Chapter 1

Desolation. It was the only word that came to Shadow's mind as he gazed out across the blasted wastes of Xeros. The strange alien planet had been marred by centuries of exposure to the Anti-Chaos, a vile gaseous substance that saturated the planet's atmosphere. No light would dare breach that infernal sky; thus, nothing grew that was good. It was a lifeless world, and even Shadow felt pity for whoever its previous inhabitants might have been.

There was only one thing that could drag Shadow out to such a hopeless rock: A potential threat to Mobius. G.U.N. had recently detected a massive power source deep within the planet's husk. He hoped that it was merely a Chaos Emerald, for if he had learned anything through his ten years working for the government, it was that preparing for the worst-case scenario only brought about an even worse one.

Suddenly, Shadow's wrist communicator buzzed wildly. Omega's metallic voice that finally came through.

"Lieutenant Shadow, I have reached 4.12 kilometers beneath the surface. Expect long-range communications to be terminated."

He pulled up his night vision visor and surveyed the entrance to the crypt where Omega had recently made his descent. "Make it quick. An ion storm is just over the horizon. When it hits, the Alodiads will close the tomb."

"Warning Acknowledged. With all due respect, Lieutenant, this would be an ideal situation for Rouge."

Before he could respond, the channel erupted with static. He switched off his communicator and seated himself on the dusty ground amongst the silent stones. It was a strange feeling to sit on the sidelines while his partner was in the jaws of the enemy, but their foe was situated perfectly for Omega to infiltrate.

The Alodiads were a race of mechanical monstrosities that had survived on the chaotic world of Xeros for millennia. These twisted constructs of blackened slag had suddenly organized themselves and were sending out fleets to conquer surrounding planets. It was Shadow's duty to keep such a terrifying threat as far away from Mobius as possible. The task should have been simplicity itself, but the absence of his roguish ally complicated things. She and Shadow had had a falling out some months ago. In other words, it was his fault that Omega was miles deep in the stronghold of a genocidal cult of robots.

Still, he had to commend Omega's deception. He had masterfully infiltrated the sanctuary of the Alodiads by pretending to be an initiate into their order. The fanatical machines had accepted him, their processors alight with glee, for they saw him as a prophet who had descended from the shadowy firmament to warn them of their maker's return.

Shadow's communicator buzzed once again. It was Commander Tower, head of the Guardian Units of Nations.

"Lieutenant, have you figured out what's happening on Xeros?"

"Not yet, Commander. I lost contact with Omega, but he'll return shortly."

"Just finish the op as soon as possible. All of Mobius is counting on you two." There was an uncharacteristic break in his voice. "Oh, and Corporal Kintobor is leaving for the night. She said that she'll see you at home."

"What?" Shadow yelled into the communicator. "You're letting Hope walk home by herself? Tell her to stay at HQ. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Shadow, your orders are to remain on standby!" barked the commander. "If you jeopardize this mission, you'll put the entire planet in danger."

He switched off his communicator and jumped into a vale where the Alodiads had tunneled out a vast network of subterranean labs. The opening welcomed him like the gaping maw of some alien corpse. Without a moment's hesitation, he dashed into the tomb, sending twisted bits of scrap metal flying through the caverns. The plasma carbines of the Alodiad warriors roared in his face, yet he did not falter. He tore through their ranks like a cleansing flame until he was reunited with Omega just outside the innermost chamber.

Omega turned to him, his eyes glowing red in the darkness. "Lieutenant, did external forces warrant a more aggressive plan of action?"

"Indeed. The commander was about to let Hope walk home by herself. We have to return to HQ immediately."

"Situation acknowledged. . . . Does not compute. Shadow, you are an idiot. Commencing mental diagnostic subroutines."

"Listen, Omega. Hope just started living alone, and if the commander thinks that she's safe out on her own in that city then he's—Wait. Why am I explaining myself to a robot?"

