Entry 8
The Illusion Of Hope
''Can you feel life movin' through your mind? Ooh, looks like it came back for more! Yeah yeah yeah! Can you feel time slippin' down your spine? Ooooooh, you try and try to ignore! Yeah! But you can hardly swallow, your fears and pain. When you can't help but follow, it puts you right back where you came.''
– Live and Learn by Sonic Adventure 2 (NateWantsToBattle Cover)
xXxXxXx
Sonic stepped up, locking eyes with Shadow. So far, he and his friends had spent the entire day chasing the black hedgehog around, rushing from one place to another, and when they finally managed to confront him, it turned out that they were actually on a time limit and that no one is supposed to survive this ordeal. He tried to talk to Shadow and while he was thankful that he now understood his motives, this still didn't mean that he wasn't going to stop the latter from destroying everything he cared about.
''This battle has just begun,'' Shadow said, his voice calm, yet hollow. Sonic knew that usually, those who had nothing left to fight were also the ones who were the most dangerous. He turned to his partner.
''Lucas, leave Shadow to me,'' he said, with Lucas nodding. Sonic then charged at Shadow, with the latter dodging his attack and engaging in combat with the blue hedgehog. Lucas then turned to the rest of the team, quickly taking over, having already formed a plan.
''Knuckles and Silver, you two support Sonic,'' he said, with the grey hedgehog and red echidna nodding and joining the fight. ''Everyone else is coming with me. This way!''
While reluctant for a moment, everyone did as Lucas said, running after him. Tails flew up to Lucas, a questioning look on his expression. ''Shouldn't Amy and I also help in fighting Shadow?''
''No, I need you two to help us with something else,'' Lucas said, skidding to a halt at the main control room. ''I saw Sonic and Shadow coming out of this room and, well…''
The group's eyes widened in shock when they saw a huge monitor at the other end of the room, showing them the map of Neos City and the area around it, including Infinity Forest and the Codex Research Facility. They were all outlined red, with the monitor showing a message about the energy cores approaching dangerous levels and being close to exploding and turning everything into ashes.
''Lucas, what the hell is going on here?!'' Lily asked, still in shock.
''To keep it short, Shadow had set of some kind of explosive device that will blow up Neos City, if not the entire Starpoint Area,'' Lucas replied, turning to Warren and Tails, who snapped out of their shock. ''Warren, Tails, do you think you can shut this down?''
''We can try,'' Warren replied as he and Tails sat down at the computer Shadow was working on earlier and starting to type.
''I don't think that 'trying' is the appropriate response here,'' Tails said as he furiously hit the letters on the keyboard. Both he and his partner felt anxious as they tried to prevent the explosion. ''I-I think we're going to need a bit more time with this one. It looks like this program is powering up some kind of energy core… several of them to be precise. We cannot shut them down all at the same time, but we could try a manual approach, one by one.''
''How much time do we have left before the explosion?'' Lucas asked.
''I'd give us 15 minutes, give or take a few seconds,'' Warren said nervously, his mouth dry as he and Tails prepared for the manual shutdown. If either of them made a mistake or were a moment too slow, they would all die. ''I think we can manage it, but we need to act fast.''
''Okay, you do that,'' Lucas said, turning to the rest of the team. ''We need to find Touka. Com'n!''
''You did say that Touka was here, but why?'' Minami asked as they ran outside the room, stopping in the hallway.
''Shadow told us that he used to know Touka; I believe that he was her partner,'' Lucas replied, a little surprised that his friends still managed to keep their nerves after so much crucial information had been dumped onto them. ''He believes that she is dead and this is his way of getting revenge.''
''B-But, Touka is alive…'' Makoto pointed out, completely baffled. He and his friends had seen her during the battle with the Irregular and Metal Sonic at Eden.
''He thinks Sonic and I were lying about that,'' Lucas quickly responded, walking down the hallway. ''However, if we find her and bring her to Shadow, I'm sure he'll come to his senses and stop this madness.''
''Then, where are we supposed to search for her?'' Amy asked.
''I'm not sure,'' Lucas admitted, with his friends giving him an incredulous look. ''Ferra had told me that Touka went inside this building, but never exited it. If Shadow didn't come across her, then she is still probably somewhere inside.''
''Let me guess; if she didn't run out even after all of this commotion, then something must've happened to her,'' Lily said, crossing her arms. Lucas nodded.
