Secret Fic Previews!
Aug. 18th, 2005 07:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grapegardenAnd take note: they are previews. I am only posting favorite snippets from different chapters and such, and the fact that some months from now, the passages will be heavily rewritten. XDD
Well![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
swammi, you asked for it. :3 Bits of my Fic-In-Progess... Sonic and Shadow don't actually interact until chapter 5, so don't expect any lovin' right now. XDD (That is, when they aren't tearing each other to shreds first, but that's discussed later. Waaaaaaaaaaaay later) So here, we have a Sonadow, but a Sonadow with *GASP* a plot. Yep, you heard me right. A PLOT. P-L-O-T. :3 Expect no high-school-AU-that-ain't-really-high-school, shallow sappy "romantic comedies", wangsting melodrama where emos cut themselves, that sort of thing. Here, we strive for substance, purpose, and most important of all: quality. It ain't your typical yaoi fic—if you want your semes and ukes, your bubbly teen triangles, or your gothic vampire soap operas, go somewhere else. You'll find none of the sort here.
Otherwise... come in. Welcome to the ride. :) Here's what I've been up to:
Title: Untitled
Author: Jigglypuff in Blue Ribbons
Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog
Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Bloody violence, mild language, thematic elements
Ships: Sonadow, aka Shadow/Sonic. You may now scream for different reasons.
Finished: WIP—Snippets
"The only thing that burns in hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life: your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away, but they're not punishing you, they're freeing your soul. If you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. If you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels freeing you from the earth." —Meister Eckhart
It felt like another 50 years, in spite the fact it was far sooner.
He blinked several times inside the pod—Shadow the Hedgehog’s mind was fuzzy and delirious. His surroundings swirled about him, like a camera out of focus. He looked up, checking to be sure he wasn’t lying down… only to know he was standing in a shuddering, upside-down world. This resulted in a headache, and the black hedgehog quickly closed his eyes again. The throbbing lingered however, and he felt himself dizzying more so with the colors flashing abstractedly through his mind. He wanted to bring his hands up, to shield his shut vision with blackness like one would bow to their knees and beg—alas, it was impossible to do such a thing, his hands and arms were tied in a position that made the option useless. Nothing to do but to wait for the light to fade away, to sink into sleep. To forget you were in pain, to be enveloped, consumed… to dream abstract dreams and pitch-blackness inside that devil’s black hole. It was wonderful there… sick, but wonderful. Wonderful… yes.
Something clicked from the outside, and the Ultimate Life-Form collapsed to the floor, crumpled and curling like a broken doll. He moaned from the impact, shaking all over and clawing his fingers as if fighting to pull the ground from beneath him. His eyes stung like mad, his body sore, his head a jackhammer… it wasn’t worth it to stand. But the floor was too frozen … no. His voice shuddering, Shadow put all his weight into his fists until he was able to kneel. His head cleared a little… the more he blinked, the clearer his sight. Finally, the black hedgehog stood, with a slight stagger on the way up. His health was coming quicker than he thought—at least for now, he was able to comprehend his surroundings, so he could find out a little more where on earth he was.
Well, there you have the first paragraphs of my fanfic. :o Basically, I wanted to start out a little differently—you know how Shadowfic tends to begin with him falling from space? Well, I wanted it to start with him already in the lab, so voila. So Shadow starts to walk around feeling dizzy... later he's passing by test tubes and gets memories and such, including when he fell from space. (And it this point, it's the only interaction of Sonic & Shadow we're ever getting for the next few chapters. XDD) Whoo, flashbacks! Everyone hate me. :D
Shadow… hang in there…
He didn't remember what else Sonic said before he plummeted into space. All he knew was a fuzzy memory… they were dragging apart after Chaos Control, and the golden hedgehog had clasped desperately to his hand. He said things that blurred with the crashing and explosions—they were so close to Earth it was threatening to swallow all the ring power he had left. Something about coming with him, living a new life… getting to know everyone, become a new friend. Shadow didn't know what to think at the time, yet… wanted to answer. Maybe follow the blue hedgehog, do as he says, and become introduced to his world—to settle down after so long of pursuit. The paler hedgehog opened his mouth to answer, but the surge of gravity was too much—his hand slipped from the other's and a gold ring he wore was all Sonic clutched. Shadow watched him fade, fade away… he was plummeting at dangerous speeds, yet was around just long enough to hear the disappearing scream calling his name—the scream that shot and slammed through him, panging his mind and burdening him, falling faster and faster…!
Turn back now, blue hedgehog. Go back… go back to where you can run free, go back to find another adventure. You have ring power left… don't waste it on me.
