Not really an Ask Shadow and Sandy question, more like a general ask for this alternate universe. Regarding Shadow's character, exactly how disconnected is this "Agency" universe from the "Sonic" universe? Does Shadow's backstory from Sonic Adventure 2 still correlate? Does he know Dr. Eggman, Sonic, Rouge, and all those guys? (Do they even exist in this universe?) I'm just curious to know what the big differences are. :)
It’s been a fair amount of time since I talked about this and last time I used Sandy’s timeline as an example, so I’ll gladly cover part of Shadow’s here. I can’t go into too much detail because this will be partly covered later in the current chapter and in the next (mostly Day 4).
Imagine the Agency universe being sort of a forced location warp. Somewhere in the middle of Shadow’s known/canon journey, an event happened or a decision was made that slings him into this whole other world, in another part of the universe.
What is the event? We don’t know, but it happens before or during a time when he was just starting to learn/comprehend who he was and the shock of this transfer causes him to commit an act that gets him into the Talfryn Betterment Institute.
Does he remember Dr. Eggman, Rouge and all the others? Of course. They still “exist” in the universe. Are they in this planet or even galaxy? So far, I’ve shown that Vanilla and Cream are. Sonic and Rouge have appeared in some of my joke comics... but I personally like to think they could’ve figured out how to go after him, only to find out they don’t know how to come back. Oops.
Does Shadow know what he’s gone through in life before this “warp?” Yes, but there’s little to do about it in this place. He instead takes this mess as an opportunity to start anew.
Review :The Roman Catholic Church was once a powerhouse in the world. While the Knights Templar are the best remembered of the various old Crusader orders, most of which have evolved into mere conspiracy theories, several remain around to this, enforcing the will of the Church upon the world of the magic.
Note One: The Agency has no official ties to the Church. Mages were always in positions of power in Europe during the Early Middle Ages. The Affairs of the daily world were left to the Mage Council, while events of the divine were assigned to Church oversight. The first usage of magical girls by the Church came during the Children’s Crusade, traditionally the two popular crusades were led by young men, but it may have been a magical girl named █ █ █ █ █ █ █ that led them. Joan of Arc is considered a member of this movement. █ █ █ █ █ █ █ and Joan of Arc are seen as the foundational myths for the movement later known as the Sisterhood.
Note Two: The Church’s officially has a secret group of crusaders to this day. They have long abandoned using Templar as titles, due to their loss of power in France March 22, 1312.The abrupt reduction in power of a significant group in European society gave rise to speculation, legend, and legacy through the ages. The new secret order would be called the Aeons. This movement followed many of the lost Gnostic gospels. This source of all being is an Aeon, in which an inner being;s soul dwells. The study is much more complex and the Agency has only had limited access to understanding how the heirarcy of this movement works. It is through mastery of their Aeons, that they are able to use magic. Though, they deny it being a type of sorcery.
Note Three: The Aeon has a segregated set-up meaning that male and female members belong to different branches. We will be looking at the Sisterhood.
Much like the Flowers Program, the Sisterhood has found beings that can grant miracles. During the Battle for Rome in 1944, the Agency soldiers in the Allied Armies, noted that their were young women with angelic-like beings as their guides. It seemed that these young women by all accounts were magical girls that had been granted their powers by a miracle. It is unknown if if these are actual angels or beings of a different origin.
Note Four: Letterhead found during the Battle of Rome, 1944. Translated from Italian into English.
Greetings my dear child,
It is July of 1944 AD. The chances that you are here in the holy nation of Vatican City means that you were summoned by one of the Lord’s Messannger.
This means that you have been chosen to join the Sisterhood, an agency that works for the Church. Despite our usual views on sorcery, slayings, and the like, the Sisterhood have once again called for a special group of young women that have a high magical and psychical potential.
The reasons why you have been chosen vary from a deep devotion to your faith to totally personal raison d’être; like removing a curse.
Since you have come this far, all you have to is take care of the sin that exists in this world.
You see, ever since the massive slaughter of many innocents due to the Great War, nearly twenty years in the past now, a great increase of undead and other plagues have revealed themselves to the world. Now with the increased rate of death, 7 vampires called the Sins have awoken and are seeking their final member.
Supernatural agencies from both warring parties believe that the Aeons are a danger and will stop at nothing to stop you in your quest…No matter the dangers involved, we can grant you the one desire that you want the most in exchange for your hard work.
Chose to continue and you will now be known as an Aeon.
