Project: Hedgehog

Chapter 13

Once out of that dark hallway, the two ran into another obstacle. Where were they exactly? Looking around, nothing seemed familiar. It was dark and everything was disordered and it was quiet. Shadow turned to Sonic.

"We'll have to take out chances and start walking. We need to reach F16," the older said. Sonic nodded and followed his companion carefully. The floors made loud creaking sounds beneath their feet. A piece of sharp metal grazed Sonic's leg, making the azure hedgehog jump and bump into Shadow, holding onto him like it was some cliché movie. Shadow jumped a bit, startled, but eventually moved an arm down to Sonic's waist, holding him. Sonic felt his face get hot and his heart rate pick up at this action, but he didn't know why. Was he sick? It didn't matter. Sonic slowly released himself from Shadow's grip, feeling cold when he did, but continued walking.

"S-sorry..." Sonic mumbled. Shadow didn't reply as he followed behind the younger hedgehog, his face red and with a look of confusion adorning it.

They didn't speak much as they tried making their way through the maze-like hallways. They didn't come across any light source. Then, something clicked on Shadow's mind.

"Wait," he began and Sonic looked at him questioningly. "What is the lights are off in the whole ARK? We would need to find a sign to lead us to hallway A." Sonic's eyes widened in understanding as he nodded and began to walk down a hall, looking at the sign above every door he found. Finally, he found it. Hallway A.

"I found it!" Sonic announced. Shadow, who had been examining a different hall, came over to him and Sonic used Henderson's keycard to unlock and open the door. The two quietly slipped out. Indeed, it was still dark in hallway A. No lights and no other scientists. It was concerning, but Sonic and Shadow didn't worry about that as they began to scan the adjacent halls for hallway F. After some time, they did find hallway F and scanned the doors, finding F16 in about five minutes.

Once again, Sonic used Henderson's keycard and opened F16. They both slipped inside and looked around. It looked empty inside. What was this weapon that Henderson was talking about?

Stumbling around, Sonic found a case in a desk far away from the door. He opened it and blinked a few times as he was hit with multiple glowing colors. Looking inside, he saw seven emeralds.

"Hey, Shadow," Sonic called quietly. Shadow looked at him from where he was looking at a few research papers before walking over, the papers still in hand. They both looked at them and Shadow looked back at the papers.

"These are Chaos Emeralds..." he said. Sonic looked at him, waiting for him to explain. "The Chaos Emeralds, also known as the miracle gems or gems of miracles, are objects that posses powers. They are seven ancient emeralds and mystical relics tied to the Master Emerald that possess powerful properties and abilities. Those that hold the Chaos Emeralds can use their powers for a variety of things, such as initiating a super transformation, powering machines, and warping time and space. Anyone who combines all seven Chaos Emeralds can control ultimate power. Even when not including their mystical powers, the Chaos Emeralds' monetary value and beauty make them prime targets of treasure hunters who seek to make a mint.

"Throughout history, the Chaos Emeralds have been the center of countless world-threatening conflicts and have been targeted by multiple factions on both earth and beyond, who seek them for their near-limitless powers. In the hands of villains they have been used for doomsday weapons and schemes for world domination, and in the hands of heroes they have been used to save the world. Over time, the Emeralds have been gathered multiple times, though they tend to scatter themselves after each usage and reset the hunt for them." Sonic's eyes widened as he looked at the emeralds, processing the information he was just told.

"Wow..." the younger breathed. Shadow nodded in agreement. "So, we use these to fight Emerson?" Shadow nodded again.

"Yeah. If we can get him before—" Shadow was cut off by a loud roar that made the entire ship shake. The hedgehogs ran out of F16 and looked out of the closest window. Their eyes widened at the sight of a large, gray wingless dragon-like creature with glowing yellow eyes. Sonic gasped.

"The Kazumi...!" he whispered. Shadow growled.

"I guess we'll have to go now... especially since..." Shadow looked further out of the window, his eyes widening and his scowl growing. "We're heading quickly towards the Earth. We have to go... now!" He grabbed Sonic's hand and began running down the halls, going back into F16 to retrieve the emeralds and then leaving to find a place to use them and fight Emer—the Kazumi...