Hello guys!

As I promised here is the next chapter! Consider it some sort of Christmas present for all my readers! Thanks a lot for your time, I really appreciate it! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! I should see you again in about two weeks!

In this chapter: Eggman's machine seemed to have done the impossible. Shadow, Sonic, Tails and Molly have been sent back in the past, to be more precise back to the time where the black hedgehog still lived in the ARK. Sonic, Tails and Molly find themselves in front of Gerald Robotnik, who luckily seemed quite friendly with them. Shadow instead is initially led to believe that he had dreamt all his life since the GUN's attack, but his hopes shatter as he rejoin his three companions. How is he going to deal with it? Can he just stay there knowing that his best friend is fated to die for him or will he try to avoid that?

I like to think that Shadow was a bit more carefree before Maria's death, at least when she and Gerald are around. And I have always thought of Maria as a strong and cheerful girl who can still be serene even knowing her fate. She acts much more mature for her age, but she still can be the little girl she should be. Gerald Robotnik is a good version of Eggman, but he is a little less exuberant and acts more serious. Of course this is just my interpretation! Let me know what you think about it!

Thanks a lot to everyone who has read the previous chapter! Please, review, you'll make a overworked girl happy!

Enjoy!

Warnings: the story will contain shonen-ai (Shadow x Sonic, Sonadow, meaning male x male), if you don't like, don't read, please! Rating is for future reference to violence!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic X or the characters. All characters are properties of Sega and Sonic Team.

Chapter 9 – Dream or Reality?

Sonic groaned as he came back to his senses. His head hurt a lot and at first, when he tried to open his eyes, his vision was blurred. It took him some moments to remember what had happened. Shadow, Eggman, the damned room, the metallic arms, Tails and Molly. At the thought of his two friends he immediately tried to stand up and look around, but he only managed to make his headache worsen and he almost lost his balance. He caught a metallic surface under his hand, preventing himself from falling on the floor again. He blinked a few time, finally clearing his sight, and he felt something on his shoulder.

"Sonic, calm down. We are all fine!" Tails said, patting his best friend's arms in the attempt of reassuring him and at the same time glaring at him with concern. "How do you feel?"

He turned to meet his younger companion's worried face and tried to smile. "I'm fine, I've just a headache" he answered, removing his hand from the wall and looking around. They were in what looked like a small cell, all made of metal, without any opening apart from a small window in the reinforced door. They were standing in a corner of the room, while on the other side, seated on one of the folding beds there was Molly. She still seemed a bit numb, but she looked fine. He immediately noticed that the black hedgehog wasn't with them. "What the hell has happened?! Has Eggster imprisoned us?! And where is Shadow?!"

"I don't think that Eggman has something to do with this" the fox answered, a bit uneasy. "While you were unconscious some humans came and checked on us. Shadow wasn't with us when Molly and I woke up."

"Wait, you said humans?! Are you saying we are back in Chris world?". The blue hedgehog was completely astonished. "My headache is getting worse!"

"We could still be in our universe but in another galaxy. There are other races similar to the humans you know in our universe. Just think about Abel's and mine" Molly offered, finally getting up. "I tried to ask them where we are, but they refused to answer me. But I can tell you something. They were scientists, all of them. Back at the research station, most of the people I work with are men of science. I could recognise them even without a white coat!"

"I agree with Molly. We have somehow ended up in another research station, but I can't tell in which dimension" the little genius nodded. "Eggman's machine has teleported us somehow!"

"I don't like this situation. That stupid thing was called "Time-Out Room" or similar" the blue blur said crossing his arms. "What if we have travelled time too?"

"It's a possibility" Tails admitted nervously. "But I hope we haven't, because it would be even harder to get back home. I have no idea of how to travel through time. If that was the case we could only hope that we have ended up in a future where someone can help us going back!"

"Oh, that's great! We are in place we don't know, in a time we don't know, stuck in a cell in some kind of research station!" Sonic exclaimed, sarcastically. "Any other good news?". He let out a low growl. "Oh, yeah. I give you one. I hate being trapped in small spaces!"

"Try to stay calm. Getting worked up is not going to help us out. I know it's hard but you must try". The fox boy walked around the cell. "We need a good plan and we need it quickly."

