Waking Up

by 2Kris_P

Summary:

"It's about Project--It's about Shadow," Walters said. "There have been reports, news from outside sources that lead G.U.N. to believe that Shadow is still alive."

Stone shook his head. "You said this wasn't a mission from G.U.N."

"G.U.N. has their own agenda," Walters said. "Shadow can still be powerful. The files regarding his origin and testing from over fifty years ago are a bit jumbled, some incomplete, and G.U.N. wishes to find Shadow to keep him both contained and to measure his full potential."

Walters paused, gathering his words before saying, "I want... I am asking you to find Shadow before G.U.N. does."

------
In which Stone finds Shadow after the events of the Eclipse Cannon, and the pair do their best to navigate through grief together.

Notes:

General note: it was technically never confirmed if Commander Walters died in the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie -- we really only hear that a medevac was on the way to the Chao Garden for him, and I do not believe that Rockwell would have been as easily tricked by Tom's hologram of Walters if he had been truly dead. Hence, his existence here.

This fic is completed and edited. I'm planning on updating every two to three days every day, apparently, because I have no self-control. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Chapter 1: This is What It's Like to be Free

The sounds and smells were merely in the background as milk steamed, beans roasted, and coffee poured. The taste of his drinks continued to be well received -- of course they were, his brews were second to none, they always have been, perfected just as any of his other skills -- even if some were disappointed at his lack of flair.

Stone hadn't created latte art for quite some time.

Others appreciated his quiet business manner. Order, pay, receive coffee with minimal interaction. If one considers the memory of Stone’s previous job, it made sense that many patrons were wary of spending even more time in his shop than what was truly needed.

Of course, the lure of good coffee won against the not-so-distant past, allowing the Mean Bean to stay in business.

It helped that Stone had perfected a rhythm to his work. The length of the line determined how many orders he’d cash out sequentially, printing them on stickers from his register to slap on to-go cups before taking the time to craft the batch of the beverages. Most people were patient enough during the busier times. Those that weren't were quickly deemed unwelcome.

Stone glanced at the name of the sticker of the order he had just completed and simply called out, "Mocha with two pumps of peppermint for Susan."

He always called out the order just once before plunking the drink on his counter. If the individual was there to collect it, they best pay attention. He never repeated the calls and only deigned to look up at a customer if they were polite enough to thank him.

"Decaf cappuccino for Greg."

Plunk.

"Black coffee with three sugars for Linda."

Plunk.

"Macchiato for Walters--"

A hand grasped the to-go cup before Stone could fully place it on the counter, interrupting his flow just enough for Stone to drag his gaze from the order sticker to the customer.

Stone blinked once at the old man before him. His face was long and thin, gravity accentuating the wrinkles around the man's eyes and mouth. The man stared back, the picture-perfect image of neutrality except for the tightened grip that dented the coffee cup.

Stone's free hand drifted under the counter, his fingers brushing over the required panic button to touch the loaded gun latched next to it.

He held the other man's gaze until the man stated, "I'll wait until you've closed your shop." He took a sip of his macchiato, briefly held it up in either thanks or a mock toast -- Stone didn't ponder long as to which -- and settled in a corner table.

Stone stared straight ahead, his shoulders heaving once from a deep breath, and he released his grip on the gun. He returned to crafting beverages and didn't glance at Walters for the rest of the afternoon.

In fact, Stone didn't look at Walters until he was done with his closing duties. The closed sign was flipped to face outside, the blinds were shut, and the coffee dispensers, counter, floor, and restrooms were meticulously cleaned before Stone finally took off his apron.

"Why are you here?" Stone wasn't sure how he wanted his question to sound to Walters. Intimidating would have been a good choice. Disappointed, perhaps, that Walters hadn't grown impatient and left the shop long ago. Or maybe even disinterested in whatever brought the man to the Mean Bean.

Instead, Stone acknowledged to himself that he just sounded exhausted. It was all Stone had felt since the cannon--

No. Not now. Not when Walters sat up straighter in his chair and gestured to the other seat for Stone to join him.

After a ten-second staredown, the chair scraping against the linoleum floor screeched Stone's reluctant agreement.

Walters folded his hands over the table. "I have come with a proposal."

"No."

"Hear me out, at the very least, Agent--"

"I'm not an agent," Stone said, his words dragged through gritted teeth. "I technically don't exist any longer."

"Which is why I sought you out specifically for this," Walters said.

Stone's brows furrowed. "Out of all the personnel and weapons at your disposal, you would prefer someone who does not call you ‘Commander?’" Walters frowned, it deepening when Stone correctly stated, "This is under G.U.N.'s radar."

"Indeed," Walters admitted with a heavy sigh. "This is more of a... Well. I suppose it would be more personal. It needs to stay under the radar. It's why I tracked you down."

Stone asked, "Why do you believe I would help you? You erased my life." Twice over.

"Because this mission has connections to the Robotnik family," Walters said, and did not comment on the tremor that shook Stone's shoulders. It was slight, lasted only a heartbeat, easily missed.

Yet, even though Stone hadn't called him “Commander” for years, hadn't even had the thought to call him such since Stone's loyalty began to wholly lie with the doctor, Stone knew Walters. Even at his age, Walters would notice the shiver.

Walters evidently took Stone's silence as permission to continue. "It's about Project--It's about Shadow," he said. "There have been reports, news from outside sources that lead G.U.N. to believe that Shadow is still alive."

Stone shook his head. "You said this wasn't a mission from G.U.N."

"G.U.N. has their own agenda," Walters said. "Shadow can still be powerful. The files regarding his origin and testing from over fifty years ago are a bit jumbled, some incomplete, and G.U.N. wishes to find Shadow to keep him both contained and to measure his full potential."

"That sounds like G.U.N." Stone leaned back in his seat. "Is this not what you want? Why do you not trust G.U.N. to handle this?"

"Because the last time G.U.N. was asked to handle Shadow's powers," Walters said, "a child was killed."

Stone waited, his face a poker mask in the wake of Walters' harsh tone.

Walters paused, gathering his words before saying, "I want... I am asking you to find Shadow before G.U.N. does."

"For what purpose?"

"To help him," Walters said. The man's shoulders weren't as straight and broad at the moment, his facial features looking tired from his years of service rather than accomplished. "Shadow was a child, too, back then and arguably still is. I could not protect Maria Robotnik all of those years ago. If there is a way we can help protect Shadow at this time, I would like to do so.

"I cannot go after him on my own," Walters continued. "Even if my actions would not be scrutinized by the government, I'm getting too old for field work. But you, Agent Stone--"

"I'm not an agent."

"Indeed," Walters agreed, and continued talking as if Stone hadn't interrupted. "You are no longer an agent, but I suspect you still have all of the skills."

"I'm sure you have a list of other agents that you can use," Stone said. "Find someone else to help you with your guilt."

"There is no one else who has experience with Shadow like you," Walters insisted. "You were with him, with them."

"I hardly have experience with the alien," Stone said. "I babysat him. Briefly."

Then Shadow had disappeared from the crab to fulfill his role in attempting to destroy the planet, leaving Stone to nearly drown. History was written by the victors, of course, since the blue hedgehog crowed -- repeatedly and loudly -- about Shadow's part in saving the world instead. That is the detail that most people appeared to remember, despite the fact that it was the doctor who had stalled the power in the cannon, who had livestreamed his final moments to--

"You would have connected to Shadow somehow," Walters said, cutting into Stone's memories. "I know how you work. You're observant and adaptable, able to fool others that your guard is down in order to slip through their defenses and take care of them from the inside if needed. Why else do you think you had been assigned to Dr. Robotnik all those years ago?"

Both Stone's jaw and fists clenched. His poker mask slipped.

"Aside from all of that," Walters said, "you are the last link to the Robotnik line. You may be able to connect to Shadow on a level that no one else can."

"And then what?" Stone demanded. "You want me to adopt him?"

Walters sighed. "We'd figure that out when the time comes," he said after a moment. "I do not want to see him end up in a pod again, Stone. He was misguided, angry, but saved the planet despite that--"

"The doctor saved the planet," Stone said.

"So did Shadow," Walters said. "So did Team Sonic. We are in their debt, whether the government likes it or not. The other three aliens have an agreement with G.U.N. but Shadow... Being on the loose with his kind of trauma is a disaster waiting to happen. I'm afraid getting caught by G.U.N. will only escalate it. Being approached by one man, one he knows, one that can understand what he is going through, may be the key difference in his life."

"Despite my skills that you are praising," Stone drawled, "I can't pretend to understand an alien hedgehog's trauma."

Walters' gaze bore into Stone until the old man said, "I do not believe you need to pretend."

Before Stone could respond, Walters continued, saying, "I will help however I can. Make this worth your while, of course."

"Right. Of course." Stone's tone was dry. "What do you think you can offer me for this? I don't need anything from you. I don't want anything from you."

“Doubtful.” Walters gestured to the Mean Bean's interior. " You're doing well enough, are you? Staying afloat?"

"I'm doing fine."

Heedless of Stone’s stare, Walters said, "Just fine isn't enough in today's world. Your employment with the government may have been eradicated from our records, but I can reinstate enough of it to ensure you receive some funding for the unforeseeable future. Put your pension back in place." He paused, most likely for dramatic effect, and added, "Give you whatever files we have left over from Dr. Robotnik."

If he could have, Stone would have leaned even farther away from the other man. His chair almost tipped, the front legs lifting off of the floor, in his effort to get away, to shut down, to not hear or think or feel anything about--

"I know you, Stone," Walters said, relentless. "The doctor may have been the madman--"

"The genius," Stone corrected.

"--but I'm certain you would have use for some of the old files," Walters said. "The blueprints are fascinating, I can admit that even if I don't fully understand them. I don't know if you will and, if you do, what your own plans will be with the old schematics. I don't know if I'll regret offering this to you at all, but I do know I will regret not being able to do what I can to convince you to help Shadow."

Stone's hands were gripping the arms of his chair to keep him still. Walters' offer was tempting. To have the doctor's plans safe and sound with him, to be ready to go if -- when, his heart hoped -- the doctor returned -- again -- would be beneficial. While the doctor was the brilliant inventor, Stone himself wasn't bad with tech. Stone could follow along with the blueprints of the doctor's drones, to create more to help with his plans... and company...

"Do we've a deal?" Walters asked.

Stone stared at him, his poker mask cracking at the thought of being close to the doctor again through his work.

"I want this in writing," Stone said. "Everything you just promised in exchange for my help."

Walters' eyes narrowed but he gave a solitary nod quick enough. "Agreed," he said.

"It will be notarized," Stone said, "by a public notary and witness of my choosing."

"Stone--"

"The doctor and I will not be erased again."

Walters leaned forward on the table. "And what guarantee will you offer me, Stone? Can you do this?"

"You spoke highly of my skills," Stone said. "Have they disappointed you before?"

"Just once, Stone," Walters said, slowly leaning back. "Just once... When you decided that the doctor was more deserving of your loyalty than your own government."

Stone's lips twitched as he almost smiled. "If I hadn't, then we wouldn't be here now, would we?"

Chapter 2: Jet Sounds a Distant Roar Behind You

The gravel shifted and crunched under Stone's shoes as he stepped off his motorbike. His grip on his helmet was tight as he gazed down the driveway, taking in the picturesque house. Quiet and still, in one piece at the moment, an outsider would never realize that three superpowered aliens lived there.

"What the hell am I doing...?" Stone muttered, dropping his helmet onto his bike's seat with one hand while pinching the bridge of his nose with the other.

As soon as Stone had agreed to Walters's mission, so to speak, the old man had begun preparations immediately. Evidently, he was worried that Stone would change his mind.

Stone almost did change his mind -- several times, in fact -- while Walters met with him early the next morning at the Mean Bean to detail the few leads he knew about Shadow and handed over a nondescript flash drive.

"The first one," Walters said, the drive's stick having a thin layer of grime. "There are still a couple of other flash drives in my possession with more of Robotnik's blueprints. Keep me posted, give me positive news on your progress, and more flash drives will be rewarded to you."

Stone would have called the deal off then and there -- he hadn't agreed to receiving the plans in increments -- but the promise of more of the doctor's words and ideas and genius being dangled in front of him was too much to refuse.

Besides, Ethel Merrs had arrived fifteen minutes before the Mean Bean was due to open, ready to notarize whatever Stone wanted in exchange for a free café au lait. The old woman turned cross when she learned that Stone would be keeping the Mean Bean closed for some time as he went on this quest, but Stone let Walters bribe her by paying triple her notary fee.

Ethel, upon realizing that her temper would do nothing to dissuade Stone from closing the Mean Bean, took Walters's money and gently patted Stone's shoulder as she wished him luck with his endeavors when she left. Stone thanked her and locked the Mean Bean's door after who would be the shop's last customer for a while.

Walters took his own leave, also wishing Stone luck. Despite the few snippets of potential Shadow sightings that Walters had given Stone, Stone figured he may as well start with the other aliens to see if they knew anything.

Yet now, as Stone looked up at the house, he was seriously beginning to regret not putting salt in Walters's macchiato the day before.

Stone made it to the front door, standing tall and still on the porch as he ensured his suit jacket was straight after knocking on the door. A dog barked from within, sounding the alarm, but Stone didn't hear much else for a few minutes.

In fact, he was contemplating trying to knock a second time or just return to his bike when the dog gave off one last bark and voices began accompanying it.

"--order pizza again without asking?"

"I did not!" was the indignant reply, and Stone mentally sighed at recognizing the blue hedgehog's voice. "I learned that lesson quickly..."

The curtains covering the windows next to the door fluttered, Stone sure that the aliens peeked out at him but moved too fast for him to see them. The doorknob began to turn but stopped.

"We're not supposed to open the door to strangers," the first voice said.

"He is not a stranger, Fox." Ah, there was Knuckles. "We have viewed him through the window per protocol to determine the visitor. He is the goat milker."

This was a terrible idea.

Stone was about to turn around, return to his bike, and find some cliff he could ride off when a small scuffle from inside the house preluded the door swinging open.

There Knuckles stood, puffing up his chest and blocking most of Sonic's and Tails's view as he stared at Stone. Sonic was a step behind the echidna, his arms loosely crossed and seemingly trying not to look confused at Stone's existence. Tails was a little further back and next to the dog, his arm around the golden retriever's neck as if to help keep the dog back and to gain a little more courage from seeing Stone.

Considering one of the last times Stone and Tails encountered each other, Tails and his friends were nearly sucked into a mini black hole. Stone couldn't quite blame the adorable fox.

"Goat Milker." Knuckles's stare did not falter with his greeting.

"Um, his name is Mr. Stone," Tails whispered not too quietly.

Knuckles's gaze flickered in Tails's direction and gave a small hum of acknowledgement but otherwise didn't budge from his protective stance at the threshold.

"Good afternoon," Stone said. "I was hoping for a few moments of your time--"

"Boys? What are you--?"

The lady of the household appeared from further in the home, her expression dropping into suspicion as she spotted Stone on her porch. Stone gave her a small nod and a polite, "Mrs. Wachowski," as a greeting but said nothing else, willing to let her direct their interaction.

"Fear not, Pretzel Woman," Knuckles said, his stare -- which was getting rather unnerving -- not wavering from Stone's face. "While the goat milker is not a stranger, I will not allow him into our home until his intentions are clear."

"Yeah, uh, why are you here?" Sonic asked. His tone was almost flippant, but his posture was tense.

Stone decided to appeal to the other human. "Mrs. Wachowski," he said, "I am here because I have a few questions for Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, if I may."

Mrs. Wachowski had walked closer to the doorway as Stone spoke, taking up the spot right behind Knuckles. Stone was certain she would have stepped in front of the alien if he had been willing to move. The unorthodox family all had a protective streak in common.

"I don't believe I'm comfortable with you speaking with them alone, Mr. Stone," Mrs. Wachowski said, carefully neutral.

"Understandable," Stone said. "Your husband and yourself are more than welcome to join us, of course, if you all agree to this." He paused, allowing his shoulders to relax. "I'm really hoping it doesn't take long..."

"I don't mind talking to him, Mom," Tails said.

Stone refrained from showing surprise at the fox's words -- Mom? -- but did share a small smile with the creature. Tails gave him a tentative one in return.

Sonic's brows furrowed as he looked to Tails, but said, "If Tails is okay with it, I'll be there, too."

Mrs. Wachowski still appeared apprehensive, but since at least two out of three of the aliens agreed, she relented. With a gentle hand on Knuckles's head, she guided him to the side of the threshold and said, "Well, then, Mr. Stone... Come on in."

Stone murmured a thank you and stepped into the house, pausing before the staircase and waiting to be directed. The dog was released and allowed to sniff Stone before becoming disinterested and wandering off elsewhere, and Mrs. Wachowski gestured for Stone to take a seat in the living room.

Then Knuckles declared something about offering Stone a drink considering "he is now a guest having been allowed to cross the threshold." He completely ignored Stone trying to decline, and asked, "Pretzel Woman, have you not taught us the protocol of giving drinks to guests once they are here?" when Mrs. Wachowski also tried to redirect the echidna's attention.

Evidently, both humans wanted this to be over with.

Unable to deter Knuckles, Mrs. Wachowski followed him into the kitchen, which left Sonic and Tails with Stone. The hedgehog scrutinized Stone, who decided to stay standing and not utter a word until the lady of the household reappeared.

Tails, however, asked, "Mr. Stone, are you okay?"

Stone squared his shoulders and nodded. "Yes, I’m fine, thank you."

The fox's ear twitched, clearly unconvinced, but did not have a chance to pry since Knuckles and Mrs. Wachowski returned. Stone soon found himself sitting on the living room sofa with a glass of orange soda in hand.

Mrs. Wachowski had given Stone a shrug and a stern glance from behind Knuckles, who seemed proud to act as a host. Instead of potentially incurring Mrs. Wachowski's wrath, Stone dutifully thanked Knuckles and took a sip of the sugary drink.

Stone was in their territory. He would adapt. That's what he always did.

"I shouldn't be here long," Stone said after placing his drink on the coffee table. He mainly looked to Sonic. "I was wondering if any of you have seen Shadow lately."

A variety of colored eyes widened in surprise at Stone's question. He tried to analyze each face, curious if any were faking their reaction.

"Is Shadow alive?" Mrs. Wachowski sounded almost breathless.

"Allegedly," was all Stone said.

"He... He can't be..." Sonic didn't appear to be speaking to anyone in particular with his own disbelief at first, but he did bring a sharp gaze to Stone to demand, "Why would you be looking for him?"

Because he was promised memories in return.

"My connections," Stone said carefully, "have heard rumors of Shadow surviving. I'm investigating if those rumors are true."

"Who are your connections?" Sonic asked. "G.U.N.?"

Technically, yes. Stone said, "That's not relevant to this conversation."

"Of course it is!"

"What kind of rumors?" Mrs. Wachowski asked, and Stone wondered if she was planning on adding another alien child to her household.

The thought, however, was brief. She was rigid, her shoulders stiff, enough so even Knuckles beside her noticed. The echidna glanced at her sideways before narrowing his violet eyes at Stone. Perhaps Knuckles wasn't sure why the conversation was making the woman uneasy, but he understood that the topic was Stone's fault.

Perhaps Stone had gotten his answer.

"The rumors aren’t substantial, Mrs. Wachowski. I do, however, thank you all." Stone stood up, his movement sudden enough to startle Tails's namesakes into bristling. "I believe you've answered my--"

"Maddie, I gotta go calm Wade down." Mr. Wachowski, clad in khaki pants and a polo shirt with grass clippings clinging to the fabric, paused at the threshold of the living room while staring down at his cell phone. "He keeps calling about how the Mean Bean isn't open when it's supposed to be, and the last time it didn't open on time, Main Street was completely wiped out."

Mr. Wachowski spared the rest of them a quick glance before saying, "Sonic, finish mowing the lawn, please, and don't kill any of the new garden gnomes--Why is he here? With orange soda?"

Stone raised an eyebrow, quietly marveling at how long it took the sheriff of Green Hills to realize he was standing in the living room.

Although Tails's voice was quiet, he may as well have used a bullhorn when he said, "Mr. Stone is asking about Shadow."

"I asked about Shadow," Stone corrected. "Now I am leaving. If you'll excuse me...?"

He directed this last question at Mr. Wachowski, but the other man stood firm -- and dumbfounded -- at the threshold, blocking the exit.

"Why would you visit us," Mr. Wachowski said, "to ask about Shadow?"

Stone tried to keep his patience under control and said, "I've heard he survived and wanted to know if any of you had heard of or seen him." He paused before dropping some of the formalities. "C'mon, we all know Sonic would be able to cover the country in a few seconds if he had chosen to look."

"True," Sonic piped up. Humility was not one of his characteristics.

"Considering I have received my answer already," Stone said, gesturing in the general direction of the front door, "may I leave now?"

Mr. Wachowski glanced at his wife and the pair seemingly had a quick telepathic conversation before Mr. Wachowski moved to the side. Stone gave them all another small thank you before seeing himself out.

He took a deep breath as he reached his motorbike again, contemplating if that meeting was useful at all.

Judging by the reactions he received, Stone was confident that the Wachowski household was not harboring Shadow. Stone wouldn't have cared if they were, to be honest. His agreement with Walters was to find Shadow before G.U.N. If Shadow had been with the Wachowskis -- or if Stone's questioning prompted the other aliens to go and find Shadow themselves -- then Stone was certain he could twist the agreement enough to get what he wanted out of it.

"Stone!"

He was brought out of his musings by Mr. Wachowski jogging down the driveway to catch up to him. Stone stood still, tall, saying nothing as he waited for Mr. Wachowski to direct the conversation.

Mr. Wachowski gave a small sigh before handing Stone a cell phone. "Here."

Stone, bemused, took the device. "This is a brick."

"Heh, yeah," Mr. Wachowski said. "It's one of those prepaid, large button cell phones for old people. We got them to help the kids stay connected to us but we don't trust them with modern smartphones. Sonic found some loopholes to the rules we had put in place with his first one even before he broke it, Knuckles wouldn't be able to use a smartphone properly, and Tails would hack his. These phones come in packages of four, because that's society's perfect number for a family. Math-wise, we had to get two packages, so... we have extras."

"Why are you giving me this?" Stone asked.

"I was outvoted," Mr. Wachowski said. "The phone is programmed with all our numbers. If you're looking for Shadow and need help, well... Figured the family that is mostly comprised of other aliens would be the ones to call."

Stone raised an eyebrow and glanced back at the house. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were staring at Mr. Wachowski and him through one of the windows. Upon catching his gaze, Sonic gave Stone a thumbs-up.

"Look, Stone." Mr. Wachowski recaptured Stone's attention, and Stone took in the other man's stance -- shoulders squared, biceps tense, hands in his pockets. Stone guessed that Mr. Wachowski's hands were curled into fists and having them in his pockets was the only thing preventing Mr. Wachowski from swinging a punch at Stone's jaw for invading his home.

"Maddie and I don't know how to deal with you," Mr. Wachowski said. "I personally have almost been killed multiple times by you, Shadow, and Robotnik, which is nothing compared to the danger you've put the rest of my family in over the past couple of years. We've basically let you keep the Mean Bean open as a way to keep an eye on you."

He took a breath. "And, well, Wade really likes your cappuccinos.

"I'm all for letting you go on your merry way if it keeps you out of our hair," Mr. Wachowski continued, "but it was pointed out to me that you... may be hurting--"

"Mr. Wachowski, do you have a point?" Stone interrupted.

The other man stared at him, and Stone refused to fidget. Gesturing to the cell phone, Mr. Wachowski merely reiterated, "Call if you need help. Despite everything that went down between us, we'll answer."

Without another word, Mr. Wachowski turned away and returned to his home. His wife was waiting by the open front door and Stone noticed that the three aliens were still watching in the window.

Stone stuffed the cell phone in a compartment of his motorbike, put on his helmet, and drove off before Mr. Wachowski reached the porch.

Chapter 3: As You Try to Clear Your Head

Base Tango was situated deep in the woodlands that surrounded Green Hills, Montana. Protected by guards of trees, rocky paths, and other such greenery, there were no hiking trails that led to the base, aiding the doctor with picking the perfect location for one of their newest – last -- base of operations.

The doctor had a small platoon of his robots quickly raise up the base, fitting it with as much of his genius technology and state of the art appliances, soon after he had been assigned by Walters to investigate the power outage that had originally announced Sonic's existence to the planet. The drones had swiftly found the hedgehog's footprints and, while there had been a few setbacks as they followed the creature's trail, the doctor's giddiness at discovering such an extraordinary creature prompted him to have a stationary base close to the point of origin.

The name Tango was next in line of the phonetic alphabet for the doctor's labs, but it was also the first kind of music the doctor blasted once the lab was complete.

Stone's motorbike was good enough to drive off-road through the woodlands to the site -- of course it was, it was designed by the doctor himself -- but as the near-invisible path to the base became more apparent, Stone decided to walk his bike the rest of the way. The building was sleek and chrome, and would have stood out amid the forestry had vines and foliage not curled around the exterior throughout its few years of standing. There used to be fake plants helping to camouflage the building, but eventually the forest helped with taking on the building as part of it.

Stone stared at the base, finding the forest air momentarily choking him as he took in the vines, the few windows, one of which had a crack, the bird nest built in the upper corner of the building, the dirt caking around the sliding door, and Stone should have absolutely been taking better care of the place, didn't he know that dust would interfere with the doctor's babies--

Stone blinked, his vision clearing, and he shook his head to scatter the thoughts before moving closer to the base.

His bike was parked in the small garage, really only big enough for one of the doctor's hovercrafts, but his bike fortunately fit in the corner. Stone's fingers trailed along the steel exterior of the hovercraft, but moved quickly until he reached the connecting door to the rest of the base. Muscle memory helped Stone remember the passcode to unlock the door and it slid aside with an aching creak that shattered the forest's quiet.

Lights automatically lit up the corridor and main room when Stone wandered into the base, his gaze roaming as he remembered how everything had been left. Large monitors took up the front wall, keyboards, a desk, and a chair positioned haphazardly before them. The adjacent wall had another desk, stuffed bookcases nearby with a counter that held a mini espresso machine that was so fancy it had taken Stone about a week to learn all of its intricacies.

Stone could see the dust accumulating on the coffee machine all the way from the entrance, and he shuddered.

He took a deep breath and began to head towards the large monitors. As he did, buzzes and whirls of electricity and gears made him pause. From hidden panels high on the walls, drones emerged, having awoken from sensing someone's presence. Stone stayed still as the drones descended to his level, letting their red beams scan him. They should recognize him, no matter how long it's been.

And if they didn't? Well… Stone wouldn't have to worry about anything else.

Of course the drones recognized Stone, though. The one in front of him hovered even closer, as if pleased that one of the two humans that used to interact with them had returned.

