SonicSonic54321: Thanks for your kind words! Shadow is most certainly more than a mere project, and maybe Maria's not psychic exactly- maybe she's just good at reading people. :)
Cf96: In short, the Truth part of the title applies to Shadow, and within that truth, the Vengeance part applies to Abe. That will be explored a bit more later on. ;)
Chapter 22: Making Up For it In The End
~Compensation for a Miracle~
When I finally came to again, I found myself lying in the pile of broken glass that I had shattered, the alarms had ceased their whining, and to be perfectly honest I didn't really know if I had the sixth Chaos Emerald anymore, since it wasn't lying next to me or anything.
And Amy was staring down at me.
"Yah…!" I yelped, springing to my feet and jumping away. "Don't scare me like that…!"
"We heard the alarms and wanted to make sure you were okay," Amy explained. "I offered to look, and I found you taking a nap in broken glass, completely out cold…I got kind of concerned, you know, so I stayed here until you came to."
"Oof…how long was I out for?" I asked groggily. Amy pondered this and shrugged.
"Not very long- we had just finished our meeting when the alarms went off, and that had only taken twelve minutes at most…so, yeah, that sounds about right."
She then looked at me with her jade stare and smirked a bit.
"Yeesh, what happened; did you knock yourself out trying to nab that sixth Chaos Emerald for yourself?" Amy asked with a chuckle. I stammered a bit, unable to think of a legitimate excuse for my actions on the spot. "…hey, don't look so worried Shadow; we all knew you were going to take it eventually. I just didn't think Tails had the alarms rigged up…"
I blinked, still a bit out of it, but I got the gist that they didn't care that I had just robbed them of their only emerald. The most I could mutter was just an "Okay…"
Amy helped me stand back up, and I didn't know what to say now. There was still several minutes until we were even within the ARK's orbit, and then there was landing and dispatching everyone…
"If you want, I'll just go back and tell the others you accidentally tripped the alarm," she offered. "Of course, I'll have to tell them you took the emerald, but like I said, they knew that was inevitable…"
"…thank you," I stated, realizing that her suggestion was probably the best option for me. "I'll just stay down here for a while longer, if that's all right."
"No problem!" Amy exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "We'll just send someone down when we're close enough to the ARK to prepare to disembark!"
I nodded, and she waved me off and skipped back to the elevator. I watched her leave; apparently going over the plan had put her into higher spirits, since Amy was strangely quiet when I first entered the ship.
"Not that I can blame her," I sighed, walking to the window once again. "I didn't exactly leave her on a completely good note…I just guess it's time for me to start making up for the things I've done lately…"
. . .
I stood alone in the left half of the ship, looking out the window, just as I always had back on the ARK. For a while, it had been just nothing but space, but as time passed, the ARK came into view, shining against the backdrop of space like it was a star itself.
"Space Colony…ARK…" I trailed, memories of Maria and all the attacks on it fresh in my mind again. Everyone on there had worked so hard for a purpose on that ship, only for it to all be in vain…because I lacked my own purpose.
And I wanted to know what it was again.
"A place so familiar…this is…where I…"
The vision of Sonic and I fighting in space flashed in my mind again, the ARK being forcibly dragged toward the planet…
"Maria…"
We both tried holding it at bay, and with our strength combined, we could do it… but in the next moment, as soon as the ARK was put back in orbit, Sonic was tumbling away, and I was plummeting out of the sky, and out of everyone's lives…
"And I should've died," I finally stated, stark shock crossing my expression.
"We both should have."
Footsteps walked up behind me, belonging to Sonic, who looked just as reminiscent as me, almost like he was recalling the same thing. He joined me at my right side, gazing at the ARK himself and stirring up his own memories. He didn't say anything immediately, but when he did, it caught me off guard.
"Are you…really sure you want to know everything about yourself?" he suddenly asked me, sounding completely serious. I was taken aback a bit by his tone, but I didn't look at him.
"What's the point of memories if you can't recall them?" I stated. "They're proof of our existence, and they're the blueprints for who we are…and for me, I have to know what my purpose is, and just who I am…"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his face sour, and his eyes suddenly became defensive before they closed.
"…do you really…need to know your past to define who you are, and what you want to do with your life?" he questioned me again, his voice containing a bit of a sad undertone. I was honestly wondering where all this was coming from, as he had shed his usual cheerful bravado to nail me with these questions.
"…from what I discovered so far, there's people who meant a lot to me locked away in my memories," I explained, and he started to quiver. "…they're gone now, so at the very least, I'd like to keep them alive in my memories."
It got quiet between us after that, which completely disturbed me seeing that Sonic was a regular chatterbox. Eventually he sighed, and he gave me a grave look. Staring at him cautiously, I finally had to ask.
"Sonic…is something wrong?"
