Alleyway Near Central Park

[Yolanda Riona]

Posted by Shadow on Jun. 08 2008,11:00
Shadow saw the city long before he reached it, and of course he recongnized it immedietly as Station Square. As he got closer however, it seemed to be teeming with activity, more than usual. Of course, he had only ever seen it in a panic, since the last time he had been here was as an enemy, but it seemed unlikely that the city would be as active as it had been when he was there unless somthing was wrong.

Indeed, as he skated into the city, he saw GUN troops everywhere, as though they were waiting for somthing. Shadow turned off into an alleyway upon entering the city, so as not to draw attention to himself, and he kept to the alleyways and shadows as much as possible. He didn't know if GUN's opinion of him had changed while he had been out, but he didn't want to have to fight them if they still though he was a foe.

Finally he came out into the large Central Park. At first he merely observed the massive ammount of activity going on there, watching hidden from an alley that opened onto the park. He watched families gather together, some quite bedraggled, as though they had gone through some terrible ordeal. He saw medical tents set up, and many, many injured people. And of course GUN was everywhere, just as before. What could have happened to cause all this? he pondered.
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 08 2008,11:04
[From Desert Area]

Nail drove the GUN Humvee to the outskirts of Station Square, and then stopped on the side of the road. As he did it, Canma turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think GUN would like us driving this around the city. They might think we stole it and come after us."

"Hmm...good point. It'd be especially bad if one of them ID'd me. I bet every soldier in there knows my face."

"Then, I should go in alone. On foot. Do you mind waiting here?"

Canma laughed. "Truth to be told I was wondering about all these things as we got closer. I'm fine with staying behind. We can catch up later. The truck has a radio anyway."

Nail smiled back. "All right. Good. You go find somewhere to hide, and I'll see about delivering this to GUN." He wrapped up the emerald inside a sack they'd found earlier, to keep it out of sight, before he jumped out of the car. Canma slid into the driver's seat and started heading back the way they came. The arctic fox sighed. Looked like it would be a long walk into the city center.

(an hour and a half later)

Nail had also been sticking to the shadows. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself with the valuable object he held in his hands. At long last though, he came in sight of the park.

"Finally!" His smile faded quickly though. He had no idea what kind of reaction GUN would have to him bringing an emerald to this place. But then he spotted a familiar hedgehog, and those concerns were wiped away instantly. He grinned again. "I'm so lucky today."

Nail walked over to Shadow. "Um....Shadow...is that you?"
Posted by Shadow on Jun. 08 2008,11:10
Shadow spun in place, immedietly switching into a battle stance. How could he have been so foolish? I must be really slipping to let someone sneak up on me like that, he thought angrily to himself. But this person wasn't holding a gun to the back of his head, they didn't have a knife at his neck... indeed, they didn't seem to be agressive at all. "Yes, I'm Shadow. Who are you, and what are you doing skulking around in alleyways, sneaking up on people?"
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 08 2008,11:14
The sudden reaction surprised Nail. He knew Shadow was fast, but not like that. The fox tripped backwards, dropping his bag on the ground and landing right on his back. "Ow! Jeez...I didn't mean to sneak up on you. That's why I didn't tip toe or whisper my words!" He picked up the bag again.

"Anyway, you don't know me, but I know you. I read the news report about when you and Sonic defeated that monster on the ARK." He blinked. "You know....I'm curious. Where have you been for the last two years? You disappeared right after that."
Posted by Shadow on Jun. 08 2008,11:21
Shadow was about to answer when the fox's words hit him like a ton of bricks. "Two... years? I was out for two years?" He was completely shocked. He stumbled back a couple of steps, holding his head in disbelief, before falling down into a sitting position. "I knew it was a long time, but I never really thought it could be years!"

Shadow shook his head violently, as though trying to dispel a bad dream. Finally, after about a minute of silence, Shadow came back to his senses. "Well... I didn't know it's been two years... but I know where I've been. I was lying in a field in the middle of nowhere, where I had crash landed after the battle. I... I just woke up."

Then, as the shock of being sneaked up on and the greater shock of being uncontious for two years subsided, Shadow noticed somthing. It was really only a nagging feeling at the back of his head, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it... Nevermind, I'm imagining things, he thought to himself. He stood up. "Well, you know who I am, but I still don't know who you are. Care to introduce yourself?"
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 08 2008,11:26
He was unconscious in a field for two years? I'm surprised nobody happened to walk by and wake him up, during all that time.

