This chapter has been updated as of 09/08/2020
Content warnings: References to suicide, Mild gore
Sunday, November 28th, 5:15pm, Somewhere near the lair
Shadow squints as he follows Amy up the stairs. Is it getting brighter? It seems like it. Each step causes a sharp jolt of pain through the leg he was shot in, but it's noticeably better than it was earlier. His limp is barely there, and the implications of that make his stomach churn. Had he always healed this fast, or had using the Chaos Emerald awakened some latent ability? Up ahead, Manic turns his flashlight off and opens a door that bathes the stairway with light. Shadow covers his eyes and clicks off his own flashlight. After a moment, he stops shielding his eyes and is surprised to find that the light from the doorway isn't nearly as bright as it initially seemed; after the darkness of the tunnels it's more than enough to see by, but it really is quite dim.
As they move from the stairway, it becomes obvious that the sun is setting for the day, but the lighting in the building does wonders for everyone. After a day spent largely in silence, the others finally start speaking again. Rouge mentions that she'll need a good three showers once this is over and everyone laughs and agrees. As caked in grime as they are, Shadow is pretty sure it will take no less than an hour to get the dirt out; the clothes may simply be a lost cause. Still, now isn't exactly the time for such topics.
"We need to figure out where we are in relation to Robotnik's lair," Shadow announces, but Manic waves his hand dismissively.
"We should be right next door," he says.
Shadow frowns. "Should be?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, we didn't exactly go far from his lair to get here, so it stands to reason. Unless I miss my guess, we're in the building he shares an alley with."
It's clear that they're in an old apartment building. From the look of things, the building was used until recently, and a peek out the windows shows that Manic does not miss his guess. It also shows that Sonic wasn't exaggerating when he'd said the alley's guards have been tripled.
Shadow clenches his fists. They're so close! "Does this building have roof access?" he asks after a moment's thought.
"Probably?" Manic answers. "Easy enough to check, but first let's look around for some grub."
"We're not stealing food!" Sonic protests before anyone else can reply.
Manic rolls his eyes. "Bro, there is literally no one here, and judging by the robot army next door, I'd say it's a safe bet that no one will be coming back anytime soon. Plus, I'm hungry."
"Stealing is wrong," Sonic argues.
"And trespassing isn't?" Manic counters. "How about breaking and entering? And what about the Emeralds? We're stealing those. Unless you plan on just asking nicely? 'Hello, yes, Mr. Robotnik? We know you're awfully busy conquering our city and all, but could you please give us your Chaos Emeralds? We'd be ever so grateful!'" He snorts. "Please, get real."
Sonic draws himself up and crosses his arms. "That's different and you know it."
Manic mirrors his brother's stance. "Yeah, I can look like a condescending tool too," he snarls, before putting his hands on his hips. "We need to eat, and y'all need better weapons. Rice cakes and wrenches are fine if that's all we have, but if we can find real food and weapons? A gun? Several guns?"
Sonic hesitates. "Weapons might be a good idea," he concedes. "But we're not stealing anything we don't need."
"We need better food," Manic points out. "Shall we put it to a vote?"
Sonic scowls. "Fine."
Manic nods and turns to the others. "Show of hands, who here wants to find something to eat before we go next door?"
Rouge's hand is up first, quickly followed by Shadow's. Sonic gives each of them a hurt look, but it has nothing on the betrayal in his eyes when Knuckles raises his hand. He gives Sonic an apologetic look, but he doesn't hesitate, making it four out of nine. Shadow glances at Amy and sees the indecision in her eyes. She's wavering. He nudges her to get her attention, and when she looks at him he nods his head toward Manic. She chews on her lip and glances away, clearly torn. In the dim light he can see the terror and determination in her features. Muck is splattered on her arms, legs, and the front of her shirt. There's grime in her hair, probably from running a hand through it. It makes him wonder what his own hair looks like, and he shudders at the thought. Still, even covered in filth, he finds her beautiful. He wants to say something, but Manic speaks up first.
"Alright, then it's decided. Let's find something to eat. Be sure to stick together, we don't want any patrols finding someone on their own."
Surprised, Shadow looks up to see Sonic glaring at Blaze.
"Sorry Sonic, but he has a point. We can't fight on empty stomachs," she says, and Sonic sighs. He reluctantly falls in as the group starts looking for the nearest unit.
...
The first apartment they search doesn't have much in the way of anything, and neither does the second. Or third. By the fourth, all they've found of use is a hammer. It's beginning to look like the entire building had been cleaned out, but in the sixth unit their luck changes. Where the other apartments had given the impression of people with time to pack, this one looks as if the owner left in a hurry. There's a foul smell in the air, which almost makes them turn back, but they decide to check it out anyway.
