The dust had settled over Westopolis, Central City and their neighboring suburbs since the Black Arms invasion had all but been put to an end. People had started cleanup of the mess left in the aliens' wake. Sonic and his friends had dispersed to help the locals outside the cities. GUN was on its way to reform as a less militarized organization and a renewed focus on social security per the President's orders of a new era towards peace.
Those memories were but a short time ago despite it being over a month since the comet made contact with earth. Shadow was hailed a hero once again on the news, but he actively avoided both the praises and noise that came with the label. Not even Sonic would stick around for the onlookers. Shadow was in no mood to see anyone.
"Brooding again, handsome?"
His present company was excluded however. GUN agent Rouge approached Shadow in her usual swagger. Unlike him, she had an air of professionalism right down to appearances. Aside from the blue hedgehog, she had the confidence to approach him despite his powers and history of social interactions.
"I didn't ask for company."
"Oh the doors were wide open last I checked," Rouge bemused. "Are you sure you remember everything before we first teamed up with Omega against Eggman? Didn't miss any triggers walking down these halls?"
Shadow scoffed. "I don't know why you even bothered to bring me along if the mission was about repurposing this place."
"Well, it WILL be the last time either of us will be allowed in here."
It was true then. Rouge had told him a week prior the Space Colony Ark was being transferred to another government division. Shadow however wasn't interested in the details. Truthfully, even he wasn't sure why he absently agreed to tag along when Rouge asked for his company aboard. There's nothing left for him up here to do, no more missing pieces. There's nothing left. Nothing.
He told himself over and over the past was behind him, before he would destroy Black Doom. But his own words were doubtful and hesitant.
"The boys are about done cleaning everything out so NASA can start moving in by tomorrow. Unless we missed some secret lab, I doubt we'll be having a repeat of-" Rouge started when she saw what was in Shadow's hand. "Oh! I didn't mean-"
It was one of the few things untouched over the last fifty years: a photograph of Gerald Robotnik and his granddaughter Maria. She was the reason for his research, and that research led to Shadow becoming the Ultimate Lifeform. He had grown beyond what the doctor had envisioned.
"I'm fine."
Rouge didn't look convinced but kept quiet.
Shadow turned to two chairs nearest to him. "I remember seeing the Commander here when he was a child. He never was comfortable around me, but he did adore Maria. She kept telling him I was good. He didn't seem to want to believe it."
Shadow turned his sights to the cold void of space outside. "I cared little for the Commander then, but Maria never got the chance to change his opinion since GUN came the cycle after."
He pictured the faces of what was once the only family he knew. "I... felt them fade away one by one until Maria's light was last. I tried to save her for the doctor, and I couldn't even do that."
His mind wandered back into the past. When he was not confined to stasis or running tests, Shadow was allowed to roam about most of the station. People-Mobians and humans alike-were always noisily busy across the station, mostly talking among themselves. They were... happy? They talked about families on earth, dreamt about new breakthroughs, but there was also sadness of having lost a loved one as their reason for coming to the ARK.
The hysteria of that fateful cycle when GUN came for them all was strong enough to make lasting, mental scars even with his temporal amnesia.
Rouge quietly drew closer to pat a hand over his shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything, right Shadow? I won't tell what others don't need to know. Is there anything else you've been thinking about?"
There was no point lying to her. She was the better liar than him.
Shadow screwed his eyes shut as the emotions came all at once.
"Death should have been a fitting end for me. Instead of oblivion, my memories and time were stolen from me. I lost sight of everything," Shadow then looked into the palm of his free hand. "When Black Doom presented himself, I was convinced he had the answers of who I was meant to be. Until he disclosed his true intentions."
He looked to his other hand. It got harder to focus on their faces. "So many had died or changed for my life to be possible. The Biolizard. The professor and his colleagues. Maria. I was created to be a cure, then a hope for earth against one of my own makers. But was my life worth the suffering they had gone through? Was I worth defying the odds?"
The pain and confusion Shadow felt in his being at that moment was worse than he felt was possible. He'd always endured the stasis tubes alone without issue before, periodically fading in and out of consciousness after tests. Now it was like sinking into an abyss, pressure crushing him from all sides. No one could hear his internal screams or watch him struggle to breathe. There was no escape.