In any case, he answered Shadow's question. "You can call me Nail, but who I am isn't important. There's other things going on that you need to know about. I guess you saw what's going on in the park, right?" He pointed a finger at all the commotion over there. "Alien invaders attacked our planet recently. Their leader is named Sarath, and they've taken over Capitol City. GUN is preparing for a second attack right now. And....I was wondering. Do you think you'll go help too?"
Posted by Shadow on Jun. 08 2008,11:35
Shadow shook his head. "Hold on, back up," he said. "You're saying there's an alien invasion going on? Seriously?" Shadow turned away and started pacing, considering this new fact. "Insane. This is all insane. First I discover I've been asleep for two years, and then I find out there's an army of aliens out there that's taken over the capitol."

He turned back to Nail. "Hmm... yes, I think I will go, if for no other reason than to see what's happened since I... fell. I am worried though... when last we met, GUN and I were enemies. Do you know if their opinion of me has changed at all in two years?"
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 08 2008,11:38
"I have no idea. And I think it would be a better idea to just stay out of their sight for now. Maybe after you get rid of the aliens they'll think you're a hero instead of a bad guy." Nail took a deep breath. Here was the moment... Once he did this, there'd be no going back or no telling what kind of reaction Shadow might have. "Anyway, if you're going after Sarath, I have something I want to give you. But before I show it to you, I want you to promise me something."

Posted by Shadow on Jun. 08 2008,11:41
Shadow nodded. "Alright, what?"

At the same time, that nagging feeling came back, stronger than ever. There was somthing here... somthing different... but what was it?
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 08 2008,11:43
"Don't ask me how I got this thing, or tell anyone I gave it to you. On top of that, don't use it for any reason except fighting evil. GUN may not trust you, but I do. You saved the world then, and I think you will save it again. In any case, do we have a deal?"
Posted by Shadow on Jun. 08 2008,11:45
Shadow nodded again. "Alright, fine. We have a deal. So, what is it?"

The feeling of somthing out of place was stronger than ever now. Shadow could feel... somthing, somthing powerful... but he just couldn't remember what it was.
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 08 2008,11:48
Slowly, almost delicately, Nail reached into the bag...and pulled out the chaos emerald. He made sure to hold it low, so that people wouldn't see it and wonder what it was. "I think you remember these. And I think it'll be a big help in the upcoming fight."
Posted by Shadow on Jun. 08 2008,11:59
Suddenly it made sense. Shadow knew he had felt that power before... it was a Chaos Emerald! Now Shadow felt really stupid. Chaos Emeralds were his specialty, and this one had been right under his nose, and he hadn't even realized it. No matter, I'll have plenty of time to regain my abilities. But for now...

Shadow nodded and smiled as he took the emerald. "Of course I remember these. And I can assure you, it's in safe hands. Nobody knows the power of these emeralds better than me. I won't let it fall into the wrong hands."

He turned away for a moment, looking out on Central Park once more. Now that he knew what had caused this, he was becoming determined to stop it. These aliens... they had wounded these people, displaced them, seperated families and friends, and probably killed more people than Shadow could guess. Yes, he would have to stop them. It's what Maria wanted, he thought.

He turned back to Nail. "Well then... I guess that's it, right? I'd better get to Capitol quick... before anyone else can be hurt."
Posted by Nail Strafer on Jun. 08 2008,12:02
"That's right." Nail smiled. "In any case, I have my own things to do right now. My little sister might be trapped somewhere in Capitol, and I'm heading over there later to look for her. But first, I have to meet up with some friends. I'm sure I'll see you again once I'm down there."

After tossing the old, dirty bag aside, Nail brushed past Shadow and walked towards the park. Once out on the sidewalk, he turned and gave a salute. "Give them hell." And with that, he was walking into the crowds, and disappeared from sight.
Posted by Shadow on Jun. 08 2008,12:10
Shadow smiled. This had to be a good sign. His first day awake, and he already had a Chaos Emerald. And, it seemed, a new friend.

The Emerald in hand, Shadow turned and skated down the alleyway, considering all he had just discovered. It seemed like a lot, but Shadow's mind was clear, and he knew what he had to do. Those aliens and that Sarath guy weren't going to know what hit them.

[to Cross Country]
Posted by Razzo24 on Sep. 18 2008,02:25
[After Shadow and Nail leave...]
Razzo skidded to a rough landing in the nearest dark alleyuway, trransforming back before landfall. He wasn't sure, but he might have been seen.. hopefully, he'd just be mistaken for a bat against this dark night sky... he stopped suddenly, ears twitching. He could hear music playing somewhere.. more specifically, guitar. Curiosity took hold of him, and the hybrid headed off in the direction of the familiar sound.
[Now, off to Central Park!]