Chapter 32 PART TWO

Observed and Observer

Shadow watched the interview for as long as he could keep his eyes open. A macabre curiosity kept him interested despite the growing anxiety and disgust budding inside him. When Shadow finally turned off the screen and laid down on the bed, his mind felt clogged. He wanted to take hold of all that he had heard and force it into a shape that made sense but the energy to do so eluded him.

Sheer exhaustion overcame his worry and Shadow drifted off into dark dreams. He ran through the narrow halls of the Space Colony Ark. Red lights flashed from the alarm system; only the sirens were replaced by the shrill cries of the BioLizard. Maria clung tightly to Shadow's hand as he pulled her along.

The door ahead of them opened causing Shadow to come to a screeching halt. Soldiers in black armor were in the midst of a fierce firefight against blue monsters. The Artificial Chaos swiped at the men with long sharp tendrils. Shadow turned to the side and pulled Maria towards a different hallway.

The shrieks of the BioLizard increased in pitch until the sound caused Shadow physical pain. Maria let go of Shadow and put her hands over her ears to block out the noise. "Maria!" He approached her and held out his hand. Maria gaped at him and retreated. Her blue eyes widened in shock and fear. "Maria?"

Behind Maria, Shadow could see the military men retreating from the swarm of Artificial Chaos. Neither party took any notice of Maria and Shadow. She walked backward until she reached a wall. "What are you?" Maria whispered.

Shadow took a cautious step forward. "It's me."

Maria's eyes were cold as ice and full of doubt and suspicion. The cries of the BioLizard faded, replaced by the calculating and indifferent tone of Dr. Miranda Gold. "You were put in charge of the project. When you saw what they were doing, how they were using the prisoners, you had a choice did you not?"

Professor Gerald's voice answered out of the speaker system. "I could have died. I considered it, but when I saw the results of the first experiment….I…I knew that I had a rare opportunity."

"The prisoners did not have a high survival rate. Many of them were going to die anyway. Better to die in your lab as a sacrifice to knowledge than in the chambers for no reason?"

"I…" Gerald's voice cracked. "I understood the crime. I knew the toll it would reap on my soul…but the benefits…they could not be ignored."

Maria could hear the confession as well. Her expression of revulsion and hatred was clearly etched on her young face. However, all that emotion was directed at Shadow. "You…" She hissed. "What are you?"

Shadow could not answer. He looked at his hands and found them coated in blood. The cold floor of the Colony disappeared. Shadow stood in a deep valley choked with corpses. He gasped and stumbled as he struggled to maintain his balance at the top of the pile. Shadow gagged and just managed to keep himself from throwing up.

The bodies came in every shape and color. Men, women and children, all had been used to accumulate the knowledge that had led to Shadow's creation. Lighting smote the sky above him and fat drops of rain followed in its wake. Shadow looked down and his gaze lingered on the body of a young boy. His face was upturned and he stared unseeingly at the storm above.

Shadow took a step forward but froze when the boy suddenly turned. A supernatural chill raced down Shadow's spine as the child's dead eyes found him. Shadow felt his jaw move and heard his own voice speak. "It is a privilege to be a part of me. In life you were nothing, in death you are the Ultimate."

Shadow stood atop the gorge, brooding down at the valley of death. Like the boy, all the bodies started to stir. They rose up and heralded Shadow as the captain of their army. Their broken and decomposed bodies knelt before him. "All Hail Shadow! All Hail the Ultimate Life Form!"

Light streaked into the room and brought a merciful end to Shadow's tormented dreams. He woke with a start and sat upright. His head ached and his mouth was dry and bitter. Shadow faced the blank screen and wondered if he had the strength to continue watching the interviews.

He had not realized how much his creator's reputation had meant to him. Though grief and despair had changed Gerald for the worse, there had been a time when Shadow had greatly respected his maker. Now, he realized that he barely knew the man at all.

Sighing, Shadow got out of bed and explored the living room. He did not expect anything designed by Eggman to be filled with creature comforts and was not surprised when he found nothing in the fridge and only stale oatmeal in the pantry.

"I bet you're wondering how he stays so big, when you've never actually seen him eat." Shadow turned to see Metal Overlord standing by the open door. To Shadow's relief the mech had brought him some fresh bacon, and a cup of coffee.

Shadow accepted the food gratefully and sat down to get started straight away. His stomach was audibly growling. "How did the doctor get so round then?"