You are a part a strong agency that has existed since the time of the Crusades.
This is the price of your salvation to freedom.
Your Obliging Friend,
Archbishop Francois St. Clair
Note 5: The Sisterhood is still centered in the halls deep under the marbled churches in Vatican City. They also have chapters in mainly Catholic nations like Spain, Portugal, France, Poland, and Mexico. It is believed that their main mission remains to fight their Crusade against the vampire sisters known as the Sins. They tend to be very devout to their cause, with a Crusader level of loyalty. The Agency has banned them from entering the Holy Land for obvious reasons.
Note 6: Like all magical girl movements, a uniform is worn. These accounts came from research done in the early 2000s. They may be out of date by the time of reading: All members were a white version of a nun’s outfit. They have several different ranks. Novices start with a plain white outfit, followed by a outfit with a single blue trim, followed by two blue trims, next by three. The next highest levels will either have two silver crosses on the cuffs or two golden crosses on each arm. The Agency has no records on what these ranks mean.
Note 7: Since the Sisterhood tends to deal with vampires and werewolves, their arsenal is very similar to that of a Slayer. Common weapons tend to be crossbows blessed by Divine magic that fire arrows that uses divine fire to purify. Holy Water hand grenades were reported during an incident in Spain in 1977. Other possible weapons include lances and swords. The Sisterhood seldom uses the same armor or types of swords seen in use by magical girls in France that are of the Knight class.
Note 8: It is recommended by Agency personnel to avoid too much interaction with the Sisterhood. Any interactions between them and the Flowers, generally ends up in duels. Treat them with respect, if they ask for your assistance. It is unknown how big their movement is, so we also recommend avoiding important religious sites of the Church, since they are likely around to defend it.
Graduate (Shadow and Meï Interaction I wrote eons ago)
Shadow stared at the letters “109 S.R.”, which had been hastily stenciled onto his new mailbox just this morning. He sighed, flexing his hands anxiously from inside his pockets as he looked around the suburban neighborhood with a grimace.
Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn’t it had been a condo or an apartment at the end of a hallway, where surely no one but the groundskeeper would pass by? At least the groundskeeper alone would be the only fool passing judgement instead of the whole division.
With his back to the street, he couldn’t truly tell... but he could have sworn he heard a couple of vehicles slow their trek before taking off again. Most likely making sure their eyes were not deceiving them. After all, his unique appearance was unlike anyone else around for regions. They must have known who he was.
“Would you give it a rest? Burning a hole through the mailbox won’t help you blend in.”
He squeezed his eyes shut, sighing quietly. Meï had arrived. There was no need to turn around to confirm it. How could he ever mistake that breathy, cabaret-esque voice spoken with the inflection of a scornful mother? She had spent enough time on his metaphorical tail for even her aura to become unmistakable. However, she did have the keys to the place, so there was a sliver of relief in sensing her presence today.
He could go disappear within it.
“You wouldn’t have to worry so much about getting recognized if you had gotten yourself a trim like I had told you.”
He fixed his mouth into a straight line, biting down on his lip. He knew better than to have this discussion with her. Always the same responses.
They’re not like regular hair.
They won’t grow back to a sharp point.
It’s not a myth. Look it up.
At this point, he was convinced she only said it to bother him.
Almost as if she was confirming his thoughts, the grin in her voice suddenly became very evident. “How about I set up an appointment for Tuesday?”
“Meï.”
“Alright, alright, I know...” her tone jumped an octave, obviously coming to the same conclusion as him. “I just want you to push those worries away!”
Meï stood beside him, their eyes still yet to meet. She stole a quick glance to her vehicle, which held a precious gift she was hoping to give to him today. ‘But only if he is ready,’ she reminded herself.
Her eyes then scanned Shadow and she held back a snort over his chosen wardrobe. Only this man would wear a long sleeved shirt in the middle of a heat wave. He is more self-conscious about his scarred pelt than she originally thought. She followed his gaze to the black letters painted on the off-white mailbox and she mirrored his aloof posture. “You know, it’s just your initials,” she tried to relieve his apparent anxiousness. “It’s not like your name is being paraded around for the world to see. Plus, most people don’t even know your name. It’s a bunch of superficial infamy—”
She stopped short at seeing Shadow turn his heel and walk to the entrance, ignoring her. Any other day, she probably would have snapped at him for constantly engaging others like a common sociopath. But today was different. This was supposed to be a milestone day. He was finally out of the Institute and into the parole program! Beings with the type of criminal history he’s had only dream of this opportunity! Why wasn’t he joyful in any way?
