"Maria! Shadow! Are you ready?" Gerald called from the other side of the door. "They're just about to arrive!"
"Just a minute, Dad!" Maria called back as she finished brushing Shadow's quills. "You look great!"
"Thanks, Maria," Shadow smiled. Shadow was wearing a traditional Polskan dress shirt, black with green, red, and yellow stripes, and white trim. He flexed his hands in their thin, elegant gray gloves.
Maria herself was wearing a dark blue dress with white swirls on it, like clouds in the evening sky. At least, based on the pictures he had seen of Gaia. She wrapped a red sash around herself, and brushed her own hair back.
The two of them exited Maria's bedroom to see a Gerald Robotnik dressed in every color of the rainbow, practically hopping with anticipation.
"Good, let's go!" Gerald ushered them along to the ARK's docking bay. The area was already crowded with scientists, administrators, and a few civilians who had managed to pull strings and get front-row seats to the occasion.
Gerald approached a podium next to the docking bay doors. Maria and Shadow took their places at his side.
A few minutes later, a nondescript spacecraft appeared in the window, and began the nerve-wracking docking procedure. After that, a trio of figures dressed in red stepped in from the craft.
"Citizens of the ARK," Gerald declared proudly, "Please welcome the great scientists Shen Kuo and Jianxiong Wu, as well as the ambassador Hao Wang, from the nation of Chun-Nan. They are very excited to be here, and I have no doubt that you will treat them well. But of course, I will let them speak for themselves."
Gerald bowed to the trio, and he and his children stepped off. Hao Wang stepped up to the podium.
"Greetings, everyone," he began. "The ARK is now in its twentieth year of operation. We have watched this project from the beginning, but we have been particularly impressed with Gerald's work in the past few. In particular, now that Project Shadow has entered its fourteenth year…"
Everyone in the audience cheered wildly.
"...it's clear to us that Gerald Robotnik has even more to offer the world than we had anticipated. Once we complete our tour of the ARK, we plan to petition the government of Chun-Nan to offer its support to the ARK. If it accepts, you should be able to double the size of the station, and who knows what might happen after that?"
The audience continued to applaud.
"Thank you!" Wang said. "Your enthusiasm speaks for yourself. I'll let Gerald conclude."
Gerald went back to the podium. "Thank you Mr. Wang, I look forward to showing you around the ARK just as much as you look forward to seeing it."
He looked around and straightened his clothing. "Just one final remark. I never intended the ARK to be complete in itself. In fact, I hope that after my death, it is remembered as only the stepping stone to something greater. The sky calls to us, and I firmly believe that Gaians should answer that call. I'm sure that it's only a matter of time before we see Gaians living and working on other planets. And I know that whatever we find there, our Ultimate Lifeform Shadow will always be there to protect us!"
More raucous cheering. Shadow stepped slightly behind Maria. It was an honor to see everyone cheering for him, he knew. Gerald had never been oblique about what he expected from Shadow, and Shadow believed that he was up to the task. He hoped. But sometimes it was a bit too much.
Maria reached out and squeezed Shadow's hand. She forgot the crowds and stared right at him instead.
He knew what that look meant. Breathe deep. Inhale and exhale. That's right, slowly….
It was something they had practiced many times before.
Soon enough, the crowd dispersed. Just the three people from Chun-Nan were left.
"Very good, let's get going!" Gerald motioned to his guests. "There's so much to show you. Let's start with the living quarters."
Gerald whisked the five of them away into his personal shuttle, which went around the entire station.
Shadow admitted he didn't pay very close attention during most of the tour. He already knew most of what Gerald was explaining, but he was pleased that their guests seemed impressed.
They started with the housing units, situated at the outer shell of the station. That way, everybody had a window to view the Universe outside. Blocking the radiation had been difficult, but ultimately Gerald had been able to surround the station with its own magnetic field.