''That's why we'll split up and check all of the rooms,'' he said, turning his gaze to the pink hedgehog. ''Amy, I came across several locked doors earlier, so I'll need you to break them for us. Maybe Touka got locked inside one of them.''
''No problem,'' Amy replied, summoning her Piko Piko Hammer out of a cloud of data.
''Then, let's go!'' Lucas said, the group splitting off in different directions.
Unknown to either of them, Ferra and Metal Sonic walked out of a narrow side-corridor, waiting until everyone was gone. Ferra's expression was that of pure horror, shaking as she as the consequences of her actions hit her like a truck. She and Metal had been observing Lucas, Sonic and Shadow from afar, followed by overhearing their conversation and taking note of Shadow's plans. What she had overheard shook her to her core.
How was I supposed to know that releasing Shadow will be the end of all of us?! Her mind was racing, matching her rapid heart beat as she started panicking. This was supposed to be a trap for Lucas and Sonic! I never wanted this to happen! What should I do? I can't-
Ferra's eyes widened and she was startled when she suddenly felt something cold wrapping around her hand. She looked down, surprised to see Metal Sonic holding her hand, giving her a determined look.
'Analyzing current development…' Metal Sonic stared at her. 'Your safety is the new priority. We are leaving at your signal.'
''Metal…'' Ferra was stunned, only to smile warmly. Despite his overpowering desire to defeat Sonic, it appeared that Metal would drop everything the moment she was in danger and keep her safe. She took a deep breath, giving him a confident look, pumping her fists. ''No, we're not running away.''
'Does not compute. Your safety is of primary concern,' Metal Sonic responded.
''I know that you're worried about me, but even if we escape Codex, we would still get caught in the explosion. Therefore, it won't make a difference,'' Ferra explained, crouching down to be at Metal Sonic's eye-level. ''Now, there is something we can do.''
Metal Sonic nodded. 'Awaiting new directions.'
''Good,'' Ferra said, nodding. ''I need you to activate your thermal detector. Lucas and his friends are currently running around like headless chicken, having no idea where Touka even might be. So, this should be a much faster way to find her.''
'New directions accepted,' Metal Sonic responded, his eyes starting to glow as he looked from side to side, scanning through the walls for any presence of Touka. Ferra just pressed her fingers against her AR Visor, with a holographic screen appearing before her, showing her what Metal Sonic saw.
Frankly, while she was willing to help Lucas and his friends to stop Shadow from going through with his plans, she certainly wasn't going to tell them who let ARNav version of the The Ultimate Life Form roam free. The last thing I need is to be blamed for that.
xXx
Sonic and Shadow spin-dashed into each other, too fast for Knuckles and Silver to follow. While Knuckles could punch the living daylights out of Shadow and Silver could use his psychokinesis to prevent him from moving at all, there was one issue with this plan – they had to have a clear target so they didn't hit Sonic on accident.
''This is bad,'' Silver muttered as Sonic and Shadow charged once again at each other, both seemingly equal in power and speed. ''We won't be able to do much unless they slow down.''
''Stay alert, Grey Hedgehog,'' Knuckles told him, keeping an eye on Shadow. ''The moment we have the opportunity, we attack.''
Shadow suddenly teleported behind Sonic, but the latter anticipated this move, spin-dashing into the darker hedgehog. Shadow hit the wall behind, but managed to get up, forming an bolt of energy and firing it at Sonic. However, before it could hit his opponent, it stopped mid-air, surrounded by cyan energy once again.
''Thanks, Silv!'' Sonic replied, with Silver grinning, and dashed back at Shadow. The two suddenly started to grapple with each other, neither being able to push the other away. Sonic's eyes narrowed as he locked eyes with Shadow. ''You're making a grave mistake.''
''I don't care.'' Shadow attempted to punch Sonic, but the latter dodged the attack, stepping back, only for Knuckles to suddenly charge between them, punching Shadow square in the chest. The dark hedgehog stumbled back, having to admit that Knuckles' attack actually did quite some damage. Knuckles attempted to punch Shadow once again, but the latter used his air shoes to skate backwards, dodging every single punch.
''Stop moving!'' Knuckles yelled furiously, swing after swing missing due to Shadow's superior speed. Suddenly, Shadow teleported away, leaving Knuckles puzzled for a moment, then appearing right behind the echidna and firing an energy bolt at point-blank range.