Was he just tired? Annoyed? Disgusted? Meï even briefly wondered if he was upset over not being able to pick out his own home and that he had to depend on what the landlords provided for him. But that didn’t seem like the type of thing Shadow would worry about. Yet there he was; leaning against the window, looking into the pre-furbished house with the most intense disinterest she had ever seen from an Institute graduate.
He’s hard to read. Always has been.
After another quick glance at her car to make sure her gift was okay, Meï approached him with sincere caution. She had the feeling that addressing the subject directly would encourage him into shutting her out. She may not have known him for very long, but at least she knew the best way to get him to listen to her is to start with an apology.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like that,” she said.
“Like what,” he muttered without breaking his gaze forward.
“Like it’s easy to just... put everything you went through behind you and just be happy again.”
“‘Again’?”
“Oh, you know what I mean!” She puffed her cheeks momentarily, suppressing her natural penchant for arguments. “Maybe this isn’t quite what you wanted, but... I am here as the middleman between you and TBI. As long as no more accidents happen, you never have to walk into that building again.”
Shadow wordlessly turned to look at her for the first time since she arrived.
They locked eyes and Meï smiled, hoping that his spirits were lifted far enough for her to feel safe giving him his housewarming gift.
Little did she know that she had just said the wrong thing.
“So... picture just a couple of years from now— four at the very most!” She said as she reached for the keys in her pocket and unlocked the door. “Trials will finally be over, you’ll be virtually unshackled, this house no longer has to be your home and the wild world is yours to see... isn’t that exciting?!”
The hedgehog coughed. Not in direct response to her, she noted. Furrowing his brow, Shadow entered the house with a “tsk”.
Meï pursed her lips. Her patience had run out. Without thinking, she grabbed his sleeve and spun him around to face her. His indignant stare was venomous. But so was hers.
“What is your problem?!” She didn’t mean to shout. But there it was.
“You want to know what my problem is?” He growled his words, his spikes starting to curve with his rising fury. “I waited ten years for the moment I could walk out of Betterment and never look back. And this,” he gestured towards his very beige living space, “is what I get. My name still deemed unremovable from the watch list, a starter house in a manufactured neighborhood so damn packed that it looks like a cubicle grid, and—!”
He stopped short, staring into her eyes for a second longer before turning away. Meï sighed.
“And a warden constantly at your heels making sure you don’t backtrack even once,” she finished his thought for him. “I know. I’m sorry. This is... this is a new procedure.”
“It’s not “new”. It’s just mine. No one else has to go through this shit except for me.”
“Shadow.”
“Deny it.”
Her words caught in her throat. She couldn’t deny it. There was no one else in the institute that had the powerful and unpredictable capabilities that Shadow had. They needed to make double and triple sure he was reformed. It would be an arduous process and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it at this point.
But it didn’t mean he should be so hopeless.
“It’s... it’s just temporary,” she tried to reason.
“My entire sentence was ‘temporary’.”
“Dammit, Shadow. Stop this defeatist attitude. Fine. This is not freedom. But it’s a hell of a lot better than a padded cell, isn’t it?”
Shadow growled in response. It was absolutely pathetic that he had to choose between the lesser of two evils. He’s been patient enough as it is. However, it’s not like he actually remembered the majority of the chaos he had unleashed upon the land. It all happened too fast. It was all instinctual, like being stuck on automatic. Maybe his suffering was actually justified. Maybe they were being foolishly kind.
Maybe... he truly deserved to rot away in a cell.
Meï observed Shadow sitting on his sofa, swimming in his own thoughts.
Or drowning in them.
She sat gingerly at the opposite end of the couch. She wasn’t sure for how long, but she allowed herself to sit in the silence that Shadow was accustomed and attached to. Just the sound of a passing vehicle or the throaty coo of a Tranquill periodically breaking the silence. It felt like hours, but she was sure it was much less.
“... couple of years, huh?”
She nearly jumped a foot in the air, despite how low his voice was. Meï was definitely not expecting him to speak first. “Y-yeah. I mean, as long as there’s no regression, you know?”
“Hmm,” Shadow looked around, drinking in his new surroundings for the first time since he entered. “I suppose that’s... shorter than ten years.”
Meï grinned. “Yes, definitely.”
Silence again.
