-Chapter 138-

Memories


GUN HQ

Tower was seated in his office when Topaz came into the room, a haunted expression on her face

"Commander, I have some bad news," she began. "The Prison Island base is... gone."

"Gone?" Tower jumped to his feet. "What do you mean gone?"

"I mean it was just blown to kingdom come. Dr. Robotnik returned with the black hedgehog, and they had hi-grade time bombs."

"No…" Tower gasped. "Sarah, she was-"

All of a sudden, a Warp Ring opened up right over Tower's desk. Sarah, Madonna, Shard, and Omochao came falling through, utterly crushing the desk.

"Ugh…" Madonna groaned. "Rough landing."

"Sarah!" Tower cried, rushing forward and hugging her.

"I'm alright, Dad," Sarah assured. "Sonic got everyone off the island."

"Did he-?" Topaz began.

"Of course," Shard cut in. "He's most likely back in Knothole right now."

"Which is where he's going to stay," Tower vowed. "I'm done following Johnson's bullshit orders."

"Couldn't agree more, Chief," Madonna agreed. "He wanted us to cover up the black hedgehog to prevent panic and chaos. Well, what the hell does he think is happening right now?!"

"There's gotta be more to it," Shard insisted. "For example, why did Robotnik and Shadow return to Prison Island?"

"The stored Chaos Emeralds," Madonna replied. "We had three on standby. According to Rouge, Robotnik has two more, not including the one she brought him."

"Six in total," Sarah said.

"Then blowing the island was to cover their tracks," Topaz realized. "Keep us off their tail."

Omochao let out a ding, floating up. "Search complete!"

Everyone jumped at that.

"I forgot that thing was still working," Madonna admitted.

"Searching the Internet and the Mobotropolis Grand Archive got me nowhere," Omochao explained. "So I hacked the one thing I hadn't tried yet: the Eggnet."

"Robotnik's database?" Sarah questioned.

"And how he coordinates and keeps in touch with his goons and Badniks," Shard tacked on. "What've you got?"

"The Eggnet recently established a connection with an old database on an orbiting space station," Omochao replied. "It's called ARK. Decryption is still pending, but I thought the information was relevant."

Tower seemed to zone out at the cyber-Chao's words.

"ARK…" he said absently. "Space station…"

"Dad?" Sarah turned to him. "Does that mean something to you?"

Tower said nothing, just thinking before he gasped and clutched his head.

"Dad?!" Sarah exclaimed.

"The commander seems unwell," Omochao reported. "I recommend he take two aspirin and lie down."

"Now's not the time, Omochao!" Shard snapped.

"Give him space!" Sarah ordered. "Dad, focus on my voice. Come back to me, okay? I'm right here."

Tower took her hands, still breathing heavily as memories flooded his head, consisting of a blue-clad girl in blonde hair, the black hedgehog, soldiers storming the base, and gunfire.

"I retract my earlier diagnosis," Omochao said. "This is a panic attack. Put your head between your knees."

At Topaz and Madonna's look, Shard shrugged.

"Some kinda glitch in his programming causes him to spout random helpful info. Hope's gonna have to work on that."

Little by little, Tower got himself under control. He got to his feet, composing himself.

"I…" he managed. "I remember now."

"Remember?" Sarah asked. "Remember what?"

"The black hedgehog's name is Shadow," Tower began. "I knew him fifty years ago... on the Space Colony ARK."

"You were there?" Madonna questioned.

"As a child, yes. I was to be a companion for Gerald Kintobor's granddaughter... Maria."


Space Colony ARK

Back on the ARK, Amino was still talking to Hope.

"Tell me, how much do you know of your late Aunt?" he asked.

"Not much," Hope admitted. "She died young. My grandma said she was sick."

"Very sick," Amino confirmed. "Gerald initially wanted nothing to do with Project Shadow. He feared his research would be used for war, and felt there were things man was never meant to tamper with. He only agreed to head the project after young Maria became terminally ill, in the hopes of finding a cure."

"He was trying to save Aunt Maria, but what does that have to do with Shadow?" Hope questioned. "Where does he fit into this?"