Metal shrugged. "Genetics may be? When he was invested in a project he would spend days at work without sleeping or eating. Obsessive drive ran rampant in that family."

Shadow swallowed a bitter sip of hot coffee. "Do you know what's on these tapes?"

"Only what I've guessed or overhead."

"I never knew the professor was put on trial for war crimes," Shadow admitted.

"Well, if he was contracted by the military they would obviously want to hush that up."

"But you knew? Why didn't you tell me?" Shadow asked crossly.

"Would you have believed me if I had? Nothing prevented you from finding out yourself, only your own fear of what you would discover."

Shadow munched on a piece of bacon and chewed angrily. There was some truth to Metal's words. Shadow wanted to find out more about the reason for his creation, but that discovery was always going to carry with it uncomfortable realizations and painful memories. "Did you just come here to bring me breakfast then?" Shadow asked scornfully.

Metal ignored the jibe. "Today I will be speaking with the heads of GUN. I will explain the Aurora situation and see if they are open to peace."

"Not likely."

"Whatever the case, I have to make the effort. Already their drones have been spotted scoping out all the remaining bases. Soon, me and my mechs will have to go underground and consolidate our forces. If GUN knows where to find us we will always be at risk."

"What's that got to do with me?" Shadow snapped.

"It is possible that G.U.N drones will have spotted you. The military have thought you were dead for a while now. They may come after you as well when they realize you are still alive."

Shadow grimaced. "They would be foolish to try."

Metal tossed a small disc shaped device into Shadow's lap. It shone with a blinking blue light. "All the same. Take this."

"What is it?" Shadow asked, as he scooped up the device.

"A communicator. If you ever need to get in touch."

"And why would I want to do that?"

Metal's red eyes flashed. "However powerful you may think you are, understand this. The net has been tightened. Those in power are closing their fist and the free radical element is going to be destroyed. Everyone that stands apart, everyone that tries to live free represents a potential threat and must be eliminated. You are a power Shadow. No one will ever approach you on other grounds. They will want your aid, or they will want to control you. If you think you can remain aloof and independent forever then you are dumber than you look." Metal turned aside and went for the door.

"You're wrong," Shadow whispered as he stood up. "She never saw me that way."

Metal hesitated but did not stay. Just before he closed the door, his eyes met Shadow's and he said, "And she died."

Shadow stood motionless for a minute or so. He wanted to throw Metal's communicator in the trash but found himself storing it away. After eating his breakfast, Shadow returned to the bedroom and turned back on the tapes.

As the morning passed into the afternoon, Shadow watched Miranda and Gerald discuss his war time experiments. Every hour or so the screen would go blank and then change to the same room but on a different day because Gerald and Miranda were wearing new clothes.

"Tell me about your granddaughter, about Maria?" Miranda asked at the start of the third interview session. Shadow instinctively scooted closer to the screen. "She was brought in to live with you several months ago. How has that been?"

"Wonderful," Croaked Gerald. "Maria is simply a delight."

"But she suffers from an illness? She cannot move and she is often in terrible pain."

Gerald's expression darkened. "Yes, there are times when her affliction darkens even her great light. But despite that I find her charming to be around. She has an inquisitive mind and is always asking good questions."

"It can't be easy." Miranda said, leaning back in her chair. "Watching her slowly waste away. Your son couldn't do it. When he was arrested many people whispered that the apple had not fallen far from the tree. They thought your son's misdeeds proved your own guilt. But we both know that isn't true. You had not seen your son since he and your wife fled the country. Why did your family abandon you after the war?"

Gerlad bowed his head in grief. "My wife…she tried, but it was too difficult for her. She could not look at me without thinking of all that happened. She thought it would be best for our son if he did not see me again."

"She could not stand to be near you because it was her people that you experimented on. Is that the reason?"

"It was imperative that she leave the country. We knew that as soon as we noted who they were rounding up. Many of her relatives were not so fortunate. She could not think of me and not think of all those who had died in the chambers and the mass graves in the fields."

Miranda clicked her pen. Gerald's obvious pain only made her more greedy for admissions. "Even after she died you did not try to reconnect with your son."

"I…I was too ashamed."

"But you accepted Maria into your care?"

