You'll have to excuse me, I don't do introductions often.

After writing three stories that was Shadow centric, I decided to do a different flare with my story. Instead of focusing on the brooding black and red hedgehog, this story shall instead focus solely on Maria Robotnik, the one he's always brooding over. Since I don't want to give away to much plot wise, I'm just going to cut straight to the chase. No, many Sonic characters won't appear because this story takes place in the past. By now, they haven't been born yet. That doesn't mean there won't be some appearances of them, just not in the way you'd suspect.

But for those who wish to persist, her's a story of what happens on the different side.

Maverick Kay Prime

The Doom

She clenched onto the cold steel of the gun. Finger on trigger... breathes, caught in throat... Silence floating through the air...

It all happened so fast... so soon... so suddenly...

The blood that dyed her blouse so red... it burned her deeply... Some of it got onto her face, and others pooled around her legs.

Her legs... she was kneeling on them. She couldn't believe what she was doing... she couldn't believe she had done it. She couldn't believe it all... all of it... all of it...

Her friend... her best friend... he lied dead behind her. Blood, pooling around his black fur. It happened so fast. So suddenly...

Before her, the dead she herself. She herself... killed. The gun... she could still feel bullets in the chamber. She could still feel the rumbling it sent through her fingers, the loud noises it made, the horror it sent out. The horror... the horror...

The Doom...

...

Colonel Samson Taylor...

He dragged his fingers up and down the leather of his gun pouch. Inside, the pistol he had used to shoot so many. He never trusted the professor, nor his plans. First he creates some, Artificial Chaos, that ends up going mad, then he designed a giant lizard that killed so many, and not to long, he gave them this... Gizoid, that ended up destroying so much. It all ended here, on one last raid, one final battle, aboard the Ark.

The cold halls... he hated them so much. This older male of distinguishable prowess. Sure, it was an easy battle, but he never wanted to come here. Honestly, this Ark program should have never been started in the first place. More people had died because of it, than in any skirmish he was in. But it was over... all over...

"I can't believe you." the older man from behind murmured.

Samson would have chuckled, but he wasn't a man for that. He turned around, eyes as strong as the sun, and glared down upon the old man before him. He was battered, injured, and constrained by many soldiers. But he was important.

His bald head. Long white mustache. Eyes constricted by small glasses. White jacket. Long boots. It only showed one thing.

"Professor Gerald," Samson said, his voice cold yet demanding respect, "you knew this day was coming."

"I had a deal with the president!" Gerald coughed in pain, "I was only doing what you asked!"

"We never asked for you to put that orbital laser in space," Samson retorted, "it seems you placed that here on your own accord."

"Is that why this all happened!?" Gerald yelled, "Because of the Eclipse Cannon!?"

"Not only that," Samson continued, "but of your many failures. You continue to send us defective products, such as those Artificial Chaoses, and that blasted Gizoid."

"You asked for those," Gerald responded, "I told you they weren't finished!"

"And that damned hedgehog," Samson murmured, "you held from us his true potential!"

Gerald grew silent.

"We know about your, Chaos studies, Gerald," Samson said, "and how you gave that hedgehog powers beyond all of it. You said you only made him to cure your granddaughter... obviously, you were lying..."

"It was... only tests..." Gerald stated.

"No more tests, Gerald... we've had enough..."

"But all the innocents on board!" Gerald yelled, "Why them!? Why!?"

"They knew too much," Samson stated, easily enough, "they were only... collateral damage..."

"Collateral! What about the lives, the children onboard!?"

"Children were spared..." Samson said, "We're soldiers, Gerald, not monsters..."

"But you act like some..."

Samson shook his head. It didn't matter. Gerald could call him any name he pleased, but it all was for naught. The mission was a success. Space Colony Ark had been occupied, mission accomplished. Now... he had to find that damned hedgehog.

"Colonel Taylor!" a soldier cried.

He ran up hall, face frantic behind helmet, gun in hand. He was injured, the colonel could tell, as blood ran from his arm and hand. The colonel gave a slight nod, and the soldier came to an abrupt stop.

"Colonel Taylor," the soldier said, taking quick breaths, "we have a situation."

The older officer raised an eyebrow, and his hand found his chin.

"Go on..." he murmured, easily enough.

"It's the project, and the civilian he was fleeing with."

"Maria!" Gerald yelled from behind.

Filled with an explosion of force, the professor tried his hardest to escape the grip of his assailants. He tugged, he pulled, he even bit, but it was all for not. With one swift strike to the back of the head, he went silent, and his body grew limp.

