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Chapter 51

No prison could hold Shadow Kintobor.

The last twenty-four hours had been a blur, a series of silent rides in the backs of unmarked, black vans. He had been prodded, poked, photographed, and processed, all without objection, at some facility with gray walls and armed security. Black-suited men tried to coax answers to their questions from him, then screamed the same inquiries until they went hoarse. Shadow didn’t answer, couldn’t- what was the point? It wasn’t like they could do anything, not really. He’d already lost so much…

It wasn’t long before he was whisked away once again. Masked, uniformed soldiers trained guns on him at every deep breath, every bump in the road, steady hands betrayed by nervous ticks. They knew what he knew: bullets couldn’t stop him, not if he didn’t want them to. All it would take was a flick of his claws, one drop of the power locked in his rage, and he could be the only living thing in a mile’s radius, gone before anyone was the wiser, before anyone even knew he was missing. But still he sat, staring at nothing, numb to the world for all its sound and fury.

No prison could hold Shadow Kintobor, not if he didn’t wish it. Yesterday- was it two days ago?- riding on top of the world, the frayed threads of a million lives pinched delicately between his claws, he never would have imagined ‘The Ultimate Being’ going peacefully into the confines of the system that had hounded him his entire life. Somewhere, buried deep beneath the weight of guilt and shame, that part of him still existed. In the course of his natural life (however long it would last), even if he devoted all his considerable energies to the task, he would probably never be able to extinguish every ember of the mindless automaton the military had wanted him to be.

That’s what the soldiers saw during his second transport, even if they didn’t quite believe their eyes: the arm of an insane tyrant, a failed, experimental crawler, a mass murderer that took the power of a God to his brink… sitting silently, shoulders slumped, leaning back against the metal of the van’s interior. They drove for hours, then the processing started over. Time meant very little in his six-by-eight cell, but he’d had three meals delivered and retrieved untouched, so he guessed a couple of days had passed. Not that it mattered.

No prison could hold Shadow Kintobor. But he was tired of running, tired of fighting, tired of hate and pain and loss. Here, alone in the darkness of his cell, he could make some measure of amends for the evils he’d committed: the fear he had reveled in; the destruction he’d rained down when the Eggman pointed to Death’s unguarded scythe and whispered in his ear “No one lives forever;” for his patricide…

No prison could hold Shadow Kintobor. But it was where the world wanted him, so it was where he belonged. He sighed softly, closed his eyes, and let his head fall forward, the concrete cell wall scratching against the quills on his back.

His right ear pricked up before the sound even reached it, something in the way the air shifted, subtly warmer as another presence entered the range of his senses. “Sh…Shadow?”

The hedgehog lifted his head slowly, vision bleary as he worked to focus on the halo’d figure whose face now filled the small square opening embedded in the cell door. “Wh-who…?”

The voice on the other side was hushed, wavering, but familiar. “Shadow, it’s me. I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner, but they wouldn’t let me in earlier. Sally convinced her father to pull some strings. They’re talking with the head of facility security now…”

Shadow smiled, pushing off the ground to stand. “Maria. I’m surprised they let you see me at all.” He walked towards the door, forced to look up at his sister through the door. “How are you?”

In the harsh light of the hallway, she looked pallid, with shadows under eyes that had lost their spring-day luster. But the smile brightened them as soon as she could see him. “I’m fine, Shadow. Sally’s been great; I’ve been staying at the manor when we’re not at the hospital. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks.”

“Yeah… yeah, I can imagine.” He said, his voice weak from disuse. “The things Eggman did, the things I helped him do were- well, they’ll take a lot more to fix than a couple’a weeks. If Sonic hadn’t been there, there’s no telling what might’ve happened.”

She frowned, biting her bottom lip. After a long moment of staring at floor, she stuck her chin out and said, “It doesn’t do any good to dwell on the past Shadow. We can only learn from it and work to do better in the future. And I’m working to give you that chance.”

“Can’t imagine anyone’s in much of a hurry to let me out of here.” He grunted. After a beat, his voice sounded again, softer. “But it’s nice of you to try.”

“What else can I do?” she said, smiling.

From down the hall, another vaguely familiar female’s voice rang out. “Maria! They’re letting us in to see the warden, come on!”

Shadow’s eyes widened. “The Acorn girl?” He whispered. “Why would she-… after what I did?”

Maria’s hand stretched through the bars of the tiny window, finding his brow and ruffling the fur atop it. “Sally’s a good person, Shadow. And she saw what really happened first hand.” The hand slipped back to the other side of the door. “I’ll be back soon!”

He watched as his sister retreated down the hallway. “I’ll be here.” He said, the humor lost on him. ‘Sally Acorn is a good person.’ Is that really all it took? Someone he had personally brought hell upon, threatening family, friends, and life all in a package deal, chose to help him because it was just in her nature? That wasn’t the world the government that had funded his creation believed in, nor the one his father had shown him, a world of suspicion and violence and fear.

‘Gerald…’ Dwelling on the past wouldn’t change it, but nothing would take away that particular sting. It was just another wretched memory, another mistake, another piece of him to try to bury. The only thing he could do was move forward, something he couldn’t do in the six by eight confines he had been given. Here he was nothing, frozen in time, alone with his memories. Shadow sank back down onto the floor, his spines rubbing against the wall through the holes in his shirt. As much as he didn’t deserve it, he hoped his sister would have some luck. It was hard to make amends trapped as he was, and his considerable powers surely had some application to undoing the damage he had caused, and so much more.

* * *

“Looks like we got out of town just in time,” Lien-Da said, scrolling across the screen of her palm-pilot with one hand, “The national guard are making quick work of our former associates – the ones still living anyway.”

The emerald hedgehog in the beach chair next to her rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you can get wifi way out here.”

“The hotel on the other side of the island has their own set-up.”

“Nice.”

The echidna switched the mobile device into sleep mode and traded it for the chilled cocktail at her side. “So as I was saying, I think I deserve more props than you give me for getting us out of the country so quickly.”

Scourge sat up in his chair, cocking an eyeridge at her over his sunglasses. “Babe, if it weren’t for this guy, you’d be nothin’ but a smear on the pavement back in Mobotropolis.” He shot her a wicked grin, his sharp teeth glinting in the sun. “But I’ll admit, the money came in handy in a pinch.”

“To us then,” she said, raising her glass in his direction, “We make a very good team.”

“The start of a beautiful partnership an’ all that.” He stretched out his Corona and tapped it lightly against her drink. “You an’ me, babe…we could take over the whole fuckin’ world.”

Lien-Da took a sip of her drink, trying to hide the grin that tugged at her lips. “You think so, huh?”

“Damn right I do.” He said. “It’s all out there, just waiting for a couple’a slick operators like us to step in, give ‘em a little direction.”

She let out a quiet laugh. “I do love your ambition, Scourge. Even Robotnic never thought that big.”

He shrugged his shoulders, then leaned back in his beach chair. Lien-Da had really picked the perfect place to lay low: hell, he couldn’t even remember the name of the island if he tried (probably mispronounce it anyway). Sunny, warm, out of the way…Angel Island, maybe? I’d be appropriate and ironic at once. Whatever: it was paradise to a body that needed a little R&R after the beating it took in Mobotropolis. But hey, a few more scars never hurt nobody- what don’t kill ya makes ya stronger and all.
“I’m not sayin’ I want the whole world literally- shit, who needs the aggravation, huh?” He said. “But really, we could be kings if we put our heads together. I mean, lying low’s great for now, but eventually my boys’re gonna get tired of paradise. I’m kinda shocked Bean’s gone this long without blowing anything up.”

Lien-Da smirked, “I keep lacing his drinks with tranquilizers.” She took a long, languid sip of her drink and turned her gaze out towards the ocean. For the first time in a long while she could actually say she felt relaxed, and as tempting as Scourge’s big talk was, she couldn’t bring herself to get pumped up just yet. “But don’t worry, I’ll let him get back to his old, demented self soon enough.”

Scourge grunted, allowing his bottle to slip through his fingers, until his grip was only on the neck. It was a minute before he spoke again. “Does Golden Boy change things?”

She tilted her head, watching the sunlight glint on the water. “He’ll be out of commission for quite a while,” she began, “And when, or if, he fully recovers…even he can’t be everywhere. I guess it all depends on us staying one step ahead of him…keeping under his radar.”

Scourge nodded. “Even with Robotnik gone- if he really is- it’s only a matter of time before the next big thing rolls into town. Compared to the apocalypse-level stuff, I can’t imagine he’d have time to worry ‘bout who rules the underground.” He held out his ungloved hands. “‘Scourge: King of the Night Time World’ has a nice ring to it, no?”