The Ultimate Life-Form remembered closing his eyes, a disturbingly content grin spread across his cheeks like the flu. He could finally die, he could finally be with Maria… he could finally let her know that he done what she wanted. And they could finally be happy. They could finally be at rest, wherever they go when they die…
Sounds super cliché, especially as a snippet, I know. And I might cut this scene out: a ball of light floats before Shadow while he's falling, and Shadow finds himself before the altar of the Master Emerald. And guess who he sees there? Tikal, of course! *SHOT!* I know, I'm lame... XDDD Basically, she talks to him, mainly about the main events of SA1. And she mentions "You and Chaos are a lot alike, you know." before Shadow fades off. I'm honestly not sure how I can involve Tikal logically in this, so... unless I have some kinda crazy idea (though unlikely) Tikal might be cut out from the fic.
Back to the Mysterious*Lab again. Shadow's headache isn't any better, and he feels rather feverish... he opens this door, which is pretty much the darkest room in the lab with the exception of a lit fan in the distance. And allow me to introduce a creation of my own: the mechanical snake.
Shadow blinked, absorbed in the light of the fan. The blades were glowing, stars opening up into the nighttime sky—a miniscule change from the void they once exhibited. They got brighter the longer he stood there, and in a moment he knew why: a fake breath hushed down his neck, hissing and waiting. The black hedgehog gasped and remained absolutely still, in a chill of shock as he felt a mechanical tongue search below his face and itch the bottom of his cheek, as if seeking a way to pause his pulse. He dared to turn around, at least to see past its skinny red teeth atop his shoulder. Two soulless flashlights glared back at him, and exhaled and sunk its artificial fangs deeper in its prey…
Like lightening, the black hedgehog slid out of the way, just before a good chunk of his shoulder was fed to the monster behind him. Both its laser-like lights flashed upon him now—it made a jab for him, which he quickly leapt out of the way. Alas, he couldn't see where he was going, not even with the fan behind him—something cold and hard slammed his back, plummeting him to the floor. Struggling to get up, Shadow was able to spot the creature before his sight, one of a head, voice, and body—a body of no legs at all, and entirely that of dark, ebony sheets of metal. Its tongue was seen clearly now, under its shining eyes a kind of probe sticking in the air. A figure so alien, yet… familiar.
"Hmph… no wonder you don't see any rats in this place."
Cue short battle, Shadow beats snake. And unfortunately, our Angsty*AntiHero is locked in. So he looks around the canisters for buttons and such, when he finds one controlling the fan... (which the light started glowing red for a reason later explained) and it made Shadow comfortable for FIVE seconds until another creation of mine (and one of the main monster baddies!) is given a spooky introduction:
Crrrrrrraaaaaaaaccccchhhhh…!
The button controlling the fan would be used for the last time, while itself and its fellow machine crunched together, startling the black hedgehog out of his thoughts.
Confused, he stared blankly at the crushed canister thrown across to him, a crumpled, if cardboard-like hunk of what used to be a box lain before him like a dead body. His ears twitched, his eyes alert and searching for who or what had done this… thin air, and nothing else. Shadow didn't move, the adrenaline kicking madly in his body to run him out of here. The black hedgehog listened to the breathing he knew was there, the vicious breathing that called for anything alive with lungs and voice. More banging, cracking, and sparking—yet another fallen piece of machinery to this being. It didn't want sparks. It didn't want cables and cords and wires. It didn't want sheets of metal—it wanted skin…it wanted flesh. It wanted bone, it wanted blood, it wanted organs… it wanted screams.
And it came. A colossal metal serpent at that, even larger than the puny robot snake defeated earlier. It burst from the boxes, diving across the room at lightening speed—complete with the crack of thunder that followed snapped canisters and broken wires. Shadow watched the tsunami tear in front of him, the ebony flood from the earliest, darkest moments in time—the living, commanding storm that only IT was capable of bringing about. Gray lights shined upon the hedgehog's face like a torn lighthouse, setting him before the monster's artificial vision. It slinked before him in greeting, drawn by the widened gaze fixed on its face with unsurprised shock. A Leviathan exhaled with closed teeth, daggers as crimson as the eyes of his prey. No pity would come as it struck its first move.
Fightin' Time! And here's a particulary snippet that would make Indiana Jones here FAINT if he were in the black hedgehog's hoverboots:
His head screamed and panged and hurt and burned: it had to be a nightmare he couldn't wake from, or a hallucination from his corrupting mind… either way, he discovered HELL. Rows of lights blared slowly… the lights of demons. All around him, wicked, mechanical snakes hung from the ceiling, swinging everywhere like dark knotted ropes. As if hideous marionettes of skulls and teeth, they gathered before Leviathan: their commander, followed by its sacrificial prisoner. Hydra heads waved slowly back and forth, each with an artificial fang and open mouth, ready to sink in…
Don't worry kids, Shadow gets himself outta this:
And so one did first, lunging for the space without the snake-light. With a deep breath, Shadow dove out of the way, the mechanical monster hissing and shaking its head violently from the floor. The others were desperate for him now—the black hedgehog’s shoes fired up again, and they charged for the spot. The first few to reach there slammed each other’s skulls, their circuits cracking open and electricity charging through, sizzling sparks before their lights blinked out and died like broken bulbs. Nothing but darkness and the scent of smoke was the last of these select robots.
