Audio book contains actors (real people!) for the characters. Listen to it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-kErg5pm_XQ

Shadow was prepared for anything at this point. The robot made the doors of the elevator close and sent the elevator upwards. It seemed to take a while for the elevator to get to the top floor but at least there was one part of the trip here in Metropolis that was quiet. Not even the robot operating the elevator made a sound, eerily enough. It didn’t seem to care that an organic creature was here. It did not even look in Shadow’s direction.

Shadow was feeling on edge. Eggman was incompetent at times, but the man wasn’t stupid, nor would he simply allow Shadow to just do whatever he wanted in his own city. Something big was going on. “(This was too easy…)” Shadow whispered to himself with suspicion in his tone.

When the elevator came to a stop, the door slid open and Shadow stepped into the room. The only source of armament on him that one could see was a heavy looking metal pipe. The look on his face was one of dark suspicion as he surveyed this new area.

The elevator door remained open and it didn’t make any moves to go back down. Was the robot waiting for Shadow to return?

Unlike the first floor Shadow was on, which had hallways and multiple rooms, this was one giant room. It had many support beams to hold up the ceiling. There were computers all around the room like the first floor, but this time they had monitors accompanying them. They showed images of various parts of Metropolis and the news channel was tuned in to one of them. Shadow didn’t pay any attention to the news monitor. It probably was about either some petty robbery or Sonic saving a cat from a tree, or so how Shadow viewed the news.

In the middle of the room sat a large bureau. A chair was behind it but with its back turned to Shadow. No doubt Eggman was there. The tips of his signature wide mustache stuck out from either side of the chair.

Shadow started to approach the chair cautiously. He glanced over the monitors surrounding them as he continued forward then shifted his focus to the chair. Eggman always had tricks up his sleeve. Shadow was well aware of this. He wouldn't be surprised if various flying sentry robots were about to come in to spray the area. Shadow decided to play it coy and not attack yet. When he was several steps from the front of the bureau, Shadow stopped and looked around one last time.

Eggman’s unmistakable middle-aged voice rose from the chair. "About time you got here,” he teased.

The chair turned around. Dr Eggman was leaning back in his roller chair, one leg propped over top of the other, hands greedily clasping one another. He smiled through that enormous mustache of his, "Are your extra activities getting in the way?"

Shadow didn’t even flinch as Eggman attempted to antagonize him. It was to be expected that the man knew exactly where Shadow had been through his whole trek throughout the city. Shadow’s posture began to shift, slinging the heavy pipe over the other shoulder as he stood sideways. His other hand extended to point at Eggman, "You know what I’m here for... Where is she?"

Surprisingly, Shadow was being somewhat patient. He wasn’t ripping things apart or attacking Eggman yet. If there was something Shadow wanted, he would just take it. But this was different. Extra care was needed.

Dr Eggman couldn’t resist egging on anyone that opposed him. This was especially true when he thought he had the upper hand. "Ooooooo, my my... So hasty... Just like your blue friend."

It annoyed Shadow greatly to be compared to, or even be confused as, Sonic. Eggman knew this, as he was the first of many to make the mistake. It was tiresome and Shadow was emotionally done with it. Under normal circumstances, Shadow would get snappy about it but there was a grave more important thing at stake than pride.

The last thing Shadow knew that had happened to Maria was that she took a bullet for him and had presumably died in front of his eyes just as his pod was launched to Earth. Then with the news report earlier stating how the girl was bearing a bullet wound... Who else could it have been? Doubtful Eggman exercised any gentleness while dragging her down here. Eggman had no care for any of the lives he was putting in danger. He only cared about himself. Selfish man.

"Cut the shit and start talking. You think your pitiful army will protect you from me?" Shadow began to walk forwards to the bureau with confident strides. He had moments when he had let his arrogance and self-assurance of his abilities get the better of him, especially when he wanted something. And Maria was that something. He closed the distance from twenty feet to five. His expression started contorting to a glare as his right hand tightened its grip on the pipe.

