It was a day like any other. Rouge woke up late and I followed suit. Omega knew that, physiologically, he was unable to sleep, but he always powered down when we went to bed. He turned back on once we were awake, so he also joined us in waking up late.

It had been one year since the Mephiles incident and no major threat was looming on planet Earth. Rouge, Omega and I had decided to find a place that we could call home -after all, Sonic and his friends had a place of the sort- until we eventually found one. It was on the outskirts of Station Square, tucked away in a difficult to find location; that was what we liked the most, that nobody knew how to get to it and therefore nobody bothered us.

I cooked some omelettes for breakfast for just Rouge and I -it goes without saying for Omega- and the three of us sat on the couch that we used for watching TV. It had become our daily routine to do so and in some way it felt like bonding. Even if we didn't exchange any words, it was still nice.

"You know, it's getting pretty boring around here," Rouge said.

" I'd say this is nice for a change, we aren't running around defeating beings that threaten our livelihoods," I said.

"Being honest with you, I much prefer to be running around stealing jewels, getting into trouble, you know... Some excitement in my life would be great!" Rouge pouted.

"I agree with Shadow. I am glad to be spending time with you both and I like to watch the TV," Omega added.

"Aww... See Shadow? Omega does care about us!" Rouge said.

For some reason, when we had turned on the TV, the news channel was on. Nobody was paying attention to it... Until I heard the following.

"This just in, top secret files from the ARK have just been made public by G.U.N. The truth about 50 years ago will remain a mystery no more. Some footage has also been discovered. More on this as it develops."

I sat there in silence, trying to process what I just heard.

"What." It was the only thing that escaped my mouth.

"Oh no," said Rouge, probably knowing what I was going to do next.

Just like if she had read my mind, I stood up from the couch and went to where our laptop was. I plopped down in the chair that was in front of the desk where the laptop was and I got down to business. Rouge flew to where I was and Omega scurried on behind her.

"Shadow, this better not be one of those things where you spend endless nights researching about something and in this case, about those newly released files. It's like you're not even here when you do that, like you stop existing. I can't even talk to you," Rouge sighed.

"It is also unhealthy for an organic being like you, hedgehogs have shown to need at least a full 8 hours of sleep as well as proper nourishment and hydration," Omega added.

"I appreciate your concern, but this is important," I was already frantically typing on the keyboard, eager to see if I could find something interesting.

"What could possibly be so important for you to find? I'm sure it's loads of boring paperwork that leads to nowhere..." said Rouge.

"Anything that has Maria in it is interesting enough for me," I affirmed.

"Oh... I see how it is then," Rouge's voice softened. "Just... Please Shadow, don't stay up too late. And remember, if you need to talk to anyone about it, Omega and I are right here for you."

"Thanks." I said in a rather cold tone. I was too far gone already.

Rouge approached me, put a hand on my shoulder briefly and then went back to the couch with Omega.

Venturing into the files and knowing that I could find something with Maria in it gave me hope and sparked my curiosity. Anything containing her would suffice. If it was a picture or even footage... That would be the best... Maria only lived on in my memories, but if I was able to hold on to something physical that I could store away, that would mean the world to me.

Rouge knew me far too well, as I never left that laptop for a second -I just did it when I had to go to the bathroom-. She made sure I ate by cooking for me and setting down the food beside me on the desk. I lost all notion of the passage of time and before I knew it, midnight struck. I was halfway through the files, until I found something that made my heart drop.

The screen in front of me read "Project_Shadow010". The extension let me know that this was a video. I tried accessing it, but it wouldn't let me. Upon further investigation, I realized that the file was encrypted. I didn't know how encryption worked, but I knew two people that did. One of them was Tails, the other one was the Doctor. I had no idea about the Doctor's whereabouts, but I did know where to find Tails, so I took action. I closed the laptop and tucked it under my arm. I went into the room where Rouge was sleeping and gently shook her shoulder.

"Rouge, I'm going to go talk to Tails. I need his help now." I whispered.

Rouge blinked groggily and looked at me.

"Wha... What are you talking about, what do you need him for?"

"I found something, Rouge. Something big. I need to see this video."

"A video? What do you think it is?"

"I don't know. It says Project Shadow, so it must be a big deal. I can't access it, it's encrypted. That's why I need the fox's help."

"Wow... That does sound pretty important. Omega and I will go with you, I'll go get him."

Once we were all together, we sprinted out into the night.

We arrived at Tails's laboratory in a flash. I was the one to knock on the door. I made sure it was loud and firm. I was immediately greeted by the fox himself, which surprised me, as I thought he was sound asleep.

"Shadow? And Rouge and Omega too! What a surprise, it's really late!" He uttered.

"I could say the same thing. How come you're still awake?" I asked.

