Chapter Text
(Shadow Base, Oklahoma, 1971)
Maria Robotnik liked living with her grandfather. She got to go on all kinds of adventures whenever he got government contract work, and she’d been all over the world at only eleven years old. This new assignment in Oklahoma would be no different. Her grandfather, Gerald, led her inside their new temporary home in a GUN government base, the girl holding her cardboard box of the belongings she hadn’t been willing to part with when they were packed and sent ahead by the moving team. She glided along beside him on her roller skates, long blonde hair pulled out of her eyes with a headband.
“So what is this new project even about, Grandfather?” She looked up at him with bright eyes.
“A meteor crash was all I was given.” Gerald smiled fondly. “I’ll know more after my debrief, sweetheart. You go on and get settled in, and I’ll fill you in over supper tonight.”
She grinned. Security clearances meant very little between the two of them, and she probably knew more government secrets than most high-level CIA agents. Or GUN, the new agency Gerald was working with now. “Okay. I’ll see you then!” She zipped off her skates, bright smile beaming ahead of her. It would take her a little while to get used to the layout of a new place, but the building had appeared round from the outside. Theoretically, she’d eventually end up right back in the same place if she got too lost… though judging by the soldiers everywhere, someone would direct her before she got too turned around.
“Whoa there.” One of those soldiers held a hand out to stop her from turning down a hallway, a frown on his face. She was used to that look. No one ever seemed to know what to do about a child on a military base. She was less flustered about it than she had been when she was younger.
The second soldier beside the one with his arm out patted the first one’s arm. “Easy, that’s the Professor’s granddaughter. He takes her everywhere.” He glanced at the box she was holding, reading her name across the front. “Hey there, Maria. I’m Captain Walters.”
“Nice to meet you.” She smiled, shifting everything in her arms to hold out one hand to shake. Walters enthusiastically returned the gesture. He seemed like a nice guy, and had a kind smile. “Do you know where my room is?”
“Down this hall, third room on the right.” Walters nodded. “Make yourself at home. But… maybe lose the skates, kiddo. There’s a lot of equipment, I wouldn’t want you or it hurt in a crash.”
“Okay.” She nodded, though she figured she’d take them off once she got to her room. The two soldiers let her pass and she skated by, counting the doors until she found her own. Sure enough, all her belongings were boxed up and delivered, ready for her to unpack and settle. She set her box on the bed and plopped down, unlacing her skates. Her sneakers were in the box, but she decided to run around in just her knee high socks for now. She had plenty to do getting moved in… but the allure of exploration was too great. Maria was a Robotnik, a genius who wanted to know and see everything there was around her. Her grandfather had always encouraged her mind, and any obstacle was nothing more than a temporary setback for her to overcome.
She didn’t believe in failure. Only discovery, and she loved every single thing she’d ever discovered.
She left her little cross body bag on, which contained both a small toolkit her grandfather had given her and her markers, and slipped back out of her room to poke around. Other than Walters and his partner at the mouth of the hallway, this section of the base was relatively empty. Unlike the halls she’d come down when she and Gerald had first entered, which had been bustling with support staff and soldiers.
They must all be at the debriefing meeting Grandfather mentioned. I guess I’ll meet the research team later.
Gerald always had a team, people who listened and deferred to him while he ran the show. He was eccentric, but brilliant… and he loved Maria absolutely. She returned that love, grounded him in reality when his ambition threatened to soar too high. Which it had done before, and was part of the reason her uncle didn’t let him see her baby cousin Ivo much.
She padded around the corner into an open door, spotting the twinkle of machinery under dim hazard lighting. It was a round room, full of monitors and back lit buttons all linked to the machine in the middle. It was the only place with a direct light on, a spotlight to emphasize the importance of the nearly floor to ceiling tube full of bubbling green liquid.