Absolutely hushed, the black hedgehog watched it all, his feet pressed atop the head of another snake. He kicked the rocket-light in its face while he bounced away, blinding the creature—whose vision would be its last while its own companions made quick work of his head and slaughtered each other. The remaining serpents were confused, seeking a black blur among other black blurs—their numbers dwindled as they continued to kill their kind. It was chasing the glow of a firefly with scissors in your hand then tripping over and stabbing yourself in the chest once you reach it. The last of the mechanical snake army was fallen by Shadow himself, having the room to successfully defeat them individually and breaking their cables with the poundings of his heels.
Upon landing the steel ground, bodies were piled in a steaming mess. Sweating and gasping, he swayed as he stood, his face pale and determined. His vision of Leviathan hazed and twisted, like a broken window drenched under the pouring rain. The black hedgehog raised his hand and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand—he was surprised how moist it felt to his glove. He felt warm… warmer than he should be. And still cold. He squinted at the Leviathan, refusing to give up despite his strange health, and smirked before they continued the fight.
The black hedgehog's own condition became quite a challenge to put up with; it exacerbated the longer he fought, the ebony serpent slipping up in his vision, his body aching and pulling him down, his mind refusing to work with him. Since Leviathan and the robots, his headache grown from a dull throbbing to a migraine, and got sharper and sharper from each moment… sometimes, it even felt a tingling kind of warm, as if the pain were healing him. It was as if vertigo were the ultimate peak of his strength—he had pain, he'd lash it out. The colossal monster aimed for him again, enraged lasers for each member of its fallen army. Shadow responded by hover-skating away—there were explosions, and robot corpses shuffled about on the floor like broken parts. It was fighting in a graveyard, the dead machines lain in spite, and the ghostly whispers of the fan blowing further and further nervously, the combat between the Bringer of Death and his Sea, and the one who challenged him… witnessed him. One victory would lead to his beacon, and the other side anticipated another grave among the bottom of his ocean under violet skies…
And you guessed it: Shadow lost. These wires pick him up by the ankle, and tie his feet and wrists to the wall... not to mention Shadow got his face smushed in the process (particulary his nose—he ain't a pretty sight right now) Right when it seems like our favorite angsty hedgehog is Robo*Levi feed though, we get THIS: Aka, the introduction of our main villain:
“Shadow.”
The fangs never came. The black hedgehog’s eyelids twitched, upon hearing his name from nowhere. His eyes half-opened, searching wearingly about the room… the voice was lost to him, and Leviathan was at his side, watching hungrily but never moving. Was his mind playing tricks on him? He closed them again and lowered his head… a hallucination. Everyone had voices in their heads, every once in a while. Yet maybe… maybe his voices came in a bit too extreme right now.
“Shadow. You can hear me.”
Yes… he could hear him. But he could only be listening to himself. But it didn't sound at all like he normally imagined—this was another voice in its entirety. It was hushed and neutral, like one moving their lips to speak silence, or lips shut to word sirens. The voice was laden with false comfort, a doctor telling you everything would be okay—and hiding a collection of scalpels and needles beneath his coat. Pixilated whispers hushed into the black hedgehog’s ear, peculiar and familiar at the same time. Electronic and real. Kindly and cruel.
“Open your eyes, Shadow.”
He was afraid to, fearing there’d be nothingness. His eyelids shuddered in hesitation and opened again, fighting to stay awake. Again, nothing. The room was a broken kaleidoscope to him.
“Above you, Shadow.”
The black hedgehog sluggishly looked up, not daring to turn his head—far-off across the room, just below the ceiling, an obsidian oval gleamed a bloody-red. The egg-shaped camera saw what it saw before it, and that sole sight only, and it was a pleasing one at that. The wires around Shadow bound tighter, and he yelped as static shrilled in his ear—it cleared up however, and soon, he was able to hear every word again… the digital words the device spoke to him now, via the wires attached.
“Who… who are you?” the black hedgehog’s voice was weak and puzzled, devoid of nearly all life but a strained whisper. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop the necessary questions.
