Note: It's here! The last part is here! Course you all probably knew that from the last note on the last chapter. Oh, it feels so good to get this out here. Thank you all for your patience!

Prologue: Catalyst of Convergence Part 12

Sonic and co. © of Sega/Sonic Team

"I'll be frank about it." Commander Tower began. "I'm more than a little conflicted on what to do with you right now."

"Oh, are you now?"

"Yes, and you're lucky we're currently in the process of picking up all the little pieces Doom managed to leave behind for us, otherwise we'd be more inclined to be a bit less 'kind' in this little exchange."

"Yes, I just DECIDED to go and potentially forgo my life just because! It had nothing to do with the fact that Black Doom was ousted as a deceiver and was simply using me to gain what he wanted!"

"Did he now?"

Shadow was completely stonewalled. Was this old fool truly serious?! "What sort of question is that?! Otherwise- "

"Otherwise what? You WOULD'VE gone along with him?"

The hedgehog froze. "What- "

"You would've gone through with his plan to bring the comet to Earth? To devour the entirety of the human race and possibly every other life form on the planet? To leave it a completely desolate, uninhabitable wasteland?"

Shadow grit his teeth. This fool…how dare he. How DARE he even think-

"Because from what I saw back in Westopolis, you seemed to have no issue in simply letting those monsters run amuck and tear apart whatever they could get their hands on- "

"I MADE HER A PROMISE!"

The force of Shadow's fists pounding down on the table's surface reverberated throughout the small room, the lamp overhead beginning to sway back and forth.

"I promised her…" the Ultimate Lifeform breathed out, far from completely calming down, yet it seemed he had made his point clear. "I don't remember when I said it, let alone how it was even said truly, but I KNOW I did it! I told her, I PROMISED her that I'd- "

'Give them a chance…'

"I would…"

'…to be happy.'

He stopped for a moment, lowering his head, not daring to show his face to the human opposite of him. He dare not allow any to see him in such a state as this. He was losing control fast and needed to pull himself back together. "It…it makes no sense." He managed to get out. "It makes no sense, because…I know little to nothing about her. Even now, even after all- "he paused for a moment, realizing he needed to choose his next words very carefully. "All I was told, I still know barely anything."

He had been silent throughout the hedgehog's entire speech, yet finally, the older human saw fit to interject. And bizarrely enough, not with any inkling of an accusation or any hostile remark. "You…you really don't know, do you?" he questioned, Shadow beginning to raise his head, features beginning to ease back into a state where emotion was greatly subdued. "You remember nothing at all?" the hedgehog didn't answer. "Her favorite color, her favorite books, her begging Dr. Robotnik to plant a garden in the ship?"

The questions were painful, each of them the equivalent of another stabbing reminder of just how little he had been given by that accursed horned devil. They weren't spoken out of maliciousness, he could tell that much, and whilst their prior encounter didn't allow him much time to truly reflect on it (the information of his…'relation' being at the forefront of his mind), the Commander spoke as if such things were common knowledge to him. Maria had wished to plant a garden on the Ark? When did that happen?

'Then again…that book she was reading…it dealt with the physiology of plants, didn't it?'

"Well then…" he heard the Commander speak again. "That just makes things even more complicated." Before Shadow could question as to what he meant by that, he continued. "But we'll be getting to that later. Right now," he leaned forward. "I want to know one thing, and answer me honestly."

"You're saying I wouldn't?"

"Never a bad idea to be too careful." The human then went on. "When I say that I don't know what to do with you…bear in mind, it's not out of any sort of personal vendetta."

So he said, yet Shadow clearly had his doubts.

"I'm just trying to wrap my mind around this." The Commander steadied himself, tension seeping from his features and brow creasing before said features smoothed out, though the hedgehog doubted they were completely dissipated. Rather, they were simply hidden. Lying just underneath the skin, ready to emerge once outside circumstances made said concealment impossible. "First off, I will say that your actions, in the end, resulted in the extermination of the invading forces, and thus, assumedly, the end of what would've surely an absolute catastrophe before it began."

'But?' Shadow thought.

"However," not exactly 'but', yet it was essentially the same thing. "If I was simply going by that, then that'd make me someone looking at this with rose-colored glasses. And frankly, that's not how the world, nor I myself work." His gloved hands rested on the perfectly stainless surface of the table, his duel colored eyes centering themselves onto Shadow's own ruby ones. "But perhaps the best place to start from is the beginning. As in, the beginning of what you can remember. Before anything relating to the invasion occurred."

Whether he was truly being genuine or if the wording was simply yet another jab at him, Shadow knew not. For all he knew, it could've (and probably was) been a combination of the two. And what he had asked…as if he hadn't given him enough indicators already that such information was speculative at best, and little more than bits and pieces fumbling around in his brain at worst. Still though, the man did ask specifically what he knew, so, to an extent, he could deliver that much.

Shadow was silent for a small amount of time, the Commander puzzled as to whether or not he simply refused to answer or was in the midst of preparing and deciding on how to exactly phrase his upcoming speech. Thankfully (for both of them), Shadow had seen fit to deliver on his end, even if out of nothing more than his wishing to get out of this place as soon as possible.