The echidna smiled. “Sounds great, babe. It’ll look perfect right under ‘Grandmaster Lien-Da’.”

He turned in his seat and tugged his sunglasses lower. “Under? Woman, you must be crazier than I am.”

With a flash of teeth that was mostly a grin (but just a bit of an alpha-maneuver) she picked herself up only to settle right down again in his lap. “Must be why we get along so well.”

The hedgehog slipped a hand around her waist, craning forward to peck her on the neck. “I can think of another reason.”

She let out a soft purr, and then reached out to pick up her cocktail. “A toast then, to a long and fruitful partnership.”

He brought his bottle up to tap against hers, the glass catching the sun’s rays in a brief, brilliant flash. “Cheers- to us.”

“To us,” she echoed, giving him a languid kiss, “And fuck the rest of ‘em.”

* * *

Rouge the Bat was not a gourmet chef. Neither was she a trained nurse. But a hearty breakfast had been piled high on a bamboo tray right next to a fresh set of bandages and medical tape as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom. “Hey you,” she said, nudging the door open with her hip, “I hope you’re hungr– What are you doing??”

Caught off guard by her sudden entrance, the echidna slipped mid-push-up and hit the carpet with a grunt. “N-nothing…”

“What did the doctor say about over-doing it?” Rouge scolded.

The echidna-humanoid slid into a sitting position. “He said ‘take it easy’… or somethin’ like that.” He mumbled. “Doctors say lotsa things.”

“And they say it for good reasons,” she told him, setting the tray down on her nightstand, “I understand your frustration, but you can’t push yourself so hard.” She climbed over the bed and settled down behind him, one bare leg on either side of him. “Besides,” she added, rubbing his shoulders tenderly, “There are other ways we can burn calories that don’t have to be so…vigorous.”

Sometimes, being largely red-furred had its advantages: no matter how embarrassed you got, it didn’t seem all that bad compared to your usual hue. “I dunno…I’ve experienced your work first-hand. ‘Vigorous’ is a pretty mild way to put it.”

She laughed, and then leaned down to nuzzle her nose in his fur. “I can be gentle,” she cooed, “Don’t you trust me?”

He grinned. “Let’s just say I’ve had a few ‘trust’ issues in my life.” He reached out and touched her leg. “I’m working on it.”

Rouge kissed his temple. “Good. Now c’mon. At least come up here and eat breakfast with me.”

“Something smells good, that’s for sure.” Knux winced just slightly as he stretched out to stand up.

“Damn right it does,” she said, taking his hands in hers. She pulled him gently down next to her. “Don’t worry, hon. We’ll have you back to your usual vigorous activities before you know it.”

The echidna was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts, rubbing his thumbs gently along the sides of her hands. “I guess I didn’t make out too bad, all things considered.” He said. “I mean, yeah, my dad tried to help a maniac terrorist take over the world…and he did shoot me after I saved his life…and the military thinks he was dead before they dug his body out of the crash. But, I mean, we’ve got each other, right? Still here, still kickin’-” He stopped suddenly, the red returning to his cheeks. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to-… I’m not very good at this.”

“Don’t be silly,” Rouge said, nuzzling her nose against his, “For all the hell we – and by we I mostly mean you – have been through, I’m amazed how good things are now. You are…such an astounding male, Knuckles. I love you. You’re doing just fine.”

“Well…getting there, anyway.” He said. “Like the city as a whole, I guess. I love you too, ya know.”

She smiled. “I did know that.” She paused to kiss him, and then added, “But it’s sure nice to hear.”

Knuckles nodded. He didn’t do so well with the ‘sensitive’ stuff, but he was working on it. Hey, it was ‘the thought that counted’ and all that, right? His stomach saved him from further awkwardness, letting out a noticeable gurgle. “Uh…heh, so, ‘bout breakfast…”

“Oh, of course!” she chirped, twisting around to retrieve the tray from her nightstand. “Eat up! Please!”

“Thanks.” He wet the corners of his mouth with his tongue as he picked up his utensils eagerly. “You gonna join me?”

“You bet.” She plucked a piece of toast with jam from the tray. She took a bite and settled back against the many, many pillows piled against the headrest. “Mmmm, this is the life.”

For a fraction of a second, the future became clear to Knuckles Echidna. Just a flash, a blur of images too quick to make out in much clarity, like someone dropping a thousand developed snapshots all around him: two sillouettes facing one another against the white-yellow brilliance of the afternoon sun, reflected with almost blinding beauty through the stained-glass windows of a church; the two of them, in a room very much like this, his hand interlocked with hers atop her swollen stomach; a table set out with all the makings of a feast, chairs filled with friends and youngsters he didn’t recognize, all of them laughing and carrying on with him at the center of it all; an old echidna-humanoid, gnarled knuckles clutching a cane, the bat humanoid’s withered wings draped against his back as she leaned into him, the setting sun catching her perfectly (Gods she still looked good).

In the blink of an eye Knuckles saw everything that could be, enough light to cast away the hate and the pain of the past, to start anew. And like that it was gone, faded into his subconscious, not even a memory.

He smiled. It was such a nice day; there was nowhere he’d rather be. “Yer not kidding.”

She paused midway through her second bite, regarding him thoughtfully. What had she just seen wash over his face? He was smiling at least, something that seemed to be coming easier to him, ever-so-slowly. She ran her free hand over his back, scratching lightly. “You’re the best, hon. Now eat, before it gets cold.”

* * *

There wasn’t much too look at in the warden’s office, in Sonic’s opinion. He spent a lot more time looking at his surroundings, being stuck in a bed or a wheelchair, as he was now. Unless there was a TV in the room. Or a hot nurse. But that was neither here nor there.

It felt a little like going to the principal’s office, honestly. Sure, if you spent enough time in it, the cold, gray walls could take on a less clinical feel, and the watermarks in the ceiling might have goofy shapes hidden in them, but aside from the pretty sweet, oaken desk towards the far end of the room, the place was kind of a dump. Not exactly a glamorous profession, but he, Maria, Sal, and Mayor Acorn weren’t here on glamorous business. They were here to free a scared, guilt-ridden, confused teenager. They were here to free the (second?) most powerful being in the world, a test-tube killer who had tried to conquer the world barely two weeks ago.

Honestly, he had mixed feelings about this whole thing. Not all of what had happened was Shadow’s fault, but he wasn’t entirely blameless either. Maybe the memory of their fight was just too fresh in his mind, probably some vestige of his animal instincts. Still, after what Maria had told him about the Kintobors’ lives so far, he couldn’t help but feel for them. Everyone deserved a second chance, didn’t they? With powers like his, Shadow could do so much good for the world.

He told Sal he’d stay out of the conversation as best he could. Having the Hero of Mobotropolis (had a nice ring to it, didn’t it?) in the room was a good political tool for Mayor Acorn, but Sonic’s tongue tended to be as quick as his feet and… well, he was no politician, he knew that much. This would take a more measured (ie, boring) approach. Whatevs.

The warden was an ex-military man, judging from his sturdy, muscular build and the frown lines etched permanently into his cheeks. He stood with his hands behind his back, his desk chair unused before him. “Release him? You’re insane, the lot of you! That- that thing is lucky we haven’t put a bullet in its head yet, and you want me to release it? Why?”

“Let’s try to keep this civil, Warden.” Mayor Acorn, the regal air in his voice belaying the physical exhaustion written in the wrinkles of his suit and the dust clinging to his shoes. “Shadow Kintobor, despite what you might think of him, is a citizen of Mobotropolis and should be treated as such.”

“He’s not- he’s government property, and we’ll do whatever we damn well please with him.” The big human rolled his shoulders. “Release him… I haven’t heard anything that stupid since my son told me he was dropping out of the academy to be some sort of musician for that Mongoose pop star.”

“A sentient, government-sanctioned super-soldier. How d’you think that’ll play out in the media, when they find out it was their own government’s weapon that Egg-Man used to attack them?” Sally jumped in, staring daggers at the man.

The man’s stern posture broke in surprise. “You… you wouldn’t-” His mustache quivered. “Even if I could release him, why the hell would I? He’s the most dangerous creature on the face of the planet and the most hated to boot!” The warden said.

“You can’t hold him, you know. He’s sitting in that cell because he chooses to be there.” Maria added.

There was a beat of silence, the hum of the overhead light filling the space. “We’ve got special equipment coming in from the feds. A steady dose of drugs and restraints should keep him docile enough until a jury can hang him, all proper like.”

“That’s not justice!” Mayor Acorn barked. “You’re scared, the lot of you, I get that. Believe me, I get that.” He reached up to touch the bandage on his forehead, a souvenir from the demolition of his house. “But Shadow is barely more than a child; he’s been through hell himself, manipulated and abused all his life. He’s just lost his father…hell, how can you be sure the Egg-Man didn’t have him under some sort of mind-control with that collar device?”

