Rouge was used to being spoken down to and treated as an airhead that was only worth the sum of her looks. In fact, she often used this to play into her schemes, lowering the guard of whoever was in her way and taking her advantage to get what she wanted. This however mainly only worked with men. A wink here, a lip pop there and they were putty in her hand. So now that she was sat in a room with her number one enemy, noting how he stared at her cleavage the whole time yet was unable to use any of her tactics to trick him was becoming a massive frustration to her.

Because while it was Eggman she was dealing with, it was his lawyer Breezie she had to speak with. And this woman played a difficult game.

"As you can see there is no trace of this money that can be linked back to my client and no evidence to suggest he was financially involved in this underground mob you accuse him to be the leader of. Funny that, you'd there would be some sort of financial transfer" Breezie smiled patronisingly as she leaned against her chair, throwing folders down on the desk to prove her point. Next to her Eggman grinned, feeling like he had already won despite being chained to the table and still wearing the orange prison suit.

Rouge felt her fur bristle. Next to her was the General who matched her feelings equally. "Clever move, emptying the off-shore banks" he sneered, Eggman merely shrugging in a fake confusion.

"Well actually according to this the accounts linked back to a Snively Robotnik, a relative of Doctor Eggman's. In fact looking through all this evidence that you provided for me I notice a lot of this all links back to the same person, who unfortunately upon his capture decided to take his own life. I mean really, why are we even having this trial? Eggman was a sponsor for a company that belonged to his nephew and was given false accounts and contracts and had no reason to doubt the sincerity of his own family member."

"You are so full of crap" Rouge bit back. "We have footage of Eggman being in the underground lair at the time of a prisoner of his about to be roboticised, we have statements from former employers of his global robotic empire, each testifying to his unethical treatment of people in the work place, a list of banks that have previously dealt with his fraud and a key witness. Not to mention the remains of the roboticiser and the large amount of bodies that were discovered on site of this underground lair. How do you suppose your poor ignorant client found his way into this top secret facility that needed the work of undercover agents to find it and help of a chaos emerald to get inside?"

Breezie narrowed her eyes, yet kept her smile. A brief glance at Eggman was all it too for her to go ahead with what they had discussed. "The bank frauds accusation had been dealt with the last time you tried to set up my client so that argument is mute. The treatment of employees was merely a case of mishandled management, neither of which does anything for your argument other then deformation of character. Are you that afraid of losing that you're trying to set him up as a bad guy to throw the results in your favour?"

Rouge looked away, giving Breezie all she needed. "So I thought. And finally as I've shown you before, a letter from Eggman's nephew Snively Robotnik, explaining to his uncle that the business he was investing in was in fact a cover up and he requested Eggman come to his underground lair to see what he was doing with the money invested. This just happened to be the day you and Shadow showed up."

"The letter is fake. Snively wasn't there at the time of the raid, the task force we assigned each had a camera fitted and were instructed to search the whole area. Why ask Eggman to come to explain himself when he wasn't there? And don't tell me it was a set up, there was no possible way he would have known we'd bust the place on that day and at that time" Rouge fought back.

For moment Breezie was silent, pausing her lips for the smallest of seconds she'd allow herself. "Maybe he had a person on the inside working for G.U.N. After all,wasn't Shadow the one that approached Eggman and made the formal arrest. Funny how he was so sure it was him, or his natural assumption was the blame this man that he's had a hatred for for so many years now. In fact, it's odd how when that robot attacked your precious witness that Shadow was right on hand, ready to swoop in, almost as if it had been planned."

"You're insane!" Rouge laughed, "Why would Shadow save the key witness?"

"Exactly, great way to clear someone's name don't you think?" Breezie responded, her words hitting the white bat deeper then she would show. But at this point Rouge could feel a bead of sweat form on her forehead.

