Chapter 2:
"What are you talking about! I know who I am!"
A cool smile passed over Rouge's lips. "Oh really? Then I suppose you can tell me about your past. What about your creator? Or you could remind me of how you saved my life on the exploding Prison Island? Maybe you could tell me about what happened on ARK? More importantly, the real Shadow could tell me about Maria."
Shadow looked at his hands. "What… who am I! Am I a robot meant to be like the real Shadow, or am I simply another upgrade of Metal Sonic? Is that it? Am I an imitation of that annoying blue hedgehog?" Rouge walked over and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Look, I don't have all the answers, just some files that might help you understand some things. But if it's any consolation, you helped Omega and me beat Eggman and save the world. You've saved me more times than I can count. If that doesn't make you 'real' then I don't know what does."
All was silent save the rustle of the leaves. Shadow finally spoke. "… Thank you. I would like to see those files."
Rouge's face brightened. "Great. We'll go to my penthouse in Station Square." The dark hedgehog smirked.
"What, you finally abandoned 'Club Rouge'?"
"No, we're going to my summer home. Lots of perks when you're an agent."
They climbed the ladder and boarded the monorail for station square.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
( /\/ - POV change)
Tails got out from under the engine of the Cyclone and wiped the sweat from his brow. As he got himself a glass of water, he caught a glimpse of two figures boarding the monorail outside. 'Hmm… I could've sworn that was… nah.' He was just preparing to get back to work when he saw something that sent chills up his spine. A jet was flying away from the falling form of Angel Island that bore an all too familiar emblem on it, and according to his scanners, it was giving off a unique brand of chaos energy.
"I'd better call Sonic…"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Shadow couldn't help but feel a little impressed when they arrived at Rouge's penthouse. Everything in the room was either gold, had precious gems embedded in it, or both.
"You like it? I just had it remodeled. They say this room is worth more than the rest of the hotel." He cocked an eyebrow but said nothing. Across from the massive, jewel-encrusted TV was the computer, which was already booted up and ready to go. He declined the cushy chair Rouge offered him and stood behind her while she loaded the program. Almost instantly, a menu screen popped up with several different links.
"Hmm, where to begin?" She opted to bring up the schematics and blueprints for the original shadow. Although he didn't really understand all the equations involved with the Chaos Control theory, one thing that interested Shadow was a section describing how different emeralds altered his powers slightly.
"Okay, brace yourself for this." Rouge clicked another link and Shadow was amazed to find video footage of his two battles with the prototype on the space colony. However, she cut the feed just as it was getting to the point where the original Shadow fell to earth.
"I don't know if I should show you this, but I know you won't like it." Next there were photos of the interior of Eggman's flagship. The hedgehog's eyes widened in shock. Rows and rows of Shadow's, asleep in capsules identical to the one Rouge had awoken him from. An assembly line of Shadow look-alikes missing various limbs and parts. Finally, a close up picture of a Shadow missing its chest, revealing a complicated mesh of wires and mechanisms. All that followed was a series of plans and designs. Rouge looked up at the hedgehog. His eyes were closed and his breathing staggered. Her ears drooped and she spoke softly.
"Shadow… Omega and I didn't tell you this, but we saw that room on the flagship. I'm really sorry…"
Slowly, he opened his eyes. "So… I am just a robot. You could have woken up any other Shadow copy and it would have changed nothing. I guess I'm not the Ultimate Life form. Tch, you can barely even call me a life form." Without warning, Rouge slapped him hard across the face. He couldn't help but wonder how the doctor made a robot that could get hurt so easily.
"Would you just shut up! I'm not done showing you yet, you idiot!" She clicked the last link and a video came up. It showed a tropical jungle with several robots working in the background.
'Dr. Eggman's log 1:
It has been exactly 46 hours since the Ultimate Life form codename: Shadow passed through earth's atmosphere after falling from the Space Colony ARK. According to my calculations, he should have impacted somewhere in this jungle. The purpose of this expedition is to find any remnants of DNA traces in hopes of cloning.'
'Dr. Eggman's log 6:
The search has proved to be a success! Somehow, Shadow survived the fall and impact in relatively perfect condition. Although most injuries are not going to heal nor do I have the technology to make them, he is still alive and I can keep him that way in suspended animation. Better still, a Chaos Emerald was found very close by in a crater. This hails a new era in the creation of the Eggman Empire.'
'Dr. Eggman's log 13:
After finding four more Chaos Emeralds, I have begun work on project 'Ultimate Army.' I have fused my latest robotic technology with DNA formats of Shadow and successfully created five robo-organic Shadow clones. I powered each with a Chaos Emerald. Four of them worked perfectly, but the one powered by the green Emerald went berserk and destroyed the other clones. After much effort I managed to shut him down, however, four of my five Emeralds were scattered again. I learned that I cannot simply disable the remaining clone, so I removed its Emerald and disposed of it. Something malfunctioned when it came in contact with the Emerald, which coincidentally, was the one Shadow had with him when he fell AND the one found near him in the jungle. In any case, the clone has been sealed in a secret underground facility and is guarded by my most powerful E-100 robot. 'Ultimate Army' looks like it will be a booming success.'
After this, the screen went blank.
"Shadow," said Rouge, breaking the silence, "the key to all this is that Emerald."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
