Author's note: E-Rank, Noonui, and TheEmerald25 are rockstars, in case ya didn't know. Thanks for the reviews, guys!
Also, while I thought the last chapter did me in, I'm pretty sure in this one *I* wanted to K.O. Shadow. Ultimate Lifeform or not, why he gotta act hangry all the time?
Chapter 18: Zenith
It had not taken long for Shadow to collect his thoughts, never mind his strength. The residual essence of Chaos 0 had been a surge of powerful energy, even if the purpose of that energy transfer had been for communication. It didn't help that whatever the water monster had tried to convey to Shadow was hazy, at best.
What exactly was he supposed to do to a blackhole? How would the Chaos of the past be with him when he did whatever Tikal wanted him to do?
And why was Maria any part of this?
It was clear that, no matter how many images were forced into his mind, Shadow wasn't going to figure this out without attempting something. And Chaos 0's power was actively ebbing, mere minutes after the absorption.
If absorption was even the accurate word for it.
At this point Shadow had managed to sit up, and Rouge offered a hand to help him stand. The hedgehog took it, but quickly pulled away upon regaining his footing, nodding to their downed colleagues.
"Stay here, protect them."
Rouge arched a brow incredulously. "Protect them from what, Shadow?"
Shadow didn't respond, already retreating towards the doorway.
"Wait!"
He snarled, only turning his head a fraction towards her. "There is no time, Rouge."
"I'm aware," she said. "The world is pretty bust anyways, right?"
The hedgehog paused in his departure, the words far too similar to be coincidence. He fully faced her and scowled.
She shrugged unapologetically. "Bats have great hearing, hon."
Of course she would have overheard his and Sonic's conversation. He sighed. "I have to try."
"I'm also aware of that." She stepped closer to him, pulling something out from the cuff of her boot. She held her hand out to him. "So, here."
Shadow blinked blankly at the glass jewel in her palm. It had long-since been drained, its surface dulled and cloudy from the smoke that had billowed out of it, but impressively intact with a distinct orange reflection.
Tails' fake Chaos Emerald.
"What—?"
"You always have a Chaos Emerald to focus with," she answered simply. "I know this isn't the same, but old habits die hard, so … maybe it'll help?"
Her hand jutted forward again, extending her gift. Shadow was still perplexed at its reappearance—never mind its existence—but slowly took it from her regardless.
"It is completely drained. Why do you even have it?"
She smiled with a wink. "What? It's pretty. Could make a great paperweight."
"You must be kidding."
"Do I ever?" she replied, her expression light but evasive. Shadow's fingers tightened around the familiar shape in his hand, surprised at how much it still felt like a Chaos Emerald, even if it wasn't.
Channel your strength.
Tikal's words echoed, a subconscious reminder of Shadow's control of energy. Whenever a true Chaos Emerald was in his possession, every formation of a spear, blast, or teleportation would concentrate in the gem before exploding outwards.
Just like a funnel. Or channel.
Perhaps Rouge was right, after all.
As the ARK's lighting reflected off the jewel's charred but glinting facets, Shadow took a slow breath, placing the fake Chaos Emerald in his spines.
"Thank you," he finally said, staring at the ground.
She hummed in response. There was a slight hesitancy in her tone, however, an unusual sound from his G.U.N. partner. Shadow glanced up.
"Are you alright?"
"Never better," she answered neutrally. A small furrow creased her brows. "That's weird, right?"
"What is?"
"That I'm alright and they're … not." Her eyes traveled to their fellow Chaos-drained Mobians, before returning her attention to Shadow. "I thought all Mobians had some connection with Chaos energy?"
"They do," Shadow agreed, "but that does not mean its loss will be felt by all."
The confusion on the bat's features did not dissipate. "Why?"
"Perhaps you have lost certain abilities, but do not know it yet." Shadow paused. "Or perhaps you have not harnessed Chaos in a way to be of use to you, so its loss will be meaningless."
Her puzzled expression easily morphed into annoyance. "Gee, darling, what great options. Let's pick the hammer over the anvil on this one."
This time he shrugged unapologetically. She rolled her eyes but did offer a small smile.
The ARK shook again, a tremor that radiated and made the lights flicker. Both Rouge and Shadow stumbled to maintain their balance, the former using her wings for assistance and the latter grasping the doorframe.
Time to go.
