The sound of running feet...
Echoes in a metal hallway...
And once more, the military organization G.U.N. and the Ultimate Life Form, Shadow, clashing...
But as he made his way toward what he knew was yet another life-changing event for him...
Shadow knew that this time, the tables were turned.
This time, it was G.U.N.'s turn...
... to experience defeat...
... to know pain.
.
.
.
"Hey," one of the lab workers remarked. "Where are those two guys who took that fox kid down to the prisoners' cells?"
"Still down there, I guess," another worker shrugged, gathering up the files that were strewn over the laboratory floor. "They haven't come back yet."
"Lazy bums," the first worker snorted. "Probably offered to take the fox kid down there just to get off of wor-- what the heck's with the door?!"
For at that moment, a strange phenomenon seemed to be occurring. The solid metal door appeared to have sparks coming through it, leaving numerous scorch marks... the middle of the door began to bubble...
All of the workers yelled and dove out of the way as a bolt of yellow lightning shot through the door and hit the wall on the opposite side of the room. Through the smoldering remains of the entryway, the lab workers saw the figures of two hedgehogs...
Sonic stared at what was left of the door. "Don't you think you could've knocked instead?" the blue hedgehog laughed, though he still quite startled. "That Chaos Spear packs a punch, huh?"
But Shadow wasn't in a joking mood. Sonic took one look at the cold expression in Shadow's eyes, fixed on the humans in the room, and knew that the black hedgehog meant business. Clutching the fake Emerald that he still held tight in his left hand, Sonic's expression also hardened.
Meanwhile, the workers had gotten over their initial shock. "The hedgehog's escaped!" someone yelled. "Call Dasendo!" Hands quickly reached for radios, but Shadow had already begun his attack.
"Chaos Spear!" Shadow yelled, scattering workers and blowing more holes in the wall and floor.
"Sonic Wind!" Sonic blasted an attack across the room, adding to the frenzy. "Hey, Shadow!" Sonic called. "Don't get too carried away, or you'll collapse the whole place!"
"Maybe that's not such a bad idea," Shadow replied grimly.
"What is going on?!"
Every head in the room turned to see Dasendo standing before the wreck of the door. He was furious.
"Who was the idiot who took that fox down to the prisoners' cells?! Didn't anyone think that it might have been a trick?!" the irate leader bellowed.
Then his eyes fell on Shadow.
Dasendo's expression shifted to shock, then to a seemingly calm state. However, he couldn't hide the gleam of delight in his eyes.
"Well, if it isn't Project: Shadow..." the old man smiled. "Alive and well, I see," he added, throwing a nasty glance at Sonic.
Sonic grinned. "It's not my fault you jumped to conclusions."
Dasendo pulled a radio off his belt. "Well, no matter. Project: Shadow has returned, and now it must be captured. Bring reinforcements to the main laboratory," he snapped into the radio.
"Captured?" Shadow growled as he stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "I think not."
"Now, now, don't get too hasty," Dasendo said calmly, pulling an electric stun gun off his belt. Behind him, the sound of people gathering in the hallway could be heard. "We wouldn't want something to happen to the greatest weapon ever created, right?"
"Weapon?!" Shadow snarled, dashing toward Dasendo.
"Shadow, no! Wait!" Sonic yelled, following the black hedgehog. Suddenly, he felt someone's stun gun against him, hitting him in the left arm. A shock was sent through his whole body, and as he collapsed to the ground, numb, he managed to look up and saw a soldier come through the door...
... and graze Shadow with another stun gun.
Shadow also fell to the ground, but his fury wouldn't allow him to give up. Struggling to his feet, he glared at the humans in front of him.
Sonic groaned and also struggled to get up. However, as he moved, the fake Emerald fell from his grasp, clinking softly against the linoleum floor.
The worker who had used the stun gun walked forward. Much to Sonic's dismay, he picked up the fake Emerald. "Hey, take a look at this," the worker remarked.
Dasendo raised an eyebrow, then stepped past the struggling hedgehogs. Taking the Emerald in his hand, he casually commented, "This is a Chaos Emerald, isn't it?" The old man smiled craftily. "Bring the hedgehogs. It's time to test It."
A soldier roughly grabbed Sonic by the scruff of the neck and pulled him upright. Sonic winced. "Hey, take it easy!"
Shadow had already gotten to his feet. When a soldier approached him, the beginning of another Chaos Spear flickered dangerously in Shadow's hand. "You won't take me anywhere," Shadow growled.
"Restrain it," Dasendo ordered, and another handful of soldiers raced to heed the command. However, even though he was still a bit numb, Shadow's fighting spirit had not diminished. Furiously, he attacked.
