This is an idea I got while writing 'Memories Reborn'. Luckily for you it won't be as long as that one. This is just what Shadow thinks about the Space Colony ARK accident 50 yrs ago. It goes a little in depth so it may be a little boring, but if you're a big Shadow fan like me, you'll think this is very interesting. This is also another version and a lot better than a previous story I wrote called 'Here without you.' There's only one song, but it's really cool. It's a song called 'Ordinary' by a band called Train. This is my version of what happened 50 yrs ago. Enjoy!
Power, the word that is either good or dangerous...depending on how you use it. But you must be careful, because it can corrupt the heart and make you bitter and crave for more forever. Mostly power is good, but...not all of it is, if misused it can take over others and can become dangerous to both you and to the people around you. Power is a word that haunts people's minds and memories and mostly their dreams. It's what took over and destroyed my life. I used to not be this way, angry at the world without a purpose now forced to wander Earth causing pain and misery wherever I go. Who am I? You know me as Shadow, but most know me as a monster. A monster who destroyed everything, everything everyone and anyone cared about. I misused my power after it corrupted my soul and slowly took over. I was given a gift, long ago, the gift of power and immortality. A bad combination if used wrongly. Especially if you're someone like me.
Power has made my life a living Hell...and it continues to, day after day...and I can't end it. I haven't always been this way, I was just an experiment. An experiment that lived on Space Colony ARK with the professor, my grandfather and creator. Professor Gerald Robotnik, the greatest scientist the world ever knew...but even he was corrupted by power, but not the same kind as mine. The professor was corrupted by the kind of power caused by science, he got to the point where he could do anything and slowly literally lost his mind.
I used to not be this way, my life would've been worse if it hadn't been for two girls. One was the love of my life and the other...was the only true friend that I ever have. Iris was her name, the love of my life, she was an experiment that came after me that I never knew about (Crazy'n'love: read 'Memories Reborn' it explains more about her). Iris was like me in every way, but...she taught me something that I really never took in, that you can have massive power and still do good with it. I never understood it until now. She's gone now, and I miss her terribly, but that's nothing compaired to my other friend. Maria Robotnik, my only true friend. She was the only one who understood me. She understood my pain...my misery...everything. I don't know what I would've done without her. I wouldn't have even been born if not for her, not really anything to be proud of though.
Maria was sick. Terribly sick, I didn't know, I was stupid back then, all young people are, including hedgehogs. Maria had a disease called NIDS, which meant even the smallest sickness could kill her, whether it was a fever or just the smallest cold. There was no cure and the professor, her grandfather, knew it. So he created me, the so called "Ultimate LifeForm" meant to cure NIDS, or at least the prototype to a new gene, immortality. Sadly enough, it worked. I would've been fine with it...if not for that...gruesome accident...I remember my entire life as if it had just happened yesterday:
--Memory from 50 years ago--
Maria slowly walked in her grandfather's lab looking for a place to hide so she could surprise him when he walked back in. Maria looked around, her curious face glanced back and forth around the room, looking for a place to hide but also looking at all the gadgets and doo-hickeys her grandfather had in there. After a minute of looking around, something caught her eyes. There was an open capsule on the far end of the room containing something...or was it someone? Maria was frightened, but also very curious to see what was inside it. She slowly walked up to the capsule and looked inside. Inside the capsule was a hedgehog. But this was no ordinary hedgehog, and Maria knew it. There was something special about this hedgehog. It wasn't like the other hedgehogs she had seen in the pet shops on Earth long ago. The hedgehogs she remembered were small and tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand. But this hedgehog wasn't like them. Instead of small, it was half the size of Maria and there was no way it was small enough to fit in your hand. Maria smiled as she remembered how when she touched them they would curl up into that cute little ball that always made her laugh. Maria held out her 9 yr old hand and stroked it's head hoping to see it curl, but it didn't move. The other hedgehogs she remembered were brown or a tannish color, but this hedgehog wasn't. The hedgehog had onyx black fur with bright red stripes running down his quills, arms and legs. Maria continued to stroke his head when all of a sudden the hedgehog's hand grabbed her arm and his eyes blasted open and glared at her with burning red eyes. Maria screamed. The professor ran into the room. "Maria! What's going on? What are you...oh I see you've met your new friend." The professor seemed relieved when he saw it was only his experiment.
