Cf96: No, I think that's the only time that any generic Gun Soldiers are prominent in this story, but maybe I'll take it into consideration for future stories. :)

Seneca Register: He is not quite a Pure Hero yet, which is especially obvious in this chapter, but the process toward becoming one is in the next three chapters. As I stated in a previous chapter, I rearranged the order of the stages to make more sense, and I think Mad Matrix is Chapter 25 (24 without the prologue). So not too much longer. ;)

Chapter 21: Truth, Thy Name is Vengeance

~Promise of a Far-Off Day~

The Black Bull had gone down very easily, especially considering I knew its tricks and its weak point already. Had it not been so repulsive to the eye, I might've felt bad for not being a bit more merciful.

I was out of Death Ruins by now, quietly walking forward, alone with me and my thoughts. Rouge had left twenty minutes ago, and no signs of her returning with Tails were evident yet.

"Be patient," I told myself, having a harsh staring contest with the ground. "Give it time; she can't move as fast as you…"

But still, I knew Black Doom had hid his trump card in space, whether it be on the ARK or in the Black Comet, and I was willing to bet on the former. The Eclipse Cannon was instrumental to his plans in some way, which was a bit of information that he was mistaken to have given to me.

"There's still something more to this that he isn't revealing…" I realized scornfully. "But I won't let him get that far!"

I looked up, staring at the night sky above, colored navy with a mix of maroon thanks to the Black Arm's influence.

And somewhere up there was the answer to all my final questions.

It was then that a gust of wind whipped up behind me, formed by unnatural causes. I tensed, anticipating Black Doom, but instead I was face to face with the Sea Fox, Tails' latest and greatest spaceship.

With Sonic standing on the wing and waving gleefully at me.

"What's up, Shadow!?" he called, and I couldn't help but groan.

"Not you again…"

He put a hand on his hip and held out his hand sarcastically. "Hmph, nice to see you too. And after all I went through to talk everyone into letting you on this ship…"

I blinked in surprise. "You mean…you followed what I told Tails to tell you?"

"Of course!" he exclaimed, brightening up again. "He also told me that you helped him back in Circus Park after his plane crashed…we still don't know who shot him down though."

"…maybe it's better that we don't know," I murmured, although I still had a lurking suspicion Black Doom had something to do with it, but I didn't really want to tell Tails that, seeing how shaken up he was over the possibility of it- let alone the reality.

Sonic then placed his hands on his hips and winked at me.

"So, it looks like the aliens are retreating back into space, and thanks to Rouge, this baby's got enough power to run for a trip and back!" he explained. "They're on their way to the ARK, so I guess that means we're going too!"

Hearing him say the ARK's name agitated my memories, making me feel conflicted. "ARK…"

Where so many things had caused me turmoil in the past…

"Well come on; let's roll!"

Sonic's voice cut through the darkness of my mind, as he held out a hand to help me into the ship.

"Next stop, the ARK! Whaddya waiting for?"

I knew pursuing my memories would force me to confront the inner demons I didn't even know I had…and besides that, I had gone through too much to allow Black Doom his victory over humanity…over the whole planet…

I grabbed Sonic's hand, and he pulled me up and led me into the ship. As soon as we were both inside, it started taking off into the air, with the next stop being the stratosphere…and then, the Space Colony ARK.

. . .

Sonic and I landed on our feet once we were in the hull, and instantly I found Tails rapidly pounding buttons on the dash board, before hitting a large striped button. He then spun around in his chair and winked at me.

"Sea Fox placed under autopilot- destination locked at Space Colony ARK!" he explained, beaming at me. "We'll be there in record time, at the speed we're going! …and as long as Knuckles stays away from the steering wheel this time."

Knuckles, sitting next to Rouge with his arms folded, just made a disgruntled face and muttered something under his breath.

"And the best part is that there's food and movies on this flight!" stated Sonic happily. "Much better than those dank and drab GUN helicopters…"

Rouge sent him a look from the copilot's seat. He coughed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Erm…but that's just MY experience. I'm sure not all GUN flights are like that, heh heh…"

Rouge smiled and spun around in her chair too. "That's better, although we're not going to have the time for a movie."