The warden bristled uncomfortably. “It’s still better to have him behind bars. He’s too dangerous to be around…around normal people. I know a little of his background…even if he was controlled by Robotnik, what happens the next time he loses his temper and torches a city block, huh? What then?”

“He would never!” Maria cried, her fists clenched at her sides. “He knows better; he’s not a monster!”

“No, he’s a teenager. And like most wounds, time will heal that too.” The mayor said.

“Max…he’s too powerful. What can we do if he gets out of hand? What can we possibly do if he decides to be the next Doctor Robotnik?” The man almost sounded like he was pleading.

Sonic’s voice surprised even himself, stationed as he was in the corner of the room. “Well…that’s why I’m here, ain’t it?” The rest of the room turned to look at him, so he pushed forward, before they could interrupt. “I can always use another friend, ya know?”

Sally moved from her spot next to her father to stand beside her beau, taking his gloved hand in hers. “Exactly. With more positive influences, and without having to live on the run, Shadow could turn his life around.”

Maria clasped her hands to her chest and cast a beseeching glance around the room, ending on the Warden. “Please, sir, he’s my brother.”

Mayor Acorn patted the human girl gently on the shoulder. “It’s not like he would be unsupervised,” he said, “As stated in the proposal my office sent you, both Shadow and Maria will be under my care until a suitable foster home can be found.”

The warden grimaced, as if he’d just had a bite of a week-old sandwich. “It’ll be your ass, Max. With the Feds, with the public…it could be your career.”

“Trust me,” the chipmunk humanoid said, “After this term, I am permanently retiring from professional politics.”

The big human loosened his tie, then pulled out his chair and sat down, rubbing his hands against his face. “…I’ll send down word that he’s to be released into your custody.”

Maria let out a squeal before clapping her hands over her mouth to muffle it. Back near the door, Sally gave Sonic’s hand a hard squeeze.

Mayor Acorn nodded. “Thank you.”

The human narrowed his eyes. “Don’t mention it. Now, if you’d kindly wait for him down in the lobby…”

Sonic didn’t need another hint. “Good idea,” he said, releasing Sally’s hand to better turn his chair around.

The chipmunk female nodded, hurrying to open the door for the hedgehog.

* * *

Rosemary Prower leaned back against the headrest of the driver’s seat of her car. The news radio played quietly over the hum of the vehicle in park. From her spot at the end of the driveway, she watched her son knock on the door of his friend’s home. This routine had become the usual for them over the past month. With much of the city in disarray and all energy being put into the recovery efforts, the school year had been suspended, and they instead had been splitting their time between neighborhood cleanup and visiting the hospital.

Silver was slow to answer the door, but that was understandable, given what the young man had been through. His physical wounds were beginning to heal; it was a small miracle that he had survived his fight with Shadow and the subsequent fall, a credit both to his own strength and the superb work of the doctors that had managed to patch up his internal lacerations and put right his collar bone and spine. The latter had left a series of scars that would be with the boy the rest of his life- physical scars. Lately Rosemary found herself thinking more and more on the…well, the emotional side of things. The scars you couldn’t see by taking off a ratty band T-shirt.

At last she saw the door open and the white-furred hedgehog appeared. The pair of teens made there way back down the driveway. “Morning Silver,” she said as they slid into the back seat.

“Hey Mrs. Prower.” Silver said, dropping his backpack at his feet. “Thanks for drivin’ us, as always.”

“Of course,” she said, “I appreciate the company. I’m sure you’ll hear this from the doctors once we get there, but how’re you feeling today?” She shifted into reverse and backed slowly out of the driveway.

“Tails was just asking me too; I’m okay.” He shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll have to do some sorta physical therapy or something, once things get back to normal a little bit. The doctors gave me pills for… uh, ya know, discomfort.”

“Of course,” she nodded, easing into the scattered morning traffic, “Well that’s good to hear.” She paused for a moment, letting the silence settle. “So…should we grab take-out breakfast before picking up Amy?”

“Yeah, sure, thanks Mom.” Tails said, rolling his window open a crack. “Amy still got that bump on her head from Vector?”

Silver nodded. “It’s getting less noticeable each day, but she’s still styling her fur to hide it. She says her headaches are subsiding too.”

“That’s good.” Tails said. “Seems like everything’s starting to get back to normal, a little at a time. Just gotta keep at it, I guess.”

Rosemary darted a glance back at the teens. “That’s the best anybody can hope for, I think.” She turned on her signal to pull into the nearby fast food place (the chains came back to full operation much faster than the local-owned stores and restaurants). “Drive through, or should we go inside?”

* * *

“Uncle Chuck?” Sonic called down the basement stairs, leaning as far forward in his chair as he could. This whole ‘broken-legs’ thing was really starting to get on his nerves. He hadn’t been off his feet his long since before he could walk, as far as he could remember, and he wasn’t exactly the most patient hedgehog around. “You down there?”

There was the sound of an electric short and a curse before his uncle called back, “Yes! Hang on, I’ll be up in a minute. Just, uh, just keep at it, boys. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Sonic wheeled himself away from the doorway. “Take yer time, no rush.” ‘S’not like I’m goin’ anywhere.’

A moment later, Charles emerged from the basement, a tool belt strapped around his waist and welding goggles atop his head. “Hey, sonny, how’d things go this morning?”

“Well, you know.” Sonic brushed a bit of imaginary dirt off his shoulder, flashing his cocky smirk. “I sweet-talked him a little. We got ‘im out, since he figured- intimidating as the chair is- that I’d be able to keep tabs on the guy.”

“I’ve got no doubt of that,” Chuck said, “The Mayor’s sure to have his hands full now with both you and Shadow to contend with on a daily basis.”

“Yeah, well…he’s not that bad, really. Shadow, I mean. And the Mayor, why not?” the younger hedgehog chuckled. “What’cha workin’ on down there?”

“Oh!” Instantly the elder hedgehog’s eyes were alight. “You’ll never believe it! I think I’m close to a breakthrough on helping all those people that got Roboticized!”

For once, Sonic was glad he was stuck sitting down. “You serious, Unc?”

“Absolutely!” Charles nodded vigorously. “I mean, not just me…I never would’ve gotten this far without the help of those boys your little bee friend introduced me to. They’re downstairs right now, and, boy, I never thought we’d be so close so soon. I wish you could see what we’ve got cooking…”

Sonic grimaced. “Little harder these days…” He smacked a hand against the cast that covered his right leg.

His uncle tapped a gloved finger to his chin. “Ya know what, if your ego can handle it, I’ve got an idea.” He turned and hollered towards the basement doorway. “Hey Rotor! Can you give me a hand a minute?”

A deep, phlegm-filled voice carried up the stairs. “Sure, gimme a sec!”

“C’mon, Unc, what’re you-” Sonic’s face fell. “Oh no. No no no no.”

From the basement doorway emerged an enormous, lavender-furred walrus in a labcoat. His eyes were heavy-lidded, but his tusked mouth was smiling widely. “Party of one, going down?”

“So past uncool, guys.” Sonic folded his arms across his chest.

Chuck merely put a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter. Rotor, with surprising speed for a humanoid of his girth, scooped the teen hedgehog up into his massive arms and headed back to the basement.

The younger hedgehog could feel his ears burning in embarrassment. “Ya know, Unc, if you’d just let me try an’ become the Golden God, my legs would probably get healed up like that-” He snapped his fingers.

“Oh hush,” Charles said, following them down the stairs, “A little humility will do you good. Besides, the doctors said not to strain yourself doing anything stupid.”

From above the teen’s head, Rotor interjected, “You may be grounded for now, kid, but you’re still an inspiration to the city, myself included. I know you did most of the grunt work, but I think you’ll be impressed with our ‘clean-up’ efforts.”

They had reached bottom of the stairs now, and were bathed in the bright-white fluorescent light of the ceiling units. The room had transformed since Sonic had last been in it. Chuck’s old wooden workbench was now barely visible behind the metal-framed, glass-paneled structure erected in the center of the floor. Crouching by the foot of the chamber was a thin, brown-haired human, his face hidden behind a welding mask while he worked a blowtorch.

“I just did what anybody woulda, if they could.” Sonic let out a low whistle, looking around with interest. “You guys’ve been busy down here.”

“That’s for sure,” Rotor said, “Hey Chris, can we get a chair for the hero of Mobotropolis?”

The human teen looked up from his work. “Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure.” He stood up, twisted around, and started clearing papers off the chair pushed into Chuck’s desk.

