The two of them stared at me until I started walking, as if I knew where to go. Silently, I turned on my heel and went the same way Shadow and I had been going. I had no idea if we were going the right way.
For a while, we talked about what was going on in the city, the virus, how it worked, and so on. Rouge seemed more interested than Shadow, who seemed like some sort of dark and brooding type. Then, none of us said anything. The only thing we could hear was the crunching of leaves under our feet. The sun was beginning to go down, but there were still a few hours before it would be completely dark. But there was one thing that was still bothering me.
"How did you two get here?" I finally asked.
Neither Shadow or Rouge said anything for a moment, as if they were hesitating. "We were... fighting." Shadow finally answered.
"Who were you fighting? Dr. Eggman?"
"Dr. Eggman had not been seen in days," Shadow replied. I stopped and glanced at him, a bit stunned. Why hadn't Sonic said anything about this Dr. Eggman? Maybe something could have been done to stop the ambush...
"We had been fighting with Sonic," Rouge said simply, as if it was something that happened often. "Tails and a few freedom fighters were there when there was a big burst of energy."
"A big burst of energy?" I asked, looking around to see if my sensors picked up anything. "That sounds a bit like getting teleported."
Shadow shook his head. "It was Chaos Control, and I'm certain now that I know Dr. Eggman has all of the Chaos Emeralds. You say there is a doctor here on your planet that he has teamed up with?"
"Dr. Wily," I said darkly. "He's... evil. He... he took my sister... my brother... and he has no reason other than his ambitions."
I felt something pass by me, and I turned to see the bat flying next to me. She came to a stop, walking beside me. "Listen, kid," Rouge started, "war is tough. I've seen people die before my eyes, and I've seen others become corrupt and join the other side. War isn't fair, but joining it is brave. I assume you were made to be a kid, and your creator didn't want you to join. But you did. And I don't think it was because you longed for destruction. You'll get through it, and we'll get your family back."
I stopped in my tracks. From what I had seen from these people, they didn't seem like they were capable of sympathy. But she looked tough, like a punk rock star. Tougher than me. "Are you sure...?" I asked before I could stop myself.
"Positive," she smiled. I nodded and started moving again, my head held a little higher.
Another hour passed, this one completely wordless. I was used to traveling through Wily's castle for hours at a time with no company but myself, but it was slightly awkward traveling with these two. They didn't seem to mind the silence. Shadow definitely seemed like he preferred the world silent. I almost laughed as I thought about Sonic joking with Shadow.
The sun was almost down, but since the other two didn't seem tired, I didn't suggest camping out yet. I still felt refreshed, and though I should have brought along some E-tanks, I figured I could go on this way for a while.
I wondered what Dr. Light was doing at the moment. Maybe he was staring at a picture of Roll and me, all of his faith pushed into me that I could bring my sister back. Or maybe he was checking up on poor Sonic, who probably wouldn't wake up until at least tomorrow. Perhaps he was trying to pinpoint the location of Dr. Wily and Dr. Eggman. Maybe there would be some clue from Sonic that he could get; maybe a piece of debris. Or maybe Dad could get something off of the Chaos Emerald. He would probably leave it in Sonic's hand, though. It was most likely safest there.
Then there were the things Sonic had talked about. The supposed gems that had come from my planet. I couldn't even begin to imagine what they were or where they had come from. And pairing them with the most powerful thing from Sonic's planet seemed like a really foolish and dangerous idea. It made me sad to think they would truly have sacrificed Sonic in order to 'test' their ideas.
I wondered what Sonic's planet was like. Did as many people live on his planet, or was it smaller with fewer people? There probably weren't any humans, either. It sounded like there was a fair amount of robots, though.
There was also the problem of the virus. There was the problem of how to cure it and what it would ultimately do to the robots. Would they ever be able to resist it? The fact that Proto Man had fallen to the virus showed just how powerful it was. He was strong in mind and body. He wasn't one I saw easily succumbing to the virus. I also wondered if it was Wily or Eggman that had ultimately created it, though that didn't really matter. Both of them were capable of creating something dangerous to robots and humans.
I snapped myself back into reality, the darkness now so full it was almost impossible to see. I picked up a thick stick, changed to Flame Man, and lit it on fire. It was full and bright, but it wouldn't last very long. Maybe a few minutes. "I can't really make a torch." I said.
"Wait," Shadow said, staring at something between the trees. Rouge was in the air, as if ready to strike.
"What is it?" I whispered, looking around and seeing nothing.
Shadow didn't reply, but kept his eyes straight in front of him. Both his and Rouge's eyes looked fierce, as if they were expecting a fight.
