Author's Notes:

Firstly, of course, the obligatory disclaimer - I own none of the characters etc of the Sonic world.
Now, with that out the way... this is the latest random idea from the recesses of my mind. It's a somewhat darker tale than the others I've written so far, something I hope to give the impression of right here in the first chapter.
It's rated T for now, but may well become an M rated one depending on how it turns out later. Those who don't like to read M rated content, please pay attention when the story is updated in case I change it.
I also apologise for the jumping from character to character the way it does, but that's the way it flowed, and it flows quite well, I think.
So far, the initial plot has many recurring Sonic characters planned to make an appearance, including an OC of mine from my Sonic Switch stories. This may be expanded to other OCs that aren't mine, but it depends on if anyone suggests theirs.
With my notes done, dim the lights, and dive into this decidedly less pleasent world.

It was raining, the kind of misty filmy rain that soaks everyone, penetrates even the most waterproofed clothes, and hisses as it hits the ground.

The clouds of the night sky as dark as they have always been for the past few years, little light is spread from the lamps along the streets.

No one is out at this hour. No one with any sense. No one who knows better.

The buildings lay empty. Not a sign of life in them has been seen for many years now.

A shadow of a figure flicks through a pool of light for just a moment, and is gone again.

It flicks through the next, then the next.

It pauses in the one after, looking around furtively. It's hard to tell who or what it is because of a long grey robe covering almost all features.

A clatter from the distance. The figure darts out of the light back into the shadows, and ducks down in an alleyway between two of the derelict houses, hunching so as not to be seen.

More pools of light appear, from torches. Torches held by uniformed humans, walking in perfect step. An army.

Only a few of them in this patrol unit, but enough to be of trouble in these times.

The figure hunched lower, drawing back deeper into the shadows, careful to make no noise.

The scout patrol stops in the same pool of light the figure had.

The commander steps forward, looking around. Seeing nothing, he beckons to his unit to follow.

The figure eases it's way out of the shadows. Moving slowly, it watches them, trying to leave unseen.

The robe snags on a bush, causing it to rustle. The unit turns, and shines the light on him.

The figure unsnags the robe.

"Stop! Remain where you are and identify yourself." The commander makes another gesture to his men, and they take up arms.

The figure freezes in place, then glances over, but does nothing more.

"I said, identify yourself! Answer, or you will be shot!"

The figure pushes back it's hood. A hedgehog's head is revealed, black and red.

"Identify this," he says, blurring away at speed.

The commander stares for a few moments in disbelief, then pulls out a phone and dials.

"General?" Pause. "Yes, sir." Pause again. "Thank you sir. Shadow the hedgehog has been spotted at these coordinates. He has escaped, but not used Chaos Control." He paused again. "Understood."

He hangs up and turns to his men.

"If we encounter him again or any of his known consorts, they are to be taken into custody. No questions are to be asked, of this order, or of them. No questions are to be answered of theirs. These are the orders. They are wanted, and are to be arrested."

"Yes sir!" the unit chants back.

"Resume patrol."

Another figure watches them continue from a rooftop, having seen the whole thing.

It too pulls out a phone, and makes a call.

"Sonic? It's me, Tails. Shadow's on the run too." He paused. "Gotcha. On it already."

Tails leapt off the roof, flying above the lights in the same direction Shadow had run. He could never hope to keep up, but Shadow had been getting predictable lately.

Tails flew from this derelict and run down part of the city, and headed into the city proper. Before he entered, he landed, and pulled on a robe similar to Shadow's, but without a hood. Tails wasn't wanted. Yet. It was only a matter of time. He'd had his fair share of close calls.

He walked through the streets, lit up by various advertising signs and other similar neon affairs. People avoided him. People like him weren't trusted any more. It had been years since anyone had done that.

One pumped young teen roughly grabbed his left arm, the arm that was normal, and tugged.

"So what's a cutie little fox like you doing in a human town? Playing human?" the teenage boy sneered condescendingly.

Tails hated these incidents – everyone one of them was a close call in itself – but he had no choice.

Bunching the fist on the other arm, the arm that he'd once lost because of a past incident, he punched the boy in the face without even looking at him. The hand let go of him.

Tails continued, not bothering to check on him. There was no point. The boy would just get him in trouble.

He turned down a small backstreet. It stunk of garbage and other unsavoury things.

Pausing to look around as he reached one door, he saw no one, so unlocked the door and let himself in.

Inside was the back rooms of a night club. He went through into the staff area behind the bar, looking for someone in particular.

They found him first.

"Tails," Rouge's dulcet tones were instantly identifiable. "You shouldn't be here."

"I'm not planning on staying. I've got enough trouble as it is. Shadow will be here soon. Give him this, and tell him it's from me." He handed Rouge a miniature of the Chaos Emerald that Shadow used to always carry. "He'll understand. At least I hope so."

"Him too?" Tails nodded gravely. "It's just me and Silver left in the clear now, but..."

"It's only a matter of time. I'll get it to him. You get out of here before you get caught."

Tails nodded again, then let himself out.

Rouge examined the little gem closely. It didn't seem like anything significant, but the messages she'd seen them using to attract people's attention never were.

She sighed, and returned to working the bar. She didn't like it, watching humans drink themselves into insensibility, but it was a job, and it was one she wasn't the subject of abuse for, so long as she seemed to flirt with everyone. That was worst of all. She didn't like leading the humans on so much. Some of them tried to take it further, which had almost resulted in some incidents which could have cost her the freedom Tails was helping others fight for.

A human beckoned her over.

"What'll it be, hun?"

"Vodka on the rocks."

"Coming right up."

On the rocks. She'd never understood where that phrase had come from.

The human hadn't specified which vodka, so she just selected one at random, and added ice. She didn't want to seem too good at her job – that would get her noticed as much as being bad at it would be.

She handed the drink over. "Tenner," she told him. He handed her a note and left without another word.

Typical of humans. Never any gratefulness to people like her. Not until they were drunk anyway.

"Busy night?" a familiar voice murmured from below the bar.

Shadow had pushed up the trapdoor to the cellar and was watching.

"Out of sight. I'll be down in a moment," she muttered back, and went looking for Tim, the barman who'd employed her.

"Tim, they're eating through the peanuts again. I'm gonna go down and get some more."

"Be quick about it, there's customers up here," he replied in the usual harsh tone he used with her.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed at Shadow once down in the cellar. "You'll get me caught one of these days."

Shadow was perched on a barrel.

"I got caught. I need a hand, Rouge. I don't have anyone else to turn to."

"You do." She pulled out the mini emerald Tails had given her, and handed it to him.

"What's this?"

"It's from Tails. He said you'd understand."

"I do... I think." The dark hedgehog stared into it a few moments, then got up again. "Take care of yourself Rouge. Don't let anything happen to you."

"Don't worry about me. Look to yourself."

Shadow nodded, then blurred out, even as Rouge returned to work.