"Greetings Shadow, I am P.A.N.D.O.R.A., the All-Gifted computer." That wicked buzz was even more wicked, and gentle became an understatement as it grew. That tender tone even more tender, and that bitter viper snapping like honey. "I have been watching you… if, perhaps, a bit too long. This is the first time I've truly gotten to know you, and you've caused quite a ruckus among my pets. My robots were eager to see you, and I just couldn't resist letting them go greet you. You've managed to put quite a dent in the Leviathan, and I must say, I'm impressed. Then again, why shouldn't I be? You're the Ultimate Life-Form—I’d be most disappointed if you'd fallen so quickly."
"Hhn-how did you find me?" Determined and a little angry, the black hedgehog's voice raised only slightly, straining from the impact. "And what do you want with me?"
I needed a nifty villain: Eggman has his own schemes in the fic, and I didn't want G.U.N. to be the main villain the ten billionth time. So, OC time: I didn't want to make a female character to show that OMG-Women-Are-EVIL!!1 (A stereotype I wanna dispel in slashfic)nor did I want your standard Rapist TM in yaoi. I wanted a villain that went beyond OMG-Dude-Wants-Shadow's-Pants-And-Is-The-Main-Obsticle-Between-Sonic-And-Shadow's-TWU-WUV!!11 Here, PANDORA is a computer—he could care less about love. XDD And ironically, he was inspired by TEC of "Paper Mario 2: The Thousand-Year Door": the biggest difference between them is that TEC is sweet and sacrificing And notices Peach showers a lot... no matter, I still almost cried when—okay, shutting up.(and wanting to know what "feelings" were) But PANDORA? Nuh uh. I'll make one thing clear: He. Is. A. BASTARD.
“I’ve kept you in stasis. I’ve kept you secret from the world, I wanted to protect you. No one should know you’re here; how much trouble that would bring! It’s been… a while, since the recent events of the ARK, to say the least. But still, we should never be too risky—just in case anyone remembers.”
“…How long was I held here? How long have you been watching me since I was unconscious?” Shadow’s voice was nonchalant, knowing he wasn’t going to like what he was going to hear.
“Three years.”
“…What?”
“Three years. Not 300… just three, which is fortunate for you; it's short compared to half a century. Three years since the Prototype of the Ultimate Life, the Final Hazard, had veered the Space Colony ARK to crash upon this planet... and failed. All because of the efforts of Sonic the Hedgehog—and in a way, you yourself. You two did collaborate, and then, there was that dreadful fall of yours: lack of gravity and an increase of it, radiation and suffocation, freezing and burning… Shadow, oh Shadow! Why didn’t you die? You’d do us all a logical favor, and save us from grief: no one can survive a fall from space. Professor Gerald certainly did put a lot of thought and consideration into you—however, it’s a shame to watch one deteriorate into a lunatic, especially when the entire thing had started with the hopes of saving the life he couldn’t.”
“…”
"You know very well whom I'm talking about, Shadow. In fact, it was like the very thought of creating you instead had brought forth her very death."
"Shut. UP." The black hedgehog lashed forward, his actions slicing deeper and exacerbating into his wrists. Two red splatters hit the floor across from each other, like a paintbrush flicking off crimson paint—and continued to drip, if slow and healthy. Shadow ignored this while he glared with rage upon the computer, his ankles too, tickling with blood. "You can say what you want about me… but don't you DARE say a word about her."
“I won’t need to, Shadow… what more needs to be told?” There was a laugh within PANDORA. “What I should bring up is your condition in general: has it occurred to you you aren’t well? The plunge to Earth and all—you were able to walk after three years.”
The black hedgehog was still, swallowing blood and bitter saliva. A certain migraine screamed coolly at its limits, and his stomach churned with fever. The scarlet puddles grown beneath his hands and feet, his shackles further cutting his circulation. They scraped against his bone—with that much of his life’s essence leaving him, it was getting harder to breathe.
“It must be an error on my part to release you so early,” An apology. “You must be nauseated after all I’ve put you through.”
Even with his eyes already closed, it felt darker than anything else. Shadow was barely able to think anymore, his mind slipping into complete blindness. But he held on to one last thought before he fell completely unconscious:
“You should rest now, Shadow. It would be for the good of your health, you know.”
I won’t let you control me.
The cables snapped apart, and the black hedgehog collapsed. Having obediently waited, the Leviathan acted by command and caught him just in time, his limp body sprawled over its back like a soaked towel. The Ultimate Life felt and sensed nothing while he was gently lifted, and the mechanized serpent gazed toward the egg-shaped lens, awaiting its next assignment.
PANDORA orders Leviathan to put Shadow back in stasis. He continues talking to Shadow as if he were still there, and comments that it was the black hedgehog's mind that was most "intriguing" about his strength... the chapter ends there, and we're left wondering what the Hell PANDORA is gonna do to Shadow while he recovers.
