Sonic Adventure 2 adaptation- part 1.
"Shadows of the Past"
By T. Evans.
Before I get on with the story, I'd like to explain a few things. Firstly, this is a series of unofficial fanfics so I've got to mention the copyright stuff. All the characters in this fan fiction are ( to their respective owners, etc. Secondly, this isn't going to be just a repetition of the game script. Because this story is based on Sonic the Comic, I have not kept strictly to the game's storyline and have included characters from STC and some of my own which aren't in the game. My email address is [email protected] if you have any complaints, questions, whatever.
* * * *
(note for continuity- There are references to 'the Timeship Infinity' in this story, and Sonic & Super Sonic have been separated again-- this is explained in a fan comic I made a while back. Also, Amy has green eyes, because of something that happened in an earlier fanfic. Both stories can be found on my website, http://www.crosswinds.net/~stc2/ …. plug…)
Chapter 1
Location: Emerald Hill Zone.
Time: Early evening, 1 month after the destruction of the timeship Infinity.
In the Emerald Hill zone it was a perfectly ordinary late summer evening, but in Sonic's base it was panic stations.
"Sonic, are you sure about this?" Porker was saying.
"Of course I'm sure, have I ever been wrong?!" Sonic snapped back, glancing at the pig. Apart from the Kintobor computer, they were the only ones in the room- Tekno was in her lab helping Tails design a new plane, and Amy was out shopping again. "Check your scanners if you want, but my Chaos-sense just went crazy. Something weird is going on."
"He's right," the Kintobor computer said, after pausing to scan the area. "I'm not getting a Chaos reading from the Floating Island anymore. The Chaos Emeralds must have left the island."
"Sounds like trouble to me," Sonic thought aloud. "Kintobor, see if you can contact Knuckles, see what's going on over there."
"I'm on it," Kintobor replied, and within seconds the hologram of his face was replaced by an image of the echidna in the Emerald Chamber.
"What happened, Red?" asked Sonic, as Porker started to explain to Knuckles what was happening.
"The Kintobor computer says—" Sonic shut him up with a glare. "All right, all right…" Porker continued, "Sonic says that the emeralds have gone from your island."
"He's right," Knuckles sighed. "I was ready to get the island airborne again, but one of the key control systems was more badly damaged than I thought. It failed and I had to eject the emeralds before the whole place blew up." He paused. "Looks like it's back to square one. Luckily I managed to grab one of the Chaos emeralds in time," Knuckles held the blue emerald up to the camera.
"Why didn't you ask us for help earlier?" Porker asked. "I know how a lot of those systems work."
"Because I thought I could do it myself. And Sonic would have complained, as usual."
"No I wouldn't, I've been really bored this month. Would've been something to do." the hedgehog replied.
"Huh, can't win with you." Knuckles looked thoughtful. "Hmm, maybe you can still help. Any idea where the rest of the emeralds are?"
"Er, not really…"
"I thought you could sense Chaos energy."
"Yeah, but my ability has a limited range- and single emeralds are a lot harder to detect than when they're together. I'd have to be within a few miles to pick one up." Porker frowned.
"So there aren't any nearby?"
"I don't think so…" Sonic replied. "But at least we know where they aren't. Looks like we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way, guys." A small smirk appeared on Sonic's face.
"What?!" Knuckles exclaimed.
"I was just thinking… does this sound like an adventure to you?"
"Sonic, this is serious! What if Robotnik tries to get his hands on my emeralds?"
"What do you mean, if?" At least Sonic wouldn't be bored anymore.
"Gah!" Knuckles could see that the smirk hadn't budged. "Just help me find those emeralds," he said, ending the transmission. Kintobor's face reappeared. Sonic turned to the door, about to rush out and tell Tails and Tekno the news.
"Tails had better hurry up and finish that 'plane, it could come in handy," he thought. This was gonna be just like the old days.
"Sonic, wait a minute," Porker said quickly. "I don't think it's really important, but Knuckles was talking about Robotnik, which reminded me…"
"Spill it, Lewis." Sonic was impatient to get going.
"Well," Porker continued, "I was studying the device Pyjamas got from Robotnik. It's got a lot of information from the timeship Infinity's memory files." He fished out the small device, handing it to Sonic. It looked very much like a complex handheld video game, with the words 'Don't Panic' written on its' screen.