Eggman showed no signs of faltering under any intimidation being made by Shadow. The dark one was a major threat that Eggman was leery of but this time, his plan was a juicy one. There was an ace up his sleeve. His nasty smile grew wider and his hands moved to resting on the arm rests of his chair. His chair creaked as he unfolded his legs, setting both feet on the floor. Eggman continued with his own odd patience, "You better slow down there and watch your step, Shadow. You do want her to live, don’t you? Her fragile life hangs in the balance as it is."

That hit an undertone with Shadow. His teeth gritted with a slight growl. He wasn’t about to admit defeat, but he wasn’t about to endanger Maria’s life either. "...Fine..."

Eggman grinned at seeing the shift in Shadow’s posture, "That’s better."

Eggman rose from his chair. It made an awful, loud creek noise as he stood. He put both of his hands behind his back and walked to the side of his bureau. Then he leaned forward towards Shadow, "I know you won’t go running around for me anymore, but I do need the Chaos Emeralds nonetheless. Why don’t you give me a nice boost in my quest by surrendering yours?"

Under his jacket, Shadow had the red Chaos Emerald clipped to a belt loop on his pants by a chain he attached to the gem. He couldn’t just let Eggman have it. The red Chaos Emerald was very special to him sentimentally. Shadow even got edgy when Sonic acknowledged its presence. But since it was chained to the belt loop on his hip and being that his jacket was long enough to reach that far, perhaps Eggman was unaware of the Chaos Emerald’s presence. Maybe he was just assuming that Shadow had one?

"...I don't know what you're talking about."

Shadow spoke in his usual cold tone and retained a poker face. Things have suddenly turned into a dangerous gamble as he mentally ran through the possibilities. All in all, he knew that the likelihood of Eggman living up to his word was almost non-existent. Passing over his Chaos Emerald would just seal both his and Maria’s fates. Eggman could easily keep her hidden and just let her decline. It was decided that passing over the emerald was a last resort. His crimson eyes did not stir from Eggman’s mirror shades as if to denote that he was telling the truth.

"Come now, Shadow. I know you better than that. You always have a Chaos Emerald with you. You give me the one you have, and I’ll let you have the girl,” Eggman held out his hand like he expected Shadow to plop the emerald in his palm.

Odd that even though Maria was his cousin, Eggman didn’t seem to want to speak her name. What was that about?

Shadow’s expression changed slightly, as if he were deciding. Turning his gaze elsewhere, Shadow tried to make it seem as if he was thinking hard when, in actuality, he was trying to spot any important security camera feeds along the computer monitors. Any hint as to where Maria could be? Unfortunately, none of the monitors gave any indication of her location. Wherever Eggman had Maria, it seemed he had her hidden well.

Eggman wanted this quick. He had several new plans he wanted to get underway as soon as possible. There was a blue arch nemesis he had to get rid of, after all. Eggman grinned, "Better hurry, Shadow. A girl’s body can only handle so much before it gives up."

"I want some assurance," Shadow stated as he cocked his head slightly to one side, looking back to Eggman, "Show her to me. How do I know you haven’t killed her yet?"

After saying that, Shadow expression darkened as his mind subconsciously formulated an image of Maria’s dead body. A fang was beginning to show as his inadvertent, self-induced anger was bubbling up from the thought.

Eggman straightened himself, mocking an offended look while placing a hand over his chest, "Why, Shadow, I’m surprised that you would think so lowly of me that I would actually kill my own cousin..."

Then his malicious smirk returned to this face, "Besides, how do I know you won’t scoop her up and take off without leaving me at least one Chaos Emerald?"

Scooping her up and take off? From the sounds of it, Maria may not be too far away from their current position. But looking around the room, she was nowhere in sight. All Shadow could see were monitors and solid walls.

"Then we’re at an understanding. Now reveal her,” Shadow crossed his arms, cocking his head. It didn’t seem as if Shadow was going to budge from his decision, as both were in differing positions. Both men had a lot to lose in this exchange.

