Satisfaction floods through me as Gerald starts to talk, and a feeling of accomplishment tingles prominently through my body. Sonic sees what I'm looking at, a bewildered look covering his face as the Professor begins the message he recorded so long ago.
"The countdown marking my final revenge has begun! This is a death sentence for every human being on Earth; in just a few minutes, you will all be destroyed! If my calculations are correct, the Space Colony ARK will hurtle through the atmosphere and crash into this planet with cataclysmic force! In just 27 minutes and 53 seconds, every single one of you will be gone. You took Maria from me, and now I shall take from you all you have ever cared about. You will all feel my loss, and despair as you watch your death--as well as the deaths of all of your friends, your family--arrive! You shall all be punished for your crimes even as I shall be. For this is my revenge!" Gerald stops talking, and a voice sounds from the footage that is not his.
"Is that all you want to say?" It asks, and Gerald's voice replies with a croaky, tired, "No." The voice that I don't know, the one which is not Gerald's, shouts, "Ready!" My throat tightens for a second as I look at what I know is the last footage of Gerald when he was alive. His old, wheezing body more bedraggled than it was when I knew him. His once proud and outlandish mustache looking limp and worn. The horrible chains restraining him to the last moment.
I gaze upon the nightmarish image of the man who created me being sentenced to the fate I was supposed to share. The fate that so quickly ended Maria's life. It feels like a physical wound to know Gerald was helpless to stop himself from being killed. That he instead put all of his faith in me, and remained sure I would follow his orders even after his death. And he was right; I have.
The recording cuts off, but not before the hideous sound of gunfire is heard, its awful din now being associated with the death's of both my best friend and creator. I can't afford to dwell on Gerald's death. Not when I have a world to destroy.
"Sonic," I shout gruffly, my voice feeling rough with emotion, "your time is running out!" Turning, I leap far towards the ceiling, choosing to watch Gerald's revenge--my revenge--unfold from one of the windows of the ARK. I quickly land on a railed catwalk, revving my speed and disappearing from Sonic's sight. It doesn't take me long before I find a window with a gorgeous view of the doomed planet.
Despite the triumph I feel, my mood is somber as I view the last minutes of the planet's life. Of Earth's life. The planet who took Maria from me, will now meet its final fate at my hands. Fitting, in a way, that Gerald would make the plan and I would carry it out. It proves that I really am a weapon at heart. I'll become what humans meant me to be, but by doing so I will ensure their destruction. And they brought this, all of this, upon themselves. Their choices have lead to their end.
"Shadow! We need you! Please, help us!" A voice cries behind me, and I whirl in surprise to see the pink Mobian who mistook me for Sonic on Prison Island. Scoffing at her pleading expression, I turn around and physically ignore her.
"Everything is going according to plan; there's no reason for me to help them." I respond, hoping to drive the annoying girl away. "Besides, there's no way to save the world now."
"There has to be!" She insists, and casts her eyes downwards. "I know people fight over the most trivial things, and some are even selfish, like the Professor said. But, they're still basically good!
"If they try their best and never give up on their wishes, then they can always find a reason to be happy. And that's why you should help them! Saving the world is a good thing to do! Shadow, I beg of you! Please, give them a chance! Give them a chance to be happy!" The girl begs, and I don't need to turn around to see that her eyes are wide and sincere.
A chance to be happy... That sounds almost familiar... I gasp as a memory crashes behind my eyes, one that I hadn't realized I had. "All of those people down there deserve a chance to be happy..." Maria's voice rings in my mind, letting me recall for the first time what her true wish was. "I wish for everyone to have a chance to be happy on that planet, no matter who they are. Promise me, Shadow, that you will try...because you are the only one who can succeed. Promise me this wish."
"That's what I promised her!" I exclaim, my own voice thick with emotion. "That's what I promised her, and I must keep that promise!" Behind me, the girl calls my name in surprise.
"Shadow?" She asks, but I barely hear her over the rush of memories, of feelings so strongly blocked before.
"That's...what Maria wished for... I've got to go now! I have to keep my promise to Maria!" I say, my eyes wide with the realization there isn't much time to stop the Eclipse Cannon. Turning abruptly, I zoom out of the door and make haste to where I know Sonic and the other's will be fighting. They can only be trying to get the Chaos Emeralds back. That's what they're trying to do, I know it! I head straight for the core, urging myself faster with every stroke of my shoes. I have to save Earth. I can't believe I thought Maria wanted revenge! I was blinded by my own wants, my selfish fantasies of revenge.
