CHAPTER IX

Shadow checked his wristwatch impatiently. He'd been waiting for over an hour, and still there were no signs of Blaze.

"Stupid cat…" he muttered, staring through the glass dome of the Station at the darkening sky. "Said she'd be here at five. It's six thirty!"

No sooner had he said this, Blaze stepped through the automatic doors of the station, smiling as she saw the black hedgehog standing up by the trains.

"Hello," she greeted, putting down a suitcase, "I'm Blaze. You must be Shadow?"

Shadow looked away, "So what if I am?"

Blaze put her hands on her hips, glaring at him, "You said you would take me to the ARK, you know…"

Shadow pushed himself off the wall he'd been leaning on, "I know. I've been waiting for you. Let's get moving."

He led Blaze out of the Station and out to the wreckage of the Egg Carrier. From there, he launched the personal vehicle he'd hidden there and made his way toward the ARK.

The entire way, Blaze was silent. It unnerved Shadow, seeing as most of his 'companions' were over the top with conversation. "It will be a while," he said at length, "If you wish to catch a few minutes of rest, be my guest."

Blaze nodded off to sleep, and Shadow turned back to watch the ARK growing steadily nearer. He pulled out his watch, grimacing. Seven thirty three. His Chao was going to kill him… if he hadn't already destroyed most of the ARK by this time.

A little while later, Shadow roused Blaze, telling her they were preparing to dock with the Space Colony. Blaze sat up, rubbing her eyes, and looked around. There was a sea of stars stretching endlessly in all directions. In front of her, the majestic form of the Space Colony loomed like some all-devouring titan, waiting to swallow their tiny craft. Shadow expertly maneuvered the small shuttle into one of the ports and parked it next to a few of its cousins.

"We're home…" he said, opening the doors.

"This place is… um… big…" said Blaze, feeling incredibly stupid at having nothing else to say. The ARK was not exactly aesthetically pleasing, but more functional. Blaze stared around at the shuttle bay, marveling at the sheer enormity of it. The walls must have been several hundred feet high, and the room was larger than any football field.

"The inside is more suited to living," replied Shadow, as he opened one of the airlock doors, "If you would be so kind…"

Blaze walked inside, looking around. While the ARK wasn't ugly, she had to admit it needed work before it could even be called 'nice'.

"Shadow… this place…"

"Go ahead," muttered Shadow, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, "I know it's not the nicest place around, but I prefer privacy."

Blaze nodded, looking over at him.

He seems pissed, what's gone and bitten him?

"So, where's this Chao I'm supposed to help you with?"

"Hm?" asked Shadow, looking up at her, "Oh, you mean Pandora? He's over in the Research Lab… I put his playpen in there…"

"Well, let's go see this little demon, shall we?"

Shadow led the way, and he could practically sense Blaze looking all over the ARK as she followed him. Noticing her curiosity without turning around, seeing as it was almost palpable, he spoke.

"The ARK was the first Station Built by mankind," he said, continuing to walk, "It was built for the betterment of mankind, but some wanted to use it for the opposite. It was shut down fifty years ago, and since then, it has been a satisfactory home for me."

"You've been here fifty years?" she asked, and Shadow could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head.

"No, I was created here fifty years ago, part of the Ultimate Life-Form Project: Shadow. I was then sent to earth due to a…" he picked the word carefully, "…catastrophe, and was released fifty years later. Eggman, to be precise. But after three years of being awake, some people decided I should sleep – permanently. Therefore, I fled here. That was a year ago…"

He turned to face her, locking his eyes with hers, "And I don't want your pity."

He opened the door to the Research Lab, and restrained a scream. Somehow, the 'little demon' had escaped his playpen and had proceeded to gnaw his way through almost everything of value. Chairs, tables, the teleconference cord… Shadow wanted to put the tiny monster back into his egg, but knew that wasn't possible.

"So, I take it this is what you meant by Chao trouble?" snickered Blaze, earning her a glare of contempt from Shadow.

"Yes."