I just stood awkwardly in the middle of the ship. Everyone was aware of my presence, but…it was almost like nothing had happened. They were all joking and laughing a bit, and a thorough scan of the ship revealed that Amy was on board too, with the Chaotix in the back of the ship looking over the data on the files Charmy had found on Prison Island.

"It's…nice to see you again, Shadow," Amy stated quietly, smiling a bit in my direction. "I haven't seen you since Cryptic Castle, but…I've heard of the things you've done since then."

I glanced at the ground for a bit, recalling my actions back at Cryptic Castle and cringing. Both she and Cream had been put into danger because of me…

"Wait a second," I realized, snapping my gaze toward Amy. "Where's Cream?"

"We ruled that this was a bit of an…extreme mission to take her along," Rouge explained. "We tried to convince Pinkie to stay with her, but you can see how well that went."

"HEY!" Amy shrieked, clenching her fists and hissing in Rouge's direction.

"Besides," added Tails. "With the majority of us flying straight into the middle of the plot of a group of aliens, we had to leave someone behind…just in case something happens to us, you know?"

"Gotta make sure someone's still there keeping the world safe," Sonic stated, winking again. "Cream always was a tough cookie…sweet, but tough."

I hadn't thought about it like that…

"How come the Chaotix didn't stay behind?" I asked, watching them as they argued amongst themselves in the back. Knuckles shrugged.

"Eh, they said something about documents, a mainframe, and a computer room being on the ARK that they needed to see," he tried to explain, but it was obvious the explanation was lost on himself. "They suspect it was something Eggman had been tampering with eight months ago, but he never managed to fully crack it…and naturally they wanted to investigate."

That would explain why they had sent Charmy to Prison Island, as it had something to do with said crisis…

I looked thoughtful after this, though my next question was directed at Rouge more than anyone else.

"And what about Omega…?"

Rouge bit her lip and glanced away.

"Erm…"

"Let me guess," I deadpanned, placing a hand to my forehead. "It's something Eggman related, isn't it?"

This time, it was Tails that answered. He folded his hands in his lap and stared at his swinging feet in the chair.

"Well, you know how Circus Park belonged to Eggman and whatnot?"

"Yeah," I replied, sounding curious. "He told me via his monitor that he was on his way there after GUN discovered his ownership."

"That's the thing," Tails stated. "He went there, and Omega followed him, but at some point, Eggman vanished from his radar…"

"So you lost track of Eggman, and Omega stayed behind to look for him," I surmised. "Why am I not surprised?"

"It wasn't our fault he totally disappeared!" Knuckles suddenly yelled. "It's like he completely left the planet or something, probably planning a counterstrike behind our backs…!"

"We don't have time to worry about him," Amy interrupted. "How long is it until the Black Arms attack?"

I tensed, balling my fists and glancing away. "…far too soon. The Day of Reckoning is upon us as we speak, and we're going to need to be ready. If we're not…we can kiss the planet goodbye."

We all grew silent after that, but naturally Sonic was the one who raised the mood again.

"C'mon, you guys! Don't let Shads here ruin the mood," he stated, and a select few snickered in my direction. "We've got plenty of time to form a game plan, you know, so let's use it wisely, m'kay?"

Tails, Rouge, Knuckles, and Amy were quick to agree, but I opted to step out.

"I need a moment alone, if that's okay," I stated, trotting off. "I'll be on the lower half if you need me."

"Oh, don't leave," Rouge stated, lightly slapping Sonic's arm. "We'll make sure Big Blue here behaves from this point on."

"Ow…" Sonic pouted, rubbing his arm. "Fine...I'll quit messing with him, sheesh!"

"No, it's nothing personal," I explained, edging away. "I just need somewhere quiet to think, that's all. It's a bit…celebrated in here, if you know what I mean."

"I think we understand, Shadow," Amy stated, smiling at me. "We'll come grab you if we come up with anything useful, okay?"

I nodded. "Yes, that seems fair."

I stepped into the small elevator leading into the lower deck, leaving them to their own devices for the time being.

. . .

The lower half of the Sea Fox wasn't really anything spectacular- it looked more like a large conference room without anything in it. There were large windows spanning the place, reminding me of the lookout balconies on the ARK.

"Mmm…"

Being on the ship with just about everyone was making me feel uncomfortable, if only because I slightly felt like I was underserving of their kindness. My actions caused them so much upset…and in the end, they still wanted to help me.

