Chapter 32: Robotnik's Legacy Pt 4

Shadow goes to the core of the ancient bunker as he gets a call on his comlink. "Shadow, we managed to secure our goals here," Sonic said.

"Good, I am getting deeper within the core. Keep me posted," Shadow said.

"Alright, and good luck Shadow. We will get Hope back," Sonic said.

"I will make sure of that," Shadow said to cut off the radio to head into a huge room that had tubes inside filled with EVE androids. "So, there are more of them huh?" Shadow questioned as all of the androids burst out of their glass prisons to attack Shadow. "Then come at me because you are not stopping me," Shadow said.

Shadow is dashing and kicking into the EVE androids to smash them against the walls with the androids shooting energy beams from their palms. Shadow is dodging her attacks to smash each of the androids to pieces with his powerful strikes. "Gee, he is just throwing her at me to slow me down," Shadow said as ADAM's face was on screens around him.

"So Shadow, my precious EVE will keep you busy. Make you feel right at home here," ADAM said.

"Where is Hope at, you monster," Shadow demanded as he kicked EVE into a wall to make her break apart into a scrap pile.

"Come within the core, she is here. She was waiting for you to rescue her," ADAM mocks him as Shadow is unhappy with this.

Shadow unleashes a shockwave to blow away all the EVE androids to see them break on impact all around him. He smashes several androids to go into the very center of the ancient bunker to see the huge metal owl sitting on top of a platform with Hope on the side looking pretty broken emotionally.

"Hope, are you okay?" Shadow asked sounding worried as the young woman looked at her older brother with shame and hopelessness.

"I am sorry Shadow, I was too weak," Hope said breaking down crying from seeing the sight of him.

"See Hope, it's your fault your big brother is going to die by you being here," ADAM pulls at her weak emotional strings as he clicks his beak to summon a horde of Cyber creatures like Cyber Dogs, Cyber Bee Soldiers, and Cyber Cobras. "Kill him," ADAM ordered as Shadow is surprised they are still more of them. "Surprised, I can make my ultrasonic signal allowing me to control them directly. I saw that little trick from that little AI, I have backup plans for Project Rebirth," ADAM said.

Shadow tries his best but the sheer numbers and power of the bigger enemies were overwhelming him. "Damn it, Chaos Spear," Shadow precisely hits multiple targets while kicking and punching enemies smashing them to bits.

Shadow uses a Light Speed Attack to slice through the head of a Cyber Cobra killing it instantly. Another Cobra fires beams of acid with Shadow using the Flame Shield to put up a barrier of fire to burn away the acid when it hits the shield.

Combing the Flame Shield Shadow turns his homing attack into a Flame Shot increasing its power by quite a bit. He nails the head of a Cyber Cobra to pierce its head leaving a burning hole behind. He tosses more Chao Spears to strike down incoming Bee Soldiers to pin them onto walls.

"Chaos Control," he freezes time but Adam negates this by using Chaos Energy to surge from his body.

"I managed to gather as much Chaos energy as possible to infuse into my body. Increasing my abilities like this," ADAM breaks down all the Cyber creatures to merge into his metal frame building it up and allowing him to grow in size until he becomes as tall as a second-story building.

"What the hell?" Shadow questioned.

"I took all the Metal Virus-infused nanites into my body and I will go to spread it myself. I will make humanity great once again and the Mobains will be turned into labor for that future," ADAM said darkly as he opened his bark to spread the Metal Virus trying to infect Shadow.

"Oh no you don't Shadow," he keeps the Flame Shield on which protects him due to the Nanites being vulnerable to heat.

ADAM summons a strong pulse of sound to break Shadow's focus and disable the Flame Ring to make Shadow vulnerable as the Metal Virus goes into Shadow's mouth to infect him.

"Shadow no," Hope said as her emotions were overwhelming her mind and heart. "I am so sorry, my family and their past. It's all no good, I am no good. What stops me from becoming like that too," Hope said as Shadow was on the ground as he tried fighting back against the infection.

"Hope. You can't be held back by the past. It will only hold you down and drag you to a dark place where you feel closed off and alone," Shadow said as he struggled to get up.

Elsewhere Mina, Sonic, Nicole, and Saffron were watching from a monitor as Nicole was broadcasting it to keep an eye on Shadow. "Gee, he got him with the Virus. This isn't good," Nicole said as she is going to network to aid in their further plans.

"Shadow," Mina looked worried but Sonic looked on with hope it would be all right.

"Shadow, you got this. I know you will not go down that easily," Sonic said with no worry at all.

"Sonic, why are you not worried?" Mina asked.

"He still got some tricks up his sleeves. Just watch," Sonic said being confident about it.

"If you say so," Mina said as Nicole was preparing to find the self-destruct just in case.

Back with Shadow as he is still fighting back with ADAM being surprised by this. "Doesn't matter, you will be turned into one of my best soldiers after you transform," ADAM said.

"Don't count on it. You are just like me, chained to the past and never letting go. I am tired of the past and I keep moving forward. Hope: I understand how you feel about the past but your genes don't make you who you are. It's your actions at the moment that matter most," Shadow said.

