Sonic Adventure 2 adaptation- part 10.
"Dr. Gerald's Legacy"
By Thalia 'RockChick' Evans.
* * * *
Chapter 1
Location: Cannon Control room, ARK
"Eclipse Cannon firing in ten seconds…" said the disembodied voice from the computer.
Robotnik gloated at a scheme gone perfectly to plan. In a matter of seconds the Emerald Hill Zone, source of so many problems, would be a smoking crater. And it would only be the first of many. Soon, all the Zones that were of no use to him, those filled with horrible open countryside and annoying fuzzy creatures, would go the same way.
And even better, there was no certain blue hedgehog to stop him. There never would be again.
There were a few loose ends to be tied up, of course. Like those two miserable outlaws currently locked in the other control room, and the echidna who still had the Master Emerald. They would be dealt with, as would Rouge and Shadow- neither of whom could be trusted and were certainly of no more use to him.
After that, Robotnik would make another transmission to Mobius, demanding surrender. The weak animals would undoubtedly comply.
And then…
…Then he would rule once more…
The madman's insane, hysterical laughter echoed through the large and dimly lit room. Small splashings from the water filling part of the chamber and beepings from the electronic equipment were drowned out.
Robotnik's red eyes shifted from the control panels to the six floating Chaos Emeralds and back again. He briefly wondered where Shadow was. It was strange that he wasn't here… he had wanted this, after all…
"Two seconds." Said the computer.
"One second--"
Robotnik grinned, staring at the computer monitors. The moment had come--
Suddenly, yellow fire screamed down the emerald shaft, and Robotnik cried out in terror. His walker struggled for balance as the floor under its feet jerked and shuddered.
Then the lights went out. Everything was silent, still and dark, except for the glow from the Chaos Emeralds.
Hesitantly, the lights flickered back on.
"Malfunction," the computer announced calmly. Robotnik snarled and punched at some buttons on the control panel. No good. The cannon hadn't fired, something must have gone wrong. He could tell that it was damaged somehow, but nothing more because the controls suddenly froze up.
"It won't fire! Why won't it fire?!" Robotnik muttered in desperation.
"Access denied," flashed the screen.
"What…"
There was a bubbling and a loud splash from the dark recesses of the room, as if something had surfaced from the deep water there. Robotnik jumped and squinted towards the noise, but it was too dark; all he could see was something large and shapeless, and a reddish glow.
It moved into the light. The thing reared up over the Egg Walker, and Robotnik screamed…
* * * *
A few seconds earlier.
Tails and Amy were standing at the window of Control Room 1b, waiting for the inevitable. Neither could take their eyes away from the planet below, so peaceful and unspoiled; both knew it was the last time they would see it like this.
Sonic was gone, soon their home zone would be gone too, and then the freedom of their people. Tails was trying to be brave, trying to be as calm as Sonic had been when Robotnik had ejected him into space. He was not entirely succeeding. Beside him, Amy Rose still looked like she was in shock.
The countdown reached two seconds. Then one.
The floor shuddered a little under their feet, and there was a muted rumble from somewhere. This is it, Tails thought.
But nothing happened.
There was no deadly beam lancing down to the planet below, no rain of destruction.
Tails and Amy looked at each other, the same thought running through their minds.
What's going on?
Suddenly, there was something happening behind them- a slight crackle of static electricity that made Tails' fur stand on end.
The two animals turned, just in time to see the green flash of light. Something materialised a few metres off the ground and dropped to the floor.
"Why the long faces, dudes?" Sonic grinned.
That was a close one, thought the hedgehog. He had nearly been toast when he fell into the cannon. Or worse, judging by the amount of Chaos energy in there. Last time something like that had happened…
Lucky for him, and everyone else, that Chaos Control got easier with practice. He had got it right this time, and had found that visualising where you wanted to go before warping out made the whole thing much simpler. This time, he felt tired but not to the point of collapse.
However, his energy had been focused on transportation rather than regeneration, so the cut on his side had not healed. Sonic was reminded of that when Amy hugged him.
"Ow… hey! calm down, will you?!"
"Sonic… is it really you?" She cried, ignoring his protests and tightening her grip.
"Of course it's me, now let go before I die of suffocation!" pleaded the blue hedgehog. Amy finally relented and released him.
"Yeah, that's Sonic all right…"
She carefully examined his appearance, noting the slightly singed fur and the blood stain on his gloves and side.
"You're hurt," She observed worriedly.
"This? It's nothing." Sonic noticed thankfully that the bleeding had stopped. "I just ran into some trouble trying to stop the Eclipse Cannon. Hey- did the plan work? The cannon didn't fire, did it?"
Tails shook his head. Sonic breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll have to congratulate Porker when we get back. Of course, it was me who did all the hard work."
"But, we thought you were dead," said the fox, bewildered. "How did you escape from that capsule?"
"I used a little trick I learned from Shadow," Sonic casually replied. "Handy for quick escapes and cool entrances."
"That was the best entrance ever," Amy smiled sincerely. Sonic grinned, making a mock bow.
"Yep, I know."
Tails rolled his eyes.
"Modest as ever."
"Thanks." He turned towards the locked door, sensing a big Chaos energy source coming their way. "Better get out of the way, Red's here…"
Sure enough, the metal door suddenly fell inwards as Knuckles' fist taught it a lesson about opening. The slightly breathless echidna rushed in, carrying the Master Emerald in its bag.
"Guys-" he panted, "Sonic--"
"Is already here," Finished the blue hedgehog.
Knuckles sighed in exasperation as he spied his old rival.
"Trust you to get here first."
"What did you expect?" laughed Sonic.
Suddenly, the floor shook more violently than before. Lights in the ceiling flashed crimson as ARK went to red alert, and for a few seconds sirens screamed throughout the room.
"Wha--" Sonic exclaimed. The shaking died down to a mere vibration, but something was definitely wrong…
* * * *
Shadow was wandering the corridors once more when the alarms started.
He had been thinking about why he had saved Sonic's life, when it would have been so easy to finish him there and then.
It had been the same with Rouge. He shouldn't have cared; but somehow it had felt right to save her, too. He couldn't seem to face letting people die, but wasn't that what he was helping Robotnik do? Kill people?
But didn't they deserve it?
Yes. No.
He wanted revenge.
And yet… he didn't…
It was so confusing. That deep- buried memory was trying to surface again, and somehow Shadow knew that it was the key to all this. But he still couldn't face it, not yet.
Then it started again.
The alarms. The flashing lights. Shadow clutched his head and leaned against the wall--
--They were running through the corridors when one of the Mobians shot Maria; Shadow supported her, tried to stop the bleeding. She told him that they had to get to the control room… then later, he was trapped in the escape pod and she had said… something… then he had…had promised…--
--Promised what…
Shadow shook his head, but the red-alert lights still flashed on and off.
This was no flashback; it was reality.
The black hedgehog took off down the corridor, and disappeared.
…he had to get to the control room…
* * * *
"Now what?" Knuckles groaned as the floor moved again.
"I don't know, but it isn't good." Sonic noticed the view outside the window shift a little, and he frowned. He had a bad feeling about this.
Another green flash illuminated the room.
"Things just keep getting better," Sonic thought sarcastically, seeing the arrival of Shadow. He actually looked just as shocked to see them…
"Aw no, not him again," Tails complained. Sonic gave a negative shake of his head.
"I don't think he's going to attack…" he said, quietly. Shadow didn't look like he was going to do anything much, in fact. He just stared out of the window and occasionally cast a despairing glance around the room.
"What's wrong with him?" The fox asked in a low voice.
"I don't know, but he looks confused…" Amy observed. Sonic nodded.
"He's confused, all right. First he wanted to kill me to stop me getting to the Eclipse Cannon, then he changed his mind and let me get on with it…" Sonic, of course, did not admit that Shadow had saved his life in the process.
Amy was puzzled; had her first assumption been right? Was Shadow good or bad?
She looked again at the black figure who was searching for answers in the image of the planet below, and finding none.
Maybe he didn't even know…
Suddenly, the myriad computer screens in the room lit up with a single image, and a voice issued from hidden speakers. Shadow's eyes widened and he whipped around as he recognised the voice of…
"Dr. Gerald…"
* * * *
Chapter 2
Location: ARK, Control Room 1b
"That's Gerald Kintobor?" Amy asked, observing the figure on the screens. He did not look much like Dr. Ovi Kintobor. Instead, he resembled an older Robotnik- except that his bristling moustache was steel grey. The most pronounced difference was his size- Gerald was stick-thin compared to his grandson. The elderly scientist wore a white lab coat; and behind his spectacles his eyes had a hunted look. The familiar window with its view of Mobius could be seen in the background. He had been in this very room when he recorded the message.
