Okay guys here it is! Thank you for all of the reviews and support so far! There's only a few more chapters to go. Now that I'm on summer break I hope to have this story finished by the end of August!

Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment:)


"Amy." Said girl stared down at the text in front of her. Her eyes scanned the pages over and over again. She saw but did not comprehend any of the words in front of her.

"Amy."

Her name was called a second time, louder with more force. She snapped her head up, not realizing that she had spaced out, "What?"

Rouge furrowed her eyebrows for a second. Her and Cream exchanged a worried glance. "Well," she set her textbook down on the table in front of her, "I've been doing more work than you. When does that ever happen?"

"You've been spacing out a lot lately," Cream added while clutching her notebook to her chest.

"I have?" Amy self-consciously twiddled the end of her quill. She glanced over to Shadow, who met her gaze at the same moment. She expected him to confirm or deny the statements, but no indication was given.

Cream chewed on the bottom of her lip. She noticed the change in Amy ever since her fight with Sonic over a week ago. Her friend walked around as if there was a weight on her shoulders.

Everytime Cream and Tails hung out, she found herself asking about Sonic. She knew their best friends' wellbeings plagued him as much as it did herself. Cream was thankful that her own relationship didn't suffer any awkwardness. If anything, their shared concern only led them to spend more time with each other. Sonic was always running around somewhere while Amy locked herself up in her house.

"I know you're usually up in your head," Rouge half joked with a pitiful smile, "but it's like you just moved away to Amyland."

Cream would have worded it differently herself, but she agreed with the bat.

Amy let out a barely audible "oh," not knowing what else to say. She suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder.

Shadow nudged his head towards the door, "Let's go on a walk."

Amy let him lead her from their secluded corner. She felt her other friends stare at their backs, only now becoming aware of their heavy concern.

The breeze washed over her in the refreshing sunlight. She stayed beside Shadow, who led the way through a slow stroll. It wasn't until the diner was out of their sight that he began to talk.

"We can all tell that something is bothering you."

"I'm just having an off day." Amy wrapped her arms around her torso, purposefully darting her eyes at the brick walls.

Shadow let out a snort. She glanced over to him in shock. As far as she was concerned, that was the closest he ever was to laughing.

"You can't hide this from me," the corner of his mouth twitched, "you wear your emotions on you sleeves."

She cupped her hands to her face, feeling her cheeks heat up. "I do? I didn't realize I was that easy to see through."

"Don't take it so negatively," Shadow stopped walking and leaned against the side of the nearest building. "I don't mean it to insult you. I think it's more refreshing, actually. You can't trust anyone. People are always hiding something."

Amy bit her lip. She knew he wouldn't say that to her if he had known what she did to Sonic. "I'm not so innocent either," she leaned beside him.

"Does this have to do with Sonic?"

"How do you know about that?" she defensively wondered.

"Rouge."

Amy suddenly recalled Shadow telling her to "be careful" around Sonic. She wondered what he had meant. At the time she figured it had to do with his distrust of teenage boys. Now she wondered if he knew about the villainous Eggman.

"I'm guessing you don't like him very much," she gave him a wry smile.

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to," Amy playfully nudged his arm with her own, "maybe I'm not the only one who wears their emotions on their sleeves." Ironically, both hedgehogs knew that the term "expressive" did not apply to Shadow.

"I guess we have a bit of a history together," he vaguely commented, looking off across the street.

Amy tilted her head, one ear instinctively twitched, "What do you mean?" She knew he wasn't referring to an old flame. "Who are you to him?"

"Doesn't matter," he continued to walk ahead. Amy starred dumbstruck for a moment before running to catch up. She remembered that Shadow was never a fan of talking about himself. "That faker has no regard for others," he angrily ranted.

Amy pursed her lips at the nickname, not getting what it meant. She didn't bother asking. She refocused herself on her own guilt. "I'm over it," she half-heartedly admitted.

"He hurt you and you've just been moping for what seems to be awhile now," Shadow pointed out, "I don't believe that you are."