Samson shook his head at the sight. The professor, as smart as he was, was one foolish person. Returning his attention to the injured soldier before him, he gave another nod.

"Continue..." he ordered, gruffly.

"It's the project," the soldier repeated, "and the civilian."

"What about them?" Samson questioned.

"Project Shadow is dead, presumed dead, but."

"But what?"

"The civilian, the blonde girl he was fleeing with, she took up arms."

"And?"

"She's already killed three of our men, and she's just sitting there?"

"Is there anything else?"

"No sir." the soldier commented, "Not at this time..."

Samson shifted his glare back to the unconscious professor. A minor scoff moved to his lips, before he turned away once more. With a salute, he left the group of soldiers he was with.

One girl, killed three of his men. What the hell? Were they dumbasses, or what? She was only, what, twelve? She was a twelve-year-old blonde girl, she probably didn't even know how to use a gun. And yet, she killed three of his men? What were they doing, fumbling over each other like asses? Possibly...

On instinct, he knew where she was hiding. The escape pod room, it wasn't to far from where he stood. He strolled down the maze like halls of Ark, without a moment of hesitation. He had been here before.

Moving up an elevator, he made his way up several flights of stairs. Coming out on the other end, he continued on the long cold halls, passing by many of his soldiers. Great machines were their as well, along with G.U.N. drones and other things. Finally, he made his way to a group of his soldiers, all huddled around one door, all guns drawn. Upon seeing their commanding officer, they gave a salute, while their knees began to tremble. Samson gave his own salute to his soldiers, causing them to break their stoic stances.

"Colonel." one of them called out.

"No need," he answered, raising his hand, "I've already been brought up to speed."

Coming to the door, he traveled his eyes through the window.

He was right.

There she sat, Maria Robotnik. On her knees... crying... rifle in hand... bodies, all around... while Project Shadow, lyed dead at her backside. So was the way, of all, he supposed.

"She has the prime position, Colonel," one soldier informed, "we can't go in, less we get shot."

But he didn't care. The gun that girl held clamped in her hands, it was no usual weapon. Long, black, strong, it could easily gun down any man, regardless of position, in seconds. How did the little girl, dressed in blue, gain such a weapon? To hell with that, how did she fire, such a weapon. As sad as it was to say... he was impressed.

His fingers found the rooms keypad, and he started tapping away. The numbers started shining at his individual presses, while his soldiers started to bend away with fear. The door opened.

She took in a deep breath so suddenly. Blue eyes, filled with terror, blonde hair, tainted with blood, shirt, fingers, and legs, drowning in the red substance. Samson, as cold as he was, never wished such a horror on anyone. Whether it be man, woman, or child. And she was a child.

She started shaking. Arms, legs, body, quaked with an unmeasurable amount of fear. She tipped off the rifle, and her fingers etched their way toward the weapon's trigger. She said nothing, her breath started choking, her eyes started to spew tears, and her fingers. They... They...

"Hey, now," Samson said, his voice oddly comforting, "put down the gun."

The girl, her eyes shot to him, filled with fear. Was he really attempting this?

"You," he said, "your name, its... Maria, isn't it?"

His calm, concerned voice must have appealed to her. She nodded.

"Maria," Samson went on, "my name is Colonel Taylor." he got closer, "I just want to talk..."

His footsteps got closer, while Maria's pent-up aggression started to waver. Regardless, she kept her gun, and fingers, trained on the man before her.

"Maria," he said, smiling, "just listen, I'm trying my hardest here."

Why was he saying this? He hadn't attempted anything yet. But, she remained frozen. He got closer.

"You... you understand what happened here, don't you?"

That struck accord. Almost immediately, her rifle's barrel shot toward his body. Coming to a stop, Samson gazed down the long black steel of the weapon. Things stayed this way for a while, before he stepped forward once more.

"Maria," he went on, "we're not going to hurt you." he stepped forward, "Not at all..."

She remained adamant, even as his body got near her. Now, he was a foot away from her. He had passed the bullet riddled bodies of his subordinates, showing she showed no mercy so far. Idiots... she was a little girl... they just needed to talk to her.

His eyes looked beyond the blonde girl, to the project behind. Shadow the hedgehog, such a terror. And yet, here he lied... dead... Eyes squinting, he wondered how the doctor's prized possession failed so horribly. Well... it was none of his business...

"Maria," he said, gazing into her eyes, "come on, just... give me the gun... everything will get alright then."

She shook her head. Pulling the gun away, she started cradling it, like it was all she had. Well, with Ark in shambles like this, it was, quite possibly, the last thing she had. The last thing... she had...