The apparition spoke, voice weary but echoing with madness.
"This recording is being transmitted from the ARK space colony to planet Mobius." Tails checked a readout, and nodded to the others-it was indeed being broadcast to the planet below, just as Robotnik's earlier transmission had been.
"If you are watching this broadcast, then someone has been stupid enough to try activating the Eclipse Cannon at full power…" Gerald continued,"…which proves that I was right. You people are just selfish, power hungry fools. You don't deserve to live… and you won't. I have made sure of that. No doubt the military will soon find out where I've been hiding for these past two days, but it doesn't matter now. It was long enough to complete my work here; to ensure that you will experience the pain and suffering I felt…" He trailed off, as if the memory was too much to bear, and turned away from the camera. Dr. Gerald stared silently into the blackness of space.
"What's he talking about?" Sonic asked confusedly.
Suddenly there was the sound of hurried footsteps outside. Sonic saw a stranger enter the room; a bat. She was a little strange looking- unlike most Mobian bats, her wings rose from her shoulders instead of being modified arms. Her eyes were emerald green, but lacked the eerie Chaos-glow of Sonic's.
"Don't you ever quit?" Knuckles groaned with a mixture of admiration and annoyance. He clutched the bag containing the Master Emerald more tightly.
Sonic noticed the way the echidna's eyes never left the white bat. The hedgehog searched his memory: this must be the bat girl that Red had been talking about. Whatsername…. Rouge?
"No, it's…" Rouge started, but was silenced when the floor began to shake again. The vibration took longer to die out this time, and was accompanied by uneasy creaks and squeals from deep inside the space colony.
"It's gettin' worse," Tails observed, once more stating the obvious.
"That's what I was trying to tell you!" the bat said urgently. "It's all over for us. My boss just contacted me… he said that ARK is heading towards Mobius at an incredible velocity!"
Amy gasped.
"If it hits…" She didn't finish. There was no point. Everyone knew what would happen… a projectile that size could wipe out all life on the planet. Not instantaneously, of course- but the resulting fallout could block out the sun for years, leading to a slow, painful death for anyone who survived the impact.
"And you knew about this?!" Sonic snarled, turning on Shadow angrily. "Is that why you let me go? Because you knew that stopping the cannon wouldn't do any good?"
"No…" Shadow shook his head, obviously bewildered. "Dr. Gerald didn't tell me…I had no idea he would do something like this." The scientist had simply told him that the Eclipse Cannon would rain destruction on the world. It was intended for defensive purposes, but a person could use it for world conquest if he so chose.
Or, more importantly, for revenge.
"He… lied to me," Shadow finished quietly, astonished. Why was it that his world kept being turned upside down?
At that moment, the silent image of Dr. Gerald turned back to its audience.
"No doubt," the human began thoughtfully, "You want to know why you have been sentenced to this fate." He sighed, gathering himself for a long speech. The six animals watched intently, along with millions of others on the planet below.
"You probably know that I am Dr. Gerald Kintobor," he continued. "What you don't know is that I have been engaged in some important research." The old man wearily shook his head. "Did I make a mistake by creating the Ultimate Life form? I don't know. I thought it would benefit the people of Mobius… " He paused. "How naive I was," he added finally, almost inaudibly. Then Dr. Gerald cleared his throat and carried on with his speech.
"But no sooner had I completed my work, than the military tried to get their hands on it. They invaded ARK…" He scowled. "Those idiots! But I should have known this would happen. If I hadn't been so foolish… Maria would…would still be alive…" his speech became broken, grief-stricken.
"My own granddaughter…killed in cold blood, while trying to help my creation escape…" Gerald stopped, unable to continue- just long enough for everyone to hear Shadow's low groan:
"…My fault…"
"That was two days ago. ARK has been completely shut down, probably so that the prototype doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Everyone else is gone, too…" Gerald said after a few moments. "Killed or captured- I don't know. I'm… I'm alone now, and soon they'll find me."
"So this is what really happened," Amy murmured, shivering. "It's creepy."
"…Something's happening to me," Dr. Gerald was saying. "I can't control my thoughts anymore…I…I think I must be going insane. I just want it all to end." Then his face split into a deranged grin, just like the one everyone had seen on Robotnik's face.
"At least now I will have my revenge. As soon as someone activates the Eclipse Cannon, the ARK will start to fall towards Mobius… and when it hits, all you ungrateful creatures will be destroyed. I probably won't live to see it- but Shadow escaped, it is all up to him now… I designed his mind to be perfect…pure…"
There was some commotion off-screen. A voice shouted;
"Hands in the air!"
Gerald laughed.
"It's too late. Too late for you…"
Then someone shot the camera, and the screen went black.
"Whoa," Tails gasped.
"We have to put a stop to this," Sonic said firmly. "There's gotta be a way." He turned to Tails.
"You said this place was a lot like the Floating Island, didn't you?"
"Yeah…" he replied, wondering where Sonic was going with this.
"So whatever is making this place move towards Mobius is probably something to do with the Chaos Emeralds, right?"
"You could be right!" Tails nodded excitedly. They both looked eagerly at Knuckles.
"Red-" Sonic began hopefully, "You know how your island works. D'you think you can stop this?"
"Maybe," The red echidna replied cautiously. "I have the Master Emerald, so I might be able to get the Chaos Emeralds under control- if we can find them."
"Good- then let's go!" Sonic said. "I can sense their energy from here, so I shouldn't have a problem finding them." He didn't mention that there was now also another energy signal with the Chaos Emeralds. Whatever it was, it was powerful and somehow unnerving.
Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles and Rouge began to pile out of the door. Tails turned back thoughtfully.
"What about him?"
Sonic followed his friend's gaze to Shadow, who was staring out of the window again, watching Mobius get slowly closer.
"I don't know what to do, Maria," the blue hedgehog heard him say to himself.
"Hey, Stripes. You coming?" Sonic called. Shadow looked towards the other hedgehog, but said nothing. Sonic decided to try something else.
"Is that why you hate people so much? Because of Maria?"
Shadow narrowed his eyes, as the fury he had kept hidden came to the surface.
"Those people killed my only friend!" He snapped suddenly. "What was I supposed to think?!!"
Sonic looked at him pityingly. He must have assumed that everyone from Mobius was evil… and he didn't just blame them. Shadow obviously blamed himself, too…
"I think I understand," Sonic said quietly, walking over. "It wasn't your fault. And it's not ours, either."
Shadow whipped around, making Sonic think for a moment that he was about to attack.
"How could you possibly understand? You don't know what this feels like."
Sonic sighed. He thought of the day that Johnny Lightfoot had died, and the rage he had felt towards Chaos afterwards. Rage and guilt which had never left him. Those emotions had nearly driven him over the edge, and he had only survived because he had friends to help him and a job to do. Shadow had neither. He had survived by retreating into himself, kept going only by the prospect of vengeance…
And Sonic had to admit it. Thinking of revenge against Chaos had helped keep him going, too…
"It's like… like a part of your soul has died…" Sonic said eventually.
Shadow held his gaze for a moment, then turned back to the window.
"Just leave me alone."
Sonic sighed and made his way back to the door.
"Suit yourself, dude."
The blue hedgehog left the room, quickly followed by the four others. One of them paused and looked back after only a few steps.
Moments later, Sonic was leading his companions towards the cannon control room- and no one noticed that there was somebody missing.
* * * *
Chapter 3
Location: Cannon Control Room
The door was locked. Sonic smashed it down, and knew instantly that they were in the right place. There were the six Chaos Emeralds, suspended in a shaft of light that was so similar to the one on the Floating Island.
The room was half submerged, Sonic noticed with annoyance. Water. Lovely…
Then his eyes were drawn to the thing that was emitting that strange energy signal. It was between the four animals and the emeralds, and Robotnik was cowering at its feet. His walker lay ruined some distance away.
"What's Godzilla doing here?" Sonic frowned, eyeing the huge orange bulk of the creature.
At this point, the lizard-like beast noticed the new arrivals. The long, serpentine neck twisted around to face them, and it screamed. Forgetting about Robotnik, the monster thundered down the catwalk- moving slowly but inexorably and propelling itself with its short, thick forelegs. The back limbs were merely stumps, and the scaly body tapered into a muscular tail.
"What the heck is that thing??" Tails exclaimed.
"I've seen a picture in Gerald's notes, it must be the prototype," Rouge offered. "He described it as a 'biolizard.'"