After that was the library, the schools, and the parks. These buildings were enclosed in their own space, with a roof that imitated the lighting of the sky on Earth. Gerald had even recently outfitted it with sprinklers and a noise generator to imitate the thunderstorms on Gaia. Shadow and Maria always wondered how close the imitation was, and why anybody would want to get wet and hear loud, distressing noises at unpredictable times. Gerald insisted that it was important to imitate the natural environment of Gaia as much as possible.
After that, they went to Gerald's laboratories at the center of the ARK. Maria had once stolen a plan of the station, and showed it to Shadow. They knew for a fact that they had never seen a full half of the laboratories that were shown on the plans. They had even confronted their father about it once. That was the only time they had seen Gerald truly furious. "It's for your own good!" he had yelled. They never bothered to ask him after that.
"And now, my latest experiment," Gerald led them into a new room. "Artificial chaos!"
Shadow and Maria gasped softly. They had heard their father talk about this, but even they hadn't seen it yet.
"It's still in the beginning stages, you understand," Gerald commented. "But it's stable now."
They walked over to a sort of paludarium that took up half of one wall. In the middle of it floated a ball of water, with a sort of metallic headpiece on top.
"I'm sorry, what?" Hao Wang asked, stepping back a bit. "What is this creature?"
"My apologies," Gerald coughed. "Chaos was a deity that protected the ancient echidna civilization. It had a special connection to their sacred gem, the Master Emerald. I believe that if I can replicate Chaos, I should be able to understand and harness the powers of the Master Emerald as well."
"There aren't many echidnas left. Did you ask them about this? What do they think?" Jianxiong Wu squinted her eyes.
"Why would they care about my research?" Gerald chuckled. "They allowed me to interview one of their elders, and see their murals. I took it from there. That's enough, I think."
"Doctor, creating an artificial hedgehog is one thing," Shen Kuo said delicately, "even an Ultimate Hedgehog. But I think that reviving an ancient god is quite another."
"That's exactly why I need your support," Gerald twirled his mustache. "We don't want this getting into the wrong hands, do we?"
"Certainly not," Shen Kuo shook his head.
Meanwhile, Shadow approached the paludarium. He put his eyes close to the glass. Now that he was close, he could see the whirls and currents within the floating ball of water. They seemed to flow backward and forward regularly, but then make unpredictable swerves. Almost like it was thinking.
Shadow waved at the creature. The formerly perfect sphere of water grew a tendril, and waved back. Something about the wave seemed familiar, like it knew him already.
Shadow's eyes widened, and he flipped around to face away from the glass.
"Say, Dr. Robotnik," Jianxiong Wu spoke up as they neared the end of the tour. "You described this hedgehog–your creation Shadow–as the Ultimate Lifeform. What do you mean by that?"
"Ah, yes!" Gerald's eyes lit up. "Don't worry, we have a demonstration planned. Shadow, are you ready?"
"Of course," Shadow looked up at the three guests. It was clear they wanted to be impressed, but there were hints of other emotions behind their eyes. Confusion, fear…pity? Well, he could show them he was not to be pitied.
"I call him the Ultimate Lifeform because of his unparalleled ability to heal," Gerald remarked. "In addition, his control of Chaos Energy is much greater and more precise than any other Gaian. Most Islanders can access a bit of Chaos Energy naturally, but Shadow can harness a full 50% of the energy from all seven Chaos Emeralds. The next most powerful Islander I tested could only harness 5% of a single Chaos Emerald."
Gerald guided them into Shadow's training room. Across from them was a group of training robots that he had prepared for the occasion.
"Alright Shadow, show our guests what you can do," the Doctor smiled.
Shadow nodded. The robots turned on and started walking towards him.
It only took a few minutes to destroy the robots with a few well-timed Chaos Blasts, a handful of Chaos Spears, and some theatrical Chaos Controls. Their guests were thrilled. Shadow even allowed himself to get cut on the arm so that they could see that it healed almost instantly.
