FicWad

Shadow frowned, gazing out the window. The blue planet against the black sky stretched beneath him like a jewel on an onyx table. The ARK hummed gently as it orbited the odd blue planet.
"What is the planet's name again?" He asked, turning his head behind him, towards the blonde girl who stood quietly in the center of the room.
"Earth, it's name is Earth." She smiled kindly, walking to his side. "That's where I and all the other humans are from!" She giggled and jumped up slightly, her blue dress flouncing joyfully. "It's very pretty down there, I want you to see it sometime!" Shadow felt his mouth twitch into a small smile.
"So you say, Maria, but what could one do there? There looks to be so little land."
"The land is pretty, but you must see where the land and water meet!" She jumped up and down, clapping her hands childishly. Although she often betrayed the fact, Maria was only 12, after all. Shadow shook his head with his small smile as he gazed at the blue planet.
"A beach...correct?" He asked aloud. "You've told me...where people swim and dig in the dirt and make castles out of the sand..." His quills rustled as he turned towards Maria. "It sounds nice."
"It's much better than the grey metal of the ARK, no matter how fantastic it is." Maria agreed, smiling with her blue eyes closed. Shadow nodded. Though he'd only been alive for the extent of seven days, the grey scenery around him was mundane and never changing. Maria was the sole light among all the dull scientists and silent workers. Her attitude always brought a softer look to his face, etched with seriousness from the serious mood around him. His stature of being the Ultimate Life Form, meant to bring peace to human kind, weighed heavily on him. The thought of his meaning and the strictness of his upbringing were constantly on his mind. Shadow turned back to the blue jewel-like planet beneath him, white clouds obscuring the face of it.
Though Shadow knew of his importance, he still had questions. For one, what exactly was he supposed to do? Shadow shook his head with a smirk. No... he was independent, he was strong. He didn't need these scientists and these odd humans to help him, he was Shadow The Hedgehog, the ultimate life. Humans were inferior to him, what use were they to his superior abilities? Maria cocked her head at him.
"Shadow? You thinking again?" She played with his quills, unafraid of their sharp points. He blinked, and looked up at her.
"Don't worry." He reassured her. "I'm fine." Maria never liked it when Shadow thought a lot, she worried about him constantly.
"One day, we can go down there..." She put her hands against the glass, smiling hopefully. "You'll love it, I just know it. And the people are so nice...one day!" Shadow nodded. Her hope was infectious, and he found a bubble of hope growing in his chest despite his best efforts. Shadow had always found hope to be a wish that was just screaming to be crushed, but as he felt the bubble in his chest expand, he thought differently about it, if only a little.


Shadow stood outside the window again, as he always did. The cerulean blue of Earth always sent him in deep thought, and he found it a pleasant escape from the constant observations of his creators. His arms were crossed across his white tufted chest and his eyes were closed. Something was odd...he felt it. He felt the uncomfortable feeling settle into the ARK, like stale air that the ventilation missed. Heavy footsteps echoed through the small observation room, the noise bouncing off the steel walls and reaching his pointed ears. Shadow opened his eyes patiently.
"I do not want to be bothered right now." He said placidly, not turning from his spot. The reflection of Professor Gerald was vaguely visible in the glass, left of Shadow's gaze.
"Shadow." A flat voice said.
"I believe I said I didn't want to bothered, Professor. I'm tired of tests right now." Shadow felt his patience straining. 2 weeks of that annoyance was enough.
"No, we have a much more serious problem. GUN..." The Professor continued, his voice gaining more emotion. Shadow lifted his head attentively. "They've sent an ultimatum. I refuse to give up my life's work so easily." The Professor slammed his fist into another hand. Shadow turned around, uncrossing his arms.
"Maria..." He began.
"Protect her, GUN sent the message yesterday, we must prepare." Red lights blinked angrily on the walls and voices emanated from the speakers also mounted on the walls.
"All hands alert! All hands alert! GUN is boarding! Repeat, GUN is boarding the ARK." A male voice said over the radio, cracking not only with static, but with worry. Shadow walked past The Professor, not looking at him. Maria was his only concern.

