King's Lair

"I've been awaiting this day for far too long." King the Wolf begins to step out of the shadows. Sonic gives a gasp, but Shadow doesn't seem surprised. King waves about his robotic arm as he speaks. "Sonic, I have no qualms with you. You are free to leave. In fact, the Doctor will be waiting for you up on the twenty-fifth floor, likely downloading all of my files by now. You'd better hurry, if you want to catch him." As he passes a computer console, he types few keys into it. A light activates on the pod in the center of the room.

Unexpectedly, Shadow agrees. "You should go. I can handle this."

Sonic shakes his head. "Not a chance. I'm staying right here."

King chuckles a bit. "Ooh, do I detect some animosity between the two of you?" He gives a very casual shrug. "Very well. Suit yourself." He resumes his pacing, hitting a few more keys each time he passes the console. "After all I've been through…all my research…all my suffering…at last, it all becomes worthwhile, so much sooner than I was expecting. I certainly have the Doctor to thank for that. His previous experience was absolutely vital in the completion of my ultimate project."

Shadow doesn't seem amused. "I don't know what you're babbling about. And I don't care. This is your one and only chance to surrender to me."

"Oh, Shadow, you offend me. Though perhaps it was vain of me to assume that you keep track of those you've hurt."

Shadow's firm countenance suddenly falters. "What…what do you mean…?"

King barks out a quick laugh. "He really doesn't know, the wretch!" It becomes clear that King is barely maintaining his calm manners. He holds up his mechanical arm, and waggles its fingers for emphasis. "You didn't really believe that some alien did this to me, did you? No…this is on you!"

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Chaos Project

Season 0, Episode 13

Black Cloak, Part 5: Black Cloak Forever Part 2

Written by ChaosProject

Concept by ChaosProject

"No…no, that's impossible! I fought aliens and human soldiers, no one like you!"

"Oh, no, of course you didn't fight me. I'd surely be dead if you had. No, instead, you created explosions of energy from your very body, obliterating everything in your path! Including the building I was still inside of!" He waggles his robot fingers again. "I'm sure I don't need to say how dangerous it is to be in a falling building."

"G.U.N. had evacuated all of the citizens by the time I made it to the core of the city! What were you doing in an unstable building during an alien invasion!?"

"Trying to shirk off the blame, are you!? So it's my fault that I couldn't leave!? It's my fault that you destroyed my life!?"

Shadow is silent for a long moment. "…You're right. You have every right to despise me. But it doesn't have to be this way. You can go to G.U.N., they can help you. The technology they work on, it's incredible. Especially with your help, they can make you an arm more like your old one."

Sonic steps forward. "Or don't go to G.U.N.. I have a friend who can help you, maybe even better."

This time, King falls into a fit of laughter. "You two are so pathetic! Ha ha! Nothing's even changed, and suddenly you want to offer me salvation, me, the enslaver of the city, the ultimate lord of crime! Hilarious! Just because you suddenly realize that I'm a real person, with feelings and emotions. And that's not even the funniest part! You really think that this is all over this silly thing?" Again he brandishes the hand. "Ha! In fact, on the contrary, I'm quite fond of this look."

Shadow takes on a concerned look. "What are you…talking about?"

"No, it wasn't the arm. Perhaps, under different circumstances, your power would never have harmed me. But things just didn't go my way, on that fateful day. From the moment the first alien landed, the military began standard evacuation procedures. Women and children first. Then the elderly. Then the men. And our kind last of all. It is a time-honored order, and it's certainly a sensible one. After all, we are far better able to defend ourselves than the average human. But all the same, the Black Arms had long since swarmed the city by the time there was any concern paid to me. And that's why it happened. That's why she was struck by an alien weapon."

"She?"

Somehow, King speaks calmly through it all. "My younger sister, who I had only just come to visit. I know, it must be hard for you to imagine that I once cared for someone."

Shadow closes his eyes and clenches his fist, already predicting the end of the story. "What was her name?"

"To speak her name in your presence would be a disgrace to her memory!" After the outburst, he takes a moment to calm down. "I took her into the nearest building, treated her as best I could. And then I heard a shout from outside. Do you know what I heard?"

Shadow almost seems prepared for the question. "D–…death to all who oppose me…"

"Yes, that's right. So I looked outside. Just imagine my surprise at seeing Shadow the Hedgehog, hero of the ARK himself, here to save us from these monsters. I thought, 'With him here, maybe I'll be able to leave and safely get her the medical attention she needs.' And then I watched you explode. I heard the words, 'Chaos Blast.' And then the building began to collapse. I woke up in the hospital, without an arm. She had died long before. How does that make you feel, Shadow? To know that you're a murderer? And to think that you were such a bother to my revenge against you, and neither of us even knew it!"

Shadow is dumbstruck. "Uh-…I-…I didn't-…I was…confused…"

"Oh, you were confused, were you!? Well, I guess that just makes everything okay then! Who could possibly blame a confused person!?"

Sonic shouts, "Don't listen to him, Shadow! He's just trying to get in your head!"