Rouge, having barely regained her footing, watched with wide eyes as Shadow unclasped his inhibitor rings from his wrists. He handed them to her, bending over to do the same with the ones fastened to his ankles.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked, evident concern in her tone. Nonetheless, she took the bracelets, cupping her hands together when she realized how bulky they were.
Shadow didn't have the chance to respond to his partner. Solid, nonexistent weight washed over the black hedgehog like clockwork, forcing him to grasp the doorframe once more.
If he was to use this negative energy, he needed to adjust to its presence. He clenched his eyes shut, willing his body, his mind, his anything to control the influx of energy.
It was suffocating. Every muscle ached from its presence. He felt like he was being buried alive by an invisible force.
A growl of frustration escaped. This was what he was made of. Dr. Gerald Robotnik's intellect, Black Arms genetic material, and the ability to pull Chaos energy from the universe's timeline. Infinite energy should be … no, was at his disposal.
Something had to give.
Shadow's knees started to tremble. His death grip on the doorframe slackened. A loud ringing in his ears became nearly deafening.
But, just as his legs started to buckle, the heaviness plateaued. It did not go away, nor did it lessen. It reached its apex and seemed to have stabilized.
His grip on the doorframe retightened, but only so he could pull himself straighter. As the burning in his muscles subsided, he glimpsed up to see that Rouge was scrutinizing him, an uncharacteristic flash of fear fading from her features the instant they made eye contact.
Shadow squared his shoulders, brushing off the last of the lingering weight. He briefly wondered if Chaos 0's absorbed power played a part in his rapid recovery.
Or perhaps the fake Chaos Emerald was already giving him the conduit he needed.
Shadow nodded to Rouge, indicating that he was in control. She had already masked her earlier worry, but now solidified her poker face with a smirk.
"Looking good, hon. Now go save the world."
The ARK's Reactor Shield
The trip was instantaneous, or as close as one could get with Shadow's speed. The ARK's maze of corridors, dilapidated or not, were nearly muscle memory to traverse.
But that unexplained heaviness continued to settle in again as he neared the giant ship's reactor shield. Negative energy exuded from its epicenter, a thick wave that stole what little Chaos energy remained inside of the hedgehog.
The time dilation agitated Shadow further. Every step closer to this blackhole would inevitably be that much longer for Rouge and the others. Would there be enough time to save any of them?
And how much time had Eggman gained escaping its clutches?
The Artificial Chaos had been next to the blackhole. They could have reached out and touched it, if inclined, and managed to contain it effortlessly. They were then able to warp back to the planet and imprison those with a Chaos Emerald, which Tails had theorized was to protect the Chaos energy, to prevent their neutralization as the creatures relocated the ARK out of Mobius' orbit.
Miscommunication or not, Shadow had ruined that plan.
Without them here now, it was likely that the blackhole would be able to grow uncontrollably, pulling the ARK apart from the inside out.
The corridor to the main reactor was heavily guarded with a series of alloy doors, all functioning thanks to the ARK's auxiliary solar-powered engine. Shadow had to enter a passcode to open each one, a sequence of numbers and letters that had been ingrained in his memory from his exploration days onboard the once-thriving space station.
Now, though, every entrance into the bowels of the ship felt thick with waves of displaced energy, and every step was in slow-motion. The Artificial Chaos had likely teleported to the blackhole, the equivalent of Shadow's Chaos Control with real Chaos energy.
He didn't want to risk trying that now. Somehow, if he even succeeded in utilizing the fake Chaos Emerald to perform Chaos Control as Sonic had once done, his luck would have him land in the event horizon and become completely spaghettified, as Tails had so eloquently put it.
Another surge of negative energy pulsed across the corridor, forcing Shadow to a standstill. He couldn't prevent a groan from escaping, unable to stop the sheer density of power from enveloping him. He mentally grasped for the fake emerald, trying to find an outlet for the overwhelming sensation.
His spines grew involuntarily hot. Hissing, he yanked the culprit from them, holding the emerald in his palm. His glove managed to protect him from most of the intense burn exuding from it.
Shadow was mesmerized by its appearance. The fake Chaos Emerald wasn't just glowing orange: it was blazing. His excess negative energy had found a channel after all, although how much the jewel could contain before becoming volatile was an entirely other matter.
Two doors remaining.
Even with durable gloves, the fake emerald was unbearable to hold for long. He rapidly switched hands every few seconds, entering the passcode in the electronic keypad next to the heavily-fortified accessway.