"You know of Chaos energy's ability to heal, yes?" Amino asked, getting a nod. "The purpose for Shadow's creation was to create the Ultimate Life Form. To provide ways to develop a cure for incurable disease."

Before Hope could do more than register that information, the door opened behind them.

"What are you doing here?!"

They both jumped, turning to see Shadow standing there, glaring daggers at Amino.

"Shadow!" Amino gasped. "You're back! I was-"

"Get out!" Shadow roared. "Out!"

"I was just talking to her!" Amino defended.

"You were told to stay away from Hope," Shadow spat. "And now you have the gall to enter Maria's room as if you own it. Now get. Out."

Amino wisely made for the door. Shadow barely managed to keep himself from slamming the door behind him. He took a deep breath, calming down before turning to Hope.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Did he hurt you?"

"No," Hope assured. "He just talked to me."

Shadow sagged in relief.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he told her. "Dr. Amino and I never got along. He's... not exactly a peach to be around."

"Yeah, he gives me the creeps," Hope agreed. "He was telling me about you, and my Aunt Maria. You were friends, weren't you?"

Shadow was silent for a few minutes. Just when it seemed he wasn't going to answer Hope's question, he said, "Yes. Best friends."

He went over and sat on the bed. After a moment, Hope joined him.

"She was the first person I ever met," he went on. "She named me, taught me about Mobius... She was my whole world."

"Could you tell me about her?" Hope requested. "Nobody in my family really knows about her, or Great-Grandpa Gerald. Most records of his existence were erased after he died."

Shadow was silent, then gave a slow nod.


GUN HQ

Back on Mobius, Tower had made himself a Rum and Chao Cola (1), taking a sip from it as he began the story.

"It all started fifty years ago," he explained. "The President of the time conceived of the idea of Project Shadow, a medical research program dedicated to discovering the secret of immortality. Professor Gerald Kintobor was asked by the President personally to lead the research team. And he did, hoping to use the research to find a cure for his granddaughter Maria, who had contracted NIDS."

"What's that?" Shard asked.

"Neuro-Immuno Deficiency Syndrome," Sarah answered. "A terminal illness that compromises the immune system and degrades their physical condition. Those who suffer it only get worse over time, and require constant medical attention."

"Incurable disease," Omochao chimed in. "Human contact not recommended outside of a sterile environment."

"Which is why Maria was confined to the germ-free environment on the ARK," Tower went on. "My family and I were among the civilian occupants chosen for the colony, to give her some friends her own age."

"So you knew the Kintobors personally," Sarah said.

"Just Maria," Tower clarified. "I was her friend. She was like a sister to me. But Shadow... They were inseparable. I always thought he was called Shadow because he followed her like one."

"Where does he factor into the whole immortality thing?" Topaz asked.

"The purpose of the project was to create an Ultimate Life Form," Tower replied. "An immortal being that could provide ways to develop cures for terminal illnesses. Gerald worked long and hard on it, researching the Chaos Emeralds and discovering ways to transfer Chaos energy into living. It's that research that gave birth to the Chaos Drives used to power GUN's mechanized units to this very day."

"Then... Shadow is…" Madonna began.

Tower nodded. "The end result of Project Shadow. The Ultimate Life Form."

"Then why was he erased?" Sarah asked. "What changed?"

"I wish I knew," Tower sighed, taking a drink. "All I know is one day... Everything went to hell…"


Space Colony ARK

"...I learned the truth of what happened through the files Dr. Robotnik acquired," Shadow told Hope. "The government had grown fearful of Professor Gerald's research. They and GUN devised what they called the ARK Seal Destruction Operation. The public story was that a biohazard had occurred within the ARK research institution for ostensible purposes, all of the colony's residents were to be evacuated while the research facilities were sealed. In reality, the operation was meant to shut down the ARK... and kill any and all researchers related to the project."

Hope gasped in utter horror. Shadow's fists clenched as he looked down at the floor.

"Everyone was gunned down without mercy. I urged Maria to hide, but a soldier spotted us. They wanted me, and Maria stood in their way…"

His breath hitched, the memory of the gunshot ringing in his ears. A single tear welled in his eye.

