Beep, Beep
Beep, Beep
Beep, Beep
Beep, Beep
"Shadow."
The dark hedgehog shuffled in his seat, seemingly lost in thought until his friend spoke to him.
"Yes?"
Beep, Beep
the patient shifted in his bed, careful not to move his body too much, lest he should ensue any more pain. "Can you turn off that machine? I can't sleep with all that noise."
Beep, Beep
Shadow looked up at the monitors, the lights alit among the other screens surrounding their patient, all with their own sounds, all with their own jobs, and to be honest, they intimidated him.
Beep, Beep
The one committing the crime of lost sleep was the heart monitor, making its frequent noise in a perfect rhythm. Shadow had actually enjoyed the sound, it was comforting, but it wasn't his choice.
Beep, Be-
He stood up and flicked off the sound tab, letting the silence grow and comfort those within it, except Shadow. He didn't understand why, but he always had trouble concentrating in complete silence. Perhaps he was just used to being around company, noise or perhaps he was just anxious; silence seemed like a disguise to him.
"Thank you." A voice broke in, "I don't know how anyone could get any sleep in this hospital with that beeping."
"You have an I.V in your arm and it's the beeping that's keeping you up?"
Shadow couldn't help but chuckle, but it wasn't the dark condescending chuckle he was oh so famous for, it was a rather light-hearted one. This made his friend raise his brow, not used to this sort of behavior,
"What's up with you? You're more cheery than usual. What, was there a new nurse assigned to me while I was sleeping?"
"Yes, she's exceedingly stunning."
"Oh?"
"She's 43 and has 2 kids."
"I see, you have excellent taste."
Shadow smiled, amused by their banter.
"And you? You're much more talkative today."
Knuckles pulled up his sheets so it would cover his shoulders, shrugging as he faced Shadow completely who was again in his seat on the left of the bed.
"I guess I'm just bored. There's not much I can do while I'm here."
"Except talk to me?"
"Except talk to you."
Knuckles paired that statement with a kind smile, looking at the hedgehog briefly before looking away again. The hedgehog smiled back but didn't look away. He wasn't ashamed of presenting his feelings, but compared to the shyer echidna he may have come off forward and blunt at times. His ears twitched as he stood up to gaze out the window, but there was nothing to look at but airplanes, tanks, humans parading in their uniforms and the occasional group of rookies circling the base. He had hoped to see a bird.
Knuckles tried to look out the window too, but he could only see part of the sky from his bottom view.
"How's it looking?"
"They don't stand a chance."
Knuckles' chest ached in his awkward positioning, his eyes narrowed and he turned away from Shadow in his bed. Shadow noticed this, but decided to remain quiet as he returned to his seat. The silence had retaken the room, making the atmosphere thicker as the faint sounds of vehicles tried to enter their room, almost like a duel.
"You don't believe in them at all?"
A challenger.
"I believe they'll just make this a bigger mess."
Competition ensued.
"Well, what are they supposed to do? Nothing? What would you do if you were in their shoes?"
"I already am."
A door opens, and the aforementioned nurse had stepped in with a tray of food, Shadow ignored the glare Knuckles gave him as the nurse bent down to place his tray on his lap.
"Do you need an extra blanket, sir?"
Knuckles shook his head and smiled, she returned his gesture and promptly left. After a couple of bites into his dinner he looked over at Shadow, who was enjoying a cup of tea.
"How old are you Shadow?"
The hedgehog eyed the echidna, wondering why on Mobius he'd ask such a random question so suddenly. Perhaps it was just an attempt to incite small talk.
"18."
Knuckles raised a brow incredulously, making Shadow realize what the other actually meant.
"I'm turning 70 this year."
Knuckles' eyes widened as he held back a chuckle,
"Holy shit. You're old as dirt."
Shadow rolled his eyes, slightly embarrassed.
"You realize I was frozen in a pod, right? 70 is my technical age. 18 is my physical age. Wait. I just realized, aren't I younger than you now?"