In the dining area, they find a half-eaten meal that looks like it was abandoned on the day of the blast. Most of the food in the kitchen has gone bad, but there's a box of protein bars in the pantry and enough non-perishables to scrounge up a half-decent meal. As Manic and Amy improvise in the kitchen, Shadow ventures further into the apartment. Amy has the hammer, and Knuckles has a set of brass knuckles, but everyone else is using improvised weapons. The first place he checks is the hall closet, thinking maybe he'll luck out and find some sporting equipment. Instead he finds a box labelled 'Camping Supplies', which he brings to the others to look through while he continues searching. The smell is stronger down the hall as he approaches the door at the end. He swallows, and can't tell whether breathing through his mouth is better or worse. He hesitates, because whatever lurks behind that door isn't going to be good.
Shadow opens the door and is almost bowled over by the wave of fetid air that hits him. He nearly chokes. The odour is so overwhelming that it takes him a minute to see what he's stumbled upon, and then he does see and the smell is forgotten. He gags, swallows repeatedly in an effort not to be sick.
Through the door is a good sized bedroom with cheerful wallpaper. There's a picture of a small family on the bedside table, and their happy smiles mock Shadow. On the floor by his feet is a cordless phone, broken into many pieces as if it were violently thrown. And, of course, there's the blood. Shadow focuses on these things, clings to them, because anything is better than the bed, than the thing Shadow is trying to ignore. His eyes drift to it of their own volition and he has to swallow another wave of nausea. It's just a body, he tells himself as his breath comes quicker. Just a body, and something moving. Maggots: a thick, writhing mass of them covering the cavernous remains of what had once been someone's head. He swallows futilely in the face of rising bile. What he can see past the maggots is hard to make out. A jagged mess of shrapnel and flesh. He begins to hyperventilate and he takes a deep breath to calm himself. A mistake. His body convulses forward as his stomach empties itself, again and again, until he's left dry heaving on the floor.
After what feels like years, he pulls himself to his feet, intent on leaving this horror show and preventing anyone else from stumbling in on it. And then he sees it, cradled in the hands of what he can't bring himself to think of as a former person. A weapon. A shotgun. Something that would potentially be very effective when fighting robots.
Indecision wars. Everything inside him is screaming, telling him to get the hell out of here and never look back, but... he licks his lips. Aziza needs him. His mother needs him. She is his mother, and no files can tell him otherwise. His eyes sting. He takes a step further into the room. The air is gross with decay and he pulls his shirt over the lower half of his face to filter it; now it's gross with filth, but that's an improvement. He takes another step. Deep breaths. His hands shake. A third step, and he's there. He's dizzy, feels his stomach prepare another attempt to empty itself. No! It's not real. None of this is real. It's a nightmare, and any second now he's going to wake up in his bed, Aziza will run in and hold him close and tell him that dreams can't hurt him. He swallows more bile and reaches out a tentative hand. His fingers are shaking so bad that it takes him three tries to actually get a grip on the gun. And then he has it. He clutches it in trembling hands and backs out of the room, unable to tear his eyes away from the grisly scene until he bumps into the wall. Once he does he slips through the door and slams it shut behind him.
Out in the hall he doesn't wake up. It's twilight now, and he wonders how long he was in there. He needs air. He needs to get away from that room, from the image that's seared into his eyes. He starts walking and is distantly aware of someone calling his name. Air. Clean air. He's opening the main door to the apartment when a dainty hand wraps around his wrist.
"Shadow? What's wrong?" Amy asks in her sugar-sweet voice.
He looks at her and feels a twang of guilt deep in his gut. He's bringing her into danger. What if it had been her on the bed? He can almost see it, and the very idea pierces his heart and pins him in place. He needs to get her out of this. But how? The only safe way out of this building is through the tunnels, and sending her down there alone would be cruel at best. He could ask her to wait here, but what if a patrol came through?
His mind races as he attempts to find a solution, but there isn't one. There also isn't time. Worrying won't do anyone any good, but the images won't go away. Amy, bruised and bloody with lifeless eyes staring their accusations at him. Amy, choking and burnt, dying at the hands of a robot. Amy, covered in maggots and only identifiable by her clothing, laying undisturbed in that bed for days and days. Because of Shadow. Because he brought her here. He sinks to his knees, shotgun slipping unnoticed from his hands. Dimly, something echoes in the back of his mind, some biological imperative that he can't ignore. Air. He takes a deep, shuddering breath. They could just go back, get Amy away from here as a group. Aziza replaces Amy in the images and he can't stop a choked sob from escaping. Arms wrap around him, holding him in an iron grip. His fingers grip at them spasmodically, and he can't tell if he's trying to fight them off or trying to hold himself up.
...
