Disclaimer: All Sonic characters are copyrighted to SEGA. This story is the ideas and thoughts of the author and not necessarily those of Sega or Sonic Team.

IN DUE SEASON

Chapter II

Faded Pasts, Distance Shores

I was well aware she was frightened, as was I, but for different reasons I'm sure. If the professor had known what I was doing I could have only imagined the punishment. If she had been caught, I don't know what would have become of her, but it was she who insisted on the venture.

We ran through the corridors, avoiding the sounds of footfalls and brightly lit areas as best we could. Every once in a while we had to stop and hide as a late shift worker put away their tools for the night or one of the residents left their quarters for a snack.

I didn't even know why I had wanted to aid her in the first place. The professor had strongly advised me not to have any more contact with her unless otherwise instructed, but there I was, directly disobeying him. But in spite of the guilt, I could not help it. I was fascinated by her, curious to know more; compelled. She was like me, of my kind and so was her son, which was the object of this disobedience. I had wanted to see her and she wanted to see him.

"Shadow, are you there?" an anxious voice emitted from the black hedgehog's wrist communicator. Shadow shook off the distant memory as he was quickly brought back to the reality of his present situation. He regarded the communication device with an indifferent air but activated it all the same. A small picture developed on the screen revealing a relatively upset middle-aged woman with slightly graying brown hair. The human glared at the black hedgehog appearing on her monitor inside the home office she currently found herself in. Judging by the bags under the woman's eyes and the several empty paper cups once containing coffee surrounding her, she was exhausted.

"Shadow, we don't have much time here. We need to get that information as soon as possible. You said you could do this but it's been three days!" the woman exasperated loudly as she rubbed at her tousled hair. Shadow let out a disinterested 'humph' but nodded. Though Shadow wanted to be upset with her, he knew she was just stressed and that she was the only one willing to help him. Plus, he liked the woman's gumption and tenacity.

"You will have what you need soon, Alyson," he responded coolly as he closed his eyes, a sign of promise to his human partner. Alyson gave a weak sigh but nodded. She had only known the black and red hedgehog for a year but understood when Shadow set out to do something, it would be done. In fact, she had learned a lot in the past twelve months, things she had been clueless about before. Now, she was on the front lines of something important and it gave her a new sense of purpose.

"Okay, Alyson out."

And with that Shadow's screen returned to black as his arm went slack to his side. It was time for the matter at hand. He was currently perched in a pine tree eyeing what looked to be nothing more than a large rock formation about five hundred yards away. He knew better though.

It had taken two days just to track this place down and another day's worth of surveillance just to make sure his leads were right. This stone pile was indeed one of the few bases of operation Dr. Robotnik had set up in this region and Shadow needed to break in and retrieve what he hoped would be the end to his three-year campaign. He had spent two of those three years working with G.U.N., partnering with Rouge and Omega to help bring mankind a step closer to defeating the mad doctor. It had suited him fine back then as he had been a little more naive and a little less critical.

But time had a way of changing things or, more accurately, people. He left government service with mixed emotions and bitter confusion. Sometimes he felt like defending the human race Maria had been so sure of, but other days he wondered if allowing Doctor Eggman to take over wasn't such a bad idea. On those days he thought about Sonic and his friends, Alyson, Omega and Rouge . . . Rouge. There was an individual he didn't want to think about. Either way, they reminded him of why he did what he did. He would never let them know of course, but he kept fighting for their sakes.

Suddenly, a few boulders near the rocky cove began to shift and Shadow perked up from his sitting position. This was what he had been waiting for; he knew it. The heavy stones moved away to reveal a wide opening and out of the blackness emerged a storm of large machinery all bearing the mark of the Eggman Empire. Shadow studied the various types of robots coming out of the opening very carefully.

Several were what the government had labeled Demolition Droids. These robots were built for their name's sake. They were heavily armored with a lethal arsenal and ability to adapt so quickly it usually spelled disaster for whatever poor, unsuspecting town they visited. There were some D-shells too; eagle-shaped jets mounted with rapid-fire laser cannons and carrying at least five large omega-bombs. There were also hundreds of K-19's, which were simply grunts, but able to move fast and fire faster.

Along with all them came the new staple bot which seemed to be coming with almost every battle now. These slower moving machines appeared to just hold the line after a fight. Some even said these robots took prisoners after battles, though little evidence supported it. This was exactly what Shadow was after, evidence of disappearances.

