Chapter 14 Double Agent
(Shadow's P.O.V.)
The world became a dark wasteland. It was raging at me and clawing my soul apart. All of my instincts were telling me that the world was my predator. Only becoming like it could save me.
Drip. Droop. Drip. Droop.
Everything on the Ark was silent. All the lights were shut off, all the experiments were shoved out. All that was left was a black, chilling laboratory broken away from humanity. Memories and hopes... shattered. They were swept up in a corner so no one would ever have to remember the sorrow and misery.
Despite all the things I should have been feeling, I wasn't feeling any of them. My focus was being strangled. More than anything, I found myself wishing I could snatch back the words I spoke to (Y/N). What came over me? She gave me such a little request! It wouldn't have harmed me in the slightest to hold off on my plan for her. All she wanted was for me to do what I told her I would do! I broke the promise I made to her. No, not just that...
I broke everything.
"It was the only way to bring you here," a deep, rumbling voice rasped from the shadows. It was familiar to me. The voice... was horrible. Scrawling its name in my blood, the voice reminded me of something. It reminded me that I was no longer in control.
Every part of me wanted to fight the floating beast in front of me. I took a few threatening steps forward... but no more. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to land a punch on him. It felt like... attacking a brother. "Why did you bring me here, Black Doom?!" I hissed bitterly. It was all I could bring myself to do at the moment. I felt so helpless.
The alien drifted towards me and his long, reddish-brown cloak swished behind him. There were several gold plates and linings on his cloak for detail and strange, foreign jewelry adorned the outfit. His tacky fashion sense wasn't what I was concerned with, though. His three glowing eyes were fixed on me. All of them were red... like mine. There were red streaks on his two black horns shooting out of his head. The stripes reminded me of my own. What mattered the most was that our blood was the same. He gave me life with his own life. Gerald was only a manufacturer and only made my body. Black Doom was the one who brought it to life. Similar blood... Same life... Considering all of those things together...
That monstrous creature is my father.
Black Doom caressed a purple chaos emerald in his three-fingered grip. He seemed amused by the emerald's power rushing through him. Extending his arm towards me, he finally decided to answer my question. "You've done your assignment well, my creation. I knew your heightened senses would be able to feel the chaos energy from anywhere. Robotnik promised me the chaos emeralds and the Ultimate Creature in return for his granddaughter's life and health. The agreement I made will be fulfilled once you hand over the chaos emeralds," he explained.
Wait... That was the deal? Gerald was never actually making a cure for Maria at all? Just making me stronger because of some shady agreement with an alien?! I clenched my fist in rage at what Dr. Robotnik had done. After all this time, he turned out to truly be insane! But... Black Doom did not forget the agreement. He probably did have the power to bring Maria back... Suddenly, (Y/N)'s words came back to me.
"She's far better where she is! I know it!!"
I shivered. Suppose it was true? What if my whole mission was a mistake? As her protector, I only wanted her to be safe and happy. I'd do anything for Maria. Anything.
Anything.
I fiercely glared at Black Doom. My mind was made up and there was no going back. (Y/N) was right the whole time. "I'm not giving you the emeralds, Black Doom! I don't care if we're related by blood! Giving you sketchy creatures the most powerful things in the universe is the biggest mistake anyone could ever make!"
He sighed and shook his head at me. Perhaps he foresaw this happening. "Oh, Shadow... If only you knew what you were saying."
"I know what I'm saying. I'm saying that I'll never give myself over to you! And you'll NEVER have the chaos emeralds!!" I declared. Saying the words out loud gave me more strength. The strength to throw a punch. The strength to fight against my kind. However...
"Very well, then...," Black Doom mumbled. "Your turn, Black Death."
From out of the shadows behind me, another hand with only three fingers appeared. Alien... They shot out and clamped down on my head with a grip tighter than anything I'd ever felt. As soon as it latched on, my mind was being pulled away from me! I fought, but it was a futile attempt. I was caught by surprise. No matter how passionate I was, I was going to fall... I was going to lose myself... I am losing myself. What would the aliens do to me?! Whatever it was, it wouldn't matter. The only thought that the new alien left in my head was...
Obey.
(Y/N)'s P.O.V.
"Hey, sleepyhead. Do you want a marshmallow?" asked Barrett.
You opened your eyes to find yourself in a grassy clearing. Gilbert and Barrett moved the wagon site off the beach so you could take your mind off of what happened. Somewhere along the way, you fell asleep in Barrett's lap and refused to wake up. About half a day went by and now you were finally ready to face reality again.
"Sha... dow...?" you murmured lightly as you forced your eyes to stay open.
Barrett ruffled your hair with a bitter-sweet expression. "Afraid not."
You whimpered sadly and sat up. Barrett was holding a long stick over a flickering fire with two toasty marshmallows at the end. Gilbert was sitting on the opposite side of the fire and doing the same thing. Now that you thought about it, you were a little hungry. Slowly and silently, you nodded.