Sonic waved half-heartedly. “I’d get it myself, but, ya know…”

“N-no, of course, it’s no trouble!” Chris said, bringing the seat nearer as Rotor lowered the hedgehog onto it, “I guess your Uncle wanted to show you the De-Roboticizer, huh?”

“The what’cha-what now?”

Chuck slapped his forehead. “Aw, I wanted to tell him what it was!”

“S-sorry!” the human stammered. The walrus laughed.

“‘De-Roboticizer’?” Sonic repeated, turning to look from one inventor to the next as best he could. “That’s, like, self-explanatory, right? That’s what I think it is? Does it work?”

His uncle shook his head. “Not yet. I don’t want to risk a test subject until I’m 99% sure it will work…I wish the megalomaniac had roboticized the trees or something…”

“How did you even-…I mean, this must’ve taken some serious work.”

“Round the clock.” Rotor said. “Still, after what we went through on the ground that day…an’ what you did up there on the ship, of course- it was worth it.”

“We got access to one of the Robotcizers on the ground before the government moved in to confiscate them. It’s genius stuff, man.” Chris added. He blinked, then seemed to realize how dangerously close his foot was to his mouth. “It’s, well, it’s awful, I mean, but the technology…I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Chuck crossed the room and shuffled through the papers on his desk. “Chris has a point. The concept itself is incredibly impressive.” He extracted a sheet of schematics from the mess and brought it over to his nephew. “The way the original works, see, is on a microscopic level, altering the molecular structure of each cell, switching it from an organic to a synthetic material. Fixing the physical part is as simple as turning the process in reverse. But it’s the nervous-system, the brain aspect of it that makes me hesitant.”

“I’m glad you guys can make head or tail of this stuff.” Sonic rubbed his eyes with the back of his gloves. “Anything I can do to help?”

Rotor sidled up on the hedgehog’s other side. “Actually, anything you can remember from your time on the ship could help us out. We know Robotnik had one of these machines with him, right? Did you happen to see it in action? Did he happen to mention at all how he designed it to function? He was pretty infamously a fan of monologuing.”

Sonic snorted. “Yeah, tell me about it. Couldn’t get the guy to shut the hell up. But as for details…it’s all sort of a blur. When I broke into the machine to get Sal, it just felt like I was being attacked from every angle: my arms were on fire, it took over my eyes, I couldn’t even scream because it had already gotten to my tongue. I could feel it in Sal too… like this, this virus had taken over, erasing her essence. Her soul, I guess. It was all I could do to bring her back from that brink. I don’t really know how I did it, to be honest. It was just an instinct thing; when I have the gold power, everything just seems to come easier.”

Chuck patted his nephew on the shoulder. “Of course…And, if we haven’t gotten this figured out on our own by the time you’re recovered, we may just need that golden power of yours. However, the virus idea may be a good avenue to explore. Computer viruses can certainly alter A.I.s, so maybe he’d come up with a biological virus that could alter sentience.”

“We’ll keep working on it, as long as it takes.” Chris said. “I’ve had to walk by the roboticized mass once or twice…it’s a horrible sight, all those people just standing there, frozen like that.”

Rotor nodded. “It just makes you want to work even harder, that’s all. We’ll figure this out.” He put a hand on Sonic’s shoulder. “Would you like a lift back upstairs, or did you want to hang out here a while?”

“I don’t wanna bug you guys- but keep me in the loop, huh?”

“Course, sonny boy.” Uncle Chuck clapped Sonic on the shoulder. “We can’t let you do everything on your own, after all.”

* * *

“That’s it, Chief, you’re doing great!” Dr. Jorian said, watching from the sidelines as the fox humanoid used parallel bars to walk slowly across the room.

The in-house physical therapist, a young black-cat humanoid called Hershey, smiled widely. “You’ll be back on your feet before you know it, Amadeus.”

“I’d feel more confident if they’d only stay under me once in a while.” The Police Chief grunted, forcing himself to take another halting step forward, his sweaty right palm nearly slipping against the bar. He caught himself, barely. “The next time someone decides to unleash an unstoppable killing droid on the city, I’d like a little fair warning, that’s all I’m saying.”

“Noted,” Hershey said.

The sound of the door opening made all three of them turn. “Dad!” Tails bounded into the room ahead of his mother and friends. “Lookin’ good!”

“Hey!” Amadeus broke into a wide smile, inching himself closer to the end of the bars where his wheelchair sat. “Good to see you guys! How was the ride over?”

“Good,” Rosemary said, joining her son. “I think all of the traffic lights are finally back running again.”

“Guess the city’s in the same boat I am: one step at a time.” Amadeus eased himself down into his chair. “I wish I could’ve been there for you all when everything went to hell.”

His wife leaned down to kiss him. “I’m just grateful we’re all still here. I’ve got both my boys, what more could a woman ask for?”

Tails came up and stood behind his dad, allowing the silence to linger before offering his answer: “…free hospital jell-o?”

His parents exchanged a bewildered glance and then broke out laughing, the sound of which the teen hadn’t heard since the attack on Police Headquarters. His mother hugged him, wiping mirthful tears from her eyes. “Oh, I love you, Miles. You’ve always had a way with words.”

The younger fox blushed, looking down at his feet as his tails twitched. “Just tryin’ to lighten the mood. Figure we could all use it.”

Amadeus craned his neck to look at his son, “How about we head back to my room? I think my breakfast will be waiting for me, and I could use it after the workout I just had.”

“Yeah, sure- if that’s okay with the doc.” Tails said.

Jorian nodded. “We’ll check up on you later, Amadeus.”

* * *

Out in the hall across from the physical therapy room, seated on a small bench with green cushions, Silver twisted his stiff back, wincing in pain as he did. “…How’s your head?”

“A-alright,” Amy said, brushing at her headfur self-consciously. In order to properly repair the damage done to her scalp, the doctors had shaved a portion of it, and she had cropped the remainder much shorter than normal to try and hide it. “The headaches have subsided mostly; I hardly need the pain-killers they gave me anymore.” She gave the white-furred hedgehog a weak smile and placed a hand over his.

“Good, good.” Silver interlocked his gloved fingers with hers. “I hear they’re thinking about opening up the schools again, maybe by the end of the month.”

“I never thought I’d be so happy to go back to school,” she laughed. “I guess the school year will end up dragging into the summer a while, huh?”

“Probably…but compared to the last couple weeks, that doesn’t seem all that bad.” He said. The young humanoid took a breath, then looked over at her. “Amy… can I ask you a question?”

She tightened her grip on his hand. “Of course, Silver. What is it?”

He brought his free hand up, rubbing the back of his head. “I’ve been thinking about this for a little while, and it’s just…you aren’t mad at me, are you? I don’t mean like that- but like, the collective ‘you.’ I couldn’t stop Shadow, on that day. I couldn’t do what Sonic did. That was the first time my powers weren’t enough. Anything I put my mind to before that-…that was the first time. Did I let everyone down? Is it my fault those people are standing out there in the middle of the city, frozen?”

“Silver…” she scooted closer to him on the bench. “It’s not your fault, just like it’s not Knuckles’ fault, or Tails’ or mine. We did the very best we could when no one else even knew how to try. We were up against impossible odds, and yes, Sonic may have been the one who could transform into the ‘Golden God’, but I know that he was greatful to have us as back-up.” She kissed his temple. “I’m very proud of how you stood up to Shadow. You were very brave. Sonic might be the city’s hero…but you’re mine.”

He managed a smile. A small, unsure thing, but a smile nonetheless. “Thanks. I guess I’ve just been feeling a little guilty lately. I know I shouldn’t, with so much still to be done, but it creeps in anyway.” He ran his thumb along the back of her hand. “Good thing you always know what to say.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” she said, shifting so she could link her arm with his, “Besides, it’s not like there aren’t lots of ways your powers can help with the clean-up efforts. Haven’t you been going around with the disaster-relief crews, removing debris from homes and stuff?”

“Yeah, that’s true. That lunatic Robotnik caused a ton of collateral damage with that droid army. I think Tails an’ I were gonna head out again this afternoon, if you wanna come with.”

“I’d love to,” she said. At that moment, the door to the physical therapy gym swung open and the Prower family emerged, all smiles. The hedgehog teens rose, arms still linked. “Good morning, Chief Prower,” Amy said, inclining her head to her friend’s father.

“Morning Amy, Silver.” The Police Chief said, extending a hand. “Or are we shortening that to one name now?”

The pair let out an embarrassed laugh, but did not separate, the fox humanoid noted. Silver leaned forward to shake his hand with his free one. “Glad to see you in such good spirits, sir.”

“It’s getting easier, one day at a time.”

“For everyone, I think.” Rosemary added.

“C’mon,” Tails said, steering his father in the direction of the elevator. “Let’s head upstairs.”