"And speaking of your precious little witness, Miles Prower..." Eggman rolled his eyes at the made up name, "according to these medical records he's been suffering with sever anxiety, paranoia and recurring hallucinations. He sounds like a very trust worthy witness, I'm sure once the jury hears about his criminal background and the deal that was made by, oh look, Shadow of all people- to help convict Eggman and a get out of jail card for it, I'm sure they'll have an easy job of believing him."

Rouge was silent. She had nothing, absolutely nothing. She turned to the general, but even he seemed out of ideas at this point. Breezie took that as an easy win. So with a slight chuckle she gathered up her folders and placed them in her briefcase. Eggman remained silent as the guards readied to take him back to the cell, mostly following her suggestions so as not to incriminate himself anymore. "Well, this was fun as always, I'm going to skip the part of asking for a deal as there's no need. I'll see you guys when Eggman decides to sue and place charges on Shadow" she waved goodbye before leaving with her client.

When alone in the room the silence became tension. The general tapped his finger against the table, rapidly increasing as he anger boiled until he stood up, knocking over his chair, and threw the paperwork to the wall. "DAMN IT!" he cried out, standing to face the wall with his hand against his head. Rouge simply sat where she was, not daring to make a move.

"Where the hell was our lawyer?" he asked angrily.

"He quit" Rouge answered spitefully. "Apparently he met with Breezie this morning and felt this case was impossible and decided to back out. That's why we had to meet with her instead" she said with bitterness dripping from her voice. With a deep sigh she stood up and crossed her arms, shaking her head lowly.

"What's your big plan now then?" the general asked, though he already sounded defeated.

Rouge squeezed the sides of her arms tightly, nails digging in rough. She frowned as the back up idea she had come up with a week prior now became their only option for success. "Sir..." she spoke up nervously, "there is one thing we could do, but it's a risk and will cost a lot."

The general glanced at her, his brow raised, but just as quickly he gave up and threw up his arms. "I don't care. I don't care anymore, take whatever funding you need and just do it. Submit a paper to me later and go do it" he said while marching to the door. Before he walked out though, he turned back and looked the young woman in the eyes, "But hear me now, if this new plan of yours fails then you're fired, and Shadow will be convicted as a result of Breezie's story. Don't screw this up. One chance."

With that Rouge was left alone. And with that, she put her plan into action. "Please forgive me Shadow" she whispered to herself, and then she took off, running out of the door and down towards the main reception. She quickly found the woman she looked for, the green hedgehog that was heading out the door. With a swoop of her wings Rouge was by her side in seconds, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

"Hey what are you-!" Breezie snapped, before seeing who it was. "Oh come on what do you want now?"

"To make a deal."

She scoffed, "Are you kidding me? I'm going to win this thing, save your dignity..."

"That's not what I mean. Listen to me I know Eggman pays you a lot of money, we're willing to match that with a 30% increase if you will drop Eggman as a client and work with us to convict him instead."

Breezie's jaw dropped in amusement and shock, "Seriously? You're that desperate?"

"Name your price" Rouge responded seriously. For a moment Breezie was at lost for words. "Oh this is funny, this is something different. You know there's rules to this thing right? Besides Eggman knows the story, he'll get another lawyer who will say the same thing I did and then I'm suppose to get a mark on my record because he was good at covering his back? You realise that's career suicide right? My price would go down."

"You won't lose, not if you help me out with my plan" Rouge held her stare, making the other woman almost nervous under her gaze.

"You so sure about that one?" she asked with a large patronising smile.

Rouge nodded her head slowly. "Name your price."

Breezie laughed again, definitely not expecting her day to go out like this. This was absolutely madness to her. "No you're fighting a losing case, I'm not risking it" she answered before walking away.

In a moment of panic Rouge turned around and held her back again, "Double the pay and all expenses paid luxury hotel with spa pass and meals."

With that Breezies ears began to burn. She slowly turned her head, "Double you say?" she smiled widely. "I could retire on that amount... move to a private island..." she took time to think it through before she turned to face Rouge properly. "Okay Missy, you got yourself a deal" they shook hands, "So what's this crazy plan of yours. Eggman will be suspicious if I suddenly drop him."