I'd do chapters 2-4, but I'm tired... quite tired. XDDD That, and I need to tell myself to quit abusing italics in my fanfic, it's a bitch to edit on LJ. XDDD That, and all the best stuff so far is in Chapter 1 anyway. XDD *shot* I still need to get around the later chapters anyway. (Including a scene I need to rewrite. Badly. XDD)
If "Shadow the Hedgehog" josses me, I'm gonna cry. XDDD Oh well.
Well
swammi, you asked for it. :3 Bits of my Fic-In-Progess... Sonic and Shadow don't actually interact until chapter 5, so don't expect any lovin' right now. XDD (That is, when they aren't tearing each other to shreds first, but that's discussed later. Waaaaaaaaaaaay later) So here, we have a Sonadow, but a Sonadow with *GASP* a plot. Yep, you heard me right. A PLOT. P-L-O-T. :3 Expect no high-school-AU-that-ain't-really-high-school, shallow sappy "romantic comedies", wangsting melodrama where emos cut themselves, that sort of thing. Here, we strive for substance, purpose, and most important of all: quality. It ain't your typical yaoi fic—if you want your semes and ukes, your bubbly teen triangles, or your gothic vampire soap operas, go somewhere else. You'll find none of the sort here. Otherwise... come in. Welcome to the ride. :) Here's what I've been up to:
Title: Untitled
Author: Jigglypuff in Blue Ribbons
Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog
Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Bloody violence, mild language, thematic elements
Ships: Sonadow, aka Shadow/Sonic. You may now scream for different reasons.
Finished: WIP—Snippets
"The only thing that burns in hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life: your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away, but they're not punishing you, they're freeing your soul. If you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. If you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels freeing you from the earth." —Meister Eckhart
It felt like another 50 years, in spite the fact it was far sooner.
He blinked several times inside the pod—Shadow the Hedgehog’s mind was fuzzy and delirious. His surroundings swirled about him, like a camera out of focus. He looked up, checking to be sure he wasn’t lying down… only to know he was standing in a shuddering, upside-down world. This resulted in a headache, and the black hedgehog quickly closed his eyes again. The throbbing lingered however, and he felt himself dizzying more so with the colors flashing abstractedly through his mind. He wanted to bring his hands up, to shield his shut vision with blackness like one would bow to their knees and beg—alas, it was impossible to do such a thing, his hands and arms were tied in a position that made the option useless. Nothing to do but to wait for the light to fade away, to sink into sleep. To forget you were in pain, to be enveloped, consumed… to dream abstract dreams and pitch-blackness inside that devil’s black hole. It was wonderful there… sick, but wonderful. Wonderful… yes.
Something clicked from the outside, and the Ultimate Life-Form collapsed to the floor, crumpled and curling like a broken doll. He moaned from the impact, shaking all over and clawing his fingers as if fighting to pull the ground from beneath him. His eyes stung like mad, his body sore, his head a jackhammer… it wasn’t worth it to stand. But the floor was too frozen … no. His voice shuddering, Shadow put all his weight into his fists until he was able to kneel. His head cleared a little… the more he blinked, the clearer his sight. Finally, the black hedgehog stood, with a slight stagger on the way up. His health was coming quicker than he thought—at least for now, he was able to comprehend his surroundings, so he could find out a little more where on earth he was.
Well, there you have the first paragraphs of my fanfic. :o Basically, I wanted to start out a little differently—you know how Shadowfic tends to begin with him falling from space? Well, I wanted it to start with him already in the lab, so voila. So Shadow starts to walk around feeling dizzy... later he's passing by test tubes and gets memories and such, including when he fell from space. (And it this point, it's the only interaction of Sonic & Shadow we're ever getting for the next few chapters. XDD) Whoo, flashbacks! Everyone hate me. :D
Shadow… hang in there…
He didn't remember what else Sonic said before he plummeted into space. All he knew was a fuzzy memory… they were dragging apart after Chaos Control, and the golden hedgehog had clasped desperately to his hand. He said things that blurred with the crashing and explosions—they were so close to Earth it was threatening to swallow all the ring power he had left. Something about coming with him, living a new life… getting to know everyone, become a new friend. Shadow didn't know what to think at the time, yet… wanted to answer. Maybe follow the blue hedgehog, do as he says, and become introduced to his world—to settle down after so long of pursuit. The paler hedgehog opened his mouth to answer, but the surge of gravity was too much—his hand slipped from the other's and a gold ring he wore was all Sonic clutched. Shadow watched him fade, fade away… he was plummeting at dangerous speeds, yet was around just long enough to hear the disappearing scream calling his name—the scream that shot and slammed through him, panging his mind and burdening him, falling faster and faster…!
Turn back now, blue hedgehog. Go back… go back to where you can run free, go back to find another adventure. You have ring power left… don't waste it on me.
