"So, did you catch all that?" Tails said.

Sonic was spaced out from information overload and still coping with the fact he ripped off the arm on the guy he was crushing on. He looked at Tails dumbfoundedly and let out a confused groan.

"Okay, okay, let me explain it a little less technical then," Tails began.

"The scan I ran shows that this arm is fully mechanical, and the technology is pretty advanced. Of course, this is EGGMAN Empire tech, but I found something significant. The control chip Eggman uses in his machines to make them obey him is corrupted in this unit, meaning this AI cannot be corrupted by Eggman's evilness, thus it is a free-machine."

"So, that Shadow I have been seeing is a robot?" Sonic asked.

"Yes, but he is free thinking like Emerl or Omega, but there is something else I found in the diagnostics," Tails replied. "His AI isn't just advanced, it is lifelike. The algorithms in his hardrive are developing and expanding like a neural net. Sonic, this robot might be the first artificial intelligence to mimic core humanity in thought!"

"But how? He seemed so cold and detached whenever I was with him, at least in conversation."

"AIs can have trouble talking since mimicking human conversation is not always logical as they think, but my reports show it has developed human traits like desire and helpfulness."

"Don't call him at it, Tails. He is more than a robot to me…" Sonic was stern.

"Oh, Sonic, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be rude like that," Tails apologized and paused. "Sonic… you know I am not a kid anymore and you're like a brother to me… were you and this Shadow… seeing each other?"

Sonic sighed and pondered the question. "It was complicated, probably because I was trying to pursue the real Shadow while this other Shadow was the one who actually wanted me. I got such mixed signals, and now, I am wondering if these feelings are even genuine…"

Tails frowned and rubbed Sonic's back. "I'm sorry, Sonic. But, I think I know a way you can find out."

Sonic perked back to his curious self when he heard Tails' teaser. "Really? Well, tell me, Tails!"

Tails went back to his computer and started swiping through the reports on screen. "Your other Shadow has a lot of sophisticated technology, and one of those is a simple chip that helps him in a big way, and can help us too."

Tails flicked through some tabs and maximized the one he wanted. The computer screen filled and it was a map with a single blinking red dot in the middle.

"He has a tracking chip?" Sonic shouted and walked up to the screen next to Tails. "Can you send this to my phone? I need to see him again."

"Aaaand sent! You'll have it on your navigation app," Tails said with a smile. "I will have to keep the arm here so the location is still tracked, but I should be able to fix him up if you bring him back."

"Thank you, Tails!" Sonic hugged his little bro. "You don't know how much I appreciate you doing this with your gadgets."

"You can thank me later, go find your Shadow!" Tails said and opened the garage door for outside. Sonic waved off with his phone in hand and ran to find the red dot.

Sonic ran through the woodlands behind town. The tracking showed the other Shadow was far from the normal walking paths, there were no camping or hiking locations this deep into the woods. Sonic didn't know of any caves or historic districts either, so he wondered what Shadow was taking shelter in.

Brushing past some leaves and wide branches, Sonic stepped into a clearing that was overgrown with vines. Darkness surrounded the forest, but the moon reflected light all around this area from the glass building in the center. Sonic stood in awe at a large, busted greenhouse next to abandoned brick buildings and silos. He looked down at his phone. The red dot was here. Shadow was here.

Sonic checked inside the greenhouse first. While the building was overgrown and some panels broken, the doors were still able to open and close shut. He crept inside and shut the door quietly behind him. The moonlight glowed inside the building. He was surrounded by all kinds of exotic and local flora. The exotic must have been cultivated inside and the local must have blown in through the broken window panes. It seemed that without human help, these plants managed to grow and maintain themselves.

Walking around the facility, Sonic looked through the plants and gaps to see if Shadow was around. He squinted to look through a monstera leaf, and he saw Shadow between the lines, sitting on a bench against the glass wall, looking up into the moon.

"Shadow!" Sonic whisper screamed as he walked through the plants to shortcut his way to him. Shadow jolted his head down to look back.

"Sonic, do not come to me. I am not like you." Shadow put his head into the elbow. He covered his face away from the blue hedgehog's gaze.

"Shadow… I came to see you. I didn't mean to tear you apart."

Shadow peeked from over his arm. His red eyes had an electric glow in the night. Sonic walked and sat down next to him on the bench. Shadow cowarded back.

"Shadow, I am so sorry. Tails scanned your arm and I was able to find you here. Is this where you have been going when you run away?"

Shadow removed his arm slowly but looked away from Sonic.

"...No one comes to this place. I stay here to avoid causing harm in town."

Sonic put a hand on Shadow's back and he turned to face him. It seemed to relax him.

"I like to work on the plants. They are different from what is in town. I measure them as they grow and catalog them."

Shadow looked deep into Sonic's eyes.

"Am I a danger? Will I grow and destroy like the doctor's other machines?"

Sonic scooted closer to Shadow and wrapped his arm around him. "No, you won't. Tails said the chip Eggman uses to control you is broken. And I am sure he could take it out of you completely when he fixes your arm." Sonic looked beside him and saw the lack of his appendage. Some wires and metal rods were hanging out of the socket.

"I came to you because you are a hero. I thought that if I stayed with you, then I would not become evil." Shadow placed his arm behind the hedgehog and leaned into him on the bench. "And the more I stayed with you, the more I wanted to stay with you."

Sonic felt a chill go through him as he felt the presence of Shadow's arm behind him. "I-I was so confused by you. When we were alone, you were so polite and pure, but when I saw you other times, and those times it was the real Shadow, he was awful to me, as he always has been."

"I did not want to confuse you. I could not let others see me. The real Shadow would exterminate me if he found I was a double."

"Well, he can't do that now anyway."

"He cannot?" Shadow replied and his eyes widened.

"No, he can't," Sonic leaned into Shadow's face and whispered. "He can't because you're mine, and I won't let anyone touch you but me."

"I am yours, Sonic." Shadow replied in a gruff voice. He shortened the space between their lips and kissed Sonic slowly. Sonic returned and pressed deeper into Shadow with his lips. He was cold and hard, but Sonic did not care. He had the Shadow he wanted in his arms at last.

They kissed passionately in the greenhouse under the vines and moonlight. They held one another close and explored each other's bodies: Shadow learning more about Sonic's sensitive flesh and Sonic learning more about Shadow's additional robotic features. Sonic let himself rest in the greenhouse that night with Shadow. His android watched over him in the night, his eyes red with passion glimmered as the blue hedgehog drifted into sleep.