"That's why I want you to tell him my offer."

Breezie raised her brow confused.

"I want you to tell Eggman that we made you an offer and if he doesn't pay you more then you'll drop him as a client, make it impossible for him to pay" Rouge explained.

Breezie smirked, "And what makes you so confident I wont take up Eggman's deal if he offers me more?"

This is where Rouge got to be the one to play coy as she smiled seductively, "Because I plan on having someone on the inside to recommend the lawyer I want him to get who has a perfect record and is less expensive as you are. Do you really think with such a tight alibi that you've already provided for him that he wouldn't double cross you and pay for someone else who is just as capable? Eggman is not a man known for his loyalty after all" she smiled. And for the first time that day, Breezie's face dropped in defeat. No smile, no remark, no objection. She bit down on her lip, thinking it all over. "Fine. You have yourself a deal bat girl."

Shadow watched as the blue hedgehog ran away, heading towards a corridor that he knew lead to the bathrooms. "Sonic!" he called out, ready to chase after him, but Rouge held his shoulder. "Shadow we don't have time."

"How could you do this? You brought his father in as Eggman's lawyer... why? Why would you do this to him?!" Shadow yelled, angrily pulling away from the bat while staring down at her. Rouge fumbled with her words, something very out of character for her to do so. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't have a choice. I had to take this risk" she whispered.

Shadow slowly shook his head. "No. No you didn't."

Rouge hung her head low, his words causing her chest to swell. Not because he was angry, but because she had never heard him sound so disappointed in her. She opened her mouth to explain, but he was already gone, following after the blue boy.

Sadly she stared at the now empty space, sighing lowly as she knew she had to go into that court room alone. "This is why I told you to put the adoption papers in before the trial... you idiot" she mumbled quietly before going in.

It wasn't difficult for Shadow to find Sonic. Most people had seen a flash of blue run by them and they all pointed him to the direction of the men's bathroom. When he opened the door he immediately saw the teenage boy in the corner of the room. In front of the toilet stalls were a row of sinks and mirrors, and in front of them a couple of sofas with a coffee table in between and a pile of magazines and a tray of collogues . This bathroom was natural reserved for the lawyers and judges that worked in this place, hence why it was so fancy. So naturally the boy he was after decided among all this comfort he would sit on the floor behind the sofa and stare aimlessly at the wall.

Shadow quietly approached the other, carefully analysing the situation before he sat in front of Sonic on the floor. The teen wasn't crying, nor was he panicking like Shadow had expected. Instead he simply looked... lifeless. As if his soul had left his body and left him as an empty shell.

He reached up his hand, placing it gently on Sonic's own, yet felt no reaction.

"Was... was that real?" the blue teen asked, his voice so quiet in a hushed whisper that Shadow had thought for a moment he imagined it. It pained him so much to had to be the one who answered though.

"Yes."

There was silence. Sonic inhaled uneasily, his mouth became painfully dry. "Did... did you know?"

"No, I swear to you I had no idea. Rouge never warned me, I never would have agreed to this" Shadow panicked to reassure. He couldn't stand the thought of being blamed for this and losing the trust he had gained.

Sonic said nothing. There was still no emotion visible on his face, no anger, no sadness. Just empty.

"I'm sorry, but we have to go back in and face this now. Just get through this day and it will all be over."

Finally Sonic raised his eyes to look into Shadows, and yet he could see nothing.

"What will he do when he sees me?"

Shadow sighed, not knowing how to answer. He stared back intensely, hoping, praying for any kind of emotion to show itself in Sonic's eyes, a tear, a frown, anything other then this. Because like this... it was easy to think he was dead. His eyes were so dull, they almost looked grey. His peach skin was so pile and he just looked so fragile... no. He looked like he was already broken, all because he was. All of the progress Shadow had made with him over the past months was no immediately gone, destroyed in one second. He didn't know if there was anyway to resolve this, if there would be anyway to recover from this situation now. Not only did Sonic have to face Eggman, but he would now have to face his father, face the truth of reality and the horrors of his past. Shadow knew of the stories, he knew about how his family had moved on from him, how they despised and resented him. Shadow knew that Sonic wasn't ready to deal with this. And that's why his mind had shut down, why he sat on the floor and did nothing.