Amy let out a long sigh, "It's not his fault." She took his silence as him waiting for her to explain herself. "Long story short," she reluctantly summarized, "I lied to Sonic about something. He found out and we got into a huge argument."

"What did you lie to him about?"

She was embarrassed thinking about having to admit that they were fake dating to Shadow. Swallowing her pride, she recounted the creation of their contract and the events that led up until their fight on the field. Amy left out a few details, including their kiss and why she suddenly panicked when Sonic suggested the end of their act.

Shadow remained quiet throughout her entire retell, not giving any indication of his opinion. He wondered to himself how he got to be invested in the teenage drama of someone else's life. Although he knew enough about modern society to know that this situation was not common.

Once Amy was done with her story, he deeply inhaled before letting his breath stretch out. "Don't think I didn't noticed how you conveniently left out your crush on Sonic," he smirked for a moment, enjoying the flustered reaction he managed to get out of her. It was better than the long face that began to return.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Amy gauged the deadpan he gave to her. He really could read her like an open book. "Fine," she sighed in defeat, "I like him." She felt silly saying it, as if she was a schoolgirl crushing on a celebrity. "There was a moment where I thought maybe he'd like me back." She kicked a bit at the sidewalks as their steps slowed to a halt once again.

Shadow suddenly grabbed her by her shoulders. Amy let out a confused sound. His intense stare burned her face. Her arms hung limply at her side like a rag doll.

"Amy, I need you to listen to me," his voice was low.

She wondered if Shadow was paranoid. The street was mostly empty despite the nice weather. No one could be listening in on their conversation. Even if someone was, what would anyone gain from a couple of teenagers?

"Have you ever noticed Sonic doesn't have many friends?"

Now that Amy thought back to it, she didn't see him talking to many people. Sonic mostly hung around Tails. The only times she had seen him spend one on one time with anyone else happened to be with Fiona. She would count herself, but she was beginning to think all of those times were just for the sake of their contract.

"It's not because of his annoying personality," Shadow deadpanned, making her crack a half hearted smile. "Being close to him is dangerous."

Amy could sense where this conversation was going. Just how much did Shadow know about Sonic?

"Sonic is the hero, right? Saves the day and fights that evil scientist while remaining on the downlow."

"How do you know about that?" Amy wanted an answer, but her question went ignored.

"He's a target. He has to constantly watch his own back. Too many people getting close to Sonic makes him the bullseye while everyone else becomes the rings around him. We all aim for the bullseye but that doesn't mean we always hit it."

Amy chewed on the inside of his cheek. Despite her minimal encounters with Eggman, she didn't fear him. Sonic made fun of and taunted the man as if he was a younger brother, except without any love. The scientist didn't appear to be a threat.

"I'm not afraid of Eggman," she shrugged off Shadow's grip and straightened herself to stand taller. "And if you know Sonic so well, then explain to my why Tails, his best friend who is always around him, hasn't gotten hurt."

Amy didn't know why she was defending her friendship with Sonic. She was sure that it didn't exist anymore.

"It's only a matter of time," he sighed.

Amy was hoping to feel better after a chit chat with Shadow. She was hoping a third party perspective would give her the courage to move on. Now she only felt worse.

She assumed Shadow was just some homeschooled kid that sometimes hung around Rouge. Now she had no idea who he was or who he was to Sonic.

As far as she knew, 5 other people were aware of Sonic's secret and counting. Tails knew because he was Sonic's best friend. She knew because she tended to get nosy. Cream knew because Amy had dragged her into it. Eggman knew because he was the bad guy trying to ruin his life at every chance he got. Where did that leave Shadow?

"I can handle myself," Amy firmly stated, taking a step back.

Shadow scanned her face, looking from one eye to the other and back. He had to consciously not clench his jaw. Why did hedgehogs have to be so damn stubborn?

"Okay, Amy," he stepped by her, patting her head gently as he passed.

She remained dumbfounded for a split second. When she turned around to follow him, Shadow was already gone.

Amy remained on the street for a moment. She felt as if she had just made another mistake, but not sure exactly what had caused the guilt.

She let out a sigh and dragged herself back to the diner, already thinking of an excuse to go home.