"Maria," he said, hand stretching forward, "please... give me the gun."

He didn't want to have to shoot a child. But he would. He had a family of his own, to return to.

"Maria?"

Her fingers dragged alongside the guns cold black steel. What will she do? The anticipation was killing Samson. Her blue eyes, they traveled along the room, taking in all the sights. The bodies, the blood, the metal gun casings, all of it. Finally, her head turned around, and she saw Shadow. Her best friend. Her savior. Her... cure...

And she broke down.

Gun falling from her hands, she slammed her dainty fingers onto the ground. Tears, as strong and as powerful as ever, started to flow from her eyes. Raising her fists, she slammed them down in the pool of blood around her, causing the dark crimson substance to fly upward. She continued crying, hollering, screaming with pain. Why did this happen? Why had life handed her such a horrible fate? Why did they take her friends, her family, and, quite possibly, her life. Without Shadow, without the one she was closes too, she would die. The NIDS... It would surely have its way now.

There was no point continuing. No point at all. They could do with her as they pleased, she didn't care. Life, death, it had all become one now. All of it... Falling down, she laid her head on the floor, and cried. Cried her beautiful blue eyes out.

Samson let out a relieved sigh. Raising his fingers, he brushed brown hair from his face. Such a cute, little, innocent girl. She didn't deserve this, not at all. Hands reaching down, he lifted her from the ground. Almost on instinct, she drove her face into his chest. Tears flowing, she cried a stream into him, while the blood on her body marked his grey clad body. Holding this, surprisingly tall, twelve-year-old in his hands, he tried his hardest to consul her. He knew of the deadly disease within her, and how it was surely fatal. With Shadow dead, there was almost no way of her survival. Almost no way.

Hands finding their way into her hair, he brushed them lightly, whilst whispering into her ears. He was trying, trying so hard, to calm her down. She didn't deserve this... not at all...

"Now now, Maria," he murmured, "now now..."

She wasn't sure when. Her eyes, through the tears, closed. Darkness engulfed her, and silence came near. She couldn't hear, nor could she speak. Silence... that was all... silence...

Blue eyes opened.

With a loud yawn, she stretched her curled fists into the air. It was a violent yawn, one that could have gone as a scream, if heard in the wrong company. Fortunately, there was no one around. She moved her dainty toes from the bed, and moved her feet to the wooden flooring below. With another yawn, she gazed around her room. Her trusty pistol, lied on her nightstand, while the window showed the rising sun away. The walls were bricks, and very few pictures lied among them. On the floors, books everywhere.

The woman gave a groan, while a brush of cold air ruffled her skin. She mumbled obscenities under her breath, and got up from her warm plush bed. Feet moving ahead of one another, she trekked calmly toward the open window on the other side of the room. An annoyed mumble flew from her lips, as she cursed herself for leaving the door open. That was foolish of her, she didn't know what could have happened. Her finger moved underneath the window, but before she closed it, she took the time to gaze out amongst the metropolis. Empire City, such a beautiful place. For miles, she could see along the beautiful constructs. Muffled beeps and horns of cars echoed from below, showing some people had places to go, even in the morning. That included herself.

With another yawn, she slammed her window shut. What was today? April sixth, 1966, right? She needed to hurry, G.U.N. didn't like it when she was late. A freshen up here, a wipe down there, and she'll be ready. Ready again, to work alongside those that took care of her, those that trained her, those that raised her.

Yeah right...

Almost instinctively, she moved back over to her night stand. Pulling shoes from under the wooden piece of furniture, she prepared for a quick jog. But not before reading something specific. Opening her nightstand, she withdrew her G.U.N. I.D.

Maria Robotnik, Age 24, it said. She needed to read this every now and then, or else, she'd forget who she was. And that wasn't good... Sometimes, it was hard remembering everything.

Lifting her trusty pistol, she checked its condition. It was nice, clean, and still in great use. With a switch of a button on the side, she caused the gun's clip to fall out. With a simple train of her eye, she confirmed its filled stature. With a smile, she slid it back into her handgun.

Morning rituals completed, she started her way toward the shower. She needed this. As cold as it could get in her home, it was always so nice and hot in the hot waters of the shower. Stepping into the bathroom, she hovered her fingers over a small spherical object laying on the floor. With a groan, she wondered how she left such a machine in the bathroom.

"Jeeves." she called into it, causing the sphere to brighten up a light blue.

It shook, and the black lines on the object started to shimmer a great blue. As Maria flipped the light switch on in the pearly white room, the spherical object started flying up. A second later, sections on the machine opened up, and two hands appeared. A small fan like object opened up on its bottom side, showing how the machine could stay afloat. Lastly, the front end of the machine opened up, revealing two shining optics.