The Ultimate Life-Form remembered closing his eyes, a disturbingly content grin spread across his cheeks like the flu. He could finally die, he could finally be with Maria… he could finally let her know that he done what she wanted. And they could finally be happy. They could finally be at rest, wherever they go when they die…
Sounds super cliché, especially as a snippet, I know. And I might cut this scene out: a ball of light floats before Shadow while he's falling, and Shadow finds himself before the altar of the Master Emerald. And guess who he sees there? Tikal, of course! *SHOT!* I know, I'm lame... XDDD Basically, she talks to him, mainly about the main events of SA1. And she mentions "You and Chaos are a lot alike, you know." before Shadow fades off. I'm honestly not sure how I can involve Tikal logically in this, so... unless I have some kinda crazy idea (though unlikely) Tikal might be cut out from the fic.
Back to the Mysterious*Lab again. Shadow's headache isn't any better, and he feels rather feverish... he opens this door, which is pretty much the darkest room in the lab with the exception of a lit fan in the distance. And allow me to introduce a creation of my own: the mechanical snake.
Shadow blinked, absorbed in the light of the fan. The blades were glowing, stars opening up into the nighttime sky—a miniscule change from the void they once exhibited. They got brighter the longer he stood there, and in a moment he knew why: a fake breath hushed down his neck, hissing and waiting. The black hedgehog gasped and remained absolutely still, in a chill of shock as he felt a mechanical tongue search below his face and itch the bottom of his cheek, as if seeking a way to pause his pulse. He dared to turn around, at least to see past its skinny red teeth atop his shoulder. Two soulless flashlights glared back at him, and exhaled and sunk its artificial fangs deeper in its prey…
Like lightening, the black hedgehog slid out of the way, just before a good chunk of his shoulder was fed to the monster behind him. Both its laser-like lights flashed upon him now—it made a jab for him, which he quickly leapt out of the way. Alas, he couldn't see where he was going, not even with the fan behind him—something cold and hard slammed his back, plummeting him to the floor. Struggling to get up, Shadow was able to spot the creature before his sight, one of a head, voice, and body—a body of no legs at all, and entirely that of dark, ebony sheets of metal. Its tongue was seen clearly now, under its shining eyes a kind of probe sticking in the air. A figure so alien, yet… familiar.
"Hmph… no wonder you don't see any rats in this place."
Cue short battle, Shadow beats snake. And unfortunately, our Angsty*
Crrrrrrraaaaaaaaccccchhhhh…!
The button controlling the fan would be used for the last time, while itself and its fellow machine crunched together, startling the black hedgehog out of his thoughts.
Confused, he stared blankly at the crushed canister thrown across to him, a crumpled, if cardboard-like hunk of what used to be a box lain before him like a dead body. His ears twitched, his eyes alert and searching for who or what had done this… thin air, and nothing else. Shadow didn't move, the adrenaline kicking madly in his body to run him out of here. The black hedgehog listened to the breathing he knew was there, the vicious breathing that called for anything alive with lungs and voice. More banging, cracking, and sparking—yet another fallen piece of machinery to this being. It didn't want sparks. It didn't want cables and cords and wires. It didn't want sheets of metal—it wanted skin…it wanted flesh. It wanted bone, it wanted blood, it wanted organs… it wanted screams.
And it came. A colossal metal serpent at that, even larger than the puny robot snake defeated earlier. It burst from the boxes, diving across the room at lightening speed—complete with the crack of thunder that followed snapped canisters and broken wires. Shadow watched the tsunami tear in front of him, the ebony flood from the earliest, darkest moments in time—the living, commanding storm that only IT was capable of bringing about. Gray lights shined upon the hedgehog's face like a torn lighthouse, setting him before the monster's artificial vision. It slinked before him in greeting, drawn by the widened gaze fixed on its face with unsurprised shock. A Leviathan exhaled with closed teeth, daggers as crimson as the eyes of his prey. No pity would come as it struck its first move.
Fightin' Time! And here's a particulary snippet that would make Indiana Jones here FAINT if he were in the black hedgehog's hoverboots:
His head screamed and panged and hurt and burned: it had to be a nightmare he couldn't wake from, or a hallucination from his corrupting mind… either way, he discovered HELL. Rows of lights blared slowly… the lights of demons. All around him, wicked, mechanical snakes hung from the ceiling, swinging everywhere like dark knotted ropes. As if hideous marionettes of skulls and teeth, they gathered before Leviathan: their commander, followed by its sacrificial prisoner. Hydra heads waved slowly back and forth, each with an artificial fang and open mouth, ready to sink in…
Don't worry kids, Shadow gets himself outta this:
And so one did first, lunging for the space without the snake-light. With a deep breath, Shadow dove out of the way, the mechanical monster hissing and shaking its head violently from the floor. The others were desperate for him now—the black hedgehog’s shoes fired up again, and they charged for the spot. The first few to reach there slammed each other’s skulls, their circuits cracking open and electricity charging through, sizzling sparks before their lights blinked out and died like broken bulbs. Nothing but darkness and the scent of smoke was the last of these select robots.