….

"So, Sonic…"

The blue hedgehog groaned. He knew nothing good ever came when Tails began a conversation out of nowhere, leading with his name.

"Would you calm down?" the fox chastised his behavior. He rolled his eyes, wondering when Sonic became such a teenager.

Sonic crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. He leaned back, using Tails' tool box as an uncomfortable pillow.

"I just noticed that you and Amy haven't been hanging out as much anymore." Tails busied himself with the gadgets laid across his desk. He made a point not to look at his best friend. While he was prying for information, he didn't want to be anymore obvious than he already was.

Sonic began to impatiently shake his foot. He was itching to go for a run. "So what? Contract was over. " he scoffed.

Tails glared into the side of Sonic's head, who had now closed his eyes. "I expected you guys to continue being friends afterwards."

"When have I ever remained friends with a client?"

"Will you cut that out?" Tails snapped.

Sonic looked over in surprise. The passive fox never raised his voice. "Cut what out?" He defensively yelled back.

"This 'contract' talk," Tails shook his head. He was tired of Sonic bringing it up whenever he tried to talk about Amy. "Whether or not you want to admit it, you were doing a favor for a friend. That friend was Amy. So what she lied about still needing your help? Have you stopped to consider why?"

Sonic jumped up from his seat on the counter. He met Tails with an angry snarl and pointed an accusing finger. "No, I will not 'cut it out.' First, she practically blackmails me into pretending to be her boyfriend. Then she makes me expose my secret to her. And now I find out she's been using me for some weird personal gain!"

"What personal gain could she possibly get out of this other than getting Scourge to leave her alone?" Tails couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did Sonic really have no idea?

"I don't know," he fumbled over his thoughts for a moment. "Popularity or something!"

"'Popularity'?" Tails echoed in disbelief. "That makes no sense," he threw his hands in the air, forgetting about whatever work he had pretended to be invested in. "Did you not think for one minute that maybe she did it because she likes you?"

Sonic searched for any hint of a joke. A few thuds slammed in his chest, leaving an ache. He inhaled deeply, letting out a heavy sigh. He sobered up, realizing that he was beginning to fight with his best friend over nothing.

"Unlikely," Sonic muttered. He uncomfortably looked out towards the garage opening, ready to disappear.

Tails opened his mouth to speak, but Sonic cut him off. "I need a distraction. I bet Eggman is somewhere in need for a beating."

Sonic took long strides to leave. Tails watched his back, ready to give him space.

Before the hedgehog got far, he suddenly came to a halt. "What the-!"

Tails quickly rushed to Sonic's side. Both boys looked up to a familiar man hovering right over the opening. His eyes were wide and his lips tightly pressed together, looking like a kid who just got caught stealing a cookie.

"Eggman!" The two growled.

"Oh, hey, rats," the mad scientist tried to casually greet. He looked off guard before fixing a devious smile.

"Are you spying on us?"

"That's really creepy, even for you," Sonic added.

"I just happened to stroll by and heard in on a very interesting conversation," Eggman teased.

Sonic groaned. Could he just go one day without thinking about Amy? It was becoming a pain in his neck. "Whatever you think you heard, you're wrong."

"Oh really?" He leaned in with a newfound fascination. "You seem off your game, Sonic. I'm sure this has nothing to do with your little argument with your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," he bit back through gritted teeth.

"Sonic," Tails reached out a concerned hand to grab his attention.

He snapped his head around, startling Tails with his fast reflexes. Sonic checked himself. He felt himself cool off. He was taking his frustration out on his best friend and letting it get the best of his mood.

Sonic closed his eyes for a moment before throwing on a cocky smile. "You know, Egghead," he began to taunt, "for an old man you are way too invested in the lives of a couple of teenagers."

"Joke all you want," Eggman clenched his teeth, "but the second I get your pink buddy involved, you'll be playing into the palm of my hand."

"Would you lay off it, old man!" Sonic dramatically rolled his eyes to further prove how much the scientist was a pest to him. "She's just a random girl."

"If that's the case, then you won't mind me paying her a little visit."