Stone reached out and placed a hand atop of the drone, his fingers trembling as they trailed the cool metal. His whisper still seemed too loud as he said, "Hello."

The drones trilled in response before most fell into a preprogrammed patrol route -- some went back to their spots in the wall, others left to explore the rest of the base and perhaps the forest, and a few more began hovering by the ceiling -- since there was now a human to report to. Stone figured he would eventually reprogram their routes, maybe even let them rest for good, but he didn't want to think too much about changing the doctor's last orders to them at the moment.

Stone moved over to the computer and the main drone followed. The computer still powered on just fine -- no surprise there, of course -- and Stone drank in all of the code that greeted him. He hesitated but ultimately minimized everything that the doctor had last left up before opening up the surveillance program.

Sitting in the computer chair felt odd. It took Stone all but seven seconds before he stood back up and gently moved the doctor's chair to the side before dragging his own from behind the other desk to use.

"I don't fit in it," Stone muttered to the drone as its singular camera-eye followed his movements. It made no sound in response.

The surveillance program was able to tap into the major networks of the world, and Stone put in a few of the coordinates that Walters had given him regarding Shadow's supposed whereabouts. News clippings, videos and audios, populated the search results and Stone's gaze skimmed them all.

G.U.N. would also know of most of these results. He would think that G.U.N., despite all of their inefficiencies, would also be able to hone in on where Shadow may be.

Then again, Walters may be throwing G.U.N. off-track. The old man was crafty when he needed to be and, if he was truly serious about wanting Stone to find Shadow rather than G.U.N., he could interfere with G.U.N.'s resources.

The potential sightings of Shadow were all over the place. Most were, thankfully, in the country, but there was one small article from a French website that claimed the black and red hedgehog had stolen a baguette from a bakery before disappearing. Surveillance programs and other news sources around that time said nothing about the creature, so Stone chalked that up to the website making something up to gain some traffic and dismissed it entirely.

Stone leaned back from the computer as he compiled the other, more plausible, sightings of Shadow and allowed the program to pinpoint possible places the hedgehog would go next. Stone did not have the speed of the creature, but he could at least try enough to pressure Walters into giving him more of the doctor's blueprints and belongings.

As the computer ran through the possibilities, Stone brought out the small flash drive from his pocket. He scrutinized it and used a handkerchief to delicately clean it. To the drone, Stone said, "Maybe your schematics are on here."

A beep responded, the camera-eye narrowing slightly as the drone focused on the flash drive.

Stone could bring up another window and explore the flash drive's contents now. There was nothing stopping him. The computer was more than capable of running several programs at once.

Yet, Stone couldn't bring himself to connect the flash drive. Not now. Not yet. The doctor defied death before. He could waltz right back in and berate Stone for even thinking of looking at his blueprints and files--

Stone jumped as the computer dinged, its list complete.

"It's okay," Stone said to the drone, his sudden movement having startled the robot -- and several others nearby -- into attention. Its wings opened, guns at the ready, with its back to Stone. Stone took a deep breath and said again, "It's okay. Stand down."

The familiar command eased the drones and they slowly closed their gun compartments. Stone listened as the drones returned to their routes and glanced at the closest one as it again turned to him. He contemplated taking a few drones along with him, figuring they'd be extra protection, but they weren't inconspicuous.

Stone picked a few of the computer's suggested locations, memorized the coordinates, and shut it down.

"At ease," he said to the drone beside him, and it paused in following him to the door. It gave a little beep, giving some signal to the other drones, before they all returned to their pods in the wall.

Stone watched them disappear and had the urge to call the drones back out. It was irrational, he knew that. There was no reason to not have them rested, charged, ready for whenever they would be needed next.

There was no reason for him to feel so alone.

He turned on his heel and marched out the door.

Chapter 4: You Start to Look And Answers Find You

Stone's motorbike flew on the highways, the GPS handily built into his helmet giving him both the fastest time to his destination and helping him avoid potential speed traps.

The only speed trap he passed by was the one by Green Hills's border. The dimwitted Wade was there and actually had the audacity to stop him. Stone only stared at the deputy sheriff as Wade stuttered out a "verbal warning" before letting Stone go. Stone was gone before the deputy returned to his patrol car.

The GPS led Stone two states over from Montana, and Stone only stopped when his bike or his body needed more fuel. Stone cursed his biology whenever he truly needed to get a motel room -- having a brief, hysterical laughing fit the first time he got a room since the internal voice making the complaint sounded too much like the doctor -- but he otherwise made good time reaching his destinations.

The first two set of coordinates were dead-ends. There was nothing of Shadow’s presence when he looked around the first area – granted, he probably could have looked harder – but the second had some disturbances. Whether nature had been disturbed because of Shadow or because of G.U.N. agents on his trial, Stone couldn’t tell. Regardless, Shadow was not at the second set of coordinates, so Stone moved on.

Minnesota had a handful of biomes congregating within its borders, and Stone was just glad that the third set of coordinates the computer had spit out at him detailed an off-road spot away from other people.

If he had learned anything about Shadow in their short time together, it made perfect sense that the creature wouldn't want to be near any people. It must have been a Robotnik family trait -- the majority of humans were beneath them. Not intelligent enough, not trustworthy enough...

A twinge of pride, there and gone again much too quickly, hurt Stone's chest that he very pointedly ignored when he stopped his motorbike and removed his helmet to look around.

The coordinates had led him to the edge of some lake, one of the many thousands in the state, and Stone couldn't be bothered to recall which one this was. It was hidden amid one of the northern boreal forests of the state, no footpaths close by at all. The only created trail was Stone's motorbike and he inwardly lamented at how annoying it would be to clean the dirt and pine needles and sap out of the wheels.

Stone took a deep breath and refocused his thoughts on his surroundings. He followed the coordinates exactly, knew that it would only be a possibility despite the program's calculations -- even though it was from the doctor's computer, the code and programs of which were never wrong if the doctor had his way -- that Shadow would be around, but didn't quite think about what would happen next.

A snap of a twig, the crunch of gravel, made Stone take out his gun and whirl around, and he found himself staring at Shadow.

Shadow, the black and red hedgehog who was eventually where the doctor's supercomputer said he'd be. Shadow, who was now just staring at Stone with a dull, unimpressed gaze. Shadow, who could have used his speed to knock Stone down, steal his gun, and use it against him but chose not to.

Stone lowered his weapon slowly, and Shadow asked, "What are you doing here?"

The hedgehog's voice was rough, probably from disuse, and his fur was covered in dust and grime. Scratches, some healed and some fresh, littered parts of his arms and legs, and he didn't seem to give a damn.

"Looking for you," Stone said.

"You found me," was the simple reply.

That could have been the end of their conversation. Stone could have sent Walters a message with Shadow's coordinates, told the hedgehog to have a good day, and left on his bike. Shadow didn't seem inclined to continue the conversation, especially since he didn’t even appear curious as to why Stone was looking for him.

"What are you doing here?" Stone decided to ask, flipping the question back to the hedgehog.

Shadow's ears twitched, either in confusion or irritation, and he looked away. "What does it matter?"

"I suppose it doesn't," Stone said, "except that you have some people looking for you."

"Other than you?" Shadow asked.

"G.U.N." Stone remained impassive when Shadow's eyes narrowed.

"I know that," the hedgehog snapped. Of course Shadow had known. Why else would he continually run from place to place across the country? "I'm not going back to them."

"I'm not here to take you back to them," Stone said. "Quite the opposite, actually."

Confusion was winning. "You came to find me to... what, help me from G.U.N.?"

That was what the contract between Walters and him stated, but Stone probably figured that Shadow wouldn't care to hear about the G.U.N. commander. Instead, Stone nodded.

"They're not my favorite, either," he muttered.

"You worked for them."

"I worked for the doctor."

"Who worked for G.U.N."

"Not for the past few years," Stone said. "G.U.N. didn't want anything to do with his genius after another certain other hedgehog entered the scene."

Shadow stared at him long enough that Stone had to consciously ensure that his poker mask wouldn't slip.

"I'm not going to help you, either," Shadow said. "I've been used too much already."

Stone allowed himself to raise an eyebrow, to let Shadow see him be confused in return. He asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Revenge is not something I wish to enact again," Shadow said, his gaze flickering to his shoes.

And, God, hadn't Stone thought of that, too. He had some of the doctor's old blueprints, promises of more to come, and he was certain that Walters didn't think that Stone could even come close to understanding all of the doctor's plans, but he didn't account that Stone had been by the doctor's side for years, had been learning and admiring for so long--

"Leave me be." Shadow's words cut through Stone's thoughts, and the hedgehog began to turn away.

"I'm not here to ask for your help," Stone said. "I came to help you. Are you just living in the wilderness by yourself?"

Shadow's whole body racked with a sigh. "And how will you help me? Is this how Sonic got close with his humans?"

Stone really didn't know, nor did he care. "I can at least help you figure out what to do next. Do you really want to be on the run forever?"

"I... don't see an alternative."

"You helped saved the world, Shadow," Stone said, attempting to appeal to whatever part of his soul that had been good-natured enough to do that. "You shouldn't have to be on the run."

"There are many things that shouldn't have happened," Shadow said, his voice quiet enough that Stone nearly missed it. Yet, the hedgehog sighed again and asked, "Are you as stubborn as the professor and the doctor?"

"I can be," Stone said. "What about you?"

Shadow said nothing, but after a few seconds too long, he did nod and turn back to face Stone. Stone returned the nod and gestured to his motorbike, which was met with a distrustful gaze but no complaints. The pair maneuvered themselves so Shadow could sit behind Stone as he drove them both back towards one of last motels Stone had passed.

 

---

 

Motel food was shit.

Stone knew that motels didn't have five-star kitchens, of course, but surely they should be able to make some basic dishes. Eggs and toast. Have cereal on hand. Clean coffee machines, however inadequate they were.

Instead, the best that the soulless motel receptionist could do was point Stone in the direction of the vending machines situated outside and half under the awning in front of the motel.

Stone decided he would rather go hungry for the night.

"They have no food left?" Shadow asked when Stone returned to their room empty-handed.

"No," Stone said, not finding it to be a lie at all. He continued as he pulled down the shades of the two windows showing the coming dusk. "I'm sorry. If I knew that, I would have stopped at one of the convenience stores we passed by to get something resembling food. If we just go to sleep, we'll find a breakfast place first thing in the morning."

"Your stomach was speaking as we got this room," Shadow said.

Stone's grumble of, "I'll survive," was interrupted by a breeze passing him by twice in rapid succession, and he blinked to see Shadow by the little counter that separated the bathroom and bedroom sections of the room. The hedgehog dumped an assortment of food onto the surface before facing Stone.

Stone raised an eyebrow and went over to inspect what Shadow had brought back. He didn't ask if Shadow had paid for any of the ingredients. He didn't care.

An avocado. A bag of tortilla chips. A lime, a sprig of cilantro, a few spices...

"Do you want me to make guacamole?" Stone asked.

"Isn't revenge guac what you make?" Shadow asked in return.

"I can make a lot of things," Stone said, "but... well, guacamole is probably the only dish you've seen me make, isn't it?"

Shadow was quiet for a moment and Stone started rolling up his sleeves to get to work, figuring their conversation was done for now. However, Shadow murmured, "I didn't get to try it..."

Stone barely paused as he hunted around for something resembling a bowl in the room. Eventually he decided to rewash the few complimentary mugs that sat under the room's individual coffee machine to serve his purposes.

"Why are we here instead of your mechanical crab home?" Shadow eventually asked.

"The crab got destroyed, remember?" Stone said. He tried to keep his tone impassive, but he did vaguely wonder if the shell of the crab -- no pun intended -- was still bobbing up and down in the Thames.

"It wasn't exactly a home, either," Stone continued. He had tried to make it one -- with all the time the doctor and he had lived there as the doctor healed from the fight for the Master Emerald, Stone had tried his damnedest to make the crab comfortable, livable, like a home... "It was more of a hideout, you could say."

"Oh." Shadow sat on the edge of the closest bed, watching as Stone methodically created the guacamole.

While Stone did his best to ignore the crimson gaze that barely blinked, he did glance up long enough to realize the dirt that Shadow was leaving behind on the off-white duvet. It was faint, but definitely there on the fabric, reminding Stone that Shadow had been living out in the wilderness since the cannon exploded--

"This won't take too long," Stone said, "but why don't you take a quick shower? Wash up before we eat?"

Shadow blinked before dragging his gaze towards the tiny bathroom the motel had. Stone fully expected to be buffeted by the breeze that Shadow created when he dashed about, but the hedgehog instead walked slowly into the bathroom and just stood in the threshold to scrutinize the place.

"How does it work?" Shadow eventually asked.

"You've... never used a shower before?" Stone raised an eyebrow, but schooled his expression into neutrality when Shadow's gaze narrowed at the bathroom tiles and his ears flattened. Stone wiped his hands free of lime and cilantro on the closest piece of cloth he could find -- one of the extra blankets that was folded at the end of the bed -- and caught up to Shadow.

"Motel showers can sometimes be tricky," Stone murmured as he passed the hedgehog into the room. "Here..."

Stone never expected in his life to be explaining shower knobs, faucets, and soaps to an alien hedgehog but, considering how eccentric his boss had been, the conversation wasn't too strange. Shadow listened with rapt attention, carefully taking off his gloves to test the water temperature when Stone suggested it, and Stone made sure that whatever the hedgehog needed was within reach.

Stone eyed the amount of fur Shadow had and wondered if one towel would be enough. "I'll be right in the room," he said, figuring they would start with the one and hoped that he could keep the other towel clean for himself, "if you need anything."

He got a grunt in response as he closed the door. Did they not have showers in the facility that raised Shadow? Did the hedgehog forget what baths were after being in stasis for so long? Or did the professor and whatever scientists worked with him keep Shadow clean just enough for their tests?

Stone figured none of that mattered at the moment. Before returning to the guacamole, he sent a message to Walters, saying he found Shadow and was heading back towards Green Hills with the hedgehog.

Will you be picking him up? Stone asked.

Walters replied almost immediately, and Stone rolled his eyes at how responsive the old man was at this time. He had always been a pain to reach whenever the doctor needed something, but of course Walters was quick to answer when it was beneficial to him.

Stone frowned when the response was, Keep Shadow with you. I'll figure out where he can go soon.

That wasn't part of the deal, Stone said. Where am I going to keep him?

The deal was that you would find and help Shadow before G.U.N. got to him, Walters said. Consider keeping him for a little longer as helping him. At least Green Hills is used to alien creatures.

Before Stone could send anything else, Walters added, Another flash drive will be delivered to the Mean Bean within two days, and Stone vowed to ignore his messages for the rest of the night.

The guacamole was ready and divided between the two coffee mugs before Shadow was out of the shower. When the hedgehog did reappear -- his fur fluffed and mostly dried -- Stone asked, "How did it go? You took a little longer than I thought you would, what with your speed and all."

Shadow's ear twitched. "It was warm," he murmured, and Stone opted not to think about how Shadow lived outside for the past several months.

"Alright, here." Stone handed Shadow a mug of guac and opened the party-sized bag of tortilla chips as the hedgehog got settled again on the edge of one of the beds. "Give it a try."

Shadow almost tried to drink the guac -- which, okay, it was in a mug, but it wasn't something Stone had been expecting -- but then watched as Stone demonstrated scooping some of the dip onto a chip to eat it.

As soon as he tasted the guacamole, Shadow's eyes went wide. Stone blinked and Shadow's mug was empty of guac with half of the chips gone.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Stone said mildly, eating his second chip.

"What else can you make?" Shadow asked.

"Quite a few things," Stone said. "When we get back to Green Hills, I'll make us a better meal than this." He'd have to go grocery shopping since Stone was sure his apartment above the Mean Bean wasn't stocked well. He couldn’t recall the last time he the energy to do a full grocery run.

"Green Hills..." Shadow's eyes followed Stone's latest chip towards his mouth before looking at his feet dangling off the bed. "Where is that?"

"Montana," Stone said. "I've, uh, been staying there since... I've been staying there lately. I run a coffee shop." He paused before adding, "It's the same place where Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles live with their humans."

Shadow stiffened. "Would that be a good idea?" he asked quietly. "To bring me there?"

"Where else would you want to go?"

"I don't..." Shadow shook his head almost violently, and Stone watched as a few red sparks escaped from his quills. "I don't know where I would go, but... Do they know you're bringing me there?"

"They are aware I went looking for you," Stone admitted. "Whether they're intelligent enough to realize that I would bring you back if I found you, I don't know."

It appeared that Shadow was purposely trying not to let his ears stay flat against his head. Despite being uneasy with this topic, the hedgehog voiced, "They won't like seeing me..."

"Again, you helped save the world--"

"I killed his human." Shadow was fiddling with his empty mug. "Sonic's human, the man. I thought he was the commander..."

Stone's brows furrowed, trying to follow Shadow's logic. "You mean Tom Wachowski? He's alive. I spoke to him before coming to find you."

Shadow looked up at him then, his grip on the mug so tight that Stone feared the hedgehog would break it. "He's alive? Oh... Well..."

"Now that I think about it," Stone said, "Mr. Wachowski mentioned almost being killed by us a few times, but he was good enough to still offer me help in finding you."

That family was full of martyrs, it seemed.

"You thought he was the commander?" Stone asked when Shadow stayed quiet. "Commander Walters?"

Now Shadow's ears went flat, his gaze narrowed in a glare at the mug. "Tom had the cannon’s other launch key while disguised as the commander. Commander Walters was the one who put me in the pod all those years ago... He was there when Maria--"

Stone reached out and took the mug that Shadow was squeezing, startling the hedgehog from his thoughts enough to let go without a fuss.

"Here," Stone said, handing Shadow what was left of his guacamole. "Finish mine."

Shadow glanced at him, and seemed to be extra gentle in taking the second mug. "You're no longer hungry?"

"I had my fill," Stone said, giving Shadow a small smile. Shadow had no qualms about finishing the guacamole, moving much slower most likely due to his thoughts, and Stone excused himself to wash up.

Alone in the bathroom, Stone heaved a sigh. No wonder Walters didn't want to pick up Shadow -- he probably knew the hedgehog would rather see him dead than alive.

Stone was going to be stuck with Shadow for longer than he thought.

Chapter 5: Your Inner Purpose Lies Ahead

By the time they reached Green Hills again, twilight was starting to creep over their part of the world. Stone parked his motorbike in its makeshift parking spot behind the Mean Bean café and led Shadow into his apartment above the shop.

Stone flooded the apartment with light and didn't say anything as Shadow cautiously ventured into the place, looking around and keeping any judgement about the apartment to himself. Stone locked the door behind them and, leaving the hedgehog in the living room, did a quick surveillance check.

It was a habit from working with the doctor that he would never break.

"Okay, I can set you up on the sofa, if you'd like," Stone said. "I'm afraid this is only a one-bedroom place, but I have plenty of extra blankets."

"For how long?"

"Excuse me?"

"How long am I staying here?" Shadow asked. He gave Stone a hard stare, stating, "You did not seek me out because of the goodness of your heart."

And Stone really wasn't sure how much information he should give the hedgehog.

"No, I didn't," he admitted. "I honestly didn't even think that you could have survived the explosion..."

He hadn't been particularly surprised, considering that all of the alien creatures he knew of were ridiculously hardy, and he shoved the thought away that it wasn't fair that Shadow was able to survive, but not--

"What made you come and look for me, then?" Shadow asked.

Stone weighed his options. "There were articles of you," he said, which was true, "that occasionally popped up on the news. They didn't mention you, not really, but knowing who and what you are, I was able to deduce that the black and red blurs, the unexpected winds, et cetera, that were reported was most likely because of you.

"G.U.N. is still out there," he added. Shrugging, Stone said, "I told you they're not my favorites either. Considering everything, I'd rather hinder them as much as possible."

"So, helping me is merely a means to go against G.U.N."

"It's a bonus," Stone said. He ducked down his hallway to get more blankets out of the linen closet, starting to feel suffocated from the conversation.

Shadow was staring down at the sofa, his frown ever-present, when Stone returned with a couple of blankets. Sighing, Stone said, "You didn't want to stay out there on your own."

Shadow's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"You wanted to be found," Stone said, unraveling the blankets. "Dare I say, you may even have welcomed my help. Otherwise, why would it take you three days to ask me these questions?"

Shadow's gaze dropped again and Stone glanced down at the hedgehog to see that Shadow had crossed his arms tightly, almost as if he was stopping from hugging himself.

"I can leave," Shadow said quietly.

Stone kept his tone casual. "You can," he said, needlessly fluffing one of the sofa's pillows, "anytime you want. I am not going to force you to stay here."

"But you believe it would be a good idea for me to stay," Shadow said. "...Because it is not what G.U.N. wants."

"Green Hills is sacred grounds," Stone said, "for aliens like yourself. It would be the safest place for you. And, yes, you being free and untouchable is the opposite of what G.U.N. wants. Are two blankets enough?"

Shadow raised the equivalent of an eyebrow, most likely at the abrupt change of topic. "...Sure."

"Well, if not," Stone said, "there are still a few more in that linen closet. Feel free to get more if you need them."

"I still don't quite understand your motivations," Shadow said, but his voice was quiet, tamer than it had been moments before. "Are you truly offering me a safe space merely to oppose G.U.N.? Perhaps you are not interested in my powers for revenge, but it seems you are using me for revenge regardless..."

Stone paused on his way to the kitchen and he looked back at the hedgehog. Shadow was sitting on the sofa, his eyes trained on his feet dangling in the air while his arms tightened around himself.

Get behind their defenses. Adapt.

"We're also... similar," Stone said slowly, pretending to bring his attention to whatever he could find in his refrigerator. He must have leftovers that would be better than motel vending machines and ridiculous coffee shop chains. "We've both lost people. I've been trying to find my way ever since that night and I thought, maybe, you've been trying to do the same."

"You wouldn't be wrong if you blamed me for your loss," Shadow said, and Stone stopped as he mulled over the statement.

They had both been up on the cannon, that was true. It was Shadow’s need for revenge that powered the cannon, that fueled the drive to want to destroy the planet. And if Shadow had somehow escaped, why couldn't he have saved the doctor--

"I'll still blame G.U.N.," Stone said aloud. "They started it all fifty years ago, didn't they? Are you okay with BLTs for supper?"

"Do you always change the subject when you get uncomfortable with a conversation?" Shadow asked instead.

"No," Stone said immediately, "but I don't think there's anything more to say on the matter. You're here, I want to help you be safe, and neither of us likes G.U.N. That is the point of our conversation, isn't it?" He held up a tomato that still looked decent. "So. BLT?"

Shadow was staring at Stone in a way that Stone did not like. The hedgehog was scrutinizing him, sizing him up, which was what Stone was supposed to do to others. Stone, of course, kept Shadow's gaze, not daring to be the one to look away first but also keeping up his poker mask to not let the hedgehog know he was bothered.

"I'll try it," Shadow eventually said.

"You haven't had a BLT either?" Stone asked rhetorically, finally turning away from the living room and towards his stove. He fired up a burner and plopped strips of bacon into a frying pan to cook them quickly. "Do you remember what you did like to eat before... Well, you know."

"Before being sealed away?" Shadow's tone was deadpanned. "You don't have to dance around that. It happened."

"Fine." Stone put some bread slices in his toaster oven. "What did you like to eat before the pod?"

Shadow took a moment before saying, "I liked popcorn. I remember that."

"...That's it?"

"There must have been more," Shadow murmured, and he brought his knees up to his chest, pondering on the question.

"You don't have to think too hard," Stone said, slicing up the tomato. "It's okay if you don't remember much. At least you'll have plenty of new things to try this time around."

Stone brought over the sandwiches to the living room and handed one to Shadow. Stone saw the hedgehog sniff the food, leaving him to inspect the sandwich before returning to the kitchen to grab something to drink for the pair of them. Half of Shadow's sandwich was gone in the few seconds it took for Stone to get them water.

"Here, don't forget to wash it down," Stone said, handing a cup to Shadow. Shadow remembered to thank him, and Stone asked, "Like it?"

"Most of it," Shadow said. Stone raised an eyebrow as Shadow deconstructed the last half of his sandwich just enough to take out the bacon. The tomato and lettuce were evidently fine.

"You don't waste bacon." Stone stole the few pieces Shadow had discarded and stuffed his own sandwich with them. Shadow's nose wrinkled at what Stone did, but said nothing as he finished his own food.

Shadow stayed quiet while the pair finished eating, but when Stone started to move to wash the dishes, the hedgehog asked, "What happens now?"

Stone glanced at the time. "Relax until bed, I suppose. It's still a little early, but I don't know how tired you are from traveling the past couple of days--"

"No," Shadow interrupted. "I mean... what happens now that I'm here? Maybe you really do want to help me against G.U.N. but you never answered my question as to how long I'm going to stay with you. Am I to camp out on your couch forever?"

Stone hoped not. "I really don't know," he said truthfully. Walters better come through with a solution sooner rather than later.

"You can stay here for however long you want," Stone continued, figuring it wouldn't be the permanent solution, but better to keep the superpowered alien hedgehog somewhat at ease. "I could also ask the Wachowskis if they have room for you?"

Being with more of his kind may be better. That, and the Wachowskis would definitely know more about how to handle Shadow considering the creatures already running amok in their home.

Shadow, though, shook his head. "I don't think they'd want me," he said quietly, his ears flattening again.

Oh, right. Shadow almost killed the dad of the family.

"Then guess you got the couch for now," Stone said. "If it's that uncomfortable tonight, let me know. I'll see if I can get an air mattress or something."

The sofa should hopefully be fine so Stone wouldn't have to indulge in such a purchase. If Walters upheld his end of the deal, then Shadow wouldn't have to spend too many nights on the sofa, anyway.

Shadow did give Stone a small nod in response to his words, and Stone took the opportunity to show Shadow the basics of the television. He had to simplify his instructions even further when it became apparent that all Shadow knew of television was a handful of old movies that he vaguely remembered from fifty years ago. Cable and streaming services were too much to teach at the moment.

Stone left Shadow with a handful of channels that replayed old sitcoms and said good night. It wasn't late by any means, but weariness was tugging at Stone just enough that made him retreat to his own bedroom.

The last thing he did for the night was glance at his messages, disappointment and frustration twinging in his chest at seeing nothing from Walters, before collapsing in bed into fitful sleep.

Chapter 6: One Step to Calm the Storm Inside You

Stone thrived on routine. Working under the doctor, there was usually something exciting happening during the day and he prided himself on his adaptability, but his basic routine was always the same. Lattes were demanded at the same time every day, maintenance for the drones were regularly scheduled, and even meetings with the higher-ups -- no matter how much both the doctor and Stone loathed them -- were planned at the specific time the doctor allowed during the week whenever they needed to happen.