Sunday, November 28th, 6:57pm, Silky Heights Apartments
Amy holds Shadow and wonders what's come over him. As gently as she can manage, she guides his head to her shoulder. He clings to her like a life raft and that scares her. The fact that he's crying scares her even more. At some point, Manic comes around the corner, but he takes one look and turns around, shooing whoever's with him back into the kitchen. Amy alternates between stroking Shadow's hair and rubbing his back, and eventually his shaking subsides. He pulls away and looks her over, his eyes unreadable. He's cold, distant. That's okay, though. That's how he always looks, after all. Amy gives him a warm smile and he responds by gently cupping her cheek. She leans into his hand, and it looks like he wants to say something. Instead, he gets to his feet and helps her to her own, then leads her into the kitchen. There are protein bars, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, rice cakes, crackers, and dry cereal. There's also an open can of uncooked ravioli, but Manic seems to be the only one eating it.
As everyone eats, Shadow goes over the weapons the others found in the kitchen, living room, and camping box. The steak knives he dismisses immediately, pointing out that they're much to flimsy to be viable robot-fighting weapons. He also dismisses a broom and mop for similar reasons. After some debate, he adds a battery-operated hand drill to the splitting axe and machete from the camping box. An encyclopedia earns a raised eyebrow before being dismissed. In the end they have very few weapons, but it'll have to do. Shadow takes the shotgun and machete, then finishes eating while everyone else divvies up the weapons. For her part, Amy decides to stick with her amusement park hammer. Manic declines every single weapon, which is only surprising until he reveals the contents of his bag, which earns shocked looks from everyone else.
"You brought a gun?" Amy asks, bewildered. Manic just shrugs.
"Where did you even get a gun?" Sonic asks, and when Amy glances his way she notices that his face has lost all colour.
"I, ah, found it?" Manic tries, and everyone just stares. He fidgets uncomfortably under the attention until Shadow cuts him a break.
"At least one of us had the sense to bring a real weapon," he says, before returning to his food. Amy wonders if he notices the grateful look Manic shoots his way.
Except, a thought occurs to Amy. "But, wouldn't a gun be too loud if we're trying to be stealthy?"
"We're trying to avoid a fight if we can help it," Shadow answers with a shrug. "If we have to use it, we're already in a bad way."
After eating and selecting their weapons, it's time to come up with a plan to actually infiltrate the lair. With the sun fully down it's quite dark in their building, but they don't dare turn on their flashlights. Lights would be notable coming from the gloom of an abandoned building, and they don't want to draw attention to themselves. Groping around through the darkness eventually leads them to a staircase, which takes them onto the roof. From there they can clearly make out their destination, mostly because it's lit up like a Christmas tree. Every window is lit and the exterior lighting makes it bright as day on the streets, rendering it impossible to get close. Amy watches as Shadow, Sonic, Rouge, and Manic scan the building for inspiration.
"We can get in through there," Shadow announces, pointing at a broken window two floors from the top of the building and earning startled looks form everyone.
Sonic is the first to object. "Shadow," he says, "how in the heck are we supposed to reach it? In case you hadn't noticed, it's on the seventh floor, and I don't see any ladders."
"Simple," Shadow answers. "We find a window across from it, and we jump."
"That's a terrible idea!" Sonic protests, and Amy agrees with him. "Not everyone is as athletic as us, someone could get hurt."
Shadow shrugs. "I'll go first and catch anyone who can't quite make it on their own."
"And what if there are guards in that room?" Sonic tries, but Rouge has an answer for that.
"There weren't any when I went in there, and judging by the fact that the window hasn't been covered or repaired in any way I'd say it's a safe bet that no one has been in there since." Amy nods, because that's reassuring.
"Or it's a trap," Manic points out. Less reassuring.
"I'll take my chances," Shadow responds dryly.
Sonic makes a few more token protests, but he comes around when he realizes there aren't really any other options, then they search the dark building until they find a good window to jump from. When they do, Amy is struck by the reality of what they're about to do. She can't do this! Jumping ten feet across just doesn't seem like something she can do, even if her destination is a few feet lower than her.
Shadow crosses first with no trouble, which is all the more impressive because he's carrying her hammer, but that's different. Shadow is athletic! And Amy is... well, she was athletic in elementary school, but that was a long time ago!
"C'mon, Ames, you can do this," Sonic says in his most reassuring voice. Amy swallows. Shadow is gesturing for her to join him. Her heart is racing as she climbs onto the window sill, crouching in the frame. "Good, see? Now you just need to kick off as hard as you can." She chews on her bottom lip. This is a terrible idea. She looks down, an even worse idea. She's never been afraid of heights before, but it's a long way to the pavement. Even if the fall doesn't kill her, the dozen or so robots guarding the alley certainly will. All it would take to ruin everything is for one of them looking up at the wrong moment...
