? ? ?
"My name is Shadow the Hedgehog…"
"This isn't where I belong…"
"I don't serve Eggman…"
Shadow the Hedgehog opens his eyes with a start, trying to inhale. But there's nothing to breathe. The pod in which he floats, suspended, is filled with a translucent green fluid. A fluid that is slowly draining. As the last of the fluid drains, the lid of the pod pops open, and Shadow collapses forward onto the hard metal ground, gasping and sputtering for breath. As he does his best to normalize his breathing, he finally begins to question, "Where…where am I?"
With a bit of a struggle, Shadow begins to rise from his hands and knees. He takes a long look around at the small, dark room with metal walls. "I…don't recognize this place…"
Shadow is startled into a defensive stance at the sound of a mechanism in the roof activating, lowering down a small, static-filled screen. After a moment, the static cuts to the image of Emperor Eggman. "Ah, Shadow, good morning! So glad to see you awake."
Shadow gasps with surprise, "You're…Eggman!"
"Guilty as charged."
Shadow continues to demand, "What is this place!? How did I get here!?"
"Well, don't you remember, Shadow? You were injured in your last battle. I brought you here to heal. Don't you feel better now?"
Shadow puts a hand up to his head. "Battle…? I don't remember any battle…"
"Yes, I was afraid there might be some trouble with your memory. This isn't the first time, you know. Perhaps a quick round in the training room will help to jog your memory."
Shadow shakes his head in confusion. "Eggman… There's something I…I was trying to say, but…I can't remember what it is…"
"Well, there's no need to worry about that. I'll send some robots down to escort you around, and you can worry about getting back to work later."
"Work…? What sort of work?"
"Why, serving the Eggman Empire, of course."
This seems to spark something in Shadow's mind. He whispers in a short breath, "I don't serve Eggman."
"Say again? I didn't quite catch that."
Shadow repeats with renewed fury, "I don't serve Eggman!" He throws an arm out to one side, charging a bolt of yellow energy in one hand. "Chaos… … …Sp—" He is suddenly cut off as a massive mechanical claw flies out from the wall, pinning Shadow's arms to his sides with a tight grip. With increasing anger, Shadow pushes back against the claw, forcing it apart inch by inch. But the claw is joined by a second from the opposite wall, gripping him even harder.
As Shadow struggles to escape, Eggman complains, "Bah, another failed attempt. But we're close this time. Increase the strength of the memory wipe by an additional…ten percent."
An unseen voice answers, "Yes, sir."
The claws lift Shadow off of his feet, pushing him back towards the open pod. Shadow renews his struggles, but comes no closer to escaping. As one claw stuffs him back into the pod, the other slams the lid down over him, trapping him inside. "No!" Trapped in this machine, he pounds against the inside of the pod as Eggman watches. But as it begins to refill with green fluid, his strength seems to rapidly drain. As it rises above the level of his head, everything goes fuzzy and dark.
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Chaos Project
Season 2, Episode 9
A Shadow of Myself
Written by ChaosProjectAuthor
"My name is Shadow the Hedgehog. This isn't where I belong. I don't serve Eggman." Clenching his eyes shut, Shadow repeats the thought over and over again. "Can't forget. Won't forget. My name is Shadow the Hedgehog. This isn't where I belong. I don't serve Eggman. My name is Shadow the Hedgehog. This isn't where I belong. I don't serve Eggman. My name… My name is… Shadow… This… This place is…it isn't… right… Who… Who is Eggman?" His grimace grows ever tighter. "No, no! Don't let it slip away! Remember! My name is Shadow the Hedgehog! I don't… …serve… I don't… I don't…know…" His expression finally gives way to defeat. "I don't remember…"
The fluid in the pod begins to drain.
"Who am I…?"
The front of the pod opens, and Shadow is dropped onto the floor.
"Ah, Shadow, good morning! So glad to see you awake."
Shadow looks up in surprise. "You… Who are you?"
On the screen, Eggman puts a hand up to his chin, contemplating his answer for a moment. "Well, it seems the damage to your memory was worse than I feared."
"Damage…?"
"You were injured in your last battle. I brought you here to heal. Do you remember anything at all?"
Shadow closes his eyes as he points his head down towards the ground. After a moment, he shakes his head. "I've never been in any battle."
"Oh, but you have. You were attacked by our nemesis. Sonic."
Shadow's eyes open at the sound of the name. "Sonic… He's a fool. I don't like him."
Eggman raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Well, rightfully so. He's an anarchist. He seeks to tear down our entire government, and plunge the world into chaos."
"That's terrible…"
"That's why I need you back on your feet, Shadow. You're the only one strong enough to defeat him."
Shadow finally looks back up at the screen. "Who are you?"
Eggman pauses another moment. "My name is…Doctor Robotnik. I'm the leader who governs this planet. And you, Shadow, are my most faithful peacekeeper."
"Robotnik… I've heard that name before…"
"Perhaps your memories aren't so far gone after all. My grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik, is the one who created you. That makes you very important to me."
"I think…I remember that…"
"Perfect! Does that mean you're ready to get back to work?"
"Work… What is it that I do?"
"You are the Ultimate Life Form, born to fight. So you fight. And when you aren't fighting, you're training for the next fight. Perhaps a round in the training room will help you find your bearings. This isn't the first time you've dealt with memory loss, you know."
"Training room… How do I get there?"
The door at the exit of the room suddenly slides open, letting much more light flood in from outside. An Egg Pawn stands on the other side, weapon held at ready position. Eggman explains, "This robot will escort you there. Don't be afraid to ask questions along the way."
Silently, Shadow walks towards the escort robot, and out of the room.