Probably out of their own best interest, but it was certainly better than the alternative.

As I walked alone, I figured that I should've probably gone back up to listen in on their plan of action to be sure that it didn't intersect my own, but I really did need to be by myself. After all, Doom was right- the Day of Reckoning would be happening soon, and the toll of finding the Chaos Emeralds was starting to catch up with me.

"I could honestly use a nap," I said, leaning against the wall and slumping to the floor. "And quite honestly, something to eat."

As my stomach growled in the darkness, something bright started shining on the right side of the room. It caught my attention easily, and I learned that it was the luminescent glow of the blue Chaos Emerald that Rouge had snagged from Death Ruins. It was resting in a containment chamber of some sort, powering the Sea Fox and giving it the energy to fly.

"The Chaos Emerald…?" I murmured, standing back up and walking toward it. "You've gotta be kidding me, guys!"

Oh, how I wanted to take it and up my emerald collection to six…but it was powering the spaceship, and taking it then would possibly launch us into trouble. However, Sonic did say that the Sea Fox had accumulated enough power for a trip to space and back…

"…so I guess it's okay to grab it now," I reasoned, breaking the glass and grabbing the prize within. "This is like taking candy from a baby, which is fine with me!"

However, just a few mere moments after the sixth Chaos Emerald was safely in my possession, alarms abruptly started blaring, and I felt my heart suddenly pound in my chest. My vision blurred, the scenery changing from the Sea Fox to the ARK and back again, and the constant swapping was making my head hurt.

It was almost like someone was trying to put an overlay on my perception of reality.

"Wh-what…what's going on?! ARGH!"

"Shadow…Shadow!" a girl's voice called, and in the emptiness of the Sea Fox, I started looking, but I found no one. "Shadow…Shadow!"

"There's no one here!" I shouted at the nothingness. "Who's calling out to me?!"

"Shadow, help me!"

I blinked angrily, and in that moment, the Sea Fox disappeared once and for all. I could still hear the alarms blaring in my ears, but I was now on the ARK…

…and Maria Robotnik was standing in front of me.

"Please Shadow, I need your help," she beckoned out to me, looking like she was about to cry. Her blue eyes were almost welling over with tears, but I couldn't figure out what was wrong.

But I knew I was about to remember.

"My grandfather's experiments…" Maria rushed toward me, concernedly grabbing my hand. "…something's gone horribly wrong!"

"What is it?!" I found myself asking instantly, ready to put an end to it without even knowing all the details.

"The research lab…" she choked out, deeply upset about it all. "It's going to be destroyed! Something must be done!"

This memory must have left quite the impact on me…because recalling it felt so real, and it was almost like Maria was back with me again…

It was just a shame that I knew what was to become of her fate.

"Please Shadow, I beg you!" mewled Maria. "Help grandfather and those aboard the ARK! Please!"

"I'll be there, Maria," I promised, holding her hand with both of mine. "I swear, whatever it takes…I'll take care of the ARK and the professor!"

Lost Impact-

"Shadow, this way! The experimental monsters are in here! They're on a rampage!"

I remembered Maria had grabbed my wrist and pulled me along, ducking in and out of rooms in an attempt to take me to the heart of the problem. As we ran, I noticed lots of GUN soldiers on the scene, but they paid little attention to us.

I reasoned that whatever was happening now had occurred sometime before GUN had been bloodthirsty for my head, for all the soldiers were solidly focused on obstructing whatever had gone wrong with Professor Robotnik's experiments, and could care less about Maria and me.

"There's one now!" she had cried, and I rushed to her side on the spot.

It was blue and liquid-like, lacking shape and slugging around on the wall. It was apparently destroying everything just by making contact. I was completely aghast at the sight, and I wasn't even sure what to do. Maria sensed my apprehension and started to explain.

"Those liquid creatures are the experiment by-products, based on the god of an ancient culture."

The creature lunged from its spot on the wall, aiming to capture us in its liquid hold. Maria yelped and ducked out of the way while I tried to figure out how to defeat it.

After all, it's not exactly easy to fight water…

I side stepped out of the way, the creature slamming into a crate and slumping to the ground in a puddle. It was then that I realized there was some sort of core in the goo, like a brain, and it was the only solid thing I had to strike…

"Take this!" I cried, jumping onto said core. A high-pitched squeak came from the creature, but it subsequently became motionless before fizzling out of existence. I just stared at the spot it had disappeared from as Maria proceeded to hug me.

