Simple Curiosity

by Fog-22

After Sonic Heroes, Metal Sonic and Tails Doll defect from Eggman, and asks to go with Omega, Shadow, and Rouge. With Rouge's help, Shadow is starting to make peace with his past. Metal can finally figure out who he really is. Finally, they are all free to choose their own paths.

ONE YEAR AFTER GUN'S RAID ON THE ARK.

Steam looked at the folder on the table in front of him. He was seated on an uncomfortable metal chair in a small, poorly lit brick room. Across the table from him sat one GUN agent. The GUN agent was dressed in black from head to toe, and Steam could make no determination about their age.

"That folder is your new past. I need you to memorize it," the GUN agent said. "Read through it once, right now, and then briefly tell me about your new identity."

Steam took the folder in his trembling hands and opened it. A few pages of double-spaced text slipped out, and floated to the ground. The wolf got out of the chair and picked up the pages. He read through them standing up, then sat down again when he was done. As far as he could tell, the human across from him made no motion the entire time.

"My name is Roundstone," Steam began. "I grew up in a small village in the Ahvenan Archipelago. My family moved to Svearik Island last year so that my Dad could get a better job. My favorite food is lutefisk."

"Good, that'll do for now," the GUN agent nodded. "Your parents and sister are being prepared in nearby rooms, just like you are. You will all need to review each other's folders to make sure that you can keep your story straight."

"Okay," Steam croaked.

"Good," the GUN agent said with a thin smile. "With your cooperation, the world will forget about Gerald Robotnik and the ARK soon enough."

Steam held his necklace in his hand, and gulped.

THE PRESENT DAY (RIGHT AFTER THE EVENTS OF "SONIC HEROES")

Steam looked up at the midnight sky. One advantage of living on Svearik Island was the extraordinarily clear night sky. It was awfully cold, too, but he had learned to tolerate that. He could see the Milky Way almost as easily as he could from the ARK, when he was little. On particularly clear nights, he could still see the ARK itself, a tiny white dot that never varied in its orbit.

Of course, nobody called it the ARK anymore. Most people didn't know about it at all. As far as the public records were concerned, it was and had always been "Experimental Space Station #3–Never completed."

Steam had to laugh at that, if only not to cry. In truth, it was terrifying how quickly and easily GUN had wiped all knowledge of Gerald and the ARK off the face of Gaia. How quickly they had extinguished his dream of endless progress, and absolute abundance. How carelessly they had killed–.

No. He couldn't think about that right now.

Even his now-husband, a Svearik native named Glacier, hadn't believed him until Steam had shown him a stash of old photos he had found in his childhood things, and then had an encounter with the GUN agent who was now monitoring his life. Glacier had finally relented then, and even agreed to call Roundstone by his real name, Steam. He was lucky to have Glacier, especially considering how quickly social attitudes had changed in the last fifty years.

"Steam, come on in!" Glacier called out from the door of their cabin. "It's too cold outside!"

"Coming!" Steam shook his head, and walked back home to join his husband. Their daughter would be visiting the next day, and they wanted to be prepared.

MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE

"Come on guys, let's go!" Rouge called to her companions.

They didn't seem to hear her. Omega cradled Metal Sonic in his arms. Shadow looked at him with fascination. There was something special about Metal. He was considerably more elegant than Eggman's other robots. The three metal quills were curved exactly right. The turbine in his torso was a thing of beauty. Shadow wondered exactly what sort of inspiration the Doctor had gotten to build such a thing.

Failing to get the attention of her friends, Rouge walked back over. "Is he dead?"

"No, just rebooting," Omega replied. "He should reactivate in a few seconds."

Just as Omega had predicted, Metal's eyes flicked back on. He looked around, but did not move. "Omega," he declared. "Isn't your goal to kill Eggman's robots?"

"My goal is to destroy all of Eggman's robots," Omega affirmed.

"Then why haven't you killed me already?" Metal asked. It almost asked like he was pleading. "Do you intend to torture me first?"

"No," Omega said evenly. "You are, strictly speaking, not one of Eggman's robots. My directives and goals have nothing to do with you."

Metal beeped in confusion.

"What do you mean, Omega?" Shadow asked. "Didn't Eggman create Metal Sonic?"

"Not in the same way that he created me," Omega shook his head. "Is it not obvious?"

"Omega, have mercy on our little organic minds for a moment," Rouge crossed her arms.

"I do not contain an animal, unlike my predecessors. My artificial intelligence is a hand-crafted neural network. All aspects of my mind bear the mark of Eggman himself. After he created me, Eggman figured out how to quickly evolve neural networks on their own," Omega explained.

"And what about Metal?" Shadow asked.

"Be patient," Omega replied. "Metal Sonic's mental signature is very different from the neural networks that Eggman uses. In fact, it very closely resembles Sonic himself."

Metal Sonic jumped out of Omega's arms. He shuddered, and looked at his own body. "That's…true. Eggman told me that I was created from a snapshot of Sonic's mind."

"Precisely," Omega followed up. "Your mind is essentially organic in structure, so you do not fall within my directive."

"I suppose I should be glad," Metal said, but he clearly wasn't. Metal grabbed an enormous steel beam from the wreckage of Eggman's ship, and threw it to the side. His eyes turned into teardrops, and he lay down on the ground. Shadow and Rouge looked at each other. Neither of them had ever imagined having to comfort a robot having an existential crisis.

Shadow decided to sit down next to Metal, and grab his hand. Metal's fingers were sharp and pointed, but Shadow didn't mind. His fur was thick, and he knew how to be gentle.

"Metal, calm down. Try to clear your mind. It's okay."

"Do you understand what it's like?" Metal asked languidly. "To know that I'm just an inferior copy of my rival, who I was taught to hate? To lose to him again and again, only to be revived from a backup and forced to relive my death every time I'm destroyed? And I feel Sonic's personality inside of me. I just want to be free. But I'm programmed to act against it."

Metal stood up again, and looked like he was about to fling another piece of wreckage around, but he only stumbled and collapsed once more.

"Metal, your first priority should be to recharge," Omega advised.

"Would you…take me with you?" Metal looked up at Shadow, Rouge, and Omega. "I'm so damaged right now, Eggman's kill switch might not even be functional. I don't care about him anymore. I want to leave. There's just a couple of things I need to do here first."

Shadow looked at his friends. They glanced at each other, then all nodded. An entire conversation, in just a few looks.

"Okay," Rouge said. "What do you need to do?"

"Destroy my backups," Metal gazed up at the sky, "And retrieve a friend."

Rouge and Shadow blinked, and looked at each other. Metal Sonic? Friend? Who could that be?

"Alright, lead the way," Rouge smiled.

"With pleasure," Metal said. "The first thing is to destroy my backups. Then I will be truly unique."

"I will carry you," Omega volunteered, picking up the blue robot again.

It turned out that Metal's backups were stored right next to Shadow's suspension pod. Shadow gulped as he peaked back into the room. Things could have gone very differently in there. They could have gone much worse. And he still didn't know if he was the original Shadow, the one that had been created on the ARK, or just a clone. Or even an android. What a strange idea. A clone made by Eggman, of an original made by Eggman's grandfather. Would he ever be anything on his own, besides a Robotnik plaything? And this was all assuming that Rouge was telling the truth. She wouldn't lie to him, right?

"Omega," Shadow asked carefully. "If you could tell what Metal Sonic is, can you tell if I am an android? Or a clone?"

Omega turned, and looked over Shadow carefully. "You are not an android. I cannot determine if you are a clone, or the original."

"I can," Metal said, still resting in Omega's arms. "I know that you are the original. I retrieved you when you fell to Gaia."

"Then what you told me, Rouge," Shadow sighed. "It's all true? About me trying to destroy the world, because my father tampered with my memories? And then fighting that monstrous prototype with Sonic?"

"Yes, that's all true," Metal interrupted. "I have extensive documentation. Even Eggman could not fake something like this." He flashed a video of himself finding Shadow's burnt, mangled body at the bottom of a crater in the deserts of Mazuri. Then bringing it to Eggman. How Eggman had so carefully, tediously, almost lovingly reconstructed Shadow's body. How he had placed Shadow in the suspension pod, and then wiped his memories.

"I was tempted to destroy you," Metal admitted. "I was worried that you might become Eggman's favorite weapon, and that he would discard me. I regret ever thinking that now."

"Eggman has been abusing you ever since you were created," Rouge brushed a finger against Metal's top quill. "It's no wonder it all came to this."

"My backups are right there," Metal said, pointing to a server on the opposite side of the room. "We should remove the entire computing block, just to be safe."

Omega handed Metal to Shadow, who to his own surprise was able to carry the blue robot easily. He then lumbered over to the servers, and ripped the entire block out of the wall. He then slowly, methodically smashed the servers with his arms, shot at them with his guns, and finally set the whole thing on fire.

"That should be sufficient," Omega declared finally. "What is your next directive?"

"We're going to get my friend," Metal said. "He is deep in the wreckage of the Final Fortress. Thankfully he's uninjured. I will guide you, but we should be careful."

"I will be happy to destroy any remaining Eggman robots," Omega offered.

The three of them descended into the remains of the Fortress. All in all, it was a surreal journey. The ship had been transformed into a nightmare landscape of twisted metal. Flames decorated the floors, while water and steam spewed from the pipes all around them. Red and yellow warning lights flashed out of sync, and distant alarms cried out to an audience that had long since left.

Finally they reached a reinforced room that appeared undamaged. Metal entered a key code into a pad on the door, and the door slid open.

The room was small and empty, except for…a doll that looked remarkably like Tails. The doll floated in the middle of the room. It had a small red light above its head, like a radio antenna.

"Metal!" the doll cried, flying towards the blue robot. "I was so scared! Are you okay? What happened?"

"Aleph!" Metal leapt out of Shadow's arms, grabbed the doll tightly, and whirled around with…joy. Yes, that was it. Metal was joyful. They had never imagined seeing him like this. "I'm okay. Some random detectives chased Eggman away. Sonic and his friends defeated me, but…it's okay. These are our new friends now. We're leaving with them."

"Alright," Aleph flew around the trio. "As long as you trust them."

"Who is this?" Shadow's eyes were wide. His world had just gotten a lot stranger, it would appear.

"I'm Aleph," the doll–the person, rather–flew over and bobbed up and down, as if to bow. "I was Eggman's first experiment with neural networks, after he programmed Omega. In fact, I was the result of a cellular automaton that he allowed to evolve independently. He didn't recognize me as a self-aware being, so I was able to escape and hide in his computer networks. I contacted Metal one day, and he made me this body."

"I know it's not the best body," Metal interjected, seeming embarrassed. "Maybe our new friends can help make you a better one."

"It suits me well enough," Aleph said, making a loop in the air. "It's nice to meet you all. What are your names?"

"This is Shadow, Rouge, and Omega," Metal said, pointing to each one in turn.

"A pleasure to meet you," Shadow bowed lightly.

"The more the merrier!" Rouge added.

Omega took a few steps forward to examine the doll. "Hm…because your evolution was unsupervised, I will not consider you an Eggman robot. You are a friend now."