Once the door closes, Eggman finally lets out a repressed groan. "I knew I should've written a program to take care of this monotony.…"
Outside the room, Shadow glances around suspectingly as the escort robot leads him onwards through the bright metal hallways. Squadrons of robots of all different shapes and sizes march in both directions, many of them carrying parts or weapons. "This place is familiar. What is its purpose?"
Eggman's voice answers over an intercom, "I'm glad you asked, Shadow. This is the most advanced imperial-owned robot production facility in the world. It's a place of vital importance, which is why I trust you to guard it."
"Imperial… We're an empire?"
"Don't tell me that upsets you, Shadow. You agreed long ago that the individual is far too greedy to be trusted without strict control. Such greed is exactly how my grandfather and cousin were killed."
Shadow suddenly stops in place. "Maria…"
The escort robot stops, and turns around to look at him.
"Is something the matter, Shadow?"
"The people…are they happier this way?"
There is a moment of silence. "…Since we founded the Empire, job security has gone up globally, as homelessness has gone down. So I would certainly hope so. But people aren't always able to appreciate what they have. That sort of unruliness is exactly why we must assert control."
"That…that makes sense…" Shadow slowly resumes his walk.
"The training room is just ahead."
The escort robot leads Shadow through a rising metal door. On the other side lies a box-shaped room, with walls, floor, and ceiling all entirely white. "There's…nothing here…"
"Not yet, there isn't. I'll start you off on level 1, just to be on the safe side." With a beeping sound, a squadron of six GUN Hunter robots suddenly seem to materialize out of thin air, all with weapons pointed at Shadow. Shadow instinctively takes up a defensive stance. A monitor like the one in the other room lowers down from the ceiling to show Eggman looking through. "This training room was designed specifically for you, Shadow. Attack all of the enemy robots to destroy them. Get hit by an attack, and the training ends in failure. Now…begin!"
The robots open fire, and Shadow leaps into action. He dives over the energy bolt fired by the nearest attacker, and slams down in retaliation, crashing straight through it as it dissolves into a haze of red cubes.
"Good, good! Keep going!"
Shadow takes off at a run and rolls under a cluster of fire, continuing his roll through three more of the replica robots. He looks up as he hears a noise above his head. A small squadron of GUN Beetles swoop down in formation, sending out strafing fire as they go. Shadow leaps away from the spot they were targeting, rebounding off of the wall in order to grab at the closest Beetle, landing successfully on top of it. Though it supports his weight, its form doesn't seem to quite hold up, as the cubes composing it seem to slide slightly apart. Shadow wrestles for control as the Beetle fires wildly, flying on an erratic course. Finally, he manages to sweep the weapon across the other drones, destroying the majority of them. Getting a more secure hold on top, Shadow spins into a ball in the air, carrying the captive drone around with him before hurling it at the other remaining Beetle, destroying them both.
"Excellent, marvelous!"
Shadow sets his sights on the only remaining robot in the room—the Egg Pawn that escorted him in. Without hesitation, he leaps at it as it watches him with surprised eyes, destroying it with a strike directly to the chest. Shadow gasps in shock as smoke and shrapnel fly. He looks down at his soot-covered hands with a sudden remorse. "I-I… I'm sorry, I didn't even realize—"
"Not to worry, not to worry. These things happen. What matters is that your training was a brilliant success! Even with your memories gone, it's clear that your fighting skills are quite intact. That being the case, I see no reason why you should be held back from your duties. You can resume work first thing in the morning."
"Resume… I was interrupted?"
"Now, Shadow, even your memory isn't that bad. You were injured in battle, remember?"
"Battle…against Sonic. Why were we fighting?"
"You were— Oh, well, perhaps it's better to show you. This footage was taken by one of my security drones." The view on Eggman's screen switches to show recorded footage. From quite high above, the video quite clearly shows some part of the Emerald Hill Zone. Sonic runs along the ground at high speed. "You were sent to destroy their encampment in the wilderness. Your movement was noticed, and Sonic there was the first able to intercept you." On the screen, Sonic skids to a halt just as Shadow comes into view in his path, standing motionless with his hands at his sides. Sonic makes a clear motion of looking backwards over his shoulder, before shouting something accusatory at Shadow. The video doesn't seem to have any sound. Instead of responding, the Shadow on screen rushes in to attack, leaping into the air before coming back down for a kick. The footage suddenly cuts out. Eggman explains, "On his own, you certainly would have been able to defeat him. But his friends arrived quickly, and you were overwhelmed by their numbers. Sonic nearly killed you, but one of my robots was able to rescue you from the fight and bring you back here."
"How will I defeat them next time when they still have the numbers? Surely I can't on my own."
"Well…yes and no. Oh, how easy it is for me to forget that you don't remember. Next time you attack, you will have an army. And no one but you alone will defeat them."
"I don't understand…"
"Hmm…perhaps it's better to wait. Too many surprises at once might overwhelm your poor little brain. For now, you should get some rest. I'll send down a new escort for you."
"Rest…" Shadow moves a hand to his head, suddenly needing to support it just to stay upright. "Yes, I need rest. Why am I so tired?"
"A little sleep, and you'll be fine. And come tomorrow, you shall crush those rebels once and for all, and bring glory to the Eggman Empire."
Shadow stiffens up. "Eggman Empire… You're Eggman."
"Oh, that's right. But it's just a silly little nickname. You really shouldn't worry yourself—"
"My name is Shadow the Hedgehog."
"Oh, brother, here we go again…"
An alarm is set off, though Shadow hardly seems to notice. "This isn't where I belong. I don't serve Eggman!" Before Shadow can even make a move, mechanical claws spring from the walls, trapping him in place. Though they appear to be mere virtual replicas, they seem to restrict him just as well.