"More like an experiment gone wrong," Sonic added, observing the scarred, eyeless head. How it could see them, Sonic couldn't guess. There were gills on the creature's neck, but they probably didn't work very well, judging by the two cables that ran from its head to the machinery grafted to its back. Probably a life-support system of some kind. It was hard to believe that this grotesque thing could have anything to do with Shadow.
But grotesque or not, the Biolizard looked like a tough customer. It wasn't going to let them get at the Chaos Emeralds without a fight- and fighting was the last thing Sonic wanted to do at the moment, what with the gash on his side that pulled painfully with every movement.
This was turning out to be a really bad day…
* * * *
A few minutes earlier…
Shadow stared unwaveringly at the planet below, barely noticing the other animals leave. Mobius was getting visibly closer now. The hedgehog's eyes never left the blue-green surface.
He had no intention of trying to escape before ARK impacted; death no longer held any fear for him. Besides, where would he go if Mobius was devastated?
Shadow still wanted to see the people on that world suffer, but a thought nagged at him: was wiping everyone out going too far? He was unsure, but had decided to let events run their course- he had served his purpose. Although Sonic had a small chance of stopping ARK's plunge, Shadow would not interfere.
The black hedgehog became vaguely aware of a faint noise, and turned slightly. The pink girl, Amy Rose, was approaching.
Amy re-entered the room, feeling a wave of pity. Now that she knew what had really happened, Shadow didn't seem threatening anymore- he was just a hedgehog like herself, and one in need of help. In slightly different circumstances, Amy realised, it could have been Sonic standing at that window.
Amy also had a feeling that if they were going to save Mobius, they would need all the help they could get…
"Shadow, why don't you come with us, we could use your help…" she began. Shadow glanced at her warily, then turned back to his vigil of space.
"Why?" he asked quietly. "There's no way those people can be saved."
Amy saw the double meaning of those words: How could they be saved from themselves?
She shook her head firmly.
"You can't judge an entire world on something that a few people did fifty years ago! We're not all like that, there are lots of good people down there." The pink hedgehog paused, grabbing Shadow's arm so that he was forced to look at her. "People like Maria."
Shadow lowered his eyes, looking distraught.
"I… don't know…"
"Some people are selfish and evil," Amy continued gently, "But deep down, they're basically good. Why can't you give them a chance to be happy?"
Shadow suddenly gasped and pulled away as another image slammed into his brain; for a second, Amy's face was replaced by Maria's- she spoke-
…Give them the chance to be happy…
Another flashback, triggered by Amy's words. As usual, he tried to force back the repressed memory…
But this was the key to everything, and no one can run from the past forever.
Shadow stopped fighting it. He closed his eyes, and for the first time let himself remember exactly what Maria had said at the end.
* * * *
…"Shadow, I beg of you…" Maria gasped, a hand pressed to the growing red stain on her side. "Do it for me. Do it for all the people on that planet…"
Inside the capsule, Shadow's eyes seemed to go dead as he realised that from now on, he would be alone. Numbly, he nodded.
"You must protect the people down there…" she continued. "Give them the chance to be happy… to fulfil their wishes…"
Maria broke off and hissed in pain. Her legs started to collapse under her, so she leaned against the computer console for support. After a few seconds, she continued to talk urgently.
"That is… that is why you were brought into this world."
Shadow looked away, unable to watch.
"Yes, I… I promise, Maria," he whispered. Maria smiled sadly through the pain.
"Goodbye, Shadow the hedgehog…"
Then she pushed a button on the keyboard; there was a slight whooshing noise, then nothing but the darkness of space and the blue planet far below…
* * * *
Shadow slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. Amy almost gasped; the change in those eyes was incredible. It was as if some mental wall had been demolished. The cold indifference was gone, replaced by a piercing sadness.
Even more unexpectedly, a single tear rolled down the black hedgehog's cheek.
Shadow carefully brushed it away with his hand, and wonderingly examined the tiny wet patch on the white glove.
"How could I have forgotten…?" he whispered guiltily.
"I must have said something right," Amy thought, amazed that she had finally got through to him. Shadow eventually looked up.
"I have to keep my promise to Maria… and to you," he said, voice no longer emotionless. He extended a hand. "Come on…"
"Huh?" Amy asked suspiciously.
"I can't expect you to trust me, but we can get to the cannon control room much quicker this way."
"Oh," nodded the pink hedgehog, understanding. She took his hand, and they disappeared in a green shimmer.
* * * *
Sonic and the others stood their ground as the huge lizard-creature approached down the catwalk, making the floor shudder with each heavy step.
Sonic mentally assessed his condition: as well as the long cut on his side, he was exhausted. A prolonged battle was out of the question, as was moving at anywhere near his top speed. The Biolizard was slow but powerful, which gave it the advantage- but at least Sonic wouldn't be fighting alone. The hedgehog glanced quickly over his shoulder at the others. Knuckles could be counted on. So could Tails, if Sonic didn't have to bail him out of trouble. Rouge? He didn't know what she could do, or even if she was on their side- and Amy…
Where was Amy, anyway?
Sonic groaned. Not again.
Fortunately, he didn't have to look far. A green flash and a pulse of Chaos energy between him and the Biolizard signalled her arrival, along with Shadow. Amy quickly moved to Sonic's side, and gasped at the approaching monster, while Shadow quickly assessed the situation.
"I'll handle this. You deal with the Chaos Emeralds," he said calmly.
"Wha-?" Sonic frowned. "How come you changed your mind?"
Shadow glided away to meet the orange monster.
"Amy helped me remember why I'm here," he called over his shoulder.
"Nice one, Amy," grinned the blue hedgehog, eyebrows raised in surprise. Then he called to Tails, who flew over and lifted Sonic into the air. They drifted towards the control panel and the Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles followed rather unsteadily with Amy clinging tightly to his dreadlocks; and after a few seconds of thought, Rouge unfurled her wings and joined them.
* * * *
Chapter 4
Location: Cannon Control Room
Knuckles marvelled at how similar the mechanism looked to the Emerald Chamber, as he slipped the Master Emerald out of its bag. After placing the green gemstone in the shaft of light, he stood back and eyed the controls.
"I'm gonna need a hand with this," he muttered. "I wish Porker was here."
Sonic came over and looked at the computer screen, which still flashed an 'Access Denied' message.
"Wouldn't it be easier to just remove the emeralds?" he asked. Knuckles shook his head.
"If this place really works like the Floating Island, that wouldn't do any good."
"Why not?" Amy asked, worried.
"The Chaos Emeralds are powering the engines that are sending this place on a collision course with Mobius," explained the echidna. "If I remove the power source, the ARK will just keep falling. We have to get control of the emeralds somehow…"
There was a scream from the Biolizard, and Sonic looked over his shoulder.
"Let's hope Shadow can keep that thing busy long enough for us to do it," he muttered worriedly.
* * * *
Shadow jumped back to avoid a lunge from the Biolizard's crushing jaws. The brute's gaping maw snapped shut inches from where he had just been.
So this was the prototype, the creature he had seen in the photograph. Yet another thing Dr. Gerald had kept from him. It was quite disturbing, thinking that he might be based on this grotesque beast- they probably even shared some of the same genetic structure.
But that didn't matter anymore, so Shadow didn't dwell on it. The important thing was trying to put right the damage he had done, starting here. For the first time he was sure he was doing the right thing- Maria had asked him to help the people of Mobius, even after what they had done to her. Shadow didn't think he could forgive them as completely or as easily as she had… but maybe he could at least give them a chance.
He had to keep his promise…
Suddenly, the Biolizard lashed out with its thick tail- Shadow leaped over the swing and landed on the other side of the creature. Before it could turn to get at him again, the hedgehog had launched a spin attack at its flank. He impacted with a dull thud, but the hard, scaly hide was impervious to attack; Shadow's spines made no mark on the Biolizard's rough skin.
Standing back, he considered what to do next. The creature's armour seemed impenetrable…
The neck swung around again. This time, Shadow grabbed onto one of the cables that flowed from the Biolizard's empty eye sockets. Although he was lifted into the air, he refused to let go; even when the creature shook its head violently to dislodge him.
There had to be a weak spot. Dr. Gerald must have abandoned this design for some reason… the Biolizard was nowhere near as fast as its replacement, but what did that matter when it was practically invulnerable?
Then it occurred to him that he might be holding the answer in his hand- wasn't the wiring part of some sort of life support…?
Bracing himself against the writhing neck, Shadow pulled at the cable with all his strength. The Biolizard snarled in irritation and lifted a paw to bat him aside, but the hedgehog kicked out at the neck, using it as a springboard to swing out of the way.
