[Sonic Universe] The Rage in Our Veins

[Sonic Universe] The Rage in Our Veins - Printable Version

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[Sonic Universe] The Rage in Our Veins - aeshihowl - 08-21-2026

[Author's note 1: If you're seeing this, hello! I'm surprised and pleased that you're here. But also anxious. I have not written any sort of fic or roleplay in a very long time. But today I have come to defeat the "cringe" demon, and others besides. I would love it if you dropped your comments and thoughts. Only if you feel like it, of course. Either way, I hope you like the story! Or at least, I hope you don't hate it.]
Overarching trigger warnings:

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Part 1: An Unexpected Encounter

Pathetic.

The last body slumped to the ground with a wet thud.

Weak.

He reached for the guard's keycard, smearing its surface with blood.

Worthless. HUMANS.

The reinforced double doors glided open with a soft hiss as he slid the keycard through the reader. The spartan room was full mostly of computers and terminals bearing the government logo, with a shimmering force-field sealing off another room on the far side.

All eyes turned to him, some wide in fear, some narrowed with resolve.

"Hmph." He leaped into the air, unleashing an arc of Chaos Spears into the chests of the nearest guards.

In a blink, he appeared on the other side of the room, dispatching the rest.

Three lab coats remained, frozen in place, cowering. They recognized this threat - knew there was no salvation in setting off the alarm.

Shadow scoffed as he strode up to the central terminal, the glowing Emerald nested into a recess, separated by a clear panel.

"Wait! Don't!"

Incredulously, the hedgehog turned his head just enough to meet the desperate gaze of the pale, brave researcher.

The woman wilted, but maintained her protest, "Y-you'll re-- ggh!"

Her neck was as delicate as a toothpick in his grasp, and snapped just as easily. The two surviving men simply watched in terror, their eyes darting wildly from the body of their fallen coworker, to Shadow, to the terminal.

Returning to the panel, the black hedgehog simply punched through the glass covering and lifted his prize to savor the moment.

The researchers' shrill screams disrupted his triumph as they clattered and scrambled their way towards the exit. Two Chaos Spears ended their escape. ...but why did they only run now--

Searing pain bloomed in his shoulder and belly as some force of fury rammed him- buried itself into his flesh, mixing the blood in his fur with his own.

"Augh! Rrrgh!" Shadow released a burst of chaos energy, knocking his assailant back with a powerful shockwave.

The creature appeared to be some sort of were-hog, or perhaps a mutant, knowing these sick fucks at GUN. Based on his own DNA, most likely - despite her ragged and emaciated appearance, there was no mistaking the markings on her head and the mass of tufted fur on her chest. But her eyes... were pure inferno; not a hint of recognition or even a simple thought behind them.

And then she was upon him again, shredding and tearing at him with unrelenting force. He did his best to deflect her blows, but more wounds opened across his flesh.

Fed up, he shoved her away and darted into the room where she had been sealed. She thundered after him, muzzle and claws gleaming with his fresh blood.

"Chaos... Control!" Shadow disappeared as her claws came down on him, appearing again beside the central terminal. He shoved the Emerald into the slot where it had rested before. The forcefield raised immediately, but failed to quell the onslaught.

The creature continued roaring and attempting to shred the impenetrable shield, leaving streaks of her own blood where she touched as her claws tore.

Seeing the futility of her rage, Shadow let go of a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, slumping onto the floor and leaning against the central terminal as he applied pressure to the worst of his wounds.

RE: [Sonic Universe] The Rage in Our Veins - aeshihowl - 08-21-2026

[Author's note 2: I know people have loud Opinions about Shadow the Hedgehog, and most of them are unkind and/or gloss over the fundamentals of his character. So I'll keep this brief. I fell in love with Shadow as a kid who was raised in an oppressive, abusive, inescapable environment. I related to his pain, rage, and hatred, and his desire to take those feelings into his own hands. I loved that he clung to his ray of hope long after she was killed, even if he often misunderstood the best way to honor her. He was, after all, deprived of most social experiences in which to learn and grow. Like me.]

"Damn it."

What is it, Shadow? came a sweet, gentle voice.

"..." This wasn't fair. He couldn't keep anything from her even if he tried.