The black hedgehog snorted in disdain at the sight before leaping from the tree and making his way over to the opening at super speed. He needed to do this quickly if he wanted to get in undetected, but he also knew he needed to err on the side of caution. Robotnik's security measures were always pushing the envelope of scientific possibility after all.

He got as close as possible to the entrance, waiting for the robots to clear out towards their unknown destination so he could dash in. With the skill and grace he had perfected over the years, he launched himself inside and landed quietly on the metal floor below. Crouched, he looked in both directions, checking for signs of detection. He was greeted by the sound of automatic lenses coming into focus. Surveillance cameras.

He sprang into action, running full speed at the sound and ripping the camera away from the wall. The black hedgehog gazed at it in annoyance, knowing the damage had already been done and that it wouldn't be long before a fleet of security bots would come to investigate. He needed results now. He dropped the camera and reached for the bare wires now hanging from the wall. The dim lighting of the hanger gave him just enough light to find what he was looking for, the feed line. He grabbed its end and without delay . . .

"Chaos Spear," he yelled as chaos energy shot up the line. He had done this several times before and it never failed to bare the outcome he wanted. The wiring exploded in a fiery display of power right down the line, leaving behind scorch marks along the walls and a trail straight to the command center. And, like a shot, he was off skating down the corridors of the immense base.

Just as he figured, robots started coming out of their dormant positions and launched their attacks against the Ultimate Lifeform. In the past, he might have stopped and indulged in fighting back; show them a thing or two for messing with Shadow the Hedgehog, but now was a different story. After losing his inhibitor rings, his incredible Chaos powers came at a price, instability and extreme exhaustion. These robots were no pushover and he didn't have that kind of time or energy.

He continued to race on knowing he had to reach his objective. Eggman was becoming increasingly dangerous towards both his kind and the human race. Oddly enough though, no one, except for Sonic, had even seen the doctor in years, including himself. Worse yet, no one knew where he was now. It was just one robotic army after robotic army, battle after battle with no real rationale to any of it. Was the doctor even trying to form an empire or just creating acts of mass destruction with no real return? Shadow didn't bother trying to understand anymore. All he knew was this had to come to an end, for the sake of the world. This had to stop for all their sakes.

Sirens began sounding as the fast hedgehog blew through the first level of security. The flashing lights, ear piercing wails and banging metal did not break Shadow's concentration on the trail marked on the wall ahead. He blasted clean through doors blocking his path and sailed right on through bots trying to nab him out of the air. Like a rocket, he coursed through giving no thought to slowing down until he reached his destination. However, something did finally catch the speedster's eye.

Video screens lining the facility walls suddenly popped on, tuning up their volume and drowning out the sirens. The lights also dimmed and for a second Shadow would have mistaken the place for being a movie theater, if it hadn't of been for the searing lasers and colossal robots chasing him. The screens scrolled a few words, words he didn't care to look at much less read, but then a voice started up.

"Shadow the Hedgehog," it acknowledged in a fairly calm male voice. It was unmistakably Robotnik's.

"The Ultimate Life Form, created on Space Colony Ark by my grandfather."

Shadow bristled noticeably but he knew he couldn't let this throw him off, not this time.

"You do remember my grandfather don't you?"

The black hedgehog narrowly escaped the claws of another robot as he rounded a corner. He sneered a bit at the casual tone and manner of the screen's speaker. He had to try and ignore it.

"Professor Gerald Robotnik? One of the most brilliant minds of all time. Not striking a chord? Ah, then what about my cousin . . ."

Shadow couldn't help but tense up. He knew he had put the past behind him. He knew this was just a distraction. He knew this part was coming up in the prerecorded message. But he hated it all the same.

"Maria, I'm sure that name is, at the very least, familiar to you."

"That's it," the hedgehog growled as he flicked his wrist in the direction of the monitor and let loose a bolt of chaos energy. The screens around him lit up in a firework display of sparks as they over exceeded their voltage limit. The screens melted releasing smoke and hot embers of plasma to the floor. He smiled for a moment until he heard . . .

"Temper, temper."

He stiffened a little. Shadow had never heard that before. Was that madman here?

"Anyway, let's talk about you."

The hedgehog's anger flared; the recording picked up right where it left off. It was programmed for such interruptions and only blared on much the louder for it. He prayed the command center was getting close.

