We must now turn our attentions away from the drama that is rapidly unfolding in Station Square. At the risk of missing
potentially important plot details, one loose end must be tied before this part of the story can close. Within the darkness of
the forest, a silence reigned. Close inspection would reveal that the crickets did not chirp, and the birds flew silently. The
various fauna of the jungle seemed to recognize the presence of another creature, not to be trifled with. Insects could be
spotted scurrying for cover, in such a hurry as to leave behind the food that they had searched for so long to find. The
larger animals hid behind the towering trees, dark and imposing in the faint moonlight. As fierce and battle-hardened as
some of these creatures may be, they did not lie in ambush. The woods took on a decidedly more ominous overtone, helped
greatly in this task by the advancement of the night. The silence was in its own odd way, deafening. What had once been
so familiar, the hoots, hollers, chirps and occasional grunts, all that sound was gone. In its place, the sudden silence; was
frightening in how quickly it had taken root. A darker force was approaching, and the animals seemed to feel its presence by
instinct. Even the flora took notice, seeming to bend away from the intruder. Through the light of the moon, glimpses of this
new figure could be seen in quick bursts. To others it may have seemed almost innocuous, and of little concern to the
average citizen. However, in this new setting, the sense of decay that seemed to emanate off this creature was magnified a
hundred-fold. The man didn't care, or if it did it was hidden beneath a stony countenance. Whatever this new thing was, it
trudged through the underbrush slowly. Its footing seemed unsure, and at various points seemed to slip; causing a fall. The
fall was always succeeded by a stand. The stand was followed by yet more trudging. The process was like clock-work, or as
close to such a simile as could be granted to a creature of flesh and blood. It stopped. Its head moved from one side to the
other, scanning for something. A faint glimmer of a smile could be seen, baring bloody teeth. The teeth of a human, and if
one could observe more closely, one would see the large gnashes within the lips. It began to move again, changing
direction ever so slightly to the right. As the form disappeared amongst the parting foliage, a few animals could be seen
nervously poking their heads from the underbrush. Walking slowly and methodically, some of the braver animals entered
the spot that the figure had once stood. Seeming to communicate with expressions, the most daring critter; a monkey. This
brave little creature began to move towards the foliage that had let past the creature. Trembling paws grasped the edges
of the leaves, pulling aside with a frantic spasm. The figure could once again be seen, though it had turned its back to the
monkey. The monkey then acted more boldly than it had intended, hoping to dispel the intruder by throwing a grimy stone
plucked from the soil. It froze, watching the stone sail in an arc. Landing on the targets head, there was no scream, yell,
howl or noise of any kind. The creature didn't seem to notice it had been struck with a small blunt object, until the rock
bounced forward after the impact. The rock landed with a small thud in front of the creature. Time seemed to stand still, as
the creature stopped. There was only the turning of the being. The monkey's heart seemed to freeze, and it found itself
unable to move. Paralyzed by fear, would be a fitting title to the monkey's predicament. Completing its slow turn, the
creature faced the monkey. The monkey managed to look back, and saw that his co-horts had fled. Realizing this, the
creature gulped instinctively. The creature merely smiled, if such a terrifying grimace could be seen as a smile. Baring its
teeth, jagged strips of flesh dangled from within the mouth. The teeth themselves were crooked and in some cases broken.
Its eyes seemed to glow with a faint red light. Its finger curled, and then unclasped. The figure turned, starting to move
away from the monkey. As the figure disappeared, the monkey turned to find his acquaintances back. The monkey seemed
to smile as it headed back. Until a large black snake appeared out of nowhere, grasping the monkey firmly in its
embrace; and slipping away quick as a lightning. The howls of the monkey could be heard throughout the forest, ending as
a terrifying snapping sound was heard; the sound of bones breaking under force. This event shattered the silence, as the
other animals began to shout and scream. Then there were many snakes, and the screams were silenced as they were all
dragged away. Throughout the brush the sounds of some combat could be heard. Roaring and howling, intermingled with
yelps of pain filled the air. Eventually all was quiet. Blood pooled throughout the small enclave the animals had resided in,
and almost as if in fear, from the depths of some underbrush a monkey flew forward. The monkey's face missing. It jolted
about for a minute, before finally stopping. The many snakes departed just as quickly as they had come, leaving behind as
many dead. Progressing further along the forest, the new figure whispered. Its eyes had lost their glow, and its fingers laid
grasping the air to its side. The whisper seemed far louder, the silence giving them added weight. The trees seemed to
shudder and flail; anything to escape the words of this new menace.