"Thank you, Shadow. There are many more in the colony, so please, be careful."

"Of course, Maria," I stated, glancing down at the path ahead. "I'll be sure to take out any of those…things we may run into, but perhaps it's in our best interest to make sure the professor is all right. Do you know where he is now?"

"He was last seen in his laboratory, which is where the security was breeched and all the Artificial Chaos escaped…" Maria trailed. "I hope he's all right…the creatures have already taken the lives of so many soldiers so easily…!"

"It's okay, Maria," I assured, patting her shoulder. "Let's go see your grandfather; he'll know what to do, won't he?"

"…yes," Maria stated, looking a little brighter. "After all, Grandfather is the most brilliant person in the colony!"

I nodded, starting to jog down the hall. "Then let's get moving."

. . .

The alarms were still going off, with voices over the intercom spewing out orders and escape routes. A few women and elderly people had rushed to the escape pods, but Maria was unable to escape in such a manner due to her condition.

As we maneuvered the halls of the ARK, we saw soldiers marching everywhere, trying to shoot at the creations but failing miserably due to being unable to hit the cores. I didn't see what had been so hard about it- I'd managed to dispatch one, after all.

"Do you think we should just leave this area to them?" Maria asked, and I honestly shrugged.

"It looks like they're not really on the ball; maybe I should-"

"You doubt the strength and diligence of the GUN army?!"

Maria and I did a double take, turning around to find ourselves faced with a child no more than ten years of age, staring coldly at us with two different colored eyes. I glared in his direction while Maria greeted him with a gasp.

"Abe, what are you doing here?! You should've escape in one of the pods, or at least to one of the panic rooms!"

He returned my glare before glancing at Maria confidently. "A true soldier never runs from the heart of the fight!"

Abraham V. Tower, affectionately called "Abe" by Maria, was a boy whose family was deeply rooted in the affairs of GUN, and he himself was more than likely destined to join their ranks in the future. He wasn't on the ARK all the time, but often enough to bring back stories of the planet below to share with Maria and earn her admiration.

I personally hated the arrogant little snot.

Seeing him show up in the memory stirred a bad feeling within me, enough to make the bile rise in my throat.

Not that I had any control of my actions in the vivid reminiscent scene conjured up by a Chaos Emerald, but still.

"AUGH! They got Bob!" one of the soldiers suddenly cried, dropping down to Bob's side.

"All these brave people…I hope that they'll be okay," Maria commented. "Let's help them out, just to be sure."

Seeing that the GUN soldiers were dropping like flies, I jumped on top of a crate and spin dashed into the remaining globs of Chaos, ridding the entire room of them in a mere instant.

Even the injured soldiers had time to gawk.

"Shadow, here!" Maria cried, scrambling over with one of the ARK's special first-aid kits. She tossed one at me and I opened it, taking out one of the healing capsules Gerald had designed. When broken, it released airborne medicine that began the healing process on the spot.

Too bad such technology hadn't spread to the earth yet.

Abe just stood off to the side and grimaced at me as I assisted the soldiers he held in such high regard. In fact, the one known as Bob reached out his hand and attempted to give me a smile.

"Thank…you…"

I gave a grim nod, sensing the bitter sweetness of the moment.

"You're welcome."

. . .

"So where are you and the project going, exactly?" Abe asked, insisting on tagging along even though I told him in not-so indirect language to get lost.

And I utterly hated the way he referred to me as a mere 'project'…I was more than that…

…Wasn't I?

"We have to find my grandfather so we can put an end to this chaos!" Maria explained. "Shadow promised to help as much as he can!"

Abe and I glowered at each other. He held such an animosity towards me that I could never figure out where it had originated from, but I deserved it at this point, as I had retaliated to his abrasive behavior long ago.

"It's funny, the very same stuff the project is made of is what's going berserk right now," Abe stated, almost evilly. "Who's to say that he won't go crazy and attack stuff soon too?"

"Shadow would never do that!" Maria cried, coming to my defense instantly. "He just saved a handful of soldiers, you know!"

"Yeah, now," he sneered. "What about later though? Who knows!"