The next few minutes were accompanied by more robots, more lockdowns and more talking about his past deeds in both the heroic and the dastardly. Even though he would never admit it to anyone, or himself for that matter, he was growing weary of both this mission and this life. How much longer did he have to fight?

Finally, what looked to be exactly what he needed stood just down the hall. It was a thick doorway made to withstand the most aggressive assaults including that of the bots behind him. Beyond that door stood the master control hub but if he didn't time this just right, he was going to end up quite an ugly stain on that door. Reaching into his quills, he pulled out a small device that looked similar to a hockey puck with the initials G.U.N. engraved upon its flat surface. Shadow had taken the liberty of lifting a few of these before leaving the government organization.

As he approached the metallic entree, he tossed the object at it. With a clang, it attached itself magnetically and began to relay a series of beeps and clicks. Upon that, the black hedgehog turned around sharply, using the door as leverage and stormed back to face down his attackers. The robots reacted clumsily, trying to turn on the woodland creature in their mist. They raked their claws along the walls and themselves, firing guns and lasers at one another.

Shadow paid careful attention to the door as well as the homicidal machinery hammering at him. Suddenly, there was a flash from the device as it dropped to the ground. Shadow smiled. He doubled back once more as the metal door began to slowly lift up into the ceiling. The robots, again in their bumbling manner, turned around and headed after their pray. Just as the passage was halfway open, a light at the top began flashing as the control panel for the door activated defense procedures.

Immediately the door began falling shut. Shadow rushed forward, dove to his stomach, snatched up the G.U.N. device and slid safely under the hatch just before it slammed shut. The assault bots charged right into the door without consideration and Shadow listened securely from the other side as they clamored and gorged at the titanium reinforcement. Without missing a beat, he placed the device back into his quills and began surveying the area. He was in a short, dimly lit hallway leading out to a wider area. He slowly made his way down the hall, listening for any signs of danger as he went. An intercom crackled to life once he reached the edge of the large computer database room.

"I know you've put your past behind you, the good, the bad and all."

Shadow snorted in disgust. The recording again. The sooner he got what he needed the sooner he could leave and not have to listen to that stupid tape. In a flash he was at one of the screens, inserting a flash drive into the system and typing away. Seconds later he was receiving the download he required and taking out the clip.

"However, Shadow, I have a question for you. What if your past caught up with you or worst yet, what if it managed to get in front of you?"

At this, the hedgehog quirked an eyebrow. He had never hung around long enough to hear 'his' full message before. With some curiosity, he paused for a moment.

"For you, my dear boy, it's only a matter of . . . time."

Suddenly, the computer monitors around him began flickering to life. Each displayed a timer of red digital numbers fixed on 48:00:00. The scene appeared all too familiar to the one on the Ark eleven years ago. Shadow's first instinct was to believe the base was going to self-destruct now that information had been compromised. The distant sounds of the robots against the door outside stopped, leaving Shadow in an eerie silence as he watched the counter start. Then he sneered.

It wasn't counting down precious seconds or even minutes, but hours. Shadow's blood boiled as he watched the slow display with disdain.

He knew his presence was expected being he was one of the protectors of this planet. It only made sense for Eggman to be prepared for him or anyone for that matter, but this had an air of sinister planning to it. Dr. Robotnik had been waiting for his arrival specifically, but how? How had the doctor known he would be here and more importantly why did that maniac want him here to begin with?

There was no time to ask any more questions as the hatch behind him began to slowly open. He could hear the screeching of the anxious droids beyond it wanting to get in and destroy him. He could try and fight, hold his ground and escape the way he came in, but the vivid memory of a nasty injury to his rear quarters from a previous battle encouraged him to look for another solution. With a quick glance, he noticed below the computer console there were panels, one of which was loose. Not one to doubt good fortune he quickly kicked in the unfastened sheet of metal and forced his way into the maze of wiring and hardware under the data processor. Just as he squeezed through, the safety door behind him slammed up as a D-12 forced it to.

The laser scanner mounted on what could pass as a head clicked on emitting a harsh green beam into the room. It scanned the field looking for anything out of place, particularly a black and red hedgehog. Instead, it locked onto the moved panel underneath the console. With heavy footsteps, the armored robot made its way over to the computer and lowered itself on hydraulic legs. It scanned the inside of the hole created and received a blast of chaos energy for its trouble. It withdrew its arsenal from its arms and chest with quick, cold calculation. Shadow let out an exasperated growl as the robot shoved a particularly large cannon into the opening and proceeded to expel flames out of it.