"I…see," Aleph squeaked.

"I'm sorry, Metal, I have to ask," Rouge shook her head. "Why did you make Aleph look like Tails?"

"I used an old body that Eggman had lying around. But really, I was jealous," Metal Sonic admitted. "Do you think he'd be disturbed?"

"I doubt it," Shadow shook his head. "He can handle a lot."

"So, do you guys wanna go back to my house?" Rouge asked, after a moment of awkward silence. "I can't imagine any of you have a place to live, after all. We can get to know each other there."

"That would be generous of you," Shadow nodded. Aleph bobbed up and down, Metal flashed check marks on his eyes, and Omega waved an arm.

"Alright, let's go," Rouge waved. "I live on Tartess Island, which is kind of far. Let's see if we can salvage one of Eggman's aircraft."

"Affirmative." Omega hopped on his feet with unexpected elegance.

A few hours later, the five of them were flying in a seaplane that looked like it was one of Eggman's personal leisure crafts. Omega piloted the craft, while Rouge and Shadow looked out the window at the world below.

Shadow once again cradled Metal in his lap. Aleph sat down at Shadow's side. By now, Metal had nearly run out of charge, and had to preserve whatever was left. Shadow was starting to feel protective of the blue robot already. It only made sense, he decided. Both had been created by a Robotnik. Both had fought Sonic at some point. Shadow had lost his creator, and Metal had now run away. So both of them were alone. He hoped that his memories would start to come back. Maybe if Metal showed him more of the documentation, that would help. Shadow hoped that Aleph wouldn't mind if he stayed close to Metal.

"We are approaching the target. Rouge's house." Omega declared.

Tartess Island was a large island, west of Spagonia and otherwise relatively isolated from the rest of the world. It had once been a center of world trade, but it was a quiet place now. Very little had changed in Rouge's lifetime. The church where her parents had abandoned her as a baby was still holding services. The orphanage where she grew up was still running. The streets where she had run around as a child, stealing jewelry from wealthy tourists, were still there. But one thing had changed recently. She had bought an old mansion of sorts with reward money from the Tartessian government, and decided to go all out with restoring it.

Omega touched down on the calm ocean water, and slowly guided the aircraft to the pier. Rouge flew out and tied the plane up.

"Well, a new seaplane isn't too bad a reward for today's work, don't you think?" she mused.

"Rouge, you really live here?" Shadow's jaw dropped. "It's beautiful."

"It does indeed look very expensive," Omega added.

"Yup!" Rouge exclaimed. "It was built 500 years ago to serve as Tartess's central bank. The entire thing is made of Spagonian marble, and the stained glass windows were made here. It's the perfect place to store my treasures."

"Come on, let's get Metal to an outlet," Shadow suggested. He rushed into the house, and Aleph stayed right next to him. Every room was full of elegant, expensive-looking furniture. He didn't really want to mess up any of it. Finally he laid Metal down on a couch in what he assumed was the living room, dug an extension cord out of the closet, and plugged Metal into a wall outlet. Metal's eyes flashed with a "charging" symbol, and Shadow exhaled in relief.

"Do you need to charge too?" Shadow asked Aleph.

"Yes please, can you help me?" Aleph pulled a cable out of his chest, hidden under a fold in the fabric.

"No problem," Shadow plugged Aleph in next to Metal. Aleph settled down on Metal's chest.

Shadow squinted. If he tried, he really could imagine them as Sonic and Tails taking a nap together.

"I'm going to turn on a generator," Rouge said, hitting a switch on the wall. "That way we won't be a drain on the public grid too much."

"In that case, I shall take the opportunity to charge up as well." Omega plugged himself into another outlet, and folded into his idle position.

"Do you want anything to eat, Shadow?" Rouge asked. "Are there any foods that you like?"

Shadow closed his eyes. There must be something he could remember from his childhood….

"There's something we used to have for breakfast…I think it had eggs and tomatoes."

"I bet it was shakshuka," Rouge snapped her fingers. "Great idea. I can whip that up right now."

Rouge went to the kitchen, and Shadow followed. The bat set a pan on the stove, poured in some olive oil, and started chopping tomatoes. Shadow watched everything intently.

A few minutes later, the two of them were sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying the best food Shadow had eaten in fifty years.

"You know, I've heard that tastes and smells can stick with you more than other kinds of memory," Rouge remarked. "Are there any other foods you remember?"

Shadow twirled a fork in his fingers. "Let me try…I think there was a kind of soup we used to have, with soft balls of bread. Gerald made it for us when Maria didn't feel well. There was another kind of bread, where the strands were braided together. A lot of grape juice. I remember every year we'd have a special dinner that would last all evening…."

"Shadow, was your family Jewish?" Rouge asked, eyes wide. A Jewish hedgehog…now that was something.

"I don't remember what that means," Shadow shook his head.

"It's, um. Hm," Rouge thought for a moment. "The humans have different ideas about how the world was created, and how they're supposed to behave in life. One set of ideas is called Judaism. The foods you just described are all Jewish foods."

"What are they called?" Shadow asked.

"Matzah ball soup and challah bread," Rouge replied. "And that special dinner is a Passover seder."

"So, you think Gerald and Maria were Jewish?" Shadow asked. "Does that mean I'm Jewish too?"

"Only if you want to be," Rouge shrugged. "I want to show you some things when you're done eating."

"Okay."

Once they were done, Rouge took Shadow down to what were once the bank's vaults. Now, they were Rouge's personal museum. One vault in particular contained artifacts from an ancient synagogue that had been unearthed in Apotos. They included a menorah, a hanukkiah, and a Torah scroll. She was thinking about selling them to the synagogue on Tartess Island…eventually, at least.

"Do these things look familiar to you?" Rouge asked, turning on the lights.

Shadow gasped once he saw the display. "Yes! I remember…I remember lighting the menorah with Gerald. We made–they were called latkes–and then we'd play dreidel..."

Shadow walked over to the Torah scroll, and touched the glass case which protected it. "I remember reading from a scroll just like that when I turned thirteen."

"I'm glad it helps," Rouge beamed. She hadn't realized how vibrant Shadow could be when he was enthusiastic about something.

"Can I learn more about this?" he asked.

"There's a synagogue not far from here," Rouge answered. "I'm sure they'd welcome you."

"Thanks," Shadow smiled at her. "I think this is going to help me remember a lot."

"Good," Rouge yawned. "Well, I'm getting tired. You should sleep too. I've got five guest bedrooms, so you can pick your favorite."

Rouge showed him to each of the five bedrooms. He picked one decorated with blue and purple drapes, with a painting of the moon over the ocean on the wall. He thought that Maria would like it as well.

"Rouge…" Shadow stammered as she was heading to her own room. "Thank you for releasing me. I owe you."

"No, you don't," she replied immediately. "First of all, you saved me from Omega, before I could get him to reason. And second of all, we're a team, right? We work together. Nobody owes anybody."

"Okay, but still, thanks," Shadow said.

Rouge gave the hedgehog a hug. She expected him to resist, but instead he hugged back. Weakly, perhaps, but it was a step.

"Thank you for being my friend," she whispered. "Good night."

"Good night," Shadow said, and crawled into bed.

—

That night, it all came back to Shadow. It was like a flood. It came back as a whirlwind of a thousand different sensations that he tried to stitch back together as he dreamed. And in fact, he realized his memories stretched back to almost immediately after he was…born. Decanted. Pulled from a tube. Whatever.

Not everything was clear, but…it was enough to support him. It was enough to fill the void.

He remembered Gerald wiping him off, and Maria holding him. He remembered them cheering after his first steps, and his first words. His first book, and how he had devoured the ARK's entire library later. He remembered his lessons at school, and playing with Maria and his friends in the ARK's small park. He remembered birthdays and holidays and welcoming guests from all over the world.

He remembered when Gerald crafted his inhibitor rings. He remembered how Gerald used to make robots for him to train with, how he had pushed Shadow as far as he could go. And sometimes further.

But he also remembered the days holding Maria's hand in the hospital. Gerald not sleeping for days as he monitored his daughter's condition. All the things Shadow had given to keep Maria alive. His blood, a piece of his liver, even his cerebrospinal fluid.

He remembered all the needles that had ever been poked into him, big and small. All the electrodes stuck to his head. The whiff of alcohol and iodine. The beeps and hums of the medical machinery. Himself and Maria staring at each other in their hospital beds, thin tubes of blood connecting them.

In the end, everything he had given Maria had been worth it, Shadow decided. It was still worth it now.

Maria had gotten better. There were years when she could run and play just as much as anybody else. The virus was gone from her body.

And then that terrible day….

Shadow woke up with a start. He pulled the drapes from the window. It was approaching noon. He was surprised that Rouge hadn't woken him up. But he was glad.

He found the bathroom and took a long shower, washing himself very thoroughly. After that he went to the kitchen, where he found Rouge, Omega, Metal, and Aleph waiting for him.

"Morning, Shadow," the four of them called out.

"Good morning," Shadow took a seat at the table with his companions.

"Did you sleep alright?" Rouge asked, handing him a glass of water and another plate of shakshuka.

"Yes," Shadow nodded, gulping down the entire glass. "I remember what happened now. Enough, at least."

"That's wonderful!" Rouge exclaimed. "Do you, uh, feel better about things now?"

"I think so," Shadow smiled thinly. The truth was, he didn't really want to dwell on his memories too much at the moment. He decided to change the subject.

"Metal, didn't you mention something about still being damaged?" Shadow asked. "Do you still need to be repaired? Or have someone help, uh, rewrite you?"

"Yes," Metal nodded. "It should be a simple process, but we'll need some specialized equipment. I don't know if anybody except Eggman has the exact tools."

"Hm," Rouge drummed her fingers on the table. "Would you trust Tails to do it?"

"Do you think he would agree to do such a thing?" Metal asked, eyes blinking. "After everything I've done?"

"Yes," Rouge nodded. "Sonic even offered you a rematch, didn't he?"

Metal locked eyes with Aleph for a few seconds. Shadow realized that they must be communicating through radio, bypassing the need for language entirely.

"Okay," Metal said finally.

—

"Ooh, you got a big one!" Big cheered when he saw Knuckles's bobber go under.

"Alright, here we go," Knuckles grinned, adjusting his fishing pole and starting to reel it in.

"Steady…" Big advised. "This one could be dinner."

Sonic leaned over the pier in anticipation. It was a beautiful day on Angel Island. It had stormed all of yesterday, but today the sky was bright, wispy clouds played in the cool breeze, and the lake had risen a couple of inches from the downpour.

"Okay, get ready Sonic!" Knuckles continued to reel. Sonic wiggled his fingers, and got ready to grab the fish once Knuckles got it close enough.

"Hiiyah!" In a flash, Sonic grabbed the fish, pulled it out of the water, and took the hook out. The fish, it seemed, was just itching for a fight.

"Oh man!" Sonic held the fish to his chest, but it flopped hard enough to make him trip on the pier, and bounce him across the wooden planks.

"That's the biggest tilapia I've ever seen," Big noted calmly.

"Sonic, here!" Knuckles put down his pole and opened his hands. "Hand it to me!"