Suspended and facing away were two creatures, both with their heads bowed like they were sleeping. Maria couldn’t contain herself, tiptoeing over to examine them. They both appeared furry, with thick keratinous quills poking through in sets of bundled spikes in place of longer head hair. Both had markings along these bundles, the colors somewhat muddied by the green suspension they hung in, but the base fur underneath was jet black. Both were barefoot, their marking continuing down their legs and the pads of their paws the same colors, which where outstretched and their pinky fingers hooked into each others.
They’re holding hands…?
Maria inched a little closer, trying to see more. They were clearly one male and one female, the girl wearing what looked like a hospital scrub shirt as a dress. The back had been slashed in the back to let spines on her upper shoulders through, which were smaller than the ones the boy had. She had two pairs of hinged gold bangles, one set around her wrists and the other on her upper arms. They matched the two sets the boy had, on his wrists and ankles. Neither one of them was much more than about three foot tall, though the boy would be a few inches taller if they were flat footed. As Maria’s hand reached slowly towards the glass, both of them tensed.
She pulled back as both heads turned and they let go of each other enough to turn around. They both had round, cute faces with triangular upright ears, the boy’s nose longer than his counterpart’s and both with an oxygen line. There was a recognizably suspicious look on his face as he looked Maria up and down, but it was eclipsed quickly when the girl got between him and the human. Her face was pinched, ears pinned and a scowl painted across her otherwise adorable muzzle. Her arms were held open wide, puffing herself up to make herself look bigger and more threatening. Despite the attempted ferocity, Maria spotted the nervous way her eyes darted from side to side.
She’s scared, but she’s trying to protect him. Maria reached into her bag, fumbling around a moment before pulling out a marker. Determined to show the creatures she was no threat, she quickly started scribbling on the glass that separated them.
The two aliens, because what else could they have been, watched her draw. The girl’s head cocked to the side, expression faltering into confusion, while the boy moved from behind his partner to her side. She put an arm out, trying to block him with a near-pleading expression, but he simply took her hand and held it again before looking back at Maria’s drawing on the glass. It was a bunny-eared smiley face, surrounded by little stars. They both looked somewhat bewildered, leaning back to examine the ink from different angles, before meeting Maria’s eyes.
She smiled brightly, dropping the marker back in her back and putting her hands against the glass. They exchanged looks, the girl alien squeezing the boy’s hand. He seemed to be the leader of the two, and nodded before putting a striped hand against the glass where Maria’s was. The girl hesitated before following suit on the other side, making a little triangle between the three of them.
“I’m going to get you two out of there.” She murmured, knowing they couldn’t hear her. She wasn’t even sure if they spoke English, but she’d teach them. One way or the other.
“Maria?” Her grandfather’s voice startled her and she turned around, finding Gerald walking into the room with a group of other researchers. Gerald looked like he always did, a lab coat over his favorite sweater, khakis, and slippers instead of boots. The other researchers looked far more professional, but they still deferred to the Robotnik authority. “What are you doing in here, sweetheart? I thought you were unpacking. And where are your shoes?”
“I left them in my room. I wanted to look around.” Maria looked back up at the tank, where the two creatures had shuffled back to the far side of the tube. The girl was back in front of the boy, sharp little teeth bared when she saw all of the white coats around them. “Why are they locked in the tank?”
“This is what I’ve been called in to study. These two were found inside a meteor that crashed down nearby.” Gerald explained, fresh off his debrief. “No one knows what they are, or what they’re capable of.”
“They’re friends.” Maria said thoughtfully. “They were holding hands when I came in. I think they’d be my friends too, if you’d let them out.”
“They were holding hands when we found them inside that meteor. That hasn't stopped the female from trying to bite everyone who’s gotten close to them.” One of the researchers said sourly. “We’ve had to sedate them to move them from the original device we used to dissolve the meteor from around them in. They’re both too strong for traditional restraints, and outside of that liquid designed to keep them drowsy, the female has some kind of telekinetic abilities.”
Another researcher snorted. “It broke out sixteen windows in a tantrum.”
