21
Shadow woke up groggy, struggling to sit up. His whole body hurt, which was weird considering he has super healing abilities. Suddenly the memories from before came flooding back, he reached a hand up and felt the thick metal collar around his neck, stopping him from using any power and draining his Chaos energy, slowly killing him.
He looked around hurriedly, seeing only someone alseep in a chair he stood up carefully and tried to find anything to get this stupid collar off, it's far too tight and he can feel it rubbing his skin raw. That usually wouldn't be a problem but he can't heal now and his life in draining away so it seems to be affecting him alot more than it normally would.
Shadow’s heart raced as he scanned the dimly lit room, adrenaline surging through him despite the collar’s oppressive weight. The figure slumped in the chair was a stranger, their face obscured by the dark. Desperation clawed at him, he needed to escape.
He crept closer to the sleeping figure, careful to make as little noise as possible. As he approached, he noticed the glint of a small knife on the table beside them. If he could just reach it…
With a swift motion, he grabbed the knife and returned to his place, breathing heavily as he wrestled with the collar. The blade was cold against his skin, and he winced as he started to work it between the collar and his neck. Time was running out; he could feel the energy within him waning, like a candle flickering in the wind.
Suddenly, the figure stirred, their eyes fluttering open. "Hey!"
Shadow stumbled to his feet, holding the knife out as a form of defense. The person pulled out a taser gun and before he could react there was an intense pain in his abdominal area, making him tense and collapse on the cold, hard ground.
His vision blurred as he gasped for breath, the pain radiating through him like wildfire. The collar tightened even further, almost mocking his helplessness. He could hear the figure approaching, their footsteps echoing ominously in the room.
Shadow's mind raced, he needed to regain control of the situation. Struggling against the searing pain, he fought to push himself off the ground, gritting his teeth and trying to focus through the haze.
Before he could fully sit up the guard put their foot on Shadow's head and pushed him back to the floor. Shadow felt a surge of anger spread throughout him, the collar still tightened around his throat, and time was running out. He looked around for anything that might help when he realized the knife landed in his reach, he slowly stretched his arm until he could reach the handle. The guard had their foot on his head but they weren't looking at him, mistake on their part. He swiftly took hold of the knife and stabbed the guard in the calf, said guard screamed and held their leg, taking their leg off of his head in the process. He took the gun from the floor where they dropped it and shot them in the head, no hesitation. The guard dropped to the floor, blood puddling around their body. He stood on shaky legs and used the wall as support, trying to find the exit. It seemed like he needed a password for the door to leave the room, so after a bit of searching he crawled into the ventilation system.
The cramped space of the ventilation system was stifling, and Shadow could feel the collar’s tightening grip with every passing moment. He crawled slowly, the metal scraping against his skin, but the adrenaline coursing through him pushed him forward. He had to escape.
As he navigated the tight ducts, he could hear the distant sounds of alarms blaring, echoing through the facility. Somehow, his escape had triggered a security alert. Panic surged within him, but he forced himself to focus. He needed to find a way to disable the alarms or risk being caught before he could loosen the collar.
After what felt like an eternity of crawling, he paused at a vent opening that overlooked a large control room. Peering through the grate, he saw several technicians hastily typing at their consoles, their faces lit by the glow of multiple screens. In the corner, a large monitor displayed a live feed of various security checkpoints, including the area where the guard had fallen.
Shadow’s heart raced as he spotted a red button labeled "LOCKDOWN TERMINATE." That was it. If he could hit that button, it might just buy him enough time to escape.
He carefully pried the grate loose, trying to make as little noise as possible. Once it was off, he slid silently down to the floor and positioned himself behind a row of desks, keeping low. He could feel the chaos around him as the technicians frantically tried to regain control over the situation, their voices filled with urgency.
With a deep breath, Shadow steeled himself and sprinted towards the control panel. His legs felt weak, but he pushed through, desperation fueling his movements. Just as he reached the panel, one of the technicians turned and spotted him, eyes widening in shock.
“Hey! Stop!” they shouted, reaching for a nearby alarm.
Shadow didn’t hesitate. He lunged forward, knocking the technician aside and slamming his hand onto the red button. The alarm blared louder for a moment, then abruptly ceased. The lights flickered, and the room was plunged into semi-darkness, signaling the lockdown had been lifted.
“Go! Go! Go!” he heard someone shout from the other side of the room as chaos erupted. The technicians scrambled to regain control, and Shadow seized the opportunity to dart towards the exit.
He burst through the door, emerging into a stark corridor lined with heavy security doors. He could hear footsteps behind him, the guards mobilizing to contain the breach. Time was not on his side.
Rushing down the corridor, he spotted another door at the far end. It looked like an emergency exit. With every ounce of strength he had left, he sprinted towards it, pushing himself to go faster despite the pain coursing through his body.
As he reached the door, he slammed into it, and it swung open, leading him outside into the cool night air. He paused for a moment, taking in the vastness of the open ground ahead, and the distant sounds of sirens.
But he couldn’t afford to stop, he could feel the energy draining from his body, the collar still pressing tightly around his neck. He had to find help, someone who could assist him in removing it.
He sprinted across the yard, glancing back at the facility as the guards flooded out, searching for him. In the shadows of the nearby trees, he spotted a figure watching him intently. It was the bat from earlier. He glared at her and kept running, he heard guards running behind him as his legs gave out under him, his energy practically non-existent. Hands placed themselves under his armpits and he was lifted off of the floor, when he got the strength to lift his head the bat mobian kept her eyes forward, smiling slightly to herself.
"What do you want" he spat weakly.
"That little fox boy gave a pretty good offer, I help them get you back and I get a pretty jewel."
"They would never give you the emeralds!"
"You're right. It was a bit disappointing to hear him say they couldn't give me the emeralds but I get something in return regardless. From what I've heard it changes your appearance." She only glanced at him before continuing to fly.
They were approaching a field with the others standing in it when his collar sent a shock through his body, spreading to the bat as well, making her wings tense up and the two if the start falling from the sky. Luckily they weren't too high up so when they inevitably hit the ground they weren't too injured.
Sonic and his family rushed to make sure they were alright, Sonic reaching for shadow before the shock intensified and left his hand numb for a second. Shadow was curled into a ball, his muscles all tensing and cramping.
"Tails! You got any idea how to get this thing off him?!" Sonic shouted behind him towards his younger brother. The last thing Shadow was away of before passing out was Tails' voice growing closer as a warm, wet liquid started dripping down his neck.