King raises an eyebrow. "Hm. Maybe you aren't as dumb as you look. But that is of no consequence, now. You see, through all of this, I've learned something. I've learned that flesh, and blood, and bone, it's all weak. Fragile. Imperfect. But at last, I have found a way, a way to make myself perfect." He hits one last key on the console, and the front of the pod suddenly pops open. Sonic and Shadow take fighting stances. But it is empty inside. "It all starts with this…" King walks around to the front of the pod. "The beginning of my new life!" He lets out a long, drawn-out laugh as he hops into the pod, and it closes down on him. Sonic springs into action, and thuds harmlessly off of the glass, far too late. As the pod sinks into the ground, the Chaos Emerald on its top is drawn inside. King's muffled laughter can still be heard.

Everything goes silent. Lights flash furiously on the computers in the room as they appear to be processing something. Finally, Sonic asks, "What now?"

Shadow responds calmly, "He's going to come back up. He made that much clear. When he does, you need to be ready. That may be our only chance." Sonic nods.

Suddenly, what lights there are in the room shut off, leaving all in pitch blackness. A dim light comes on from below, as a new pod begins to rise from the floor, this one considerably taller than the last. The cover is completely fogged-over. Wasting no time, Sonic tries another attack just as the cover of the pod pops open. A mechanical hand reaches out from the steam and grabs him by the throat, stopping him instantly. Sonic chokes as he struggles to free himself.

The owner of the arm steps out of the pod. There is a loud clank as the metal feet contact the ground. The fog begins to clear away, revealing nothing but metal. Instead of King, there is a tall android with a more human-like build, and a head with wolf-like features. Its eyes glow a striking yellow. Atop its head, embedded point-up, is the sparkling red Chaos Emerald. The Kingdroid cocks its head and looks at the struggling figure of Sonic in its hand, as if at some pitiable thing. Then it tosses him to the side with little effort. Sonic collides into the wall with a crash, and collapses to the ground.

Once again, Shadow is left speechless. Kingdroid looks to him and gives a terrifying mechanical smile. It speaks in a mechanized filter of his old voice, "Surprised? You have every right to be. How could such a feeble mind as yours have comprehended the thoughts of one such as I?"

"You transferred your mind…into a machine?"

"Oh, this is no ordinary machine. This is the perfect body. No flaws. No weaknesses. Only power. You may be the Ultimate Life Form. But life is weak. I am the Ultimate Being! And now that I have the power you have driven me to create, I am going to make you suffer."

"You're holding on…to so much hatred. Look at what it's done to you. You don't have to let your past control you."

"You think that I can just forget everything that's happened to me!? My past is a part of who I am, whether I like it or not!"

"No, it doesn't have to be that way! How do you think that I even live with myself!? The military murdered everyone I ever cared about, and I enlisted because I thought I could become a better person! G.U.N. isn't the same organization that shut down the ARK, and I'm not the same person who made one terrible mistake during the invasion!"

"You poor, naive fool. Do you really think that I didn't try to move on?" The android's head shakes. "No. You can ignore the past. But the past will never ignore you. You may come to learn that…if you live to see the day. Though I should be proof enough of that."

Shadow looks from King to the unconscious figure of Sonic, and back to King. "I tried to do the right thing. I tried to help you. But you can't be helped. Now, I'm going to finish what I set out to do. You're going to pay for what you've done to this city!"

"I'd say that you're making things harder on yourself…but really, it doesn't make much of a difference. Besides…" Kingdroid produces two more Chaos Emeralds, white and cyan. "…I hold all of the power here." He takes the white one, and inserts it into a slot on his head near the red one. "One from you." He does the same with the cyan. "One from the Doctor." The three upward-pointing gems together seem to resemble a crown. "And of course, the one that I've been holding onto for myself. More than enough for all of the power I could ever need. Go ahead, come at me. Make the first move. What are you waiting for?"

Taking the opportunity, Shadow clenches a fist and flings himself at the Kingdroid. He is easily swatted aside in one blow. Unfazed, Shadow quickly gets back up and takes another leap. Another casual swat knocks him aside once more. Shadow is able to rise again, but already shows signs of injury and weariness, though much of it stems from the tribulations of the previous few days.

"What's the matter, Shadow? Where are those Chaos Powers of yours? I was so excited to see them first-hand."

Shadow growls and runs at the android, which catches his hands in its own. The two struggle and push against each other, their faces drawing close. Shadow sees nothing but a cold stare in its robotic eyes. Shadow redoubles his effort, but it makes little difference. The Kingdroid pushes harder and harder against him, and he begins to lose ground. Suddenly, Shadow is forcibly shoved to the ground, the android pinning him down.

"Come on, Shadow. You were supposed to make this fun for me!" One of its mechanical hands wraps around his throat, choking him. "But I'm not one to argue. If you really want to die, I'll certainly help you with that." It squeezes harder. Shadow puts up a weak struggle.

"Let go of him, creep!" In an instant, a white and purple blur strikes across the Kingdroid, sending it reeling back, and leaving a long gash in its metallic chest. Rouge lands on the other side of the room as Shadow quickly gets back to his feet. She tosses something at him. "Shadow, take this!"