"Yeah, I remember this thing," Sonic said, not mentioning that it was one of the few things he did remember about that particular adventure. Porker continued talking.
"Well, I discovered it had a record of the first time the Infinity visited modern Mobius. The date isn't specified, but it was sometime in the last 100 years. Apparently, some of the people on board refused to have a part in Captain Tiberius' plans for world domination. They left the ship, settling here on Mobius…"
"So what's that got to do with Robotnik?" Sonic said, wishing Porker would get to the point.
"It has everything to do with him, Sonic- a number of families left the ship, and one of them was the Kintobor family!"
"Really?!" Sonic and the Kintobor computer exclaimed in unison.
"Whoa, I always wondered where you came from, bud!" Sonic said.
"It's news to me," Said the virtual Doc. "I- the real Dr. Kintobor, anyway- thought we'd always lived on Mobius."
"You learn something new every day…" Porker smiled.
"I'm curious-" the computer continued, "Does it say what happened to them afterwards?"
"No," Porker shook his head. "But I've done some research, and apparently Dr. Gerald Kintobor, one of the Infinity's top scientists, designed a space colony and went to live there with his granddaughter Maria. This was 50 or 60 years ago, according to the government's records…" A puzzled looking Sonic interrupted him.
"If he built a space colony, how come I've never heard of it?"
"Not many people have- the ARK was pretty hush-hush at the time. Dr. Gerald was working on some sort of special project up there, but I couldn't find out what it was. Classified information, apparently…"
"Is the ARK still there today?"
"Yes, but it's abandoned- it was shut down because of some sort of accident. That's classified, too."
"Sounds fishy…I've seen a few sci-fi films that start out that way." Sonic said. "It would be cool to check it out. But right now I've got more important things to do- like finding those emeralds. There's no time to lose!" Sonic dashed off to find Tails. This ARK business probably wasn't important anyway- but Sonic couldn't help wondering exactly what Dr. Gerald had been working on. Perhaps, he thought, he would soon find out…
* * * *
Elsewhere on Planet Mobius, another hedgehog watched as a streak of green light sped across the sky. The hedgehog was known as Shade because he always wore sunglasses, but he called himself Phoenix. He was yellowish- brown in colour, and wore a denim jacket, blue trainers and a worried expression. He knew a Chaos Emerald when he saw one, and had felt it's energy even before he had seen the distant glow. He had a bad feeling about this…
"I don't like the look of this," he said, glancing over to where his motorbike was parked. A green baby Chao was sitting beside it.
"!" It agreed.
"Well, it's none of my business anyway," Shade thought, wanting to check it out but trying to convince himself otherwise. "Sonic can handle it." Shade didn't want to get involved in another stupid adventure, especially if Chaos Emeralds were involved. That part of his life was over. But at the same time, he felt that he had a responsibility to do something about this. If the Emerald fell into the wrong hands…
"What do you think, Sparky?" He said to the Chao.
"?" It said.
"I guess that means it's my decision." Shade paused, thinking. If he ignored the Emerald, it would be his own fault if anything bad happened because of it. He already had enough guilt on his conscience. Shade made the only decision he could, and moments later there was no sign of the hedgehog and his Chao- except some tire tracks in the direction that the Emerald had gone.
1 Chapter 2
1.1 Location: Prison Island military base
1.2 Time: Two days later
The island was small, mostly uninhabited and located somewhere off the coast of the Metropolis Zone. Its' name was deceiving, for only part of the island was used as a prison, and then only in special circumstances. Most of the island was untamed jungle, but there was also a long-abandoned military base. No one had been inside the complex in years- until now…
Deep in the core of the base, explosions flared as Dr. Robotnik blasted the last two guard robots. He had been careless to activate the automatic defences, but his new Egg Walker had made short work of them. Robotnik hadn't realised that Mobius possessed such advanced technology- the robots were, he thought, almost as good as his own Badniks. Someone had taken a lot of trouble to guard something in the base. The egg-shaped madman didn't know all the facts, but he knew enough to want to find out what that 'something' was.
