(Shadow's P.O.V.)

Wham!

Something firm hit me with mind-splitting impact, right on the side of my face. Upon being belted, a sickly cracking noise sounded against my skull, and for a moment I could've sworn something within my head had managed to cave in from the strength of the blow. The force clouted me off my hands and feet, instantaneously ripping me away from Rachel as I flipped over onto the ground and landed on my back.

"Agh!" I drew in, feeling the impulse of pain deflect into a rippling ache. My eyes flew open and flickered.

What the hell? What just hit me? Felt like a damn meteor!

I then turned my head and was greeted by a lopsided angle of Rachel gaping back at me. She was knelt down on one knee, crouching as if ready to spring away at any given moment, but having stopped to survey what she'd done as if she herself could not believe it. Her beryl green eyes were wild and afraid, but I could see the hints of determination drawn behind them. She looked repulsed, outraged, afraid, and borderline insane all at the same time. I then noticed that her hand was locked into a quivering fist.

Putting one and one together, my eyes widened. It was her that had knocked me down. It shouldn't have been that surprising, since it seemed like a proper reaction, but I would've never guessed she could punch that hard. Ever.

Once the shock had faded, I retaliated with a low, steady groan and immediately tried to lift myself back up. But the ache swelled again with vengeful anguish, sending me back to the cold floor. I inhaled slowly and let myself revive. It wasn't that I couldn't function after the little hit. But I knew I would stagger when I stood up, and didn't feel the need to appear weakened.

Something else was keeping me there. I needed to sit back and think about this. Think about what just happened.

I lay there soaking it all in. Everything that had taken place. Everything that was happening right now. What I did...what I chose to do not too long ago...everything.

I felt as though it was only my imagination. I never actually brought myself to do such a thing, did I? It was too…human of me. It was something that humans themselves had inaugurated.

I knew what a kiss was. I knew what it was used for, the kinds of affection it was meant to display.

And I just used it. On Rachel.

It couldn't have happened. It just couldn't have.

But the heat that was still dying off my lips proved evidence enough.

I remembered the prickling euphoria that the little form of contact had brought about. It was unlike anything I'd ever felt before in my life. It concocted these blissful, yet aggressive feelings inside. It made me excited, yet angry. Delicate...while unmistakably ravenous.

Whatever it was, a part of me had wanted it to last longer. Much longer.

What has gotten into me?

I heard the sound of retreating footsteps. My head jerked back around, which was a horrible idea because it brought on even more unpleasant pain. I peered upwards with a glazed expression and watched Rachel's figure shrink as she treaded away.

For a moment I just remained there, dumbfounded that despite everything that had been said and done on my part, she'd still managed to get away from me again. Then the fury drilled back in all at once.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Of course, I should've known better. She wasn't going to listen to my orders when I couldn't do anything in my position to enforce them. In fact, after we'd grown several meters apart, she gave no indication of even hearing me at all. She was too focused on her short-lived freedom. She simply turned around to make sure I still had not gotten up, but never stopped or slowed down. She kept running until she was up against the side of the Egg Carrier's exterior, where she came to a screeching halt, zeroing in on the panels in front of her before moving her hands frantically over the metal, as if searching for a nonexistent opening.

"N-No..." I heard her whisper disbelievingly as she desperately traced her fingers all over the wall, looking left and right as she side-stepped along the surface. "No."

I lye there and continued watching her, no longer feeling the rush and urgency to catch her anymore. It was clear she wasn't going anywhere, whether I was there to stop her or not. She couldn't even locate a door. And inside there wouldn't be anyone or anything that could help her anyway.

That's it. Just run and panic, Rachel. Run and panic. That's the only thing you know how to do. And maybe pack in a decent punch. But other than that, you know as well as I do that escape is out of the question.

I anticipated more of her nonsensical rambling, and even waited for the usual wailing and sobbing. But she was quiet, not counting the sound of the metal as she tapped and nudged it, ineffectively searching for some way to the other side.

Little did she know was that there was no actual door on this area of the deck. The fastest way back inside was through Chaos Control.

After I figured the dispute had dragged on long enough, I pushed myself up onto my feet, lifting my weight with my legs, and once I was straight, silently strode over to gather the Chaos Emerald. I reached down and swathed my hand around it. Once it was resting in my palm, it illuminated with its red hue. I slowly recoiled the gem to my chest, now walking in Rachel's direction.

My heart grew feverishly hot with every step that closed our distance. I wasn't sure what this feeling was. It couldn't have been just the raw anger. No, anger was only a small portion of it. Whatever I was experiencing couldn't be put into words, even inside my own head.

