Cf96: I don't think so, since the only ones who even know about the androids are Shadow himself, Omega, Rouge, Eggman, and the Chaotix (and I implied that Metal Sonic did too, but that's not completely canon. ;P)
. . .
Oh yeah, there's mention of blood this chapter, so if it makes you queasy or uncomfortable or anything, be cautious. Nothing over the top, but it's there, so I thought I'd give a warning.
Chapter 17: Waking Up
~Shadow the Black Android?~
As soon as we stepped in the silent room filled with lava, Omega instantly began beeping, and I glanced questioningly in his direction.
"Eggman detected. Approaching this direction."
"Oh ho ho ho ho!" The doctor's bellowing laugh escaped him again as he rose from below in one of his many robotic creations. "Nice to see you, Shadow Android. And you too, Omega. It certainly looks as if you've…well, done quite a bit of damage down there."
"Not as much as you've done, Doctor," I hissed back. "And now, we're here to make you pay for it all!"
"Ha ha, what was that? You two traitors are going to try and stop me?" he scorned, and Omega and I held our ground. "Do you really think you could challenge ME and win?"
"Doctor Eggman! I will destroy you and reign supreme!" Omega blared, his arm raised mightily into the sky. I grabbed Omega's arm and brought it down for a second.
"Doctor, please…I need to know…" I began slowly, afraid of what I would hear if I asked again. "Those androids…that ones that…look like me…am I really-?"
"…yes."
There it was; bitter, straight forward, to the point, and dripping with candor. Eggman's glasses cast a glint as he said it, but I couldn't help but bow my head and accept this as a current fact.
"You and Omega both are my creations! But you betray me as you stand here before me! So now, I will destroy you both, turning you into scrap metal!"
"…Very well, Doctor…if that is truly the case, you will regret ever having created me!" I brought my head up and glared at him with my blistering red gaze. "You're going straight to hell!"
Eggman recoiled on instinct before looking back murderously. "Why you little…this is what you get for turning against your master! Once I'm done with you, you'll be thrown into the junkyard! You WILL feel my wrath!"
"And you will be feeling OURS!" I called back, bracing myself.
"Final target confirmed. Engaging combat mode! Commencing combat," Omega announced, switching to his guns and taking aim at the doctor's mech suit. Upon closer inspection, I found that it resembled the one I'd fought back at Cryptic Castle with Amy, the Egg Breaker….but it looked a little different this time.
"Shadow! You will need some kind of weapon to strike at Eggman's cockpit!" Omega called, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I will keep its attention locked on me. You get to those turrets and shoot at it!"
"Right," I agreed, spotting one of said turrets and jumping into it. Omega got in close to where the Egg Breaker was perched, and sure enough, Eggman directed all attacks at him. Once I was situated in the turret, I took aim at the torso of the Egg Breaker and started firing. Eggman yelped as soon as the bullets started making contact, but as he was also under fire from Omega, he didn't know which one of us to dispatch first.
"Heh heh, this'll be far too simple…" I snickered lightly, watching as signs of increased damage appeared on the Egg Breaker. Just as it seemed I was making some leeway, a shield suddenly surrounded the Egg Breaker, and Eggman broke down laughing.
"You're doing very well, Shadow Android…" he chortled in a way that made me sick. "You have certainly surpassed my expectations…equal to that of the real Shadow! We don't have to continue this mindless fighting any longer- just give me those Emeralds and I'll waive all the problems you've caused me lately…"
"Easy for you to say- the inconveniences I've caused for you are nothing compared to the issues you've thrust upon me!" I yelled back, my grip tightening on the controls of the turret. "If you think I'm going to just give up all I've worked for and let you walk away scott free, you are dangerously mistaken, Doctor! I didn't collect the Emeralds to just hand them over to you!"
"How dare you!" Eggman boomed back, slamming the dashboard. "I created you; I gave you life; I gave you an order! Or have you forgotten?!"
"Hmph, according to you, I have nothing to forget," I shot back, and Eggman flinched like the words had physically wounded him.
"IDIOT! Perhaps I really do just need to teach you a lesson!"
The Egg Breaker jumped out of its confinement, launching its large spiked fist and taking out all the turrets, including the one I was sitting in. It was destroyed in a matter of seconds, with me nearly falling into the lake of lava below. I managed to land just before the edge, with Omega hurrying over and pulling me back to safety.
The Egg Breaker thundered up to us, Eggman appearing far less than happy.
"You asked for it! Time to crush you once and for all!" he bellowed, swinging his spiked fist once again.
The first swing struck Omega square in his torso, sending him flying across the arena. He scraped against the titanium flooring, a loud grating noise accompanying it. I cringed for Omega, but this was costly, as the Egg Breaker's spiked fist caught me on the back swing.
"AAARGH!"