"Shadow, you can't keep doing this to me. I'm working hard to make sure that you're happy here."
"I don't serve Eggman! I don't serve Eggman!"
"Unfortunately, getting you back to your pod from this distance is going to be a nightmare. It will take half the robots in the base to keep you restrained. Why do you have to make this so difficult?"
The door to the training room opens, and robots begin to march in. But suddenly, all of the lights cut out.
"What in the world!?"
The sound of crunching metal rings out loudly. Egg Pawns begin to fire their weapons. Through brief flashes of light, a dark figure can be seen appearing in a completely different place each time, destroying robots at a rapid pace. Suddenly, the room goes silent and dark once again.
Eggman's voice presses, "What's going on in there? Where are the rest of the robots!?"
Just as the robots were, the arms holding Shadow in place are attacked, causing a glow of red as each is dissolved. As Shadow is dropped to the floor, the lights flicker back to life.
As Eggman reappears on the screen above, he shouts with surprise, "What!? You!?"
Shadow looks up slowly, finally meeting the face of his savior. Himself.
With an emotionless glare, the Other Shadow offers down a hand and speaks flatly, "Come with me if you want to live."
Shadow glances around in a sudden panic, completely bewildered. But, left without another choice, he takes the hand of the Other Shadow, and is lifted to his feet.
"You won't get away with this! You'll never escape!" The Shadows have already fled from the room.
—–—
The Shadows crawl through a dim tunnel, surrounded by conduits and machinery, as the sound of metal footsteps clanks above their heads.
The moment the sound has faded, Shadow, travelling in back, presses, "What's going on here?"
In front, the Other Shadow answers curtly, "I'm rescuing you."
"How did you do that with the lights?"
The Other Shadow stops and glances backwards, appearing to betray emotion for the first time. "That's your second question?"
"I asked it, didn't I?"
The Other Shadow resumes his crawl. "I caused a power surge in the lighting system, resulting in a fourteen second blackout before the backup systems could kick in. I've seen it happen before."
"Who, or what, are you?"
The space they crawl through widens slightly into a circular alcove, giving the Other Shadow room to move off to the side and sit by the wall. Shadow continues in behind him, moving to the opposite side and pressing the question with his expression. The Other Shadow closes his eyes, and lets out a heavy sigh. "Are you…?" He stops to think for another moment. "Are you the real Shadow the Hedgehog?"
Shadow crosses his arms. "I'd ask if there were any fake ones. But I guess the answer is sitting right here."
The Other Shadow's gaze moves to the ground. "I suppose it is."
"So you're some kind of fake hedgehog?"
The Other Shadow winces at the sound of the words. "Doctor Eggman—"
"I don't serve Eggman."
"Yeah, I got that." Other Shadow shakes his head and continues, "Eggman is building an army of Shadow Androids to destroy the Rebellion. And I can't let him do that."
"You don't sound awfully fond of the word 'Androids' considering that you are one."
"It's disgusting that Eggman would violate a person like this. And it isn't the first time, either. I intend to destroy every android in this facility. I need your help to do that."
"Who says that I want to help you? Maybe I just want to get out of here."
"Is that the thanks I get for saving your life?"
"Why did you do that? Why do you want to destroy the androids? Shouldn't you be serving Eggman?"
"I…was in a position quite similar to yours. Eggman tried to wipe my memory, but I escaped before he got the chance."
Shadow gasps. "You have my memories? How is that possible?"
"It's the entire point of Eggman's master plan. He can build androids capable of physically matching the real Shadow in every way, but without the years of combat experience that the real Shadow has, they can't replicate the real Shadow's skills. Eggman's solution was to transfer the entire contents of the real Shadow's brain into his androids, then progressively wipe away the details until only the skills remain."
"But I'm the real Shadow. Why would he be doing the same thing to me?"
Other Shadow hesitates a moment before answering. "That's his favorite part. Anything he can do to the androids, he can do to the real thing. He already needed the real thing for the memory transfer. Now that he's done with it, he can wipe its memories as well, and blend it in seamlessly with the rest of the army. As if this army wasn't dangerous enough, the Rebellion could never fight them at full strength knowing that their real friend is somewhere among them. They couldn't risk hurting him."
"He wanted me to lead that army… Now it makes sense. And the Rebellion…they're our friends? Why did you…? I mean…why did I…? How did I end up here?"
Other Shadow lets out a quiet groan. "We can't stick around here forever, we need to move." He gets back down onto his hands and begins to crawl into a new tunnel. "I'll explain on the way." Shadow quickly follows him. "When we found out… I mean… Maybe I should start from the beginning."
—–—
Emerald Canyon — Rebel Camp Alpha
Several days ago
"Alright, Shadow. You have some explaining to do." Sonic, scratched and bruised from battle, crosses his arms.
The Rebellion has gathered in the heart of the canyon, several of them battle-worn like Sonic.
"What makes you think that I know anything about this?"
"Shadow, that was literally you out there. Trying to kill us. He looked like you, he moved like you. And every time I ask you about it, you look away."
Shadow looks away silently.
Rouge cautiously steps. "Uh, Sonic, maybe you shouldn't… I mean, this is a bit of a touchy subject, and—"
Omega interrupts, "Scans identified the unit as a Shadow Android. Biosynthetic covering over a mechanical endoskeleton."
Sonic raises an eyebrow. "Shadow Android?"
Shadow turns away, cursing under his breath. "I really thought that I'd never have to see one of those wretched things again."
"You've mentioned something like this before," Sonic says. "But I figured it was better not to ask. What am I missing?"
