There was a high-pitched buzzing in his ears. His eyelids barely managed to flutter open, seeping in small doses of light.

"Shouldn't we… right now?"

Someone was definitely talking, but it was faint – meaning it was impossible to hear every word.

"Tikal might be…. don't… get hurt. We… her!"

"We just… drowning! He… our help!"

"We can… both! Metal… look for her? Don't… too far."

Shadow's blurred vision finally cleared, and as he opened his eyes at last – he was surprised to find himself located within a train. The soft seats were pale shades of blue, while the floor was a darker hue. Despite the cold colour palette… it seemed somewhat cosy.

But how did he get here?

He was cold, shivering… and wet.

"Knuckles? … Silver?"

The two mobians tore their gazes away from each other to look towards him. Silver immediately wore a relieved smile, jogging over and then bending down to his knee so he could look up at the sitting hedgehog.

"Hey! So glad you're alright-" The sentiment was genuine, and he seemed to be conscious of Shadow's condition – so his kept his volume on the lower side. "Are you alright to talk, or do you need a moment?"

"Where am I?" Shadow cut to the chase, already asking what he wanted to know.

"Umm… long story. I don't know how conscious or prepared you are to hear it- You're… you're on a train, and you're safe. You may be soaked, but… you're safe. May I ask… how you ended up being washed up on the beach?"

"I-" Shadow blinked, it was a struggle to remember after… everything, but the pieces were slowly returning and becoming clearer in his foggy mind. "I was on Angel Island until everything around me became obscured by this… dark purple smoke, but it wasn't smoke. It was some sort of energy." He explained as best as he could, his brain working slower than he would have liked it to. "I then started to fall into the ocean, and then I… drowned… and then-"

Shadow brought his hand up to his head as he felt his brain throb inside his skull. "It's a lot." He tried to focus as best as he could on the two of them. Silver was listening intently to what he had to say. Knuckles stood off to the side but was still watching with interest and concern.

Shadow tried not to stare.

"How did you find me?" Shadow asked.

"Well, it's uh- this train works in a funny way-"

...

"Not that I'm a train expert or anything..." Silver said, then pointed to it. "But I don't think that's how trains work."

Without acknowledging Silver's words, Metal Sonic decided to walk right up to the keypad. Silver followed the robot slowly.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Metal…?"

Remaining undeterred by Silver's doubts, the hedgehog had no choice but to step closer and see what the robot was doing.

Metal Sonic pressed a bright red button, and the screen flashed white before quickly growing dark again.

Then red lettering was displayed.

KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA

Silver tilted his head in confusion. After the name, there was a flashing curser – indicating it was possible to type with the keypad. "Why is his-? Is this how the train suddenly blasted off to find Knuckles?" The hedgehog looked towards his robotic companion. "Did you type his name in?"

Metal Sonic shook his head.

"Hmm… Tikal then?" Silver suggested.

Metal shook his head yet again. He must have kept an eye on where everyone was positioned at the time. Silver wanted to take a few seconds to think things over, but the robot seemed to have other plans. He pressed the backspace key, erasing the echidna's name.

Silver opened his mouth to question him, but then Metal began to type.

S-

Silver held his breath. Was he seriously about to search for Sonic? After everything that had happened? After agreeing to help them all?

S-H-

He let out the air in his lungs in a swift sigh of relief. For a brief moment, he was confused as to what Metal Sonic was trying to type – until it suddenly hit him. Silver only really knew one person whose name began with those letters.

S-H-A-D-O-W T-H-E H-E-

But why him?

Before Silver knew it, Metal had finished and pressed enter on the keypad. Nothing seemed to happen at first.

Then, with one jerky movement, the train suddenly blasted ahead.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-" Silver screamed. Both Silver and Metal clung to the keypad so they wouldn't get flung to the ground.

…

Shadow sighed with a mixture of exhaustion and irritation. "Can you get to the point?" He asked, the pounding in his head starting to get worse. What kind of a train was this then? Why did Silver even mention Metal Sonic?

"Right, right-" Silver tried to focus himself. "So, then the train ended up at the cliff overlooking the coast, and uh Knuckles woke up – so Metal, Knuckles, and I went out and found you dragging yourself along the coast." Silver explained. "It's really weird but like we're all just as confused as each other here."

"Metal Sonic is with you?" Shadow's brows furrowed deeper.

"Well, he's gone to look for Tikal now. Since while we rescued you, she kind of disappeared-"

Shadow blinked. "Am I supposed to know who that is…?"

"I have no clue." Silver's shoulders slumped.

"Okay…" He'd allow them to gloss over it, just for now. "How come Metal is with you?"