"Shadow…"
With this declarative whisper the figure continued, creating its own path through the labyrinthine forest.
On the other side of the forest, Shadow let out a sigh. Sitting amongst the various branches and tree limbs, he kept watch.
He had found a decent spot, and his elevated position allowed him to see far across the gloomy expanses of the forest.
Beside him, meticulously placed on one of the stronger limbs adjacent to his position; an old leather briefcase rested on its
side. On top of the briefcase, an relatively new walkie-talkie laid. He was thankful for the moonlight's illumination, for
without it his new mission would prove impossible. He was also thankful he wasn't afraid of heights, though not to the
degree he would purposefully venture to look directly below himself. Staring ahead, he could see various trees' swinging
about in the breeze. The rhythmic swaying of the tree limbs, coupled with the somewhat odd lack of background noise, lead
his mind to wander somewhat. His eyes remained open, yet his mind was no longer focusing on the task at hand. He
couldn't believe he had managed to get himself conscripted into one of Eggman's insane schemes, yet again. After the ARK
disaster, he had sworn off almost all contact with the lunatic. Yet, here he was. Acting as a glorified watchdog under orders
from a strict master, the thought alone boiled his blood. He hated being controlled and manipulated. Worse still, the doctor
hadn't even had the decency to inform him what it was to look out for. His only clue was that Eggman was "Expecting
company." That and the crazed look that flickered across the old man's eyes, the look he often gave right before one of his
rants. His "job" was to stop, by any means necessary, any intruders that may wander across the forest into his secret base.
An improvement over his other bases due to the simple fact that he had decided to remove the many sculptures and
portraits of himself from around its location, which helped greatly in keeping the location secret. The afore-mentioned
sculptures and paintings instead resided within his private quarters, the narcissistic prick. He had a hunch he was acting as
a watch in case Sonic and his overly annoying friends decided to traipse around the area. While he had some modicum of
respect for Sonic, who had proven before they were an even match skill-wise, he couldn't stand how stunningly inane and
idiotic his friends were. Amy was gratingly annoying, even her voice unnerved him for its tendency to screech louder than
steel on chalkboard. Though, he did find some enjoyment in her increasingly desperate bids to win over the affections of
Sonic. He probably finds her as repulsive as I do. Shadow thought rather darkly. Knuckles was just stupid. Blindly dating
Rouge, even though it was obvious she was clearly manipulating him. Even the supposedly smart one, Tails, acted stupidly
under duress; his half-hearted attempt at suicide coming to mind. If he had wanted to die, he could have just rung me up and I
would have been more than happy to help. Shadow found himself thinking, as images of what he could do flashed through his
mind. He didn't even want to get started on why he disliked Cosmo, her overly cheery outlook on life being the main
reason. Life isn't anything to be too happy about, and I would think she would understand that well. Considering the losing hand
life dealt her, Tails is all she has left now. That idea, in itself, is rather saddening.