"Very impressive," Hao Wang folded his arms. "Thank you for the show, Shadow."
"Oh, uh, not a problem." Shadow bowed.
"Thank you for the wonderful tour, Doctor," Hao Wang continued. "I'm afraid my companions and I are quite tired. Would you show us to our rooms?"
"Certainly," Gerald answered.
—
"How'd the tour go?" Shadow's friend Steam asked the next day. The two of them were sitting on the small bridge that went over the ARK's single, small artificial lake.
"It was fine," Shadow shrugged. "I think they were happy. That means we'll probably get a lot of funding from Chun-Nan. They said we might even be able to double the size of the station."
"That's incredible!" Steam exclaimed. "I'm sure it was your demonstration that won them over."
"You're too kind. My Dad is the visionary, I'm just part of the plan," Shadow looked at his friend. He was a wolf with gray and white fur, just about the same age as him. And Shadow was starting to realize…his friend was beautiful. So much so that it hurt to look at him sometimes. Shadow wondered sometimes how Steam would react if he took his hand, but something always made him stop at the last minute.
"Hey, is something wrong?" Steam asked. "You blanked out for a minute."
"Sorry, it's nothing," Shadow sighed. "Wanna go play soccer?"
"Yeah, let's go!" Steam stood up and ran off to the soccer field. "Last one's a rotten egg!"
"You're on!" Shadow got up and ran alongside his friend. Shadow was much faster than Steam, of course, but he liked to cut it close sometimes.
"I won!" Shadow exclaimed as he sped into the soccer field, and kicked around one of several soccer balls lying around.
"Why do I even bother?" Steam laughed. They were the only two people on the field, but that didn't matter. Shadow was fast enough to practically act like a whole team on his own, and Steam was just happy to play along with whatever tricks his friend came up with.
The two of them played until they were both covered in grass and mud. Finally, Shadow tackled his friend to the ground to prevent him from making a goal.
"Good game!" Shadow smiled, his weight pressing down on the wolf. He could feel Steam's heart beating, practically taste his hot breath. He stood upright, and helped Steam up as well.
"Man, I'll be feeling that one for days!" Steam laughed, panting, with his hands on his knees. He stretched his arms, and then hugged Shadow tightly.
Shadow froze. It was all so much. He hugged Steam back weakly. "I'm glad you're my friend, Steam."
"And I'm glad I'm yours," Steam said back.
Suddenly, Steam jumped back. Two figures were approaching them, one human and one Islander, a badger.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Ultimate Lifeform," the squirrel spat. "Have a nice tussle with your boyfriend just now?"
"Come on guys," Steam stepped in front of Shadow. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
"I think the Ultimate Lifeform can handle any size," the human crooned. "Or maybe you two haven't gotten that far yet."
"Stop it!" Shadow cried out. "These are low blows, even for you two creeps."
"I think that pretty much confirms it, don't you?" The human looked at the squirrel. "The supposed Ultimate Lifeform is just a stupid faggot. Gerald spent all that time and money on a soft, weak, fruit of a hedgehog. Do you think we should just go ahead and let him know?"
"Maybe Gerald will have mercy, and just put you down like a dog. Instead of throwing you out the airlock, I mean," the squirrel taunted.
"You'd better stop now if you know what's good for you," Shadow said. The air crackled with energy. Gerald had warned him against using his Chaos Powers in public, but these two bullies had gone way too far.
"Or what?" the human pouted.
"What if we take your boyfriend hostage?" The squirrel started towards Steam.
"STOP IT!" Yellow sparks flew around Shadow's hand. A few shot off to the ground, kicking up grass and dirt.
"Oh my, what do we have here?" A soft voice carried over from the side. Maria. She was wearing athletic clothing, and had a soccer ball in her hands. "The son of the ARK's Finance Minister, and the son of the Public Relations Minister? Beating up two innocent boys?"
"Maria!" the human cried, waving his arms. "It's not what it looks like!"