Shadow grabs the object out of the air. It's the green Chaos Emerald. "But, I can't…" Rouge has already delivered another strike at the Kingdroid before it had recovered. Reluctantly, Shadow moves in after her, delivering a spin attack in succession of her kick. They continue this way, each one taking turns striking at the robot, not giving it a chance to protect itself.

Finally, the Kingdroid knocks them both aside with one movement. "Enough!" It walks up to the fallen Rouge first. It grabs her and lifts her violently by the arm. "I don't know who you think you are, bat girl! But I will not allow you to stand in the way of my vengeance!"

Shadow growls, "Let her go!" He leaps at it, but is once again knocked away.

"How many times are you going to try that, before you realize that it won't work? You truly must be insane."

Rouge shouts out, "Shadow, what're you doing!? Now's your chance!"

Shadow still grips his green Chaos Emerald in anger. With desperation, he lifts it into the air and shouts, "Chaos Control!" Nothing happens. All wait in silence for a moment.

Finally, the Kingdroid lets out, "Ah…so that's how it is. It seems I've caught you at your weakest. How unfortunate for you."

Rouge lets out a piteous, "Shadow…"

Shadow answers, "Rouge…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in danger by letting you be here. And now, because of my failure, it's all over. I thought that I could defeat King on my own. But I'm nothing without Chaos Control."

"That doesn't matter, Shadow. I came here for you. It's not over yet. Shadow, I know you can do it."

A different voice echoes in Shadow's mind "I know you can do it…" He grunts at the unwelcome thought.

Rouge continues, "Shadow, I know you still have a chance!"

Maria continues, "Give them a chance…"

"Keep fighting! For your friends! For everyone!"

Shadow growls incoherently as the memories assault him further. "I beg of you… For all the people…on that planet…a better future… Everyone's fate depends on…you…" Another voice joins hers. Amy cries, "Please do it for them!" Professor Gerald adds, "The future of this planet depends on…you!" Sonic continues, "You can't just ignore your past, Shadow! It's a part of who you are!" Even King's words echo, "You can ignore the past. But the past will never ignore you." Words and thoughts begin to merge together. "For a better future…you have to learn from…the past… It's a part of who you are! You have to learn! You have to learn! From the past! For the future!" Maria somberly finishes, "That's the reason why you were brought into this world… Please do it for me…"

Shadow mutters, "Maria…I understand…"

No time appears to have passed. The Kingdroid mocks, "Now isn't that cute? But I've had quite enough of this. I have work to finish." In an instant, it hurls Rouge aside, in the same direction it threw Sonic.

From his spot on the ground, Shadow merely snaps his fingers. In a flash of blue light, he reappears behind Rouge, catches her in the air, and sets her gently on the ground. He snaps again and disappears. The Kingdroid has no time to react before it is struck in the back of the head by Shadow's kick. The force of the blow dislodges a Chaos Emerald, which Shadow catches. He appears on the ground before the android lands, and grabs it by the head. Both are warped away. High above, the android is slammed down onto the moonlit street. Shadow slams down on top of it, then snaps and disappears again. It struggles to get up for a moment, until Shadow delivers another upwards kick to its front, sending it flying. Still in the air, Shadow appears behind it and strikes, launching it in a different direction. Over and over again, Shadow warps into its path, knocks it aside, and warps away to do it again from the other side, knocking the android in every direction without ever landing. Another Chaos Emerald comes out. Finally, Shadow grabs the android and warps them both away once more. They reappear many miles in the air, falling down towards the city at an incredible velocity, Shadow still forcibly holding onto the Kingdroid, glowing red. With all of his pent-up fury, he lets go and shouts, "Chaos Blast!" The fiery red explosion can be seen clearly from the streets below. Shadow reappears on the ground there, closing his eyes and waiting. After a few moments, he suddenly reaches up and grabs the arm of the falling Kingdroid, and both are warped away once more. With all of his own throwing force added to the speed of the android's fall, Shadow slams it into the ground of King's Lair, as Rouge watches on with surprise.

The Kingdroid has left a wide crater in the ground. Shadow pants heavily from the exertion as he approaches the fallen robot.

The Kingdroid stares back up at him, heavily damaged but clearly still functional. "You really think that you can defeat me like this? Ha! This body can survive any attack that you have. What did you think I meant by 'Ultimate Being'!?"

"Well, we'll just have to see about that. Chaos…" He readies a Chaos Spear in his hand. As he continues to charge it, it grows darker in color. He lifts his arm up above the Kingdroid, as if to physically impale it. Despite its words, the android looks up at the attack with what appears to be genuine concern. "Sp–"

"Shadow, stop!" Sonic, bruised and barely standing, holds Shadow's arm in place.

"What're you doing!? Let go of me!"

"This isn't the way, Shadow! You don't have to kill him!"

"Kill? It's not even a person, Sonic! This thing is pure evil! It needs to be destroyed!"

"He's just as much a person as he was before! Or is Omega not a person to you!? Just think about it!"

Shadow hesitates. "I…I still have to do this. It doesn't matter what he is, it matters what he's done. He deserves it for all the people he's hurt."