She didn’t mind it as much this time around.
And she was beginning to think he may be ready for that gift after all...
The Office of Magical Strategic Services (OMSS) was a wartime intelligence agency of the United States during World War II (The Great Magical War), and a predecessor of the modern Central Magical Authority (CMA).
The US prior to the 20th century had very little in the means of an organized magical community. From the voodoo movements in New Orleans, to the paranoia of Salem, to the usage of the undead to fight battles during the American Civil War, much of the American magical communities were highly disorganized and unregulated due to officials in the government turning a blind eye to the Old World’s Agency. It would be up to Shamans, Hunters, Priests, Magical Girls, and other private groups to deal with the supernatural end of things.
It was not until 1940 that the US government took considerable strides to improve and control magical issues. The Office of Magical Strategic Services was established by a Presidential military order issued by President Roosevelt in June, 1942,
The FBI had originally been used to track the movements of beings known as contractors. With help from trainers in Canada soon enough, these beings would form the bulk of training for young women deemed to be the most patriotic and loyal to the US way of life. The numbers that joined were small, many came from struggling families during the Great Depression. The monthly pay of $21 a month would be sent home to their families.
The FBI was left responsible for intelligence work in Latin America with dealing with possible witches or demons, and the Army and Navy continued to develop and rely on their own sources of magical intelligence.
The magical girls of the OMSS were used in the front lines against Germany, whom had their own secret magical girl programs. The UK had a limited amount since many magical girls from the Flowers Project were forced into exile or face being drafted into the Thule. It is unknown if the Japanese and the US ever sent MGs into combat against each other at the time. There are scant records suggesting that the Soviets had built up a small army of magical super soldiers to deal with any possible Japanese intervention into Siberian.
Overall, the program was considered a success but had to be broken apart following 1953, when the Thule was finally defeated. Many magical girls that stayed on were moved to the Central Magical Authority (CMA) to deal with the new possible threat of a Soviet Magical Girl Army.
This is why the magical communities throughout the world have made their usage as soldiers illegal outside of Agency approved groups.
Review: During the height of the Cold War, both American and Soviet intelligence agencies delved into researching magic to attempt to create what were essentially homemade magical girls to wage clandestine operations in different parts of the world without the general public knowing. Early magical girls had proven their worth during the Second World War. Now it was time to update them to be more like soldiers.
In the US the operation was officially sanctioned in 1953, was reduced in scope in 1964, further curtailed in 1967, and officially halted in 1973. The origins of the Soviet operation was started before the Second World War broke out under Stalin’s urges to create the best soldiers. Captured intel following the defeat of the Thule Society in the Magical War (1941-1953), greatly advanced the Soviet study of magical girls. Agency Intelligence does not believe that the Russian Federation has halted their research into the present, even with the collapse of the USSR.
To date, both programs were declared illegal by the Magical Council in 1992. Only one Soviet MG has ever been discovered alive and has been moved into the Agency’s magical girl team, the Flower Project. This magical girl is nominally under the command of Captain Judith Gaudet. However, she is known to wage her own battles outside of the Flower’s control.
Name: “Katyusha,” her real name was destroyed by Soviet officials shortly before her capture by an Agency Strike Team in 1990. She has not been reawakened from cryogenics until the late 2010s.
Code name: солдат
Classification: Flower Program.
Age: N/A
General Appearance: Katyusha has long white hair that is generally kept in a free flowing. She generally wears glasses as quasi-disguise but can see without needing them. Sparingly, she may don a Flower’s uniform and follow regulation, but this is generally to throw people off. She often wears a Lenin style cap. Since Soviet records have largely been lost, it is assumed that she has red eyes to either represent the Soviet banner or was corruption from the types of magic she uses.
General Behavior: Katyusha just wants to be left alone after decades of being used by the Soviets and to be frozen and unfrozen for various missions, to enjoy life herself and let other people do whatever. If someone defies that, though, usually the demons or witches, she’ll fight back. She is only committed to this cause, killing whatever demon is responsible for the cracking between the human world and the supernatural.
Katyusha’s main rival is a magical girl named [REDACTED]. Katyusha treats her with contempt and disdain. She generally treats most other Flowers with general indifference.
While she might appear to be a hard ass on the outside, she is aware of the dangerous aspects and possibility of losing her life as a Flower and feels isolated and alone with no one to turn to that will understand her problems.