Robotnik had been lucky enough to find the diary of his grandfather, Gerald Kintobor, and he had been luckier still to find a Chaos Emerald. Dr. Gerald's notes had mentioned his legacy, something called 'Project Shadow'. It was locked up in this complex, and Gerald's brief description suggested it was a weapon of awesome power. It had been hidden here because the military feared it...
Perhaps things were, at last, going Dr. Robotnik's way. It was another sign that he was destined to rule Mobius forever.
"Hahahahahaha…!"
Soon Robotnik had come to a shielded door, which he blasted open. Beyond it was a complex computer console, and some sort of storage unit set into the floor.
"So this is the secret weapon my grandfather mentioned," Robotnik said to himself. Being insane, he talked to himself a lot. "It's a lot smaller than I expected." Faintly disappointed, having expected a super bomb or laser cannon, he began to type into the keyboard.
"Enter user data… aha, enter password…" Robotnik consulted the diary. "Password is, ma…ri…a, Maria!" Now for the next stage. Reaching into the cramped cockpit of the Egg Walker, he withdrew the Grey Emerald, slotting it into a custom-made compartment in the console. Project Shadow was powered by Chaos energy. For a few seconds nothing happened, but then there was a rumbling sound…
Robotnik made the Egg Walker take a pace backwards, startled. What he had assumed was a small storage module was rising into the air, becoming a column that towered over him. Was this the secret weapon? No- it was just a platform, Robotnik realised, and there was something on top. The dark shape slowly uncoiled itself, as if waking from a long sleep, becoming a jagged silhouette that Robotnik recognised instantly.
"Sonic, is that you, come to foil my plans again?" But even as he spoke, the hedgehogs' blood-red eyes opened and Robotnik realised his mistake. "Wait a minute- you're not Sonic! This is impossible!" Robotnik was confused- none of his grandfather's notes had mentioned this! The hedgehog actually looked something like Super Sonic, except that his spikes were black with red streaks. He had a patch of white fur on his chest and black and yellow rings fastened on his wrists. "Wh…who are you?" Robotnik asked.
"My name is Shadow," the hedgehog replied…
* * * *
Shadow gazed down at the human. It looked familiar- was this his creator, Dr. Gerald? No, this one was younger and much fatter- perhaps a relative or a descendant. Shadow was mildly surprised, as it meant he had been in suspended animation for longer than he had expected. That didn't matter, anyway- as long as the space colony ARK still existed, he could have his revenge for…
…for…
Shadow blocked the memory and the emotion that came with it. He must not show any weakness in front of this inferior creature…after all, Shadow was the Ultimate Life Form. Still, the human had released him…
"As you have released me, my master, I will grant you a wish."
A greedy smile appeared on Robotnik's face. I was right, Shadow thought, he's just like all the others. In Shadow's opinion, all people were alike: power-hungry and selfish. He would make them all pay- and this fat man would help him.
Suddenly the air was filled with machine gun fire as a guard robot roared into the room. This was a 'Hot Shot' model, activated by Shadow's release, and was bigger and more powerful than the others. Shadow saw it as a good chance to test his abilities. "Witness the true power I possess," He said, leaping off the platform. Hover jets in his shoes began to lower him to the ground, but suddenly he was halfway across the room, easily dodging the robot's machine gun. Robotnik tried to follow his movements, but the black hedgehog was moving far too fast. Despite his speed, he ran with an effortless skating movement. Shadow was pleased- being in suspended animation hadn't weakened him at all, and the Chaos Emerald had fully restored his energy.
The Hot Shot was now powering up its' main laser cannon, but the machine was failing to lock on to Shadow. He always seemed to be ahead of the targeting crosshair. Suddenly, however, Shadow stopped moving and allowed the laser to lock on. The cannon fired a beam of blue light, but the only thing it hit was the floor…
Shadow's plan had worked perfectly. At the last second he had leaped into the air- putting him in a perfect position to attack the robot's 'cockpit'. It never saw him coming. There was a crash, and it was over.
* * * *
"Impressive," Robotnik murmured, as the wreckage settled to the ground. "So you are the secret weapon the military was so afraid of." Shadow, who was standing with his back to the Egg Walker, looked back over his shoulder. "But what did you mean when you said you would grant me a wish?" Robotnik continued.
"Bring more Chaos Emeralds." Replied the hedgehog. "Meet me in the central control room on the space colony ARK." Shadow began to walk away.