"Well, ever since Sonic got erased out of existence - his old objectives got wiped so now he's helping me find the others-"

"What?"

Silver looked at him oddly before the dots connected. "Oh! Yeah, uh – Sonic's kind of in another timeline right now. Things are just… kind of broken. It's a whole thing."

Slowly, the dark hedgehog leaned back in the chair. He secretly wished the chairs had a function that allowed them to recline back so that he could just… lay down, maybe sleep would do him some good. Right now, the heavy dump of information was making his head spin – especially after everything he had just seen in those waters.

But he wasn't given the luxury of reclining chair, instead – his wet quills made an uncomfortable squelch as they pressed against the back of the seat.

"Could I have… just five minutes to get my bearings?" Shadow asked Silver.

The hedgehog immediately complied with his wishes, nodding in understanding. "I know it's a lot. And I don't know what you've been through all this time so… I don't wanna overwhelm you... let me know when you've gathered yourself." Silver said. He stood up straight and begun to walk away to another seat on the carriage.

Shadow watched him, pursing his lips. It felt like Silver was pitying him, and he didn't like it. Shadow just needed to think, that was all.

Knuckles had decided to say nothing throughout, but now they were left alone and staring at each other – the echidna gave an awkward nod before quickly turning around.

Shadow glared – he had several questions for him.

He had a habit of hurting people, didn't he?

Perhaps it was silly to brood over it. He didn't even like her, in fact – he pretty much despised her. Getting hung up over getting Rouge caught in the crossfire of his blast was even stupider considering what path he was headed down.

Yet, for a fleeting breath, he hadn't been able to see the selfish and vindictive bat lying on the ground.

He saw her.

As much as he wanted to place all the blame on the bullet that had snuffed her life, it was impossible to ignore the fact that his creation was the event that had set everything in motion.

If he had never been made, then Maria could have lived. That was simply the truth. Gerald would have found a way to cure her, he was more than capable.

No, Shadow had never really been a method as to find a cure to her disease. He was a weapon – no matter what he did, he always brought destruction along with him.

He breathed in for five, held for five, and let it out for five.

Yet his arm remained deformed, yet to revert to normal.

It wasn't impeding anything though, not right now. Piloting the shuttle was easy enough of a task.

The sky outside had finally returned to what he was used to – a vast darkness, broken apart only by the faint glow of the stars. Unlike Mobius with the constant buzzing of machinery heard through the streets, space was peaceful.

He needed this.

Despite the ARK and the Death Egg not being that far apart at all, Shadow found himself met with no resistance from the Empire. It was odd considering how intensely adversaries had been pursuing him back on the planet.

As the shuttle at last approached the ARK, he took in a calming breath.

He was home.

For some time now, Shadow had been observing the actions of the scientists through the glass and bubbling liquid that surrounded him. He didn't know what anything was, let alone the purpose for which it existed - but he kept watching them regardless, transfixed by the movement and voices of a world going on outside of his own.

Everything was about to change.

When the nutrient bath drained away, he knew something was going on. The glass door opened soon after.

He breathed in for the first time.

"Hello, Shadow." An old man with a mustache stepped forward with a smile. "It is with great pleasure that I am able to speak with you for the first time. I am your creator, Professor Gerald Robotnik."

...

He walked beside the man down the hall, picking up on how he communicated as they went. The man smiled a lot... bringing a Shadow a sense of comfort and content. It was much easier to be around him, alone, than it was when more humans had been present.

"Oh!" There was a girl in front of them, with her eyes wide - she appeared to be shocked. "You didn't tell me he was going to be released today! Why didnt you tell me?" She asked Gerald with a huff, although something told Shadow that it wasn't a genuine anger.

"Well, I actually wanted you to see him as a surprise." Gerald explained. "But you didn't stay in your room like I asked you to, did you?"

"No..." Maria looked down, but when she tilted her head up again - she smiled, gazing into Shadow's eyes. "He's finally free... I can't wait to get to know him!" She exclaimed excitedly.

She approached slowly, and then bent down so that the two of them were eye-level. "Hello, Shadow. My name is Maria, and I hope we'll be great friends for many years to come!"

Her eyes were open and inviting, and she beamed at him with an undeniable sincerity.

Shadow didn't know how to respond - other than to copy her smile.

Shadow left Rouge on the shuttle in the hangar, medical kit left beside her - she could take of herself when she woke. It gave Shadow enough time to do what he needed.

The ARK was dipped in darkness. When was the last time the lights had ever been on?

A chill hung in the air, causing the hedgehog to shiver. It took a moment to find the switch, but he was eventually able to flick it on.

One light, two. They came on one after the other - revealing a cold, empty hallway.

