Chapter Nineteen

"No please don't do it!" Shadow desperately said with tears running down his face, both hands pressed against the glass to the escape pod he was trapped in.

He helplessly watched as Maria ignored his words and kept trying to get the handle to go down while the door to the room was being bashed on by GUN soldiers.

"Maria please I beg you to let me out and save you, they are going to kill you!" Shadow cried out, begged for his friend to do as he requested but she kept her attention on what she was doing...

Sonic shot up from the sounds of Shadow calling out in distress from his dream. He looked to his right and gasped as Shadow was laying on his belly, clutching his pillow and crying.

"No don't, please!" Shadow shouted in his sleep and sounding so scared.

"Shadow, babe, wake up." Sonic called out and shook Shadow to try and wake him.

"Let me out please, Maria they are almost here please let me out!" Shadow shouted desperately and showing no signs in waking up.

"Come on Shads, you need to wake up now!" Sonic called loudly as he shook harder, sounding desperate himself.

"MARIA, NO!" Shadow called and soon began to sob uncontrollably.

"SHADOW!" Sonic shouted as he could just tell Shadow had just watched Maria get shot by soldiers in his dream.

Shadow gasped awake and looked up at Sonic with teary fearful eyes. He tried to keep from breaking down and cry but seeing Sonic there looking so concerned made him break.

"Shadow come here." Sonic softly said with a sincere look as he held his arms out, inviting Shadow in front a hug.

Shadow slowly moved towards Sonic then threw himself in for that hug, sobbing and crying as his mind kept replaying his nightmare.

"She, she never hears m-me, she always keeps g-going and then...then she, she..." Shadow said as he lets all his pain and sorrow out while burying his face into Sonic's neck.

"I know love, she gets hurt and falls to the ground." Sonic whispers as he holds Shadow tightly.

"They don't care, they just smash their way in with their weapons and shoot. She was only twelve years old and they don't care." Shadow whispers back as he was calming down.

"What?" Sonic thought with slight shock on his face, never having known how old Maria was when she was murdered by GUN.

"She never did anything to them, never hurt anyone in her life and that is her reward? To die trying to save me, Project Shadow, a damn project. She should have never tried to save me, she should have saved herself." Shadow softly said as he was growing tired but did not want to go back to sleep.

"She clearly saw you were worth saving, saw that you were more than just Project Shadow. You were her friend, her close friend, and she wanted to protect you, save you. She must have known what was going to happen when those soldiers finally got in that room and she chose you over that. You were so important to her that she needed to help you get out." Sonic sincerely said as he began to soothingly run fingers through Shadow's quills repeatedly.

"Yet I was still captured and forced into suspended animation. She tried so hard but it was all in vain. She died on that floor thinking I was free but I wasn't. I was left in a status pod, brainwashed by my own father, and made to carry out his revenge plan as soon as I was set free. Do you know how hurtful that was? He used me, betrayed me, and forced me to almost wipe out the entire planet. I know he was sad and hurting but he didn't need to use me as his puppet of destruction." Shadow mumbled as now he was starting to get angry.

"Shadow he was grieving and it drove him into depression. Do you know what depression is?" Sonic calmly said as he broke the hug and placed a gentle hand on Shadows left cheek.

"Really, really sad and very unhappy for a consecutive amount of time." Shadow replied with a small frown.

"That's right and it can make you do crazy insane things because you feel so low and detached from what you used to love. He was hurting very much and wasn't thinking clearly. He loved Maria just as much as you do and it destroyed him to find out she had been killed during the ARKs takeover. He didn't mean to use you like he did and he didn't mean to hurt you Shadow. He wasn't himself and he wanted justice for what happened and you were the only one capable of accomplishing that for him. Yeah ok he didn't have to punish the entire planet but like I said he wasn't in his right mind." Sonic softly said as he dropped his hand and wiped a few stray tears from Shadow's cheeks.

"They both must be frowning down at me for working for the very organisation that caused them so much grief and their deaths. They must be so disappointed in me for working for GUN." Shadow sadly sighed with tired eyes at Sonic.

"Nah I don't believe they are. I reckon they are very proud of you for all the good you have done and you do a lot of good Shads. You have forgiven GUN for what happened and that takes a lot to do especially since what happened was traumatising for you. I'm sure they can see by working for GUN you are able to do so much good, help so many people, and that is something to be proud of. They would never hold resentment towards you for working for GUN even after what they did because they know you save lives." Sonic warmly said in a gentle voice, smiling at Shadow with pride.

"You really believe that?" Shadow asked with a hopeful look that Sonic was right.

"Yep and you should too. You are doing anything and everything to keep your promise and we are all so proud of you, Maria and Gerald included. Now how about we try to get some more sleep, it's only two in the morning." Sonic said with his smile in place.

"Yeah sure and thank you." Shadow sincerely said with gratitude in his tone and features.

Sonic smiled and motioned Shadow to come closer, which he did, then the two got comfortable in a cuddled position. Shadow sighed out softly as he laid his head on Sonics chest with his arms wrapped around Sonic's body. Sonic smiled softly as he held onto Shadow and rested his chin on Shadow's head. Sonic was the first to fall asleep and accomplished that a few minutes after they began to cuddle closely. Shadow on the other hand was simply laying there calm and relaxed, silently listening to the steady beating of Sonics heart.

"I truly do hope they are up there looking down on me and feeling proud of all the good I have done. I hope I haven't once tarnished their name and brought some respect back to the Robotnik name." Shadow thought as his eye lids grew heave and were slowly starting to close.