Shadow scrambled backward, tearing through electrical working and trying to remain singe free. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. The fire created melted plastic and metal, sending sparks flying up around him. It was as if the crazed robot didn't even care if it destroyed the master hub and, even though he was the Ultimate Lifeform, a few elements could still deal him harm, intense heat being one of them. The flames swept across the hardware getting ever closer to where Shadow was trying valiantly to claw his way out. The heat was so intense he could feel his fur curl up and smell it as it toasted. He could hear more droids stomp in over the roar of the inferno and, worse yet, see them rip away more panels and thrust their own weapons towards him.

"Chaos Spear!" he shouted as he forcefully blew energy in the robots' direction. With the temporary distraction, Shadow decided it was time to get out of there and pushed deeper into the wiring until he found the back of the terminal and blew a hole through it. As he climbed out he noticed something odd. The power hookups were running right on through the wall; not to electrical outlets, but holes. He also noted the strange green light pouring out from the openings and the familiar tinge of great power. Closing one eye and leaning forward he peered into the gap with the other. He couldn't believe what he saw.

There, on a pedestal, held down by metal clamps, was the green Chaos Emerald. It had been so long since he'd seen one that at first he didn't know what he was looking at. He stared intently at the warm glow of the emerald, almost lost in the awe of finding one, until he was jolted back into reality by the blast of one of the robot's laser cannons. He ducked just as a shot sailed over his head and penetrated the wall. As luck would have it, the blast created a nice sized entrance for him to get through. He lunged forward just as another shot cratered into the spot he was. He quickly made for the emerald, but . . .

"Ahhharrg," he screamed out in pain as his hand wrapped around the gemstone. It had been booby-trapped, sending a very severe electric shock through his body. He refused to let go, however. He bit back the pain and ripped the Emerald away from its prison. This only sent the robots into a furious craze as they began firing erratically.

Shadow, already weakened from this escapade and now the electrical shock, dove to the ground. The action saved him from a few laser cannon blasts but made him more vulnerable to other forms of attack such as the large feet and claws of the bots. He quickly rolled to the left as a huge metallic foot came crashing down. More robots came to join in the stomping fest as Shadow quickly tried getting back on his feet. However, having to dodge, duck and roll away from rambunctious, murderous robots meant quite a few more class A falls than standing.

Suddenly, a claw hooked Shadow around the waist and hoisted him up in the air, clamping down on the hedgehog and forcing out a painful breath. The Ultimate Lifeform brought his mind back into focus as he realized the droid's intentions. He gripped the Chaos Emerald tighter as the gem began to glow. He forcefully hissed out the words, "Chaos Control".

And in a blinding flash of green light he was gone; emerald, information and all.

o

Alyson looked up at the clock hanging on the far wall as she typed in a few more commands into her laptop computer. She and Shadow had been working on this project for a few months now and still, they were no closer to solving the mystery let alone the overall dilemma. They needed proof Eggman was behind the disappearances. Any shred of evidence would do. She sighed as she drew her hands up to rub at her tired eyes. It had already been a long night, but it appeared it would only get longer for this middle-aged woman.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blinding flash. She shrieked in surprise not knowing if she had been discovered by the government or Dr. Robotnik's robots. It didn't help she was already jumpy from being over-caffeinated. However, when she whirled around, she didn't find a government agent or an android; just a heap of black and red fur lying on the ground. It took a moment for the shape of her hedgehog compatriot to register in the woman's mind before she jumped out of her chair.

"Shadow?" she gasped as she stooped down to check on him. She placed a hand on the hedgehog's back as he appeared to be unconscious.

"Shadow, wake up. Are you alright?"

Alyson could feel her heart rate increase as the Ultimate Life Form lay perfectly still. There was one thing she had learned about her resolute partner and that was he was tough; downright indestructible. This wasn't normal.

With slight hesitation, Alyson scooped up the wilted body and placed him on the small couch kept in the room. Shadow didn't even flinch but his hand unfurled releasing the emerald and sending it tumbling across the floor with a clinking sound. Alyson turned to look at what had fallen with a bit of anxiety. Exhaustion tended to make anyone a little wound up. With a curious gaze, she bent down and slowly picked up the slightly glowing trinket her friend had dropped. She rotated it in her hands trying to figure out what it was or how it was radiating green light.

"It's a Chaos Emerald."