The delicate wiring was not meant to take any kind of weight. There was a sudden tearing noise as the cable ripped free from the machinery on the creature's back. It screamed in pain and outrage, tossing its head from side to side, the loose cable cracking like a whip.
Shadow lost his grip and was hurled through the air. Managing to right himself, he turned an uncontrolled plunge into the water into a respectable dive, landing some distance away. Fortunately, he could swim quite well for a hedgehog- and moments later, he burst out of the water and landed safely back on the catwalk.
The black hedgehog shook the water off himself and glanced at the Biolizard. It looked like he had been right about the cable- now that the life support machinery was damaged, the creature looked like it was having trouble breathing. It was crouched down, sides heaving and gills fluttering.
Shadow's eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion. Something was wrong here- the prototype's energy level was rising…
Was it really hurt, or just gathering its strength for something?
He had his answer within a second. The Biolizard's neck arched back…
"What…"
In an incredibly quick movement for something its size, the head lashed out, the jaws opened and it spat a globe of purple-black energy at point blank range…
Taken by surprise, there was no chance for Shadow to duck out of the way. It was pure instinct alone that saved him. His eyes fixed on a point somewhere above and behind the Biolizard, and he warped out…
--reappearing moments later in mid-air further down the catwalk. He had managed to avoid the full force of the blast, and although he was singed and had had the breath knocked out of him, he was otherwise unharmed. Shadow landed heavily, just in time to see the beast launch another two Chaos blasts in his direction. This time, however, he was ready- he rolled under the first energy globe, and it passed harmlessly over his head. He jumped the second.
Meanwhile…
Sonic glanced quickly at the ongoing battle. At least Shadow seemed to be holding his own. The problem was, so was the Biolizard…
The others were engaged in a battle of their own- a fight to stop the ARK's suicide plunge. Tails and Rouge worked feverishly to crack the code and unlock the controls, while Knuckles stood on the edge of the emerald shaft, the Grey Emerald held tightly in his hands. A beam of energy flowed from it into the Master Emerald, where it refracted into five rays of light which pierced the other emeralds.
Silhouetted in the multi-coloured glare, the echidna looked back over his shoulder.
"Sonic, is this any better?"
The hedgehog turned back to the Chaos Emeralds, shaking his head.
"No… there's no change in the energy level." The display on one of the screens changed. Tails looked up triumphantly from the keyboard.
"I got the status monitor working. We should at least know what's going on now…" The fox's expression then turned to one of dismay as his blue eyes scanned the readouts. "Uh oh," he began ominously. "The ARK is still falling. Another few minutes and it'll be caught in Mobius' gravity… then there will be no stopping it."
"Damn!" Scowling, Knuckles went back to his work.
"Time to finish this," Shadow growled, revving up into a spin attack. Now that he had found a possible weak point, he was going to take advantage of it.
Besides, the Biolizard had revealed the extent of its Chaotic powers, and the hedgehog suspected that things were going to get nasty…
Shadow aimed unerringly for the device on the prototype's back. Fortunately, the delicate contraption was neither shielded or attack proof- There was a crunch as the metal was sheared away by the spinning hedgehog, and liquid began to spout from the ruptured pipes.
Shadow landed and shook his head, dislodging the wires that had become entangled in his quills. The Biolizard gave an agonised shriek, rearing up into the air and exposing its smooth grey underbelly in the process.
Seizing his chance, the black hedgehog launched another spin attack. The belly of the creature was not as well armoured as the rest, and the impact caused it to topple over backwards like a demolished building.
The orange bulk hit the metal floor with a loud thud, and didn't move. Half in, half out of the water, the prototype resembled some strange sea monster washed up on a distant beach. Shadow pushed at its foreleg with a foot.
There was no response. Was it dead? No… there was still energy in the creature, and Shadow thought he could make out a slight flutter of its gills.
Not dead, but certainly defeated.
Not so long ago, Shadow would have been pleased at this, taking his victory as proof that he was the true Ultimate Life Form- rather than this ungainly creature. Now he found that he didn't care much, as he had more important things to do.
Turning his back on the motionless Biolizard, he ran off towards the Chaos Emeralds.
* * * *
Knuckles held on grimly to the Control Emerald. No matter how he manipulated the energy from the Chaos Emeralds, he couldn't reverse ARK's course; it seemed that Dr. Gerald had thought of everything. Despairing, he struggled to think of something new to try.
At that moment, Shadow arrived at the control panel and quickly took in the situation.
"The ARK is draining energy from the emeralds," he observed. "If the Chaos Emeralds started to absorb energy instead of emitting it…"
"Then they'd cancel each other out!" Sonic finished. "Good thinking, Shadow!" the blue hedgehog grinned and turned to the echidna. "Do it, Knuckles!"
Knuckles nodded. It was so obvious! All he had to do was reverse the polarity, and…
…Slowly, the glow from the Chaos Emeralds dimmed, and the vibration in the floor died away.
There was an expectant silence.
"Tails…?" Amy eventually breathed.
The young fox looked at the readout on the status monitor. Then he spoke, his grin getting bigger with each word.
"We've stopped… and ARK is settling into a new orbit." He looked up triumphantly. "Guys, we did it!"
The room exploded into a chorus of cheers and yells. Even Knuckles joined in, after placing the Grey Emerald back in the shaft of light.
Shadow stood apart from the others, quietly observing. The bemused look on his face said that he didn't know how to deal with situations like this. However, watching the others, he felt something inside him change- perhaps for better. For the first time he felt no hate towards Sonic and his friends; maybe Amy had been right, and at least some people from Mobius were good.
"Hey, Stripes."
Shadow looked around, to see Sonic. He nodded in acknowledgement.
"Thanks for your help back there," Sonic said hesitantly. "I guess I should have listened to Shade in the first place. You're all right…"
Shadow sighed and looked over towards the other four figures in the room, who were happily talking, relieved to have come to the end of another adventure.
"I was wrong," he admitted thoughtfully. "and I…regret that now."
"Everyone has a dark side." Sonic grinned ruefully. "Even me."
Shadow looked uncomfortable, and changed the subject.
"It looks like Robotnik got away. I don't see him anywhere."
"Nothing new there." Sonic glanced around the room, and also failed to see any sign of the fat professor. "Looks like I'm gonna have to track him down again." He paused, considering. "Y'know… we could really use someone like you on the team. What do you say?"
Sonic extended a hand for Shadow to shake. The black hedgehog thought about it- he was a loner. But perhaps he had been alone for long enough…
Shadow shrugged and nodded, accepting. The two former adversaries were about to shake hands, when…
"What the heck?!" Sonic exclaimed, whipping around. The still form of the Biolizard heaved, its energy level rocketing. The creature reared back, forepaws clutching at the air, and emitted a horrific shriek- then an aura of black and purple energy surrounded it…
There was a brilliant white flash, and a sound like thunder. When the light returned to normal, the prototype was gone…
Everyone looked at each other confusedly.
"Was that Chaos Control?!" said Sonic, after a moment of shocked silence. Shadow nodded grimly.
"That's what it looked like. I didn't count on this…"
Rouge frowned, shaking her head.
"The question is… where did that brute go to?"
And as if in answer, the floor began to shudder…
Tails quickly checked the single working computer screen.
"Uh oh." He looked up, eyes wide. "Guys, we're moving again."
Knuckles rushed over and peered at the monitor, frowning.
"How is that possible?" he gasped. "What's that creature doing?" Tails shook his head in bewilderment at the strange readings that crowded the screen. They were bizarre…
"This is weird…it says the Biolizard is outside, and has somehow become one with ARK…" he shook his head; "The creature is using its energy to propel the colony towards Mobius."
Shadow glanced at the readings, equally puzzled.
"I didn't think it had that kind of intelligence. But it seems determined to carry out Dr. Gerald's plan…"
Sonic looked grim.
"We have to stop it somehow." He looked at the twin-tailed fox, and asked a question- even though he dreaded the answer. "How long until ARK is caught in Mobius' gravity?"
"T…ten minutes," Tails replied, shivering.
Sonic's mind raced. Ten minutes remained until ARK reached the point of no return. In that short space of time, they had to think of a plan and carry it out…
No matter how he thought about it, this did not look good.
To be concluded…
Next: desperate times call for desperate measures- prepare for the ultimate battle!
Sonic Adventure 2 adaptation, part 11: "Wishes Are Forever"
(Author's note- I've already done a comic strip version of part 11, which is at http://www.crosswinds.net/~stc2/ , but I'm working on the text version… it's nearly finished… honest…)
"Dr. Gerald's Legacy"
By Thalia 'RockChick' Evans.