"I'm worried about Shadow" the orange-haired girl muttered, lowering her eyes. "He was caught by the machine too, I'm sure. He tried to reach for me before fainting, I remember it. I don't get why he isn't here with us!". A thought hit her and on her face appeared a horrified look. "What if they have taken him?!"

"Molly, please! This is not the moment to think about that. Shadow can take care of himself!" the young genius sighed. "Don't panic. It's the last thing we need now! We all must focus on how getting out of this place. Then we'll worry about the rest. Understood?"

The blue hedgehog nodded, not to convinced, while the girl bit her lip. "You are right, Tails" she said taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I'll try to do as you suggested. It's the best choice. Let's get out of here firstly. Any idea?"

"We could try to talk to those scientists the next time they come here. If it doesn't work, we could always knock them out" Sonic proposed leaning against the wall, a pensive expression on his face. Getting away wasn't going to be easy, and probably they would be forced to do things they wouldn't be proud of. But after all they were in a new and unknown world, without any ally they could count on. And, moreover, they didn't have any idea of who their enemies were, provided that those humans were enemies in the first place. "Don't look at me like that. I don't like the idea either, but I don't think we have other choices. They will come to feed us sooner or later. We could also force them to tell us where Shadow is."

"I hate to say it, but I guess you are right. I don't see any other alternative" Molly slowly nodded. "But once we are out, what do we do? We can't just run and hope to find a way out, Sonic!"

The hero chuckled embarrassed. "I hadn't thought about that!"

"Well, we could take one of the humans with us and force him to show us the way!" the fox stated, scratching his head. "After all, for what they know we are aliens and we could be dangerous. If we scared him enough we could persuade him not to play some trick to us." He noticed that the other two were staring at him, astonished by the calm tone he had used. "What?"

"And you are supposed to be the kid in our group" the blue blur commented shaking his head. "Did you realise that you have just asked us to kidnap a person?"

"My idea isn't worse than yours!" the younger protested. "This is an emergency!"

Molly watched the two discussing and couldn't help finding it amusing. She cracked a little smile, trying to stay quiet but in front of Tails's pouting face she couldn't hold back a laugh. Her friends turned to look at her confused and she reached out for the folding bed as a support, as she bent over with laughter. The scene hadn't been that much amusing, but she desperately needed to break the huge tension she was feeling. Some moments later both the Mobians joined her and started to laugh in turn, even if in a more restrained way. That was exactly what they needed to calm down.

"Hey, what's going on in there?" a male voice coming from outside asked, interrupting their brief carefree moment. "Stop being so loud. There is somebody who wants to see you!"

They all stopped immediately, catching their breath, a little taken aback by the announcement. They heard some steps approaching and a deeper male voice which was saying: "…sooner, you idiot! Why haven't you informed me? This is my colony, you work for me!"

"We weren't sure if they were dangerous!" another man answered, a bit annoyed.

"Dangerous for who?! They were unconscious! Moreover, there is a girl with them!" he protested firmly. "You should have called me immediately! Especially after what you have told me about them! I knew I couldn't trust you!"

Sonic glanced at his companions, seeing that they were thinking the same thing. Whoever that man was, he seemed to be on their side and it meant that maybe they didn't need to kidnap or knock out anyone to find a way out of the cell. They might just have to explain everything to him. Besides, from what they had grasped he had to be the boss in that place. But there was something that was disturbing him. His voice was somehow familiar. He was sure he had heard it before.

"We did treat them, professor."

"You threw them in a cell! Now get out of my sight! You and your colleague. My assistant and I can deal with the matter on our own". He was now standing in front of the door, his shadow was visible from the little opening. "Remy, please, open the door. I want to talk to our guests. They told me they had awakened."

"Sure, but be careful with them, professor" another female voice agreed, most likely the said assistant. "Even if I don't think they are dangerous, they are still intruders."

"I know. But I'm used to deal with this kind of creatures, don't you agree?" he stated calmly. He sounded more relaxed now that the two men were gone. "And, besides, I'm sure that they won't harm us. They are probably just scared and confused."

Remy made an amused sound of approval and unlocked the door, opening it and revealing two figures to the three captive. A tall, slim, red-haired woman, surely Remy herself, and a man who looked a lot like Eggman, but with gray moustache and a less egg-shaped body.

Sonic and Tails gaped at him, their minds going back at the video they had seen during their first visit on the ARK, while Molly stared at him confused, noticing his great similarity with the Doctor. The fox gulped quietly and stuttered, silently enough not to be heard by the two humans, the name they had thought they would never heard again: "T-This is impossible…This…this man is…Gerald Robotnik!"