Alyson nearly dropped it as she turned around to face Shadow. The hedgehog was now sitting up holding his head and remembering just how much energy it took to harness the emerald's power without his inhibitor rings.

"What is it?" Alyson asked.

"A Chaos Emerald."

"Really? I thought they went missing? How did you find it?" Alyson questioned before being silenced by Shadow holding up the data clip. The human glanced at it and recognition lit up her face.

"You got it!"

She held out her hand to which Shadow filled with the light plastic drive. The woman raced to her computer and inserted it, still holding the Chaos Emerald in her left hand.

"May I have that back," Shadow stated evenly. Without looking away from the screen, Alyson held out the gem. The hedgehog took it from the human's grasp and sat back down on the couch, looking at the gemstone with an unreadable expression.

So much happened, and yet nothing seemed to ever happen. Over the past seven years, Dr. Robotnik's attacks had become more vicious, his inventions more monstrous and yet, his aim seemed even more ambiguous . . . What was the doctor trying to do? Shadow rotated the emerald in his hand with the same vacant look.

Cities would be destroyed, but no attempts to build the Eggman Empire upon its remains were ever made. Threats came all the time, but nothing would come of it except the fear that it was coming. And then there were theses. The Chaos Emeralds hadn't been seen for years and now one showed up in a base meant for him to find? What if that madman had more or worse- the rest?

"Shadow, here's something," Alyson spoke as she finished typing and gestured to the screen, "This shows all the recognizance information for the attacked cities, see."

Shadow leaned in over Alyson and noticed the list on the monitor. It read:

Doctor Robotnik Base 152 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Code # 915200

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Operation: Schall

Units- FG800's-HG700 series-Land Droids-Air Droids

City . . . . . . . . Destination . . . . E . . . . . D . . . . A . . . . C . . . . R . . . . Total . . . . . . . . . . Priorities

Lake Shore . . . . SS . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . 25 . . . 63 . . . 32 . . . .2 . . . . 122 . . . . . . . . . . . Not found

Green Hill . . . . . SS . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . 7 . . . . 56 . . . 43 . . . .5 . . . . 111 . . . . . . . . . . . Not found

Mineville . . . . . .NG . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . 98 . . . 367 . . .298 . . 25 . . . .788 . . . . . . . . . . . Not Found

Sun Valley . . . . TH . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . 50 . . . 276 . . .125 . . 14 . . . .465 . . . . . . . . . . . . Not Found

The list went on for several pages with more cities and more numbers and more priorities not being found. Shadow sneered.

"What does any of this mean?"

"I'm not sure. These are cities that have been attacked as far as I know," Alyson said as she pointed to the city category, "The destinations are just initials though, it could be bases or other cities."

"So, in other words, this appears to be an inventory list of the conquests from each city," Shadow said coolly.

"It seems that way. The totals do match that of the missing persons count. I don't know what each category is or what the priorities are."

Shadow stared at the data for a moment and then let out a sigh.

"The A stands for adults, the C is for children. The E corresponds with the priorities list, both have zero results," Shadow murmured to himself.

"Okay, but what about the d's and r's?"

"I don't know, but the units must refer to the robots sent out to gather the hostages while the code applies to this particular base."

The two scanned through the list trying to decipher the information they so desperately needed to solve this disturbing mystery. Then something caught both their eyes at the bottom of the list.

Target City: Kingsbury . . . Departure: 10:00 0131 . . . Arrival: Pending

"This has to be the next city that's going to be attacked," Alyson stated solemnly, "It's already 11:30. We have to try and warn them anyway."

The woman grabbed the cell phone from her desk and quickly dialed an emergency number. She was so caught up in her rush to help another town in peril that she failed to notice the expression on Shadow's face.

Kingsbury? Why did that sound so familiar to him? Was there someone he knew there? Was it a town he visited before? He stared at Alyson who was now frantically yelling into the phone about how it didn't matter if people of the state lived in the village or not, it was in grave danger.

Then it hit him.

"They won't bother sending a distress call out there, Shadow," Alyson raged as she turned just in time to see the hedgehog vanish in a flare of bright light.

Author's note: Well it's been a while since I've written a new story and this one is shaping up to be a long one. I hope the first two chapters were enjoyable. The list that showed up in this chapter took forever to do because it wouldn't transfer with tabs. I don't know why but I thought Fanfiction could do tabs. I ended up having to use periods to divide the section instead but it gets the point across. Reviews are welcome. :)