Mind Games

An ongoing series of fanfiction by Stoney ([email protected])

THE COPYRIGHT:

"Attention, Val-Mart shoppers!" The voice blared out cheerfully over the massive store-wide intercom. "There's a 'buy one, get one 1/2 off' sale going on in the shoe section now, Beatty needs to report to Customer Service, price check on aisle 14, and Shadow, Maria and Gerald Robotnik are all copyright to SEGA. Don't forget to stop at our deli on your way out!"

The blue hedgehog below who had been closely examining different chili brands dropped the cans he was holding in surprise. "Say WHAT?!"

AUTHOR'S INCOHERENT RAMBLINGS 'N STUFF:

Booyaka, people!

Anybody else here been waiting FOREVER for somebody to write something like this? Yeah, me too. Well, I guess I count as 'somebody', then. Please don't read on if you have anything against Maria or sappy content. Lots of that stuff awaits you, and I mean a LOT.

What else was I supposed to say?......uh, save the whales?..... um, I'd like to thank the Academy?....no, wait, that's not right.....oh! Now I remember! Many, many thanks to Sparky the Seventh Chaos for giving me the inspiration for this story.

Right, then! Tally-ho and pip pip! Let's start the friggin' thing already, eh wot?

"The deepest definition of youth is life as yet untouched by tragedy."

—Alfred North Whitehead, 1861-1947

 

The room, clad in stark silence and deep darkness, waited.

Of course, this wasn't anything new. It had been waiting for a long time. Waiting for someone, anyone, to return to it. To inhabit it again. To make it whole.

Once, there had been no need for it to wait; rather, it had been occupied with frivolous activity and happy noise. Back then, its walls shone polished and unblemished, its floors clean and sparkling. The monitors along one wall had been alive with light, images dancing merrily across their faces. Chairs frequently rolled across its floor from one station to the next, their occupants paying close attention to the many switches, keyboards, dials, and other instruments that had been neatly arranged throughout.

But that was long ago. Now the walls and floor were caked with thick dust and laser burns, the monitors broken and still, keyboards strewn hither and thither in pieces. Irregular lumps lay lifelessly spread out, their bodies long past rotted away. Only the small badge each wore still remained intact, distunguishing the lumps as scientists, lab technicians, and other lost souls.

He stood at the entrance, basking in an overflow of memories. He had been there those many years ago. He could recall that time as clear as day, still picture each face that had operated those controls, and tapped at those keyboards. Like it was still happening, he remembered the data streaming past his wide, awed eyes on the monitors, and the soft, gentle voice beside him that explained what it meant.

He opened his eyes, and the memory vanished. The room was still and silent again.

He stepped through the doorway and entered the room, fighting the strange constricting feeling in his chest. There was a reason he was there today, a reason he had come back to this place, long abandoned and forgotten by the inhabatants of the planet below.

Staring up at the front of the room, he watched the twinkling starlit blackness of space lazily drift by. In one corner of the windows shone a perfectly round, blue sphere mixed with white, green and brown. That, he knew, was the planet Mobius; his home for the past several decades.

Turning away, he glanced briefly around for an unbroken monitor. There was one--over in a corner of the room untouched by the destruction. He strode over to it quickly, thoughts turning back to his mission. He had to hurry-- he was due to meet someone in a few minutes and had no time to waste.

There was an open, circular slot on one side of the monitor where a power source was to be plugged in. One such power source he held in his hand; a plastic cylinder with glowing green liquid splashing about inside. He jammed it forcefully into the slot, watching with satisfaction as the monitor's lights slowly turned on one by one.

These computers were far better than those on the planet, he reflected while grabbing a nearby keyboard and plugging it in to the monitor. Although they were obsolete by now, they had one feature that made them superior to the terrestrial ones; the monitor and CPU were all built together in a single structure, rather than the more common separate placement.

The screen was blank for a couple moments after he had finished the startup sequence. Then a single message appeared, followed by a blinking cursor: ENTER USER IDENTIFICATION.

He slowly typed out seven letters on the keyboard, making sure he didn't accidentally miss a stroke and enter the wrong name.

The message was replaced by another one: ENTER PASSWORD.

He smiled bitterly for a moment, recalling that he'd set the password to be the brand name of the airskates he always wore. He quickly typed the name out and gave the 'enter' key a vicious jab, patiently waiting for the ancient machine to process the information.

LOADING, PLEASE WAIT. The message flashed across the screen. A few moments passed without incident. Then--

The blank screen was replaced by a picture of a glowing, sparkling green gem. It was highly detailed, showing every perfectly-cut facet with precise clarity. In front of the image, some desktop icons appeared.

On the keyboard was a pad that he now placed his finger on, moving it like one would a computer mouse. A small, white pointer arrow followed his movement onscreen. He double-clicked on one of the icons, and a dialog box appeared that displayed several folders. He opened one of them, and clicked on the small pixelated image of a old-fashioned envelope.

Just before the attack had happened, his best friend had asked him to do what he was doing now. She'd said that she had left a message for him to read, thinking it would be easier to write her thoughts down rather than tell him face-to-face.

But he had never gotten the opportunity to see that message, because then disaster struck.....

He closed his eyes, the painful memory retaking him for a moment. Guns had blazed, their deadly lasers striking out at all that moved. Blood spilled and splattered, screams rending the air.....

He shrugged off the memories and returned to the task at hand. Now was no time for him to freeze up with grief. He opened his inbox and stared with mixed emotions at the text that appeared.

YOU HAVE ONE NEW MESSAGE, the screen reported to him.

His hand hesitated for a second, the arrow pointer poised above a link that asked, READ?