Commander Tower listened as the Ultimate Lifeform told an abridged version of his tale, or at least what he knew it to be before all of this occurred. From his sudden awareness of the world around him that came with his release from that pod to his less than stellar introduction to Rouge and E123-Omega. At least, he'd would say introduction to the larger Eggman robot. The bat…he admitted, whilst he was unaware of whom she was at the time, let alone what her name even was, once he had been made aware of the possibility of the awakened machine firing at her, he found himself immediately leaping forward and getting her out of the range of fire being unleashed. Even now, he tried to reason that it wasn't simply a maneuver solely based on how the logical outcome would've been unfavorable for her, thus, he made sure that such a possibility had a less likely chance to occur. A less likely chance for someone he supposedly had never seen to avoid potentially being riddled with gunfire.

"We're already well aware of this. As well as the confrontation you three had in Grand Metropolis and the Lost Jungle. As well as putting a stop to Metal Sonic's campaign to take over Eggman's beginning invasion." The Commander confirmed. "As well as Agent Rouge's suspicions as to whether or not you were indeed the 'Shadow' she had seen not but a short time ago."

Wait a moment…agent?

"I trust she didn't tell you mainly because we wouldn't allow it. See, her finding you wasn't entirely due to her wishing to potentially find some sort of buried treasure. After the scare we all had involving Gerald's doomsday program and the good Doctor's role in activating said program, we made sure to keep tabs on him and his more recent activities. The incident with Metal Sonic's takeover was something of an unanticipated turn of events."

"Wait, wait a minute." Shadow interjected. "You're throwing all of this at me at once. Since when has Rouge worked with you people, and the Professor- "

"I'll get to that in a minute. I got off topic a bit, yet I mentioned it in case you were wondering where she was during all of this." The Commander clarified. "Which was protecting one of our bases stationed near some ruins located in a jungle not too far off from Glyphic Canyon."

Shadow braced himself, the very mention of that particular place was enough of an indicator for what was to come.

"Yet we're not here to talk about her and her services to us. So, let's truly get down to business." The older human folded his gloved hands over one another, elbows resting on the table. "When the Black Arms first arrived, what happened that drove you to go into the city and begin searching for the Chaos Emeralds?"

No way out now.

With little option to do much else, Shadow began relaying what had occurred that fateful sunset not but a few days ago. Where he had been, what he was pondering during that time (Maria…) his reaction to the sudden change of the skies above and the otherworldly beings seemingly pouring out from them. And ultimately, what had even got him to entertain the option of even listening to anything Black Doom had to say.

"So, what you're saying is that he showed you your memories?" Commander Tower questioned, Shadow not necessarily agreeing with him, yet he didn't suggest he was entirely wrong either.

"It was more than that." The hedgehog stated, his palm coming to his temple. "He said that I didn't remember it, even before the sealing in that pod." Of which the being knew of as well, yet he wasn't sure whether or not to alert the older human of that just yet. Or perhaps at all. "It was almost as if he could reach in past just base memories. As if he could have access to my very subconscious, to parts and events buried so deep that I possibly would've gone without ever knowing they had once occurred."

"And he did this simply by making physical contact with you?"

There was a little more to it than that, yet at the time, Shadow had believed that to be the case. From what he could see, the uniformed leader of GUN was caught in between a state of caution and awe, apparently not even believing such a thing to be possible. Then again, he had believed in that horned devil all his life, so if anything, such a 'power' as this only further confirmed his initial conviction of the hedgehog's potential involvement. As well as what was told to him via troops that had been stationed in Westopolis.

"And this convinced you that it was worth it." Shadow's focus immediately went to him, said human's fingers beginning to curl in rising anger. "Whatever he had to offer you was worth not minding or paying attention to the destruction being waged on the city or however many people those creatures could've-"

"There were no civilians in the area that I was aware of."

"Really? That's your justification?" the silver haired man scoffed. "That's your grand defense as to why you simply went on by while an entire city full of people, people we were still in the process of evacuating in areas those creatures didn't reach yet, nearly burnt to the ground?"

"It's not as if I was aware that so much destruction was going to be brought on by them!"

"And yet you still ignored all of that and went on your little treasure hunt! Not to mention you sent an entire squad flying with that 'blast' or whatever it was-"

"That wasn't intentional!"

"Then enlighten me! What about your actions was intentional and what was just an accident?! I suppose you nearly blasting Sonic was also an accident?!"

"NO ONE WAS TELLING ME ANYTHING!"

While not as emotionally charged as his former outburst, it was clear that Shadow had finally reached his limit regarding the Commander's ongoing string of condemnations.

"Ever since I emerged from that pod, I kept asking Eggman every chance I got. We tracked him from Seaside Hill all the way to the Egg Fleet itself! But nothing! No one seemed willing to tell me, let alone even look me in the eye! Not even Rouge seemed too comfortable in my presence!" he took in long, heavy breathes, his teeth grinding together while his hands balled themselves into fists. "Even Sonic, when we encountered him, he seemed completely taken aback. It was as if he and those with him had just seen a ghost." Ghost…not so much the thought, yet the word itself made him quite uncomfortable. The area they had been forced to travel through next didn't help matters much. Nor did the discovery of all those androids aboard the Egg Fleet. Androids that bore an uncanny resemblance to him.

Then again, androids didn't have heartbeats or pulses, so surely Rouge could at least see that. So why? Why did she seem to want to avoid anything relating to that altogether?

"Well, that doesn't exactly surprise me." Shadow's ears perked up at the human's words. "She was, after all, following orders."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, it's like you said. Those androids Eggman constructed? Surely you didn't think that such a thing would've escaped us. We operate as mandated reporters."