"Yes it is," Maria shook her head. "I ran over as soon as I heard something going on. I saw everything. Now tell me, why shouldn't I go have Gerald throw you two out the airlock, hm?"
The human and the squirrel inched backwards. "You wouldn't," the human whispered.
"I'll just say this," Maria smiled. "You two had better run back to your parents as fast as you can to tell them your side of the story, because I can guarantee that I'll be telling them mine."
"Your father's a freak!" The human cried out, but he and the squirrel were already running away. "Almost as much as that hedgehog! Living on this station sucks anyway!"
Shadow let loose his Chaos Spear on a nearby bush, which immediately disintegrated. He knelt down and cried.
"Hey, Shadow," Maria and Steam both rushed over to comfort Shadow. "It's okay, I'm here now."
Shadow hugged Maria from where he knelt. "I know. Th-thanks for helping me."
"Yeah, don't let them get to you," Steam put a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "They're just jerks."
"I know, but," Shadow shuddered. "I'm sorry. I am weak. I should be able to deal with bullies on my own. I shouldn't need your help. But I'm still…."
"No, Shadow, don't think like that," Maria pulled Shadow into a standing position again. "You're the strongest person I know. I promise."
"Don't just say those things," Shadow spat.
"It's true though," Steam whispered. "I always feel safe around you."
Shadow thought his heart might burst right then and there.
"That was crass of them," Maria commented. "Using words like that. I'm sorry you had to hear it."
Shadow looked down.
"There's something else to this, isn't there?" Maria asked, holding Shadow's hand.
"Steam, do you promise not to be mad at me?" Shadow asked abruptly.
"Of course," the wolf's eyes widened.
"I think…I might actually be a homosexual," Shadow sighed. "That's why it got to me. I really like you, Steam."
Steam made an "oh" with his lips.
"Maybe I am a flawed creation," Shadow curled his hands up.
"Shadow, listen," Maria said firmly. "I don't care what people say. There's nothing wrong with being gayl. I think everyone will realize that one day. And to think that you're flawed just because–it's ridiculous."
"But what would Dad think?" Shadow shook his head.
"Even that doesn't matter," Maria said.
Shadow looked at Maria right in the eyes. "What do you mean?"
"You're going to live a lot longer than any of us right?" Maria continued. "Eventually you'll have to rely on your own judgment. And I think you can defend the world no matter what you are, or who you love."
"You're right," Shadow nodded slowly. "I'm sorry you had to deal with all this, Steam."
Steam's lips were quivering. "The truth is, I think I like you too. I was terrified you'd find out one day."
Shadow laughed and shook his head. "I guess somehow we both knew."
"Hey, we should go back home," Maria suggested. "It's almost dinnertime. Steam, you can come with us too. I'll let your parents know."
"Thanks, Maria," Steam nodded. "Let's go." He held out a hand to Shadow. Shadow smiled and took it.
The three of them walked back to Gerald's home, with Shadow holding Maria's hand on one side, and Steam's hand on the other.
As it happened, Gerald had prepared an enormous brisket that night, and was happy to have a guest over to share it with.
If Gerald noticed anything different between Shadow and Steam, he didn't say anything.
—
Shadow couldn't sleep that night. He didn't need much sleep, but this was different. This was something in his mind that wouldn't let go.
He should've been stronger. He could've defended himself from those bullies. He could've done more to protect Steam. He could've done more to impress the people from Chun-Nan.
He pulled some of the fur out of his chest. His skin sizzled with soothing pain. He knew that kind of pain well now. It was reassuring to him. He would always heal. He would always grow back. He was the Ultimate Lifeform. And enduring that pain, that was a kind of strength too, wasn't it?
He looked at one of his claws. It was perfectly black, and perfectly sharp. He drew it across his chest, eliciting a thin line of blood. The blood stopped flowing as soon as it started, but it still stained his fur.
