By the time Shadow got back from Eggman's hideout it was dawn over the cursed lands, the safest hour of all as the sun could finally show from under the heavy rain clouds, even if it was for few minutes. He skipped to a halt in front of the base's gates covered under debris and plants' roots and after checking his position he moved his hand above the metallic surface and found the hidden button. A small passage was opened within and he got inside.

The ebony hedgehog didn't bothered his mind with lighting up his way as he could easily see it in the darkness thanks to his superior origin. Other than that it was easier to adjust his eyes back to the artificial light that was at the end of the passage. After entering the base he finally met with the joyful sound of live that was missing behind the gates.

This place could be named as heaven, being the one of the last were Mobians and Humans reminded living their lives like before the whole chaos started or at least trying to... It had food and medical supplies, as well weapons. Its previous facility was for training G.U.N's recruits, so the building had to be prepared for swarms of new students, their superiors, soldiers and scientists of all kind.

But now in those quarters were living civilians instead of the young soldiers as they fell on the battlefield leaded by the previous G.U.N Commander.

Now they had a new Commander, to whom Shadow had to give his report from the mission.

Once the light brighten his ebony fur, every child close by clung to his body begging for his attention.

He didn't know when it happened that he became more social that in the past, but after the disappearance of the Blue Speedster's he had to take the role of the Hero and with it seems the popularity. Of course, Shadow didn't change his attitude that radically and went all goody good, step by step he let the young ones cuddle into his chest fur while they were crying their eyes off after the loss of their families. Other day, take part in his training sessions that soon became self-defence lessons for all willing... and so on. But that were children, they didn't know what he truly was and that he twice wanted to destroy their world. As for the adults they did remember, so it took more time to gain their trust. Maybe it a little bit helped the fact that the G.U.N's Commander irrational decision opened their eyes.

Somehow the Ultimate Life Form managed to get free from under the happy children and from sight of the spectators, having the joy of their life seeing him struggling to get free his leg from the hold of the new panda kid, the same that he and Cream saved some hours ago.

He left the main halls and went to the upper levels passing others on the way. They didn't disturb him as they could feel that the Ultimate Life Form was in no mood. Good, because he wanted to just get the work done and hit the sack before somebody would try to attack or need his help.

So when he got in front of his Commander's office he didn't thought twice and opened the door.

There he saw the new Commander making out on the work desk. The two lovers didn't notice him at first, not even when he coughed.

"I presume I should have knocked" he said gaining finally their attention. The Commander's partner shot up from their position and with a false attempt of hiding his blush, while calming his breath he passed Shadow in the door way, "I'm going back to Crystal and the Master Emerald, Rouge", he said making an eye contact with the striped hedgehog warning him about not telling anybody what he had seen. The slam of the door as the sign he left.

So yes, the new G.U.N Commander was no other that Rouge the Bat, the previous jewel thief and now also the wife of the Echidna Knuckles, with whom she had a daughter Crystal. But more important she was Shadow's best friend.

After the G.U.N Commander died on the battlefield, she was the one who managed to take control over the shattered troops. With her decision of evacuating the civilians and retreat the reminding army, more casualties were avoided. Later by vote she was chosen as the new Commander and with it she started wearing more proper cloths for her new position instead of the black suit with the pink hearted breastplate. Rouge didn't really mind the changes as she found out that Knuckles just loves women in uniforms.

The bat was looking at Shadow with a slight irritated smirk plastered on her face. You could tell that she was furious trying not showing it and it wasn't because being caught in the act, not when the ebony hedgehog had the chance to see her in worse conditions, picking her home from clubs so many times. No. She had a different reason, which will be sorted later...

"So how was your visit, handsome, at old Doc't lair?" she asked, buttoning her shirt, "At least once treated you like a guest with tea and pie?"

Shadow grunted, not amused, "With his most robots off, especially the one which cooked for him, I wouldn't dear eating anything that he cooks for himself now" he said not giving her time for the predictable tease about him fearing the food, instead Shadow moved to her working place and placed the flask with the light blue substance, being the vaccine for the zombie curse. Her eyes went wide seeing it and while he got back to his previous spot near the door, crossing his arms over his chest fur so typical for him, she took the glass in her hand expecting it.

"Is it the final result of his researches?" she looked at Shadow, "Will it really stop spreading the plague on us?"

"I don't know, Rouge. It's all what I got," and nobody truly knew. They've already got twice an unpredictable vaccine that made worse than good. Still they have to hope... thankfully there was always the medical unit, organized specially to check the safety of the substance after the previous disasters.

Suddenly the alarm went on in the base and with it a message was sent to Rouge. She answered it and the screen decloaked from the wall on the opposite side of the room. Immediately it turned on showing up Cream shouting orders to the communication staff.

"What's going on? Are we under attack?" the commander asked, trying to outshout the wailing.

"No. Thankfully no, but we got a stress call from the Doctor's base, something must have gone wrong over there," she paused to give more orders, "Get that alarm off!" Then she looked back to Rouge noticing something, "Wasn't there Shadow with you?"