One of the spikes had gaged into me, leaving a nasty gash going straight across my arm from where I had tried to deflect the blow. I howled in pain all the way across the room, landing on my good arm with my injured one lying limply behind me.
"Argh, that went in deep," I hissed, afraid to look at it. However, I suddenly felt something warm and sticky began to pool around me, and its stench almost drove me nauseous. "Urgh…what the hell…?"
This is what prompted me to look over at my injury. I knew my arm had been spliced open by the searing pain, but I had been secretly anticipating severed wires and broken parts to be pouring out of me, and within seconds I should've malfunctioned and lost consciousness.
Instead, my arm was almost completely red.
"Wh-what…?" I pondered, reaching over with my good hand and running a finger along my arm. I winced instantly at my own touch, but quickly realized that I wasn't pouring out red oil or anything of the sort.
"B-blood? But how…?"
Blood…I was bleeding…and that meant…
"I…I'm alive…" I breathed, feeling a previously unseen weight lift from me. I wasn't just some useless creation- I was alive. I had purpose, aspirations, ambitions…and memories to boot.
Only problem was, I still didn't know what was my true purpose for existing was...
Cringing, I tried to cover the wound with my hand to prevent it from getting worse. Attempting to stand, with the action maknig me dizzy, I looked up and saw Omega fighting fiercely with Eggman, now sporting several scrapes and dents to his once shiny and lustrous exterior.
Guess I'm not the only one who got battered and scraped up…
It also became crystal clear that everything Omega said had been true- I wasn't a robot, I wasn't useless, and I did have some sort of purpose in this world…
…and most importantly, I shouldn't have listened to Eggman. At all.
Eggman…
…YOU LIED.
Omega roared as he continued his onslaught on his self-proclaimed arch enemy, Eggman simply putting a shield around the Egg Breaker and laughing madly. I panted, my chest heaving up and down, and I now knew I was officially breathing, not artificially like the androids.
Eggman saw me stirring out of the corner of his eyes and turned to greet me with a fiercely adamant smile.
"You're still standing? Impressive! I thought that last blow would have certainly done you in this time!"
I lowered my eyes at him, grabbing my arm and making my way over to him. He stopped paying attention to Omega at this point and went to swing his mace at me; I simply teleported to the left of the blow.
"Ah, a smart guy now that you've managed to survive my first wave of attacks, eh?" he sneered, pressing a button on the dashboard. Several spikes launched from the Egg Breaker; Omega dove out of harm's way while I confidently strolled through it, moving fast enough to just miss being impaled by them.
"This is it, Doctor…" I warned him, smiling harshly and making him blink in surprise. "It's time to show you what happens when you push someone too far!"
"Oh you will, will you?" Eggman chided, whirling around completely to face me. "How about if I pull someone too far?!"
Next thing I knew, his free hand was whizzing forward at me, gripping me tautly and pulling me close. He held me up to the cockpit, just so he could heckle at my currently unfortunate position.
"Let's see your robot friend save you this time!" he taunted, looking like he was going to burst with joy…or even insanity.
It was hard to tell, actually.
"I don't need him to save me; I can save myself!" I announced, starting to glow red. Eggman just started guffawing and shook his head.
"You think your silly Chaos Bursts can damage this thing? I've accounted for that, and if you even dare to try, it'll backfire on you!"
I blinked, and then grinned back at the doctor.
"…then way to fall for my decoy. Before this is over…you'll know my true power!"
I threw my head back, shouting to the sky and making my voice all throughout the lava cavern we were trapped in. Omega stopped attacking to look on curiously, while Eggman was just as puzzled as Omega was.
"Chaos…Control!"
Time seemed to stop just as several lava spouts came up from below, perfectly circling around Eggman and I. Eggman had started to say something the very moment my aura went from red to blue, but this was frozen in time as I now controlled the battle.
I teleported out of the Egg Breaker's hand, nodding to Omega to signal Chaos Inferno Beam. He acquiesced instantly, his hand changing into a cannon that launched a powerful pink laser. I grinned, seemingly hovering around the Egg Breaker with how fast I was moving, but in actuality, I was just teleporting around and delivering small blows to the machine's exterior. When Omega finally had to take a break, there was very little left of the Egg Breaker, so I leapt into the cockpit's protective glass shield and flashed my fangs at the doctor.
"Sorry Doctor, but this is the end for you…!"
"Nooooo!"
I grabbed the top of the Egg Breaker as hard as I could and forced it to the ground, causing it to tumble front first and crash onto the ground, breaking the glass as it bounced from impact. The Egg Breaker ultimately collapsed upon itself, with Eggman toppling out of the cockpit and becoming trapped beneath the metal body, just like he had when Knuckles and I destroyed the Egg Dealer. Eggman coughed heavily after this, staring up at me with contempt and fury.