TBC…

Description
Chapter 51

No prison could hold Shadow Kintobor.

The last twenty-four hours had been a blur, a series of silent rides in the backs of unmarked, black vans. He had been prodded, poked, photographed, and processed, all without objection, at some facility with gray walls and armed security. Black-suited men tried to coax answers to their questions from him, then screamed the same inquiries until they went hoarse. Shadow didn’t answer, couldn’t- what was the point? It wasn’t like they could do anything, not really. He’d already lost so much…

It wasn’t long before he was whisked away once again. Masked, uniformed soldiers trained guns on him at every deep breath, every bump in the road, steady hands betrayed by nervous ticks. They knew what he knew: bullets couldn’t stop him, not if he didn’t want them to. All it would take was a flick of his claws, one drop of the power locked in his rage, and he could be the only living thing in a mile’s radius, gone before anyone was the wiser, before anyone even knew he was missing. But still he sat, staring at nothing, numb to the world for all its sound and fury.

No prison could hold Shadow Kintobor, not if he didn’t wish it. Yesterday- was it two days ago?- riding on top of the world, the frayed threads of a million lives pinched delicately between his claws, he never would have imagined ‘The Ultimate Being’ going peacefully into the confines of the system that had hounded him his entire life. Somewhere, buried deep beneath the weight of guilt and shame, that part of him still existed. In the course of his natural life (however long it would last), even if he devoted all his considerable energies to the task, he would probably never be able to extinguish every ember of the mindless automaton the military had wanted him to be.

That’s what the soldiers saw during his second transport, even if they didn’t quite believe their eyes: the arm of an insane tyrant, a failed, experimental crawler, a mass murderer that took the power of a God to his brink… sitting silently, shoulders slumped, leaning back against the metal of the van’s interior. They drove for hours, then the processing started over. Time meant very little in his six-by-eight cell, but he’d had three meals delivered and retrieved untouched, so he guessed a couple of days had passed. Not that it mattered.

No prison could hold Shadow Kintobor. But he was tired of running, tired of fighting, tired of hate and pain and loss. Here, alone in the darkness of his cell, he could make some measure of amends for the evils he’d committed: the fear he had reveled in; the destruction he’d rained down when the Eggman pointed to Death’s unguarded scythe and whispered in his ear “No one lives forever;” for his patricide…

No prison could hold Shadow Kintobor. But it was where the world wanted him, so it was where he belonged. He sighed softly, closed his eyes, and let his head fall forward, the concrete cell wall scratching against the quills on his back.

His right ear pricked up before the sound even reached it, something in the way the air shifted, subtly warmer as another presence entered the range of his senses. “Sh…Shadow?”

The hedgehog lifted his head slowly, vision bleary as he worked to focus on the halo’d figure whose face now filled the small square opening embedded in the cell door. “Wh-who…?”

The voice on the other side was hushed, wavering, but familiar. “Shadow, it’s me. I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner, but they wouldn’t let me in earlier. Sally convinced her father to pull some strings. They’re talking with the head of facility security now…”

Shadow smiled, pushing off the ground to stand. “Maria. I’m surprised they let you see me at all.” He walked towards the door, forced to look up at his sister through the door. “How are you?”

In the harsh light of the hallway, she looked pallid, with shadows under eyes that had lost their spring-day luster. But the smile brightened them as soon as she could see him. “I’m fine, Shadow. Sally’s been great; I’ve been staying at the manor when we’re not at the hospital. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks.”

“Yeah… yeah, I can imagine.” He said, his voice weak from disuse. “The things Eggman did, the things I helped him do were- well, they’ll take a lot more to fix than a couple’a weeks. If Sonic hadn’t been there, there’s no telling what might’ve happened.”

She frowned, biting her bottom lip. After a long moment of staring at floor, she stuck her chin out and said, “It doesn’t do any good to dwell on the past Shadow. We can only learn from it and work to do better in the future. And I’m working to give you that chance.”

“Can’t imagine anyone’s in much of a hurry to let me out of here.” He grunted. After a beat, his voice sounded again, softer. “But it’s nice of you to try.”

“What else can I do?” she said, smiling.

From down the hall, another vaguely familiar female’s voice rang out. “Maria! They’re letting us in to see the warden, come on!”

Shadow’s eyes widened. “The Acorn girl?” He whispered. “Why would she-… after what I did?”

Maria’s hand stretched through the bars of the tiny window, finding his brow and ruffling the fur atop it. “Sally’s a good person, Shadow. And she saw what really happened first hand.” The hand slipped back to the other side of the door. “I’ll be back soon!”

He watched as his sister retreated down the hallway. “I’ll be here.” He said, the humor lost on him. ‘Sally Acorn is a good person.’ Is that really all it took? Someone he had personally brought hell upon, threatening family, friends, and life all in a package deal, chose to help him because it was just in her nature? That wasn’t the world the government that had funded his creation believed in, nor the one his father had shown him, a world of suspicion and violence and fear.

‘Gerald…’ Dwelling on the past wouldn’t change it, but nothing would take away that particular sting. It was just another wretched memory, another mistake, another piece of him to try to bury. The only thing he could do was move forward, something he couldn’t do in the six by eight confines he had been given. Here he was nothing, frozen in time, alone with his memories. Shadow sank back down onto the floor, his spines rubbing against the wall through the holes in his shirt. As much as he didn’t deserve it, he hoped his sister would have some luck. It was hard to make amends trapped as he was, and his considerable powers surely had some application to undoing the damage he had caused, and so much more.

* * *

“Looks like we got out of town just in time,” Lien-Da said, scrolling across the screen of her palm-pilot with one hand, “The national guard are making quick work of our former associates – the ones still living anyway.”

The emerald hedgehog in the beach chair next to her rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you can get wifi way out here.”

“The hotel on the other side of the island has their own set-up.”

“Nice.”

The echidna switched the mobile device into sleep mode and traded it for the chilled cocktail at her side. “So as I was saying, I think I deserve more props than you give me for getting us out of the country so quickly.”

Scourge sat up in his chair, cocking an eyeridge at her over his sunglasses. “Babe, if it weren’t for this guy, you’d be nothin’ but a smear on the pavement back in Mobotropolis.” He shot her a wicked grin, his sharp teeth glinting in the sun. “But I’ll admit, the money came in handy in a pinch.”

“To us then,” she said, raising her glass in his direction, “We make a very good team.”

“The start of a beautiful partnership an’ all that.” He stretched out his Corona and tapped it lightly against her drink. “You an’ me, babe…we could take over the whole fuckin’ world.”

Lien-Da took a sip of her drink, trying to hide the grin that tugged at her lips. “You think so, huh?”

“Damn right I do.” He said. “It’s all out there, just waiting for a couple’a slick operators like us to step in, give ‘em a little direction.”

She let out a quiet laugh. “I do love your ambition, Scourge. Even Robotnic never thought that big.”

He shrugged his shoulders, then leaned back in his beach chair. Lien-Da had really picked the perfect place to lay low: hell, he couldn’t even remember the name of the island if he tried (probably mispronounce it anyway). Sunny, warm, out of the way…Angel Island, maybe? I’d be appropriate and ironic at once. Whatever: it was paradise to a body that needed a little R&R after the beating it took in Mobotropolis. But hey, a few more scars never hurt nobody- what don’t kill ya makes ya stronger and all.
“I’m not sayin’ I want the whole world literally- shit, who needs the aggravation, huh?” He said. “But really, we could be kings if we put our heads together. I mean, lying low’s great for now, but eventually my boys’re gonna get tired of paradise. I’m kinda shocked Bean’s gone this long without blowing anything up.”

Lien-Da smirked, “I keep lacing his drinks with tranquilizers.” She took a long, languid sip of her drink and turned her gaze out towards the ocean. For the first time in a long while she could actually say she felt relaxed, and as tempting as Scourge’s big talk was, she couldn’t bring herself to get pumped up just yet. “But don’t worry, I’ll let him get back to his old, demented self soon enough.”

Scourge grunted, allowing his bottle to slip through his fingers, until his grip was only on the neck. It was a minute before he spoke again. “Does Golden Boy change things?”

She tilted her head, watching the sunlight glint on the water. “He’ll be out of commission for quite a while,” she began, “And when, or if, he fully recovers…even he can’t be everywhere. I guess it all depends on us staying one step ahead of him…keeping under his radar.”

Scourge nodded. “Even with Robotnik gone- if he really is- it’s only a matter of time before the next big thing rolls into town. Compared to the apocalypse-level stuff, I can’t imagine he’d have time to worry ‘bout who rules the underground.” He held out his ungloved hands. “‘Scourge: King of the Night Time World’ has a nice ring to it, no?”