Shadow walked into the hallway, hearing panicked voices and rushed footsteps echo through the weaving halls of the ARK. He stopped at a solitary door, decorated with a pink "M". Whimpering and small chokes came from within. Shadow felt his heart drop as he opened the door. Maria sat on her bed, head in her hands and tears dripping from her fingers.
"Shadow!" She exclaimed as he walked in. She jumped from her bed and hugged his head. "I'm so happy you're okay!" Shadow felt her tears fall from her eyes and onto his quills.
"Maria, you must get out of here!" He urged, gently removing her from his head. Her blue eyes were streaked with red, and her nose sniffled as she nodded.
"Not without you!" She smiled, wiping tears from her eyelashes. Shadow couldn't help but mentally smile, even through the tough times, Maria was a light. He took her hand and led her out of the hallway. As soon as they reached open space, Shadow hit high gear, kicking his air shoes to guide him smoothly through the long hallway, Maria in his wake. "Shadow, where are we going?" She huffed behind him. Shadow kept his focus ahead.
"The observation deck..." He muttered. "Hopefully, they wouldn't check in such an obvious place."
"But Shadow... the observation deck is that way?" She pointed behind them. Shadow shook his head.
"The other one." He explained shortly, taking a sharp corner right. Maria yelped and grabbed his wrist with her other hand. "...shit." Shadow cursed silently as he halted just as suddenly as he turned. Maria slowed behind him and clung to his shoulders.
"Shadow, what-" She caught her breath and put a hand to her mouth. What she saw was a squadron of soldiers, armed heavily with guns and knives, the leader standing at the point.
"Freeze!" His voice rang clearly through the narrow hall. Shadow scoffed and took a step forward defiantly. "I said Freeze, or we'll shoot!" He raised his gun warningly. Shadow stopped momentarily. A machine gun? Hah! Pointless against the Ultimate Life. Shadow bent his knees in preparation. "Give yourself up, scum!" The soldier gestured the barrel of the gun at him.
"Not likely." Shadow leapt behind the soldier and kicked him in the back of the knees. The soldier yelled in confusion and fell, his legs hitting the floor with a grotesque crack. Maria gasped and hid her head as Shadow picked up the fallen soldier's machine gun and fired. All she heard was the rapid firing, and the shells bouncing off the walls, and that was all she cared to hear.
"Shadow! Don't hurt them!" She cried, daring herself to look between her fingers. Shadow tossed his gun at the final enemy standing, smacking him in the stomach so that he fell.
"They are not dead, Maria, but they will not be able to harm us." He said softly, taking her hand in his again. His footsteps splashed in a small pool of crimson blood as he opened the door to the observation deck. Maria ran in and stood immediately before the window.
"Shadow...they aren't all this bad..." She was weeping again. Shadow felt his features harden. But they still did this. They still attack their own kind. They did not see their cruelty in chasing and threatening such an innocent girl. Humans... he had begun to dread the word. Even the word made his head spin. He didn't have the heart to say it, but Shadow felt less and less sure of Maria's words.
"There he is!" Another male voice called from the hallway. A shot whizzed past Shadow's shoulder, and the clanking of metal on metal told him the bullet ran into the wall of the ARK. Maria shrieked and ran in front of Shadow, her arms outstretched.
"No! Leave him alone! Shadow has done nothing wrong!" She cried, her face defiant and strong. "You leave this place at once! Do you have no heart, killing innocent people and disturbing the peace we have had here?!" She yelled, her foot stomping angrily. Shadow widened his eyes, unable to move in his shock. Maria's stand before him told Shadow of a new Maria, of a girl who was unafraid to protect the ones she loved, even to her own death.
And her own death, it was. A single shot escaped from the pistol of the sole soldier, and that noise made the bubble of hope in Shadow's chest pop. Maria coughed harshly as the impact hit her, knocking her backward so she bumped into Shadow's bewildered form. The sight cause a nerve to snap in Shadow's head, he ducked in between her legs and slid, grabbing the man's leg so that he tried. Shadow immediately jumped on his chest, grabbing the gun in his hand.
"You heartless bastard!" Shadow yelled, striking the pistol against the human's face.
"You're one t-to speak!" The human spat blood at him, the crimson flecks hitting Shadow's chest and face. Shadow stood up, placing his foot at the human's neck. "You were created to destroy the world, you fucking abomination of God!" The human spat the words out as if they were poison. Shadow smirked.
