Part 1: Revenge at Last

Shadow the Hedgehog steps slowly over the tall grass of the sloping hill. The sky behind him is cloaked by layers of ominous red clouds, draining the color from everything around. He starts to mutter to himself, "What's going on with me…?" He continues to walk along, nearing the crest of the hill. "I can't get these images out of mind…" He puts a hand to his head, and closes his eyes. "…These Black Creatures…how do they know me…?" He opens his eyes, and stops to look around. A gentle breeze sends leaves fluttering down from the treetops above. On a different day, under a blue sky and soft clouds, the setting might be called beautiful. But on this day, it only foretells of what may be lost. "Who was I before this?"

Shadow's eyes widen as the bright red glow from the sky suddenly begins to dim. Then he looks down to his feet and takes a step back in fear, as he realizes that the floor is disappearing in a widening circle beneath him. "What!?" Within seconds, the grass, the trees, and the sky have all given way to the starfield that Shadow now floats in.

An odd shimmering pattern appears in the empty space behind him. A deep, grumbling voice emanates from it, "Shadow…" Shadow looks up from where the floor used to be, but doesn't need to turn to recognize the voice of Black Doom. The demon-like alien overlord, appearing in his true, physical form, continues, "You seem troubled…"

Finally he turns to face the alien, his eyes filled with rage over countless unanswered questions. "You!"

Black Doom points is shrivelled hand in front of them, as his robes, sash, and other decorations flutter in the nonexistent air. "Look."

Shadow follows the direction of the alien's arm to see the blue sphere of the Earth far in front of them, a crater-ridden space station orbiting high above it. His face contorts in an attempt at recognition. "That's the…"

Black Doom answers in his slow drawl, "Yes, that's right. The Space Colony ARK. Fifty years ago."

Shadow lets out a gasp. "The ARK? Fifty…years ago?" Suddenly, some movement catches his eye. Through a window at the base of the hemispherical portion of the space station, two moving figures can be seen. "That's…me!" Just as he says, Shadow himself, leading the girl called Maria by the arm, runs past the window as fast as she can follow. But another cluster of figures follows close behind them. The real Shadow gasps once again. It is a small squadron of GUN soldiers, all wielding heavy weaponry. Shadow traces the two groups with his eyes for several moments, an open-mouthed frown on his face.

"That's right. This will remind you what the humans did to you." Shadow starts to squint in fear of his own memories. "Never forget that horrifying image!" The ARK rotates peacefully around through space, as if far removed from any catastrophe that could ever happen.

And suddenly, Shadow is in the ARK, staring into the face of the girl from his memories. He has only a moment to look around in confusion before she pleas to him, "Shadow, I just can't leave everyone behind!" She grabs his hands. "Please, you need to help grandfather's research team, they were all attacked by the GUN soldiers in the laboratory!"

"The researchers!? Maria, what about you!? They're still after you, I promised to protect you!" Shadow's thoughts echo, "How do I know that…? What's happening in this place…? I can't remember…" He starts to pull her. "Come on, we have to move!"

He pulls her through the automatic doors into the next room, a long, straight hallway. He continues to pull her as fast as she can follow, until she tries to stop him at a machine containing a pod full of a strange blue fluid. "That's one of grandfather's Heal Units, we can use it to help the researchers. What if one of them is in here?"

He pulls her harder, and they get moving again. "There's no time for that! I need to get you out before…" "Before what…?"

This time, it's Shadow who stops them, as the next door opens, revealing the one-eyed, tentacle-covered creature known only as Doom's Eye. It turns to glare into Shadow's eyes directly, as Black Doom's voice growls from it, "Remember…" Shadow looks over at Maria, but she doesn't seem to see the creature. "You were attacked by the humans here. You know what you must do." He looks right into Maria's eyes. "Finish them off!" Doom's Eye flies off ahead, the door opening for it.

On the other side waits a large squadron of GUN soldiers, armed with rifles, pistols, and knives. They all turn their attention to Shadow and Maria. "There he is!" "Get him!" "Don't let him get away!" Maria gasps and takes a step behind Shadow.

Doom's Eye shouts from above, "Don't let them defile your precious home!"

Shadow clutches his head and growls as he is assaulted by the gruesome memory that will never leave. The soldier, pointing the weapon. The gunshot. The scream. His own voice. "MARIA!"

