excitedly. “Since you were both so kind to release me, I will grant you one wish!” Sonic holds up a finger with a grin. “We need help with defeating an enemy in the near future, and with that we also need the Chaos Emeralds!” Maria clapped her hands. Finally! They’re getting some help! “Chaos Emeralds huh…” he was silent for a moment, his sudden burst of energy mellowed out at the mention of the Chaos Emeralds before being brightened up again, like a lightbulb was blinking on his head. “You got the right guy on the job! I know just the thing that will help you!” “You do? What is it?” The familiar blue blur sped past them once more from the console and back to them in an instant. Like he never left, Sonic was now holding the green Chaos Emerald on one hand, tossing it in the air like it’s a toy and not a freakishly powerful gem. “I need more of these bad boys!” Sonic exclaimed as he caught the Chaos Emerald midair to behold it to them. “Huh?” Maria tilted her head. “Bring me more Chaos Emeralds first! Then we can meet up in the central control room on the Death Egg!” Shadow and Maria grew quiet at the mention of said location for a minute, looking at each other apprehensively in silent conversation while Sonic impatiently began tapping his feet. “The Death Egg?” Shadow tentatively asked. Sonic tilted his head, “Yeah, why?” “That’s… where Dr. Eggman illegally created you, right?” “Uh… no?” Sonic was looking at Shadow like he grew two heads. He laughed at how confused Shadow looked. Sonic continued to tease him, “Seriously Shadow, you have to ask me out to dinner first before you can find out where I’m really from~” “Answer the damn question, hedgehog.” Shadow gritted through his teeth. “I’ll have you know! I’m all-natural!” he gestured to himself, before pausing for a moment when he saw the scars on his chest, “Well… almost all-natural!” “Wait, so you weren’t created in a lab?” Maria piped in, interested where someone so unnaturally fast could’ve been from. “Nope!” he answered with a pop. She pushed with more questions, “So… where are you from?” “It’s a secret for now!” Sonic winked and made a shushing motion, which made Shadow’s eyes roll irritably, “Buuut! Right now, I’ll also look for more Chaos Emeralds!”
He’s clearly avoiding our questions.
Sonic was about to run off on his own until Shadow blocked his path. He saw the blue hedgehog’s eye twitch in frustration but tried to play it cool with an easy-going laugh, “Miss me already, hot stuff?” Shadow narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed, but he remained where he was, blocking the entrance where they came from. “But we need your help with locating the Chaos Emeralds!” Maria spoke up next to him, almost desperately, he thought. Sonic paused at that for a moment, “You can’t sense ‘em or anything? That’s weird…” he scratches his head, “I thought that since you both have Chaos Energy in you, you could look for them yourself!” “Well, it’s a bit hard without the proper tech anyways…” Maria sighed. Sonic snapped his fingers with an aha! “How about this! You try to find how we can get to space and get to the Death Egg, while I would look for the emeralds myself! A pretty good deal, eh?” he nudged Shadow with a wink. Frustrated, he pushed the annoying hedgehog away from him, "How can we trust that you won’t betray us while you have all the chaos emeralds?” “But you have one already,” he says matter of factly with a shrug as he kept tossing the green Chaos Emerald in his hand absentmindedly, “ that at least guarantees I don’t have all of them, and the weapon doesn’t work properly without all of the seven ‘em anyways.” Shadow noted how impatient the other hedgehog was being, with his red sneakers decked with some small gizmos tapping away, irritating him. Shadow gave a look to Maria, who stared in thought for a moment before nodding to herself. At the corner of his eyes, he can see Sonic staring at them with an indecipherable intense look, his quills itching to rise in defense when he stared at Maria a bit too long. This… hedgehog was shrouded in mystery and they’re supposed to trust him? Just like that? And he keeps looking at them funny, a glint of something like he’s up to no good. A part of him wants to confront the other and be more transparent but he also knows (and feels her gaze on him) that Maria would want him to tread lightly on this new (potential?) ally, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting to punch that stupidly annoying and pretty face. Whatever.
We can deal with it some other time.
Frustrated, he broke eye contact with Maria to turn to Sonic once again. “Just give me the damn Chaos Emerald right now.” He held out his hand, but the blue idiot tossed it to him instead, smirking when Shadow caught it with a growl. Sonic sauntered past him, shooting a grin at Shadow and Maria. He got into position, about to run off until he looked back at them and waved. “I’ll see you two at the Death Egg then~” He took off with a blur of blue trailing behind him. “Maria.” Shadow started, still staring at where Sonic was, and glanced at the large test tube he was released from. Maria hummed with a knowing smile he couldn’t see but hear , already knowing what the other would say, “What is it, dear brother?” “I hate him.” She snorted, “Sure you do.”