CHAPTER 5

Gerald Robotnick

Gerald Robotnick stared down at him. "What's the matter Shadow?" he questioned. "Aren't you happy to see your creator?"

Shadow took another step back. "I-I," he stammered. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Gerald demanded.

Shadow was silent for a moment. "How can I be happy to see you after what you'd tried to do?" Shadow finally said. "What you tried to make me do!"

"I tried to make them pay for what they had done to Maria," the scientist explained. "Don't you want them to pay for her death with their lives."

"Maria..." Shadow said remembering her last words...

"Shadow, I beg of you. Please do it for me. For a better future. For all those people on that planet. Give them a chance to be happy. Let them live for their dreams. Shadow, I know you can do it. That's the reason you were brought into this world. Sayonara, Shadow the hedgehog."

When the last words faded from his memory he looked right up at Gerald. "No, I don't," he said firmly. "It's not their fault Maria died it's yours."

"Mine?" Gerald asked. "How is it mine?'

"If you hadn't of caused the people on this planet to worry about your life's work that "accident" would have never happened," Shadow spoke in a stronger voice. "You have no one to blame but yourself."

"Silence!" the scientist ordered. "I don't want to hear those lies. Ever since you recovered from your fall and got your memory back you have changed."

"How did you know about that?" Shadow asked in surprise.

"That's none of your concern," Gerald growled.

Shadow was about to argue that it was his concern but instead he asked. "But why? Why did you take me?"

"Because I need you to help me destroy this planet," the scientist answered.

"Why can't you do it yourself?" the black hedgehog asked.

"Because, I forgot how to use the Eclipse Cannon," Gerald replied looking slightly embarressed. "With your help I can finally get my revenge."

"You're mad!" Shadow exclaimed, backing away.

"No, I am not mad," Gerlad corrected. "I just want them to pay for taking everything that I know and love away from me."

"Yes, you are!" Shadow insisted beginning to feel panic rising. "And I won't help you! I will not break my promise to Maria!"

"Be quiet!" Gerald commanded, slapping Shadow across the face. "I don't want to hear your excuses. I created you and I can uncreate you."

Shadow looked away, closing his dark red eyes. "I cannot and will not help you," he said in a soft voice. "I have forgiven them why can't you do the same?"

Gerald grabbed Shadow's arms and shook him. "Are you malfunctioning or something?" he hissed angrily. "They killed my only granddaughter! I can't forgive that!"

"Maybe you should try," Shadow said calmly as he looked Gerald in the eye. "Why can't you let it go? That was over fifty years ago. It's in the past. Long forgotten by everyone, but you."

Gerald threw him back. The black hedgehog stumbled backward but Mystic caught him by the arms before he fell over.

"Get him out of my sight!" Gerald ordered her.

"Yes, Doctor" she said.

She took Shadow into the hall.

On the way back to the other room Shadow thought about what Gerald had said. Why can't he understand? the black hedgehog thought, Why can't he just forgive them?

He looked over at Mystic. The world's only female ultimate life form, he thought in disgust. The world's female ultimate life form? But why? Why would he make another one?

Shadow suddenly felt a very strange impression. He felt like he knew her somehow. Like he had met her before. How can I feel this? he wondered. I have never seen her before in my life!

Mystic looked over at him. For a second her face twisted in a look of confusion. Is she thinking the same thing? he wondered.

"You should have said 'yes'," she said looking away and indicating that she hadn't been thinking the same thing at all.

"Why?" he asked.

Mystic didn't answer. She stopped. "Here we are," she said.

She opened the door and pulled him inside. When she rechained him she left. Shadow watched her go still wondering why he felt he knew her.

Sonic woke the next morning with the night before's news report still fresh in his mind. He couldn't understand that stuff much but he knew Shadow would be missing.

As he began his early runs his thoughts returned to what Tails had said about the purple hedgehog who had taken Shadow from the Prison Island.

Could that hedgehog really be another ultimate lifeform? he thought, And if so, who is she and where did she come from? Where is she now? Is Shadow still with her? Is he back at Eggman's base?

He decided to find out and ran straight to Chaos Control.

When he got there he could hear Dr. Eggman yelling about something all the way from the top floor. I wonder what's got Egghead so upset, Sonic thought getting closer.

When he was almost right in front of the entrance he stopped and was able to hear everything clearly.

"Where's Shadow?" he heard the evil genious demand, "He was suppost to get my Chaos Emeralds two days ago and he isn't back yet."

"Well, Doctor, maybe he just wanted to be by himself," the blue hedgehog heard Rouge say. "He does like to go off by himself a lot."

"Well, why couldn't he go off by himself after he gave me the Chaos Emeralds?" Eggman asked in a whiny tone.

