Chapter 14: Coming Home
Shadow finds himself on the ark again. He wakes up in the Pod room where he was sent off to Mobius. He sees a blonde lady in the room sitting on a chair staring out at the planet
Shadow: Oh, not this shit again!
She stands and walks past shadow and heads down the back way they came when they escaped the Gun soilders.
Shadow: Maria! Wait!
He follows her down the corridor and through the security. Something doesn't feel right to him. there's no one here with them. Just them and an empty hallway. They head past the open cargo hold and head into the research lab. They walk into Geralds old office. Shadow walks in and see's what he wished he hadn't he sees his co-creator tied to a chair and filled with a bullet hole in his head. She goes to his pocket and takes a key out. She heads to the desk and opens a briefcase with a combination. She figures out the combination for all the times she played in his office while he worked. She opens the brief case and takes something out. She has a vile with red liquid in it.
Maria: come home
Shadow: what?
Maria: when you heal up, come home and get this. the key is in Geralds diary.
Shadow: I don't understand!
Gloom: Of course you didn't but I knew.
Shadow looks behind him and looks at him standing outside the door.
Gloom: Of course you didn't have the balls to embrace what you really are but I do.
Gloom looks different. All the tattoos are gone but he looks a little more deadly. His eyes are darker with blue pupils. He looks muscular and his quills area little sharper and longer. Shadow pauses a little and gets ready for whatever he will throw at him.
Gloom: Take it easy, I'm not gonna hurt you… Yet!
Shadow: Hmph…
Gloom: you got something that I need and I'm coming to get it.
Shadow: what do I have that you want?
Gloom: Oh you'll figure it out.
Shadow: so what are you planning?
Gloom: …Revenge.
Gloom teleports behind him and kicks him through the wall and into the labs. Shadow lies there with a bit of a concussion and gloom walks to him and grabs him by the throat.
Shadow: AG… AGH…
Maria grabs a needle and stabs gloom by the arm and shadow kicks him off in the face.
Gloom: Ahh… ow how I hate needles!
Maria picks up shadow and they run.
Gloom: Oh you can't run from me!
He floats a little and proceeds to chase them down.
Shadow picks up Maria while carrying her on his back. they make it past to the cargo hold. A bunch of familiar faces and enemies stand against them. Black arm's, G.U.N, Scientist, and Eggman Robots. They all look different. The scientist and G.U.N soldiers are consumed with some dark root growing around them with their eyes turned yellow eyes and blood all across them. All look mutated and turned into into monsters from different shape and sizes. The robots and shadow androids have the dark tree root growing around them as well. The black arm's look the same. He takes off the rings on his wrist and charges through them with his full power. He makes it past them but there are still more. He fights off a lot of the enemies and picks up maria and keeps running to the escape room. They are blocked off with his brother at the end of the hall.
Gloom: what? Leaving so soon?
Shadow changes direction and tries another way. He runs into the cafeteria and makes it to this closet with monsters and robots chasing after them. He locks the door and barricades it. Maria notices a vent and opens the hatch.
Maria: Through here!
She starts crawling along with shadow following. The vents seem like a maze. Something big starts smashing the vents.
Gloom: Clever! But ultimately flawed!
The vents get smashed and they escape out into another section. They are in the room with the windows they always stare out of. Maria heads to another vent that she knows and opens it.
Maria: Shadow head out there and see if you can make your way into the Escape pods. It's best to separate them from each other.
Shadow: Right!
She gets into the vent and he closes it. The door opens and gloom and other enemies show up.
Gloom: I always liked it when we played hide and seek. It makes everything a challenge.
Shadow: Well then… catch me if you can!
He pulls out his gun and shoots the window, releasing everyone in that room out into the vacuum. Gloom lands on shadow and starts punching him over and over and shadow returns the favor and pushes him off. Shadow lands on a platform. Gloom lands on top of a tower.
Gloom: FETCH ME HIS HEAD!
A bunch of infected Eggman's robots and shadow androids swarm the roadway to the ark. Shadow looks at his window of opportunity at the far end. It's like a race towards where Maria's at. This time without Sonic. Shadow uses Chaos boost and charges across final rush. He takes the fastest route be ridding every enemy in his path. He heads up to the ark and enters a vent.
While crawling through the vents he starts to hear female voices.
?: We were saved by Kimira's Husband and son. (like a underwater Echoe)
?: How is she? Still cranky as ever? (echoes)
Shadow: What the hell? Amy?