Eggman backed up in his hovercraft and shot off over the house. The two teenagers mouths hung open in shock.

"Well that was a turn of events," Tails deadpanned.

Sonic shot him a look for stating the obvious.

"So, Sonic," his friend gave him a cheeky smile, "are you gonna go save your girl?"

He flicked the fox on forehead. "Quiet you," he grumbled. Sonic quickly grabbed his communicator from the tool desk. "I'm gonna find Amy before Eggman can do any damage," he said in a rush. "Don't wait up!" Sonic called over his shoulder.

Tails awkwardly shuffled his feet, not sure what to do with himself. "Okay… I'll just stand here then."

….

Amy shuffled her feet as she walked home. She faked a headache and got out of group studying. She knew Cream and Rouge saw right through it, but was thankful both respected her desire for alone time.

Her backpacked weighed down on her shoulders. Shadow had left his textbook behind, so she took it upon herself to watch over it. Amy briefly contemplated looking through it, for any secret notes that could clue her into who he was. She knew it was a silly thought. The more she pondered on it, the more she realized that maybe she didn't want to know.

She barely let out a yelp as a hard force banged her shoulder. She lurched forward, falling to the ground with the help of her heavy bag.

"Amy!"

She looked up to see Sonic skidding to a halt and rushing back to her. She grumbled to herself as she began to pick herself off the ground. Before she made it to her feet, he hoisted her up, shaking her by the shoulders.

Amy hated the way her heart beat already quickened with just one touch. She didn't want to be reeled back in to his charm. Stay angry, Amy. He's an ass who just shoulder checked you.

Sonic rapidly breathed out a sentence so fast it fell as gibberish onto her ears. "Eggmanislookingforyouyougottagohide."

She was barely able to voice her confusion before Sonic threw her over his shoulder and took off. Amy yelped as the world blurred around her. "Sonic!" She protested. "What are you doing? Put me down right now!"

She turned her head to look up at him. Her backpack sloppily hung off the side of her, but Sonic managed to effortlessly support the weight of is on her behalf.

"What's going on?" She shouted over the wind. "You don't talk to me for a week and now you appear out of nowhere?"

Sonic kept his eyes forward, pretending not to hear her persistent questioning.

He was back at Tails' in the matter of seconds. Sonic zoomed through the garage, causing the piles of papers to fly through the air.

"Hey!" Tails complained as he ducked out of the way, wanting to avoid the threat of a paper cut.

Sonic finally set Amy down in the middle of the kitchen. She wobbled on her feet a bit, choosing to drop her bag to the ground to restable herself. Once she regained her composure, she looked up to find the blue hedgehog peeking out of the windows.

"Hello to you too," she bitterly commented while crossing her arms over her chest.

Sonic gazed over his shoulder. It was obvious that she was still pissed at him. He wanted to be mad too, but Tails' remark echoed in his head.

Did you not think for one minute that maybe she did it because she likes you?

He shook the thought out. Beat up Eggman now, hide from your feelings later.

"Listen, Amy," he fully turned to her, "I need you to stay in here. Eggman is looking for you and my guess is that he'll come back here any minute."

She narrowed her eyes at him. Why did everyone else think she needed to be protected. She's been living perfectly fine on her own for years. "I don't need you to save me," she criticized his heroic behavior. "Eggman doesn't scare me."

He returned the look. "Can you please just stay in here?" he begged.

Amy purposely crossed her arms over her chest. "I can handle myself," she slowly enounced.

"I can't deal with your attitude right now," he groaned, similarly to how Tails had when Sonic held the same moody behavior.

Before Amy could give him a piece of her mind, he shuffled through a few drawers. "Aha!" Sonic exclaimed as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

She eyed him suspiciously. "What are you- hey!"

Sonic yanked her wrist forward, attaching her to the oven door. He didn't know where the key was, but that's another issue for later.

"You stay inside, okay?" He patted her on the head, as if she was a puppy getting rewarded.

Amy glared at him.

"Sit," Sonic commanded.

"Woof," she bit back.

