My vision blurs red as I rush at the bright blue hedgehog. I know how to kill, I tell myself, feeling electricity beneath my skin. I know how to handle this. The energy blazes into my left hand, forming a spear between my fingers. I don't know what I'm doing or how I'm doing it, but I just know what I have to do. The lady, Medusa, I think, gave me a chat that was half 'pep'-talk and half crash course in my powers. I had been informed that I was perfect, flawless, with limitless power. She called me The Ultimate Lifeform, and told me if I ever failed them I would have done to me whatever I didn't have the capacity to do to my target. Today will not be the day I die, so I will have to kill this azure fur-ball and his friends instead, even though something inside me tells me I don't want to... My hand whips out, flinging the energy at him. His eyes widen as he leaps backwards, startled, and I vanish, reappearing by his fire-red friend's side. I whip out my claws, sparking red with power, and slash the side of his head, drawing spatters of blood. In a flash, I stand stiffly in front of all of them again, ears twitching.

The red echidna yelps in pain, clapping a hand to the side of his face; at the same time, the ocean-furred hedgehog flips over backwards, landing a bit unsteadily, and my spear shoots harmlessly past him. "Shadow, stop it!" The white bat screams, and I tilt my head, sliding my gaze over to her. "Shadow, don't you recognize me?!" She's howling at me now, so very loud and frightening. "It's me, Rouge!"

The name sparks like electricity in my brain, and I pause, static snapping at my fingertips. "Rouge...?" I feel my eyes widen a little, and my sight blurs slightly, the red fading. My vision un-focuses, and my irises slide about uncontrollably, anxiety seizing me. "I know," I begin, looking all around me, "I know you..." I know that name, I know her, but from where? Furrowing my brow, I try to think, and realization flashes through me. "Didn't you die...?" I mumble, my flighty gaze resting on her eyes, and fear blazes through me again. Her eyes aren't right--she wasn't the one who died. "No, that was another girl," tipping my head to one side, I feel my cheeks spread in a vacant grin. Oh. Now I remember... Her eyes flicker with fear, and she steps back, looking horrified. Heather... "That was my fault too, wasn't it?" I pause, my gaze sharpening again as a giggle bubbles up from the pit of my stomach, slipping past my lips as easily as the blood had a mere few hours ago; I slump over, bent double, staring down at my feet as despair and fear wrap around my head. "Yes, I caused that," I whisper dully, tears brimming at the edge of my eyes; they dry as quickly as they begin, and mirth writhes through me again as I slowly, stiffly wrench myself back into a more upright standing position. "All my fault~!"

"What are you talking about?" She whispers with a shudder.

"It's a shame, you know?" I feel myself tilt unsteadily to one side, and I blink innocently at her. "You remind me of her a little, but now I have to kill you toooooo!" I sing, feeling myself slipping out of control. This was the deal I made, I remember, this is what the monster must have meant. His turn. A peculiar sensation strikes me; I feel like black, clawed hands have taken a hold of my soul, gripping it tightly, pulling it out of me. Time for me to go. "No hard feelings, though," abruptly, I straighten up, eyes glittering, but it isn't me anymore, "right?" I vanish, reappearing mere seconds later with my hands around her throat. She gasps, partly in fear and partly from the sudden pressure on her windpipe. "I wouldn't want this to, you know, come between us," someone croons--I think it's me, or my body at least. I'm not in control anymore, someone else is doing everything for me. "Our relationship is something unique, you knooooowww?" Behind me I hear air moving, and I flick my eyes over to see the blue hedgehog curling up into a ball, whizzing at me. I drop the bat, disappearing, and he whips harmlessly through the air.

Sonic snarls, annoyed. "Coward!" Straightening up, he whirls about while Rouge rubs her neck, looking dead inside. "Come out and fight me!" I smirk, reappearing right behind him; before any of them can even react, I lift my right arm, my hands clasped together, and slam my elbow into the back of his neck. He coughs, falling forward, and I follow up by twisting and delivering an lefthanded open-palmed strike to the back of his head, crashing him to the ground.