He folded his arms behind his back and rolled his eyes upward in an attempt to avoid eye contact, like he wanted to tell me something, but it was too painful to speak aloud. But eventually, his gaze rolled back down to meet mine, and he swallowed.
"Shadow…it's not unfathomable to define yourself without memories, you know," he explained, almost as if he was telling me to reconsider my actions. "You are who you are no matter what, past or no past…"
I studied him hard, but he refused to flinch under my gaze. "…what are you trying to tell me, Sonic?"
His voice was scarily devoid of any emotion. "I'm just saying, your past is not you, just the things you've done, and things you can't go back to, no matter how hard you try."
He folded his arms and turned away from me slightly. "The key to being happy is to never look back, and keep your eyes focused forward on the future- on what you can do next, and where you want to go."
Sonic fully turned away from me, and I noticed his shoulders sink. "…at least, that's what I've always told myself."
I was still trying to figure out why he was throwing all this at me, and now at all times…after all, he wasn't the one with amnesia- it's not like he knew what not having memories was like…
…Wait a minute.
"Sonic, something just occurred to me…" I began slowly, realization filling me so fast that I felt like I was going to flood from the inside out. "I know that Tails is your adoptive brother, I know Knuckles is the last of his kind, I know that Rouge's thieving skills somehow managed to land her a position in the government…"
I took a step towards him, and he nudged away from me the slightest bit.
"I even know a little bit about Amy, and all of you know about my past…" I trailed, and Sonic froze. "…but I don't think anyone knows a thing about your past, Sonic."
He still didn't move.
"Now…why is that?"
He was the epitome of stillness at that moment, which was enough to raise red flags, as he couldn't even stand anywhere without tapping his foot or anything. Eventually, after an eternity, Sonic glanced over his shoulder as me and gave me his most transparent smile.
"…maybe it's because I don't know much about it myself."
And bam, there it was.
Naturally, hearing such a bombshell form Sonic combined with his strange behavior was enough to color me interested, but before I could grill him for more details, Vector of all people arrived via the elevator, the most excited that I'd ever seen him.
"Guys, GUYS!" he boomed, pumping his fists into the air as he ran for us. Sonic audibly breathed a sigh of relief, happy to have a distraction while I cursed lightly under my breath.
Just when I was about to get a juicy secret from Sonic…
"We're almost getting ready to disembark!" he boomed. Sighing, I decided to humor him.
"Why are you so excited…?"
"Because, this is the Chaotix's first big case in three months!" he cheered. Counting back, I realized that meant there hadn't been anything ground-breaking for the CDA since the Metal Sonic incident. "We'll be legends when we break this one wide open! And you get to help me Shadow!"
"W-What…!?"
"Yeah, let me explain," Sonic interrupted, taking over. "See, the Chaotix are getting off the ARK to obtain some information that Eggman had been trying to crack into eight months ago, and I'm getting off to help you look for the last emerald, which you claim is at the Eclipse Cannon…"
"And you get to help me find the computer room!" Vector whooped. I gave him a blank look.
"Why can't anyone else help you…?!"
"Because no one knows the layout of the ARK like you, and I have to use my own knowledge to get back to the Eclipse Cannon." Sonic scratched his nose and snickered.
"I only recently started remembering the ARK again; how can you expect me to be able to navigate through it?!"
"Well, you DID say you were at the ARK yesterday," Sonic pointed out. "Plus, Tails managed to scan the place for a basic digital map that he gave to Vector and Espio, so it shouldn't be too bad of a trial…"
"Just help me and my team get to the computer room, and then you can go meet up with Sonic and get to the Eclipse Cannon," Vector finished.
I was really against the idea of helping Vector out like this at such a critical time for everyone…but something was nagging at me that it would be in my benefit if I did help.
"…all right," I murmured, and Vector whooped again. "…but just know that I'm only giving you fifteen minutes of my time! After that, I'm heading straight to go find Sonic, got it?!"
Vector seemed content with that answer, instantly hightailing it back to the elevator.
"That's all I needed to hear! I'll be able to pay the rent for a whole year with this job!"
As he hooted and hollered away, Sonic and I traded a look, just as Rouge approached us. She was looking over her shoulder at Vector with a dumfounded look before turning to us.
"…I know what they say about a crocodile's smile, but that's a little ridiculous…"
Sonic flat out laughed while I rolled my eyes. When Sonic finally stopped cackling, he glanced in Rouge's direction and grinned.
"Anyway, what brings you down here?"
Rouge tried to maintain a confident look, but I caught her fumbling with her pocket again.
"I just wanted to talk to Shadow before he left, that's all…you know, one on one."
Sonic held up his hands before bowing and moonwalking to the other side of the room. "Hey, no objections here! Take all the time you need!"
We don't even have the time to stand here…!