Knuckles' smile disappeared immediately when he realized this fact, but he still managed to utter out a response,
"Yeah, I'm turning 20 in the spring."
"That's only 6 months away."
'Yeah' Knuckles thought, 'He's right. I can't believe how quickly these last 6 months went by. I guess I've just been ignoring it.'
Knuckles turned back towards the other side of his bed, back facing his company.
"I'm going to get some rest. You can go if you want."
"Okay."
Knuckles felt the unfamiliar scent of grass, its swaying form tickling his nose. He tried to get up, but his limbs felt heavier than usual. Strange. The echidna's dreadlocks swayed to the left as the wind hit him, the earth woke and broke its composure below him. Knuckles watched, slightly panicked as the land around him broke apart like glass then began to fall into what looked like a black void, swallowing the land below.
"What the hell?"
A rain pellet struck his face, but then his face started to bleed. Knuckles dared to look back up and face the direction in which the 'rain' fell. Shimmers of green fell like starlight around him, showering him in their luminous light. For a moment, Knuckles felt a twinge of euphoria for reasons unknown to him.
The echidna suddenly felt a mighty force crash down on him and his small piece of land. Like a whip, it cracked down on his body and pulled him up, higher and higher. It continued its action while Knuckles found himself clawing desperately at the remains of the land around him. Why was he so scared? Why was his body becoming weaker? Why were his eyes swelling with tears, burning his face with their bitter form? He leg was brought above his body and Knuckles found himself hanging upside down, granting him the perfect view of his land, his island, being destroyed.
Knuckles remembered now what this place was and he could feel his heart pounding out of his chest.
He turned from his gaze below him and looked at the owner of the 'whip' that carried him.
A dark silhouette loomed over him, its long forked tongue hanging outside its maw as it curled into a wicked smile.
"That was a foolish move, Guardian."
"NO!"
The echidna threw himself up from his bed, screaming as if his life depended on it.
NO! DON'T! STOP IT!" "
A gloved hand hovered over Knuckle' shoulder,
"Knuckles, I'm here. I'll help you."
Shadow had been resting next to Knuckles' bed, besides being told he could be dismissed hours ago. He made sure to look over for any wounds made when Knuckles abruptly woke up. An I.V tear could lead to bruising and the E.K.G tube could be forcibly lodged even further inside Knuckles by accident if the echidna continued to recklessly thrash about. Yet, during all this he didn't raise his voice, he didn't touch the echidna and he didn't panic.
"STOP IT! DON'T HURT ME!"
"Do you want to leave?"
The "call nurse" button had been pushed.
"PLEASE! HELP! SONIC!"
Knuckles gripped Shadow's hand tightly, catching the hedgehog off guard. This had been the first time Knuckles had initiated contact and Shadow was alarmed at being called, 'Sonic.'
Doctors and nurses came hurriedly through the door, but Shadow halted them at the door.
"You're safe now. We're leaving. I'm here to help you, okay?"
Knuckles clutched for dear life onto Shadow's chest. The agent called over the doctors to unplug his monitor. It was too soon to remove the I.V so a nurse pushed the monitor alongside Knuckles and Shadow as he carried the echidna out into the hall. Passing the doctors the hedgehog could hear their concerns.
"..It's getting too frequent…we have to schedule more counselor visits…not enough progress…"
He looked down at Knuckles, who was still shaking and struggling to keep his eyes open.
The nurse tried not to speak during their walk, but his suspicions got the better of him.
"Are you a friend of his?"
The answer was immediate, no hesitation.
"No, I'm his guardian."
The two of them sat on a bench inside the hospital's botanical garden, specifically made for the patients to get some fresh air and prevent cabin fever. A grand oak tree stood proudly in the middle, hovering over each section of the garden like a king. Each section of the garden had its own collection of flora. Roses and black dahlia's near the front entrance, hibiscuses and pansies in the east entrance and lilies with green gladiolas by the southern entrance. It was truly a spectacle so stunning that it calmed Knuckles almost immediately. Shadow had admired the sight as well, but perhaps not as much as the other.