"I was to be your savoir, pathetic human! And you instead have invoked my wrath!" Shadow increased his pressure on the human's neck, delighting in his chokes.
"It's..." Hacking noises spewed from the human's mouth. "too late..."
"Shuttup." Shadow put his full weight on the human's windpipe, which shattered and instantly killed him. It was the first time he killed, but Shadow was not satisfied. He dropped the gun and raced back to Maria, who had fallen to the ground.
"Shadow..." She gasped, her hand clasped to her chest. Shadow was nothing close to a doctor, but the extent of the bleeding was enough to tell him the shot was fatal. He put a hand on her shoulder and leaned her head back into his chest. More humans raced into the room.
"Freeze! Come peacefully, and we won't shoot!" The leader yelled, gun cocked at Shadow's head. Shadow looked balefully towards them. The leader seemed indifferent to the dying girl in the hedgehog's lap. "Get up, and walk into the center of the room!" The human demanded. Shadow took a look at Maria, her eyes closed and breathing shallow. Gently, he placed her head on the steel floor and stood in the circle in the center of the floor. Maria was dying. Shadow felt no will to live. The bubble of hope that had lifted his spirit so high was burst, just as he feared. The leader looked back towards his men, apparently not expecting such a surrender. When the leader gasped and turned his gun barrel behind him, Shadow suspected something more than shock was circulating through the crowd of men. Gun shots burst from the hallways, along with swears and feverish yells.
"You bastards!" A female voice cried, and a small, anthropomorphic creature burst from the crowd, shooting a pistol at the leader. He feel to the ground with a thunk. Shadow took a step forward to stop this odd creature, but was stunned by glass forming in a capsule around him, leaving his step to make him trip into the glass.
"Maria!" He yelled. Maria had slumped herself over a control panel, a finger on a button.
"Please...Shadow...they need you..." She breathed, her blonde hair messily falling over her face. The girl creature ran towards Maria. She was black, with flopped lizard ears over her black and green eyes, black pants and vivid purple shirt. Green streaks ran through her scale-like hair.
"Maria!" The creature yelled, her hands on Maria's back. Shadow felt a predatory swell in his chest. What right did she have, doing that?!
"All the people on that planet...they need your help. Please...'" Maria coughed. Her hand moved weakly towards another button. The lizard creature turned her head towards Shadow, and ran to the edge of the glass.
"Shadow!" She cried, blood from her glove smearing on the glass. Shadow blinked. He recognized that design, was this..?
"Elex?" He asked. The lizard smiled.
"Be good, okay?" She whispered audibly through the glass. A smile played across her lips, but was instantly shattered as she dashed towards the door, shooting another man in the chest. They just kept coming...
"Maria!" Shadow yelled, banging his fist against the solid glass. She smiled weakly. He could take it. Shadow cried. Hot tears spilled from his red irised eyes, making small plodding noises on the floor.
"Sayonara, Shadow The Hedgehog." She said, with that enigmatic smile. Shadow banged helplessly against the glass as the ARK suddenly jetted away from him, his pod screaming towards Earth. The blue jewel of a planet no longer seemed comforting. It's placid color mocked Shadow's despair, his life that was crushed as easily as a bug.
"No!!" He screamed, falling to his knees. The stars racing past him didn't faze Shadow in the least. The hot, angry tears boiled over in his eyes, and kept spilling to the floor. Small sobs escaped his mouth as freely as his tears from his eyes.

The feeling of weakness was hard to accept. The feeling of wanting someone to be there. The need of comfort that Shadow had never felt the need for before.

Shadow didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore. He would cry just as hard had there been a hundred people in front of him, taking notes of his every sob and printing it in newspapers across the world.

His life, his sole care in life, his sole need in life, was dead. Maria was dead. Maria was dead...





Whoo! Spare me and the much randomness of any author notes I leave. I don't own Shadow (Sonic Team are the gods that created them ;]), or remotely any character in this fic, 'cept for Elex, who is indeed original, but you knew that already! This is my first writing here, and I hope it doesn't suck! ^_^ any CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is appreciated, as well as anything nice to say! Thanks for reading , there shall be more soon!