Sonic Chronicles: Return Of The Dark Brotherhood: Prologue
The loneliness was once Tails' only dependable friend, there morning, noon and night. His childhood on West Side Island left him isolated. Others would tease him, call him names and even physically assault him just because they saw him as different. He once wanted nothing more than to be alone, but that all changed when a certain blue hedgehog came into his life. As time went on, Tails formed friendships with others, becoming a confident and brave hero.
But all that changed days ago. Now he was alone once more on this huge ship he himself constructed. Tails exhaled, watching as the steam of his breath vaporised into the cold air. His sky blue eyes veiled towards the large window claimed by the freezing temperatures. He could no longer see the outside world lest he wiped the windows clean from within, but Tails lost his motivation to do so days ago.
Damage to the Blue Typhoon forced the main generators to shut down. The only thing keeping the ship operational was the backup power. Darkness claimed most of the ship, the interior only illuminated by the gentle red rays of the emergency lights. His eyes averted towards the screen in front of him. The ship’s radar continued scanning for life, but the only objects that came into frame were the rocks from the asteroid field. The asteroids occasionally bounced against the ship. Tails once jolted at each bump, but he had since grown to tune the noise out.
He leaned back in the captain’s chair, solemnly gazing towards the condensated windows that blocked his line of sight from the infinite continuum of space. As time went on, the loneliness felt more like solitude, for one finds ways to cope. Yet to have real company of one who cared for him, that would be sweet indeed. He wanted to cry, to let the universe know of his grief. But any desire to cry had been pushed to the back of his mind long ago.
This loneliness was a vice on his heart, squeezing with just enough pressure to be a constant pain. It killed Tails every day just a little bit more, taking what was once his inner light and replacing it with a darkness that overshadows each moment. He was destined to die on this ship. Either the cold would eventually take him, or maybe the monsters that took his friends from him would return to finish the job. Sonic, Amy, Knuckles…
All gone.
When friends feel like paper chains in the rain and the sky holds nothing but the promise of more storms, life is lonely. When all Tails wanted is a hand to hold or an arm around his shoulders and none came, the world became cold and empty, a slow poison for the soul. Tails longed to be loved and nurtured, and to do the same for others. He was born to be in tribes with social bonds that last a lifetime. But now he would never see them again.
A soft beeping enraptured. His eyes widened, hastily bringing his attention back to the radar. A friendly tag appeared within the screen, the monitor alerting him of their approach. All traces of depression and loneliness faded away within an instant.
Without hesitation, Tails quickly grabbed the headset and placed it on his head. “Is anyone there?! Sonic? Is that you? Sonic? Amy? Knuckles?!”
No response, not even a static. Refusing to give up, Tails pressed his finger against the radar’s screen. The friendly tag hovered just over the ship. With renewed hope, Tails swiftly twirled his namesakes and reached the large window, hastily wiping away the condensation. The cold sensitization stained his gloves, yet Tails cared little for his condition any longer. He wiped away the substances as quickly as possible. The constellations of space shone as if they had been dreamed into the blue, but the vast universe didn’t surprise him any longer. A surprised gasp escaped Tails’ lungs as his eyes drew upon the figure.
“Shadow?”
The Ultimate Life Form floated absently outside of the cockpit, his black fur dangerously close to blending in with the universe. It was only thanks to his red streaks and white gloves he didn’t fully become one with the darkness. Even with the distance between them, Tails could see Shadow’s eyes were closed, suggesting he was unconscious or worse. Tails’ breathing accelerated with relief and concern, his trembling hand pressing against the headset once more.
“Shadow, can you hear me? Shadow?”
No response once again. Refusing to sit idly by while the dark hedgehog floated around, Tails made haste to brave the sub-zero temperatures of space. He hastily grabbed a small jetpack and strapped it tightly around his back, all the while sprinting towards the nearest airlock. The renowned hope he was experiencing began to leave him as fast as it came. There was no guarantee Shadow was even alive. For reasons no one could understand, mobians were immune to the effects of the vacuum of space, allowing them to still breathe. But this did nothing to protect them from the cold. If Tails didn’t act now, Shadow was in danger of freezing to death or being knocked around by one of the several asteroids.
