- "This place gives me the creeps."
"Relax. That popsicle hasn't moved in fifty years." - ―Prison Guard and Kyle Lancebottom[src]
The Escape from Prison Island was the awakening of Shadow the Hedgehog from his cryo-pod after Gerald Robotnik's hack of Prison Island's systems, freeing the alien from the custody of G.U.N. to carry out his revenge.
Background[]
Shadow attempts to escape from Gerald Robotnik's Laboratory
- "With the program canceled, Shadow was a loose end no one knew how to deal with. Too dangerous to be walking free, too valuable to destroy. So, I had him placed into stasis. Indefinitely."
- ―Walters to Team Sonic[src]
In 1974, Project Shadow was cancelled as G.U.N. had officially ruled the program as too much of a hazard. Raiding the secret facility in search of the test subject, Shadow the Hedgehog, project leader Gerald Robotnik ordered him and Maria Robotnik, who was playing guitar for Shadow, to evacuate. Heading towards the laboratory's doors holding hands, G.U.N. soldiers followed the fleeing family, though demanded to stop as per Captain Walters. One of the soldiers accidentally shot a vial containing chaos energy, which caused an explosion that took Maria's life.
Shadow is put into stasis at Prison Island
In the aftermath, Gerald was imprisoned and Shadow, considered too dangerous yet too valuable, was placed into statis on Prison Island off the shore of Tokyo, Japan by Walters' command. For the next half century, Shadow relived the moment of the lab's raid and Maria's death.[1]
Escape[]
Shadow is monitored by Kyle Lancebottom
- "Is that normal?"
"No... Someone's hacking the system."
"What?"
"The containment tank is destabilizing. he's waking up." - ―Prison Guard and Kyle Lancebottom[src]
In 2024, G.U.N. security monitor Kyle Lancebottom watched over Shadow's containment tank, eating a box of donuts. A G.U.N. soldier walked in prepared to eat some Boston donuts, which Lancebottom had already eaten. Looking towards the cryo-pod with Lancebottom, the soldier remarks how Prison Island creeps him out, despite Lancebottom reassuring him that Shadow hasn't moved since 1974.
Suddenly, Shadow starts to shudder and twitch, remembering past traumatizing events more vividly as an unidentified hacker invades G.U.N.'s systems. The soldier sends a troop of soldiers to the containment room Shadow resides in. A heart monitor in the monitor room showing Shadow's increasing heart rate unexpectedly settles until Shadow promptly opened his eyes, breaking the glass of his cryo-pod. Stepping out of it, Shadow teleports repeatedly to pummel the soldiers that surrounded him, throwing a lone soldier towards the monitor room's window. When requested to get more soldiers, the shocked G.U.N. soldier beside an equally appalled Lancebottom confirms that these were the only ones left.
Shadow observes Tokyo from Prison Island's shore
Shadow causes an explosion, blowing a hole in one of Prison Island's exterior walls. Walking out of the fire, Shadow looks upon the distant city of Tokyo, Japan, teleporting upon the water to use his Air Shoes to skate on it.[1]
Aftermath[]
- "Why... won't you leave me... alone?!"
- ―Shadow the Hedgehog to Guardian Units of Nations[src]
Arriving in Tokyo, Japan, Shadow first scaled the Rainbow Bridge, navigating the area, only to be told to surrender by G.U.N. Shadow scoffs at their attempt and grinds down the bridge's suspension cables, skating onwards to Shibuya Crossing. Distracted by a woman passing by that looked just like Maria Robotnik[2] and a digital screen reading 2024, discovering that it has been 50 years since his imprisonment, Shadow soon finds himself encircled by G.U.N.'s troops and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Shadow, heavily irritated, charged up his chaos energy to fight G.U.N. once more, destroying the area.[1]