"Too bad I have to kill you," I hiss, lifting my foot high into the air, "but it's you or me!" Bringing it down heel-first, I smash his face into the plastic, cracking and splintering its smooth white surface. Blood spurts from his now-broken nose as well as several cuts in his face, and my stomach lurches. I don't want to hurt him. I don't want to hurt anyone. I never wanted this, but I can't stop myself. I'm not in control. "I don't know how to deal with being dead," I hear myself snarl as I press down further, gathering energy in my foot, "so I won't die." No, please don't! You're going too far! The energy surges through my calves, slamming his face even further down, but before I can kill him the red echidna tackles me angrily. Thank god, thank god, I breathe inwardly. This isn't what I wanted! I was scared of everything before, but now I'm just scared these people will die! I can't be a murderer!

He shoves me to the ground roughly, crushing me beneath his bulk, and punching me repeatedly in the face. The harsh claws protruding from his fists bite into my skin, and each jolt of pain searing through my skull seems to remind me of something. "St-Stop," I cough, and with a jolt I remember his name. Now is my chance--I can tell them I'm not in control! "Knuckles!" I gasp, twisting to avoid getting my teeth punched in. "It isn't me!" He freezes mid-punch, looking stunned, and my crimson eyes meet his violet ones. "I'm not--" I start, but I'm cut off when agony stabs through me, originating from the collar around my neck. I feel myself losing control, despite my struggling, and as a final act of defiance, I fling my head backwards. Stars shoot across my vision as I feel the plastic crack and shatter, driving small shards into my skull. When my eyes open again, my vision is red-tinted again, and a sense of hopelessness swamps me. I did this, I realize, and if I were in control I know tears would be brewing at the corner of my eyes. I screwed up. This is all my fault! I cry out, feeling trapped in my own head, watching through my eyes as the monster lifts my arm, unsheathing my claws. No! Don't hurt them, please! Hurt me instead! Hurt me instead! Behind Knuckles I can see Tails holding his tablet, looking puzzled by something, and the demon notes my interest in his device. It uses my arms to throw Knuckles off harshly, murderous intent in its soul. No, please! Don't do this! I howl at it, but my screams don't even reach my own ears. The demon grins with my mouth, pinning the red echidna to the ground with my hands, but thankfully before he can do anything the azure hedgehog kicks me in the side. I sense my ribs cracking beneath the metal of his shoes, and again when my body collides with the wall. I cough, blood spurting from my mouth, but instead of the deep crimson I'm used to, I hack out a deep purplish black color that burns the back of my throat. Oh, God, what is that?! I scream internally as the monster lifts my head slightly, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, trying and failing to get up.

"Sonic!" Tails calls out, "Aim for the collar! I think that's what's controlling him!" His sapphire friend nods, eyes not leaving me for a second as he helps the ruby echidna to his feet. I'm lying on my side, having slid down the wall promptly after hitting it. The demon uses my arms to roll me over onto my stomach, hefting my body unsteadily to its feet. Agony races through me, but I feel the red energy inside of me rapidly repairing my broken and shattered ribcage. Somehow, that frightens me more than the prospect of dying out here--I shouldn't be able to heal so quickly. The more pain I endure, the more of my life comes back in distracting flashes, and I know that the last time I was hurt this badly it took months to heal. Now it's taking mere seconds, and as I hear my bones crunching themselves back into place, I horrifiedly wonder, what am I now?

"You know," the monster purrs in my voice, lurching forward a bit, cheshire grin plastered on my face, "I failed to kill you once, but I won't do so again. Are you sure you want to gamble with your life?"

Confusion flickers across Sonic's face, but then recognition replaces it. That night in the alley, I realize, fear thudding in my chest. The monster knows of that too? How long has this being been inside me? "You didn't kill me then because you couldn't." He answers confidently. "Because he couldn't--the real Shadow couldn't kill me. He has a heart, and he won't kill."

