I Am...All of Me

Doom Resurgence

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When Shadow returned from White Space after defeating Black Doom (again), he thought that would be the last of his "Doom Powers" and his connection to the Black Arms. He was very, very wrong.

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  He wished he could say that he knew this would happen. But he didn't. The moment he defeated Black Doom in White Space, Shadow's mutated wings vanished, and he thought that meant the end of his Doom powers. He hoped that he would never have to deal with his alien bloodline morphing his body ever again.

    Saying goodbye to Maria and Gerald as they faded into their own time haunted his thoughts soon after. But he would keep his sister's promise alive. And later, after a few days to really think about it, Shadow did feel lighter. Maria had seen him at his worst, filled with hate for his alien father, yet she still loved him and showed him that true goodness will always overcome evil.

   He missed his older sister, and his heart still hurt, but he could genuinely say he was at peace after finally getting to say goodbye.

   Then Sonic defeated the Time Eater that started this mess, and everything went back to normal. If Rouge saw Shadow's tears, she never said anything. He endured the birthday party she dragged him to, allowing the festivities to ease the ache of losing his family again because that's what Maria would have wanted. He thought about what she would think of the chaotic group that had dragged him into their circle.

    She would like them. So, he would tolerate their shenanigans. As he watched Vector and Sonic attempt to see who could eat the most birthday cake in a single sitting, Shadow leaned against the giant oak tree overshadowing their picnic spot. Even after time reset, his body ached in a way he hadn't felt in a long time.

   When was the last time he was actually sore? A steady, deep-boned ache ran through him, and he closed his eyes. He just needed to rest a moment. Then everything would go back to normal.
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Things did not go back to normal. Even after a full week of vacation time (forced on him by Rouge), the soreness lingered. And since leaving White Space, a staticky buzz rippled in the back of his mind and over his striped fur. Shadow hated to admit how it reminded him of being connected to the Black Arms hive mind, where his thoughts were never quite his own.

Sometimes, he thought he heard the barest snippet of a word, but it would fade the moment he tried to focus on what was being said. It wasn't any human language he knew, or any mobian dialects he'd picked up since being pulled out of stasis.

A series of clicks in ranging frequency and speed. A low growl rising to a trill in the next second. A hrring that almost resembled a purr if it were deeper and slower, more deliberate. He'd heard those sounds only once, during the Black Arms invasion.

But Black Doom was dead, and his armies were no more. Why was he still hearing them?

"Shadow, hon, are you all right?" Rouge asked.

   Shadow blinked and tuned back into the present. Team Dark's shared apartment came into focus, and the dark agent became acutely aware of the hot water from the sink soaking through his gloves.

    "What?"

"You've been staring at the wall like it owes you money," she said with her arms crossed, "Are you okay?"

He set the plate down and turned off the water. "Yes, just got lost in thought. That's all."

   Rouge rose an eyebrow, her expression making it very clear that she didn't believe him. But she didn't push him. After he told her what happened during White Space, and who he saw, she gave him the space and time to process everything. Most of the time, Shadow appreciated her patience, though he didn't always understand how she could put up with him. Other times, a small part of him wished she would push back a little and force him to answer out loud what he was thinking. But those moments were rare.