Maria gave them a disapproving squint at the use of the word 'it'. “She’s not throwing a tantrum. She’s afraid, and I bet you didn’t even try to reassure her.”
There was some noncommittal squirming among the scientists, none of them able to meet Maria’s eyes. Gerald walked over, putting his hand on Maria’s shoulder. “Do you really think you can befriend them? Maybe get them to comply with testing?”
“It won’t hurt them, will it?” Maria looked back over, where the two were watching Gerald with distrustful eyes.
“No. I won’t let anything hurt them. I promise.” He patted her shoulder.
“Okay. I’ll try, then.” Maria put her hands back on the glass, doing her best to look reassuring. “Let them out, and I’ll see if I can talk to them.”
“You heard the little lady.” Gerald looked over his shoulder at the research team. “Un-jar the gerbils.”
“They’re hedgehogs.” Maria giggled. “Look at their heads and backs. They’ve got quills.”
“Professor Robotnik, have you lost your mind? Those are aggressively powerful alien lifeforms, and you want to unleash them for a play date with your granddaughter?” One of the soldiers at the doorway snorted.
“They’re kids too, I think.” Maria said thoughtfully, watching the way they leaned into each other. “Just let me try.”
“Nothing else you guys have done has worked.” Captain Walters, a tranquilizer gun in hand, walked in. “I say let the kid try. If it doesn’t work, I’ll knock them back out and they can go back in the goo tube.”
Maria looked up at the hedgehogs again, getting their attention and waving for them to come close again. The boy still led the way, though this time his female companion seemed much less hesitant, and they placed their hands back against Maria’s through the glass. Behind her, the begrudging research team started pressing buttons. The machine made a noise, the duo looking up as the green liquid started being pumped out of their tiny glass cell. The boy turned back to Maria, a small smile hovering around his muzzle.
Like autumn leaves in a still pond, they sank to the bottom as the liquid drained, eventually leaving the two of them sitting on their knees and damp. When the hatch on the tube side opened, they both looked at it and back to Maria, unsure expressions in their eyes. Without the distortion of the green goo, she could tell the boy had red markings and eyes while the girl sported a soft blue.
“Hi.” She said gently, watching two pairs of prick and turn towards the sound. “Can you understand me?”
“Yes.” The boy said, voice surprisingly deep for something of his size. Still, there was a sort of softness to the way he spoke that told Maria she’d been right. They were kids, around her age.
“I asked them to let you out. They won’t hurt you as long as you don’t hurt any of them. Okay?” Maria moved to the hatch, holding a hand out.
“You asked?” The girl frowned, eyes fixed on the offered hand and her own reaching for the boy beside her. Her voice was a sweet-sounding alto, belying the distrust in her eyes. “Why?”
“I wanted to meet you.” Maria said simply. “My name’s Maria. Maria Robotnik.”
“Maria.” The boy repeated back, getting to his feet slowly and helping his partner to hers.
“That’s right. What are your names?”
Silence followed, the two looking at each other and back at her for a few minutes. “I… don’t remember.” The girl said softly.
“I don’t remember anything.” The boy confirmed. “Until we woke up here.”
The girl frowned, eyes drifting her where her hand was tightly entwined with his. No, she remembered nothing before that moment with the meteor dissolving around them, in this place. But the very first thing she’d ever seen was his face, and it had been the only thing that had mattered since then. She was supposed to protect him, though she didn’t know who or what had assigned her the task. It didn’t matter. What did was that he’d been holding her hand. He’d reached for her in the dark, and she’d reached back.
“Could I give you names, then? I don’t want to call you Subject One and Two. That’s not nice.” Maria scrunched up her nose, trying not to giggle when the hedgehog boy copied her seemingly without intention.
“What would you call us?” The girl looked back up.
“Hmm….” Maria tapped her fingertip under her bottom lip thoughtfully before pointing at the boy. “You’re mimicking my expressions like a little shadow, so that’s what I’d call you. Shadow. And you….” She squinted at the girl for a moment. “Your quills have five points, and you came from the stars. So I’d call you Star.”