"I failed to save her... to save anyone," he lamented. "What's worse... to you it was fifty years ago. To me... it was last week. In one moment, the people of Mobius took everything that was dear to me... and transformed it into nothing more than a memory. A memory GUN, and all of Mobius... erased."

"I'm sorry," Hope said at last. "I can't imagine the pain you're in."

She patted his back comfortingly, before it dawned on her.

"That's why you're working with Eggman, isn't it?" she realized. "You want vengeance?"

Shadow clenched his fist. "It's what I promised. The world took everything away from me, everything I ever loved. And I'm going to even the score."

"Whoa, whoa, back up," Hope insisted. "Shadow, vengeance isn't the answer. It won't change what happened, or bring Aunt Maria back. It's a pointless endeavor. Don't go down that road. Especially with Eggman."

"My path is set, Hope," Shadow said firmly. "Mankind will pay for what they did that day."

"No!" Hope grabbed Shadow's arm. "Bad things happen to everyone, Shadow! And there's bad people everywhere! What happened to you was wrong, but that doesn't give you an excuse to be one of them!"

Shadow was frozen for a moment, but remained unconvinced.

"I'm sorry, Hope," he said. "But I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. And no one, not even you, can stop me."

He stood up to go. Like a cat, Hope sprang after Shadow and grabbed him again.

"Shadow, think!" she pleaded. "This can't be what you want. You'll only cause more pain, more suffering."

"I've already come this far," Shadow replied solemnly. "And right or wrong, I'm following this path to the end."

He dislodged Hope and left the room.


GUN HQ

Tower finished his own tale, Madonna, Shard, and Sarah all left speechless. Eventually, Shard broke the silence.

"Commander… how'd you get away?"

"One of the soldiers actually had something resembling a conscience," Tower answered. "He put me in an escape pod and launched me down to the planet, telling me to disappear. To make a new life for myself and forget what happened. And that's what I did. The Tower family found me wandering the streets of Central City in a daze. But even with my memories blocked, I knew GUN needed to change. Once I graduated high school, I enrolled, advancing to general during the Great War. From there, I became head of the Soleanna branch, and eventually the commander. Without realizing it, Maria fueled my desire to eradicate corruption inside this organization."

He sighed. "But it seems I failed."

"You just missed a few bad seeds, Commander," Omochao insisted. "We can deal with them."

"Indeed," Tower agreed. "However, my memories are not enough. We need solid evidence."

"I've been in contact with Frank," Topaz piped up. "Apparently, Scarlet Garcia's been looking into Project Shadow as well. Her father attempted to do the same... and was never seen again."

"He find any leads?" Madonna asked.

"We think so," Topaz answered.

"File decryption complete," Omochao chimed in. "Roster of soldiers that participated in ARK Seal Destruction."

"Anything useful?" Sarah questioned.

A wire popped out of Omochao's head.

"Here's hoping the commander's computer is still intact." Shard said.

He rummaged through the crushed desk, soon finding the intact laptop. "Bingo!"

Omochao fluttered over, plugging the cord into the access port. Sarah took the laptop, scrolling through the roster.

"Lot of names here," she said.

"Any of them still around?" Topaz asked.

"Not that I can see," Sarah replied. "All of them read deceased."

"Wait…" Shard cut in, pointing to a name at the bottom of the list. "A guy named Harold Schmitz. He's the only one left. Which means he's the key to clearing Sonic's name and ending this shitstorm."

"Where can we find him?" Topaz asked.

"Searching…" Omochao's optics dulled for a minute. "He currently resides in the Silver Star Retirement Home in downtown Station Square."

"Topaz, get with Franklin and Miss Garcia," Tower ordered. "Find Mr. Schmitz and learn what you can. Make sure Johnson and his cronies cant keep us silenced."

Topaz saluted. "I'm on it."

"Shard, you take Omochao and regroup with the Freedom Fighters," Sarah instructed. "Let them know what's going on."

"You got it." Shard pressed a few buttons on his arm cannon before launching a Warp Ring.