To the soldiers, Shadow had turned from an angry hedgehog to a fury of flying kicks, fists, and spikes. The black and red blur landed blow upon blow on his opponents.
By this time, most of the feeling had returned to Sonic's limbs. Wrestling out of the grip of his captor, he turned...
... and found himself face-to-face with the laboratory workers, some of which were still armed with stun guns. The blue hedgehog, however, grinned and cracked his knuckles.
"Sonic Wind!"
The blast tore through the entire back half of the room, scattering humans and equipment alike. However, when the dust settled, Sonic glimpsed Dasendo, kneeling on the floor behind the safety of a fallen file cabinet, only a few feet from the back door...
... with the fake Emerald in his hand.
Shadow also spotted the old man, and started to run towards him. However, Dasendo took one look at the hedgehogs and sprinted to the door. He was already so close to it that he reached it in no time, quickly opening the door and slamming it shut.
Sonic sent another Sonic Wind at the remaining humans to keep them at bay, then joined Shadow.
"You know what he's got back there," Sonic panted. "That machine to take away your energy."
"I know..." Shadow muttered.
"... and I don't care. Chaos Spear!"
The door exploded, and the two hedgehogs dashed inside the room...
The first thing they saw was Dasendo, attaching some wires to the fake Emerald.
Wires... that ran into a strange machine.
For a few seconds, there was nothing to be heard but stunned silence. The silence was broken by Sonic.
"What the heck?"
The entire room, a square with sides of about twenty feet, was completely white and almost bare...
... save the machine itself, placed on a table against the back wall.
The machine was not very big; it was made up of a fairly simple-looking control pad, with what looked like a satellite transmitter on top. Sonic bristled; that was probably where the energy waves the machine created were released.
Lying on the table, with wires attached to each end, was the fake Emerald.
As soon as their eyes fell upon it, Sonic and Shadow both dashed for the Emerald...
But Dasendo, his hand ready, pressed a switch and activated the machine.
Sonic fell to the ground, weakened. "What was that?!" the blue hedgehog sputtered as he tried to get upright. "Draining my energy! Not fair!"
"It's not really 'draining'," Dasendo corrected. "More like... neutralizing. And you're lucky. It seems that you have less pure Chaos Energy in you than we thought... You still have strength to talk, at any rate."
"Yeah, well, I've still got strength to fight, too," Sonic added as he managed to get to his knees. "What's the matter? Last time was a whole lot worse than this."
"Last time, we were only able to analyze your energy field," Dasendo said coldly. "Therefore, we were only able to neutralize you in particular. This time, we've hit the target: pure Chaos Energy."
"Whatever," Sonic stood up shakily. "We'll still kick your butt... right, Shadow?" Sonic turned to the black hedgehog...
... and was met with a shock.
Shadow was still limp on the ground, his breathing shallow, his eyes glazed over. Sonic stared in horror, then looked back at Dasendo. "What did you do to him?!"
Dasendo's expression remained cold. "Be grateful that the machine was not set to kill... merely to immobilize. Although, if Project: Shadow remains this way for too long, I expect that its heart rate will continue to slow down and its breathing will lessen until it dies of suffocation." Dasendo shrugged. "But I also expect it to surrender long before then."
Sonic's mind was a blur of horror and fury. How could anyone be that cruel?!
"You can't do that! I won't let you! No one hurts my friends!" Sonic yelled.
"'Friends'?" Dasendo repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you said that you weren't that close."
"Shows what you know," Sonic spat. "Little things like, oh, I don't know, saving the world can bring people closer together."
"Then you care what happens to Project: Shadow?"
"Of course I care! I care about all of my friends!" Sonic yelled. "But, then again, I bet you wouldn't know anything about that now, huh?"
Dasendo's eyes narrowed. "Then you had better take care not to come too close." The old man laid a hand on the machine. "If I set this machine on a higher setting, I could kill him. And it would be all your fault." Dasendo smirked. "Wouldn't that just eat you up? And I know I could change the setting before you reached me. With your excess energy gone, you can't run as fast as before. It's a struggle just to stay on your feet, isn't it?"
Sonic could only stand there, glaring. "H-how do I know that you're not just bluffing?"
"Even if Project: Shadow died, its body would remain, providing the genetic material needed to clone it," Dasendo replied casually. "A difficult procedure, but quite possible. We succeeded once... we can do it again. So, whether Project: Shadow lives or dies, we will still obtain our weapon."
Sonic could feel the anger inside him bubbling up. He was helpless, weak... and simply didn't know what to do. "Y... you..." he seethed.
But suddenly, to the surprise of both Dasendo and Sonic...