"You do know that if it weren't for you, Black Doom could have succeeded enslaving earth some other way?"
Rouge's words snapped Shadow back to the present. "I mean, becoming a meal to alien slugs is not my idea of retiring in style. I've still got years to look forward to getting sapphires, emeralds and diamonds!"
Shadow gave her an appraising look. "Must be nice to have a one track, material mind."
The bat giggled. "Oh, I have plans after doing all that of course, darling. But even a lady has a right to keep a secret or two about her future."
Rouge looked intently into Shadow's eyes. "But in my honest opinion, what you do now doesn't matter to me. There's no turning back the clock to what could have been. All I know was you helped save the world twice now. Anyone who can manage that is worth my time."
She gave a brief, derisive laugh. "You surviving the free fall was an unexpected surprise to everyone. Go figure you sacrifice your life and fail even at dying! Someone out there really wants to make sure you're still alive for a reason. I'm thankful for whoever they are because they kept me alive to steal another day."
Shadow was at a loss for how to react. Is this what it's like getting sympathy from a thief?
"Oh, silly me!" Rouge started with a coy tone. "Here we are having a nice chat, I forgot I came all this way to give you this."
The bat handed Shadow what appeared to be a scribbled note with... a passcode and coordinates?
"There's a free drop pod two doors down if you really want to leave. You could walk away from all this now. No one has to know and I can make up something convincing to cover for you." Rouge pulled away and crossed her arms. "Don't say I never did you a favor, handsome."
Shadow stared at what was handed to him. He looked back into Rouge's eyes. There was none of her flirtatious jest before this lead up. Here was an individual who was fearless before him. GUN agent or not, she wasn't afraid of expressing her own opinions outside anyone's influence. And clearly she was willing to face consequence on account of him.
Did he really want freedom to walk the earth? Should he go back to Eggman to confront him on the Shadow Androids? Did he have a place among Sonic's friends? A life outside GUN seemed good, but internal change was promised in the near future.
A photo of times long past in one hand? A choice for the present in the other? A future of his own choosing with neither?
He crumpled the note before stepping over it underfoot.
Rouge looked amused. "Will that be a no on the drop pod, then?"
Shadow felt his chest tighten as he hung onto his words.
"What happened fifty years ago was tragic. If GUN does truly seek to change its ways, I want to witness this change firsthand. But make no mistake, the moment GUN falls back to its old ways, I will be the first to know, and I will hold nothing back until only its ashes remain."
She glanced between the discarded paper and back at him. "Are you sure this is your answer?"
Shadow didn't turn away.
would be the sole protector of the earth, regardless of what GUN does in the future. "I am."
Rouge chuckled at his resolute response. "Well with your charms, you'll fit right in with other agents. I did enjoy my stint playing spy a while back. Maybe I can convince my superiors later about assembling a team where we can be together on future missions, if you're up for it."
He had considered who else would be willing to put up with him. Omega was all heart for a former Eggman weapon of destruction. He could learn to be determined from that robot. "I think I would like that, yes."
"Good!"
"Good."
And as suddenly as the resolve came, awkward silence followed. Shadow was perplexed at the sudden change of course for himself. Rouge looked largely unfettered. What was the next logical course of action now?
He cleared his throat before recomposing himself. "For what it is worth, Rouge, thank you for giving me a choice. You've been nothing but supportive no matter which side I am on. I will try to be better at... cordial conversation."
Rouge gave him a smirk as she walked back the way she came. "Don't overthink it, sweetie, I would rather you be comfortable around me. I'm glad you found some closure today."
Closure. Rouge couldn't see it, but Shadow felt renewed at the thought. She was generous for a thief. Perhaps she knew what he wanted to look for before he knew it for himself.
"Come on, Shadow. Ready to head home?"
Rouge stood by the doors, waiting for him, looking ready for anything.
Shadow carefully placed the picture he had found back in its frame. ARK would be in new hands very soon. Rouge went a bit ahead of him as he followed after her.
He walked out of that door into the unknown, never to turn back. But at least he would not be alone in the path with a certain bat tagging along by his side. Maria might be long gone, but her last words gave Shadow the ultimate resolve to put the past-and everything attached to it-behind him.
"Goodbye, Shadow the Hedgehog."