I simmered quietly in my anger, opting to walk behind the two of them as we made our way to the laboratory. I hated to admit it, but the two of them knew their way around a lot better than I did, if only because they had more experience with the ARK itself.

"Isn't this place huge? Even I still get lost in here sometimes!" Maria exclaimed.

Then again, maybe I should have taken the lead.

The artificial life forms were able to do all sorts of insane things that defied physics- floating just out of our reach, seeping between the cracks in the walls, burning through metal like it was butter…just what had Gerald been doing?

The latest assault came from behind us, three of the masses of goo merging into one monster. It almost took on a humanoid shape, with the exception of the strangely-shaped head. Abe instantly call it out on it.

"It looks like a mutant chao…" he deduced. "…which is only natural, considering the inspiration Gerald used to make these foul things."

"They're not necessarily foul," Maria pointed out meekly. "I mean, I'm sure Grandpa had good intentions while researching them…"

"In any case," I interrupted, picking up a broken pipe from off the ground. "I'm going to kill it. Wish me luck."

"Shadow-!"

I lunged into the air, metal pipe raised above me like a sword and ready to strike. The creature slunk to the left, leaving me landing on the hard metallic floor, but I swung anyway and managed to strike its core.

"You can't get too close to it!" Maria cried. "It'll become violent and attack with its arms!"

It survived the blow, slithering away quickly and recuperating on the offensive. True to Maria's word, it proceeded to tower over me and lash out with a tentacle. Cringing, I ducked and rolled, the attack piercing right through a metallic crate.

"Talk about power…" whistled Abe. "Crazy, evil power…"

"Grandpa said that when the experiments felt threatened, they had a tendency to thrust out their arms and pierce right through things," Maria explained wearily. "That's why he kept them under tight surveillance…"

I dove under another temper tantrum punch, rolling to the side and looking for my opportunity to attack again. When it raised its arm to do another blow, I noticed that it left its core exposed, allowing me ample time to get in and do some damage. Just as it went to swing, I jumped in, stabbing forward and whacking the core again.

It screeched in pain before unexpectedly exploding, artificial residue going everywhere. Abe shielded Maria from the onslaught; although I'm pretty sure I got the worst of it.

"Yuck," I huffed, flicking a particularly large glob off my forehead. "Remind me to stay away from jellies, jams, and gelatin from now on; I don't think I can stomach it…"

"Oh, Shadow," Maria sighed, as Abe grumbled something and shook the splashes off his shirt.

"Anyway," he sneered, a few of the globs sticking to his brown hair. "If you two want to find the professor, you'd better stop messing around and get going."

I glanced contemptuously curiously in his direction. "…and just what do you plan on doing?"

Abe looked astonished for a moment, but then practically brushed the question off. "Nothing that concerns an experiment such as yourself. I just happened to be heading your way, that's all."

His eyes were a window to some hidden meaning behind his simpering. Maria seemed to believe him through and through, not naïve in any way, but with an innocent trust that just might've been her downfall had it been a different circumstance.

We were contemplating what direction to take next, when a flock of soldiers made their way into the area we were in. Maria gasped and quickly ducked away.

"That's the elite fleet!" she exclaimed, pulling me into the shadows. "If they see we're here, they're never let us go to Grandpa…especially since rumors are going around questioning his research…"

Abe tucked himself away next to us, leaning his back against the wall of crates and bringing his knees to his chest. He glanced at Maria and grimaced a bit.

"Maria…I know he's your family and all, but…what if there really is something dark that the professor is associating himself with? If that's the case…what if it's for the best that everyone else knows?"

Maria's eyes widened as her hands flew to her mouth. I pushed my way over to Abe and snarled at him.

"How dare you say that about the professor!" I hissed, my stare becoming as sharp as my fangs. "What gives you the right to accuse him of doing such things, after everything he's done for the ARK…and the people of the earth!"

"It's true," Maria agreed as she glanced sadly at the floor. "If Grandpa really was doing malevolent things behind the scenes…he would have never made Shadow, who's here solely for the purpose of good!"

Dear lord, Abe looked absolutely pained after hearing that.

"…hmph," he finally murmured, shaking his head. "If the research here is supposed to be for the betterment of mankind…why are these awful monsters here? Why are people dying trying to defend themselves against these things the professor created?"