"Query:" something said, "if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make a sound?"
"Omega!" Rouge shouted. She flew a little further, and I could see what they were looking at - a bit of a shiny piece of metal and a big gun. Shadow just folded his arms and smiled slightly.
"He looks..." I looked around a bit, "tall."
"He is," Shadow said. "Taller than any of us. Good observation."
When the robot finally came out of the shadows with Rouge, I saw just how massive this robot was and jumped. It was about six feet tall, maybe a bit more, with the heaviest artillery I had ever seen on a robot. It made my planet's robots look cheap and silly. "H-hello..." I said.
"Relax," Rouge said. "Omega is nothing to worry about unless he sees you and thinks you're an enemy. I hardly think he sees you as an enemy. Right, Omega?"
"What happened to the little blue hedgehog?" Omega asked. "I was about to get a good shot on him."
Rouge smiled innocently toward me. "Usually we have the same goals, but occasionally Sonic's team gets in our way. I'd say it's fifty-fifty."
Shadow raised an eyebrow, his arms folded and his frown back. His momentary happiness that his friend had returned had disappeared.
"Right..." I gulped. "Hi, Omega. I need to code something into you. Is that okay?"
The robot looked at Shadow and Rouge, as if looking for approval. They both nodded, and Omega nodded after them. "My access panel is on the back on my head. Use caution."
I looked up, trying to figure out how in the world I would get all the way up there. My size had been an important factor to Dr. Light. It also helped me stay on my feet and get past large obstacles when fighting.
As soon as I was about to jump up onto the robot, he sat down, and I was able to reach the panel on the back of his head. I took off my helmet, reaching in for the little disk of the virus protection and putting it on the ground. Then I set to work on coding it in correctly.
"How do you fight with such a small weapon, little robot?" Omega asked.
"Actually, it's rather easy." I told him. "For instance, if I were to be fighting in this forest with something, it would be easy for me to find cover. I could also hide in the leaves of the trees and wait for an ambush, but that might take too much time.
"My weapon is special, too. It isn't just a gun. It copies the abilities of any of the robots Dr. Wily creates - the fire I created, for instance. It can become a real hassle for any enemy I might run into, especially if I have a large arsenal of robots copied. If I don't, it's just a basic gun that shoots what Sonic calls lemons." The thought made me momentarily distracted.
"Would you not prefer a machine gun?" Omega asked, lifting his up like he was offering his to me.
"I like my gun," I said simply with a smile. "And you're all set! You should be protected against any virus that you come into contact with."
"Thank you, little robot," Omega said.
"Yes, thank you." Shadow said, no smile on his face.
"So how are we going to stop the docs?" Rouge asked.
"Huh?" I frowned.
"You can't expect us to sit around on the sidelines while you and Sonic do all the work." Rouge smiled. "You've got a hedgehog with an anger problem and a robot who only wants to destroy things here. It's like an army!"
"I do not have an anger problem." Shadow said through gritted teeth.
"Are there things to destroy?" Omega asked, raising his guns.
"No!" I shouted, but Rouge beat me to it.
"Easy, big guy. That'll come soon enough. I assume we have no location on the docs yet?"
"No..." I told her. "My father is working on it, but he also has to take care of Sonic, and with Roll taken..."
"Got it." Rouge said. "Shadow can patrol the ground while I search the air. That sound good?" she asked Shadow.
But something was wrong. Shadow was staring straight ahead, completely unaware that we were even talking. His pupils were dilated, and his hands were in tight fists. He had been blankly staring before, but this was different.
"Shadow?" I asked, snapping my fingers in front of him. He suddenly gasped and fell onto one knee.
"What's going on...?" he asked, one of his hands covering his face.
"Shadow, are you feeling okay?" Rouge asked, kneeling next to him. Omega took a few steps toward us, but didn't ask how he was doing.
"Hang on, let me scan you..." I said, looking straight at him and scanning him with the scanners in my eyes. I blinked when I saw the results, re-scanning him twice.
"Well, what is it?" Rouge snapped.
"I don't understand..." I muttered. "Shadow is... kind of a robot? Like, he doesn't have wires, but he is... You're like an android without anything mechanical in you."
"Thank you for telling me what I know!" Shadow yelled.
"Well, that's the problem..."
Suddenly, Shadow looked up at me, and he understood. I didn't really get it, or at least how it could happen, but it did. It was supposed to mess with the coding of a robot; so how was it affecting Shadow? He glanced at Rouge and Omega, then stared at the ground.
"What is going on?" Rouge shouted.
I looked to Shadow, waiting for him to tell his friends what was wrong. But he only stayed silent. "Shadow has the virus." I said quietly.