Location: ?, Time: Irrelevant
"Boys, you won't believe what I found down this lake!" Vector The Crocodile yelled at his partners.
"Is it the lost lure!? 'Cuz I wanna go hooooome!" Charmy Bee whined.
"No, but it looks like it's just as important. There's one of them science-fiction experiment tubes down there. There's a girl inside."
"Cool! Now wha-"
Espio The Chameleon interrupted his younger colleague. "We have to help her!"
"Precisely what I was thinking," Vector nudged his head signaling to: "jump in, it looks heavy, even for me."
"Boss… You're the only one who can swim." Espio said flatly, Charmy nodded along with a 'yeah' fist raise.
"I know that, Espio, I was talking to our client. But you and Charmy can get a rope to help her out if we're not enough." Espio nodded, Charmy jokingly saluted and sped off. "Mr. Big, I presume you can swim?"
"I can." Big The Cat the big cat answered.
"Splendid, let's help that poor girl out. Once she's on dry land we'll resume our search for your lure."
"Okie-dokie."
Rouge's Villa, Night Babylon, Sometime in the Morning
What do you on a beautiful sunny day and have time to kill? Some go sporting, others go to the beach. If you're Shadow you sleep in your room until something comes along to prove he's the ultimate life form. If you're Rouge The Bat, you go Treasure Hunting or actual non-stealing Treasure Hunting. And if you're Omega you're trying to hunt down the Eggman once and for all. Why yes, they do all live under the same roof, and are about to do those mentioned a moment ago respectively. When not working for G.U.N., running a casino, a nightclub and teasing (sometimes threatening) each other this is what the trio known as Team Dark usually does when they have time to burn.
Shadow was lying comfortably on his bed, dreaming about stuff he liked. I assume that's just about justice, action everywhere to prove his superiority, keeping everyone else safe, Maria, Monopoly, races and Team Dark on motorcycles. He was snapped out of it when Rouge knocked on his door. "Shadow, we're off." Rouge said referring to herself and Omega. "Can you stop by the Chaotix to hire them to find the Doctor's latest base for Omega? I put some money on the dinner table." Rouge knocked a little harder. "Can you hear me?"
"Yeah, I heard you. Consider it done." Shadow mumbled loud enough for his housemates to hear.
"Alright, take care, Shadow." Rouge answered back as she and Omega left for work. breakfast and lunch was something they usually skipped. Rouge just picked something healthy out of the fridge and she's good.
Shadow got up from his bed, his jet shoes were already on. Polished to the Nth degree every night with the safety on. He left his clean enough room to zoom over the money bag, and flashed past Rouge and Omega who just opened up the door for themselves. Once on the road he jet skated towards San Francisco Zone, home of the Chaotix. This job should be easy for Shadow The Hedgehog: The Ultimate Gofer!
"See-you-later, too, Shadow." Omega waved.
"Say, Omega. Both of us know Shadow isn't really that open with his feelings and for all I know I could be dead wrong. Do you ever get the feeling that Shadow's unhappy?" Rouge asked in a concerned tone.
"No, seems-like-regular-behavior-for-Shadow." Omega stated what's obvious.
"That's what I mean, he doesn't seem to like anything, Omega."
"Ever-seen-him-race? It-even-offsets-me." Seriously, ever did good on Racing Transformed with Shadow? Ugh...
"No, I was kinda bitter for being rejected from that tournament. I went treasure hunting to clear my mind. I just want to cheer him up..."
"He-needs-a-hobby. Suggestion: Invite-the-Blue-Hedgehog-over, Shadow-will-be-so-aggravated-that-he-regains-his-will-to-live-through-hatred-and-by-beating-him-up. That's-what-cheers-me-up."
"You talk as if he's suicidal. And I don't think that be good for either one's health. A hobby sounds good though… How about we give him a Chao egg? He could use little cutie."
"Who's-going-take-care-of-it-when-G.U.N.-needs-us? Those-idiots-don't-learn-from-their-mistakes-in-their-infancy, it-could-drown-in-a-pool-as-big-as-yours."
"Good point. I'll… Think of something to give to him."
San Francisco Zone Act 1 Past, The Chaotix Detective Agency, a Few Days Ago
"How's she, Tails?" Espio asked as he entered the room with the tube and the most friendly genius he barely knew who'd do it for free.
"Based on my analyses she's alive and abnormally healthy, she should be in above average condition." The fox replied. "In that capsule must be some oxygenated liquid cure-all. Can I keep the liquid once we're done? It would be beneficial to the scientific community and eventually all kind."
"I'm sure that Vector's okay with that, I don't see what we could do with it." He said leaning against the wall. "As long as we free the blond and get that thing out of the office so Charmy and Vector can stop complaining that it takes up too much space. Which it does." Espio ranted.
"I can do that. Draining it should be no problem, I still haven't figured how to open it, but nothing I can't figure out, and borrowing clothes from Amy for her to wear should be easy but possibly embarrassing."
"I can relate..." Espio implied something, dunno what thought. The young girl's kinda distracting us to properly concentrate, 'cept Tails. No, I'm not in the story.