"Shadow, wait!" Robotnik cried, but was too late. Mid-stride, Shadow disappeared in a flash of green light. Robotnik's jaw dropped open. He was shocked into silence, but his mind was racing.
"A creature as fast as Sonic, with the ability to teleport…" He thought, an evil grin spreading over his face. "And it seems to be on my side." The grin became wider as Robotnik thought of the havoc they could cause. "Perhaps my luck is finally changing!" He said aloud, his voice rising to a shout. "Sonic, do I have a surprise for you! Hahahahahahaha!"
Chapter 3
Location: Metropolis City, near Station Square
Time: 4am the next day
Even on a dark, wet and windy night like this, Metropolis City was crowded with traffic. Sonic the hedgehog stepped out of the train station into the pouring rain, cursing the fact that he couldn't run with an umbrella. He stood at the top of the steps and glanced at the few humans wandering around the streets.
"I gotta hand it to them, they've done a good job fixing this place up," He thought, remembering the ruins left behind by Perfect Chaos. A lot of the area had been left abandoned afterwards, and the recently arrived humans had made it their 'capital city'. Sonic had come early to avoid the rush hour, knowing that in a few hours time he wouldn't be able to move because of the crowds. "I'd better get on with it before I get soaked." Sonic had located a Chaos Emerald in the city's Federal Bank. The humans didn't know what it was, of course, and being the annoying animals that they were, didn't want to part with it. He wasn't looking forward to convincing them otherwise, especially since few of them had ever heard of him.
Sonic leaped onto the banister and slid down the steps, jumping off the end to land in the middle of the road.
"Whoa!" Diving out of the way of a passing van, he shot down the highway. There was a massive traffic jam ahead, so Sonic began to leap from car to car, ignoring the shouts of the drivers who didn't appreciate having their roofs dented by a speeding hedgehog. Dropping to the ground, Sonic saw a stretch of open road ahead and raced through a red light, only to see the flash of a speed camera out of the corner of his eye.
"Damn! Caught for reckless running again." Sonic grinned, thinking about what the traffic police were going to make of it.
"Hope you got my good side," He yelled into the wind. "'Cos next time I'll be goin' so fast you won't even see me!" Sonic left the main road and angled into a side street. He didn't need a map- at this range he could feel the energy from the Chaos Emerald. If he took a short cut down this alley, he would arrive right in front of the Federal Bank-
"Wha--?" There was some kind of commotion up ahead. Lights and sirens, people shouting. And the Chaos Emerald was moving, in Sonic's direction, very fast. Mixed in with its' energy signature was another, chaotic but different.
"What the heck is goin' on?!" As Sonic tried to focus on the weird energy signature, it's owner flashed past. Sonic got an impression of something dark, but that was all because it was moving too fast for even him to see. Seconds later the sound arrived, the sonic boom almost knocking the blue hedgehog off his feet.
"No way…" He gasped in disbelief. "Nothing can move that fast…" Sonic looked in the direction that the dark thing had gone. It was no longer there, but a strange green flash lit the sky in the distance. It faded quickly and Sonic realised the energy from the Chaos Emerald was also gone.
"Out of range already… man." Sonic shook his head. "I don't know what that was, but it looked like trouble to me."
"You're in trouble alright," a voice said, as lights came on all around him. "You're under arrest." Sonic was dazzled, but could make out the hovering vehicles that surrounded him on all sides. He could also see the insignia that identified them as G.U.N, the human military organisation.
"Look, if this is about that red light I jumped…" Sonic started.
"You know what this is about, hedgehog," Said the voice as the speaker came into view. Squinting, Sonic saw a human female he recognised instantly.
"Oh great, not you again." He muttered under his breath.
"You don't have any rights in my opinion, but I have to read them to you anyway," She said. As she talked, Sonic glanced around him. Gun barrels pointed at him from all directions.
"No escape there, then," he thought. "This is turning into one of those days." Seething inside because he hated to surrender, Sonic sighed and put his hands in the air.
"Sonic the hedgehog, you are under arrest for the theft of the Chaos Emerald."
To be continued…
Next:
Knuckles runs into some shady characters while searching for the Master Emerald, and Sonic is in trouble with the police-but who is the human who captured him? And what is Shadow up to?
