back again! haha! yay! Ok i've run out of things to say, read the story, maybe I'll think of something. snickers Think. haha! yeah right! laughs histerically

Chapter 3

Shadow stood on a hill watching the sun starting to set. It had been a long day looking for the Chaos Emeralds, now, not finding any, night had come and the search had come to a stop, for now. Shadow watched the many colors of the sky and watched the sun slowly descend on the ground. He started thinking of Maria again.

flashback

Shadow and Maria are standing in front of a window on Space Colony ARK. Maria looked at Earth with such amazement. From the ARK, Earth just looked like a big ball covered with water and a few green spots. "Shadow," Maria started, Shadow looked at her, "what do you think it's like...on Earth?"

"Well..." Shadow looked back down at Earth, "The professor said his life's work was dedicated to all of those who live down there. He once said that the reason for his existence was making people happy through the power of science."

"Shadow..."

"Maria...I just don't know anything anymore...I often wonder...why I was created. What's my purpose here? Maybe if I go down there, I...I will find the answers...maybe...Maria..." Maria gazed at her friend in confusion. Shadow never looked at her but just kept staring at Earth. Maria smiled, nodded and looked out with him.

flashback ends

"Maria..." Shadow looked at the ground thinking over everything that happened on the ARK. "How could I have been so stupid? I should've attacked those stupid humans. I could've done something. I could've hidden Maria and fought. No...she would've let me. But there still could've been something that I could've done. I could've helped the professor with his research and make the project finish faster to make Maria better. I should've fought those stupid humans. Now...they stole Maria from me."

'Please...Shadow...do it for me..." Shadow heard Maria's voice in his head.

"Yes...I promise." All of a sudden, something ran up to him and knocked him off his feet. Shadow fell to the ground and looked up. A grey hedgehog stood in front of him. "Who are you?"

"I'm the person who will destroy you."

"Do I...know you?" Iris didn't flinch, she barely moved. She looked as if she was going to kill someone, and luckily for her, the person she was supposed to kill was laying right in front of her.

"I was created to put an end to you...and I made a promise to my creator. You are out of control! You killed Maria!"

"What! How do you know Maria?"

"Nevermind that! Fight me you coward!" Iris jumped at him and continuously pounded into the ground beside him, but he was able to dodge everyone. She punched again, but this time, Shadow caught her hand. "Let go!"

"Not until you tell me about Maria!"

"Let go of me!" She pulled as hard as she could but there was no way she could pull away from the Ultimate Lifeform.

"Tell me what you know about Maria and what your purpose is and I'll let you go!" Shadow was starting to get angry and Iris knew he wasn't playing around.

"I don't know Maria."

"But you just said..." He stopped with Iris finally threw her wrist away from him causing him to let go.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know much of anything. From what I've heard from the person who woke me up, I was created by Prof. Gerald Robotnik..."

"The professor?"

"Prof. Ushama told me that Prof. Gerald had a feeling that Project: Shadow would go wrong. I guess that's why he created me."

"What about Maria?"

"From what I've heard...she's dead."

"Well, i know that, she died right in front of me!" Shadow started to raise his voice. "You said something about Maria!"

"I don't know...I never met anyone on the ARK. When I was created, I was immediately put into a suspended animation capsule after they heard you were in one. I just woke up this morning. They said you were dangerous, but obviously, you're not as dangerous as everyone says, cuz if you are we'd be fighting right now, right?" Shadow put his hand to his head and looked at the ground.

"The...professor...thought...I was...dangerous..."

"From what Prof. Ushama said, he thought you would go out of control and destroy the human race."

"So...he created you...to destroy...me..." Iris shrugged. "Do it." Shadow said softly.

"What?"

"Kill me now! I can't live like this anymore! I can't keep thinking every second that it was my fault Maria died! It was my fault the professor went insane! It was my fault that...that everyone on the ARK was killed...just kill me now...please...please..." Iris saw a small tear roll down Shadow's face and she looked confused. She took out the picture of Project: Shadow and looked back and forth making sure she had the right hedgehog.

"Um...look dude...I'm sorry all that stuff happened to you...you're lucky you know anything. I wish I had friends or memories or had even met my created and this...Maria..." Shadow glanced up at her.

"Shadow...come back to the ship. We found another one." Eggman said from the transmitter on Shadow's waist.

"I have to go." Shadow told her and he started to walk away.

"Wait!" Iris stopped him. He looked at her. "I want to see you again. I liked talking to you. It's good to talk to someone who was created by the same person as me...wait...does that make us...brother and sister?" Shadow looked back the other way and didn't say a word. "Anyway...my name is Iris. I'll be waiting for you right her at this time tomorrow." Iris ran off and Shadow watched her go away.

"Shadow!" Eggman yelled.

later on Prison Island

"Why would the Chaos Emeralds be on this island? Are you absolutely sure your intelligence reports are correct?" Eggman asked Rouge who was holding a file.

"Believe what ya wanna believe." Rouge shrugged. Shadow walked on the island looking for the next Chaos Emerald but mainly thinking about what had happened earlier with Iris. All of a sudden, a pink hedgehog ran up behind him and hugged him.

"Oh Sonic! I thought I'd never see you again!" Shadow looks at the hedgehog with confusion. The pink hedgehog was Amy Rose and she looked at him with fear. "You...you're not Sonic...Who...who are you?"

"I should be asking you the same question." Eggman said walking up to her.

"D...Dr. Eggman!"

"You two go ahead and find that Chaos Emerald...I'll take care of her." Rouge ran into a large building and snuck down to a large room.

"This must be the room where they have the Chaos Emerald." Just then the alarm blared and flashed red.