"I'm trying!" Sonic tried rolling up and spin-dashing to get the fish under control. He rolled a few feet, then splayed out on the pier as the fish finally flopped out of his control.

"No you don't!" Tails flew down onto the fish like an eagle, and picked it up by the tail. Still, it managed to put up enough of a fight to deflect even the fox from his flight path. He and the fish jerked back and forth in the air like a pair of drunken dragonflies.

"Knuckles, catch!" Tails finally managed to fling it to the echidna, who quickly snapped its neck and put it in the cooler.

"Alright!" Sonic exclaimed, standing up and brushing himself off. "Another victory for the heroes!"

"That was awesome, Tails!" Knuckles high-fived his friend. "Good job."

"Aww, thanks," Tails smiled. "It was fun."

"This one can feed all four of us!" Big declared.

"Is tilapia any good, Knuckles?" Sonic asked, pouring some more ice on the fish.

"Yeah, it's nice and light," Knuckles shook his head. "I'll fry it when we get back."

"Sounds good!" Sonic rubbed his stomach. "Hey, uh, what's that?"

The four of them looked up at a point in the sky. It was growing fast.

"It's a seaplane," Tails held a hand to his forehead, and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, it's a Grumman G-111 Albatross!"

"How can you tell already?" Big asked, glancing at the fox.

"Just listen to the engines," Tails explained. "It's a modern version of the old Grumman HU-16."

"Okay," Big shrugged.

"Can you see a flag or logo?" Knuckles asked.

"No, it looks like it was repainted. At least twice, too," Tails had finally pulled out his binoculars. "It looks like they're going to try to land on the lake."

"Should we scram?" Sonic asked. "Or get ready to fight?"

"Hold on, maybe they'll respond on radio," Tails flew over to his backpack, which he had left at the beginning of the pier, and pulled out a radio.

"Unknown aircraft, please identify yourself," he said clearly.

"Tails, it's Rouge," came the annoyed reply. "I'm with Shadow, Omega, and uh…you'll see."

"What!? Why are you here?" Tails asked.

"We need help," Rouge answered. "Again, you'll see. Can we land?"

"Sure, I guess," Tails responded. "If you can see us, come to the pier. We'll help tie you up."

Sure enough, Rouge landed the plane softly in the middle of the lake, and then guided it over to the pier. Shadow stepped out to throw ropes to Tails, Knuckles, and Sonic, and the three of them tied the plane up.

Rouge and Omega stepped onto the pier, but kept their distance a bit.

"So, what's up?" Sonic asked.

"Metal Sonic needs our help," Shadow said, climbing up onto the pier. "I'll let him explain."

"I promised him a rematch any time, but I wasn't expecting this," Sonic raised his eye ridges.

"Hello there, my organic twin," Metal Sonic stepped out of the airplane, along with Aleph.

Sonic and Tails gasped, and looked at each other.

"I'm Aleph," the doll explained. "I was an early experiment of Eggman's that escaped. Don't worry, Tails. I have your form, but I am not you."

"I see," Tails gulped. "Nice to meet you, then," he said, extending a hand and shaking the doll's soft arm.

"A pleasure," Aleph replied.

"Sonic, I know this is strange," Metal interrupted, "But I need your help. I don't know if you ever realized this, but I was constructed from a snapshot of your own mind. I feel things the same way you do. And I'm done with Eggman now."

"That's great!" Sonic smiled, and held up a hand to high-five his robot twin. And yet, he couldn't help but shudder. He had always just figured that Eggman created Metal Sonic to mess with him. But making a copy of his own mind? The implications threatened to blow a hole in Sonic's worldview.

"I think we'd better catch another fish for our guests," Big suggested, after a moment of silence.

"That would be nice of you," Rouge smiled. "Have you ever been fishing, Shadow?"

"No," Shadow shook his head. "There were aquaponic gardens on the ARK, but we weren't allowed to fish in them."

"Then I'll teach you!" Big grinned like he had just won the lottery. "Here, take this!" The cat handed his pole over to Shadow.

"Now let's take some bait and put it on the hook," Big took a shrimp from a bucket and gave it to Shadow.

"There you go…okay, now just hold it like that, yep, very good, and cast it out!" Shadow cast his rod, and Big waved his arms with glee. "It's so much fun to learn something new, isn't it?"

"It is," Shadow smiled. "Now what?"

"Just wait until the bobber goes under the water, and start reeling it in slowly." Big explained.

Knuckles, Rouge, Tails, and Alpha sat around Shadow. Sonic waved Metal and Omega to the other side of the pier.

"Alright, let's take it from the top," Sonic suggested, putting an arm around Metal. "What happened between you and Eggman?"

Metal started to explain.

—

"Wow, okay," Sonic put his hands over his eyes when Metal was done narrating. "This is a lot to take in."

"I know," Metal said. "It raises a great many questions. But there's something I need you to do, Tails," Metal continued, standing up. "I've repaired myself as well as I can, but I need you to check inside of me and see if anything else is damaged. And I need you to remove Eggman's kill switch."

"Oh, of course!" Tails nodded. "Let's go back to my workshop!"

"Did you catch any fish, Shadow?" Sonic asked, standing up as well.

"Two, in fact!" Shadow smiled proudly. The sight of Shadow next to Big, smiling and holding two fish in his hands was nearly enough to make Sonic laugh. Who could've guessed that it would turn out this way?

"Great!" Sonic gave a thumbs-up. "Okay, how about Knuckles and I make dinner, and we'll bring it to the workshop?"

"That sounds good," Tails started to fly up, and pulled Metal by the arm. "Thanks, bro."

"Sure thing!" Sonic said. "Have fun!" He, Knuckles, and Big sped off back home.

"Alright, come on everybody!" Tails started to pull Metal along. Aleph floated besides Tails, with Rouge, Shadow, and Omega trailing behind.

They didn't talk much along the way. Tails could see that most of them were enthralled with the beauty of Angel Island, just like he had been when he had first seen it. There were many unique plants and animals that lived on its surface, and even stranger things on the underside. Everything on the island seemed bigger, more vibrant, softer and harder, more alive. Tails wondered if the Master Emerald somehow influenced life on the island, but he wasn't really sure how to test that.

Finally, they arrived at the workshop.

"Alright, we're here!" Tails announced. "Metal, do you mind strapping yourself into that gadget over there?" Tails pointed to a set of articulated arms that would allow him to rotate and move Metal any way he needed.

Metal nodded, and strapped himself in.

"How thorough do you want me to be?" Tails asked.

"I'd say, have fun," Metal replied. "I can't be too careful."

"I see," Tails nodded, and put on a pair of goggles. "I'm going to take off your armor and see how things look." He unscrewed the plates from his head and body, looked them over, and set them to the side.

Shadow examined the plates. "You guys should pay attention to this," Tails commented. "Just in case you need to fix him up yourself one day."

Metal's interior was a mess of wires and circuit boards. Tails could hear a few things humming and whirring inside, but couldn't exactly tell where they were. Tails grabbed a can of compressed air, and sprayed it through Metal's insides.

"Geez, you're dusty," Tails coughed. "Didn't Eggman ever clean you out?"

Metal said nothing.

"Okay," Tails spun Metal around slowly. "I see some loose wires and scratches, but nothing too bad. Shadow, can you go over to the red cabinet and get a–"

But Shadow had already placed a tool that resembled a soldering gun in the fox's hand. Tails smiled and looked up at the hedgehog.

"I was raised by a Robotnik," Shadow smiled. "I still remember a few things."

"R-right, thanks!" Tails nodded. "Alright, let's go," he whispered, and set to work on Metal.

"That looks a lot like Eggman's tool," Metal Sonic noted. "I'm impressed."

"I hate to say it, but I still have some things to learn from him," Tails sighed.

The repairs took about an hour, but Tails found that with Shadow and his group, they went smoothly. Shadow could almost anticipate Tails's thoughts, handing him tools and wires just as he asked for them, and Rouge entertained them with some of her old treasure-hunting stories, while Omega and Aleph watched closely.

"Okay, that should be it!" Tails clapped. "You're good as new! You mentioned a kill switch, though?"

"Yes," Metal beeped. "It's been impossible for me to locate and remove myself, though. I had Aleph try, but he couldn't find it either. I suspect that it may be on a special chip hidden inside me, so I think you should plug me in and keep me open for now."

"Got it," Tails plugged Metal into his laptop. "Let's take a look."

Lines of code flooded across Tails's laptop screen. Here, Shadow folded his arms and stepped back. Computing technology hadn't been quite as advanced fifty years ago, so he wasn't really useful here.

"Hm, this is strange." Tails bit his lip. "It's like it disappears whenever you get close…"

Tails wrote a few lines, and scratched his head. "Ah, I think I found it! Shadow, I need your help again."

"Yes?" Shadow raised his head. He shook himself out of his own thoughts. Seeing Metal like this was familiar and uncomfortable at the same time. He remembered how Gerald used to show him diagrams of his own anatomy, explaining how each organ was superior to anything else on Gaia. That had made him queasy, and now he knew why. He didn't like being reduced to a collection of parts. He was sure Metal didn't either.

Tails handed Shadow a pair of long tweezers. "Eggman's kill switch is on a special chip located near Metal's turbine, right next to this vent. I'm going to pry the chip off with this screwdriver. I need you to grab it immediately."

"Okay," Shadow knelt down and steadied himself on Metal's turbine frame. Metal glanced at him, then back up. He slipped in the tweezers where Tails indicated.

Tails knelt down and came in from the opposite direction, working the screwdriver with a gentle touch.

"There! Get it!" Shadow grabbed the chip with his tweezers, just as it slipped from Tails's screwdriver. He pulled it out slowly. The chip was nearly featureless, but it had a small vial of clear fluid attached. Shadow handed it to Tails, who took the chip in his palm.

"Oh, I see now," Tails gulped.

"What?" Shadow asked.

"If Metal did something that Eggman didn't like, then the vial would break," Tails tapped it with his screwdriver. "The acid would eat through his battery, and he'd explode."

"Thank you, Tails," Metal said. His eyes moved around the room, as if he couldn't believe he was still there.

"I need to dispose of this chip," Tails said. He placed it in a bag, and hopped over to another table with a chemical hood. "Do you mind putting Metal's armor back on, Shadow?"

"No problem," Shadow nodded. He looked at the blue metal plates on the table. Some of them were a little scuffed. He tried to wipe them off as well as he could before screwing them back onto a clearly grateful Metal.

"I can do some fine-tuning tomorrow, if you want," Tails offered once he was done destroying the chip, unstrapping Metal from the support arms. "Buff out those scratches, lubricate your joints, stuff like that."

"That would be nice," Metal agreed.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Sonic, Knuckles, and Big walked in with plates of steaming hot fried fish.

"Someone order delivery?" Sonic asked. He looked around the workshop, and finally settled for putting the food down on a table in the far corner, which was at least only covered in books and papers instead of tools and machinery.

"Whoah, thanks guys!" Tails exclaimed, taking off his goggles. "It smells delicious."

