Chapter 4

Mariah Gets her Medicine and Shadow Gets Therapy

Shadow reclined on Amy's couch and she sat down beside him with a floral notebook. He wasn't optimistic about her therapy, but he could tell being alone with Amy annoyed Sonic to no end, so he decided to play along.

"Would you like some coffee?" Amy asked with a sweet smile.

He shrugged. "Sure, it couldn't hurt."

She went into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with an iced mocha. She set it on a coaster and looked up at Shadow.

"What the hell is that?" he asked, staring at the beverage in abject horror.

"It's iced coffee." She frowned. "You don't like it?"

"That's not coffee. Get it away from me."

"Fine." She tossed it out the window and heard Sonic scream from outside.

She sat down across from Shadow in a high-backed chair. "Alright, Shadow. Before we begin, I want you to know that I'm on your side and have full confidence that you can overcome your traumatic past." She smiled brightly. "Don't worry. It's my job as an overly positive, strong, self-confident woman to help insecure and emotionally unstable people like you. Now, let's start from the beginning and try to uncover the source of your trauma."

Shadow looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "You should know this better than anyone. It all began about 52 years ago when my best friend, Maria, got shot by government agents. I can still remember the pain in her face and her blood splattering against the glass of the escape pod before I was ejected to Earth."

Amy wiped her eyes and held out a box of tissues. "Here, Shadow. Get it all out."

He frowned. "You're the one crying. Where was I? Right. I wanted to avenge Maria by destroying the entire planet because I thought that was the promise I had made to her, but you helped me realize that truth. I had promised her that I would help people—that I would watch over the world like a shadow and try to make it a better place. . . . Wow, I haven't been living up to that promise, have I?"

"You're doing your best." Amy sobbed into a handkerchief. "I'm sure she would be proud of you."

"Yeah, I guess. . . . Anyway, I met this woman who looks and sounds just like Maria, but she's kind of insane. Now, I'm wondering if Professor Gerald manipulated my memory. Maybe she really is alive, but I don't want to get my hopes up. It'll be like losing her twice. I think I need to distance myself from her."

"No, you can't give up hope!" She clasped his hand. "It's all we have. You need to go to her and tell her how you feel. If you avoid her, she'll think you hate her, and I'll be so sad."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Why does it feel like I'm giving you therapy?"

"I'm sorry, Shadow," she sobbed, "but when you told me your backstory, it reminded me of that day on the Ark when I convinced you to save the world. I was so awesome back then and look at me now. I'm just a shell of the woman I used to be!"

"Yeah, I can sympathize."

Amy pulled him off the couch and hugged him, weeping into his neck. "It's so unfair! It's like the writers don't care about us anymore."

Suddenly, Sonic jumped through the window and separated them. "Amy, what's going on here? Why are you crying? Did Shadow attack you?"

"No, you jerk." She wiped her eyes. "He did the one thing for me that you never could. He let me talk about my feelings. . . . Oh, and you're breaching my client's confidentiality. You need to leave."

Sonic crossed his arms. "No way! I'm not leaving you alone with Shadow anymore. It's just weird."

"When did you decide to be so jealous and controlling? He's my patient."

Shadow back away from them and headed for the door. "I can see I'm not wanted here. Maybe you two need some relationship counseling."

Sonic smiled at him. "What are you talking about? We're not in a relationship."

"Oh, grow up, Sonic!"

Shadow waved goodbye. "Yeah, I get it, and thanks for listening to me, Amy. I think it helped."

He left the house and called for his private helicopter to take him to Casino Night Zone. More than anything, he wanted to get away and let the flashing lights and loud music distract him for a while.

Mariah woke up from a twelve-hour coma after injecting herself with her regenerative serum. She sat on the edge of the bed and waited for the fog to clear from her head before reaching for a glass of water. She swallowed a couple pills and got dressed.

Eggman had given her a cramped room in his lair with a simple bed and closet, which was more than enough for her. She was used to living a reclusive life. Once she was dressed, she sat in the dark and grabbed a tiny mirror off her nightstand. She saw the reflection of a familiar ebony hedgehog standing next to her and gasped, dropping the mirror.

She sighed. "Not even my pills can stop my hallucinations now."

Mariah left her room and walked down to the main lab where Eggman was furiously designing his new Café. She stood behind him and watched his work with feigned interest.

Eggman hunched over his keyboard with a giddy smile. "I can't wait to see the look on Shadow's face when he sees me pull in all his potential customers with my excellent service. He'll never open another coffee shop again!"

She crossed her arms. "Do you waste your time on this petty thuggery every day?"

He swiveled around in his chair. "I'd expect nothing less from an amateur. You can't be a hundred percent evil all the time. You've got to switch it up—throw your enemies for a loop. Variety is the spice of life, you know."

"Yeah, yeah," she walked away. "You got a phone I can use? I need to talk to someone."

"It's by the sofa." He pointed over his shoulder. "But no long-distance calls. Starting a business has really taught me to limit my unnecessary expenses."