"No one deserves an end like this! Not even you!" Shadow freezes up completely at the words. "That's what this is about, isn't it? You think that you deserve to be punished for the things you've caused. For your past that you can't change. And you've tried. You wanted the Commander to carry out his revenge against you after the Black Alien invasion. But he asked you to join G.U.N. instead. And you accepted, thinking you could make up for everything through your service. But you figured out that there was no redemption down that path. So instead, you tried to get away from everything. You put on a mask and became a new person, trying to make up for the mistakes of an old one without even realizing it. And now, you're trying carry out what you believe should've been done to you. It all makes sense now. If humanity decided to betray you tomorrow, you would let them, wouldn't you? This isn't the way, Shadow."

After another moment's hesitation, Shadow drops his arm to his side and lets the energy fade away. Rouge nods in understanding of everything. She moves over to the computer console and begins working away.

The Kingdroid, having waited silently all this time, suddenly leaps up and shouts, "Stay away from my technology!" He aims an arm cannon directly at Rouge, and begins charging a bright green light.

Sonic dives at the android, shouting, "Look out!"

Rouge ducks down just in time to avoid the massive green energy laser. An instant later, the beam strays away as the Kingdroid is knocked down. The console has been completely destroyed. Rouge shouts, "That should've been enough! Get him into the pod!"

The Kingdroid knocks Sonic away and trains its cannon on to Shadow. "I wanted to drag this out, but you've forced my hand! Now, you die!" The cannon fires. Shadow disappears long before the beam reaches him. Prepared this time, the Kingdroid turns to direct his fire behind and slightly above him, leaving a massive trail of destruction in the room that Sonic and Rouge both barely avoid. Instead of appearing in the path of the beam, Shadow instead lands on top of the android's head, and rips the final Chaos Emerald from its place. The two are warped away together again.

A moment later, Shadow leaps out from the undamaged pod in the center of the room, and quickly shuts the hatch behind him. A metal hand slams onto the inside of the glass as the pod begins to sink into the ground once more. But this time, Shadow doesn't wait. The red, white, and cyan Emeralds taken from King lift into the air and begin to orbit him, joined by the green one from Rouge. The yellow and purple Emeralds lift away from Rouge and join the orbit around Shadow, as does the blue from Sonic. All seven circle around him. He begins to lift into the air. His spikes, his cloak, and even the broken chains around wrists and ankles begin to billow upwards as he absorbs the Emeralds' power. His exposed fur takes on a white-gold glow. Most interestingly, emblazoned in red energy on his chest appears the same symbol of his throwing weapons, the Black Arms-inspired emblem.

The pod rises out of the ground once more. The hatch pops open, and King's foot steps out from the fog. "Do you really think that you can defeat me so eas–…" He freezes as the fog clears and he lays eyes upon the godlike figure of Super Shadow. Trembling, he aims his single mechanical arm-gun at the gold and black hedgehog. It looks rather pathetic in comparison to the deadly android he had just been. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Oh really? You could've had me fooled. Face it, King. You've lost."

King continues to point. Until Rouge finally grabs both of his arms and crosses them behind his back. She fastens a pair of high-tech handcuffs to his wrists. "By order of the Guardian Units of Nations and the President himself, you are hereby placed under arrest as an international criminal. I'd list out your rights now, but I'm afraid you don't have very many."

"What!? You can't do this to me! This city would fall apart without me!"

"Well we'll just have to see about that, now won't we? Until then, there are some people I know who are very interested to see you."

Right on cue, the door to the lair is knocked down, and a small squadron of G.U.N soldiers swarm in. "Agent Rouge, your backup has arrived."

"I appreciate the thought, but the job's already been done." She indicates towards King. "Take this guy in for me, would you boys?"

"Yes ma'am." Ignoring all other distractions, the soldiers swarm around King and begin to force him out.

Struggling against them, King shouts back, "Mark my words, Shadow the Hedgehog! You haven't seen the last of me! I will get my revenge! I swear it!"

A soldier strikes him with the butt of his gun. "Keep quiet, you."

Shadow has hardly heard a word of it. He floats over Sonic, still on the ground after being knocked away, and offers him a hand. Sonic looks up to Shadow with respect. He takes the hand. The golden light of one hedgehog passes into the other. Sonic doesn't need to stand up as he is lifted into the air by the power of the Emeralds. The bruises and wounds around his body seem to fade away, as the loose bandage around his arm begins to flutter gently. Still clasping hands, Sonic looks to Shadow at eye level. "Now let's go get Eggman."

Shadow snaps his fingers, and the two disappear.

—–—

Eggman stares out a wide window, through which the earliest signs of the approaching dawn can be seen. The unmistakable high-pitched whine of a Chaos Control can be heard behind him. Without moving, Eggman states, "Ah, Sonic, Shadow. I knew you two would show up here eventually. That wolf was certainly intelligent, but he didn't make much of a strategist, did he? Committing himself to a plan he expected to fail. Such a shame. But I certainly benefitted from it." Eggman turns to face them, and lets out a booming laugh. "Oh ho ho!"

Sonic declares, "Give it up, Eggman. Whatever you're planning ends here."

"I couldn't agree more. I've just completed everything I came here to do, and then some! Now, if you don't mind, I'll be on my way. I have no interest in fighting."