A steady hand on her back brings her attention back to herself, and she glances over to see Sonic giving her an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. She returns his smile and nods, thinking how right now, it's easy to remember why she'd been so smitten with him for so long. He pulls his hand away and fear returns far too quickly. She's so scared she thinks she might throw up, but she removes her hands from their spots on the window frame and kicks against her perch as hard as she can. She hurtles through the air. The wind tears at her hair and she's free, free like she's never been before. All her fear turns to giddiness and she wants to laugh. Shadow is standing in the far window and he reaches out toward her. She catches his hand with her own and is only just able to brace herself with her feet against the outer wall, preventing herself from swinging into it too hard. Shadow pulls her inside and against him, holding her close.
"You did wonderfully," he whispers before releasing her and resuming his post at the window. Amy glances around the room while they wait. It looks like it was once an ordinary hotel room, but now the only thing in it is a single, large computer. Well, that and their weapons in a pile near Shadow. Strange tubing runs out of the computer and along the ceiling, leaving the room through a hole above the door.
A clattering sound brings Amy's attention back to the window, which Rouge is climbing in through with a hand from Shadow. "My hero," she all but purrs, laying a hand on his chest and giving him a saucy wink.
Shadow grunts and pushes Rouge off of him. "Remind me to drop you next time."
Rouge laughs at that. "Loving as ever, I see." She turns to Amy, striding over and shaking her head. "I just don't know what you see in him."
"He's nice," Amy says defensively, earning derisive snorts from both of them. She sees the tips of Shadow's ears go red, though.
Next at the window is Manic, whose foot slips halfway through and causes him to start falling back out. Shadow catches Manic by the shirt before Amy can even react. There's the distinct sound of fabric ripping as Shadow yanks his friend to safety, and when Manic stumbles in he has to catch himself on Shadow for a moment.
"Seems I've fallen for you," Manic teases.
"Is everyone going to hit on me when I catch them?" Shadow responds with a scowl. "Because I'm not catching anyone else if this is going to be a thing."
"I didn't hit on you," Amy offers helpfully, earning a scornful look.
"You I wouldn't have minded," he says flatly, earning cackles from Manic and Rouge as Amy flushes.
Next through the window is Blaze, who waves Shadow's hand away when he offers to help her through. Then comes Knuckles, whose only struggle is squeezing his broad shoulders through the window. Silver makes it, but only just. The real trouble comes when Tails' foot slips as he's kicking off, giving him far less force than he needs. With a curse, Shadow throws himself out the window as far as he safely can, gripping the inside of the frame as tight as he can manage with just the fingertips of his left hand. Again, Amy is astounded by how fast he moves when motivated, almost like his reflexes kick in before something happens. She watches as Shadow just barely catches one of Tails' hands in his own, and the sudden weight combined with the momentum jerks him a bit further out the window. Amy's heart leaps to her throat as the hand on the frame slips. Time seems to slow to a crawl as Shadow is pulled out through the window, and without thinking Amy lunges, wrapping her arms around his waist and bringing her foot up against the wall to brace herself. The combined weight of him and Tails is too much and she starts slipping. No! Mustering up all of her strength, Amy heaves. She shifts her weight into leaning backwards, puts all her strength into pushing against the wall with her foot.
Something hard crashes into Amy's back at the same time as an incredible weight crushes her chest, driving all of her breath out and leaving her dazed. She's dimly aware of a commotion around her, but it's so hard to focus. The weight on her chest makes breathing impossible but after a beat it lessens and then is gone. So why is it still so hard to breathe?
Amy's view of the ceiling is cut off by Shadow's face. "Amy?" His voice is thick with worry, and she smiles at him to show she's okay. She opens her mouth to reply, but winds up coughing instead. A sharp pain blossoms in her chest and then branches off and seeps into the rest of her. She curls in on herself, hoping to hold the pain in one area. Shadow curses. His hands hover just above her, unsure of what they should be doing.
"What's wrong with Amy?" Sonic asks from the window.
"Shadow and Tails landed on her when she pulled them in," Blaze answers, and Shadow winces. His fingers are very gentle as they stroke her hair.
"We can go back, if you want," he offers, voice too soft for the others to hear.
Amy blinks at him. Go back? "What? No!" She struggles to sit up, slapping away Shadow's hands when he makes a move to assist her. Everyone is staring, but she doesn't care. "Are you out of your mind? After everything we just went through, I am not going to make the others turn back!" It hurts her chest to scold him, but it's not nearly as bad as coughing was.
"I don't care about the others," he hisses, voice still low enough to prevent anyone more than a foot away from hearing. "I care about you, and I will not risk you any more than necessary." Shadow's venomous tone is at complete odds with his words, and for a moment it throws Amy.