''Knux!'' Sonic and Silver cried out in worry as the energy bolt took the echidna out. Still, despite being on the ground, Knuckles was trying to get up. He rammed his fists, spikes first, into the nearby wall in an attempt to lift himself up, but Shadow suddenly spin-dashed into him. Or at least, he would've done so if his entire body hadn't been paralyzed by a cyan aura. He forced his head to move, realizing that it was Silver who kept him from attacking.
''The battle's over,'' Silver told him, his palms lined with cyan energy. Sonic and Knuckles had joined him, both badly bruised and a little out of breath, but otherwise fine. Shadow tried to move, but Silver's kept him in place. Shadow knew that, if he wanted to continue this fight, he would have to take the grey hedgehog out first.
xXx
''Ugh, open up!'' Lily slammed her foot against another locked door, which didn't budge. ''Hey, Amy, I need help over here!''
''On it!'' Amy ran up to Lily, who had moved away from the door, and swung her hammer, shattering the door knob. Lily then slammed the door open, but to her and Amy's disappointment, the room was empty. The two exchanged glances, with Amy adding, ''We need to keep moving. We're running out of time.''
''Amy, over here!'' Makoto yelled from afar, with Amy rushing towards him. Lily saw Lucas running past her and entering another room, his heart racing and him sighing in disappointment when he realized that it was empty.
''Lucas…'' The teenager turned suddenly towards Lily, noticing her look of dismay. Both knew that they didn't have much time left until everything exploded, but they were slowly losing hope. Unless they found Touka, or Warren and Tails managed to shut down the system responsible for the explosion, or Sonic, Knuckles and Silver had convinced Shadow to stop his rampage,… they would all die. Not only them, but everyone in Neos City as well. Lily took another deep breath and then nodded, a determined look on her expression. ''We need to continue.''
Lucas grinned and ran past her, but before he could move on to the next room, something blue flew past him, stopping suddenly at the door at the far end of the corridor. His eyes widened in shock. ''Metal Sonic?!''
Lily, Minami, Makoto and Amy had joined him, only for Ferra to run past them. ''Metal has detected a body in that room. You better pray that it's Touka!''
''What are you doing here?!'' Lucas asked, snapping out of his shock and following her.
''It's a long story, but for now, we're just trying to survive!'' Ferra replied, grabbing the door knob, only to realize that it wouldn't budge. ''Ugh, stupid thing is locked! Okay, Metal, blast it apart!''
''Wait!'' Just as Metal Sonic was about to charge up an energy blast, Amy ran up to them, brandishing her hammer. ''If Touka's close, you might hurt her as well.'' She then swung her hammer at the door knob, shattering it. She then kicked the door in, causing it to slam open. A wave of relief washed over her when she saw a figure lying on the floor, unconscious. ''She's here!''
Ferra and Metal Sonic stepped away, allowing Lucas to run inside, with Makoto, Minami, Lily and Amy hanging back, watching as Lucas checked on Touka. He looked up at them. ''She's still breathing.''
''Thank goodness,'' Minami breathed a sigh of relief and entered the room, while Lucas tried to wake Touka up.
''Hey, Touka,… Touka!'' he shook her shoulder. At first, she was motionless, but then she groaned, blinking as she tried to open her eyes. ''Touka, are you okay?''
''Mmm-hm…'' Touka tried to get up, but felt a suddenly wave of nausea, followed by a throbbing headache. ''My head… is killing me.''
''Well, you won't be complaining about that anymore once you get blown up to pieces,'' Ferra said, her arms crossed as he leaned against the door frame. Touka suddenly looked up at her, puzzled.
''Wh-What?''
''Never mind that, we need to clear something,'' Lucas said, helping Touka up. ''You know Shadow, right?''
''Y-Yeah…'' Touka said, her gaze shifting from Ferra to Lucas, rising an eyebrow. ''Why… Why are you here?''
''We'll explain everything in detail later,'' Lucas told her, holding her by her arm as Touka was still unsure on her feet. ''All you need to know is that Shadow believes that you're dead and he's trying to blow up all of us and Neos City. You need to go and tell him to stop.''
''What?!'' Touka's eyes grew wide in shock, trying to comprehend what she had been told.
''We don't have much time left! We need to hurry!'' Minami told them in an urgent tone. Suddenly, all of them heard a loud explosion coming from the other side of the building. The group exchanged looks, all of them shaken to the core.
