Hi, all! I hope you haven't forgotten this story in the long wait for it. I won't keep you for much longer, but let's get the formalities done, shall we?
DISCLAIMER: I don't own TT or Sonic the Hedgehog.
Chapter 9: Chaos Everywhere!
Shadow had changed in his desperation for the Chaos Emeralds. The Titans had noticed this when he rammed a police officer to the side while chasing after them. They decided the best thing to do, now that things were starting to come under control, with less aliens filling in the city, and more forces taking them down besides a small police force, was to confront him. Rouge and Knuckles came with them. They found him inside an old facility on the outskirts of the city, smashing open a container and pulling out the light blue Chaos Emerald from it.
"Shadow, what are you doing?" Robin yelled. Shadow glanced over at the Titans.
"These things hold the secret to my past. I'm not going to rest until I get them all!" he said.
"Shadow, you can't keep this up!" Rouge pleaded. "Those things will keep chasing you if you keep collecting them, and now the police forces probably consider you a foe, too!"
"Shut up!" Shadow yelled. "I'm collecting these emeralds, and nothing's going to stop me!" he said, launching a blast of Chaos Spear directly towards Rouge. It traveled fast, and Rouge couldn't evade it, but Knuckles pushed her out of the way, and the blast traveled through a wall, destroying a section of the building. They looked back at where Shadow was, but he had already gotten away. As Knuckles and Rouge got back up, the Titans consulted each other.
"I do not understand." Starfire said. "Why is friend Shadow attacking us and acting so violently?"
"He's been getting desperate to learn about his past, Starfire." Raven said.
"People will do any number of things when they're desperate." Robin said. Just then, Black Doom rose out of the ground nearby.
"How very true, isn't it, Titans?" he said. The Titans readied themselves for battle, but Black Doom gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "I have not come here to waste time in fighting you. I merely wish to...discuss the present situation with Shadow." he said.
"And Why should we trust you?" Cyborg said.
"Because our goals now coincide, of course." Black Doom said. "Shadow has disobeyed my offer for him to simply hand over the Emeralds, and now collects them for his own reasons. He must be dealt with accordingly, and I believe that would be your area of expertise..."
"Wrong, pal!" BeastBoy said. "It's our job to deal with bad guys!" Black Doom merely chuckled at this.
"Heheheh...are you so sure that's not what Shadow is becoming now?" he said. "As he has demonstrated as of late, he is resorting to revoking his 'hero' status, in favor of a more...villainous lifestyle. Do not tell me you have not seen this."
The Titans remained silent.
"Remember, Titans. His memories may not be all to his liking. Shadow's memories do not contain all the justice and happiness of a...heroic lifestyle..." Black Doom said, fading back out as he sunk into the ground once more. The Titans were still silent.
"Guys..." Rouge said. All the Titans had serious looks on their faces.
"As much as I hate to admit it..." Robin said. "Black Doom is right. Shadow's a danger to innocents now. We have to take him down."
"Robin..." Starfire said.
"That's just the way it is, Star. No matter how much we wish it wasn't." With that solemn note, the Titans, followed by Knuckles and Rouge, rushed out of the building.
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Shadow had just taken another Chaos Emerald from a band of wandering thieves in the barren lands further outside the city. Shadow left them unconscious on the ground, but to him, that was being lenient, considering how much they tried to resist him. He hadn't walked very far, when a loud buzzing was heard, and Sonic descended, riding with Tails in his small planelike machine.
"Hey, Shadow!" Sonic said. "Looks like you got another Chaos Emerald. That's good! Anyway, we've got word that the aliens are gathering around the space colony ARK. You should come with!" he said.
"ARK..." Shadow said, trailing off. A flash of memory appeared in his head...a large spaceship...flying around outside it, flowing with incredible power..."Alright, I'm coming with you guys." Shadow said, hopping onto the back of Tails' machine.
"Awesome!" Sonic said. "Let's go, Tails. To the launchpad!" he exclaimed, and they flew off.
Not too far behind them, the Titans appeared.
"Sonic, wait!" Robin yelled. But it was too late, they were already past earshot.
"Dang, they don't know yet." Cyborg said.
"Doesn't matter. We'll just follow after them." Robin said.
"Wherever they're going." BeastBoy said.
"I would not care if I had to follow them into the depths of space." Starfire said. "Anything to return friend Shadow to normal!"
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That was indeed where the Titans had to follow them. They were unsuccessful in catching them before the spaceship had launched, and had to follow in their own spaceship. Of course, Rouge, Knuckles, Vector, Charmy, Espio, and Amy followed them, as well, worried about their friends.
Meanwhile, inside Sonic's ship, which was now floating next to the space colony ARK, and Sonic and Tails had departed, Shadow stared into a container in the main room. A dark blue emerald was contained in it.
"You got to be kidding me!" Shadow said smugly. "This is like taking candy from a baby!" he said, then smashed the glass and pulled out the emerald. Immediately, the spaceship powered down. "looks like it's time I take a leave into the ARK." Shadow said, hurrying into the ARK.
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Meanwhile, inside the Black Comet, Black Doom was watching images on a few floating video screens. The Titans, searching inside the ARK for Shadow...Sonic and his friends, battling his soldiers inside the ARK...Charmy, Vector, and Espio, attempting to work something on the old colony's computer...and Shadow, battling through his soldiers, and smashing anything that might contain a Chaos Emerald. The sight of all of it made him chuckle.
"Heheheh...They have no clue." he said to himself. "They all think they are opposing me, or at least stopping an awful threat...they have absolutely no idea that they are all my pawns in my great plan..."
The images of the others disappeared, and only the monitoring of Shadow remained.
"Especially you...Shadow."
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
Well, I think I'll leave you on that enigmatic note, which I hope is a somewhat tormenting cliffhanger. If not, oh well. I just hope it was an enjoyable chapter to make up for the wait.
By the way, for you readers, stick around after I finish the Shadow the Hedgehog arc, in the next chapter or two. Because, afterwards, I'm going to make a special little arc after then, about a big tournament that the Titans and Sonic characters participate in. That's right, you'll get to see you're favorite characters going at it in a friendly tournament competition. Epic battles, rivalries settled, and perhaps a little romance, will be in there.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Once again, I would be honored if you would grace me with your reviews. The longer the better, actually. Until then, good bye.