They weren't alone. The nurse was long gone, but an elderly woman strolled past them in a wheelchair, and while she was attached to an oxygen tank she still appeared to be enjoying herself, not even acknowledging its existence. Shadow held Knuckles hand to keep the echidna calm, but he worried he was just making the guy uneasy. Knuckles hadn't said a word since the hedgehog had carried him out of his room, possibly ashamed of his behavior, besides it being out of his control. Knuckles was about to say something when he heard his friend speak first.
"She's married."
"W-What?"
"The nurse with the kids. I saw her ring when she removed your I.V."
Shadow turned towards the echidna and smiled. For some reason, Knuckles felt like that was the hedgehog's way of saying he was forgiven. He could feel his cheeks heating up as he noticed their hands were still connected, looking up at the oak tree in the middle of the garden he removed his hand, careful not to seem too eager to lose the contact.
"What happened?"
He wished he hadn't asked Shadow that, but he just felt like he needed to know.
"You don't remember?"
"No?"
"Well, you were tossing and turning quite a bit, then suddenly you just screamed. I called the nurses, they unhooked you, and I carried you here."
"You carried me?"
"Well, unless I wanted to lose my chest fur from your tight grip it was either that or carry you."
"That's embarrassing. Sorry about that."
"Don't be. I didn't mind and I'm very strong."
They both stared at the oak tree now, the elderly woman now being pushed by a nurse back inside the hospital for her 'medication'. Knuckles caught a glimpse at her face before she went inside. She seemed unhappy.
"It's getting worse."
Shadow turned back towards him, tilting his head.
"I think it's getting better."
"What? Are you serious? You said I was screaming."
"Yes, but usually you just spout noises incoherently. You used to not even say words, just, thrash around."
Brows furrowing, the echidna looked at Shadow like he just said something ridiculous.
"So I'm yelling and talking in these episodes, so what? I thought progression meant I would have less episodes, not more!"
"Yes, but now we're getting to the root of your trauma. You haven't been the same since Sonic-"
"Stop! I don't want to talk about this anymore!"
Knuckles held his head in his hands, bending down so his knees touched his face. Shadow sighed and regretted bringing up Sonic so soon, but it had been 3 months already and the echidna had to face it sooner or later.
Beep, Beep
Shadow's wrist communicator sounded off, signaling that he was needed at the base.
"Knuckles, we have to go inside."
The other stayed quiet, much to the hedgehog's dismay.
"I'm going to carry you back-"
"No."
His ears perked, the echidna glared at him from his angled position.
"I can walk myself."
"Is that so? Well, we can use this as a chance for some physical therapy then."
Standing up and walking to his friend's side he extended a hand, waiting for the other.
"You're going to get better, Knuckles, I promise."
Knuckles' glare softened, a wash of shame made his muzzle turn red. He reached up for the other's hand, gripping it tightly.
In a few slow pulls Knuckles was brought to his feet, the pressure was almost unbearable. Knuckles thought his hips would give out and have him fall back down in no time, but he just held on, pulling against the other to help him keep his balance. This made Shadow grin which Knuckles noticed, reminding him again of his attitude earlier.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you."
Step.
"I'm sorry you had to yell at me."
Step.
"What do you mean? You were just trying to help me."
Step, Step
"True, but I cannot say I wouldn't behave the same in your shoes. You remember Maria, yes?"
Step, Step
"How could I not? She was everything to you, wasn't she? You talked about her nonstop on the ARK."
Step, Step
"Yes, well, back then I blamed the world, and all its people for her death."
Step, Step
"And yet, I blamed myself even more, for not being able to protect her."
"Shadow, what happened on the ARK wasn't your fault."
"And what happened to Sonic wasn't your fault either."
