Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ No One is Invincible ❯ Birth of a Reject, Birth of a Shadow ( Chapter 1 )

Birth of a Reject, Birth of a Shadow

The room was dripping with tension, not the kind of tension that aggression gives, but the type brought by anticipation.

It was as if the heavens were pouring in their sight, it was as if God himself wanted to see what would happen next. The light from stars beamed in through the completely transparent windows of ARK, eliminating the common darkness that the room had grown accustomed to. Every scientist there was on the edge while watching, yo-yoing, biting their fingernails, and running nervous fingers through their hair.

"Open up the mechanic veil, I want to see it."

"Uh . . . Gerald, sir, we kind of . . . forgot the activation code."

"Give me a break, you assured me you had it memorized! I told you to archive it! Get to work cracking it!"

The room came alive after one of Gerald Robotnik's rare and short rants as they began shuffling through the mountainous pile of records, searching for the activation code.

"Alright, never mind. No more random guessing, coin flipping, and eeny-meeny-miney-moing. I've found the right one." Gerald pointed to his head. "Right here. The password is M-A-R-I-A"

The mechanical veil around the tube opened up suddenly to reveal the organism inside of the support liquid, the tubes just completing their connection.

"What do you think? A very well rounded pet, you barely need to feed him, and he tends to wounds. On top of that, he's practically immortal."

Maria Robotnik looked very closely at the small rusty brown lizard inside the test tube.

"He's a bit odd looking. Are you sure he's all of those things?" She asked very slowly and subtly as if she didn't want to hurt someone's feelings.

Gerald knocked twice on the tube and the lizard's yellow eyes snapped open.

"Well, I do need to test him. What do you suppose I attempt?"

"Is this his only form, a tiny lizard?"

" . . . He grows."

"How much?"

"Trust me."

" . . .Let him out, then."

The test-tube drained and the dark room lit up to reveal the entire futuristic nature of the laboratory aboard ARK.

The tube opened and immediately the tiny lizard showed how much faster it was than it looked and locked itself onto the top of the dry tube. Maria could have sworn it burst out two inches.

"With this first leap into the creation of the ultimate life, imagine the progress we can make . . . the steps for mankind . . . yes. This will change everything." Gerald nodded.

"Hello there . . . " the young girl approached it, her blue eyes twinkling in wonder as she reached for the lizard that appeared docile.

[Hello there . . . LUNCH!] the lizard thought as it hissed loudly.

"Ah!" she recoiled in fear at the loud hiss.

"He must be hungry . . . " Gerald was worried already.

[Brilliant deduction. You're in the league of Einstein himself. Let's give this man a hand. Tell him what he's won, Johnny!] The lizard could almost say it, but it only came out as a series of hisses.

Due to the aggressive, sadistic, and sarcastic nature of the prototype of the ultimate life-form, his reputation's status wasn't . . . terribly appreciable.

Gradually, Maria and the reptile later to be known as Biolizard grew further apart. A reject was born.

***

The Biolizard was now about eight inches tall, with very sharp teeth. He specialized in sneaking through the colony and biting the hell out of anything that moved, save Maria. No one was considered a real man or woman until they had teeth-marks from the legendary reptile.

There had been many suggestions to just have him sucked out of the nearest airlock, thrown into the next black hole, or just stuffed him into a cabinet and forgotten, but the top researchers insisted that they continue the research on him, regardless of the havoc he liked to wreak simply for kicks.

One day, Biolizard was wandering around the extremely futuristic colony into a room that had normally been closed. He made his way down the transparent halls darkened by space. He could practically feel the vacuum pulling on the outside of it, it was as if one was walking in space. The entire complex spanned as if it were a silver labyrinth, and the lights would shut off immediately after hours, giving a scare to the poor sap still in the hallways when the lights went out, trapped as Biolizard's prey. He had only gotten two victims and his teeth were aching from not biting someone. He heard a commotion and slunk into the room, crossing his arms and looking left and right with his yellow eyes.

"This will be our greatest yet!" One scientist commented.

"Check out how dark he his."

"The Ultimate Lifeform . . . "

"We'll be rich!"

"You've really outdone yourself, Gerald."

"Imagine all the people we can help . . . "

"Anyone seen my sandwich?"

"So this is the archetype."

"We should check his strength."