She was turned away from me, her hands still roughly flattened against the fusible wall. Her body writhed with small pants as I gradually made my way closer and closer to her. I didn't bother to be quiet or keep my presence unknown. My steps were swift and loud, outwardly expressing how annoyed I was with the whole ordeal.

By the time I was right behind her, she paused and fell totally silent. She knew I was there, but for some reason she wouldn't move or acknowledge me whatsoever.

I ignored her unusual behavior and extended a hand toward her, seizing a hold of her arm. I was aiming to use Chaos Control and teleport her back to her room, this time locking her in for good...so she couldn't go and pull a foolish stunt like this again. I'm not sure what Eggman was thinking when he gave her access to the whole vessel.

She wouldn't travel along in the warp if I wasn't connected to her somehow. Otherwise if I didn't have to touch her, I figured at one point I would've kept as far away as possible. At my own expense, and for the sake of my head.

Once my hand was wound around her, she shrunk under the contact and grew rigid.

I found it in me to finally speak the usual command and bring about the Chaos energy.

Alright. I guess this is over now.

"Chaos Contro-"

"AAAAAAAH!"

Right as the process started to take effect, Rachel swung around and violently knocked me back onto the ground, restraining me from above. Her knees pinned me down at my midsection, leaving my arms draped apart. She shrieked angrily and struck her fists against my torso, chest, and all over my face.

I felt the familiar stinging tear across every square inch of me. Even though I was made to heal quickly, my body was too slow to counteract against the bruises she was forming just by hitting me in certain places more than once. She made sure to leave no area unmarked.

I tried to reach up and grab her hands to stop her, but her speed and position rendered me immobile. Plus, I was also clinging to the Chaos Emerald in one hand.

Compared to what occurred not too long ago, it would seem our roles had been reversed.

But the Chaos Control was still in effect. The white light from the time-bending entity molded around us, bathing us in the endless intensity as our setting melted into the inside of a room from within the Egg Carrier. The glass windows and stars around us disappeared and colorless walls took their place. But as far as my eyes could see past Rachel's flying fists and my own screwed eyelids, the room we were in was definitely not B-12.

"You moron!" Rachel screamed, suddenly approaching my face with her own as she continued attacking me.

I averted my eyes back to hers, and could actually feel my heart do a short jump at how terrifyingly mad she looked.

"You evil, mindless, demented moron! How dare you! I could kill you right now! I hate you! I hate you! Oh God I hate you so much!"

I knew that if I actually put effort into trying, I was fully capable of getting this girl off me. But for some, possibly illogical reason, I didn't bother to do it. Something about the way she asserted her anger just kept me right where I was, stunned, but completely conscious. I could feel the frustration radiating off her. In fact, I'd come to accept that this was probably what I deserved for doing what I did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let it drag out this far.

Indeed, what I did was entirely unnecessary. That kiss...really...what was I thinking?

I still couldn't figure out what brought me to do it in the first place. I just knew it had something to do with that strange little feeling of mine.

Suddenly, her attacks ceased all at once, and she changed her stance and took hold of me by my shoulders, lifting me up slightly before slamming me back down. I hit the ground with a small 'oomf.'

"You tell me right now..." she said. Her voice had become quiet and deadly. "...just what the hell you were thinking..."

I frowned sharply, finding it in me to utter a few words.

"...You're over-reacting," I said plainly. My voice sounded a bit shot, but it was equally as threatening as hers.

"Here you are throwing a tantrum like the brat that you are, when you should be a lot more thankful. I could always have done something worse, and you know it. Something much, much worse."

My irises locked with hers, and I sent silent reminiscent warnings based off of what happened the last time she pushed me too far.

"Nothing could've been worse. I can assure you that. Nothing," she seethed. "So listen and listen good. Just for future reference, in case you ever feel the need to punish me in your cruel and twisted ways, just hit me with another one of those spears! I mean it! It's a lot easier for the both of us!"

She picked me up and slammed me down again, in an unsettling rhythm with her outbursts.

"Because I would rather-"

Slam

"Be covered in scars-"

Slam

"Bleed from all over-"

Slam

"And have it done a million more times-"

Slam

"Than have you ever-"

Slam

"Do something-"

Slam

"Like that-"

Slam

"Again!"

I gritted my teeth as she finished, glaring at her murderously.

"Trust me, you unintelligent human, that can be easily arranged," I spat, lifting my head a little so our noses nearly brushed one another. She moved back, flashing a disgusted scowl.

Suddenly, a voice boomed over us.

"WOULD SOMEONE KINDLY TELL ME WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON HERE!"