He tilted his head, ever so slightly, towards the sealed room. "That girl... they did something awful to her."

Maria leaned over, peering around her friend to catch a glimpse of the enraged prisoner. They hurt her. So much...

Shadow gave a solemn nod.

...You got what you came for. So why are you still here? She delicately pet his head stripe.

"I- ...I don't see the point in hurting her. But I don't know if it's a good idea to just... leave."

Maria placed a delicate finger on the side of her chin, thinking. Well, she can't hurt you anymore right now. Why don't you see what her records say?

Shadow pressed his lips together and stared at the ground for a moment, steeling himself. Then he hoisted himself up, ignoring the crunchiness of his blood-soaked fur, and peered at the nearest screen.

Years of experience snooping through lab files quickly produced several folders of interest.
"Project Big Bad Wolf... how creative," he said flatly.

The whitecoats never were good with naming things.

The first folder was full of audio and video files, recordings of psychological experiments conducted on the subject to investigate her mental fortitude.

The second folder was primarily comprised of physical assessments, with the subject being compared to himself in power and speed.

"They were making her... into a weapon."

...Like you.

The third folder had only a handful of documents, apparently handwritten, with sections blacked out before being scanned and uploaded.

"They used my blood... and that of-- ...what is a dire wolf?"

Maria giggled lightly. Sounds... serious!

Shadow rolled his eyes, pulling up Wikipedia in the internet browser.

Quote:The dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) is an extinct species of canine which was native to the Americas during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene epochs...

The dire wolf was about the same size as the largest modern forms of gray wolf (Canis lupus). Its skull and dentition matched those of C. lupus, but its teeth were larger with greater shearing ability, and its bite force at the canine tooth was stronger than any known Canis species. These characteristics are thought to be adaptations for preying on Late Pleistocene megaherbivores...

Dire wolves lived as recently as 10,000 years ago, according to dated remains. Its extinction occurred during the Quaternary extinction event, disappearing along with its main prey species...

"Damn... Who knows how they got their hands on that kind of DNA." He looked over at the hybrid woman, now collapsed and quiet in a fit of fatigue but glaring at him no less intensely.

Shadow straightened with a troubled sigh, and slowly stepped up to the forcefield, kneeling to better meet her fierce gaze. "Can you understand what I'm saying?"

Her eyes narrowed to slits, but her head twitched downward in a nod.

"Good. Listen carefully: That fancy rock over there is all I need, and it's also the thing keeping you locked in here. I have no desire to kill you, but I will if you get in my way or cause problems for me. ...but I think we could make a deal, one that benefits us both."

Her brows furrowed, ears lowering in mistrust.

"I have two of them already, and I have to collect four more besides the one in the terminal over there. If you help me get them, I'll free you... and you can kill as many GUN bastards as your heart desires."
She scowled and turned away, arms folded.
...but soon turned to face him again, her eyes burning with hatred.

"Fine," she spat, her voice rough and gravelly. "You are still not my master. And you must feed me, as much as I want."

Shadow's lip curled in disdain. "It is the humans who seek to master all they see, even with starvation. And the humans are who kill indiscriminately. We will not be like them - we will kill only those who kill and aid in killing innocents."

Maria's voice in his ear again, gentle as a breeze: Shadow... I'm glad.

The blood-soaked hedgehog pointed at the corpses littering the room. "We kill GUN only. We do not hurt the other humans. Not all of them choose the path of evil. Understood?"

The hedgewolf nodded again, with that subtle head twitch.

"Very well."

"Good... Now, what should I call you?"

"...The only name I know is Flash."

RE: [Sonic Universe] The Rage in Our Veins - aeshihowl - 08-21-2026

[Author's note 3: Eventually I entered 4th or 5th grade, and was allowed to attend Bible study with the middle schoolers. I was introduced to someone who loved Sonic Universe maybe more than I did - and who was ostracized for her "weirdness," like I was ostracized on the assumption that I would be a killer. We two misfits quickly came to start what would become a 7-year-long SU roleplay called Different Worlds. Between us, we easily had over 100 OCs that had been introduced, with others that never came to fruition within the "canon" story. And, of course, we had many beloved characters imported from other IPs.]

Shadow's shoes clacked on the stone floor of the cave as he entered, startling Flash by the look of her raised fur and bared teeth.