I followed Gerald, but Maria is the one I was built to protect. She's the one who I promised I would make happy. Now I only have minutes to reverse what I've done to disgrace her! I blast through the doorway of the core, the artificial shrine, and see Sonic and a red Mobian echidna facing down the Biolizard. It's...huge... I can't believe that it got so big!
"Leave that one to me!" I call, my Chaos Snap putting me right behind Sonic. Walking past him, I prepare to face down my prototype, Gerald's only other living creation. The first attempt to create me.
"Shadow, what are you doing?" Sonic asks, and I turn my head to shout over the roars of the beast I now challenge.
"I'll take care of this, while you run to get the Chaos Emeralds!" I nod, and Sonic looks a little taken aback at my change of heart. Summoning a Chaos Spear, I hurtle it at the Biolizard with a mighty leap. If Sonic called an affirmative, I didn't hear, but I see him and the echidna run by on their way to the Emeralds. Gritting my teeth, I dodge a mighty sweep of the Biolizard's tail. I can't lose to this thing. If I do, Earth will be destroyed, and Maria's wish forgotten! A slight part of me finds even the idea of losing to my prototype reason enough to fight like I never have before, but I don't need my pride to fuel my attacks. I have something better, something stronger. I'm doing this for Maria!
I spindash off of the creature, and throw a barrage of Chaos Spears at it. It summons of form of Chaos as well, large yellow spheres that charge up before shooting at me. It's like they're a less developed form of Chaos Spears! An idea occurs to me, and before I know it, I'm jumping from one to the other and building up speed for a strong attack. Ha! I can handle and touch these things just like my own powers! Chaos of such a type can't affect me! Spinning in midair, I hone in on the technology covering the Biolizard's back.
Crap. I bounce off of the creature's life support system with barely a few sparks. That thing's stronger than it looks. I shouldn't be surprised; Gerald made it! I zoom to the side, making myself a harder target as the Biolizard fires small bits of Chaos Blast from its mouth. Does this thing have all of my powers? I wonder as I dodge the red attacks. Gritting my teeth in frustration, I summon Chaos Spears around me and fire them right at the red orb in the middle of the system keeping Gerald's monster alive.
"Whoo!" I hear a cheer behind me and glance over to see Sonic and his teammate retrieving the Chaos Emeralds. The explosion from my attacks rocks the air around me, and the Biolizard roars its pain. Then it disappears from under me.
My eyes widen as the creature successfully uses Chaos Control, and I quickly teleport over to Sonic. I land on the steps of the core right as Sonic and his friend notice its disappearance.
"It's gone!" Shouts the echidna, but I'm already growling the reason.
"Chaos Control!" I yell, this time not to use the move, but rather to convey my anger and dismay that my prototype can wield it. My anger is cut short, though, when a massive tremor rocks the ARK. Grunting as my legs rearrange themselves to keep my upright, I search the ceiling for the cause of the quake.
"We're still heading toward the planet!" Sonic exclaims, and not a moment passes before I realize he's right. "But, how?!"
"Sonic!" I glance at my communicator reflexively as the Doctor's voice pipes up from Sonic's wrist. "Do you read me? That monster is still alive! It attached itself to the outside of the Space Colony! It's going to pull us into the planet!"
"Hmm." Sonic grunts softly, and I look at him. He glances at the Chaos Emeralds, then closes his eyes. I feel the Emeralds react to whatever he's doing, their power output increasing. Something tells me I can do that, too. Following his lead, I reach out to the Chaos Emeralds. Feeling a bit ridiculous, I send my thoughts their way.
Please, I have to save this planet. Grant me your power so that I can right my wrong. Please, I can't do this myself. The Emeralds rise, humming, and began to circle around Sonic and me. I feel my feet lift off the ground as power flows into me, and an abstract part of my brain wonders why my ankle rings don't prevent the power. Gerald must have built in an exception for when all of the Emeralds are present.
