ShadAmy How Can I Love You?

His Story 7 Chapter 53

A few weeks after Maria told me the story of H.I.H coming into being and her disease, it was time for us to say our goodbyes.

"Barney, set up Shadow's equipment and Mary set up Maria's." Victoria ordered the other scientists.

She then looks over at our sad faces and winced. "Maria... Come here for a second."

Maria heard her name and let go of my hand to walk over to Victoria. I would follow her, but it seems that their conversation should only be between them. I watched as the other two scientists set up our chambers. I really didn't want to give up my life, but if it's for Maria, I would give it up a thousand times if I had too.

"It seems to me that you are the key." Marcel walks up to me from the elevator.

I slowly turned my head and didn't say anything.

"You know... Maria was going to tell you all this the very first week she met you, but your past self wouldn't agree to the idea, would it?"

I rolled my hand into a ball and cursed to myself. If only I was nicer in the beginning, then I wouldn't have to feel so much pain right now. All those times of us bonding and sharing experience, only made it even harder for me to say goodbye to her forever. But I had to do it, for Maria's sake.

"Maria had no choice but to try and get you to warm up to her. After she realized that she finally made her very first friend in this awful world, it was too late for her to not have that bond between you too." Marcel continued.

"I don't care about myself anymore Marcel." I harshly spoke out. I began to walk over to my chamber and stood in front of the glass. "I'll do anything for Maria.."

Marick lowered his head and shook it. "This is similar to Romeo and Juliet."

I spun around. "To what?"

He lowly chuckles. "Romeo dies by drinking poison, leaving Juliet alive. But when Juliet finds out that Romeo had killed himself, she takes his dagger and plunged it into herself so she could join him in heaven. In your case, Juliet gets to live forever, and you shall rest in peace in heaven."

I felt my stomach churn with anxiety. Heaven... Have I done enough good deeds to allow myself to go to heaven? If I go to hell, will the devil allow me to watch over Maria still?

"The chambers are ready Victoria." The male scientist said.

"Alright..." Victoria said softly. "Maria..."

Victoria didn't even have to finish her sentence to know what she wanted. She slowly strolled over to the chamber with the bed and waited. She turns to look at me and sadly smiles.

"This is it." She says.

"This... This is it." I said back with a crack in my voice.

"Shadow..." Maria started off. "Please continue to watch over me in heaven, okay?"

I paused, then nodded my head slowly. "Of course."

In unison, my glass cylinder lowered for me to get in while Maria's opened up for her. We cautiously stepped inside as it proceed to enclose us. There was a green whitish light coming from the ground and I began to float. I looked over to Maria who was staring back at me with the same light surrounding her.

"Okay you two. This will take a couple of minutes for it to be fully complete. I'm going to give you guys a choice here..." Victoria walks away from the control panel that is in between our stations and stared at us both with sorrowful eyes. "This immortality doesn't require a hundred percent of the other person's life form. It actually only requires eighty percent. Meaning the other person; Shadow, will still be alive when this process is finished for only a sort amount of time. Now we can fully transfer the life into Maria a hundred percent, but Shadow... Shadow won't be awake after its done."

I looked over to Maria and waited for her answer. She knew I was waiting for her so she nods. "80..." She says "I need to give Shadow something after all this."

Victoria nods her head and walks back to the control panel. I watch as she hovers her hand over the panel, creating a projected disk that could be touched. She moves the arrow on the disk to 80%, flips a switch that has labels stating "A" and "B". I looked over to Maria's chamber and saw the label "B" on it. Then Victoria pressed a button that shot pain throughout my body.

"Graahh!!" I cried out in terror.

"Shadow!?" Maria pressed her hands on the glass and watched me suffer.

My body twisted and turned and I felt all my muscles contracting everywhere. I tried to open my eyes, but when the shock of pain swept through my body again, I needed to close my eyes.

"Victoria-"

"There's nothing that I can do to stop the pain." Victoria cut off Maria's sentence. "We have to collect Shadow's life essence in this sphere before we can transfer it over to you." She points to a big glass ball on top of the control panel. There was a percentage hovering over top of it reading "10%". She then walked over to Maria and placed a hand on top of her glass. "We are taking your life essence too Maria, it's just... We gave you the very less painful of the procedure. After that, the essence are mixed together and then placed back into your body."

Another pain swept through my body and I cried out in agony. I need to shut up or I'm going to worry Maria even more. I forced my jaw closed and muffled out the rest of my cries.
Maria continued to watch me as tears streamed down her face.

"I don't want this anymore! Take us out!" Maria yelled out.

"Maria, you're a daughter to me. Please let this happen. Besides, the chambers won't open until it reaches the percen--" Victoria stopped her own sentence as a tremble swept through the whole floor.

"What was that?" The female scientist pointed out.

Marcel held a finger to his ear that held a listening device in it. He then quickly went over to the elevator, pressed the up button and pulled out a walkie-talkie. "We're under attack." He spewed out.

"What!?" Victoria exclaimed. "H-how!?" Victoria pulled off her lab coat and went to a hook that held her fighting uniform.

"Someone had a tracking device on their body. The military are here attacking us." Marcel pulled out a gun and cocked it. "I've sent out a order telling all units to fight back."

Victoria nodded to the scientists as she put on her utility belt. The scientists quickly gathered everything in the room and existed through a hidden door.

"We can't let them get down here. The process can't be stopped." Victoria exclaimed.

Marcel nodded and pulled out his walker-talkie again. "All units, protect floor 50 at all cost, I repeat protect floor 50 at all cost. Do not let them use the elevators." The elevator's door opened as Marcel stepped in.

"I'll catch the next one" Victoria said.

The doors closed as a red light started flashing in front of us with an alarm going off.

"Listen to me guys." Victoria breathlessly started. "Once the process is done, Shadow you need to press the big red button so the life essence can flow into Maria, meaning Maria, you stay in your chamber at all times until the process is done. Then, you need to go down through the secret passage and follow the path all the way to the end. There will be one motor boat waiting for you. Use that and just head North. That is where our rondeau point is." The elevator doors opened once again and Victoria sprinted over to it. She looked over to Maria and blew a kiss. "I'll see you later Maria." She then looked over to me and saluted. "Goodbye Shadow. I'm happy that my daughter was friends with you."

With that, she left us in the whole room alone.