General History: Since the Soviet records were damaged, there are elements that were only given by the magical girl herself. The accuracy, thus is not considered accurate. Katyusha was from Belarus. Her father was a low ranking political officer within the system, so they did not have a stable income and was given to the Soviets freely. Many decades of experiments followed. The Soviet usage of more than one contractor seemed to also have had an effect on how she ages, as she is much older than she looks. The usage of cryogenics also had a play in this.
Powers/Skills/Weapons: Katyusha is clearly a powerful and talented Flower, and is said to be one of the best in their team. She is known and feared by most demons by her title of the Hunter. She is armed with a magical Shashka. The shashka is a relatively short sabre, typically being 80 cm in total length. It has a slightly curved, fullered, blade with a single edge, the back of the blade was often sharpened for the 3rd. of the blade nearest the tip. She often uses this as her main weapon. It more than likely enchanted, but she refuses to let the Agency study it. However that being said, she can use all the weapons that her fellow Flowers use. Katyusha is very skilled individual who relies on speed and agility. She has not been seen using spells, but it is certainly probable that she can. The usage of outdated Soviet era firearms is also common with her.
“It is time for mythology with Fuyi. Today, I am going to be writing about the Moon. It is a satellite of Earth that formed 4.5 billion years ago during the Theia Impact. It was a relatively quiet place until the various goods of the ancient world decided to make a place of their own. Countless kingdoms once dotted it. However, as humans began to explore it closer...In their logic, nothing could possibly survive up there.”
“From the remnants of the ancient societies that existed, they formed the Light side and the Shadow side. This was organized by how human culture viewed their moon gods. Some were kind beings. Others were dark. Eventually, it was settled that there would be two queens that co-ruled the satellite. One for each side”
“There society has remained hidden in modern times by magic. The humans landing on it in 1969 was considered humorous to them, because the Apollo missions claimed to find nothing but dust and rock samples. However, this sparked a fear in the heart of the Queen of the Dark side. What if they were here to become a third party?”.
“No one knows the name of that queen. But Agency intel suggests that she is now somewhere on Earth via magical portals. And it might not have been her first time interfering with human events. Her light side sister is named Nordika. Not much is known about her either. Other than she chooses people at random with the light powers of the moon., This concludes my lesson on the Moon.”
“Greetings.....I am Fuyu and since I am a librarian....I will explain something to you.”
“In the 1880s, a species claiming to be from Mars invaded certain areas of the Earth. In some areas of England, where the main invasions took place....A red weed with thorns began to grow all alongside the countryside when exposed to water. It was written from HG Wells, personal letters that he saw the plants glow with a purplish hue at night and that they had a metallic taste to them. He was a mage that spent some time in the front lines fighting the invaders until they were forced to retreat, not understanding that Earth magic and microscopic life were deadly to their weak genetics. Welles would later write a highly fictionalized version of his time in the fronts in the book called War of the Worlds.”
“All known samples were destroyed or taken into Agency custody for further study. Right now in Furuzeki, it appears that someone has intentionally unleashed a massive swarm of it into the central shopping center...That person would have to have extensive knowledge on rare plants in order to do so....”
When was the agency founded that attempts to regulate all the magical going-ons?
This is Fuyu. She is the research assistant for Chisato. She can answer any question you have about the Agency, within reason of course. However, she cannot speak well due to the fact that she is a complex living puppet. Fuyu thus uses her talking tablet to explain things for you!
Booting up system...
The Agency: “ We are nothing but rumors. We are the ones always watching.” This group is tasked with observing and keeping track of the supernatural throughout the world. Agents are well aware of the very cosmological horror that this in this universe. Prior to the Protestant Revolutions of the 1500s-1600s, the Roman Church and Eastern Church dealt with the supernatural with a heavy hand. Many of the mythological creatures such as elves and fairies had been much strong before then and slowly moved into the shadows. These were replaced by new monsters like vampires or werewolves.
It was decided that in order to start controlling the actions of both monsters and humans a like a code would have to be followed of the Elders of the Mage’s Council in France. It would be the first secular based movement that sought to unite all magical thoughts into one area to be studied in the 1700s. It was the age of enlightenment after all. As Industries grew, old folklore beings were forced off their old lands and either changed to fit into the new kinds of urban legends or stick to areas where they remembered. The problem at hand became one of new beings and more powerful spell casters that would make the need for a paramilitary group to be set up in order to defend the world with the sources it had. Japan was the last of the major nations to join the Council, so there’s still a few wild places left.....
