Well, it seems people like this story, so I've decided to continue it. Be warned, I may have some (Read: A LOT) of facts about ARK and stuff wrong, and didn't play anything after SA2. I might do some more of this later, so look out for it…

Shadow: No. You won't. You have that Computer Studies assignment which is due tomorrow, remember?

But I'm almost done.

Shadow: Yes, aside from adding all the effects, editing music out, and grammar checking.

Whatever… *prick*…

Shadow: What was that?

Nothing! Uh, I don't own Sonic or Shadow, who may I mention is a particularly strong and intelligent perso…HOLY SHIT HE'S GOT A GUN!

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The first thing Sonic noticed was the cold.

It was a particularly biting feeling that seemed to envelope from all around him, wrapping him in its chilly embrace. Sonic shivered and brought his arms closer to his body, noticing how freely they moved.

The second thing he noticed was the Earth.

As he tried to get his bearings, he saw the blue planet in front of him, spinning slowly on his axis. He gasped, or at least tried to, when he realized where he was.

'I'm in outer space…' He thought to himself. This panicked him slightly, as he remembered something that Tails had once mentioned…

///FLASHBACK///

"Hey Tails!"

"Oh, Hi Sonic," Tails replied, climbing down a ladder that was leaning against a huge metal…

"Woah!" Sonic cried out upon spotting it, "Is that a rocket?"

"Yeah, it is…" Tails mumbled, wiping the sweat off his forehead with an oily rag. "I decided to build one in case Eggman tries to do something out in space."

"Looks pretty good…" Sonic commented, strolling around the spaceship. "Is it finished?"

"Nearly." Tails replied, picking up a welding torch off the workbench. "I still need to install a lot of the internal features, mainly the life support systems, and general protection, as well as…"

"What type of protection?" Sonic interrupted.

"Things like heat panels and the airlocks, as well as fixing any gaps in the hull. There's no air in space, so any holes could cause explosive decompression…"

///END FLASHBACK///

Sonic was starting to get breathless, and he knew that he'd have to get some oxygen soon, or he'd die. Unfortunately for him, the chances of being seen, let alone picked up by someone, were extremely slim. He looked back to the Earth, wondering if Tails had any idea what had happened to him.

Sonic, however, wasn't the only person watching something.

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"Maria! Come over here!"

Gerald Robotnik was amazed. He had been in the control centre of the Space Colony ARK, calibrating the space station's orbit, when he had noticed something that was definitely out of the ordinary. A blue creature seemed to have suddenly appeared outside the ARK, and even more amazing, seemed to be alive. Gerald knew, though, that wouldn't be the case if he was out there for much longer.

"What is it, grandfather?" A brown-haired girl walked over to the scientist, trying to see what the scientist was looking at. "Oh my God!" She cried out, as she realized what it was.

"Indeed. Go get the airlock open and fetch me a med-kit! Now!"

The girl simply nodded, as she ran off to get some help. Gerald turned his attention back to the blue creature outside, pressing his lips together in concern.

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Sonic vision was beginning to fade when he noticed something moving in the corner of his eye.

There seemed to be a giant mechanical claw moving slowly towards him, its teeth slowly separating. Sonic wasn't sure if he was just hallucinating from oxygen deprivation, but it was his best and only hope for being rescued. He waved his arms manically, trying to turn himself towards it, before making swimming motions as he floated towards it. The metal teeth slowly lowered to grab him, pinning him tightly but gently between them. As the claw dragged him along, he noticed what the metallic appendage was attached to.

It was a giant, circular space station.

Sonic's eyes widened at the site. He only knew two groups that could afford a thing like this: The military and Eggman. He wasn't too worried about the case of it belonging to GUN, despite their slight mistrust of each other, the military wouldn't really hurt him, if only for publicity reasons. If it was Eggman, however, then there was a problem; there would be no way to escape from the space station. His fears quickly jumped as he glanced through a window and noticed a man who looked remarkably like Eggman sitting at a control panel.

'But that doesn't make sense.' Sonic thought to himself. 'If this really was Eggman, couldn't he have just left me to die out here? I don't know, it's Eggman, he's probably just planning something more elaborate.

The claw was fully retracted by now, and it released Sonic onto a platform. He floated in the air for a few seconds, before a glass guard slid out from the space station, sliding ninety degrees to meet with the platform underneath Sonic. There was a loud hiss as air flowed into the chamber, and Sonic suddenly fell to the floor as gravity was destabilized. He panted desperately, taking in lungful after lungful of the precious oxygen. There was a buzz as the doors leading into the airlock slid open, and Sonic took a gasp as he saw the same man as before standing in the doorway.