But most of all, Shadow knew what this probably meant for their future together. He and Rouge had done the research when Sonic had reviled his name and that he was a runaway. They searched him up and found his parents had put in a missing child claim. They inquired regularly for four months before giving up and Sonic no longer was listed as a priority. But that didn't matter. If his father saw him today, saw how much he had suffered through, then no doubt he would want to take him back home. He will have found his lost son and everything in his world will be right again... while his own world will plummet right back into darkness. Shadow had dismissed the idea of having a family when Maria died by his hands, and now he felt as if his chance was being ripped from him again.

He placed his palm to his eye, rubbing the tear away before it could fall. Then he stood up, breathing deeply as the room spun slowly. Now wasn't the time to think of these things. He couldn't. He needed to be strong to get Sonic and himself through this.

Shadow reached down and pulled Sonic up by his left arm, not daring to disturb the prosthetic. He kept his arm around the teenage boy the whole time as he walked him back to that damned court room. Sonic remained the same, staring dully at the floor as Shadow near dragged him along.

The trial would have started by now, Eggman would likely be in the room in chains while Breezie would make her accusations and present the evidence Rouge had collected. At this point all of it will just be a blur. Whatever will happen will happen.

Shadow felt his own hand grew tense as it held against Sonic's waist, and it was now he started to question if he was holding on to support Sonic or himself. They approached the doors. Shadow pulled one open.

"NO!" Sonic suddenly screamed, pushing it back close again.

Startled, but not surprised, Shadow raced into action. He pulled Sonic aside and cupped his hands against the teens face. Sonic started to hyperventilate, tears now streaming along his mussel while his cheeks turned red. Calmly Shadow shushed him and whispered words of encouragement, but it fell on deaf ears and Sonic dealt with the burst of all emotions at once. "I can't. I can't" he whimpered, his breath becoming more shallow with each gasp.

"Breath with me" Shadow urged while taking a deep breath himself, trying to set the example. Thankfully Sonic followed and did as he did, his chest growing less tight the as a result. His only useful hand clutched into Shadow's wrist tightly, his knuckles strained under the pressure of his grasp, but Shadow did nothing, letting the boy hurt him as much as he needed to. Anything to get him through this.

And then it all stopped. Sonic took one lass trembling breath before he became stable. Shadow didn't want to take the chance, he held onto him to make sure he wouldn't suddenly pass out or go into a fit. But thankfully he remained calm, as much as he could be.

There were no words that needed to be said, Shadow placed his arm around the young boy to help him take those steps into the court room. When the door opened this time, Sonic didn't fight it, he instead lowered his face to hide from anyone being able to see him. He was hiding behind Shadow as they walked inside, quickly making their way to the benches and sitting right at the back like they had previously arranged. Rouge was sat waiting for them, and while Shadow wanted nothing more then to walk away from her, he had to take his place by her side to avoid any unwanted attention.

Sonic sat in between them, his leg growing restless the moment he sat down. He didn't refuse as Rouge reached over and held his hand in hers, nor did Shadow react as he buried his face into his shoulder, sitting down as low as he could, hoping to be unseen in the crowd. He couldn't bare to look up and see his father. He couldn't bare to catch a glimpse of him defending Eggman for his horrible crimes against him, even if he didn't know it was him...

So that was Rouges plan huh? Sonic couldn't help but bitterly laugh. She was good, he'll give her that.