Abe stared at me, hate flaring in his eyes and rage burning in his tone.

"He's been tampering with things far beyond his control, in affairs that he had no business butting into…and look where that's gotten him, building killing machines that will do us all in!"

Maria's heart visibly broke on her face. Her eyes sank and flooded over, her whole body drooped, and she started to shake.

"I still can't believe it…Grandfather's experiments…out of control like this!"

And she started to cry.

Maria was very sensitive, but she never cried.

She hated tears.

Both Abe and I were utterly startled by this, with me turning to Abe and giving him my best "Way to go" look, which he returned with a gesture I'd rather not describe. I reached over and consoled Maria as best I could while Abe began bubbling over with guilt.

"Maria," I began, trying to sound as comforting as I could. "Whatever happened in the research laboratory…I'm sure your grandfather never had intentions for the ARK to be overrun like this."

"But what if it's true?" Maria sniffled, trembling even more uncontrollably. "If Grandpa-"

"GET DOWN!" I yelled abruptly, pushing Maria and I to the floor as the arm of one of the creatures swept away the stack of crates we went hiding behind. Abe was caught up in the attack, however, and ended up thudding against the wall. As soon as he hit the ground again, I sprung into the air, with the cybernetic eyes of the artificial chaos staring back at me.

And I found my wrist wrapped in synthetic water.

With a snap, I was whipped across the room in a similar manner to Abe, although I managed to activate the jets in my shoes and prevent an embarrassing crash. When I alighted on the ground again, I saw Maria's tear-stricken face poking over a crate as she waved a chunk of a broken box in her hand.

"Hey, monster!" she yelled, beckoning its attention. "You leave him alone!"

It looked bemused at her attempt at a threat, but when she threw her makeshift ammo and managed to hit its core, it got angry and proceed to lash out at her. She yelped and ducked down again, but the Artificial Chaos dissipated out of the air just in time, as I had struck it from behind and found myself soaked.

"Next time, tell the professor to focus on dryer experiments, okay?" I asked Maria calmly, trying to shake off the water. It only caused my fur to puff up, and it made her giggle slightly.

"If you say so, Shadow…but what happened to the soldiers that were in here?"

"They must've gone ahead and didn't realize they'd left a creature behind…" I mused, walking over to the second exit of the room. Sure enough, I could see the soldiers fighting off the next pack of Artificial Chaos, and I could even hear some of the things they were saying.

"Can we hit the mutated experiments with a gun lift?" was one of the lines I had overheard, and it certainly piqued my interest.

"Sure," one of the soldiers had replied, ceasing his fire so he could explain. "The only catch is, the Gun Lifts don't have any shielding, so we'll really have to be careful!"

And after hearing that, my eyes lit up.

"Perfect!" I cried, clenching my fist. "If we take one of the Gun Lifts, Maria…then not only can we ride straight to the research lab, we can take out any remaining creatures along the way!"

"Excellent idea, Shadow!" Maria exclaimed, gaining the same look I had. "But…the gun lift used to be an everyday means of transit, and its weapons are only to be used for emergencies..."

I gave her a look. "I think I'd file this under an emergency."

Maria bit her lip and nodded as I proceeded to run ahead, looking eagerly for a spare gun lift. However, I noticed Maria wasn't behind me, so I went back and found her with her hands on her hips and looking somewhat annoyed. Taken aback, I held up my hands.

"What…?"

Not taking her eyes off of me, she pointed at the corner, where an unconscious Abe was resting in the shrapnel of the destroyed crates. With a blank look, I turned back to Maria.

"All I see is a pile of trash and debris, I'm afraid-"

"Shadow!"

"Do I have to-?"

Three seconds later, I had Abe draped over my shoulders begrudgingly while Maria skipped happily behind me.

. . .

"You know, we'd probably move faster if we didn't have that extra dead weight-"

"He is NOT dead weight! If we left him behind, some wayward experiment might have gotten to him!"

"This is problematic because…?"

Maria looked at me with disappointment, and I held my tongue afterward.

We were currently riding on one of Gun Lifts using backup power- the electricity had been knocked out for five minutes thanks to one of the experiments short-circuiting the main generator, so not only were we using minimal power, but if we were to lose that, we'd more than likely lose the ARK.