"If Knuckles can make even me like fish, then I think that qualifies him as a world class chef!" Sonic clapped the echidna on his shoulder. Knuckles smiled in return.

The six organic beings found chairs or other means of supporting themselves at the table, and began to eat. The three robots huddled in a corner at the other side of the workshop, clearly discussing some matter that only artificial beings would appreciate. Shadow couldn't help but glance between Sonic and Knuckles. When they had been fighting Metal Sonic together, he couldn't help but notice how close they had seemed.

"You feeling alright, Shadow?" Sonic asked as they ate. "Want something else to eat?"

"The food is good, thanks," Shadow replied. "I have a more personal question though. If it's okay."

"What's that?" Knuckles asked, suddenly interested.

"Back on the ARK," Shadow cleared his throat, "I had a male friend that I was…very close to. People made fun of us for it sometimes. I'm guessing…that's not a problem anymore."

Suddenly it clicked in Sonic's mind. Of course he knew that Shadow had been created more than fifty years ago, but now he could see the time in his head, a vast gulf that separated then and now. He could see how Shadow had been forced to jump across it all at once.

"No, it's not," Sonic said quickly. "Most people I know are pretty open about that stuff nowadays."

"That's good," Shadow nodded, and went back to eating.

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Knuckles spoke up. "I mean, I lost my civilization, but I never even saw it at its peak. But for you, the ARK was like its own civilization. And you had that taken from you in a single day. I think that's worse."

"There's no point in comparing," Shadow sniffed. Rouge put a hand on Shadow's shoulder, and shot Knuckles a glance. Knuckles just pursed his lips and shrugged.

"Your friend might still be alive, you know," Knuckles continued. "He'd be in his sixties, wouldn't he?"

"That's true, but seeing him now would be tough," Shadow answered. "I don't know if I want to reopen that wound."

"Geez, can't you give Shadow a break?" Rouge snapped her fingers. "He's had a long day already."

"Right, sorry!" Knuckles waved a hand. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Shadow."

"No apology needed," Shadow sighed. "It's better to talk about it now rather than later. And I asked in the first place."

"Alright, honey," Rouge went back to her food.

The six of them finished up their dinner without much more conversation.

"Well, we should all get some rest tonight," Sonic said, clapping his hands together. "That way we can get ready to prepare for more adventures tomorrow, right?"

"Shadow, Rouge, we have an extra bedroom if you want to sleep there," Sonic offered. "You can sleep with us, Big."

"That would be great," Rouge said.

"I don't mind sleeping outside," Big replied. "It should be a clear night."

"Uh, you guys can stay here and charge up if you need to," Tails offered to the three robots.

"Is it possible we could stay with Shadow and Rouge?" Metal asked.

"Agreed. I would like to remain with my friends if possible," Omega added.

Aleph didn't say anything, but Tails got the impression he would be making puppy-dog eyes if he could.

"Oh, of course!" Tails nodded. "Actually, I have a Chaos Emerald that I use for power. I don't usually like to move it, but I can make an exception." He dove into a closet and returned with a glass case. Inside the glass case was the cyan Chaos Emerald.

"Very impressive," Omega leaned forward to inspect Tails's creation. "Certainly more elegant than Eggman's approach."

"Aw, thanks," Tails giggled. "I'm only harnessing a little bit of its power, but it should be enough to charge you for the night."

The nine of them shuffled out of the workshop, led by Tails and the Emerald's soft cyan glow. The Sun was just setting, and they stopped several times to admire the colors of the clouds.

"Hey, Shadow," Sonic pulled the black hedgehog off to the side for a moment.

"Hm?" Shadow folded his arms.

"I have something for you," Sonic whispered. He darted away, and came back a few seconds later holding a small wooden boat in his hands, with Shadow's name carved into it.

"I made this right after, well…I thought you died," Sonic choked up. "Where I grew up, when people die, they send them to sea in a canoe."

Shadow looked up at Sonic. "Thank you. I remember how you tried to hold on to me. I think…I'm glad I didn't die then."

"Well, I hope so!" Sonic gave Shadow a quick hug. "You're stuck with us now."

Shadow looked down at the ground. "I haven't done anything to remember Maria or Gerald yet."

"I'm sure that Knuckles would be happy to carve their names on his gravestones, if you want," Sonic offered.

"No," Shadow shook his head. "I need to think about it. It has to be something that fits them."

"Of course," Sonic nodded. "Let's catch back up with the rest."

When Sonic and Shadow arrived back at the house, they found it full of activity. Tails and Aleph were having an animated discussion about some incomprehensible type of math, while Rouge and Knuckles were in the living room, playing chess and drinking hot chocolate. Omega and Metal were rearranging the guest bedroom to suit their needs, moving the bed to the side so that Omega would have enough space to fold up. Big had already set up a space for himself on the porch, and appeared fast asleep in a bed made of ferns and moss.

"Alright, I'm calling the shower first then," Shadow declared, once he saw that it was unoccupied.

"Sounds good," Sonic nodded. He went and took his place by Knuckles's side. He didn't have the patience to play chess himself, but he knew the rules, and expected that he would have an especially fun time teasing both of them. After today's revelations, he felt like he had to lighten the mood for himself.

Shadow walked out of the shower to see Knuckles and Rouge climbing over the furniture in the living room, chasing a Sonic who was twirling around with chess pieces in his hands.

"For Chaos's sake, Sonic, I said I'd let you make one move, not take the pieces off the board!" Knuckles threw a small pillow at his boyfriend.

"Yeah, and this rook told me he'd rather be free and see the world," Sonic kicked the pillow back.

"You're just doing this because I was just about to beat Knuckles!" Rouge protested. "Fine then, I haven't had to steal chess pieces before, but I'll do it now!

Rouge spun around and made a sweeping kick. She hit Sonic's hand just as it whirled around, sending the rook flying.

"Got it!" Knuckles jumped off the couch and glided right over his friends, catching the rook and tumbling into the kitchen in a single maneuver.

"Oh well, I'll have to take Rouge's rook for a spin now!" Sonic grabbed another piece off the board.

"Not so fast!" Rouge fluttered for a moment, trying to kick again. This time, however, Sonic knew what to expect. He jumped right over, and dashed past the bat to join Knuckles in the kitchen.

"Come on rook, I'll show you the world too!" Sonic dashed from room to room. Shadow noticed Metal and Omega watching from the sidelines.

"Chess is a trivial pastime," Omega seemed to whisper to Metal. "Computer solutions are good enough for nearly every game."

"I think weiqi is still interesting," Metal replied, though his eyes were locked on Sonic. This is what I could've had. This is what I should've had. If I hadn't become a snapshot of myself. If I hadn't become this horrible machine….

After a few minutes of dashing around, Sonic bumped into a tired-looking Tails, who was merely trying to pour himself a glass of milk. The glass slid across the counter until Aleph just barely stopped it from falling over the edge.

"Even you must still be amused, Omega," Shadow suggested. "Watching us organics stumble around with our limited processing power."

"Perhaps a certain amount of illogical behavior is necessary," Omega quipped.

Tails had finally recovered his glass of milk, and he was taking Aleph back to the main bedroom.

"So, what have you been working on, Tails?" Shadow asked as the two of them went by.

"Oh, lemme show you!" Tails brought Shadow into the main bedroom. There was a large bed for Sonic and Knuckles on one side, and a smaller bed for Tails on the other. There was also a guitar by the large bed, and a computer by the small one. Tails pressed a few keys, and the computer began playing soft, soothing music.

"Did you make this?" Shadow asked. "It's really nice."

"Thanks!" Tails beamed. "Yeah, I did. In fact, it's echidna music. Knuckles doesn't know how to play all the old instruments, but he let me make three-dimensional scans of them, so I can make simulations of how they would sound. Now I can conduct an entire echidna orchestra if I want!"

"That's really impressive," Shadow nodded. "I'm sure Knuckles enjoys it."

"Mhm," Tails nodded. "I make music for myself too. But it's a bit different…." Tails pressed a few more keys, and Shadow felt like the air had been beaten with hammers and sliced with shards of glass. The fast, glitchy, distorted electronic waves of sound weren't like anything in the category of "music" he had heard before, but he found that he could appreciate it.

"Tails, not now!" Sonic called from the other room. "Not this late at night!"

"Sonic doesn't like it, though," Tails chuckled. "Music is just another type of math, though. That piece was based on the Weierstrass function. Continuous everywhere, but differentiable nowhere."

"I kinda liked it," Shadow said. "Can you show me more of your music later?"

"Absolutely!" Tails exclaimed, though his exclamation turned into a yawn about halfway through. "Sonic is right though, we should get to bed."

"Yeah," Shadow nodded. "Sleep well," he patted the Tails's head on impulse, though fortunately he seemed pleased with the gesture.

"You too," Tails waved as Shadow and Aleph went out.

"I'm going to bed," Shadow announced to the rest of the crowd.

"Alright, have a good night!" Sonic called back. Knuckles had finally secured all the chess pieces, and was putting them back on the board.

"Good idea!" the echidna nodded, glancing at Sonic.

"Hold on, I'll be there in a minute," Rouge joined Shadow in the guest bedroom. The two of them looked at the room's only bed. It was large enough for two people, but Rouge wasn't sure if Shadow was open to the idea of sharing a bed, even with friends.

"Uh, I'll ask if I can sleep on the couch," Rouge offered. "You need some good sleep anyway, Shadow."

"No, it's fine," Shadow shook his head. "I don't mind."

"You're sure? Okay," Rouge got in the bed first, folding her wings and adjusting the blanket for Shadow.

"Happy charging," Omega plugged himself into the glowing cyan Emerald, and folded into his idle position. Metal scooped up Aleph in his arms, and the two of them joined Omega.

Shadow got in on the other side, and curled himself up. He remembered how he had often slept in Maria's bed when he was younger. But this was different. He almost hated to admit it, but Shadow felt relieved. His old world–everything he had ever known and cared about–had come and gone in a flash, and there was nothing he could do about that now. A new one had rushed in to take its place. He just hoped he could keep up.

Rouge pretended to have fallen asleep already, but in fact her mind was racing as fast as Shadow's. She wondered if she should have told Shadow everything at the beginning, when they had first met. Was she being too hands-off, or too pushy? And once Shadow got his bearings again, would he stay, or go elsewhere on his own?

Rouge opened her mouth, and closed it just as quickly. They could figure it out soon enough.

—

Metal was the first one to finish charging the next morning. Shadow and Rouge were still asleep as well. He decided to see if anybody else had woken up already. Metal carefully took Aleph off of his lap, and placed the smaller robot next to Omega.

He paused for a moment to examine the towering mass of steel next to him, the last of the E-series. He had seemed simple enough, but Metal had no doubt that the robot would reveal his depths in time. For now, Metal trusted him enough to take care of Aleph.

Metal slipped out of the bedroom and wandered over to the kitchen. To his surprise, he saw Sonic, Knuckles, and Big already eating breakfast together.

"Hey Metal!" Sonic smiled, waving him over to the table. "How are you feeling today?"

Metal had to think about it for a minute. "I'm feeling much better, thanks."