The ARK had never felt so large before. He was used to the bustling activties of the scientists hurrying to the labs with their reports, or talking amiably about the progress they had made with their experiments.

Once, this place had been alive.

Shadow couldn't bring himself to move at first, finding himself locked in place.

He had to move. He couldn't stop now. He dragged himself along.

"Shadow... have you ever wondered how you got your name?" Maria asked as the two wandered aimlessly through the halls.

"Only once." Shadow admitted. "Bill made a comment - said my name was ominous, which I think I agree with to an extent. Shadows are often regarded as sinsister... as people do not often like the dark." He recalled.

Maria smiled softly. "I was wondering if someone had said anything like that to you... and it's funny, really. Because when I named you, I didn't intend for that at all! I thought it would be a nice name..."

"You named me?" Shadow blinked.

"Kind of!" She admitted cheerfully, eager to jump into the tale. "Back when you were being created, you were known as just a random series of letters and numbers. I... didn't really like that." She giggled, rubbing the back of her head. "So I suggested that you be given a name, and Gerald eventually agreed - and he allowed me to be the one to name you!"

"I see... and why did you choose Shadow?" He asked her curiously.

The image of her abrutply washed away.

It was all cold, he felt tiny - and he shook, hugging himself.

He shut the door of the power room behind him, as if hoping that doing so would somehow trap the heat in the air... but this was a different kind of cold.

While he had little experience with the ARK's power systems, his knowledge of Gerald made activating the ARK's systems easy. All he had to do was input a password, the name of someone dear to him.

"Systems online." A voice announced. He remembered it well. He remembered all of his training, actually...

He was not typically called in for combat training on Sundays. The end of the week was the day that the scientists tried to take a break from their work.

The key word was 'tried' – as most of them were, quite frankly, addicted to their job. Still, Sunday was Shadow's rest day – where he wasn't called in for any tests or any poking and prodding sessions. He could just… do what he wanted.

So, he had to wonder what this was about.

He entered the empty training room and looked up towards the window. All of the scientists he recognized were watching him through the glass, clipboards in hand.

"Sorry for calling you in so unexpectedly, Shadow." Gerald apologised, his voice sounding out across the room from the speakers. "We just have a robot we need to urgently test to assess its durability. This fight won't take long, and you'll be free after."

Shadow nodded slowly. "Will you be giving me instructions?"

"No." Gerald replied. "All you need to do is fight and try to destroy it as fast as you can."

Destroy a machine they had just made? That was considered a test? He wanted to question it but bit his lip instead.

Gerald turned his head to the man next to him. "Bring in EVE-1"

The doors at the end of the training facility slowly parted, and Shadow couldn't help almost retreating backwards in shock.

It was so much bigger than him. Shadow had to crane his neck to the point it was painful if he so much as wanted a glimpse at the head of the thing. It was painted in a stark white coating and was incredibly bulky in appearance – designed to look like a peculiarly shaped human with its four limbs.

Shadow could quickly make out that one of the arms had a laser cannon equipped on its hand, while the other had a shield already attached. It would be skilled in both offence and defence – which mean he couldn't underestimate it.

It made the ground thud with each step. Shadow's ears flattened. It was nothing like he was used to.

"Are you ready?" Gerald asked.

"Um…" He looked the robot up and down one more time. "… Yes."

"Start the countdown!"

An automated voice began a countdown. "3… 2… 1… BEGIN."

Shadow jumped high, rolling up into a ball and shooting himself through the air straight at the machine.

Unceremoniously, he found himself bouncing off of the shield – but he was still able to make a landing back on the ground on his feet.

He wasn't given a moment to rest though. A large beam was shot towards him; thus, he activated his shoes to quickly dash away.

Shadow still wasn't quite used to them and flailed for a moment as he tried to stay on balance – but he soon moved his legs in a rhythm, just as he had been instructed before.

He moved to the back of the robot, knowing it would be slow to turn around. He wondered just how much damage a blow of his could do.

With a yell, he launched a kick at the back of its leg.

It… sort of left a dent? Just barely…

Shadow's eyes widened in surprise. This fight was certainly going to be a challenge.

But he was the ultimate lifeform, right? What could go wrong?

The robot now faced him, and unexpectedly – lasers shot from its head. Unprepared, they hit the hedgehog – sending him flying backwards and landing on his stomach, grunting as he felt burns on his chest.

EVE-1 lifted its sword up high before quickly swinging it down upon the fallen hedgehog. With less than a second to spare, Shadow managed to pull himself up and flip to the side.

Shadow didn't want to make himself vulnerable again, so he built up his speed – suddenly skating in circles around the large mech. With each lap, his pace increased until he became a red whirlwind.

The robot had no hope of tracking his movements now.