Absolutely hushed, the black hedgehog watched it all, his feet pressed atop the head of another snake. He kicked the rocket-light in its face while he bounced away, blinding the creature—whose vision would be its last while its own companions made quick work of his head and slaughtered each other. The remaining serpents were confused, seeking a black blur among other black blurs—their numbers dwindled as they continued to kill their kind. It was chasing the glow of a firefly with scissors in your hand then tripping over and stabbing yourself in the chest once you reach it. The last of the mechanical snake army was fallen by Shadow himself, having the room to successfully defeat them individually and breaking their cables with the poundings of his heels.
Upon landing the steel ground, bodies were piled in a steaming mess. Sweating and gasping, he swayed as he stood, his face pale and determined. His vision of Leviathan hazed and twisted, like a broken window drenched under the pouring rain. The black hedgehog raised his hand and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand—he was surprised how moist it felt to his glove. He felt warm… warmer than he should be. And still cold. He squinted at the Leviathan, refusing to give up despite his strange health, and smirked before they continued the fight.
The black hedgehog's own condition became quite a challenge to put up with; it exacerbated the longer he fought, the ebony serpent slipping up in his vision, his body aching and pulling him down, his mind refusing to work with him. Since Leviathan and the robots, his headache grown from a dull throbbing to a migraine, and got sharper and sharper from each moment… sometimes, it even felt a tingling kind of warm, as if the pain were healing him. It was as if vertigo were the ultimate peak of his strength—he had pain, he'd lash it out. The colossal monster aimed for him again, enraged lasers for each member of its fallen army. Shadow responded by hover-skating away—there were explosions, and robot corpses shuffled about on the floor like broken parts. It was fighting in a graveyard, the dead machines lain in spite, and the ghostly whispers of the fan blowing further and further nervously, the combat between the Bringer of Death and his Sea, and the one who challenged him… witnessed him. One victory would lead to his beacon, and the other side anticipated another grave among the bottom of his ocean under violet skies…
And you guessed it: Shadow lost. These wires pick him up by the ankle, and tie his feet and wrists to the wall... not to mention Shadow got his face smushed in the process (particulary his nose—he ain't a pretty sight right now) Right when it seems like our favorite angsty hedgehog is Robo*Levi feed though, we get THIS: Aka, the introduction of our main villain:
“Shadow.”
The fangs never came. The black hedgehog’s eyelids twitched, upon hearing his name from nowhere. His eyes half-opened, searching wearingly about the room… the voice was lost to him, and Leviathan was at his side, watching hungrily but never moving. Was his mind playing tricks on him? He closed them again and lowered his head… a hallucination. Everyone had voices in their heads, every once in a while. Yet maybe… maybe his voices came in a bit too extreme right now.
“Shadow. You can hear me.”
Yes… he could hear him. But he could only be listening to himself. But it didn't sound at all like he normally imagined—this was another voice in its entirety. It was hushed and neutral, like one moving their lips to speak silence, or lips shut to word sirens. The voice was laden with false comfort, a doctor telling you everything would be okay—and hiding a collection of scalpels and needles beneath his coat. Pixilated whispers hushed into the black hedgehog’s ear, peculiar and familiar at the same time. Electronic and real. Kindly and cruel.
“Open your eyes, Shadow.”
He was afraid to, fearing there’d be nothingness. His eyelids shuddered in hesitation and opened again, fighting to stay awake. Again, nothing. The room was a broken kaleidoscope to him.
“Above you, Shadow.”
The black hedgehog sluggishly looked up, not daring to turn his head—far-off across the room, just below the ceiling, an obsidian oval gleamed a bloody-red. The egg-shaped camera saw what it saw before it, and that sole sight only, and it was a pleasing one at that. The wires around Shadow bound tighter, and he yelped as static shrilled in his ear—it cleared up however, and soon, he was able to hear every word again… the digital words the device spoke to him now, via the wires attached.
“Who… who are you?” the black hedgehog’s voice was weak and puzzled, devoid of nearly all life but a strained whisper. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop the necessary questions.
"Greetings Shadow, I am P.A.N.D.O.R.A., the All-Gifted computer." That wicked buzz was even more wicked, and gentle became an understatement as it grew. That tender tone even more tender, and that bitter viper snapping like honey. "I have been watching you… if, perhaps, a bit too long. This is the first time I've truly gotten to know you, and you've caused quite a ruckus among my pets. My robots were eager to see you, and I just couldn't resist letting them go greet you. You've managed to put quite a dent in the Leviathan, and I must say, I'm impressed. Then again, why shouldn't I be? You're the Ultimate Life-Form—I’d be most disappointed if you'd fallen so quickly."