"I'm having a slumber party with Sonic and Knuckles. We were actually about to head to sleep until you guys knocked," he yawned.

"I need your help," I said as I barged in the laboratory. Rouge and Omega followed.

"Okay..." said Tails, surprised we walked in without even asking first. "What do you need help for?"

"Hey Tails! You coming or what? It's super late, I really want to hit the sack now, we're just waiting for you!" I recognized the blue hedgehog's voice immediately from across the room.

"Uhm... Guys, we have some unexpected guests..." Tails answered back.

"Guests? At this time of night? This I gotta see. Come on Knux," Sonic said.

"Right behind you," I heard the red echidna say.

"Shadow, Rouge and Omega?" Sonic whistled. "Looks like we've got all of team dark in here! Wanna join us for our slumber party? We still have room for ya!" He winked.

"How are you so energetic at this time of the night?" I asked him.

"Dunno Shadster, it's probably just a me thing."

"I've told you not to call me that," I growled.

"Well, soooooryyy mr. Grumpy. What brings you here anyways?"

"I need the fox's help. There's an encrypted file I'm having trouble opening."

"Must be something really important if you came to us this late..." Knuckles chimed in.

"I don't know if you've been up to date with the latest news, but top secret ARK files were released today. Shadow found an encrypted video that may or might not include him or his friend Maria." Rouge explained.

"Oh..." said Sonic. Silence reigned the room for a while.

"Of course I can help you Shadow. Come with me," Tails gestured as we followed him to a wide desk that had several of his tools scattered all over the place. "Set your laptop here, which file are you talking about?"

I showed him the file and he sat down in a chair in front of the desk. "Got it. This seems fast and easy to do by the looks of it. Just sit back and I'll have this ready for you in a moment. Give me some minutes and I'll be done with it." Tails nodded.

"Thank you," I said.

"Let's go sit down on Tails's couch while you wait. Can we fix ya anything?" Sonic asked.

"No, that would be fine. I'm not hungry," I said.

"Sonic, please make him a sandwich or something. You should've seen him today, his eyes were glued to the laptop the whole entire day," Rouge piped in.

"Wow, you were really into it, huh. Let's hope it's something good then! What about you Rouge? Want anything?"

"I'll just have some coffee. No caffeine."

"Coming right up! And not to be rude Omega, but you already know I can't offer you anything," Sonic chuckled.

"I have not taken any offense," said Omega promptly.

Sonic came back with the snacks in record time. He handed me the sandwich on a plate and he handed Rouge the coffee served in a mug.

"Thanks," Rouge said as she gently tipped the mug towards Sonic and then took a sip.

I said nothing and proceeded to eat the sandwich.

Rouge noticed Knuckles sitting besides Sonic, so she got up and sat next to him.

"And how have you been, handsome?" Rouge said.

"Not this again! I've told you a thousand times not to flirt with me!" Knuckles growled, visibly flustered and taken off guard.

"Who said it was flirting? It's just a compliment..." Rouge winked at him.

"Will you stop that, woman?!"

They continued their bantering as I kept on eating without saying anything.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Shadow? It's actually nice to see you." Sonic said as he looked towards me.

"I guess I could say the same. It certainly has been a while. We haven't had the need to team up."

"Yeah, everything has been nice and quiet lately. That egghead is nowhere to be found and it doesn't seem like he has been cooking any evil scheme either. Also nothing seems to be threatening our world."

"Seems so. I like it this way. Saving the world is tiring." I was almost done with my sandwich.

"I think so too! But I know it's up to us to take care of it, no matter what. If it's not us, then who will?"

"That's true." I nodded.

"I got it!" We all heard the fox's excited voice. "It's ready for you to view, Shadow."

I left what was left of my sandwich on the plate and dashed to Tails.

"I need to see this," I said, as Tails got out of the chair and I sat on it.

"Hey Shadow? Do you mind if we see it too?" Asked Sonic.

"I would also like to see it, Shadow." Rouge added.

"Very well. You can see it too. Just stay quiet while I play it," I nodded.

I took a deep breath before I hovered with the cursor onto the play button.

"Here we go," I said, and clicked play.

The video immediately showed us Maria's face, which took me off guard because I didn't expect to see her in the video, let alone so soon. She backed away from the camera and she was laughing. Something stirred inside me as her laugh rang in my ears. Once she moved aside from the camera, I could see myself in the video. I was laughing alongside her.

"Alright Shadow, are you ready?" Asked Maria.

"Ready." I said in the video.

"Catch!" Maria threw a ball to me and I caught it. I then threw it back to her.

"This is fun!" I said.

"I told you! Grandpa said it would be. I'm glad grandpa brought this ball all the way from Earth!" Maria said.