It was logical for Stone to find and cling to any routine after the events of the cannon, which was one major reason as to why he originally reopened the Mean Bean.

Despite not being there for the past week, being back in his apartment triggered Stone to fall back into the routine for his coffee shop. He woke up early without an alarm, showered, tidied up his beard, and was downstairs in the Mean Bean setting up for the day within a half hour.

The scent of coffee permeated the air as the urns warmed up and Stone made himself the first cup of the day. While heating up a few of the pastries and getting rid of the ones that had gone stale in his absence, Stone completely forgot about his houseguest until he turned around from the counter and jumped when he spotted Shadow by the back door.

Shadow's fur was still mussed from sleep and his blinks were heavy as he frowned at Stone.

"You left," the hedgehog said.

"I didn't," Stone said, finding the bizarre need to defend himself. He gestured vaguely to the Mean Bean's interior. "I'm right here."

"You forgot I was in the apartment," was the next accusation.

"...I did," Stone admitted. He sighed, took another sip of his coffee -- his next cup definitely needed to be stronger -- and returned to prepping for the day. "I'm sorry. I've gotten used to not having anyone else around…"

Shadow's frown deepened, and it seemed to be more so from confusion than anything else. "You came to find me," he said. "It's not like I showed up on your doorstep myself."

"I know," Stone said. "In my small defense, I didn't expect to find you as quickly as I did."

"You didn't?"

Stone glanced at the hedgehog, realized Shadow hadn't moved from the door, and silently offered him to sit at the closest table to the counter. After a second, Shadow complied, hopping up and leaning his arms on the table.

"Well," Stone said, "considering your speed, I didn't expect you to stay still long enough for me to catch up with you easily."

"How did you find me?" Shadow asked.

"As a simple explanation, it was with the help of the doctor's computers," Stone said. "It compiled a list of possible next locations for you based on those articles from communities that had spotted you. I really just hoped to find something that would help me track you down further instead of, well... you."

"Like what?"

"Not sure." Stone shrugged. "Some footprints, maybe a quill or some fur... Some indication you actually still existed." He paused before asking, "What made you come out of hiding when I had arrived? Was it only because you didn't want to stay alone out in the wilderness?"

Shadow's eyes widened at the question. "What do you mean?"

"You've hidden yourself well enough ever since surviving the cannon," Stone said carefully. "I don't believe you would have been careless enough to let me just stumble upon you. You chose to show yourself when I found your spot in Minnesota. Why let me find you?"

"I don't know," Shadow said, his voice not much louder than the coffee grinders. "Maybe it was because you were alone and I recognized you... If needed, I knew I could take you on--"

"Wait a minute--"

"That was the result of our first encounter," Shadow pointed out. "I took both you and the fox out--"

"Okay, we really didn't know what we were up against, and I can't imagine Tails being great in a physical fight--"

"But the next time we were together, you were attempting to make me food." Shadow's words were met with only the sounds of coffee percolating. His ears twitched and he decided to stare at the table instead of Stone when he added, "I wasn't able to try your revenge guac then, but you had no qualms about including me. I know now that my pain was being used against me, but... it was never you doing it..."

Well, shit. The hedgehog being openly vulnerable was not on Stone's bingo card for the day.

Stone finished up at the counter and went towards Shadow's table. He said, "Working for the doctor for all these years, I do my best to go with the flow with whatever happens. No hard feelings for besting me in that first fight. Ever try a bagel with cream cheese?"

Shadow blinked at the plate that Stone put down before him, complete with a glass of milk. Toasted to a golden brown, the bagel had a small container of cream cheese on the side with a plastic butter knife sticking out of it.

"Was this your main role?" Shadow asked as Stone returned to behind the counter. Stone looked back at the hedgehog as Shadow nevertheless spread some cream cheese on one half of the bagel and added for clarification, "Chef?"

A quirked smile lifted the corner of Stone's lips and he shook his head. "No," he said, "although coffee was very important... I was the doctor's assistant. My main role, really, was support and protector."

"Protector?" Shadow raised an eyebrow.

Memories flashed in Stone's mind of protesters -- both in and out of the government -- rogue experiments, and would-be assassins. They morphed into memories of the doctor's body covered in bandages after his stint with the Master Emerald, of his recovery in the crab, of the doctor's last words to Stone being said from too far away in a space station--

Stone's fingers brushed against the gun latched under his counter as he simply said, "Yes."

Shadow said nothing else except for a hum of appreciation -- perhaps voiced involuntarily -- when he finished the bagel.

Silence stretched between the pair while Stone busied himself with the final preparations for the Mean Bean and Shadow merely watched. Stone glanced back and forth between the time on his watch and the sunbeams peeking through the slats of the blinds to be sure he was on time as he always was. He wasn't truly expecting many customers, of course, not after being closed unexpectedly for about a week.

Still, if he was going to reopen, he was going to do everything right.

"I'm going to open the shop now," Stone said, and Shadow only stared at him. "Are you going to hang out down here or go back to the apartment?"

"I get a choice?"

Stone shrugged. "I suppose so. I don't know what you'd do down here other than people-watch. You may be more comfortable up in the apartment."

Shadow glanced at the shop's door before asking, "You'd be okay with people knowing I'm here?"

"The people of Green Hills are used to aliens," Stone reminded him, "and you helped save the world. If anyone tries to give either of us trouble, you got your speed and I have a few tricks of my own."

"What about G.U.N.?"

"G.U.N. doesn't operate out of Green Hills," Stone said. Of course, if Walters wanted to give him some sort of message that he had a family lined up that was crazy enough like the Wachowskis to adopt Shadow, Stone wouldn't argue.

Shadow's gaze looked at the ground, a small frown on his face, and Stone began opening the shop's blinds. The snap of the slats springing up with the yank of their cords seemed to cut through Shadow's thoughts, and the hedgehog was on his feet when Stone reached the shop's door to unlock it.

"I'll... I'll go back up to the apartment," Shadow said, and he was gone in a blink before Stone could respond.

Stone felt odd about seeing Shadow disappear, but he didn't want to worry about the hedgehog. He opened the Mean Bean and focused on the few customers that began to trickle in once word got out that the coffee shop was once again open.

Shadow stayed in the back of Stone's mind throughout the day, almost forgotten about until another hedgehog appeared in the Mean Bean.

It was early afternoon when Sonic arrived, a little blue blur that whirled inside the shop and hovered over at the side of the small line that had formed of customers waiting for their midday caffeine pick-me-up. Stone barely hesitated when Sonic made himself known, looking over at the hedgehog with a brief furrow of his brows before refocusing on the customer in front of him.

The people in the line and the few patrons sitting at the tables greeted Sonic, most enthusiastically but some warily before shifting their gaze towards Stone. Stone ignored how some customers glanced back and forth between the hedgehog and him, no doubt expecting some sort of trouble. They were put at ease when Sonic happily greeted many of the people in return.

When the line had diminished, Sonic's cheerfulness dissipated, his grin being replaced with what the hedgehog probably thought was the picture of neutrality. It didn't work -- the aliens had always been too expressive, ever since Stone knew them. The tips of Sonic's ears were twitchy and his gaze kept roaming around the coffee shop. His foot alternated between tapping the hardwood floor and remaining still, like he was doing his best to not fidget but was losing the battle.

Still, to Sonic's credit, he was fairly patient as Stone finished up with the last customer and gave his attention to the hedgehog.

"I cannot imagine how terrible you would be with coffee in your system," Stone said as a greeting.

Sonic blinked before giving him a lopsided smile, one that didn't reach his eyes.

"Neither can my parents," he said. "They don't want me to have coffee yet."

"Then what can I do for you?" Stone asked, figuring he should be polite to Green Hills's mascot and hero. There were still a handful of customers as witnesses in the shop, after all.

Sonic glanced around before zipping to the side of the counter, refraining from going all the way behind it. Stone met him at the edge and strained to hear Sonic's whisper.

"Heard the Mean Bean was back open."

Stone nodded. "It is. Clearly."

Sonic frowned slightly at the sarcastic response, but he continued to whisper. "Does this mean that you found him? Shadow?"

"I did," Stone said. Sonic's head turned around to look in the shop again, but they both knew that Shadow was not there. Understanding what Sonic was hoping for, Stone added, "I don't know if he'd be up for company, not yet. He decided to stay upstairs for the day."

Sonic's shoulders drooped but he still tried to ask, "I shouldn't try visiting him, then?"

"No. Not today." And, frankly, Stone didn't want Sonic unsupervised in his apartment.

"Maybe tomorrow?" Sonic asked, and Stone really wasn't sure what to do in the face of the large, pleading eyes before him. He was starkly reminded that the aliens were kids, that this particular one was most likely a young teenager, that had bested the doctor's genius more than once.

They were superpowered alien kids, but still.

"I don't know," Stone settled for saying. "I can try asking him."

"Okay," Sonic said and, perhaps also realizing how bizarre having this conversation was with someone who had always been an enemy, sounded slightly bewildered when he added, "Uh, you have our numbers. Shadow can text with your phone, if he wants. We'd like to see him."

"I'll let him know."

Sonic nodded, remembered to mutter a thank you, then waited as Stone took care of another customer. Stone was surprised that Sonic was still by the counter after the customer left with their Americano, and the hedgehog seemed to be confused about the same.

"Guess I'll, uh, take my leave then," Sonic said a little too loudly when Stone looked over at him. The hedgehog still took another few seconds before asking, "He'll stay, right? He's planning on staying here?"

Stone could only shrug. "That's up to him."

And Walters, Stone supposed.

Sonic opened his mouth, closed it, then merely gave Stone a nod. The hedgehog may have thanked Stone again but, if he did, it was swallowed by the wind as Sonic dashed out of the Mean Bean.

Despite the time, Stone made himself another cup of strong coffee.

Chapter 7: Unlock the Secrets in Your Head

Stone shut the blinds of the Mean Bean café as soon as the sun touched the horizon. There were a few hours left of the work day, but having the windows covered was a silent signal to most would-be customers. He didn't have too many stragglers for the last hour or so before he locked the door and flipped the sign to "Closed."

His cleaning routine was familiar, calming, and Stone took his time with his chores before eventually leaving through the backdoor and going up the building's steps to his apartment. As soon as he opened the door, a pair of crimson eyes peeked up from over the back of the sofa, and Shadow and he stared at each other for a few seconds.

Shadow's eyes narrowed, the intended effect of looking annoyed or upset being lost. Instead, he looked a little comical considering all Stone could see of the hedgehog was his nose and up.

"Did you forget me again?" Shadow asked.

"No," Stone said, locking his door behind him, unsure himself it that was a lie or not. He moved to pull down the few blinds in the apartment as he continued. "Were you okay up here all day?"

Shadow watched him move about and, when Stone looked back at him, shrugged. "I'm still here," he said.

Stone figured that was the best answer he was going to get. He scrutinized the television, realizing that Shadow had found some Spanish soap opera, and didn't comment.

Instead, Stone headed towards the kitchen and asked, "You hungry for dinner? Or did you eat recently?"

"I haven't eaten anything since the bagel."

Stone looked at his watch, bewildered at how long Shadow had gone without food. "Why not?"

"I didn't know what I was allowed," Shadow said. Stone raised an eyebrow at him for the casual answer, but it was the scrutiny that made the hedgehog frown and curtly ask, "What?"

"Guess that was on me," Stone said, half to himself. Making sure that Shadow could hear him, he said, "Feel free to have whatever you want from the kitchen as long as you're comfortable with making it. Don't potentially burn down the place if you're not sure how to use the oven, for example." He paused. "And maybe don't touch the alcohol."

Stone never wanted to deal with a drunk superpowered alien.

"Really?" Shadow was suddenly in the threshold of the kitchen, watching as Stone decided to fill a pot with water and start bringing it to a boil. "What's the trade-off?"

"Trade-off? For what?"

"Food?" Shadow, at least, was also beginning to sound as confused as Stone.

"Uh... Make sure you clean up after yourself?"

Shadow crossed his arms, looking more wary than irritated. "Are you asking me?"

"I don't understand what you mean by trade-off," Stone admitted. "Why would we need to think of an exchange for food?"

Shadow shifted, visibly stopping himself from backing off and retreating. "I ate after my tests... Fifty years ago. That was the trade-off. So... What should I do here before eating?"

Stone knew the basics of Shadow's existence. Perhaps he too had arrived from whatever planet Sonic and the other two had originated from once upon a time, but Shadow was found in a meteorite that had made its way to Earth. It made sense that tests and experiments would be run to measure Shadow's origin and power.

Yet, hadn't Shadow been considered part of the professor's family with how close the hedgehog had been to his granddaughter? Why would food be used as a bargaining chip?

"There's no tests here," Stone said. He refocused on the pot, salting the boiling water and measuring out spaghetti to toss in. "If you're hungry, you should eat. I'd appreciate it if you let me know if we're running low on anything, like bread or something, and cleaning up after yourself would be great. Otherwise, if you're hungry, then eat."

Stone did briefly wonder what an alien hedgehog's -- particularly one with Shadow's speed -- metabolism was like. Just how much food did Shadow need? Was this the kind of question that would force Stone to call the Wachowskis?

Stone probably didn't need to worry about it. Once Walters pulled through on his end of the deal, then Stone wouldn't need to concern himself with things like alien metabolisms.

Speaking of which...

"That sounds like a test." Shadow's voice broke through Stone's thoughts.

"What? No." Stone shook his head. "Shadow, there are no tests for food around here. I promise." The hedgehog still seemed suspicious, so Stone pulled a chair over to the counter. "Do you want to help? You'd still get a plate even if you say no."

"Help with what?" Shadow nevertheless climbed atop of the chair.

Stone put a bowl, a block of parmesan cheese, and a grater in front of the hedgehog. "You hold the cheese like this and move it carefully to start shredding it..."

Shadow got into a slow rhythm with the cheese grater, and Stone was comfortable enough to go and check on his mail. Despite not being at the apartment the past couple of days, there wasn't much. Stone wasn't too surprised -- it wasn't as if there was anyone else in the world eager to send him letters.

What Stone was concerned with was the unlabeled envelope that held a second flash drive.

In the thirty seconds it took Stone to get the mail, Shadow was done shredding the block of cheese. Pretending he absolutely did not forget how fast the hedgehog could move, Stone passed by the bowl and said, "Looks good. Thank you."

"...You're welcome." The words were quiet, almost puzzled.

Stone politely didn't point it out. Instead, Stone said, "Perfect timing, too. Spaghetti is done. Here, fill these cups up with water, will you? I'll get us plates..."

When the pair got settled at the table, Stone couldn't quite place the odd feeling from how domestic the scene was.

About halfway through dinner, Stone remembered to say, "I had a visitor at the Mean Bean today."

"Just one?" Shadow asked. "I thought people liked your coffee--"

"Well, no," Stone said, "I had plenty of customers today, thank you. I was just going to tell you about a particular visitor. Sonic showed up this afternoon." Shadow's fork hovered halfway between the plate and his mouth, and Stone continued. "He asked about you and said they want to see you. He was hoping to see you tomorrow."

The forkful of spaghetti returned to the plate. "Should I?"

"That's up to you," Stone said, "which is what I said to Sonic."

"Why would he want..." Shadow didn't seem to be able to figure out his words. Eventually, he asked, "How did Sonic seem?"

"You mean when he was asking about you?" Stone asked to clarify. He didn't need Shadow to nod. "He seemed okay, a little eager. Maybe concerned? Sonic didn't appear to be upset, if that's what you are really asking."

Shadow's brows furrowed. "Really?"

"Really," Stone said. "He thought you were dead, remember? I'm not sure what happened between the pair of you the last time you saw each other, but--"

"He's the hero," Shadow said. "Not me. I... I would have gone through with my revenge if... if Sonic hadn't helped me realize that Maria would not have wanted me to...

"Why did you tell Sonic that I'm here?" was the next question, asked so suddenly and with such an intense stare that Stone was caught off-guard enough to reach towards his belt where he used to always carry a concealed weapon.

He actually broke that little habit six months after moving back to Green Hills after the doctor--

"He figured it out himself after realizing the Mean Bean was open again. When I first had the thought to try to find you," Stone said, refocusing on his current conversation, "I actually visited Sonic and his, well, family. I figured if they had heard of any possibility of you being alive then they would have searched for you."

The intensity of that crimson stare lessened. "You mentioned they knew you were looking for me… Why would you think they'd waste their time doing the same?"

"They like playing the role of hero," Stone said simply. "The family seems to collect alien creatures, at any rate."

"They wouldn't have taken me in," Shadow said, turning his stare to his remaining spaghetti.

"You don't know that." Stone moved to bring his own plate to the kitchen sink. "I think they would have tried to help you somehow if they had found you. Honestly, many of Green Hills's residents are used to Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles being here. If the Wachowskis couldn't take you in, there would probably be someone else around here who would have."

Stone then had the ridiculous thought of the equally-ridiculous deputy taking in Shadow. Stone figured he needed sleep.

"The Wachowskis did give me a phone," Stone said, remembering that detail now that he was talking about them. "I think it's still in a compartment on my motorbike..."

Stone briefly disappeared from the apartment to fetch the cell phone. He returned to see that Shadow was still sitting at the table with the plate of cold spaghetti in front of him, his arms wrapped around himself.

"Did you eat enough?" Stone's question was met with a single nod. "Okay. Here. Do you know how to text?"

Shadow stared at the offered cell phone before looking back up at Stone with wide eyes. "I... No. I don't."

"I'll show you."

Stone instructed Shadow on the phone's texting capabilities, glad for the prepaid phone's simplicity. "Sonic mentioned you could text them," Stone said, "if you wanted to meet up."

"I don't know if I want to..." Shadow's finger hovered over the text icon, but otherwise didn't move.

"You don't have to," Stone said, and he picked up Shadow's plate to bring that to the kitchen. "It's there as an option--"

"What are you doing?"

Stone raised an eyebrow as Shadow's voice returned to its normal volume just to ask about his dinner plate. "I thought you were done eating?"

"I am," Shadow said, "but you told me to clean up after myself."

"Sure, yes," Stone said, "mainly for when you cook for yourself. I can handle the dishes tonight." Shadow looked a little lost, and Stone added, "Cleaning the kitchen is not a condition for you to get food, Shadow."

"Oh."

Stone watched Shadow for another heartbeat before the hedgehog's gaze returned to the cell phone in his hand. Stone let Shadow to his own thoughts while washing the dishes, ignoring his dishwasher and opting to clean up manually. It allowed Stone more time to let his own mind wander, to focus on the chore and relax.

Usually it worked.

Shadow hadn't moved from the table during the time that Stone took to clean up the kitchen. Once Stone shut off the running water from the sink, the only sound echoing around the apartment was from the television. The volume was low, but the soap opera's characters were speaking in irate Spanish. Stone glanced at the screen enough to see that there were three women, apparently triplets, all glaring at one man who was sweating profusely.

"Is this what you've been watching all day?" Stone asked, severing the silence. He wasn't sure if he should be concerned or amused at Shadow's television choices.

Shadow looked up at him as if he just remembered where he was and who he was with. Turning his gaze to the television as well, Shadow shrugged. "It was the most familiar show."

"Maybe we can find something better. Unless you want to finish this storyline?" Stone checked with Shadow, who just gave another shrug, before picking up the remote to start flickering through the channels. "C'mon."

Stone settled on one end of the sofa and heard Shadow walk around to the other side. He browsed through the few movie channels he had until he found something that wasn't too far along yet. Keanu Reeves was one of the stars and Shadow didn't respond when Stone commented on how the actor sounded like the hedgehog.

In fact, Shadow didn't speak at all during the movie.

Stone glanced at the hedgehog from time to time, but Shadow appeared to always be focused on the movie. Stone guessed that Shadow was instead lost in his own thoughts and didn't pry.

As the movie drew to a close, Stone looked over at Shadow and realized that the hedgehog had fallen asleep nearly sitting up. Quietly, Stone moved from his spot and shifted a couple of the pillows around Shadow. He didn't dare touch the hedgehog -- Stone wasn't sure what Shadow's reaction would be if he was accidentally awakened like that. Instead, the pillows and blankets were meticulously arranged, swiftly and efficiently, to try to give Shadow some comfort.

Stone used to do the same with the doctor during long nights at the lab.

Stone changed the television channel to a station that played music, turned the volume down a bit lower, and dimmed the lights before retreating to his own bedroom.

Update? was all Stone sent in a message to Walters.

Not much of one, I'm afraid, Walters sent back in about twenty minutes. Keep everything status quo.

What the hell does that mean? Stone shot back.

It means, Walters said, that while I'm glad you found the target so quickly, I did not expect you to do so.

Target. Right.

You never had a plan, Stone said. That's what you're saying.

You both will be safe in Green Hills, Walters responded. I have faith in you.

And Stone had no faith in Walters.

Chapter 8: Not Another Day, No More Confusion

"Hi, Mr. Stone."

Stone glanced away from the mocha he was making to spot both Tails and Sonic standing by the side of his counter. Tails gave him a shy smile but Sonic was craning his neck in an effort to look around at the rest of the shop.

Stone returned the fox's smile with a small one of his own and finished up the few drinks on his queue. When he got a moment, he caught up to the aliens' side.

Instead of a greeting, Stone said, "Shadow's not down here today. I did give him the cell phone and taught him how to text."

Sonic's ears flattened for a minute and he tried to sound casual as he spoke. "Oh, okay. Thanks for that, then. He hasn’t texted us yet..."

"I told him it was his decision," Stone said. "Shadow has a lot to figure out, that's all."

"But is he okay?" Tails asked.

Stone shrugged. "As okay as he can be, I suppose," he said. He moved to take care of another customer, allowing Sonic and Tails to their thoughts.

When Stone got another lull, Tails asked, "Is there anything we can do, do you think? To help Shadow, I mean?"

"Not yet," Stone said honestly.

Not only was it the truth, but Stone was also hoping that short but decisive answers would help shoo the other aliens out of the shop sooner rather than later. The last major encounter he had with Sonic and company hadn't been malicious -- well, aside from leaving them behind with a mini black hole, but it wasn't surprising that they survived -- but Stone wasn't sure how to feel about the casual tone of their latest conversations.

Stone was always in control, knew how to predict pitfalls and emergencies, but this? Navigating around young aliens' emotions was throwing him for a loop.

Sonic looked at the backdoor of the shop, and Stone truly hoped the hedgehog wouldn't try to go to his apartment without his permission. Sonic restrained himself, fortunately, and he looked back to Tails when the fox whispered to him, "Think we can ask for lattes?"

"If Sonic isn't allowed coffee," Stone answered, considering Tails's whisper was not quiet at all, "then I highly doubt you are."

How old was the fox, anyway?

Tails's shoulders drooped but he didn't seem too disappointed. He actually smiled up at Sonic when the hedgehog chuckled and admitted, "Yeah, I let it slip to Stone that Dad thinks it'd be a really bad idea if I had caffeine. What isn't fair is that Knuckles is allowed a little coffee, and I'm not even that much younger than him...!"

In the middle of talking to each other, Sonic and Tails started to head out of the Mean Bean, both of them turning to wave to Stone as they left. Neither seemed perturbed that Stone was too surprised to wave in return.

Stone shook his head to try to get his thoughts in some sort of working order again and took the time to tidy up his counter. When he glanced back up, he noticed that Sonic and Tails were standing on the sidewalk just outside of the shop and looking up.

Stone watched the pair for a moment before the two began waving again, but not to him. No, they were waving to someone above them.

Tails actually started to hover over the ground, but he seemed to think better of flying up and settled on sending one last wave. Sonic's waving was a little slower -- ironically -- as if he was being more deliberate and thoughtful with his actions before the pair finally went on their way.

Stone put the pieces together long before Shadow appeared in the shop around closing time.

The back door creaked open and Shadow nearly shut it again before crossing the threshold. Considering the sound had already announced him, Shadow came into the shop and pointedly ignored the handful of people still lingering at tables to go behind the counter by Stone.

"Are you almost done?" Shadow asked.

"Yes." Stone pointed to the clock that was hanging on the eastern wall. "About another half hour. Do you want to hang out here or wait back upstairs?"

"I'll stay here."

Stone nodded and carried on with his business. Shadow stayed behind the counter, anticipating whenever Stone needed him to move, and never uttered a word until the last straggler left and Stone flipped the shop's sign to "Closed."

"I saw Sonic and the fox," Shadow said.

"From the apartment window?" Stone guessed, glancing back at Shadow to see the hedgehog nod. "Yes, Sonic and Tails came in to visit to ask how you were."

Shadow stuck to Stone's side as he went around to each table with a damp rag, giving them a quick clean. "Do you think they'll continue to try to visit?"

"Probably," Stone said. "They seem... tenacious."

Stone almost bumped into Shadow as he moved about the shop floor, the hedgehog standing rooted to his spot with his arms wrapped tightly around himself.

"Do you want me to get them to stop?" Stone asked, and Shadow's eyes widened as he looked up at Stone. "They're aware that it's your decision to contact them, but if their eagerness in wanting to see and help you is getting overwhelming, I'll put a stop to it."

"How?" Shadow asked, sounding almost bewildered at the idea. "Will you... ban them from your store?"

"I may not have to do something like that." Stone didn't add that it was only because of Shadow's presence that the pair had even visited the Mean Bean in the first place. "If they show up here again before you're ready to talk to them, I'll let them know that they need to let you make the next move. Showing up here isn't helping you feel comfortable. And if that doesn't work, then I'll call the Wachowskis."

Stone began sweeping the floor, glad to focus on a physical task than ponder on how strange it felt to threaten to call Sonic's parents, as he called them -- Tell your aliens to stop bothering my alien.

"I don't understand..."

Stone glanced up at Shadow then did a double-take when he realized that the hedgehog was shaking. Stone's grip on the broom tightened, but he otherwise stayed still while he watched Shadow start to curl in on himself. A few red energy sparks danced between Shadow's quills.

"Hey." Stone kept his voice soft, but it was enough to catch Shadow's gaze. "Hold it together for a little longer, okay? Follow me."

As quickly as he could without trying to alarm Shadow even more, Stone led him to the motorbike and the pair took off out of Green Hills. Stone drove as fast as he dared until he could turn his bike off-road and into the woodlands towards Base Tango. The bike itself was parked haphazardly right outside the base and Stone keyed in his access code.

"Where are we?" Shadow asked. His arms were still around himself in a presumed attempt at self-comfort, but his shaking and sparking were much less visible with his curiosity from the new environment.

"Base Tango," Stone said, and he paused with Shadow only a step behind him as the whirring of drones reached his ears. "Stay still for a minute--"

He glanced down to see that Shadow had gripped his leg, the feeling startling Stone, as the drones woke up to Stone's presence. Shadow's hold was gone within a few seconds, the hedgehog's wary gaze watching as the drones caught up to them.