Eggman turns around to leave, only to meet the eyes of Shadow. "You aren't going anywhere."

"Ah, Shadow. That's quite a cute costume you're wearing. Such a shame that it's been so damaged now."

"No games. What was your business with King?"

"That business is none of yours. Now, will you let me pass?" Not waiting for an answer, Eggman turns the other way, but is blocked off by Sonic.

"Not happening."

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it? Kill me?"

Shadow looks questioningly to Sonic. Sonic shakes his head.

Eggman continues, "Good, now get out of my way." The hedgehogs still don't move. "Very well, then." Suddenly, Eggman pulls out a remote and presses a button. The floor of the wide room begins to part as Eggman is drawn down into it. Within moments, something else rises back up. "Behold," Eggman begins as the massive machine rises, with him in the cockpit, "the perfect combination of Eggman and King technology! The Egg Alphawolf!" The mech rises completely. It is quadrupedal in the shape of a wild wolf, absolutely massive in size, taking up nearly the entire wide room. Its shoulders and back are mounted with all sorts of weapons. "It really is a shame," Eggman continues. "I had this all ready to betray King and steal all of his research and materials. And then he just gave it to me! But that doesn't mean I wasn't prepared for you."

Sonic shouts, "Ha! You really think that any old robot of yours can beat us with all seven Emeralds? You must be dreaming."

"Oh, I don't intend to defeat you. I intend to escape!" Suddenly, the mech leaps and crashes through the window, shaking the earth as it lands on the street below. It immediately takes off, bounding along the road and away from the building.

"After him!" Sonic and Shadow soar out the open window, and catch up to the robot within moments.

Eggman shouts from inside, "You can't stop me! Your Super Forms will never last long enough!" As he speaks, each of the machine's shoulder-mounted cannons fire at the two speeding hedgehogs, forcing them to corkscrew out of the way.

"Oh yeah? We'll show you!" Dodging a blast from one of the Alphawolf's numerous back turrets, Super Sonic dashes full-force into the mech's side. He bounces off with a loud thud. "What the–!?"

"You fools! My machine has been plated with an alloy of Chaosium, a one-hundred percent Chaos-proof material! The Chaos energy that gives you power cannot possibly pierce it!"

"Chaosium!? That must be what was keeping us in that prison cell!"

To confirm the assertion, Shadow hurls an attack of his own. "Chaos Spear!" It glances harmlessly off of the metal. Eggman laughs again as the high-speed chase continues, Shadow's tattered cloak fluttering like a cape as he soars. Shadow struggles to think of something quickly. "We may not be able to damage that thing under our own power…but I know what can!" Suddenly, Shadow pulls out the Black Cloak throwing weapon in the shape of his emblem, and hurls it with all of his might at the mech. One of the turrets mounted on the Alphawolf targets and fires, vaporizing the projectile instantly.

Eggman shouts, "How do you like that!?"

"Sonic, I only have one left! We need to take out those turrets!"

"Let's do it!" Weaving and diving around a flurry of lasers and bullets, Sonic speeds towards the massive line of weapons, and finally charges right through them, carving a line of destruction.

Shadow hurls Chaos Spears as rapidly as he can manage, each one contacting and destroying one of the countless armaments.

Within minutes, all but the two shoulder-mounted cannons have been destroyed, those apparently being too heavily shielded. Sonic shouts, "Shadow, I think that's the best we're going to get! And we're running out of time! It's now or never!"

"Right!" Shadow pulls out his one last projectile. He aims carefully, takes a deep breath, and throws. The weapon moves in an arc as it flies through the air.

A shoulder cannon takes aim. Sonic shouts, "Oh no you don't!" Sonic zips in front of the cannon, crossing his arms in front of him to defend against the blast that it fires. Sonic is knocked away, but Shadow's projectile keeps going, and deeply embeds itself in an area where a turret had been destroyed.

The projectile explodes. Eggman shouts, "No! Impossible!" A large section of the mech's armor plating has been peeled away, exposing the inside.

"Let's finish this!" Shadow dashes through the weak point, shortly followed by Sonic. The machine jerks and stumbles as it is wrecked from the inside. Sonic crashes back out, but Shadow remains inside. In a moment, his shout can be heard. "Chaos Blast!" Within moments, the entire Alphawolf crumbles apart from the force of the expanding explosion.

The two golden hedgehogs float gently to the floor as their glow begins to fade. The bandage around Sonic's arm slips off, revealing a small but noticeable scar underneath. Though the red energy forming the emblem on Black Cloak's costume fades away, a red mark in that shape remains underneath, permanently emblazoned on its chest.

The seven Emeralds orbit around them. Then six of them streak off in every direction, scattering to be found again at a later time. But one, the yellow Emerald, drifts gently down into Shadow's hand. Shadow looks to Sonic questioningly.

Sonic shrugs. "Guess it thinks you're gonna need it."

Both of them turn with a start as they hear a slow clapping behind them. "A brilliant job, truly a wonderful display of teamwork." The Commander continues to clap as he speaks. "Some of the most skilled work I've ever seen."

Shadow shakes his head. "Flattery doesn't suit you, Commander."

He doesn't answer for a moment. "Very well. You know why I'm here."