Find out in part 2, 'Shattered'
"Shadows of the Past"
By T. Evans.
Before I get on with the story, I'd like to explain a few things. Firstly, this is a series of unofficial fanfics so I've got to mention the copyright stuff. All the characters in this fan fiction are ( to their respective owners, etc. Secondly, this isn't going to be just a repetition of the game script. Because this story is based on Sonic the Comic, I have not kept strictly to the game's storyline and have included characters from STC and some of my own which aren't in the game. My email address is [email protected] if you have any complaints, questions, whatever.
* * * *
(note for continuity- There are references to 'the Timeship Infinity' in this story, and Sonic & Super Sonic have been separated again-- this is explained in a fan comic I made a while back. Also, Amy has green eyes, because of something that happened in an earlier fanfic. Both stories can be found on my website, http://www.crosswinds.net/~stc2/ …. plug…)
Chapter 1
Location: Emerald Hill Zone.
Time: Early evening, 1 month after the destruction of the timeship Infinity.
In the Emerald Hill zone it was a perfectly ordinary late summer evening, but in Sonic's base it was panic stations.
"Sonic, are you sure about this?" Porker was saying.
"Of course I'm sure, have I ever been wrong?!" Sonic snapped back, glancing at the pig. Apart from the Kintobor computer, they were the only ones in the room- Tekno was in her lab helping Tails design a new plane, and Amy was out shopping again. "Check your scanners if you want, but my Chaos-sense just went crazy. Something weird is going on."
"He's right," the Kintobor computer said, after pausing to scan the area. "I'm not getting a Chaos reading from the Floating Island anymore. The Chaos Emeralds must have left the island."
"Sounds like trouble to me," Sonic thought aloud. "Kintobor, see if you can contact Knuckles, see what's going on over there."
"I'm on it," Kintobor replied, and within seconds the hologram of his face was replaced by an image of the echidna in the Emerald Chamber.
"What happened, Red?" asked Sonic, as Porker started to explain to Knuckles what was happening.
"The Kintobor computer says—" Sonic shut him up with a glare. "All right, all right…" Porker continued, "Sonic says that the emeralds have gone from your island."
"He's right," Knuckles sighed. "I was ready to get the island airborne again, but one of the key control systems was more badly damaged than I thought. It failed and I had to eject the emeralds before the whole place blew up." He paused. "Looks like it's back to square one. Luckily I managed to grab one of the Chaos emeralds in time," Knuckles held the blue emerald up to the camera.
"Why didn't you ask us for help earlier?" Porker asked. "I know how a lot of those systems work."
"Because I thought I could do it myself. And Sonic would have complained, as usual."
"No I wouldn't, I've been really bored this month. Would've been something to do." the hedgehog replied.
"Huh, can't win with you." Knuckles looked thoughtful. "Hmm, maybe you can still help. Any idea where the rest of the emeralds are?"
"Er, not really…"
"I thought you could sense Chaos energy."
"Yeah, but my ability has a limited range- and single emeralds are a lot harder to detect than when they're together. I'd have to be within a few miles to pick one up." Porker frowned.
"So there aren't any nearby?"
"I don't think so…" Sonic replied. "But at least we know where they aren't. Looks like we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way, guys." A small smirk appeared on Sonic's face.
"What?!" Knuckles exclaimed.
"I was just thinking… does this sound like an adventure to you?"
"Sonic, this is serious! What if Robotnik tries to get his hands on my emeralds?"
"What do you mean, if?" At least Sonic wouldn't be bored anymore.
"Gah!" Knuckles could see that the smirk hadn't budged. "Just help me find those emeralds," he said, ending the transmission. Kintobor's face reappeared. Sonic turned to the door, about to rush out and tell Tails and Tekno the news.
"Tails had better hurry up and finish that 'plane, it could come in handy," he thought. This was gonna be just like the old days.
"Sonic, wait a minute," Porker said quickly. "I don't think it's really important, but Knuckles was talking about Robotnik, which reminded me…"
"Spill it, Lewis." Sonic was impatient to get going.
"Well," Porker continued, "I was studying the device Pyjamas got from Robotnik. It's got a lot of information from the timeship Infinity's memory files." He fished out the small device, handing it to Sonic. It looked very much like a complex handheld video game, with the words 'Don't Panic' written on its' screen.