"Age before beauty, Shard," Omochao said.

Shard snorted. "Wise guy."

They both slipped through and disappeared.

-X-

Topaz suited up, holstering her gun when she heard a door open.

"You really just going along with Tower's treason?"

She turned, seeing an older man with slicked-back blonde hair and sunglasses covering his eyes.

"What do you want, Westwood?" she sighed.

"That's Captain Westwood to you." he spat.

"Question still stands. What do you want?"

"To stop you from making a big mistake," Westwood insisted. "Johnson's very high up on the chain of command, and isn't one to tolerate people going against his orders."

"His orders are stupid and risk the organization's relationship with the Freedom Fighters," Topaz shot back. "Too many have been endangered already because of his insistence we cover up Shadow's existence."

"It doesn't matter," Westwood insisted. "Right or wrong, soldiers follow orders, not their hearts. If soldiers acted as they pleased, armies would collapse. We're tools of the government. They tell us what to do, and we do it."

Topaz shook her head in disdain. "You idiot…"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" Topaz declared. "Yeah, there was a time I thought the same. That being a good soldier meant doing everything they told you. But we're not Badniks or GUN Hunters. We're not programmed. We're human beings with minds and free will. Learn to make your own decisions, Westwood!"

She strapped on her gun belt. "And for the record, some of the worst atrocities imaginable have been committed by people who were 'just following orders'. It's nothing more than a coward's excuse to duck responsibility."

Westwood seethed at her words.

"Now, I don't have time to debate this," Topaz insisted. "Move or I'll make you."

"You don't have the authority, Agent," Westwood retorted. "'m ordering you to stand down, or I will arrest you for treason right here and-"

Topaz kicked him in the gut, cutting him off.

"Commander Tower's orders outrank yours. And considering it's a stupid-ass order, I'm electing to ignore it."

He gasped for air as Topaz's knee connected with his nose. He fell over, now unconscious and sporting a broken nose. With that, she grabbed him under the armpits and began dragging him to the broom closet. A door opened, revealing Sarah, who looked over both figures. Topaz merely shrugged.

"He interfered with my duty. And I did warn him to get outta my way."

"Ah," Sarah nodded. "Need help?"

"Please."

Together, they chucked Westwood into the closet, closing the door.

"Now that that's done, I have an appointment at the nursing home," said Topaz.

"Good luck," Sarah told her.


Knothole

The Special touched down in the hangar of Knothole Village, the Freedom Fighters filing off and entering Freedom HQ.

"Well, that was a bust," Shorty sighed. "Scrap Brain, Panic Puppet, the old Galaxy Fortress... Eggman and Hope weren't in any of them."

"Scans for the Death Egg and Egg Carriers were a bust too," Tails added. "No egg based flying fortresses anywhere."

"Damn, so you guys found nothing too."

"Nope, not a single-"

Everyone froze, then turned to see Sonic had somehow slipped into the group unnoticed.

"Hi, guys," he greeted casually. "Miss me?"

He barely finished the sentence before he was tackled by Sally, Amy, and Tails.

"Sonic!" Amy cheered. "You're okay!"

"What happened?!" Sally demanded. "Your dad and Uncle Chuck told us you were playing prisoner on Prison Island."

"I was," Sonic confirmed. "Until Eggman and Shadow came knocking with bombs."

"So that's the black hedgehog's name," Tails realized.

"Did you learn about Hope?" Kat cut in. "Is she okay?"

"Shadow swore up and down she was safe with him," Sonic assured. "Wherever that is."

"And you believed him?!" Sam demanded.

"Yeah, I did," Sonic confirmed. "I'm not sure what the full story is, but for some reason, Hope is incredibly important to him. And I think…" He turned to Kat. "I think she's his Kat. A representation of something... bad. A time that he failed."

"You're not too far off."

Everyone turned to see Shard enter through a Warp Ring, Omochao in hand.

"Shard, please tell me you guys found something." Sonic pleaded.

"Oh, we did!" Omochao assured. "I had to connect to the Eggnet, but we finally hit pay dirt."

"Eggnet? How did he-?" Amy perked. "Eggatha."