All the formalities had been over with at this point, Rouge had already been interrogated as lead agent on this mission, and Shadow listened intently to every word Breezie said to present their case. His eyes would often drift over to Eggman, and the man that sat next to him. Arrogance was all Shadow could see. Jules the Hedgehog, share holder in his own law firm where he normally works and sets a perfect record in nine years. The man knew how to dress to impress, he might as well of had the suit made out of ring notes instead of the fabric it was. The man was not what he had expected from Sonic's stories. Shadow had depicted a menacing, almost monstrous type of appearance, but this man was anything but. Slender and tall, not having much an athletic physique, but definitely swarming with charisma and charm. It was obvious before he even spoke. The way he carried himself as he stood up once Breezie sat down, the way his voice held almost a musical tone to it, it was clear to Shadow why this man was so good at his job. A master manipulator, a man that could commit murder in front of you and make you believe you were the guilty party. Shadow would have to be so careful with his words, he was being called to the stand.

Once he stood up, Sonic threw himself over to Rouge to hide his face away from the crowd, his appearance being more frightened with every moment getting closer to his turn.

Shadow took his place on the podium, took the oath he had to take, and watched as all eyes focused solely on him now. He glared at Eggman, wanting to spit on the floor as madman smiled and taunted him. Shadow would not rise to the bait, not today.

There was too much to lose.

"Mister Shadow the Hedgehog. You have been perusing Doctor Eggman for the past three years am I right?" Breezie asked him.

"Yes." He answered.

"Tell us about your investigation."

"I was assigned this mission by G.U.N after it was taken from the F.B.I. There were millions of rings being stolen from banks, reports of data theft were made and a large suspicion of homeless people and criminals being reported as missing. G.U.N took over the case once the robots started appearing. They were seen slaughtering innocent people, wiring money from companies and performing terrorist attacks. Whenever we tried to capture one they would self destruct instantly, leaving it difficult to locate where they were coming from. Previously I had been assigned to work a case which involved Eggman's robotic company hacking into government computers. When searching through his own data base I remember seeing blueprints for robots that looked exactly like the ones attacking the public. We had saved the data, only for Eggman to encrypt a virus, deleting all evidence we had to accuse him. I spent the next year watching his every move. Among those blueprints for the robots, there was one that stood out to me, a design for a roboticiser. A machine that would turn organic life into a mindless robot. I knew that if Eggman created those robots then he was likely working on this deadly machine."

"So from then on you spent your time tracking Eggman, waiting for an opportunity to catch him in the act?" Breezie questioned.

"Yes." He replied.

"Was there evidence that this roboticiser had been built in the time you were tracking him?" she asked.

Shadow crossed his arms. "I eliminated each robot that I saw, and soon they stopped appearing. I didn't stop my investigation though and after two months me and my partner Rouge were attacked by a woman whose legs were replaced with robotic ones. Her chest plate was clear and we were able to see her heart visible through a synthetic skin, wires were attached from her veins to her vital organs. When she attacked her strength and agility were abnormal to someone of her size. Once we captured her however, she immediately snapped her own neck. She was the first of many roboticised people that I have encountered, each one of them taking their own life once captured."

Breezie walked to the judge, "I would like to present these pictures of the deceased people mentioned if I have your permission to do so" she asked. The judge granted, and then upon a projector board were the pictures that had been taken after every case, every attempt at subduing one of these people for questioning. Each one choosing to take their own life instead of testify against Eggman. The members of the jury stared uncomfortably, unsettled by the gruesome images they saw.

Breezie switched them off and turned back to Shadow. "These robots when taken for autopsy were confirmed to be people previously reported as missing, is that right?"

"Yes." It felt weird to have Breezie working with him this time.

"You suspected Eggman due to what was found on his computer, was there anything more to link him to the roboticiser?" she asked.

"Yes. We searched his house, I found a lab that had what looked like a prototype of the roboticiser from the blueprints I found, and along that we found the remains of small animals that he had been testing it with, all of them deceased, and all of them with metal limps. However when trying to transport the machine to H.Q as evidence the house burst into flames, destroying everything inside. Two of our men lost their lives in that fire. After that is when I believe Eggman began his work from his lair underground with high security system in a location impossible to find." Shadow answered.

"But you did manage to find it. Tell us about that mission Shadow" Breezie smiled.