Tails went back to examine it one more time. Fortunately the double checking proved useful. It was a barely noticeable water tight drawer in the stasis tube. "Fascinating..." A few seconds and a few page turns later Tails gasped.
"What is it?" Espio asked as he walked closer so he could read over Tails' non-existent shoulder.
"It's the notes for this machine. This tube is from the Space Colony ARK. Contact Shadow, he must see this."
San Francisco Zone Act 1 Present, The Chaotix Detective Agency
"Shadow, long time no see!" Vector said behind his bureau once he stopped trying to write song lyrics and started to notice the black and red edgehog. "We've been looking for ya for days. We couldn't find ya in any phone book."
"I have no house of my own, I live with Rouge." Shadow: The Ultimate Freeloader stated flatly. "And if I did you wouldn't find me under the name: Hedgehog." Shadow The Hedgehog is a title given to him, because he's THE hedgehog. It's just Shadow. Well technically it's...
"Has that something to do with your job?" Vector said referring to the military. He also started eyeing Shadow's bag.
Shadow didn't answer him. "Why were you searching for me?" He pointed.
"Take a seat."
"Not yet." Shadow put the bag on the desk. "Omega wants you to locate the doctor's base. If you pull it off then this is all yours." Vector eyes practically became slot machines when he looked at all the cash.
"We're on it." The croc handed the bag back. "But seriously, take a seat. This might shock you."
"I doubt it."
"So it all started on our last case."
And the detective explained to the hedgehog what happened in the looks into the past above, their quest for Big's lure, the tube, the girl and now what they found out.
"... and that's when Espio and Tails found that it's from the ARK."
Shadow gasped, a sight seen rarely. Vector expected it though, that's why he let Shadow have a seat, besides just courtesy. "It can't be..." Shadow said in disbelief.
"Ya see where this is going?"
Shadow nodded. "Are you sure it's her? Because she wasn't the only child on board the ARK." He said with his hands clasped to the desk and more emotion out of him Vector has seen out of him in a long time.
"Yeah." Vector looked at the hedgehog for about half-a-minute. Shadow was in deep, deep thought.
Shadow snapped out of it. "Are you sure?!"
"We have multiple pieces of evidence to back it up."
"Where's she located? I need to release her!" Shadow sounded desperate.
"Don't worry 'bout that, she's been free since yesterday. Once Tails freed her and mentioned you, she wanted to see you too. Espio thinks that her being around you will help her get used to her new surroundings."
"That's good," Shadow finally mellowed out. "but where is she!?" Nevermind.
"Shopping with Espio and Charmy, she needed clothes. They should be back soon."
"Good, I'll stay here until they do." Shadow relaxed as he put one leg on his knee and crossed his arms. A few minutes have past, Shadow just sat there, Vector went back to writing lyrics.
Suddenly! "Ah! Forgot to to tell ya something, Shadow. She may look a little different." Vector understated.
"How different?"
"WE'RE BACK!" Said the welcoming bells of hell behind the door, known to some as Charmy's voice. It's not that bad… But it did make Shadow and Vector cringe and turn their attention towards the door. Said door opened, Charmy made himself visible carrying a bag of clothes, presumably. "Espio said he's training again. Hey Shadow!" The bee waved.
"Shadow?!" A hoarse voice said, it sounded foreign yet familiar to Shadow. Following the bee was a yellow bird girl around Maria's age prior to her death wearing what Shadow vaguely recalled as Amy Rose's Extreme Gear attire. She had dark blue eyes just like... The bird girl looked at Shadow with a gasp. "Shadow! It's really you!" She dashed towards the hedgehog for an embracing crushing bug.
Shadow didn't expect a bird to suddenly hug him, let alone this tight. "M-Maria? Is that really you?"
"Yes! I missed you so much, Shadow."
Shadow wanted to belief it, but he was skeptical. He hoped that this isn't an elaborate ruse by a Shadow lovin' Amy Rose wanna be. The blond canary girl's emotions did feel genuine, though. As did the tears against his chest fur. He wriggled himself free. "I'm afraid I'm not entirely convinced, 'Maria'."
"She is Maria, Shadow. At least it's her in a different body." Vector said before Shadow could emotionally hurt the girl. "I have Professor Gerald's notes right here to prove it. And why don't you ask her some questions only Maria would know for confirmation." Charmy kept quiet for now during this uncomfortable situation.
'Maria' clasped her hand together. "Please read it, Shadow. Do what Mister Vector says. I am Maria, I swear."
Shadow grabbed Gerald's notes. "Very well. I want you to be who you claim you are. Maria, and let me say preemptively that I really missed you." Shadow said like he was about to cry with the tiniest smile on his face.
"Oh Shadow." She said both so joyful and hopeful. Anyone could easily tell this was heavy on their hearts for the both of them. It would be such a shame if she turned out to be an impostor.
Hello there, I'm the narrator. Did you enjoy it? What do you think what's going to happen? Will the writer apologise for the terrible spelling? Is she the actual Maria? Like there's mystery there... Enjoy this random thought given form below:
San Francisco Zone Act 1 Bad Future, The Chaotix Detective Agency
"You call this FOOD!?" Vector said.
San Francisco Zone Act 1 Good Future, The Chaotix Detective Agency
"That was delicious."