"Grandpa, he won't let go of my arm." Maria said as a tear rolled down her cheek. The hedgehog saw this tear and immediately let go of her arm and sat up. Maria instantly ran behind her grandfather and peeked at the hedgehog from behind his back.
"There's nothing to be scared of, Shadow's harmless...well...at least for now." Prof. Gerald chuckled as he thought about how great and powerful his new experiment will be. "I call it Project:Shadow, or just Shadow, he's going to help me cure you, Maria."
"Cure me?"
"Yup, if all goes well, you'll be well enough to go down to Earth." The scared look on Maria's face disappeared and turned into a smile. Maria looked at her new companion and hugged her grandfather. The professor motioned Shadow to come to him and he did. Shadow got down on one knee and bowed his head. "See? No harm done." Shadow stood up keeping the same death look on his face as he never looked at Maria, he just stood at the wall behind them. To Maria, Shadow was beautiful, his jet black fur looked silky smooth with a small white fur patch on his chest. He stood with his fists clenched ready for anything. Maria gazed at him with curiousity. "I wouldn't encourage you to pet him anymore, Maria." Maria looked at the professor and looked back at Shadow.
--memory ends--
How could I have been so blind and stupid. I should've known...I could've done something to prevent them from taking her from me. But...I just couldn't...The professor had inserted the immortality gene inside me a few days before the accident and the side affects were still killing me. The one that gave me the most trouble were the sudden cramps...
--another memory from ARK--
Shadow and Maria sat in the playroom playing with building blocks when all of a sudden one of the automatic door opened and there stood over 20 GUN soldiers. Shadow stood up, knowing they weren't here for a good reason. "Hold it right there!" One agent said pointing his gun at Shadow.
"Maria! Run! Go to the escape room!" Shadow ordered her. Maria nodded, stood up and ran out of another automatic door.
"Hey girl, stop!"
"I'd worry more about yourselves for now." After he finished his sentence, Shadow clenced his stomach and fell to his knees. The sudden cramps really picked bad times to kick in. It hurt, but Shadow knew he had to protect Maria. Shadow stood up still clenching his stomach and with his other hand he blasted the top of the door above them, causing it to fall and block their path to them. Shadow turned around and ran down the hall, catching up with Maria quickly. Shadow heard a gun blast, he knew the GUN agents blasted their way out. The GUN agents saw them run down the hall.
"Hey you two! Halt!" The GUN agents ran after them. Shadow saw they were catching up to them and he knew the escape room was on the other side of the ARK. Shadow scooped Maria into his arms and began to carry her as he ran as fast as he could down the hall. The GUN agents tried as hard as they could to catch up, but every second they fell back more and more, but they still tried. Shadow and Maria passed by Prof. Gerald's lab door and he walked out.
"Is it play time already?" Prof. Gerald laughed. The GUN agents ran past him. 'Oh no, it's them.' Prof. Gerald ran back inside the lab and began typing something really fast in the computer. "I need to finish the other experiment. It's not ready. I only need another gene." Shadow and Maria continued to run down the hall. Finally they reached the escape room and Shadow set Maria down and she immediately ran to the controls and typed something in.
"It's gonna take 5 minutes to charge up." Maria said calmly.
"5 minutes? That's too long!" Shadow leaned against the door, hoping to keep the GUN agents back when the reached the door. "Is there any way you maybe can speed it up?"
"I don't think so."
"Damn..." Shadow said to himself as he heard the GUN agents coming closer to the door.
"I'll see what I can do." Maria said seeing that Shadow was getting angry. Maria pulled some levers and pushed some buttons. Shadow held the door closed as a GUN agent knocked on the door.
"Open up in there!" A GUN agent yelled. "We know you're in there!"
"Hurry!" Shadow yelled. Prof. Gerald continued to type something into his computer and all of a sudded a capsule popped out of the wall containing another hedgehog that looked exactly like Shadow.
"If Shadow falls for Black Doom's trap, Iris can help him get out of it." The hedgehog was female, she had light grey fur with pink stripes on her spikes, arms and legs and she wore a white tank top with a brown belt going around her waist. "At least I hope. I need a...wait...Maria! I've got it!" Shadow tried with all his might to hold the door closed but it wasn't working, his sudden cramps were holding him back.
"We only have 1 minute left, Shadow!" Maria said smiling.
"I can't hold them off much longer!" Shadow said starting, for the first time, to get scared. The door blasted open and Shadow fell to the ground.
"Shadow!" Maria screamed.