Once Shadow was certain – he jumped, sending a homing attack right in the middle of its torso. He spun and spun – his razor sharp quills digging into the metal armour.

EVE-1 had enough – suddenly reaching to grab the hedgehog still attacking in a ball. The robot pulled its arm back before letting go - launching Shadow into wall farthest away.

Shadow let out a pained grunt, but the robot wasn't done with him. Without giving him a chance to recover, lasers were sent towards him in a barrage – and Shadow couldn't dodge.

He yelled in agony as he fell to the ground, green blood now starting to ooze out of several areas on his body.

The ground shook as EVE-1 sprinted right at him, Once it had closed the distance, it raised its fist before rocketing it towards the hedgehog on the ground.

Shadow managed to catch the fist with both of his hands and held it in the air just above his body. He had managed to prevent himself from being crushed.

For now.

Shadow's arms shook with the strain that it took to keep lifting the fist of the robot that was incredibly larger than him.

He whimpered as pain shot through his arms, worsening with each passing second. His elbows bent as EVE-1 begun to win the battle of strength.

"Gerald-!" Shadow gasped. "I can't do this!"

The fist drew closer to his chest as Shadow's strength depleted, threatening to crush him the moment Shadow gave in.

He began to hyperventilate.

Could he even hear him?

"DAD!" Shadow screamed in terror, shutting his eyes as his arms could no longer bear the tremendous weight.

His hands slipped.

Yet nothing came down. There was no blow, nothing to be crushed by. Shadow didn't allow his eyes to open right away.

"Shadow… you're okay. You're safe." Gerald said. "You can calm down now."

It was impossible to calm down after having narrowly escaped being smashed to death. He panted, his body trembling – but his eyes opened at last. The fist hovered in the air above him as the robot had been powered down, remaining in the same position.

"Thank you for helping with the test." The professor's voice came across as disappointed. "I was hoping to have your chaos energy unlocked today… but no luck."

That's what it had all been for.

Shadow shifted his gaze downward with regret. Once again, he had let Gerald down. "I'm… I'm sorry."

Shadow quickened his pace, he could have sworn he heard faint whispers of men who were no longer here. If he spent much more time here, Shadow wondered if he could even make it out with sanity still in tact.

He wasted no time in entering the central control room.

It was a pecularly designed room, but many areas in the ARK were. A single bridge pathed the path towards the main computer, while the rest of the ground was merely a dark abyss. He was surprised that he'd never heard of anyone falling down there.

Shadow approached the computer and observed the designated slots for the chaos emeralds that were above. He couldn't believe that Gerald wouldn't have taken into account the usage of the Master Emerald for the cannon. He just needed to look closer.

He activated his shoes, hovering up and looking for anywhere a gem as large as the Master Emerald could fit. He hovered up high, and soon enough his effort would be worried. On top of a cylinder podium that stuck out from the computer - there was a large slot, mimicking that of the ones made for the chaos emerald.

There were no more questions now, Shadow knew what he needed to do.

He hovered back down to the ground, and once he made it there - his head suddenly phased out, leaving reality behind.

Maria seemed to notice that Shadow had begun to lose himself in his thoughts again. Ever patient, she didn't get annoyed at the fact he had ignored her questions. "Shadow." She raised her voice ever so slightly, just enough to grab his attention, "Are you alright?"

Embarrassed at being caught inattentive, he tore his gaze away from the band aid to instead look her in the eyes. "My apologies. I was just… thinking."

"And what were you thinking about?" She asked, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. He couldn't lie to himself; he had an awful habit of going silent and pondering things for prolonged periods.

"Your blood is red." Shadow observed. "But when I was in combat training… I saw that my own was green. Is this a result of your illness?" He questioned innocently.

"Oh!" She giggled. If it were anyone else, he would have assumed they were making fun of him – but not her. "I'm surprised you don't know this yet. My blood is red because everyone's blood is red! Humans and mobians alike." She informed him.

Shadow's gaze drifted away from her, and he stayed silent for a moment before speaking up quietly. "Then… why is mine green?"

"Because you're different." She said, as if it were so simple.

"What if I don't want to be different?" He asked, looking back at her again.

Her expression did not give away any hint of judgement. Instead, she genuinely considered what he had asked her. "Why don't you want to be different?" She asked him.

"I feel as though if I weren't… it'd be much easier to understand it all. Humans… mobians… if I'm to be-"

…

Shadow clutched onto his head, desperately trying to salvage the missing pieces of his memories. Why was everything so disjointed? He felt as though as though entire conversations had been lost to time, and that was what pained him more than anything.

He didn't want his memories of her to be incomplete!

…

"What use is there in being so different? So... alienated from everyone else?" He asked her, desperate for her wisdom as his ears were perked high.