Eggman sighed and shrugged his shoulders. Then his fingertip ran along the surface of his bureau in random motions in a lazy fashion, "Well then, I guess if you don’t really want her, I can just deposit her with the rest of the trash and move on..."

He really didn’t care about her at all, did he? This should have been evident when he invaded the Space Colony Ark, unfroze her in a dirty place and spent zero medical attention to her. Now he was talking of throwing her away in the trash like a used cheeseburger wrapper? Pride and sentiment was one thing, but this had gone too far. Shadow knew Eggman front and back at this point and the man wasn’t about to keep Maria safe if it didn’t get him anywhere. Shadow visibly reacted as his expression contorted to a look of silent rage, teeth openly gritted as he reeled back, almost as if he was about to strike Eggman.

"Fine, you heartless leech," he hissed.

Eyes narrowing, Shadow’s other hand went down and ripped the chain from his belt loop with ease. The Chaos Emerald was very important, but on the scale of priorities in Shadow’s life, Maria vastly outweighed it. Raising it, he held the bright gem by the attached chain in front of Eggman, "This is obviously all you care about. Show me she’s alive…and I’ll give you this."

Shadow wasn’t about to forgive Eggman for his apathy towards his own cousin but what else could he do at this point? He had to save Maria while there was still a chance.

Eggman wanted the Chaos Emerald pretty bad. The would-be tyrant took a moment to ponder over why the red Chaos Emerald had a chain attached to it and how it could have been accomplished. But he quickly dismissed the idea and put his fist to his mouth, clearing his throat. Then he placed his hands behind his back, allowing himself to stand straight, "Tell you what... Why don’t you just lay the Chaos Emerald on my desk here. Neither of us will be touching it. Then I’ll bring her out and you two can scamper off into the night," Eggman walked two fingers and flicked his hand to illustrate.

Shadow just stood there for a few seconds in silence. Then his hand reeled back. He suddenly tossed the Chaos Emerald in the direction of the desk, not caring whether it landed on the desk or not.

The small, powerful gem bounced on the metal slab of the bureau and fell off, landing on the floor. There were a few metallic sounds, followed by soft jingling of the attached chain that echoed in the otherwise silent room. Shadow never removed his glare from Eggman as the Chaos Emerald went about its journey.

"Release her,” Shadow’s deep voice rolled out coldly.

As well as Shadow knew Eggman, Eggman knew Shadow. The dark one was very temperamental. Crossing him had to be done very, very carefully. If Eggman wanted to be alive in the next five minutes, it was wise to keep his end of the bargain. Besides, he got what he wanted. The girl was of no more use to him at this point. Eggman smirked, "A deal is a deal..."

Dr. Eggman turned to his bureau and flipped a switch that was on the opposite side of the desk, where the chair was positioned. The sound of something heavy slowly rubbing against the wall followed. To the side, a wall panel rose.

On the floor behind this opening, was Maria. She was lifeless and bloodied. But wait. She was only shot once on the Ark. Where did these other injuries come from? Eggman and his robots were not really known for any gentle handling so maybe they were the cause? Or did those GUN soldiers do more to her after Shadow’s pod was shot from the space station? Otherwise, she was still in one piece. Even her headband was in place as it was when Shadow had last seen her over fifty years ago.

Shadow was about to run forwards to her. However, seeing her like this caused something to rumble within him. For a moment, Shadow stood there motionless as he stared at the blonde-haired girl lying helplessly on the floor. Memories of their last interaction replayed in his mind for what had to be the millionth time. He was trapped within the escape pod as Maria tried to encourage him to go on without her and protect the people of Earth. The soldiers broke through the locked door and aimed their rifles at Maria’s back.

Then Shadow suddenly turned towards Dr. Eggman and raised the pipe. Being physically strong and fast, Shadow swung the pipe from side to side twice. A growl escaped Shadow, "Drop dead, doctor!"