Rachel and I both whipped our heads to the side in unison, and looked up to find none other than a bewildered Dr. Eggman staring back down at us.

My eyes instantly widened. The doctor copied my reaction, gawking at the two of us like we were the most bizarre things he'd ever seen. His mouth was hanging open in a way that I'd never thought possible. All the while, the controls and buttons on his keyboards and computers bleeped idly behind him.

Immediately, my mind fused with questions. I shifted my eyes everywhere, realizing that we were in the central control room.

...How are we here? How could we have turned up here, when my focus was on warping to B-12? Is this some kind of joke?

This had never happened to me before. It didn't make the slightest sense.

Dr. Eggman then frowned.

"Hmph. Decoe, take Ms. Tower back to her room and lock her door. Behavior like that must be restrained somehow."

I felt Rachel's weight pried off of me. My head turned just in time to see Decoe, Dr. Eggman's robot assistant who was strangely unaccompanied by Bocoe, pulling her back with his robot arms enclosed around her waist.

After her face took on one of shock, she gnashed her teeth together and started thrashing in protest, trying to disengage his grip by manually yanking his claw-like hands apart. Decoe looked over from behind her shoulder and peered at her worriedly, like he didn't really enjoy having to do what he was doing. But he didn't have a choice. He wouldn't release her.

Her eyes squeezed shut as he pulled her away from me and through the door's opening, farther and farther out of the room.

"No!" she screamed as her voice diminished down the hall. "You can't do this! He's the one you want to lock up! Not me!"

It was followed by Decoe's robotized voice.

"Ms. Tower, I'm begging you to calm down, please," he requested gently.

But right before they fell out of hearing range, Rachel let out a slow, chilling cry.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" she screamed desperately. "Get me out of this place! Please! I can't take it anymore! I'm done! I give up! I want to go home!"

And then nothing.

My spine chilled a little. I watched the empty archway where the door was, breathing rather heavily.

Dr. Eggman's voice interrupted all my thoughts.

"Well," he started, chuckling darkly,

"It looks like you finally broke her."

The grimness in his tone made me feel incredibly vulnerable, almost as if I was being scolded, which was something I didn't quite understand. Weren't my instructions from the start to 'break' the hostage as soon as possible? But now I knew we were both having our doubts that any of this was ever a good idea, after watching the savage teenage girl who'd been whisked away by his robot.

I jumped to my feet, my eyes trailing down to the floor with the smallest twinge of guilt.

I didn't want to talk. But I knew the Doctor did.

"Here I am," he started rather casually, "minding my own business...converging status marks on my universal map to help pinpoint the precise destination of the next Chaos Emeralds so the coordinates will be exact...and I turn around and find you on the floor with Rachel beating you to a pulp from above."

He then twined his fingers.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in what's going on. So, let's hear it. What exactly did you do to her? And would you mind telling me how it led to all this...commotion?"

At first, I figured I could just avoid the subject and turned away, readying myself to leave.

"Nothing, of course! You know how she is. She's just making a huge fuss over nothing as usual."

But then, the door slid shut in front of me, denying me my exit. I stopped and flung back around with a growl. Dr. Eggman was facing his control pad, his hand flitting over a button.

He was the one that shut the door. He was keeping me trapped in here until I told him the truth. I knew I could've just warped away, but the act itself angered me a lot more than it should have.

"Oh, come on! Enough of the games, Doctor!" I yelled, infuriated. "Open the door right now before I break it down myself!"

"Shadow," he cooed in a much softer voice than mine. "Take a deep breath. Try to relax a little. You don't have to explain much. I understand most of what's happened so far."

I paused.

"You...you do?"

He nodded and stepped closer, his expression wary and cautious.

"After a little research, yes. It appears that Rachel tried to escape with Rouge the Bat, correct? Mhm, I'm already well fond of that information. We found Rouge passed out in one of the halls. Why she's unconscious, I have no idea, but I'm sure you do. Anyway, Decoe and Bocoe had her taken to the prison unit at the bottom of the Carrier. She's currently locked away in one of the cells and under heavy surveillance. She hasn't awoken yet, but in the meantime I doubt she'll be causing us anymore trouble."

His head tilted upward and he fixedly watched the vent in the ceiling for a moment.

"And...I also take it that Rouge wasn't the one who was up there. It turned out to be Rachel after all."

I didn't bother looking up along with him, and simply lowered my head once in reply.

Somehow, thinking about how not too long ago, Rachel was on her hands and knees dragging herself through the air system set on reaching her escape, oddly made my throat knot.

"So," he continued. "I'm this far along."

He held out his hand and tapped each finger individually, taking note of his context clues.