He jabbed at the pad, clicking on the link. Immediately the screen was replaced by rows of text on a white background:

Hello, Shadow.

(That constricting feeling was growing stronger. He fought it back down again and continued reading.)

First of all, I'm really sorry that I couldn't tell you this in person. This might not make much sense to you, but lately I've been getting these weird feelings.....like something bad is about to happen soon. Last night, for example, I had a dream that you got taken away from us and locked up somewhere.....

I'm not sure exactly what is about to happen, but I decided to write down everything and mail it to you in case something happens to me. Please understand.

(Far from being upset, he was silently thanking every god the Mobians believed in that his friend had been gifted with such acute foresight. He read on:)

Shadow, I know you don't enjoy being here; you never have. (He blinked in surprise.) I've seen the way you gaze longingly at Mobius for minutes or even hours at a time. You wish to go down there someday, and I don't blame you one bit.

You see, I wasn't always up here, myself.....there was one time years ago, before I got sick and had to come up here for treatment. During that time, I had lived on Mobius with Daddy.

(He arched his eyebrows in disbelief. For some reason, it had never occurred to him that she might've been somewhere else before he was created.)

Those years were definitely the best of my life. I saw many places, encountered many species of animals, and learned much. I only regret that it didn't last longer.....Shadow, Mobius is one of the most beautiful places imaginable. I do hope you will be able to see it for yourself one day.

(He frowned. Well, that was one hope of hers that had come true, although probably not in the way she would've liked.....)

I also know how you feel about Grandpa Gerald.....how you resent the fact that you were created artificially by him instead of being born naturally like everyone else. (He almost collapsed in stunned amazement. What did she NOT know about him?!) Shadow, please don't blame him. I'm sure what he thought he was doing was for the best. And don't think you're inferior just because of the way you were born; it's not how you entered this world that matters, but the fact that you ARE in this world.

(That constriction was so strong now, it was almost a physical pain. He clutched a hand to his chest and took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing his reading.)

You know, I can still remember the first time I met you.....it had been a couple weeks after I'd arrived on the ARK, and you had already gotten pretty big from that growth acceleration gene Grandpa used on you. You were being taken on a tour of the station to begin interacting with different people and increase your social skills.....

(He smiled sadly. He could remember that time, also.)

.....then just before meeting me, you'd been shown the small church up here were we performed ceremonies on Sundays, and there you learned the concept of religion. Grandpa told me that you had been particularly interested in the idea of angels. He'd asked you why, and you'd replied with all seriousness that you thought you'd seen one before.

When he asked you where and when, you explained how you'd caught a glimpse of me in his office some days earlier, getting a diagnosis on my disease and the treatment it would need.

(He could practically see the grin on her face as he read the next couple sentences.)

At that point, he decided it would be a good time to show you to me. I remember that upon entering my room and seeing me, you pointed over my shoulder and asked me in confusion, "Where are your wings?"

.....It took us all a very long time to persuade you into understanding that I was just another human. (He knew at this point she probably would have been giggling as she wrote.)

I think Grandpa Gerald knew then that we were destined to be best friends, because he didn't try to hinder your frequent visits to see me after that. I'm glad he was so observant, because you probably would've tried sneaking out to talk to me in secret, otherwise.

(Now it was his turn to grin. She knew him far too well, it seemed, because that was precisely what he had been planning on doing at the time in case the Professor refused to give him permission.)

Even when you started your Chaos Training, you didn't stop coming by to visit. Even if it caused your schedule to be a very tight one, you always managed to somehow make time to talk with me. I've never told you how truly grateful I was for that. Your presence was the one thing that made my life bearable back then. Without you, who knows what I might've done.....

Shadow, you've always been there for me, in good times and in bad. You've helped me so much.....I just can't thank you enough. Though I might not be one, I often find myself wondering if guardian angels really do exist....because if they do, then I know that you're mine.

(He had to stop there for a moment--it was becoming difficult to breathe. Choking and gasping for breath, he was surprised to feel something wet slowly trickle down one cheek.....)

Remember Shadow, no matter what happens, I am proud of you. I have always been, and come what may, I always will be. Be happy, Shadow. Stay happy and help everyone else to be happy. That's the reason you're here. That's why we're all here....

(His blood seemed to chill with those words. That was almost the exact same thing she'd told him while she was dying....the next line was the last one in the message. Swallowing a major lump in his throat, he scrounged up the last of his nerves and read it.)

Shadow.....there's so much more I'd like to tell you, but I can't find the words to express it. Don't forget about me, or the times we've shared together. If you do that, then I'll always be with you--even if I'm not there physically, I'll still be present in your heart.

I love you,

Maria

(The constriction had grown too strong to hold back anymore, bursting forth through his mouth in an agonized wail. WIthout warning he suddenly found his head buried in his arms, sobbing out the grief he'd kept bottled up since her death.)

For several minutes, the only sound that could be heard in the room was pained weeping. Gasping raggedly, he finally managed to halt the tears streaming down his face. Slowly, he wiped off any remaining salty liquid and glanced meaningfully up at the ceiling.

"Maria..." he choked, hoping that she could hear him from wherever she was. "Thank you."

A small beep blasted into his thoughts, coming from his wrist. He glanced in surprise at the communicator he had strapped there and saw a tiny red dot on its side blinking rapidly.

Robotnik had arrived. He abruptly stood up, composed himself, and gave the words on the computer screen a final, sad smile of gratitude, before jerking the power source out of the monitor. The words' images faded out with a slowly dying whine, their source once again silent and still.

Turning away, he strode from the room without a backwards glance.