"Yeah, I remember this thing," Sonic said, not mentioning that it was one of the few things he did remember about that particular adventure. Porker continued talking.
"Well, I discovered it had a record of the first time the Infinity visited modern Mobius. The date isn't specified, but it was sometime in the last 100 years. Apparently, some of the people on board refused to have a part in Captain Tiberius' plans for world domination. They left the ship, settling here on Mobius…"
"So what's that got to do with Robotnik?" Sonic said, wishing Porker would get to the point.
"It has everything to do with him, Sonic- a number of families left the ship, and one of them was the Kintobor family!"
"Really?!" Sonic and the Kintobor computer exclaimed in unison.
"Whoa, I always wondered where you came from, bud!" Sonic said.
"It's news to me," Said the virtual Doc. "I- the real Dr. Kintobor, anyway- thought we'd always lived on Mobius."
"You learn something new every day…" Porker smiled.
"I'm curious-" the computer continued, "Does it say what happened to them afterwards?"
"No," Porker shook his head. "But I've done some research, and apparently Dr. Gerald Kintobor, one of the Infinity's top scientists, designed a space colony and went to live there with his granddaughter Maria. This was 50 or 60 years ago, according to the government's records…" A puzzled looking Sonic interrupted him.
"If he built a space colony, how come I've never heard of it?"
"Not many people have- the ARK was pretty hush-hush at the time. Dr. Gerald was working on some sort of special project up there, but I couldn't find out what it was. Classified information, apparently…"
"Is the ARK still there today?"
"Yes, but it's abandoned- it was shut down because of some sort of accident. That's classified, too."
"Sounds fishy…I've seen a few sci-fi films that start out that way." Sonic said. "It would be cool to check it out. But right now I've got more important things to do- like finding those emeralds. There's no time to lose!" Sonic dashed off to find Tails. This ARK business probably wasn't important anyway- but Sonic couldn't help wondering exactly what Dr. Gerald had been working on. Perhaps, he thought, he would soon find out…
* * * *
Elsewhere on Planet Mobius, another hedgehog watched as a streak of green light sped across the sky. The hedgehog was known as Shade because he always wore sunglasses, but he called himself Phoenix. He was yellowish- brown in colour, and wore a denim jacket, blue trainers and a worried expression. He knew a Chaos Emerald when he saw one, and had felt it's energy even before he had seen the distant glow. He had a bad feeling about this…
"I don't like the look of this," he said, glancing over to where his motorbike was parked. A green baby Chao was sitting beside it.
"!" It agreed.
"Well, it's none of my business anyway," Shade thought, wanting to check it out but trying to convince himself otherwise. "Sonic can handle it." Shade didn't want to get involved in another stupid adventure, especially if Chaos Emeralds were involved. That part of his life was over. But at the same time, he felt that he had a responsibility to do something about this. If the Emerald fell into the wrong hands…
"What do you think, Sparky?" He said to the Chao.
"?" It said.
"I guess that means it's my decision." Shade paused, thinking. If he ignored the Emerald, it would be his own fault if anything bad happened because of it. He already had enough guilt on his conscience. Shade made the only decision he could, and moments later there was no sign of the hedgehog and his Chao- except some tire tracks in the direction that the Emerald had gone.
1 Chapter 2
1.1 Location: Prison Island military base
1.2 Time: Two days later
The island was small, mostly uninhabited and located somewhere off the coast of the Metropolis Zone. Its' name was deceiving, for only part of the island was used as a prison, and then only in special circumstances. Most of the island was untamed jungle, but there was also a long-abandoned military base. No one had been inside the complex in years- until now…
Deep in the core of the base, explosions flared as Dr. Robotnik blasted the last two guard robots. He had been careless to activate the automatic defences, but his new Egg Walker had made short work of them. Robotnik hadn't realised that Mobius possessed such advanced technology- the robots were, he thought, almost as good as his own Badniks. Someone had taken a lot of trouble to guard something in the base. The egg-shaped madman didn't know all the facts, but he knew enough to want to find out what that 'something' was.
Robotnik had been lucky enough to find the diary of his grandfather, Gerald Kintobor, and he had been luckier still to find a Chaos Emerald. Dr. Gerald's notes had mentioned his legacy, something called 'Project Shadow'. It was locked up in this complex, and Gerald's brief description suggested it was a weapon of awesome power. It had been hidden here because the military feared it...