In the video, we continued to throw the ball to each other. Looking at myself felt strange. It was a time in which I was generally happy... Something that didn't happen as often nowadays. I sometimes thought I had lost the ability to feel that.

"Shadow, Maria, it's time for dinner!" Professor Gerald spoke.

"Coming grandpa! Come on Shadow, we don't want our food to get cold," she said, as she left the ball on the floor, took my hand and we both left the room and the frame the video was shot in.

And then it was over. Everyone was as silent as I was.

"Shadow... How do you feel?" Said Rouge softly.

"It's hard to put into words," I replied.

"What do you want to do?" She asked.

"Not sure."

"I think it's best if we leave him alone you guys," Rouge said as she signaled everybody to leave. Just as they were all leaving, Sonic stopped in his tracks.

"Hey Shadow... I know we don't get along that much most of the time but if there's anything I can do for you, let me know, okay?" A hint of sadness could be heard in Sonic's voice.

"Thanks," I said.

"I think we should go to sleep," Tails yawned. "Rouge, Shadow and Omega you can stay here if you want. I'll let you have the couch."

"Thanks, kid. Shadow, I'm going to do the same. I'm really tired." Rouge said.

"Noted," I nodded.

I turned my back to them on the chair and just stared at the screen. I couldn't believe what I had just seen, and after so many years. It's like if I had just gone back in time and I was in that room again with her. I thought I would never be able to physically see her again, even if it was just a picture or a video, like this one.
Her appearance only lived on in my memories. Seeing this in front of me was, to say the least, surreal. Watching the video dug up an old wound that I thought had disappeared already, the wound pertaining to Maria's death and consequent loss. But seeing her here also made me happy beyond belief. Like I had told Rouge, very hard indeed to put into words.

I restarted the video and saw it again. I did this repeatedly, like if I were in a trance. I have no idea how many times I did the same thing over and over. Eventually I decided -or more accurately, my brain decided- that it was time to stop. I broke away from the screen and felt that my eyelids were heavy. I was excruciatingly tired.
I was about to get up from the chair when all of a sudden, my mind started to go ballistic. Flashes of memories from the ARK were bolting all over the place, and it made me wince. I felt like my brain was overloading. I brought a hand to my head, trying to calm down.

"Agh, not this again..." I managed to say.

I held onto the chair, and tried to make my way towards Rouge on the couch, who was sound asleep. I was halfway there... Until I hit the ground. A loud thud resonated throughout the entire lab. Rouge was the first one to hear it.

"What is that? Shadow? Oh no, Shadow!" She flew over to me and hoisted me up. "What on Earth happened?"

"I'm having memory overload..." I held onto her tightly.

"Do you think that the video triggered it?"

"Most likely."

"I was afraid this might happen..."

"What do you mean?"

Rouge looked away, visibly worried.

"I actually didn't want you to see that thing... I knew something like this would happen to you," she looked me in the eyes. "But you seemed so bent on wanting to see it that I said nothing..."

"It's fine, Rou-" I said, until the memories cut through me like a knife and I started to feel overwhelmed.

"Gah!" I yelped and I almost fell again, had it not been for Rouge who grasped me firmly.

"Shadow, listen to me!" Screamed Rouge.

"Let go of me!" I said, infuriated and not being able to think clearly anymore.

"But, Shadow!" She pleaded.

"I said, LET GO!" I scowled at her and broke free.

My scream was loud enough to reach Omega's sensors and swiftly booted up.

"Shadow is posing to be a threat. Shall I proceed to restrain him?" Omega adopted a fighting stance.

"What's going on?" I could hear Sonic and his friends dashing to where we were. "Woah, what's wrong with Shadow?"

"Memory overload, I've seen it happen to him before, but never like this..." said Rouge. "And Omega, would you lower your weapon? Jeez, nobody's in danger."

"We gotta do something!" Sonic approached me.

"Shut up! Leave me alone!" I shouted.

"Are you sure, Sha-"

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" I cut him off before he could finish. The memories darting through my mind were getting worse and worse. I gathered all the strength I could and went towards the door.

"Don't follow me," I croaked.

I flung the door open and dashed off into the night, leaving all of them behind.

"We need to go get him-" Sonic said, but Rouge stopped him by standing in front of him.

"No, we need to leave him alone, like he said. He'll come to his senses. Plus, he knows his way around. It's not like he's going to get lost or anything. He's a big, tough boy and can take care of himself," Rouge winked at Sonic.

"Okay... If you say so. If he doesn't come back soon, I'm heading out to look for him," Sonic decided.

"We can help find him too!" Tails chimed in.

"This has been a wild night..." Knuckles yawned.

Rouge and Omega stood at the door's threshold, staring at the night sky.

"I hope you come back soon, Shadow." Rouge said.