"…and surely she knows that I'm-"

"No, no, she's more than aware that your very much an organic being." The human clarified. "Though that didn't exactly confirm, let alone solidify your identity."

What? What in the world was he getting at?

"But I'm getting off track again, let's go back to the current subject." The hedgehog didn't appear too willing to simply do that. "It'll be addressed. For now, I want to know what happened as of a few days ago. Such as you blasting my men hallway across the city."

"…same reason as what happened on the Ark. I thought that they were going to…" he paused for a moment. "Either way, it certainly didn't help matters that they had gone and fired at me first. Though, of course, I'd assume you have a 'reason' for this too."

"Indeed I do. And lucky for both of us, it ties into the boundaries given to Agent Rouge involving contact with you." The Commander didn't exactly look it, his face seemingly unable to display extremes in any sort of emotion, yet traits of them still came through. And despite how he would've denied it, Shadow could practically feel that he was quite satisfied to have the upper hand (assumedly) in this. "But as you were saying: you blasting my men and nearly blasting Sonic as well was an accident. What then?"

Disregarding the human's general attitude towards him (he would have to for now), Shadow continued on detailing what had occurred. How even before that, he had come across some 'extension' of Black Doom's consciousness, his 'Eye' as he called it, as well as what had occurred after obtaining the first Chaos Emerald. The creatures had tried to take it from him, of which he refused to let them have it, thus, when he had found the second of the two stones in the city, the subsequent theft of them made much more sense in retrospect, given he now knew Doom's true intentions.

"Well then," the older head of GUN began. "I suppose Black Doom is whom I have to thank for getting those ruins to rise up, is that what you're saying?"

If only it were that simple. Shadow bit his lip. How in the world was he going to make any of what happened make any sort of sense? True, he knew the reason for it now (knew didn't necessarily mean liked, let alone openly acknowledge), yet even now, it still sounded just as bizarre and, well, alien. So ultimately, he simply described it just as how he experienced it.

"I was aware that something had changed. Some…part of me, or maybe all of me had been consumed or hijacked by some outside influence I couldn't place, yet somehow recognized as if I had known it all my life."

It was incriminating, and from how the man before him reacted to his explanation of Westopolis, Shadow doubted he would've simply accepted this either. Surprisingly enough, though, he seemed to be listening attentively. And even more, he appeared receptive of the information being delivered to him. As if it had fallen in line with what he had already knew, or even more, believed about the coal black hedgehog.

"It wasn't normal, let alone right, yet in that brief amount of time…I found that I didn't care. That someone else would be doing all the difficult stuff for me."

The Commander nodded, Shadow not exactly certain, yet he could've sworn he saw a glint of something in his eyes. Tension, anticipation, perhaps fear? Or maybe even a sense of terrible comprehension. "So, you believe you were, what, take over by him? Possessed?"

Possessed? No, no, he wouldn't say that. It wasn't as if he were rendered completely unaware of his surroundings, let alone what he was doing. It's just that…well…it just seemed that any and all perceived notions of touching the stones possibly not being a good idea were simply swept to the side. As if he had just suddenly become more open and willing to listen to what he would've initially dismissed. Influenced was perhaps a better term for it. Possessed…that just made it sound as if he had gone past a point of no return.

After the rising of the temple and subsequent escape from a rageful echidna, he had found himself traversing through a massive castle in search of a young rabbit with an Amy Rose. The Commander was rather surprised at how Shadow was so willing to assist the pink hedgehog, yet he brushed the comment off. Besides, compared to the one she continuously pined for, she was definitely the more tolerable of the two.

'I beg you!'

He then told of how he had then went in search of Eggman, of whom he found (in part), mainly due to Black Doom outright kidnapping him and bringing him to the then flying fortress (of which he activated, the Commander had oh-so-kindly reminded him). Which then lead into how the two essentially collaborated together to take the fortress down, something of which the human reacted oddly to. Not in the sense that it made him angry, rather, it seemed that such a thing wasn't anything shocking to him. Dare Shadow say, it was as if it was something he was familiar with. Of course, after the task was done, Eggman backed out in the end, resulting in Shadow taking it upon himself to traverse to his base in the Iron Jungle himself.

"Which is where Sonic met you." Commander Tower interjected, Shadow nodding in turn. "And where you all decided to come to the Ark."

"And where you and I had 'introduced' ourselves." The hedgehog added in. As far as he was concerned, they were both free game at this point.

"Which in turn," the human said back, seemingly brushing off the insult, yet it was clear he was more than a little perturbed by it. "Lead to you two eventually fighting and subsequently defeating Black Doom."

"As well as destroying the comet." Shadow finished. "There. I've given you want you've wanted, now if you'd- "

"I didn't say anything about that being the end." Tower interrupted. "You gave your piece, now here's mine."

What? No, no he said that he would-

"I think I figured out the perfect comparison for you." The human leader continued. "You're like a guy who decides to set up and activate bombs in a place where there's hundreds of people. But then, he realizes 'Hey! Why did I do that? They'll all be killed!' So, he goes and tries to defuse them all, yet no matter how many or how little he manages to get to, some of them go off, taking some unlucky people with them." Shadow parted his lips to speak, yet the Commander beat him to it. "Now tell me, is this man a hero? Is he someone to be admired? Rewarded for his services and putting his life on the line? Or is he, no matter how hard he tried to remedy the situation, responsible for the unfortunate few that were killed or nearly killed by his own actions?"

