Living in the City

[Amy Rose]

I wasn't sure what to do or say at that point. With so many revelations at once, it left me a little, well... abashed? Why did this robot know Gerald Robotnik but not the current Robotnik? And why did he sound so familiar with him for that matter? It had to be some sort of joke or ploy, right? Someone trying to deceive us...

And speaking of jokes, what in the world had Tutley opened? I guessed as much that dedicated fans of Sonic would make something like a game it seemed here, but I was pretty sure Robotnik could very well be explained without so much fanfare. Even if... Wait, did I ever wear that dress? And did I look older or were my eyes just deceiving me? I shook my head, but that failed to stop all the inquiries tackling me.

"What's this all about? Jack, how can't you know anything about Robotnik? He's been terrorizing this planet for years! You!" I pointed at the robot. "How can you possibly have been created by Gerald Robotnik when his lab was overrun by GUN over fifty years ago? It's hard to believe that you wouldn't have been quarantined like Shadow. Which means even if what you're saying is true, whose to say you weren't actually released by Robotnik to do some sort of his bidding?"

So, I was being a little harsh and maybe overreacting. But I couldn't help it.

[Decoe and Bocoe]

His expression quickly snapped into complete shock over what he had just said.

“F-Fifty years?!?”

It was the only thing he could utter out, and even that seemed hard. It came out as soft as a whisper, but somehow managed to sound louder.

Fifty years?! Gun? Gerald??! What….what’s been happening?!

The information surged in his head rapidly, like he was going in a state of panic. No…it…that…it just wasn’t right. It couldn’t have been fifty years….could it? And about something called Gun…She couldn’t be referring to a gun….and why did Gun sound so familiar somehow? And what’s this about his lab being overrun, and someone called Shadow? It was bad enough that they both turned on, unfinished, in the middle of some place of ruins but now….this?! What was going on!?!?

[Shadow]

(whooo... a lot to catch up on. O.o)

Shadow's face became hard and expressionless as he watched Tutley's video. As he watched the nefarious exploits of the Doctor and the heroic exploits of his blue counterpart unfold, the sheer amount of time he'd been gone hit him like a ton of bricks. Until that moment he had never really noticed, never really cared about all that had changed in the fifty years he'd been in stasis. Two years ago he'd been out to destroy the world, so he'd hardly cared about what he'd missed out on. Two weeks ago he woke up to the world in crisis once more and hadn't exactly had time to smell the roses, and in the past two weeks he'd been marvelling at the Earth itself, a place he'd never visited before his awakening. It was only now that the sheer scale of time, the true length of fifty years, all that time he'd missed, all that had happened as the world passed him by, hit him. Entire generations had passed him by. Doctor Robotnik, an obese old man, was the NEPHEW of the little girl he had known on the ARK. He barely knew anything at all about the Doctor, now that he thought about it. He had used Robotnik two years ago, implicitly believing that he could serve his ends by the Doctor's heritage alone without knowing anything of his past or his previous exploits, beyond that he'd clashed with Sonic on more than one occasion. In fact, he barely knew anything about anyone he knew. He knew almost nothing about Sonic, less about Tails and Knuckles, even his former closest acomplice Rouge was a mystery to him. Even Amy, the only person he'd felt any kind of real compassion for since he'd woken up, was essentially a closed book to him. He knew she loved Sonic, but beyond that he knew nothing, nothing of her past, nothing of how she had become the person she was today... The thought of all that he had missed, and how little he knew about the people around him, weighed down on him more than it ever had before. For the first time ever, Shadow felt alone, truly alone in the world, a soul lost in a time and a world that wasn't his own. Slick's words from two weeks ago echoed in his head: "Face it, you're a fossil. An antique." For the first time, he thought thay maybe Slick was right.

But then the video ended, and the moment passed, and Shadow was back to his old self. He had never been one to brood on his troubles or to feel sorry for himself, and this time was no different. There would be a time and a place for such reflections, for soul-searching, and for discovering for himself how he fit in to the world as it was now, but this was not the time. Especially not when the robot he'd picked up was now claiming to know Gerald Robotnik.

Completely ignoring everything Amy had said, and the robot's astonished exclamation (that, ironically, seemed to echo Shadow's previous line of thought), Shadow seized Decoe by the front of his shirt and lifted him part way off the ground, bringing the robot's face to mere inches from his own. "You're lying!" he roared, suddenly in a rage. "There's no way you know Gerald Robotnik! There's no way he created you! I remember my life on the ARK like it was yesterday, but I don't remember you! Who are you really? Who really created you? What reason could you possibly have for saying Gerald created you? Is it some sick joke? Are you just trying to get to me, to piss me off? Well congradulations, you've SUCCEEDED!" A burst of red energy sizzled around him and he flung Decoe to the ground. It wasn't the idea that he could have been created by the Professor that enraged him, it was the thought of this robot chosing to lie and say that it had been. Why would it lie about that? What could it have to gain? Was it really just trying to mess with Shadow, to piss him off? The thought that Decoe was telling the truth didn't cross Shadow's mind for a second; as far as he was concerned he didn't remember him, so the robot had to be lying.