"Extensive tests will . . . "

They were all talking at once and blocking out any real communication. Gerald, however, just stood there with Maria.

Biolizard spat out a toothpick, he absolutely loved bologna and deer meat sandwiches. The only thing better than that was to make Maria giggle, mostly because he could rarely ever do it. This was partially because she never cared to look, but mostly because he had given up trying, because he could only hiss.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" A scientist asked, looking menacingly at the reptile.

He responded with a hiss.

[Watch it, I'm just beggin' for an excuse to bite an ankle in two!].

Biolizard watched Gerald drain the tube and open it. He noticed the hedgehog, very dark, newborn dark brown eyes, and a lifeless look. The lifelessness immediately turned into confusion.

"Good morning." The bald man leaned down to its level until his gray moustache leveled off with the creature's eyes, and gave it help standing.

[I never got this much attention. That `thing' is getting more looks in a flippin' day than I have all my life] He answered his own thought. [But whose fault is that?]

"Maria!" Gerald called into the crowd and the young girl managed to make her way through the sea of legs.

"What shall I name him, granddaughter?"

"He's dark . . . and quiet . . . Hmm. How about Shadow?"

[Sure. Give him the kickass name. I'm just Biolizard. A scrub. Maybe I'll kill him . . . ? No. No one will like me then, but then again that wouldn't change much. It's settled. At midnight tonight, I'm going to kill his ass.]

It was the birth of a Shadow.

***

It was midnight, and the only noticeable difference in the space colony was the loss of lighting. All of the scientists knew better than to hang around the hall after dark.

Biolizard's eyes adjusted to the dark as he crept over to his room, the huge one where Shadow was being kept, foolishly unguarded.

He used the padding on his feet to walk without a sound, smiling to himself about the stealth he had achieved.

He was surprised when he turned the corner to find him wide-awake.

Shadow started at the Biolizard, and Biolizard stared right back

[ . . . I don't really want to kill you, but . . . ]

Shadow just stared blankly, his eyes seemed to be on their way to red.

[But it might be necessary. But maybe that will ruin my chances with Maria . . . ]

"So that's her name?"

[!? You can talk? Screw that, you can understand me! What is you?]

"Project Shadow, the artificial hedgehog. The Ultimate Lifeform, Slim Shady."

[Spot's taken. Hey, you feel like gettin' killed?]

"No, but I feel like lizard legs."

[Touché. Are you hungry?]

"Yes, a bit."

[Well, I know where to get some grub, follow me.]

The new creation hesitated, and then crept out of the room, taking his first steps into the outside world.

[Good, real good] the lizard thought to himself. [I actually have someone that can understand me, that knows what it's like, the pressure of being ultimate and all. What can I do BUT feed him, he's earned it.]

***

[There it is, our grub.]

"Bio, that's a guy." In his mind, Shadow felt reason for the first time. Were they supposed to eat people?

[ . . . There it is, our grub. And don't call me Bio, or you're next on the menu]

"I'm not eating a person."

[Wait, you want to eat? I thought you were hungry for mischief. Hold on]

Biolizard ran down the dark corridor where the scientist was hustling with the clipboard to get to his girlfriend's room. He didn't get far. Biolizard coiled his legs that had grown out further, jumped high, and sunk his teeth right into his backside, a howl filling the room.

"Damn lizard!" He sat down quickly.

[Ahh!] Biolizard was crushed and ran back.

"I swear, I'll kills you! KILLS you!" He yelled.

[Yeah, and if you're stupid enough to come back I'll bite ya in the nuts!]

"Hurry! Run away before it breaks your leg! We don't need anyone suffering like Dudley had to!" A woman yelled.

[ . . . Dudley fell off the stairs. You bastards blame everything on me]

Biolizard turned to look for Shadow, who was completely gone.

[Hey! Where'd you go!? Hedgehog!]

He turned and bumped right into him, and Shadow held up a box.

[Damn, you scared the hell out of me.]

"There're three doughnuts in here, want any?"

[Yeah, sure! You're catching on, bub.]

Shadow's mind felt the unfamiliar new urge, the urge at a joke.

"I'm the bub with the grub"

It was an awful one, and it made Biolizard cringe simply listening to the pathetic attempt at laughter.

[ . . . ]

" . . . Let's get going." For the first time, he felt embarrassment.

