Disclaimer: Other than Nokia and Darcy…The rest of the characters are of the property of Sega.

-XXX -

Summer, a time of joy for all. But for one girl, her summer would end up changing the very life that she had been living.

"Come on," She thought watching the clock tick slowly away the last few minutes before the freedom bell rang. Her blonde hair tied back into a ponytail, sapphire eye stared at the clock as long waited bell finally rang. Cheers of joy could be heard as teens poured into the halls after their final exam. The young girl sighed and walked out of the classroom with a young boy, with sandy brown hair and bright green eyes, fallowing right behind her. They were both around the age of 15.

"So Maria," the boy started, "How did you find the Science Exam today?" The girl, whose name was Maria, turned around and laughed.

"Darcy, you know I have an extreme gift in Maths, Sciences and the Arts, how do you think I found this exam?" She asked bluntly. The boy, Darcy, blushed in embarrassment.

"I guess it was extremely easy for you," he said quietly. Maria turned to her best friend and smiled. She and Darcy had been inseparable since Maria started going to school with him in Grade 7 and now they had just finished Grade 10 together. The two walked out the doors of the high school and to where they normally hang out, a giant hill that looked over the city of Station Square to watch the clouds go by overhead. Maria's blonde hair draped over her should and sparkled off of her black tank top as she laid on the grass. Darcy looked at her.

"Hey Maria, do you ever wonder if there are other survivors other than you from the Space Colony?" Maria got up and looked at her friend and frowned.

"G.U.N. has been telling me since I woke up 3 years ago that I was only one that lived…which honestly amazes me. Another 2 inches closer and they would have hit me in the heart. But to answer your question Darcy I do believe they are not telling me everything and there could be someone from the ARK has survived as well…"

From their first sleepover Darcy had known most of Maria's life. The 2 inches away from her heart was when she got shot for letting her friend live. She was so lucky they had bad aim. She had told him stories about the Space Colony ARK, about how her sickness was cured, and most important to Maria, about her best friend there. The Ultimate Lifeform. Darcy yawned and looked at his watch and told Maria that it was almost time for the buses to go. Maria nodded and the two of them walked down back to the school for Maria to get on her bus. As the buses came in Maria turned to her friend to say goodbye and she'll see him lots of the summer break.

"You miss him don't you?" Darcy asked.

"Yeah," Maria sighed, "Each and every day." And with that she boarded the bus.

-XXX-

Maria Ann Sophia Robotnik lived with Nokia Dennis since she woke up 3 years ago. Nokia was a nice and sweet woman at home but being a Lieutenant Colonel at G.U.N, she was not one to mess around with especially when it came to Maria. The two lived in a large house with around four bedrooms about a 15 minute drive away from Station Square and a large wooden area separating them from the Mystic Ruins, a place where Maria would often sneak away to think. Tonight however Maria was found on the couch watching the ending ceremonies of the Soleanna's Festival of the Sun.

"Oh what I would do to be there watching this live and not on a TV," sighed Nokia. Maria looked at her and smiled.

"You'll get to go there one day. It just takes time," Maria said. Nokia sighed then looked up at her adopted daughter that she loved dearly.

"Say…why don't we get some ice cream at th-" But before Nokia could get the rest of her sentence out, the phone rang, flashing the number of the Samuel Peterson, the commander at Guardian Units of Nations or G.U.N. Maria sigh and pointed up the stairs indicating that she was heading to her room. Nokia nodded and she started her walk up to her room. As Maria reached the top of the stairs she looked at the cordless phone.

"Do you ever wonder if there are other survivors other than you from the Space Colony?"chimed Darcy's words in Maria's head.

"Well," She thought, "Curiosity hasn't killed the cat yet,"and with that she grabbed the phone and headed straight to her room.

-XXX-

Maria sat on her bed in her room, ear pressed on the phone and hand over the talking piece, listening to every word that was being said.

"This is my day off Samuel, what is it?"

"Team Dark is back from their latest mission, we need to do a debrief." She heard a sigh from both the phone and down stairs.

"Fine let me tell Maria I'm going to work and…"

"She doesn't know about him being alive does she?" asked the commander. Maria pressed the phone onto her ear harder, her heart racing.

"So they are hiding things from me. WHAT JERKS! Who's alive from the ARK? Is it…no it couldn't be. Maybe it's Grandpa…or the Salem the chef…Oh I so want one of his chocolate chip cookies right now. Or maybe its…." Maria stopped herself in mid thought, "Now now Robotnik get it together. They probably shot Shadow as soon as they found him." She kept listening on to the conversation that was going on.

"No she doesn't know that he's alive…though I still believe that she should…" Nokia mumbled.

"She will NEVER know about him," yelled the commander. Nokia shook her head and spoke as calm as she could get herself.

"If Maria finds out that Shadow is still alive, she'll go looking for him. Now if it was the other way and Shadow found out about Maria being alive…you are finished. I'll be there in ten minutes," and the called ended. Maria sat on her bed still in shocked. Her emotions running wild. Anger built inside her knowing that her dear friend is alive and well and being hidden from her, sadness for everyone that did not live off of the ARK, and yet happy to know that Shadow was alive.

"Maria," Nokia yelled from the bottom of the stairs. Maria quickly shoved the phone under her pillow.

"Yeah?" she stammered out as she walked out of her room and leaned over the railing, trying to hide her emotions. Nokia looked up at her.

"GUN called and I have to go in a do a debrief with the one team. I'll be home at some point later tonight," Nokia looked up at the young girl, who didn't look well in her eyes, "Maria, you okay sweetie?"

"Uh…yeah I'm fine," she said forcing on a smile, obviously not doing a good job of emotion hiding, "anyways see you when you get back," Nokia smiled at the girl and left. The smiled faded from the girl's mouth as she walked to her bedroom. She grabbed her backpack and started to fill it with clothes as she planned her mission, to run away from the world she once knew so much, the people that care. She changed into a black tank top and blue jeans and slipped into her black running shoes. Maria looked at the living room one last time before grabbing her midnight blue sweater and slipping out the door. A note was left on the kitchen table.

Nokia,

I know he's alive, and I will do anything to get him back. I know you wanted to tell me but you couldn't. So…I left.

I will find him no matter what.

~~~Maria A.S. Robotnik