Glancing questioningly at Shadow, Rouge seems to wait for permission. But Shadow keeps his back turned. With a sigh, Rouge begins, "When Eggman recovered Shadow's body after he fell from the ARK, he used it to create an army of Shadow Androids. A few prototypes were deployed during the Black Arms invasion. And Shadow…well, none of us really knew how it was that he survived. Eggman tried to convince him that he was an android, too. Didn't do a very good job of it, but he tried."
Sonic still seems skeptical. "An army of robot Shadows? Why haven't I heard about this?"
Taking a cautious glance at Shadow, Captain Johnny Naka is the one who steps forward. "Shortly after the Black Comet was destroyed, GUN received an emergency distress call from E-123 Omega, leading us to the facility where the androids were being produced."
Omega adds, "I was unable to destroy the androids alone. It was humiliating."
Johnny continues, "I was part of the team sent to take down the facility, as was Shadow. It…was his first mission as an agent." He looks back over at Shadow, but still gets no response. "The whole operation ended up being classified. Shadow had a certain…reputation, following the invasion, and it was the Commander's intention to avoid any additional causes for suspicion."
"But they were all destroyed?"
"To our knowledge, yes."
"So Eggman's making more. What's their point?"
"You just fought one, didn't you? They're literally fighting machines, out-matching any soldier, and just about any robot. We lost a lot of good men on that op…"
Johnny looks once again over to Shadow. This time, Shadow finally looks up. "I won't let that happen again."
Sonic props his hands on his hips. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"
"I'm going after that thing. I'm going to destroy them all before they can hurt anyone else."
"How do you expect to do that? We don't know where it was taken."
Omega interjects, "That is erroneous. The android contained a persistent design flaw resulting in the production of an easily traceable frequency."
"Hold on. You're saying that Eggman knew about this flaw, left it in, and sent one single android after us knowing that we could overpower it? This has the word 'trap' written all over it. Shadow, Eggman wants you to go after this thing."
"And that's exactly what I'm going to do."
"Not alone, you're not. We're going to put together the right team for this."
Omega steps forward first. "I will eradicate them all."
Johnny adds, "I've dealt with these things before, I should go."
Shadow turns to leave. "I'm going alone. Anyone who tries to come with me will wish they hadn't."
Sonic calls out, "Shadow, stop!" Shadow begrudgingly obeys. "You have to think about this. If Eggman is planning for you, you can at least—"
"If Eggman wants me, then I know I'm safe. No one else has that guarantee. This is my problem, no one else's. I'm going alone."
"And if I order you not to?"
Shadow clenches a fist. "You don't want to do that."
Rouge interrupts, "Sonic…I think you should let him do this. He needs this." She looks to him hopefully, waiting for an answer.
"…Alright, Shadow. But if you're gone too long—"
Shadow has already resumed his walk off. "I won't be."
—–—
Present day
"Wow…I kind of sound like a jerk."
Other Shadow stops for a moment to glare back at him with irritation. "That's enough questions. We need to focus on our plan to destroy the other androids."
"I told you, I'm not helping you. If those androids are as strong as us, I'm keeping as far away from them as I can get."
"If escape were an option, don't you think I'd be gone already? These things will hunt you down, it's only a matter of time. Right now, they're inactive, and if we don't take them out before they activate, we won't get another chance. I've been hiding in these tunnels for three days gathering intel and forming the closest thing I can manage to a plan."
"Didn't you say these tunnels weren't safe?"
Other Shadow pauses for another moment. "It's a very large facility, and there are miles' worth of access tunnels connecting it all together. It's unlikely that our exact location can be pinpointed right now, but we're bound to be found eventually."
"How do you know so much about this facility?"
"I… That is, the real Shadow…used to work here. This facility was formerly GUN central headquarters. Didn't I say no more questions?"
"I was a soldier? That doesn't sound right…"
"I remember it, and it still doesn't sound right, but that's another long story. Now please, focus."
"It's hard to focus when I feel so…" He slows down for a moment as he clenches his eyes shut and shakes his head. "…so tired. I don't know how much longer I can keep up this crawling without some sleep."
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
"What? I do sleep, don't I?"
"You've only been awake for an hour, you were in a pod all night before that. There's no reason you should need sleep right now."
"Well, pardon me for not being a flawless machine like you. Maybe it's a side effect of the memory wipe, I don't know, I just need sleep."
"You know what? Fine. You're no use to me fighting at half strength, so we are going to drop what we're doing and find you a place to sleep." He turns a sharp corner in the tunnels with irritation.
Shadow yawns as he follows.
—–—
On an exterior wall of a plain concrete building, a metal hatch is pushed open from the inside, and both Shadows emerge. Shadow takes another step forwards, marveling at the late dawn sky above. "This blue sky, staring at it from afar… Have I—"
Other Shadow grabs his shoulder and tugs him backwards. "Stay against the wall. You're sleeping here."
Shadow looks around in confusion. "Why here?"
"This hatch is an emergency exit. There's other ones like it all over the base, but this is the only one that isn't in range of any security cameras. They'll be looking for us in the base, so it isn't likely that they'll check out here. But a few more steps out, and you'll be spotted."
Shadow yawns as he lowers himself down against the wall. "Works for me." He struggles to get comfortable on the hard ground. After a few moments, he questions, "Do you need sleep?"
Other Shadow stands motionless against the wall. "Don't worry about me. I'll keep watch."
Shadow takes another long breath as he does his best to relax. Still, he can't seem to do it. "I have so many more questions."
"I know. But I can't answer them now. Focus on resting."
"Tell me about Maria."
Other Shadow visibly tenses up at the request. "You don't want to hear about that."
