"Well, that's mission accomplished," Rouge says, already back at her laptop. "The Phantom Ruby's energy signal is much weaker now."
"This should effectively put a stop to the doctor's weapon," Shadow said. His arms crossed, as usual. The ghost of a smile on his face.
He addresses "Eggman" by other titles. He has a certain degree of respect for that villain too. What's Shadow's story with him? I wonder.
Gadget added onto the conversation. "Sonic has made an opening for us. We can't let it go to waste!"
Shadow stared at Gadget strangely, wondering who he was. Gadget clearly felt nervous and regretted his comment. Staring at the floor.
"He's right," Silver smiles, making Gadget feel much more welcome. "Now we can finally settle the score!" Silver smiles.
There was a beep, a flash on the Amy's computer screen. A letter showed a "1" over an envelope. Amy stepped over to the table, to her laptop.
"It's from Eggman," she informs, nervous, but reads the letter anyway. "'You've won yourself another day to live. Enjoy this time while you can. You've only delayed the inevitable'."
There was a dead silence. Everyone staring at those few sentences. Dumbfounded. It was late in the evening now. And we have just been given another 24 hours... But wasn't the energy supply destroyed? Shouldn't the plan be compromised all together? This means we've got two days to go... It was still a stomach-churning thought.
Tails dashes to Amy's laptop, taking it from her.
"Hey!" she exclaims.
Tails types and few keys and clicks the mousepad. After some seemingly tense work, he exhales in relief as takes a step back, hands over his eyes.
"What was that for?" Amy asks, dragging her laptop back towards her.
"I don't want you to be opening any viruses. Eggman has a lot of tricks of his sleeves, we can't risk our technology being down. If our communication channels, energy readings archives go down then we're blind."
"Okay then," Knuckles exhales. "Tech talk, stuff I don't understand." He straightens his back, taking his authoritative stance. "Everyone, get some sleep, and we'll fight for our lives in a few days."
I heard the doors open and close behind me. An all too familiar voice spoke. "Sleep sounds awesome," Sonic says, yawning while stretching his arms out.
Most seemed to agree. Yet a majority of the Resistance stayed and gathered around the table, disguising strategies or something else that my mind was too tired to care or pay attention to.
I walked out of the room, heading to the cafeteria, or what we called one. It was a room that was no bigger than the bull pen. It was just with shelves full of food and a few tables. There was a pantry, a kitchen with some appliances too. A fridge, counters, sink, oven and microwave. Something told me that the microwave was used more than the stove.
If I was going to fight at my best, I need food and sleep. So, I grab a water bottle, a granola bar and some jerky. I brought it with me to the table furthest in the corner of the room, even though no one else was here. I suppose it was my natural instinct that wants to people to know "Screw off, I don't want to talk to you", or "I'm not open for social interaction". I almost chuckle to myself with my strange mind coming up with these excuses.
I opened the plastic package, taking out then chewing on some jerky, putting my aching feet up on the table. I stared at my worn shoes, thinking. Lost in thought.
Jackals... Jackal Squad?
I was so focused on nothing that I didn't see the looming figure beside me, staring at me. I flinched in fear when I finally became aware of the presence. I quickly take my feet off the table.
It was Shadow. The lighting wasn't very good in here, so his dark exterior made it difficult to see at first. He pulled out a chair and sat across from me, arms crossed, one foot up on the table. Shadow stared at me in complete silence. I felt pinned underneath his gaze. My eyes went to the floor, anxious.
I knew that there was no avoiding him now.
"May I?" he asked.
I look up. He had his gloved hand hovering over my package of jerky. I nod. It's not like it belongs to me. I just picked it because it was full of protein and I assumed it would stay down better than some of the things on the shelves or pantry. Also, I was too exhausted to cook anything. Another thing to add onto that was that I don't know many recipes either, I haven't gotten many opportunities to dabble in the kitchen.
Shadow reached a hand into the plastic package, pulling out a chunk of meat. He took a bite out of it, easily tearing a piece of the flesh off and chewing it. I note how sharp his teeth were for a hedgehog...
"I remember you," he says. "And we both know you remember me."
I nod slowly, slowly bringing my gaze up to meet his. Recalling the day Shadow had, accident or not, saved me from the living hell I went through. The hell that I still struggle coping with to this day.