"Correct!" Omochao confirmed.

"We know the full story," Shard added. "You all might want to sit down though, it's a doozy."

-X-

One hour later...

Shard and Omochao finished the story, the Freedom Fighters all sitting dumbstruck at the meeting room table. There were more than a few tears shed, especially from the kids, including Cream.

"How horrible..." she hiccuped, hugging Cheese close to her chest.

"Yeah…" Shard nodded solemnly. "It's messed up."

"This Maria…" Rotor mused. "Omochao, did you come across any photos of her when you hacked Eggman's network?"

Omochao ejected the cord again. Tails took it, plugging it into his Miles Electric. A holographic image appeared in the center of the table, showing Maria. There was a collective gasp from everyone.

"That… that's Hope," Sam let out.

"Her aunt Maria, actually." Nicole clarified.

"So that's why he saved Hope during the fight!" Sonic realized. "She's the spitting image of his best and only friend."

"The one he failed to save and feels responsible for," Kat added.

"And Commander Tower was on this ARK when it happened?" Porker asked.

"He was another friend of Maria," Shard confirmed. "One of the soldiers evacuated him from the colony during the attack. He repressed his memories of the event, until Omochao hacked the Eggnet and triggered them."

"That makes sense," Rotor noted. "Such a traumatic event at a young age. His mind would have sealed the memory for his own sake."

"As good as it is that we know all this, it's still not enough to clear Sonic's name," Johnny pointed out.

"Oh, don't worry. GUN has that covered." Omochao revealed.

"Agent Topaz is assisting some agent named Franklin in an investigation," Shard explained. "The only surviving member of the ARK seal squad currently resides at the Silver Star Retirement Home in downtown Station Square."

"Wait…" Chris perked. "Franklin... Isn't that Mr. Teacher-Spy's first name?"

"It is," Keith confirmed. "I'm almost positive."

"Mr... Teacher... spy?" Sam questioned, confused.

"Mr. Stewart," Kat clarified. "He's actually a GUN spy."

"That's why he looked so familiar!" Sam exclaimed. "He's one of my dad's drinking buddies and squadmates!" He facepalmed. "I never put it together."

"Seriously?" Chris questioned. "Kat sussed him out in seconds."

"Well, not all of us have Chaos Emerald-derived hyper awareness, now do we?" Sam questioned rhetorically.

"Yeah, that's a good point," Keith conceded. "Well made."

"Ahem," Sonic cleared his throat. "Guys, focus."

"Sorry," the kids said in unison.

"Sonic's right," Sally agreed. "GUN has clearing his name covered. We need to focus on finding Eggman and Shadow before this mess gets any worse."

"Easier said than done, Sally," Amy pointed out. "We've looked everywhere we can think of."

"Then we look again," Sonic insisted. "Maybe there's something we missed."

"Wait a sec…" Chris began. "Omochao, you said the Eggnet established connections with the ARK, right?"

"That is correct," Omochao confirmed.

"What if... what if the reason we can't find Eggman on Mobius... is because he's not on Mobius?" Chris suggested. "He's on the ARK!"

It hit them at that.

"Of course!" Bunnie exclaimed. "He's been up in space this whole time!"

"With Shadow's Chaos Control, he can come and go as he pleases," Kat deduced.

"And the station is somewhere we can't reach," Sally noted. "Making it a perfect base of operations for Eggman!"

"A shame neither the Tornado nor Special are capable of space travel," Antoine sighed.

"Well, maybe a Badnik will lend us one of Eggman's rockets," Shorty suggested. "If we…" he cracked his knuckles for emphasis, "persuade him."

"Then it's settled," Sonic declared. "We're going to space!"


Author's Note:

(1): The Mobian equivalent of a Rum and Coke.

There we have it. The reveal of what happened with Project Shadow. The plot thickens.

Captain Westwood is from the Sonic X comic, just FYI.

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Westwood - Phil Parsons (Nappa from Dragon Ball Z, Kenny Ackerman from Attack on Titan, Buccaneer from Fullmetal Alchemist)

Please R&R. Until next time!