Using the occasion the Ultimate Life Form sneaked out of Rouge's office and made his way to the base entrance avoiding others who were taking their positions with weapons in hand, still not knowing what the reason for the alarm was to go on. The confusion was what he needed to get out, if he wanted to get on time to Eggman's hideout before it was too late.

Still he didn't predict one obstacle on his way.

"And where do you think you're going Mr Shadow?" It was Cream wearing her battle suit and full equipment, standing in front of him with her hands speared, blocking the way and seeming quite angry, till she sighed "Without me."

After the initial shock that she managed to catch up to him in such a short time, knowing the havoc that he left behind, Shadow noticed that the alarm was silenced as well. It meant that not only Cream joined him, but as well took good care of her duties at the communication post. He could only smirk at his best student, "Hop on."

A black blur became a hedgehog and a rabbit as Shadow stopped sharply not far from the Doctor's base. They checked their position and surroundings. There weren't any zombies around; still it could mean that some of them were inside. Cream took out her gun from the holster at her thigh and reloaded. Then she nodded with her determined brown eyes to the crimson ones of Shadow's.

They entered the tunnel aware of zombies that could be lurking in the dark, however nothing came. The whole way was like this undisturbed and silent as the both alive had the ability to move undetected. One thing was sure, it smelled with dead in the cramped space, but it could be because of the undeads reminds that caught in gun fire thanks to the trap like passage.

Shadow and Cream jumped above the robots line that missed to shot them when they were in front of their sensors and went further.

Finally they got to the door that few hours ago Shadow was passing twice and the ebony hedgehog leaded them straight to the command room.

They didn't have to look much after the Doctor, not when they found the big dried blood strain left on the floor that some of it they've seen on their way here. Eggman became one of the zombies and had moved out of the room, probably now was wandering somewhere in his own base looking after fresh meat.

Not wasting much time Cream sat in front of the control panel.

"I'm not that good in hacking, but I'll try to get some info of what happened here," she said, concentrated already on her task.

"Fine, I'll look around, if you find something let me now," he moved to the door and before going he said "Don't get killed while I'm away." The girl only gave him a thumb up, not taking her eyes of the screen. With a soft smile Shadow parted with her.

The Ultimate Life Form checked the rooms in search of the zombies, it was easier to clean up those that managed to get in that leaving such base for waste. He tried to follow the track left by Eggman as the dead ones loved to gather together and attack in groups, but the blood had stopped flowing in those few hours.

'That leaves me thinking that he had to be killed just after I've left, if so why the signal was sent hours later' he thought.

"Shadow" he heard Cream over the communicator "I still can't get in, do you have any idea what could be the password?"

"He wouldn't tell me even if I had asked, Cream. But, knowing how Professor Gerald was in his age I can only tell you that the Doctor could have picked one that was easier to remember for him those days," he got into a next corridor, while talking to Cream, but like most of them so far nothing was unusual.

Suddenly he heard Cream holding her breath on her line, till she sighed with relief, shortly followed with an ironical laugh.

"Guess, what the password was?"

"Don't tell me that Maria again..." Shadow's ear moved for better hearing as he got interested.

"Sonic," she simply stated. It was hard for the Hero's friends to talk about him, especially that he must have been dead.

Shadow waited a little, before asking what she had found and when he did they were quite surprised.

It seemed that the control room wasn't monitored at all, as Eggman thought that nothing would manage to get as far into his base as there, other than that the scientist had an unexpected guest. From the record the rabbit girl saw that someone hidden under a capote got inside the base running from the persuading after him zombies, but except that they didn't find much.

"That person must have accidently let the zombies in with the different route escape that Eggman prepared like he mostly does," Cream shared her thought with her mentor. And Shadow had to agree to it not seeing personally the record, the only question was where that person hid.

"Stay in that room, Cream while I try to..." before he managed to end his sentence he was abruptly knocked down to the floor at high speed.

When the dizziness from the force left his mind he noticed the hooded person the same that Cream saw on the record laying on him. Shadow got himself to a sitting position helping the other as well. The person was panting hardly and trembling against the ebony's hedgehog chest in fear as Shadow thought. 'He or she must have been running from the undeads for quite a time'.

"Hey, it is okay, you're safe," he tried to soothe the other Mobian, even if he wasn't that good in it. Instead the covered one grabbed to his white path of fur forcefully and locked his emerald eyes shining under the hood with Shadow's ruby ones. The ebony hedgehog didn't unfortunately had time to have a better look in them as the person half said half shouted in panic into his face, "They're coming! The Runners are coming!"

On instinct, Shadow took the Mobian in his arms and run off from the spot. The other clung to his neck from the sudden burst of wind when the hover skates were activated.

"Cream, I have the civilian, he's being chased by the runners get into a hiding spot, or better get out of here, immediately!" he caught with a glimpse of an eye that the runners started their chase after him, worse that there were four of them. "Damn it."

"But what about you?! I can't leave you!" she wailed, "Let me help you fight them!"

"It's an order, Cream!" he disconnected with her as his voice was surly attracting the zombies.