Hyena laughter takes hold of the monster, and I shudder with terror at it. "Oh? Is that what you think?" Panic spears me. No! Don't tell him! Don't say it! "Do you really believe your blood would be the first blood to stain his hands?" I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to will this away. This isn't happening--I never told anyone about who I killed! Never! Not even Scourge...and now... Sonic's eyes widen, and I feel shock sparking from him like static. "Don't flatter yourself. You're only alive due to a moment of weakness, a freak accident. See, those are two words that describe Shadow in his entirety," the demon giggles, not even bothering to pretend to be me. "Freak. Accident." A sneer of disgust disfigures my face as my body vanishes, only to reappear beside the orange fox; the monster lifts my arm high above my head, fingers spread and claws unsheathed, preparing to slice Tails to pieces. No!

"You must really not be Shadow," the kitsune growls as he twists the screen of his tablet, flashing the blindingly sharp white light of the sun right in my eyes, "because he wouldn't fall for this twice." Both the monster and I cry out in pain, eyes on fire, unable to see anything but the bright light; it stumbles, slashing haphazardly, and I feel my fingers slice across fluffy fur, but I don't feel blood bubbling up beneath them, thankfully. The demon roars, teleporting onto the roof to pause and rub my eyes. Somehow, I feel oddly proud of the witty kitsune, outsmarting this monster.

"Dammit," it snarls, "how did he--" Before it can finish, something slams roughly into the back of my head; I don't even need to open my eyes to know it's Rouge. Her iconic kick is something I won't soon forget, that's for sure. Vertigo seizes me--the demon must have foolishly teleported to the edge of the roof, and the pain blazing through my skull makes concentration difficult for it. I seize my opportunity, blocking off its access to the Emerald's powers in my veins so that it can't teleport my body. The last thing I can remember is pain cracking through my skull as I hit the plastic-clad metal roof, far below, before the world goes black.

-------------------

"How dare you!" I rage, advancing on the wounded and bleeding demon. It sneers up at me, still grinning that psychotic, murderous smile. "You used me! You filthy bast--"

"That's hardly any way to talk to your savior," it snarls, licking dark blood off its cheek. "Don't act like you didn't know what you were getting into. You knew damn well my intentions."

"Shut up!" I scream, fury blurring my vision. "SHUT! UP! Shut the hell up!" I grab the monster by its throat, startling it. For once, I'm not the frightened one. "You said you could take the fear away! And at the time, I didn't remember everything else," I tighten my grip and it chokes. "You took advantage of me!" Unsheathing my claws, I dig into the demon's skin; instead of blood, black smoke wafts up from the wounds. "I want you gone!"

"People don't always get what they want," it coughs out haltingly, struggling in my grip. "You should know that better than anyone." It smirks at me, and I howl in rage, throwing the monster with all of my might. It crashes into the ground, blood spilling from its wounds.

"Get out of my head," I hiss, striding forward. To my surprise, its eyes widen, and it backs up slightly, shuffling across the darkness that I assume is the floor. "Get out of my head!" Kicking it like a soccer ball, I send the false-me flying. "Get out! Get out! Get out!" It slams against something, then falls to the floor--I can hear it, hear its panting as it struggles to lift its head, hear the groan it emits as it sinks to the ground. I stalk towards it, grinning madly. "This is the end, you foul monster. This is the end for you." Slowly, the haze parts, and it comes into view, slumped on its side in front of a door. The door. I know what this door means.

"P-Please," it moans, but I snarl viciously and it cuts off, eyes wide with fear.

"You're going. That's final." I reach for the doorknob.

"You won't get rid of me that easily," it spits. "I will always be here."

"Out of sight," I reply coldly, opening the door. "Out of mind." With one last kick, I send it sailing into a dark void, slamming and locking the door behind it. The doorknob almost immediately begins to rattle, and I grab onto it, holding it steady. Heavy breathing echoes from the other side, but I grit my teeth and ignore it. Eventually, the struggling ceases, and I step back gingerly, trying to move silently. After a few minutes, I feel safe enough to walk backwards, and within no time the darkness has swallowed the door again. "Out of sight," I sigh, turning away. "Out of mind."