"Don't move, little girl, or we'll shoot." A GUN agent said.
45 seconds...
Shadow stood up and got ready to fight, but then fell to the ground clenching his stomach. Maria was afraid, she didn't know what to do. She saw that the escape pod was about ready and she knew she wasn't going to make it. But just because she couldn't, doesn't mean Shadow couldn't. Shadow slowly stood up in front of her.
30 seconds...
One of the GUN agents saw Shadow move and accidentilly pulled the trigger and Maria pushed Shadow into the escape pod. The door to the escape pod closed as the bullet pierced through Maria's skin.
15 seconds...
"Maria!" Shadow screamed from inside the escape pod as Maria fell to the ground.
"Shadow...please...help them..." With the last of her strength she pulled herself up to the lever as the timer went down to zero. "Sayonara, Shadow...the hedgehog..." Maria pulled the trigger and as the escape pod left the ARK, Maria fell to the ground, dead. Prof. Gerald was on the other side of the room, he had watched the whole thing. The professor fell to his knees as the GUN agents left the room, never seeing him. The professor ran to his granddaughter and cradled her in his arms and started crying. Then all of a sudden he stopped. Prof. Gerald looked at his lifeless granddaughter and then at the ground and thought for a minute. Prof. Gerald's eyes got wide and he smiled and then smiled at his granddaughter. He picked her up and slowly walked back to his lab where Iris was kept. He layed Maria on a scanning table and a bright light covered Maria and then the tube, in which a grey hedgehog was kept, glowed. The liquid inside shimmered and covered the hedgehog with light. Prof. Gerald placed his journal under Iris' right arm. Just then GUN agents bursted into the room and dragged Prof. Gerald out of the room and the GUN agents left.
--end flashback--
What's so great about me, that Maria had to save me for? Why am I so dangerous that the professor had to make a backup project? What's my purpose? Is my purpose to destroy the Earth? Is it to fulfull Maria's wish? Do I even have a purpose...?
The last entry in Prof. Gerlad Robotnik's journal:
Entry #42:
I fear this is the final entry that I may write. To whoever finds this entry, you must read this, if you do not, the whole human race could be destroyed. GUN has infiltrated Space Colony ARK in order to destroy my Project:Shadow. Project:Shadow was my greatest creation, not only a cure for my beloved granddaughter Maria, but also an experiment to practice the gene of immortality. It's not very stable but he seems to be able to control it, well at least for now. In case Project:Shadow doesn't pull through, I created a backup experiment named Iris, who may be able to help him see the light. Black Doom has planned something evil and I think he plans to use Shadow. I fear for the safety of mankind and of the universe, what's stopping him after he destroys Earth from destroying other planets. I pray that whoever finds my journal will use Iris to good use. When she wakes up, she will know nothing. When you awaken her, it will be the first time she has ever woken up. Tell her to find Shadow. Iris will be awakened the same time Shadow does. Shadow was sent in a suspended animation capsule to Earth and so will Iris. She must find Shadow, if she does not, I fear for the safety of everyone. Both Shadow and Iris will recognize each other, for my granddaughter's genes are fused inside of Iris. Please, help them. I know not their attitudes towards the world they will awaken to. For the world they awaken to may not be the same world that they remember now. I feel I am getting weaker every day, every minute, every second, my last day is coming soon and I know it. Please take care of them.
Professor Gerald Robotnik
Space Colony ARK
November 1963
Whose eyes am I behind?
I don't recognize anything that I see
Whose skin is this design?
I don't want this to be the way that you see me
I don't understand anything anymore
And this web that I'm tied up
Is taking me right up these walls
That I climb up
To get to your story
It's anything but ordinary
And when the world is on its knees
With me, it's fine
And when I come to the rescue
I get nothing but left behind
Everybody seems to be getting what they need
Where's mine?
'Cause you're what I need so very
But I'm anything but ordinary
Can you save me from this world of mine
Before I get myself arrested with this expectation
You are the one
Look what you've done
What have you done?
This is not some kind of joke
You're just a kid
You weren't ready for what you did, no
And when the world is on its knees
With me, it's fine
And when I come to the rescue
I do it for you
Time after time
Everybody seems to be getting what they need
Where's mine?
'Cause you're what I need so very
But I'm anything but ordinary
I think I'm trying to save the world for you
You've been saving me, too.
We could just stay in and save each other
I'm anything but ordinary
I'm anything but ordinary
...The end...