As his thoughts threatened to enter even darker waters, he was saved by the presence of Maria's voice. The voice that
popped up occasionally whenever his thoughts entered darkened areas. It was always the same, a playback of sorts. Her
final words to him, telling him to help people; no matter how much he yearned for vengeance. If it had been anyone else, he
wouldn't have cared. Yet, it was her. She had asked a favor of him, an immense one. He was obliged to carry out her wish,
not out of pity or remorse; but out of their friendship. He hadn't found himself describing anyone else as a friend that was
why she was so important. So, out of respect to their friendship, he decided to keep look-out again. As his mind phased
back into reality, he took a cursory glance at the briefcase. The whole reason he had agreed to help Eggman, he couldn't
believe it himself when Eggman had told him what was contained within. He was so certain the doctor had been lying, until
he gave a wry smile and opened the case. Contained within were a large set of documents, documents detailing even more
information on his project. It was only a peek, as the suitcase had been bound and closed within the span of a few
seconds. Shadow was about to murder Eggman for the contents, until the doctor had told him about the special lock on the
suitcase. It wasn't a conventional lock, if it had been Shadow could have easily broken it. No, it was some sort of acid trap.
If the device was forced open the trigger would release an acid that would destroy the documents within. A clever bastard,
that damn Eggman. So there he sat, with his entire past literally sitting alongside him. With such an incentive dangling
before him like some proverbial golden carrot, it was almost embarrassing in foresight how quickly Shadow had agreed to
Eggman's terms. With the suitcase as a stimulant, he found his mind wandering to the other members of the research team
on the ARK.
Let's see, it was Gerald, Lily, Carl, Zane, Manfred, Allen, and… Maria. What was Lily's job? Oh yes, she was in charge of studying
and applying genetic material. A bit cold, though her expertise in the area must have done wonders to my own creation. Her blue
eyes seemed to hold within them the very knowledge that she was a bit cold-hearted. Her many nastily worded refusals to date
Carl, cemented her as the stations local ice-queen. Carl, a young and enthusiastic man in the prime of his life, was in charge of
maintenance and repair. A rather hard task considering the sheer size of the ARK, yet, he managed, and was a rather nice guy to
have a chat with when one was bored. Maria had told me that he was currently flirting around with Lily, which annoyed her to no
end. Though even after every scathing put-down, he managed to right himself with a smile and a hearty vocation of "Maybe next
time". Zane, an intelligent young man who had a certain fondness for his "lucky" robes, he was simply on-board because he had
managed to obtain a DNA sample that was compatible with the creation of a genetic clone. I suppose I owe him a debt of
gratitude, though where he got the sample was a mystery; even to Gerald. He was also rather nice to chat with, having a few
interesting stories of his own. Bringing me too Manfred, a short and rather pudgy old man hailing from Germany. His thick
Germanic accent, never failed to elicit a giggle from Maria. Manfred's job was to help Lily with whatever task she needed the extra
intelligence to solve. Then there was Allen… a real ass. Hot-headed and arrogant, he liked to believe he was the "real" brains
behind the operation. I suppose that if his job hadn't been as important as it was he would have ended up with a knife in his
back. He was in charge with relations with the rest of the world, mainly the U.S. He was a masterful spokesperson, creating his
own on-screen persona that was charismatic and confident. Off-screen, however… Many a time, he had tried to bully Gerald into
following his own plan. Maria told me that his biggest ordeal had begun concerning the insertion of Doom's cells into my own
structure, a small time before I would become officially alive. Yet even before that point, I was sentient. Within the liquid oxygen
tank that had contained me, I was aware of certain… tensions. Yes… Now that I think of it… I do remember that argument…
His mind lapsed, as the world seemed to swirl around in front of him. Quickly grasping a branch to prevent him from
plummeting to the ground, possibly dying on impact. Suddenly, the world seemed to disappear. He closed his eyes, trying to
hide them from the immenseness of the light that now seemed to be everywhere. After a few minutes, he tentatively
opened his eyes. He realized with a start he was not in the forest any longer, he was on the ARK. Looking to his left, he
saw computers and cables crossing each other at odd angles all over the dimly lit room. He saw a hunched figure typing into
one of the computers, and noticed that a needle had begun to rise to his right. A needle attached to a hydraulic arm, filled
with some kind of DNA. He felt his hands banging onto the glass that contained him, realizing with a start he was trapped.