"Shadow… I don't think you realise, but I think a lot of people could relate to how you feel." She said – surprising him.

"How could they understand?"

"Well, the thing with people and mobians… is that we often look at what we think makes us different, what makes us flawed… and we have an awful habit of shaming ourselves for these things." She admitted to him, relaxing her sitting position on the bed.

"A world where everyone is the same… and everyone is perfect. Imagine how boring life would be." She said with a smile. "How are you ever going to find the people that complete you… if seeing everyone around you just feels like you're looking in a mirror? I wouldn't want to live in a world where everyone behaved the same and looked the same… honestly, I think that sounds like a horror story in the making." She admitted.

"Tell you what, let's play a game." She said suddenly. "We're going to point out what we think makes us different from others." When she saw Shadow tilting his head, she caught onto the fact he wasn't understanding. "I'll go first… I have blonde hair and blue eyes. Both traits are rare on their own – but even rarer together!"

"I… didn't know that." Shadow said in wonder at the new information. "It's a very nice combination."

"Thank you!" She beamed. "Now it's your turn!"

It only took a moment to think. "I… have stripes? Not many mobians appear to."

"You're right!" She told him eagerly. "Mobians can have markings of different colours on them, but they're rarely large – unlike your stripes." She elaborated. "And you know what? Those stripes are super cool! They're so unique!"

Subconsciously, Shadow began to stroke his quills. He nodded briefly acknowledging the compliment.

"Now, let's change it up. Tell me something that I have… that you don't. Something you wish you had. It doesn't have to be physical traits! It can be more… abstract."

Once again, the answer came to him quickly. "I wish I had your empathy. Your ability to immediately understand and sympathise with the people around you, and how you never seem to hold any bitterness – it's very admirable. I wish I could be like that too."

Maria's sweet smile softened. "Thank you once again." She made sure to say, giggling again. "As for me… I wish I had your resolve. You're always so strong and dedicated in everything you do… even when you're faced with difficult tasks, you never give up. It took you a long time to figure out chaos energy – but you practised so hard, so often – that you managed to do it! If that were me… I don't think I could have stuck with it. I would have given up."

Shadow was surprised to hear that she thought this way, after all – to him, she was one of the strongest people he knew. Everyday, despite her illnesses, she was always smiling – always willing to help, no matter how she felt. But… maybe it was a different kind of strength that she envied.

"I know I've been kind of long-winded about this, but what I'm trying to get at is… our differences are what make us special. They are what allows us to bring something unique to the world and make it lively. And chances are… the things that make you different is what other people envy you for. So why be insecure about them? Like, come on! Bright green blood? Chaos powers? Who wouldn't want that?!" She pointed out enthusiastically.

"It's kind of odd really…" She continued. "… how the only thing we people have in common… is that we're all different."

Shadow's eyes grew wide, filled with awe. She blinked in surprise at herself.

"Wow, that came out pretty profound-" She remarked in disbelief.

"Your words have been helpful… thank you." Shadow dipped his head to her.

"Gosh, you're always so formal." She reached out and rubbed the top of his head, ruffling his fur. "As your big sis – it's my job to offer guidance when you need it!" She spoke with conviction.

Shadow let her get away with the affectionate gesture, only because he trusted her, but he did move his head away quickly. "I'm grateful for it, truly. I will take this to heart."

…

She was the only person that ever made him feel… like a true mobian. Not some object or experiment as he was often referred to on the ARK. No, a being - with thoughts, opinions, and feelings.

Now she was… gone. There was no one left to see him that way. No one that would view him as anything else other than a monster.

Did it matter? He had to ask. With the clock approaching doomsday for the planet, there wasn't going to be anyone left… nothing left.

Just like she wanted, it was the promise he had made to her.

It had started out as a day like any other. Well... as normal as things had been for the past few weeks.

Maria hadn't been feeling well in the morning, so he had made her breakfast - allowing her to remain in bed as he brought it to her. However, when he had arrived in her room with freshly made scrambled egg - she rejected it, apologising profusely for her fatigue and nausea affecting her appetitite.

He hated it when she felt sorry for the things she couldn't control. Wasted eggs wasn't going to be the end of the world.

"I'm not... distracting you from any work... am I?" Maria asked with concern.

"Not as far as I know." Shadow told her.

"Good... I'm glad." She told him, her voice slightly raspy. "I don't want you getting in trouble."

"I'm losing the ability to care." Shadow admitted to her frankly. "As long as you are fine, they can yell at me as loud as they like." He sat the plate of eggs on the nearby table, and pulled up a chair towards the bed - taking a seat.

"I don't want your life to be difficult." She said to him.