''That was Sonic, Knuckles and Silver fighting Shadow,'' Lucas said, looking at Touka. She just nodded.
''Lead the way!''
xXx
Silver hovered Shadow a bit closer to him, Sonic and Knuckles, still making sure that there was a reasonable distance between them in case Shadow tried something. There was no way that he would let the darker hedgehog escape.
''Give up Shadow,'' Sonic said. ''As Silver said, it's over.''
''You were a powerful opponent, but even the toughest of warriors know when it is time to surrender,'' Knuckles added.
Shadow remained silent, observing the three. He tried to move, but Silver was holding him tight in place. Still, despite that, he wasn't down for the count yet. He hadn't battled Knuckles and Silver before, so he didn't know what they were capable of, resulting in underestimating the two. He lowered his head.
''I refuse. I will never give up,'' he said, tapping into his energy reserves, hoping that his plan would work. ''Chaos Control!''
Much to Sonic, Knuckles and, especially, Silver's shock, Shadow teleported out of the cyan aura that kept him in place. He then appeared before the three, an energy bolt forming in his hands. ''Chaos Spear!''
Fortunately, Silver managed to raise a cyan barrier to block the attack. ''Take this!'' Silver then pushed the cyan barrier at Shadow in an attempt to pin him against the wall. However, Shadow used his air skates to push back against the cyan barrier, refusing to let the grey hedgehog return him to an immobile state once again. Unfortunately for him, Silver's psychokinesis was more powerful.
''Knux, fastball special, now!'' Sonic turned to Knuckles, who nodded. He then curled into a ball and Knuckles grabbed him, hurling him straight into Shadow, with Silver lifting the barrier away in the last second.
Sonic spin-dashed into Shadow, finally knocking the black hedgehog off his feet. However, despite being on the ground, Shadow was still trying to get up, showing baffling persistence. Sonic knew that they were running out of time and that there was nothing that there would convince Shadow to stop this explosion from happening. He was too consumed by grief and rage to listen to anyone, to the point that Sonic had to wonder whether Shadow was even concerned with his own survival.
Shadow had finally managed to get up, stepping towards them. He was breathing heavily, his expression showing nothing but pure fury. Sonic stepped back, joining Knuckles and Silver as they anticipated Shadow's next move, only to be stunned when Shadow's body suddenly started to glow, a red aura surrounding him as he charged up energy. The red aura formed a sphere around Shadow as he crossed his arms, hovering in the air for a brief moment, only to unfold them, releasing a massive wave of energy.
''Chaos Blast!''
The energy blast resulted in a massive explosion, blowing up the entire area and taking Sonic, Knuckles and Silver down. Shadow landed on the ground, winded from the attack that had been fueled by his anger, hatred and pain. He still felt the adrenaline rushing through his body as he approached Sonic, standing right in front of the fallen blue hedgehog.
''I told you, I refuse to give up, Hedgehog'' he said.
''Wh-Why don't you leave?'' Sonic asked, trying to lift his head, locking eyes with Shadow. ''Y-You'll die a-as well…''
This question left Shadow stunned momentarily. As much as he had to admire Sonic's tenacity and ability to keep up with him, he couldn't understand why he was determined to talk to him, to learn more about him. Why was Sonic showing so much concern regarding his emotional and mental state? They were enemies, nothing more and nothing less. Shadow had already shown that he didn't care for him or any of his friends and was willing to kill all of them in order to fulfill his own goals.
''Do you really have nothing to live for?'' Sonic asked as he got up, pressing his hand against his shoulder and looking unsafe on his feet. Despite the beating he took, he was still smiling, baffling Shadow. How could Sonic still be willing to talk to him like this? Sonic then sighed, shaking his head. ''I guess that is what makes you so dangerous. You believe that you have nothing left to lose.''
''I agree, I have nothing left to lose,'' Shadow said, well aware that there is nothing Sonic could do. What he didn't expect was for Sonic to suddenly sucker punch him, causing him to stumble back. Shadow was shocked, rubbing his bruised cheek.
''Well, I disagree!'' Sonic told him firmly, with Knuckles and Silver standing up behind him, both still willing to continue the fight. ''Even if that's that path you have chosen, I won't give up. I will continue to fight for my friends, for Neos City, and for you as well. You might believe that I'm lying, but there is someone waiting for you.''