"Who…Who are you?" He wheezed, still trying to get air back into his lungs.

"I am Professor Gerald Robotnik." The man announced, leaning over to help Sonic up. "And welcome to the Space Colony ARK."

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"So, you're name is Sonic the Hedgehog?"

"Yes, that's right."

Sonic was sitting in a chair in the living area of the Space Colony ARK. He had just been released from the Medical Centre, having been put through a series of tests to determine whether he had suffered any damage from being exposed to the vacuum of space. The doctors had determined that there was no lasting damage, aside from a mild case of the bends. He had been brought here after that, where he was once again meeting with the man that had rescued him. They had fought at first, as Sonic thought that this was all another one of Eggman's schemes to conquer the world. It had come as a surprise to him when the man had shown absolutely no knowledge of who Eggman was, despite looking so much like him. It had come as an even bigger surprise when Sonic found out that he didn't even know who the blue hedgehog was. It was all coming as a shock to Sonic, while he may not have had a huge ego, the man should've at least known about him and Eggman!

"Very interesting name, I must say" Gerald said, taking a sip from his mug of coffee. "My name is Gerald, Gerald Robotnik. I am the owner and commander of this space station, the Space Colony ARK."

"It's cool," Sonic said, glancing around the room. He wasn't lying, either, he found the place genuinely interesting. While he wasn't much of a scientific person, he enjoyed helping Tails out with his many projects, and as such had come to have quite a liking for things like it. He had been extremely glad when he had noticed how big the ARK was, he'd be sure to have fun running and exploring.

"Hmm…" Gerald mumbled, sipping from his mug again. "It's a personal project of mine. I've always had an interest in space, you see. Although, it's not just for me. It's for my granddaughter, Maria."

"Why's that?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maria has a highly reactive allergy system, and she has a very hard time dealing with the conditions on Earth. So, I built the ARK, as a means of allowing her to live in a healthy environment."

"Oh… I'm sorry…" Sonic said, feeling bad for the poor girl.

"It's nothing too bad, but I want to see her happy. She deserves it." Gerald rubbed his hands together. "Anyway, Sonic, I'm sure that you're very tired. I'll have you shown to your room. Maria!" Gerald called out.

"Yes, Grandfather?" Maria replied, walking into the room.

Sonic stared at the girl walking towards him and Gerald. She was quite beautiful, her brown hair sweeping slightly across her forehead, contrasting brilliantly against her blue eyes.

"Could you take Sonic to his room? Put him in Room 247, that way he'll have some familiar company." Gerald explained crytically.

"Of course." Maria said, smiling at Sonic. "This way." She said.

Sonic hopped off the chair and they both walked out of the room, heading down the corridors.

"So, you're Maria, huh?" Sonic said, trying to break the silence.

"Yes, I am. And you're Sonic, obviously?"

"That my name?" Sonic said cheerfully.

"That's a very interesting name. Does it have any particular meaning?" Maria said curiously.

"Yeah, it's 'cause I can do this!" Sonic cried, as he bolted down the corridor, he stopped at the end, smirking proudly.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Maria gasped.

"That's what a lot of people say." Sonic remarked, as he waited for the girl to catch up.

The two of them continued to walk throughout the ARK until they finally reached a door with the number 247 printed on it.

"Well, this is your room. Just use the intercom if you need anything." Maria explained, pressing a button beside the door.

"Thanks!" Sonic said, walking into the room. It was quite large, with two double beds on either side of the room. One of the bed's sheets were messed up, as if someone had recently slept in it.

"Looks like I'll be bunking…" Sonic mused to himself, continuing to glance around the room. Something on one of the dressers caught his eye. He walked over and picked it up; it was a gold bracelet. He stared at it, noticing the way that the light bounced off it. As he examined it, he suddenly heard a deep voice behind him.

"You know, it's generally considered impolite to touch someone's things without asking."

Sonic whipped around quickly, letting the bracelet fall back onto the table with a loud clinging noise. A black hedgehog stepped out from the shadows, his eyes staring straight at Sonic. The azure hero examined the creature in front of him. He seemed to be a replica of Sonic himself, except for a few details. Four of his quills were sticking upwards on their ends, while the rest were hanging down normally. His body was covered in red markings, which went from his head, to his arms, and down his legs. The most noticeable was the white patch of fur located in the middle. It contrasted brilliantly against the black fur that covered most of his body. His eyes were the thing that struck Sonic the most, as they were an extremely strange crimson colour.

"Who are you?" Sonic asked, staring at the hedgehog in front of him.

"I am Shadow the Hedgehog." The creature said, walking over to Sonic. "The Ultimate Lifeform."