And now the finale. He stuffed a pillowcase in his mouth so that he wouldn't scream. He grabbed the claw with his other hand, and RIPPED it out of his finger. He held it in his palm like a jewel. The other finger gushed blood, just for a moment, and a few drops of blood fell on his chest. No matter. He would wash himself off in the morning.
The finger started to grow back. By the morning, his claw would be completely regrown, like nothing had ever happened.
He took the pillowcase out of his mouth, and tossed the claw he had ripped from his finger into the trash can.
He started to drift off.
—
"Shadow?" Mrs. Konstantinidis, the ARK's chemistry teacher, called from the front of the classroom.
"Yes?" He looked up from his textbook. He hadn't actually been paying attention. He already knew today's lesson, and was reading several chapters ahead for fun.
"I'm so sorry. I've just been told that Maria is in the hospital."
"What!?" Shadow's eyes fluttered. "But she was getting better. Just the other day they told me–"
"I know," the teacher shook her head. "I'm sorry."
"Okay," Shadow set his book down, and rushed over to the hospital. His classmates all stared at him as he left. Oh well.
He found Maria in an all-too-familiar situation, laying in a hospital bed, covered in sensors. Fortunately, she was still awake and alert. Her eyes still shone. Not as bad as he had feared, at least. Yet.
"Hey, Shadow," Gerald and Maria called out. Gerald was hunched over on one side of the bed, and Shadow took his place at the other side.
"What happened?" Shadow asked. "I don't understand. I think you said the virus was almost gone now."
"That's what I thought too," Gerald sniffed. "It appears I was wrong. The virus has been hibernating in her spinal cord. It must have become active today for some reason. I don't know why."
"How do you know it's in her spine?" Shadow asked. But as he examined Maria more closely, he realized that he could see as well. Maria was following them with her head, but from the way she moved it, the way she was supported…her body was paralyzed.
"Oh, this is bad!" Shadow gasped. "We have to cure her as soon as possible!"
As if Gerald needed any remiding.
"Don't panic, Shadow," Gerald rasped. "At the current rate of growth, it will take a few days for the infection to pose a risk to her life. But I'll need your cerebrospinal fluid in order to cure her."
"Of course," Shadow nodded. "But why wait? Why can't we do it now?"
"Shadow, this is a delicate procedure," Gerald placated. "This isn't like when you donated your blood. We obviously have anesthetic for Maria, but I would need a day to develop an anesthetic that works on you. And then prepare and adjust your fluid so that Maria's body accepts it."
"I don't care about the pain," Shadow made a fist. "I can handle it."
"Shadow, you don't have to prove your bravery to me," Gerald shook his head. "I promise, everything will be okay. You should go back to your classes."
"No way. I'm staying here," Shadow stared at his father.
"Okay," Gerald sighed. "I'm going to start getting things ready. I should be done by tomorrow morning." He left.
A few minutes later, another doctor came in. "Hello, I'm Dr. Abayomi," she introduced herself. "Gerald sent me to monitor Maria while he was gone."
Shadow nodded wordlessly.
The hours rolled by. Maria tried to make small talk with Dr. Abayomi and her brother, but she quickly became too weak even for that.
"I don't think she's doing well," Shadow commented, running a finger gently along Maria's forehead. "We should do something."
"Your father is working on it," Dr. Abayomi replied.
"Shadow," Maria whispered. "Can you come here?"
Shadow jumped over, and put his head close to Maria's. "Shadow, Gerald would hate to hear me say this, but everybody has their time to go. I know it's hard, but if this is mine, I want you to keep going, okay? I want you to keep fighting. You always have been."
"Maria!" Shadow grabbed his sister's hands. But she didn't reply. Instead her eyes simply closed, and her breathing became more shallow.
"Doctor, she's fading!" Shadow exclaimed. "Please, just go ahead and take my spinal fluid!"
"I don't have your anesthetic…."
"I don't care!" Shadow growled. "I can't let Maria die. Do it!"