Omega's eyes burned bright red. "Diagnostic complete: Shadow is suffering from a severe case of paranoia and obsession caused by fearful imaginings from hyperactivity of the neuro synapses. Activating empathetic processes. Reasoning illogical. How sad."

Shadow let out a sigh as he advanced further into the tomb. Why he expected Omega to sympathize with him, he did not know.

"Lieutenant, in order to maintain the false pretense that I am allied with the Alodiads, I will be forced to attack you when we enter the inner chamber."

Shadow nodded. "I understand. Now hurry."

"Order acknowledged. Adjusting targeting systems 2.3 degrees to the right. Disabling empathetic processes: Sorrow, guilt, and compassion offline. . . . Shadow, prepare to be destroyed."

Omega's gatling guns roared to life, and Shadow dashed into the inner chamber where a hundred more mechanical monstrosities awaited him. Omega was hot in pursuit, his guns blazing with fire.

"Halt, Omega!" The voice was from the Alodiad warlord. "An organic has dared to defile the Maker's sanctuary, and I shall do combat with him."

Omega powered down his weapons. "Yes, First Machine Ûran."

The mass of iron slag revealed a claw from beneath its ragged cloak. In its grasp was a black emerald, not unlike a Chaos Emerald, but it glowed with an ominous purple light. Even Shadow could not help but feel a sense of dread in its presence.

"I serve the Maker—the great Machine Mother!" The syllables creaked out its verbalizer like a rusting turbine. "Now your consciousness will be added to the Maker's mainframe."

A beam of black energy erupted from the emerald that eclipsed any light that dared enter the chamber. It was like a black hole, traveling toward Shadow at high speed.

The beam struck Shadow's chest and immediately he was enraptured by the blackness of the Void. All about him was nothingness. No air rustled his fur. No light entered his eyes, but he was surrounded by noise. A thousand disembodied voices entered his ears, threatening to drive him insane. He closed his eyes and tried to focus.

Is this my fate? When the universe ends will I be floating through the void, surrounded by the voices of my long-gone friends? Will my life be nothing but pain and regret?

The darkness faded like the thick night at break of day. When Shadow awoke in the chamber, he expected to be attacked immediately, but the Alodiads bowed to him in reverence.

"Great Machine, forgive us of our ignorance!" cried Ûran. "At last, the Maker has returned to repair the mainframe and ascend us to the heavens!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I want that emerald." Shadow tore open the robot's ebony chassis. A mixture of oil and water poured out and the crumpled machine collapsed into a ruin of twisted slag.

The other Alodiads cowered before him. Some even muttered jealous remarks, wishing that they, too, could have fallen at the hands of their supposed maker. Ignoring their fervent praise, Shadow snatched the black emerald and left the underground lair with Omega.

As soon as he had returned to the surface, Commander Tower's voiced roared through his communicator. "Shadow, that was a complete violation of protocol! You jeopardized the entire—"

"The mission's complete. Now get us back."

Omega emerged from the crypt, jet boosters roaring behind him. "Negative. I must remain on Xeros."

"Don't tell me you're actually going to join that cult."

"It is possible the Alodiads have activated a tracking device on my body; therefore, my return to Mobius could compromise G.U.N.. I will remain and study these machines while Shadow returns with the orb. I wish to learn more about their maker and this mainframe of which they speak so highly."

Shadow glanced down at the black stone in his hand. It was indeed an orb, perfectly spherical with not the slightest semblance to the Chaos Emeralds.

"Omega, are you sure?" echoed the commander's voice. "This planet is constantly barraged by ion storms. There's no telling how it will affect your body."

"There is much I can learn from these machines. Leaving now would be illogical."

Shadow nodded solemnly. "Find out more about this orb and why their leader said all that nonsense. . . . And try to keep the destruction to a minimum."

"Order acknowledged. . . . Lieutenant, before you return, I must inform you that my empathetic processes have suggested that giving Ms. Kintobor some space might improve your emotional state."

Shadow glared at his old friend. "Just focus on your mission."