A moment of silence followed, indicating he was allowing Shadow to speak. "I had no intention in killing anyone. I was just after the Emeralds at first."

"When you could've realized that these beings didn't have the best interests for us. That several people could've been hurt. But no, that didn't matter to you. All you wanted was a shiny little stone." The human went on. "And whether it was in your control or not, the ruins still rose. That could've led to yet another repeat of Westopolis happening elsewhere with even more civilians. And even with you taking it down, they had come to the Ark because their airborne advantage had been taken away." He leaned forward. "It was due to you and Sonic that all of us are still here, but I can't help but wonder: if Black Doom had delivered on his promises, would you have been by his side?" Shadow was near boiling at this point, having just about enough of hearing this old man spout on and on as if he knew him better than he knew himself. "And before you say anything," he then pulled out a rectangular object from his coat, small, yet with a large enough screen for clear visibility. Though instead of immediately making use of it, he set it down on the table. "Bear in mind, I don't say this out of any sort of reservations I may or may not have."

'Highly doubtful.' Shadow thought.

"We, as an organization, are dedicated to the protection and preservation of the country, as well as other areas of the world. Hence the name, 'Guardian Units of Nations'. And yes, while your efforts, as well as Sonic's in bringing down Black Doom were successful, as ones who hold this country's security as its top priority, we cannot simply glance over the damage that has been done. Including damage that you've both did nothing to stop or contributed to."

Shadow was silent, saying nothing, the Commander in turn continuing on.

"Whether you had intended to or not, the fact remains that a city is in shambles. And people, good people, people that were the best at what they did and were nothing short of absolute saints, were slain by those creatures."

His mouth parted to speak, words dancing, readying themselves to leap off of his tongue, yet the black hedgehog found himself robbed of words. He…he didn't intend for any of that to occur. All he wanted was answers. Answers no one was willing to give. He didn't intend that…that people would be…

'Give them a chance to be happy.'

He forced it all back. He had to. If not just for his own state of mind. He was beginning to lose himself to emotion. To lose control. To lose reason. Yet what this human was telling him…frankly, he couldn't deny that, his own goals and intended outcome notwithstanding, there had been quite a bit of damage done. Damage that he had gone and rectified, yet still, some of it lingered on.

"Now, I've said my piece." Commander Tower stated, the device he had set down being picked up. "So therefore, it's your turn. What do you want to know?"

"Everything." Shadow simply said. "Everything that he promised, but never delivered. Not in full anyway."

The silver haired man sighed, glancing away for a moment, then back to the device in his hands. "I can't promise 'everything'." He told him. "But what I can do," he pressed a button on the side, the screen lighting up. "Is show how you got us to put one of the nation's heroes in prison."

The Commander navigated his way through the files until he found what he was looking for. Dated not but months prior, the feed played and he presented it to Shadow, watching as the hedgehog's ruby eyes widened at what he was viewing.

"That…that's me."

"Yep. And we're just getting started."

A few days later

Aboard the Ark

'…my revenge against humanity…for taking my dearest Maria away from me…'

Those words from the video log echoed in his mind as he gazed out at the planet below, it seeming to be further away than before. Then again, given what it had been put through, a simple difference in distance was one of the lesser consequences of that particular battle.

Shadow continued to look down at the blue planet in silence, his mind however buzzing and reviewing the onslaught of information that had, at last, come to him.

Not all of it good.

'They kept him prisoner.' The Ultimate Lifeform mused. 'They claim to be for the protection of their nation, yet they kept the Professor locked up like a caged animal. Breaking down his spirit with each passing day, forcing him to work for them…' he learnt of all of it.

He had learnt of all that the Commander was 'at liberty to say' at least. An abridged account of Project Shadow and its intentions, the subsequent failure of a creature that had, surprisingly enough, once dwelt here in the very heart of the ship, which in turn, assumedly, lead to Professor Robotnik striking a bargain with Black Doom.

'There…no. There was something more to it than that. How would he have known, let alone agree to collaborate with Doom of all things?'

And as Black Doom had relayed to him, the Ark had eventually undergone investigation, which in turn lead to its shutdown, as well as the termination or subsequent imprisonment of those aboard. And then to Gerald's own imprisonment, as well as Shadow's.

'Maria…she pushed me in a pod. She pulled the lever, then…'

The next set of events…well, unfortunately, no one, especially him, would ever be able to get that back. Upon his capture and forced labor (not to mention the outright lies GUN spewed forward about the Ark having suffered a tragic 'accident'), the Professor had seemingly taken it upon himself to do some…fine-tuning to the ship's systems, as well as the two living specimens created for Project Shadow.

At least that gave him something of a reason as to why Rouge was reluctant to bring anything up. If the Professor did all of this, creating new forms of life and hiding away a doomsday program, who was to say that maybe there was another supposed 'Ultimate Lifeform' lying around somewhere that hadn't been uncovered yet? And even more, given the now revealed relation between the Doctor and Professor, even if the former's main specialty was machines, maybe he had grown curious in more 'biological' manners of construction. Doubtful to a degree, yes, but given what he knew now, it was still a possibility that GUN considered, leaving nothing to chance or dismissing any possible explanation.

After all, he wasn't supposed to even be here.