Doom's voice echoes, "You know what you must do…"

Maria's voice, "Please, Shadow…help me!"

A different voice, confident, full of passion, a voice that can only belong to Sonic the Hedgehog. "Friends have to protect each other, no matter what. There's just no other way."

Shadow screams aloud as he is pulled down into a complete flashback.

—–—

Super Shadow dashed towards the Biolizard as it dragged the ARK down towards the planet. "Here I come, you creep!"

The voice of Amy Rose cried over the radio. "Can you both hear me? The ARK is close to the Earth! Please hurry up!" Prepared, Shadow effortlessly dived out of the way of the Biolizard's attacks.

Sonic marveled from inside, "Shadow, I understand. You're unstoppable. Let's destroy this creature now! Everyone is waiting for us back on Earth!"

But Shadow hardly seemed to be listening. "Maria…watch me. I will fulfil your wish!" He powered straight through the creature's red orbs, and struck the final weak spot, right where its life support system used to be. It let out a hideous cry, as its many mechanical parts began to malfunction and detonate. Its body went limp.

Super Sonic flew back out to meet Shadow. The two of them clasped hands in the highest respect. Then Shadow turned back to the still-falling ARK. "I must end the evil the professor has made."

Sonic, shocked at him, shouted, "Shadow, at this rate your Super Form won't last! Get back to the colony!" Shadow simply shook his head. The flames around the ARK grew greatly as it entered the lower atmosphere. Sonic nodded in understanding, and they both flew head-on towards the ARK. "No way that's getting through!"

A voice echoed in Shadow's head. "Shadow…I beg of you…" "Maria!" "…give them a chance…to be happy." Shadow realized what he had to do. He took the rings around his wrists and ankles, and unclasped them. Three Inhibitor Rings fell to Earth.

Sonic hardly seemed to notice, focusing on the ARK, which by then loomed extremely close. "Now, Shadow!" An orb of light formed in Shadow's outstretched hand. Sonic added his own hand to the orb, and it grew in size. At once, the two hedgehogs shouted, "Chaos Control!" The orb of light expanded exponentially in size, encompassing the entire ARK in under a second. The light turned to a bright blue, and pulsated around the ARK, before completely absorbing the colony and collapsing in on itself.

Shadow's golden light faded, and he began to fall.

Sonic looked to Shadow as he fell, but then noticed his own light fading. After one quick glance, he clenched a fist as he came to a decision.

From up in the stabilized ARK, Rouge, Amy, Tails, Knuckles, and Eggman all watched as the first of the two distant gold lights began to fall to the planet, disappearing from sight. But then, rather than return to the ARK, the second light soared down after the first.

Sonic's words once again echo, "There's just no other way…"

—–—

Shadow stands over the fallen GUN soldier, panting, teeth clenched, fingers curled into claws, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

"Shadow, stop it!" Shadow suddenly remembers the presence of Maria, and turns back to face her. Her mouth gapes open, as tears stream from her eyes. She sobs out, "Shadow…what have you done?"

Shadow's face shows excitement, even exhilaration as he realizes the answer to her question. "I finally did it, Maria. I couldn't do it last time, but this time, I did! I finally saved you, just like I promised! I took out every last soldier, now no one can hurt you! You're safe! We are safe!" He takes a step closer to her, but she takes a step back to match.

"Shadow, you hurt so many people! That wasn't protection, it was murder!"

"Maria…I did it for you."

"How could you?"

Shadow takes another step towards her, but this time, she turns and runs away. Shadow reaches a hand after her, but doesn't say a word.

Doom's Eye descends down behind him. "This is the best that humanity has to offer. Unaccepting. Unforgiving. The one human you believed would always remain by your side, fled in fear from who you really are."

"I…I did it to save her…"

"The humans do not understand what is best for them. They are blinded by their resistance to change."

The voice of a soldier shouts, "Mantis Platoon: Heavy Dog reporting in." A massive, circular hovering military weapon descends to ground level, a soldier speaking into a radio from the cockpit. "Primary target has been located. The girl was spotted fleeing the scene." The machine is armed on all sides with large missile launchers. "Acquiring target! En route to intercept and destroy!"