"Lieutenant, stand by for warp," sounded the commander's stony voice.

In an instant, Shadow's body was compressed into electronic data and transmitted across the galaxy where he materialized within the lab of the G.U.N. headquarters. Several technicians had already gathered, awaiting his return. He handed over the orb and the technicians left without so much as a word of praise. Now only Commander Tower and the head robotics engineer, Hope Kintobor remained in the lab. Immediately, Shadow was overcome with shame when he saw the weariness in her eyes. It was well past midnight, and he had kept her from leaving the compound. It hurt him even more to see that her face tinged with guilt. She probably felt partially responsible for Shadow disobeying his orders.

"Corporal, you're free to go," said Tower. "Lieutenant, a word, if you will."

Hope saluted the commander and gathered her purse before quitting the lab.

"Shadow," began Tower as he paced about the bright, sterile room, "when I give you an order is it not your duty to follow it without question?"

"Is it not your duty to prioritize the well being of your officers, Commander?"

Tower stopped abruptly and turned to him. "You put the entire federation in jeopardy all for what? Because you couldn't stand the thought of Hope being out at night on her own? Her apartment is just down the street!"

"Then you should have sent an escort."

"An escort?" exclaimed the commander. "She never would've left the perimeter of our patrols. Shadow, I'm begging you, just give her a moment to herself. You can't hound her like this forever."

Shadow crossed his arms and made for the exit. "I'm grateful to have this life, Commander, and I intend to use it as I see fit."

He quit the lab without the slightest display of respect for his superior officer. Just as he expected, Hope was patiently waiting for him outside the compound. Being a good three feet taller than him, she looked down and smiled sweetly. He returned the gesture as best he could and felt the bitterness dissipate from his mind.

Not a day went by that Shadow was unmoved by the splendid woman that Hope had grown into. Her stature was tall and proud, and her every move reflected a glowing vitality he had not thought possible in an Overlander, a race that most Mobians deemed cruel and brutish. Her long, golden hair shimmered beneath the soft lamplight of the streets. She wore a black trench coat that covered almost her entire body, for it was quite cold. The G.U.N. headquarters had been erected in Four Crosses, a northern province of Mobius that deterred most tourists and unwanted attention thanks to its brutal ice storms. Shadow was ashamed to make her wait in the cold.

"I hope the commander wasn't too hard on you." she said, patting his head.

"He was the same as always. Let's go."

They began their short trek to Hope's apartment complex which was only a couple blocks away.

Hope fumbled in her pocket for her keys. "Well, I want you to know that I really appreciate all you're doing for me, no matter what everyone else says."

He glanced at the snowy ground. "Thank you."

"Do you think Omega will be okay? I'm really worried about him."

Shadow could not help but laugh. "You've worked with Omega for ten years. You know what he's capable of."

"Well, yeah, but what if those things turn him into some sort of mechanical monster?"

"He already is a mechanical monster."

"Maybe I should try to contact him. I need to remind him to run his diagnostic subroutines every night, and he needs to oil his chassis every day, and of course he has to lower the frequency of his receptors or else those ion storms will wreck his sensors, and—"

"Hope, he can take care of himself." Shadow said flatly.

"Oh?" She smiled playfully. "So, you aren't concerned for Omega, all alone on the other side of the galaxy, but you can't even let me walk home by myself?"

"What? That's a ridiculous comparison. Omega is a war machine, built to annihilate anything that moves. You're a—"

"A fragile girl who needs a brave warrior to be her caretaker and watch over her night and day?"

Shadow glanced away to hide his reddening face. "Something like that."

Hope practically squealed as she hugged Shadow's neck. "Oh, Shadow, you're so cute!"

"Must you always humiliate me?"

"Come on, Shadow. I thought you'd be used to it by now. I mean, we've been living together for six months."

How could he ever get used to her presence? Though he enjoyed her company, from the moment he rose at dawn to the moment he lay down at night, she reminded him of a certain lost friend. Every day, she taught him something new about life. He liked to think that they were growing together, but the disparity in their emotional development was painfully obvious. Shadow knew he would never be as empathetic and mature as her.