He lightly bumped into Tails, who stood in the doorway, raising an eyebrow at the scene. Amy sent him a silent plea. Before the fox could question the situation, Sonic grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back outside just in time to come face to face with Eggman.

Tails inwardly thought how everything was happening so fast, but that was usually the case with Sonic. He sighed, taking a second to gaze longingly at the mess of papers that remained in his garage.

Amy glanced around at the now still kitchen. It was peaceful with the hypnotizing tic of the clock.

She wondered how she was safer alone inside while being locked in place.

Amy strained her ear when she began to hear a commotion outside. She recognized the distant voices as Sonic and Eggman's. She pulled her hand on the cuff, despite knowing it was pointless to try to slip out.

A sudden thud echoed through the house. Amy jumped at the unexpected sound and peered down the hall. The front door looked as if it had been untouched, but through the shadows she could see two short objects quickly moving their way towards her.

She began to walk backwards as it grew closer and closer. She felt a small surge of panic as her back hit the counter right beside the over.

Two short robots stepped into the light: Orbot and Cubot.

Their menacing looks failed to be a threat when they only stood up to her hips.

"I'm guessing you guys aren't here to bake cookies," Amy deadpanned.

"Hate to burst your bubble, pinky," she looked over to the red circular robot. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but his voice was more wavering as if he was going through puberty. Could a robotic voice be nervous?

"We're taking you down," his yellow, boxy partner tried to threaten.

Both failed miserably to do so.

"No, Cubot!" The red one knocked the other upside the head. "We're taking her outside, not down stairs!"

Amy found her ticket out. "Oh no," she dramatically brought her free hand to her forehead, "please don't break me from these handcuffs and force me to go outside." Anyone else would have seen the obvious sarcasm dripping from her voice. Lucky for her, these robots happened to be made by the dumbest evil genius.

….

"Why can't you just leave us alone?" Sonic pointed an accusing finger up at Eggman.

Before the scientist responded, two of his minions bursted through the window of the house. Held in their clutches was Amy, who seemed to be putting up no fight.

"We got her!" they zig zagged through the air, making their way over to their boss' side.

Amy looked down at the ground below them. She was surprised they haven't dropped her yet. She estimated the distance from the ground and figured a fall that far wouldn't be too hard to handle.

A metal arm sprung from the hovercraft, tightly wrapping around Amy.

Sonic groaned, "All I asked was for you to stay inside!"

"Oh yeah cause all I wanted to do was cut through those handcuffs and run to my savior Eggman," Amy dryly responded.

Tails nervously glanced between the two. Even in the presence of Eggman they were still bickering like true exes would.

"Could you drop the attitude for one second?" Sonic's attention moved from Eggman and was now completely focused on Amy.

"Me?" Her mouth hung open in offense. "How about looking in the mirror!"

Sonic's frown deepened, growing closer to becoming a glower. "I'm just trying to save you!" He threw his hands up in the air, motioning to the scene before him.

Amy hated this. When did she suddenly become the damsel in distress? She was on her own before Sonic came along. Who said she couldn't keep her independence A.S. (after Sonic)?

At first the sneaking around a deceiving Scourge was fun. She even thought she made a good friend out of it. But Amy now saw that in the end it wouldn't work. Sonic was as stubborn as she was. If not, even worse.

Amy regretting lying to him, but that didn't excuse the way he dropped her for Fiona of all people. She hated Scourge and all the people that adored him, with Fiona being his number one fan.

She knew it was pointless to drag out the argument. Amy already tried to apologize. Sonic may have then returned the favor. Now it was too late. Neither of them were going to forgive each other.

Amy decided it was time to listen to Shadow.

"I don't need you to save me," she brokenly responded. Her grief finally managed to slip through the cracks in her anger.

"You're stuck in the grip of a giant metal robot," Sonic pointed out with a hint of amusement.

Tails knit his eyebrows. His best friend may not have noticed, but he could see what really laid in front of them: a teenage girl about to cry.

"Sonic, maybe you should stop," he quietly warned him, although it went unheard.