"Why not?"
"Because you'll lose sleep over it."
"I don't care. I need to know about her."
"No, you don't."
"They're my memories. Don't I have a right to know?"
Other Shadow gives a long sigh. "She's gone. And you've moved past it. That's all you need to know."
"But… What about…?" Shadow trails off into a yawn.
"What she wanted…more than anything…was for everyone, no matter who they are, to have a chance at a happy life…"
—–—
"Give them a chance…to be happy…"
"Maria…?"
The girl in his dreams stands against a wide window, looking down at a beautiful blue Earth. "Everyone deserves a chance, Shadow… And so do you."
Shadow reaches out towards her. But she seems so far away. "I'm not supposed to be here. What do I matter?"
"You deserve to be happy too, Shadow. What other reason is there to exist? To be happy. And to make others happy."
Shadow begins to run towards her. But he never seems to get any closer. "What if I can't? What if it isn't possible for me?"
"There is more than one way for Shadow to be happy."
Shadow stops moving, though it doesn't change his lack of progress. "The Other Shadow?" He turns around, looking behind him. The Other Shadow stands at the door, watching him silently. "Is it possible? For us?"
Other Shadow shakes his head slowly. "Only one."
Maria's voice turns his attention back to the window. "Please, you must. Do it for me, Shadow." The girl begins to turn towards him. But it isn't Maria. It isn't a girl. It's Eggman. He smirks through his thick mustache. "Do it for me, Shadow. All that you do, you do for me. That is the reason you were put on this planet."
Shadow doesn't stop running. "No! I don't serve Eggman!"
Eggman sits on a throne. "Come closer, Shadow. I have more to tell you."
Suddenly, he can. He bounds along the floor, finally moving closer to his target. But there isn't just one target. There are hundreds of Eggmen all around him.
The Eggmen all echo at once, "Happiness is servitude. Serve me, and you will always be happy. And you will make me even happier."
"I don't serve Eggman!"
"You don't have a choice."
"Yes he does." Shadow looks back. Other Shadow stands at his side, staring down the Eggman army with just as much anger. He finishes, "As I always have."
Shadow raises his fists, ready to fight with the Other Shadow at his side. He leaps at the Eggman in front of him. He falls right through, crashing to the ground. He tries to get up, but his limbs are too long, his body too heavy. He, too, is Eggman.
—–—
"Wake up!"
Shadow bolts upright, taking in the nighttime surroundings with confusion. "What's going on? How long have I been asleep?"
"Someone's spotted us, be ready to fight."
Shadow quickly gets to his feet, suddenly noticing the white bandages wrapped around the Other Shadow's forearm. "Your arm, what happened?"
"Not important right now." His eyes continuously scan all directions, but he doesn't seem to see anything.
"Is it serious? Can you still fight?"
"It's fine, I was damaged trying to rescue you earlier."
"Damage? I didn't notice any damage."
"Then you weren't paying attention, which you should be doing right now!"
"Where'd you even get the bandages? Did you—" Shadow stops as it dawns on him. "Did you leave? While I was asleep?"
"Yes, but—"
Shadow drops any attempt at staying on guard, focusing all of his anger on the Other Shadow. "You left me alone, defenseless out here, knowing that they're after me!? Were you trying to get me killed!?"
"I wasn't—"
"You have my memories, don't you!? Don't you care at all whether the real Shadow lives or dies!? I guess that's what I get for trusting a machine."
"I'm not—"
Neither of them notice as a rope drops down from the top of the building behind them, and a figure slides down it, landing on the ground and coming back up with a weapon in each hand pointed at the heads of each of the Shadows. "Either of you move, and I shoot." Johnny presses his weapons closer to prove the point. "I'm only going to ask this once. Where is the real Shadow the Hedgehog?"
Not risking any movement, Shadow answers, "I am the real Shadow."
Johnny looks to the Other Shadow. "And what do you have to say about that?"
Other Shadow doesn't bother with caution, and turns to face the soldier who threatens him. He answers with an edge of irritation, "Put the guns down before you hurt someone, Captain. We're all on the same side here."
Johnny looks back to Shadow questioningly.
"You can trust him. He may be an android, but he saved my life."
Hesitantly, Johnny begins to lower his weapons.
Shadow is the first to ask, "Okay, who is this guy?"
Other Shadow answers, "No one important. An ally."
Johnny complains, "Hey!"
"I said you were an ally, didn't I?"
"Wait, didn't you say…?" Johnny points from one Shadow to another in confusion.
Shadow explains, "Eggman basically transferred my memories into him. I'm still getting caught up."
"Umm…okay?"
Other Shadow asks, "Care to explain what you're doing here, Captain?"
"I'm your backup. Or…his backup, I guess. You've been gone for more than three days. That was Sonic's cut-off point."
Other Shadow rolls his eyes. "And Sonic couldn't have at least sent Omega?"
Johnny tries not to look offended. "I was told you would appreciate a more subtle approach."
"Subtle isn't going to work anymore. I was expecting a dozen androids, I found hundreds."
Shadow raises an eyebrow. "Hundreds? You never mentioned that part."
Johnny continues, "Well, thankfully, I brought explosives. I've already planted a few of them, actually. Just in case. If the androids are all inside, we can blow the place down without ever dealing with them."
"A little rubble isn't going to stop these things, they need to be destroyed completely."
Shadow questions, "Are you saying you have a different plan?"
"I do. Follow me." Other Shadow reopens the hatch and crawls inside, Johnny following behind him.
Shadow remains in place, slowly turning his head to look out at the nighttime horizon. "I could run for it now. Live out my own life far away from here."