[Decoe and Bocoe]

The flung resulted in Decoe skidding at least a little half-way across the pavement of the roof (which surprisingly didn’t make any kind of metallic sound except for the initial hit). If Decoe’s mind was in panic from before, then now it was in a complete state of terror. The site that would lay before the people would seem particularly sad. In fact, to go on thinking that Decoe was in the least bit evil or LYING would be just plain stupid. Because there Decoe laid on his left side, his right arm was now loosely covering the side of his face. His legs were slightly bent, and his eyes were shut tightly with clenched teeth, not out of anger, but out of terror. He shook slightly, but other than that he dared to note move an inch, as he was completely petrified. His mind was telling him to get up and run, but his body wasn’t responding. It was like his body locked down on him. He whimpered lightly, though it would be very hard to hear as it was very quiet.

He thought, at first, that these people were alright. But after this, he wasn’t so sure. He wanted to get up, to run away so badly but he soon realized that he couldn’t even if he could. Because he was still as blind as a bat and his movement controls where still completely off.

Which meant he was stuck there.


----

The small grey cat had been watching the entire seen quiet carefully. It sat to the side, waiting for the people to leave before going over to his new friend, until of course he was thrown by the black hedgehog in his direction. The cat managed (with a surprised expression) to jump out of the way, as Decoe’s body basically flew and slide past. Once he had come to a halt the cat quickly ran over to Decoe’s side. The cat’s face seemed to express some form of sadness as it meowed quietly, tip-toeing over to his face and pawing at his nose. The cat backed up a little afterwards, expecting him to move, but to its surprise Decoe didn’t budge. He didn’t even seem to notice it.

“Meeoooowww~?” the cat meowed in sadness, blinking several times, before trying to paw at his right arm.

----
[NEWCOMER: BOCOE! : D –shot- ]



‘What in the?!’

Bocoe blinked in surprised. Everything had gone smoothly, until now. His walk through the alleyways was quiet, with nothing eventful like the fight before.

‘If you could even –call- it a fight.’ He sarcastically mused to himself, thinking back to what had just happened a dew minutes ago. Both sleeves, though short, were rolled up, and his hands where nonchalantly in his pockets, as he stood relaxed. He looked up, hearing some faint yelling from above before looking down to see a brown fedora discarded near a wall. Granted, there could be a hundred or more so of brown fedora hats, but he had the itching feeling that it happened to belong to Decoe. Plus, his single wasn’t too far way, in fact, he was almost on top of him and with these facts he was concerned.

With a bat in his right hand, he rested the metal bat onto his shoulder, giving off a sort of scowl on his face, as he went over to the fire escape stairs and began to slowly clime up. After all, the yelling could be coming from someplace else, but if it didn’t then he did want to exactly alert the fool who decided to mess with his brother.

[Amy Rose]

"Shadow!"

My expression which no doubt had bared a contorted scowl before now flicked into one more aghast as the black hedgehog threw the already damaged robot a few yards. I was still frustrated and confused between all that was going on, but my moral compass screamed to me that things were just starting to get way out of hand for my liking. I allowed my hammer to dissipate as I collected the rest of my courage and took another step forward.

My hand was shaking as I lightly but firmly grasped for Shadow's shoulder. The fear he struck in me when he acted that way far outclassed Knuckles' bouts of rage and Rad Red could get pretty testy. But then Knuckles had never sought the destruction of the planet like Shadow had two years before.

It took me a moment to realize I'd been holding my breath as my thoughts raced. My exhale was shaky. I didn't want anymore trouble. No more fights. Today had just been about going out and living another regular day. How had it suddenly come to all this?

"Shadow, listen. I understand you're upset. You have all right to be. But..."

'Stop this, please.' I couldn't get myself to say it aloud although my eyes pleaded.

[Tutley Sakamoto]

It would be right around the time the hedgehog ever so politely gripped the bot he was fixing around the shirt, that Decoe's motary circuits, and optical sight would snap back into view, which unfortunatly for him would mean his first sight would be of a rather enraged hedgehog staring him in the face with a death glare.

As the word "DONE!", flashed on his laptop's screen, Tut would immediatly turn his head in the direction of the commotion. "Huh?" Aparently... a few lids had just popped in the process of a minute and a half. "WHOA, woa WHOA, I just fixed this guy!", he said raising a arm, flinching at the sight of the recipent of his repair work slamming into the ground. He would run in front of the bot, arms outstretched, standing between Shadow and the robot. "Now... let's take it easy....", he said looking at the..... unidentified aura around the hedgehog. Odd... he couldn't put a finger on the type it was. Curiosity aside, he would hold his ground, his little buddy mimicking the same pose he did as it floated beside him. "If we can all sit down...and relax, I can prove where he came from...", he said in a very calm, and carful tone. He would rather not break the thin line between a angry hedgehog, and a beserk one. ".....were going to need to clear up the various points of confusion here, before hammers, darkened auras, and assorted children of the god of chaos wreck this building even further.", he said lowering his head with a sigh, feeling pity for the poor android behind him. Unlike though Amy, he actually did enjoy a good brawl.... but now wasn't exactly the time, or place for a free for all. After all, he had to finish repairing the bot, patch up the inflatable hedgehog, gather what sweets were left down on the street, give Amy a hint that 100% tells her where he came from and on top of all that... pick out a car from a dealership to rent. The horror....