Upon reaching the outside, Tails quickly activated the jetpack and ascended towards the lifeless hedgehog, all the while fighting the urge to shiver. His hands gently wrapped around Shadow’s waist, holding the dark hedgehog close before he returned to the ship. The airlock closed tightly behind them, allowing the artificial gravity to bring him back to stable ground. The sudden change of density forced Tails to assert more effort in carrying Shadow. He weighed almost the same as Sonic, allowing the young fox to carry him with minimal difficulty.
Tails twirled his namesakes and carried the dark hedgehog through the darkened hallways till they reached the medical bay. There Tails set Shadow down on one of the beds, finally releasing a loud exhale he unknowingly suppressed.
His hands tugged at Shadow’s shoulders, shaking him every so slightly. “Shadow?”
As his adrenaline slowed to a reasonable level, Tails’ rested the side of his head against Shadow’s chest. There was a heartbeat, faint and slow. He leaned back, checking for external injuries. The emergency lights only offered so much visibility, but as Tails’ eyes adjusted to the darkness, he caught the full extent of Shadow’s state. First-degree burns covered half his right arm, strongly hinting someone or something had hit him with an energetic force. But what stole Tails’ attention was the lack of Inhibitor Ring on Shadow’s right wrist.
Tails quickly theorised the lack of ring forced Shadow’s Chaos energy to grow unstable. Without both rings to keep his true power subdied, the end result left the dark hedgehog in a constant state of perpetual fatigue. This explained his unconscious state. His hand gently lifted Shadow’s arm, studying his wrist with consideration. Further burns surrounded the area. His ring hadn’t been simply removed in battle. The ring had been forced off by an unknown force.
Tails’ breathing faintly intensified, his hand finding itself pressing softly against his chest. “Okay, okay… Think… What can I do?”
He was a brilliant scientist in his own right, but even Tails didn’t quite know the true extent of Shadow’s creation. He was no medical doctor by any means either, only knowing a few tricks here and there for minor wounds. He closed his eyes, drowning out the world around him. The flashing of the emergency lights and the soft humming of the engines, all pushed to the back of his mind. He slowly inhaled, composting himself. Shadow needed his brilliant mind to recover, not a frightened child.
“Shadow’s ring…” Tails muttered, before snapping his fingers with renewed vigour. “Rouge!”
Tails raced out of the medical bay and reached the bedrooms in record time. He took no pleasure in breathing the privacy of others, even if it were his own ship. He raced inside the bedroom Rouge used, all the while silently praying his theory proved to be correct. The darkened room greatly reduced his visibility, forcing Tails to take a moment to adjust to the blackness. In the pitch black room came a glimmer of hope in the form of an Inhibitor Ring resting on the nightstand.
Tails snatched the ring and raced back to the medical bay. As expected, the dark hedgehog hadn’t moved in the slightest. The fox slowly approached, his footsteps against the metal surface creating a soft echo that reverberated around the room. He knelt down and gently raised Shadow’s wrist, pausing momentarily to consider his next move.
“I hope this works,” Tails whispered. “Hang on, Shadow.”
Without another word, Tails snapped on the Inhibitor Ring. The ring emitted a soft glow, its properties taking hold. The young scientist let out a startled yelp as Shadow’s eyes snapped open, forcing himself to jump back out of range. Shadow suddenly sat upright, his solid gaze frantically searching around the room. His cold and impassive demeanour casted towards Tails, all without saying a word. The dark hedgehog’s solid gaze ensnared Tails, staring him down intently.
A fearful expression plastered across Tails’ face, teeth clenched as he tried to steady his breathing. A part of him feared Shadow lost his memories once again. His stare was as uncomfortable as a chorus-girl corset and had the same effect on Tails’ breathing, constricted and shallow.
He backed away into a corner and shakily raised both hands, all the while trying to find his voice. “S-S-Shadow. It’s me, Tails.”
“Relax,” Shadow responded at last. “I haven’t forgotten who I am again, Tails.”
Tails breathed a sigh of relief, slowly approaching the dark hedgehog once more. “Are you okay?”
Shadow followed the fox’s concerned gaze, noting his injured arm. Simple movement forced his arm to tremble and send painful signals to his brain. “Not as bad as it looks. But do what you have to.”
