Shadow stepped up to the portal when the doors shut on him and the Emeralds fell. He turned his head, not believing his eyes. Tears pouring out of her eyes, Maria's hand was on the off switch.
"Shadow!" She yelled as she ran up to him, grabbing his arm before taking off.
"MARIA!?" Nelson yelled as Maria turned, steeling her face as she continued to run.
Shadow moved along with Maria. "Maria? What's gotten into you?" He asked, stopping himself as he pulled his arm free. Maria looked at him, panic in her eyes when the two heard bushes rustling behind them. Maria backed up turning to run when Shadow caught up to her, picking her up before running ahead and leaving everyone behind.
.
Tanaka and Topaz searched well into the night, but couldn't find a trace of Shadow or Maria.
"We'll have to get help from the police. This is serious." Topaz warned as Chuck inspected the machine.
"I know. We don't have long to cause Chaos Control and send Shadow back." Chuck explained. "We'll have to start first thing in the morning. But we've all had a stressful day. Maria should be fine, so long as Shadow's with her."
.
Shadow had slowed to a walk as he set Maria down a city over from Station Square. The two walked, Maria finding it difficult and irritating in the heels she wore. Shadow looked around, seeing a clothing store as he got Maria's attention.
Maria got a new set of clothes, a white T-shirt to go with a pair of jeans and some black sneakers. They walked out as Maria paid in cash, throwing the dress in the alleyway behind the store.
"What's our plan Maria?" Shadow asked as he walked alongside her.
Maria looked at him, still surprised he's with her right now. "I...I don't know. I can't go back home...Maybe we can-hmm?" A bike leaning up against the wall with a note on it, saying to take if needed. Well, Maria certainly needed it. She got on, Shadow riding in the back as Maria rode off on the streets. "How far should we go Shadow?" She asked.
Shadow simply shrugged. "As far as you need to go Maria." Maria nodded at that, pushing herself to go faster and out of the neighborhood they were in until there was nothing left to see, hitting a field of dirt around the road when Maria ran out of breath, stopping at a burger joint nearby.
Ordering the food, the two sat outside as Shadow munched down on his food while Maria studied a map. "The world seems big when it's on the open road in front of you. Is there any place you want to go to?" She asked Shadow.
Shadow simply shook his head. "I've already been to most places, and the ones I haven't been to are the ones that I don't know about." He answered.
Maria nodded. "Ok, well...a beach is definitely out, the dessert's to hot...I just don't know..." She stated as she shook her head. "Shadow...do you think they're looking for us?"
"What makes you ask that?" Shadow responded.
Maria hung her head low. "I don't know. How long do you think it would take for them to just quit?" She asked, looking up to see the T.V playing from the window as it showed a picture of her and a message from her mother begging Maria to come home. That's when she decided to bail on this place as Shadow followed, getting back on the bike.
They rode for another few hours, Maria was tired and sweaty, and frustrated when the front tire popped. The two hopped off, inspecting the bike when they heard the sound of Helicopter blades in the distance. "Those are my dad's!"
Shadow looked towards the road ahead. "Maria, give up yet?" He asked. Maria shook her head, defiantly saying no. "Ok, wait here." Shadow told her as he sprung away to intercept a man driving a pick up truck and asking if they could get a ride. The man eagerly agreed, and soon Maria was in the passenger seat as Shadow slept in the back with the hay, avoiding the helicopters.
They stopped towards a forest trail, Maria walking ahead as Shadow followed. They walked for another hour when Shadow heard the sounds of a water fall. He waited to see what Maria would do as she started to climb up, using rocks that jutted out as handles. As She was climbing, her wrist spiked with pain, though she held on. Shadow jumped from rock to rock, getting ahead of Maria in no time as he offered a helping hand. Maria took it, though something seemed off about the accepting help. She led the two of them to a steep hill, hiking up it. She looked back at Shadow and clenched her eyes shut like she was mad, then ran up the hill. Shadow watched as she started to loose balance when a rock under her gave way and she fell face first. Shadow bolted up the hill, offering a hand up but Maria swatted it away, saying she could take care of herself. Shadow shrugged, but bolted up the rest of the hill when Maria gasped. What he saw surprised him.
"Whoa..." He stated, looking at a beautiful lake with a log cabin next to it. "I've never been to this place before..."
.