"Rouge showed up on specific orders to rescue Tower, probably from the Commander himself. And I'm assuming she made up some backstory on how I was informed on her arrival...which I clearly wasn't, and managed to fool you."

He looked at me sternly. "How you could've gone along with what she said without question is beyond me. You're usually much more skeptical, and not nearly gullible enough to fall for the antics of someone like Rouge the Bat. I take it you just had your hands full at the moment."

I frowned to myself as the memories phased.

"And then, when you turned up to talk with me, the two of them used that to their advantage and made their attempt at escaping the Egg Carrier. They proceeded with climbing through the air vents, and you were able to nab Rouge while Rachel was already too far into the cubicles, beyond your reach, and managed to get away. Am I right so far?"

I nodded solemnly.

"Okay, and so then you later found Rachel."

He'd been dabbing at his pinky when his hands fell away and folded across his stomach.

"Now I'm relying on you to tell me the rest. What happened from that point, to now?"

I realized he was expecting me to tell him all my actions. But I silently refused to list the pending details. My hands cupped around the Chaos Emerald protectively, my thumbs moving over it in circles.

"How about you answer this first," I said quickly, changing the subject. "Tell me how I ended up here in the main room, when I was originally trying to warp to Rachel's room. You must have some sort of idea as to why that happened."

Dr. Eggman furrowed his eyebrows for a moment before shrugging it off. "Eh, I'm guessing you just didn't concentrate hard enough."

My gaze hardened as it transferred up to meet his eyes. "I was concentrating perfectly fine. This room never came into mind. Rachel attacked me in the middle of the teleportation, if that makes a difference. But even then I've been under similar circumstances. It never knocked me off my path then, so I don't understand why it would now."

Before I even finished, the Doctor's eyes had greatly enlarged behind his round, heavily tinted spectacles.

"So...are you suggesting that Rachel had influence on the location?"

I froze, having not even considered this. "I don't know, could she do that?" I asked cynically.

Dr. Eggman grew unnaturally still, his arms slowly unraveling and falling by his sides.

"…I believe you had a glitch."

I lifted an eyebrow.

"Pardon?"

"A glitch," he repeated. "They...they never told you about that did they? Them being the scientists on the ARK?"

I just stared back at him blankly.

He sighed. "Okay, well then allow me to explain. When a creature that can harness Chaos Energy, such as yourself, is warping and has their intended location faltered or changed entirely, it usually means they were unknowingly thinking of the alternative place somewhere in the back of their mind. It's even more understandable if they're taking something or someone along with them, because distractions tend to happen easier in those cases. But if said creature knows for a fact that they weren't distracted, then it would mean the person they were taking had influence on where they appeared. Said person has to be either touching the source of energy or touching the transmitter, which would be you. And the term for that is a glitch."

I glared at him quietly.

"...But that's impossible."

"Actually, you're very wrong. Sure it's extremely rare, especially for a creation like you who was designed to not flaw so easily and allow access to surrounding bystanders, and even more so because it was a human who supposedly glitched you when humans don't hold Chaos Energy in their capacity. But it's definitely not impossible," he said, suddenly observing me more carefully.

"Although, this would be the first time I've ever seen one occur myself. And I don't think there even is a documented case of a glitch involving a human."

"...I'm still not sure whether I'm supposed to believe you or not. I've never heard of a glitch. And how does something like that just happen? I've used Chaos Control when she was around many times before. Why all of a sudden-"

"Like I said, humans naturally don't carry the power of Chaos. So if it was indeed a glitch, then it means your energy managed to flow through her via some sort of trigger...which, might I add, is mostly knowingly done through sensitive, physical contact."

He suddenly grew quiet,

"But these triggers don't come from just flesh to flesh contact. There has to be an exchange of some sort. Such as, for example..."

His tone became sinfully hushed.

"Exchanging saliva?"

It sank in like a marble in water. I paused right there, my mouth pressing together and my eyes becoming glazed.

It dawned on me what I had done. I'd practically connected the dots for him. I put signs all around the path leading to his conclusion. He was able to figure it out with my own help. I knew there was no backing out now.

Dr. Eggman became evidently serious. He looked almost like he wanted nothing to do with the subject, but felt he had no other option.

"Okay, now you really need to tell me what happened. And there's no dodging it any longer, Shadow. You better come clean about everything."

I just stood there for a moment, taking my time to absorb everything whilst reeling in a deep breath.

And then I finally came out and released it.

"I kissed the hostage."

(Rachel's P.O.V.)