'Mind you,' he remembered the Commander saying. 'The cameras you've surely seen all over, they were a later addition. True, they were around even then, as Gerald was always something of a paranoid man. Yet there weren't as numerous or spread out. And even then, he had access to the entire system. My theory is that he did most of his work, the work we didn't find out until it was too late, out of sight.'

It also didn't help that, when Eggman had taken over and made use of the Eclipse Cannon by blowing the moon in half, he had disabled most, if not all connections the Ark's systems had with the Earth, including delivering feed from the cameras.

Though what GUN had managed to recover, as well as what he had been shown during questioning… even now, Shadow still found himself flabbergasted. At what? What wasn't he, that was the shorter answer.

He had worked, no, outright collaborated with Eggman?! Not in some temporary alliance or necessity to bring down some larger enemy, but as an ally? And even more, it was through him that he had been released the first time, which was in itself another fact he was baffled by.

'…you got us to put one of the nation's heroes in prison.'

How exactly THAT happened…frankly, Shadow felt that was more of a case of poor depth perception or outright being color blind. Honestly, true he and Sonic bore some similarities, yet surely someone had to have seen that blue was quite a different color to black. And said black one sported red streaks along his fanned out quills. Of course, the fact remained that someone else was wrongfully perused and imprisoned for his crimes. Whatever he own stance on Sonic was mattered not, the simple truth was that he was wrongfully accused. He was innocent, whilst Shadow was guilty.

'Guilty…'

'Do you know how fortunate we all are that the cannon blasted the part of the moon that never faces the Earth?' he remembered the Commander telling him. 'Do you have the slightest inkling of what even minor damage to the moon could mean for us all? Even after you two stopped the ship, we were all waiting with bated breath to whether or not entire cities were going to be flooded!'

The hedgehog's teeth began to bite down on his lower lip.

'And don't think that Eggman being the one to fire negates your role in it. Had it not been for your acquiring the Chaos Emeralds with him, he wouldn't have had the means to even accomplish such a thing. In fact, if we were just going by that event alone, you would be nothing short of a global terrorist.'

Shadow placed a gloved hand on the viewing glass before him, the sight of the halved moon only further driving the point home that, despite his initial instinct to outright call such a claim absurd, there was no chance he could now. The results were right there.

'Five could destroy a city.' The leader of GUN had told him. 'Six…well, you know that already. And seven…well, that's something everyone knows now.'

It was then that he was shown the video log: a disheveled, broken man tied to a chair with chains, head cast down and eyes hidden behind a pair of thick, darkly colored spectacles. His cell covered with markings etched and carved into the walls, a single light shining down on his still, unmoving form. A far cry from the photo he had been shown of the Professor and Maria.

'Bear in mind, I don't support any of what we had done.' The silver haired human clarified, Shadow more than surprised at such a statement coming from him, yet strangely enough, it certainly sounded genuine. 'If anything, I'm glad that the truth is out now. Not for me…but for my family. For her.'

Yet if that were the case, why did the man even become a part of GUN in the first place? Especially when both of them had been…Shadow brushed the possibility away. No, absolutely not. The human had already made his stance on where he stood, and so had he. GUN had been the one to incite such a catastrophe, and thus, along with many other things done to him recently by the same organization, they were to not be trusted.

'And you are?' he remembered Tower telling him. 'I made that comparison before to relate to your more recent actions. Mainly because there's proof. Yet while almost everyone involved provided us with their account on what occurred up there, there's still some gaping holes that need to be filled.'

"Hey."

The Ultimate Lifeform's ears stood straight up, the suddenness of and close proximity of the voice's owner actually managing to spook him. Though upon turning away from the window to identify who else was aboard, any sort of tension that had been generated immediately dissipated.

"Oh. It's just you."

Bathed in the light of the glimmering stars outside, the Fastest Thing Alive made his way closer to Shadow, a diamond-cut stone of white causally being tossed up and down in one hand. And a curious set of bandages wrapped around his chest. "Well, nice to see you too." Sonic chuckled. "Always Mr. Sunshine I see."

"And you're always a pest."

The blue hedgehog simply shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, it's a natural talent. Course, all in the eyes of the beholder."

Shadow sighed. He wasn't exactly expecting, nor wanting any company today. Especially here of all places. "What are you doing here?"

"What?" Sonic questioned. "Am I suddenly not allowed to wonder how certain people I know are doing? If maybe they've possibly had a bit of a rough time recently and may need some checking up on?" he shrugged again. "Or not. But still, better nothing than something, am I right?"

The other hedgehog didn't respond at first, going back to gazing out the window, Sonic in turn seeming to do the same. Even after remaining silent for a good minute or two, it became clear that Shadow wasn't going to obtain any solitude until the other speedster's wants were met. Or at least was persuaded to leave him be. "I am fine." Shadow told him plainly. "No concern necessary." He then gestured towards the wraps. "Though you seem to not be. What happened?"

Sonic's expression soured. "Apparently, your- "he paused for a moment. "Doom squeezed me a little too hard. Some of these here broke, and, well, until they get better, Tails is making me wear these." He explained, the bandages covering the upper portion of his rib-cage, wrapping around his shoulders and under his arms. "Which also means no high-speed treks through the country or anywhere else. It's driving me crazy!"

"So, coming up here was a last-minute attempt to try and state your unquenching boredom?"