"What's your story, (F/S)?"
I reached into my pocket, pulling out my notepad and pen. It was all I had left since I didn't have my whiteboard with me. Either way, they served the same purpose. Shadow stared at the pen and paper in my hand, eyes slightly wider than they were. He quickly put his hard face back on though.
"So, it really is more than just being the quiet one, huh?" Shadow says, though it was like he talking to himself.
I scribbled in my book, sighing in agreement. I slid the paper to him when I finished writing.
If I'm going to tell my story, I need to hear yours first.
Shadow holds the paper. He closed his eyes and exhaled, passing it back. "Trust issues, huh? Fine. But I at least need to know your name before we start."
He agreed? I was stunned. He didn't put up much of a fight either. Why would he open to me, someone who had aimed a gun at them? It seemed out of character for Shadow to do.
I wrote my name on the back of the page. I show it to Shadow.
He shrugged his shoulders after reading. "And you already know who I am."
Only your name, I thought to myself. Not being able to review many facts that I knew. For no reason, a thought dawned upon me. When I think about it, throughout my life, I seem to gravitate towards the "hard asses". The people regarded as the "edgy ones". These people always have the most interesting stories. Half the time, they're trying to hide something. A soft side, a secret, or a horrible past experience that causes them to be this way.
Shadow read my face. He knew I couldn't list three things I knew about him.
"Look," he starts, taking his foot off the table. Shadow leans forward, resting an arm on the metal table. "I'm not the team-work, 'friendship is great' type, okay?"
It sounded like he was talking about a certain blue someone...
"But I'll be honest, you seem like a half-way decent person to talk too."
I wasn't sure if that was a compliment. He must have seen some bad things, met some bad people. So, I couldn't blame him. Shadow reminded me of Levi at those words he said. "You're the only one I feel like I can have a normal conversation with" Leviathan had once said.
Him and Shadow are both the "tough guy" of the team. The one who you shouldn't piss off. Where was Leviathan now? Could he be...? No, I searched for Levi for almost six months without any sign of him.
Don't expect anything, and you won't be disappointed.
It's okay, I write under my name. I've only ever had eleven friends in my life, and I wasn't exactly friendly either. I tore the page out, crumbling it up and tossed it on the table.
"From the way you use a gun, you're probably military," Shadow points out. "Which mean those 'friends' were your platoon, right? Why are you here instead of with them?"
I tried to hide it, but grief filled my eyes. My gaze dropped to the floor. It was almost impossible to find the courage to put what happened into words.
Infinite. I simply write, hand shaking. Shadow tensed as he read the name. I watched the whole thing happen. And I didn't do anything!
I bit my lip, trying to keep it from trembling as I tore out the paper from the pad, ripping it into pieces. My eyes watered. I used my knuckles to brush away any tears. I didn't want to allow myself to cry in front of such a blunt, rough person.
Shadow stared at the table. Red eyes glassed over. It was like he was remembering, or re-experiencing something. He bowed his head, closing his eyes.
"I know the feeling." He chuckles sadly. "It's the worst feeling in the world, right?"
My eyes dried, by force and willpower. I stared at Shadow in confusion. It was the first time I've seen Shadow show an emotion like this. He was sad. Regretful.
Mourning.
"I... was created by a man, named Gerald Robotnik, on a spacecraft called 'the Ark'. He used aliens' blood, the Black Doom, to create me. The Ultimate Lifeform." Shadow paused, looking at me, tightening his folded arms. Taking a deep breath. He was obviously not used to sharing this story.
That just puts into perspective how much emotional distress Shadow went through with this story.
"You see, the doctor was not in a great state of mind. He wanted to use me to help cure his granddaughter, Maria, of an illness. The doctor was so desperate, he made a deal with the Black Doom, swearing that he would get gather him the Chaos Emeralds so that the Black Doom could concur Mobius."
Shadow shook his head, trying to stay focused. Perhaps he wasn't comfortable sharing all this information about himself. Especially with the likes of me.
"I'll... talk about the invasion another day," he says. "Maria... was my only friend up there. She was such an innocent, selfless little kid. The military eventually stormed the Ark. I tried to save her, but Maria shoved me into a pod, and I watched as she was shot, bled out onto the floor, unable to do anything to help her before being sent down to Mobius."