"And it's not. Don't worry." He assured her, regardless of the truth. "How far along did you end up getting with that drawing of yours?" He asked, quick to change the subject.

Maria smiled softly. "Well... my sketch book is on top of the drawers, if you want to see."

Despite having just sat down, he was happy to get up again and take a look. He knew how proud Maria was of her art, and he had watched her improve steadily over the years. She had become quite talented these days, especially for her age - able to draw realistic sketches with ease.

Shadow couldn't help but smile as he picked up the book, immediately laying eyes upon her beautiful illustration. It was of a vase of roses, coloured softly in a pastel pallette. It was gentle on the eyes, and soothing to look at - he felt as though after a stressful day, he could look at the drawing and immediately be able to relax.

However, it was always hard to convert those thoughts into words. "It looks wonderful, Maria. Beautiful. You have an incredible talent."

Despite her sickness, she was able to giggle. "Thank you. I'm glad you like it. I think... roses are probably my favourite flowers... oh, but - I also love lilies-" She said, causing Shadow to roll his eyes fondly.

"You don't need to pick a favourite, you can like them both-"

Abrutply, the bedroom was bathed in a red light.

Alarms began to blare.

"RED ALERT. RED ALERT. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

"Shadow...?" Maria whispered. Shadow's ears perked as he set the book back down, staring up at the lights in the room.

Gunshots.

Maria screamed, covering her ears and burying her head low.

Shadow's ears flattened, his heart immediately pounding in his chest like a hammer. "Maria... we need to move. As fast as we can-" He kept his voice steady, only for her sake. "I'll hold your hand. I'll be-"

A gunshot was followed by a series of terrified shreaks from down the hall.

"- I-I'll be with you." Shadow grabbed hold of her hand, and began pulling her out of bed - struggling to find a balance between gentleness and urgency. Adrenaline seemed to be surging through the girl as she found the strength to stand - gripping onto his hand tightly.

They ran.

Sprinting only as fast as Maria could go, they ran from the sounds of gunfire - Shadow had only one man he needed to find.

They ran into each other unexpectedly, the old man panted for breath.

"Gerald!" Shadow gasped. "What's going on?!"

"G.U.N. has attacked the ARK! They're here to wipe out everyone involved with the project, and then get their hands on you! We can't let that happen!" He exclaimed. Unlike everyone else, he shook with a rage rather than fear. "You two need to get to the escape pods! You two must survive!"

"What about you?!" Shadow asked.

"I'm going to try to get them to stop this massacre!" Gerald shouted above the alarms. "You two are the most important people in my life - and I am not losing any of you today - understand?!"

"But-!"

"That's an order, Shadow! Get to the pods!" The professor sprinted past them without another word, leaving his pleas to linger in Shadow's ears.

"GRANDPA!" Maria yelled through the tears brimming in her eyes. "Don't do this!"

"I'm sorry, Maria... We have to go-" With a heavy heart, he dragged his feet to continue running - pulling Maria along with him. "If anyone has the power to get this to stop - it's him! We just need to run!"

Maria couldn't resist, being dragged along despite her protests. "We can't leave him! We can't!"

"I can come back for him! But I need to make sure you're safe first!" Shadow asserted.

Maria rapidly blinked, trying to fight away her tears. She didn't deserve this, didn't deserve to see anything like this-

The guns kept firing, getting louder. Shadow steeled his expression, not wanting Maria to see him flinch. The girl gasped for breath, unused to running so fast and for so long. She was persevering, being so brave - braver than he felt on the inside.

His mind was whirling - how had he not been there to help the scientists? Shouldn't he be fighting? Shouldn't he be doing something more than running?

At least Maria was going to be safe.

They at last skidding into the escape pod room. Maria needed a moment to bend over and catch her breath, and Shadow turned around to watch the entrance. His own breath was ragged as he shakily held up a chaos spear in case a soldier came to attack.

He couldn't let them harm her.

Once she gathered herself, she walked over to the panel - opening up two of the pods for their escape. "Sh-Shadow I..." Shadow immediately noticed how weak her voice sounded. The chaos spear vanished and he came up to her side, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "... I think I might faint-"

"Maria, just a little further." He told her softly. "We'll make it-"

She seemed to notice something that he didn't.

Shadow didn't know how she found the strength, but suddenly - she managed to shove the hedgehog backwards - causing him to stumble into one of the open pods.

The door shut in front of him.

"Maria!" He had no doubt his shouts were muffled from behind the glass. "What are you doing-?!" He punched and rammed his body against the glass, but they must have been designed with a forcefield providing protection.

He couldn't get out - no matter how hard he tried. Chaos energy burst from his body - to no effect. Through his struggles, she saw Maria rapidly putting in the launch codes, a strong determination set on her face.