"I don't know," Rouge said. "Lately he's been acting rather strange. I think it might be because he-----"

"Just go find him!" Eggman interrupted. "I want my Chaos Emeralds!"

"Okay, okay, I'll go look for him," Rouge said.

"Good," Eggman said sounding calmer.

"See ya later," she said.

A minute later Sonic saw Rouge leave the building. She leaned against the outside wall and sighed. "Good grief! That guy's pushy!" she said. "If he wants to find Shadow so badly why doesn't he get off his lazy duff and look for him himself!?"

Sonic came out of the bushes. "What's wrong with Egghead?"

Rouge looked up startled. "Oh, it's only you, Sonic," she said looking disappointed. "Dr. Eggman doesn't know where Shadow is and he was suppost to find the Chaos Emeralds and bring them here."

"That's because he can't," Sonic blurted.

The thief blinked. "What do you mean?"

"GUN caught him the other night," he began.

The bat gasped. "They did!"

The blue hedgehog nodded. "Yes, but last night he was taken from the Prison Island and hasn't been seen since."

"Who took him from GUN?"

"The news said that a purple hedgehog took him from the base," Sonic replied.

"I wonder who it could be," Rouge mused.

"I don't know but I might have an idea where it is."

"Where?"

"I can't tell you."

"Oh. Can you do me a favor ?"

"Yes?"

"Can you check this place out just to be sure?"

Sonic nodded. "That's what I was planning on doing anyway," he answered.

"Good luck," she said.

Sonic nodded and ran off.

Shadow heard the sound of footsteps in the hall. The door opened and Mystic came in. She was holding something behind her back.

"What do you have there?" Shadow asked. "Is it some kind of torturing devise Gerald gave you to use on me until I agree to help him?"

Mystic laughed. "No," she said pulling it out. "It's just a Chaos Emerald."

"Where did you get that?" he demanded his red eyes locking on the white Chaos Emerald the female hedgehog held.

"The same place you got the green one," she said. "The bank."

"How do you know about that?" Shadow asked.

"Gerald told me," she said simply.

"How does he know?"

"I dunno, I only know he told me."

"Why are you getting them?"

"What?"

"Why are you getting the Chaos Emeralds," Shadow said.

"Gerald wants them," she answered, walking up to the black hedgehog.

"Why?"

"He's going to take them up to ARK and put them in the Eclipse Cannon. Then you're going to activate it so he can take his revenge out on the world."

"That's what he thinks," Shadow said defiantly.

"That's what he knows," She pointed her sword at the black hedgehog. "You have no choice," she said her eyes closing halfway. "Remember what Maria said. 'For all the people who live on that planet'."

"She didn't want me to get revenge," Shadow shouted. "She made me promise to give them a chance," he looked away. " 'a chance to be happy'."

"Aw, how sweet," she said sarcasticly. "But that can't be what she made you promise."

"Why?"

"Because I know what she wanted," the female hedgehog said holding up the Emerald. "And it all starts with this. A jewel containing the ultimate power."

She looked back at him . "Now, my darling Shadow, the day is wearing away and I have much to do so I must leave you now."

"How many do you have?"

"What?"

"How many Chaos Emeralds do you have?"

"Four."

"Four?"

"Yes, four. I stole three from GUN while I was looking for you."

He looked away. "Then it will be soon won't it?"

She smiled. "Sooner than you think."

Maria tapped away on the computer keys. Ever since what happened the night before with that black hedgehog, the girl had been curious about how he knew her name.

There's got to be a reason, she thought tapping away.

After a few minutes of searching she came upon an old news report from about fifty years ago. It mentioned a man named Gerald Robotnik who had created Shadow, the ultimate life form. The paper said he had a granddaughter named Maria.

Maria stared at the old black and white photogragh on the screen. It showed Maria standing behind her grandfather Gerald who was seated. In the background the girl could see the Earth from a window. ARK? she thought.

As she looked at the picture something seemed familiar about it she just didn't know what. And I wonder why Maria Robotnick looks so much like me, she thought, Could that be why that black hedgehog said my name? Because he thought I was her?

Maria looked down and noticed her necklase, the one she always wore. It had a gold pendant hanging from a gold chain. She picked up the pendant and opened it.

A familiar picture stared back at her.

Maria stared at the picture in the locket for a moment then she looked at the one on the website. Her eyes grew bigger and bigger as she stared from one photo to the other.

Both pictures were exactly the same!

Author note: What a hair pulling way to end a chapter. He he he. I'm not sure I remembered all of what Maria said at the end of SA2B but I'm sure I have most of it. Anyway I know this chapter and the one before were kinda boring but I promise it'll get better just be patient okay? I'm sure you'll probably like the next chapter better. Well gotta run see ya!