"My granddaughter, Maria, was all that was important to me. I did everything I could to make her happy here on the Ark, as lonely a place as it is here in the vast void of space. As her only guardian after her parents passed away, I made sure she was as happy here as she could be. When Shadow was born, she helped raise the child, and she was happy. WE were happy.
Maria filled a void in my life that had been there since my own children had grown and left the nest. I was so wrapped up in my work that little else mattered to me. I had government contracts to build new bioweapons for the defense of the earth from forces foreign, domestic..and alien. I was so deep in my research and experiments that little else mattered. If my loved ones had known what I was doing for the government, they never let on about it. When they died from mysterious causes, Maria was left to me as her only blood relative. I threw myself into my research to hide my sorrow, that I had outlived my own children. It was then that I learned about Maria's illness, N.I.D.S. My research, and that of other scientists around the world, had concluded that this disease was ultimately incurable, and fatal.
I threw myself more deeply into my research, all to no avail. No amount of chemical compounds or gene therapy were helping, and my dear Maria was getting sicker by the day. I had almost lost hope of ever finding a cure.
THen, it happened. The alien entity known as Black Doom came to Earth. the government hid the encounter from the world, much as they hid my research. I watched Black Doom with a renewed sense of hope. Seeing it's power, what it was capable of, SURELY there was something Black Doom could tell me, but I was never allowed to meet with this creature. I was, however, granted access to it's DNA. How GUN had gotten their hands on it, I may never know, but that didn't matter. What mattered now was that I had a renewed sense of hope for Maria's future, for the future of mankind. I knew, deep in my heart, that this could save Maria's life.
I threw myself more deeply into my research than ever before. Experiment upon experiment, cloning DNA, growing new specimens, trying to unlock the potential of Black Doom's DNA in an effort to cure disease.
I did my best to make sure Maria never wanted or needed for anything during this time, but the only thing I could not provide her with were friends her own age. It broke my heart to see such a kind, gentle soul like hers being squandered on a cold, almost derelict space station like Ark. Her smile lit up these old corridors like sunshine, and it made the colony feel fresh and new again when she walked into a room. The colony had long been abandoned by humanity and was merely a research facility now. All the families and children had left years ago, and only the other researchers, myself, and a garrison of GUN operatives remained.
Maria missed the Earth, and, try as I might, I could never pull myself away from my work long enough to take her there to visit her friends, as the shuttles were few and far between now, only ever bringing cargo every few months to replenish our food and oxygen supplies. Plus, with her immunity compromised by the disease, I couldn't risk her getting sick. It would have taken it's toll on her body and I fear she would have died soon after. This is one of the reasons why I created Shadow. My previous attempt at creating the ultimate lifeform had failed horribly, and was locked away in the bowels of Ark, locked in a stasis chamber, hopefully to never be awakened. It was a living thing, and I couldn't bear to see it destroyed like so many other of my experiments. Each one was like a child to me. I had created them, given them life, and they deserved to live it...but the governnment didn't see it that way..I wasn't in charge, and had to take orders, so, more often than not, I found myself being forced to destroy my creations by those who held my leash. When Shadow was born, that all changed, and I refused to destroy this one. He was so innocent and kind. He was wide-eyed and curious, eager to learn.
Maria took care of Shadow like a little brother. and he looked up to her. They played hide and seek together in the Colony's Arboretum. They made flower chains, ran around making the sweetest racket you ever heard. There was no sound quite like children playing in these lonely corridors. He showed such promise, and was already quite intelligent for his age. My experiments had been a success, and Shadow was the culmination of decades of research. He was my Magnum Opus.
Then it all came crashing down because of GUN wanting to steal my research for their own purposes. I am so sorry, my darling Maria, that you got caught up in this..But I will make them pay, Maria. I WILL make GUN and the rest of the world rue the day they took you away from me. They will all come to know and fear the name Robotnik! By my blood, and with all my rage and sorrow, I WILL make them pay! The world took you away from me, my darling Maria..and in return..I shall take the world away from them! And God help ANYONE who tries to stop me!"