Other Shadow looks back out from the hatch, hearing his words. "I know you can't remember what the real Shadow would have wanted you to do. I know how frustrating that is. But this it. This is what he wants. If you make the wrong choice now, then some part of you will always hate yourself for that."
Shadow stares out for a while longer. "…I know. I don't know how I know. But I know." He turns back to the facility. "Let's destroy these things once and for all."
—–—
Daily log, May 31st, 1 A.E. Captain Johnnathan Naka reporting.
I've managed to rendezvous with Shadow…and Shadow. I'm still not exactly sure why there's two of them on our side, but I'll take what I can get. I've seen firsthand just how deadly these Shadow androids can be. Even with the help, I'm…not sure we can pull this off. But we don't have the time to wait for more backup. After tonight, there won't be another chance to take them all out in one place. Eggman's waking them up.
I lost too many friends last time. This is for them. I won't let these fake Shadows hurt anyone else. That's what I'm fighting for.
I know it's not important right now…but… Oh, nevermind. We'll get there when we get there.
—–—
"Do you have to record that thing right now?"
Johnny, putting away his recording device as he crawls through the tunnels between the two Shadows, answers, "If I don't make it out of this, I'd like there to be some record of what I was doing."
Behind him, Shadow adds, "Makes sense to me."
"No one asked you," Other Shadow says.
Ignoring him, Shadow asks after a moment, "So what does it look like?"
"What does what look like?"
"Under your bandage. Do you look like a robot beneath your skin?"
"Eggman's androids are biosynthetic on the outside. Skin and flesh made of real organic material."
"And under that?"
"Mechanical. Yes."
"I get it, you know. If I were an android, I wouldn't want a reminder of it staring up at me either. I just can't believe you abandoned me over it."
"Oh, just shut up already."
"What's the matter? Did I become too talkative when I lost my memory?"
"That's not how it worked last time…"
Johnny interjects, "Am I the only one here who notices how much you two seem to hate yourself?"
Both Shadows answer at once, "No."
"So when exactly are you going to let us in on this plan of yours?"
"It's not exactly a…plan…"
"But you said—"
"I know what I said, just let me explain." He stops, forcing Johnny and Shadow to stop behind him, directly over a grate looking down on the room below. "We're directly above the room where the androids are being held."
Shadow peers down through the grate, getting a good look at the rows of containment pods lining each wall of the room below for as far as the eye can see, each one filled full of a green fluid.
"The moment we appear in that room, the alarms will be set off. All the guards on the base will be sent to stop us, but that would still give us a short period of time without much trouble."
Johnny questions, "If Eggman sees that we're trying to take out the androids, can't he wake them up to stop us?"
"Yes. That's exactly the problem. They may not have my memories or skills yet, but they do have my power, and we have no chance of fighting off all of them."
"So what can we do about it?"
"There's only one thing to do. Take out as many as we can before they get woken up."
"You call that a plan?"
"No, I specifically didn't."
"It sounds more like a guaranteed way to get us all killed. Or worse."
"That's right."
Shadow halts himself before he can counter. "Wh—… What do you mean, 'that's right'?"
"I mean that it was never the plan to survive this, don't you get it? Why do you think we came here alone? Why do you think I wanted your help, but not his? If Eggman wants to turn Shadow against the world, then we are going to take every Shadow out of his hands."
"I don't believe you. I wouldn't have done that, I had friends, I—"
"You don't know the first thing about being Shadow, so why don't you just—"
"I know that Maria wanted everyone to have a chance, and that includes you! Uh— I mean…me? … …I mean…whoever it was that decided they needed to die. That person was wrong. We can find another way."
Other Shadow has been looking away the entire time. But finally, he seethes, "How dare you?"
"Maybe you're the one who's forgetting here. She was my friend, not yours. You have a problem with that, android?"
Other Shadow begins to raise a clenched fist angrily. But then his hand moves as if subconsciously to cover his bandaged arm. He answers quietly, "No…"
Johnny interrupts, "I know you guys are having a moment and all, but for the record, I'm under strict orders not to let you get yourself killed, so…if our best plan is a suicide mission, I'm going to have to pull you out now."
"You weren't supposed to be here. And you don't want to get in my way."
Shadow counters, "It doesn't matter, because we're going to find a better way, right?"
Other Shadow closes his eyes. "There's a chance. A small one."
Johnny presses, "Just tell us what we need to do."
"The fluid in those pods…it contains a small amount of a neurotoxin that suppresses the chemical components of their neural networks. That fluid is being constantly pumped through. If we can access the controls of the pumping mechanism, we can increase the levels of that toxin to such a high degree that it will completely destroy their organic components. There won't be any fixing them from that."
"So what's the problem?"
"Assuming we can reach the controls without incident, the change will spread slowly from one side of the room to the other. It's the same problem we already had. By the time the first few are destroyed, the rest can easily be removed from their pods and sent after us."
Shadow poses, "Well, those chemicals have to be stored somewhere, right? We don't have to drown them in their pods, we can flood the room with it."
"That…that could work. It would require an explosive charge planted between the controls on that side of the room, and the main reserve tank, which is on the other side of the same wall. The tunnels run right through that spot, it shouldn't be a problem. But it would take down this entire section of the facility, that area is a structural weak point created by Eggman's renovations."
"How do you know all this?"
"Do you think I spent the last three days waiting around? I've studied every angle, every detail that could have any chance of leading to a success. This is the only chance."
Johnny interrupts, "I think our chances just went down a bit." He points down through the grate. "They're waking up."
"No, no!" Other Shadow looks down to confirm that the lids of the pods are opening up one after another. He rips the grate out from under him and tosses it aside. "Captain, get that explosive into place! We can't let even a single one of them leave this room, or our chance is gone!" On the last few words, he's already leapt down into the room below.