She pulled the last lever.

"Shadow... I beg of you. Please do it for me."

His heart stopped.

An unmistakable sound. A gunshot. Loud, even through the glass.

"MARIA!"

Maria choked, beginning to cough and splutter.

She fell. Her body lay on the ground, clinging to the life it had remaining.

"MARIA! NO, NO, NO-!" Tears burst from his eyes as he kicked uselessly against the glass.

"Do it for..." Maria's voice began to fade. "Do it... for us..." He couldn't see anything clearly anymore. It was as though she was disappearing, leaving him...

"MARIA! PLEASE!"

The last thing he could see were the blurred sillohuettes of soldiers.

Then he began to fall.

Shadow stumbled backwards - he could have sworn he saw someone standing near, with a gun aimed and ready.

G.U.N. forces on the ground located the escape pod soon after it landed. With the unconcious hedgehog still trapped inside, he was later moved to a facility, at a location known as Prison Island - he'd later learn.

When Shadow awoke again, he was still looking through glass - peering into a tiny, darkened room - with an old man sat at a computer desk at the far end.

"Gerald...?" Shadow lightly tapped the glass.

The man, whose head was hung low, slowly lifted it up - achknowleding his creation.

"Gerald! Are you alright?"

He swayed in his chair, just subtly - but enough to notice.

"Gerald..." Shadow's voice quivered. "Who else- who else made it? Did Maria-?"

"They're gone. All of them."

Shadow's heart shattered. His head spun, yet the world had never felt so still. It was dizzying, and he felt the sudden urge to collapse to his knees - but the pod tha trapped in was too small for that, so he bent - unable to stand upright.

Burying his face in his hands, Shadow screamed - he couldn't help himself. Tears spilled from his eyes, streaming down his face relentlessly. His sobs were short and sporadic, painful in his chest with each heave.

"No, no, no, no!" Shadow shakily exclaimed. "I failed... I failed, I couldn't save her! I couldn't..."

Gerald's frown deepened.

"Gone because... gone... because- of me-... she's gone-!" He stuttered as his mind broke, he couldn't focus on anything around him - just his exploding heart rate, and the constant need to gasp for air.

"You now know... the true cruelty of man." Gerald said, just barely audible to the hedgehog - like a faint echo. "Despite my entire life being spent... dedicated to bettering the world... this is how I am repaid..." He rasped. "I know now what must be done."

Shadow choked on his tears.

"I expect better conduct from you... but no matter. You will fulfill your destiny when you reawaken next."

"I'm so sorry, Gerald! I'M SORRY!"

Shadow placed his head in his hands, gripping tightly.

"Been having fun without me?" There she was again. He took a few seconds to breathe.

Shadow forced himself to lift his head back up, and turned to face her as the bat walked along the narrow bridge. She had wrapped the top of her head with bandages, with bandaids placed to cover her smaller wounds. With each step, Shadow noticed a small limp.

"I have done what I needed." Shadow said.

"Already? Sheesh, I barely got to see this place-" She pointed out.

"You will see it again soon." He reminded her, walking in her direction. He had intended to walk past her, but found himself stopping instead.

"My... apologies. I did not mean to have you caught in the blast range."

He watched her closely as her head tilted. "Huh. Wasn't expecting an apology from you." She admitted. "But... I'll take it." She smiled, despite what he'd said to her earlier, and despite how he had hurt her just now. Why?

"I know you said friendship wasn't part of your objectives or whatever, but even so - it's nice to see that ya care underneath that cold exterior of yours." She teased.

"You are not in much pain, then?" Shadow quickly questioned, diverting the topic.

"Come on, I've been through a lot worse." She told him with a dismissive shrug. "So don't worry your handsome head about me."

"I won't." Shadow moved ahead again as he had originally wanted to. "We can't afford to waste time, our enemies might have already figured out our next move." He explained back to her.

She gave a small eye roll. "Really? Not even a little time for sight-seeing?" She asked. "Walking through here - this ship looks dope as hell, despite being... rather empty. Makes you feel kind of small..." Even she felt the same way. "Space is gorgeous though, I will say. I think I could stare out of these windows for hours... the stars, the planet... it's pretty, wouldn't you say?"

Just like they used to do.

"Yes... it is."

They were now all on the same page, and thank goodness for that. Silver told both Knuckles and Shadow how everything had come to be. As a new timeline was created, their old one broke apart into a nonsensical mess. He had stumbled across Tikal and shortly after Metal Sonic - and since, the three had travelled through the realm until coming upon the train. Then they had found Knuckles - and Silver quickly informed him of the odd circumstances of his rescue, and how he had technically been away from them for a whole year.