"I made you…and this is how you repay me?!" he boomed, and I started voraciously back.
"You did not create me," I sneered, holding up the long gash on my arm as proof. "I may not know my true origins yet, or what my designated purpose is…but I do know that you have no claim over me!"
"No!" Eggman exclaimed, slamming his fist on the floor. "If you are not an android, then why were you found in my base, just like the rest of my creations?"
"Gee, I don't know," I hummed darkly, kneeling down so I was somewhat eyelevel with. "That's the very thing you refuse to acknowledge to me, Doctor. You're the only person in the world that knows this, so why don't you spill the beans already?"
"Nrgh…never," Eggman spat, looking crazy as his mustache twitched uncontrollably. "I'll never tell! Never, never, NEVER!"
"Throwing a temper tantrum is not going to get me to back off!" I shouted, clenching my hand into a fist. "Your lies have messed with me more than you know, and even if it takes me forever, it is an act that will not go unpunished!"
"You won't get me to admit anything!" Eggman barked, still feisty, even at my feet. "You'll have to kill me first!"
I locked eyes with Eggman right then, peering through his goggles at the intelligent yet calculating eyes that they hid. He was confident on his stance, sure…but why was he going to such lengths to hide a fact that couldn't have been very significant to him?
"Fine," I stated at last, and Eggman squirmed slightly. "The only reason you live right now is because of the information you choose to keep so close to your heart…but I'm through wasting time with you. If I don't get the rest of the Chaos Emeralds soon, not only will I never get my memories back, but either Black Doom will use them to put forth his plans…or Sonic and his friends will get them and put themselves all in danger."
"But what about me?" Eggman challenged dangerously, working himself back up into an insane tone. "I'll be getting my hands on those Chaos Emeralds very soon, just you wait-"
"And that brings me back to you," I continued, snapping my fingers. Omega instantly appeared behind me, guns ready to fire on command. "You're going to pull yourself out of this war where you don't belong…if you so much as make another attempt to get the emeralds, harm the Sonic Heroes, or do something ridiculous to oppose GUN or the Black Arms…I will kill you. And to add insult to injury, I'll have Omega here do it for me if he so wishes."
"Indeed. Putting an end to Eggman would bring me great satisfaction," Omega stated, increasing the accuracy on his guns. Eggman gulped.
"So, what's it going to be, Doctor? Still want to try anything funny while I'm around?"
Eggman stewed in his fury for a few moments, glancing angrily at me, then at Omega with his guns pointed downward. Finally, he sighed and let himself fall to the ground defeated.
"…you have the checkmate this time, Shadow…but I will be back with a vengeance!"
"And so will I when it comes down to it," I huffed.
I then knocked him out.
He yelped at the sudden blow, then slipped out of consciousness for the time being. I stared down at him for a while longer before turning to Omega.
"Not the ending I was anticipating, but at least you are sane again, Shadow," Omega commented. I sighed and folded my arms.
All this time, I had just wanted my memories back…but I had turned down the help of the people who had been there with me, who had known me, who knew about me, just because I wasn't sure if I could fully believe what they said…
But I was a complete hypocrite, listening to Black Doom, a complete stranger at the time, just because he said he had information…granted, I still didn't know how he found out that I had amnesia to begin with, but I learned quickly that he had absolutely no desire to help me- just to use me as a merciless tool against humanity.
Then with Eggman- I know he had something to do with my past, more than he was letting in on…but instead, he chose to feed me lie after lie until I was pushed to my breaking point. The thought of being an android almost corrupted me, because it scared me…had it been true, I would have been living a lie this whole time, and fighting for a dead end cause!
That left the Sonic Heroes, the ones I had been ignoring the whole time, as the only ones I could believe…but I had done so much wrong in the past that they had turned on me! How could I just go back and ask for their help now?
How could I go back, when only now I realized my mistake...?
The heat inside the lava shelter was growing faster- Eggman's volcanic defense system was at its maximum, and it was proving deadly to everything inside and out. Staggering from the sudden overwhelming feeling of everything- the realization, the heat, the battle, the wound- I turned to Omega looking pretty solemn.
"Omega…" I began, trying to take a step forward with a shaky leg. "I'm sorry…I didn't believe you…"
My legs gave in and I fell to the floor, hotter than hell and suffering from my injury. Omega instantly started whirling, picking me up again as he glanced at an equally unconscious Eggman. His processors raced for a solution, but after being unable to come up with one, he tried to contact Rouge.
"Signal out of range. Please call another number."
"Worthless obsolete technology…" Omega grumbled, attempting to call Tails next.
"Signal out of range. Please try again."
Knuckles, Amy, Cream, even the Gun Commander…?
"Signal out of range."