The black hedgehog sighed, guilt building up from the unpleasant memory. "A few weeks prior we set up a trap and were able to capture one of Eggman's slaves. This one was a young boy with a robotic arm, we were able to restrain him before he could take his own life. We were unaware he was half roboticised when we captured him as he concealed it from everyone. This boy was only fifteen years old and worked as a thief for Eggman, stealing from local shops to high end boutiques and banks. Often he was made to pull off heists, this is how we were able to capture him. He confessed everything about Eggman, confirmed our suspicions about his activities and involvements. It was more then money theft however, we soon discovered he was leading an underground drug ring and using the robots as carriers. He also manufactured illegal weapons and sold them on. We made an agreement with the boy we arrested to help us locate Eggman's lair in exchange for a drop on his charges." Shadow explained.

"I would like to inform everyone in the court that due to legal protection as he is under eighteen, the boy's name has been changed to Miles Prower and will be referred to for the remainder of this case" Breezie addressed the room. "So Shadow, how would you describe Miles behaviour after he was arrested? What was his attitude towards Eggman?"

Shadow did everything not to look at Sonic and out him in front of everyone. Jules was so busy assessing the situation, building an idea of Shadow up in his mind already that it unnerved him greatly.

"He was terrified" he sighed. "Miles struggled with nightmares every night and would often have panic attacks over his situation. For him to help us took a lot of courage on his behalf" Shadow briefly glanced at Sonic, but the boy still hid in Rouge's arms. So he continued, "We set up an operation..." and then Shadow went on to explain everything that had happened on that day. A day he will never forget.

It was quickly followed with video footage recorded by members of the task force that had been there, of Eggman standing in the middle of the room, another video of an explosion caused by Shadow as he destroyed a machine and Espio carrying an unseen body away from view that had previously been trapped in it. There was footage of prisoners being released and of the horrors that was found within each room. The drugs had been found, the weapons were found. Some of the robotic slaves were found. It was all there and it was all damning evidence.

"No further questions your honour" Breezie smiled before sitting back down.

The judge acknowledged her before addressing the hedgehog sat next to Eggman. "Jules, you have the floor."

The blue hedgehog smiled charismatically while standing up and straightening his jacket. He approached Shadow where he sat on show, never making eye contact with the ebony man. Shadow felt his fingers start to clench. He tried to keep his mind focused but all he could think about was that this was the man that neglected Sonic and tormented him to the point he ran away. This was the man that truly ruined Sonic's life, and here he stood, his son still lost to him, yet he smiled while defending pure evil. This man spoke to him like he was the one accused, and he never once looked him in the eyes. Would he even care when he saw Sonic?

"Agent Shadow. You claim that my client is responsible yet you fail to provide any solid proof. Isn't it true that a robot broke into the hospital and tried to murder your witness while Eggman was locked away in prison after you arrested him?" Jules asked as he walked around the room.

Shadow snarled, knowing this would come up. "Eggman obviously had someone-"

"Please answer the question Shadow, yes or no?" Jules interrupted him.

Strike one Shadow thought. He growled lowly, knowing the game the other was playing. "Yes" he answered.

"And these robots, do they only respond to commands from Eggman?" Jules asked.

Shadow was quiet for a moment, unsure how to respond. "I... no. I think he gives them their orders but they have a level of free will to begin with."

"So you're saying that you don't know, that you can't explicitly say that Eggman has sole command of the robots?" Jules pushed.

"I..." he struggled once again. He knew the argument Jules was going to make and already he was unsure how to respond. Shadow glanced at Sonic and Rouge, and to his surprise Sonic was no longer hiding, but staring intensely back at him, probably fretting over how easily his father was spinning the story to get Eggman free. Rouge didn't look confident either, yet she held Sonic's hand tightly, knowing he was their only hope now. She managed to steal Shadow's focus, yet all she offer him was mouthing of the words 'it's okay'.

Shadow shook his head, making one of the most difficult choices he would ever make. He decided to trust her, no matter what.