The next hallway was surrounded by the reactor's cooling system. Instead of the typical shielding of heavy alloy walls, layers upon layers of pipes bordered the path to the final door, housing the ARK's reactor core.
But there was no need to open it; the majority of it was already warped from the blackhole beyond.
Shadow dropped to his knees, letting the fake emerald clatter to the floor. It pulsed with blinding white-orange heat, a trail of ethereal smoke connecting it to the hedgehog.
The energy was suffocating. His sole conduit was overfilled, and Shadow had no idea what do next.
He could barely look up, much less make sense of the unnatural, distorted shape of the ARK's inner core. Nothing moved. The whole picture was a paused, swirling stream of matter that felt like a nightmare.
Shadow choked from the crushing weight that encased him. He tried to cough but couldn't even feel himself breathe. His hand trembled as it reached for the fake emerald, a beacon with bright streams of light that impossibly curled around him.
Focus.
"M-Maria?" the hedgehog questioned, or tried to. Was that her voice he heard? His fingers barely brushed the surface of the fake Chaos Emerald, unable to get a grasp on it.
He didn't need to.
The world shifted in front of him, a bizarre film reel of time sliding past his view.
Maria smiled at him, walking along a pristine ARK, pointing to Mobius in the distance. Shadow stood next to her, watching both her and the world below.
"What do you think the ocean smells like?" she wonderingly asked, hand brushing across the window.
The scene fast-forwarded, and Shadow was still standing at that same viewport, alone now and watching Mobius grow rapidly larger.
The ARK was falling into the planet.
Amy approached from behind, hesitant but determined. Her hands wrung together and her green eyes stared daggers into Shadow.
"Give them a chance…" she said, her statement echoing.
Her image became staticky and Maria took her place.
"…for a better future," she finished, hand reaching out for him.
No, not him—the release button. He banged on plexiglass that materialized out of nowhere, watching in despair as the frail girl crumpled to the floor, even as his escape pod jettisoned out into space.
FOCUS!
Shadow howled in pain, eyes clenching shut. There was no more room for all the energy—it felt like he was being ripped apart at the seams.
Then the world warped into a peaceful, chilly pond, tiny chao fluttering in his periphery, in tune to a warm breeze.
Angel Island.
Shadow wheezed, feeling a flood of relief from the heaviness. He couldn't bring himself to his feet, however, and simply kneeled in the shallow pool. The waters lazily lapped across his shoulders, a simple sensation that he clung to. His head ached and his focus wavered, but he eventually made out Chaos 0 standing in front of him.
Everything was blurry, but the water in front of him seemed to have weirdly shifted. Slow, bleary moments passed before Shadow realized the water monster's liquidous arm was attached to his chest.
He panicked and tried to move away, but couldn't.
Black Doom's voice boomed: "You cannot escape me … nor can you escape your past."
It was a rotten sound in the serene setting, even if the alien was nowhere to be found.
"That's why you were brought into this world." Maria's gentle expression flooded Shadow's view, but it was Tikal who spoke.
Dizziness and confusion clouded all of the hedgehog's senses. He was queasy from the barrage of illusions.
"Stop it," Shadow managed through clenched teeth, "I—I can't—"
The scene went blissfully dark and silent, but it was fleeting. Shadow was able to exhale one tense breath before he was instantly back on the ARK, watching as Mobius slowly shrunk from his vantagepoint. Sonic sat on the floor next to him, disturbingly gray and weak, but with a characteristic smirk on his muzzle.
The drained and beaten hero stared out at the vast world of darkness and stars, eyes everywhere and nowhere at the same time. "And then when it merged with the ARK—even Super, I'm still not quite sure how we were able to destroy it."
The memory was so fresh that it felt like someone had simply hit the replay button on the remote. Shadow was entirely focused on the why of the random memory, however, that it took him a while to hear what Sonic had actually said.
"Its life support had been damaged," the black hedgehog heard himself answer, even though he hadn't digested the information yet. Living in the not-so-distant past, he vaguely heard Sonic respond but frowned when he began to think through it.
Simply damaging the Biolizard's life support shouldn't have been enough. It couldn't have been enough. With the Chaos Emeralds being utilized by both it and the hedgehogs … there was no way they could have used the same energy to defeat it.
The creature may have been fueled by dark power, tapping into a rare stream of Chaos with the culmination of hatred and rage, but even that energy was finite. It was still limited energy that was a part of the gems as a whole.