-----------------

It grins at the closed door as blood oozes from its wounds, drifting away into the gravity-less void. A giggle slithers past its jagged teeth, then another, intensifying and gathering into a wicked laugh rivaling Robotnik's. It lifts its hands, placing them on the wooden door gently, palms flattened to the dark brown surface. "You can lock the doors all you want," it whispers, "You can turn your back and pretend that this is the end, but locking a door doesn't stop me." It presses its face up against the door, crooning sweetly, "Once opened, these sorts of doors don't seem to like to close again, not fully. And besides," the smile widens horrifically, stretching its face as its eyes flash violet. "I have the key."

-----------------

"Shadow?" I hear Rouge's voice echoing in my ears, sounding far-off and echoey. My head thrums with pain, originating from my forehead, and I groan involuntarily. "Shadow, can you hear me?" Focus, Shadow, I tell myself, grimacing as I try to block out the pain. Her voice comes into sharper focus; I can hear the subtle roar of an engine in the background--an airplane engine, I think--and I hear the sounds of people bustling. Am I moving? Air streams across my fur, gently buffeting my hair. Beneath me, I feel a slightly hard mattress, with a sheet draped across it, but thankfully not across me; much to my embarrassment, however, I still don't have any gloves or shoes--not even socks. I feel terribly naked.

"Hey, he's making a face," Sonic comments, annoying as ever. "Does that mean he's okay now?"

"I dunno," Rouge answers, sounding worried. "Shadow, can you speak?" She's leaning close to me--I can tell by the fact that her perfume is clouding my senses, yet again. "Are you awake?"

"Unfortunately," I cough, finally finding my voice. I force my eyes open, blinking as Rouge's azure-and-emerald eyes come into focus. Light glows across her face, from my left, and behind her I see a steel ceiling. For a moment, I'm confused--somehow, I'm lying down on something, yet her face is practically inches in front of mine. With a start, I realize she is, in fact, on top of me--her wings are causing the current of air buffeting my fur. "What are you doing?" I ask flatly, trying to keep myself from blushing.

"I was worried about you!" She protests, flapping her wings a bit harder, pulling back. "So I hopped up here for a better vantage point!" Landing elegantly, she crosses her arms and pouts at me as I sit up quickly. "You could at least be grateful that I even care after you choked me like that!"

Her words spear through me, bringing me fully into this reality, the memories of what happened mere hours ago crashing back into my head. Her posture immediately drops as she sees my eyes widen, guilt flashing across them. I open my mouth to apologize, but before I can, Sonic interrupts, "Yeah, Shadster, what happened?"

My hand flies to my neck before I can stop it, but much to my relief there's nothing there. Tails notices my action and smiles kindly at me. "Once you fell from the roof, we took it off of you," he explains gently. "What we all want to know is how Robotnik got it onto you in the first place."

I bristle, slipping off the bed onto the cold floor. "That's unimportant," I snap, ignoring the dizziness in my head. Standing still, I take silent deep breaths, attempting the clear my head. Crossing my arms, I glare Tails down as the kitsune opens his mouth; wisely, he closes it again, looking nervous.

"Shadow," Rouge says gently, placing one electrifyingly cool gloved hand on my shoulder. "You need to sit back down," she gently pushes me, and I find my already-unsteady stance even more threatened, but I stand fast. Annoyance flickers across her eyes. "I said, sit down."

"No," I snip defiantly. "I'm fine." I try to push her arm off of me, but she instead grabs my shoulders with both hands and shoves me roughly back down onto the bed, drawing a startled yip from me.

Grinning, she leans over me with a wink. "Isn't this interesting?" She chirps, and I feel heat rising in my face. "I think I like seeing you from this angle." Fire blazes across my cheeks as she purrs the last bit in a perverse tone.