§§§§§

Shadow woke up with a familiar smell of fresh sheets and disinfectant. He had a great headache and his mind was a mess. He couldn't recall where he was and what had happened. He felt like he had slept for ages, but it wasn't the same feeling he got every time he regained consciousness after using all his energy in a battle. He just felt numb with sleep. He slowly raised a hand and rubbed his eyes, keeping them close to give his thoughts the time to reorder. He and Sonic had gone to see the Doctor and that infernal machine had somehow activated, capturing and sedating them together with Molly and Tails. That was what had happened and that was why he was feeling so dopey. So now he had to be or somewhere in Eggman's headquarter or at Sonic's place. He only hoped that Molly was fine as well.

He used his arms to help himself in a seated position and slowly opened his eyes, trying to grasp as much details as possible of what was around him. What he saw made his heart stop. He was in a cabin, surrounded by metal walls. The place was quite bare, but really clean. On the other side of the room there was another unmade bed, and on the floor there were piles of magazines and pictures representing cities, landscapes and people. Next to each bed there was a little nightstand on which were placed a glass and other various items. He firstly glanced at his own and saw a couple of reports, his Inhibitor Rings and what looked like a walkie-talkie. The matching item to the latter was on the other night table, together with a hairbrush, an elastic band and a framed photograph. On the wall opposite to the room door a big glass window opened on a show of black and silver stars. He stared at the landscape. There was no doubt, he was looking at the open space. It was all so familiar, too much not to be sure. He was back in the ARK and that was the cabin he shared with Maria. Everything was still in place, as it was before the attack. And if her things were still there it may mean that she was…

"Oh, you have woken up!". A voice interrupted his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. He was so lost in his shock that he hadn't heard the door opened. "Shadow, you made me worry sick when you collapsed out of the blue! You scared me!"

He immediately turned and his crimson eyes found themselves staring into caring blue ones. He opened his mouth, completely stunned and unable to move. Blond hair. Smooth white skin. Light blue clothes. The sweetest smile. Wonderful blue orbs. He felt his own eyes water, out of control. He hadn't cried since that damned day. "Maria…" he breathed out, not trusting his voice. And one second later he was out of the bed, his arms wrapped tightly around her body and his forehead against her chest. She was there, he could touch her, smell her, feel her warmth. It wasn't the beginning of another nightmare, it was real this time.

"Shadow! What happened?" Maria asked, taken aback by his sudden show of affection. She was used to hug the hedgehog, but she had never seen him so desperate. "Are you OK?"

"I'm sorry, Maria, I'm so sorry!" he almost cried out, tightening his grip.

She put a hand on his back and stroked his quills with the other. "It's fine, Shadow, it's fine" he whispered sweetly, feeling his tears wetting her blouse. "Did you have a nightmare? Do you want to talk about it?"

"I thought I had lost you forever" he simply answered, his breath short and his voice broken. It was too much for him. Joy, sadness, astonishment, relief, confusion, hope. His mind was a complete mess again and he couldn't get a hold of the chaos that had exploded inside him when he had realised he was back home once again. Home. He felt overwhelmed by his own emotions, something that hadn't happened in a long time. Or rather, that hadn't happened in his memories, but now he was no longer sure that what he remembered had been real.

"Shh, I'm here, Shadow. Nothing is wrong. You are safe, it was just a bad dream, a stupid bad dream. You are awake, it can't affect you anymore" she reassured him, taking his face among her fingers and forcing him to look at her. She smiled sweetly at him. "Come on, stop those tears now! You know I don't like seeing you cry! You fainted and you have been out for some hours, that's it. Everything is alright". A chuckle. "You scared grandfather as well, you know? He was there too when you fainted, can you remember it? He jumped on his feet and ran to see how you were doing! I heard him cursing too!"