Once Sonic was well out of sight, I was left to consort with Rouge, who was trying to get her words together. I stood straight and folded my arms.
"You can start whenever you're ready."
Rouge jumped at my words, but composed herself and smiled.
"This won't take long, I promise…" she started, and suddenly she looked like she couldn't contain herself. "Tails just received a call from Omega via the Sea Fox's communication- there's good news and…debatable news."
I raised an eyebrow. "Erm, debatable…?"
"It turns out Omega finally contacted his rendezvous man in GUN, and not even the military knows where Doctor Eggman disappeared to…" she explained, the previous happiness gone for the moment. "…so for all we know, we might need to anticipate some sort of counterstrike from him."
"Even though I told him to keep his big pink nose out of everyone's business…" I huffed. Rouge rolled her eyes before smirking again, her eyes shining eagerly. "…and what else were you going to say?"
"Ah yes, well, Omega did tell us something else…" she stated coyly, baiting the information for all it was worth. "…apparently it turns out that you're not a Shadow Android, and you chose not to tell me?!"
Oh, that.
"Yes, it's true I'm not a robot," I stated. "…but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm the original either."
"But Shadow," she continued, clasping her hands. "Ever since that night in Casino Park…I've always been thinking about the possibility of you being a robot, and it's been driving me crazy not being able to know…I know that it wouldn't matter if you were or not, since you'd be my friend no matter what…"
Rouge was a master at maintaining her composure, but with the rollercoaster of things we all had to face these past two days alone, I was surprised anyone was still in one piece.
"You just…don't know how much of a burden has been lifted from me…"
I really did sympathize with her, and I nodded to prove it. "I suppose you feel the way I do about it."
To my surprise, she actually laughed- something akin to how Sonic would laugh at something, pure and innocent without any devious undertones. In her excitement, she strolled over to me and hugged me tightly, making it easier for herself by flying a small distance above the ground. I was stunned again, as this was the second time she'd hugged me, but this time I hugged her back.
If I truly was her best friend, it was the least I could do.
When Rouge released me, she was hovering above the ground and looking happier than I thought she could possibly be. The calculating, deceitful, scathing, thieving, and usually treasure-oriented albino bat had taken charge in several military-related situations, supported a strong group of friends, and was actively doing her part to save the world…
Amazing what can happen in a few short months.
"Heh, I guess you took my advice after all," I stated, and Rouge beamed and nodded slightly.
"It's almost embarrassing to admit….but I've felt more alive after the aliens attacked than I have in a really long time…"
"That's the kind of thing I like to hear!" Sonic called from the other side of the room. I smacked my forehead and Rouge grabbed my hands and started looking at my wrists. I found this a little jarring and silently questioned this. Eventually she grabbed the inhibitor ring on my right hand and told me to take it off.
"…why?" I asked, completely bewildered by the gesture. Rouge looked at me with an air of seriousness about her.
"Because I'm about to give you something, and you're about to give me a promise."
Reluctantly, I put my hand around my right inhibitor ring and gave it a twist; it popped off surprisingly easily, and I felt a surge of power shoot up my arm.
"Yah!" I yelped, staring at my wrist. "What just happened…?!"
"Your inhibitor rings keep your Chaos Energy at a certain level so it doesn't burn you out from the inside," Rouge explained. "But when you take them off, you can use unspeakable power…for about five minutes."
I gaped at her. "…and you know this and I don't why…?"
Rouge glanced away casually. "It was in the report I did on you…"
Of course.
"Anyway, whether you're the real Shadow or not, I've decided that this is the best time to give this back to you."
Rouge reached into her pocket and produced the inhibitor ring that Sonic had given her, staring at it contently one last time before turning to me.
"…I was given this long ago, and for many months, it stood as the only memento to your heroic sacrifice. I held onto it, either to remember you by, or to give it back the moment you finally returned."
She handed it to me; I twisted it open and snapped it on my wrist, feeling like the sudden flow of power had a cap locked onto it.
And this time, it felt a little more natural than the ring I'd been previously wearing.
I glanced up at Rouge, who was looking back at me with her teal stare.
"…today, Shadow, I think you finally returned to me."
I lifted my wrist admiring the ring Rouge had given –back- to me. The one I'd been wearing previous was noticeably shinier than the other one…but now, both of them seemed to match and I felt a tinier bit more like me.
"Rouge?" I asked, and her ears perked up at hearing her name. "I think this might be the day I return too."
"Aw, it's so beautiful!" wailed Sonic, rushing in from the background and throwing his arms around the both of us. I groaned loudly while Rouge giggled. "We'll have plenty of time to reveal deep dark secrets and reconcile with each other after we get to the ARK and take back the seventh emerald, m'kay?"