... a whisper came from the limp, weakened hedgehog on the ground.
"I am not...
"... just a weapon..."
Shadow blinked once and stirred...
"And I'm not... just a project..."
The red eyes cleared, and the voice grew stronger...
"And I'll prove it. This is G.U.N.'s final battle...
"... ever...
The black hedgehog glared up at Dasendo.
"This time... G.U.N. will pay."
.
.
.
When the machine had first been switched on, a strange feeling had come over Shadow. One second, he was furious, ready to destroy that machine no matter what, but the next...
It was as if he was suddenly very sleepy, or had run too far without his hoverskates. It wasn't until Shadow had collapsed on the floor that he realized it was becoming hard to breathe...
He could hear voices talking... but the words made no sense to him.
Shadow felt completely drained, as if he didn't have the energy to think... all he wanted was to close his eyes and sleep...
"You can't do that! I won't let you!"
'Sonic... be quiet...'
"No one hurts my friends!"
'... friends...?"
.
.
.
"Shadow... not many people get this chance. You have another chance at living. You can go back to Earth. You can go back to your friends. You can't come here."
"I don't have friends!"
"Sonic... Tails... Knuckles... Rouge... Amy..."
"... They helped me keep my promise. They're not my friends..."
.
.
.
'Was I... wrong?
'Do I have... are they really my...?'
Shadow was hesitant to admit it...
... but he knew the truth.
'I do have friends...'
As the words formed in Shadow's mind, he couldn't help...
... but smile.
For the first time in months, Shadow had to admit...
... that he felt...
... happy.
Although he still didn't have strength to move, his mind seemed clearer.
Then, he heard Dasendo speak...
"... whether Project: Shadow lives or dies, we will still obtain our weapon..."
'Is that all they think of me?
'A weapon... something to be used by humans?
'Something only capable of destruction?
'No...
'I am alive...!'
With that, Shadow found strength to speak.
.
.
.
However, anger alone wasn't enough to give Shadow the strength to stand.
"Not just a weapon?" Dasendo scoffed. "Don't you even know why you were created?"
Quietly, Shadow responded. "To fulfill Maria's wish... to bring happiness to Earth..."
"Hah!" Dasendo laughed scornfully. "What a load of foolish mush." Shadow felt his anger deepen. "I'll bet that girl told you that."
"She did," Shadow growled. "She was my best friend... and you took her away from me...!"
Dasendo smiled cruelly down at Shadow. "Well... for all your power, you obviously didn't do a good job of protecting her."
"You shut up..." Shadow said, a bit louder.
Dasendo looked up and smiled to himself. "Ah... Project: Shadow, the Ultimate Life Form. Precious few knew its true purpose... even old Robotnik himself didn't know what he was creating! He thought he was finding a cure for his granddaughter. Hah!" Dasendo laughed again.
"Though, I suppose, if it weren't for the girl, the immortality studies would never have happened... I would thank her, if not for the... circumstances."
Shadow felt beyond anger. He clenched his fists tightly...
"But all those fools were wrong," Dasendo continued. "Project: Shadow was funded by G.U.N. Why could we not take the end result as payment? Of course, one of the end products, the Chaos Drive, has turned out to be quite useful to us... but why did we not deserve the true prize? We had it in our hands! But then that blasted fool Robotnik stepped in at the last minute and changed Project: Shadow, trying to use it for his own revenge! Project: Shadow was and is rightfully ours!"
"I belong to no one," Shadow snarled, struggling to get up. "Not to Robotnik... not to you..."
"Ah-ah-ah," Dasendo said, tapping the machine. "You wouldn't want Chaos Reversal to be set any higher now, wold you?"
"'Chaos Reversal'?" Sonic spoke up. "Is that what that thing does?"
'Then why hasn't there been an explosion? The fake Emerald reverses Chaos Energy, but what about this thing? Wouldn't it react to Shadow?
'Or... is Shadow stronger than what we thought?'
"This machine reverses the energy signal from that Chaos Emerald and broadcasts the result through the area," Dasendo said, unable to hide the hint of pride in his voice. "When the reversed signal comes into contact with the original, they cancel each other out. And I don't doubt that you are now feeling the effects."
'Oh... so it doesn't reverse Shadow's Chaos Energy,' Sonic realized. 'Just the energy from the Emerald. I wonder... does he not know that the Emerald's fake?' Sonic wondered. 'If only I had any Chaos attacks like Chaos Spear!'
Dasendo smiled cruelly. "Of course, I thank you for bringing the Chaos Emerald all the way out here... you saved us a lot of trouble. Otherwise, we would've had to use those remotes to supply the correct signal... not nearly as good as the real thing. Thank you.