Knuckles and Silver stared at Sonic. While they may not have had access to the full story behind this fight, as everything happened to fast and not much had been explained, they still trusted Sonic with whatever plan he had. However, before either of them could even continue with the battle, Lucas' team suddenly ran into the area, followed by a cry that shook Shadow to his very core.
''Shadow, please, stop this!''
Shadow stared in shock at the very person he believed to be dead for so long. His crimson eyes were wide and his body was paralyzed, his heart racing as a storm of emotions hit him with full force. ''N-No… It can't be… This- This isn't possible…''
It felt like a dream. The person he cared about the most, the one he fought for and the one who wanted to avenge was standing right in front of him, alive and well.
xXx
''I wonder why Shadow didn't follow us?'' Tails said as he and Warren started to work on the last energy core. They had heard the explosion from earlier, but hoped that it was a good sign. ''He is probably aware that we're trying to stop this explosion from happening.''
''Maybe he's too distracted by Sonic, Knuckles and Silver to even think about what we're doing,'' Warren replied, trying to get their hopes up. He looked at the timer on the nearby monitor, noting that they only had less than five minutes left. ''We should be done soon.''
''Com'n, com'n!'' Tails hissed, his eyes darting across the monitor as he typed in the code at rapid speed. ''We can do this- Yes!''
''No!'' Tails' cry of relief was interrupted by Warren's cry of dismay when another screen popped up on the monitor, this one demanding that, if they wanted to shut down the system, to enter a specific password. He and Tails exchanged glances, with panic starting to set in. ''I think we now know why Shadow hadn't followed us. He made sure that no one but him would be able to stop this explosion from happening.''
''We have to do something!'' Tails yelled, mashing furiously as he tried to figure out the password, his ears pinned down as he began tearing up. Warren shook his head.
''I hate to say it, but even if we tried a roundabout way to find the password, we won't have the time,'' Warren said, opening up another screen and accessing the intercom. He had hoped that his friends had dealt with Shadow, else they could just wait for their inevitable death. He glanced at his partner, who was still determined to stop this. He knew that they would both fight to the bitter end.
xXx
''Shadow…'' Touka took a tentative step towards Shadow, her voice gentle and a bitter smile on her lips. ''I-I'm so sorry… I never wanted you to suffer this much.''
''You… You were supposed to be dead,'' Shadow responded, barely able to hold himself back. ''I saw you die!''
''I-I don't know what to say,'' Touka replied, lowering her head, then looking back at Shadow with a sorrowful gaze. ''I don't remember much about what had happened. All I know is that I woke up six months ago and all of my memories were suddenly gone.'' Her eyes were watering, but she tried to keep her gaze and voice steady. ''I never wanted any of this to happen. I beg of you, Shadow! Please, stop!''
Before Shadow could respond, they suddenly heard crackling over the intercom, followed by Warren's voice. ''Everyone, I have bad news. There is only about a minute and a half left on the timer and Tails and I still need the password to prevent this explosion from happening, otherwise we're toast. So, it's do or die now…''
There was a moment of silence as everyone processed this information. Suddenly, an orange and black blur sped past everyone, going towards the main control room. Warren and Tails were surprised to see Shadow walking up to them, both jumping out of their seats as they watched him type the password in. All of the flashing warnings vanished, showing that the energy cores were cooling down and that the danger was over. Shadow stepped back, his gaze lowering as he avoided Warren and Tails' look.
''It's over. If you want to make sure that this doesn't repeat, you'll have to discard the energy cores at the storage area,'' he told them in a cold tone. That was when Warren and Tails fell on the nearby chairs, breathing a huge sigh of relief, looking at each and then started to laugh, with Tails jumping into Warren's arms, both embracing in joy.
''We did it! We did it!'' they cried out together.
Shadow stepped away from them, turning his head towards the rest of the group as they entered the main control room. Lucas, Lily and Makoto were supporting the badly beaten Sonic, Knuckles and Silver, followed by an anxious Touka, who in turn was followed by Minami and Amy, with Amy keeping a tight grip on her hammer as the two kept an eye on Ferra and Metal Sonic. Ferra and Metal Sonic decided to hang back, remaining close to the entrance and observing the situation.
''The crisis had been averted,'' Warren told Lucas, who nodded in acknowledgement, letting Sonic sit down on a nearby table.
''Okay, I believe that now we can talk and share information,'' Lucas said, looking at Touka and Shadow, the dark-furred hedgehog having walked over to the former and standing close to her, as well as Ferra and Metal Sonic. ''You need an explanation to us what is going on here. We are not going to fight anymore, but we need everyone to co-operate, be honest and tell us what you know.''
