I Am...All of Me

Shadows of the Past (Part 2)

Previously on Shadows of the Past

    "November fifth, why?" he replied, and Shadow leaned against a wall for support.

            "Today...is the day I woke up."

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     "Seriously?" Sonic gasped, "Where? Which room?"

  His rival groaned. He didn't really want to see what he was like after his first time out of the capsule. He wasn't exactly proud of his "waking moments." The scenery around them changed so that they stood inside of a strange lab, and Shadow rubbed the back of his head, sensing the iminent embarrassment coming.

  "I guess the time machine will automatically take us to important moments in this time zone," Tails theorized.

            "How do we get back to our time?"

    "I'm not sure, but I think we will have to wait until a big event happens, like an extremely important point in history. "

    They all grew quiet however, as a group of scientists ran into the lab. Leading the way was a round man with a graying mustache that looked very similar to Eggman.

    "Sheesh, I didn't know Egghead was that old," Sonic snickered. Shadow reached out his hand to touch the man, but he simply passed through.

     "Professor Gerald, "he whispered, barely loud enough for the others to hear, "My...parental figure for most of my early life. He is the one to blame for my existence."

     Amy instantly caught on to what the dark hedgehog was hinting at. He thought that him being alive was a bad thing, but she didn't know why. She was about to confront him about it, when the men began speaking quickly. They all sounded worried.

            "He's waking prematurely!"

     "He isn't supposed to wake until another two weeks!"

     "I don't understand. His system can't handle everything on its own yet. We need to put him back in hyper sleep before it's too late."

         "Run a dull diagnostic," Gerald ordered, and Shadow watched with growing interest. The doctor had never told him he had woken up ahead of schedule. He looked up at his past self, who was beginning to stir. He could remember that time of confusion and drowsiness. He placed a hand on the glass and looked up at the other's closed eyelids.

     "Vital signs are at critical stage!" someone yelled.

  "Come on," Shadow said, "Show them. You can do it. I know you can."

    The being inside the chamber squinted before opening ruby eyes for the first time. Everyone in the lab, including the invisible viewers, stopped in complete shock. The past Shadow slowly took in his surroundings for the first time and pressed his ungloved, black and red-striped hand on the glass. Gerald stepped forward, taking off his dark glasses with a wide smile. He reached up and placed his hand against the glass as if he was trying to touch Shadow's.

     "Incredible," the old man whispered. He then turned and ordered with a broad grin as he reset his glasses, "Drain it and open the chamber. I think it's time he got a breath of fresh air."

                  "But Sir, what about--"

     "I want to see what he can do on his own," the professor interrupted. Sonic and the others watched as their present ally seemed to grow increasingly nervous as the events transpired. He refused to look them in the eye, and his left ear wouldn't stop twitching in every direction.