SCP; Loose Ends

[chaoscontrol]

The Witch could tell the hedgehog was anxious to get back to his world. It gave Watanuki a cold feeling in his heart, that Shadow was so ready to go home… but his companion promised it was just to take care of business, and that he would be back as soon as he could.

“Are you certain you don’t want me to come with you?” Watanuki inquired as he set up the portal.

Shadow shook his head. “For now, I need to go it alone. The faster I get these minor errands done, the better,” he said as he put the Chaos Emerald, and his phone, along with a few other miscellaneous items, in a satchel. “I’ll call you when it’s time to talk to the others. Promise.”

“if you’re certain… I’m opening the portal in a pretty remote location so no one is likely to find it.”

“And you’re sure this is the right fragment?”

“Give me a break!” Watanuki snapped comically, gritting his teeth. “Witch of Dimensions, remember?”

“Just checking.”

———

But when Shadow stepped out of the portal and into his world, he knew something wasn’t quite right. He felt ever so slightly ill at ease… what was that idiom? Something about someone walking over your grave? There was something off about the flow of energy in the earth below him.

Shadow takes out the emerald in his satchel and regards it closely. The light inside seems to flicker and shudder, the energy inside vibrating at an odd frequency.

“What’s going on…?”

The hedgehog shakes his head, pushing the uncomfortable feeling to the back of his mind. Next stop — his apartment in Central City.

Chaos Control made the trip instantaneous. Yet oddly, Shadow ended up about four blocks west of his apartment complex. Strange, but the hedgehog chalked it up to being out of practice. Besides, it would be a good chance to let Terios stretch his legs. Or, in this case, his wheels.

Everything at the complex was as it should be — Shadow took the stairs up to the third floor and walked automatically to his door.

This is when he encounters several issues;

Problem number one — he doesn’t have his key. It must have gotten left behind when he was snagged by 6350.

Problem number two — his apartment uses electronic keycards. These doors used old fashioned locks with physical keys.

… And problem three… there’s was a very not-his-style doormat outside, cheerfully declaring “WELCOME! WIPE YOUR PAWS” and decorated with colorful flower patterns.

He looked about in confusion for a moment. Was this the right place? It had to be. He’d come back to this place countless times. Cautiously, he knocked on the door.

To his surprise, the door creaked open, revealing an older rodent woman — maybe a guinea pig or a capybara? he wasn’t sure — who blinked owlishly at Shadow from behind thick glasses. A chao perched on her shoulder regarded Shadow suspiciously.

“Yes…? How can I help you, young man?”

“I… er…” taken aback, Shadow struggled to find his words. “I’m sorry. I must have the wrong unit.”

“Oh, that’s alright, dear. We all make mistakes! Would you like to come in anyway? I can make some tea.”

Shadow shook his head, flushing a bit. “N-no. I have to go.”

He darted down the hallway before the old woman could say anything more.

———

Up on the roof, Shadow was shaken and pale. He had gone down to the lobby and checked the list of tenants — his name was there. But in a completely different unit than he remembered. Using his wings, he’d hovered outside the window to “his” unit and peeked inside.

What he saw there made him question everything.

He saw himself. Sitting on the couch with Gerald Jr, reading a book, looking bored. Downtime between missions always drove him crazy. Shadow was so surprised that he almost got caught by his other self. But just before the other hedgehog turns his head to peek out the window, Shadow darts upwards to the roof.

And not a moment too soon. Having heard the flutter of wings, the native Shadow went to the window, threw it open, and looked around. But by then, he had already made it to the roof — heart pounding and pulse racing.

He knew what would happen if the other Shadow caught him. That Shadow would treat him just like he would treat an imposter — by killing it, quickly and without prejudice.

This wasn’t his world after all. He was an intruder… an intruder with an eighth Chaos Emerald. No wonder it had reacted so strangely.

Shadow composed himself and looked at the emerald again, clutching his other hand into a tight fist. Surely Kimihiro hadn’t done this on purpose…

He needed to talk to the Witch. He returned to the portal site and then back to the shop.

“KIMIHIRO.”

Comments

[chaoscontrol]

[Shadow sure does SOUND angry. But as he stomps up on the porch, he looks more... scared? Uncomfortable? He's pale, that's for sure.]

I thought you said this was the right fragment, for sure. This is not the right fragment, Kimihiro Watanuki!

[oh boy, dad's breaking out the full name]

[foundfate]

[Somehow that reaction is more unsettling than the thought that Shadow might actually be angry at him. It takes a lot to shake that ball of anger and contempt.]

I thought it was the right fragment! Normally I can tell if a fragment is right by how it feels, okay? I've never really had to think about how to get places before, it's always like I just instinctively know which fragment is the right one.

[Probably a side effect of being the Witch of Dimensions.]

This time it did feel a little off, though. I thought it was the right one, it was in 'the right place', but...

[His trailing off there is less because he's afraid to answer and more because he's not sure how to explain what happened. Words are hard.]

[chaoscontrol]

Well this isn't it! This Fragment has all of it's Emeralds... and more importantly, it already has a "me"! If he had seen me... you know me well enough to know what I would do to an imposter.

[Shadow frowns, folding his arms and trying not to look as shaken as he is]

So you knew it felt "off"?

[foundfate]

Not that one, that one felt normal. I tried to find one that was missing an emerald, but the only one that fit that description felt...stuck?

[He says it like he's questioning his description there.]

It was like a log stuck in the river, unmoving. So thought it was the wrong one, and I went to the next-closest one to it thinking I had gotten something wrong before.

[chaoscontrol]

Stuck? Like... where time has stopped, or something?

[ Shadow frowns thoughtfully. Clearly Watanuki is as clueless about this as he is]

Well, regardless... this fragment won’t work. I don’t want to get an entirely different timeline caught up in this mess if at all possible. And I’d rather not run afoul of this world’s me — he SHOULD have experience with other dimensions. I’ve met another version of Sonic, Tails, and the Doctor. But... I know myself. I wouldn’t believe a word of it.