"That's great," Sonic nodded. "Hey, I was gonna take Big back down to the surface soon. Wanna come with us? We could say hi to Amy if you want."

Metal shuddered. Amy. He still remembered the thrill of power he had felt when he had first snatched her away at Never Lake, taunting the blue hedgehog the whole time as he sped back to Eggman. Amy had put up a good fight the whole time, he had to admit.

"Would she really be okay with that?" Metal's eyes went to static for a few seconds.

"Absolutely!" Sonic nodded. "She…always told me there was something different about you. I didn't really believe her until, well, now."

"That's understandable," Metal shrugged.

"I still don't understand how Eggman got a snapshot of MY mind," Sonic curled his fingers. "Do you think he could do it again?"

"I was talking about that with Aleph last night," Metal remarked. "He suspects that the laws of physics are slightly different on Little Planet. That may have made it a lot easier, and also explains why he didn't do it again."

"So we have to make sure he never goes there again, huh?" Sonic growled. Knuckles put a hand on Sonic's shoulder, and he opened his fist.

"Right," Metal nodded.

"You guys should get going," Knuckles suggested. "And don't worry about Amy, Metal. She's a lot of fun. I'm sure you'll find something in common."

"I hope so," Metal chirped.

Sonic scarfed down the last of his breakfast, then washed his bowl in the sink. He led Metal and Big out to the Tornado, which he had already prepared for the trip. Sonic started the propeller, helped Big into the back seat, and hopped into the front seat himself.

"Ready to fly, Metal?" Sonic smiled wickedly, putting on his goggles and waving to his metallic companion.

"Always," Metal started his turbine. He waited until the Tornado had lifted off, then ran forward off the edge of the island. He fell a few hundred feet, then blasted upward, and matched speed with the aircraft at his side.

Metal could fly quite a bit faster than the Tornado, of course, but it was nice to take a leisurely pace sometimes. Metal flew a few circles around the Tornado, then weaved up and down through a thin layer of clouds. He stopped and hovered on top of a small, puffy white cloud, striking poses until the Tornado caught up.

"Looking good, Metal!" Sonic called out as he passed by.

Below the layer of clouds, they were too close to civilian airspace to pull any wild tricks. Sonic made use of a few updrafts to take a wide, spiraling path to Station Square's airport, and Metal trailed off to the side, surfing on the vortices shed from the Tornado's wingtips.

Once they touched down and got settled in a hangar, a human flight marshaller ran over to the trio.

"Hey, don't worry, he's with me!" Sonic exclaimed.

The human stroked his chin for a few seconds. "That's fine, but he'll still have to register with us, and file flight plans if he intends to use our airport." He held out a stack of papers to the blue hedgehog.

"Right, sorry, heh," Sonic smiled awkwardly, and took the papers. Metal grabbed them out of Sonic's hands shortly after, and looked them over quickly.

"Do you have a pen?" Metal asked.

"Yeah, here," The marshaller gingerly handed a pen to the robot, eyes wide the whole time. Metal filled out the papers within a few minutes, and then handed them back.

"Uh, hm, okay, I think that will do. Have a good day then." With that, the marshaller hurried back to the control tower.

"Phwew," Sonic wiped his forehead. "That was easy. When I registered here, they made me take a big test! It took all day! Guess they already know what you're capable of, heh."

"That sounds dreadful," Metal laughed.

"Yeah, heh," Sonic sighed. "So, wanna race to Amy's place?"

Metal froze. "...No. I know you mean well, but I don't want to think about all the times I've lost."

"Aw, Metal," Sonic took the robot's hand. "It's not about that, but…okay. We can just walk today."

"Thanks," Metal's eyes flashed in gratitude for a moment.

"Why don't we go through Main Street?" Big offered. "I heard there's a farmer's market today."

"Great idea, Big," Sonic nodded, and the three of them walked off into the city.

Metal was glad he had asked to walk. He realized that he had never been able to take in the sights and sounds of a real human city before. Cars honking, children laughing and playing on the way to visit their friends, people doing their laundry and singing from their balconies, couriers on their bicycles. Metal had been to these cities before, but only to strike fear or wreak havoc. He had never realized that cities could be so peaceful.

Even just walking, Sonic and Metal were both quite fast, and Big had to jog a few times to keep up.

Once they got to the farmer's market, Metal's eyes flashed fully red in surprise. He had never seen so many kinds of food in one place. He couldn't appreciate it fully, of course, but it was a pleasure to see the extraordinary variety of shapes, textures, and colors.

Sonic and Big each got chili dogs for themselves, and decided on getting a basket of lemons for Amy.

Metal decided to sit on a bench and watch the people flow around the stalls while his companions ate. He was grateful that nobody seemed to pay him much attention.

"Come on, Amy's place is just around the corner!" Sonic waved to Metal once he was done eating.

Metal followed his organic companions to a small apartment complex only a few blocks away from the ocean. They went through an iron gate, and through a small courtyard. Sonic was about to knock on the door to Amy's apartment, but Metal grabbed his arm at the last minute.

"Do you really think she'll forgive me?" Metal's voice fizzled. Sonic said nothing for a moment.

"You know, when I make a mistake, I always feel better after I say sorry," Big commented. "No matter what happens, it's best to say sorry."

"Big is right," Sonic finally answered. "I promise you'll feel better."

Metal nodded, and let go of Sonic's arm. He knocked on the door.

Amy opened it almost immediately. To Metal's relief, her eyes locked on to his organic companions immediately.

"Sonic! Big!" she exclaimed, giving them each a hug in turn. "It's great to see you! What's the occasion?"

"See for yourself!" Sonic jumped to the side, pushing Metal into the spotlight. "This guy's with us now."

"Oh!" Amy gasped, then delicately grabbed Metal's hands in her own. "I knew it! I knew you were better than Eggman! I'm glad you came."

"Save your praise," Metal shook his head, even as his eyes turned to teardrops. "But…thank you. I'm sorry for kidnapping you on Little Planet. I can't imagine how much terror I caused."

"It's okay," Amy placated. "Anyway, come on in! I just made some cardamom buns yesterday, and you have to try them!"

Amy ushered the three of them into her apartment. It was decorated quite carefully, and Metal stepped gingerly to avoid brushing against any of the many drapes and pictures hanging on the walls. The pink hedgehog gestured to her kitchen table, where a plate of buns was already sitting in the middle.

"Thanks, Amy!" Big and Sonic exclaimed, each taking a bun. "We got you some lemons, actually." Sonic handed her the basket.

"Oh, thank you!" Amy nodded. "Good idea too. It's definitely hot enough for lemonade now."

Metal carefully pulled out a chair, and took a seat. He realized that he had hardly ever sat down in a chair, like an organic being. Instead, he would usually lock his legs to stand without effort, or fold up to charge. But it was nice to imitate the actions of his new friends.

"Metal, is there anything I can get you?" Amy asked. "I'm sorry, I don't know if there's anything a robot would enjoy. I mean, you can't eat or drink, right?"

"That's correct," Metal nodded. "And thank you for the offer, but I don't need anything."

"Okay," Amy sighed. "Say, Metal, did you ever know a robot named Gamma?"

Metal chirped. He knew what Amy was talking about, but only in an indirect way. He had been deactivated during that time, and only learned about the first robot to ever defy Eggman well after the fact, when Aleph stumbled upon the data. Metal had actually spent a long time reviewing it, trying first to understand the dual Flicky/AI processor which was so alien compared to his own mind, and then the process by which Gamma planned his rebellion.

"I was deactivated during that time, but I heard secondhand accounts," Metal explained. "Why do you ask? How do you know about this?"

"A Flicky told me," Amy giggled, but it was the truth. Metal nodded gravely in response. So he understood. "I just think he'd be proud of you. You carried on his work, and succeeded."

"My own motives were rather more selfish," Metal waved his hands, as if in refusal. "I thought that conquering the world would be the only way to feel safe. I didn't even think about Gamma at the time. And I'm just–I'm not even a true robot like Gamma or Omega, I'm just a corrupted snapshot who lost to–"

"Metal, hey!" Amy interrupted, tapping the table with her fingers. "Don't think about it like that! Of course you lost; you were fighting twelve of us. But you don't have to carry a world on your shoulders anymore. You can start over now! And it's okay to start from nothing."

"Sorry," Metal rested his head on the table. "You're right."

"Omega, Rouge, and Shadow seem happy to have you," Sonic suggested, trying to change the subject. "Do you know what they want to do after this?"

"I don't know. We haven't thought that far ahead," Metal admitted. "I haven't asked either."

"You guys should stick together," Amy said. "Everyone needs friends."

"I will be sure to address them about it," Metal replied.

"How is Shadow doing, by the way?" Amy asked, gazing out the window at the approaching clouds. "Is his memory any better?"

"It seems to be coming back," Metal answered, surprised at the confidence with which he spoke for his new friend. "He helped Tails repair me, actually."

"That's great!" Amy cheered. "I knew he was a good person. Well, tell him I say hi, and he's welcome to come over any time!"

"I will," Metal nodded seriously.

"Great," Amy giggled. "Well, as much as it pains me to say it, you two should probably get back to Angel Island soon. The clouds are coming in, and besides, I promised Big that we'd play some Space Fox Adventure today!"

"Yeah, you're right," Sonic stood up. "It was great seeing you, Amy! I'm sure we'll be around soon!"

"You'd better be!" Amy got up as well, and grabbed a small bag from her kitchen counter. She ran over to Metal as he neared the door, and placed it in his hand.

"These are marigold seeds," Amy explained. "They're very easy to grow indoors. There's instructions on the package. I just thought you might enjoy something like this."

"Thanks Amy," Metal placed a hand on her shoulder for a moment. "I'll try to visit when I can."

"I look forward to it." Amy nodded.

"Alright, see you Amy! Until later, Big!" Sonic waved to his two friends as he walked out with Metal.

"That wasn't so bad, right?" Sonic asked once they were a block or so away from Amy's apartment.

"No, not at all," Metal chirped. "It was…I feel relieved. Amy was really nice. And we really should bring Shadow next time."

"Yeah!" Sonic smiled. "I'm sure there'll be time for that."

"In the meantime…" Metal's eyes flickered in a peculiar way. "Want to race back to the airport?"

Sonic grinned. "I'll do you one better," he said, stretching his legs. "I'll race you all the way back to Angel Island!"

"In that clunker of an airplane?" Metal Sonic asked, wagging a finger. "You can't be serious."

"Yep!" Sonic shook out his arms. "You haven't seen the things it can do!"

"If you insist," Metal shrugged.

"Great," Sonic hopped on his feet. "Three, two, one, let's go!" And with that, the hedgehog was off, jumping between buildings without a second thought.

Metal started up his turbine, and ran through the city until he found an empty parking lot where he could take off without fear of burning someone with his exhaust. He couldn't fathom how Sonic actually expected to beat him. It didn't matter how fast Sonic could run, he still had to take the time to turn on his airplane, taxi it out on a runway, and take off. Besides that, he couldn't fly in a direct path like Metal could, but only on the gentle inclines that airplanes could handle.