The two retraced their steps and went back to their room at the end of the ship, where Shadow set the box on the bed and turned on a lamp, opening the box.

[Krispy Kreme, hell yeah!] Biolizard licked his sharp teeth and grabbed one, gobbling it immediately. Shadow had one of his own, and there was one left.

They both started at each other, and then the doughnut. The two then had their first true conflict.

[ . . . You can have it, but I get it if I can grab it without brute force]

"Sounds fair . . . " Shadow took the doughnut into his hand, wondering why his `rival' hadn't tried anything.

[Look, it's Matt Damon!]

"Where!? Where!? Who's Matt Damon?" Shadow felt confusion for the second time.

The reptile tapped the bottom of the hedgehog's hand and the doughnut flew up. Biolizard jumped up, did a twist, and caught his prize in his mouth while suspended in midair.

"How'd you do that?"

[I practice biting people's hands.]

"Not that, how did you make me look away?"

[Oh, you're gullible is all. You still have a lot to learn.]

" . . . Can you teach me to be that slick? How to trick people?"

[Is Amos Famous?]

"What?"

[Never mind, I'll do it if you teach me to talk]

"Eight dollars!"

[ . . . three dollars?]

"Forty dollars!"

[What the hell are you doing?]

" . . . I was trying to haggle."

[ . . . First of all, you're not paying me anything. Second of all, you're trying to pay a low price, ya yutz ]

Shadow looked down, and Biolizard looked away.

[I guess it must be strange having all of this knowledge for the first time in a new world . . . ]

" . . . We can start in the morning, I suppose."

***

Biolizard was standing on top of the crack above the open doorway so that if he were to drop, he would land right in the middle of where the door usually was.

"Bio, what are you doing?"

[Glad you're awake] he noted as the hedgehog jumped out of his horizontal tube connected and bolted to the wall.

"How did you do it? It's five-thirty in the morning."

[I don't sleep]

" . . . "

[ . . . Just kidding, I just nap in the day so no one thinks I sleep. It makes them fear me more.]

"Oh. What are you doing up there?"

[Watch this, it'll be freakin' hilarious.]

Maria walked into the room with a smile on her face while staring lovingly at Shadow, and Biolizard dropped down onto her back.

"Ahhh! Get him off of me! Ahh! Grandpa! Get him off of me!"

"What are you doing, Bio!?"

[She smells like Shampoo and warm apple pie! I love you Maria!] he yelled sarcastically.

"Bio, you're scaring her to death."

Three scientists rushed in and struggled to pull the lizard off of the screaming girl, and then cornered him. Maria immediately held Shadow closely.

"You DO smell like Shampoo and warm apple pie"

"You can talk!?"

"Let's kill this menace for good!" one scientist yelled.

Suddenly, Biolizard grew two feet taller.

"Damn! It grew!"

The lizard, now 2'8" leapt up at a scientist and started dancing on its head.

"Ahh! Get it off!"

Another scientist dove for him, but the lizard jumped off and started doing a Russian dance.

[I'm invincible! Back to the furnace with ye!]

"Kill it! Kill it!" the three dove for him, but he pirouetted out of the way, and revealed a set of razor sharp teeth.

"Screw this, I want to live!" The other scientists decided they agreed, and then ran out while Biolizard laughed his ass off.

[Suckers! Tell your mothers I said hello!]

" . . . Did he just hiss `suckers'?" Maria asked nervously as she backed towards the door.

Shadow held a thumbs-up sign as Maria walked off with him, but the lizard was still busy cackling and slamming the floor with his tail; he was laughing so hard.

***

It had been quite some time since the incident, and Shadow had fully developed. Biolizard hadn't grown any, and it was worrying him. He didn't want to admit it, but Shadow had become intimidating, and in a fight with him, even though they had become close friends, he probably wouldn't stand a chance.

The lizard had long since left his mini-domain in search of where Maria had taken Shadow this time. He saw the two staring out of one of the windows into space, perhaps even Earth below. Their backs were to him, so he decided on a sneak attack. And then, they began talking.

"Maybe I'll just . . . . " He would always talk to himself to improve his speech, but didn't want to let anyone know that he could talk.

"Shadow, what do you think it's like on Earth?"

" . . . " The reptile leaned back on the corner and eavesdropped, trying to take out as many bits of information as he could.

