Scream For Me

-14-

Shadow stared at the footage, one eye twitching furiously. "Delete it," he said without taking his eyes off it. Detonator was guffawing in the corner, clutching his stomach. "I SAID DELETE IT!" 

"Nah, mate," the panther said. "That's my leverage." Shadow grabbed the camera and shook it. 

"HOW DO YOU DELETE IT?!" 

"I ain't tellin' you a thing!" He started laughing again and Shadow chucked it at him, knocking him clean off his chair. "Yowsa!" 

Shadow stalked out of the room. He was still missing his skates, which he didn't remember taking off. "(Y/n)?" he shouted. "You better not be in on this too!" 

"Oh no," the AI said. "Your skates are outside my room." Shadow walked there, snatching up his shoes and putting them back on. He paused, glancing at her door, then straightened and knocked. The (a/t) cracked it open, spotted the dark hedgehog, and slammed it shut. 

"Look," he said. "I'm sorry for whatever I did." 

"I just took them to keep you from chasing me around with them." 

"And now I'm done with that little episode. You can come out now." 

"You sounded mad." 

"I'm not mad." (Y/n) peeked out at him again, looked him up and down, then stepped out. "We need to plan our next move." 

"Are you sure you and Detonator are back at full strength." 

"I feel fine. We need to get back to our time." 

"I know that, but if you're going to pull a stunt like last time, I'm out. I nearly blew all the glass in that building out." Shadow sighed. 

"I'm sorry," he said. "I wasn't thinking." 

"Clearly." She studied him. "The only good thing about that mission is that I got to see you in a suit." She grinned up at him as he averted his gaze awkwardly. 

"Uh, mates? We have a problem," Detonator called, looking down the hallway. 

"What is it?" Shadow demanded. 

"Not all of the security cameras stayed down," the panther said. "So you were caught on the security feed before we went into the vents. That footage was hacked by some other agency looking to get the Emeralds as well. Shadow, you were on that footage. Now they think that you're the real Project Shadow and they're going to be looking for you." 

"Great. So what do we do?"

"Shadow, you're going to have to sit our next expedition out," Detonator said. 

"Absolutely not. I have to get the Emeralds. I can get us home."

"Shadow, it's not really up for debate." He glared at the (a/t), who swallowed thickly but kept her glare.

"So she gets to go?" the dark hedgehog growled. 

"If she wants," Detonator said. "She could be useful." Shadow suddenly gripped the panther by the neck and he made a strangled sound.

"If she is hurt," the dark hedgehog said slowly. "Then it will be you who I hunt down."

"R-relax mate," Detonator panted. "She'll be perfectly safe, if she decides to go."

"Shadow, please. Put him down." He looked at (Y/n) as she grabbed his arm. "If it makes you feel better, you can run a few training rounds with me to see where I stand." She nodded at Detonator and Shadow released him. The panther stumbled back, gasping.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" the agent asked. He unholstered one of his and handed it to her. "She's probably going to need it." He nodded down the hallway. "Shooting alleys are down there. Don't strangle anybody on the way there." He then turned and limped down the hallway. 

(Y/n) brushed her fingers over the barrel of the gun, taking out the magazine and tucking it into one of her pockets. She then started off to the alleys, Shadow falling in behind her. "Are you going to go?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. 

"Yes. It's my responsibility and I'm going to fulfill it. Plus, it's good field training." She tossed the gun into the air, catching it and pointing it down the hallway. She lowered it a moment later. "I know you think that you're entitled to go, but you should just face the facts. Without your skates, you're just like me. Put them on, you're just like Sonic. Nothing more. Without your Chaos powers, you're mortal like the rest of us." Shadow slowed, his eyes widening. She didn't seem to notice. 

They were silent until they reached the alleys and stepped inside. "Do you know how to shoot?" he asked. She was silent, staring at the target on the far end of the alley.  "Allow me to-" She grabbed the magazine, shoved it into the gun, loaded it, and fired three shots. Shadow blinked, then peered down the alley. All three had hit the dead center of the target. 

"I also know basic hand to hand combat and how to shoot moving objects while moving. Something I opted to do just after I graduated college. You know, a sort of hunch I thought I would need." She flipped the gun around and held it out to him. 

"How come I didn't know about this?" he inquired. 

"Because back then, you were the Ultimate Lifeform." Again with her point. Something about it didn't seem unpleasant to Shadow. Being mortal? He shook himself. He would dwell on it later. Right now, he needed to know that she could handle herself out on the field, especially with her screams. No one else would have the earbuds, and his were slowly reaching the end of their term. Slowly, but they were. 

He took the gun and fired without looking. A perfect shot. She smiled softly and looked down. "Where to next?" 

"We'll practice some hand to hand combat, but I'm sure you already have that down." 

"A little practice never hurt anyone. Let's go. Whatever makes you feel most comfortable." 

~

After a bit of training, she settled down for the night, leaving Shadow to head off to his own dorm. He thumped onto the bed, staring at the wall before down at his skates. He worked one off and held it up in front of his face. Take your skates off, you're just like me. Put them on, you're just like Sonic. She was right. Without his Chaos powers, he was no longer the Ultimate Lifeform. Defeat for him would be just as imminent now as it was for Sonic or anyone else on his team. 

"I'm becoming mortal," he whispered, putting his skate back on and looking at the inhibitor rings. For so long, he'd held back from taking them off for fear of hurting those around him. But now...

He gripped one of them and pulled it off. Nothing happened. When the other one came off, the same thing. They were gone. His Chaos powers were really gone, and without the Chaos Emeralds, they probably weren't coming back. 

But what if I really am mortal now? What if I could finally live a normal life? What if I didn't have to watch the people I love die? He looked at the inhibitor rings in his hands. What if....