Shadow looks to Johnny hesitantly for only a moment, before jumping down to follow. He lands beside the Other Shadow, and they stand back to back as androids step slowly towards them from all sides. In just as many numbers as the androids identical to Shadow are others with streaks of yellow, blue, and orange instead of red.
Eggman's voice projects from above, "Ah, I knew that wouldn't take very long. Did you two really think you could hide from me? It's over for you. You can't possibly defeat an army of yourselves. And I no longer have a use for either of you. Sayonara, Shadows."
All at once, the androids leap in to attack. Shadow manages to knock aside the first one that comes near him, but another immediately tackles him to the ground from another side. Wrestling with it for a moment, he manages to throw it aside, and begins to climb back to his feet, only to be knocked in the head back to the ground.
Beside him, Other Shadow doesn't appear to be faring any better.
The android that hit Shadow prepares for another strike, but it is suddenly blasted by a bolt of energy from above, sending it back to the ground. The shot is followed in quick succession by several more, each one precisely targeting the next closest android, until both Shadows have the room to stand again.
Other Shadow looks up with fury. "What do you think you're doing!? You have a job to do!"
Johnny's voice shouts back down, "Not while you're trapped in there! You'll be killed too!"
Other Shadow punches an android in the face. "Don't worry about me, just do it! That's an order, Captain!"
Shadow takes a glance back at Other Shadow in a moment of confusion. But his thought is interrupted as another android tackles him.
As the firing lets up, Eggman's voice declares, "Oh, an uninvited guest? Let's take care of that, shall we?"
At his order, several androids break out from the group. One android easily picks up and throws another, high enough for it to grab onto the edge of the hole that the Shadows came down through. The android on the ground prepares to do the same with another.
With the number of androids thinned and spread slightly, the Shadows are able to hold their ground far better, though no androids seem to be going down. Shadow looks up with concern at the thrown android. "We can't let them get to him, give me a boost!"
Other Shadow quickly turns around and makes a similar motion to the android, tossing Shadow high into the air. Shadow grabs onto the foot of the highest android just as it's about to disappear into the tunnel, and pulls it back out, throwing it straight down into the second, so that they both land with a crash on top of the throwing android. He lands beside Other Shadow just in time to kick away an android that was about to attack him from behind. The Shadow's meet each other's eyes for just a moment, with a nod of understanding.
The two Shadows begin to move with synergy, one Shadow's defensive strike seamlessly followed by the other's attack. But for every android they keep at bay, ten more seem to approach from the farther corners of the room, making the army denser and denser.
Another plasma shot fires down from above, striking the closest android directly in the head.
Other Shadow looks up with a groan. "No, I told you not to worry about us! Get to a safe range and detonate it!"
"I can't! I have to get you out of there first!" Several more shots hold the front line of androids back. "I can't lose another friend like this!"
"Neither can I!" Other Shadow watches as another android prepares to be launched up to Johnny's position. "Chaos Spear!" Other Shadow throws a projectile from his hand which explodes as it strikes the android out of the air. With emotion in his voice, he repeats, "You have to go, now! Please!"
Shadow still looks with shock at the spot where the Chaos Spear exploded. "Wait, how'd you…?" He looks down at his own hand for a moment. "Chaos Spear!" He throws an exploding projectile of his own at the closest android, producing a large amount of smoke. He shakes off his confusion as he puts his focus back on the fight.
Beside him, Other Shadow has taken up a more constant stream of less explosive Chaos Spears. The help from above has stopped once again. The Shadows are backed up farther and farther as they try to keep the solid wall of androids a distance away. But there's no end to them.
"I guess this is it, isn't it?"
Other Shadow focuses solely on the battle.
"I'm sorry for what I said before. I don't care that you're an android. You're still a friend."
"Don't apologize."
They've been backed all the way against a computer system at the back wall."I'm not ready to die. Not here."
"This is more important."
"I know it is. Because this isn't for me. It's for everyone else."
Then the wall behind them explodes.
—–—
Johnny watches from an elevated, grassy hill as the structure below him begins to collapse in on itself. A torrent of green chemicals is sprayed into the air, before seeping back down through the rubble that remains. Johnny remains at a safe distance, his hand still squeezing hard on the trigger of the detonator. Trembling.
Then a small section of the rubble begins to shift.
"Shadow?" Johnny takes off at a run, bounding down the hill. "Shadow, are you still in there!?"
—–—
Shadow looks around in wonder at the golden barrier that has been erected around them, holding back a wall of rubble and a layer of chemicals from all sides. He looks back down at Other Shadow, who appears to be holding up the Chaos Shield with his outstretched hands. "Wow… You really do have all my powers, don't you?"
Light shines in through the translucent barrier above them as individual chunks of rubble are thrown aside. Johnny looks down through the hole in the debris he's created. "You could've mentioned that this was an option!"
Through gritted teeth, Other Shadow answers, "Not a very good one! We're trapped in here! The moment the shield goes down, we're still dead!"
Shadow questions, "Can you open it up, just at the top?"
Other Shadow clenches his eyes shut, and unfiltered white light shines in as a circular gap widens above their heads. Johnny's hand reaches down through the hole.
Shadow takes a questioning glance at Other Shadow for a moment, before taking the hand and being pulled up to safety.
After a few moments, Johnny's hand goes back down. "You too. Up you go."
Other Shadow looks at the hand for a moment. "If I move, the shield goes down. The rubble will collapse. You'll fall into the chemicals. Get away while you still can."
"The rubble's stable farther out, Shadow has us covered. I'm not leaving you behind."