Mariah rolled her eyes and sat down on the sofa. She grabbed the phone book and looked up the number for the Lost Colony hotel. Hoping Shadow would be there, she dialed the number and got the concierge."

"This is the Lost Colony hotel and casino. Can I help you?"

"Yes, this is Mariah Otomech. I was wondering if I could speak to Shadow."

"Did you say Maria Robotnik?" the concierge exclaimed.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "No, Mariah Otomech. Is Shadow there or not?"

"Well, yes, but are you a friend of Mr. Hedgehog? He rarely takes calls."

"You could say I'm a friend. . . . We only just met, but we know each other very well."

"I hope so, for your sake. I'll put you through to his office."

There was a pause and Shadow's voice came over the line. "Yeah, talk to me."

"Sh-Shadow?" She smiled and gripped the phone with both hands. "It's Mariah. I hope I'm not disturbing you. . . . It's so good to hear your voice."

"Yeah," he faltered. "It sounds like I'm talking to a dead friend."

"Really? That's how I feel." She hugged her knees and nestled into the corner of the sofa. "I know you're busy, but I just wanted to apologize for throwing that fit yesterday. Sorry if I embarrassed you."

"It's fine. I was on the verge of breaking down, myself."

"No, you were a lot stronger than me. You always were. . . . I mean, you're perfect, right?"

"How would you know that?" Shadow asked after a brief pause.
"I might be a basket case, but I do my research. Sorry if I'm rambling, but I don't want to stop talking to you. . . . I could listen to your voice forever."

"I feel the same."

"Really?" She sat up. "Then, maybe you'd like to meet up for some coffee? There's a lot of stuff I need to tell you."

"Alright. That sounds . . . nice."

Eggman dashed into the living area. "Oh! Tell him to meet you at my new coffee shop, Eggspresso. Tomorrow's the grand opening!"

Mariah glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "Did you hear that, Shadow?"

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow."

Shadow stood outside the Eggspresso Café. It was easily the gaudiest building in the village with red and navy metal walls and flashing neon lights depicting Eggman's face. He could forgive bad décor if they at least served good coffee, so he decided to go inside. Despite it being a clear and beautiful day, the interior was dimly lit with no natural lighting. It was hardly the design one would expect in a café.

He found Mariah sitting at the bar across from Eggman who was forcing Orbot and Cubot to wash dishes while plugged in to charging stations, causing them to short circuit over and over again.

Shadow jumped onto the barstool next to Mariah and she shrieked. "Shadow! You can't just appear in my peripheral vision like that. I need some sort of warning."

"Alright." He swiveled around in his chair. "Mariah, I'm about to appear in your peripheral vision."

He swiveled back around, and she smiled. "That's better."

Eggman leaned over the bar with a wicked grin. "Wow, Mariah. You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I kind of have." she muttered under her breath.

He frowned and turned to Shadow. "Well, hedgehog, what's it gonna be? I can't wait to see the look on your face when you try one of my trademark specialty drinks."

He tossed a few rings on the bar. "Just give me a coffee, black."

"Oh, goody! Which roast? We have Palmtree Panic, Radiant Emerald, Green Hill Antigua, Red Mountain Supremo—"

"I don't care. Just give me something hot."

"Yes, yes, of course." He retreated to the high-tech coffee burners and watched the steaming liquid percolate like a mad scientist.

Shadow crossed his arms. "Aren't you going to take Mariah's order?"

Eggman glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, yeah . . . I guess. Whaddaya want?"

She briefly met Shadow's eyes and then stared at the menu. "So many choices. . . . Sorry, I'm not used to eating in restaurants. Um, I'll take a green tea latte, please—no, wait! I'll take whatever Shadow's getting. . . . No, that's too forward, isn't it?"

"Oh, I hate indecisive customers," said Eggman, "especially when they try to be polite so you can't yell at them without looking like a jerk."

She scowled at him. "Alright, then. Give me the latte and an Eggman's benedict with hollandaise and make it fast or I'll go to Meh Burger and get some real mediocre service."

Eggman smiled. "Now that's the antagonizing rapport I want with my customers. Coming right up!"

Mariah placed her finger on her chin. "An antagonizing rapport? Isn't that an oxymoron?"

"You're a moron!" Eggman yelled. "See? That was my contribution to the antagonizing rapport. Orbot! Where's that Eggman's benedict?"

"Sir, you haven't even submitted the order." Orbot said with a pathetic sigh.

"I know. That's why I programmed you to know exactly what I want at every point in time."

"Yeah, thanks, doc." said Cubot. "That part of my programming makes for some great nightmare fuel."

"I'll give you some nightmare fuel, but first, I need to manually input this order on Chef Bot's control panel. You'd think we'd have a better system for this."

He marched back into the kitchen, leaving Mariah and Shadow alone. They both stared at the bar in silence. Every now and then, she would steal a glance at him while he kept looking straight ahead.