The echidna smiled. “Sounds great, babe. It’ll look perfect right under ‘Grandmaster Lien-Da’.”

He turned in his seat and tugged his sunglasses lower. “Under? Woman, you must be crazier than I am.”

With a flash of teeth that was mostly a grin (but just a bit of an alpha-maneuver) she picked herself up only to settle right down again in his lap. “Must be why we get along so well.”

The hedgehog slipped a hand around her waist, craning forward to peck her on the neck. “I can think of another reason.”

She let out a soft purr, and then reached out to pick up her cocktail. “A toast then, to a long and fruitful partnership.”

He brought his bottle up to tap against hers, the glass catching the sun’s rays in a brief, brilliant flash. “Cheers- to us.”

“To us,” she echoed, giving him a languid kiss, “And fuck the rest of ‘em.”

* * *

Rouge the Bat was not a gourmet chef. Neither was she a trained nurse. But a hearty breakfast had been piled high on a bamboo tray right next to a fresh set of bandages and medical tape as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom. “Hey you,” she said, nudging the door open with her hip, “I hope you’re hungr– What are you doing??”

Caught off guard by her sudden entrance, the echidna slipped mid-push-up and hit the carpet with a grunt. “N-nothing…”

“What did the doctor say about over-doing it?” Rouge scolded.

The echidna-humanoid slid into a sitting position. “He said ‘take it easy’… or somethin’ like that.” He mumbled. “Doctors say lotsa things.”

“And they say it for good reasons,” she told him, setting the tray down on her nightstand, “I understand your frustration, but you can’t push yourself so hard.” She climbed over the bed and settled down behind him, one bare leg on either side of him. “Besides,” she added, rubbing his shoulders tenderly, “There are other ways we can burn calories that don’t have to be so…vigorous.”

Sometimes, being largely red-furred had its advantages: no matter how embarrassed you got, it didn’t seem all that bad compared to your usual hue. “I dunno…I’ve experienced your work first-hand. ‘Vigorous’ is a pretty mild way to put it.”

She laughed, and then leaned down to nuzzle her nose in his fur. “I can be gentle,” she cooed, “Don’t you trust me?”

He grinned. “Let’s just say I’ve had a few ‘trust’ issues in my life.” He reached out and touched her leg. “I’m working on it.”

Rouge kissed his temple. “Good. Now c’mon. At least come up here and eat breakfast with me.”

“Something smells good, that’s for sure.” Knux winced just slightly as he stretched out to stand up.

“Damn right it does,” she said, taking his hands in hers. She pulled him gently down next to her. “Don’t worry, hon. We’ll have you back to your usual vigorous activities before you know it.”

The echidna was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts, rubbing his thumbs gently along the sides of her hands. “I guess I didn’t make out too bad, all things considered.” He said. “I mean, yeah, my dad tried to help a maniac terrorist take over the world…and he did shoot me after I saved his life…and the military thinks he was dead before they dug his body out of the crash. But, I mean, we’ve got each other, right? Still here, still kickin’-” He stopped suddenly, the red returning to his cheeks. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to-… I’m not very good at this.”

“Don’t be silly,” Rouge said, nuzzling her nose against his, “For all the hell we – and by we I mostly mean you – have been through, I’m amazed how good things are now. You are…such an astounding male, Knuckles. I love you. You’re doing just fine.”

“Well…getting there, anyway.” He said. “Like the city as a whole, I guess. I love you too, ya know.”

She smiled. “I did know that.” She paused to kiss him, and then added, “But it’s sure nice to hear.”

Knuckles nodded. He didn’t do so well with the ‘sensitive’ stuff, but he was working on it. Hey, it was ‘the thought that counted’ and all that, right? His stomach saved him from further awkwardness, letting out a noticeable gurgle. “Uh…heh, so, ‘bout breakfast…”

“Oh, of course!” she chirped, twisting around to retrieve the tray from her nightstand. “Eat up! Please!”

“Thanks.” He wet the corners of his mouth with his tongue as he picked up his utensils eagerly. “You gonna join me?”

“You bet.” She plucked a piece of toast with jam from the tray. She took a bite and settled back against the many, many pillows piled against the headrest. “Mmmm, this is the life.”

For a fraction of a second, the future became clear to Knuckles Echidna. Just a flash, a blur of images too quick to make out in much clarity, like someone dropping a thousand developed snapshots all around him: two sillouettes facing one another against the white-yellow brilliance of the afternoon sun, reflected with almost blinding beauty through the stained-glass windows of a church; the two of them, in a room very much like this, his hand interlocked with hers atop her swollen stomach; a table set out with all the makings of a feast, chairs filled with friends and youngsters he didn’t recognize, all of them laughing and carrying on with him at the center of it all; an old echidna-humanoid, gnarled knuckles clutching a cane, the bat humanoid’s withered wings draped against his back as she leaned into him, the setting sun catching her perfectly (Gods she still looked good).

In the blink of an eye Knuckles saw everything that could be, enough light to cast away the hate and the pain of the past, to start anew. And like that it was gone, faded into his subconscious, not even a memory.

He smiled. It was such a nice day; there was nowhere he’d rather be. “Yer not kidding.”

She paused midway through her second bite, regarding him thoughtfully. What had she just seen wash over his face? He was smiling at least, something that seemed to be coming easier to him, ever-so-slowly. She ran her free hand over his back, scratching lightly. “You’re the best, hon. Now eat, before it gets cold.”

* * *

There wasn’t much too look at in the warden’s office, in Sonic’s opinion. He spent a lot more time looking at his surroundings, being stuck in a bed or a wheelchair, as he was now. Unless there was a TV in the room. Or a hot nurse. But that was neither here nor there.

It felt a little like going to the principal’s office, honestly. Sure, if you spent enough time in it, the cold, gray walls could take on a less clinical feel, and the watermarks in the ceiling might have goofy shapes hidden in them, but aside from the pretty sweet, oaken desk towards the far end of the room, the place was kind of a dump. Not exactly a glamorous profession, but he, Maria, Sal, and Mayor Acorn weren’t here on glamorous business. They were here to free a scared, guilt-ridden, confused teenager. They were here to free the (second?) most powerful being in the world, a test-tube killer who had tried to conquer the world barely two weeks ago.

Honestly, he had mixed feelings about this whole thing. Not all of what had happened was Shadow’s fault, but he wasn’t entirely blameless either. Maybe the memory of their fight was just too fresh in his mind, probably some vestige of his animal instincts. Still, after what Maria had told him about the Kintobors’ lives so far, he couldn’t help but feel for them. Everyone deserved a second chance, didn’t they? With powers like his, Shadow could do so much good for the world.

He told Sal he’d stay out of the conversation as best he could. Having the Hero of Mobotropolis (had a nice ring to it, didn’t it?) in the room was a good political tool for Mayor Acorn, but Sonic’s tongue tended to be as quick as his feet and… well, he was no politician, he knew that much. This would take a more measured (ie, boring) approach. Whatevs.

The warden was an ex-military man, judging from his sturdy, muscular build and the frown lines etched permanently into his cheeks. He stood with his hands behind his back, his desk chair unused before him. “Release him? You’re insane, the lot of you! That- that thing is lucky we haven’t put a bullet in its head yet, and you want me to release it? Why?”

“Let’s try to keep this civil, Warden.” Mayor Acorn, the regal air in his voice belaying the physical exhaustion written in the wrinkles of his suit and the dust clinging to his shoes. “Shadow Kintobor, despite what you might think of him, is a citizen of Mobotropolis and should be treated as such.”

“He’s not- he’s government property, and we’ll do whatever we damn well please with him.” The big human rolled his shoulders. “Release him… I haven’t heard anything that stupid since my son told me he was dropping out of the academy to be some sort of musician for that Mongoose pop star.”

“A sentient, government-sanctioned super-soldier. How d’you think that’ll play out in the media, when they find out it was their own government’s weapon that Egg-Man used to attack them?” Sally jumped in, staring daggers at the man.

The man’s stern posture broke in surprise. “You… you wouldn’t-” His mustache quivered. “Even if I could release him, why the hell would I? He’s the most dangerous creature on the face of the planet and the most hated to boot!” The warden said.

“You can’t hold him, you know. He’s sitting in that cell because he chooses to be there.” Maria added.

There was a beat of silence, the hum of the overhead light filling the space. “We’ve got special equipment coming in from the feds. A steady dose of drugs and restraints should keep him docile enough until a jury can hang him, all proper like.”

“That’s not justice!” Mayor Acorn barked. “You’re scared, the lot of you, I get that. Believe me, I get that.” He reached up to touch the bandage on his forehead, a souvenir from the demolition of his house. “But Shadow is barely more than a child; he’s been through hell himself, manipulated and abused all his life. He’s just lost his father…hell, how can you be sure the Egg-Man didn’t have him under some sort of mind-control with that collar device?”