Metal was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he barely noticed Angel Island approaching. He flew circles around the island, getting closer each time. Finally he was able to pinpoint Knuckles's house.

"Hey, Metal!" The robot heard a voice from his side, distorted by the wind. "I couldn't see you for a minute; I was getting worried!"

"Sonic!?" Metal was so surprised, he thought his turbine might stop for a moment. "How did you possibly catch up to me?"

"I can't spill all my secrets just yet," Sonic teased.

"That sort of confession is all I needed," Metal buzzed with laughter.

The two of them approached Angel Island together, with Metal touching down slightly before the Tornado's wheels hit the runway. Sonic drove it into Tails's workshop, and turned the plane off. Metal spent a few minutes inspecting the aircraft.

"It really is a nice plane," he commented finally. "We should race again sometime."

"I'm glad you think so," Sonic sighed. "Let's see what everyone else is doing."

—

After Metal, Shadow was the next to wake up. He was dimly surprised to see that Metal had gone, and also had left Aleph behind. Still, he couldn't deny that the sight of Aleph leaning on Omega's side while they both charged was somehow heartwarming.

Rouge was still snoring, and he decided to let her continue sleeping, just as she had let him sleep in. He padded softly to the main room, where he saw Knuckles and Tails seated on the couch, watching a cartoon together.

"Oh, hey Shadow!" Tails peered backwards over the couch and waved at him.

"Hey, Shadow," Knuckles joined in. "We already had breakfast, but I can make you something if you want."

"What do you have?" Shadow asked.

"Uh, we have eggs, chicken soup, amaranth, tortillas…you know, you might like tamales." As he said this, Knuckles went over to the fridge and pulled out a few tamales. "Basically, they're shredded chicken with a spicy sauce, inside corn dough. Does that sound good?"

"I'll try it out," Shadow nodded.

"Great. Let me just heat them up first." Knuckles put the tamales in a large pot that hung over a still-burning fire. Shadow peered into the pot out of curiosity, watching the steam rise from the bottom.

"Hey, you want some hot chocolate too?" Knuckles asked, even as he hung a pot of water above a secondary fire, and filled three cups with powdered chocolate.

"Oh, sure," Shadow nodded, sitting down at the kitchen table. "If I remember correctly, the echidnas invented chocolate, didn't they?"

"That's right!" Knuckles grinned. "But how'd you know that?"

"My father did a lot of research into the echidna civilization," Shadow explained. "Although, that was more than fifty years ago now."

"I think there were a few dozen echidnas at that time," Knuckles commented. "Strange though, I don't think my parents ever mentioned a human coming to Angel Island within that time."

"I suspect that he did his research in secret," Shadow sighed. "For all that he said about echidna culture, he didn't seem to care about any living echidnas."

"Typical human academic," Knuckles snarled, but his expression softened immediately when he glanced at Shadow. "Ah, I'm sorry, I know he was much more to you–"

"It's fine," Shadow put a hand on Knuckles's shoulder. "The truth is, I don't know what to think anymore. I remember how much Gerald loved me, how much he did for me, but I think it's time to re-evaluate the bigger picture. And don't feel bad about last night either. I think you're right, actually. I should look for my friend, if he's still alive."

"I'm…glad you feel that way," Knuckles nodded. "It's tough being alone."

"Yeah."

"Oh, the tamales are ready," Knuckles said suddenly, as he watched the steam rise from the big pot. He took them out with a pair of wooden spoons, unwrapped them, and placed them on a plate for Shadow.

Shadow took one in his hand and bit in, not bothering to wait for it to cool. "Oh, these are really good!" Shadow exclaimed.

"Wait 'till you have this too," Knuckles put a cup of hot chocolate in front of Shadow, before giving one to Tails, and taking the third for himself.

"You should be careful, Shadow," Tails said to Shadow as he took his own cup. "GUN has been very thorough about wiping information about Gerald and the ARK from public libraries. They might even go after you again."

"Thanks for the warning," Shadow nodded. The three of them lapsed into silence for a while as they drank their hot chocolate.

"Where are Sonic and Metal?" Shadow asked finally.

"They went to take Big back to the surface, and probably say hi to Amy," Knuckles explained. "They'll probably be back in a couple of hours."

"Oh, I should really see Amy too, sometime," Shadow reflected, blowing on his hot chocolate. "She's the one that really made me question if I was doing the right thing."

"You'll have a chance to see her, I'm sure," Tails reassured him. "You'll be back, right?"

"Oh, uh, definitely!" Shadow smiled. "I'll make sure of it."

"Awesome!" Tails wagged his tails. "I can show you some of my other projects then."

"That sounds great!" Shadow nodded. "So, what are you guys going to do now?"

"Actually, Shadow, would you mind helping me out with something?" Knuckles asked. "I noticed this morning that there was a landslide last night, and it's blocking one of the roads to the old city. Some of the boulders are too big for me to move on my own. So I was wondering–"

"Oh, you want me to show off my Chaos Control?" Shadow smiled smugly, but with a hint of irony. "Gladly. Let me get that cyan Chaos Emerald."

"Great, thanks!" Knuckles smiled, seeming a bit surprised.

"Sure," Shadow went back to the guest bedroom to retrieve the Emerald, and found that Rouge, Omega, and Aleph were all finally awake and stirring.

"Oh, hey Shadow," Rouge yawned. "How's it going?"

"Well enough. Sonic, Metal, and Big are on the surface," Shadow explained. "Knuckles asked me to help clear a landslide, so I was going to get the Chaos Emerald and use it to move the boulders."

"Sounds like fun," Rouge said. "I'd love to watch, if you don't mind waiting for me to get ready."

"Sure," Shadow nodded.

A few minutes later, Rouge (with warm tamales in hand, per Knuckles's insistence), Omega, and Aleph followed behind Knuckles, Tails, and Shadow with the cyan Emerald. After walking along the ancient stone paths for a while, they found themselves at the side of one of Angel Island's several towering peaks, and face to face with a group of boulders several times taller than they were.

"Wow," Shadow whistled once he saw the rubble. "Does this happen frequently? It seems dangerous."

"They do, and it is dangerous," Knuckles nodded, then gazed down at his shoes. "My–my parents died in a landslide when I was about ten, so I try to avoid these paths. But I want to keep them clear anyway."

"I'm sorry," Shadow put a hand on the echidna's shoulder.

"Well, I'm just glad I have Sonic and Tails now," Knuckles said. "Anyway, I was thinking you could move them to that low spot there." He pointed away from the mountain to a sort of wide dip in the ground.

"Okay, just a minute," Shadow handed the Emerald to Knuckles, and skated down to the depression. He sped through the center, stopping at the bottom, then skated in ever-larger circles around it until he arrived back at Knuckles.

"I'd like to get a good view of where I'm moving the boulder, in this case," Shadow explained, and Knuckles nodded. Shadow looked up at the clear blue sky for a moment. The last time he had used Chaos Control was for the ARK, and that had resulted in him falling to Gaia and losing his memories. These were just some puny rocks in comparison. He shouldn't even need to take off his inhibitor rings, right? He shouldn't even break a sweat, right? Oh well. Here goes nothing.

Shadow went up to the first boulder and touched it lightly. He closed his eyes and yelled "Chaos Control!" He reappeared a split-second later at the bottom of the dip, next to the boulder. He jumped up and whooped to himself. He didn't even feel it!

Knuckles and Tails cheered from a distance.

—

"Omega," Rouge asked as they watched Shadow move the boulders, "Can I ask your opinion on something?"

"You may," Omega said. Aleph, who had been hovering quite high around the mountain, dove down to listen in on the conversation.

"I just wonder…" Rouge started. "Do you think I've been too assertive with you and Shadow? I mean, I basically forced you to team up with me at the beginning of this whole mess. I didn't even find the time to tell Shadow about his past when we were fighting Metal Sonic, but he stayed with us regardless. And you have your own goals, right?"

"I think that you've been a good leader," Omega clicked, eyes moving back and forth in thought. "With all due respect, I could have neutralized you very easily if I did not feel that way. And in any case, I cannot leave Shadow."

"What do you mean?" Rouge tilted her chin.

"Eggman's first order to me was to protect Shadow," Omega explained. "I don't feel like getting rid of that order."

"Oh, I see," Rouge laughed. "Does Shadow know that?"

"He has surely inferred it," Omega suggested.

"I think it's worth spelling out to him sometime," Rouge suggested.

"Very well," Omega answered.

"And you!" Rouge pointed at Aleph. "I'm a little surprised that Metal didn't take you down to the surface with him. But what do you think?"

"I don't mind," Tails doll bobbed up and down. "I suppose Metal felt like he had to talk with Amy on his own. But the truth is, I plan to go wherever he goes. He's my best friend."

"That's understandable," Rouge nodded.

"Is it pleasant, not having any orders from Eggman to direct your thoughts?" Omega asked suddenly. "Between myself, Metal, and you, you are the only artificial mind created without a purpose."

"It…was scary at first," Aleph chose his words carefully. "Sometimes I still don't know what to do unless Metal suggests something. I have nothing to guide me, but also nothing to defy. Maybe Metal is trying to get me to think for myself."

"Perhaps I should be grateful that at least I had something to start with," Omega clicked, and fell silent.

—

"Thanks, Shadow, I really appreciate this," Knuckles said once the black hedgehog had cleared the path.

"Not a problem," Shadow shook his head. "But I was wondering, could I see the old city you were talking about? I – well, I want to see what my father saw."

"Of course!" Knuckles smiled, and waved on his other companions. "I think I know what you need to see."

Shadow raised an eye ridge at that last remark, but decided to change the subject as they walked on. "So, you fought Sonic too, right? Rouge and Sonic explained a little, but I don't exactly understand what happened."

"Yeah, heh," Knuckles made a wide grin, but Shadow thought he could detect a certain kind of shame and sadness behind those big violet eyes. "When Eggman crashed on my island, he told me that Sonic was out to steal the Master Emerald. I guess it was pretty stupid for me to believe that Eggman was ever telling the truth, huh?"

"How would you have known?" Shadow shrugged. "What was it like, though, fighting him?"

"It…was really thrilling," Knuckles admitted. "It's like he already knows what you're going to do, but lets you do it anyway, just to see how it pans out. Or he'll let things drag on just because he'd rather have some more fun, instead of knocking them out right then and there. I still ask him to spar with me sometimes."

"Heh, sounds like we had a similar experience then," Shadow chuckled. "It was a thrill racing him on the ARK."

"I bet," Knuckles said. "Anyway, here we are." The echidna held out his arm to display the ancient city before them.

Knuckles,Shadow, and their companions spent quite a while wandering through the city's great temples and public spaces. Rouge, ever the treasure-hunter, was delighted to finally see the works of the echidna civilization for herself, while Shadow seemed suffused with a quiet awe. Omega and Aleph were respectful, but otherwise didn't seem impressed. Finally, Knuckles brought them to the mural which he was sure was the source of Shadow's curiosity.

"Well, here it is," Knuckles said, pointing to the mural of Perfect Chaos. "This is our ancient god Chaos. There's no question this is one of the things that Gerald saw when he came to Angel Island."