[Shadow]

Shadow grit his teeth and clenched his fists, preparing to advance on Decoe once more... but as Amy's hand held his shoulder, he stopped. The crackling red energy around him ceased immedietly and he exhaled slowly, mentally calming himself. He relaxed his muscles, letting his teeth and fists unclench. He glanced at his bare wrist and grimaced, then brushed Amy's hand away and turned aside without speaking. He didn't say it, but inwardly he was ashamed of himself. What had happened to the strong, silent Shadow he'd been two years ago? One glance at his wrist gave him the answer, but still, he felt that he should be better than that.

Still, he felt little pity for Decoe. What was he playing at, lying about that to him? Had he been sent to spy on Shadow? What was his plan, his purpose, what was he getting at? If only he knew where he really came from...

Shadow turned and walked up to Tutley. "Fine," he said cooly, "Find out who built it, and hurry up."

[Decoe and Bocoe]

Decoe managed to at least open one eye, trying to look at the scene before him. Of course the only thing he saw was the small cat right in his face. Decoe soon loosened up, blinking curiously at the cat with a bewildered expression. The cat meowed innocently, blinking at him with innocent eyes. Decoe seemed to blink back in response. Strange, why did this cat like him so much? Decoe turned his body to the right so he would lay on the ground, flat on his back. After that, he sat up, looking towards the three hedgehogs and the turtle, blinking. Though his attention was turned, quiet quickly.


“Hey.”

He turned around to see Bocoe who was half-way lifted up on the edge of the building. He stared at Decoe with a scowled, the kind that a mother or father would give to their child whenever they broke a rule. His right fingers began to tap in a four tap rhythm going from his index to his pinky. He showed agitation clearly, towards Decoe more than the scene ahead. Mainly because he didn’t know the full details, so he’d rather not job to conclusions. If they wanted a fight, he’d wait for them to start it. As far as he was concerned though, Bocoe had other things to deal with.

“H-hii…” Decoe replied meekly, as he looked at Bocoe with a sort of guilty expression.

The cat turned around and took a few steps forward towards Bocoe and stared at him with large eyes. It tilted its head to the side, blinking more, it’s tail swaying back and forth in smooth motion.

[Tutley Sakamoto]

(So... groggy today... x.O )

"Friend of yours?", he would ask giving a point in the newcomer's direction. "Anyway... I'll be done with your systems in a moment just well... hold tight.", he said looking to the bot, picking his laptop up. He paid the newcomer little reguard, assuming he wasn't a threat. "Well Shadow...", he would say casually looking towards the hedgie. "Remind me to not get on your bad side.", he would say with a slightly nerveous chuckle, scratching his head. He would go back to the task at hand. "Every robot when it's made has a "digital signature" that shows it's creator. All I need do is cross refrence his signature.... to one in the database... and BINGO!", he would say turning his screen to the hedgehog, showing a positive signature match, and memory age, dating the bot's last major series of activity back roughly 50 years, before a break happened in his activity, a chao on the desktop dancing beside the positive result. "As hard as it is to believe... it seems you have cousins Shadow!"

[Jack-the-Hedgie]

[Must... post... Muuust.... Poooooost.....]

Jack had been sitting quiet for a while, arm around what remained of his mended wound. There was too much going on for him to properly explain to Amy why he didn't know about Robotnik. He wasn't sure if he really could, anyway. Instead, he sat and waiting, following along as best as he could.

Which, when listening to a hedgehog argue with a robot about something fifty years ago, is pretty hard to do.

"A..Am I the only one who has no idea what's going on right now?"

What began as a day on the town to get out of paying rent has turned into an attempted murder of a friend, a crossbow bolt to the belly, an interrogation that was just a little too harsh for his liking, a resolution to investigate, robots falling from the sky, a lesson on worldwide terrorists that was surprisingly detailed for being impromptu, and how some sort of test over stuff that happened fifty years ago, when no one in the area looked around their twenties. Jack planted his head firmly into his hands.

"Shadow. How can you remember anything on the ARK? The only recorded information on that was fifty years ago!" How he knew that, despite not knowing who someone like Robotnik was didn't cross his mind.

"While were at it, does this prove these robots are connected with that assassin, or what? As awesome as it is to see robots up close, if I can't pull myself out of this paranoid stupor I've been in for the last hour, my head's going to explode!"

Jacks hands slid down his face, stretching his muzzle out to arms length before, with a comical 'snap!', it shot right back into place.