I Am...All of Me

Black Shadow (Part 2)

Stage 1

"Hang on, guys. I think he's coming to," a familar tenor voice echoed in his ears as Shadow blearily opened his eyes. He just wished he could sleep for a little while longer. His arms and legs felt the blankets and sheets around him as he moved. When did he get here? The last thing he remembered was being on the Ark and that dreadful force attacking him. He needed to warn the others and let them know that his fight wasn't over yet. He tried to sit up, but was quickly restrained.

"Hey, easy there, Shads. There's no rush," Sonic tried to reassure him, "You're back on Mobius. We flew ya back. You're in me and Tails' house, so there's no need to worry."

Trapped in a house with faker and his best friend. I would call that a pretty good reason to worry, he thought.

"How are you holding up?" Tails asked, and Shadow looked up at him. In all honesty, he felt sick and incredibly sleepy, but he wasn't about to admit that.

"I--I need to leave. There's...some thing..I need to take care of," he said as he tried to sit up again, only to be held down by Sonic and Tails. The fact that he couldn't fight them showed just how exhausted he was.

"You're not going anywhere until you're back to your old gloomy self, so rest up," Sonic stated. How he managed to be serious and cheeky at the same time baffled him.

Shadow's eyes began to close against his will, and he struggled to stay awake long enough to hear what they were saying, but he couldn't understand them. But he knew he had to tell them.

"It's...not over yet...," he whispered before he fell into a deep sleep.

"What's he going on about?" Sonic asked, and Tails shrugged. They had just been telling how they planned to have a big party to celebrate his victory before he fell asleep.

"I don't know, but I want to run some tests on him just to make sure he's okay."

The little fox quietly ran out of the room and returned a few minutes later with an empty syringe. Sonic's quills bristled at the sight of it.

"You sure that's a good idea, lil' buddy?" he asked.

"I just need one blood sample."

Tails rubbed the chosen spot on Shadow's arm with a sterile pad before he stabbed the needle into him. Sonic cringed and was shocked that his dark counterpart didn't stir. Tails pulled the handle back, and disgusting green blood began to fill the vial. For a moment, the two had to look away. The invasion was still fresh in their minds, and it was hard to think that their ally was one of them. Tails removed the needle and observed the luminescent fluid.

"I'll have to take this back to my lab and analyze it. You might wanna find something to do. If he wouldn't wake up to being pricked, then he'll probably be out for a while."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm going to go for a run. Call me if you find anything," he said before taking off in a streak of blue. The twin-tailed fox sighed and looked back at their resting friend before he left the room as well.

It was midday when Shadow had first woken up, but now it was late at night. He stirred and sat up, grunting as he did so. Every muscle in his body ached, but he pushed past it as best he could. He soon noticed that duo wasn't with him, not that it surprised him. He could hear someone snoring in a room down the hall and the sounds of machinery further below him. He assumed that the fox was still awake. With a grimace, he shifted his weight so his legs dangled off the side of the bed. The movement made him a bit dizzy, but it soon passed. He rubbed his side, where the gash should be, and he felt a long bandage wrapped several times around his middle. They must have patched me up while I was asleep. Just how long was I out though?

He decided that he would go downstairs and ask the fox himself, and he tried to stand with a great amount of effort. But no sooner had he managed to balance himself that a sharp pain stabbed him in his leg, the same one Doom had injected him with. Shadow bit his lip to stop the sudden cry from escaping, but with his focus lost, he also lost his balance. He tries to grab the bed, but only managed to snag the blankets. He collided with the floor and the covers landed on top of him. The pain traveled throughout his body, and he twisted on the ground, trying desperately to find the right position that would cause the least amount of hurt. It soon became too much though, and an agonizing yell flew past his lips. Tears blurred his vision, but he didn't care. He just wanted everything to stop. It felt like he was dying all over again, like back on the Ark after the battle. The torture finally passed, but he didn't move, not daring to so much as breathe.

"Shadow!" Tails and Sonic called as they ran into the room. He wasn't in bed, but all of the blankets covered a mobian-sized mass on the floor. Sonic quickly lifted them to reveal their friend, who was panting heavily. His eyes were half-lidded and tear-stained, a surprise to the two of them. But the greatest shock was what had happened to him.

"Uh...Sh-Shads?"

"What are you looking at, faker?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked up to see both of them staring behind him, and he shakely lifted his head far enough to see what they were looking at. Regardless of how much pain he was in, he jerked and sat up.

Instead of his short, ebony hedgehog tail, it grown into a long, curled black tail that ended in the shape of an arrowhead with red streaks on each side of the point. And rather than his normal, thick black coat, the fur was short, and almost appeared to be skin. The red tip was, in fact, hardened skin that appeared to be like a type of weapon. Shadow's breathing quickened, and he began to panic.

"W-What's happening...to me?"

No one had ever heard the Ultimate Lifeform speak with such fear, not even his dearest human friend Maria, if she were still alive. Tails, though just as terrified, hesitantly came toward him. Shadow scuffled as far he could away from them, until his back was to the wall. He wished that they had never seen him like this, in a such a state of horror and with an alien tail. Alien. I really am a monster. He looked up at the two heroes, his ruby eyes glazed and terrified.

"Please...stay away..," he pleaded with a voice so quiet and broken it made the others sympathize for him.

"Don't worry, Shads. We're not going to hurt you," Sonic stated calmly and inched closer to him, "and I'm pretty sure you won't hurt us. Just let us help you."

The two brothers came on either side of him and helped hoist him up and set him back on the edge of the bed. His tail was so long now, it draped over the side, reaching past his feet and barely touching the hardwood floor. Shadow rubbed his face with his hand and sighed, getting himself back under control, as the two sat on either side of him.

"Guys, what's going on?" he asked, his tone much like how it used to be, much to their surprise. They had never seen someone's attitude change so quickly.

"I have no idea, but I'm sure we can figure it out," Sonic replied with a confident grin. Shadow hmphed and crossed his arms. He didn't need optimism. He needed answers.

"What about you, fox?"

Tails rubbed his chin in deep thought, "I might have an idea, but I want to check it out before I tell you anything, just incase I'm wrong. But it's late. Let's get some sleep and continue this in the morning."

Shadow was about to disagree but stopped. Unlike Sonic, he could trust Tails to know what he was doing, and he knew that the kid didn't want to get his hopes up or down unless he knew for sure. So with a reluctant nod, he agreed, and the two left him alone in the room. His new tail flicked and curled around him as he tried to lay back down. It was next to impossible to ignore, and he glared at him, as if that would make it shrink back. Finally he gave up, and instead focused on trying to get some sleep...another impossible task.