A faint hiss from his mouth as Shadow executed his attack, making sure Eggman would be properly stunned before he made any other move. Eggman wasn’t one who fought his own battles. He always had a machine to do it for him. So, the middle-aged man wasn’t much for the young adult-bodied Shadow. Subduing the man would also prevent him from summoning his robots to attack. Dr. Eggman went down easily and tumbled onto the floor. It was a surprise for Eggman as he didn’t expect Shadow to turn on him so quickly. He was banking on Shadow being too distracted by Maria to make any aggressive moves against him.

Shadow let go of the pipe. It clattered to the floor and was already spent as an effective weapon. He rushed towards the open doorway.

"Maria-!" Shadow exclaimed as he dropped to his knees on the floor beside his friend. Mentally, Shadow made the note on the way out to reclaim the Chaos Emerald. Eggman doesn’t deserve it.

Shadow’s arms carefully and gently reached around Maria. His right hand under her head as he slowly began to lift her up from the cold, metal floor. The expression on his face softened from its normally harsh form. She was alive but barely. The only one he truly cared for was alive. His life suddenly didn’t seem so hollow to him anymore. Shadow closed his eyes and brought their heads together. “(You’re here… You’re actually here…)” he whispered as he battled his emotions, his chest rising then falling as he took a deep breath in attempt to regain control of himself. Now wasn’t the time. He needed to focus on removing her from the present situation. Her delicate health depended on it. Losing his emotions right now would not help anyone.

Maria’s body was completely limp in Shadow’s arms. She was very weak. Not only were there injuries and blood loss but then there was her condition, NIDS. She was unprotected and who knew what Eggman drug her through before he brought her here into this polluted, unsanitary city of his. It was a miracle that the man didn’t get sick from his own filth.

Shadow took in a deep, shaky breath. He wanted to help her any way he could but there just wasn’t anything he could do right now. Plus, Eggman would likely summon his entire army on red alert when he’d come to for his outburst and Shadow didn’t want Maria in the crossfire. He carefully slung her over his left shoulder for now, handling her like precious cargo.

On the way out, Shadow knelt, scooped up his crimson Chaos Emerald and swiftly packed it away into a pants pocket. Nearing the elevator, he quickly stepped in and turned around, waiting to go down.

As the elevator-operating robot was getting the elevator doors to slide shut, Shadow could see that Eggman was starting to lift himself up from the floor. Just as the doors closed, the muffled sounds of Eggman cursing Shadow could be heard. The elevator then descended the height of the building, heading straight for the bottom floor. The corners of Shadow’s mouth curled back in a small, temporary smile as he heard Dr. Eggman’s screams.

Victory.

The elevator came to a full stop on the bottom floor and the robot opened the doors for Shadow to leave. The moment Shadow stepped out of the elevator, the alarm went off. It was a very loud, shrill scream and there were many of these deafening alarms all around the city. No doubt the robots in Metropolis were about to begin their pursuit on the pair.

Shadow wasn’t going to wait around to see what would happen. He busted out the nearest doors to him and ran out into the streets. A few sentries caught sight of him running down along the highway.

As more and more robotic guards poured into the streets, Shadow started to throw Chaos Spears behind and in front of him. Carefully maneuvering himself through the smoke from the explosions, Shadow ran along the back alleys. Those energy attacks kept the robots off his back so that he wouldn’t waste time fighting them. As long as he had a clear path, Shadow was going to just barrel through.

As he made his way to the city limits, Shadow ran off into the darkness. He never looked back.
Luckily for the pair, the robots did not leave Metropolis. Their mission was to get rid of whatever intruders that came into the city. As far as their programming was concerned, they accomplished their job. The robots returned to resume their guard duty.

The firefights and bullets that had broken out were too much of a danger for them, Shadow had to admit. The adrenaline still pulsed through his veins as he ran with Maria safely over his shoulder. His arms secured her in place so that she wouldn’t fall.

He wasn’t a doctor so what he could do was limited. Shadow’s knowledge of biology was focused on knowing how to make the most efficient strikes, not to heal. Maria needed someone who had the proper training. The hospital was their next destination.

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