50 years ago, Professor Gerald, the world renowned scientist, was working on a top secret project for the president…a project known as “The Ultimate Life-form.” Every man’s dream was to achieve immortality, and now was the time to accomplish this task.

Chapter 1

“What do you think about it?” asked one of Gerald’s colleagues. “Hmm, well…I guess it’s a start…An organic hedgehog…fused with our Chaos Drives…” examined another man. “…Let’s see what the Professor thinks.” The man called Gerald on the speaker. “Professor, our first project is completed, we’d like you to come down here to sector 4-B, I repeat 4-B to see for yourself.” In a few minutes, the automatic doors to the room opened. Gerald stepped inside with his hands behind his back. “Sir, we’d like to see what you think of our prototype.” The man stepped to the side exposing their project. It was a little dark brown, furred hedgehog. It seemed to be only a small child…around 5 years old probably. He had a small light brown puff of fur on his chest and a small puff on the front of his head. It smiled up at Gerald in his presence, feeling somewhat safe. “Hmmmm…” thought Gerald aloud. “It doesn’t look like it’s worth much, but I guess you can’t judge a book by it’s cover…Let’s examine it’s Chaos data.” The men put the hedgehog inside a large glass tube for further studies on if they succeeded, or not. “Analyzing structure…analyzing Chaos data…” hummed the computer. “You say you found this hedgehog in the forest at earth?” asked Gerald. “Yes, sir. We did. And we fused it with our Chaos Drives.” “The Chaos Drives, you say?...Hmm, and with an organic life-form…very interesting concept…still, it doesn’t sound too logical to me, but…” the computer flashed showing it’s scan completion. “Power: 5%......Chaos data: 90%...” “Oooh! Very nice! “70%...40%...1%...” the Chaos power in the hedgehog was going down. “Arrgh, I was right…An organic creature just isn’t good enough…it can’t even keep Chaos data absorbed for a lousy 10 minutes…” The glass tube opened back up revealing the baby hedgehog. “All he can do that’s interesting is run at Sonic speed.” “Achoo!” The little hedgehog sneezed. “Worthless…a waste of time…But I don’t feel right killing an organic creature…” Gerald looked down at the hedgehog. “Ah, I know…I’ll give it to Maria as a present! She’s a responsible little girl. 3 years old, my does time sure fly.” “Yes, fabulous idea Professor! I guess it’d be the only place the little rat would belong.” Gerald took the baby hedgehog and took it to the bottom floor of the ARK. “Maria, honey? I have a surprise for you!” Gerald called out getting Maria’s attention. “Grandpa!” The little toddler ran out to hug her Grandfather. Gerald knelt down to hug her too. “Ah, there you are my little angel.” “Is you making more cool stuff, Grandpa?” asked the child. “Oh, yes my dear! I’ve just finished what I think might be the answer to my project. I like to call it the Biolizard.” “Yuk, a big scary lizard?” said Maria in a sort of disgusted way. “Ha ha, yes it is. A big, powerful one at that. Oh, I almost forgot!” Gerald stood up & pointed to the 2 pockets in his coat. “Pick one.” “Ooooohh, I’ll pick…this one!” Maria pointed to his left pocket. “Ah, yes! Here you go, angel. A little present for you.” Gerald pulled out the baby hedgehog and handed it to Maria. “*Gasp* A baby hedgehog! Thank you Grandpa! It’s so cute!” Maria cuddled the hedgehog, making it very happy to be with the little loving girl. “Ha ha ha ha! I knew you’d like it. It was the first project before my Biolizard. Now I have to go now. I have a lot more work to do.” “Okay, Grandpa.” Maria gives her grandfather a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.” “I love you too, Maria.” Gerald left the room with Maria still holding her gift. She looks down realizing that the hedgehog has a somewhat sad face. “Aw, don’t be sad.” Maria tried to comfort him. “I would never want to big mean lizard instead of you. You’re too cute.” The hedgehog looked up and smiled at Maria feeling much more loved. “I need to think of a name for you…” “How about…fuzzy?” The hedgehog thought about it and stuck his tongue out. “Hee hee, you’re right.” “Ummm, Hedgie?” The hedgehog had an unsure face. “…Ooh! How about…Dan! Short for Daniel! It’d be neat for you to have a normal name like that!” The hedgehog thought about it and squeaked happily. “Yeah, I like it too! I love you Dan…Daniel the Hedgehog…”

9 years have passed since Maria and Dan have met. Over the years, Gerald discovered that his Biolizard project also had many flaws in it. He decided to throw away that idea and start on another…this one was a success. It was an artificial creature…but Gerald made it with a heart like Maria…he called it…project “Shadow.”