The warden bristled uncomfortably. “It’s still better to have him behind bars. He’s too dangerous to be around…around normal people. I know a little of his background…even if he was controlled by Robotnik, what happens the next time he loses his temper and torches a city block, huh? What then?”

“He would never!” Maria cried, her fists clenched at her sides. “He knows better; he’s not a monster!”

“No, he’s a teenager. And like most wounds, time will heal that too.” The mayor said.

“Max…he’s too powerful. What can we do if he gets out of hand? What can we possibly do if he decides to be the next Doctor Robotnik?” The man almost sounded like he was pleading.

Sonic’s voice surprised even himself, stationed as he was in the corner of the room. “Well…that’s why I’m here, ain’t it?” The rest of the room turned to look at him, so he pushed forward, before they could interrupt. “I can always use another friend, ya know?”

Sally moved from her spot next to her father to stand beside her beau, taking his gloved hand in hers. “Exactly. With more positive influences, and without having to live on the run, Shadow could turn his life around.”

Maria clasped her hands to her chest and cast a beseeching glance around the room, ending on the Warden. “Please, sir, he’s my brother.”

Mayor Acorn patted the human girl gently on the shoulder. “It’s not like he would be unsupervised,” he said, “As stated in the proposal my office sent you, both Shadow and Maria will be under my care until a suitable foster home can be found.”

The warden grimaced, as if he’d just had a bite of a week-old sandwich. “It’ll be your ass, Max. With the Feds, with the public…it could be your career.”

“Trust me,” the chipmunk humanoid said, “After this term, I am permanently retiring from professional politics.”

The big human loosened his tie, then pulled out his chair and sat down, rubbing his hands against his face. “…I’ll send down word that he’s to be released into your custody.”

Maria let out a squeal before clapping her hands over her mouth to muffle it. Back near the door, Sally gave Sonic’s hand a hard squeeze.

Mayor Acorn nodded. “Thank you.”

The human narrowed his eyes. “Don’t mention it. Now, if you’d kindly wait for him down in the lobby…”

Sonic didn’t need another hint. “Good idea,” he said, releasing Sally’s hand to better turn his chair around.

The chipmunk female nodded, hurrying to open the door for the hedgehog.

* * *

Rosemary Prower leaned back against the headrest of the driver’s seat of her car. The news radio played quietly over the hum of the vehicle in park. From her spot at the end of the driveway, she watched her son knock on the door of his friend’s home. This routine had become the usual for them over the past month. With much of the city in disarray and all energy being put into the recovery efforts, the school year had been suspended, and they instead had been splitting their time between neighborhood cleanup and visiting the hospital.

Silver was slow to answer the door, but that was understandable, given what the young man had been through. His physical wounds were beginning to heal; it was a small miracle that he had survived his fight with Shadow and the subsequent fall, a credit both to his own strength and the superb work of the doctors that had managed to patch up his internal lacerations and put right his collar bone and spine. The latter had left a series of scars that would be with the boy the rest of his life- physical scars. Lately Rosemary found herself thinking more and more on the…well, the emotional side of things. The scars you couldn’t see by taking off a ratty band T-shirt.

At last she saw the door open and the white-furred hedgehog appeared. The pair of teens made there way back down the driveway. “Morning Silver,” she said as they slid into the back seat.

“Hey Mrs. Prower.” Silver said, dropping his backpack at his feet. “Thanks for drivin’ us, as always.”

“Of course,” she said, “I appreciate the company. I’m sure you’ll hear this from the doctors once we get there, but how’re you feeling today?” She shifted into reverse and backed slowly out of the driveway.

“Tails was just asking me too; I’m okay.” He shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll have to do some sorta physical therapy or something, once things get back to normal a little bit. The doctors gave me pills for… uh, ya know, discomfort.”

“Of course,” she nodded, easing into the scattered morning traffic, “Well that’s good to hear.” She paused for a moment, letting the silence settle. “So…should we grab take-out breakfast before picking up Amy?”

“Yeah, sure, thanks Mom.” Tails said, rolling his window open a crack. “Amy still got that bump on her head from Vector?”

Silver nodded. “It’s getting less noticeable each day, but she’s still styling her fur to hide it. She says her headaches are subsiding too.”

“That’s good.” Tails said. “Seems like everything’s starting to get back to normal, a little at a time. Just gotta keep at it, I guess.”

Rosemary darted a glance back at the teens. “That’s the best anybody can hope for, I think.” She turned on her signal to pull into the nearby fast food place (the chains came back to full operation much faster than the local-owned stores and restaurants). “Drive through, or should we go inside?”

* * *

“Uncle Chuck?” Sonic called down the basement stairs, leaning as far forward in his chair as he could. This whole ‘broken-legs’ thing was really starting to get on his nerves. He hadn’t been off his feet his long since before he could walk, as far as he could remember, and he wasn’t exactly the most patient hedgehog around. “You down there?”

There was the sound of an electric short and a curse before his uncle called back, “Yes! Hang on, I’ll be up in a minute. Just, uh, just keep at it, boys. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Sonic wheeled himself away from the doorway. “Take yer time, no rush.” ‘S’not like I’m goin’ anywhere.’

A moment later, Charles emerged from the basement, a tool belt strapped around his waist and welding goggles atop his head. “Hey, sonny, how’d things go this morning?”

“Well, you know.” Sonic brushed a bit of imaginary dirt off his shoulder, flashing his cocky smirk. “I sweet-talked him a little. We got ‘im out, since he figured- intimidating as the chair is- that I’d be able to keep tabs on the guy.”

“I’ve got no doubt of that,” Chuck said, “The Mayor’s sure to have his hands full now with both you and Shadow to contend with on a daily basis.”

“Yeah, well…he’s not that bad, really. Shadow, I mean. And the Mayor, why not?” the younger hedgehog chuckled. “What’cha workin’ on down there?”

“Oh!” Instantly the elder hedgehog’s eyes were alight. “You’ll never believe it! I think I’m close to a breakthrough on helping all those people that got Roboticized!”

For once, Sonic was glad he was stuck sitting down. “You serious, Unc?”

“Absolutely!” Charles nodded vigorously. “I mean, not just me…I never would’ve gotten this far without the help of those boys your little bee friend introduced me to. They’re downstairs right now, and, boy, I never thought we’d be so close so soon. I wish you could see what we’ve got cooking…”

Sonic grimaced. “Little harder these days…” He smacked a hand against the cast that covered his right leg.

His uncle tapped a gloved finger to his chin. “Ya know what, if your ego can handle it, I’ve got an idea.” He turned and hollered towards the basement doorway. “Hey Rotor! Can you give me a hand a minute?”

A deep, phlegm-filled voice carried up the stairs. “Sure, gimme a sec!”

“C’mon, Unc, what’re you-” Sonic’s face fell. “Oh no. No no no no.”

From the basement doorway emerged an enormous, lavender-furred walrus in a labcoat. His eyes were heavy-lidded, but his tusked mouth was smiling widely. “Party of one, going down?”

“So past uncool, guys.” Sonic folded his arms across his chest.

Chuck merely put a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter. Rotor, with surprising speed for a humanoid of his girth, scooped the teen hedgehog up into his massive arms and headed back to the basement.

The younger hedgehog could feel his ears burning in embarrassment. “Ya know, Unc, if you’d just let me try an’ become the Golden God, my legs would probably get healed up like that-” He snapped his fingers.

“Oh hush,” Charles said, following them down the stairs, “A little humility will do you good. Besides, the doctors said not to strain yourself doing anything stupid.”

From above the teen’s head, Rotor interjected, “You may be grounded for now, kid, but you’re still an inspiration to the city, myself included. I know you did most of the grunt work, but I think you’ll be impressed with our ‘clean-up’ efforts.”

They had reached bottom of the stairs now, and were bathed in the bright-white fluorescent light of the ceiling units. The room had transformed since Sonic had last been in it. Chuck’s old wooden workbench was now barely visible behind the metal-framed, glass-paneled structure erected in the center of the floor. Crouching by the foot of the chamber was a thin, brown-haired human, his face hidden behind a welding mask while he worked a blowtorch.

“I just did what anybody woulda, if they could.” Sonic let out a low whistle, looking around with interest. “You guys’ve been busy down here.”

“That’s for sure,” Rotor said, “Hey Chris, can we get a chair for the hero of Mobotropolis?”

The human teen looked up from his work. “Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure.” He stood up, twisted around, and started clearing papers off the chair pushed into Chuck’s desk.