They reached the doorstep of the humble apartment complex. Hope shook the snow from her boots and led Shadow up to the second floor where her room resided. Down the hall, a door opened and out stepped Hope's neighbor, a middle-aged woman whose name Shadow had not bothered to remember.

She stopped abruptly when she saw them. "I don't believe it. It's Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"I'm Shadow!" he yelled, outraged. "It's been ten years and you all still can't get it right?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. You two just look so similar on the news."

Hope stepped between them and held Shadow at bay. "Don't worry about it, Mrs. Bowman. It's a very common mistake."

"I know, but it's still so embarrassing. You see, my son's a huge fan of yours, Shadow. He'd be so ashamed of me right now. Maybe the two of you could hang out some time."

"Ma'am, I'm a government agent. Your son—"

Hope covered his mouth with the sleeve of her coat. "He would love to."

"Oh, thank you so much Son-uh, I mean Shadow," said Mrs. Bowman and darted down the stairs.

Hope breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door to her apartment. Shadow followed her inside and immediately shut the door behind him. It was a homely little room, just over 300 square feet. Most houses in Four Cross were absurdly small to cut down on heating costs. The miniscule room consisted of a kitchenette connected to a living space that housed a love seat, miniature TV and fold-up coffee table. In the back of the apartment was Hope's bedroom and workspace. Somehow, the designers had managed to squeeze in a small bath as well. It was far from luxurious, but it suited their needs just fine. Hope only needed a place to study and Shadow would have been just as content living in a cave.

She slung her coat over the love seat and began rummaging through the cabinets. "They always keep the lab so cold. Would you like some tea, Shadow?"

"Please." He made his way toward the window and looked down at the empty street below. "What was that woman doing out at this hour? She could be a robot gathering information for Eggman."

Hope nearly dropped her teapot. "Where in the world did that come from? You shouldn't make baseless accusations like that."

"We just uncovered an alien artifact that could be more powerful than all the Chaos Emeralds combined. If the doctor's alive, I'm sure he's noticed."

She set the metal teapot on the burner and carried her coat to the bedroom. "My uncle hasn't been seen in three years, Shadow. Who knows? Maybe he's taken up a more wholesome pastime."

"You give him too much credit."

"I know, but he's family."

This was yet another display of love that Shadow would never understand. How she could trust a fiend like Eggman after all he'd done to her was beyond his comprehension.

"And Mrs. Bowman is a very sweet woman." she continued. "Her husband is stationed in Albion and she's living off the few rings he wires to her every month. It would mean a lot to her if you spent some time with her son." She handed Shadow his steaming hot cup of tea. It was chai—his favorite. "And sometimes I feel ashamed that I'm keeping you all to myself. I love your company more than anything, but I want the rest of the world to realize how wonderful you are too."

He pondered her words for a moment as he sipped his tea in silence. "Hope, the world already rejected me once."

She set aside her cup and embraced him. "You're right, but I never will"

He recalled Rouge making a similar remark some years ago. "I know."

Hope finished her tea and made her way towards the bedroom. "Sorry, Shadow, but I really need to get some sleep. I have to go meet with my research advisor tomorrow."

For the past six months, Hope had been pursuing her doctorate in robotics engineering. It was a noble goal in her eyes, but Shadow found it unsettling. She was becoming too much like Robotnik.

"Hope, if I may ask, what do you intend to do after you finish your studies?"

"I want to help better mankind of course." she answered without hesitation.

Shadow sighed and made his way towards the door. "Be careful, Hope. Professor Gerald shared those same ideals, and he was betrayed by the very people he wanted to help."

"Don't worry, Shadow. It's not like I'm going to build weapons of mass destruction. I just want to help people."

"Good. I'm going to patrol the city. I'll be back in the morning."

"Alright. Stay safe, but please don't stalk Mrs. Bowman."

He nodded and left the apartment.