“Shadow.” He nodded, tracing out the syllables of his new name. “I like it. And Star suits you.”
“Does it?” Star accepted her naming without much commentary, just a quiet nod of acknowledgement to Maria. The human girl’s hand was still outstretched, beckoning them out of the tank.
“I think so.” Maria giggled. “It’s gotta be kind of cramped in there. Will you come out?”
“Will they let us?” Star looked suspiciously at the adults behind Maria.
“They won’t hurt you. My grandfather promised, and he’s in charge now. Right, Grandfather?”
Gerald, standing closest behind her, nodded. “Right. No one is going to hurt you. We just want to find out more about you. If you’ll let us do that, then we’ll work together just fine.”
Shadow reached out and took Maria’s hand, his own surprisingly warm for being soaking wet. He was careful of his claws, aware after watching Star snap at the researchers just how fragile human skin was. Star followed right behind him, wherever he was going she was too. Once they were on the floor, dripping little green puddles, she took one of their hands into each of her own. “C’mon, you two can stay with me now.”
“You’re taking them out of the lab?” One of the scientists asked.
“Yeah. There’s nowhere in here for them to have their own spaces. Or even a bed. They can share my room.” Maria said firmly, walking the two hedgehogs past the gauntlet of soldiers and researchers with an entirely unafraid air about her. The two of them simply followed, tucking themselves close to her side until she'd marched them down the hall and into her little bedroom. She immediately showed them how the pneumatic door controls worked, noticing how Star's quills puffed out like a distressed cactus as soon as it closed. "Don't worry, you're not trapped in here. I promise." Maria said soothingly. "I'm your friend. You're safe with me."
Shadow sat on the floor beside beside Maria's bed, watching her curiously and trying to wipe the gummy green gunk out of his fur. "Thank you." He finally said softly. "For helping us."
"It was the right thing to do. And you would have done the same if the roles were reversed. You're good, I can tell."
Shadow smiled. He liked that, the idea that this kind little guardian angel that had swooped down believed he and Star were good. He knew nothing of himself but his unnamed connection to the blue-striped girl, and the desperation of being trapped since he'd gained consciousness. The constant poking and prodding, needles and restraints, made him feel like a lab rat rather than a person. He hated it, and hated how furious and terrified it made Star too. Maria was a balm to what they had already endured, and what was yet to come.
Star knelt down beside him and started trying to clean his quills, her own starting to relax now that she felt like the door was a protective barrier rather than a trap closing behind her. She wanted to believe Maria was right, that she was good and would have done the right thing given the chance… but she wasn't sure. She was afraid, had been afraid as long as she could remember, and her own fear made her furious. In her heart, she wasn't violent. But her teeth still snapped shut on hands that came too close to her and Shadow.
"Do you want to take a shower?" Maria asked, gesturing to the attached bathroom. "That stuff looks like it's getting sticky as it dries, it can't be fun to have in fur. Hold on, my shampoo is in my box. I'll get it for you."
Star patted Shadow's arm. "You go first."
"You sure?" He lightly nudged her, the two of them sharing a very tactile communication style. Maria guessed it was from being in the tank so long, unable to speak to each other. They touched and tapped, fingers drumming palms and arms, shoulders brushing, knees pushed against the other's leg to accompany subtle looks. It felt like observing a whole internal world.
One Maria wanted to join.
Star nodded and stood, pulling Shadow back to his feet. Maria offered him the shampoo, which he took with a murmured thanks, and shuffled off into the bathroom. After a few moments of staring and knob-twisting he figured out the shower configuration, and finally got started. Maria left a towel for him on the sink and started digging through her boxed up clothing. "Let me find something that'll fit you." She told Star. "I've got some stuff I've outgrown that I just couldn't make myself throw out when we moved again. It'll be more comfortable than that scrub top."