" . . . the reason for his existence was making people happy through the power of science . . . "

He didn't even seem interested in everything that Shadow had to say. At the time, it just occurred to him how obsolete he had become. Everyone really did love Shadow, and he probably couldn't ever match him in power or popularity. And he knew for sure that he couldn't get Maria's affection. He had always been trying to push that fact aside, but when it occurred to him, it really hung heavy on his heart.

"I won't cry . . . never."

" . . . Maybe if I go down there, I will find the answers . . . " He heard another bit of what Shadow was saying.

"Yes, maybe I should go down there, too. I am the prototype, after all, I deserve to see Earth. Maybe I can start anew . . . these guys hate me anyway . . . but Shadow. I think Shadow would deserve to see me one last time"

It takes a special element of the heart to let a friendship withstand the test of time, and in this case, space.

***

A crowd had gathered where Shadow had retreated to after his conversation.

"What happened?" Everyone ignored him, which was a first. He felt a small tinge of the anger that Biolizard usually had.

"Dudley got hit in the nuts with a bowling ball." Biolizard elaborated, trying to disguise his voice.

" . . . What was a bowling ball doing in the middle of a space colony? And what is a bowling ball?"

"Never mind that, Shadow. Something's up, and I think we need to watch out."

The two heard voices coming from the room around the corner.

"Are they talking to Gerald?" Shadow asked.

"I hope so. That old fart deserves a good tongue-lashing."

"Shouldn't we check it out?"

"No! If he sees me he'll want to do an experiment."

Shadow was already around the corner, and the reptile had no choice but to follow him.

"Why oh why?"

"I'm not going to ask you again! I want The Ultimate Life-form!"

"Go try to stop the Earth from turning! It will be easier!" Gerald yelled back.

"You'll regret this dearly. Your experiments are a menace, a danger to us all!"

The two stood at the open doorway as a general began leaving the room where the flustered scientist had been sitting. He looked down and saw Shadow.

" . . . If it isn't the rodent now . . . " He reached down for Shadow, after which he proceeded to casually bite his fingers a quarter of the way off.

"Ahh! You bastard life forms! We'll be back, Robotnik! And we'll make sure you regret refusing to hand him over willingly!"

Shadow scoffed as he spit out the blood.

The military officer brushed past Biolizard, and stomped down the transparent corridors of the space colony.

"All I wanted to do was to make life easier for humanity . . . why did all of this have to happen? Why is mankind so ungrateful?" The scientist stood up, exhausted, and walked past his crowd of colleagues and the incapacitated Dudley.

"My friends, pack your bags, they may try to evacuate us. If they return, prepare to leave . . . "

"But sir, all of our research-"

"Means nothing, now. They want to shut us down and take our research for themselves. But I don't believe we can let that happen . . . "

***

Biolizard had led Shadow the limits of the colony, the uninhabited portion with little lighting near the coupling ports. It was very eerie indeed.

"BL, Why are we here? I've never been this far from my room, this is almost the exit to the colony, and we're right next to the bay of escape pods."

"Oh yeah, about that. After Dudley got hit and didn't get up, I knew we were in for one hell of an unfortunate event, so I'm here, ready to boogey when the storm hits."

"Bio, that's ridiculous. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"I'll bet you a kick in the pants something will"

"You're on!"

There was a distant explosion, and the alarm immediately began to ring.

"Ouch!" Shadow yelled after Biolizard kicked him in the ass so hard he hit the ceiling.

"I told you, you little porcupine!"

"Quit fooling around! We need to find out what's the matter!"

The two leapt through the doors that were beginning to close, and noticed the GUN ships stationed at the dock.

"Get on the wall!" A group of soldiers had scientists pinned down.

"Where . . . is . . . . Shadow!?"

"I don't know! And even if I did, you wouldn't be able to catch him! He has hover shoes on!" A scientist yelled back.

"Then what do you call these?" That same general held up a pair of hover shoes.

" . . . Look, its Matt Damon!" The researcher made a futile attempt at an escape. The general walked up to the loudmouthed scientist and stripped a half roll of duct tape around his head.

Shadow used this opportunity to grab the shoes and put them on.

"There he is! Kill the lizard!" The soldiers fumbled with their guns.