His eyes darted around the room, the hunched man had stood up. His figure still concealed by the lack of light, Shadow
found himself peering ever closer to the figure. He could feel the needle bore a hole into his arm, and realized with a start
that he was changing. His hands began to shake, and looking down to them realized they were melting away. The fluid that
was his hands, were beginning to fill the tank. He tried to scream but found he couldn't, contained in the watery
environment. The pain was excruciating, as he tried to use his feet to kick open the tank. He realized with growing horror
they weren't there, that his entire lower body was missing. Suddenly the room was filled with light, and he could clearly see
the figure before him. He gave a horrified scream; it was Maria in her favorite aqua blue dress. A dead Maria, her face was
pale and gaunt. Her eyes had shrunk to a horrifically small size. A single wound graced her body, directly over her heart. The
figure began to rot. Before his eyes, he saw as Maria's face slid off. What had once been her face was now pooling on the
floor, as her skull gleamed. She began to move closer to the tank, skin dripping off of her body. The eyes fell out of their
sockets, rolling on the floor. The rotting Maria raised a finger to the tank, flesh and blood dripping steadily, revealing bone
intermingled with the remaining skin. She gave a smile, as the bones cracked and her lower jaw fell to the floor. The jaw
collecting the dripping skin, and snapping around the floor; as if having a seizure. He could feel his neck, melting away. He
realized he was simply a head in a contained rapidly filling with his own melted skin and bone. It was drowning him, the
formerly oxygen rich water had turned a murky black. Through the darkness, and horrific sensation of his impending death.
He could hear a voice beyond the tank, a terrifyingly high pitched screech. It echoed in his head, as Maria demolished the
tank. He could feel what was left of her fingers, drilling into his head. The same words screeching into his head.
Everything began to fade, as he heard her voice again. The words still the same, though filled with more melancholy.
As the world shifted back into focus, and the trees could be seen yet again. His first instinct was to recollect what she had
said, his nightmare rapidly being forgotten. He was breathing hard and fast, trying to recollect himself. He stood up for a
second, and then fell back down again. His breathing slowly returned to normal, the leafy branches comforting his aching
body. He gave a somewhat bitter-sweet smile of triumph; he had managed to grasp what she had said; before the
nightmare in its entirety could be delegated to the realm of forgotten things within his mind. Yet what she had said
disturbed him, and saddened him. He began to cry, taking little solace in his memories of her. In his mind, the words
seemed to repeat as if on a broken record. He gave a scream of anger, and sadness as it floated away with the wind. His
voice echoed throughout the forest, sparking birds to fly away from the ferocious and terrifying sound of his scream. His
eyes closed, trying to stem the wave of tears. To no avail, as he turned his head upwards to the sky. From his position,
stars could be seen, glittering and sparkling in the darkness of night. He gave a solemn whisper, what a more religious
individual might have taken for a prayer. Yet it wasn't a prayer, it was more of an apology. As as his whisper ventured
above the clouds, a thought crossed his head. Her voice could still be heard, "Why didn't you save me?" He was ravaged by
guilt. His mind, in response asked a similar question. His mind wandered back to the fateful final minutes of her life, how she
had tricked him into entering the escape pod. Her final words, words he had for so long thought to mean differently; yet
over the past few years coming to understand completely. He slowly stood up, back leaning against the hardened bark of
the tree. Tears once again brimmed to the surface of his eyes, as he gave another scream. A fiercer and more guttural
sound than his previous scream, the sound seemed to shake the very trees in his despair. "WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME SAVE
YOU!?" He cried out, not caring if he was heard. Not caring how others might react to such a statement out of the blue. All
that filled his mind, was that question. He slumped back onto the leaves, tears still caught in his eyes. He gave another
whisper, "Why? I could have saved you... Maria... why?"
So absorbed was he in his torment, that he didn't realize the creature that ambled towards position. Beneath the tree, the
figure stood. This new figure gave a whisper of its own, as it slowly began to climb the tree. Branch by branch it moved,
carefully and stealthily. Its whisper echoed in its mind, "I have found you at last…" Its mouth worded out its thoughts, teeth
gnawing and tearing the skin around the lips. As the cloaked figure continued its ascent of the tree.