He stopped, and simply raised his hands to show the paper fast food bags, heavy with burgers.

Her battle stance deflated, and she painfully resumed her cross-legged position on the floor as he approached, though her gaze did not leave him.

"...Food?" Her ears pricked as the scent finally registered in her shut-down senses.

"Hmph." The bags crackled as he set the first down within arm's reach of her, then sat on a stone while he withdrew a burger from his own.

He unwrapped it as he consciously avoided watching the starved hedgewolf eat.
Hearing her desperation was infuriating enough. When was the last time they'd given her a proper meal..?

He had only just taken his first bite, when Flash growled, "More."

His eyes snapped to her, then to the tatters of the now-empty paper bag on the ground.

"..."
He removed one more burger from his bag, and slid the rest over to her with his foot.
"I'll get more. After I eat these."

He was careful to step inside more lightly on arrival, though he wasn't sure it would have made any difference this time.

Flash was curled atop the destroyed paper bag, barely audible snores emanating from her.

Shadow gingerly placed the new bags down on the floor as he sat down again, examining her from afar.

She's so skinny, he thought. It's a miracle she could walk out of there.

Look at her fur pattern, too. It's all warped... came the soft reply.

Shadow leaned forward, squinting. Sure enough, Flash's fur shifted with each breath, revealing glimpses of scar tissue beneath.

It's been a long time since I've seen you look that concerned, Shadow.

"Hmph," he grumbled, carefully rubbing his arms to smooth down his fur over his new scabs.
He had rinsed himself off in a stream before running into town for food, but the way blood became as sticky as glue during coagulation still unsettled him.
He preferred... less messy attack strategies.

Shadow reached into the nearest open bag for his third burger and began to peel back its rustling wrapper.

Flash jolted awake, instantly on all fours with her hackles raised and wolf's tail lashing.

Her eyes were filled with the same mindless reaction she'd shown at the lab as they darted around the cave, seeking threats.

Shadow froze, his fingers still grasping the edge of the wrapping paper.

Her eyes locked on him anyways, and his breath caught in his throat.

The moments felt far too long, but at last she recognized him again.

Her weight shifted off her toes, and her heels met the floor once more as her tail stilled and her fur lowered.

Ever so slowly, he shifted his foot and pushed a new bag of burgers in her direction.
"More food, like you asked," he stated with a low voice.

She seated herself, the ferocity in her expression dissolving into unveiled exhaustion.
Flash took two burgers from the bag this time, but still crammed them into her maw, one by one. She swallowed them with the wrapper still on while reaching for more.

Then, with another burger in her clawed hand, something seemed to click and her eyes snapped to the partially-unwrapped one Shadow was holding.

She turned her back to him, hunching over as she brought the paper bundle closer to herself and unfolded it, peering between the layers at the foreign ingredients.

Her tail curled around her waist as she set it on the floor, disassembling the sandwich as best she could. She gave each ingredient a cautious prod, individual examination, and deep sniff.

Finally, she gave each a nibble or lick, eating the patty whole once she came to it.

She scowled down at the remains of the burger with disgust. Grabbing the edge of the wrapper, she pulled the arrangement around with her as she faced the silent black hedgehog.

"What is this?" she demanded with a gesture, fur bristling.

Shadow swallowed the bite he'd been slowly chewing. "Well, it was a hamburger. You ate the meat patty - it's made out of cows. That green leaf is lettuce, the white bits are onion, the red circles are tomatoes, and the green circles are pickles. Those are all vegetables. The soft brown parts are bread, which are made from grains. The yellow sauce is mustard, from mustard seeds, and the red sauce is ketchup, from tomatoes. I didn't get any with cheese, but that's pretty common on burgers. A lot of the humans can't eat anything made from milk, so I didn't want to test that. That's from cows too - milk and cheese - but not from their flesh..."

She stared at him as he spoke, bewildered by this virtual stranger's patience.

"...It tastes better if you eat it together."

His voice startled her out of her thoughts. "...Right."

Pushing the ingredients aside, she fetched another burger, unwrapping it slowly as she absorbed the fast-food ritual.

Maria's familiar giggle rang heavenly in his ears. Shadow... I'm glad you've found a friend.