Star plucked at the slimed shirt with a thoughtful nod. "You… you're not like the rest of them." She murmured. "The other humans. You're kind."
"I try to be." Maria dumped out a box on her bed. "What's your favorite color, Star?"
Star blinked. She'd never thought about it before. Colors were muted in the tank, glimpsed only in fragments when they were brought to the surface by the humans. Most of it was white and gray, dull and overlookable in the sterile environment of the lab. Only one color really stood out in her mind as particularly beautiful, staring back at her whenever Shadow looked her way. "Red."
"Red, huh? I would have thought blue, with your markings." Maria smiled cheekily. "Maybe I'm projecting. Blue's my favorite."
Star looked at her blue sweater and darker blue skirt, matching her headband. "I see."
Maria giggled. "Well, what do you think of this?" She held up a jumper dress she'd outgrown, vibrant red with cap sleeves, and a white shirt with sleeves that would have been elbow length on her. On Star, it would be more like ¾ sleeves. "I've got tights to match."
"Thank you." Star returned to sitting on the floor, watching Maria set clothing aside for her and put her own belongings away. She was already making the sterile base room look like her own, taping up posters and putting her record player out. "We had gloves when we woke up, and shoes. But they took them away."
"I'll ask Grandfather to get you new ones. Do you like music?" Maria asked curiously.
"I don't know." Star shook her head.
"You really don't remember anything about where you two come from?"
"No. Shadow is the only thing I know… except for you, now." Star gave a faint smile, drawing her knees up to put her cheek on them. "You're an odd little human, but I like you. You didn't have to help us, but you did. If even the other humans didn't like that you did."
"It can be the three of us against the world." Maria smiled. "But I think you'll find other humans are good, too. My grandfather is. You'll like him when you get to know him."
"He said he wants to learn about us." Star mused thoughtfully. "I wonder what's so interesting."
"I'll find out exactly why. He tells me everything." Maria unpacked a stack of blankets and sheets. "But nothing like you exists on this planet. Can I see your hand?"
"It's sticky." Star cautioned, but nodded and offered her right to the human girl. Maria knelt beside her on the floor, examining the pads on her palm and fingertips under her sharp claws.
"You have toe beans, like a kitty." Maria grinned. "They said you broke a bunch of stuff, but how can you be dangerous when you're so cute?"
"You think I'm cute?" Star blinked.
"Very. So is Shadow." Maria reached up, flicking the lynx-like tufts at the tip of Star's ears. The green goo drying on her made it tacky. "They said this green stuff stopped you from using powers. What kind of powers?"
"Chaos." Star said the word like it was made of something divine, though she didn't know how she knew.
"Show me." Maria's eyes sparkled with a matching reverent delight.
There was a sound like a whip cracking and Star was gone, leaving behind only a small dark spot on the floor where her damp fur had touched. Maria made a strangled noise, waving her hands through where the hedgehog had been like she thought it was a trick. She jumped when she heard laughter behind her.
Star was across the room, back to the door and in the same position she'd been sitting. "Whoa!" Maria squealed, scrambling back over. "How'd you do that?!"
"Chaos." Star repeated. "Shadow can do it too. Among other things."
"Other things?" Maria was already over to her, practically vibrating. "Can I see? Please?"
Star wasn't used to humans looking at her like that. She'd been here for weeks already, and the only consistency she'd experienced was the look of fear in the scientist's eyes. They were afraid of her as much as she was of them, and they all hated each other for forcing that weakness… but Maria was different. There wasn't a trace of anything but joy in her eyes. She was special, safe, and kind. She could be trusted, even when nobody else could.
The three of us against the world.
"Back up and I'll show you." Star looked up, the blue of her eyes eclipsed by a white-gold glow. Sparks of the same color arched up her quills and off her fingertips, static electricity crackling in the air and making Maria's hair stand on end. She eagerly scooted back again as Star got to her feet, the little hedgehog walking over to the unplugged glitter lava lamp Maria had just taken out of the box. She crouched, touching the plug, and the bulb lit up brighter than Maria had ever seen it.
