Chapter 2
"What in the world was that?" said the blue furred hedgehog. The two-tailed fox boy next to him shrugged, "I don't know, Sonic. But I think we should go find out." Sonic turned to him, nodded and grabbed his wrist, "Hold on tight, Tails!" They headed through Westopolis, at almost super sonic speed, toward the source of the mysterious light. When they got to the outskirts of the city, a gust of wind hit them hard, blowing them back. They headed toward a clearing on a hill with a tree, but when they got there, they were stunned. They saw their ally, Shadow the hedgehog, kneeling next to a shrouded figure. A wicked-looking rifle was lying next to him, but his attention was entirely on the figure. "Shadow?" Sonic said, carefully inching toward him. No response. He tried again, "Hey, Shadow, are you ok?" Still no response. He got close enough to tap him on the shoulder, "Shadow?" Shadow lashed out at him, landing his fist in Sonic's face, "Get away! You won't take her, not again!" Sonic skidded a foot, landing on his side, dazed. Blood dripped from his mouth, the punch had left him with a bloody lip. He shook his head, trying to clear it, slowly picking himself up. He wiped the blood off his lips with the back of his hand, and then locked his eyes with the back of Shadow's head. "You jerk! What the heck is wrong with you?!" Sonic shouted, and then slowly walked back toward Shadow. Shadow, quick as lightning, picked up the emerald, the shrouded figure, and his rifle in one swift movement. Shouting out the words, 'Chaos Control', he disappeared in a flash of white light. Both Sonic and Tails looked around in bewilderment, did Shadow just run away? Apparently not, for he reappeared behind Sonic with his rifle pointed to the back of his head. "Sonic!!" Tails shouted out, for he feared Shadow would actually shoot his best friend. But Shadow just slowly lowered the muzzle, "You ever try that again, I swear I'll shoot you. So just leave us alone." With that he raised the rifle again and brought the blunt of it down hard on Sonic's head. Sonic fell forward, unconscious. Shadow gave Tails a cold glare, "That goes for you too, fox boy. Chaos Control!" A bright light flashed, then darkness. Shadow was gone, along with the robed figure and chaos emerald. Tails ran to the k.o.ed body of Sonic, shook him a little, and sat back. Sonic slowly stirred, holding his spinning head. "Owww… What hit me?" "The blunt end of Shadow's gun. Man, sometimes he's just too scary. Don't you think Sonic?" "No, he's just a show-off and a jerk. Why'd he have to hit me? I didn't do anything to him!" Tails looked up thoughtfully, "Maybe you snuck up on him and he didn't like it. But did you hear what he said when he lashed out?" Sonic looked at him, annoyed, "No. I can barely remember what happened 10 seconds ago!" he rubbed the back of his head, sighing heavily. Tails giggled, and then lay down on the grass. He looked up at the night sky, questions popping into his head, all concerning Shadow's odd behavior. "Shadow," he thought aloud, "What's up with you?"
"Don't worry, Maria. We're almost at the infirmary." Shadow said to the sleeping blonde girl in his arms. He was running through the hallways of Space Colony ARK, now operational because of him. He stopped in front of a panel, pressed his hand on it, and held it there. A light flashed beneath his palm, beeping all the while. A voice, mechanical in tone, sounded over the P.A., "Verification complete. Ultimate Life Form, Shadow. Access Granted." The panel sunk into the wall, a plastic pane covered it, and then the wall slid open. Shadow walked in, the lights turning on automatically, he walks up to the white-covered cot and lays the girl down on it. He then walks up to a machine, presses a button and it starts buzzing. A light, thin and concentrated, passed over the girl's body. Head to foot, the girl is scanned by the machine. The same mechanical-tone voice sounded over the P.A., "Bio-Scan complete. Subject Name: Maria Robotnik. Status: Unconscious, wound found on lower right extremity, minimal loss of blood. All other bodily functions normal, no other injuries found." Shadow's eyes widened, "Could it be… Could it really be you, Maria?" He walked back to the cot where Maria slept, and very gently shook her shoulder while calling her name. Slowly, she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, but when she caught sight of Shadow, her eyes widened. She reached a hand out and touched his cheek. Shadow's hand shot up and held her hand in place as he rubbed his cheek against it. Tears had formed in his eyes, falling now as his beloved Maria had come back to him. Maria smiled up at him, tears also falling from her eyes, "Shadow… You survived! I'm so happy the capsule got to Earth safely. But… How did I get here?" Shadow wiped away her tears, "The Chaos Emerald must have brought you here. But… What are you talking about? What capsule?" Maria looked at him, shocked, "You don't remember the capsule? Do you remember the accident that happened on ARK? The G.U.N soldiers were killing everyone… We managed to get away. Only, I got you in the capsule before they got the chance to shoot you, then I launched it. Then… then-then…" A horrified look over came her features, "Then the G.U.N soldier shot me! If he shot me, how come I'm still alive?!" Shadow's mind was alive with memories; they all just suddenly rushed out of hiding. They were too much for him to bear, all at once. He let out a stifled cry, falling to his knees. Maria forgot about everything else, rushing to Shadow's side, "Shadow?! Are you alright?? What's wrong??" Her questions fell on deaf ears, for Shadow had fainted due to the strain from regaining his lost memories.