Sonic waved half-heartedly. “I’d get it myself, but, ya know…”

“N-no, of course, it’s no trouble!” Chris said, bringing the seat nearer as Rotor lowered the hedgehog onto it, “I guess your Uncle wanted to show you the De-Roboticizer, huh?”

“The what’cha-what now?”

Chuck slapped his forehead. “Aw, I wanted to tell him what it was!”

“S-sorry!” the human stammered. The walrus laughed.

“‘De-Roboticizer’?” Sonic repeated, turning to look from one inventor to the next as best he could. “That’s, like, self-explanatory, right? That’s what I think it is? Does it work?”

His uncle shook his head. “Not yet. I don’t want to risk a test subject until I’m 99% sure it will work…I wish the megalomaniac had roboticized the trees or something…”

“How did you even-…I mean, this must’ve taken some serious work.”

“Round the clock.” Rotor said. “Still, after what we went through on the ground that day…an’ what you did up there on the ship, of course- it was worth it.”

“We got access to one of the Robotcizers on the ground before the government moved in to confiscate them. It’s genius stuff, man.” Chris added. He blinked, then seemed to realize how dangerously close his foot was to his mouth. “It’s, well, it’s awful, I mean, but the technology…I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Chuck crossed the room and shuffled through the papers on his desk. “Chris has a point. The concept itself is incredibly impressive.” He extracted a sheet of schematics from the mess and brought it over to his nephew. “The way the original works, see, is on a microscopic level, altering the molecular structure of each cell, switching it from an organic to a synthetic material. Fixing the physical part is as simple as turning the process in reverse. But it’s the nervous-system, the brain aspect of it that makes me hesitant.”

“I’m glad you guys can make head or tail of this stuff.” Sonic rubbed his eyes with the back of his gloves. “Anything I can do to help?”

Rotor sidled up on the hedgehog’s other side. “Actually, anything you can remember from your time on the ship could help us out. We know Robotnik had one of these machines with him, right? Did you happen to see it in action? Did he happen to mention at all how he designed it to function? He was pretty infamously a fan of monologuing.”

Sonic snorted. “Yeah, tell me about it. Couldn’t get the guy to shut the hell up. But as for details…it’s all sort of a blur. When I broke into the machine to get Sal, it just felt like I was being attacked from every angle: my arms were on fire, it took over my eyes, I couldn’t even scream because it had already gotten to my tongue. I could feel it in Sal too… like this, this virus had taken over, erasing her essence. Her soul, I guess. It was all I could do to bring her back from that brink. I don’t really know how I did it, to be honest. It was just an instinct thing; when I have the gold power, everything just seems to come easier.”

Chuck patted his nephew on the shoulder. “Of course…And, if we haven’t gotten this figured out on our own by the time you’re recovered, we may just need that golden power of yours. However, the virus idea may be a good avenue to explore. Computer viruses can certainly alter A.I.s, so maybe he’d come up with a biological virus that could alter sentience.”

“We’ll keep working on it, as long as it takes.” Chris said. “I’ve had to walk by the roboticized mass once or twice…it’s a horrible sight, all those people just standing there, frozen like that.”

Rotor nodded. “It just makes you want to work even harder, that’s all. We’ll figure this out.” He put a hand on Sonic’s shoulder. “Would you like a lift back upstairs, or did you want to hang out here a while?”

“I don’t wanna bug you guys- but keep me in the loop, huh?”

“Course, sonny boy.” Uncle Chuck clapped Sonic on the shoulder. “We can’t let you do everything on your own, after all.”

* * *

“That’s it, Chief, you’re doing great!” Dr. Jorian said, watching from the sidelines as the fox humanoid used parallel bars to walk slowly across the room.

The in-house physical therapist, a young black-cat humanoid called Hershey, smiled widely. “You’ll be back on your feet before you know it, Amadeus.”

“I’d feel more confident if they’d only stay under me once in a while.” The Police Chief grunted, forcing himself to take another halting step forward, his sweaty right palm nearly slipping against the bar. He caught himself, barely. “The next time someone decides to unleash an unstoppable killing droid on the city, I’d like a little fair warning, that’s all I’m saying.”

“Noted,” Hershey said.

The sound of the door opening made all three of them turn. “Dad!” Tails bounded into the room ahead of his mother and friends. “Lookin’ good!”

“Hey!” Amadeus broke into a wide smile, inching himself closer to the end of the bars where his wheelchair sat. “Good to see you guys! How was the ride over?”

“Good,” Rosemary said, joining her son. “I think all of the traffic lights are finally back running again.”

“Guess the city’s in the same boat I am: one step at a time.” Amadeus eased himself down into his chair. “I wish I could’ve been there for you all when everything went to hell.”

His wife leaned down to kiss him. “I’m just grateful we’re all still here. I’ve got both my boys, what more could a woman ask for?”

Tails came up and stood behind his dad, allowing the silence to linger before offering his answer: “…free hospital jell-o?”

His parents exchanged a bewildered glance and then broke out laughing, the sound of which the teen hadn’t heard since the attack on Police Headquarters. His mother hugged him, wiping mirthful tears from her eyes. “Oh, I love you, Miles. You’ve always had a way with words.”

The younger fox blushed, looking down at his feet as his tails twitched. “Just tryin’ to lighten the mood. Figure we could all use it.”

Amadeus craned his neck to look at his son, “How about we head back to my room? I think my breakfast will be waiting for me, and I could use it after the workout I just had.”

“Yeah, sure- if that’s okay with the doc.” Tails said.

Jorian nodded. “We’ll check up on you later, Amadeus.”

* * *

Out in the hall across from the physical therapy room, seated on a small bench with green cushions, Silver twisted his stiff back, wincing in pain as he did. “…How’s your head?”

“A-alright,” Amy said, brushing at her headfur self-consciously. In order to properly repair the damage done to her scalp, the doctors had shaved a portion of it, and she had cropped the remainder much shorter than normal to try and hide it. “The headaches have subsided mostly; I hardly need the pain-killers they gave me anymore.” She gave the white-furred hedgehog a weak smile and placed a hand over his.

“Good, good.” Silver interlocked his gloved fingers with hers. “I hear they’re thinking about opening up the schools again, maybe by the end of the month.”

“I never thought I’d be so happy to go back to school,” she laughed. “I guess the school year will end up dragging into the summer a while, huh?”

“Probably…but compared to the last couple weeks, that doesn’t seem all that bad.” He said. The young humanoid took a breath, then looked over at her. “Amy… can I ask you a question?”

She tightened her grip on his hand. “Of course, Silver. What is it?”

He brought his free hand up, rubbing the back of his head. “I’ve been thinking about this for a little while, and it’s just…you aren’t mad at me, are you? I don’t mean like that- but like, the collective ‘you.’ I couldn’t stop Shadow, on that day. I couldn’t do what Sonic did. That was the first time my powers weren’t enough. Anything I put my mind to before that-…that was the first time. Did I let everyone down? Is it my fault those people are standing out there in the middle of the city, frozen?”

“Silver…” she scooted closer to him on the bench. “It’s not your fault, just like it’s not Knuckles’ fault, or Tails’ or mine. We did the very best we could when no one else even knew how to try. We were up against impossible odds, and yes, Sonic may have been the one who could transform into the ‘Golden God’, but I know that he was greatful to have us as back-up.” She kissed his temple. “I’m very proud of how you stood up to Shadow. You were very brave. Sonic might be the city’s hero…but you’re mine.”

He managed a smile. A small, unsure thing, but a smile nonetheless. “Thanks. I guess I’ve just been feeling a little guilty lately. I know I shouldn’t, with so much still to be done, but it creeps in anyway.” He ran his thumb along the back of her hand. “Good thing you always know what to say.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” she said, shifting so she could link her arm with his, “Besides, it’s not like there aren’t lots of ways your powers can help with the clean-up efforts. Haven’t you been going around with the disaster-relief crews, removing debris from homes and stuff?”

“Yeah, that’s true. That lunatic Robotnik caused a ton of collateral damage with that droid army. I think Tails an’ I were gonna head out again this afternoon, if you wanna come with.”

“I’d love to,” she said. At that moment, the door to the physical therapy gym swung open and the Prower family emerged, all smiles. The hedgehog teens rose, arms still linked. “Good morning, Chief Prower,” Amy said, inclining her head to her friend’s father.

“Morning Amy, Silver.” The Police Chief said, extending a hand. “Or are we shortening that to one name now?”

The pair let out an embarrassed laugh, but did not separate, the fox humanoid noted. Silver leaned forward to shake his hand with his free one. “Glad to see you in such good spirits, sir.”

“It’s getting easier, one day at a time.”

“For everyone, I think.” Rosemary added.

“C’mon,” Tails said, steering his father in the direction of the elevator. “Let’s head upstairs.”

TBC…