Silver then had to tell Shadow that Tikal had disappeared while they had found him on the coast, and Metal Sonic was now trying to find her. Shadow said Silver had told him that already, but the hedgehog's mind had been all over the place lately - so perhaps he was starting to forget things.

Shadow had been keeping his gaze transfixed on Knuckles throughout the whole conversation, and he wasn't even trying to hide it. In response to this, Knuckles made a point to avoid looking in Shadow's direction at all cost.

What was going on between those two?

Once finishing his explanation, he flopped down in the seat next to Knuckles - looking to the dark hedgehog that sat opposite. Silver had neglected to tell him one thing - and that was Gerald. He couldn't honestly predict how Shadow might react if he heard Gerald were still around - and to be perfectly frank - Silver hoped they'd never have to run into the old man again.

He didn't want to open up his friend's old wounds.

"What about you then, Shadow?" Silver asked. "What were you doing underwater? Do you remember?"

Shadow nodded. "I was recieving visions of the past." He informed them plainly, Silver didn't know how he kept his voice so monotone regardless of what he was saying. "However, it was unlike what Knuckles has been through. I was an outside spectator of events - being thrust into different eras rapidly after the other - seeing just brief moments of history, some of which were incomplete."

"You know... I'm not gonna question the weirdness of anything anymore. I'm just gonna accept anything at this point." Silver said with a shrug, surprised at how easily he was able to accept that explanation.

"I think I understand the point of them though. I refuse to believe those visions were entirely random as a result of the world breaking - it felt... intentional. Someone, something - wanted me to see it... and I think I know why."

Silver's ears perked up. "Huh?" What did he mean by that?

Shadow stood, turning and addressing Knuckles - his tone stern. "I saw your clan throughout its history, witnessed the lives of the Guardians before you - and they all had something in common."

As Knuckles stared up at him, his expression was hard to put a finger on - but it seemed to be an odd discomfort. Knuckles was practically shrinking himself away from the hedgehog, despite the fact there was no fear in his eyes.

Just anger.

"They wielded a power far greater than anything I have seen. They had a connection to the Master Emerald that allowed them to weild its power to its full potential... so you tell me, Knuckles-" His voice seethed with a coldness. It provoked Knuckles into standing, giving the hedgehog a particularly dark look.

"Guys...?" Silver spoke up uneasily. Was a fight seriously about to break out? What for?

To make matters worse, Silver felt the sudden vibrations at the sides of his head again. That only meant one thing - Sonic was asleep at last, available to talk with.

But he couldn't do anything about that now, not as a confrontation was escalating right in front of him.

"Why are you hiding your true power? For what purpose?" Shadow asked, practically spitting out his words. "What are you waiting for?"

Knuckles clenched his teeth, as though holding back his response - but the dam quickly broke. "If you're looking for an excuse to antagonize me - you'll have to look somewhere else!" The echidna yelled, causing Silver to flinch. Shadow folded his arms - unwavering, not breaking eye contact.

"You want to know what I'm hiding? Fine!" He exclaimed. "But you all know the truth already, so it shouldn't come as a surprise." Silver couldn't comprehend just how venemous Knuckles was sounding.

"My ancestors were worthy of their power - they honoured their code, they never left the emerald's side. But me?" Knuckles laughed cruelly, mocking himself. "At several points in my life - I neglected the emerald for no real purpose. I came down to the surface, sometimes to help out on the field... but other times... just to see you guys. I tried to limit how often I left, I did-" Knuckles shook his head in desperation. "But I learnt the hard way that... I cannot put my own desires over the emerald, no matter what. The day I became an adult, the day I tried to claim my powers... I was... I was..." He struggled to get the words out, "... I was rejected."

"I don't have any Guardian powers... because I was deemed unworthy."

*slaps Shadow and Knuckles* These babies can fit so much trauma in them.

We have taken a small break from plot to show that Alt. Shadow is hanging on by a thread and to delve more into his motivations, but I didn't leave you without a spicy reveal ;) Why did OG Knuckles not get any powers? It was because he dared to try and have a life. This poor echidna. But don't worry! There are still plenty of more details on this to come~

We're approaching the end of this arc now, so I wanna share the last few chapter names we have upcoming! Gives ya something to speculate on mwahahhaa, as you can probably expect - I'm hype af to release these!

Dance, Dance
Nothing Tastes Sweeter
Fight For You
Live and Learn

As always, do let me know what you thought of today's update in a review as I always love to read them! Hope you enjoyed it :) This one was a joy to write despite the angst because I'm a sucker for Shadow lmao - so I hope you liked having the focus on him for a bit! But for now my lovelies, I'll see ya later!