Unacceptable!" Omega blared, staring at my currently lifeless form. His head whirled around furiously, before he finally decided to break some self-given promise and contacted one final communicator.
"Signal reached. Contact initiated."
"Meatbag!" Omega yelled into his communicator. "This is E-123 Omega contacting from the depths of the Lava Shelter. Eggman has been put out of commission and has agreed to pull out of the battle."
Crackling on the other end, then-
"…Omega? What're you doing calling me? Slow down, SLOW DOWN-"
"Comrade Shadow is gravely injured, and is in urgent need of assistance! Unable to get out of here in sufficient time. Assistance required immediately!"
"Omega, I'm at the edge of the city right now, and my communicator tells me you're several feet underground in the forest! Not even I might be able to-"
"Please," Omega interrupted, a hint of pleading lacing his tone. "He is not the enemy you all think he is. He is finally coming around, and he needs your help. You are the only one who can deliver it to him."
Silence on the other end, then-
"…okay. I'll be there in a flash."
"Thank you."
Omega had barely gotten out the words when a flash appeared in front of him, causing him to shield his eyes. When he lowered his arm, he saw a figure step out of the light, grinning eagerly back at Omega.
"…how did you perform that feat?"
"Ha, Shadow's not the only one capable of Chaos Control," Sonic chuckled, spinning the red Chaos Emerald on his finger. "And…let's just say I got a little lucky too when I found this. What's wrong with him anyway?"
"Scanners indicate he has succumbed to massive blood loss, while also suffering a heat stroke," Omega explained, and Sonic cringed. "I know not what to do-"
"It's okay; just leave it to me…"
Sonic tossed the Emerald in his hand, before holding it over me and letting it use its magic. He certainly wasn't adept at channeling his Chaos Powers as I was, but since it came naturally to him, he easily tapped into the Emerald's restorative abilities, healing my wounds and ridding me of the heat stroke. When it was finished, Sonic grinned happily and stored the Chaos Emerald back in his quills.
"So, uh, now what…?" Sonic asked, glancing curiously at Omega. "Glad I could help and all, but he's still after the Chaos Emeralds, and I don't think it's a good idea to-"
"I want you to take him," Omega intervened, and Sonic's eyes widened. "It's imperative that he collects the Chaos Emeralds."
"But I…he nearly killed me just for the one GUN gave me to protect," Sonic murmured, his ears dropping slightly. "The last time I saw him, he was absolutely relentless, and when Rouge told me that he now has four Emeralds, I realized that we're all in trouble! After all, Tails has one, I have one, and only he knows where the seventh one is…we're all in danger if he keeps up this search!"
He then glanced around Omega and recoiled. "Yikes, what happened to Eggman…?!"
"Do not change the subject. We will all be in danger if he doesn't get the Chaos Emeralds," Omega insisted. "Do you really want to turn your back on him in his time of need? Shadow has been through much recently, and he needs someone to turn to."
Sonic grew quiet, staring at the ground.
"Why can't you do it, Omega? You're supposed to be one of his best friends!"
"I've done all I could, and look where it led him," Omega protested, and Sonic was unable to counter that. However, he folded his arms and turned away.
"Well, he made it very clear to my friends and I that we should stay away from him, so I'm in no hurry to rush to his aid, exactly."
"Sonic," Omega stated, and Sonic flinched at the usage of his name. "You are the only one left who can get through to him…if he truly is the original, then you are the last person to have seen him before he disappeared…"
"…yeah?" Sonic responded weakly, gripping his left arm abashedly. "He didn't even listen to Rouge when she told him the truth- he hates me! Why would he bother listening to me?"
Omega held me out to Sonic, absolutely emotionless.
"Give him a chance. Please."
It was after a few contemplative seconds that Sonic finally caved and took me from Omega, shaking his head.
'I'll do what I can, but I doubt I'll be able to make a difference…"
"I've seen you take down the Metal Overlord," Omega pointed out. "You can do more than you think."
"That wasn't by myself!"
"Who said you had to help Shadow alone?" Omega replied, starting to walk away. Sonic looked on for a couple of moments before calling out to Omega.
"Hey, wait!"
Omega halted.
"Where are you going? Don't you have GUN to rendezvous with?"
"Perhaps," Omega said, raising his guns. "But there are still Eggman robots roaming about in the Lava Shelter. Must eliminate them all!"
He thundered off, but not before wishing Sonic luck. Sonic watched as he disappeared back the way he came. Sighing again, he glanced down at me and smiled slightly.
"Guess the torch was passed to me…Shadow, what are we going to do with you?"
I remained unconscious as Sonic took out the Chaos Emerald and teleported once again.
Next time...with Eggman's removal from the fray and Sonic's reentry, Shadow prepares to finish his quest and atone for his mistakes...but of course, that'll come with its own set of problems.