"That's not really your choice to make," she replies, making an effort to be quieter. They glare at each other for a moment before the heat in Shadow's eyes is replaced by familiar cold.
"Of course," he says in a much softer tone, as if trying to make up for his previous roughness. "As long as you're sure."
Amy isn't sure, not really, but she will not waste all of their effort! She suppresses a groan as she gets to her feet. Breathing comes more easily now, but it's still agony. No! She will be strong! She has to be! She does her best to ignore the pain as she grabs her weapon. She can do this! Somehow, she convinces the others that she's good to keep going.
Before they head out, Manic embraces Sonic with a quick "stay safe, bro," then gives him a set of directions. After that he addresses the group. "Remember guys, we need to stick together. If you've gotta split up, be sure to use the buddy system, we don't wanna be taking unnecessary risks. And, above all else, try to be fast."
Sonic shoots Manic a grin as his group heads into the hallway. "Relax, bro. They don't call me the blue blur for nothing!" For a moment Manic just watches Sonic's group leaving with a funny look.
"No one calls you that!" he finally shouts after them as they start rounding a corner, and then the smaller group is leaving too.
By the time they find their staircase Amy hears fighting. Down the stairs they go, dispatching the guards they come across with ease. Shadow takes three out with his shotgun before running out of shells, and he leaps onto a fourth, lashing out with his machete. When she had seen him fight before, he'd seemed made for it even as he was losing, but the addition of a weapon in his hands puts that to shame. The robot goes down like it's nothing, and they continue on. They take the stairs two and even three at a time in their haste to reach Aziza, and then they reach the basement. It's dark, especially compared to the stairwell. She closes her eyes and tries to suppress her anxiety. There's still light, it's fine. That the lights are dim and flickering is also fine. Amy's fine. It isn't endless, impenetrable darkness. She can do this. She's fine.
She hears the metallic clanking of robotic feet; too many. Up ahead she sees a troop of the bulbous robots from Twinkle Park rounding a corner. There are at least a dozen of them and her fight or flight kicks in. She's running in the opposite direction before she realizes it, sprinting past Shadow and Manic as fast as her legs will carry her and disappearing into the darkness. Her ribs ache and it hurts to breathe but she needs to get out. She takes turn after turn, not even trying to keep track of where she is so long as it's away. She runs until she can't hear the robots and then she keeps running. She doesn't stop until she has to, and then she doubles over and clutches her chest, gasping and panting. Someone comes to a stop next to her. Shadow. His forehead is slick with sweat and he also seems to be winded. Manic is nowhere to be seen.
Amy's breath returns, and with it her senses. She looks around, takes in the damp and musty halls. There aren't even any of those weird pipes along the ceiling, but there's the faint sound of alarms in the distance. Shadow curses, and Amy knows they're running out of time. Guilt stabs at her. Her panic messed everything up, and if they don't get Aziza back, it will be her fault. When Shadow starts a light jog back the way they came, Amy keeps her mouth shut and follows. The activity burns her lungs and ribs, but she deserves it. Turn after turn they take, and Amy feels more lost by the second. Shadow seems to know the way, though, and for that she's grateful. In short order, they find themselves back where they started. From the staircase comes the piping, heading through the flickering shadows in the direction the robots had been. There's no sign of Manic, so they follow the pipes. Manic is smart, he'll be able to find them.
Eventually they pass an intersection, only to hear a familiar voice. "Shadow, Ames!" A wave of relief seizes Amy: she'd recognize Manic's voice anywhere. She returns to the intersection. There's a familiar humming noise but it barely registers. She rounds the corner and sees Manic jogging up with a huge grin. There he is, not even ten feet from them! She raises her arm to wave at him, and Shadow curses, begins dragging her away. There's a popping sound, and then Manic is backlit by a brilliant flash of light.
...
Sunday, November 28th, 7:43pm, Robotnik's Lair
After splitting from the others, Sonic and his group head to their destination, not bothering with stealth. The more guards they attract the less the smaller group will have to deal with, which is good. Sonic knows Amy well enough to know when she's lying, so despite her claims at being fine he knows she's hurting, but all that does is motivate him to be a better distraction. Of course, fighting so many robots means their progress is slower, and if there's one thing Sonic hates it's going slow. Still, he bears it for the others.
They manage to fight their way into the Emerald room without injury. It's spacious with a large machine in the centre, just like Manic told him it would be. The machine makes a loud, whirring, thrumming sound, and seems to be powered by the two Emeralds inside it, one a vibrant shade of red and the other an intense cobalt blue. All the pipes along the ceiling lead into the machine, as do more pipes along the floor and walls. Although only two Emeralds power the machine, there are spaces for seven.