Withdrawing the marshmallow from the fire, Barrett plucked one off the stick, blew on it a little, and then passed it over to you. Without hesitation, you took the marshmallow and stuffed it in your mouth. A moment of chewing went by and you took the stick from Barrett. That other marshmallow was going to be your next victim. It was really delicious. At least, it would have been if Shadow had been there.
"You seem to be doing much better," Gilbert pointed out from his side of the fire. Before long, he was also tossing golden-brown marshmallows into his mouth.
"I don't feel good...," you moaned. Despite that, you continued to pile the marshmallows into your mouth.
Barrett didn't bother trying to take the stick back. He grabbed the bag of marshmallows and just gave them all to you. "Care to talk about it?" he asked. Ever since the incident, he dared not probe without permission.
The very thought of Shadow made you want to curl up into a ball and cry. You shoved your hand into the marshmallow bag and proceeded to ravenously eat them all. Through a mouthful of sugary goo, you mumbled, "Drop it." After swallowing down the marshmallows, you suddenly felt restless. Staying still left you vulnerable to your thoughts. You stood to your feet unsteadily and looked over towards Gilbert. "Hey, can I take a walk? I need to clear my head."
Shrugging his shoulders a little bit, he nodded. "Sure. Make sure not to wander off too far. We don't want anything bad happening to you," he answered calmly. He seemed to be avoiding the bad things that already happened.
"And don't fall into the pond a little ways from here! Swimming at night is a terrible idea!" Barrett added. It was only to make sure that he got to say something before you disappeared into the night. You didn't take him seriously, of course.
Lonely crickets chirped in the grasses and the trees around you. They were completely oblivious to the fact that you were stepping only inches away from them. Clouds hid the stars from sight that night and refused to let you see anything beyond them. All that was visible was the gentle glow of the moon filtering through the sheet of clouds. About fifteen minutes of mindless walking went by before you finally decided to stop for a break. A dead log was lying on the ground nearby, so you decided to sit on it for a minute.
Just as you sat on the log, there was a sudden "SNAP!" in the trees. Your nerves sent a shot of adrenalin through your chest, but it gradually faded. There were a lot of wild creatures out in the woods. They were bound to make some noise. At least, they weren't coming towards you..., were they?
"SNAP!"
Nevermind, it's louder and much closer. You jumped to your feet and scoured the area wildly for a trace of a vile creature out to get you. Sadly, there weren't anymore snaps. The crickets were the only ones still daring to make any noise. Shadow didn't have time to tell you about the different predators in the woods. Without his knowledge, you couldn't even guess what could be lurking around in the dark. Finally, you attempted to speak.
"L-Look... Whoever you are, you need to go away! Leave me alone, creep! I've... got a weapon!" you shouted as you picked up a nearby stick and began holding it like a sword. Not much of a weapon, but it was too dark to tell that it was something so small and trivial.
Nothing around you moved. Even the crickets began to silence themselves. The moon's light ran away from the scene and cowered behind the clouds completely. You were blind and in the woods... with a potential threat.
"S-Stop toying with me and come out! Please!!" you cried. The last word came out as more of a squeak than a plea. All of your hopes of scaring the intruder away flew out the window.
Another minute went by. Maybe the snaps really were nothing. Maybe your imagination was just playing with you. It had been a long day. You were about to inch your way back towards the camp when...
"Don't move. Or scream."
A large hand wrapped around your face and tugged you back towards the mysterious being in the dark! You tried to scream through the fingers, but the noise was muffled and unclear. Rather than vocally resisting, you changed tactics. You wriggled and pulled and shoved and tried harder than you ever tried before to escape, but the being's grip was too strong! Despite your efforts being pointless, you continued to fight.
The being shushed you harshly and dragged you down to the ground level. Gradually, the moon began to come back. With the dim light finally providing you a silhouette of the being, you noticed something very familiar about them... Too familiar.
Shadow.
"Don't try to fight me. It's pointless. You're coming with me to the Ark along with your little circus group," Shadow hissed. At first, you were going to continue trying to resist him, but then you got a good look at him. What his voice was saying... was the opposite of what his body language was saying. His face was sympathetic. His hand was resting assuredly on your cheek. His pupils were dilated. A few moments after his threat, he leaned forward and let his forehead lightly meet yours. The real Shadow wasn't the one talking. He was the one comforting you with a guilt-ridden expression.
You were about to ask what was going on, but Shadow forced a piece of paper into your hand before slapping a cold expression back onto his face. "If you don't ask questions or resist, then nothing bad will happen to you. Now, get up to your feet! We're heading back to the camp to retrieve your comrades! The Dark Arms are waiting for us..."
As Shadow dragged you to your feet and forcefully lifted you from the ground, you unfolded the paper. Sure enough, Shadow left a note giving you the details.