''We already do know that something really bad had happened here,'' Sonic continued, swinging his feet. ''Bad enough for a certain someone to try to nuke the entire Starpoint Area.''
There were raised eyebrows and questioning looks, mostly coming from Knuckles and Silver who hadn't been briefed on the explosion situation, all of them directed towards Touka and Shadow. Shadow was standing behind Touka, silent, staring ahead at the ground and avoiding eye-contact with everyone else, still processing the initial shock he felt when he saw Touka. He clenched his fist as a wave of remorse, guilt and shame washed over him as it dawned upon him that, hadn't Sonic and his friends rushed in to stop him, he would've killed Touka unknowingly – this time, for real.
How… How could I let this happen? Shadow's clenched fist was trembling as cold chills were flowing through his body. He was bitter, angry, hateful towards the world for all the suffering he had to go through, and all of that had blinded him, leaving him focused on only getting revenge. Had he known that Touka was inside the building, that she was still alive, then maybe he wouldn't have gone this path… right? Shadow's ears were pinned down as he remembered all the research logs he had found. I had been created to be a weapon, so, even with Touka's presence...
Shadow's thought process had suddenly been cut off by an audible sigh from Touka, who had crossed her arms, leaning slightly against a nearby table while still standing before him and staring at Lucas and Sonic. ''Look, I don't want to talk about this, since it hurts me, and I mean physically hurts me to remember stuff from my past. I woke up around six months ago with complete amnesia and no clue who I was, and those memories only started to resurface recently. I remember more than I did before and I know now that I spent my whole life here, along with Shadow, unable to leave because the people in charge of us said so.''
''Why were you two even here?'' Minami asked curiously.
''I wish I knew,'' Touka responded, exchanging glances with Shadow. ''I don't even remember the period of time before I had arrived here and Shadow had been created here.''
''Wait, seriously?!'' Makoto voiced everyone's reaction, with the whole group staring at Shadow in surprise. The dark hedgehog just glared back, not responding.
''Okay, could we just rewind back for a moment?'' Sonic said, pressing his fingers against his temples as he processed the information, then turned to Touka and Shadow. ''What exactly is the Codex Research Facility and why does it look like it had been abandoned for years?''
''Well, from what I remember, the Codex Research Facility had been established as a major research institute, mainly focusing on Irregulars and AR technology,'' Touka replied, then placed a finger on her lips, looking upwards. ''If I remember correctly, they were also investigating BioEnergy.''
''It wasn't only that.'' To everyone's surprise, Shadow rose his voice, his arms crossed as he looked at them with a stern look on his expression. ''The scientists at Codex had also covered other fields, like genetics, medical research, renewable energy and weaponization of AR technology for the government and military.''
''Sheesh, that's a lot of stuff,'' Lily commented, raising an eyebrow. Makoto turned to Silver.
''Hey, Silver, was there any mention of the Codex Research Facility in your future?'' he asked. Silver shook his head.
''No, not that I know of,'' Silver answered, shrugging.
''That shouldn't be all too surprising,'' Shadow said, drawing Silver's attention. ''This place wasn't supposed to be known to anyone, especially after it had been abandoned.''
''You mean, like a government cover up?'' Minami asked, with Shadow nodding curtly. To his surprise, she pumped her fists, looking excited. ''Ha, I knew this would be a government conspiracy type of thing! And we're in the middle of one of their abandoned facilities! This gives me Area 20-01 vibes!''
''What are you talking about?'' Knuckles asked, his arms folded across his chest. ''Are you speaking in tongues?''
''No, she's just addressing one of those urban legends,'' Amy told him. ''I think the Area 20-01 was the one about the government experimenting on mutants and aliens from the outer space.''
''Exactly,'' Minami said, winking and wagging her index finger. ''Although, it is possible that there is some truth to it. We need proof, though.''
''Could- Could we just return back to the main topic?'' Makoto asked, sighing in exasperation. He then turned back to Touka and Shadow. ''Why had this place been abandoned?''
''I don't know,'' Touka replied, shaking her head. ''I mean, the last thing I remember is being attacked by an Irregular.''
Shadow tensed as he heard that, looking at her and wondering just how much she had remembered. He wasn't sure whether he even wanted her to remember the whole situation, only for a voice in the back of his head to scold him for thinking that way.