Shadow closed his eyes trying to recollect the event she was talking about. He succeeded after some moments and many efforts. It felt like it had occurred many years before, but it was clear that it wasn't possible. Maybe his mind was still confused by the nightmare. 'Have I…Have I really just dreamt everything? How can it be possible?' he thought, feeling his turmoil grow. The G.U.N's attack, Maria's death, his awakening, Eggman, Sonic and the others, the fight at the ARK, the war against the Metarex, Molly and Abel, his going back to Mobius. 'Was it all…just an incredibly vivid dream? It felt so real…and I feel like I have lived it…'

Yet now he was feeling the girl's body against him, he was feeling the floor, his own tears, their breaths. It was incredible, but it had to be true. There was no other explanation, he tried to persuade himself. He had just had an awfully long, devastating nightmare. The hell he had seen had never been real, it had been the ill fruit of his mind. And so had been the people he had thought he had met. They were an invention of his subconscious as well. He felt a pang of sadness at that last consideration, but he quickly chased it away. He was back with his best friend, with his Maria. That was the most important thing. It was true, his imaginary companions had given him a lot, but she had always been the only one for him, and that had never change…Had it? He shook his head at his hesitation. Of course it hadn't. That couldn't have changed. Only a bad dream, only a bad dream. Nothing of what he had seen had ever happened. And never would.

"I do remember. We should let him know that I'm fine. Because now that I have seen you again, I really am" he nodded, abandoning his disturbing thoughts and smiling sincerely for the first time after more than fifty years. He didn't have to think about it anymore. It was no longer his problem now. "Thank you. And again, I'm sorry for scaring you."

"Don't worry, it's fine!" she laughed, drying his still wet cheeks with a handkerchief. "I love you too much to stay angry at you! But don't do that again! Little brother or not, I'll hit you next time, understood?"

"I promise this will be the last time" he said, letting her go and taking a step back. "I love you, too, Maria."

She titled her head a bit and touched his forehead. "You must be a bit sick, Shadow. You are never this affectionate!" she sentenced jokingly, but she was pleased to hear those rare words.

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm just in a very good mood" he talked back crossing his arms. "You know, it happens at times."

"I know it happens! Who do you think I am? I am the one who teaches you, not the other way around!" she pouted, but then she winked at him. "However that may be, I have to find the right way to exploit your unexpected good mood! What do you feel like doing?"

"Why don't we go and see the professor?". The scientist was very busy being the leader of the space colony, but he hoped that she would agree without mush protesting. Even if technically he had seen Gerald Robotnik only a few hours before, for him it was like years had passed. There was a part of him that still didn't want to believe that he had just had a nightmare. "I must let him know that I'm fine."

"He was writing those hideous reports when I left him twenty minutes ago. You know how much he hates being interrupted when he is working on them" she answered pensively. "Maybe it's better if we wait, just to give him the time to finish them. Not too much, I think an hour should be enough! We can go and ask Remy to let us know when he is free again!"

He nodded, a bit disappointed, but didn't protest. "We will wait then. Let's have a walk around meanwhile. We can look for Remy when the time is almost up."

"A walk or a run?" she questioned with an amused grin.

He looked at her, hesitating for a moment. He would rather walking, just to see the place again. It was stupid since he had never left it, but he really needed to touch and see everything again. On the other hand, he knew how much Maria loved running along the corridors, speeding as much as possible. He cracked a small smile. He would have other occasions to have a tour. "I guess you would prefer running, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would! And since you are in a good mood…"

"…I could please you and let you choose. Alright, you won!"

Maria let out a chuckle as he let the hedgehog lift her up. "Thanks, Shadow. I feel so free when we just go around like that, not caring about what the others yell or think". Her eyes darkened with sadness. "Everything is just a blur and I can almost forget that nature sentenced me to death. It's almost as if the time stopped. It's just the two of us…"

"You won't die. I won't permit it" Shadow stated firmly. The images of the attack burst into his mind, but he chased them away. That wasn't his reality. "My life exists to save yours, and that is what's going to happen. You won't die like that, Maria. We will go to the Earth and once there we will have all the space we need for running. If you wish we'll travel around the whole universe together. There is a whole world that is waiting for you out of here."

"A whole world that is waiting for us" she corrected, giving him a new smile. "And you are right! I must think positively! If we are together nothing bad can touch us! My grandfather will find a cure and we both will be free to experience and explore!". She poked him. "Come on, let's go now! Or are you trying to take time? Don't tell me that the Ultimate Life Form is afraid of not being able to run for an hour?"

"You shouldn't challenge me like that, Maria" he warned, but his tone was almost playful. "I can be really dangerous…You should know it". He opened the door and went out in the corridor. "But if this is what you really want, then get ready because this time you'll experience my top speed!"