Sonic was about to protest, yet upon considering Shadow's words, he found himself, begrudgingly, left speechless. Shadow in turn found himself releasing a light chuckle at that, something of which he was just as surprised about as Sonic, yet it didn't take long for him to revert himself back to his usual self.

Or as usual as he could manage. With what he knew now, his 'usual' might've not been his 'usual' from before. If it had, maybe he would've have been so tolerant of whom was here next to him.

'…you got us to put one of the nation's heroes in prison.'

Shadow shifted his eyes, the blue caught in the corner momentarily forcing him to direct his attention elsewhere. "So…" he had no idea what he was doing. What was he doing, asking him something so obvious? "Anything else?"

Sonic's ears perked up, surprised that Shadow had been the one to initiate a conversation. "Huh?"

"Injuries." Shadow clarified. "Was there anything else?"

"Ohhhh," the blue hedgehog grinned. "You DO care…"

Shadow huffed. "I'd-" 'rather die.' Was what nearly fell from his lips, yet a cold chill overcame him upon such a thing being considered. Of course, he didn't mean it, yet…it just felt…wrong. "Nothing. Forget it." He settled in saying, retracting his formerly incomplete response.

"Yeah, yeah, love you too, Shads." This earned Sonic an exasperated glare mixed with a bit of shock. "Not like that, man! It's just an expression! Geez…never thought I'd see it, but I think even Knuckles has a better grasp of that stuff than you do sometimes."

Shadow rolled his eyes and turned back to observing the Earth, Sonic in turn doing the same not long after. Unfortunately though, it seemed that when the latter had spoke of his unrelenting boredom, he didn't seem to be exaggerating, immediately beginning yet another conversation.

"This place is even quieter than down below. They still not get the power back on?"

"…not exactly." The other hedgehog answered. "Our battle caused the Ark quite a bit of damage, of which hasn't entirely been rectified yet. They're working from the most external to the most internal, as in installing new windows where the last ones were shattered and whatnot."

What had come next, however, actually managed to snag Shadow's attention.

"Course it'll probably get back to normal soon. When the signs and crowds beginning coming, I'll probably have to hang away for a while."

"Signs?" the ebony hedgehog questioned, having no idea what Sonic was even talking about.

"You don't know?" Sonic asked, surprised. "It's…" he suddenly began to grow tense, as if he were trying to dance around something uncomfortable. "It's kind of a more recent thing, but ever since the…well…the whole…you know, assuming the Commander told you-"

"Yes." Shadow confirmed, speaking far faster than Sonic, wishing to get it out of the way as soon as possible. "He's told me about…that."

He didn't sound too entirely sure, yet nevertheless, Sonic continued on. "Well, after all that, let's just say that a good amount of people weren't exactly happy. And some of those people," some, yeah right. Practically entire cities was more like it. "Took it upon themselves to make their dissatisfaction known."

"The old man had made mention of 'them'." The other hedgehog confirmed. "How once the Arms were dealt with, they'd begin gathering again."

"Yeah." Sonic groaned. "I've made it clear to them that they and I have no business with each other, but I think everyone's beginning to tire of all the screeching and demanding. Kind of ironic that they decided to take a day off for the 'Fire in the Sky'."

Ironic indeed. Though the behavior of these disgruntled humans didn't interest him. No, rather, what had managed to hook and draw in his fascination was perhaps the one thing Shadow should've asked from the beginning.

'…you got us to put one of the nation's heroes in prison.'

"…"

"Shadow?"

"…"

"You want to say something. Just spit it out."

"…how long?"

"How long what?"

"How long were you in prison?"

"Prison? What…oh." Sonic needn't ask what he was referring to. Though, honestly, he would've preferred if it had never been brought up at all. "Not too long, if you're wondering. I mean, I think they realized pretty quick that no cage can keep me!"

Shadow didn't tear his gaze away from the window. While Sonic couldn't have been sure, he could've sworn that the other hedgehog was intentionally avoiding eye contact with him.

"…gize."

"Huh?" he had said something, albeit barely heard.

"…poligze."

"Can't hear you, Shads. Speak up."

"I.." Shadow began, pausing for a moment, a light tremble overtaking him before settling down once again. "I thought just as much." 'I apologize.' "If Doom sending you out in the vacuum of space didn't kill you, a bunch of idiots like that lot wouldn't even know what to do with you." 'Not that it'd do any good now. The damage has already been done.' He hadn't realized it at first, yet the darker colored lifeform had steadily begun moving away from his younger rival. "Rouge's delivered to me what had happened from our end."

"Oh? And what'd she say?"

"Essentially what the Commander himself had told me. That I was awakened by the Doctor, who wished to gain access to me and the Eclipse Cannon. She went in as a spy to keep tabs on his progress. As well as do a little searching for shards of the Master Emerald."

Sonic chuckled. "Well, that definitely SOUNDS like Rouge."

Shadow nodded in agreement, though he still kept his eyes off the other hedgehog, still focusing in on the Earth. 'I can't say for sure, as ultimately, there's no proof of it.' The older human's voice echoed throughout his mind, the Ultimate Lifeform placing a gloved hand on the window. 'And from what we gathered, everyone, save for the good Doctor himself, has testified that you were nothing short of a hero that day. However, there's still one thing that bothers me.'