"Stand down," Stone said when the drones, upon noticing Shadow too close to Stone, began their defensive maneuvers. The robots obeyed immediately but still hovered close by.

One of the drones paused in front of Stone, giving a little beep, and Stone greeted it as he had the last time he was there. The bittersweet pang of nostalgia wasn't as bad, not with Shadow there to focus on.

A couple of the drones circled around, seemingly staring at Shadow, and Stone said, "I'm going to have them scan you to put you in their database, okay? You just have to stand there."

Before Shadow could respond, Stone commanded, "Recognition scan," and a few of the closest drones did just that. Shadow winced at the red light despite not feeling anything, and his ears flickered when a small series of beeps signaled the end of the scan.

"Shadow the hedgehog," Stone said clearly in response, and there was another low beep. The drones seemed to hover back to their usual routines when Stone commanded, "At ease."

Stone gestured for Shadow to continue to follow him, and he said, "This was one of the doctor's bases, constructed when we first were assigned to this area when Sonic became known to the world."

"Why?"

"Sonic apparently had been on Earth for years," Stone said, "but he kept himself hidden well until he caused a power outage through most of the northwest of the country. None of the other government departments were adequate enough to figure out the cause of the power outage, so the doctor was called in. He found Sonic's tracks within twenty minutes."

"This place was used for only twenty minutes?" Shadow had paused to stare at the large computer monitors.

"No," Stone said, and explained that they had a mobile lab back then equipped with all of the tracking information and instruments that had helped them pursue Sonic. "Base Tango was more of a stationary base that was used as backup if we needed.

"But since it's here," Stone continued, waiting for Shadow to catch up to him, "there is a specialized room that was designed to help test prototypes. Robots, missiles, whatever the doctor built."

The room was accessed by a sliding door on the far wall, the door revealing a small landing with stairs leading downwards into the underground chamber. The room itself was rather plain, all the walls being constructed with some type of titanium metal to contain all aspects of the doctor's prototypes.

Shadow stared at the empty room and didn't say a word as Stone programmed the sliding door to also respond to the hedgehog.

"You can still teleport, right?" Stone asked, and received a nod in response. "If you need to release some of your power, something gets to be too much and your red lightning starts sparking, you can come here. I'm confident this room will be able to contain your power so you can safely discharge."

Shadow peered over the railing from the landing. "Where does it measure my power?"

"I'm not sure," Stone said. "There's probably something in here that would measure your vitals or strength, but that's not why I'm showing you this. You'd use this room to discharge to feel better."

"Feel better?"

"Doesn't the sparking hurt?"

"I don't... I don't think I notice it," Shadow admitted.

"Well, regardless," Stone said, "this room is now for you." Stone couldn't see it being used for state-of-the-art robotics at any point in the near future... At least the room would get some use. He continued, "The drones know who you are now. You won't have to worry about them. You'll be safe here to use your abilities if they get to be too much."

"...No trade-off?"

Stone looked down at Shadow and found the hedgehog staring steadily back at him. "No," Stone said firmly. "No trade-off."

And Shadow broke their eye contact, but not before Stone saw the hint of a smile on his muzzle.

"Can I use it now?" Shadow asked.

"Of course." Stone started backing out of the room. "I'll be right in here. Take your time."

The door slid closed, and Stone heard the faint crackles of lightning as he retreated to the main computer.

Perhaps it was time to explore what was on the flash drives Walters had given him.

---

The first flash drive wasn't too new to Stone. It held some blueprints of the earliest versions of some weapons and vehicles that the government currently used. Stone hazarded a guess that some later schematics -- perhaps found on other flash drives and servers -- would show the progress and improvements made to the government equipment.

Eventually there were a few blueprints of what Stone figured was the first version of the egg-shaped drone. They were much bulkier than the sleek, chrome designed ones hovering around him now.

The timeline of the doctor merely being a government employee to when he began to really utilize his genius was fascinating. The second flash drive had more personal designs than equipment for his government contracts, and Stone felt a pang that was a cross between wistfulness and jealousy as he recognized the doctor's handwriting and a few notes from previous agents that had been assigned to him, all most likely written digitally on tablets and preserved as PDFs.

Throughout the timeline the flash drive presented, there had been about half a dozen named agents. He wasn't sure how long of a timespan the flash drive compassed, but Stone was curious if and when the doctor started writing about him...

Stone leaned back in his computer seat, exiting out of the files when the telltale sound of the testing chamber's door slid open. He almost felt as if he were reading the doctor's diary and wasn't keen on sharing it with anyone else.

"How are you feeling?" Stone asked.

"Better," Shadow said, and his words matched his looks. He skated over to Stone's side, his posture straighter, his eyes brighter. "What are you doing?"

"Looking over some old files," Stone said, hoping the vague answer would be enough. "Just so you know, apparently the computer does keep track of your vitals when you're in that room."

Stone brought up the program that had started recording automatically when Shadow started using the room. "Some of the stats are a little off, admittedly," Stone said, "because it was designed to measure robotics, but it does seem to measure everything that is going on in there. Does that bother you?"

Shadow was carefully neutral as he said, "What if it did?"

"I'd try to fix the programming so it wouldn't," Stone said. "I cannot guarantee I'd be able to, seeing as I'm not the one who built the program, though."

"...Is it your doctor's program? His design?"

Stone swallowed hard at Shadow's words. "Yes, it is."

"It can stay."

Stone looked over at Shadow, finding that the hedgehog's eyes were tracking all of the small details the program had recorded. The pair said nothing further on the subject, not even when Stone decided to shut it all down.

Shadow did ask, "How long was I in there?"

Stone looked at his watch. "I'm not sure, to be honest. But it is past dinnertime. You hungry? Especially after all of... whatever you did in there?"

"A little," Shadow admitted, and he followed Stone out of the base. Stone swore that Shadow almost rolled his eyes when Stone asked the hedgehog about what else he had eaten that day.

While it wasn't Stone's first choice, considering the time and his lack of energy, the pair picked up a pizza from one of the few pizza places in Green Hills. Shadow had stuck close to Stone's legs again when they entered the restaurant and didn't speak when the old Italian grandfather that made their pizza rattled off stories about how he had seen aliens in "the old country" and how "the ones 'round here are more polite." Stone had commented when appropriate, but otherwise hurried the transaction along so Shadow and he could escape.

"Are all the residents in Green Hills that colorful?" Shadow asked when the two returned to the apartment.

"I suppose so," Stone said. "I've only really started staying here after... after the doctor disappeared the first time."

Shadow hummed before commenting, "Maybe it's a side effect of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles existing..."

Stone chuckled and got them plates for their food. He did his best not to laugh again when Shadow's first nibble of pizza turned into a much bigger bite.

"Don't choke," Stone said. "This your first pizza, too?"

Shadow visibly slowed down his chewing. "I don't think so," he admitted. "I can't really remember. It tastes both new and familiar at the same time."

Stone finished his slice and didn't mind the quiet as Shadow polished off two more of his own. Shadow did glance up at him from across the table when all that was left of his third piece was the crust.

"Thank you," the hedgehog said quietly.

"For the pizza? It wasn't much--"

"For what you've done for me," Shadow said. "Letting me stay here, letting me eat... You've been very accommodating despite me being... me."

Stone hadn't expected that at all. It had only been a handful of days – maybe a week? – of the pair coexisting but he could admit to himself that it hadn't been bad. Having someone else to help care for was familiar enough that Stone was okay with Shadow being there.

...At least until Walters figured out what would happen with Shadow.

Stone wasn't sure what he could say that was adequate in response. In the end, he settled for a soft, "You're welcome."

Chapter 9: No More Living Like We're Dead

Notes:

Edited the tags of this work slightly due to the most recent comments I've been getting, lol. Thank you all for the support, kudos, and lovely comments!

Knuckles was next in his line of customers.

"Are you honestly going to order coffee?" Stone asked in lieu of his typical greeting.

"I would like one of your lattes to enjoy here at your establishment," Knuckles said in response. Stone told him what the price would be, and the alien dropped a Ziploc bag mostly filled with quarters and dollar bills on the counter, much to the amusement of the few customers standing in line behind Knuckles.

Who was Stone to deny a paying customer?

Once he had gotten his drink, Knuckles retreated to a nearby table and took off his gloves to handle his cup more easily. He was a respectable patron, so much so that Stone probably would have forgotten about him if he wasn't a red echidna.

Or if Sonic and Tails weren't waiting outside across the street.

"Did you like it?" Stone asked when Knuckles eventually returned the used mug to his counter.

"It was very satisfactory," Knuckles said, speaking a little faster than he usually did. "But is it not customary to have artistic designs on a latte?"

Stone paused in washing some of the other used mugs.

Instead of directly responding to that, Stone gestured towards outside and said, "I'm surprised you didn't try to sneak some of your drink to the other two."

"What other two?"

"I can see them on the sidewalk."

"You cannot. The standing sandwich board from the deli store covers them."

"They are bright blue and yellow."

Knuckles humphed but didn't dispute Stone's words any further. "I have seen firsthand what happens when the hedgehog consumes coffee. I will not make that mistake again."

While Stone was sure that was an interesting story, he didn't pry.

"Are you going to ask about Shadow?" was what Stone asked instead.

"The hedgehog and fox would like me to," Knuckles admitted, "but I can understand if the new hedgehog would not like to see us."

Stone raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"He is in mourning," Knuckles said simply. "It is customary for one to dwell in solitude during these times. That kind of sorrow is not easily overcome. When he is ready, however, we will be waiting, if he wishes to see us."

Stone carefully put down the mug he was cleaning. "What if it takes Shadow much longer to overcome this sorrow, as you say?"

Knuckles said, "Grief has no timeline. We will be patient." He paused, then amended his statement. "The fox and I will be patient. We will help Sonic be patient as well.

"We're all aware that the new hedgehog and you have each other in your period of sorrow, which helps," Knuckles added.

"Why are you including me?"

"The change of your namesake from Goat Milker to Stone is appropriate," Knuckles said, and Stone didn't have the time to unpack that statement as the echidna continued. "You are dependable, strong, and no doubt have weathered many storms. Yet, even stones can erode if they try to battle a river on their own. It takes many stones to make a dam."

Stone said nothing, and it did not seem like Knuckles needed a response. Instead, the echidna placed a hand on his chest and bowed before taking his leave from the shop. Stone watched Knuckles catch up with Sonic and Tails, the echidna stoically shaking his head as the other two talked animatedly, and eventually the two younger deferred to the oldest. Knuckles led them down the street, Tails at his side and Sonic a step behind, the hedgehog pausing only to glance back towards the Mean Bean once.

Stone didn't move until a customer at the front of the line cleared his throat, ready to order and bringing Stone's mind back to the present.

"Sonic and Tails were outside again," was what Shadow greeted Stone with later after the shop was closed up.

"They were," Stone said. "Knuckles visited the shop this time while the other two waited. I don't believe you'll have to worry about them trying to see you before you're ready."

Shadow looked back at him from his perch by the apartment window. "What makes you say that?"

"Knuckles took care of it." Stone gave Shadow a crooked smile when the hedgehog tilted his head to the side. "Not exactly a statement I would expect to make either, but... When I spoke to Knuckles today, he seemed to understand. He said that they will be ready if you are ever willing see them."

"If?"

"If."

"That is... good of him," Shadow said slowly. "I still do not understand why they are adamant about speaking to me. Surely it's not just because they wish to be nice?"

"It could be," Stone said. "They always want to be on the right side of any issues." Knuckles's words of many stones echoed in his mind, and Stone added, "They also could just see you as a kindred spirit, considering none of you are technically from this planet."

"Hm." Shadow wandered over to the kitchen as Stone stared at what they had in the refrigerator. Hesitantly, he said, "I suppose loss could be a common factor. Sonic had told me about his mentor... Right before we redirected the cannon..."

Stone's chest tightened, and he stared hard at a container of leftover chicken.

"The echidna is the last of his kind, is he not?" Shadow continued, his words subdued. "I'm unsure of the fox, but he appears to be young. Despite their losses, they were brave enough to help save the world with Dr. Robot--"

"Chicken quesadillas sound okay to you?" Stone shut the refrigerator door a little too hard after taking out the leftover meat.

Shadow didn't respond directly to that. Instead, as Stone faced the counter to start tearing up pieces of chicken to put inside tortilla wraps, he heard the hedgehog state, "You're using food to avoid the topic again."

Stone couldn't deny it this time, but he didn't want to admit it either.

"I'm sorry," Shadow said after another minute of silence. "I know you also experienced loss--"

"Can we not--" Stone's words caught in his throat. He took a deep breath, gripped the counter tight, and tried to steady himself.

The scrape of one of the kitchen chairs dragging across the floor to reach the counter shattered the silence that had fallen over the apartment, and Shadow was suddenly almost Stone's height beside him.

Stone rubbed at his eyes. In a harsh whisper, he said, "It's been months..."

"It's been fifty years," Shadow said, his voice almost as quiet. "I don't think the time matters."

Stone shook his head, and Shadow appeared to wait until Stone got his breathing back under control before saying, "Show me how to make a chicken quesadilla."

---

It was quiet this early at the grocery store and, after the heavy and confusing conversations with aliens from the day before, Stone could use the solitude.

"Hi, Mr. Stone!"

…Of course, he wasn’t surprised that he didn’t get it.

Stone looked further down the aisle to see Tails sitting in the carriage seat with a hand raised in a small wave. Mrs. Wachowski was beside the carriage, reaching up to grab a jar of tomato sauce, but her steady gaze was on Stone as if daring to ignore her fox child's greeting.

"Good morning," Stone said when he got closer. He was honestly planning on just walking on by, but luck was not with him.

"How are you doing?" was Tails's next question, and Stone glanced almost helplessly at Mrs. Wachowski.

"Fine," he said. After a heartbeat, he returned the question with, "And you both?"

"We're doing well," Mrs. Wachowski said. She gave Stone a polite smile. "Just you shopping this morning?"

Obviously the aliens would have confided in their humans that Shadow was found. Stone nodded before saying in return, "Just one with you?"

"You would have heard either of the other two if they were here," Mrs. Wachowski said dryly.

"I was the only one awake in time," Tails said with a small chuckle. Mrs. Wachowski tapped the fox's shoulder and pointed to a certain brand of pasta on the top shelf. Dutifully, Tails flew from the carriage seat to reach the specified box before dropping it in the carriage.

"And how is Shadow?" Mrs. Wachowski's question was stilted, almost asked hesitantly, as Tails got settled back in his seat.

Stone was thrust back into the latest conversations Shadow and he had, realizing how much the hedgehog had opened up and, in a sense, how much Stone had opened up in return.

"He's okay," Stone settled for saying. He was given that polite, tight smile again from the woman.

"I'm glad he reached out to us," Tails said, and Stone almost stumbled.

"He what?"

Tails blinked his big eyes up at Stone, his cheerful demeanor momentarily vanishing. "Shadow texted us last night," the fox revealed. "Well, really, he texted Knuckles to say thank you. I just guessed that you told Shadow about the conversation you had with Knuckles."

"I didn't know Shadow did that," Stone said, and he wondered if Shadow had texted Knuckles after Stone had retreated to his bedroom. "I'm glad he was comfortable doing so."

"So are we," Tails said. He then rolled his eyes almost in a playful manner, his good mood returning, before adding, "Well, I think Sonic was a little put-off that Shadow chose to text Knuckles instead of him, but he got over it quickly. Think Sonic was happy that Shadow reached out to us at all."

"And Sonic understands that Shadow will make the next move," Mrs. Wachowski said, her tone making Stone wonder if that particular lecture had been a family meeting. "We all talked about giving others space, especially after Knuckles detailed the conversation he had with you."

Shit. How much of the conversation did the echidna share with his family? Did Knuckles allude to Stone's own grief?

"Shadow did appreciate what Knuckles said," Stone responded, and he hated feeling unsure as to how best to continue navigating this current conversation.

Fortunately, Mrs. Wachowski seemed to understand -- and Stone briefly wondered if the woman truly was somehow telepathic -- for she gave him a more genuine smile and began to push Tails and their carriage down the aisle the opposite way as him.

"Have a good day, Mr. Stone," she said.

"Greet Shadow for us, please!" Tails added.

They disappeared around the aisle before Stone could think to respond, and he took his time in moving to the next section of the grocery store.

"How big is Green Hills?" Shadow asked after Stone had mentioned seeing Mrs. Wachowski and Tails at the store once he returned to the apartment.

"A few hundred people?" Stone guessed.

"And yet we keep seeing them."

Stone smiled to himself, amused at Shadow sounding absolutely baffled.

"It's most likely because they're trying to seek you out," Stone said.

"Which was your fault," Shadow said. There was no bite to his tone and, when Stone raised an eyebrow at him, Shadow clarified, "They knew you were going to look for me. You started this."

Technically Walters did, but Stone figured this wasn't the time to admit that.

It had been a little while since Walters and Stone had contacted one another, now that he thought about it. Stone was due another flash drive, if nothing else.

"That goes in the freezer, not the refrigerator," Stone said, seeing Shadow trying to help unload the bags.

"It's butter."

"They're sticks of butter. For baking. They keep best if they're in the freezer before you use them."

"What are you going to bake?" Shadow asked, even as he put the package of butter in the freezer. It wasn't in the spot that Stone would have put them, but Stone let that go.

"Not sure," Stone said. "It's just... It's been a while since I've baked anything." He glanced at the well-used recipe book that was shoved in the corner of the counter, a bit of dust now collecting on top of the cover. "Any requests?"

Shadow followed Stone's gesture to find the recipe book and flipped quickly through the pages.

"You must have made these many times."

Stone looked over to see Shadow holding up the booklet with the page opened on a recipe for simple shortbread cookies. The page was wrinkled and stained, the corners dogeared. The cookies themselves were small, traditionally cut triangular rather than round, and the summary for them stated how well they went with tea and -- lattes -- coffee.

"Favorites of yours?" Shadow asked mildly, his question interrupting Stone's train of thought. Stone's poker mask did not go up in time, since Shadow then slowly put the book back down and asked, "Or the doctor's?"

Stone cleared his throat and continued putting the few canned goods he bought into the pantry. He admitted, "The doctor's."

Not that the doctor ever said as such. No, the few times Stone had deigned to include cookies or the like with the doctor's lattes, the plate of those specific shortbread cookies were always eaten the fastest.

Stone heard a few more pages flip in the recipe book before Shadow asked, "Would you be willing to try to make them again? It seems to have the simplest recipe."

"I can bake more complicated recipes."

"I'm sure," Shadow said, "but... I don't know what else I like..."

Stone supposed that made sense. Start with a simpler cookie recipe for both Shadow's stomach and memories. Then again, they had pizza the other night, so perhaps Shadow wasn't quite just thinking of his stomach...

"I can try that recipe again," Stone agreed, despite the tightening in his chest. He caught the small smile on Shadow's muzzle, but neither said anything else on the subject.

Chapter 10: It Seems It's Just Out of Sight

Notes:

I think this is my favorite chapter. :) I hope you all continue to enjoy the story!

I no longer require your obsequious groveling. Consider this your notice of termination.

Unsubscribed, blocked, and reported.

Thanks for nothing!

Stone woke up too slowly, the room dark, his throat thick, his face wet from tears as images of colorful bursts of the explosion faded away. The nightmares -- memories -- had been going away, but a few choice ones returned in full force lately.

Stone wasn't stupid. They were returning – some with cruel twists and bites – because his reality treacherously reminded him of certain moments in time.

He shook his head as if he could physically dislodge his thoughts, and glanced at the time. Almost four in the morning. It took another minute and a half for him to actually drag himself out of his bedroom.

His plan to sneak into the Mean Bean to make a very strong cup of coffee to avoid waking Shadow was shattered when he realized that the window above the kitchen sink was open.

Stone stared at it, the small breeze ruffling the sheer curtains hanging down from above, for a little too long before he thought to look over at the sofa. It wasn't too warm any longer but there was another window closer to the sofa if Shadow had been getting too hot at night, but the couch was empty.

Stone went to the door of his apartment, situated on the same wall as the kitchen window, and looked over at the rickety stairs leading towards the roof. Silhouetted against the sky was Shadow, just sitting there and looking up. Stone took a deep breath, not wishing to stare for too long, and he quietly made his way down to the Mean Bean.

Shadow barely moved when Stone eventually joined him.

"Here." Stone sat beside Shadow on the roof, crisscrossing his legs in one smooth movement while handing the hedgehog a drink.

"What is this?" Shadow asked, staring at the small wafts of steam rising from the to-go cup.

"Hot chocolate." Stone sipped at his own latte. "Not sure if giving you chocolate is a good idea, but I didn't want to give you coffee at this time..."

He watched as Shadow cautiously sniffed the drink before taking a small, experimental sip. Stone bit down a chuckle when Shadow's pupils dilated and the hedgehog downed half of the hot chocolate in one gulp.

"Don't burn your tongue," Stone chastised, but his amusement was evident.

"It's delicious," Shadow said, but seemed to force himself to nurse the rest of the drink. He glanced at Stone and murmured a thank you.

“I’m surprised you came out here,” the hedgehog stated after silence fell over them for a moment. Stone tore his gaze from his latte to Shadow, finding that the other was looking up again. When Stone didn’t respond, Shadow said, "You've yet to look up at the stars.”

Stone returned to staring at his half-empty cup. "It's hard," he admitted. "For a while after... after the explosion, every time I looked up at the night sky, I kept looking for something, anything, that would give me hope the doctor would return. A portal. An escape pod. Anything.

"The sight of the explosion was burned in the back of my eyelids for weeks." Stone rubbed at his eyes now, ridding himself of the prickling feeling of tears. "I couldn't close my eyes without reliving it. I couldn't be out at night, couldn't have the base or my apartment or wherever I found myself to be completely dark. It took over a month for me to be able to sleep with the lights off again..."

"You close the blinds to the shop and the apartment as soon as dusk begins to hit," Shadow noted. Stone nodded, but Shadow said, "But you came out here just to bring me hot chocolate."

"I know." Stone huffed out a self-depreciating laugh. "I don't get it either."

"Perhaps you've been looking for a reason to be under the stars again?"

Stone's chest felt heavy. "Why do you keep looking at the stars?" he asked. "Why are you able to despite... everything?"

"Maria enjoyed them," was the answer, and it sounded too simple to Stone.

"It was one of the last things we did together," Shadow continued, his voice softer. "I remember looking at the stars with her. She was enraptured, comparing them to diamonds... She would have loved to explore them one day..."

He took another sip of hot chocolate and cleared his throat. "The next time I looked at the stars was with Sonic. Instead of destroying one another, we talked. He... He reminded me of what Maria taught me about the stars, how we still see them despite the distance or even if they no longer exist… The light shines even though the star's gone."

Stone couldn't bring himself to look up, not yet. Instead, he focused on Shadow, seeing the hedgehog's grip tightening on his cup and the minute trembles of his shoulders.

"It was my fault that she died." Shadow's whisper was harsh.

"You can't blame yourself," Stone said, his response almost automatic. "It was fifty years ago--"

"They wanted me," Shadow said, cutting Stone off as if he hadn't spoken. "Out of everything, I remember that so clearly. The professor said G.U.N. was trying to take me away from them. If I had... If I had just given myself up, then they would have left Maria alone--"

"Would Maria have given you up?" Stone asked, and Shadow glanced over at him. "From the way you speak of her, I can't imagine she would have."

"The professor may have," Shadow said. "If it was a choice between Maria and me, he would have chosen her. I would have been glad to be sacrificed for her."

Stone wasn't so sure about that, but he did not know enough about the dynamics between that particular trio to comment. With how focused the professor had been with Shadow's power, did the professor try to escape G.U.N. with Shadow in tow to protect the hedgehog himself or for his abilities? Why wouldn't the professor have just abandoned Shadow outright if what Shadow was saying now was true?

Stone would never know those answers.

"That's the downside of love, isn't it?" Stone opted to say instead, swirling what was left of his latte in his cup. "We would sacrifice anything for those we care about. If we're lucky, they would do the same for us."

Shadow sighed, bringing his knees up to his chest and resting his arms and chin on them. "It hurts," he said. "This ache is always here... Sonic said it never goes away, but the love we felt for each other is more powerful than the pain."

"Many people say things like that," Stone said, and knew he sounded bitter. "'They're not really gone if you keep them in your memory,' or 'focus on the good times,' so the grief doesn't taint your feelings for them. I've always felt that they're empty words, things said when the other knows that there is no way to truly comfort you."

"Perhaps," Shadow said. "Would you rather everyone else stay quiet about it?"

"They already are," Stone said. "No one has said a word about the doctor to me... Except you, really. You haven't shied away from the topic."

"But you have," Shadow pointed out.

Stone heaved a sigh. "I don't know how to navigate this," he admitted. "I've dedicated so many years of my life to the doctor and his genius. Not having him to guide my days has left me numb. I went back to the Mean Bean because it gives me some sort of routine."

He suddenly laughed mirthlessly. "The doctor returned the last time I had opened the Mean Bean. Maybe I was hoping that he would come back if I did it again.”

"I've dreamt of something similar," Shadow admitted. "When Maria died, I wasn't... I didn't really know what was going on. The explosion happened, her hand went limp in mine, and I was staring at the professor's grief-stricken face when the dust settled. He didn't put up a fight when he was taken away, and I was directed into the pod too quickly.

"This hurt festered while I was in the pod," he continued. "I could only dream and think while in stasis. At first I waited, hoping that Maria would be healed and let me out of the pod. I couldn't tell how much time passed while I was sealed away, but eventually that hope burned out."

Shadow hiccupped. "That's what the government should have done, right? Instead of hurting a child, one as kind as Maria, they should have done everything in their power to heal her and let her live."

"They should have," Stone agreed quietly. Silence stretched between the pair of them and Stone watched as the sun began to peek over the horizon.

"If she were down here with you now," Stone asked, "what would Maria want to do?"

"Learn all she could about the stars," Shadow said immediately. He paused before adding, "And possibly try to steal a coffee from your shop. The professor never let her try his coffee, despite her constantly asking."

Stone chuckled despite the topic and finished his own latte. Shadow turned the question around on him and asked, "What of your doctor? What would he be having you guys do if he were still here?"

Get revenge on Sonic and his family. Take over and rule the world. Have such a monopoly on the robotic and tech industry that he was one of the -- if not the -- richest people in the world.

Yet, thinking of Shadow and the professor and everything that had happened to the doctor's family over the last fifty years...

Stone's answer was, "Stick it to G.U.N."

---

The sun was about halfway over the horizon when Stone actually stood back up on the roof and invited Shadow to go back inside.

"Want to help me set up the Mean Bean for the day?" Stone asked. To his surprise, Shadow agreed.