My insides felt like they were literally combusting with open flames. Thin ligatures of bitterly cold electricity were weaving in and out of my veins, as if forming icy ribbons. It was imploding me in, steaming my body until I'd burst into a pained and tired sweat.

I couldn't stop moving, no matter how hard I tried. Every last one of my limbs was wound with restlessness. Which is why I now had Decoe and Bocoe, who'd appeared a few minutes after Bocoe had dragged me to my room and noticed me trying to run out, were doing their best to hold me in place on the bed.

"I swear to God I will rip your heads off if you don't let me go, you stupid robots!" I screamed, trying to push back and oppose their forceful motion. "I've had enough of people handling me, hauling me around, and pinning me down like an animal! Let me up, damn you!"

"Oh Rachel, enough of this. Please chill out," Decoe timidly coaxed. Although I was only able to catch glimpses of his face in the middle of my fit, I could tell he was startled and downright disturbed out of his wits at what he was witnessing. But to their credit, neither of them had ever seen this side of me before. Heck, not even I had seen this side of me before. I felt like I was a candle being lit at both ends, melting further and further into a stumpy, knotted bundle of heated nerves. I couldn't control my temper. Something inside me was flared, and for some reason it wanted to destroy everything in sight.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Do you have any idea what that...that monster back there has put me through! No, you don't! You're ignorant! Every last one of you!"

"Well you're right, we don't know what happened. So you wouldn't mind telling us, would you?" said Bocoe almost hopefully. They both probably wanted to be let in on what was going on. But I shook my head viciously.

"Never! I won't tell either of you! I'd rather die! I just want you both to let go!"

"Not happening, Rachel Tower. Now please, we'll ask you one more time-"

"Go to hell!"

Decoe mewed in fear.

"This is not a job fit for two underdeveloped robots such as ourselves..." he said. "This is a job for an exorcist."

"Agreed," nodded Bocoe while still hassling with me. "You would think the Doctor would have had the decency to build us with steel muscles or something, if he planned on having us do something like this."

"But that's the thing. He didn't plan it at all."

Suddenly, the inner fires shot through me in a painfully scorching heat. My entire body was throbbing with a merciless sting as it scattered through me in a barb wired pattern. It caused me to gasp, and then shriek.

Decoe and Bocoe gawked at me with wide eyes.

"Oh my gosh! What's wrong with her!"

I screamed again, my muscles slashing against the mattress underneath me. My leg flew up and I kicked Bocoe square in his metallic jaw. He stumbled back a bit.

"Decoe, something's happening!" he exclaimed, ignoring the newly formed dent in his face.

"Well, isn't it up to us to settle her down so we can leave?" Decoe replied anxiously, his metal hands clamping down harder on my wrists to the point that they crunched lightly. But that was nothing compared to the endless, fiery tingle that was slicing me up and down like a bladed pendulum.

Bocoe's eyes popped open again. "Ooh, I have an idea! Why don't we use a sedative?"

"Huh? But we're not allowed to do that!"

"And why not?"

"Well...we don't know what it would do to her when she's in this-"

I screeched loudly again.

"-...condition!"

Bocoe cowered away from my legs again as they landed jagged kicks in the air.

"You're right, but we have to do something!"

Decoe cringed. "At this point, there's only one person in the Egg Carrier that could ever manage to get her under control. We all know who that is."

My heart stopped. I knew in a heartbeat who he was referring to.

"NO!" I hollered, flailing even harder than before. "No no no no! Don't even think about that! I-...I...-!"

I tried to hold still, shaking against my strength, but quickly became unsuccessful as I had another spasm.

"I'm not trying to do this!...I...swear...I'm trying to hold still..."

My whole body was getting sore from the excessive movement. Now I was genuinely afraid.

"...but I can't!"

Decoe and Bocoe exchanged glances, and then both released me at the same time, holding their hands up as if surrendering. I was still writhing, but this time I grabbed the sheets underneath me, balling the material into my hands and clenching my teeth.

"It hurts..." I said slowly. I was able to register the pain in these odd sensations, but at the same time they felt natural with my boiling anger. Yet I still wanted it to stop.

"...It...hurts...so bad..."

I tried my absolute hardest not to cry.

What's going on with me...?

My head pressed farther back into the pillow and I groaned, opening my eyes to look at the robots. They were still staring at me...like the crazy lunatic that I was...before Decoe grabbed his counterpart's arm and urged him out the sliding door.

"Come on," he said diligently.

"Let's go get Shadow."

Bocoe gasped. "But she-"

"I know, but whether or not we have her consent is not the key issue right now," he cut him off.

"Like it or not, she needs help. Before she hurts someone else, including herself."