Perhaps things were, at last, going Dr. Robotnik's way. It was another sign that he was destined to rule Mobius forever.
"Hahahahahaha…!"
Soon Robotnik had come to a shielded door, which he blasted open. Beyond it was a complex computer console, and some sort of storage unit set into the floor.
"So this is the secret weapon my grandfather mentioned," Robotnik said to himself. Being insane, he talked to himself a lot. "It's a lot smaller than I expected." Faintly disappointed, having expected a super bomb or laser cannon, he began to type into the keyboard.
"Enter user data… aha, enter password…" Robotnik consulted the diary. "Password is, ma…ri…a, Maria!" Now for the next stage. Reaching into the cramped cockpit of the Egg Walker, he withdrew the Grey Emerald, slotting it into a custom-made compartment in the console. Project Shadow was powered by Chaos energy. For a few seconds nothing happened, but then there was a rumbling sound…
Robotnik made the Egg Walker take a pace backwards, startled. What he had assumed was a small storage module was rising into the air, becoming a column that towered over him. Was this the secret weapon? No- it was just a platform, Robotnik realised, and there was something on top. The dark shape slowly uncoiled itself, as if waking from a long sleep, becoming a jagged silhouette that Robotnik recognised instantly.
"Sonic, is that you, come to foil my plans again?" But even as he spoke, the hedgehogs' blood-red eyes opened and Robotnik realised his mistake. "Wait a minute- you're not Sonic! This is impossible!" Robotnik was confused- none of his grandfather's notes had mentioned this! The hedgehog actually looked something like Super Sonic, except that his spikes were black with red streaks. He had a patch of white fur on his chest and black and yellow rings fastened on his wrists. "Wh…who are you?" Robotnik asked.
"My name is Shadow," the hedgehog replied…
* * * *
Shadow gazed down at the human. It looked familiar- was this his creator, Dr. Gerald? No, this one was younger and much fatter- perhaps a relative or a descendant. Shadow was mildly surprised, as it meant he had been in suspended animation for longer than he had expected. That didn't matter, anyway- as long as the space colony ARK still existed, he could have his revenge for…
…for…
Shadow blocked the memory and the emotion that came with it. He must not show any weakness in front of this inferior creature…after all, Shadow was the Ultimate Life Form. Still, the human had released him…
"As you have released me, my master, I will grant you a wish."
A greedy smile appeared on Robotnik's face. I was right, Shadow thought, he's just like all the others. In Shadow's opinion, all people were alike: power-hungry and selfish. He would make them all pay- and this fat man would help him.
Suddenly the air was filled with machine gun fire as a guard robot roared into the room. This was a 'Hot Shot' model, activated by Shadow's release, and was bigger and more powerful than the others. Shadow saw it as a good chance to test his abilities. "Witness the true power I possess," He said, leaping off the platform. Hover jets in his shoes began to lower him to the ground, but suddenly he was halfway across the room, easily dodging the robot's machine gun. Robotnik tried to follow his movements, but the black hedgehog was moving far too fast. Despite his speed, he ran with an effortless skating movement. Shadow was pleased- being in suspended animation hadn't weakened him at all, and the Chaos Emerald had fully restored his energy.
The Hot Shot was now powering up its' main laser cannon, but the machine was failing to lock on to Shadow. He always seemed to be ahead of the targeting crosshair. Suddenly, however, Shadow stopped moving and allowed the laser to lock on. The cannon fired a beam of blue light, but the only thing it hit was the floor…
Shadow's plan had worked perfectly. At the last second he had leaped into the air- putting him in a perfect position to attack the robot's 'cockpit'. It never saw him coming. There was a crash, and it was over.
* * * *
"Impressive," Robotnik murmured, as the wreckage settled to the ground. "So you are the secret weapon the military was so afraid of." Shadow, who was standing with his back to the Egg Walker, looked back over his shoulder. "But what did you mean when you said you would grant me a wish?" Robotnik continued.
"Bring more Chaos Emeralds." Replied the hedgehog. "Meet me in the central control room on the space colony ARK." Shadow began to walk away.