* * * *
Chapter 1
Location: Cannon Control room, ARK
"Eclipse Cannon firing in ten seconds…" said the disembodied voice from the computer.
Robotnik gloated at a scheme gone perfectly to plan. In a matter of seconds the Emerald Hill Zone, source of so many problems, would be a smoking crater. And it would only be the first of many. Soon, all the Zones that were of no use to him, those filled with horrible open countryside and annoying fuzzy creatures, would go the same way.
And even better, there was no certain blue hedgehog to stop him. There never would be again.
There were a few loose ends to be tied up, of course. Like those two miserable outlaws currently locked in the other control room, and the echidna who still had the Master Emerald. They would be dealt with, as would Rouge and Shadow- neither of whom could be trusted and were certainly of no more use to him.
After that, Robotnik would make another transmission to Mobius, demanding surrender. The weak animals would undoubtedly comply.
And then…
…Then he would rule once more…
The madman's insane, hysterical laughter echoed through the large and dimly lit room. Small splashings from the water filling part of the chamber and beepings from the electronic equipment were drowned out.
Robotnik's red eyes shifted from the control panels to the six floating Chaos Emeralds and back again. He briefly wondered where Shadow was. It was strange that he wasn't here… he had wanted this, after all…
"Two seconds." Said the computer.
"One second--"
Robotnik grinned, staring at the computer monitors. The moment had come--
Suddenly, yellow fire screamed down the emerald shaft, and Robotnik cried out in terror. His walker struggled for balance as the floor under its feet jerked and shuddered.
Then the lights went out. Everything was silent, still and dark, except for the glow from the Chaos Emeralds.
Hesitantly, the lights flickered back on.
"Malfunction," the computer announced calmly. Robotnik snarled and punched at some buttons on the control panel. No good. The cannon hadn't fired, something must have gone wrong. He could tell that it was damaged somehow, but nothing more because the controls suddenly froze up.
"It won't fire! Why won't it fire?!" Robotnik muttered in desperation.
"Access denied," flashed the screen.
"What…"
There was a bubbling and a loud splash from the dark recesses of the room, as if something had surfaced from the deep water there. Robotnik jumped and squinted towards the noise, but it was too dark; all he could see was something large and shapeless, and a reddish glow.
It moved into the light. The thing reared up over the Egg Walker, and Robotnik screamed…
* * * *
A few seconds earlier.
Tails and Amy were standing at the window of Control Room 1b, waiting for the inevitable. Neither could take their eyes away from the planet below, so peaceful and unspoiled; both knew it was the last time they would see it like this.
Sonic was gone, soon their home zone would be gone too, and then the freedom of their people. Tails was trying to be brave, trying to be as calm as Sonic had been when Robotnik had ejected him into space. He was not entirely succeeding. Beside him, Amy Rose still looked like she was in shock.
The countdown reached two seconds. Then one.
The floor shuddered a little under their feet, and there was a muted rumble from somewhere. This is it, Tails thought.
But nothing happened.
There was no deadly beam lancing down to the planet below, no rain of destruction.
Tails and Amy looked at each other, the same thought running through their minds.
What's going on?
Suddenly, there was something happening behind them- a slight crackle of static electricity that made Tails' fur stand on end.
The two animals turned, just in time to see the green flash of light. Something materialised a few metres off the ground and dropped to the floor.
"Why the long faces, dudes?" Sonic grinned.
That was a close one, thought the hedgehog. He had nearly been toast when he fell into the cannon. Or worse, judging by the amount of Chaos energy in there. Last time something like that had happened…
Lucky for him, and everyone else, that Chaos Control got easier with practice. He had got it right this time, and had found that visualising where you wanted to go before warping out made the whole thing much simpler. This time, he felt tired but not to the point of collapse.
However, his energy had been focused on transportation rather than regeneration, so the cut on his side had not healed. Sonic was reminded of that when Amy hugged him.
"Ow… hey! calm down, will you?!"
"Sonic… is it really you?" She cried, ignoring his protests and tightening her grip.
"Of course it's me, now let go before I die of suffocation!" pleaded the blue hedgehog. Amy finally relented and released him.
"Yeah, that's Sonic all right…"
She carefully examined his appearance, noting the slightly singed fur and the blood stain on his gloves and side.
"You're hurt," She observed worriedly.
"This? It's nothing." Sonic noticed thankfully that the bleeding had stopped. "I just ran into some trouble trying to stop the Eclipse Cannon. Hey- did the plan work? The cannon didn't fire, did it?"
Tails shook his head. Sonic breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll have to congratulate Porker when we get back. Of course, it was me who did all the hard work."
"But, we thought you were dead," said the fox, bewildered. "How did you escape from that capsule?"
"I used a little trick I learned from Shadow," Sonic casually replied. "Handy for quick escapes and cool entrances."
"That was the best entrance ever," Amy smiled sincerely. Sonic grinned, making a mock bow.
"Yep, I know."
Tails rolled his eyes.
"Modest as ever."
"Thanks." He turned towards the locked door, sensing a big Chaos energy source coming their way. "Better get out of the way, Red's here…"
Sure enough, the metal door suddenly fell inwards as Knuckles' fist taught it a lesson about opening. The slightly breathless echidna rushed in, carrying the Master Emerald in its bag.
"Guys-" he panted, "Sonic--"
"Is already here," Finished the blue hedgehog.
Knuckles sighed in exasperation as he spied his old rival.
"Trust you to get here first."
"What did you expect?" laughed Sonic.
Suddenly, the floor shook more violently than before. Lights in the ceiling flashed crimson as ARK went to red alert, and for a few seconds sirens screamed throughout the room.
"Wha--" Sonic exclaimed. The shaking died down to a mere vibration, but something was definitely wrong…
* * * *
Shadow was wandering the corridors once more when the alarms started.
He had been thinking about why he had saved Sonic's life, when it would have been so easy to finish him there and then.
It had been the same with Rouge. He shouldn't have cared; but somehow it had felt right to save her, too. He couldn't seem to face letting people die, but wasn't that what he was helping Robotnik do? Kill people?
But didn't they deserve it?
Yes. No.
He wanted revenge.
And yet… he didn't…
It was so confusing. That deep- buried memory was trying to surface again, and somehow Shadow knew that it was the key to all this. But he still couldn't face it, not yet.
Then it started again.
The alarms. The flashing lights. Shadow clutched his head and leaned against the wall--
--They were running through the corridors when one of the Mobians shot Maria; Shadow supported her, tried to stop the bleeding. She told him that they had to get to the control room… then later, he was trapped in the escape pod and she had said… something… then he had…had promised…--
--Promised what…
Shadow shook his head, but the red-alert lights still flashed on and off.
This was no flashback; it was reality.
The black hedgehog took off down the corridor, and disappeared.
…he had to get to the control room…
* * * *
"Now what?" Knuckles groaned as the floor moved again.
"I don't know, but it isn't good." Sonic noticed the view outside the window shift a little, and he frowned. He had a bad feeling about this.
Another green flash illuminated the room.
"Things just keep getting better," Sonic thought sarcastically, seeing the arrival of Shadow. He actually looked just as shocked to see them…
"Aw no, not him again," Tails complained. Sonic gave a negative shake of his head.
"I don't think he's going to attack…" he said, quietly. Shadow didn't look like he was going to do anything much, in fact. He just stared out of the window and occasionally cast a despairing glance around the room.
"What's wrong with him?" The fox asked in a low voice.
"I don't know, but he looks confused…" Amy observed. Sonic nodded.
"He's confused, all right. First he wanted to kill me to stop me getting to the Eclipse Cannon, then he changed his mind and let me get on with it…" Sonic, of course, did not admit that Shadow had saved his life in the process.
Amy was puzzled; had her first assumption been right? Was Shadow good or bad?
She looked again at the black figure who was searching for answers in the image of the planet below, and finding none.
Maybe he didn't even know…
Suddenly, the myriad computer screens in the room lit up with a single image, and a voice issued from hidden speakers. Shadow's eyes widened and he whipped around as he recognised the voice of…
"Dr. Gerald…"
* * * *
Chapter 2
Location: ARK, Control Room 1b
"That's Gerald Kintobor?" Amy asked, observing the figure on the screens. He did not look much like Dr. Ovi Kintobor. Instead, he resembled an older Robotnik- except that his bristling moustache was steel grey. The most pronounced difference was his size- Gerald was stick-thin compared to his grandson. The elderly scientist wore a white lab coat; and behind his spectacles his eyes had a hunted look. The familiar window with its view of Mobius could be seen in the background. He had been in this very room when he recorded the message.