The Chaos Emeralds spin faster, then fuse into Sonic and I's bodies. Opening my eyes, I stare in astonishment at my fur, it's inky ebony now gleaming a very pale yellow. My stripes seem even brighter crimson than they usually are, and I see that Sonic is now bright yellow, with orange-red eyes several shades lighter than mine. Sonic hovers with ease, but the only thing keeping my powers under control are my instincts. Then Sonic blasts towards the ceiling at scarily fast speeds and disappears. Doing the same, I let my teleport carry me to outside the ARK. I'm not even going to ask why I don't need to breath in this form...
I appear right next to Sonic, and he grins at me before shooting towards the Biolizard. Following him, we attack in tandem and dodge a humongous beam of energy from the creature's mouth.
"Let's give this all we've got," I say determinedly, and Sonic nods.
"We can go in at full speed and finish it off," he says, his voice sounding deadly serious for the first time since I met him. Perhaps I underestimated him more than I thought I did... Trusting in my body to know what to do, I match his speed and start attacking. Throwing Chaos Spears and zooming with spindashes, I let my powers destroy all they can on the monster. Sonic battles too, and we trade attacks in an attempt to wear down the creature. It works, but it's too slow. Making eye contact with the blue hedgehog, we both aim for the red orb--the center of the Biolizard's life support--with every ounce of power we can pack into a punch.
It explodes, and the Biolizard seems to fall apart in the explosion. By the time the smoke clears, its body is gone, for good this time. The ARK isn't stopping! I think, watching as it bears down on us. It must be caught in the planet's gravity!
"You're stopping right here!" Sonic yells at the space colony, and he takes the best stance one can when flying in space. I do the same and grit my teeth against what I know is coming. My lips and quills flap in the insane firestorm as the ARK burns through the atmosphere. I can practically hear everyone shouting at us to succeed as we prepare for impact with my home.
"Shadow... Give them a chance to be happy..." Maria's voice sounds in my head, the image of her last goodbye floating behind my eyes. Suddenly, I know that our power won't be enough. Sonic isn't experienced with Chaos Control, and I've never been in a super form. We won't have the combined might to do this. My eyes widen, but one option remains, and it appears before me as I fight for the world.
It's the only way... I gulp, and I reach out to my rings.
"I am Shadow! Shadow the Hedgehog!" I shout, and I raise my hands higher. The name, told to me by Gerald and repeated by Maria even in her final moments, gives me strength against the inevitable.
!Shing! !Shing! My rings fly off faster than I knew they could, and my power, already extreme as it is, increases tremendously. "You ready?" I growl to Sonic, and I know I am. I'm ready to go down fighting. Fighting for what matters most.
"You bet! Here we go!" Sonic screams back, voice raised over the torrent of fire. Calling all of my power to the surface, I shout my last words. The last things I ever will say fly to my lips and fill me with their power.
"Chaos Control!!!" I shout, Sonic saying the same in unison. Then, as I expected, all of my power rushes out, consumed by the warping of the ARK. Sonic looks back, but Chaos Control grabs him before he can even yell my name. He disappears, and I, having chosen not to be included in the warp, instead giving my power to fuel Sonic's move, start to fall.
To fall, ever so quickly, down through the atmosphere. To crash into the planet Maria always wanted to visit. My mind is calm in the face of death, and, as I fall, I see through the fire of my atmospheric entry the ARK appearing far above. He made it. I know that Sonic's safe, know that he will live to protect the Earth. I know that my time has come.
Maria... I did it... This is what you wanted, right? This is my promise I made to you... And the abyss of unconsciousness wraps me in its arms, saving me from my last moments in which I will impact the Earth. Tired, I let it, and take comfort in my last thoughts. The image of the ARK burns behind my eyes as they close, and I'm released at last. I am gone, but the world is not, and that idea gives me a peace greater than any other. Maria's wish, though almost lost, is, finally, remembered.
Author's Note: Hah! I finally finished this chapter, despite my extreme writer's block! Now, for all of those wondering if this is the end of this story, it's not. SHADOW IS ALIVE. Shadow: Awakening II will have more chapters. But when Shadow 'died,'' he thought he wouldn't come back, so I wrote it as someone who hasn't seen Sonic Heroes. Smart, huh? I'm just so happy to finally get this chapter out; I can't even describe how much I've wanted to write this. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and hey, if you did, leave a vote to tell me so! Heck, leave a comment and tell me what you liked about it! If I know what works, then I can do more of what works, you know? If you didn't like it, tell me why, and maybe I'll revise some small part of it if I agree with you. But rewriting the chapter is out of the question. *-* This thing was too much work for that. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!