"Finalhazard," Shadow croaked out loud. It was the name G.U.N. had given the monster in their reports, distinguishing it from the Biolizard Shadow defeated before it Chaos-Controlled and merged with the ARK.
His own voice brought him to present time. Distorted ARK piping faded in and out of existence, oddly mishappened and churning upon their materialization. The heaviness of negative energy returned full-force.
"You saved the world … by existing in two places at once."
Maria's words were a lifeline, even if Shadow couldn't see her. Chaos 0 knew that; the Artificial Chaos had known that, too, and had been using it to guide Shadow all along.
Pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. Shadow was in control of Chaos from time and space—negative energy—in excess amounts. It needed to be rerouted.
Removed from the present.
His mind traveled to that fateful day, to what felt like an era ago. He and Sonic were Super, two lone entities in space, doing everything they could to damage the Finalhazard and separate it from the space station.
The present world spun, seemingly reading Shadow's mind, and the mutant Biolizard was instantly in his field of vision, utilizing Chaos energy to merge with the ARK and plummet the space station towards the planet. He could see Super Sonic in the distance, waiting for Shadow's cue.
Shadow's own vision was hazed by a bright-yellow hue.
He was Super, working with Sonic to bring down the Finalhazard once more. Before the planet would be obliterated by the ARK's crashlanding. Before Gerald Robotnik's vengeance over Maria's death could be enacted.
The heaviness of negative energy begun to subside. Strength slowly returned.
But a painful lump in Shadow's throat formed, raw realization dawning. His fisted hands hurt from the tension, but he couldn't bring himself to relax.
He had used negative energy to time-travel.
While a portion of the negative power had been spent, the buildup was still accumulating, and would become overwhelming again unless he did something.
Whether you called it negative energy, or Chaos energy from another time in existence, it needed an outlet. A way to neutralize itself.
Shadow focused on his fake Chaos Emerald, amazingly still with him and buried in his spines. He could feel the gem grow hot like fire, but his Super state protected him.
Remembering its purpose, he channeled the bulk of the energy through it and towards the Finalhazard.
The white-blue hue that signified negative energy dissipated through the orange reflection of the fake gem, creating a cone of nearly-white light that blasted across the stratosphere and into the merged Biolizard.
Shadow hollered out in tandem, the stream of energy unbelievably heavy as it escaped, albeit joined with a fulfilling sense of freedom that took over.
The monster screeched in protest, or at least appeared to, considering the vacuum of space kept its reactions soundless. Super Sonic barreled into the creature shortly afterwards, landing hits that caused major damage to its thick skin.
Blue negative energy and yellow chaos energy colliding into one another, disappearing into darkness.
It was working. The negative energy offset the Finalhazard's use of Chaos energy, allowing them to destroy it once and for all.
Maria had been right. He was going to save the world by being in two places at once.
The slew of negative energy continued to channel through the fake emerald, into the remnants of the Biolizard and weakening it. Like the lid of a boiler releasing pressure, Shadow felt his control tighten over the energy as he continued to relinquish it, and without his inhibitor rings.
If he could travel anywhere his mind remembered … to any point in time, utilizing this energy ... there was truly nothing that could stop him.
The Finalhazard had been completely neutralized, and Super Sonic's flash attacks finally caused the creature to detach from the ARK, continuing its lone descent into the atmosphere.
Only one thing left to do.
Super Shadow shot towards the space station. Super Sonic joined him and, with one final, "Chaos Control!" the ARK was teleported back into Mobius' orbit.
The blackhole—the concentrated mass of negative energy—had shrank out of Shadow's timeline and into this one.
Shadow's mind eerily detached from his past self, then, and he watched as the hedgehog he once was lost consciousness, unable to maintain a Super State any longer. His form faded from view as it fell towards the planet.
Surreal did not give the visualization justice.
Present Shadow's mind suddenly traveled further into the past, coming back to what had been a pivotal moment in his life, without ever knowing why.
Until now.
Maria smiled at Shadow, resting in bed and holding the hedgehog's hand from where he sat next to her.
"I saw ... you. With friends."
He snorted. She lightly laughed at his reaction, but shook their intertwined hands to stop him. "It's true. And you saved the world."
A hint of a grin formed as he probed, "How did I do that?"
She stared at him wonderingly. "By existing in two places at once."
"That's impossible."
"Not when it's the past, silly."