"Yeah, I took a bit longer than I wanted to," Rouge admitted, flying into the air with an abashed look. She started making tracks for the elevator, but not before turning back to me and winking. "You'd better come back to us, Shadow…in one piece, and with all your inhibitor rings intact!"
"No promises…" I muttered, balling my fists. "…but thank you, for supporting me…"
Rouge gave me a salute before whisking herself off into the elevator. "As always, hon. Good luck! We're all rooting for you!"
Once she vanished into the elevator and ascended to the upper floor, Sonic sashayed up to me with his arms folded behind his head.
"Sooo, Rouge-"
"You know she's after Knuckles," I deadpanned, shooting Sonic's statement down before he could even voice it. Sonic shrugged, as if he'd anticipated the answer.
"Yeah, I know. I think Knuckles is a bit flustered too but he just doesn't know it yet. They could make a cute couple if they tried-"
"Sonic, we don't have time to waste on shipping an echidna and a bat; we have an emerald to find, thank you."
"Heh, all right," he agreed without a fight, punching his fist into his palm before punching it into the air.
"Aw yeah, bring it on! Looks like the party's getting started! Time to rock and roll!"
He turned to me and flashed a serious grin, if that was even possible for him. "You ready for this, Shadow?"
Sonic didn't even give me a chance to answer- he whisked himself off and vanished in a blue haze. I was still a bit stunned from our previous conversation, which shed Sonic in a whole new light, but there was no reason to dwell on that…but there was no way I was going to let it go, either.
Clenching my own fist, I ran off and followed Sonic.
It was time to get the seventh Chaos Emerald…
. . .
A few minutes later, Vector, Espio, Charmy, an impatient Sonic, and I were ready to disembark on the ARK. Amy, Rouge, and Knuckles sat back and watched while Tails walked up and down the line, reiterating the plan to make sure everyone knew what they were supposed to do.
"All right, this is the last time I'm going to explain," Tails stated for the third time. "As soon as we land, Sonic is going to make a beeline directly for the Eclipse Cannon room, to secure the seventh Chaos Emerald that we believe to be in there. Espio and Charmy will go on ahead and deactivate the ARK's defenses temporarily, just enough time for Vector and Shadow to reach the computer room without any unseen complications. The only snag is that Black Aliens can get on the ARK at that time, so be ready to fight!"
"Anytime, I'm ready!" Vector exclaimed.
"I'm always ready," I insisted. Tails nodded and continued.
"Once Vector and Shadow reach the computer room, Espio and Charmy will infiltrate and meet up with Vector, and they'll start cracking the files. Then, Shadow meets up with Sonic, they find the emerald, and we go home victorious…and we use the emeralds to drive off the aliens if it comes to that."
Sonic grinned and gave a thumbs up. "I like the sound of that! Let's go!"
"We'll be back on the ship monitoring everything," Rouge explained. "Tails hacked into the ARK's cameras, so we'll always know what's going on!"
"We'll be here if you need anything, too," added Knuckles.
"And if we need to make a quick getaway, we'll be there almost as fast as Sonic!" giggled Amy. "There's nothing to worry about!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" I asked, ready to go already. "Let's get moving!"
"Hang on," Tails told me, fumbling around in one of the ship's compartments. He finally pulled something out and handed it to me, a small smile growing on his face. "…I feel a little bad, only giving this to you now, but I didn't know where you were these last three months, and we couldn't exactly trust you with one since the invasion started…"
He dropped the communicator in my hand.
"…but I'm still sorry, because I really should've given this to you sooner."
I stared at the communicator now resting in my palm. It was a simple black one, just like the one all the others had, and yet it was mine.
Finally…I had one for myself.
"My own communicator…?" I asked in disbelief. Sonic elbowed me and gave me a wink.
"We figured it might come in handy for these last few missions, you know."
Nodding, I strapped it to my right wrist, just next to the inhibitor ring Rouge gave to me. It slipped easily in the space between my wrist and my glove cuff, not only hiding it from view, but also feeling rather comfortable. I glanced up at Tails and gave him a nod.
"…I appreciate this, Tails; thank you."
Tails shrugged abashedly. "It wasn't just me- thank everybody. After all, it kinda had to be a unanimous decision…"
Everyone murmured contently among themselves after that, just in time for the Sea Fox to make a complete landing on the ARK. As Tails had said, Espio and Charmy were the first to disembark to do their part of the job, with Sonic jumping eagerly out of the ship and saluting us goodbye.
Vector stepped toward the exit next, motioning for me to follow him. I didn't hesitate to follow; I was more than ready to end Black Doom's hold on the world…
And more than ready to end his hold on me.
Next time...Shadow and Vector make their way to FIND THE COMPUTER ROOM, with Espio and Charmy right on their heels, in hopes of unlocking some of the remaining secrets of the ARK...