"Get off me!" I protest, irritated, and she grudgingly obliges; I wouldn't dare shove her, but I'm grateful that she thinks I will. I sit up, brushing my shoulders off and feigning indignation to mask my nervousness. What the hell was that? Why would she say something like that? It's creepy! "How did I get here, anyways?" I grumble, crossing my arms again.

"We brought you in," Knuckles snaps in a confrontational tone. "So the least you can do is tell us what happened!"

My hackles rise and I give him a scathing glower, eyes narrowed; to my surprise, crimson flickers at the edge of my vision again. "I don't owe you anything," I hiss, and he flinches, looking like he's seen a ghost. "I didn't ask you to bring me here. You did that of your own volition and you will not curry my favor by it." Averting my gaze, I sneer as if this doesn't mean anything to me, even though I feel eternally grateful for what they've done; if this incident has proved anything to me, it's that I can't be around people. I can't have people close to me, or I might hurt them. So I have to do this--have to keep people at bay. After all, who wants to be friends with a jerk?

Rouge in particular looks affronted by this, but before she can say anything Sonic jumps down my throat. "Excuse me? We helped you out, Shadster--doesn't that mean anything?" Self-righteousness bleeds off his every word, and I feel my fingers clench in disgust. You don't know anything, you naïve fool. You have no idea...

I curl my lip at him, glaring over my shoulder. "Don't call me that." The only two people allowed to give me nicknames are Scourge and Rouge. "You know my name," I snort, crossing my legs as well. Having no gloves or shoes is an incredibly weird feeling--I was so used to wearing them, and now that my hands and feet are exposed, I just want to hide them. I even miss my hoodie, but with a pang I remember Robotnik still has it. I have to get that back.

"Sure, Shadster," he grins at me and my fur bristles. Cheeky little-- "The question still stands, though--how did Robotnik get control of you like that?" His disgustingly cheerful demeanor fades, replaced by a worry-filled seriousness. I flick an ear, trying to sort what happened into a coherent statement, but unfortunately I can't.

"I," biting my lip, I lower my head, "I don't really know, honestly." It unnerves me to admit a weakness like that, so I immediately amend, "I think he managed to wipe my memories for a short while."

Tails nods. "The collar had neurotransmitters enhanced by Chaos energy to work without even touching your skull," he explains, and I glance over at him, puzzled. "They worked through the Chaos energy in you, although..." He trails off, scratching his head. "I'm not sure how you got that much Chaos power, nor how it's staying in you."

"Wh-What?" I choke before I can stop myself, horrified. "You mean, it didn't dissipate?"

The orange fox shakes his head solemnly, blue eyes wide. "I don't know how, but Robotnik managed to imbue the Chaos powers in your blood."

"My blood?" I ask weakly, feeling lightheaded. I know my echoing must seem foolish, but I can just blame in the head injury. I think.

"Shadow, are you okay?" Rouge steps a bit closer, looking concerned. My stomach churns as I remember the needle with the dark fluid in it. Was that Chaos energy? No, it couldn't have been, because Robotnik was putting that in my system before this happened. So what was that? Was it something else entirely? My head starts to pound, and I grimace, rubbing my forehead with my left hand. "Maybe you should rest for a little while," the snowy bat murmurs gently.

I shake my head slightly. "I'm fine. I just," I hesitate.

"Shadow?" She leans a bit closer, trying to look me in the eyes.

"I didn't want to attack you guys," I mumble, feeling a bit embarrassed. I hate having to apologize, but this is all my fault, so an apology is certainly warranted. "It just--It wasn't--" I stop myself, thinking carefully, picking my words. What if they don't believe me? It's happened in the past. Anything I say can be refuted, denied, overwritten--I don't want another incident like those that happened years ago, when I tried to explain to Sonic that I wasn't working with Robotnik anymore. He didn't believe me then, what if he doesn't now, either?