"I'm not the ultimate life form . . . just a prototype . . . NO! Don't shoot! No-" He flipped to the side and the soldiers hit the plexiglass instead.

"Morons! Nimrods! Idiots!" Biolizard yelled as the vacuum began to pull the remaining oxygen out into space.

"Warning, Depressurizing. Vacuum will begin in thirty seconds."

"Run!" Shadow warned, hovering down the corridor while his friend followed, ducking under the GUN fire.

"Damn GUN and their guns!" The two leapt over a block as clips of ammunition were emptied behind them.

"I say we rebel! Shadow?" The hedgehog was way ahead of him.

"Take this!" Shadow rolled up, and then dashed around the room while sending unfortunate souls into garbage cans and steel walls.

"I'd help you, but I got arthritis." Biolizard reasoned as the hedgehog spin-dashed and leapt around into as many soldiers as he could, dodging GUN fire.

Shadow continued to body slam, kick, and trip any soldier that dared to join the melee, and jumped back to Biolizard's position.

"What the hell are you doing, help me!"

"I was! I beat a bunch of them up and I was sitting here waiting for you!"

Shadow rolled his eyes and jumped back out, continuing to fight like a maniac.

Biolizard's jaw dropped, he could probably never do any of that, he was once again surpassed. Until he grew three feet taller.

"Yeah! 5'8''!" The newly improved lizard leapt from behind the block and ran towards the melee, testing his new tail.

"Ahhh!" A soldier let out a girly scream as he was smacked by the tail and joined his friends in a dumpster. He peeked out to see the lizard still staring at him, and didn't hesitate to close the lid over himself.

"Let's go, Bio!" The two rushed down the corridor, and that's when the next crisis began. Another soldier spun from behind a corner and began firing automatically. The archetype and the prototype of the ultimate life-form ran faster, and the following events appeared to them to happen in slow motion.

A bullet spun and left smoke in its trail as it shot towards Shadow. He slowly brought up a shoe, calculated trajectory, and with ridiculous speed and accuracy, kicked the bullet back, right into the barrel of the machine gun.

"Damn!" The gun congested and there was a small explosion as it lost function. A small tank trailed behind the fallen soldier, and shot a missile. The dangerous tracker screeched as it sent smoke everywhere like a mechanical demon from hell, and went towards Biolizard.

With care, he tested his new abilities and back-flipped, landing on the missile hard enough to change its course. Time seemed to speed up again and the projectile smashed into the wall behind.

Even more soldiers rushed from behind the end of the passage, and began to fill up an open room.

"Shadow! You go ahead! I'll hold them off!"

"But-"

"I've become nothing next to you. If anyone can do this, it's you and you only. You are the ultimate life-form, and only you can give the world a chance at happiness. Leave me here! All I can do is support you."

" . . . "

"Goodbye, my friend."

The two performed a quick handshake as Shadow nodded, his expression growing morose. He ran down the aisle towards where he could see Maria.

Biolizard walked calmly into the gunfire.

"You want a piece of me? You want the ultimate life-form?" the alarms blared louder than ever.

"Then come and get me."

***

Shadow ran with Maria for a long time down the seemingly endless corridor. The gunfire, the alarms, all of them were becoming a sick lullaby. It was then she noticed she was bleeding.

"Maria . . . !"

"Don't worry about me . . . "

There was a single escape pod, and a panel.

"Maria . . . go in. You need to live."

" . . . You're the one that needs to make it."

"No! I can get you in there, don't worry about me!" He was more confused than ever. Just what was she trying to do?

"Help me, Shadow, I can't move . . . " She gradually moved towards the panel, luring Shadow closer to the pod, and with as much strength as she could muster, she pushed him in and hit the button to shut the door.

"!?"

"Shadow . . . please. I beg of you."

"Maria!!"

"Please . . . do it for me . . . for all of the people on Earth. Give them a chance . . . to be happy."

Shadow's eyes widened in horror. She couldn't . . . she wouldn't . . . He remained plastered on the translucent door to the pod, hoping it would open.

"Sayonara . . . Shadow the Hedgehog."

Shadow heard the sound of battle cries and soldiers flying, but still a few managed to approach as Maria hit the button, and his pod flew out of its docking and into the blackness of space. The last Shadow saw was Maria collapsing. Physical and Emotional exhaustion combined into one, and there in his pod, he lapsed into unconsciousness.