The apparition spoke, voice weary but echoing with madness.
"This recording is being transmitted from the ARK space colony to planet Mobius." Tails checked a readout, and nodded to the others-it was indeed being broadcast to the planet below, just as Robotnik's earlier transmission had been.
"If you are watching this broadcast, then someone has been stupid enough to try activating the Eclipse Cannon at full power…" Gerald continued,"…which proves that I was right. You people are just selfish, power hungry fools. You don't deserve to live… and you won't. I have made sure of that. No doubt the military will soon find out where I've been hiding for these past two days, but it doesn't matter now. It was long enough to complete my work here; to ensure that you will experience the pain and suffering I felt…" He trailed off, as if the memory was too much to bear, and turned away from the camera. Dr. Gerald stared silently into the blackness of space.
"What's he talking about?" Sonic asked confusedly.
Suddenly there was the sound of hurried footsteps outside. Sonic saw a stranger enter the room; a bat. She was a little strange looking- unlike most Mobian bats, her wings rose from her shoulders instead of being modified arms. Her eyes were emerald green, but lacked the eerie Chaos-glow of Sonic's.
"Don't you ever quit?" Knuckles groaned with a mixture of admiration and annoyance. He clutched the bag containing the Master Emerald more tightly.
Sonic noticed the way the echidna's eyes never left the white bat. The hedgehog searched his memory: this must be the bat girl that Red had been talking about. Whatsername…. Rouge?
"No, it's…" Rouge started, but was silenced when the floor began to shake again. The vibration took longer to die out this time, and was accompanied by uneasy creaks and squeals from deep inside the space colony.
"It's gettin' worse," Tails observed, once more stating the obvious.
"That's what I was trying to tell you!" the bat said urgently. "It's all over for us. My boss just contacted me… he said that ARK is heading towards Mobius at an incredible velocity!"
Amy gasped.
"If it hits…" She didn't finish. There was no point. Everyone knew what would happen… a projectile that size could wipe out all life on the planet. Not instantaneously, of course- but the resulting fallout could block out the sun for years, leading to a slow, painful death for anyone who survived the impact.
"And you knew about this?!" Sonic snarled, turning on Shadow angrily. "Is that why you let me go? Because you knew that stopping the cannon wouldn't do any good?"
"No…" Shadow shook his head, obviously bewildered. "Dr. Gerald didn't tell me…I had no idea he would do something like this." The scientist had simply told him that the Eclipse Cannon would rain destruction on the world. It was intended for defensive purposes, but a person could use it for world conquest if he so chose.
Or, more importantly, for revenge.
"He… lied to me," Shadow finished quietly, astonished. Why was it that his world kept being turned upside down?
At that moment, the silent image of Dr. Gerald turned back to its audience.
"No doubt," the human began thoughtfully, "You want to know why you have been sentenced to this fate." He sighed, gathering himself for a long speech. The six animals watched intently, along with millions of others on the planet below.
"You probably know that I am Dr. Gerald Kintobor," he continued. "What you don't know is that I have been engaged in some important research." The old man wearily shook his head. "Did I make a mistake by creating the Ultimate Life form? I don't know. I thought it would benefit the people of Mobius… " He paused. "How naive I was," he added finally, almost inaudibly. Then Dr. Gerald cleared his throat and carried on with his speech.
"But no sooner had I completed my work, than the military tried to get their hands on it. They invaded ARK…" He scowled. "Those idiots! But I should have known this would happen. If I hadn't been so foolish… Maria would…would still be alive…" his speech became broken, grief-stricken.
"My own granddaughter…killed in cold blood, while trying to help my creation escape…" Gerald stopped, unable to continue- just long enough for everyone to hear Shadow's low groan:
"…My fault…"
"That was two days ago. ARK has been completely shut down, probably so that the prototype doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Everyone else is gone, too…" Gerald said after a few moments. "Killed or captured- I don't know. I'm… I'm alone now, and soon they'll find me."
"So this is what really happened," Amy murmured, shivering. "It's creepy."
"…Something's happening to me," Dr. Gerald was saying. "I can't control my thoughts anymore…I…I think I must be going insane. I just want it all to end." Then his face split into a deranged grin, just like the one everyone had seen on Robotnik's face.
"At least now I will have my revenge. As soon as someone activates the Eclipse Cannon, the ARK will start to fall towards Mobius… and when it hits, all you ungrateful creatures will be destroyed. I probably won't live to see it- but Shadow escaped, it is all up to him now… I designed his mind to be perfect…pure…"
There was some commotion off-screen. A voice shouted;
"Hands in the air!"
Gerald laughed.
"It's too late. Too late for you…"
Then someone shot the camera, and the screen went black.
"Whoa," Tails gasped.
"We have to put a stop to this," Sonic said firmly. "There's gotta be a way." He turned to Tails.
"You said this place was a lot like the Floating Island, didn't you?"
"Yeah…" he replied, wondering where Sonic was going with this.
"So whatever is making this place move towards Mobius is probably something to do with the Chaos Emeralds, right?"
"You could be right!" Tails nodded excitedly. They both looked eagerly at Knuckles.
"Red-" Sonic began hopefully, "You know how your island works. D'you think you can stop this?"
"Maybe," The red echidna replied cautiously. "I have the Master Emerald, so I might be able to get the Chaos Emeralds under control- if we can find them."
"Good- then let's go!" Sonic said. "I can sense their energy from here, so I shouldn't have a problem finding them." He didn't mention that there was now also another energy signal with the Chaos Emeralds. Whatever it was, it was powerful and somehow unnerving.
Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles and Rouge began to pile out of the door. Tails turned back thoughtfully.
"What about him?"
Sonic followed his friend's gaze to Shadow, who was staring out of the window again, watching Mobius get slowly closer.
"I don't know what to do, Maria," the blue hedgehog heard him say to himself.
"Hey, Stripes. You coming?" Sonic called. Shadow looked towards the other hedgehog, but said nothing. Sonic decided to try something else.
"Is that why you hate people so much? Because of Maria?"
Shadow narrowed his eyes, as the fury he had kept hidden came to the surface.
"Those people killed my only friend!" He snapped suddenly. "What was I supposed to think?!!"
Sonic looked at him pityingly. He must have assumed that everyone from Mobius was evil… and he didn't just blame them. Shadow obviously blamed himself, too…
"I think I understand," Sonic said quietly, walking over. "It wasn't your fault. And it's not ours, either."
Shadow whipped around, making Sonic think for a moment that he was about to attack.
"How could you possibly understand? You don't know what this feels like."
Sonic sighed. He thought of the day that Johnny Lightfoot had died, and the rage he had felt towards Chaos afterwards. Rage and guilt which had never left him. Those emotions had nearly driven him over the edge, and he had only survived because he had friends to help him and a job to do. Shadow had neither. He had survived by retreating into himself, kept going only by the prospect of vengeance…
And Sonic had to admit it. Thinking of revenge against Chaos had helped keep him going, too…
"It's like… like a part of your soul has died…" Sonic said eventually.
Shadow held his gaze for a moment, then turned back to the window.
"Just leave me alone."
Sonic sighed and made his way back to the door.
"Suit yourself, dude."
The blue hedgehog left the room, quickly followed by the four others. One of them paused and looked back after only a few steps.
Moments later, Sonic was leading his companions towards the cannon control room- and no one noticed that there was somebody missing.
* * * *
Chapter 3
Location: Cannon Control Room
The door was locked. Sonic smashed it down, and knew instantly that they were in the right place. There were the six Chaos Emeralds, suspended in a shaft of light that was so similar to the one on the Floating Island.
The room was half submerged, Sonic noticed with annoyance. Water. Lovely…
Then his eyes were drawn to the thing that was emitting that strange energy signal. It was between the four animals and the emeralds, and Robotnik was cowering at its feet. His walker lay ruined some distance away.
"What's Godzilla doing here?" Sonic frowned, eyeing the huge orange bulk of the creature.
At this point, the lizard-like beast noticed the new arrivals. The long, serpentine neck twisted around to face them, and it screamed. Forgetting about Robotnik, the monster thundered down the catwalk- moving slowly but inexorably and propelling itself with its short, thick forelegs. The back limbs were merely stumps, and the scaly body tapered into a muscular tail.
"What the heck is that thing??" Tails exclaimed.
"I've seen a picture in Gerald's notes, it must be the prototype," Rouge offered. "He described it as a 'biolizard.'"