"You don't have to apologize," she replies soothingly, gently rubbing my back. For once, I don't bristle at her touch, but I don't exactly relax into it either. "It wasn't really you, right, Tails?"

The fox nods reassuringly. "From what I can tell, this collar suppressed at least part of your neural activity. Robotnik was the one waging this fight, through Shadow."

"Seems like he gave you a few upgrades first, Shadster!" Sonic quips with a grin, and I flinch, feeling ill again. Oh. Now I remember. Horrific visions flash across my eyes as those memories come flooding back to me. I growl softly, and his smile falls into an awkward grimace as he blushes, rubbing the back of his neck. "Er, something tells me that was a bit tasteless," he mumbles sheepishly.

"You think?" I snap, cross; looking away, I try to suppress the memories. "It was agony." I stifle a shudder, forcing myself not to think of it. Rouge is the only one close enough to notice my subtle tremor, and she shoots a meaningful glance at Tails.

The kitsune's ears twitch; turning to his azure friend, he tugs on the hedgehog's arm. "Hey, c'mon, let's let him rest!" Confusion flickers across Sonic's face as he glances at me, but I refuse to acknowledging his gaze, glaring at the floor. This conversation is over.

He deflates slightly, picking up on my silent cues. "Yeah, okay," he grumbles, sauntering out of the room with his entourage in tow. I relax a bit as he walks off; I hadn't paid much attention before, but this 'room' only has 3 walls, open to the rest of the plane. People bustle about--G.U.N. employees--doing their jobs and such.

"What is this place?" I murmur, dazzled. Airplanes aren't usually so large.

"This is G.U.N.'s prototype helicarrier," Rouge answers proudly, sitting down next to me on the cot. "They decided to take it out for a test run to bring us all back planet-side. Once you were out of commission, Robotnik fled, as per usual, and we carried you back to our jet, then docked the jet in this beauty."

I nod. "I'm, uh, I'm grateful for the fact that you brought me back, by the way," I admit haltingly, avoiding her eyes.

She giggles. "You're too proud to say that in front of Sonic, huh?" She jokes, punching me in the arm gently. I let out a 'harrumph' and look away, blushing slightly. Don't make such a big deal out of it. Glaring at the floor, I let the silence between us stretch on; it isn't uncomfortable, though, more of a calm, relaxed silence. I let my mind wander, feeling like I've forgotten something. I left something behind, something more than my jacket, or my sanity. I suppress a snort. If only I talked more--I'm really quite funny. At least to me I am. But really, what am I forgetting? Biting my lip, I ignore the pain in my head, trying to focus. After a second, it flashes into my head.

"Scourge!" I blurt, startling Rouge enough that she almost falls off the bed, flailing her wings to keep balance. I whirl around, my frantic eyes meeting her confused ones as my fur bristles. "I left Scourge behind!"

"Relax, Shadow!" She places her hand on mine, trying to calm me down, "We found him near the blasted highway. He's being taken care of in one of G.U.N.'s hospitals." She smiles at me reassuringly, but I can tell from her eyes that she's wondering why on Earth I care.

"Good," I sigh, relieved, closing my eyes as I return to my previous position. "I'll have to go visit him."

She purses her lips. "Why would you do that?" Tipping her head to one side, her glittering eyes analyze me as I turn back to face her.

"He's my friend," I answer, my eyes meeting hers calmly.

One pristine white eyebrow quirks up and she smirks at me. "You and Scourge, friends? How did that happen?" She chuckles, not believing me.

I shrug. Wait, how did that happen? "I dunno, I guess it just kinda did," I answer evasively. "He was helping me finish what I started, y'know?" I add in a murmur, and understanding flashes across her eyes as she nods.

"Ah, I see." Sudden excitement seizes her. "Wait, did you actually--?" The white bat stops herself before she can say it aloud, eyes flicking about as if she's worried someone else will overhear.

Coldness strikes me, and I look away, sadness weighing on my shoulders. "No. I didn't. But it doesn't matter anymore."