Amy looked over the metal claw. It had a firm grip around her chest and upper arms. Although her range wasn't far, she could move enough to bend at the elbows. This'll do

Sonic and Tails blinked in surprise as they watched the girl spring into action.

Amy flicked her wrist. With the motion, a large, double headed hammer appeared in her grip. She swung up as much as she could, knocking the robotic arm.

The fracture caused the clasp to release her. Instead of letting herself fall to the ground, Amy pushed herself up. The second her feet touched the arm she jumped up, launching herself directly towards the center of the hovercraft.

Eggman shielded his face, letting out a weak yell.

The machine went down the instant she collided with it. Smoke began to cloud the air as they fell to the ground.

Before impact, Amy jumped up once more, landing smoothly on her feet.

Eggman wasn't so fortunate. He landed with the heavy chunk of metal, feeling the air knocked out of him. Blinking a few times, most of his vision was clouded by the dark clouds. Through it he saw the back of the pink girl. Through all of his observations, he saw no indication that she could defend herself in such a way.

The scientist quickly looked around for his robotic companions. "Orbot, cubot," he harshly whispered. The two lite up to life, slow and achily. "Let's get out of here," Eggman took off, forcing weight onto his limping leg. The two quickly followed suit, trying to make as little noise as possible.

As the smoke cleared, Sonic and Tails were left staring at Amy, who looked as pissed as she had before. She tightened her fist around the handle, letting the tension ache in her fingers. "I told you I can handle myself." With a fluid motion, the hammer disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place.

She didn't bother hanging around for a reaction. She went through the house to pick up her bag before making her way home.

It wasn't until they were completely alone did Tails bother to move. "Did you know she could do that?"

Sonic numbly shook his head.

"Neither did I."

Sonic sighed, kicking the grass in front of him. "I feel gross inside," he scrunched his face, scrutinizing his inner emotions.

"I think that's called 'guilt'," Tails quipped.

He didn't bother shooting back another one-liner. Sonic winced thinking about all of the fighting they've done. "I've probably said a few things I shouldn't have." He began to walk away while pulling his phone out, "Well I think it's about time I call things off with Fiona."

….

An angered screech echoed throughout the store. Several other concerned customers glanced in the general direction before averting their eyes. The manager thought about asking her to leave, but thought it was best not to get involved. He didn't get paid enough to be an acting social worker.

Fiona clutched her phone, squeezing it as if she was ringing out someone's neck.

She had just gotten dumped by her fake boyfriend.

"What's the point of signing a stupid contract if you won't even uphold your end of it," she grumbled to herself as she aggressively filed through the hanging shirts.

Sonic had been so happy to help Amy out. What was it that the little pink girl had that she didn't? It definitely wasn't boobs.

On top of that, Scourge still didn't show any more interest in her. She couldn't get him to like her. She couldn't even get a boy she paid to like her.

Fiona paused for a moment.

Sonic and Amy had made just as much of a fool of Scourge as they had of herself. She knew the green hedgehog better than anyone. It was obvious to anyone that he had anger issues, but only she knew the reasons to make him truly tick.

The way the other two hedgehogs got the better of him would be a grave mistake. She had to make sure of it.

With a more steady hand, Fiona pulled out her phone. She opened up her messages with Scourge, trying not to notice his texts were shorter and scarce compared to her's.

We need to talk. NOW.

Meet me at the mall.

There was no response, but she knew he would come. Scourge always listened to her when she sounded pissed through the phone.

Fiona made her way towards the main entrance. She smirked when she saw the green hedgehog already seated on a bench.

He leaned back, relaxing his arms and legs. His limbs spread out, allowing for him to take up most of the space. Fiona always lectured him on sitting like a gentleman but he never listened.

"Oh, Scourge," she purred.

He suspiciously eyed her for a second. He had expected a raging fox to come barging his way, but instead he was met with a playful flirt.

"What do you want?"

Fiona felt a rock fall in her gut. He was straight to the point. Despite her inner turmoil, she kept up her tone. "I found out something very interesting I thought you should know."

Scourge rolled his eyes, suppressing a groan. He could've been hanging out with the guys but instead he came to her beck and call. It was worth it if it meant avoiding her bitching and whining.