"Did you get your medicine?" he finally asked.

"What?" She blinked at him. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. . . . Sorry about yesterday. I know I embarrassed you."

"I don't get embarrassed."

She laughed. "Me neither. I'm used to being alone."

Shadow stared at her. "Well, you're not now. What did you want to tell me?"

"That can wait." She put her elbow on the bar and propped up her head with her hand. "I just want to look at you right now. I feel like I'd be content just looking at you forever."

"Oh . . . alright."

Even Shadow was taken aback by her strange behavior. He had a hard time meeting her gaze after she said that, but thankfully this awkward moment ended when Eggman returned with their drinks.

"Well, Shadow, what do you think?" he asked with a wry smile.

Shadow stared at his cup and grimaced. It was some frothy concoction with sugar, milk, and caramel drizzle."

"What am I even looking at?" he said with disgust.

Eggman clenched his fist triumphantly. "It's my premium Egg de Crème latte con caramel. How does it feel not getting what you ordered?"

He shrugged. "I'm pretty neutral about it really. It's just a drink."

"How dare you mess up his order!" Mariah yelled. "Go back there and fix it or I'll make sure your publications never see the light of day."

"Oh, that's rich! As if you have that kind of academic clout."

"Stop. It's fine." He took a sip of his drink. "Not bad for a dessert coffee abomination."

"What's that?" Eggman lifted a hand to his ear. "You said it was the best coffee you'd ever tasted?"

"Hardly." he narrowed his gaze. "Thanks for opening this shop, Doctor. I just wanted to be able to get a decent cup of coffee on this island."

"What?" Eggman slumped over. "You mean you're not the slightest bit angry that I stole your business."

He shook his head. "It was just an expense, and you let me collect the insurance money, so thanks for that, too."

"I can't believe this!" he shouted and stomped back into the kitchen."

Mariah stared at him and sighed. "You're so mature. You handled that a lot better than I would have. I flip out every time something goes wrong. I'm such a weak person."

"That's not true." he said with a curt smile. "If you were weak, you wouldn't have called me. It takes guts to call a business and ask for the top dog . . . or hedgehog."

She laughed. "No, that wasn't hard. It feels like we've already been friends for a long time."

He nodded. "I don't know how to explain it, but I think you're right."

She sipped her latte and smiled. "I don't mean to pry, but you called me Maria when we first met, right? Was she . . . someone you were pretty close to?"

"Yeah," he looked down at his cup, "she was my best friend."

"Really?" Her eyes widened. "What was she like?"

He looked away, almost turning his back to her. "She was so kind and cheerful, despite her illness, and she'd always reassure me when I doubted myself. For a long time, I thought she was the only person in the world who was truly good."

"What happened to her?" she asked quietly.

He swiveled around to face her. "I get the feeling you already know. The humans wanted to detain me, so they killed her for helping me escape."

"I'm sorry." Mariah looked down at herself. "Didn't you . . . want revenge?"

He nodded. "I did, but then I remembered Maria's final words. She didn't want revenge. She wanted me to watch over these people like a shadow and make the world a better place."

She stared off to the side, avoiding his gaze. "Oh. . . . Then you didn't destroy your planet?"

He shrugged. "We're both sitting here, aren't we? And how did you know I almost destroyed this planet?"

"You're a lot stronger than me, Shadow." She smiled and took his hand. "Can I tell you a story about my best friend, too?"

"Of course."

She looked into his eyes for a moment and sighed. "He was a black hedgehog who looked a lot like you."

"Oh? What was his name?"

"Umbra. My grandfather created him to find a cure for my rare disease. He was the only real friend I ever had. He would always talk to me and take care of me when I was sick, which was almost all the time. He made sure I was never alone."

Shadow gripped her hand more tightly. "And did he . . ."

"Yeah." She wiped her eyes. "The people funding my grandfather's research were afraid of his power. It took a lot of bullets, but they killed him."

Shadow trembled, and Mariah gave him a reassuring smile. "Thanks to him, I survived, but the government experimented on me, trying to understand my disease. It was so painful. . . . I hated them. I wanted revenge for what they did to you—I mean Umbra."

His eyes wavered. "But I'm sure that's not what he wanted. He made you promise to always keep smiling and help those in need, right?"

She shook her head furiously. "No, he wanted revenge. That's why I wear this red ribbon in my hair—so I'll never forget my promise." She rubbed his quills. "He had red stripes in his fur just like you."

He fell silent and stared at her as he began to question his own sanity. Was Sticks right? Could this be a Maria from a parallel universe?

"I'm sorry you had to suffer so much." he finally said.

"Don't be. It made me stronger, but I'm not as strong as you."

"You're wrong." he furrowed his brow. "You went through everything I did and with a terrible disease."

"Not everything." she whispered.

"What do you mean?"

Mariah hugged Shadow to her chest, causing him to nearly fall out of his seat. "I couldn't forgive them. I destroyed their planet."