A ring of guards surrounds the machine, their weapons already raised and further filling the room with a soft hum that's barely audible above the rest of the noise. Sonic charges the closest one, confident that his friends will have his back. He smashes the robot with the wooden baseball bat they'd found in one of the apartments and manages to dent its armour. Maybe a bat isn't the best weapon, but it suits Sonic more than anything else they'd found. Around him his friends swarm, striking at robots with their own weapons. At some point, he winds up back to back with Blaze, whose creative use of tent pegs is proving to be quite formidable. Knuckles is also doing quite well, showing them all just how devastating even a small hammer can be when used with enough force. Tails and Silver are proving to be the most impressive members of the group, though; Silver gets up in the robots' space and uses the shower curtain he insisted was a viable weapon to distract them and push them into optimal positions, and Tails uses the openings to get up close and get to work with a hand drill and a wrench. Sonic can't say what exactly it is his friend is doing, but whatever it is, it leaves them in shambles. Some shut down completely, others find their armour and limbs falling off, and a very few go haywire and start firing at their fellow robots. It may not be as efficient as bashing them to pieces but it certainly works!
For a brief moment, Sonic wonders where Rouge is in all this as he hasn't seen her since the fighting started, but the answer comes soon enough. The power supply cuts off completely, plunging the room into darkness. The sudden silence is all-consuming, but it lasts less than a second before the back-up generator kicks in, causing light to return and an alarm to sound. Sonic isn't sure if the machine is still working, but he can't hear it. That could be a result of the alarm, though. He sees Rouge by the machine tucking something into her bags, and then she hops into the fray. Between kicks and the small hatchet she's wielding, she manages to cut her way through guard after guard, leaving gaping holes that spray showers of sparks in the metal plating of every foe she encounters.
Once they're reasonably grouped up, the six of them start making their way out of the building. They're about halfway out when Sonic feels it: A sudden and complete emptiness, like something's grabbing onto his heart and ripped a piece of it out. He feels... incomplete. He stumbles, cold.
Something is very wrong.
...
Sunday, November 28th, 8:32pm, Robotnik's Lair
Shadow hears the hum before he hears Manic, and when he turns the corner he swears. Because standing behind Manic is a robotic guard, weapons raised and nearly finished charging. One points at Manic's head, the other settles on Amy. Time slows for him, but there's still no way he can get to Manic fast enough. He can save Amy, though. He has to save Amy. He grabs her by the waist and starts running as the area is bathed in light and filled with a telltale popping sound. A ball of light flies past Shadow and Amy, something heavy drops to the ground behind them, and Shadow activates his skates.
Amy is screaming now, struggling, writhing to get free from Shadow's grasp. He tightens his grip and her nails dig painfully into his flesh, raking deep grooves in his arms. She kicks at his legs and nearly succeeds in toppling him, all the while begging for them to go back.
"Turn around! Turn around! What about Manic? He could be hurt! We have to go back! Turn around!"
Her pleas fall on deaf ears. It's too late for Manic, he knows it is, but he can still get Amy out of here before anything happens to her. His heart clenches and twists, and tears threaten to blind him, but he can't go back until Amy is safe. Maybe Manic survived, maybe the sound of a body hitting the floor was Manic playing dead, and as soon as the robot leaves he'll make a break for it. Manic is a survivor, after all. That's what his stories are always about. Survival. But even as Shadow thinks it, he knows it to be untrue. Amy tries kicking his injured leg again, and he yanks her up and over his shoulder. She thrashes violently.
"Shadow, please," she sobs. "We have to go back!"
She grabs at everything they pass, clawing at doorways and gripping every handhold she can find. When there's nothing to grab she goes back to thrashing, kicking her legs and pounding his back with her fists. He continues to ignore her.
When they're out of the lair her struggles die down, until she's laying limp across his shoulder. He can't hear her crying, but he can feel the sobs wracking her body. When they're far enough away to satisfy him, Shadow lets her down, lowering her to her feet as gently as he can manage. She's a wreck. Her hands cover her face and tracks of tears cut through the grime and blood on her fingers. His blood, and hers. Her fingernails are chipped and broken from clawing at the walls, with one of them missing entirely. Her sobs are dying down, but the tears don't show any signs of letting up.
"Amelia, do you think you can walk?" She doesn't seem to hear him. "Amy?" He tugs her hands from her face, but when she opens her eyes, she just stares through him. No sparks of recognition, just blank, dull green irises in an unresponsive, tear-streaked face. Panic threatens to choke him and he doesn't know what to do. Haltingly, he pulls her close, wrapping his arms around her. It's like hugging a statue. "Amy, please," he whispers into her hair. "Come back, please. I can't— I need—" he pauses to swallow. "I'm scared." He hates acknowledging his fear, admitting his shortcomings, but even more than that he hates seeing Amy so broken. Right now, in this moment, he would admit every fear and insecurity and shortcoming to Sonic himself if he thought it would help her. "I need you, Amy." Nothing. He feels lost, alone, and while there was once a time where that was all he wanted, now it's an all-consuming maw inside of him, devouring any good feelings he's ever had, could ever have. The rest of the walk to Manic's house is silent.
