IMPENDING DOOM

05

✥
FIVE
Doomed
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៚ SHADOW CHOSE TO SLEEP, MOSTLY. Get some rest, try to be calm. Regather the strength he lost in that prison. Take in the fact that it is no longer 1970.

Days passed by painfully slow—for Robotnik, anyway. He had no progress and received nothing but annoyance; Shadow refused to even look at him, let alone show off his abilities.

Robotnik was seriously considering taking him back to G.U.N. Headquarters. Let the child rot for all he cared.

Agent Stone, however, was the one getting to know Shadow through quiet observations. Shadow was a curious creature, approaching things he didn't understand by tiptoe as if it would explode. He took a liking to Agent Stone's enormous bookshelf, delicately removing tomes and reading them in a quiet corner on the floor of the living room.

"You may sit on the furniture," Agent Stone offered the one day. Shadow was ecstatic and took up the offer immediately. Since then, he sat himself down in the armchair closest to the window to read.

The days were calm, somewhat. He kept the house clean to pass the time. Something to do. Something to take his mind off the ghosts living rent-free in his brain. He wanted to go outside more than anything, but he risked being seen. Being taken. Captive. He almost hyperventilated at the thought.

Cleaning the house soon became boring, but what else could he do? He wanted nothing to do with Robotnik, family or not. He was only interested in using Shadow's power for personal gain, and he denied the human that.

. . . But he did throw a spark at him here and there, just to get him to go away.

"You desire a taste of my power? Here." And he had zapped Robotnik something fierce, singeing a bit of that insane mustache. That only angered Robotnik more, but Shadow didn't care.

"You really upset me."

"And you offend me," was Shadow's retort. "Gerald wasted my time and love. I will not permit you anything of mine, no matter how sweet you make the deal. It is a silly fish that falls for the same bait twice, and I am no longer a silly fish."

To this, Robotnik was noticeably stunned. Shadow didn't stick around to see it, marching back to the bedroom and locking himself in.

"Wise words," murmured the Doctor. Then he glared. "But still—come on! Give me a quill! A drop of blood! Something!"

Shadow screamed a shrill "NO!" from behind the bedroom door, ending the conversation.

⋆ ═══ ★ ═══ ⋆

It was hours until Shadow came back out, slow and robotic, sitting himself in the living room armchair, tense.

Agent Stone followed him, curious.

The big flatscreen had the news running for the sake of background noise, but now it was grainy, gray with disruption, which was impossible because they had the best Internet. Agent Stone's mind screamed poltergeist, but he knew better, being a man of science. (He kept it in mind, though, frivolous as it sounded; he'd seen a thing or two, after all.)

"Shadow?"

No reply. The young hedgehog sat still in the armchair, seeming to be glaring out the window.

"To ignore is to be rude," spat Robotnik, popping up from behind, startling Agent Stone.

Shadow slowly turned his head in their direction, snarling deep in his throat. Straight-up demonic. A deep and terrible sound that only a vicious predator would make, not a soft boy.

Worse yet, the pretty rubies that are his eyes were now a sick orange in color, pupils thin, snakelike. Scary. Stephen King was here, definitely.

His calm, soft voice was replaced with a guttural rasp, the very definition of demonic.

"There is no Shadow, only Doom."

Agent Stone would have snickered if this wasn't so damn terrifying. He wanted to laugh. And scream.

Robotnik blew a raspberry. "Very funny, hedgehog."

A heartbeat passed. The possessed Shadow flashed a frosty smirk. Agent Stone hated it.

"Laugh while you can, scion of Gerald, for in three days, my children and I will arrive to your sad planet and retrieve my prize—which I thank you for, by the way. If not for your intervention, my heir would never be freed of his prison."

"This hedgehog is not your prize," Robotnik scoffed. "I don't see your name on his paperwork, mister."

The spectral just chuckled. Demonic and ugly. Unsettling, coming from Shadow.

"You will address me as Your Majesty and naught else, mister." A light warning, but a warning nonetheless. Agent Stone felt faint.

"And you will address me as Doctor," Robotnik retorted. "I didn't spend my life studying robotics to be called 'mister'!"

How Robotnik was so calm, Agent Stone would never know. He stuffed his hands in his pockets to hide the trembling. Tried to be strong.

"Cling to life while you still can. Three days, Doctor. Then I will paint your planet black."

Then in a flash of blue, the possessed Shadow was gone.

Agent Stone heaved a breath. A heartbeat passed. Robotnik opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"Wow," sighed Agent Stone. "Three days to live."

Robotnik made a face.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm an imbecile. I should not have freed the little hedgehog because now our world is facing impending doom from big, scary aliens and Sigourney Weaver isn't here to kill them," he said all in one breath.

"Hm." That was all Robotnik said.

"I hope one day you will forgive my stupidity, Doctor."

Another heartbeat.

"Make me a latte and I will."

Agent Stone just stared. Robotnik clapped loudly.

"Hop to it! I need fuel to scheme!"

"Scheme, Doctor . . . ?"

"Of course! We're gonna fight these losers! And win—because I always win!"

Agent Stone opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by Robotnik.

"LATTE!" he roared. "And find that periwinkle pipsqueak and his primary-colored cronies! We, unfortunately, require their assistance!"

Agent Stone didn't hesitate to get the latte ready. He made a note to himself to find Sonic and explain this all to him, half wondering if the child could and would actually help.

Didn't matter. Agent Stone knew someone who could help him out tremendously.

He just hoped she would.