"Shadow, wait!" Robotnik cried, but was too late. Mid-stride, Shadow disappeared in a flash of green light. Robotnik's jaw dropped open. He was shocked into silence, but his mind was racing.
"A creature as fast as Sonic, with the ability to teleport…" He thought, an evil grin spreading over his face. "And it seems to be on my side." The grin became wider as Robotnik thought of the havoc they could cause. "Perhaps my luck is finally changing!" He said aloud, his voice rising to a shout. "Sonic, do I have a surprise for you! Hahahahahahaha!"
Chapter 3
Location: Metropolis City, near Station Square
Time: 4am the next day
Even on a dark, wet and windy night like this, Metropolis City was crowded with traffic. Sonic the hedgehog stepped out of the train station into the pouring rain, cursing the fact that he couldn't run with an umbrella. He stood at the top of the steps and glanced at the few humans wandering around the streets.
"I gotta hand it to them, they've done a good job fixing this place up," He thought, remembering the ruins left behind by Perfect Chaos. A lot of the area had been left abandoned afterwards, and the recently arrived humans had made it their 'capital city'. Sonic had come early to avoid the rush hour, knowing that in a few hours time he wouldn't be able to move because of the crowds. "I'd better get on with it before I get soaked." Sonic had located a Chaos Emerald in the city's Federal Bank. The humans didn't know what it was, of course, and being the annoying animals that they were, didn't want to part with it. He wasn't looking forward to convincing them otherwise, especially since few of them had ever heard of him.
Sonic leaped onto the banister and slid down the steps, jumping off the end to land in the middle of the road.
"Whoa!" Diving out of the way of a passing van, he shot down the highway. There was a massive traffic jam ahead, so Sonic began to leap from car to car, ignoring the shouts of the drivers who didn't appreciate having their roofs dented by a speeding hedgehog. Dropping to the ground, Sonic saw a stretch of open road ahead and raced through a red light, only to see the flash of a speed camera out of the corner of his eye.
"Damn! Caught for reckless running again." Sonic grinned, thinking about what the traffic police were going to make of it.
"Hope you got my good side," He yelled into the wind. "'Cos next time I'll be goin' so fast you won't even see me!" Sonic left the main road and angled into a side street. He didn't need a map- at this range he could feel the energy from the Chaos Emerald. If he took a short cut down this alley, he would arrive right in front of the Federal Bank-
"Wha--?" There was some kind of commotion up ahead. Lights and sirens, people shouting. And the Chaos Emerald was moving, in Sonic's direction, very fast. Mixed in with its' energy signature was another, chaotic but different.
"What the heck is goin' on?!" As Sonic tried to focus on the weird energy signature, it's owner flashed past. Sonic got an impression of something dark, but that was all because it was moving too fast for even him to see. Seconds later the sound arrived, the sonic boom almost knocking the blue hedgehog off his feet.
"No way…" He gasped in disbelief. "Nothing can move that fast…" Sonic looked in the direction that the dark thing had gone. It was no longer there, but a strange green flash lit the sky in the distance. It faded quickly and Sonic realised the energy from the Chaos Emerald was also gone.
"Out of range already… man." Sonic shook his head. "I don't know what that was, but it looked like trouble to me."
"You're in trouble alright," a voice said, as lights came on all around him. "You're under arrest." Sonic was dazzled, but could make out the hovering vehicles that surrounded him on all sides. He could also see the insignia that identified them as G.U.N, the human military organisation.
"Look, if this is about that red light I jumped…" Sonic started.
"You know what this is about, hedgehog," Said the voice as the speaker came into view. Squinting, Sonic saw a human female he recognised instantly.
"Oh great, not you again." He muttered under his breath.
"You don't have any rights in my opinion, but I have to read them to you anyway," She said. As she talked, Sonic glanced around him. Gun barrels pointed at him from all directions.
"No escape there, then," he thought. "This is turning into one of those days." Seething inside because he hated to surrender, Sonic sighed and put his hands in the air.
"Sonic the hedgehog, you are under arrest for the theft of the Chaos Emerald."
To be continued…
Next:
Knuckles runs into some shady characters while searching for the Master Emerald, and Sonic is in trouble with the police-but who is the human who captured him? And what is Shadow up to?
Find out in part 2, 'Shattered'