"Okay, okay!" Dr. Abayomi held up her hands. "Lay on that table over there." She pulled some tools out of a drawer.
Shadow lay himself down on the cool metal table and tried to brace himself.
"Okay, I'm shaving the fur at the base of your spine," Dr. Abayomi narrated. "I'm cleaning your skin with alcohol. This is going to hurt a lot, but it will only last a minute…."
—
Shadow woke up in his own bedroom. He saw Gerald, Maria, and Steam huddled around him.
"He's awake!" Steam cheered.
"Shadow! Welcome back!" Maria smiled.
"Thank goodness," Gerald clapped his hands together.
"What happened?" Shadow asked, and then remembered everything.
"Don't worry, I'm all better now!" Maria hugged her brother. "Thank you so much."
"I just…did what I had to do," Shadow said. He still felt weak. "How are you doing, Steam?"
Steam just kissed him on the cheek.
Shadow froze in shock, but gave in just as quickly. He laughed and tried to return the kiss, weak as he was. Gerald and Maria didn't seem to care.
"Shadow, I hate to do this," Gerald cleared his throat, "but there's something I wanted to ask about."
Shadow tilted his head in Gerald's direction. He held up a small bag of Shadow's own claws.
Oh. That.
"Shadow…have you been ripping your own claws out?"
Shadow nodded slowly.
Tears welled in Gerald's eyes. "Okay. I won't ask why you're doing this. I just want to say…if you feel the need to inflict this much pain on yourself, then I can only apologize. Regardless of my achievements as a scientist, I have clearly, truly failed as a parent."
"Dad, no," Shadow tried to say. Gerald hushed him with a glance.
"I don't know what may have caused you to fall into that abyss. Either it was me, or something I failed to do. Something I failed to protect you from."
"It was just–" Shadow tried again.
"You don't have to explain." Tears dripped from Gerald's eyes, but he made no effort to wipe them off. "Just try to remember one thing. Try to love yourself. Have confidence in yourself. Because even if you were not the Ultimate Lifeform, even if you were unremarkable in every way, even if the world were destroyed, I would not love you any less. I couldn't live without either you or Maria."
Shadow pulled himself out of bed so that he could hug his father. "I'll try," Shadow said.
"Good," Gerald smiled. "That's all I can ask of you."
—
A few days later, Gerald, Shadow, Maria, and Steam were in Gerald's private observatory, at the "top" of the ARK, facing away from Gaia. The room itself was simply a clear dome, so they had an unobstructed view of effectively half the Universe.
"So, what's your favorite constellation, Steam?" Maria asked, pouring some more tea for herself and her companions.
"Hm," Steam scratched his chin for a minute. "I don't know a lot of them, to be honest, but I guess I like Orion."
"Well, you can't go wrong with a classic," Maria smiled, handing Steam's cup of tea back to him.
"What about you, Maria?" Steam asked.
"I like the Pleiades," Maria said, pointing at the cluster of seven stars. "It just seems warm and fuzzy, somehow."
"It is pretty," Steam agreed. "What about you, Shadow?" He reached out to grab the hedgehog's hand.
"I like Hydra," Shadow squeezed Steam's hand. "It's the longest officially recognized constellation. Actually, you can just barely see it over there." Shadow pointed to the stars in question, and traced the shape of the constellation with his finger."
"You guys must spend a lot of time up here," Steam remarked.
"Yeah. It's a nice way to relax, I think," Maria answered. "Just us and the stars. They don't care who we are. They're just happy to shine."
"Definitely. Thanks for inviting me up here, Shadow," Steam grinned.
"Of course," Shadow laughed. It was nice to finally relax. No ambassadors to impress, no bullies to fight off, no virus to cure. Maybe next year would be really good.
"What about your favorite constellation, Dr. Robotnik?" Steam asked.
"Oh, that's hard to choose," Gerald said. "My first degree was in astronomy, you know, so I like all of them. But if I had to choose, I'd go with the three stars right in front of me!"