(Shadow's P.O.V.)

"You're out of your mind."

The Doctor said this to me calmly and credibly. It left me more uneasy than I predicted.

Before I had the chance to respond, he took a step closer, looming over me.

"You...eheheh...you kissed Rachel Tower..." he said the sentence as if it tasted bitter on his tongue. His mustache scrunched in as he reached his hand up and scratched the back of his head.

"Are you even Shadow the Hedgehog anymore?"

My eyes lingered upwards to his, slanting in anger.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're insane!" he declared matter-of-factly. "They may call me a mad scientist, which does fit my description rather accurately. But I'm no aggressive, temperamental hedgehog who chases after females that aren't even of his own species. That...my furry little friend...is in its own category of 'mad'."

He didn't look at me like I was crazy, though. He gave me a very intrigued glare.

"This can't be possible, though..." he leered on. "You're not even an authentic hedgehog. You were created with only one purpose, and when that purpose lost its value...you were given another that met your standards, and that was to be a destructive, catastrophic weapon."

I could see his masked, powdery blue irises shift little by little.

"You weren't made to feel these kind of emotions."

My heart did a huge jolt for some reason when those words left his mouth. It even alarmed me. I looked down for a moment, past the glossy white abundance on my chest, as if expecting to see the beating organ like it had launched itself out from under my skin.

"Feel..." I breathed the word out slowly. "I...feel..."

I then hesitantly gave up. "I honestly don't know what I feel."

Dr. Eggman took a step back, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes, well..."

He turned his back to me, walking back over to his computers and began clicking buttons on the keyboard. The screens in front of him flashed with green fonts of numeric commands and spliced data files.

"I'm a scientist, not a psychologist."

His head then turned so that one eye met both of mine. "But if people didn't dub me as being completely mad..."

His eyes then lowered.

"I'd say you were in love with her."

My heart thudded again. This time I swallowed in correspondence. My entire face became stiff with fear and the smallest bit of realization.

Fear because I didn't want that to be the thing I was feeling. And realization, because it somehow made a lot more sense that I would've ever hoped for.

But again, I just wouldn't accept it.

"...Don't be ridiculous!" I nearly shouted as he turned away again. "How could you even suggest something so foolish! You're accusing me of being in love? With Rachel Tower? Tugh, you really are insane!"

I crossed my arms furiously. "And you know I don't believe in love! I've made that clear already!"

The Doctor shrugged. "So what if you don't believe in it? Doesn't mean you can't feel it."

His fingers typed away at a faster pace. "Although...if I were to give advice on the matter, I'd say don't pursue these feelings that you won't admit to. You're forgetting, she's Abraham Tower's grand-daughter. You've been acquainted with Tower longer than I have, but even I know what the outcome of all this could turn into. What if she tells him about this little event right as we're delivering her for ransom? He already wants to kill you. And after hearing you forcibly kissed her, he'll want to kill you, set your corpse on fire, make a camp around your burning body, and then roast marshmallows over it."

Then his pace slowed.

"And besides, we all know that Rachel would never return those feelings. So do us all a favor, and don't harass the poor girl any longer. She's been through enough as it is."

My arms tightened around each other and I looked away silently.

"Doctor...I know you don't believe me, but I never planned for any of this to happen."

I bit down on my lip, speaking barely above a whisper.

"It just happened."

"Because?" Dr. Eggman followed immediately.

My eyes shifted up and bore into his back. "Because she had tried to get away, and I didn't know what else to do without hurting her. It was part of a promise."

"Because?" he repeated.

"Because...the deal was we'd find all the Chaos Emeralds before bringing her back to Earth. I was simply trying to follow through with that and keep her from getting away, but also keep from killing the girl."

"Because?"

I huffed, not understanding what he was playing at. "She needed to be punished, didn't she? One way or another."

"Because?"

"I'm not going to have her trying to leave again."

"Because?"

"Of all people, I can't stand Rouge the Bat. And her making this kind of interference is unacceptable."

"Because?"

"Rachel wasn't for her to take."

"Because?"

"For now, she's our hostage and she has to stay here."

"Because!"

"Obviously because we need her and I can't let her leave!"

"...Because..."

A sigh of defeat finally escaped me. "What...what else is there left to say!"

"I'm waiting for you to admit to it."

"Admit to what!"

"That you love her!"

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"You're wrong!"

"I'm right."

"NO!"

"YES!"

There was a loud banging at the entry door.

"Doctor! Doctor are you in there?"

Still in a fit of rage, I flung around and faced the door, recognizing the voice immediately. It was Decoe.

Dr. Eggman spun around in his chair. The wheels creaked noisily underneath him.