"No. I can't say that."

Jules smiled, "So logically if someone else had command of these robots while Eggman was in prison, then isn't it possible that another person could have been in charge of these robots instead of Eggman?"

"Unlikely. Eggman had the knowledge the build a machine that would turn organic life into metal. He was the head of the largest robotics company and we have people who have confirmed to work with Eggman for a long period of time."

"Yet there is no proof of this 'roboticiser' existing. All you have to show is a room full of corpses and supposed 'victims' who conveniently refuse to speak out." Jules turned towards the jury, "Ladies and gentleman, I would just like to point out that my client is an upstanding citizen, who as Agent Shadow has just described as the head of the largest robotics company. Eggman has made his fortune, why risk it all when he already has everything?" he turned back to Shadow, "You say he's the only one who could design these machines, yet we have obtained a letter from Eggman's nephew, Snively, asking his uncle to see him in this underground lair that you yourself raided. And was it not this very nephew that sent the robots to kill your witness after Eggman was imprisoned?"

"Objection!" Breezie cried out, "There is no way to prove the letter was fraudulent as it was written by hand."

"Sustained" the judge replied, "Answer the question Agent Shadow."

Shadow sighed, "Yes, Snively had taken control after Eggman was imprisoned and sent a robot to kill our witness. When tracked by my partner Agent Rouge, he was found in an old warehouse where he had set up a hide out for the remaining robots. When surrounded by G.U.N he set off a bomb, killing himself and the remainder of the roboticised people that hadn't been captured yet."

Jules grinned and went on to say something, yet Shadow interrupted him first, "Tell me, if Snively had intended to frame Eggman, why send a robot out after he was imprisoned and risk incriminating himself?"

Jules froze for a second, until a small scoff escaped his lips. "I believe you're forgetting whose being questioned here. No doubt your witness had information on him and decided it was worth the risk." Shadow huffed, hoping the midnight coloured hedgehog wouldn't of had an answer.

"Speaking of that night, according to the reports you weren't that far away from the hospital were you? Yet you left a good few minutes before the incident happened. Normally this wouldn't raise suspicion however..." Jules walked back to his table and picked up his folder, turning to the reports he briefed over before, "It says here that you posses special abilities such as... super speed..." he paused for a moment, Shadow quickly picked up on it, he picked up on the subtle way Jules swallowed hard and his fingers traced the paper before seemingly snapping out of whatever thought he had and going back to his argument. "How long does it take you to run home from the hospital using your ability?" he asked, placing the folder down.

"Four minutes" Shadow answered.

"And how long did the incident take place after you had left the hospital?" Jules asked.

"I believe it happened ten minutes after I left" he answered.

"So, for you to have seen the explosion you must have stayed close by, choosing not to run home on the same night it had happened, am I right?"

Shadow gritted his teeth, "Yes."

Jules started to pace again, dramatically addressing the room as he spoke. "So let me paint a picture your honour. Eggman has been imprisoned and your witness is in hospital. According to the doctors you visited the boy often and would run home every night, and yet on this one night, the only night Shadow doesn't run home, is the night that a robot breaks into the hospital. That very night the robot throws the poor child out of the window and Shadow is there to catch the boy before he falls to his death." He turned to Shadow, "Why didn't you run home?"

Shadow answered honestly, "Because I felt something wasn't right."

"Really? You just had a feeling that a killer robot might attack the witness, or were you expecting it?"

"Objection!" Breezie called out again. Jules carried on despite her, "In fact I dare say no one could suspect you of any involvement of possibly framing Eggman when you were there to be a special little hero." Shadow felt his temper rise, hands already balling into fists.

"Your honour! Jules is clearly antagonising the clement to provoke an unnecessary reaction!" Breezie called out one again.

The judge threw down his gavel. "Jules, you will ask questions only, Shadow is not the one on trial" he declared. Jules faked a sheepish smile, "My apologies your honour, I retract my statement" he said, waving his hand dismissively. Shadow knew it didn't matter though, he had put the idea out there that he could be involved in framing Eggman and now that will always be at the back of the jury's mind.