He closes his eyes for a moment. "Okay."
"On three. One… Two… Three!"
He drops his arms and leaps for Johnny's hand as the golden barrier fades away. He's pulled up as the rubble begins to fall inwards. Above, Shadow pulls them both as the ground slips out beneath Johnny's feet. The three of them scramble up the shifting ground as it falls to fill in the newly created gap, sending chemicals splashing up behind them. But finally, the ground stops moving, and they escape onto the grassy hills beyond.
Shadow flops down onto the grass. "We did it. We stopped the androids."
Johnny looks with sorrow over the rubble of the facility. "It's a shame we had to destroy HQ. But I blew every charge I planted. Just to be safe. And to keep any other robots in the facility off our tail."
Other Shadow looks over the facility as well. "It's better that it's out of Eggman's hands. Less of a chance that he'll be able to make more androids."
Shadow slowly gets back up, looking over at the Other Shadow. "I know we had to do it…but I can't help but wonder… What if there was a chance…that some of them could've turned out like us?"
"That isn't a risk we could take."
"They…they could've lived happy lives."
"I know." Other Shadow places a comforting hand on Shadow's back. "And I'm sorry."
"I chose to do this. What do you have to be sorry for?"
"For this. Chaos Spear."
Shadow's eyes go wide and his mouth breathlessly gapes open as his face is lit up by the Chaos Spear that came from the other side of his body. Slowly, with trembling movements, he looks down towards his chest, where exposed wires and shards of metal stick out from a gaping hole in the center.
Wires. Metal. No bone.
As his systems begin to shut down, a smile appears on his face.
"My name is… …irrelevant."
"I have found where I belong."
" I don't… …serve… … …Eggman."
—–—
A gun is lifted to the head of the Shadow still standing. "Explain."
Shadow looks down at the android, which has fallen forward onto the ground, still flinging sparks from the hole through its back. "I'm the real Shadow. He never was."
Johnny is unconvinced. "He didn't know that. How do you?"
Shadow slowly lifts up his bandaged arm. "Because I checked."
Johnny lowers his weapon only slightly in surprise. "You did that to yourself?"
"There was no room for hesitation. I had to be sure. Now put that thing down before someone gets hurt."
Johnny obeys with a scowl on his face. "Do you think I'm a child?"
Shadow mutters something unintelligible.
Johnny chooses not to respond, and looks over to the android instead. "He was on our side. Why did you…?"
"Eventually…he would have had to learn the truth. And he wouldn't have accepted it. He'd become a danger. He would turn on all of us if it meant proving something to himself. Especially after we lied to him."
"How do you know that?"
"Because it's exactly what I would've done. I could only get his help by making him believe that he should do what the real Shadow wanted. So I lied to him." Shadow nudges the android with his foot, turning it over to face the sky. A smile still lies on its face.
"I…I think he understands. After all, if it were him…that's exactly what he would've done."
Shadow kneels down to close the android's eyes. "We shouldn't leave him out in the open like this."
Johnny raises an eyebrow.
Shadow specifies, "He could be found and repaired. We can't let Eggman get his hands on a single one. We should throw him into the chemicals with the others."
"Or we could bury him."
Shadow looks back at Johnny for a moment with surprise. Then he turns back to the android. "You're right. He deserves that much."
—–—
It is dawn. Shadow and Johnny look down at a fresh mound of upturned earth. Shadow closes his eyes and whispers quietly, "Sayonara…Shadow."
Together, they turn to walk away over the grassy hills, leaving the grave behind them.
Johnny explains, "We set up a pickup zone not far from here, they'll get us back to base before noon."
Shadow stares at the ground as he walks.
"Do you regret your choice?"
Shadow walks silently for a moment longer. Then he answers, "No. Actually…I was thinking about something else."
"Yeah?"
"Even though I ordered you to leave…you tried to stay and protect us."
"To be fair, I thought you were an android. I didn't realize that you outranked me, Commander Shadow."
"Yes. And even though you thought I was the android, even when all the other androids were gone and I could've been just another one of them buried under that rubble, you risked your life to save me. Not the real Shadow, not your long trusted ally, just me, for who you thought I was. You called me your friend."
"So did you."
"So I did. Ever since you joined the Rebellion, I've been thinking of you as just another mindless soldier."
"Wow, you…really don't hold back your opinions, do you?"
"Well, I may have wrong. You think for yourself. You act for yourself. You fight for yourself. I…respect that."
"Funny. I noticed some of the same things about you the day we took out the first wave of androids all those years ago. Admittedly…there may have been slightly less respect behind those observations. Frankly, I thought you wouldn't last long in GUN. And technically, I was right."
"I believe our battlefield performance can be improved if we get to know each other better, Captain."
"You can call me Johnny. I mean…if you want. Commander. Sir."
Shadow puts on a slight smirk. "I look forward to working with you more in the future…Johnny."
—–—
"I need more androids. They've all been destroyed."
On the screen in front of Eggman, the SCOPE Master Sergeant stands in front of a dark background. "I'm afraid that isn't possible. The entire reserve of Chaosium confiscated from King Industries was consumed to create the last batch. There isn't any left on Earth. Unless you happen to have a supply we aren't aware of."
For a moment, Eggman appears to show genuine fear. "But without the androids…"
"We'll continue to research alternative options. The fleet we're producing could well be enough."
"'Could' isn't good enough. I have not worked this hard building an empire to see it all torn down."
The Sergeant looks down for a moment. "And you're certain that all of the androids were destroyed?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Because I'm still receiving one active homing signal."
—–—
As the sun sets, fading to darkness over the mound of earth left behind, the soil suddenly begins to rumble.
To be continued…