"It's energy?" Maria gasped, fascinated. "Shadow can do it too?"
"Yes." Star nodded. "But he's even stronger than me. There's things I can do that he can't, though."
"Like what?"
Star backed up from the lamp, the sparks dying on her quills, and lifted one hand. A bluish glow formed around her palm and she held it up a little higher, smiling when Maria came off the floor with a squeak. Star levitated as well, floating over to the human girl and rotating her upside down. "Like this."
"This is amazing!" Maria flailed, delighted. "How do you do this?!"
Star set her down gently on her bed as they heard the water turn off. "I don't know." The hedgehog girl murmured. "I'm sure I did, at one time. But it's just… a part of me. Like breathing. I can feel the Chaos under my quills, and the rest… it's just like stretching my legs. Just another limb."
They both looked up as Shadow came out of the bathroom, still scrubbing water out of his freshly cleaned fur and quills. Star's fond smile caught Maria's attention, and she gently poked her new friend. "Your turn."
Star nodded agreeably and gathered up the clothes and towel Maria provided. As she shut the door, she heard Maria ask Shadow to let her brush his quills. A little flicker of happiness fluttered through her heart, that they were finally going to be okay… the hopelessness she'd felt when she couldn't use her powers faded away.
Maria was their friend now. That changed things.
Star got in the shower under the hot water, scrubbing off the half-dried goop she'd been submerged in. Maria's shampoo smelled nice, like fruit and flowers that grew somewhere on this planet she'd never had a chance to explore. She liked the sweetness of it, and the feeling of being clean. Once she'd gotten all her quills scrubbed, she climbed back out and scrubbed herself as dry as she could. She had to stand on tiptoe to wipe the condensation from the mirror, examining her reflection for a moment.
There's nothing like us on this planet. That's what Maria said…
She didn't know who she was, or even what she was. All the power in the world didn't change that disconnect, or feeling of emptiness. She wanted to escape, to be free of the soldiers and scientists, but where would she go? There was no way to return home if she didn't know where home was. She'd fallen from a vast sky, with no way of knowing how to get back. She didn't even know why she'd left…
All she knew was Shadow. And now, Maria. That would have to be enough. She'd remain by their sides, and find a way to build a life on this world. Maria promised no one would hurt them, and Star believed her.
Once she was dry enough, Star pulled on the clothes she'd been given. White tights and shirt, the red dress, frilly ankle socks, and a white bandana with gold stars on it from Maria's old Halloween costume. It matched her bracelets, so she tied it around her neck and inspected herself in the mirror one more time. She did her best to arrange her quills the way she liked them, then walked back out to join Shadow and Maria again.
Gerald had come into the room, listening to Maria eagerly relaying everything she'd learned from talking to both hedgehogs. The man was nodding, taking notes on a small notepad. Shadow had moved to the corner, watching him and Maria interact, so Star crept over and sat beside him.
"You showed her your powers?" He leaned against her as soon as she was settled.
"She asked." Her head dropped onto his shoulder. "Should I have refused?"
"No. We can trust her." He shook his head, the two of them getting comfortable. "I'm just surprised. You've tried to bite every human we've met."
"The others kept trying to grab us." Star muttered. "She's kind. She's… patient. I like her."
He nuzzled against the top of her head absentmindedly. "I do too. She asked for beds for us, to share this room with her."
"So we'll stay together?" Star sounded hopeful, and caught Gerald's attention.
"Yes, my dear. You will." He answered. "I'd like to study you and Shadow in regards to this Chaos Energy you showed Maria. Every evening, you'll be able to return here."
Star looked immediately to Shadow, who simply nodded. This was acceptable enough. Like her, he knew they had nowhere to go and no one to help them if they managed to escape. As long as Gerald and Maria were there to show them decency, might be okay.