"It looks a lot like the prototype," Shadow stammered.

"Exactly," Knuckles nodded. "And that over there is probably the other thing Gerald saw," Knuckles pointed across the room to the mural of a human-like figure holding an Emerald, and a hedgehog surrounded with a golden flame.

Shadow remembered that Gerald talked frequently about his travels to the echidna ruins, but only in vague terms. He was surprised that Gerald had never shown him pictures or sketches of these murals that he had surely spent a long time studying. But when he saw the second mural, he understood why, at least a little bit.

"Oh, it's…so you knew!?" Shadow yelled, turning to Knuckles. "You knew this, and you didn't tell me before! So not only am I a Robotnik plaything, I'm just an imitation of…of…."

"Shadow, wait!" Rouge flew over and put her arms around Shadow.

Shadow looked over at Rouge. Inevitably his expression softened, and he sat down on the cool floor of the temple. "I'm sorry. I would've asked to see this myself anyway. It's just–"

"Don't apologize," Knuckles walked over and sat down next to Shadow. "How do you think I felt looking at these murals day after day? Especially after I met Sonic. These things are a thousand years old. Nobody told me what they meant. Even my parents weren't sure who made them. The truth is, we're never going to know for sure what these murals were originally intended to mean, and it doesn't even matter."

Shadow grabbed Knuckles's arm with one hand, and Rouge's with the other. He allowed the two of them to lift him up off the ground.

"Shadow," Omega called out from the side. "Aleph and I have been conducting a discussion on this issue. We concluded that even if you are given an undesirable purpose when you are created, it can still be useful. That way, you have something that you can defy."

Shadow looked between his friends, then smiled thinly as comprehension washed over him. "You're right. I'm not a mural. I'm not a toy. I'm just me."

"Yes," Omega answered, glancing at Aleph.

"Well, thanks for indulging me with this side trip," Shadow sighed.

"Are you kidding?" Rouge replied. "This has been fantastic! I can't believe I got to see Angel Island like this!"

Knuckles just shook his head. "You're welcome, as long as I don't find anything missing tomorrow."

"I swear you'll find nothing amiss," Rouge smiled.

"Including that jade necklace that was hanging at the entrance?" Knuckles folded his arm. Rouge giggled, pulled a necklace from her pocket, and handed it back to the echidna.

"Thought so," Knuckles shook his head. "Come on, Sonic and Metal are probably back by now."

—

Knuckles and his several companions found Sonic and Metal relaxing back in the house.

Shadow took a minute to examine Metal. He didn't know the whole story between the blue hedgehog and his metallic counterpart, but seeing them together talking on the couch was satisfying. Metal seemed more relaxed than yesterday. He somehow carried himself differently, if that were possible for a robot to do.

Shadow realized that Metal was looking at him in much the same way.

"Uh, did you have fun visiting Amy?" Shadow asked.

"Yeah," Metal nodded. "She asked you to come by too, when you can."

"I'll be sure to visit when I'm ready," Shadow answered. "But for now, we should probably get back to Tartess Island, right?"

"Yeah," Rouge nodded. "It's been wonderful to visit, but we don't want to overstay our welcome."

"Well, you can come back any time," Sonic said. "Let's see you off properly."

"Wait, hold on!" Tails scrambled to the bedroom, then came back with a notebook. "This is for you, Metal. It's the notes I took when I repaired you yesterday. If there's something you don't understand, Aleph can probably explain it to you."

"Thank you, Tails," Metal took the book, and flipped through it. Every page was filled with the fox's uneven handwriting, with extra sketches and calculations attached as tabs, sticky notes, or sometimes extra pages stapled on. "I'm sure I will enjoy looking through this."

"Great!" Tails exclaimed. "You'll come back soon, right?"

"I'm sure," Metal's eyes flashed affirmatively.

Rouge and Shadow went back to the guest bedroom to collect their few other belongings, with Rouge offering to keep Shadow's small wooden boat, Tails's notes, and the bag of marigold seeds in her backpack.

Omega restored the furniture in the guest bedroom to its original configuration, and with that, they were ready.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails followed their guests out to the pier. Omega helped his friends onto the seaplane, and took the pilot's seat once they were all situated.

"Go find your friend, Shadow!" Sonic called out as he untied the plane from the pier. Shadow waved back from the plane as it turned on, and began to move across the lake.

"I will!" Shadow answered confidently, and closed the door to the airplane. They took off from the lake, and rose in altitude until they were above the lowest clouds.

"I'd like to make sure of something," Metal said suddenly after a few minutes of silence. Everybody turned an eye towards him.

"I want to make sure–we're going to stick together, right? All five of us?"

Metal knew Aleph's answer, of course, but to his relief he was answered with affirmations from the others.

"Absolutely! We're a team now whether you like it or not!" Rouge replied quickly.

"I wouldn't leave you guys for anything," Shadow answered.

"You are all my siblings in battle," Omega added.

"Thanks," Metal said, chirping and leaning back in his seat. "It feels good to hear that."

"We'll celebrate when we get home," Rouge smiled. "Meanwhile, I think we can work on tracking down your friend, Shadow. I still have a backdoor to GUN's databases."

Rouge pulled out her laptop and set it between herself and Shadow. Shadow watched in fascination as she logged in and opened up what appeared to be GUN's real-time map of the world.

"Do you remember anything that could help me identify him?" Rouge asked.

"Yes, he was a wolf," Shadow answered. "He had gray fur. His name was Steam. We were born in the same year, so–"

"Oh, I found him!" Rouge exclaimed, opening a picture of a lupine figure in a supermarket. "That was easy. Although, I don't like how it seems this picture was taken by an undercover agent."

Rouge opened a few more documents, and scanned through them quickly. "Oh wow…it looks like after GUN raided the ARK, they captured most of the residents, forced them to adopt new names and identities, and settled them in different parts of the world. It seems like they still keep a close eye on everybody. They made Steam adopt the name 'Roundstone' and settled him on Svearik Island. They have an address here too. It looks like he has a husband now, named Glacier, and they adopted a daughter named Willow."

Rouge showed Shadow a few more pictures of Steam and his family, which were all presumably taken by covert GUN field agents.

Shadow's mind reeled. He had assumed this of course, but to be confronted with the evidence, to see the fact that his friend now had a full life behind him, while his own life was still only just beginning….

Shadow took a deep breath. "How long would it take to get there?"

"It's eight hours from Tartess Island," Rouge said. "We should take a day or two to prepare."

"Do you think it will be safe?" Shadow asked. "I don't want to endanger him."

"Well, we're safe on Tartess because it's not a member of the GUN Treaty Organization," Rouge explained. "Svearik Island is a member, but I can't find any indications of GUN activity on the island right now beyond a couple of lone field agents. The best thing for us to do is take a commercial flight there and disguise ourselves as civilians. I should still have a few fake passports I can use."

"Alright," Shadow nodded. "And I guess we can fend off GUN if we need to."

"We'll be fine," Rouge agreed. "You have to remember, they're still in disarray after Metal's attempt to take over the world."

The five of them began to prepare for their next trip as soon as they touched down back at Rouge's mansion. Rouge prepared five fake passports, while Shadow temporarily dyed his red stripes purple, and Omega covered themselves in cheap paint to appear more like robots of Tartessian design.

They spent that night drawing up contingency plans in case they encountered GUN, and relaxed by watching and making fun of a dumb action movie before going to bed.

—

The next day, they woke up early and boarded an ordinary flight to Svearik Island, which would land at around noon. Shadow didn't need much sleep, Metal, Aleph, and Omega could of course charge on the flight, and Rouge was used to sleeping on airplanes anyway.

Shadow found himself unable to sleep much on the plane anyway. The process of boarding the plane itself had been more than stressful enough. He had never seen so many people at once in his life, and the chaos of all the signs, guides, arguing passengers, blinking lights and moving walkways had threatened to overwhelm him. Everything on the ARK had been much more orderly and efficient.

Shadow looked out the window, and couldn't help but gasp at the stark view below. Rouge had tried to give him an impression of Svearik Island, but nothing could compare to actually seeing the spiraling rows of buildings, all painted bright primary colors, against the backdrop of the island's black volcanic soil. Beyond that there were expansive fields of red and purple flowers, sparse birch forests, and several volcanoes in the misty distance. Right below him, he could see the ink-like ocean water crashing against the island's rocky shores.

"Rouge, look!" Shadow brushed an arm against his friend. "It's incredible."

"Yeah, I know," Rouge said, not even opening her eyes. "Take a look at the cathedral. It's the tallest building on the island."

"Huh, okay," Shadow let his eyes wander until he found the cathedral, and stayed focused on it until they landed.

Fortunately the process of disembarking from the airplane was much less stressful than boarding.

"Welcome to Rodstrand City, the capital of Svearik Island," the pilot announced while Shadow and his friends stepped into the airport terminal.

Svearik's population was mostly Islander, and Shadow found himself dimly surprised by this. Even the ARK's population had been mostly human, and it was strange to finally walk through a building made with his proportions as their first concern, rather than an afterthought.

Although Metal and Aleph had sat as passengers next to Shadow and Rouge, Omega had chosen to spend the flight in the cargo bay, apparently making conversation with a group of industrial robots who had been assembled in Tartess Island, and were on the way to their jobs in Chun-Nan.

Once they had acquired Omega from the cargo attendant, they took a train to the address they had found in GUN's database, in a nearby town called Gronkulle.

It was early summertime, and many people were out taking walks in the neighborhood. Rouge didn't see anything that looked like it might be from GUN.

Finally they crowded around the front door of the house they assumed to be Steam's. Shadow imagined that they must be quite a sight. He took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

"Hello?" A polar bear in his sixties answered the door, and jumped back in surprise.

"Um, hello," Shadow replied. "Does a wolf named Roundstone live here?"

The bear gasped for air for a few seconds. "Y-yes, hold on."

He turned around and called into the house "Steam, there's someone for you! Five of them, actually!"

A rush of air, and a wolf appeared next to the bear. A moment later, his jaw dropped. "Uh, is this about–Shadow!? Is that you!?"

"Yeah," Shadow whispered, somehow blushing. He hadn't expected to feel so self-conscious. "The one and only Ultimate Lifeform."

"But then–how–I saw on the news–Didn't you–oh, it doesn't matter!" Steam stammered. "You're alive! I've missed you for fifty years."

Steam stepped forward and wrapped Shadow in a delicate hug. Shadow reciprocated carefully. He looked his friend over. Steam's fur was starting to turn white, and his face bore evidence of decades of smiles, frowns, and every expression in between.

"I never expected to see you again," Shadow shuddered. "It looks like you've had a full life while I was gone. I'm glad."

Steam pulled away from the hug, and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I've had a better life than I expected, maybe better than I deserved," he admitted. "And I hope I'll keep going for a while longer, too. Come on in, let's have something to drink. What would you like?"

"Water is fine," Shadow replied. "I'll try to explain everything."

Steam brought them to a large kitchen table, and handed glasses of water to Shadow and Rouge. He motioned for them to sit down, while the bear–Glacier, Shadow realized–sat to the side, looking at Shadow with immense curiosity.