"I think we have something more important to attend to right now."

Behind the three of them, Eggman stands up out of the rubble, dusting himself off. Wordlessly, he begins to walk towards them. As he gets close, he nods to them. "Commander."

The Commander nods back. "Doctor."

Sonic exclaims, "What're you doing!? Arrest him!"

"Arrest him? Have you gone mad? Dr. Eggman is the sovereign leader of a member of the United Federation."

Shadow says with confusion, "Sovereign leader?"

Sonic continues, "United Federation?"

Meanwhile, Eggman continues on his way, waving back behind him. "So long, hedgehogs!"

The Commander goes on, "That's correct. Some time ago, the island of Eggmanland applied for admittance into the United Federation, and was accepted. It is now a registered country. To arrest its leader would be a declaration of war."

Sonic shakes his head in disappointment. "So this is the 'reformed G.U.N.,' is it? Looks like some things really can't change."

Shadow shakes his head and sighs, understanding what he must do. "If you aren't going to arrest him…then arrest me."

Sonic cries with as much irritation as concern, "Shadow!"

Another voice shouts from behind them, "Oh, stop being so dramatic, would you?" Rouge walks toward them. "Commander, the building has been completely secured, and the remaining Chaosium has been confiscated."

"Well done, agent Rouge. You're free to return to base."

"I think I'll stay here, if you don't mind. Sir."

Shadow seems irritated at not being taken seriously. "Do I need to list my crimes? Desertion, assault, impeding investigation, resisting arrest…and manslaughter. I killed someone, Commander. I'm a criminal."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're a hero, Shadow. You inspire people, with or without a mask. Any and all crimes that you may or may not have committed in this city, in the past weeks or before, have been pardoned."

"Before…? You…you knew. You knew about King's sister the whole time. You knew that I had killed an innocent civilian, and you let me serve in the military anyways."

"I know that you haven't had a chance to learn this for yourself yet, Shadow. But in a war, casualties happen. It's unavoidable. A soldier who takes down an entire army single-handedly, and accidentally kills one civilian in the process, doesn't get imprisoned. He gets praised. It doesn't make the death any less unfortunate. But that's how the world works."

"So you've been lying to me…just so that I would accept praise as a hero. Just so that I would keep blindly following your orders. Just so that I would keep believing that you were the only one I owed a debt to. Despicable."

The Commander clears his throat, ignoring the rather blunt insult. "Now, we must return to business. Shadow, I've come here to personally inform you that your temporary leave has been approved. You have another week before you'll be expected to return to active duty."

"Nice try. I didn't request any leave, and I'm not coming back. All I ever did there is wait around for something to happen, around an army of people who wouldn't trust me for a second. All the while, people like King were causing havoc in places like this. If I had come here sooner, I could've helped him, instead of imprisoning him."

"You needn't worry about this city any longer. As we speak, G.U.N. is beginning a city reconstruction project. Buildings, roads, everything that was affected by the invasion is going to be repaired, while all traces of King's influence are removed."

"You're having the soldiers do this?"

"Of course. G.U.N. isn't around just to fight wars. We're here to protect the people. I request that you reconsider your stance. Shadow, this world is changing. It's growing. Regardless of who believes it, G.U.N. is changing too. If we can't keep up with the world's growth, we'll never be able to protect the world when it needs us most. That's why we need a soldier like you."

"Just as I thought. You only want me for my abilities. You only want me as a weapon. Well I won't be your tool any longer." Shadow turns and begins walking off, motioning for Sonic and Rouge to follow.

"This isn't a joke, Shadow! Your past crimes may have been pardoned, but that doesn't mean anything for the future!"

"Tch."

The Commander stops to think for a moment. He turns to Sonic, who still stands there. "Sonic, perhaps you…?"

"Not a chance." Sonic moves to follow Shadow.

Rouge looks up to the Commander. "You sure have a way of ticking off the heroes, don't you?" She goes after the other two.

The Commander stays where he stands, pondering.

—–—

The Cloak Cavern

Shadow, Sonic, and Rouge appear in the cavern in a flash of light. Rouge takes a good look around. "So, this is where you've been hiding?"

"I promised answers once this was all over. So here we are." They stand above the puddle of alien sludge that leads to Shadow's house above.

"Is that…?"

"Left over from the Black Arms invasion. They had planned to start attacking from underground, but they retreated from the city before they got the chance. After they left, damage control missed this pathway. The building up above went unsold ever since then. When I learned it was there, I came to investigate. It led down here. Of course, no one else would've been able to know that. I'm the only thing on the planet that can travel through these. I bought the building, tried to keep it as discreet as possible. I removed as many traces as I could of ever having been there. But clearly, I missed something."

Sonic continues, "Because we found the place."

"That's right. You were getting close to finding me out, and I needed to be somewhere. I had to throw you off. So I left out one of my Chaos Emeralds."

Rouge nods. "You figured that if we thought you had been captured and left us with your Emerald, we would start investigating a non-existent kidnapping. Leaving you free of suspicion." Shadow nods in response.

Sonic responds, "That still doesn't explain how all of this started. Why the cloak? Where do the weapons come from?"