It was dark enough in the tunnels that the Gun Lifts crisscrossed through, only stopping when reaching a destination point, like the kitchen, bathrooms, lodging rooms, and all the labs. Lit by bright blue backup lights, Maria was trying her hardest to look at all the stops and make sure we got off at the one we wanted, instead of getting more lost than we already were.

Abe was still unconscious, but to my disappointment he was showing signs of slowly coming to. Unlike me, he wasn't built for taking harsh thrashings -although I didn't appreciate receiving thrashings- and being flung against a metal wall was more than enough to put a young boy out of commission.

I was only shocked he was moving so soon.

"….it'll be a couple of minutes until we reach the other side of the ARK," Maria said, halting from leaning over the edge of the lift and sitting on the floor. "I'll check again then- no point in wasting my energy…"

I frowned at that comment and took a seat opposite to her- her NIDS was always a constant threat, even in the safely controlled environment of the ARK. And with us on backup power, it was only going to get worse…

"Are you doing all right?" I asked. Maria glanced back at me softly and smiled.

"A little cold, but I should be okay…I wish I'd worn my other dress, though. You know; the one with the long sleeves…"

I nodded knowingly, unsure of how to continue the conversation after that.

After all, it's not like I had any experience with wearing dresses.

Maria carried it on for me, glancing at the dark floor as she collected her thought. A sad looked crossed her expression as she looked backed up at me.

"It's so bizarre," she said quietly, just as Abe was starting to stir. "Yesterday, everything was fine and normal…and today, we're thrown into a state of chaos. What happened?"

I wish I knew the answer myself… "I'm afraid I don't know, Maria."

Abe pushed himself up as Maria sighed.

"This whole incident…would it be crazy to say that I think it was choreographed?"

Both Abe and I proceeded to widen our eyes.

"Elaborate," I stated. Maria just sort of shrugged and glanced away.

"Grandpa always makes sure to keep his experiments under tight surveillance, and I can only think of one other time when something went wrong." She threw a glance at me. "That was before you were created though, Shadow."

"I see…go on."

"…there is no way Grandfather would allow this to happen of his own accord, and I say that this was no accident…" Maria became fierce, a trait I rarely saw cross her face. "I think someone knew this was going to happen, and I think Grandfather was sabotaged."

Abe seemed to blanch as I nodded in understanding, hesitant to accept it but willing to believe it.

"…The ARK's defense systems would mean nothing if there was a traitor working on the inside," I said slowly, suddenly becoming suspicious. "Why would anyone turn against the ARK in such a terrible manner?"

Maria appeared sullen now, having voiced her concerns, but when I glanced over at Abe, I could've sworn I saw him mumbling, "Professor Gerald is the true traitor…"

I flashed a look at him, not completely hearing what he said, but he glowered evilly in return at my direction. He then softened a bit and glanced at Maria.

"…I know you're concerned Maria, but…what if the experiments were released for a reason? A good reason?" he pleaded. Maria turned to him with a mix of sadness and confusion.

"…what good could possibly come from releasing such hostile experiments?" she asked, and Abe was struck silent. I was pretty astonished by the way things had turned, but then we heard the sudden swooshing of doors, which drew our attention.

We were entering the next area on the lift's green rail, except that the new area wasn't as placid as the previous one. Experiments lined the walls and simply floated in the air, and some of them even crept around the ceiling just out of our reach…

But the one thing that they all had in common was that they were raring to attack us.

I couldn't remember how many tentacles had lashed at us from every possible direction, but what I did remember was Maria and Abe taking to the floor as I activated my hover shoes and fended off the attack with a carefully controlled Chaos Blast. Not only was it a damaging blow to the experiments, but it also shielded us all from possible pain.

"You both okay?" I inquired, keeping my eyes sharply focused on the next malevolent thing that moved.

"Hardly, not much thanks to you," sneered Abe, jumping onto the gun turret and firing instantly. "That wimpy blast didn't even kill them off! Allow a true soldier to take the helm-"

"I don't think so," I grumbled, grabbing him by the shirt collar and pulling him away. "Unfortunately, I'm the only one here who knows how to operate a turret…and tall enough to do so."

Maria turned to Abe and shrugged abashedly; Abe scowled and probably would've spat had Maria not be standing next to him. Meanwhile, I climbed up into the turret myself, adjusted its controls, and let loose on all the abominations in the room.