"Shadow, wait! We can go that fast with the people…" Maria tried to say, but he didn't let her finish and started to run. She let out a surprised scream and tightened her grip around his neck. "Shadow! Slow down!"

"No way! This is too much fun, especially the part in which you start yelling again!" he smirked, keeping his eyes on where he was going. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?! Why should I scre…?!". Once again the girl couldn't finish her sentence because her attention got caught by the wall that was getting closer too quickly for her tastes. She tensed up immediately. "Shadow! Watch out!"

He ignored her, heading straight for the metal surface and turning only under the wire, gaining another yelp from his friend. "Sorry, what did you say?" he asked then, clearly amused, shooting her a brief glance.

"You fool! You scared me to death!" she complained, but she was already laughing.

"Oh, we have just started!"

Shadow sped along the corridors, taking sudden bends without any warning. When they reached the area of the laboratories, he slalomed among the scientists, making them shout in surprise and curse. Maria kept laughing for most of the time, finding hard to catch her breath, and gripped harder on him from time to time. She also yelled some sort of apologise to the people they met, but her words got lost in the speed of the run. The hedgehog couldn't help but think that maybe he should never stop. His friend was right, the time seemed not to exist and all his worries where gone. That world made of wind and blurry images was all theirs.

Suddenly a well-known voice called out from them, bringing the two back to reality. "Shadow, Maria! Stop!"

The dark creature halted immediately and the girl almost fell down from his arms, taken aback by that sudden stop. They turned to face Remy, who was staring at them from some meters behind them, arms crossed.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you can't run that recklessly around the colony? It's dangerous for you and especially for the other people" she scolded with a sigh. She knew that telling them every time was useless, but she needed to do it at least to keep her conscience clear. "Anyway, that is not the reason why I stopped you. Professor Gerald wants to see you. There is something you need to see. Or I rather say someone."

The hedgehog and the girl exchanged glances. Someone they needed to see? That was something new. Usually they were always kept away when Gerald had visitors, especially because they were usually high rank soldiers or important people. At times Shadow had been called to be examined in front of some selected experts who had come from the Earth to see how the project was going, but it had happened rarely.

"There are visitors for us?" Maria asked, expressing their common perplexity. "Or maybe some of my grandfather's visitors want to see us?"

"They are not exactly visitors. I would call them intruders" the assistant answered, gesturing them to follow her. "The professor actually asked for you only, Shadow, but he said that Maria could come anyway if she wanted. They are not dangerous. The other way around, I dare to say."

The black hedgehog kept quiet, sensing a bad feeling slowly creeping inside his mind, while the girl looked even more puzzled. Intruders? In the ARK? That was a big surprised. The security system was inviolable, it didn't exist any technology able to trick it. Could it be that their intruders were aliens? The thought made her feel a pang of excitement. It would be great getting to know a different kind of life form, especially if they hadn't evil intentions as Remy had stated. She smiled enthusiastically at the idea. Now she really wanted to see this "visitors".

She looked at her friend to see how he had taken the news and she immediately noticed his troubled expression. "Is something wrong, Shadow?" she asked in a low voice, not to be heard by the woman. "Are you feeling ill again?"

"I'm fine, Maria, don't worry" he answered, immediately hiding his apprehension. He hadn't intended to show it, but the information had caught him off guard. "Really, it's nothing."

She glared at him. "Don't lie to me, Shadow. I know that something isn't right! Come on, you can tell me!" she insisted firmly. "I could help you!"

He sighed. "Look, Maria, it's a very complex matter. And maybe it hasn't anything to do with the current situation" he said, uncertain. He didn't want to speak about his supposed nightmare. He was almost afraid that it could somehow turn out to be real. "The fact is that I…"

"We are here!" the assistant announced, interrupting their conversation. She stepped aside to let them enter before her and pressed the button to open the door.

Shadow completely lost what he was saying as he saw who was inside. His heart, once again, skipped a beat and his mind raced, spreading a feeling of confusion and sickness inside him. The three familiar figures stared at him in equal shock and he found himself staring in emerald green eyes he had thought he would never see again.

"Shadow!" Sonic exclaimed, with both surprised and relief. "Here you are! We were worried for you! You had disappeared!"

"What…What the hell is going on here?!" the black hedgehog stuttered, taking a step backwards and gaining a confused look from everybody. "You…You can't be real! It was just a dream…It was just a bloody nightmare!"