Her Darkest Shadow

Chapter 2 The Soldier

"Grandpa, is he going to be alright?"

"Of course he is, Maria. This is normal for an experiment their first few days."

"But he seemed genuinely convinced that everything here was a dream! What if something happened and he was sent to the future? What if this isn't even Shadow? What if this is a clone? What if..."

"That's enough of your rambling, Maria. You're only going to worry yourself more than is needed. His dreams seemed real to him, so he's going to be confused for a while. It's part of the job description, I guess you could say."

"But Grandfather...he shouldn't even know G.U.N. exists yet! We've never told him!"

"He probably picked it up from one of the other experiments."

"But he hasn't been around anyone but me!"

"Then maybe you mentioned it without realizing, or he saw an agent walk by. Maria, we must not jump to drastic conclusions, for you sake, and Shadow's sake."

My eyes drifted open slowly. I was lying on the bed I had woken up on earlier. I glanced around then groaned. I was still on the ARK. Maybe... I shook my head vigorously. No. This was just a dream! But... The door slid open and Maria walked in, carrying two cups of something warm in her hands. She gave me a timid smile and I realized that she was scared I was going to freak out again like yesterday. I decided that, even if this was all fake, I'd at least pretend to not know that. I returned her smile and she sat down on the bed next to me, seeming relieved. I sat up and she handed me one of the cups. I looked inside.

"Hot Chocolate?" I asked, my throat slightly tight. Back when I really was on the ARK, Maria would bring me hot chocolate after a rough day of testing, because she wasn't allowed to drink coffee and neither was I. Maria blushed slightly and nodded.

"Yeah. I figured it'd help after you had such a rough night. Sorry I couldn't get the more logical choice of coffee. Grandpa said that neither of us could drink it, so...yeah. I brought Hot Chocolate." She explained. I nodded in understanding, even though I had known the answer before she told me. I took a sip of the warm liquid and couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. Maria smiled too, pleased at my reaction.

"It's great. Thanks." I told her. She was about to say something when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" Maria shouted. The door slid open to reveal a G.U.N. soldier. A snarl made it's way to my lips, but I swallowed it back down. At this point in time, G.U.N. wasn't my enemy... That thought stirred another thought. Had I gone back in time? I didn't think so...because then there would be two of me, and Maria wouldn't be trying to convince me that everything was a dream. Still...if the timeline continued and G.U.N. attacked, this time they wouldn't get very far without getting a taste of my true power.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Miss. I see now that I am intruding, but... Project Shadow is needed in Room 221B for testing." The soldier informed us apologetically. I flinched, remembering all too well what testing could be like. Maria glanced at me sadly.

"Oh...alright." She replied. The G.U.N. agent stood out of the way so I could walk out the door. "See you later, Shadow." Maria called as the door closed. The soldier and I walked for a while in stony silence. Is this one of the ones that hunted us down? Or is this one that joined Virus? My thoughts were interrupted when the soldier started talking.

"I heard that you had a rough night. Are you feeling okay, now?" His words caught me off guard, but they still received the coldness I felt towards him.

"I'm fine." I muttered. The soldier looked at me for a second before watching his feet as we walked. I scolded myself. This was before things went south, when G.U.N. was on our side. This soldier had nothing to do with what happened. Or...what I dreamed had happened... I shook my head slightly.

"Thank you for your concern." I added. The soldier glanced at me and smiled.

"There are a lot of experiments here on the ARK, Shadow, but I have to say...you're arrival was definitely the most anticipated. That poor girl... I sure hope we can find a cure for whatever disease she has." He sighed. I frowned and nodded in agreement. We walked in silence for a while, but the silence was no longer harsh. It was respectful. The soldier stopped walking and I looked up.

"Room 221B. Vitality Testing." I read. I looked at the soldier. He didn't look very pleased about this place.

"You're obviously alive, why do they have to test you for it?" He asked. I shrugged, laughing slightly.

"What's a project without the tests, right?" I replied, smirking. I hadn't felt like this in a while. Fifty years, actually....or maybe it wasn't fifty years. Maybe I hadn't felt like this since yesterday... I shook the thought off again.

"You're more than just Project Shadow!" The soldier insisted. I looked at him, shocked. No one had ever told me that, other than Maria. And coming from a G.U.N. soldier...it felt as though my world had been turned upside down. Had I dreamt up their evil? Was Maria right, and everything had just been a bad dream? I looked at my feet.

"Thanks, but...sometimes I'm not so sure." I said quietly. The soldier knelt down and put a hand on my shoulder. I looked at him. He had a strange firmness and determination in his gaze, and I felt that if he told me I was pink, I'd believe him, even if only for an instant.

"You may have been created to be the Ultimate Life Form, but that's not your purpose in life." He told me. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Then...what is?" I wondered. The soldier smiled slightly.

"That's up for you to decide." I was about to reply when the door beside us slid open and Professor Gerald Robotnik stepped out.

"Shadow." He greeted. My heart stopped slightly at seeing my creator again.

"Professor." I replied, my throat tight again. He pursed his lips and held out his hand.

"Come on. Let's get this dream thing figured out."