"Would that not be the future?" he debated. "My past is here."
Maria's features softened. "There's a lot in store for you, Shadow."
Her eyes closed tightly, then, even as a small, forced smile adorned her lips.
"Maria?"
She didn't respond, and Shadow quickly realized she couldn't. She was fighting through another wave of pain, trying her best to hide it.
Shadow's other hand came up to clasp hers with both of his own.
She let out a barely-heard whimper of discomfort, and Shadow wanted nothing more than to switch places with her. The guilt of his ultimate failure returned steadily, a rising hatred for himself and his inability to do the very thing Dr. Gerald Robotnik had created him for.
Maria's eyes fluttered open, glazed but unwavering. Shadow swiftly masked his emotions and gave her a small smile, one that she saw right through.
"Just promise me one thing, Shadow," she stated with a frown in his direction.
"Anything," was his instant reply.
Her smile returned then, but it was not genuine. Tears glistened in her eyes.
"You can save the world," she quietly said, "but you cannot save me."
"What?" Shadow shook his head at her. "Maria—"
The ARK's alarms blared, cutting the conversation off.
"You have not yet reached your zenith," Tikal called out, breaking Shadow out of the past. He found himself along the Master Emerald's shrine on Angel Island, standing in cool water up to his knees.
Shadow roared in anger, his breathing strained. He glared up at the echidna and Chaos 0, who were both simply watching him.
Tikal's expression was one of worry.
"If it's not absorbing matter, it would be evaporating, and the resulting radiation would be enough to blow the ARK up…"
Shadow had rerouted most of the energy from the blackhole, but not all of it. Rouge and the others were not safe yet.
Where else could the energy go?
Tikal stepped forward. "You cannot save her," she solemnly said.
Shadow bared his teeth at her, choice words coming to mind. He held his tongue when Chaos 0 followed suit, reaching out with its liquidous arm.
He withdrew from the touch out of instinct, suppressing the urge to fight, before the water creature's arm made contact with his chest again. Air rushed out of his lungs as a flood of images drowned his mind. His hands clutched at his head, desperately willing the memories to slow down.
"But you can save them," Tikal added, a swirling voice that followed his plunge into darkness.
He was back on the ARK, in present time, standing in front of the blackhole. Or rather, what remained of it. Could it even be called that, being nothing but a concentrated mass of negative energy?
His chest tightened painfully, and for once it had nothing to do with negative energy.
Shadow shakily pulled the fake Chaos Emerald close to him, its heat still apparent but not nearly as scorching as before. He gripped the bright orange surface, noticing mist surrounding its form.
The same mist Shadow had seen when Chaos 0 had disappeared into him.
The Chaos of the past is with you.
Sure he is, he bitterly thought to himself. Understanding had dissolved into despair, and was now transforming into pure hatred. Shadow inhaled deeply, forcing his emotions to the side. He held the jewel in one palm, scrutinizing it.
"Shadow, what do you think it's like on Earth?"
It would be so easy. He could show Maria—truly show her.
"Shadow, please..." Tikal spoke, a surround sound of gentle urgency in Shadow's mind.
Irritation surfaced again.
"Stop!" he yelled into the emptiness.
"Please do it for them," Maria's pleading tone rang through his ears.
Her words gave Shadow pause, memories temporarily clouding his judgment before a frown creased his brows. Amy had said that, when she had been trying to convince Shadow to help the others against Biolizard. Maria had asked that he save the world for her.
"Shadow I beg of you, please do it for me..."
She leaned heavily on the console, the life inside her leaving steadily.
And yet she still implored him.
The ARK's reactor core was nearly gone. The empty void of space bled through the strange, distorted scene like ink on cloth. Shadow still stood adjacent to the blackhole, time at a standstill all around him.
The fake emerald was gripped in one hand, a steady glow of orange pulsing through the increasing blackness.
"Please do it for them," Maria's voice kept that same imploring tone, but the last word—the incorrect one—reverberated.
Shadow cautiously reached his other hand towards the blackhole.
He had no idea if he was touching it. He had no idea if it even mattered.
"You cannot save me."
A brief flash of Maria's face filled Shadow's vision. That same gentle urgency that Tikal had attempted spoke volumes in his sister's eyes.
"You can save the world, but you cannot save me."
"Understood," Shadow snarled. His teeth remained bared as he took one last, shaky breath.
He knew what he had to do.
"Chaos Control!"