The end result was Shadow standing on a chair behind the Mean Bean counter after it opened and listening with rapt attention whenever Stone asked him to do some mundane tasks.

Pass along a straw. Put a shovelful of ice in a large cup. Hit the start button for the milk frother.

To the credit of Green Hills's populace, not many batted an eye at seeing Shadow standing there. Some folks, especially the older ladies, cooed at how cute Shadow was and immensely baffled the hedgehog, but otherwise not many seemed to mind that there was another alien in town.

There were always exceptions, of course.

"I thought you aimed to have a clean environment," one such woman said with a curl of her lip as she reached the front of the line and stared at Shadow. Shadow, on his part, just stared evenly back.

Stone was not in the mood for games. "Linda, do you want your usual or no?"

"I do as long as there's no fur in it--"

"If you don't want to take that risk, then go down to the chain coffee shop a few streets over."

Linda balked. "I am a repeat paying customer--"

"You buy the cheapest coffee in the smallest size," Stone deadpanned. "Shadow is here and insulting him is doing you no favors. If you feel like being polite tomorrow you can try again but, for today, you can leave."

Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times rather like a fish gasping for breath before she whirled around to try to find someone else in line that would agree with her. "Sheriff, do you hear this? This has to be a health code violation—"

"He has three of them at home, you idiot!" Ethel Merrs called from further back. "Now get out of line! I want my café au lait!"

Stone, however, did stay completely still as Mr. Wachowski glanced back and forth between him and Linda before shrugging to the woman.

"It's a private business," was all the sheriff said. He didn't move when Linda collided her shoulder with his as she stomped out of the Mean Bean. When it was his turn in line, Mr. Wachowski gave them the mild greeting of, "Hey."

Stone nodded to him, but he noticed Shadow's ears flatten against his head.

Mr. Wachowski seemed unperturbed as he took out his wallet. "I'm picking up Wade's cappuccino today. He didn't give me any other specifics about the drink, other than--"

"I know how he takes it," Stone said, beginning to ring it up.

"I'm sorry," Shadow said suddenly, his voice so quiet that Stone almost didn't hear the hedgehog.

Fortunately, Mr. Wachowski did. The other man paused but did give Shadow a crooked smile.

"Thank you," he said gently. "I'm okay. How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," Shadow said, but he dropped his gaze momentarily to study the counter. Stone continued with his own task and told the sheriff his total for Wade's drink, prompting Shadow to speak up to Mr. Wachowski again. "You don't want anything for yourself?"

The sheriff paused in handing over a debit card. Stone was certain that Mr. Wachowski volunteered to get his colleague's drink just to check up on Shadow and him, but Mr. Wachowski kept his focus on Shadow when he admitted, "Wasn't planning on it… Do you have any recommendations?"

"Hot chocolate," was the prompt reply.

Mr. Wachowski's smile widened, and he looked back at Stone. "Add a small hot chocolate onto the order, please."

"Of course," Stone said, doing just that. "Shadow, mind going to the back room and getting a new container of the dark cocoa powder? We're running low on it up here. Should be on the third shelf on the right."

"Sure." Shadow skated into the back room, and Stone busied himself with making Wade's cappuccino.

"He doing well as your assistant here?" Mr. Wachowski asked.

"Honestly, yes," Stone admitted. "He does pretty well with upselling. I think he looks so serious that no one wants to argue with him when he informs them that they need the next size up."

Mr. Wachowski actually chuckled. Sobering up, he asked, "And how are you doing?"

The question itself was heavy like the sheriff's scrutinizing stare, even if the tone was rather casual.

"Fine," Stone settled for saying. One of Mr. Wachowski's eyebrows raised just a touch, but he only nodded.

Shadow returned with the container of cocoa powder and he watched in fascination as Stone made the sheriff's hot chocolate. Stone caught Mr. Wachowski watching Shadow in return, as if Shadow was a missing puzzle piece but he wasn't sure which puzzle he belonged to.

"A medium cappuccino and a small hot chocolate," Stone said, plunking the drinks down on the counter.

"Thank you. It was good seeing you two," Mr. Wachowski said, and Stone almost felt that he could believe the other man.

The sheriff moved out of the way so Stone could take care of the next customer, but he did take a sip of his hot chocolate and appreciatively hummed at the taste before lifting it in a wave as he left the Mean Bean.

Shadow watched the sheriff walk past the windows, and most likely would have continued watching him until he disappeared if Ethel hadn't stepped up to the counter.

"Now, young man," she said sternly to Shadow, prompting the hedgehog's eyes to widen in surprise at the attention, "you're doing just fine here. Don't listen to any naysayers. Only focus on listening to the good Mr. Stone here."

Stone ducked away, hiding his bemusement at being called “good” as he started up the woman's usual order. She had wordlessly paid, giving him the exact amount in cash, when she had started talking to Shadow.

She kept going, stating something about how polite Shadow seemed, and wasn't it grand that Mr. Stone had an assistant, and one who was able to move as quickly as Shadow could, and back in her day, she used to be able to move just as fast and could probably give Shadow a run for his money, no pun intended—

Shadow was able to stutter out a confused, "Thank you," a moment before Stone put down Ethel's drink on the counter for her.

"Wonderful as always, Mr. Stone," Ethel said after taking a sip. She turned to shuffle out of the shop with a, "Have a good afternoon, boys!"

As soon as the Mean Bean's door shut, the next customer tried smothering a laugh while asking Shadow, "Are you okay, man?"

"I... think so?" Shadow looked to Stone when he answered.

Stone could only shrug, a faint smile on his own lips. "You get used to all kinds of people when working jobs like this," he said to the hedgehog. To their next customer, he said, "A large mocha, Henry?"

"Yep!"

"Whipped cream?"

"Is that really a question?"

And Henry was gracious enough to not mind when Shadow wanted to try putting the whipped cream on his drink. It looked a little messy, but Shadow's low, determined vow to learn how to best the canned topping amused Henry.

After finishing the order, Stone asked Shadow to grab a new can of whipped cream from the small refrigerator in the back and, as the hedgehog did so, Stone realized that Henry hadn't moved from the counter.

"I'm sorry," Stone said, "did you need something else?"

"Nah," Henry said, but gestured with a nod of his head towards the backroom. "Just wanted to say that it's nice you got a little dude with you. Think it's good that you're not alone here."

Henry didn't wait for Stone to reply -- which was great, since Stone was just trying to keep his poker mask on instead of showing how confused he was -- and gave Stone a casual salute before making his way out of the Mean Bean.

"You have two kinds in there." Shadow reappeared before Stone could greet the next customer, and the hedgehog didn't seem to notice the blank stare Stone gave him as he inspected the two whipped creams he had. "Which one do you want?"

Stone cleared his throat, coming back to the present, and plucked the right whipped cream out of Shadow's hands. "The, uh, other one is lactose-free," Stone explained. "Some people can't have lactose."

"Like me," the next customer said, smiling at both Stone and Shadow.

"Why not?" Shadow asked the woman.

"Lactose just really hurts my stomach," she said, "so I try to be careful with the dairy products I eat since the majority of them have lactose.

"Fortunately Mr. Stone here," she continued, bringing her attention to the man, "has a variety of milk options so I don't have to be deprived of his amazing coffee."

"A little late for your flat white, isn't it, Beth?" Stone asked, glancing at the wall clock.

She sighed. "I have to finish a research paper tonight," she admitted. "I need the espresso."

"Good luck," Stone said. "Almond or oat milk today?"

"Oat, please."

He rang it up, and Bethany didn't mind that Stone took a minute or two longer on her drink when Shadow began asking about the different types of milks he had in the refrigerator. She tipped more than she usually did before leaving, and Stone wondered if it was because of Shadow's perceived innocence with his questions.

"The special milks," Shadow noted, his nose still in the refrigerator, "are much smaller than the regular ones."

"Not as many people order with the lactose-free milks," Stone said, taking advantage of the lull to wipe down the counter. "If I bought bigger jugs, they'd probably expire before we could use all of the milk up."

"This one expired seven months ago." Shadow pulled out a half-gallon of Austrian goat milk. "Want me to throw it in the dumpster out back?"

And Stone's chest suddenly tightened and his vision got a little blurry and it took him a few seconds too long to realize that tears were welling up in the back of his eyes—

I love the way you make ‘em!

"Or I can put it back," Shadow suddenly said, obscuring the goat milk behind the others in the depths of the refrigerator without taking his gaze off of Stone.

"N-no, it's okay," Stone said. He almost using the cleaning rag to wipe his face and remembered to use a napkin instead. "You can get rid of it."

"...Are you sure?"

"Yes," and maybe Stone sounded a little too firm. "It's not doing any good sitting in there."

Shadow may have nodded, but all Stone really comprehended was the hedgehog disappearing in a blur and reappearing within a few seconds. Shadow stared at Stone, perhaps trying to figure out what to say, but what snapped Stone out of his stupor was Shadow abruptly moving again and closing the Mean Bean's blinds.

"Dusk is starting to fall," Shadow said simply when he stopped by Stone's side again, the pair of them leaning against the back counter.

And Stone remembered how to breathe.

Shadow never asked but he listened later when Stone quietly explained that the doctor's favorite drink had been a latte with steamed Austrian goat milk.

Chapter 11: The Ones With Answers Always Get Their Way

There was another flash drive in his mail, and Stone wasn't quite sure if he wanted to look through it.

He nearly forgot about it for a week, then immediately felt guilty. Stone couldn't forget about the doctor and his work, especially since part of the deal he had with Walters was to specifically keep the doctor's memory going. Yet, there was a missing piece of Stone's heart, one that had exploded in space all those months ago, and Stone had been positive that there would be nothing to help patch it up. The flash drives were merely Band-Aids, able to stick on the wound for a while but eventually they fell off.

Being busy enough with his Mean Bean routine appeared to be helping even though Stone had fully been prepared for it just to numb him. Go through the rest of his life with little meaning other than crafting coffee for the masses.

Then Walters appeared, shattered what little life plan Stone had left, and Shadow was suddenly by his side and helping to shovel ice into cups for cold drinks.

Stone found himself with more of a purpose and he fully ignored how baffling it was that the catalyst was an alien hedgehog when, previously, his purpose had been to aid the doctor in vanquishing a different alien hedgehog.

At least Shadow didn't have as many annoying quips as Sonic.

At this point, despite how close he wanted to keep the flash drives and anything else he could of the doctor’s, were they actually helping or hurting him?

Stone scrubbed at his face, the glow of his laptop harsh on his eyes, but he didn't have the energy to move from his bed and turn on the light. It had been another sleepless night with him eventually giving up and opting to take a look at the files on the third flash drive. He had half a mind to go and make a cup of coffee or tea for himself, but he didn't want to risk waking up Shadow.

The last time he actually cared about another's sleeping habits this much was during the doctor's latest frenzy when he was trying to build a new hovercraft.

Stone took a deep breath as the files started loading and he began to click through them.

More drone schematics, this version sleeker with an updated UI. One of the bazooka designs that Stone was certain G.U.N. still used. Blueprints for a few of the doctor's bases, namely Juliett, Kilo, and Lima. Stone should probably check on some of the other bases, see how much in disarray they were...

There was a list of materials that the doctor most likely needed for some experiment or other, with handwritten scribbles in the corner about simplifying the names of the tech pieces for "Agent Dumbass." Stone raised an eyebrow, found the date of the list, and realized that it would have been about the agent that had been assigned to the doctor right before Stone came on board.

He flipped through a couple of more handwritten notes, finding that "Agent Dumbass" eventually switched over to "Agent Smartass," and Stone huffed out a laugh when the name then changed to Agent Latte, just Agent, and finally to Stone.

Stone dried his eyes -- he wasn't sure if they were watery from the laptop's bright screen or from finding the schematics of the specialty espresso machine the doctor had whipped up for him -- just as his bedroom door creaked open.

"Shadow?" Stone watched as the hedgehog hesitated in the threshold, his ears flattened. Stone glanced at the time, finding it to be around two in the morning. "Everything alright?"

"The television made a-a buzzing sound," Shadow said, his arms wrapped around himself, "from the movie that was playing. It sounded... too familiar."

Stone mentally translated that whatever sound that movie had made triggered a bad G.U.N. memory.

"Did you turn off the TV?" Stone asked, and Shadow nodded. "Want to join me up here?"

There was a pause before another nod, and Shadow climbed up on the other side of the bed.

"Why are you awake?" Shadow asked.

Stone hadn't moved quick enough to close his laptop, and wasn't sure if he should have. Instead, he gestured to the schematics of the espresso machine and explained, "Couldn't sleep, so I'm looking at some of the doctor's old files."

Shadow blinked and he scrutinized the page. "This is the kind of stuff the doctor worked on?"

"This one was more of a personal project," Stone said, a crooked smile on his lips. "He always liked the way I made his coffee. Eventually, he created a machine for his main lab so I wouldn't have to leave in order to make his drinks."

"Where would you have gone?"

"Well," Stone said, "usually we were stationed at the doctor's main lab close to G.U.N. headquarters in this country. I used to go to the breakroom, about twenty minutes each way. I think the doctor got the idea to make a coffee machine for the lab when I was a little late returning one afternoon. The doctor always appreciated punctuality..."

The doctor was meticulous about every aspect of his work, including his latte breaks. Twenty minutes to reach the breakroom, a generous ten minutes to prepare the latte -- up from five minutes once Stone started getting better at latte art -- then another twenty minutes back to the lab.

"Another agent had struck up a conversation with me, much to my chagrin, that day," Stone said. "I only wasted about two minutes with him before heading back to the lab."

Shadow's brows furrowed. "Two minutes prompted your doctor to create your own coffee machine?"

"I know it sounds a little ridiculous in hindsight," Stone said, "but it threw him off schedule. With the deadlines that the doctor had over his head, every moment counted.

"It's actually the same machine downstairs in the shop," Stone confessed. "I took it after the doctor disappeared"—he had to clear his throat—"the first time..."

"Was it mainly machines that the doctor and you worked with?" Shadow asked.

"Yes," Stone said. "Machines, robotics, electronics... The doctor preferred machines to people."

"Except for you."

Shadow covered a small yawn as Stone's brain briefly short-circuited at the hedgehog's casual statement.

Fortunately, it didn't seem like Shadow had been looking for a response, since the hedgehog continued with, "The professor was more interested in biology. Think his research had to do more with medicine."

"Really?" Stone couldn't quite hide his confusion, especially since they had discovered the professor due to him stealing and using the doctor's drones rather proficiently. "With what I saw of him and his work, I would have thought he was where the doctor had inherited his love of machines."

"He did create many machines," Shadow said, his words soft as Stone watched the hedgehog sink further into Stone's spare pillow. "I think he trusted their results more than the human scientists around...

"But I remember some of the tests they did on me," he continued. "Pieces of those memories started to come back. They talked a lot of my biology. My blood and bone marrow, what they could do with my cells... The professor wanted me to stay strong and powerful, and Maria spoke about how much good I could do..."

Tears welled up at the corner of Shadow's eyes. "I wish I remembered her words before I tried destroying your world."

So did Stone.

"Don't blame yourself," was what Stone said. He mostly believed his own words when he added, "You were manipulated. Both the professor and you were hurting. Sometimes that clouds our judgement."

"That doesn't make it okay," Shadow said.

"No," Stone said, "but everything worked out in the end. The world is still standing."

"Not all of it," Shadow murmured, and Stone couldn't find it in himself to disagree.

---

For the first time, Stone woke up late. He hadn't relied on an alarm clock in years, too used to being alert and ready to go at a moment's notice with the doctor's eccentricities, but he evidently was too tired this morning to wake up naturally at his usual time.

Although, it could have also been due to the sleeping hedgehog beside him that was clutching his pajama sleeve.

Stone stared down at Shadow and half-wondered when both of them had started dozing off. Aside from the vice grip Shadow had on Stone's sleeve, Stone was certain he had never seen Shadow look this peaceful. The hedgehog was snuggled into the pillow and under the blanket so much so that the thread lines would have been etched into his skin if his fur wasn't so thick.

Stone glanced at the thin streams of sunlight trying to glimpse through his bedroom blinds and decided to not open the Mean Bean that day. People would complain, but he wasn't in the mood. Neither Shadow nor he had slept well, even before they both opened up to the other. They deserved to play hooky for a day.

Stone tried not to chuckle at the idea of an irate Ethel knocking down the shop door. He'd stick a note on it about the Mean Bean being closed as soon as he could get around to it.

At the moment, he did his best to move as slowly as possible without dislodging Shadow's grip on his sleeve. Stone's laptop was a little too close to the edge of the bed, the lid still a little open. If the laptop hadn't gone to sleep, the battery was probably dead by now. Stone's foot moved it closer to the middle of the bed, keeping it out of the way of his own legs while being far down on the mattress enough to not have to worry about Shadow's feet. Once satisfied that the laptop was safe, Stone picked up his cell phone from his nightstand.

He frowned when he noticed that there was a message from Walters.

Checking in, the message began. Haven't heard from you in a little while. I'm presuming no news is good news.

Stone rolled his eyes.

I'll confess that I'm having a difficult time finding a place for Shadow, Walters continued. I'm sure you have him handled, and I know Green Hills is a safe spot for the aliens, but the background checks and potential facilities I'm looking into are not promising at all.

I will not give up, the message continued, and I hope that you do not, either. I'm compiling another flash drive for you but, in the meantime, please keep Shadow. May you both stay safe.

Stone glanced down at Shadow, curled up in such a way that his nose was almost completely under the blanket. He used his free hand to type out one sentence in response to Walters: What do you mean by facilities?

Wasn't the point of finding Shadow to save him from going to another facility? To find Shadow a home instead?

Because, sure, Stone still blamed Shadow a little for the doctor's fate, but Stone learned enough about the hedgehog to realize that everything that happened would not have been Shadow's choice if he had been surrounded by the right people.

If he had been raised as the child he was -- superpowers and all -- rather than as a test subject and a weapon.

If Maria hadn't been the only positive influence on his life.

Stone pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to regulate his breathing.

He glanced down at Shadow and was absolutely not startled, thank you very much, to see the hedgehog's crimson eyes open and staring right back at him.

Shadow's gaze flickered to his hand gripping Stone's sleeve and he released the shirt unceremoniously, curling in on himself further.

"Are we late?" was what Shadow chose to say.

"For what?" Stone asked, keeping his voice on the quieter side.

"The Mean Bean?"

"Yeah," Stone said, "but... I don't feel like opening the shop today." Shadow blinked up at him, and Stone added, "You up for a day off? We'll just relax?"

"...Sure."

"Okay."

It still took about fifteen minutes before either of them decided to move.

Stone couldn't remember having such a lazy morning. He showered while letting Shadow figure out what they should have for breakfast, and was pleasantly surprised when the hedgehog was confident enough with the toaster and the stovetop to make decent fried eggs for the pair of them.

He nearly made Shadow self-conscious, though, since his staring at the plated eggs and toast made Shadow demand, "What? They look okay, right?"

Stone remembered to smile and said, "They do. I'm sorry, I just really can't recall the last time someone made me breakfast. Thank you."

Shadow seemed momentarily dumbfounded, but he murmured a, "You're welcome," and zipped between the kitchen and the table to finish setting up for their food. It was a novelty – and definitely not unpleasant -- for Stone to only have to sit down and eat rather than prepare anything.

While orange juice washed down their breakfast well enough, Stone told Shadow he was going to put a note on the Mean Bean's door about them being closed and was going to make himself a latte. He couldn't help his grin when Shadow requested a hot chocolate.

Stone taped the simple message to the inside of the door beneath the closed sign -- "Closed for today. Sorry for the inconvenience." -- and took his time crafting their drinks, opting to use the large to-go cups. He was silently thankful for his insight to use the insulated, lidded cups rather than a couple of fancy mugs, for he had a visitor standing near the stairs to his apartment door behind the building.

Mrs. Wachowski seemed just as surprised to see Stone emerge from the Mean Bean's backdoor as he was to her existence, and Stone did his best to keep his, "Good morning," as a statement rather than a question.

The woman regained her composure as she said, "Hello, Mr. Stone. I saw your message on the Mean Bean's door."

"Concerned?" Stone raised an eyebrow. Before she could respond, Stone said, "Don't worry. Shadow and I are fine."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Stone paused before admitting, "Just a sleepless night, for both of us. That's all. Were you really around here because you wanted to order coffee?"

Mrs. Wachowski wasn't a frequent customer at the Mean Bean at all. If he was showing his hand of cards, he wanted to know hers as well.

"It's a chilly morning," she said with a small shrug. "Tom was singing praises for your hot chocolate the other day, and we thought it'd be a nice surprise for our boys this morning."

Stone glanced up at his apartment but did gesture towards the Mean Bean and said, "Well, the machine is warmed up if you'd like--"

"No, don't worry about it," Mrs. Wachowski said, "although I do appreciate your offer. The boys were still sleeping when I snuck out of the house, so it wasn't like I promised them anything, and I wouldn't want to hold you up for too long."

Stone nodded, but prompted her with, "And hot chocolate was the only reason you stopped by?"

Her own gaze went towards Stone's apartment and she squared her shoulders. "Are you planning on keeping Shadow?"

And Stone, for the first time, really wasn't sure.

"We'll see what happens," was what he decided to say. "Is there a particular reason why you came here to ask that?"

"Commander Walters visited Tom and me about two days ago," Mrs. Wachowski said, and Stone did his damnedest to keep his poker mask from slipping. "He timed it well, too well. I had the day off, Tom was home for lunch, and the boys were in school. He asked if we had room for one more alien."

Stone's mind raced before he stated, "And you declined."

A flicker of vulnerability passed on the woman's face. "We declined," she confirmed. "Aside from us already being tight on space and time with three sons, we didn't believe we'd be the right environment for Shadow. Too busy, too loud, you know? We would have done our best, but..." She shrugged.

"And your decision has nothing to do with Shadow's attack on your husband?"

"It did a bit, yes." To her credit, Mrs. Wachowski didn't shy away from his statement. Her tone had hardened, of course, and Stone wouldn’t have blamed her if she had decided to smack him for such a question.

"Tom is wary too, rightly so, but he did explain to me that he was not Shadow's original target... and that Shadow had apologized," she said. "Still, it's difficult when my main encounter with Shadow was seeing my husband nearly comatose."

And Stone understood how she felt. It was the fault of her aliens, after all, that had landed the doctor in a body cast after the Master Emerald incident.

"Does Shadow know?" Mrs. Wachowski asked, her voice lowered. "Does he know the true reason why you went to find him?"

Stone paused before giving his head a soft shake. "Not all the details," he admitted. "Walters isn't his favorite person. Hence, the attack on your husband," he added.

"But I'm not fond of Walters and G.U.N. either," Stone said, shrugging. "Shadow and I at least have that in common."

Mrs. Wachowski tilted her head as she inspected him, but evidently thought better of whatever comment she had been thinking.

Instead, she said, "Well, despite everything that has happened, I'm glad that you two have each other. I'll let you go. I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time."

"Don't worry about it," Stone said, realizing it wasn't truly a lie. The talk hadn't been too unpleasant, and Mrs. Wachowski had shown Stone a card or two of Walters's hand, so to speak.

He returned the woman's smile and she went back to the street to continue her day as Stone finally went back to his apartment.

Shadow had stolen the pillows and blankets from Stone's bed to decorate the couch, making the sofa seats extra comfortable. The hedgehog himself was on the couch wrapped up in one of the blankets, knees up to his chest, and very close to resembling a burrito as he watched the television. An episode of “The Golden Girls” was playing, and Stone wasn't sure if that or Spanish soap operas was more appropriate.

"Are your hands free enough to hold your hot chocolate?" Stone asked.

Shadow's nose twitched as the cup was brought closer to him, and he disentangled his arms from the blanket burrito in a flash to grab it. Stone got settled on his side of sofa and took a sip of his latte, listening vaguely to the show's characters as Rose asked Dorothy where she was going and Dorothy's response was, "Either to get ice cream or commit a felony. I'll decide in the car."

Stone surprised himself at how amused he was that Shadow gave a small laugh at the dialogue.

A commercial started, and Shadow said, "It took you a little longer than I thought it would to get the drinks."

"But it gave you time to do all of this." Stone gestured to the blanket fort that Shadow had turned his sofa into.

"This took me twenty seconds."

Right. Superspeed.

"Can I ask why?" Stone leaned further back into one of the pillows.

Shadow poked at the lid of his cup. "It's what Maria and I did on our free days," he said. "There weren't too many, but every once in a while there would be a day when she didn't have tutoring and I didn't have tests..."

The hedgehog grew quiet, a light coloring on his muzzle and a shiny sheen in his eyes as he indulged in his reminiscing. Stone found himself envious of the hedgehog, able to try to recreate fond memories from his past to cope with his loss.

Stone, meanwhile, had been fully prepared to continue whatever was left of his life numb to the rest of the world with a fool's hope that the doctor would miraculously dance back into the Mean Bean—

"I like it," Stone said, snapping himself back to the present. He trailed a hand down one of the blankets that had been propped up to drape above the back of the sofa, creating a little canopy over their heads. "I don't think I've ever created a blanket fort..."

Shadow's ears flickered. "Maria said it was a rite of passage for a kid."

"Better late than never, I suppose, hm?" Stone wasn't going to tell Shadow stories of his childhood. It hadn't been typical at all. Shadow's and Maria's hadn't been either, but it sounded like Maria tried to have what she considered to be a normal childhood.

Shadow glanced at him, seemingly considering something, but opted to instead remind Stone, "You didn't explain what took you so long to make the drinks."

"I saw Mrs. Wachowski," Stone said, and he noticed out of the corner of his eye Shadow freeze with his cup halfway to his mouth. "You started something when you recommended the hot chocolate to the sheriff."

"...Is that all she wanted?"

Stone looked over at Shadow, finding the hedgehog's gaze fixed firmly on the television. "No," Stone admitted. "She asked about your well-being, too."

When Stone didn't provide anything else, Shadow looked over at him and demanded, "That's it?"

Stone replayed his conversation with the woman in his head and nodded. "Basically, yes."

"Basically?"

"Basically."

Shadow huffed, realizing that he wouldn't get anything else out of Stone, and turned back to glare at the television again.

Which was fine with Stone, because he didn't want to indulge much more to the hedgehog, not without first checking in with Walters. The old man was vague enough with his spotty communication with Stone, but he should have at least told Stone which families and background checks he was dabbling in to keep Stone in the loop. Stone didn't appreciate that he found out from Mrs. Wachowski that Walters had even been back in Green Hills in the first place.

The next episode of “The Golden Girls” was almost over before Shadow spoke again.

"Was she okay?" the hedgehog asked.

"Who, Sophia? I'm pretty sure all the characters stay alive in this show--"

"No." Shadow groaned, rolling his eyes like such a teenager that Stone was momentarily stunned. "Mrs. Wachowski. Was she okay with me being... well, here?"