"More like an experiment gone wrong," Sonic added, observing the scarred, eyeless head. How it could see them, Sonic couldn't guess. There were gills on the creature's neck, but they probably didn't work very well, judging by the two cables that ran from its head to the machinery grafted to its back. Probably a life-support system of some kind. It was hard to believe that this grotesque thing could have anything to do with Shadow.
But grotesque or not, the Biolizard looked like a tough customer. It wasn't going to let them get at the Chaos Emeralds without a fight- and fighting was the last thing Sonic wanted to do at the moment, what with the gash on his side that pulled painfully with every movement.
This was turning out to be a really bad day…
* * * *
A few minutes earlier…
Shadow stared unwaveringly at the planet below, barely noticing the other animals leave. Mobius was getting visibly closer now. The hedgehog's eyes never left the blue-green surface.
He had no intention of trying to escape before ARK impacted; death no longer held any fear for him. Besides, where would he go if Mobius was devastated?
Shadow still wanted to see the people on that world suffer, but a thought nagged at him: was wiping everyone out going too far? He was unsure, but had decided to let events run their course- he had served his purpose. Although Sonic had a small chance of stopping ARK's plunge, Shadow would not interfere.
The black hedgehog became vaguely aware of a faint noise, and turned slightly. The pink girl, Amy Rose, was approaching.
Amy re-entered the room, feeling a wave of pity. Now that she knew what had really happened, Shadow didn't seem threatening anymore- he was just a hedgehog like herself, and one in need of help. In slightly different circumstances, Amy realised, it could have been Sonic standing at that window.
Amy also had a feeling that if they were going to save Mobius, they would need all the help they could get…
"Shadow, why don't you come with us, we could use your help…" she began. Shadow glanced at her warily, then turned back to his vigil of space.
"Why?" he asked quietly. "There's no way those people can be saved."
Amy saw the double meaning of those words: How could they be saved from themselves?
She shook her head firmly.
"You can't judge an entire world on something that a few people did fifty years ago! We're not all like that, there are lots of good people down there." The pink hedgehog paused, grabbing Shadow's arm so that he was forced to look at her. "People like Maria."
Shadow lowered his eyes, looking distraught.
"I… don't know…"
"Some people are selfish and evil," Amy continued gently, "But deep down, they're basically good. Why can't you give them a chance to be happy?"
Shadow suddenly gasped and pulled away as another image slammed into his brain; for a second, Amy's face was replaced by Maria's- she spoke-
…Give them the chance to be happy…
Another flashback, triggered by Amy's words. As usual, he tried to force back the repressed memory…
But this was the key to everything, and no one can run from the past forever.
Shadow stopped fighting it. He closed his eyes, and for the first time let himself remember exactly what Maria had said at the end.
* * * *
…"Shadow, I beg of you…" Maria gasped, a hand pressed to the growing red stain on her side. "Do it for me. Do it for all the people on that planet…"
Inside the capsule, Shadow's eyes seemed to go dead as he realised that from now on, he would be alone. Numbly, he nodded.
"You must protect the people down there…" she continued. "Give them the chance to be happy… to fulfil their wishes…"
Maria broke off and hissed in pain. Her legs started to collapse under her, so she leaned against the computer console for support. After a few seconds, she continued to talk urgently.
"That is… that is why you were brought into this world."
Shadow looked away, unable to watch.
"Yes, I… I promise, Maria," he whispered. Maria smiled sadly through the pain.
"Goodbye, Shadow the hedgehog…"
Then she pushed a button on the keyboard; there was a slight whooshing noise, then nothing but the darkness of space and the blue planet far below…
* * * *
Shadow slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. Amy almost gasped; the change in those eyes was incredible. It was as if some mental wall had been demolished. The cold indifference was gone, replaced by a piercing sadness.
Even more unexpectedly, a single tear rolled down the black hedgehog's cheek.
Shadow carefully brushed it away with his hand, and wonderingly examined the tiny wet patch on the white glove.
"How could I have forgotten…?" he whispered guiltily.
"I must have said something right," Amy thought, amazed that she had finally got through to him. Shadow eventually looked up.
"I have to keep my promise to Maria… and to you," he said, voice no longer emotionless. He extended a hand. "Come on…"
"Huh?" Amy asked suspiciously.
"I can't expect you to trust me, but we can get to the cannon control room much quicker this way."
"Oh," nodded the pink hedgehog, understanding. She took his hand, and they disappeared in a green shimmer.
* * * *
Sonic and the others stood their ground as the huge lizard-creature approached down the catwalk, making the floor shudder with each heavy step.
Sonic mentally assessed his condition: as well as the long cut on his side, he was exhausted. A prolonged battle was out of the question, as was moving at anywhere near his top speed. The Biolizard was slow but powerful, which gave it the advantage- but at least Sonic wouldn't be fighting alone. The hedgehog glanced quickly over his shoulder at the others. Knuckles could be counted on. So could Tails, if Sonic didn't have to bail him out of trouble. Rouge? He didn't know what she could do, or even if she was on their side- and Amy…
Where was Amy, anyway?
Sonic groaned. Not again.
Fortunately, he didn't have to look far. A green flash and a pulse of Chaos energy between him and the Biolizard signalled her arrival, along with Shadow. Amy quickly moved to Sonic's side, and gasped at the approaching monster, while Shadow quickly assessed the situation.
"I'll handle this. You deal with the Chaos Emeralds," he said calmly.
"Wha-?" Sonic frowned. "How come you changed your mind?"
Shadow glided away to meet the orange monster.
"Amy helped me remember why I'm here," he called over his shoulder.
"Nice one, Amy," grinned the blue hedgehog, eyebrows raised in surprise. Then he called to Tails, who flew over and lifted Sonic into the air. They drifted towards the control panel and the Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles followed rather unsteadily with Amy clinging tightly to his dreadlocks; and after a few seconds of thought, Rouge unfurled her wings and joined them.
* * * *
Chapter 4
Location: Cannon Control Room
Knuckles marvelled at how similar the mechanism looked to the Emerald Chamber, as he slipped the Master Emerald out of its bag. After placing the green gemstone in the shaft of light, he stood back and eyed the controls.
"I'm gonna need a hand with this," he muttered. "I wish Porker was here."
Sonic came over and looked at the computer screen, which still flashed an 'Access Denied' message.
"Wouldn't it be easier to just remove the emeralds?" he asked. Knuckles shook his head.
"If this place really works like the Floating Island, that wouldn't do any good."
"Why not?" Amy asked, worried.
"The Chaos Emeralds are powering the engines that are sending this place on a collision course with Mobius," explained the echidna. "If I remove the power source, the ARK will just keep falling. We have to get control of the emeralds somehow…"
There was a scream from the Biolizard, and Sonic looked over his shoulder.
"Let's hope Shadow can keep that thing busy long enough for us to do it," he muttered worriedly.
* * * *
Shadow jumped back to avoid a lunge from the Biolizard's crushing jaws. The brute's gaping maw snapped shut inches from where he had just been.
So this was the prototype, the creature he had seen in the photograph. Yet another thing Dr. Gerald had kept from him. It was quite disturbing, thinking that he might be based on this grotesque beast- they probably even shared some of the same genetic structure.
But that didn't matter anymore, so Shadow didn't dwell on it. The important thing was trying to put right the damage he had done, starting here. For the first time he was sure he was doing the right thing- Maria had asked him to help the people of Mobius, even after what they had done to her. Shadow didn't think he could forgive them as completely or as easily as she had… but maybe he could at least give them a chance.
He had to keep his promise…
Suddenly, the Biolizard lashed out with its thick tail- Shadow leaped over the swing and landed on the other side of the creature. Before it could turn to get at him again, the hedgehog had launched a spin attack at its flank. He impacted with a dull thud, but the hard, scaly hide was impervious to attack; Shadow's spines made no mark on the Biolizard's rough skin.
Standing back, he considered what to do next. The creature's armour seemed impenetrable…
The neck swung around again. This time, Shadow grabbed onto one of the cables that flowed from the Biolizard's empty eye sockets. Although he was lifted into the air, he refused to let go; even when the creature shook its head violently to dislodge him.
There had to be a weak spot. Dr. Gerald must have abandoned this design for some reason… the Biolizard was nowhere near as fast as its replacement, but what did that matter when it was practically invulnerable?
Then it occurred to him that he might be holding the answer in his hand- wasn't the wiring part of some sort of life support…?
Bracing himself against the writhing neck, Shadow pulled at the cable with all his strength. The Biolizard snarled in irritation and lifted a paw to bat him aside, but the hedgehog kicked out at the neck, using it as a springboard to swing out of the way.