"Hhn-how did you find me?" Determined and a little angry, the black hedgehog's voice raised only slightly, straining from the impact. "And what do you want with me?"
I needed a nifty villain: Eggman has his own schemes in the fic, and I didn't want G.U.N. to be the main villain the ten billionth time. So, OC time: I didn't want to make a female character to show that OMG-Women-Are-EVIL!!1 (A stereotype I wanna dispel in slashfic)
“I’ve kept you in stasis. I’ve kept you secret from the world, I wanted to protect you. No one should know you’re here; how much trouble that would bring! It’s been… a while, since the recent events of the ARK, to say the least. But still, we should never be too risky—just in case anyone remembers.”
“…How long was I held here? How long have you been watching me since I was unconscious?” Shadow’s voice was nonchalant, knowing he wasn’t going to like what he was going to hear.
“Three years.”
“…What?”
“Three years. Not 300… just three, which is fortunate for you; it's short compared to half a century. Three years since the Prototype of the Ultimate Life, the Final Hazard, had veered the Space Colony ARK to crash upon this planet... and failed. All because of the efforts of Sonic the Hedgehog—and in a way, you yourself. You two did collaborate, and then, there was that dreadful fall of yours: lack of gravity and an increase of it, radiation and suffocation, freezing and burning… Shadow, oh Shadow! Why didn’t you die? You’d do us all a logical favor, and save us from grief: no one can survive a fall from space. Professor Gerald certainly did put a lot of thought and consideration into you—however, it’s a shame to watch one deteriorate into a lunatic, especially when the entire thing had started with the hopes of saving the life he couldn’t.”
“…”
"You know very well whom I'm talking about, Shadow. In fact, it was like the very thought of creating you instead had brought forth her very death."
"Shut. UP." The black hedgehog lashed forward, his actions slicing deeper and exacerbating into his wrists. Two red splatters hit the floor across from each other, like a paintbrush flicking off crimson paint—and continued to drip, if slow and healthy. Shadow ignored this while he glared with rage upon the computer, his ankles too, tickling with blood. "You can say what you want about me… but don't you DARE say a word about her."
“I won’t need to, Shadow… what more needs to be told?” There was a laugh within PANDORA. “What I should bring up is your condition in general: has it occurred to you you aren’t well? The plunge to Earth and all—you were able to walk after three years.”
The black hedgehog was still, swallowing blood and bitter saliva. A certain migraine screamed coolly at its limits, and his stomach churned with fever. The scarlet puddles grown beneath his hands and feet, his shackles further cutting his circulation. They scraped against his bone—with that much of his life’s essence leaving him, it was getting harder to breathe.
“It must be an error on my part to release you so early,” An apology. “You must be nauseated after all I’ve put you through.”
Even with his eyes already closed, it felt darker than anything else. Shadow was barely able to think anymore, his mind slipping into complete blindness. But he held on to one last thought before he fell completely unconscious:
“You should rest now, Shadow. It would be for the good of your health, you know.”
I won’t let you control me.
The cables snapped apart, and the black hedgehog collapsed. Having obediently waited, the Leviathan acted by command and caught him just in time, his limp body sprawled over its back like a soaked towel. The Ultimate Life felt and sensed nothing while he was gently lifted, and the mechanized serpent gazed toward the egg-shaped lens, awaiting its next assignment.
PANDORA orders Leviathan to put Shadow back in stasis. He continues talking to Shadow as if he were still there, and comments that it was the black hedgehog's mind that was most "intriguing" about his strength... the chapter ends there, and we're left wondering what the Hell PANDORA is gonna do to Shadow while he recovers.
I'd do chapters 2-4, but I'm tired... quite tired. XDDD That, and I need to tell myself to quit abusing italics in my fanfic, it's a bitch to edit on LJ. XDDD That, and all the best stuff so far is in Chapter 1 anyway. XDD *shot* I still need to get around the later chapters anyway. (Including a scene I need to rewrite. Badly. XDD)
If "Shadow the Hedgehog" josses me, I'm gonna cry. XDDD Oh well.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Yay, finally got to sit down and read this. *_* <3
Date: 2005-08-20 12:02 am (UTC)Hahaha, no, keep in the "cheezy" part though! I dunno, I've always liked the idea of having those two meet anyways. (I guess cause from the Adventure series, they were the BESTEST things to come out from it. *_*)
Pandoa seems awesome. XDD FINISH NOW. LOL I mean, I can't wait to see it all. *_* Thanks for sharing!