"And now," he said, turning to Shadow.
"I have a deal for you.
"Agree to surrender to G.U.N.'s control. If you do, I'll shut off Chaos Reversal and let you live. I might even let your friend go," Dasendo shrugged.
"You won't. And I won't surrender," Shadow said, glaring at the idea.
"Very well. If you don't surrender, Chaos Reversal will continue to weaken you until your demise," Dasendo replied. "It's your choice. Become the power behind the greatest military force ever... or die."
Sonic was a bit nervous. 'I know I can't get to that machine fast enough to get the Emerald without the old man noticing... and he might not be bluffing about...' Sonic swallowed.
"Wait a minute," he said quickly. "You said Shadow was immortal! He can't die!"
"Fool," Dasendo snapped. "The only thing that truly keeps Project: Shadow immortal is the Chaos Energy in it! But the thing that gives it its greatest power is also its greatest weakness! Take away the Chaos Energy, and all you have left is a regular hedgehog! Nay, a hedgehog on the brink of death!"
Sonic was angry. "Why do you keep calling him an 'it'?! He's alive, like you or me!"
"Project: Shadow was created as a weapon, and that is all it is," Dasendo replied through clenched teeth. "Your 'friend,' as you put it, could easily destroy the world! A weapon without a master is a danger to society! That's why I created Chaos Reversal, to control the weapon! I am doing humanity a favor! The world will be a better place because of Project: Shadow's capture!"
The words hit Shadow like a ton of bricks.
'A better place...?'
"You be quiet!" Sonic yelled. "You don't know anything about him! He wouldn't destroy the world! Heck, he saved the world!"
"But if left unchecked, who knows what the Chaos inside it might do? For all we know, Project: Shadow is a time bomb, about to go off at any second!"
"No!" Sonic yelled. "You don't know anything!"
"Sonic..." Shadow cut in.
"What?" Sonic asked, looking down at the black hedgehog.
Shadow sighed.
"What if he's right...?"
Sonic stared at Shadow in disbelief, while Dasendo laughed. "See? Even Project: Shadow itself agrees!"
"I hardly know anything about my own power," Shadow continued. "I didn't even realize that I had Chaos Energy in me until recently. I really don't even know what my true purpose is..."
"To bring happiness to Earth... that's what your friend wanted, right?" Sonic pointed out.
"When I was up on ARK, working with Rouge and Eggman, Rouge... confronted me about something." Shadow's expression became downcast. "She thought... that I was created on Earth... that I never really met Maria... that my memories weren't real. And when I heard about Project: Shadow02, things just seemed to fall into place..."
Sonic was speechless, while Dasendo smirked.
"I can tell you the purpose for your creation. You were created for G.U.N. in the long run, and you were always meant to serve G.U.N.! But to live out your destiny, you must surrender!"
Shadow winced. He was almost completely drained... It had seemed that just a little bit ago, he was willing to die... ready to choose death over enslavement...
But if Maria wasn't really his friend...
If he had no other purpose...
If this was how to bring happiness to humans...
... to make the world a better place...
"I..."
To bring happiness to humans...
"I..."
A vision of her face...
'She wanted happiness for the people on Earth...
'She wanted me to save the world... to bring the happiness...
'But G.U.N. wants me to be a weapon for them...
'Who is right? Who do I obey...?'
"Shadow!"
Shadow tilted his head up toward the voice. It was Sonic.
"I know what you're thinking," Sonic said. "You know something? You're way too dependent on others. You've got the strength to survive alone, but as for thinking for yourself? Feh," Sonic sighed good-naturedly. "You're thinking that you have to choose between Maria or G.U.N., right?"
Shadow's silence spoke volumes. "Ha! I knew it," Sonic grinned. "You're too predictable."
Meanwhile, Dasendo was bewildered. Why did the blue one now seem so light-hearted? What was he plotting?
"Ever heard of something called a conscience?" Sonic continued. Shadow's expression was blank. "Huh... guess you've never heard of Pinocchio either, huh? You've got a lot to learn... Anyway, your conscience," Sonic tapped the side of his head, "is what tells you right from wrong. It helps you make decisions."
"And you know that the right decision is to surrender!" Dasendo shouted.
"For the last time!" Sonic screamed. "You shut up! You hear me?!"
"That's it! That's the last straw! I am fed up with both of you!" Dasendo yelled back. Then, he slammed a hand on Chaos Reversal...
Instantly, it was as if Sonic didn't even have the strength to stand... but he knew it was nothing compared to what Shadow was experiencing. Still on his feet, but badly trembling, he looked over at Shadow and whispered...
"Hang on..."