Back at the Thorndyke mansion, Nelson paced back and forth as he yelled into the phone, Lindsey balling her eyes out as Chuck sat nearby.
"NO! I don't care what I have to sign. Do we not have enough choppers searching? GET MORE OUT THERE! Put the company on hold for all I care. I WANT MY DAUGHTER FOUND!" Nelson ordered about as he hung up.
Lindsey looked up. "Nelson, let's make another broadcast that Maria can have whatever he wants if he just comes home!" She said, getting up. "Call the clothing store, care dealership, whatever you have to do. Just get something!"
Nelson's face lit up with an idea. "I know. I'll get Maria her OWN clothing store! That should do it." He stated as he started to dial the phone.
"I can't take this anymore." Chuck thought as he got up. "Put the phone away!" He stated as Nelson looked at him stunned. "DO IT!" This time Nelson put the phone away. "You two are making a big mistake. You two can't rely on your corporations or money to bring Maria home because that's what's driving her AWAY. You'll never see Maria again until you understand why she left in the first place."
Lindsey sniffled. "But what drove her away? I just don't understand."
"That's the problem here, you don't understand." Chuck fired back. "Think hard, why would Maria run off? Was it only because of Shadow?" Or was it because she was afraid that when her friend left she'd be all alone again just like before Shadow got here?" Nelson looked like he was hit between the eyes. "You two didn't have the best of relationships with each other. In fact, when the first Chaos Control happened and Shadow disappeared, you two separated. When Shadow came back, so did you two. You see a pattern forming here?" Chuck asked rhetorically.
"So how do we get our daughter back?" Nelson asked.
"We'll do anything." Lindsey backed her husband up.
"Start acting like you want to be a family and not a corporation." Chuck suggested. "Maria wants to be found, but not by people you hire but by her parents. She's probably somewhere you two KNOW where she'll go. I suggest you go there, before it's to late."
.
Maria and Shadow had been working on setting up a camp all afternoon, Maria fidgeting with a rusty lock on keeping the doors shut when her hand had a painful spike. She growled in frustration, giving up as she looked at the horizon. "My parents and I used to come here all the time, I had so many good memories of this place. My dad would take me fishing in the lake, we'd all take nice walks, actually be a family...but one year we just stopped coming. They were always to busy...I doubt they even remember this place." She scoffed, then heard something shatter as she turned to see Shadow toss the rusted lock behind him and opening the doors.
"Well, guess that means we have the run of the place." Shadow suggested. Maria nodded as they took what supplies they needed when Shadow noticed something in an envelope. "Maria, get some wood for a fire, will you?" He asked as he pulled out the paper, reading it and sighing with what he saw.
The to got a fire going as Shadow put a cold rag on Maria's wrist.
"Shadow?" Maria asked nervously. "You haven't said anything about how I stopped you from leaving.
Shadow looked at her in the eye. "I wanted to hear your side of the story first."
Maria nodded, looking away. "Why did you come with me? Are you...going to stay?"
Shadow shrugged. "That's all up to you, Maria. I can go home or stay here and make sure that you won't be alone." Maria gave a confused look, asking what he meant. "Exactly what I said. I'll do what you need me to do. You saved me when I came here, gave everyone a place to stay."
Maria stood up. "So...you're doing this because you feel like you owe me something? I never was your friend, was I?" She asked as the tears started to form.
Shadow shrugged again. "Not at first, no. I had no interest in forming a friendship with you, or anyone. But then you started to grow on me, and saved my life more times after that. I don't consider many to be my friend, but you I think I can consider to be one. And, I'll grant you one wish for today only..."
"What do you mean?" Maria asked.
"Today, July 20...17 years ago you were born." Shadow stated, telling her about the paper he found in the cabin.
Maria was stunned to say the least. She had completely forgotten about her birthday..."Shadow...what did Robotnik do to you?" She asked and Shadow looked at her confused. "I thought he was behind all of this space time disaster, then he said that he...made you." She looked at him, concerned as he took a deep breath and let it out. "Are you a robot?" Shadow shook his head. "Ok. I'm sorry for asking..." She said, not wanting to press the subject.
Shadow sighed. "I wasn't born with these abilities." He stated, getting Maria's attention. "I wasn't always able to create a Chaos Spear, or teleport...Chaos Energy can do very strange things to ones body." He stated, remembering back to that day when his life changed forever.