"Shadow," Hope said to look at him to only see a rare smile from him.

"Hope, you are kind, smart, and gentle. You have a big heart for everyone Humans and Mobains alike. Unlike Eggman, Snively, or Ivan, you use your genius to help people and make their lives better as the professor did so long ago. You have Maria's kindness to everyone you know and care about. You will never be like those bastards who only care about serving their interests," Shadow said as he continued.

"Hope. I came here to take you back home where you belong with your friends like me, Rouge, Omega, Shard, Whisper, Tangle, and Ace. You are no monster; you are a person who has immense potential to save this world. Also, you are my little sister and I love you very much. Please, don't let your family's dark past be your anchor," Shadow said as he was still on his feet.

"Shadow, I am so sorry. I didn't know what came over me, I love you Shadow. I want to go home with you and see this beautiful world with all the people being happy in it," Hope said.

"How touching but you will soon be controlled by me," ADAM said as Shadow laughed at this. "What is so funny?" he demanded.

"You talk about humanity and saving it yet all I see is a crazy AI with a god complex. Humans are flawed but this world is doing fine without your help. The Humans along with the Mobians will find their happiness without your trash," Shadow said as he dug deep within himself to hear the voices of his family like Gerald and Maria.

"Shadow, my son. If you're listening to this, then the worst has happened. You need to know the truth. The government plans to shut down this research facility. The government plans to cease all of my research and imprison all who know about you. I made a terrible mistake, Shadow. It's all my fault, for contacting that comet. Now, listen very carefully," Gerald's voice echoed within his mind as if it were yesterday.

"Gerald," Shadow said softly as this is a digital journal he heard right before he went to fight Black Doom a few years back.

"In 50 years, the Black Comet will return. They plan to harness their powers to destroy this planet. The only way to stop them was to develop a way to use the very power they intended to use against them. Shadow, it's up to you, and only you can stop them. I developed the Eclipse Cannon. It's the only weapon that can destroy that Black Comet. Shadow, you are the only hope to save mankind as we know it. The future of this planet depends on you," Gerald's voice faded within his mind.

"This was the thing that proved the professor's innocence. He redeemed himself in the end and created the tools this planet needed to defeat Black Arms. Not all Robotniks are evil, not the professor. He is the closest thing I had to a father," Shadow was happy to hear Gerald call him his son.

Then he felt the echoes of Maria's voice etched within his memories. He remembers being in an escape pod to see his little sister Maria lying against a control panel covered in her blood.

"Shadow I beg of you, please do it for me. For a better future. For all the people who live on that planet. Give them a chance to be happy. Let them live for their dreams. Shadow, I know you can do it. That's the reason you were brought into this world. Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog," Maria's voice said as this was the last memory he saw before she died.

"Maria, you are right. People deserve to live how they please. I have been honoring your wish to protect this world and its people. Safeguarding their hopes and dreams. I deeply miss you Maria and the professor but now," Shadow looks over to Hope. "I have someone else to love and protect now," Shadow places his hand on his heart.

Suddenly Shadow's body emits powerful amounts of Chaos energy which purged the Metal Virus from his body completely leaving ADAM beyond shocked.

"What, this is impossible. You should have been converted by this now but you purged it," ADAM said as Shadow had a strong smirk on his face.

"Don't underestimate the Ultimate Lifeform," Shadow stands strong to be engulfed in Chaos energy.

"What are you?" Adam questioned him as Shadow took the Chaos Emerald from his bag to hold it in his hand.

"I am Shadow the Hedgehog. I am the union of ideals dark and benign but ultimately built in the name of love. I am the Ultimate Lifeform. I am the protector of Mobius for the sake of the people I hold dear to my heart. This is who I am," Shadow absorbs the emerald into his body. "Chaos Boost," Shadow explodes with Chaos Energy which makes violent shockwaves that shake the whole area.

Mina, Saffron, and Nicole look on with awe as Sonic expects this outcome. "He is powering up with lots of energy," Mina said.

"Yes, his output is insane. I need to set a plan to grab Hope while Shadow fights ADAM," Nicole said.

"Go get him Shadow," Sonic said as they ran off to go grab Hope.

Back with Shadow as he is covered in a fiery red aura brewing with lots of Chaos energy. ADAM is shocked by this level of power. "This surge of energy, I didn't think you have that kind of power," ADAM said as Shadow teleported both himself and ADAM outside.

Shadow and ADAM appear on the vast northern desert of Efrika as Shadow is overflowing with power with his Semi Super Form called Chaos Boost mode aka Chaos Shadow.

Adam flexed his wings to blow away the sand. "So, it comes down to this. Who's legacy will continue Ivan's or Gerald's," ADAM said as both Shadow and ADAM were born of the ambitions of the Robotnik's family line for the sake of humanity.

"If Ivan wins then the past will doom us all," Shadow said as he sped toward the huge metal owl to slam into his stomach to send him flying at a dune smashing right through it.

ADAM tries powering up with his own Chaos Energy to shake the desert around them. "I will purge you from this world," ADAM said to summon a huge beam from his beak to skirt across the desert sand erupting surges of energy out of the ground. Shadow dodges the beam and sees sections of the desert turn into super-heated glass.