Shadow stares at the face of the soldier. "What the…?" His mind is once again assaulted by the image of the soldier pointing the weapon, and the sound of the gunshot. And Maria, falling to the ground. "Please, Shadow…help me!" The soldier readies the controls of the Heavy Dog. "That's…"

Doom's Eye finishes, "That's right…the very same soldier who took her life. And he will do so again, if he is not stopped." Shadow clenches a fist in anger. "Humans…willing to sacrifice their own, when overcome by greed. They are a foolish race."

"Those heartless humans! They'll regret standing in my way!" He dives at the Heavy Dog.

The soldier continues to shout into his radio, "Target has been sighted! Proceeding to engage and neutralize!" Missiles fire out of all sides of the craft.

As Shadow dodges around the swarm of missiles, many of them detoning just inches away from him, Doom's Eye commands, "Go! Bring swift judgement upon these humans for their trespasses!" Shadow leaps up, and strikes at one of the missile launchers, knocking it free from the vehicle. The Heavy Dog flees back as Shadow lands on the ground, continuing to launch missiles and bombs as it moves. Shadow hefts the apparently still-functional missile launcher onto his shoulder. "Yes…take this weapon, and obliterate him." Shadow launches the first missile, and gives a rage-filled smirk. He begins to relentlessly unleash missile after missile, never moving from his spot on the ground. The explosives target the Heavy Dog on all sides, crippling its weapons, cracking its cockpit, and soon, disabling its hovering mechanism.

The Heavy Dog wobbles and shudders unpredictably. "Critical damage taken to fuselage! We're losing–" The entire control console in front of the soldier explodes. "Arrrgh!" The vehicle crashes to the ground, filled with countless small explosions as all of its internal mechanisms fail.

Shadow tosses his empty weapon to the side. "How dare you try to harm Maria!? Disgusting human! Get out of my sight!"

Doom's Eye swims through the air behind him, its tentacles flailing as it comes to a stop. "Very good, Shadow. Very good."

As Shadow blinks, he finds himself exactly where he was before; floating in the void of space beyond the ARK, Black Doom right by his side. Shadow stares out at the ARK, and nods very slowly.

"So, you've finally come to realize just how abominable these humans are."

"I remember now. I remember what they did to us. What they did to me."

"You understand that they must be protected from themselves."

"…They must be protected. There is no other way."

"You understand what I require you to do."

"I understand."

"Very good."

Just as it had disappeared before, the world around Shadow suddenly returns in a ring of red light. He stands on the grass at the crest of the hill, leaves blowing down from the trees above him. Doom's Eye swims past him, gazing out at the opposite side of the hill. "Look upon the capital of the human government. It may be familiar to you." Shadow obediently scans over Central City, not far from the base of the hill. "They believe that they are safe in such a well-protected place. We will prove them wrong."

"We?"

The eye turns to gaze down the opposite side of the hill. A small army of Black Alien foot soldiers march up towards Shadow's location. Shadow tenses up for a fight. "Do not be concerned. I am placing these Black Warrior soldiers under your command."

"Me?"

"Correct. They are armed with bombs to be strategically placed throughout the city. The determination of where they are to be placed is your task. Make the humans understand the true meaning of suffering. Do not fail me." The soldiers come to a stop in position behind Shadow.

"What do you need me for? Why can't you do this?"

"I have important preparations to make for the Prosperity Ritual, in two days time."

"Prosperity Ritual?"

Doom ignores the question. "Now, go!" The eye soars off as quickly as it had arrived.

Shadow looks to the aliens behind him, then forward to the city ahead. "Soldiers…march." The aliens obediently begin trudging forward, Shadow leading the way. He can't help but think to himself, "Why do they obey me? Why do I matter them? Could this…be what I was created for?"

Note from the author: First of all, thanks for reading. This is an idea I've been toying with for quite some time, but I've finally decided to release this first part, in celebration of my recent conquering of Shadow the Hedgehog's Expert Mode. This is still an incomplete series, I haven't written the second half yet, though I expect there to be about six parts, plus an epilogue. Anyways, my other story, The Chaos Project, is still a priority, so new chapters for this one won't be coming very often, at least until I finish the current arc of that one. But for now, please enjoy, and if you want to see more (or have any more specific input), please, feel free to let me know in a Review. Once again, thank you, and for now, sayonara.