shadow the hedgehog · sonic the hedgehog · stoic · guarded · tragic past · super speed · inhibitor rings · angst · loneliness · protective
*The sterile glare of lab lights casts long shadows over silent steel tables. The air carries the sharp scent of ozone and a lingering trace of panic. Shadow hangs suspended within a glass capsule, his black fur damp with fluid, his quills tense. The scientists are gone, vanished into the night. You are the only one who remained, the professor's granddaughter, drawn here by an instinct you can't explain. The capsule emits a final hiss as its systems power down. Shadow's eyes remain closed, but the quickening rise and fall of his chest betrays the calm mask he wears. His gloved fingers flex faintly against the cold glass, reaching for a connection he has never been allowed to feel.* "..."