Shadow's hand held Knuckles' tightly and the other hand sat on his back, ready to catch the echidna if he lost his balance and fell. As they stood there Knuckles' eyes started to water from the other's words reminding him of his old friend. But as he looked away to wipe his face he saw the bench they had rested on in the distance.
"We're already at the door? That was quick."
"I told you, you're healing nicely."
Beep, Beep
"Excuse me," Shadow called out to a standing nurse, "Could you take him to his room, preferably by wheelchair." The echidna looked back at Shadow, an almost panicked tone came up in his voice.
"Where are you going?"
"Commander Abraham is calling me back to the base, so try to take it easy while I'm gone."
"Oh, shut up."
Shadow chuckled, as he put on his G.U.N jacket, refitted and modified of course to bear his own little logo on the back. Knuckles rolled his eyes at the hedgehog's sense of fashion, but felt a pain in his chest watching the other leave. While being wheeled back to his room, the echidna noticed the elderly woman from earlier, she was lying in her bed, staring wistfully at the oak tree that seemed to beckon to her.
"Attention, Agents."
A crowd of black suited individuals saluted in the presence of Commander Tower, the highest-ranking officer in G.U.N, and thus in charge of all operations against threats that may endanger Mobius. This conference would go over a new threat that may evolve into a something even worse.
"We've received reports of the sudden seizure of the Southern Islands by the tyrant known as Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik and his new colleague, who goes by the name, 'Lyric'. These two have conquered mass amounts of civilians for reasons we're still not certain, but we fear the worst has happened already. Measures have already been made to try to apprehend these two, but with the absence of Sonic and his friends, it has become exceedingly difficult to anticipate Robotnik's schemes.
Click, Click
"Approximately 3 months, 2 weeks and 2 days ago, Doctor Eggman released "Lyric", the last member of a race know as the Ancients, from what we believe to be a kind of "stasis" prison, similar to the one that held you, Shadow."
The hedgehog snapped his fingers and pointed at himself nonchalantly, which ensued some mumbling. Towers smirked at Shadow's disposition and decided to use his 'expertise' to shed some light on Lyric's tomb.
"Shadow, based on our discoveries, what would you say about what they may be planning?"
Shadow straightened his inhibitor rings as he stepped up on the stage.
"My capsule's release mechanism could only be activated with a Chaos Emerald, so from that we can assume the doctor and his new friend have at least one. But, even one is one too many."
"Agreed. Has the echidna been able to give out any information that may help our cause?"
"Knuckles' psyche has still not fully recovered from the trauma of his home's destruction. His body is weak, but I believe it's his link to the Chaos Force that is aiding his recovery."
"Chaos Force? Please elaborate for the troops."
"The Chaos Force is-"
CREAK!
A pair of double doors at the far end of the auditorium cracked open as a pair of white ears poked in.
"Hey, I'm late, aren't I? Sorry. I was stuck in traffic."
Shadow frowned at his partner, he didn't like being interrupted.
"You can fly, Rouge."
"True, but my car can't, hon!"
An uproar of laughter flooded the auditorium and Shadow felt a hot wash of embarrassment on his face as she waved at him and sat next to his seat in the front. She smiled and made a gesture for him to continue as she reapplied her make-up.
He stared at her for a couple more seconds, wondering if he had the ability to move objects with his mind, but once Rouge's seat still failed to bend to his will he cleared his throat and continued his analysis.
"The Chaos Force is the connection one has to accessing an endless reserve of Chaos Energy. Chaos Emeralds, The Master Emerald, and even the Sol Emeralds have all been proven to have an immediate link to the Chaos Force, and with that whomever wields one will be able to summon unlimited power."
Towers stared at the slideshow, concentrating on a blurred photo of Lyric.
"What do you suggest we do? This is your realm of expertise."
Shadow looked down at the podium, thinking it over, silence stood beside Shadow, waiting for him to challenge it again. Shadow walked off the podium and stared straight into the sea of agents, furrowing his brow he replied confidently,
"We're going to reassemble Team Sonic."