Shadow is greeted with a Black Arm oak reaching it's muscular arm through the vents.
Shadow: Shit!
He crawls past it and more hands start smashing through the vents including robots trying to get through. He finds an exit and enters. It's the room where he was created. He looks around and looks at the birth pod where he was created.
Shadow: I…I
He starts to get flashbacks when he was created and his first few days of being alive. Then, he sees Gerald and black doom in the room but it's like a flashback.
Gerald: So how's glooms training.
Black doom: His progress exceeds projection. He might turn out into a magnificent warrior.
Gerald: Good, good. And about that treatment for the… {coughs in hand} condition we have, we are close to a break through. But I would like to ask that Shadow has no relation to black arm's magic.
Black Doom: Hmmm… and may I ask for what reason?
Gerald: I don't want the world to know of your or any relation black arm's existence. They'll start to question and shut down my research.
Black Doom: smart. Ok but he'll have great power no matter what. I can take away the nature of him but he'll always have our DNA in him.
Gerald: Fine, fine.
Black doom: Here!
Black Doom reaches into his sleeve and takes out the a vile of red glowing matter.
Black Doom: Insurance… just incase if he ever he needs it.
Gerald: I'll keep it safe nowhere can find it.
The flashback ends when shadow blinks and he's in the empty room again. he hears hissing noises and whispers. He looks up and sees shadowy figured hands reaching out. Screams and cries wail out for shadow and reaching down for him. he dashes out the room and is down a long corrider.
Shadow: Gotta find Maria!
He runs down the long hallway fighting his way through enemies of the past and Dark hands reaching out for the red and black hedgehog.
He almost reaches the door until his brother appears in front of him.
Gloom: Going somewhere?
Shadow dashes to him trying to attack. Gloom teleports behind him. Shadow back kicks him and Gloom grabs his leg and slams him back and forth on the ground.
Shadow: Agh… ah!
He smashes his head in the wall and runs down to the door and smashes his face into it.
Shadow: AHH!
Shadow kneels up and sees an evil looking Gloom staring at him. he tries to punch him and Gloom catches his hand, grabs his finger, and twists it back snapping it and breaking it leaving a gash open and bones showing.
Shadow: OOOWWW!
Gloom sends a fury of punches and knees to the face beating him senselessly over and over until he kicks him through the wall landing near the pods. Shadow lies next to the pods with a bruised and bloodied face with a concussion. He sees maria preparing the pod for him. Gloom walks into the room and sees his brother trying to crawl for the pods. He stops him by smashing his leg instantly breaking it.
Shadow: AHHHH!
Gloom: Who's the ultimate form now?
Maria pulls out a knife and stabs Gloom in the neck sending him back a few feet and grunting and holding the knife. Maria picks shadow up by the arm and carries him to the pod. She heads to the controls and start pressing buttons. Gloom takes the knife out of his neck and He his tissues and muscles start healing and it fades.
She presses the button on the control and she heads to shadows pod. And looks at him. Shadow opens his eyes and looks at Maria.
Maria: Shadow… Please Come home! You need to stop him! Please just give him a chance. He's hurt, sad, and angry. Just put him back on the right path. Please do it for me. For everyone on that planet. And for you.
Shadow: I will…
Maria is met with a purple spike met through her and is lifted up by gloom and thrown onto the grown.
Shadow: Maria!
Maria: Please Shadow (coughing) stop him at all cost…
Shadow stares at maria then looks at gloom in anger.
Gloom: Expect me Brother cause I'm coming. Expect me. I'm on the way!
Shadow is sent down and hears voices.
?: and so here we are! (echoes)
?: Huh… well that explains. You can make yourself at home and I'll go prepare a hut for you and him. I'll fill you in later. (echoes)
?: thank you. (echoes)
Shadow: I know what I must do… I know what I must do… gotta go home… gotta go home.
?: Shadow… please… wake up!
Shadow: A… Amy…
He floats down and enters the atmosphere. It gets brighter and brighter and he is out of the pod falling straight down. He sees a village and its getting closer and closer.
Shadow: Oh crap…
He falls to a certain hut with his arms and legs out waving and preparing for crash landing. It goes black and shadow wakes up on a mat with a certain pink hedgehog looking down at him upside down.
Shadow: Hey beautiful
Amy: Hey
To Be Continued…