"It wouldn't be any of her business that you are here," Stone said. "As an answer, though, yes. She seemed fine. Why? Because you almost killed her husband?" Shadow's big eyes were the affirmative answer that Stone needed.

"Shadow, I need you to listen to me," Stone said, and he maneuvered himself so he was sitting sideways on the couch to wholly focus on the hedgehog. "You did not kill Mr. Wachowski. You have already apologized to multiple members of that family for the attack.

"Maybe some of them are a little wary of you still, but that's their issue that they are working on moving past,” Stone continued. “You shouldn't let them take so much space up in your head. Do not let how you think they perceive you hinder your own healing."

Shadow stared at him for a long moment and Stone refused to look away first. Eventually, the staring contest had been interrupted by the laugh track of the television, and Shadow's gaze flickered to the screen before staring at the top of his shoes.

"This guilt weighs so heavily on me," Shadow confessed, and Stone bit his tongue. No shit.

"I don't know what to do with it," Shadow continued. "Knowing how many people I've hurt, how I've almost destroyed the world, how that absolutely would not have been what Maria wanted... She'd be so disappointed--"

"She would not," Stone said. "You would never have made those choices if you hadn't been manipulated, and you ended up making everything right again."

"I should have been stronger--"

"How old are you?"

The abrupt question made Shadow's eyes widen and he looked back at Stone curiously. The confusion turned to dismay when Shadow admitted, "I... I don't know... Older than fifty, technically--"

"No, you're not," Stone said. "You've existed for that long, but in all other aspects, you're a teenager at best." Thirteen or fourteen was Stone's guess. Perhaps even younger, but Stone wasn't going to get into all of that. "You're still growing. You were raised surrounded by scientists, the professor, and G.U.N. operatives, and you still chose to do the right thing at the end."

"Only because Sonic reminded me of Maria," Shadow muttered.

"And she'd be proud that she ultimately got through to you," Stone said. "She'd be proud of how far you've come, despite it all. You're living and you're learning in her memory. It's not going to be easy, but don't let guilt taint the way you live. It wouldn't be fair to you or her."

A deep sigh racked through Shadow's body. In a whisper, he said, "I just wish she was here."

"I know," Stone said, keeping his voice nearly as quiet. "I'm sorry. It's great that you're remembering pieces of her, though, and doing things like making blanket forts to stay close to her.”

Shadow gazed around at the blankets and pillows. "It's like your coffee and the doctor."

"What?" Stone forgot that they had been speaking softer, his puzzled tone a little louder than he meant.

"The doctor really enjoyed your coffee," Shadow said, pointing it out as if Stone had forgotten. "He built you a machine that you still use... Isn't staying close to your doctor why you opened the Mean Bean?"

Oh. Long ago when Stone had first opened the Mean Bean in Green Hills it was a way to keep an eye on the community with the expectation that the doctor would return for his revenge against Sonic.

Making coffee was something that Stone could do. What Stone was meant to do was support the doctor in all of his endeavors, even though hopelessness had seeped through Stone the longer the doctor had been gone on that ridiculous mushroom planet. The Mean Bean was just a means to an end.

Then the cannon happened, and Stone's purpose in life was gone. He had no choice but to go back to the only other job that still somewhat existed, and the Mean Bean again just became a means to an end.

The end would be either him going out of business or eventually succumbing to numbness and grief.

Sure, Stone got better at crafting coffee because of the doctor demanding caffeine at all hours of the day and, yes, the machines were from the doctor and, okay, maybe Stone used to pretend that he was just making drinks for himself and the doctor rather than random customers—

Shadow broke through Stone's thoughts to quietly say, "I'm sorry your doctor isn't here, too."

Stone cleared his throat. "I know. Me too... Thank you."

Chapter 12: But I Think They Should Know

Despite their rather heavy conversation in the morning, the rest of their free day went smoothly for a little while. The television channel played a couple of more episodes of “The Golden Girls” before Stone redirected Shadow into something else.

Stone had prevailed through all sorts of trials and tribulations throughout his life working for the government and the doctor, but he found he wasn't ready to explain a few of the more risqué topics Blanche mentioned in the latest episode when Shadow began to look a little confused.

Stone didn't have many recreational games in his apartment -- he never had a reason to, he was always with the doctor -- but he did have a chess board. Shadow grasped the game's mechanics quickly enough, but the lore was something else entirely.

"What good is the king?" Shadow asked, glaring at that specific chess piece. "He does nothing, has no decent moves, yet he is the one that needs to be protected?"

"Well, with how powerful the queen is," Stone said, moving a rook to take one of Shadow's pawns, "what good would she be if we just focused on protecting her?"

"Why are the two pieces not equal in both status and power?"

"It's the way of the world," Stone muttered.

"If the queen's power is that great, the pawns should follow her," Shadow said, taking a few seconds to move one of his bishops. "She should take the king's crown instead of sacrificing for him."

The pair didn't play chess for too long.

They had a late lunch, nearly interrupted by a banging from the outside which the window revealed to be Ethel knocking forcefully on the Mean Bean's door. Stone was going to just let her get it out of her system, but Shadow actually opened the window to call down not only a greeting to her but also apologize for the shop being closed. Stone was ready to hear the old woman's rage at not getting her coffee, but her soft spot for Shadow merely made her wish them both a good day and a hope that they were feeling alright.

Shadow shut and locked the window before turning around just to face Stone's stare. His muzzle lightly colored as he asked, "What?"

"I didn't think it was possible for anyone to calm Ethel down like that," Stone admitted.

The color darkened, and Shadow ducked his head down as he returned to the kitchen table. "You make it sound like she's scary," he muttered.

"You weren't there when I ran out of her typical milk for her café au lait once. I needed Wade to help talk her down. Wade."

Shadow looked back up at him, the hint of his smile slowly blooming into a laugh. It was short-lived, as if the hedgehog was embarrassed, but it was almost a marvel to hear just the same.

"Haven't you," Shadow asked slowly, "survived much more dangerous situations than an angry old lady?"

"You would think," Stone said, feeling a smile curl on his own face. "There were plenty of missions the doctor and I were sent on throughout my years working for him..."

And Shadow was an attentive listener as Stone detailed a time when the doctor and he were tasked with quelling a coup in a micronation in south Europe about three years prior. The nation was small, but manufactured an explosive powder that G.U.N. favored for some of their own weapons. The coup would have displaced G.U.N.'s main contact from power had it come to fruition.

The doctor and Stone had stopped the coup from succeeding, but they had also accidentally blown up one of the main factories for the explosives in their escape.

"We were sidelined for a little while," Stone admitted, "which the doctor was pleased with. It gave him time for a few more personal projects." He paused. "It wouldn't surprise me now, actually, if the accident hadn't really been an accident... The doctor could have very well planned on destroying a factory to get G.U.N. off our backs for a while."

He wished he thought to ask the doctor back then.

It was then that Stone realized Shadow was taking a turn at staring at him. "What is it?"

A crooked smile on was Shadow's muzzle before the hedgehog refocused on what was left of his lunch. "It was nice hearing you share a story of your doctor," he said. "You sounded... content."

And whatever usually clenched Stone's chest whenever he thought of Dr. Robotnik loosened its grip just a bit.

"It was nice to share," Stone admitted and, like Shadow, brought his focus back to his lunch.

The pair finished eating and Stone offered to do the washing up if Shadow wanted to get cleaned up himself. Stone couldn't quite remember the last time Shadow took a shower -- perhaps the hedgehog did so more regularly when Stone was down in the Mean Bean alone, perhaps Shadow took showers so quickly that Stone never noticed, or perhaps Stone should actually ask the Wachowskis for advice on basic hygiene for alien hedgehogs -- and Shadow didn't protest the suggestion.

The dishes took no time at all to clean, and Stone found himself in a quiet apartment for a few minutes. He took a deep breath, staring at the disheveled blanket fort before his gaze went towards his window. The sky was gray, cloudy, promising early snow for the upcoming winter, and Stone startled himself when he realized that he was thinking about how Shadow would react to Green Hills at Christmas.

His next deep breath was a little shaky.

He looked over in the direction of the bathroom, hearing the shower still on at full force -- and wasn't the fact that Shadow enjoyed warm showers an interesting revelation? -- and wondered just how long the hedgehog would be sharing his space.

Maybe investing in an air mattress wouldn't be the worst idea...

Stone scrubbed at his face, dislodging any what-if thoughts and ideas about the future to refocus on the present. He opted to search through the movie channels on the television to find something that would be appropriate to watch with Shadow, guessing that the hedgehog would be wrapping up his shower soon.

Stone put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and turned it on, waiting as the kernels began popping. He would knock on the bathroom door to check on Shadow if the hedgehog wasn't done by the time the popcorn was—

There was a yelp, a crash, and Shadow abruptly appeared in the living room.

Stone's brows furrowed, his hand automatically going to where he used to keep a concealed weapon. He was about to ask what happened, why Shadow just teleported from the shower to stare at him with wide eyes and soaked fur like an angry cat, but the words died when he noticed how harshly Shadow was breathing.

His breathing was nearly as loud as the popcorn.

"Shadow?" Stone kept his voice quiet but didn't dare move.

"What is that?!" Shadow's eyes darted around the apartment, his ears flat against his head, until his gaze landed on the microwave.

Stone dove to unplug the machine, the last of the pops fizzling out. "Shadow, it's just popcorn," he said. "Are you okay?"

Shadow's mouth moved without making a sound for several seconds until he uttered out, "Popcorn?"

"Yes." Stone was doing his damnedest to remain calm, but the red energy streaks beginning to slide along Shadow's quills was making it difficult. "When I first found you, you mentioned that you remembered you liked popcorn."

Shadow's breathing was getting faster, the sparks getting stronger, and he muttered too quickly, "Popcorn, it was just popcorn, just popcorn, not bullets, just popcorn, no bullets--"

Shit.

Before Stone could move, Shadow's eyes shut tightly and his angry wail was cut short as he teleported away.

Stone stared at the collected water on his floor, the only indication that Shadow had been standing in the living room in the first place, and he vaguely realized that the shower was still running. It didn't take him long to start moving.

Figure out what was going on. Adapt.

He shut off the shower and cleaned up the water, granting Shadow a few extra minutes to himself and letting Stone figure out where the hedgehog would have gone. If luck was on Stone's side, then he knew exactly where Shadow was.

The ride to Base Tango took too long, no matter how fast Stone pushed his motorbike.

Tango was brimming with energy, alive and alert, when Stone ran in. The drones were buzzing, a good handful near the sliding door that led to the testing room while another zoomed over to greet Stone. He could sense the manic pulsing in the walls and circuitry, whatever electricity Shadow generated going right back into the base to power it up.

Stone glanced at the computer, the machine having activated itself when Shadow arrived. The reports of Shadow's energy were populating, the calculations almost off the charts. The testing chamber could handle Shadow's power, Stone fully believed that, but some energy could absolutely overflow into the world itself.

The drone in front of him beeped several times in rapid succession to get Stone's attention, and immediately flew over to join a few others that were by the sliding door to the testing chamber. Stone walked over slowly, not only willing but needing to wait until Shadow calmed down before opening the door.

He had no idea how long he stood in front of the access door, the drones hovering patiently with him, until the thrum of energy began to die down. Stone glanced over his shoulder at the computer, noticing that the program had stopped recording the energy readings and began compiling a report instead. He took that as a sign that it was clear to enter the chamber.

The door slid open and one of the drones literally pushed Stone back as it went first, wings open to reveal its guns.

"Hey, stand down," Stone said, gently pushing it aside in return. For once, the drone didn't listen. It stayed open but evidently was willing to let Stone take the lead. The vague thought of checking the drones' programming was shoved out of Stone's mind when he spotted Shadow curled up in the middle of the chamber's floor.

"Shadow?" Stone kept his voice soft as he caught up. He winced, noticing that there were light spots of blood on the floor curtesy of Shadow's feet. Running so hard so fast without his shoes made the soles raw.

Stone signaled to the drones to get a damp towel and the first aid kit from the base's storage, and he heard more than saw a few of the drones fly off to obey him. Stone knelt beside the hedgehog, glancing at Shadow's face and finding his eyes bloodshot and heavy-lidded.

"It's just me," Stone said, and Shadow's gaze flickered to him in some sort of acknowledgement. "I'm going to pick you up. Is that okay?" Shadow's gaze stayed on him a few seconds longer, and Stone took that as an affirmative.

The closest drone seemed to think that this was not the best idea, its wings still open and its guns ready to fire while it let off a couple of deep beeps. Stone glared at it, ignoring the machine as he picked up the hedgehog and made his way back into the main part of the base. The drone dutifully followed, occasionally giving a low whir as if grumbling about the situation.

Stone sat Shadow atop of his old desk, the hedgehog's legs dangling off of the edge while he tried to make himself as small as possible. The towel and first aid kit were produced by a couple of the other drones, and Stone apologized for how the antiseptic that he was going to use may sting. Shadow barely flinched as Stone cleaned the bottom of his feet.

Stone belatedly realized that the main drone was still hovering a little too close with its guns.

"Stand. Down." Stone's firm order was obeyed this time, but it took the drone a few seconds too long to slowly recede the guns and close its wings. Stone sighed and said, "I hope the drones didn't bother you. I don't know why this one is so defensive. I'll double-check its programming when I can."

Shadow glanced at the drone. "T-the doctor's programming?"

"Yes. It should be listening to me better."

Shadow stared at the drone for a long moment before quietly saying, "He wanted to protect you...”

Stone’s gaze snapped to Shadow as the hedgehog shivered and continued. “My chaos energy was... a lot. Your doctor wanted to make sure you were protected... Even at times when you couldn't recognize danger..."

The love we felt for each other is more powerful than pain.

Stone stared back at the particular drone, seeing that the little camera was staring at him in return. The light blipped as if the drone was giving him an innocent blink, the light's direction going back and forth between Stone's face and Shadow on the desk.

"Are you physically hurt anywhere else?" Stone asked as he wrapped up the hedgehog's feet, refocusing on the present rather than the past.

Shadow shook his head.

Stone wasn't sure if he believed him, but he didn't push. Instead, he finished his task and instructed some of the drones to put the first aid kit away. He stared at Shadow until Shadow found the courage to look at Stone in the eye.

"Have you cried?" Stone asked.

Shadow's ears briefly twitched before once again lying flat against his head. "W-what?"

"Have you cried," Stone repeated, "for her? Have you cried for Maria yet?"

Shadow's eyes watered. "I don't... I don't remember."

Stone gathered the hedgehog back in his arms and turned around only to sit on the floor himself, his back against the desk and Shadow's face against his shoulder. Shadow's breathing was ragged, his hands unsure just how much he should cling to Stone, and Stone tried to calm his own breathing in the hopes that Shadow would start to mimic his rhythm.

Shadow's grip on Stone's sleeves trembled like his voice when he asked, "Did you cry... for your doctor?"

"I did," and memories rushed back of a motel room in London, dark and quiet save for Stone's sobs being choked out against a pillow.

In the present, he heard a sniffle, a hiccup, and then, "D-did it h-help?"

And if either of them realized that Stone's hold on Shadow tightened just a little more, neither of them commented. Stone glanced once more at the drone as he felt the hot prickle of his own tears and murmured, "It's starting to."

Shadow buried his face in Stone's chest and let the dam break.

---

It was dark by the time Stone somehow maneuvered Shadow onto the motorbike so the pair could return to the apartment. The ride was a little clumsy, but there was almost no traffic from Tango to Green Hills. Stone vaguely wondered how well he'd be able to engineer a helmet to fit Shadow's head.

Shadow was too worn out from discharging his power, from his anxiety and fear, from crying to protest any movement. The hedgehog opened his eyes briefly when they entered the apartment, Stone opting to tuck Shadow into his bed instead of disturbing the blanket fort. Shadow took a shuddering deep breath as his head hit the pillow and his hands easily transitioned from clutching Stone's shirt to the blanket that Stone pulled up to the hedgehog's chin.

Stone trudged out to the rest of his apartment, the scent of burnt popcorn lingering just enough in the air when he got closer to the kitchen. He moved automatically, methodically, cleaning the popcorn from the microwave and unceremoniously dumping the remaining bags of unpopped kernels into the trash. The bathroom was cleaned from Shadow's interrupted shower, his shoes and gloves placed just outside of the bedroom for whenever Shadow woke up in the morning.

When Stone ran out of things to clean and tidy, he ventured outside of his apartment. He left the door ajar just enough so the chilly air wasn't competing with the heat and so Shadow would know where he was if the hedgehog woke up.

Stone took a deep breath, shivered, and dared to look up at the night sky.

It didn't look so bad. Stone's breathing eased. The stars were nice, the handful that he could see without any clouds blocking them. There was a particularly bright one that may have been another planet, the light twinkling not too far from the half moon...

You were my syco-friend.

...The half moon that had a jagged bottom, pieces of moon rock still floating languidly near what remained of the natural satellite, and Stone's breathing hitched, stuttered, hurt—

Stone tore his gaze down from the sky, his head nearly slamming onto the railing of his landing with the effort. He swallowed hard and sat down heavily on the top step of the stairs, one hand resting on his chest as he tried to regulate his breathing and the other holding his face that was suddenly damp with tears.

He wasn't sure how long he sat like that. His tears dried in the chilly air and his breathing was a little steadier by the time he uncovered his face again.

And there was Wade Whipple.

"Uh, hey there," the deputy sheriff called, his smile as awkward as his greeting. Stone couldn't even muster the energy to frown at the other man, which was unfortunate because Wade took the few steps from the sidewalk to the back of the building to get closer.

"Sooooo..." The word was drawn out into too many syllables as Wade took the time to decide whether he should jog up a few of the steps or just stay on the ground. He eventually settled for putting one foot on the bottom step and tried to look casual with his hands on his hips.

Stone just stared, hoping the other man was a hallucination from fatigue and would soon disappear.

No such luck, considering Wade eventually dropped his hands and asked, "Mr. Stone, are you okay?"

I'm fine, was on the tip of Stone's tongue, which suddenly felt too think to allow him to speak properly.

"No," was what fell from Stone's mouth instead, strangled and faint.

And Wade straightened up, his face turning serious, sympathetic, and Stone would have hated it if he had the energy to do so.

"What can I do to help?" Wade asked.

"Nothing," Stone said.

"Well, we can talk," Wade persisted. "That might help. I mean, if it's about kids, I may not be the best at giving advice, but I didn't do too badly with Knuckles when he and I went on a road trip together." There was a beat of silence. "Actually, I'm pretty sure he was supposed to be grounded, so that may not be the best example, but we kept each other alive--"

"What...?" Stone's brows furrowed and confusion momentarily won over grief. "No, don't explain, I don't think I want to know."

Wade's lips pressed together in a thin line and he nodded, looking everywhere but at Stone for a few precious minutes.

"What are you even doing out here at this time?" Stone asked.

"I got the night shift for the next couple of days," Wade said. "Patrolling the streets, making sure everything is A-OK here in Green Hills even after the sun goes down."

"That's really necessary?"

Wade actually shrugged. "I'd like to think it helps keep people's minds at ease. That, and we occasionally have people wandering about."

"People not allowed out of their houses after curfew?" Stone asked dryly.

"Of course they are," Wade said with a small scoff. The mirth disappeared as he added, "Sometimes we got people loitering in the parks or something. We're supposed to keep those people moving along, but... Usually I find that they just may need someone else to talk to."

"I'm not loitering," Stone pointed out. "I'm on my property."

Wade nodded. "Still," he said, glancing around at their surroundings, "I probably should be suggesting you get back inside. You know, the nights are starting to get cold... A rabid bat may attack you..."

Stone raised an eyebrow but didn't want to ask Wade to elaborate.

"But the sheriff always said I was too nice," Wade continued. "He tried taking me off of the night patrol once when there was a time I was meeting up with Carl at the edge of his property around one in the morning for a week instead of actually finishing my route. It was the anniversary of a war that Carl was part of back in the day... The last of his buds from their battalion had passed away recently, and he was having a hard time sleeping. Think that was the only time I didn't listen to Tom."

Stone didn't move as Wade talked, not even when Wade turned back to him.

"Speaking of having a hard time sleeping,” Wade said, “heard Shadow and you had a rough night. Hope tonight isn’t as troublesome, but…” He gestured uselessly to Stone sitting on his steps this late.

Stone's shoulders sagged. "Talk to the Wachowskis, did you?"

"No, Ethel," Wade confessed. "She wanted us to do a wellness check on you since the Mean Bean was closed. Considering being closed for just a day wasn't enough of a reason for us to go knocking on your door, she came here and did it herself."

"We… Wait. Shadow spoke to her and all he did was apologize we were closed," Stone said. "How did she know we had a rough night?"

Wade suddenly grinned. "Well, she didn't say that, actually," he said. "But you just did."

Stone stared, horrified. Was he just outsmarted by Wade?

Wade's grin turned into a sheepish smile. "I, uh, know there's not much anyone else can do to help when missing someone really starts to hurt," he said, and Stone tried to ignore how difficult it suddenly became to breathe upon hearing someone else put that feeling into words. "But despite the past, Shadow and you are here and part of Green Hills. We're a tight-knit community. Maybe too tight-knit at times, but... You're not alone."

Stone swallowed, trying to parch his dry throat. Eventually, he was able to say, "You people only like me for my coffee."

The grin returned. "The coffee is a bonus," Wade said. "...It is really good coffee."

Wade looked up at the sky and Stone too gave it a quick glance. The glimpse of the broken moon would continue to hurt him for a while, maybe forever, but perhaps the pain would lessen with each look.

"You should probably get back inside," Wade said. "The colder weather is starting to move in."

"And I don't want to be attacked by a bat," Stone drawled.

"That too. Can't imagine it's comfortable living as a vampire."

Stone couldn't tell if Wade was serious or not, and ventured to ask, "You really believe that can happen?"

Wade shrugged. "Stranger things have. Good night!"

"Good night," Stone murmured as the deputy sheriff returned to his rounds.

Stone stayed out on the landing for a little longer, his brain trying to wrap around the conversation he just had before giving up and eventually going back into his apartment. He checked on Shadow, finding himself glad that the hedgehog was still sleeping, and washed up before settling down on the couch. He kept the television on low, wanting some white noise to drown out his thoughts, and dozed off and on throughout the rest of the night.

He woke up with the sun starting to look over the horizon and with Shadow curled up next to his side.

Chapter 13: That I'm Coming for Them Now

Notes:

I got my first spambot comment! It feels like an odd rite of passage.

Also, this is not one of my favorite chapters, mainly because I felt it was a bit messy. Whenever I tried to clean it up, I feel like I made it worse. I do hope it doesn't disrupt the flow of the story, and that you all continue to enjoy this fic!

They were late in opening the Mean Bean the next day. Stone actually contemplating keeping the shop closed again but, despite the past couple of terrible nights, he was craving some sort of routine.

Shadow didn’t complain. Considering how the hedgehog was zipping through the shop -- cleaning tables, gathering needed ingredients from the backroom, still being attentive whenever Stone spoke to him -- Shadow didn't seem to mind the Mean Bean being open again, either.

Neither talked about the day before nor how they woke up on the sofa. Shadow didn't ask Stone why he had stayed on the couch, and Stone didn't ask Shadow in return why the hedgehog joined him.

Stone did make the decision to get an air mattress or something. Maybe the sofa didn't affect Shadow too badly, but Stone's spine ridiculously cracked when he had stretched that morning.

He was actually shopping for air mattresses on his phone during a lull in the day, comparing prices and sizes and trying to figure out where the mattress would go in his apartment, when the thought occurred to him that he had never actually heard back from Walters.

Stone glanced up, saw that Shadow was trapped in a conversation with Ethel at the moment -- and Stone understood Shadow's pleading gaze to him; Stone would rescue him soon -- and covertly checked his messages.

No. Nothing. The last part of their correspondence was Stone asking Walters to explain what he meant by facilities. Why wouldn't Walters respond back—

"I hate you."

Stone automatically closed his messages on his phone and blinked over at Shadow, who had returned behind the counter after escaping from Ethel. The old woman actually made her way out of the shop, and Stone was certain she hadn't heard Shadow's whisper to him.

Shadow was downright pouting as he leaned against the back of the counter. "You completely ignored me," he said.

The corner of Stone's lips twitched. "Scared of an old lady?"

"I heard far too much about her first boyfriend and she kept trying to pinch my cheeks."

Stone bit his lip to keep from laughing. "I'm sorry," he said.

"You are not."

"Well," Stone said, "I am sorry for her trying to pinch your cheeks. She shouldn't be trying to touch you like that if you don't want her to."

Shadow shrugged. "I moved too fast for her, at least."

"I don't feel particularly bad about her stories, though," Stone continued. "I've heard way too much about Alan from back in the day. Now it's your turn."

"...She said her first boyfriend's name was Ernest."

Shadow and he exchanged confused glances until Stone slowly said, "I have... no explanation for that."

Shadow actually chuckled before straightening up and looking over at a new customer that reached the counter. Stone mimicked the hedgehog and focused on his job, thoughts of air mattresses and Walters flying out of his mind for the time being. A large Americano was ordered and created, and Stone reveled in the routine.

It was a testament to Stone's abilities when he realized later in the afternoon that something was off.

Perhaps Shadow understood it as well, since the hedgehog stuck close to behind the counter, his eyes narrowed and a frown etched on his face at the people lingering in the Mean Bean.

Half a dozen people in the Mean Bean with simple drinks and Stone recognized none of them.

Closing time was almost upon them, and Stone glanced at Shadow. There was no way he could quietly instruct Shadow to go back to the apartment, to teleport elsewhere, to stay safe -- judging by the way Shadow's fists were clenching and how he had taken to staying at Stone's back, Stone wasn't even sure if Shadow would have listened to him anyway.

Eventually, Stone announced, "Thank you all for visiting the Mean Bean, but we are now closed." His gaze flickered to each and every remaining face as he went towards the door, ready to usher them out.

Nobody moved.

"I suggest you lock the door, then," a feminine voice said coolly. Stone's attention zeroed in on the speaker, the woman sitting at the table in the corner closest to the counter. Her face was narrow, pale, black hair pinned behind her, her expression neutral except for a gleam in her gaze when she turned it to look at Shadow.

Shadow stared back, staying put behind the counter, his posture straight and tense.

Stone did as the woman suggested, the lock echoing in the shop like his firm steps when he returned to the counter, breaking the woman's eye contact with Shadow.

"And you are?" Stone asked, his voice ice.

She took the few seconds to finish her mocha, commented on how well it was, and stood up. Her hands clasped behind her back, her stance the particular way that told Stone exactly where she was from before she uttered a word.