"She…" Shadow began. "She kept mentioning this particular event that occurred somewhere. Prison Island, I think she said it was. Island with a prison…and a jungle. A jungle where he…'You compare yourself to me? You're not worthy to be my fake!' "How I supposedly saved her life. I think she was exaggerating, but she kept saying it over and over. Even when she went over what happened afterward, she still kept saying over and over that I had saved her life."

Sonic didn't say a word, simply allowing the other hedgehog to keep talking. Perhaps this meant he wouldn't have to say anything about it. After all, how does one tell someone else that they had nearly…

"And when Eggman activated the Biohazard…you and I…we fought this behemoth lizard-like creature that had attached itself to the ship. How it did such a thing baffles me, but still, it must've happened." Shadow attested. "Otherwise, she would've told me all of this sooner."

Sonic bit his lip hard. He wasn't looking forward to what was coming next, yet the sooner he got it out the better. It wasn't as if he had to dwell over it once it got out, right? "We…we didn't know whether or not it was really you." The blue hedgehog confessed. "I mean…how could it be? Ultimate or not…I doubt anyone's invincible."

"I'll admit," Shadow suddenly said. "It's not much. Just the beginning, but when Doom and I were falling to Mars…" the hand placed on the window began to stiffen, fingers curling. "It burned. Everywhere. It just burned. Yet then…" his hand relaxed. "It was cool. There was still pain and burning. But…it wasn't all around me anymore." His other hand came to his temple, another dull ache beginning to assault the tender area. "If it hadn't been for you…I may have been…" he sighed. Even with all things considered, sometimes he found his own pride wouldn't allow him such simple things.

"You're welcome." Sonic interrupted. "I'll save you the trouble." He gave a coy smile. "Granted, this means you owe me a full-on 'thank you' next time."

"Who says there'll be a next time?" Shadow responded, equally as coy, yet with a sliver of a challenging tone in his voice. "If there is, it's going to be for you."

"There's ALWAYS a next time, Shads. It's just the 'when' that catches you off guard."

Perhaps the blue pest coming here wasn't such a curse after all. Granted, he would still need time to himself, yet the black hedgehog couldn't deny that Sonic's presence was providing him with some, apparently needed, relief. Only some though, as though not of his own choosing, his mind wrought forth more of the conversation he had but a short time ago, the sight of the silver haired, uniformed man in a chair opposite of him coming to the forefront.

'Eggman's schemes have always been based on world domination. As in, taking over the world. Thus, and everyone else agrees on this: he didn't activate the Biohazard on purpose.'

He needed to do it, and he needed to do it now. Before the blue one had decided to go and try relieve his boredom elsewhere.

'Use the cannon to blast anything that opposed him. Oh yeah, that's right up his ally. But causing the Ark to barrel towards the very planet he's trying to take over, of which would take him and everyone else on board with the Earth? I don't think I need to tell you how ridiculous and asinine that sounds.'

"Sonic?"

'I'm not accusing you or anyone of anything. I'm just stating how bizarre the whole scenario sounds.'

"Yeah, what?"

'Not to mention, convenient.'

"What…else happened?"

'After all, if you lost your memory, and it's pretty clear you have,'

"What do you mean? I thought Rouge had- "

"No, that's not what I meant."

'And no one else has much of an idea either, unless some of them are lying,'

"What I mean is…"

'Who knows whether or not triggering such a thing was intentional or not?'

"Was there anything else that I had done?"

He hadn't been looking. He hadn't directed his attention towards him, at least not yet. And thank God for that, for in that brief instance, all color flowed from Sonic's features, his normally hot blood and even hotter attitude consumed by a thick sheen of solid ice. "Wh-What do you mean?"

What in the world, Shadow thought. Was he stammering? He, of all people? Still, he continued. "As in, something Rouge or that human leader might've left out. Or something that no one is saying."

'Who knows…'

Sonic had said nothing, his green eyes trying not to shift too much, yet it was obvious he was beginning to grow uncomfortable.

'Whether or not…'

"Well?"

'…was intentional?'

He parted his lips to speak, seeing in Shadow's eyes a great hunger, though it was not one laced with aggression. Rather, to be honest, it looked somewhat pitiful. As if he were simply asking, begging for the truth. Something, anything! Still, Sonic had his doubts. And to a degree, how could he not? "Let me ask you something, Shadow." He finally began. "What did you promise Maria?"

The Ultimate Lifeform was puzzled. "What in the world does that have to do with- "

"Just tell me. What did you promise Maria?"

"…to give the inhabitants of that planet a chance to be…happy. And to protect and preserve it." He answered, his gloved hand running over where the Earth's reflection was on the glass.

"And in being with me and defeating the Biolizard and now Black Doom…would you say you've kept that promise?"

'Intentional…'

"Hello?" Sonic asked again. "Do you think you've kept that promise?"

Shadow pondered for a moment. Logically speaking…yes. Yes, he had. And yet…why was there this twinge of reluctance that came with such a declaration?

"Do you?"

"Well…yes. But- "

"Then that's all you need." Sonic abruptly cut him off. "You have, and I assume that you'll keep on doing it. Public relations and personal interests aside."

Shadow was about to say more, yet to his surprise, he found Sonic moving away from the window and towards the room's exit. "What…where are you going?"

He didn't show it, yet he couldn't help but wince when the darker hedgehog called out for him. "I told you, I'm trying to keep myself from dying of boredom." He answered. "And in case you haven't noticed, there isn't much to do here aside from look out of a bunch of windows."

