The Experiment

Chapter 11

The ground quaked as a towering beast ran through the woods, two people wildly clinging on his back. By now, he was far ahead the two flying above. Undergrowth and brush didn't stop the wolf beast as he dashed through them. The city was rapidly coming in view, the days and weeks of travel the group have been through seeming to reverse faster then a record. Shadow bursts through the trees to see the city in all its glory. The two passengers slide off of him and walk up next to him. Soon enough, Rouge and Tails come gently down to greet them.

"Who should we get?" Tails asked. Shadow's shoulder blades move up slightly in a shrug. "Who do you think will be useful?" His speech become more fluent within his beast form. He regained more of his humanity being around Sonic and his friends. But that doesn't mean that the beast is being driven away. "Well, Knuckles and Silver would be pretty good." Sonic commented. Shadow nods slowly. "Anyone else?" Tails looks around at the different buildings, his brow furrowed in thought. "What about the Chaotix?" Shadow shakes his head.

"Too clumsy. Perhaps we could just take Espio. They would surely understand." Rouge shakes her head. "Probably not. They're as tight as a family. It'll be hard to only bring one person from the group. But we can try." Shadow curtly nods. "We can only form such a small force. Sonic, Amy. Go find Knuckles and Silver. Rouge and Tails will go find Espio." Rouge puts a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "Hold on. What are you going to be doing?" As she asked that, Shadow shifted back to normal. The muscle mass from his wolf was slowly transferring over to his original form along with height.

The scars were still very much evident on his body as his fur hasn't fully grown back. "I'm going to find Scourge. We could use him." Rouge looks him up and down but her gaze stays at a certain location. "Not until you put on clothing." Shadow's ear twitches as he looks at Rouge, confused. "What do you mean?" Rouge points down at him and Shadow looks down. "Oh shit. Forgot that I now have a sheath." And indeed he did. It was covered by fear but no one wanted to see the hedgehog aroused. It seems as though more of his wolf is coming through.

"And an ass." Amy remarked, trying to hide the color that came to her cheeks. Shadow's muzzle reddens slightly as his ears folded back. "Thank you, Rose. Alright! I'll get some clothes." Rouge smiles sweetly. "Good. Don't want that thing coming out when you're... aroused." The blush became more apparent as he looked away from Rouge's teasing gaze. "I-I'll be right back." Rouge's smile widens as Shadow chaos controlled away. She heard the slight curse under his breath. Rouge turns towards the others and shrugged. "We'll meet by Tails' place. Good luck."

They all nod before running to their chosen destinations.

Sonic and Amy stood at the front of Tails' house when they saw Rouge and Tails walking up with someone in between them. "It seems as though they successfully got Espio." Sonic said. Amy nods and they both walk up to the group to greet them. "Glad to see you got Espio." Amy said. Rouge nods. "It wasn't easy, but they finally consented." Sonic looks around, seeing no sign of the black and red striped agent. "Guess we just have to wait for Shadow." He said. "And lets hope it won't be for long. Amy said she saw Alannah wondering the streets." A sharp intake of breath came from the group except for Espio, Knuckles, and Silver.

They stared at the others with curiosity. "Who is this Alannah?" Knuckles asked. Rouge and Amy glance at each other. "You wouldn't believe us. In fact, you wouldn't believe most of the things we have to tell you." Amy said. Espio narrowed his eyes. "Does that explain why you were so secretive about why you retrieved us?" Amy nods hesitantly. "Shadow will explain it. He knows more about Alannah then we do." Rouge looks behind her and sees a familiar green and black figure. "Speak of the Devil, here he comes." They all turned towards the approaching figures.

Shadow stops in front of them along with Scourge. Some other people also accompanied them. The 'twin' of Shadow stood to the left of Shadow. A navy blue and red alien stood closely behind. This caught the group by surprise. Not only the group Shadow's got, but also his choice of clothing. He wore black shorts with white stripes on the sides that were slightly loose around the waist. His usual gloves were gone and were instead replaced with fingerless gloves that had a panel that showed the back of his hand. He didn't wear a shirt nor a jacket. All he had around his neck was a necklace with a bear claw resting on his chest.