The delicate wiring was not meant to take any kind of weight. There was a sudden tearing noise as the cable ripped free from the machinery on the creature's back. It screamed in pain and outrage, tossing its head from side to side, the loose cable cracking like a whip.
Shadow lost his grip and was hurled through the air. Managing to right himself, he turned an uncontrolled plunge into the water into a respectable dive, landing some distance away. Fortunately, he could swim quite well for a hedgehog- and moments later, he burst out of the water and landed safely back on the catwalk.
The black hedgehog shook the water off himself and glanced at the Biolizard. It looked like he had been right about the cable- now that the life support machinery was damaged, the creature looked like it was having trouble breathing. It was crouched down, sides heaving and gills fluttering.
Shadow's eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion. Something was wrong here- the prototype's energy level was rising…
Was it really hurt, or just gathering its strength for something?
He had his answer within a second. The Biolizard's neck arched back…
"What…"
In an incredibly quick movement for something its size, the head lashed out, the jaws opened and it spat a globe of purple-black energy at point blank range…
Taken by surprise, there was no chance for Shadow to duck out of the way. It was pure instinct alone that saved him. His eyes fixed on a point somewhere above and behind the Biolizard, and he warped out…
--reappearing moments later in mid-air further down the catwalk. He had managed to avoid the full force of the blast, and although he was singed and had had the breath knocked out of him, he was otherwise unharmed. Shadow landed heavily, just in time to see the beast launch another two Chaos blasts in his direction. This time, however, he was ready- he rolled under the first energy globe, and it passed harmlessly over his head. He jumped the second.
Meanwhile…
Sonic glanced quickly at the ongoing battle. At least Shadow seemed to be holding his own. The problem was, so was the Biolizard…
The others were engaged in a battle of their own- a fight to stop the ARK's suicide plunge. Tails and Rouge worked feverishly to crack the code and unlock the controls, while Knuckles stood on the edge of the emerald shaft, the Grey Emerald held tightly in his hands. A beam of energy flowed from it into the Master Emerald, where it refracted into five rays of light which pierced the other emeralds.
Silhouetted in the multi-coloured glare, the echidna looked back over his shoulder.
"Sonic, is this any better?"
The hedgehog turned back to the Chaos Emeralds, shaking his head.
"No… there's no change in the energy level." The display on one of the screens changed. Tails looked up triumphantly from the keyboard.
"I got the status monitor working. We should at least know what's going on now…" The fox's expression then turned to one of dismay as his blue eyes scanned the readouts. "Uh oh," he began ominously. "The ARK is still falling. Another few minutes and it'll be caught in Mobius' gravity… then there will be no stopping it."
"Damn!" Scowling, Knuckles went back to his work.
"Time to finish this," Shadow growled, revving up into a spin attack. Now that he had found a possible weak point, he was going to take advantage of it.
Besides, the Biolizard had revealed the extent of its Chaotic powers, and the hedgehog suspected that things were going to get nasty…
Shadow aimed unerringly for the device on the prototype's back. Fortunately, the delicate contraption was neither shielded or attack proof- There was a crunch as the metal was sheared away by the spinning hedgehog, and liquid began to spout from the ruptured pipes.
Shadow landed and shook his head, dislodging the wires that had become entangled in his quills. The Biolizard gave an agonised shriek, rearing up into the air and exposing its smooth grey underbelly in the process.
Seizing his chance, the black hedgehog launched another spin attack. The belly of the creature was not as well armoured as the rest, and the impact caused it to topple over backwards like a demolished building.
The orange bulk hit the metal floor with a loud thud, and didn't move. Half in, half out of the water, the prototype resembled some strange sea monster washed up on a distant beach. Shadow pushed at its foreleg with a foot.
There was no response. Was it dead? No… there was still energy in the creature, and Shadow thought he could make out a slight flutter of its gills.
Not dead, but certainly defeated.
Not so long ago, Shadow would have been pleased at this, taking his victory as proof that he was the true Ultimate Life Form- rather than this ungainly creature. Now he found that he didn't care much, as he had more important things to do.
Turning his back on the motionless Biolizard, he ran off towards the Chaos Emeralds.
* * * *
Knuckles held on grimly to the Control Emerald. No matter how he manipulated the energy from the Chaos Emeralds, he couldn't reverse ARK's course; it seemed that Dr. Gerald had thought of everything. Despairing, he struggled to think of something new to try.
At that moment, Shadow arrived at the control panel and quickly took in the situation.
"The ARK is draining energy from the emeralds," he observed. "If the Chaos Emeralds started to absorb energy instead of emitting it…"
"Then they'd cancel each other out!" Sonic finished. "Good thinking, Shadow!" the blue hedgehog grinned and turned to the echidna. "Do it, Knuckles!"
Knuckles nodded. It was so obvious! All he had to do was reverse the polarity, and…
…Slowly, the glow from the Chaos Emeralds dimmed, and the vibration in the floor died away.
There was an expectant silence.
"Tails…?" Amy eventually breathed.
The young fox looked at the readout on the status monitor. Then he spoke, his grin getting bigger with each word.
"We've stopped… and ARK is settling into a new orbit." He looked up triumphantly. "Guys, we did it!"
The room exploded into a chorus of cheers and yells. Even Knuckles joined in, after placing the Grey Emerald back in the shaft of light.
Shadow stood apart from the others, quietly observing. The bemused look on his face said that he didn't know how to deal with situations like this. However, watching the others, he felt something inside him change- perhaps for better. For the first time he felt no hate towards Sonic and his friends; maybe Amy had been right, and at least some people from Mobius were good.
"Hey, Stripes."
Shadow looked around, to see Sonic. He nodded in acknowledgement.
"Thanks for your help back there," Sonic said hesitantly. "I guess I should have listened to Shade in the first place. You're all right…"
Shadow sighed and looked over towards the other four figures in the room, who were happily talking, relieved to have come to the end of another adventure.
"I was wrong," he admitted thoughtfully. "and I…regret that now."
"Everyone has a dark side." Sonic grinned ruefully. "Even me."
Shadow looked uncomfortable, and changed the subject.
"It looks like Robotnik got away. I don't see him anywhere."
"Nothing new there." Sonic glanced around the room, and also failed to see any sign of the fat professor. "Looks like I'm gonna have to track him down again." He paused, considering. "Y'know… we could really use someone like you on the team. What do you say?"
Sonic extended a hand for Shadow to shake. The black hedgehog thought about it- he was a loner. But perhaps he had been alone for long enough…
Shadow shrugged and nodded, accepting. The two former adversaries were about to shake hands, when…
"What the heck?!" Sonic exclaimed, whipping around. The still form of the Biolizard heaved, its energy level rocketing. The creature reared back, forepaws clutching at the air, and emitted a horrific shriek- then an aura of black and purple energy surrounded it…
There was a brilliant white flash, and a sound like thunder. When the light returned to normal, the prototype was gone…
Everyone looked at each other confusedly.
"Was that Chaos Control?!" said Sonic, after a moment of shocked silence. Shadow nodded grimly.
"That's what it looked like. I didn't count on this…"
Rouge frowned, shaking her head.
"The question is… where did that brute go to?"
And as if in answer, the floor began to shudder…
Tails quickly checked the single working computer screen.
"Uh oh." He looked up, eyes wide. "Guys, we're moving again."
Knuckles rushed over and peered at the monitor, frowning.
"How is that possible?" he gasped. "What's that creature doing?" Tails shook his head in bewilderment at the strange readings that crowded the screen. They were bizarre…
"This is weird…it says the Biolizard is outside, and has somehow become one with ARK…" he shook his head; "The creature is using its energy to propel the colony towards Mobius."
Shadow glanced at the readings, equally puzzled.
"I didn't think it had that kind of intelligence. But it seems determined to carry out Dr. Gerald's plan…"
Sonic looked grim.
"We have to stop it somehow." He looked at the twin-tailed fox, and asked a question- even though he dreaded the answer. "How long until ARK is caught in Mobius' gravity?"
"T…ten minutes," Tails replied, shivering.
Sonic's mind raced. Ten minutes remained until ARK reached the point of no return. In that short space of time, they had to think of a plan and carry it out…
No matter how he thought about it, this did not look good.
To be concluded…
Next: desperate times call for desperate measures- prepare for the ultimate battle!
Sonic Adventure 2 adaptation, part 11: "Wishes Are Forever"
(Author's note- I've already done a comic strip version of part 11, which is at http://www.crosswinds.net/~stc2/ , but I'm working on the text version… it's nearly finished… honest…)