"Is this really something you couldn't have just said over the phone?"

"Oh, but then I wouldn't be able to see your reaction," Fiona feigned an innocent voice while widening her eyes.

Scourge narrowed his eyes. She was up to something, he knew it. It didn't go over his head that she had randomly started dating Sonic, but those other hedgehogs were no longer worth his energy.

Or so he thought.

"Get on with it!" he barked, getting impatient with her games.

"It's about Amy and her fake boyfriend." Fiona deadpanned.

She now fully captured his attention

….

Shadow stood in the middle of the lair. The monitors were left on in front of him, displaying the several cameras used to spy on the town. Most of the feed had been cut to a static, meaning that damage had been done. The only ones remaining intact were the two labeled, Orbot and Cubot, but the screen was too blurry for him to make out the image.

He approached the console, curiously pressing on the rewind button. Within a few seconds, the screens began to flash and rapidly shift between images.

He pressed play, watching the events that led up to the destruction of the cameras unfold.

Shadow furrowed his eyebrows. Eggman and his robots seemed to be moving to a lone house. From it emerged two figures. Sonic and Tails.

He watched the other hedgehog yell up into the direction of the hovercraft. He wished that there was sound, but figured it was the annoying banter that usually played out.

A flash of panic washed over Sonic's face before Eggman turned away and began to circle the woods.

What's going on?

Shadow sped up the feed until the camera on the hovercraft returned back to the house. Once again, Sonic and Tails emerged from the house.

He found himself perplexed as to what type of battle was occuring between the two.

Those feelings vanished once he saw Amy emerge from the house in the grasp between Orbot and Cubot.

He clenched his fist, not caring to watch the rest.

Shadow kicked the wall while letting out a frustrated yell. All this time he worked to keep Amy uninvolved.

There was no more working with Eggman.

"Enjoying the show?"

Shadow spun around to see the bruised up scientist standing in the doorway.

Speak of the devil.

"What did you do to Amy?" He angrily spat while pointing at the screens.

Eggman glanced between him and the footage. Who? He dumbly wondered for a moment before it hit him.

"You mean the pink brat?" He cackled. "I figured she would play a key role in getting to Sonic. Although I have not succeeded yet, I found that my hypothesis was right."

"I said that she was a nobody," Shadow did not let up his visible anger. "I told you not to mess with her!"

Eggman ignored him. He walked up to the console himself, glaring down at Shadow as he passed by. Being a full grown, human man left a significant height difference between the two. To any other mobians, Eggman might've been intimidating in that instant.

Eggman began to calmly type on the keyboard. "I would like to remind you who is in charge," he didn't bother to look away from his work. "My grandfather built you, and thanks to me I restored you. You are property of the Robotnik family." He finally turned away to face Shadow with an icy stare, "I own you."

Eggman's hand hovered over a steady flashing button.

Shadow realized that he had underestimated the scientist, just like Sonic had been doing. He internally cursed himself for getting too comfortable in his mission. He had to act now.

Shadow pushed himself off the ground, raising a fist to strike the man. For once, his reflexes were out done.

Eggman slammed his hand down, pressing the button.

In the same instant, Shadow folded in on himself. He clutched his sides in pain as a burning sensation spread through his bloodstream. He had been kicked, shot and stabbed in his lifetime, but none of that came close to the physical torment his endured.

He let out an antagonized wail before falling still.

Eggman stared at the limp body, fearing that he might have killed his apprentice. He leaned in to inspect the figure. Before he got too close, he saw the faintest twitch of the left ear. Shadow was alive.

Eggman almost jumped for joy when the hedgehog pulled himself up from the ground, showing no signs of soreness. He had to remain cool in front of what could be his most successful plan to date.

He cleared his throat, "Shadow, I have a job for you."

Shadow's eyes snapped open. The glowed a bright red color. His pupils almost completely disappeared along with any trace of emotion.

Eggman's long term project was finally in motion. Shadow was no longer there. What remained was an obedient shell, who knew nothing of Amy Rose.