Degretys

Welcome to the world we live in

Time: July, 57 years later

The world is divided into three types of people. Some are privy to Project Shadow's presence among humans, where he exists in a disguise of an average person. Others know or at least to some extent associate this project but as one that suffered a sudden accident, which was a capsule failure and the resulting consequences. The latter ones are generally ordinary inhabitants of cities, countries and continents, who have no idea that someone such as the Ultimate Life Form leads a life similar to theirs.

As for the definition of the character of Shadow, for the second group of people it is as follows: Project Shadow is a final version of the Ultimate Life Form, endowed with the power from the Chaos Drives containing crystallized energy of the Chaos Emeralds. The project existed in the form of an immortal, physically approximately 24-year-old man, who was hibernated after the Guardian Units of Nations invaded the Space Colony ARK. After 50 years, he died due to damage to a capsule and overheating of the body. The place of his burial is known only to the Commander and those in the know.

However, this is a false definition. Partly. The real one, the one for the first group, is written as follows: Project Shadow is a final version of the Ultimate Life Form, endowed with the power from the Chaos Drives containing crystallized energy of the Chaos Emeralds. The project exists in the form of an immortal, physically approximately 24-year-old man, who was hibernated after the Guardian Units of Nations invaded the Space Colony ARK. After 50 years, he was rescued from Prison Island during the secretly arranged Free Shadow operation. His death was faked as a damage to a capsule and overheating of the body. Through an agreement between Dr. Ivo Robotnik and Professor Gabriel Elliot Joestar, it was decided to adapt Shadow to Mobian life and give him the rights of a human and a citizen of the United Kingdom of Soleanna.

This is more or less what it looks like. The first group is Shadow's greatest allies, some of whom he owes a debt for releasing him. Although they express no expectation for him to repay this debt. Besides, no one else knows the truth about him. Neither the government nor GUN.

Why was it hidden? Because GUN found the existence of the Ultimate Life Form controversial and dangerous. The military never planned to awaken Shadow and introduce him to the world. He was supposed to sleep in the capsule, even until the end of the world. If the truth came out, he would be returned to the island, and GUN would accuse the FS members of conspiring against the country and breaking into Prison Island. If the government found out, what would it do? And for how long will this fact be hidden? Nobody has a clue. Shadow was afraid to think about it sometimes.

Shadow's opinion on this subject is one: he is torn. He would like GUN to admit his guilt forthright and be properly punished. Then there wouldn't be lies in history books about an accident of the experiment that didn't happen. But even a change of the Commander did not bode well. In a way, the military has become even more dangerous for Shadow, even if not as brutal as before but wary and strict. That's why he needs to stay away from GUN. Whatever it is, he cannot approach it or make any other contact. He is dead to it and will remain so.

The idea to wake up the man came from the professor's grandson, Ivo Robotnik, a guy with a high IQ and five doctorates. The guy who runs his own company producing machines that get ahead of those in Area 99. Quoting Shadow's first feelings towards the doctor: He reminds me a lot of my creator, except that he is cold and almost every word he says is ironic.

To summarize, he dug out his grandfather's encrypted journal, which means he hacked into GUN's system. He found many descriptions about Shadow, discussed the topic with future members of the FS, and thanks to this, the hibernating prisoner was pulled out of Prison Island. But why did the professor's grandson do this, there are two versions and it is possible that both are correct. No matter how to look at it, Shadow is included in an inheritance, but the doctor and others could also see in him a potential to protect the world from a sudden threat that ordinary people would not be able to face. Robotnik called him a "backup plan", but Joestars convinced Shadow that he found himself among them because he is innocent of the whole ARK thing. That he didn't deserve this punishment.