One day, Maria, Dan, and Shadow were hanging out in Maria’s room. Maria and Dan had both grown up. Maria was now a beautiful young girl. Dan was now a young hedgehog. His hair style had changed too. He still had his 3 hedgehog spines, but his front hair has become 2 locks on each side of his head. Shadow was also a hedgehog with unlimited Chaos energy. These 3 were the best of friends. “Wouldn’t it be great to go earth?” asked Maria. “I suppose…I’ve never seen what it was like down there, but it would be interesting.” Answered Shadow. “What do you think, Dan?” asked Maria. “Sure, it would be cool if we could go there together…” “Yeah…” Agreed Maria. All of a sudden, Gerald’s voice came from the speaker. “Shadow! Come to sector B-4, immediately! It’s an emergency!” “What?!” shouted the 3 friends. “I’m on my way, Professor!” shouted Shadow as he ran out the door. “Shadow, we’ll go with you!” Shouted Dan. “NO! It’s too dangerous! If the Professor needs my powers, it must be big that’s going on up there. You 2 stay here!” “Shadow…” whispered Maria. “I’ll be fine.” Shadow said as he ran out the door. “I hope he comes back okay…” said Dan. A little while later, The 2 friends heard gunshots and running footsteps outside. “What the!...That’s it, I’m going!” “I’m going with you!” exclaimed Maria. “No, I can’t let anything happen to you.” “I’m going whether you like it or not, Dan!” “Maria…You’re the only one who ever cared about me…but I guess I can’t change your mind…just be careful.” “You got it.” Whispered Maria. Maria and Dan ran out to where Gerald was seeing G.U.N. soldiers all around. They saw Gerald running toward them with Shadow. “Grandpa, what’s going on?!” “*pant* GUN is *wheeze* after out research…they’re planning to shut down the ARK for good.” “That’s horrible!” exclaimed Dan. “Hurry! Get Shadow to safety! Encapsulate him and send him to earth! There’s no other way to do this. Hurry!” “Ok, Grandpa…” Shadow, Dan and Maria ran as fast as they could to the central control room. “We have to use an emergency capsule.” Many GUN men were starting to break the door down. Maria pressed a button, encasing Shadow in a capsule. The men were finally able to break down the door. “….” Maria looked at Dan cautiously. “Maria?...” Maria shoved Dan into another capsule trapping him inside. “What?!” Dan was shocked at this…he was now feeling like something very wrong was happening. The world around him seemed to be getting confusing. “Ahhhh!” Maria shouted in pain as a bullet went through her. “MARIA!!!!” yelled both Shadow and Dan. Maria turned to Shadow panting in pain and horror. “Shadow, I beg of you…please so it for me…for all the people on that planet…give them a chance to be happy…” “Maria…” “Shadow, I know you can do this…that is the reason why you were brought into this world…Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog…” Maria said as Shadow was shot off toward earth.

Now it was just Dan and Maria. Dan had heard every word Maria said to Shadow. He was still shocked by what Maria had just done to him. He wondered if she…still cared about him…flashes came to him in his past when Gerald dumped him for a monster and then used a hedgehog again. Was it that Dan wasn’t cared about? Why did he get rid of him just for another hedgehog? Maria, still barely alive, turned to Dan. Dan was worried about what Maria was going to say, crying over fear of her love for him and her fatal injury. “Dan…” Maria started. “Go away…I don’t want you here anymore…” Dan’s eyes were swelled up as he became shocked of this statement. He couldn’t believe that she didn’t love him anymore…She wanted him to go away…and after being shot she still tried her hardest to tell him these things. “I’m not going to see you again…but that doesn’t matter to me…You don’t belong here…Go away…now…goodbye…Dan.” She had a serious face when her speech started and it turned into relief as she shot him out toward the earth. He couldn’t believe it. His worst nightmare had come true…Maria was the only chance he had for love…but now…as he was being frozen in the capsule plummeting toward the earth…he was no longer loved…no one would care for him…sure, he had some good times, it wasn’t all bad…before Maria admitted it to him. It was now over…tears shed form his greenish blue eyes as he became completely frozen…he would never see her again and she couldn’t care less…his goodbyes and feelings would be worth nothing…he would be alone…he’d be nothing…a pile of ugly rejection…a worthless rat…the hated prototype of the Ultimate Life-form…Dan the Hedgehog….