"...Hmm! Hey, be careful with the knocking there!" he gruffly scolded, seemingly dropping our conversation like it never took place to begin with. "Your little knobby hands will dent the door!"

There was silence for a moment.

"Yeah, he's in there," Bocoe followed.

Decoe, who we now could conclude was with him, groaned irritably. "Thanks for enlightening me on that, genius."

Then there was the sound of a shove.

"Ah, never mind that!" Bocoe hollered. "Shadow wouldn't happen to be in there too, would he? We need him A.S.A.P.!"

I blinked uncomfortably. Something about the desperation in their tones gave me an awful feeling. There was only one reason why they would be trying to find me. It could only have to do with the very person I was trying to forget about.

"Doctor, could you open the door," I asked softly, facing the sealed opening head on.

He didn't respond right away, and after some seconds went by, finally shifted back around. The click of a button was heard, and the door in front of me parted at the center before slicing open with a short hiss. The two bumbling robots appeared between the gap, looking uncollected and extremely nervous.

"Well, what is it? What do you need?" I asked, more interested that I would've anticipated.

Decoe clasped his hands together, linking his fingers. "Oh, Shadow, it's Rachel!" he cried out.

I stiffened. Figures it would be something having to do with her.

He didn't seem to notice my obvious discomfort and went on. "We're really worried about her! And I mean really, really worried!"

"Something's seriously wrong !" Bocoe said. "We don't know what's going on, or how to handle the situation on our own! It's like she's having a seizure...or something along those lines!"

I lifted an eyebrow, fondling the Chaos Emerald in my hand.

So...do I go? I berated to myself.

If she's really being that dramatic, then honestly...what the hell. What happened between us is not worth having a seizure over.

But then, a nagging voice took over my thoughts, telling me that maybe something really might be wrong with her.

"A seizure, you say?" Dr. Eggman said behind me.

Then he gasped. "...Uh-oh."

I turned slightly to look at him.

Opposite to how engaged he seemed earlier, he now looked thoroughly concerned.

"Shadow...

it's the energy," he said placidly. "The energy of Chaos.

It really is inside of her."

This time, it took a little longer for me to process what he was saying. But then I felt my heart fall deep into to my stomach. I unintentionally made a small noise in the process.

"You remember what I said before. How humans aren't made to carry that level of power. Well...I imagine that it can damage them internally...and damage them rather badly at that. It's dangerous to their muscle and bone structure."

He gestured to the golden ornaments on my wrist.

"And just like you need those to maintain the energy before it drains, the energy within her is probably trying to unleash itself, and that's why she's having these fits. The anatomy of a human body detects the unknown courses of electricity as a toxic antibody and does everything in its power to rid itself of it. But if it isn't drained gradually and properly, something could break, tear, or even mutate. She could become wounded beyond repair, maybe even kil-...wait, Shadow come back!"

I had already bolted past the robots and was now tearing down the hall at break-neck speed, with Dr. Eggman desperately calling after me.

(Rachel's P.O.V.)

My fingers numbly shivered around the cylindrical marble of the portable lamp from my bedside.

It was my only weapon. My only means of defense.

My panting could have easily been confused for something that was out of exhaustion. But this wasn't the case. I was running on nothing but a never-ending supply of rampaging fuel...or at least that's what it felt like. But whereas some people were actually junkies for this type of sensation, in my case it wasn't pleasing in the slightest. In fact...it was agonizing.

My eyes were pouring over with streams of water. They weren't tears, however. Not even tears that commenced from the pain. It was like when someone has dust or an eyelash stuck on the surface, and their whole eyeball flushes out with endless fluid until its extracted completely. But there was nothing in my eye, let alone both of them. It was like this energy was actually taking measures to escape through my face.

I could barely see through all the messy blurs. The light from the lamp looked hazy through my vision, and sometimes the rays would distort and elongate the more water that was shed. I tried to steady my breathing, but it came out in repetitive cries, making my throat clench and dry out.

I know Shadow will be here soon. But I don't want him anywhere near me. Times like this, I just want to be left alone, by myself, instead of poked and prodded at. Whatever's happening to me...I want to deal with it on my own. I am sick of him trying to get involved. I can take care of myself.

But a part of me heavily questioned these claims in my head as I took an arm and violently smeared the tears off my face with the back of my arm.

Suddenly, it sounded like a wind was passing over the Egg Carrier. It emitted a haunting moan, and I froze in place, or held as still as I possibly could, and listened intently.

The heck was that all about...? I know for a fact that there's no air in space. Winds like that can only happen if you're inside some sort of atmosphere...right?

