50th Chapter! I never thought I would make it this far, but thanks to all you guys who've been reading and reviewing my fanfic I feel like I can continue on ! Now, since this next story-arc is based on Shadow the Hedgehog I'm going to be mostly telling it from Shawn's perspective instead of Sonny's so hopefully you'll enjoy it!

Chapter 50: Debt

It's been three months since I started my search, and so far I haven't learned anything about Shadow, Shawn thought as he stood underneath a tree on the edge of a clearing within the city of Westopolis' main park. All I know for certain is that a massacre happened on the ARK fifty years ago that caused Marie to go missing, me to be put in suspended animation for some reason, and Gerard to die of insanity. Then a few months before Rouge woke me out of that pod, Dr. Eggman had reactivated the ARK in order to use its Eclipse Cannon to threaten the world into submission but he was thwarted by The Blue Blur, who I'm sure is actually Sonic. I have no recollection of what happened between injecting myself with that alien's blood and waking up in that storage-room, but I keep having nightmares of things I don't remember doing. What does it all mean?

Shawn suddenly felt a sharp pain from his forehead and in his mind he saw Marie running down a dimly lit corridor with him as gunshots fired behind them. She looked nervously at him but he said nothing. Then they came into a circular room where he told her to stand in a place he pointed to with his finger. Marie obeyed him, and then he pressed a button that caused Marie to be encapsulated inside a tube-shaped pod made of glass. Instead of calling out his name, Marie cried, 'Shadow!' before the pod vanished underneath the floor.

What was that? Some kind of memory? Shawn wondered as the images faded from his mind.

It was then that he noticed the bright afternoon sky being covered by dark-red clouds that rolled in suddenly. This was then followed by sudden flashes of lightning as a mass of dark shapes came falling out of the clouds and down into the city's downtown district. A strange noise caught Shawn's attention and noticed a strange creature floating towards him that looked like a black starfish with a single red eye in the center. But just as Shawn was about to run, the creature blinked and a holographic image appeared of a tall figure with black robes but no visible legs, three-fingered hands, and a monstrous head consisting of two horns and three eyes.

"I know you," Shawn said, thinking back to when he accidentally peeked on his adopted grandfather having a conversation with the same creature but in the flesh. "You're Black Doom, leader of the Black Arms aliens."

The holographic creature paused and then he said, "Indeed, Shadow the Hedgehog. It's been several eons since we last met and I see you've obtained a new form."

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Shawn said, playing along. "Now my memory is kind of fuzzy, so remind me what happened when we last met."

In response, the creature known as Black Doom chuckled. "I'm surprised you've forgotten already, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt considering how much time has passed. If you really wish to know, then bring me the seven Chaos Emeralds."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I'll make you do it since you bear my mark."

Shawn then felt a stinging sensation on his right arm. He rolled up his coat-sleeve and noticed a strange mark appear on the inside of his elbow where the needle with Black Doom's blood had penetrated. It was a dark red swirl with spikes attached and seemed to be swelling up as the stinging sensation turned into burning.

Unable to bear the pain, Shawn said, "All right, I'll do as you say. Just stop. Please."

"That sounds reasonable," Black Doom said and pointed his middle finger at the mark.

The swelling stopped, but the mark was still there.

"I expect results, Shadow," Black Doom said as his hologram vanished. "Don't disappoint me."

As the black starfish floated away, Shawn examined the mark more closely and took a few deep breaths. "I don't trust Black Doom at all, but he seems to know Shadow and can control my body with this mark. So if I want answers and a means of saving myself, then I have no choice but to do as he says."

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Upon reaching the downtown area of Westopolis, Shawn walked into a strange battlefield where black creatures of all shapes and sizes were fighting against men in dark blue military uniforms who fired at them with a variety of guns. Fortunately, there were no civilians around as Shawn warped from place to place looking for any sign of the Chaos Emeralds. After jumping over a highway that had been ruptured by one of the black creatures, Shawn saw a familiar face with blue hair and green eyes.

"Hey, Shawn!" Sonic said, waving. "Where have you been?"

"That's none of your business," Shawn replied walking up to him.

"Okay, I was just asking," Sonic responded, noticing more black creatures appearing down the street. "Want to give me a hand at dealing with these Black Arms guys? I think they want payback for what Shadow did to their forces long ago, before the world was reformed."

"So Shadow fought these things before?" Shawn said as he dodged one of the big creatures as it charged at him.

"You mean he hasn't told you yet? What have you been doing all this time?"

"I've been traveling the world trying to find answers to Shadow's identity."

"You won't find what you're looking for by traveling to foreign places. Just look inside yourself, and you'll find Shadow there."

"What are you talking about?"

It was then that Shawn noticed something glimmer beyond the group of Black Arms creatures that were charging towards him and Sonic. As Sonic jumped into the air and landed on each of the aliens' heads as a spinning blue ball, Shawn warped over to where the glimmering thing was. To his surprise, the object was a big green gemstone that had an unnatural glow.

Shawn picked the gemstone up and examined it closely.

"In case you've forgotten, that gem you hold in your hand is a Chaos Emerald."

Shawn looked up and saw the black starfish from earlier floating a few feet from his face.

"Black Doom?"

"No, but Black Doom channels himself through me," the black starfish answered. "You may refer to me as Doom's Eye, and I've been assigned to watch your progress in collecting the Chaos Emeralds. Now pick up that gun right next to your feet and take out some of these pathetic humans in your search for the next Emerald which I sense nearby."

As Doom's Eye watched, Shawn looked down and saw a dead military soldier holding a semi-automatic rifle in his hand. He tried to pry the gun from the soldier's hand but failing to do so, Shawn resorted to taking a pistol that was hanging loosely from the man's waist. After checking the magazine, Shawn locked the pistol into place and warped further down the street where more military soldiers were fighting Black Arms creatures. Unsure of which side he wanted to shoot at, Shawn instead chose to ignore both groups and proceeded towards a shiny blue object he presumed to be the Chaos Emerald Doom's Eye was talking about. Once he reached it, he picked the Emerald up and was about to warp away when Doom's Eye appeared and created Black Doom's holographic image in front of Shawn.

"What are you doing, Shadow?" Black Doom said in an irritated tone. "You were supposed to take town the G. U. N. soldiers."

"I thought I was only supposed to collect the Chaos Emeralds," Shawn said, walking through Black Doom's hologram. "If you had wanted me to fight G. U. N. as well, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Do not question me!" Black Doom snapped. "For such insolence, you must be punished appropriately!"

The holograph of Black Doom raised his hand at Shawn, and a bright light followed which made Shawn flinch in place. When the light died, Shawn found himself lying on the ground face-first with the Chaos Emeralds lying near his hands. Once he got to his feet, he noticed that he was no longer in Westopolis City but a large canyon with green tops and various structures carved out of the sides.

"What is this place?" Shawn asked out loud. "I don't think I've ever been here before."

Off in the distance, he could hear faint gunshots and explosions.

"Something's going on over there," Shawn said, and looked in the pocket of his hoodie to see that the pistol he took from the dead G. U. N. soldier was still there. "I should probably investigate it. Maybe it'll lead me to the next Chaos Emerald."

To be continued…