I really wanted to pull an awesome one-liner at that moment, but nothing would come to me. The shame.

The powerful shots from the turrets were a little sloppy, as my training with any firearms was still relatively recent, but I managed to get the hang of it enough to be able to snipe at the experiments' cores. Maria and Abe could only watch as they splashed among the walls with every defeat before instantly vaporizing away.

"When the research experiments split apart, don't you think they look kinda cute?" Maria asked. Abe gawked while I had to suppress a snicker.

"Cute?!" Abe exclaimed. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

"I have to agree- it's not the word I would have chosen," I stated.

"Well, I don't know…maybe if they were smaller and not mutated, one would make a cute pet!" Maria defended. Abe and I both gave her bewildered looks. "…or maybe not. Never mind. Forget I said anything."

The awkward moment was quickly quelled by a squad of soldiers flooding into the area on the sidelines, shooting at what remained of the experiments. The last few lingering blue blobs stared at the new threat, pausing for a moment before retaliating viciously. Maria had sensed something within the artificial chaos, and she felt a bit sympathetic.

"The research experiments…their eyes…look so sad…" Maria commented as I personally blasted another one out of existence. "I can only wonder why though…"

"I seriously doubt they feel anything," Abe mumbled. If it had been any lower, I don't think I would've heard him. "They're just creations, after all. What could they possibly feel?"

I took offense to that, narrowing my eyes and tightening my grip around the controls for the turret.

"With talk like that, I think you're the insensitive one with the inability to feel," I growled. He heard me instantly and stomped next to me, daring me to go on.

"Where do you get off talking to me like that-?!"

"I happen to be a creation- a 'project' as you so adamantly refer to me, and I have the ability to feel." I could feel his spiteful stare boring into my back, but I refused to look at his ugly mug. "After all, you can't fight without having something worth fighting for…without something to fight for, you have no purpose. And with no purpose…why live?"

Abe wanted to retort with a nasty response, but I guess my words must have reached him.

"Tell me, Abe…you boast about being a solider and fighting and whatnot, but do you have reason to fight? Have you found your purpose yet?"

Abe didn't respond, opting to turn away and quietly simmer in his thoughts. It wasn't until Maria started freaking out did it become lively again.

"The entrance to Grandpa's laboratory!" she had cried, rushing to the front of the gun lift and quickly hitting the halt button. "Hurry, Shadow! We can see if Grandpa's okay!"

I nodded quickly, leaping off the lift and helping Maria out afterward. She landed gracefully, turning to me and giving me a genuine smile.

"I knew I could count on you, Shadow. I'm just sorry this all had to happen…"

"As I promised you Maria, I will protect the professor...and the ARK," I told her with pure sincerity.

Giving me a short but grateful nod, she hurried on ahead, audibly pining for her grandfather, while I turned back to Abe and gave him an inquisitive look.

"Aren't you getting off here as well?" I asked acidly, not even making eye contact. He just huffed and shook his head.

"I told you I was only headed your way; I never said that I was coming with you."

He hit the button to start up the lift again, staring directly at me with a grave look.

"One day, Shadow the Hedgehog…I will right the wrongs that your existence brought upon us…"

And as he rode the lift away, the vision started leaving me. I tried to get it to stay; I wanted know where Maria went, if the professor was all right, and how he had managed to subdue the artificial chaos, but I already used up a good chunk of the Chaos Emerald's power just seeing what I had, and now I was really exhausting it…

There was no doubt about it now- I remembered the place that was the ARK; the place I was born…

So I left a few things fuzzy in my memory for now, and I snapped back into reality. The alarms were still blaring on the Sea Fox, but slowly getting quieter, and the blinding glow of the blue Chaos Emerald began to die down…

And I found myself losing consciousness, attentiveness slipping away…

With a thud, I landed on the metallic floor, left lying coldly on the ground.

I'll admit, I took a couple references from Taranea's Life could have been so different for this chapter. If you're a huge fan of Shadow or enjoy some good humor from Sonic, that's a story to check out. It's also almost over after all this time, so hurry over if you're interested!

Next time...Shadow and the other Sonic Heroes tie up some loose ends with each other, and finally put the plan to secure the world's safety into effect...