Then the bolted lights hanging over me went black.

My eyes widened as I slowly looked up, gaping at the ceiling with uneasiness.

The power had gone out.

Spectacular.

Now, the only source of light was coming from the lamp, which ran on battery power rather than an electrical cord, so fortunately I was able to walk freely with it in hand. It left the room bathed in a dim, yellow luminescence, and the shadows shifting along with my movement. I took a step back, holding it to my chest protectively, and my muscles contracting all the while.

And then there was a pounding at the door.

I froze for the second time, pulling the lamp back and propping it on my shoulder.

If I needed to, I wouldn't hold back. I would swing. In fact, a part of me wanted to literally assault something or someone. I felt the need to be dangerous. I needed to use this energy out. My normal consciousness would've questioned it, but I was too blinded by adrenaline to care.

"Rachel! Rachel, are you there? Can you hear me?"

I winced.

"...Get out of here..." I hissed back at the unseen Shadow the Hedgehog's voice.

There was a muffled groan of agitation, mixed in with what sounded like a small bit of relief that came from the other side of the door. I figured he was glad I was able to answer back to him, but then again not so happy to now have to deal with me and my persistence.

"Okay, drop your attitude," he said, sounding more like the regular Shadow now. "And brace yourself because I'm coming in."

I lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? Good luck. You'll regret it," I said quietly, staining all my words with poison. "You'll really, really regret it. I can promise you that."

There was a pause.

"Okay. Challenge accepted," he said.

The light of Chaos Control formed in the middle of the room. I instantly hopped backwards, repositioning my hands around the lamp and masking my watering gaze with determination. My nose pointed down and my eyes fixated on the form of the hedgehog that appeared in the energy's wake. Once the light disintegrated, the room became darkened again.

And there he was. The bane of my nightmares. The insolent, aggressive, spontaneously romantic monster that had the audacity to show his face around me again after what he did. My anger heightened to the point that I expected to explode.

Shadow stopped, and before saying anything, noted the lamp placed in my shuddering grasp. He shot me a vilified glare.

"Come on. Is that really necessary?"

I rang my hands around it again.

"Why don't you take another step towards me and find out? I dare you," I instigated, feeling my heart pump harder and harder.

Then, he did the inevitable. He laughed at me tauntingly.

"Honestly, are you sure this is the right time to pick a fight? I came back here because rumor had it you were in a seriously questionable condition. Bad move on your part, to have me return and see that you're still as feisty as ever.

You don't want to mess with me right now, little girl. My patience has met its end."

My eye twitched.

...Little girl?

Your patience has met its end...?

Before I could stop myself, I took a heavy swing at him with the butt of the lamp.

He barely managed to dodge it, his smirk transcending into an open gasp as he sidestepped far enough so that he was no longer in hitting range. The lamp swayed through the empty air and flew back, sauntering along my other shoulder.

Shadow's brow dropped.

"What the-Have you lost your mind!" he demanded, seeming surprised that I actually had the courage to try and land a hit on the Ultimate Life form. "Like you haven't already done your number on me! But now you're just asking for it."

I myself was a little semi-shocked, but my bravery quickly overrode it.

His look of sheer amazement quickly morphed into a threatening, tempted glare.

"You really want to get into this?"

I pulled the lamp back again.

"If I haven't said it already, I'll say it again. I'm not afraid of you.

You may do some weird things that catch me off guard, but just as you punish me for my actions, I am now punishing you for yours."

I tightened my grip.

"So get ready for a rude awakening."

An uncharted glint formed in Shadow's eyes. He seemed suspicious, but overall more than willing to fight me.

"Fine, as you wish. Bring it on, sweetheart."

(A/N) Christ almighty, writer's block has never been so unkind to me. I know how negligent I've been to the fans of this story, leaving it at the turning point of the last chapter and then waiting over four months to update. People have messaged me, asking if I've given up on this fanfiction altogether, and that's when I knew it was time to get a move on. It is now 4:51 AM on a Saturday. I'm home alone and stayed awake past the hours that my dad goes to work, so I'm fully awake (or at least nodding off) and experiencing the creepy and hauntingly dark monstrosity that is my house before dawn. Dedication level is rising, I tell you. RISING.

So The chapter overall is a bit rushed I'll admit, but I'm pleased with the way it turned out. And I hope you are too. So please review if you have time.

Oh and thank you all for giving me over 200 reviews. Really, it's a fantastic feeling knowing that my first story is doing this well and it's not even finished. There's more to come, so stay tuned and I'll try to hurry it along next time.

Your irresponsibly annoying author, AWOL-iNSANiTY