Project: Hedgehog

Chapter 10

Sonic walked into his and Shadow's shared Habitation Room. It had been two days since Emerson asked about the photo, and the blue hedgehog had followed the other hedgehog's directions, not mentioning anything about the cabin in the forest. Now, they were taking off again, searching for their next destination.

Sonic stood in the Habitation Room. He had expected to see Shadow, but the ebony hedgehog was nowhere in the room. Sonic turned and walked out again. He wanted to talk to Shadow because he had realized something strange.

The day Emerson asked the two young hedgehogs about the picture, Henderson was nowhere to be seen in the Space Colony ARK. He hasn't turned up in the past few days either and no one seemed to notice or even worry. It was all so strange. Sonic knew he couldn't ask Emerson about it, especially with the said doctor's... odd behavior over the past days.

Emerson spends extensive time in his room now, rarely coming out. and when he does, he looks three decades older. Sonic was scared for him, and of him. Emerson was much more short tempered, and when he smiled, it never reached his eyes. Sonic made it a habit to avoid him. Not to mention that Emerson never returned the picture, but Sonic wouldn't dare ask.

At this point, the young blue hedgehog was wandering the halls of the ARK. He needed that picture back. There was something off about everything and questions that needed to be answered. Why did Emerson care about the picture so much? What happened to the family and their cabin? And what happened to Henderson? It was clear that Emerson likely doesn't even sleep anymore, so how was Sonic going to get the picture unnoticed?

Sonic sighed and closed his eyes, his head beginning to hurt. He ran into someone.

"Oh-! I'm sorry... I wasn't paying attention..." he stuttered.

"Yeah, clearly," a gruff voice replied. Sonic looked up and saw it was Shadow. He smiled.

"Oh! Shadow!" he exclaimed. "I was just looking for you!" Shadow seemed confused.

"You were looking for me?" he asked. Sonic nodded. "Well, I was looking for you." Sonic blinked and then giggled.

"Okay. We should go back to our Habitation Room and talk," Sonic suggested. Shadow nodded in agreement and the two left for their room.

Inside the room, both hedgehogs say across from each other. Sonic on his bed and Shadow at the desk.

"Well?" the ebony hedgehog began. "Ladies first." Sonic rolled his eyes before speaking.

"We need to get that picture back." Shadow blinked at him.

"What? Why?" Sonic sighed.

"There is still so much that hasn't been answered. It's clearly affecting Emerson and it might of had something to do with Henderson's disappearance," he explained. Shadow cocked his head to the side.

"So, you're saying that we need to play some kind of role of detective and spy to get that picture back and figure out what the hell is going on?" Sonic nodded.

"Yeah! If we can figure it out, we can—" Sonic was cut off by another voice.

"You won't be getting your dirty claws near that picture or the answers..." Startled, both hedgehogs turned to see who it was. And standing in front of them was Emerson, his eyes wild and his face dark. He seemed deranged and ready to kill.

"It seems something will have to be done about you two... you're coming with me..."