"I was getting there. When I first came down here, it wasn't empty." He points over to the table with the old radio. "Those were already there." He points in the opposite direction, to a rock jutting upwards. "And the cloak was hanging right there."

"What does it mean?"

"The radio was already tuned to the police frequency. Either someone set this place up just for me…or someone just like me was doing the same things down here. So I looked into it. The Black Cloak was an old legend from this area. A faceless hero who would only appear in the night, protecting the city for decades, maybe longer, though few believed that he really existed. But soon before the Black Arms invasion, he vanished. I think this was his base. I knew what I had to do."

"You took up the name and the costume, and started saving the city in your own way." Shadow nods. "And the weapons?"

"I told you that I make them. And I do." He walks up to the alien sludge, and kneels down in front of it. Slowly he places the palm of a hand into the puddle. Rather than suck him in entirely, the area that he touches begins to glow slightly, and slowly inch up and around his fingers and palm. He begins to move the hand upwards, and the glowing slime beneath it stretches, remaining attached. He closes his eyes and curls in his fingers, and the ooze begins to respond, condensing into a more definite shape. As it does, it turns to a solid red color.

Shadow closes a fist around it, separating it from the puddle below. He turns the hand upright and uncurls his fingers, revealing the Black Cloak throwing weapon he holds. Rouge expresses surprise.

Sonic questions, "What did you just do? What was that?"

"I had always assumed that these trails of sludge were meant for transportation. And that is one of their purposes. But they do so much more. Black Arms weaponry isn't technology in the sense that you or I understand it. Their weapons are grown from the ground like plants, even the ones that appear to be made of metal. What you just saw is how they do that. This sludge is made up of undifferentiated Black Arms biomass."

Sonic almost involuntarily begins wiping himself off, knowing that he had passed through that sludge.

"Any self-aware individual of the species can shape that biomass into any imaginable form. Or, one's own biomass can be absorbed into the mass, and quickly reformed on the other side. The invasion could've gone far better if I had known all of this back then." After a moment of silence, Shadow turns and begins to move towards the rock he indicated earlier. He begins to remove the cloak, then the rest of the costume. Soon, it's all been hung at the same place he had found it. The red emblem, his contribution to the costume, contrasts sharply against the rest of the black outfit.

Finally, Rouge questions, "So that's it? No more Black Cloak?"

"You heard the Commander. This city doesn't need one anymore. But maybe…if Westopolis ever needs a new hero… someone else will find this place as I have. Then the legend will live on. But I'm done hiding behind masks." He takes the throwing weapon he created, and clips it firmly onto the costume's belt.

Sonic hesitantly asks, "So does that mean…that you'll help me? That you'll teach me?"

"…It always comes back to you, doesn't it? But…if you really are what you say you are…that's exactly the way it should be."

"Shadow, I really do need you. I don't know anything about Chaos or the Emeralds or the Balance. But you do!"

Shadow doesn't respond at first. He takes out the Emerald that remained with him, and stares deeply into it. "Sonic...Why do you think I got Chaos Control back?"

Sonic thinks on the question. "We'll...I guess… Chaos Control...It's such a rush of pure feeling and emotion, almost indescribable. But...If I were to take a guess...I'd say...It's about hope. Just like anything else with Chaos, it's about emotion. But you...you thought it was something else." As he speaks, Sonic gains more and more confidence. "You thought it had to do with justice, a sense of purpose. You came here from G.U.N. because you thought you had lost your purpose. But then nothing changed, and you only had less hope. I think it took Rouge and I to help you realize that you've always drawn your hope from the past, from Maria. Even back when you wanted to destroy the planet with the Eclipse Cannon, you still had that hope. And I think that as long as you keep your promise to Maria in your heart, you'll never lose Chaos Control again."

Shadow nods slowly. "And you think that you need my help?" Sonic moves as if to respond, but thinks of no way to do so. "I think you know more than you think you do. I think that you've learned far more from experience than I ever could from what little instruction I had. What Professor Gerald taught me was…incomplete. It was cut off all too soon, and what instruction I did get was focused more on being a Life Form than being the Ultimate. What I remember from it, at least. The specifics of the nature of Chaos were simply ignored, in favor of more important things." He displays the Emerald he holds for Sonic to see. "Maybe you don't understand why the Emeralds work the way they do, but you do understand how they work, better than I do. Maybe you do need a teacher. But that isn't me. I need the help as much as you do."

Sonic is clearly dissatisfied, but he gives a slow nod.

After another moment of silence, Shadow says, "I have no more business here. Let's go."

—–—

The three reappear, back on street level. Sonic and Shadow look to each other, and give one last nod before Shadow turns to leave. Sonic turns to Rouge. "You know, I think that G.U.N. is so busy chasing after Shadow, they don't realize what they already have. They don't appreciate you."

Rouge shrugs. "Me? I'm just another agent, a good one maybe, but nothing compared to what Shadow can do."

"No, you're an amazing agent. You just saved both of our lives from a killer android, reprogramed his computer to work backwards, and then arrested him, all like it was nothing. I still can't figure out how you found us so quickly."

