The Difficult Task of Raising a Weapon

G.U.N. Commander Abraham Tower: Weapon Potential

I let out a deep sigh, trying to collect my thoughts as Topaz escorts Project: Shadow back to its--his--cell. I can't believe how powerful it is.

"Well, we were wondering about how Earth was balanced in power with Mobius--being a dimensional counterpart and all--and I'm pretty sure this is why," states a middle-aged man as he shakes his head in disbelief. "That thing is unstoppable."

"All of the technology we've tried to combat Doctor Robotnik with, all of those times we tried to capture Sonic before Earth and Mobius became allies, put to shame," laments another man. "Gerald's 'Ultimate Lifeform' is beyond Sonic Team's collective abilities already, and it's had no formal training! This could finally let us put Mobius in check, let us show them that we're not a group of helpless children to be protected against Robotnik's evils!"

"It certainly has incredible potential," analyzes one of my top weapons experts. "We should start instructing it immediately so that it can be mobilized when we need to counteract a threat. It's an apparently fast learner, and it has enough intelligence that we could teach it basic maneuvers in a short span of time."

"It's a kid," says one of my generals dumbfoundedly. "It's a little, really powerful kid. I mean, can it even handle the heat of battle? It seems to have the mentality of a ten-year-old! How do we know it wouldn't just burst into tears at the first sign of danger? There's a reason soldiers are adults!"

"If Gerald created this thing as a weapon, I'm sure it has strong nerve," muses another general. "Remember, this thing is also known as the 'Ultimate Bioweapon,' and Professor Robotnik took his titles seriously. I'm willing to bet it has a pretty ferocious personality when cornered."

"Agreed," nods the same weapons expert, "it was quite stoic when facing a potential death sentence."

"Stoic?! It was shaking!" The first general shakes his head, putting a fist on the table. "It might take years before we can steel its nerves enough to stand up in a fight against Eggman."

"No," I interrupt, shaking my head once. "This creature will fight without fear, have no doubt. We just need to scare it until it becomes angry, have it overcome its apprehensions about fighting. Then it will cast aside its mortal fear."

"Scare it?" Asks a skeptical captain. "Isn't that a double-edged sword? It might end up too fearful to overcome whatever obstacle we present it with."

"Project: Shadow has a young demeanor, but it has the will to survive. It fought back when it was captured, and only became docile when it realized escape was a futile endeavor. If we can corner it, present it with a real threat, it will become angry at its own helplessness and fight back, showing us its true potential. Besides that," I say, addressing the room at large, "it's prideful. When Topaz comforted it when it was afraid of being disposed of, it became angry. That hardness is what we want to see from it all of the time. Pride and anger are the key to doing away with its childlike personality, be assured. Experience in battle will also help."

"A worthy sentiment, and not a bad idea," nods another general. "But, what can we use to scare it into anger? We can't afford to lose it, and we only get one shot to do this properly."

"I recently got a request from the robotic weapons department for a testing session for one of the new Robotnik-counteracting prototypes. I think Project: Shadow would prove a worthy sparring partner for it. I also have a hunch it would greatly dislike losing to a robot; I think we can count on it fighting harder than it would against a simulator."

"That's a nifty plan, and the reasoning seems sound," smiles the first general. "I look forward to having myself proven wrong, in this case.

"But, I have a question. It is proper to refer to Project: Shadow as an 'it,' or as a 'he'? Topaz refers to Codename: Shadow as a 'he,' and I've started wondering. It's not physically male, right?"