"You didn't answer my question!" Shadow protested, immediately leaving his spot and making his way towards Sonic. "Was there anything else that- "

"Does it matter?" Sonic suddenly spurted out, backing away from the other hedgehog. "Honestly, Shadow. Does any of that matter now? Look around you!" he gestured not only to the room both of them were in, yet also to the Earth below. "What bearing does what you can't entirely remember have on what's happening now? What good is constantly delving into it and overthinking little bits and pieces doing you?"

The Ultimate Lifeform began to protest, or rather, he wished he could. He wished he could muster up the appropriate words to argue for his want, his need to know everything, yet found himself running short on anything decent to say.

"The past doesn't mean anything, Shadow. 'Then' doesn't matter! Yeah, some things do, but they shouldn't be the absolute deciding factor of your life! It's 'now' that truly counts! And 'now', all you're doing is wasting the life you've been given staring out into space and trying to piece together what might never fully come back to you again!" Okay, he didn't exactly mean for it to come out like that, seeing the glare coming to Shadow's features, yet his point still remained the same. "I'm taking it slow for now because I have to. But when these come off," Sonic gestured to his bandages. "I'm going to live and take in everything the world can give me at that very moment. The question is: what are you going to do?" and with that, he held aloft the Emerald he possessed, and in a flash of light, vanished from the ship entirely.

Shadow was left alone, once again. Left alone with only his thoughts serving as the closest thing to 'noise' aboard this expansive, empty, once densely populated space colony. At least until he finally found his voice, even if there was no one around to hear it. "He's wrong." He openly declared. "I don't simply delve and think too hard about it because I WANT to! Who is HE to think that he can say such things!?" he growled, knowing well that Sonic could've been anywhere down below on that blue planet, his current anger and frustration probably the reason he had gone and made himself scarce. "It's there! I KNOW it's there! It's just not ALL there!"

'The past doesn't mean anything.'

"And…and there's something he's not saying. I know it!"

'It's 'now' that truly counts!'

"Yet when I try to think of it…it feels so…"

'Guilty…'

'And 'now', all you're doing…'

'Shadow, I beg you!'

"Her crying face…begging me as if her life depended on it. Maybe it did."

'…is wasting the life you've been given staring out into space…'

" Had I had done something? Something bad?"

'Intentional…'

"Something…evil?"

'…and trying to piece together what might never fully come back to you again!'

"GAH!" with a swing of his arm, his clenched fist made contact with the thickened glass before him, a reverberating echo sounding out throughout the entire room. His head came to rest against the window, eyes closed tight and brow furrowing intensely. Yet in a brief instance, the hedgehog found himself compelled with the desire to gaze down at the Earth again.

The planet 'she' had so adored.

And upon his ruby eyes seeing the sphere below him, its green patches of land that housed flora and fauna beyond count, its oceans that held even more, and the swirling, thickened clouds that coated and shielded them all from the elements outside its atmosphere, Shadow found that, despite his initial and fierce intentions not to even consider them, Sonic's words began to penetrate his thoughts.

He still held the same desire as before, if not just for his sake, but to at least remember more of 'her', yet still…what was sitting up here doing him? Truthfully, what was he accomplishing? Was being up here allowing him to trigger the remembrance of anything else, good or bad? True, coming here whenever he needed someplace to get away had become essential in the last few days, yet he couldn't simply live up here. In a literal sense, yes, but what would it do him?

"Nothing." He answered himself. "Absolutely nothing."

He looked down at the lone Emerald that had brought him here, the starry abyss outside reflecting in its perfectly crafted, green surface. Leaning down to seize the jewel, Shadow glanced at it, then back to the Earth. To it, then to the Earth. This pattern repeated itself for a good while until the Ultimate Lifeform, albeit somewhat hesitantly, made his decision. The results of said decision being represented in a flash of light, leaving nothing, hedgehog or Emerald, behind.

The Ark had once again, become completely un-inhabited.

Though such a thing wouldn't last.

Nor would the peace that had been bestowed to the blue planet below.

Soon…changes would be occurring.

Changes in the land, the oceans, the stars. Changes small and miniscule at first, yet with time, would present the dismal and potentially unavoidable future for all that dwelt on Earth.

And with these changes, the Ultimate Lifeform himself would be subject to a transformation of his own. In body, mind, and spirit, corruption would seep in and challenge all that made him himself. His identity, his relations, even his own dedication to whom he had sworn his life to would be put to the ultimate test.

As would the fates of all those that knew him.

Yet in this trial, unavoidable as unpleasant discoveries and covered up truths were, one choice would determine the world's fate.

Would it be saved from its inevitable doom, yet carry the scars of the damage received?

Or would it be rendered into a hollow shell of its former self, housing a new dominant species?

It has yet to be seen what the outcome shall be, but soon, it shall begin.

A change…a metamorphosis…both for the planet, and for a certain hedgehog.

A dark transformation that perhaps suits the one it has been 'bestowed' on.

A Black Convergence.

Note: Done! Finally! It's done! Well, not the story in itself, but the beginning's finally done! I am so, SO sorry for the long wait and months it took to get this out. Of course, now that I'm onto the main meat of this thing, that might be an even longer waiting period as I want to take my time with it and make sure everything is in check and how I want it. With that said, I would like to thank each and every one of you for sticking by me this long, and I hope to see you all again when the official 'Chapter 1' is put out so we can get this thing started!