"I have only one question left for Agent Shadow" Jules announced before turning back to said hedgehog. "Don't worry, this is a simple one" he laughed patronisingly.

It was now. This was the only moment Jules looked Shadow squarely in the eyes, challenging him daringly in a game of wits. It unnerved Shadow deeply. "Is it true that you hold a personal vendetta against Eggman as you claim he is responsible for the death of your dear friend Maria? Even though it was technically by your own hand she was murdered."

"You son of a bitch" Shadow growled under his breath, his fur bristled with rage while his lips twitched in an attempt not to bare his teeth threateningly.

"A simple yes or no question Shadow" Jules grinned arrogantly.

Shadow stared at him, all of his hatred focusing solely on this one man that stood between him and justice. He went to stand up and throw his fist at the man... yet he didn't. He didn't know how he brought himself to answer the question, but as his eyes glanced towards the young boy he had taken into his home, whom he had promise to look after and be his guardian for the rest of his life, his anger almost melted away. He saw the boys pain. He saw Sonic's tears fall. And in that moment he remembered why he was really here. Not to prove himself, but to save people like Sonic who had suffered by Eggman's hands and to get this maniac locked away for life. This wasn't about him, Jules wasn't trying to fight him for anything, he wasn't aware of the full situation, and that was Rouge's plan all along.

"Yes. Yes I do" Shadow answered.

"No further questions" Jules said, then walked to his desk where he sat next to Eggman and whispered with his client.

Shadow stood up front the stand and walked away. Voices murmured in the background, everyone in attending already making up their minds of who was right and who was wrong, yet he focused on none of it. Because now that his turn was over, it was time for the really difficult part.

Shadow walked to the bench he sat at before, and with no hesitation he pulled the blue hedgehog into his arms and held him tightly. Rouge leaned over and placed her hand on his shoulder "It's going to be okay" she whispered, yet he paid no mind to her. He focused only on keeping Sonic calm as the boy knew exactly what was going to happen next. "I can't do this... I can't do this..." he whispered repeatedly, eyes widened in panic as he knew the time was approaching.

Shadow held the boys face and forced him to look at him. Sonic's lips quivered and his brows furrowed in anguish. "Listen to me, you don't need to be brave, just get through it. Don't look at your father, look at me! Only look at me and Breezie. He doesn't exist right now, got it?" he stressed, but Sonic shook his head and closed his eyes tight, not able to do what Shadow wanted. "Ten minutes and this will all be over. We'll leave immediately and you never have to face this again."

"You p-promise?" Sonic winced. Shadow pulled him close, holding him tightly, feeling himself that he didn't want to let him go. "I promise."

Breezie stood in front of the small crowd and commanded the attention of the room. "I would like to call up my witness, Miles Prower" she said.

Sonic felt his heart stop. Shadow felt his hands sweat. He nervously leg go of the boy, and watched as he stood in the middle of the aisle, body trembling as took a deep breath. He had to do this, he had to try.

Sonic kept his head down, eyes focusing only on his feet as they somehow took one step in front of the other. He looked up at no one, not when guided to the podium for him to sit, nor when placing his hand on the bible to take the oath of truth.

But being sat there, looking at his one real hand and one fake hand, he knew the attention was all on him now. He knew there was no one in the room not looking at him... did he know? Did he recognise him?

… Did he care?

Sonic needed to know. He didn't want to take the chance, but he needed to.

He closed his eyes, then slowly raised his head. Then he took a deep breath, searching for all the courage he might possibly have. He no longer cared that Eggman was glaring murder at him, he didn't care that Rouge and Shadow might be willing him on. None of that mattered. Nothing would change what he was about to see.

Sonic opened his eyes.

Jules stared back at him. His hand covered his mouth and his pupils shrank in sight of the boy in the stand.

It couldn't be... it couldn't!

"S-Sonic..." he whispered.