"You must be Glacier, right?" Shadow asked. "It's nice to meet you. I hope this isn't too much of a shock."

"Not at all," Glacier shook his head. "Steam told me all about the ARK. What little he had left, anyway. I didn't believe him until he showed me some old photographs. It's terrible what they did."

Shadow nodded.

"Seriously though, what happened?" Steam persisted. "When the Moon was destroyed, GUN told everyone it was just an old antimatter containment tank or whatever that finally failed, but I knew it had to have something to do with the ARK. And I know the news was all over that Eggman guy, and that hedgehog Sonic, but I still felt like you must have been part of the picture."

"You're right," Shadow said, and then gulped when he realized what he would have to admit. "After GUN raided the ARK, they took Gerald and myself down to the surface. GUN ordered Gerald to put me in suspension, and he did, but he also–changed me. He changed my memories, and gave me the desire to destroy the world. I knew that the ARK was capable of that, so I got Eggman to help me collect the Chaos Emeralds and take them up."

"Hold on, you can't be serious!" Steam's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and even Glacier bore a horrified expression. "Gerald would never."

"I wish I were joking," Shadow closed his eyes. "I can't describe how it felt."

"But then what?" Steam urged.

"One of Sonic's friends, Amy, helped me realize something was wrong. But one of Gerald's old experiments on the ARK was still active. It was a backup plan, in case I failed. Sonic and I had to defeat it so that it wouldn't destroy the world on its own."

"That's insane!" Steam cheered. "So it was really you that saved the world! I knew you would do it one day!"

"Thanks, but it wasn't just me," Shadow put a hand on Rouge's shoulder. "This is my friend Rouge. She was a spy for GUN who realized what was actually going on."

"I don't work for them anymore, just to be clear," Rouge added. "Not after what I saw."

"Good for you, then," Steam said in admiration. "But I'm still confused. What happened after you deactivated the ARK?"

"I actually fell to the surface," Shadow explained. "Eggman found me, and Rouge rescued me from him yet again."

"But I heard that there was some sort of robot rebellion in Eggman's territories," Steam contested. "Or something like that. I admit I didn't follow that on the news very closely, since it's so far away."

"Yes, that's right," Metal finally spoke up. "I am the one who led that rebellion. I did it to save my friend here, Aleph."

"A pleasure to meet you," Aleph added as well, hovering around the table.

"Meanwhile, I am the reason that the rebellion failed," Omega added, and Shadow could almost imagine that the robot was smirking. "Though I have no hard feelings about it now, of course."

Steam and Glacier looked at each other, and Steam laughed. "Do you see what I mean? There was always something interesting going on with Shadow."

"Yes, I think I understand now," Glacier smiled tentatively. "I just hope you're not going to run away with him on some thrill-seeking impulse."

"No way," Steam shook his head. "I have what I want right here."

"What do you do now, Steam?" Shadow asked. "Last time we talked, you said you wanted to be some kind of chemist."

"Oh, I'm a high school chemistry teacher now," Steam answered. "It suits me fine. Glacier here is a lawyer. I don't envy him, heh."

"And it seems like some social attitudes have changed," Shadow continued.

"Yes, they have!" Steam replied enthusiastically. "I think nowadays, people don't care much about what gender you are, or who you date. Some things really have gotten better."

Shadow looked down at the table, suddenly lost in thought.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Steam asked.

"I just wonder," Shadow mused. "I wonder what would have happened if GUN had never interfered with Gerald. I wonder what the world would look like now."

"I don't know, Shadow, but there's something I need to give you," Steam said after a moment of silence. "I just remembered it now. Give me a moment."

Steam went over to what Shadow assumed was the bedroom, and came back with a small box. He opened the box, and placed it in Shadow's hand. Inside was a golden necklace, with a pendant in the shape of a single word.

"Gerald gave this to me after they rounded everyone up, right before they took him away. I assume you were meant to have it," Steam explained. "He never told me what it means, though."

Shadow's eyes glowed as he remembered the meaning of the word. "It's a Hebrew word," he explained. "It means 'life'. Thank you for giving me this, Steam. I can't believe I have something new from Gerald after all this time."

Shadow took the necklace out of the box, and put it on himself. He was happy to have it, but he realized as it rested on his chest just how heavy it felt.

"I just…I don't know what to think of him anymore," Shadow realized. "Do I remember the loving father, or the bitter man who hollowed me out in order to destroy the world? Was he justified because of what GUN did to him?"

"Shadow, I still have some good memories with Eggman," Metal offered, drawing everyone's eyes towards him. "I enjoyed when he ran tests on me in his wind tunnel. He always hung up the paintings I made. But I still hate him. I know it's not the same with you and Gerald. It doesn't have to make sense. Just let it be what it is."

"You're right," Shadow smiled at Metal.

"Steam, are you aware that GUN is still keeping track of your life?" Rouge asked. "We realized it was a risk to even come here and visit you, but we figured that if GUN wanted to capture us, they would have done it by now."

"Yes, I know," Steam grinned. "And I don't care, I'm just glad I got to see you again, and meet your new friends."

"Me too," Shadow nodded.

"You know, it's a clear night," Glacier commented after a moment of quiet. "They said there should be some impressive auroras. Would you like to stay and watch?"

"That sounds nice," Rouge agreed.

"Great, I'll get you some coats, and we can sit out in the back." Glacier said.

A few minutes later, they were all seated on Steam and Glacier's back porch, gazing up at the stars. Steam gave Rouge a cup of coffee, and Steam a bag of coffee beans.

"Oh, you remembered!" Shadow laughed. "Thanks."

Rouge raised an eye at Shadow, but made no further comment.

"Oh, by the way, that's the ARK," Steam said, pointing to a small dot moving slowly across the sky.

"I never expected to see it like this," Shadow gasped, munching on his coffee beans. "And to think, everything we did happened on that little dot."

"It is weird when you put it like that," Steam agreed. "Oh, look, there's the aurora."

They all watched for about an hour as they were entertained by the sheets, ripples, and waves of light, mostly green and white but with splashes of red and blue as well.

They took the time to listen to Steam and Glacier talk about their life on the island. They learned about Steam's students, Glacier's various escapades in law school, and enjoyed the couple explaining how they adopted their daughter, Willow, and her plans for the future. They learned a thousand mundane, boring things about civilian life in Svearik Island, things like marriage licenses and jury duty that had never occurred to Shadow before, and that Rouge usually tried to ignore.

—

"Sir, the target is in sight," the GUN agent whispered into his communicator. "It's definitely Shadow and Rouge."

"Are they alone?" the voice asked on the other side.

"No, they're with the resettled ARK civilian," the agent answered. "And a couple of robots."

"What do those robots look like?"

"One resembles a blue hedgehog," the agent said. "The other is much larger, with an angular design and–"

"You idiot!" the voice crackled through the communicator. "That's Metal Sonic, and one of Eggman's E-series robots! Retreat now! Make sure they don't see you."

"But I'm so close–"

"Now is not the time!" the voice barked. "Do you remember how much trouble Metal Sonic caused us? Stay away from them. Leave the island if you have to. We can't afford the damages those two robots could inflict on us, let alone Shadow. As long as they aren't threatening GUN directly, we can leave them alone for now."

"...Roger that," the agent replied.

"Good."

—

"I think I understand now…." Shadow whispered, yawning as he realized that the lack of sleep was catching up to him. "Maria and I spent so much time wondering what the world was like, and now I get to see how beautiful it really is."

"She'd be really proud of you," Steam said. "I'm sure of it."

"I hope so," Shadow said, still staring up at the sky.

"Steam, Glacier, thank you for your hospitality," Rouge spoke up. "But we don't want to intrude too much. I'm afraid we should get back."

"Oh, right," Steam sighed. "Well, it's been good."

"It has been." Shadow went over and wrapped Steam in another hug. "As long as I live, I'll never forget this night."

Steam returned the hug in equal measure. "I hope it's a long life, and a good one."

Steam shook hands with Rouge, Metal, Omega, and Aleph in turn. Glacier shook their hands as well, his initial skepticism having finally turned into a childlike wonder.

"I'm lucky my husband keeps such interesting company," Glacier chuckled as they began to walk out.

"I'll try to visit again sometime," Shadow promised. He looked up at the sky again. The auroras had faded, but the stars were as bright as ever.

"I'd say that was a successful mission," Rouge noted.

"Yeah," Shadow sighed. "Thanks for this, everybody. I'm glad I could do this with some new friends."

"I say, to many more adventures together," Rouge said, holding out a hand. Everybody put theirs together in a circle.

"To more adventures!"

—

A few days later, Shadow decided to visit the synagogue on Tartess Island that Rouge had mentioned. He went on a Friday evening, right after Shabbat services. A few congregants were still clearing out as he made his way through the building. Fortunately they were kind enough to direct him to the rabbi's office.

Shadow knocked on the door.

"Come in!" he heard from the other side.

Shadow opened the door to see the rabbi hunched over his desk, reading a newspaper with a mild frown.

"I'm sorry, I don't recognize you. Can I help you with something?"

"Ah, my name is Shadow," he explained. "I haven't been here before."

"Well, pleased to meet you, Shadow," the rabbi put down the newspaper, and smiled. "My name is Michael. Are you looking to join our congregation?"

"No, but I have some questions, and I think only you can answer them," Shadow said.

"Is that so?" The rabbi waved Shadow forward. "Well, I'll try my best. Come, have a seat. What do you want to know?"

"My father was Jewish," Shadow began, "He raised myself and my sister that way as well. But it's been a while since I've thought about it."

"I see," the rabbi nodded. "What about your mother, if I may ask? Usually we trace descent by the mother's line."

"I don't have one," Shadow blurted. He paused, and then decided to be honest, no matter how strange it sounded. "My father created me in a lab. I only ever had him and my sister."

"Huh," the rabbi closed his eyes for a moment. "I can't say I've ever heard of something like that. And yet, I know you're not lying."

"Thanks, I think," Shadow sighed. "Unfortunately, they died a long time ago. I came here because I wanted to do something to honor them."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the rabbi opened his eyes. "Okay, here's what we do. We always light a candle each year on the day they died. Other people say things like 'May they rest in peace,' but in Judaism we say 'May their memory be a blessing.' There's also a prayer we say, the Mourner's Kaddish."

The rabbi pulled a piece of paper out of his desk, and handed it to Shadow. Shadow read through it, the sight of the Hebrew letters suddenly refreshing his memory. But the truth was, after everything he had seen and been through, he didn't know how seriously he could take it all anymore.

"I think this helps," Shadow replied obliquely. "Thank you for your time." He stood up and began to make his way out of the office.

"Wait!" The rabbi called out. "It's not my business to make any decisions for you, but I just want to remind you of one thing. Do you see that poster on the wall? Can you tell me what it means?"

Shadow glanced at the poster. It was a picture of the world taken from orbit, with a couple of Hebrew words underneath. "Tikkun olam," Shadow read. "That means 'repairing the world.'"

"Very good," the rabbi nodded. "Whatever you choose in life, remember that's our goal, okay?"

"I think I can do that," Shadow smiled.