Shadow is flying towards the monstrous owl as he is dodging incoming energy beams. "Chaos Control," he freezes ADAM to use a Chaos-infused Boost attack to slam into ADAM like a bullet to knock him backward. "Chaos Lance," Shadow lobs a large energy spear to pierce it into the side of ADAM's metal body.

The lance unleashes a delayed explosion to blow up sections of ADAM's armor. ADAM looks surprised to see Shadow is beginning to overpower him with this new form.

"How, where is this power coming from?" ADAM wondered as Shadow was pounding away at him with him kicking him in the torso and knocking him into a dune of sand.

"The hopes and dreams of this world are what drives me now," Shadow delivers a powerful kick to break parts of his armor. ADAM brings up a barrier to protect himself as he sends shockwaves to knock back Chaos Shadow.

"Not going to work, Light Speed Attack," Shadow powers up in his ball form and rockets himself at Light Speed Attack to clash with the barrier. ADAM sees the shield breaking apart as Shadow punches through ADAM's robotic shell to weaken him further.

ADAM's shell repairs itself with the nanites in his body going into overdrive trying to keep him intact. "Sorry Shadow but the nanites will keep me alive no matter what you do," ADAM regaining his composure.

"Well, I am going to blow you apart into atoms," Shadow speeds towards ADAM with the giant owl firing energy beams and shockwaves with Shadow brute-forcing his way through it all.

Shadow punches through ADAM's body to be right in the middle of it. The nanites try to infect him but his power is killing them on contact.

"Chaos Blast," Shadow unleashes a wide blast of Chaos energy to violently rip ADAM apart spreading pieces of him across the desert floor.

"Shadow this is Nicole, we managed to secure Hope and we are getting out of here," Nicole said on the radio.

"Good, ADAM has a self-repairing function," Shadow can see the pieces are coming back together to form his body again. "How do we destroy him?" he asked.

"Heat, of course. He is now made of all the nanites of the Metal Virus. Send him to an extremely hot place to kill him and the Metal Virus completely," Nicole said.

"Got it," Shadow said as he prepared for his final move to finish this fight. He goes up high in the sky to aim his hand. "Chaos Control," Shadow activates the power but ADAM is now fully formed and still greatly damaged managed to use his barriers to hold him off but it slowly starts to fail.

"I am the ultimate hope of humanity, I can't fail now," ADAM said as he lost the battle of power with Shadow putting everything into this one final move.

"You never were, just a dark past that needed to be put back where it belongs. Humans and Mobians live side by side to form a better future without your help," Shadow said as he broke the barrier to engulf ADAM in Chaos energy preparing to teleport him to the Sun.

"Damn it, this is because of that weak human girl is it?" ADAM questioned as Shadow has thoughts of his little sisters Maria and Hope.

"Both Maria and Hope love this planet so much. I swore to them both that I would protect the people of this world which they love unconditionally. Go back to hell where you belong, Chaos Control!" Shadow uses one final push to teleport the mad AI onto the surface of the Sun to burn away the dark past of the Robotnik family forever.

Sonic, Mina, Saffron, Nicole, and Hope watch from below to see Shadow end the evil AI and the Metal Virus for good. "I knew he could do it," Sonic said as Shadow depowers down for him to fall towards the sands below.

"Shadow," Hope runs and catches Shadow to hold him in her arms. "Shadow, are you okay?" Hope asked.

"I am glad you are okay, my health is not a factor," Shadow said as she kissed him on the forehead.

'Thank you for showing me my worth. I let ADAM get to me but you said it best before. It's about your actions now not the sins of my family's past. I will continue to help this beautiful world be the best it can be," Hope said feeling more excited for the future.

"That is what I like to hear," Shadow said as Sonic tapped him on the head.

"Way to go Shadow, I knew you could do it," Sonic said.

"You were impressive Shadow. All Cyber creatures were disabled when ADAM was destroyed. The Metal Virus is not a threat anymore. The world has a great protector. No, offend Sonic," Nicole said.

"Not at all, soon one day I wouldn't be doing this world-saving as much but knowing Shadow will always be there to step up when it matters. I am not worried about it," Sonic said as Shadow felt honored by this.

"Let's get out of here," Shadow said as Hope gave Sonic the emerald to prepare to use Chaos Control to teleport out of there. "Maria and Gerald, I am not alone anymore. Hope, Rouge, and Omega, they are my family now," Shadow thought on a happy note. Sonic warps everyone away as the old bunker blows itself up with Nicole's remote trigger removing that past forever from Mobius.

Elsewhere Infinite managed to teleport their group back into the Egg Carrier MK2 except for Metal Sonic was destroyed in the fighting. "Master, the mission was a total bust. We lost the emerald and Metal Sonic is no more," Infinite said as Naugus was disappointed.

"I see, we have other options in play here. We have three emeralds and they have two emeralds. One is with Snively and the other one is with Dr. Starline. Both are secured in their positions of power in their regions. We need more intel on Albion. I am getting close with that lead on the city," Naugus said as he began to form plans to steal the other emeralds.