''What do you mean, you were attacked by an Irregular?'' Warren asked. Touka fell silent for a moment, then walked past everyone, with Shadow quickly following her outside in the hallway. The group exchanged confused glances, then followed them. Ferra and Metal Sonic waited for everyone to leave, with Metal Sonic giving Ferra a questioning look. Ferra sighed, following everyone else.
''So far, this had been quite entertaining,'' she told him. ''Let's see where this is going.''
Metal Sonic wasn't completely sure what the point of this was anymore, as he didn't get to fight Sonic nor did they manage to record any useful data about manipulating BioEnergy as a form of empowerment, and they had also almost died thanks to Shadow's actions. He still followed Ferra, though, trusting her and believing that she knew what she was doing… even if releasing Shadow was a mistake.
Touka and Shadow meanwhile walked down the hallway, with Touka jogging lightly as she looked from door to door. Shadow gave her a curious look. ''What are you trying to do?''
''I'm retracing my steps,'' Touka answered, with Shadow realizing that she was trying to find the room where the battle took place. Now, why she didn't ask him what had happened, he had no idea. However, with or without her memories, he knew that this was something the Touka he knew would do. ''It should be somewhere here.''
She and Shadow slowed down, ignoring the rest of the group behind them. Touka, who had finally gotten a better look at some od the doors, noticed that some were busted, courtesy of Amy's Piko Piko Hammer. Shadow's ears perked up when he heard Touka muttering, ''This whole hallway had been locked up at the time.''
''How much do you remember?'' Shadow asked her curiously.
''Not as much as I want to,'' Touka replied. ''It's like I'm just getting flashes of what had happened, but I cannot piece it together into a coherent sequence. However, walking through this place helps me with that.''
They then stopped in front of a door, which was closed, but not locked. Shadow tensed as Touka grabbed the door knob, opening it and letting the door open wide before stepping inside. Shadow followed her, only to be suddenly transported back into the past. While the room was quite dusty, it was still a wreck from the battle between the Irregular and Shadow, looking like a bomb had exploded there. It appeared that no one cared to clean it up, or they didn't have the time or will to do that. Touka was silent as she observed the room, with Shadow wondering what was going through her head.
''What has happened here?'' Tails asked, entering the room.
''It kind of looks similar like the aftermath of our battle with Sha-'' Silver cut himself off when he saw the darker hedgehog glaring at him, while Silver gave him a nervous look. It was clear to him that this was something Shadow didn't want to discuss.
''You did say that you had been attacked by an Irregular,'' Warren said, looking at Touka, who seemed to be more willing to share information than Shadow, even though it was only because she was trying to remember her own past.
''We did,'' Touka replied. ''But, what happened afterwards, I have no idea.''
''Why was an Irregular even here?'' Amy asked.
''I think it broke out of its containment…'' Touka muttered, recalling the sound of a blaring siren and the red flashing lights. Shadow didn't bother to correct her that the Irregular had been released on purpose. Touka then shrugged, adding in a dismissive tone, ''However, I don't think it matters anymore. That stuff is now in the past and what happened cannot be changed.''
Lucas rose an eyebrow, feeling that the Codex Research Facility was still worth investigating, despite Touka's dismissive tone. He was about to ask her what else she knew, when he saw a crystallic substance on the floor in the hallway. He briefly stepped out, realizing that there was more of it down the corridor. ''What's that? This wasn't here earlier.''
''Hey, those are the crystals we saw earlier,'' Silver said. Tails flew over, crouching next to them.
''You're right,'' he said, rising an eyebrow. ''Why did they appear here?''
''What are you guys talking about?'' Lily asked.
''It's a long story,'' Tails responded, reaching for his backpack to grab the Miles Electric, only to realize that he had left his backpack at the main control room. He turned to Sonic. ''Sonic, could you go and grab my backpack? It's back at that computer room.''
''Sure thing,'' Sonic replied and ran off, disappearing before anyone could even blink. However, just as the conversation was supposed to continue, Lucas suddenly got a call on his AR Visor, letting a holographic screen appear.
''Sonic, why are-?'' Lucas was about to question the blue hedgehog, but got cut off by Sonic.
''I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we have a situation here,'' Sonic interrupted, having grabbed the holographic screen and pointing it towards the main monitor in the room, which displayed a map of Neos City, with warning screens popping up next to it, as well as a timer. ''The countdown has started again!''