I'm sorry (Y/N)...,
I'm sorry about everything that happened earlier. I swear that someone else is behind all of this. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but I have no choice. Black Doom can hear everything I say. If he even suspects that I'm not under his complete control, then we'll both be in trouble... For both of our sakes, I need you to do as I say. Please... I'll do everything in my power to keep you out of harm. The best thing you can do to help me is to have faith in me. I'll get you out of this... That's a promise I won't break.
Sincerely, your Shadow
It was the closest thing to a love letter you'd ever received and it made you blush a little. So..., Shadow did care about you. It was a pointless realization at that point. After everything that happened throughout your adventure, of course, he cared. Why did you even fight with him in the first place?
Shadow's speed got you and him to the camp in the blink of an eye. So fast, that Barrett and Gilbert sprang to their feet in terror at your appearance. When they saw it was Shadow, their faces only became more terrified. Surprisingly, Barrett slapped a serious look on his face before Gilbert did. He mosied forward and drew a banana gun at Shadow. "Put my sister down," he said in a deep voice. Honestly, he would have been very dashing if it weren't for the banana.
The banana must've thrown Shadow off guard. He was just staring at Barrett like the boy was a fool. Of course, the staring was for good reason. Barrett is a fool. While he was staring down Barrett with a perplexed expression, Gilbert took his opportunity. From out of his pocket, he flung out a massive syringe and jabbed it into Shadow's arm!
Now, the following moments are unclear. Shadow was screaming in alarm because getting stabbed by a giant needle never gets easier. Barrett was pretending to shoot Shadow with his banana gun and you were jumping up and down screaming at Gilbert for stabbing your Shadow. Especially since...
"You idiot... I'm not being controlled by him! I fought him off just fine! Now he knows I've been faking this whole time!" Shadow huffed. He yanked the needle from his arm and winced. "You scientists need to stop stabbing me!"
Gilbert blinked in disbelief. "But... Earlier on the beach, you were--!"
"Controlled," Shadow admitted. He sighed and shook his head. "Yes, Black Doom got me. I confess. But that was only because I was ill-prepared for him. Someone kept spouting nonsense that made me mad and unable to control my thoughts! And that made me vulnerable!" He looked straight at Barrett.
"Okay, I'll admit that I'm partially to blame...," Barrett reluctantly replied.
Shadow sat onto the ground with a defeated expression. Something about what just happened crushed whatever plan he had to stop the aliens. "Whatever you injected into my arm has severed my connection with Black Doom. He knows I'm no longer under his control. Before long, he'll send some of his goons to collect us..., and then he'll put me under his spell again. I don't think I'll be able to resist him again..."
It was apparent what Shadow was planning to do. He was using his connection with Black Doom to avoid suspicion for when he would go in for a betrayal. Now, there was no chance for that. Especially not if Shadow couldn't fight Black Doom's control a second time.
You scooted closer to Shadow and thought of ways to comfort him. Maybe a backrub or some assuring words? Or maybe... A kiss? Was it too much to hope for? Or even too little? You'd take your chances. Before you could think yourself out of it, you shyly brushed against him. Never had you ever considered being the one to initiate any action between you and Shadow. You were getting bolder. Needier. Clingier. You thought about those feelings and wants and needs as you silently and swiftly stole his whole attention. His whole train of thought. His whole everything. Now was going to be it. He had to know what you were hoping for, right? Should you say something? No. He knows. Give it to him. Now.
With a burst of adrenaline running through you, you leaned in for the kiss! But...
Shadow did know what you were hoping for, but he held up his hand. He was stopping you. There was a regretful expression on his face as he gently pushed you away. It stung. A lot. "Sorry," he murmured. To make things worse, he was averting your gaze completely to make sure that you didn't completely invade his mind. "I can't risk you making me more vulnerable than I already am... I can't."
But... that's not fair! Why couldn't he take a chance? If he could fight off Black Doom once, he could do it again! All you wanted was to get close to him again. Like yesterday. Why did Shadow even have to worry about the aliens anyway? Couldn't he just run away? Couldn't he just finish off Black Doom once and for all to ensure that you could have him all to yourself?! With so many things to say all at once, you planned a comeback. It would be inspiring. It would be great! It would answer all of Shadow's problems and give him back to you! It would--!
"Oh...," was all you could say.
You slunk away back to Barrett and huddled up next to him. Hopeless... The situation was hopeless. No matter how far you ran, Black Doom's influence would always be with Shadow. Their blood is the same. Shadow wasn't yours and he couldn't be. Not until Black Doom was defeated forever. Of course, Shadow knew that a long time ago. He knew what he was doing. You just had to leave him alone to think of a plan.
Leave him alone.
Leave him alone.
Leave you alone.
Without Shadow, you might as well be alone again. Back on the Ark... Back in that room. Back to your small, insignificant world with nothing. What you do means nothing. What you say will change nothing. What you dream of... is nothing.
Why...?
Why does life have to be so unfair...?
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