"This is Flying Dog to headquarters. Intruder found entering security vault. Preparing to attack." The huge robot said.

"Copy that." Said a voice from a transmitter. The huge robot shot laser after laser at Rouge and Rouge dodged them all.

"This is just not my day." Rouge said breathing heavily. Rouge flew up into the air and kicked the robot hard right square on the top (seeing on how it doesn't have a head haha). The robot fired more lasers at Rouge as she was flying around and missed her every time. Rouge got ready to attack again. She spinned around several times and kicked it harder this time making the robot fall over and explode. Rouge looked over to a glass case and saw 3 Chaos Emeralds. "Bingo."

with Shadow on another part of the island

"How did Iris know who I was..." Shadow was still thinking about his encounter with Iris. Just then he heard Rouge's voice on his transmitter.

"This is Rouge. I've got a small problem...I can't believe I'm trapped inside this locked safe with the Chaos Emeralds!"

"Shadow! You and Rouge need to get off the island I've set a bomb that will explode in 10 minutes." Eggman shouted from the transmitter. Shadow saw Rouge through a window from where he was standing. Shadow remembers Maria dying on the ARK.

"I won't be responsible for someone else's life ever again." Shadow thought to himself. Shadow runs towards the building. A blue hedgehog stood on a branch not far from him.

"Hey, that's..." Sonic sped off and stopped in front of Shadow causing him to stop. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the very same question."

"You've been getting me in trouble all over the place. People think I'm you and you're me."

"Good for you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to do."

"Hey! You won't get away this time! There's only one real Sonic!" Sonic jumped up and turned into a ball and sped towards Shadow who still had his back turned. He heard Sonic and sheilded himself with his arm causing Sonic to stop and land and he stood there breathing heavily.

"Is that all you've got? Some superhero you are. Can't even beat me."

"Shadow?" Eggman said from the transmitter. "What are you doing! Get back here right now before the island blows up with you on it!"

"Blows up!" Sonic said. Shadow pauses and then races off. "Hey!" The bomb has only 56 seconds left and Shadow is able to make it to the security vault. Rouge was standing there holding the 3 Chaos Emeralds. Rouge looks surprised to see him. Shadow sped towards her.

"CHAOS CONTROL!" Shadow yells and the two of them warp out of the room just in time for the bomb to hit 0 and Prison Island explodes. Shadow and Rouge stood in a room on Space Colony ARK. Shadow looked out the window at the Earth and Rouge just looked at Shadow. Shadow thought of Maria some more and Rouge knew something was wrong.

"Why such a long face?" Rouge asks. Shadow didn't say a word, didn't even move. "That was really unexpected. So unlike you, Shadow, to come and rescue me. But your ability to use Chaos Control, certainly comes in handy."

"I didn't come to save you. I came back for the Chaos Emeralds."

"Yeah yeah. But then again, that's not the whole story, now is it?" Shadow looks at Rouge. "Somethings changed in you. You don't seem like your old all angry self. I haven't quite figured you out yet. One second you're all mad and off in your own little world, then you go off by yourself and then come back and save me. What happened to you when you were off by yourself?"

"You wouldn't wanna hear about it and besides I don't wanna talk about it." Just then Eggman walked into the room.

"Well now, how are we doing in here? So how many do we have now?"

"5." Shadow told him.

"Only 2 more and we'll have them all, won't we?" Eggman said.

"Don't forget," Rouge told him, "You still have to keep your side of the bargain."

"Yes yes, the Master Emerald from that dreadful echidna. Don't worry, I'll help you, but you have to do your part first." Rouge rolled her eyes and looked back out the window. "Soon my friends...soon...the world will be mine. Hahahahahahaha!"

the next morning in a field

Iris ran over thousands of different hills. She stopped on top of a hill that was slightly bigger than the rest and she looked at the rising sun. She smiled and the frowned as she looked at the ground. "Professor? I'm so confused. I thought Project: Shadow was dangerous, but he actually seemed...sad. He didn't seem like a person at all." Iris didn't see her but a teenaged human girl was sitting on a small hill behind the one she was on.

"Hey." The girl said to her. Iris turned around and lifted her hands ready to fight. "Whoa whoa whoa, take it easy. I'm not hurting anybody." The girl stood up and started walking towards the little hedgehog. "You seemed troubled."

"It's none of your business, human." Iris turned her back to her and crossed her arms.

"Ooo, human. That's the first time anyone's ever called me that." Iris turned back towards her with a confusion on her face. "My name's Emma and you are?" Iris looked at the ground.

"Well...I don't really know. I really don't know anything." Iris looked at the sun.

"Nothing...at all...how come?"

"I was created 50 years ago, but...since then I've been in a suspended animation capsule. I woke up yesterday and still don't know who I am and now...I wonder what my purpose is. I'm so confused. Have you ever heard of...Project: Shadow?"

"Course. Everybody has. He was stolen yesterday, word gets out fast. The government says he's dangerous."

"That's what I was told. I met him last night...he...he didn't seem dangerous at all. He begged me to kill him. I thought that was my purpose...to kill him...but...I just..couldn't do it. I don't know what it was about him. He seemed...sad. He kept talking of someone named Maria. Whoever that is."

"It was Prof. Gerald Robotnik's granddaughter." Iris looked at her. "They lived on Space Colony ARK 50 years ago, before the big accident."

"How'd you..."

"It's a long story. To sum it all up, I knew Maria. We were close friends."

"What?" Iris looked at her. Her eyes were filled with confusion. Emma just smiled at her.

That's it...and still didn't think of anything...nope, nothin...