I saw a shimmer in the corner of his eye, his voice was breaking. Though his face was dead, emotionless. I felt sorrow, my heart hurting for him. I knew what it was like to watch as someone you care for, so much, is taken.
"I slept, for fifty years. When I woke up, I barely remembered anything. I didn't know who I was. And all these people around me kept telling me things that I didn't know were lies or truth." His voice became angry, his teeth were gritted. Shadow must have realized. He took deep breaths, calming himself, locking away his emotions.
I didn't know what to do. From what I've heard, and observed, Shadow doesn't cry. He shared his story with me. Me.
Shadow knew that same feeling of uselessness. Just there to watch as the events unfold without being able to change it. Maybe we will get along. We were different in some ways, yet the same.
"To make my long story short, that's my hell of a life in a nutshell," he says. Calmer. Emotionless. "Your turn."
I felt sorrow for him. Being isolated for your whole life, then the only thing you have is taken away. Then you can't even remember anything that happened, and you don't know who you are, or who you were. And the only living family you have left is an evil creature that wants to conquer the world.
I breathed deeply, grabbing my pen. It took me several minutes, and many pages, but Shadow waited patiently. My hand was cramping when I was finished. Even though it was merely run-down of the events that happened almost a year ago. I slid the pad to Shadow. He took it and scanned through the lines.
I don't remember much of my life before. But Robotnik took me when I was 12. He used me as an experiment, trying to turn me into another weapon in order to to kill Sonic. He had said something about "modifying my DNA". After the injections, my appearance altered. I don't know whose genes I share, but their "abilities I was supposed to inherit" never came. They're dormant. I don't know if that's the reason, or out of anger, but Robotnik kept "forgetting" to feed me a lot. He put a shock collar around my neck, and forced me to fight his other robots or experiments.
This hell went on for a year. I lost my voice in that time.
Then you came along. When I was free, I ran to the city. I drifted for about a month. Then a soldier named Neon found me in an ally, on the brink of starvation. She could've ignored me, but she took me in. She was like a sister to me.
Eventually, she brought me to her Captain, Rex. I easily passed training since the doctor made me use guns and weapons in the fights.
I was distant, but eventually, my new squad became my family. We would die for each other. They had even helped me speak a few words again.
One day, Ajax and Levi, who don't exactly get along, got into an argument. It got so bad that I left. The next day, the war started. I watched as Infinite took down Sonic. And then he killed my squad. Yet he let me go.
That's my hell of a life in a nutshell.
I felt as if a weight had been lifted. It was amazing. It was comforting to know that someone understands the horrors I faced. Someone who could help me feel better when I'm thinking about the things I've been through. And... I'm happy it's Shadow. I can relate with him. Both experiments, both have regrets. Both losers. People who lost things.
Shadow slid the paper to me, wordless. Shock?
"I'm sorry."
He's apologizing? Why? None of this is his fault. Besides, I've never seen him apologize. So why something that isn't his fault?
He lightly chuckles to himself, smirking. "Who would've known we were so similar?"
I smile sadly. It was horrible that we both had such bad lives. But what made me smile was the knowledge that there was someone I could talk too. Somebody who is like me.
We probably should've started with our favorite colour, I write, jokingly.
Shadow stands up, smirking slightly. He cracked his neck, then nodded a goodbye. "I'm getting some sleep."
I nod a goodbye as he walks away. I shove the pen and paper back into my pocket and clean up the pieces of paper. My hand goes to my radio, taking my earpiece out. I exhale in relief when I see that the camera was turned off.
My secret's safe with Shadow.
I reseal the package of meat and put it back on the shelf. I hold my radio tightly in my fist, throw the paper into the garbage bin as I walk past it, at the doorway of the cafeteria. I walk down the dark hallway, the artificial lighting not being the brightest this hour to conserve energy reserves in the event of emergency.
I walk to the room I share with Amy, hand grabbing the handle. I hesitated before twisting it. A sigh escapes my mouth when I realize that I still had all my gear on that I should have dropped off at the armory.
Screw it, I thought. I can do it tomorrow.