"I am Director Rockwell," she said, "of G.U.N. I don't believe we've ever had the pleasure of meeting, Agent Stone, before you... left the organization."

Stone's gun wasn't close enough.

"You know I left," Stone said, using the woman's own words, "so I'm not an agent any longer."

"Mr. Stone, then," Rockwell said, her tone steady and borderline pleasant. She nodded towards Shadow. "Despite not being affiliated with us any longer, G.U.N. wishes to thank you for your cooperation in finding Project Shadow."

"What...?" Shadow's whisper behind him barely reached Stone's ears over the sound of his heart beating against his ribcage.

"It was not for G.U.N. that I found Shadow," Stone said, firm, unwavering, knowing that it was the truth.

"No," Rockwell agreed. "It was Commander Walters who asked you to find Project Shadow, true, and I'm sure he's thankful." She paused before dryly adding, "He'll most likely express his gratitude by sending you a gift card to the Olive Garden--"

"G.U.N. is not supposed to be here," Stone said. "You're not to operate within or interfere with Green Hills."

"Not necessarily," Rockwell said. "G.U.N. has an agreement with Team Sonic to that effect. Green Hills is generally considered their territory, so to speak, but if there is another threat to neutralize, then G.U.N. will--"

"Shadow is not a threat."

"The energy surge that was recorded yesterday begs to differ," Rockwell snapped. "Similar to when the other alien hedgehog made his existence known, G.U.N. has the instruments to read and report on unknown energy surges in the event that the world's power is disrupted. Do you've any idea of the kind of destruction that kind of outage can cause?"

Stone does. The doctor and he had orchestrated power outages many times when quelling or aiding rebellions and coups. Downed weapons, hospitals, training facilities, networks, and the like were all potential victims when the power was knocked out.

Considering G.U.N. recognized and tracked Shadow's energy reading from the day before only confirmed Shadow's power levels. Despite the testing chamber in Tango, Shadow's power still leaked into the outside world.

It shouldn't have been much, but Rockwell standing before him only confirmed that G.U.N. had been searching diligently for Shadow this whole time.

Voice low, Stone said, "Walters did ask me to find Shadow, but it was not to help G.U.N. It was to protect Shadow from you."

He heard the telltale cackle of sparks behind him, a faint whine accompanying it as Shadow no-doubt tried to keep a lid on both his lightning and panic.

Rockwell's gaze flickered past Stone for a second before returning to Stone himself. "Did it ever occur to you that Commander Walters's agenda may change?"

"Absolutely," Stone said, giving her a sudden, sharp grin. "It's why I had our deal notarized."

Rockwell's brows knitted together, and Stone took the interlude to turn to Shadow and whisper, "Go."

Shadow's ears were flattened, his eyes narrowed, his emotions warring between confusion and anger. He looked around at the other G.U.N. agents nearby, but Stone saying, "I got this," broke through.

That, and a G.U.N. agent had been creeping closer behind the counter, behind Shadow, to reach the hedgehog. At Stone's words, everyone moved at once.

The G.U.N. agent lunged forward with an electric net, Shadow twisted and teleported away, and Stone's fist collided with the agent's jaw.

The agent went down, one of Stone's hands catching the net while the other reached for the gun beneath his counter. The net was spun and tossed over the counter, landing over another agent's shoulders to render her useless with the shocks.

Two well-aimed bullets downed two more agents before they could get out their own weapons, but the next agent got a lucky shot in. Stone sucked in a breath, hissed at the pain in his shoulder, but ducked and rolled to the other side of the counter.

He was in the middle of a fight. He was trained to ignore the pain until the threat was neutralized.

This was nothing.

Stone heard another bullet fire from Rockwell's direction, heard it collide into the wall above his head, heard a second one clang against his coffee machine -- and there would be absolute hell to pay if G.U.N. destroyed that -- but he was more so focused on the agent in front of him.

Stone was too close to the last agent, what with Rockwell at the opposite end of the shop. If she valued her colleague, she wouldn't shoot again at Stone, not with the way he and the other agent were trying to grapple each other's guns away.

The agent was broader than Stone, stronger with physical strength alone. The agent yanked on Stone's gun, and Stone used the momentum to surge forward and smash his forehead with the agent's chin. There was a sickening crack but Stone didn't pause to see if he broke the agent's teeth, jaw, or neck. Stone immediately grabbed both guns and flattened himself enough on the floor to sweep his legs around to knock the agent off his own.

Stone stood and swiveled on the spot the same instant the agent collapsed on the ground and laid still. Stone didn't waver as he aimed both guns at Rockwell. She stopped herself from gaping when Stone started speaking.

"Guarantee me that G.U.N. will leave Shadow and me alone," he said, "and I'll let you leave here alive--"

Faster than he thought she could move, her hand that wasn't aiming a gun at his head pulled out a power ring from her belt and tossed it in between the two of them. The ring enlarged, blocking Rockwell from view, but the portal still showed Stone where she was going.

Fuck.

Base Tango was in the background, too many G.U.N. personnel versus the drones fighting valiantly to protect the base. Stone wasn't quick enough to dive through the portal as well before it vanished with Rockwell.

Stone took a deep breath, immediately cursed when he remembered the bullet in his shoulder, and darted out of the Mean Bean and onto his motorbike.

He nearly ran over a couple of people as he tore through Green Hills and broke more than a few traffic laws. The forest path to Base Tango was ruined by other vehicles and footprints, G.U.N. having crashed through the woodlands like the bunch of neanderthals they were, and made it more than simple for Stone to follow them.

He wasn't sure if it was the familiar laser blasts of the drones or the fact that guns were returning fire that made his heart stutter, but Stone arrived on the scene with four last bullets in his revolver and the resolve to use them. He had no fear of the drones as he dove into the fight and started shoving his way into the base. The security doors had been blasted open, triggering the base's defense mechanisms and obviously taking down a handful of G.U.N. operatives too stupid to think that the doctor's babies weren't still fully capable of handling themselves.

Whirrs and beeps greeted Stone as the drones recognized him and a few swiveled over to cover him. Bullets made the drones' metal casings ring, G.U.N. agents not realizing -- and they should, if they had known anything about the doctor's work -- that most of the drones’ metal shells were bulletproof. Stone let the drones be his shield and he zeroed in on Shadow.

Shadow was glowing, lightning dancing across his quills, and he was snarling at a pair of agents who were getting too close. Three drones were downed near the hedgehog, cut straight in half with electricity and wires spilling out, and Stone caught a glimpse of the weaponry the pair of agents had as they invaded Shadow's space.

One had a pair of gloves like claws, green energy surging from the tips that left holes in the wall like a hot knife through butter when the agent tried stabbing where Shadow had just been standing. Another had a sword coated in the same energy, swiping in a large horizontal arc where Shadow had tried maneuvering to, only missing the hedgehog because he had ducked and skated backwards.

Shadow teleported behind one of the agents, kicking him forward and the agent nearly cut off his own head with his energy sword. Another teleport, and Shadow punched the one with claws, his chaos energy giving him more strength. The agent crashed into the wall and Stone shot at him.

The agent saw him coming, maneuvering enough so his energy claws blocked the bullet. The bullet itself disintegrated from the energy, and the agent dived at Stone before Stone could even comprehend what had just happened. Stone was quickly put on the defense, dodging so the claws never touched him.

It was difficult to do when one's shoulder was throbbing from being shot.

Stone may have been preoccupied with trying to survive, but even he was able to sense the shift of energy in the air. The atmosphere grew thick, a crimson haze making itself known, and Stone didn't need to look over at Shadow -- teleporting everywhere, taking down agents, trying to avoid the one with the sword -- to know lightning was crawling over him.

"Leave. Me. ALONE...!"

A blast of energy burst out of the hedgehog, the shockwaves creating a ripple effect that knocked everyone -- both human and robotic -- off their feet. Stone collided with the floor, his gun flying elsewhere, the few drones around him clanging as gravity yanked them down. One drone landed hard on the agent with the energy claws, dazing him, and Stone moved quick enough to kick the agent in the face.

Someone retaliated before Stone could get up. A heeled boot, sharp and steel-toed, ground into his shot shoulder, and Stone cried out before he could stop himself.

"Don't move," Rockwell said from above him, and he heard the click of a gun.

If his shoulder wasn't paining him so, Stone would have laughed at how comical it was that she thought she could order him around. There was only one person whose orders Stone would obey, and he hadn't been around for almost a year.

"Capture Project Shadow," Rockwell said to some agent. "Not so roughly, you idiot. Keep him in tact--"

Stone's good hand reached over to punch Rockwell's knee, both of them shouting in pain as Stone's action made her heel press even further into his shoulder.

"What is wrong with you?" Rockwell straightened up, and Stone belatedly realized she was speaking to him. "Project Shadow was always G.U.N.'s property. This was always going to be the outcome. What do you have to gain from this?"

Tangible memories. Snippets of the doctor. Someone in his life who had some inkling as to what he experienced and make everything not so numb—

"You don't even exist to us any longer," Rockwell continued. "I could get rid of you right now and no one would notice--Careful!"

Her attention was captured again by the agents pulling and prodding Shadow into a cage. Stone was able to see enough of the hedgehog to notice how heavy his limbs seemed, how tired he was from his chaos blast, even as Shadow tried biting the closest agent.

Shadow's eyes were wide, panicked, darting around at the bars of the cage beginning to surround him, and Stone blurted, "Teleport away--Augh!"

"Enough." Rockwell's voice was cold, and the muzzle of the gun was too close to his forehead. "I was hoping we could have been civil about this, but--"

"Don't." Shadow's voice croaked. "I'll... go with you. Leave him alone."

Rockwell gave a light scoff. "We already have you. What kind of deal is--"

Despite his exhaustion, Shadow teleported out of the cage to appear right in front of Rockwell. She was kicked in the stomach, knocked back and off of Stone before anyone even comprehended that Shadow had moved.

Stone kept his focus on Shadow. "Get out of here."

Shadow didn't look at him. The hedgehog was swaying on the spot and kept his gaze on Rockwell struggling to get up.

"Leave him alone," Shadow repeated, "and I'll go with you."

Stone moved to get back on his feet, but a hand from behind him roughly shoved him back down. White-hot pain again erupted from his shoulder, and Stone barely realized that Rockwell had moved around him to stand by Shadow.

Her face was an ugly sneer but she apparently understood the need to pick her battles. Stone heard her say, "Deal," before something knocked him out.

Stone regained consciousness to a few beeps of the last drones that hadn't been destroyed in the fight. He coughed, trying to clear his throat, grimacing as he dragged himself up and was rudely reminded of his shoulder wound.

He looked around Tango, his heart aching at the destruction of the doctor's babies and equipment. A few of the drones were pulling the bodies of agents out of the way and some others were scanning the base's instruments, whirring as they catalogued what needed to be repaired. One of the drones was at his back, attempting to keep him steady, and Stone reached over with his good hand to give it a pat as he surveyed the base.

G.U.N.'s broken cage that they thought would be enough to hold Shadow was still in the corner of the room.

Stone took a shaky breath and fumbled for his phone. He fired off a message to Walters -- G.U.N. has Shadow -- in the off-chance that the old man had been sincere all that time ago. If he hadn't been, well... Stone will make Walters wish he had been.

He stared at a few other contacts in his phone, ones that he had synced up from a certain prepaid phone a while ago with every intent of potentially spying on them if need be. Now, though...

Stone swallowed what remained of his pride and called. The phone rang once, twice, three times.

They weren't going to answer. Why would they answer him? There was no reason for them to—

"Hello?" Mr. Wachowski's voice came through the speaker, and it took Stone an embarrassingly long time to realize that they did, indeed, answer.

"Stone?" Mr. Wachowski prompted, and he actually sounded a little concerned. "Are you okay?"

Stone's voice cracked as he admitted, "I need help."

Chapter 14: Waking Up, Breakin' Out

Stone gave the coordinates to Base Tango, Mr. Wachowski rattling them off to Tails in the background so the fox could track him. Less than thirty seconds later, Sonic showed up next to him outside of the base, took a judgmental look around, then tossed a ring that opened to the living room of his home. Tails and Knuckles emerged from the portal and Stone didn't bother hiding the dismay in his voice when it was clear his help would come from them.

"The human adults are not joining?" he asked as the portal shrunk and disappeared.

"Well, when you asked for help," Sonic said, and twirled with a flourish, "we assumed you meant of the superpowered variety."

The superpowers would be useful, yes, but Stone would have much rather fielded his plans and the need for help through other humans instead of teenaged aliens.

Well, Stone was nothing if not adaptable. He knew the strength of the creatures in front of him and would work with what he had.

"So... You live like this?" Sonic asked, gesturing to the trampled woodlands and foliage around them.

Stone did his best not to regret calling them.

"Mr. Stone, what happened?" Tails asked, and Stone told them of the G.U.N. agents, the attack, and of Shadow being taken. Knuckles remained stoic, Sonic's demeanor darkened, and Tails looked alarmed the longer Stone spoke.

It was to Sonic that Tails said, "We're supposed to be on the same side as G.U.N."

"Not if they go after one of us like this," Sonic said immediately, and Stone didn't have the time to question how Shadow gained so much of Sonic's loyalty.

"There must be a reason--"

"Stone, you are injured." Knuckles zeroed in on Stone's shoulder, interrupting Tails's and Sonic's musings. "You must care for the wound."

"I'm fine," Stone said. "I've dealt with worse."

"We have the time to take care of it," Tails said, having taken to hovering closer to Stone to take a look. "We need to develop a plan, anyway."

Dryly, Stone asked, "Any of you have experience with pulling out bullets?"

Tails blanched and Knuckles scowled, but Sonic's shoulders sagged. "I've been shot at before," the hedgehog said, "but was lucky enough to only get a tranquilizer dart in my leg once in my life."

Stone was suddenly glad that the drones had been able to get rid of the agents' bodies before the aliens showed up.

The four went inside the base, Stone not believing that he was instructing the drones to not eliminate Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles on sight. The main drone that tended to stick to Stone whenever he was at the base beeped in what Stone imagined to be a quizzical manner, but it obeyed nonetheless.

Sonic gazed around the destroyed base and opened his mouth, but Tails elbowed him in the side before the hedgehog could make some sort of quip. Sonic snapped his mouth shut and seemed about to roll his eyes at the fox's back, but Stone noticed that Sonic's eyes landed on the broken cage. Sonic paused in place before he glared at it and caught up with his brothers.

Knuckles, on his part, asked Stone, "How do you remove a bullet?"

Stone stared at the echidna in bewilderment. "Are you planning on helping?"

"Would it not be easier for you with someone's aid?" Knuckles asked in return.

Stone sat heavily atop of what remained of his desk after the fight. "I've done it before... but thanks." He signaled to the drones for the first aid kit and the other tools he would need before returning his attention to the aliens. "G.U.N.'s headquarters are in London. I imagine that is where they are taking Shadow."

"Which would be an almost ten-hour flight," Tails immediately said. Stone didn't miss it when the fox turned to the side when the drones returned with the first aid equipment and Stone tore open his sleeve to reach his bloodied shoulder. "I could get my airplane and we can intercept the flight--"

"Stone mentioned Director Rockwell had a ring," Sonic said. "Did they have more? They may be back in London right now."

"The agents that had attacked Warrior Wade and me last year," Knuckles said, "also traveled with rings. It is not unfathomable that G.U.N. would have more."

"How did G.U.N. even get rings?" Sonic asked.

"You didn't pick them all up back in San Francisco," Stone said, glancing up at the hedgehog as a drone helped him fish the bullet from his shoulder. Thankfully, it was shallow, despite Rockwell's heel driving the bullet deeper into him. "A few remaining rings were still on the street by the Transamerica building that G.U.N. took and studied."

Sonic's muzzle colored. "Oh..."

"So it is the hedgehog's fault that G.U.N. has this technology," Knuckles said.

"Basically," Stone agreed, dropping the ruined bullet onto the desk beside him.

"Alright, geez!" Sonic knocked into Knuckles's shoulder.

"Okay, okay...!" Tails took back the reins of the conversation. "We'll use one of our own rings to go to London. Mr. Stone, do you still have clearance at G.U.N. Headquarters?"

"No, but that won't be a problem," Stone said. He winced at the antiseptic he dumped on his shoulder wound. "Is your best plan just infiltrating G.U.N. Headquarters and kidnapping Shadow back?"

"Bust in and bust him out sounds good to me," Sonic said.

"I know Shadow is the superior hedgehog," Knuckles said and, completely ignoring Sonic's indignant, "Hey!", asked, "Is it only Shadow's power that G.U.N. wants?"

"I'm not sure," Stone said. "Rockwell claimed Shadow was a threat, but he hasn't done anything threatening. Not lately, anyway. Power is probably the main reason. G.U.N. never could stand not being in first place when it comes to power and strength."

It's why G.U.N. kept funding the doctor, no matter how many times Stone was certain G.U.N. would never want to be affiliated with him. The cowards should have appreciated the doctor’s genius for what it was.

"Is there anywhere else you would think they'd take Shadow?" Tails asked.

Stone said, "No," but his gaze flickered over the main computer before returning to the three aliens. Stone himself was busy doing a quick stitch job on his shoulder, but maybe...

"Tails," Stone said, and gestured to the main computer, "see if that still turns on. The power button is on the right."

The fox listened to Stone's instructions diligently, appropriately in awe at the computer's power, as Stone verbally directed Tails through the programs until they reached the testing chamber's reports. While Knuckles tried whispering to Sonic what they were looking at, with Sonic only shrugging in response, Tails's eyes darted over all the gathered data.

Tails looked back at Stone and came to the same conclusion as Stone. Most likely for Sonic's and Knuckles's benefits, he said, "We can use this program to track Shadow by his chaos energy. You think that's what G.U.N. wants?"

"Infinite power for their weapons," Stone murmured before nodding his head. "Absolutely."

"And this tracker will work?" Sonic asked. "Even from across the world?"

"Yes," Stone said. "It's how G.U.N. found Shadow this time. The tracking program was originally the doctor's design."

"They'll have Shadow in an underground part of the headquarters, I’ll bet," Tails said.

Stone raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that the headquarters has a basement?”

“Heh.” Tails grinned sheepishly at Stone. “I remember the schematics of the place from the last time we… visited the headquarters.

“Besides, it makes sense to have Shadow underground,” Tails continued. “Someplace where they can figure out how to bottle his energy, so to speak, while keeping everyone else relatively safe. I'm sure it'll be heavily guarded."

Knuckles grinned and smashed his fists together.

"Easy, big guy," Sonic said, his voice fond as he looked at the echidna. To all of them, the hedgehog said, "This is the plan, then? Break into G.U.N. Headquarters, track Shadow with his energy, then use whatever means necessary to break him out?"

"If by whatever means necessary, you mean punching," Knuckles said, grinning, "then yes. I approve of this plan!"

Tails gazed at the reports of the power readings. "Mr. Stone, do you have a portable version of this?" he asked. "Or should one of us stay here and guide the others?"

Stone moved from his desk, the drone beeping at him in slight irritation -- it wasn't quite done helping him wrap the bandage around his shoulder -- and stared at the program.

It was first developed about four years ago and was one of the programs that Stone first remembered witnessing the doctor develop. Stone was certain that the base schematics and codes of it were on the third flash drive...

"We may be able to make one," he said slowly, and Tails blinked before suddenly smiling.

"Alright then!" the fox said, pumping a fist in the air. "We have a plan!"

---

With the help of the doctor's schematics, Stone and Tails were able to recreate the basic program that allowed them to track energy readings on one of Tails's gadgets. Stone didn't ask about the extensive other features of the device -- the fox spoke rapidly of some of the features anyway, like a language translator, something similar to the Internet to search for information, an atlas -- and was certain he didn't seem as impressed as Sonic and Knuckles thought he should have been. It was cute the two of them were proud of their younger brother's, so to speak, intellect, but Stone had seen similar devices crafted just as well -- if not better -- by the doctor.

Besides, Tails didn't seem to care one way or the other. He was as focused as Stone was when they were coding and welding.

"Are you two done yet?" Sonic asked, giving a yawn that may have been fake.

"Patience, Hedgehog," Knuckles said. The echidna had taken to standing ramrod straight by the base's entrance, proclaiming that he would keep watch in case more rogue agents attempted to infiltrate Tango. "You know the fox does not like to rush his inventions."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sonic lamented, "but I can't be expected to just wait here. Speed is my middle name, ya know?"

"It is not. The Lord of Donuts called you by your full name not four days ago. It is Sonic Maurice Wacho--"

"Dude, it's an expression."

"That makes no sense. Why express what is clearly a lie?"

Stone glanced over at Tails and muttered, "Are they always like this?"

"You learn to tune them out," was the prompt reply. "I think we're done! Uh, is there any way we can test this?"

Stone looked over at the other two, both of whom had stopped bickering when Tails announced that the program was ready.

"Yes," Stone said, and he set up the main computer to report on a pair of new energy readings. "Sonic, Knuckles, go fight in the test chamber."

"What—"

"Yes!"

"Wait, no!" Sonic's head swiveled from Stone to Knuckles and back to Stone. "Why would you want us to fight?"

"Call it a spar," Tails said, evidently catching onto Stone's idea. "Go just long enough to release some of your energy to make sure our tracker is working. Don't actually hurt each other!"

His last instruction seemed to be aimed at Knuckles. The echidna huffed but did give a small bow.

"I will be sure not to injure our brother, Fox," he said solemnly before reaching the door to the test chamber. Sonic rolled his eyes and zipped over to the door, being sure to trip Knuckles on the way.

Stone allowed them access to the chamber and, within a few minutes, both he and Tails were able to see the main computer reading the energy levels. Stone exported the signals to the computer's network and it took only seconds for Tails's device to start receiving the energy readings as well.

"That should work," Tails said. "With my gadget synced up to your computer's network, I should get the same energy readings that your computer picks up."

"As long as your device is strong enough to receive the signal," Stone said.

"Oh, don't worry," Tails said, "it is. I guarantee it."

That would have to do.

Stone shut down the testing chamber, Sonic and Knuckles taking the hint and emerging into the main area of the base. Both seemed exhilarated -- the spar did nothing to diminish Sonic's energy and Knuckles was still eager to punch something. Stone guessed he should consider himself lucky that they were on his side.

"Okay, I figure we'll use a portal ring to enter the city in a remote area," Tails said. "An alleyway or something. Someone is probably going to see us anyway, but the less people, the better--"

"I know a spot," Stone said. Flashes of the Thames came to mind, of the crab whole, of the crab destroyed. He shoved the images away and reloaded his gun. Holding out his hand, he said, "Give me the ring."

Tails glanced at Sonic as if asking for permission, and the hedgehog took a moment to scrutinize Stone before nodding once.

"Here's two," Tails said, surprising Stone as he handed him a pair of the deceptively simple-looking gold rings. "Just in case something goes wrong and you need to use one to escape."

Stone pocketed one and thanked the fox. Without any fanfare, Stone imagined where he wanted the portal to open up and threw the ring...

"Where is this place?" Sonic's nose wrinkled. "It smells terrible."

"One of the many small dams on the River Thames," Stone said, looking around to be sure there was no one else about. Considering the late time back in Green Hills and London’s time zone being about seven hours ahead, Stone estimated that it was between three and four in the morning where they were now. The darkness was on their side for the moment. "We're behind the maintenance cabin of the dam, about twelve blocks from G.U.N. Headquarters."

The maintenance cabin looked abandoned, with a newer building across the river and further downstream. The closest sewage drain was where the doctor had instructed Stone to drive the crab into place during the last time Stone was in the city.

The memory didn't hurt as much as Stone thought it would. Then again, he was more focused on getting Shadow back and, perhaps, blowing up the G.U.N. Headquarters.

...Which, Stone recalled, had been the first target that the professor and Shadow had wanted to destroy with the Eclipse Cannon. The irony was not lost on Stone.

Tails handed out communicator links. "Okay, I'll stay atop of a nearby building and keep us all connected. Mr. Stone and Sonic, I'll try to direct you to where Shadow is being held. Knuckles--"

"I wish to fight," the echidna said.

"Perfect." Tails took it in stride. "I'm going to shut down the network and keep it down as long as I can. Mr. Stone and Sonic will sneak in, and Knuckles, you get to play the distraction."

"I have no limits on what I can punch?" Knuckles asked, his grin hopeful and sharp.

Tails looked up at Stone, but Stone said, "No limits as far as I'm concerned."

"Maybe be careful around weapons or things that look like they can explode," Sonic added.

Knuckles seemed to consider Sonic's words but didn't verbally respond. A brief look of concern flickered over Sonic's face, and Stone would have found it comical if not for their current situation.

"Let's get going." Stone led the way, Knuckles and him on foot while Tails took Sonic to the skies with him to find a suitable perch.

Sonic met Stone and Knuckles about halfway to the headquarters, lamenting about how slow they were, but calmed down enough when the headquarters was in sight and less than a block away.

"We're in position, bro," Sonic said into the communicator.

"Great!" Tails's voice was loud and clear in response. "Give me a few more minutes and I'll be in their system."

Stone didn't question how or why Tails knew how to get into G.U.N.'s network. It seemed to be something they all understood that the fox would be able to do.

While waiting, Sonic refrained from fidgeting and asked, "Stone, answer me something."

"What is it?" It better not be some ridiculous quip or sarcastic comment—

"Why are you so adamant about saving Shadow?"

Stone looked at Sonic, finding that the hedgehog's green eyes were steady on him, his expression oddly serious.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Stone asked in return.

"Nuh-uh." Sonic shook his head. "You're not getting out of this that easily. Sure, Shadow and you were living it up together, but we both know it was G.U.N. that asked you to find Shadow in the first place."

"Not G.U.N." Stone turned back to look at the headquarters. "Walters asked me."

"What, did the old guy finally retire or something? Last I checked, he was still part of G.U.N."

Stone heaved a sigh. "Walters knew G.U.N. was looking for Shadow," he said. "He came to me about a month ago to ask me to find Shadow before G.U.N. did. Walters allegedly wanted to protect Shadow."

"And he asked you?" Disbelief dripped from Sonic's tone.

"Why not?" Knuckles asked Sonic before Stone could say anything in response. "Stone is one of the most honorable men I have ever met."

Sonic sputtered. "He worked for Eggman."

"Who was not as honorable." Knuckles's tone was momentarily dark. "Yet, the doctor helped to save the planet, and Stone has shown loyalty beyond compare to the doctor. That kind of conviction, that honor, makes for a great warrior, even if our intentions do not always align."

Stone and Sonic glanced at each other, evidently neither of them quite believing the echidna's words. Stone would privately admit, however, that it was decent of Knuckles to give him such praise, and didn't interrupt the echidna as he continued.

"Stone's honor reminds me much of another mighty warrior, another who has showed strong dedication to his tribe and me, even in the face of adversary... the warrior Wade Whipple."