"Good morning, Maria," the machine called, "and might I add you look stunning today!"

What a lie. Her hair was undone, bags were under her eyes, and she hadn't freshened up yet. But, it was always like Jeeves to give words of encouragement.

"Just get my brush." she ordered coldly.

"Why, of course, Miss Maria!" it answered, happily enough.

As she removed the grey tank top on her shoulders, she turned on the warm water of the shower. With a dainty step, she moved inside the tub, and closed the blinds on her, constricting her body from those who attempted vision.

"Jeeves!" she called out a minute later.

"Here, Madame Maria! And here is the brush, might I add!"

His robot hand stretched into the washing tub, and handed the adult woman the brush she asked for. As she brushed it alongside her blonde locks, she went over her daily plans. Commander Taylor needed her on a mission, from what she heard, so that wasn't surprising. But she needed to visit her brother, Abraham, he was starting his G.U.N. training today.

"Jeeves, wash clothe, now!"

"Yes, Madame Maria!" the loyal robot answered.

Reaching in between the tub's blinds, it handed her the clothe she wished for. As she dragged the soap infused clothe along her skin, she continued to wonder. What was it that Colonel Taylor asked of her? She hadn't gone on a mission for a while, so it wasn't anything big, was it? The last mission had her sent to Holoska, which she prayed she would never have to go to again. It was damn, cold! Oh well, she would have to wait and see.

"Madame Maria," Jeeves called, "you have a message from Commander Taylor, shall I play it for you?"

"Go ahead, Jeeves."

"Agent Maria," the voice sounded just like Taylor's, "I hope you've had a good week on leave. But enough of that, I hope your shooting skills are prepared."

"They always are..." she commented.

"I know how much you hate this, but there's been a recent prison break at Prison Island."

"Of course..."

"Many high-profile prisoners have escaped, and its urgent that we round them back up."

Maria's hand found the showers nozzle.

"I shall debrief you in a more proper manner when you arrive at the base."

A moment later, Jeeves' regular voice returned.

"Do you want me to delete the message, Madame Maria?" he questioned.

"Yes, Jeeves." she commanded.

A second later, her dainty feet stepped out of the tub. Grabbing a hold of her bathrobe, she shifted her gaze out of the room. A few steps later, she exited the bathroom, and returned to her bed. A sigh escaped her lips, while Jeeves' mechanical hands started to massage her shoulders.

"You have pent-up tension, Madame Maria," he said, his voice as chipper as usual, "do you get out often?"

"Not now Jeeves..." she murmured.

Moving her blue eyes toward the wardrobe at the end of the room, she got up. It didn't take long for her to get there. Opening it up, she gazed at her clothing for today. Almost on instinct, her eyesight picked out her clothing. White shirt, blue vest, white and blue skirt. Why the heck not? Grabbing her clothing, she took her gun belt that lied slung on a knob within the wardrobe. Gliding her fingers up and down the brown leather piece of clothing, took in the fine craftsmanship. Seconds later, she lobbed that onto her bed, alongside her clothing. But there was one final thing.

Shifting her attention to the window seal, she saw a golden object shine back. Her badge. Can't forget that now, can we?

A minute or two later, she was ready. Dressed up, gun-belt on her waist, badge on her chest. Wait... there was something missing... oh yes, her beloved, blue band. Sliding that in her hair, she took a gander at herself in the mirror. Everything was good, just one last thing. Grabbing her pistol, she slid it into her gun belt.

She let out a sigh a moment later, as her fingers found its way to her hair. Jeeves stretched forward his hands, and started brushing off wrinkles in her clothing, whilst saying,

"You look positively beautiful, Madame Maria."

"Thanks Jeeves..." she said, though her tone was somber.

Gazing off out the window, she let out another sigh.

"Take care of the home while I'm away."

"As always, Madame Maria!" he stated with his chipper voice.

The woman stood up moments later, and strolled out of her room. Coming to a hall, she traveled down the hallway toward the stairs, and then down the stairs to her front door. Her home was... small, to say the least. As a G.U.N. agent, she was provided with her own place to live, but that didn't mean it would be big. Didn't matter though, Maria always found the place to be more a midway station, than a home. Taking her keys, she stepped out of the doorway to face the city at large. Empire City... how it was so big and spacious.

How she hated it...

The G.U.N. base was on the other end of the city, so she was going to have to deal with the city's metro system together.

"Dammit..." she groaned, fists tightening.