Accepting that as permission to touch, Tails pulled the nearby tray to the bed and gently poured some medical substance on Shadow’s arm to clear away potential infection. Shadow winced as the medicine burned his injury, but he gritted his teeth and powered through. While he allowed Tails to tend to him, his eyes cast around the darkened room barely lit up by the emergency lights. “Tails. How long have I been out?”
“I was hoping you could tell me,” Tails admitted, as he set down the bottle and picked up some wipes to dry the arm. “You’re the first one I’ve seen in four days.”
A hint of surprise filled Shadow’s otherwise calm demeanour. “Four days?”
Tails hesitantly nodded. “I’ve been on my own since… Since it all happened.”
The young fox forced himself to turn away, biting down to conceal the growing waterfalls he could taste in the back of his throat. Tears wanted to make their escape, but he swallowed them back and held strong. Shadow caught onto the motion, deciding to choose his next words with extreme caution. He yearned to know everything that transpired in the past few days, but how he went about finding out the truth had to be taken with gentleness.
Shadow glanced over towards his arm still being held in Tails’ hands, taking note of the familiar accessory back in its place. “You made me another ring?”
“It’s your original one,” Tails explained, setting down the wipes and replacing them with a roll of bandages. He caught onto the curiosity mounting Shadow’s face, eagerly awaiting for an explanation. Now it was Tails’ turn to choose his words carefully. “That day on the ARK, after you fell towards the planet, Sonic grabbed one of your rings. He gave it to Rouge.”
“And she held onto it all this time,” Shadow spoke up with a gentle scoff, a semblance of a grin flickered onto his lips. “That smart girl.”
His expression suddenly hardened, his voice rising an octave higher. “Where is she?”
Tails paused in wrapping the bandages, slowly bringing his hesitant eyes upwards. “I don’t know.”
Reading Shadow’s demeanour was no easy feat. He masked all emotions well with that stern exterior of his, only occasionally grinning when he found genuine joy in something. He held his composure well, but even Tails caught onto the subtlest shift in his eyelids. Through the intensely calm and reserved exterior, his eyes held the smallest hints of concern. Tails knew how much Shadow cared for Rouge, even if Shadow himself would never outright admit it. But nothing could conceal his concern.
“Are they… Gone?” Shadow hesitantly asked, keeping his voice strong to retain the appearance of a fearless warrior.
Tails finally finished securing the bandages around Shadow’s arm, using the time to prolong the silence before he answered. He grabbed a bottle of painkillers and offered one to Shadow, who silently gestured them away, unwilling to consume any form of drugs. Tails knew Shadow was not a man of patience and would demand answers in no time.
“I really don’t know,” Tails admitted a second time, his voice watery and thick. “They might be captured, or worse.”
With a contemplative hum, Shadow summoned the strength to turn and press both feet against the floor. He shakily stood up, but forced himself to sit down seconds later. His injury, combined with how long had passed since he last stood on solid ground, left his legs feeling like jelly. As stubborn as he could be, Shadow knew he was in no condition to move around just yet. At least this created an opportunity to piece together past events.
Shadow’s amnesia of the past few days acted as a roadblock of sorts. There is something close yet hidden, yet Shadow cannot in that moment fathom what it could be. It's as if he was following a bread crumb trail and it ends. “The last thing I remember was… Meeting up with Sonic just before we left. What happened after that… I don’t know.”
Tails sighed and took a seat in the nearby armchair, hands resting in his lap while his namesakes curled around himself for comfort. “There was a big fight. All of you tried to fight them. Sonic told me to stay with the ship. One thing led to another and… I got stuck out here.”
Shadow glanced away, one hand rubbing against his temple. Despite the young fox’s comment, the visions of said events were clouded within his mind. “It’s all still a blur.”
Tails glanced down, stroking one of his namesakes as he thought back to where it all happened. He wanted to take away the power of the painful memory for hurt, prove to himself that he could choose to move on. So he took the one he loved the most with his best friend, recalling where we made a great memory, a happy one. Now when his brilliant brain goes back to the days leading up to these events, Tails divert it only to the good memory, the healing one. It's as if he wrote a good story over the top of a bad story, and in time the ink of the bad story fades away until only the good one remains.
He returned his remorseful expression to the Ultimate Life Form once more. “It all started one week ago…”