"Where's Manic?" Sonic asks as soon as they open the door. Shadow swallows. What does he say to that? He's spared having to answer by Amy letting out a wail and sliding to the ground. She sobs, loud and long, and when they finally manage to calm her down she looks at them with hollow eyes.
"Manic's dead," she answers. "Shadow left him to die."
Shadow feels his blood run cold. "No," he breathes when Sonic turns to him with wide eyes. "No, that's not- I didn't, I..." But he did, didn't he?
"You did," Amy responds, voice cold. "You left him and you ran."
"I—" Shadow chokes on his words. She's right. But, no! No, he'd had to, there was no other way. "There was nothing else I could do."
"You could have tried!" she snaps.
"If I had, then you'd both—" Shadow snaps back, cutting himself off at the end because he can't bring himself to say it, can't confirm what he knows. "Amy," he pleads. "I had to."
Sonic is blinking at them. "Shadow? What is she talking about?" His voice says he knows, though, and he's looking at Shadow as if really seeing him for first time.
Shadow swallows and tries to detach himself from it, tries to make his feelings belong to someone else. He should have tried harder to push Manic away; if they hadn't been friends then this wouldn't have happened. "A guard came up behind him," he answers, his voice almost clinical. A doctor saying 'you have cancer': Cold and impersonal and life-shattering. "By the time I saw it, it was too late." If it sounds like he doesn't care, then so be it. He can't let himself feel this, not right now. Maybe not ever. Feelings are weakness, and he can no longer afford to indulge in them.
Sonic's face scrunches up in an effort not to cry. "But, did you really not even try?"
Shadow fights to keep the words from touching him. His expression doesn't crack. "Trying would have been pointless, there was no way I could've reached him in time." It hurts to admit his failure, but he reminds himself that it isn't his pain. The feeling skirts the edge of his awareness. He wonders if they understand, if they realize that he would have saved Manic if he could have.
"So you didn't even bother?" Sonic demands.
"No. If I did, Amelia would have been lost too. I had a split second to react, and I did what I had to." Shadow waits for Sonic to hit him, almost hopes he does. If Sonic hits him, then he can hit Sonic back, and he needs the distraction. Anything to keep his mind off of Manic's last moments. He'd probably felt nothing but confusion, betrayal, and pain.
Sonic doesn't punch Shadow, or yell at him, or lash out. Instead he sinks to the floor alongside Amy and buries his face in his hands.
"I've gotta... I need... I just... why? Why him?" He begins rocking back and forth, and Shadow can only stare. It's not right to see Sonic so defeated. Him, or Amy.
Shadow hesitates before crouching down next to Amy and brushing his fingers across her cheek. She flinches at the contact. "I did what I had to," he whispers. "Please believe me, your safety is everything."
She starts sobbing again. "No," she whispers so faintly he almost doesn't catch it. He starts stroking her hair. She'll understand in time, he's sure of it. She's clever, and stronger than she gives herself credit for. Once she calms down—
"I hate you," she sobs, just as softly. Shadow freezes and the detached facade crumbles at his feet.
"Amy?" His voice cracks on her name, but he doesn't care. Surely he heard her wrong, surely she doesn't mean it.
Her whole body is shaking as tears continue to stream from her eyes. He pulls her into his arms and feels a lump forming in his throat. She buries her face in his chest. "It's your fault," she cries, even as she clings to him.
"You don't mean that," he tells her, hoping that speaking the words aloud will make them true.
"I do."
"Amelia, please. I had to get you out of there. I had to save you. I couldn't bear to lose you both. I can barely—"
She shakes her head. "I hate you," she repeats. His stomach churns, and he holds her tighter. She's just upset, she doesn't mean it. He repeats the words as a mantra in his head. I hate you. She's just angry. It's your fault. She doesn't mean it. "Just leave me alone," she whispers. Her words cut him to the bone. This was why he didn't let people in, this is what happens when you do.
"Amy, please," he begins, but she doesn't want to hear it.
"Go away," she tells him.
"Amy—"
"Get out."
He laughs at that, and holds her at arm's length. She refuses to meet his eyes. "Are you serious? No. Look, let's just take some time to calm down, and—"
"Go!" she shouts, wrenching herself the rest of the way away. Some of the others emerge from down the hall, and it's clear they were woken up by Amy. "Leave! Get lost! Go!" she screams.