"Well, that was the easy part. I'd had a hunch for a while, but when you went through that Black Alien sludge I knew that the Black Cloak had to be Shadow. I reported back in to base, and I was assigned to lead a team to shut down King's operations while a smaller team was sent to the cavern to bring you two back to base. All they found was an empty room and signs of a recent struggle. Without you two, we didn't have enough evidence to go after King. Everyone seemed ready to give up, until I found evidence of a secret dungeon and lab in the basement floors of the King Industries building. I had no doubt you two would be there, so we continued with the mission as planned. The hard part was King's computer. Old Frances from the decryption unit had to put me through quite a bit of training with King technology before they would even let me into the city, that's why I showed up so late. That computer was doing things that even I couldn't understand. I'll bet your friend Tails could've figured it out, but luckily for me it was all formatted in a way that let me reverse the process without too much trouble. Well, that, or kill King in the process. It was a win either way, if you ask me."

"After all you had done here, they just sent in another team after Shadow and put you somewhere else? I just don't get it. Why do you stick around with those guys?"

"Look, I have my reasons, alright? I'm not going to leave just because they don't give in to my every will and demand. Maybe they're not perfect, but how could they be? They're doing good for the world, and they want me to help them do it. That's what matters."

Sonic sighs. "I get that. I just think that they don't appreciate you as much as they should. You at least deserve a promotion or something."

"A promotion? I'm already the President's personal spy, a promotion just means more paperwork." She stops to think for a moment. "The President…I almost forgot!" She starts to run off, but turns back to face Sonic as she does. "Oh, and say hi to old Knuckies for me, would you?"

As Rouge runs off, Sonic cocks his head off to one side, as if struck by a new idea.

Before long, Rouge draws near to Shadow, who slowly walks towards the edge of the city. "Hey, hold up!" Shadow looks back to Rouge, but doesn't slow down. In another moment, she catches up. "Where do you think you're going?"

Shadow looks on towards the horizon. "I…I don't know yet. I just need…to think for a while."

"What, you haven't done enough brooding already?" He gives her an odd look. "Oh, I'm just kidding with you. You should take all of the time you need. Anyways, I have a few things for you."

"Things?"

"Before I came out here to look for you, I had a personal meeting with the President. He said he wanted me to give you these if I found you. A sign of good will, in the hopes that you would return to your position in the military."

"I'm not going back."

"Of course not. But these are still yours." First, she takes out a shiny gold medal.

"A medal? I didn't earn any medals."

"Sure you did." She begins reading the inscription, "For strength and bravery in the face of the ARK cataclysm, this medal is awarded to Shadow the Hedgehog, hero of the ARK. Don't you remember? The President showed me the picture you took with Sonic in front of the Executive Office. You were supposed to get a medal after that, but it seemed that you weren't there to receive it."

"That's because I didn't earn any medals. Besides, I had more important things to deal with. Like my missing memories. And the fact that I had just learned I was probably an android. Posing for photographs hardly seemed important at the time. So I left. And I ended up in Westopolis, just in time to find more problems."

"So maybe it didn't seem important to you at the time. But the President, and just about everyone else, disagrees. He's been holding onto the medal for you, hoping to present it to you properly in person. But when he heard you'd disappeared, he wanted to make sure you knew that you were appreciated. You're a hero, and you deserve this." Without giving him much choice, she shoves it into his hands. He begins to examine it carefully. On the opposite side of the inscription, and elegant picture of the ARK surrounded in fire with the Earth beneath it is engraved. "This world needs heroes, people it can count on, and you should know that better than anyone. The medal isn't about praising you for your heroics. It's about letting the world know that they can count on you. And they can. That's why you deserve it."

Shadow's only response is to look up to the dawn sky, at a point of light which can only be the ARK. After just a few moments, the light of the sun becomes too bright to see it any longer.

"There's something else, too." Shadow looks back to her. "When I was looking into your disappearance…looking for any clue I could possibly find…I stumbled across a single file with restricted access. Classified beyond even my own credentials, and I had top clearance as far as I knew. So I took it to the President. He didn't know about it either. But he agreed that if it had even a slight chance of helping to bring you back, it was worth looking into. So he accessed it for me. Neither of us could've guessed what it was. But we both agreed that it was something that shouldn't have been kept from you." She takes out a tablet-like device similar to the one that the Commander had shown to Sonic.

Shadow seems to be quite perplexed by what Rouge has been saying. But he extends a hand to take the device. She doesn't hand it over. "Well?"

"Remember, this isn't something you can share, it's top secret. You're about to become the fourth person on the planet to know about it."

"Fourth?"

"I'll give you one guess on who else knows the full story."

Shadow doesn't need much time to think. "The Commander." Rouge nods in response, but doesn't take any other action. "Is there something else?"

"Shadow…before you look at this…there's something I want to tell you. You may not like what you see in here. But…even if you believe everyone in the world will be against you…know that I'll always remain by your side. Remember that."

Shadow seems more confused than ever, as if the words were familiar somehow. But he nods. "I will."

Slowly, she places the device in his hand, and lets go. Shadow takes a deep breath, and activates it. The file is already open. The title reads, "Project: Sunlight — The New Ultimate Life Form."

The end of one adventure…

And the beginning of another.