What the hell.

"It makes sense to me that the commander would ask Eggman's successor to protect the superior hedgehog," Knuckles concluded.

"I can't just want to help Shadow because he doesn't deserve to be held by G.U.N.?" Stone asked, trying to stop the aliens from their speculating.

"No," Sonic said. "I don't believe you would."

"I know what G.U.N. is fully capable of," Stone snapped.

"And I know what you and Eggman were capable of," Sonic shot right back. "Shadow was hurt by G.U.N. before, I get that, we're going to get him out of there, no question about it. But he was hurt by the Robotniks before, too. I don't get what your plans are with Shadow, and I want to make sure he still can't be hurt by them--"

"Sonic." Knuckles's tone was simultaneously sharp and gentle, and both Sonic and Stone realized that blue lightning had begun to dance along Sonic's quills.

Sonic took a deep breath and let Knuckles place a hand on his shoulder to help ground him.

"You think I want to hurt Shadow?" Stone asked, hoping that he could twist Sonic’s perception of him enough to stop questioning Stone’s motivations, to stop trying to get an answer because Stone himself didn’t know how to respond.

Stone’s want to help Shadow wasn’t just to get back at G.U.N. for everything the bastards had done to him, to them. It was a bonus, sure, but it couldn’t be the only reason.

"I don't know." Sonic looked back at Stone, sounding far away even though the hedgehog was right next to him. "Maybe you are doing this out of some weird obligation to Eggman..."

Stone’s brain stuttered, memories rewinding.

Sonic continued before Stone could dispute it. "It would make sense," Sonic said, tapping his foot in thought. "Helping out the guy who was the last one to see Eggman alive, the last link to him, right?"

Air mattresses and hot chocolate. Chess and scary old ladies and caring about someone else’s eating habits…

Stone swallowed hard.

…and crying for loved ones and time not mattering if it’s been months or fifty years…

"After all," Sonic said, still talking, "Eggman saved the world for you."

…and blanket forts and custom coffee machines and the light of stars and expired Austrian goat milk…

"Shadow and Stone are like kin," Knuckles put in. "Both are missing family, and both created their own. Much like us."

…Well, shit.

"Yeah... Like family." Sonic nodded, and it was like Stone wasn't even there any longer. "Okay, I can get behind that reason--"

"Can you stop?" Stone blurted.

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Sonic asked, absolutely not stopping. "We all kind of created our own families, like you and Eggman. I don't understand your dynamic, but Eggman cared enough to help to stop the world's destruction for you, Stone."

"Did you not see the video?” Knuckles asked him. “After our rescue operation is a success, the fox can bring up the YouTube on one of his devices--"

"I saw it," Stone cut in. He ignored the crack in his voice.

Sonic did not. "He saved the world for you. I mean, wouldn't you have done the same for him? Ensure the future of the world for your family?"

Stone took a deep breath. "If it meant we could have stayed together," Stone said, tone cold and slow, "the rest of the world could burn."

Silence enveloped them for a few precious seconds until Sonic said, “Well, guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on that.”

Stone grimaced, wishing for this conversation to be done. At the reminder of Tails, he changed the topic immediately and asked into the communication link, "Tails, are you in their system yet?"

"I was in the system within forty-five seconds," the fox reported. "I just... I didn't think I should interrupt you guys. It seemed like you needed that talk--"

"Seriously?" Stone said. "I'm sure Shadow will completely understand the delay."

"No need for the sarcasm. I get it, Mr. Stone." Tails sighed, and Stone imagined the fox rolling his eyes. "Okay, I'm blacking out their system in ten…nine…eight…"

Chapter 15: Rip It Up, Tear It Down

Stone, Sonic, and Knuckles crept closer to the building with every second of Tails’s countdown. Once Tails brought the entire system down, ensuring the buildings went dark, Knuckles gleefully burst into the lobby with the intent of distraction and destruction.

"Be careful, Knucklehead," Sonic said before he zipped ahead of Stone down the hallway Tails directed them to.

Stone was obviously behind the hedgehog, the hallways familiar and sterile, the occasional patrolman knocked down and unconscious before Stone even turned the corners. He caught up with Sonic at a stairwell just as the lights powered back on.

"Backup generators," Tails said in their ears. "I don't think I should focus on trying to get them down."

"Agreed," Stone said. "Focus on telling Sonic and me where Shadow is."

He had ideas where G.U.N. would keep Shadow, but if Tails had the exact location, that was even better.

"Uhh..." Tails faltered. "I'm getting two energy readings. One down about three flights, but another up two flights."

Stone knew what rooms those were.

"Sonic, you go down," Stone said. "I'll go up."

"Right, because I'll be faster reaching the farther destination." Sonic winked, the cheeky cretin. "Good thinking! Careful, Stone...!"

Sonic was gone before he finished speaking, and Stone didn't wait to start climbing the stairs.

Sonic would be the one to find Shadow. Stone was heading towards a section of the headquarters that held the creatively-named power rooms. Weapons were charged and energy was stored in those rooms, and Stone had a hunch that G.U.N. was starting to siphon Shadow's chaos energy to utilize.

"It's the third door on the left, Mr. Stone," Tails supplied in his ear. Stone didn't need the direction, already moving that way, and started to tune out when Tails fed Sonic directions as well.

All the doors on that side of the floor needed access codes. Muscle memory helped Stone recall a few of the codes that he used when he worked at G.U.N. and was unsurprised when one of them still worked.

His breath caught when he walked into the room and saw much of the doctor's creations still, lifeless, strewn about on the floors and shelves.

Stone was rooted to his spot for a few seconds too long, gazing at the old drones and laser guns, before his eyes landed on the far wall. The wall held multiple tanks, some filled, most empty, with one steadily rising with a crimson substance that was a cross between a liquid and gas. Tubes from the bottom of the tanks fed the containers from the walls, and Stone knew that tubes ran from each room directly below this one until it reached the basement.

The basement which undoubtedly held Shadow, most likely stressed and forced to push his body to the limits while his chaos energy was being funneled.

But why were the doctor's creations here? Had they just been stored in this room, forgotten and alone, because G.U.N. didn't have the collective brains to figure out how they worked? Had G.U.N. hoped that they would one day be able to get some magical energy that would force the robots to work?

He dove towards the tanks on the wall, intent on stopping the siphoning process. "Tails," he said into the link, "you got an idea as to what would happen if I shoot a couple of chaos energy tanks?"

Knuckles's voice boomed in his ear. "As the fox would say, do it for science!"

"Don't do it for science!" Tails said immediately. "You'll probably blow everything up!"

Stone actually considered it but Sonic spoke up, asking, "Is that why I can't wake up Shadow? He's in some sort of pod, looking like he's having a terrible nightmare, and I'm close to panicking on trying to figure out how to get him out. Shadow, wake up...!"

"It's all connected," Tails said. "Mr. Stone, what do you see, exactly?"

Stone described the scene and, with Tails helping him figure it out, he found the mechanism to pinch and cut off the supply. Down below, the part near Shadow would most likely start overflowing. Tails spoke directly to Sonic again, trying to help with that end, and Stone started to make his way out of the room.

He was close, so close, but the call of the doctor's babies was strong. Stone wondered if he could activate some of the old drones themselves, but a warning gunshot snapped him out of it.

Stone whipped around, his own gun ready, and he glared at Walters posed the same way in the threshold. Recognition dawned on Walters face as he realized just who he had shot at. They paused, both knowing that Walters was no match for Stone.

"Before I kill you," Stone said, "tell me the truth. When you first came to me, were you actually concerned about Shadow? Or was your plan all along to manipulate the players?"

Walters's stared at him for a heartbeat before he lowered his gun and stepped to the side of the threshold. "It was for Shadow's sake," he said, his old voice warbling. "Rockwell got wind of what I was doing and warped my agenda into her own... I'm sorry, Stone."

Stone stared at the other man before stepping up right to his face. "I should put a bullet through your skull," Stone hissed, "for all that you've done to me and my family."

Walters, to his credit, merely dipped his head, ready if Stone chose to kill him. Instead, Stone shoved Walters in the shoulder on his way past and didn't look back as the old man crashed into the wall.

The devil on Stone’s shoulder whispered that Walters could still be useful alive. The other devil sneered that Stone was getting soft. Both sounded like the doctor, and a smile curled on Stone’s lips.

Stone only needed to go down one more flight before someone in the building had the sense to sound the alarm. He cursed and started skipping steps, plummeting down further towards the basement and taking care of any would-be agents or guards on his way.

He burst into the room that Shadow was held, finding Sonic there in front of the pod ready with clenched fists and sparks sizzling around him. Sonic visibly relaxed when he saw Stone, but his ears stayed flat as his eyes darted up to the alarm lights on the ceiling to Shadow.

Shadow was suspended in the pod, eyes screwed shut, jaw tight, limbs shaking.

“G.U.N. shouldn’t be able to do this,” Sonic said, and Stone didn’t have the time to console him or teach him about what G.U.N. was really like.

“What has Tails told you so far?” Stone asked, his gaze going to the tubes sticking out of the pod. Some of them were already close to bursting at the seams, having nowhere to go.

“This access panel,” Sonic said, pointing to the mechanism on the wall. “It should open the pod with the correct code.”

Stone tried a few of his old passcodes, finding them all denied. “Tails,” he said into the communicator, “your device doesn’t break passwords, does it?”

“It can,” Tails said, and Stone couldn’t decide if he was surprised or not.

“We need it in here,” Stone said. “Now, if not sooner—”

Laser blasts erupted from the front of the room. Stone instinctively ducked and saw Sonic jump. Stone turned towards the inferior guard drones, ready with his gun, but Sonic destroyed them all before Stone could put his finger on the trigger.

“I hear the alarms. Are you all okay?” Tails asked. “I’m, uh, not sure I can sneak through to get to you guys.”

“I got an extra ring,” Sonic said, tossing the ring to open a portal to some rooftop. Tails was perched on the edge with his device and darted through the portal to join them. The fox winced at the sound of the alarms and a second time at the sight of Shadow.

He moved to the mechanism immediately, holding up his device to it to let the electronics speak to each other.

Heavy footsteps announced the arrival of more guards. Stone maneuvered so he was covering Tails – and, subsequently, Shadow’s pod – but Sonic knew what to do.

“Stone, stick with Tails,” the hedgehog said. “Knuckles and I will take care of the guards. Knux, we need you in the basement!”

There was an excited whoop from the basement’s hallway, and a collective groan of pain with what Stone presumed to be the sound of tumbling bodies and robots. Sonic dashed out of the room and the sound increased thrice over.

Stone remembered Tails mentioning all of their roles in their group – their team – and begrudgingly admitted that all the roles fit.

“I think I’m getting it,” Tails said, and Stone watched as the liquid suspending Shadow in his pod slowly drained out. Shadow collapsed on the bottom of the pod and Stone used the butt of his gun to smash the glass, heedless of Tails’s startled yelp.

Stone received a few shallow cuts on his hands and arms, but nothing that would hinder him. He reached over to grab Shadow, careful not to hurt the hedgehog any more than he already was, and cradled him close with one arm. Shadow was breathing, at the very least, his expression almost smoothed over until his subconscious realized there were alarms blaring above.

“Mr. Stone?” Tails held up Shadow’s rings. “I found his inhibitors next to the pod.”

Stone bent down enough so Tails could snap the rings back around Shadow’s wrists, and Shadow blinked open his eyes.

He recoiled immediately at the lights. “What’s going on…?”

“We’re getting you out of here, Shadow,” Tails said.

Shadow blinked heavily at the fox before he focused his gaze on Stone. “Where… Where are you bringing me?”

And Stone didn’t hesitate to say, “Home.”

“C’mon,” Tails said. “Let’s catch up with Sonic and Knuckles—EEP!”

Some agent had escaped Sonic’s and Knuckles’s rampage and immediately fired into the room. “Put Project Shadow down!” the agent said, thinking he could order Stone around. “Then hands up and back away from him slowly!”

Stone glanced at Tails and put Shadow down next to the fox. “I got this,” Stone whispered.

In one fluid movement, Stone straightened up and whipped his gun around to shoot the agent’s hand. The agent howled with pain, dropping his own gun, and Stone rushed him. Stone put him in a headlock, twisting enough so Stone was behind the man and had enough leverage to crush his windpipe. The body dropped and Stone returned to Shadow’s and Tails’s side.

Tails was staring wide-eyed at the agent. “Is… Is he…”

“He’s just dazed.” He wasn’t.

Stone scooped Shadow back up and, barely thinking, picked up Tails in his other arm and said, “We have to go.”

Tails held on for a few minutes as Stone raced out of the room and followed the trail of unconscious guards and broken robots. Eventually, Tails reminded Stone that he could fly and Stone let him go so he could hold onto Shadow more securely.

“Sonic, Knuckles?” Tails spoke into the communicator, fewer bodies and robots littering the floor the further they went. “We got Shadow! Where are you?”

“Not quite sure, bro,” Sonic said. “We’ll find you guys, don’t worry—Knux, no, even I know bashing through walls isn’t a good idea…!”

It would absolutely be Stone’s luck if he somehow died from G.U.N.’s building collapsing because the echidna was too punch-happy.

“Let’s start going back up,” Stone suggested, and took out his second portal ring. “G.U.N. is going to send everyone they can down this way, so Sonic and Knuckles probably were just following the crowd—”

“STONE!” Rockwell was there, positioned at the end of the hallway, a laser blaster aimed straight at him. “I should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance!”

“You’re right.” Stone shifted, holding Shadow to his side and blocking as much of Tails as he could. “You should have.”

Stone flipped the ring right behind him, the portal opening to the inside of Tango.

“Don’t you dare run away!” Rockwell said.

“I’m not.” Stone didn’t use the portal, but the drones did. The doctor’s babies fanned out from behind Stone, wings open, guns ready, a physical shield between Rockwell and him.

To the woman, Stone said, “But you should. Protect.”

Tails gasped as the drones began shooting, the corridor shaking with all the blasts as they obeyed Stone’s command. Rockwell was agile enough to dodge the blasts and retreated, heading further down the basement’s hallway. Stone let her go, despite how tempted he was to pursue her – he had Shadow to focus on.

“They won’t hurt you,” Stone assured Tails and he continued leading the way out of the basement.

“Uh, good to know,” Tails said, even as he eyed the drones distrustfully. He squeaked a little when one drone in particular looked back at him with its camera-eye.

They followed the sounds of fighting as they climbed the stairs and eventually emerged on the ground floor to see Sonic and Knuckles as blurs while fighting G.U.N.’s robotic guards. Stone directed the doctor’s drones immediately to help turn the tide.

"Great, the cavalry is here! Stone!" Sonic yelled above the chaos. "Use your portal ring to get us out of here!"

"I already used it!"

"The second one!"

"How do you think the drones got here?!"

Sonic gave a guttural shout before curling into a lightning-encased ball and smashing through multiple robots in the air, homing in on one right after the other. Knuckles's fists plowed through the ones closer to them on the ground, and Stone kept Shadow and Tails close to him while shooting at what he could until he ran out of ammo. The bullets were near useless, but they at least managed to damage some of the robots' own guns, and the doctor’s drones did the rest.

“Does no one else have a ring?” Sonic eventually asked when the group was somewhat close together. Stone suspected he tried to play it off like a joke, but Sonic’s tone was strained from fighting and the late time.

Shadow tugged on Stone’s tie. “G.U.N. has them,” he croaked.

“That’s right!” Tails used a laser blaster stolen from a destroyed G.U.N.’s robot to shoot another one down. “G.U.N. has them too. They must be around here somewhere.”

“The fourth floor,” Stone said, sure of it. “It’s their factory floor.”

“I’m on it!” Sonic declared. He bounced between a couple of more rogue robots, yelled, “Gotta go fast!” and zipped away.

“Gotta go fast?” Stone echoed.

Shadow huffed. “It’s his catchphrase.”

Oh, for the love of--!

Sonic was back before Stone’s thought could finish, triumphantly holding a container full of the rings. “Got ‘em!”

Knuckles punched through a trio of rogue robots before asking, “Are we retreating already?”

“Whaddya mean ‘already?’” Sonic asked. “We’ve been at this for—”

Stone grabbed a ring from the container and tossed it, opening the portal up to right outside Base Tango. He leaped through with Shadow and Tails was not far behind. Sonic and a reluctant Knuckles followed next, and Stone gave the drones the order to retreat. Many flew through the portal obediently, blasting away any rogue robots that tried to follow, and the portal soon vanished.

The broken moon was shining through the trees.

“Oh, man!” Sonic gave off a big stretch. “Different time zones are the worst. It’s crazy how the sun was getting ready to rise in London but the moon is still out over here. I feel so jetlagged…!”

Stone glanced up at the moon, blinking hard as the adrenaline slowly drained from him. It didn’t hurt quite as much but, then again, he just had an exhausting evening.

He barely realized he was sitting on the ground until a drone leaned up against his side, trying to steady him from swaying. It beeped to get his attention and another drone moved closer to scan both Shadow and him. Stone let the drones do what they wished, including scanning the other three aliens.

“Stone…” Knuckles’s voice held a warning note as he glared at the drone that was too close to him. He stepped forward, putting himself between the drones and Tails and Sonic.

“They’re just checking you for injuries,” Stone said, “that’s all.”

“We’re on their do-not-kill list now?” Sonic asked.

“For now,” Stone said, and he returned Sonic’s crooked smile with his own.

Stone glanced down at Shadow, finding that Shadow was staring up at him. “You came back for me,” Shadow said.

“Yeah.”

“Why?” His voice was faint.

Stone said, “Walters asked me to help protect you from G.U.N. It started off as an exchange deal. I was to find and keep you safe until he could figure out a place to put you that had no ties to G.U.N. and he would give me what he had left of the doctor’s plans and schematics.

“But, at some point, I decided no more trade-offs,” Stone continued. “You don’t have to stay with me, but you’re welcome to.”

Shadow blinked heavily and took a deep breath, wincing. Stone adjusted his hold on the hedgehog, and glanced up at the drone that had scanned Shadow, watching a loading light circle in its camera-eye. No doubt it was compiling a report on Shadow’s health.

“I… I don’t know,” Shadow said. “You… weren’t honest with me.”

“I know,” Stone said. “I was when I could, but I should have told you the whole truth from the beginning. I’m sorry.”

“With Stone is the best place for you, Shadow,” Knuckles said, reminding Stone that the other three aliens were still there. “He was steadfast in rescuing you, only thinking of your wellbeing even while wounded. He is an honorable warrior.”

“I don’t know if G.U.N. will still try to go after you, too,” Tails added, his namesakes drooping. “Director Rockwell doesn’t seem the type to give up.”

“If they do, we’ll be here,” Sonic said, his voice louder, firmer than the others’. “Think I already told ya before, Shadow. You’re not alone anymore. Stone’s demonstrated that, too, which is still crazy to me, but stranger things have happened in my life, so…” He shrugged, trailing off and giving Stone and Shadow a crooked smile.

“Actually, you probably could come home with us,” Sonic added thoughtfully, and Stone recalled the conversation he had with Mrs. Wachowski.

The humans hadn’t told their aliens about Walters meeting them. Interesting.

Or, perhaps, they at least told Knuckles, since the echidna’s gaze shifted over to Sonic uncomfortably.

“You really think they don’t have their hands full enough with you?” Stone asked Sonic. The blue hedgehog blinked before a grin plastered itself on his muzzle.

“Look at you, making jokes!” Sonic wiped away an imaginary tear. “I’m so proud.”

“That wasn’t a joke—”

Tails actually giggled. “I mean, Mr. Stone isn’t wrong,” he said. Sonic feigned a gasp, but Knuckles’s stance seemed to relax at this turn in the conversation. Tails continued speaking directly to Shadow and said, “I agree with Knuckles that you should stick around for at least a little while with Mr. Stone. I’ll use my satellites to help keep an eye out for weird G.U.N. activity. They can’t all be bad… Commander Walters wanted to help keep you safe, after all.”

A scowl flickered briefly on Shadow’s face as he tried to sit up. “It’s just his guilt…”

“Maybe,” Sonic said quietly, “but he’s trying not to make the same mistake twice.” He glanced up at Stone before his focus returned to Shadow. “I think a lot of us are trying to do the same, lately.”

Stone took a deep breath, understanding the damned hedgehog’s words. If Shadow chose to stay with Stone, then Stone wouldn’t make the mistake of hiding anything else from Shadow.

Shadow had already done the same, after all. Despite everything, Shadow had chosen to give himself up to save Stone, had chosen to protect rather than get revenge. Shadow deserved the same from Stone.

It would be a learning curve for Stone. Keeping secrets, holding his cards close, was a habit he had developed and needed throughout his career and life.

But everything would work out. Stone was nothing if not adaptable.

Shadow broke the silence by uttering out a quiet, “Okay.”

A tightness in Stone’s chest loosened and he tried not to look too pleased at Shadow’s decision. Instead, he stood up, Shadow still in his arms. To the closest drone, Stone said, “Status reports.”

It beeped and whirred before leading the way into Tango. Stone gestured for Sonic and company to follow him and, to his mild surprise, they fell alongside him without hesitation.

Notes:

The next and final chapter will be more like an epilogue than anything else. I thank you all for the support I've received on this little fanfic!

I do have some other ideas for this pocket AU of mine, if anyone is interested in seeing more of this Stone and Shadow dynamic?

Chapter 16: This is What It Means to be Free

"Perfect spiral, dude," Henry said to Shadow after the hedgehog successfully sprayed whipped cream atop of Henry's mocha without spilling a drop. Stone couldn't help his small smile when Shadow's ears perked up at the praise. Henry caught Stone's gaze and winked as he took his drink to go, thanking the pair one last time.

Shadow murmured something about wiping down the tables before disappearing from the behind the counter, evidently still not sure how to deal with praise. Stone watched him go, content as everything about the Mean Bean seemed to be status quo.

Sure, there were a couple of holes in the wall that he still needed to deal with, his shoulder was a bit stiff, and it had been a pain to get rid of the blood and dead bodies from the floor, but Stone had always been a man of many skills. There was very little evidence that there had been a fight in the coffee shop at all.

Of course, Ethel had noticed and mentioned to Stone that he had “missed a blood stain on the floor there, dear,” and proceeded to tell him her best method of getting blood out of hardwood. Stone had thanked her politely and did not ask how she knew of such things.

Ethel praised his skills as usual after she took a sip of her café au lait and shuffled out of the shop, stating how glad she was that the Mean Bean was open again. It had been about a week and a half since G.U.N. had attacked, since Shadow was taken and rescued. Physically, they had mostly healed, but it would take much longer for them to heal emotionally.

Especially since Walters’s last correspondence with Stone, after everything that had happened at G.U.N. Headquarters, was to send Stone an external hard drive with five terabytes of the doctor’s blueprints, inventions, and handwritten notes. Stone hadn’t the courage to begin going through it yet.

Some day he would.

Stone’s musings were broken as Shadow returned to Stone's side when a few more customers arrived, wanting to help. Shadow and he fell into a routine, finding it simple to work together and move around each other as money was exchanged and drinks were made.

Then a bag of change and dollar bills plopped onto the counter.

"One small latte, please," Knuckles announced, "and two small hot chocolates for my brothers."

Stone looked at Shadow, trying to gauge the hedgehog's reaction to seeing the trio of other aliens, and was ready to shoo if needed. Shadow, though, seemed to take a deep breath and his shoulders relaxed after Knuckles gave him a deep nod. Sonic's gaze flickered between Shadow and the echidna before giving Shadow a lopsided smile, and Tails was the only one who actually moved to give Shadow a small wave.

Shadow's voice was a little soft when he asked, "Would you like whipped cream on the hot chocolates?”

Tails beamed. "Yeah!”

Sonic's smile grew and he chuckled, perhaps at Tails's enthusiasm. "Sure, why not? Thanks, Shads."

Shadow blinked at the nickname, but nodded and waited for the drinks to be started while Stone completed the transaction with Knuckles. Stone gave back his change, noticing that Knuckles pondered the amount but didn't question it. Tails caught on faster than the echidna and looked back up at Stone, smiling shyly when Stone put a finger to his lips for the fox to keep quiet about their discount.

And Stone tried to pretend it was not absolutely odd to see Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all occupying a table in the corner of the Mean Bean, the trio quietly and politely enjoying their drinks.

"Did you want to join them?" Stone asked Shadow quietly after noticing Sonic, at the very least, looking over at the other hedgehog for the umpteenth time.

Shadow glanced at the other aliens before looking forward. There was no line at the moment, nothing to prevent him from doing so. Stone didn't pressure Shadow one way or the other, but he did push a small hot chocolate in Shadow's direction. Shadow stared at the drink, put a copious amount of whipped cream on it in the time it took Stone to blink, and walked slowly with it over towards the table.

Sonic saw Shadow coming and, as a blue blur, zipped around the shop to steal an empty chair from another table to make space for Shadow next to him at their own.

Stone watched for a moment as the four interacted -- noting the small smile on Shadow's muzzle morph into bewilderment as Sonic recounted some story or other -- before returning to his work.

Mr. Wachowski made it to the front of the line, jerked a thumb over at the table of aliens -- at the kids -- and greeted Stone with a, "Are they behaving?"

"They are," Stone said. Dryly, he added, "Should I be concerned that you feel the need to ask?"

The sheriff huffed out a chuckle and shook his head. He ordered a few drinks, Stone recognizing Wade's cappuccino order and hot chocolate for the sheriff himself as well as a few other coffees, presumably for some of the other employees at the sheriff’s station. Stone got to work on the drinks and belatedly realized that the sheriff's stare went from watching the table of aliens to Stone himself.

"And how are you doing?" Mr. Wachowski asked when Stone's attention returned to him.

And Stone took a brief moment to actually think on the answer. He took another look at Shadow with Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails. Sonic laughed loudly at something that seemed to be at Knuckles's expense if the barely-there glare that the echidna directed at the blue hedgehog seemed to be any indication, and Tails was saying something quietly to Shadow. Shadow's smile was still slight at the fox's explanation, but it grew when Shadow's gaze flickered to Stone's.

Stone wasn't fine, and he knew that he would not be completely fine for some time yet -- perhaps ever again -- but for now...

"I'm alright, Sheriff," he said, finding it to be true.

“That’s good to hear, Stone.” Believing him as well, the other man gave Stone a crooked smile. "I’m glad. And call me Tom."

Stone put all of the drinks on a tray for Tom and stuck out a hand. "Aban. My name is Aban."

Notes:

That's a wrap! I will admit, I did not expect the amount of support and love this fic got -- thank you all SO much!

I do have some other ideas for my version of Stone's and Shadow's found family, so I hope you all enjoy those when they are published. Thank you again! <3

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Lattes and Hot Chocolate