She's serious, Shadow realizes. She means it. She hates him for killing Manic. Something breaks inside him. "Fine!" he snaps. "I'll go, if that's what you want. But," he storms past her to where they'd hidden the green Emerald. He feels it singing to him. "I'm taking this." Even as he grabs it, all his thoughts are on getting out.
"Shadow?" Rouge begins, but Shadow is focused on leaving. He needs to get out of here before anyone can hurt him further. This is what he gets for letting people in. There's a brilliant flash of light, and he vanishes from the kitchen. He doesn't see Amy collapse in on herself in a sobbing heap behind him.
This time, he's prepared for the feeling of being squeezed and twisted as everything around him shifts. He's also prepared for the pain, but it never comes. The world shifts and he's in his mother's cell. He's done it. If he weren't still so overwhelmed by the pain of losing two of the people he cares about, he'd be exultant. As it is, the victory feels hollow.
He opens his mouth to say something to his mother, but is cut off by a voice he'd recognize anywhere. He'd only ever heard it the once, on a TV no less, but that had been enough to sear it into his memory forever. "Project Shadow, so good of you to join us." He turns slowly, and sees Dr. Robotnik. He feels the fire growing in his chest. This man is directly responsible for all of Shadow's troubles. He bombed the city, captured Aziza, attacked them with robots, and killed Manic. "I must say, I'm a bit disappointed. Once the Emeralds were taken I thought for sure you'd come straight here, but no matter."
Shadow clenches his fists. He's going to kill this man! But first, priorities. He adopts his most arrogant sneer. "Sorry to disappoint, Doctor. I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm a bit busy. Perhaps later?" He wraps an arm around his mother as he speaks, holds onto her tight, and focuses on getting them away. This time the pain does come, stabbing through his body and tearing him apart from the inside. It fades quickly, though, and once it does he finds himself in Manic's yard with Aziza by his side.
"Habibi, where did you learn this?" she asks in a shaken voice, and Shadow cringes. He doesn't want to answer that just yet; once he does, she won't be his mother anymore. Until he mentions the files, he can pretend.
"Go inside, you'll be safe here," he tells her instead.
"Habibi?"
He can't lose her too. "I have something I have to do. I'll come back for you after."
Fear flashes in her eyes. "No! You must not go for Robotnik! He is clever, you do not underestimate him!"
Shadow smiles at her, but it's a bitter smile. "I have to," he tells her. "Stay safe, mum."
Before she can say another word, he's gone. Again, he teleports to Robotnik's lair. The pain is even worse this time; maybe not the agony of the first time, but still overwhelming. He has no idea how long he's incapacitated for, but when he comes too, it's with the target of his hatred crouching over him.
"Honestly, Shadow, three large Chaos Controls? It's a wonder you're still alive."
Shadow growls and lunges at the scientist, only to be hit in the back by something white hot. He screams.
Robotnik clucks his tongue like a disapproving parent. "Now now, don't be so rash. I think you'll find we have a common interest." Shadow tries to stand, but he can't feel his legs. His back is on fire and a stab of fear lodges in his chest, but he pushes the pain and emotions down. It's surprisingly easy. All that matters is getting rid of this man.
"And what's that?" he asks, stalling while he tries to force his legs to just move.
"Maria," Robotnik answers, and Shadow freezes. It's one thing to read about her in some file, but quite another to have someone else mention her, confirm her existence. Robotnik grins, clearly satisfied with Shadow's reaction. He reaches into the pocket of his coat and pulls out an old photo, tattered at the edges and faded with age. "She was my cousin, you see. Such an innocent girl." He hands Shadow the picture. The face that haunts his dreams smiles at him, frozen in time. "I've devoted much of my life to finding out what happened up there, finding out who killed her, all in the hopes of avenging that poor, sweet child."
Shadow's hands tremble. "And?"
"And now I have a list of all the people involved in the incident. All the soldiers who helped shut down the ARK, and all those who were in command at the time." Shadow feels something surge inside of him. He needs that list. "What do you say, Shadow? Will you help me in my quest?"
Shadow tries again to stand up, but his legs won't move. "I fail to see what I can do in my present condition."
Robotnik grins. "I can have you walking again by tomorrow," he replies. Shadow raises an eyebrow, because frankly that's a bit hard to believe. "There are ways to heal the body with Chaos Control, if you know how. I can teach you."
Shadow nods. Perhaps there's more to gain from this man than revenge. He doesn't trust Robotnik in the slightest, but... "I'm in."
Shadow can work with the scientist for now, for Maria. And then once he's done, he can kill the man.
I'm sorry about Manic. If it helps, I wrote an au in which Shadow likes him instead of Amy, and instead of the city getting bombed they just kiss a lot. I figured Manic deserves a happy ending. You can find it on my Ao3, account name is Mozie.