Normally he would have fought with them; maybe even let Cream in the party, but having an extra weight being the unknown Mobian for such dangerous creatures was out of question. The person's life was priority now. And the best that he could do in this situation was to run out of this place take them as far as possible from Cream and lose them on the way. The only problem was that he didn't know that well this base. Nowise, he definitely was some place different than the medical wing.

There wasn't much place for a sonic boom either and every attempt of getting them of his tail was futile. They were much more intelligent, even communicating with each other as Shadow spotted a while later.

'It must be the new mutation,' he frowned. Thinking about a new plan 'I have to get the Mobian somewhere safe, lock him out of their reach and fight'.

Meanwhile the one in his hold seemed to be enjoying the ride as his trembling vanished; also it went unaware for Shadow that the person started to nuzzle closer to his neck, taking into the wonderful scent of the Ultimate Life Form or being mesmerized from the sight of every working muscle under the ebony pelt.

It was then the Mobian felt being yanked down and left on the floor when Shadow entered a room.

"Stay here!" the ebony shouted and had only that much time to turn around and punch the flying zombie at him, sending it back on the other that just entered the door way. The two other zombies got in the room by climbing the walls making holes in the metal covered surface with their claws and waited before making the next attempt of attack. Shadow got the needed time and took a fighting stance in front of the covering Mobian. Now, he also had a better view on the Runners that managed to trap him. He would have blinked, if not the possibility of losing eye contact with his enemies. Some of the persuading monsters were no other than the members of Team Chaotix and surprisingly they were quite in a good shape for zombies, looking so much different from those that Shadow fought so far. The rotting of their skin wasn't present on the dead bodies, neither their body parts were missing. The hedgehog would have consider them as being dead only few minutes long, but he clearly knew that they had died some years ago, particularly Espio the Chameleon, who volunteered in a rescue mission, being the most capable of surviving as a ninja, still he had to sacrifice his life. Shadow had to leave him behind that day... The clouds of a forming memory were blow up by a shake of his head. He couldn't let himself got distracted.

The two earlier kicked out zombies Vector the Crocodile and an armadillo returned to their companions and with a howl lurked on the Ultimate Life Form and he was ready for them. Their clawed hands were swinging at his head, but Shadow managed to avoid everyone of the swing, not moving from his spot at all, then he got the occasion and with his leg he struck the crocodile zombie in the stomach and held it like that what felt like eternity transmitting his chaos energy straight to his hover skate. The zombie couldn't notice when the chaos energy started burning over its skin, not when it went flying the second time. The corpse landed between its companions convulsing and rolling on the floor. The three other hissed loudly when the chaos spears went suddenly flying at them, but it was only a distraction as Shadow took out his gun and shot in the armadillo's leg, blood spread on the floor. After that only two zombies were in state to continue the fight. The ones that the whole time, were keeping their distance from the ebony hedgehog.

The youngest and dead Team Chaotix member, Charmy bee, detached itself from the wall and went in a random flying movement around Shadow. The hedgehog had to duck to the floor as the zombie was aiming at his head. It was the smallest of the zombies and it was the hardest to shot down, he couldn't use his spears as the civilian could get hurt and the bullets weren't better.

Concentration was the key to get it finally shot. The bee was only a mindless zombie (while being alive not the brightest either) moving in a pattern that the body remembered before getting killed. Shadow waited for the perfect moment and took it down. The sound of his gun shot was strangely followed by a scream. He turned sharply to see the source of the cry. It was the hooded Mobian, fighting for release form the dead chameleon's hold.

While struggling with his captor the hood fell down, uncovering his face and the long blue quills. The ebony hedgehog had the shock of his life. The one that he was trying to protect was no other than...

"Sonic..." he managed to whisper, being stunned and before he could do something more he was sent to the floor by a dead weight, the three other zombies. He tried to kick them of, but they had a firm hold. And a chaos blast was out of question in this situation.

"Sonic! Damn it!" he shouted from his position, aware that the other hedgehog was in deep danger, especially that his rival had let himself being carried, not while ago. It could only meant how in a bad condition was the blue one, "Try to run you idiot!"

Then he noticed something odd. The Faker was literally holding his laughing.

"You should have seen your face, Shads," he smiled to the grounded hedgehog, before turning to the zombie "Let me go."

The chameleon obediently took his hands off and stood beside, waiting for new orders.

Black ears went flat against Shadow's skull, he didn't understand the situation; it was so unreal that if he didn't know that the plague was actually real he would have thought that Sonic just got all his friends into one hell of a television like prank.

"I like that look," the blue hedgehog said while lowering himself to Shadow's face and warping gently his hands on Shadow's cheeks, "So much better from that emotionless mask."

The Ultimate Life Form couldn't have not notice how the Speedster's hands were cold in touch against his muzzle, as well that every move was stiff. Whatever the reason was for that was less important than the fact that the hedgehog was able to give orders to the zombies!

But the thought's were for some reason blurred, he even forgot that he was laying on the floor hold to it by the Runners, he just couldn't leave his eyes from those of the blue hedgehog's.

"Knock him out" Sonic said, but the words and the meaning were undetected by Shadow, he only saw the movement of paler than peach lips, before he felt the chameleon's hand on a pressure point, knocking him out to the world of the dreaming.