Gerald pressed his hands into the table. "She was sick…alone….when they first brought her to me I planned on putting her somewhere where she would be comfortable. But then I saw her eyes…they were the same as mine. I knew I had been given a second chance to be the father I had never been."

Miranda wrote something down on her notepad and stayed silent for a while. Finally, she looked up and spoke softly. "Now let's talk about Project Shadow." Shadow's face was inches from the screen. He was watching Gerald's expression closely.

"You understand, professor, why we had to conduct these interviews before we could move forward?"

"I do," Gerald answered wearily.

"Nothing like this has ever been attempted before. This is a brand new era of history. Your reasons for going forward are paramount to the project's success. We know that you are willing to sacrifice in the name of the common good. I am even beginning to understand your personal connection to the project beyond just the science. But questions remain." Miranda shuffled the papers on the table and slid one across the table to Gerald.

"All your research into the subject of the being, Chaos, led you to believe that its self regenerative properties could only be replicated in a similar species. But recently you've completely changed your mind. Why is that?"

Gerald recoiled from the question as if it physically harmed him. He shifted in his chair and rocked forward as if he was trying to free himself from some invisible constraints. "No…" The whisper was barely audible. "Not here…please…"

Miranda watched as Gerald continued to squirm in discomfort. "Professor Gerald, why Shadow? Why did you change the name and the design? What does a hedgehog have to do with any of this?"

Gerald's hands slammed down hard on the table. The shock made Miranda jump back in alarm. Gerald craned his neck and violently shook his head. "Not here….no…" All at once, the convulsions stopped and Gerald smiled pleasantly at Miranda. "I apologize. This work has been greatly stressful on me. "Please…would you just give me a moment?"

Miranda stood and hurried quickly for the door. As soon as she left, Gerald slumped in his chair. His face hid beneath the table but Shadow could hear the faint sound of muttering. He put his ear right by the screen's speaker but he could not hear what was being said. Eventually, Gerald straightened up again. He rubbed his temples forcibly and mouthed soundless words to someone Shadow could not see.

"He's here with us," Gerald said the words but Shadow did not recognize the voice. The screen seemed to freeze. The faint flickering of the old fashioned video paused. Gerald's head moved upward so he could stare directly into the camera. "Shadow…" A spear of cold dread punctured Shadow's heart. There was no denying it. Somehow, Gerald was speaking to him.

The moment ended in a blink and time seemed to restore itself. Gerald shook as if he had just woken up from a trance. He immediately reached across the table and stole Miranda's pen. Fervently, he took a page off the desk, flipped it over and started drawing on the blank side.

Footsteps echoed from outside the door. Gerald wrote quickly and then slid the page into view of the camera. Scribbled on the paper was a symbol Shadow did not recognize; a triangle enveloped by a circle crossed with twin diamonds. The door burst open and Miranda entered followed by two men in black suits. Before they could say anything the recording froze.

Shadow sat still in stunned disbelief. After a while he tried to fast forward but in his heart he knew he had reached the end. Feeling shell shocked, and out of sorts, Shadow removed the drive and sat back on the bed. What had he just seen? It was almost laughable to suggest, but he could have sworn Gerald had just tried to communicate with that was impossible. That interview had taken place over fifty years ago, before Shadow had even been created yet.

Shadow could feel his heart beating heavily inside his chest. He stared at the drive and considered all it had taken just to procure it. Instead of answers, he had been left with more questions. Why did you change the name and the design? What does a hedgehog have to do with any of this?" Shadow found that he had the same questions Miranda did. If the BioLizard was indeed supposed to be the final prototype, why had Gerald changed course so dramatically?

And my name…Shadow had never given it much thought before. But now, Metal Sonic's words from before rose to the surface of Shadow's mind. "And perhaps you are not so different from us. Shadow? Have you really never given your name any thought? What are you a shadow of?"

What had Gerald learned or seen that had caused him to redesign the Ultimate Life Form? The answers he required were all located in the past, beyond his reach. But there might be records? Though the military had eventually abandoned Project Shadow that did not mean they destroyed every record of its existence. Something had to remain, something that could lead Shadow to the answers he sought.

He knew now what he had to do. Breaking into GUN facilities to dig up old files would definitely alert the military to his survival but perhaps they would find out soon anyway. If they wanted to stand in his way then that was their mistake. Shadow paused and smiled to himself as he realized something else. If he was going to go after GUN he needed a person already on the inside that could help him; an old friend.