"This is the place?" I ask, disbelieving. In front of us stands a tall, thin structure, dilapidated and falling apart, a winking light glittering at the top of it. The ocean's waves roar dully in the background as Rouge, Omega and I walk across the beach, sand crunching beneath us.

"An old lighthouse," Rouge muses aloud. "Weird, but alright." Turning around, she beams down at me. "C'mon, what're we waiting for?"

"Well, I can't speak for Omega, but I'm waiting for this to make sense," I answer dryly, giving the lighthouse a skeptical look.

"We have our orders," Omega answers tonelessly, trudging forward, "and that is all that matters." I frown, unnerved by his blind devotion. Somehow I seem to remember him having more...free will than he does now. Since when is he so absorbed by our orders that he doesn't even engage in regular team banter? My ears flick and I look down. Maybe that was fake too...

"I agree," I answer in an emotionless voice. Rouge raises an eyebrow, looking surprised, but before she can say anything I continue. "This mission will be easy for us, so we ought split up." I just want to get this over with, and quickly.

"I agree," She chirps musically. "I'm gonna go to the top of the lighthouse, working my way down--" turning to look at me as she walks, she instructs, "Shadow, you should start from the base of the lighthouse while Omega checks the actual house."

"Understood," I answer, stretching my arms out a bit. The car ride has left me cramped and bored, so a few stretches wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Affirmative," Omega adds, gears whirring as he adjusts his arms too, picking his weaponry.

Rouge beams at us as she starts to jog, flapping her wings vigorously to achieve flight. "Seeya later!" She cheers, zooming along, and I snort, shaking my head. How is she so cheerful all the time? Concentrating, I glower at the lighthouse, then will the Chaos Energy to my fingertips. Take me there, I command it, closing my eyes, and my ears pop as I feel the air pressure change. The ambient light of the afternoon sun vanishes, the scent and sound of the ocean water replaced by a musty smell and the slight groan of old hardwood floors settling. I open my eyes again, rapidly scanning the room around me; it's old, water-damaged, and sways ever so slightly by mere millimeters thanks to the height this tower possesses. Before me there is a rounded room, still leaking water from unknown places. The center is broken by a spiral staircase, winding its way up through a hole in the ceiling. I swipe glances to the left and right; save for a desk and a few bookcases, one of which has fallen over, leaking moldy papers onto the floor, the room is barren. Twisting about, I see the door behind me is still closed, the dark wood frame bolted haphazardly to the cheap drywall. Turning back around, I slide forward using my shoes' air-powered feature, moving silently as I can. Hmmh, I don't like this setup--I can't see what's coming while climbing that staircase. Pausing suddenly, I look straight up; I'm about halfway to the stairs, and it's just occurred to me that something here isn't right. The ceiling... Why would a lighthouse tower have multiple floors? I narrow my eyes, focusing on the seam between the walls and the ceiling. There--right at the edge of the ceiling, I see a poorly-done seal adjoining the two materials; the water is entering primarily from there. Ugh, whoever added this ceiling in has no idea how to build anything. Shaking my head, I start walking again. Incompetence...clearly these people aren't going to be a big deal to beat.

Sudden noise sounds from above, and I crane my neck upwards, widening my ears to catch more sound. A few floors above me, people are talking, panicked. My eyes widen. I know these voices, somehow. Who are they? Slithering forward, I grab onto the banister, digging my claws into it and hefting myself up the stairs. Peering up over the second floor, I prick my ears. Hm, this floor's empty, I monologue, turning about to inspect all 360 degrees of the room. The voices are louder, and I can hear what they say now, though only faintly.

"We have to get out of here," a feminine robotic voice cries, sounding oddly stressed. Another robot with emotion? That's not possible... Is it? I creep further up the stairs, delicately clawing my way along. If Omega exists, then maybe others like him do as well...

"I know, FallowFang," an agitated male robotic voice answers, and I flinch slightly, "but we can't--not yet! We have to know if the rumors are true--" FallowFang? I know that name... Oh my god. My eyes widen.

"Screw the rumors!" A commanding voice, not a robot, barks, snarling, "We have a mission, remember?" Mission? I carefully approach the third floor, curious. What are they talking about? And how are they even still alive, after all these years? A peculiar feeling flutters in my heart; it feels half like 'home' and half like hatred.

"True," the first voice, FallowFang, answers, "but we can't fulfill it if these agents kill us!" I pause at the top of the stairs, listening and waiting carefully. "How do we know he'll be here, anyways?"

There's a pause, and I strain my ears, trying to listen closely. What's happening? Why did they stop talking? "He already is," I hear the non-robotic one answer quietly, and I hear a smile in its voice. There's only one voice I know like that... I straighten up, adopting a stiff, proud posture, and step forward, turning off the air functions, letting my feet hit the floor. My shoes clack loudly against the wood stairs as I measure each step, keeping a perfect tempo. Crossing my arms behind my back, I lift my chin, ears pricked.

"Lightpaws," I purr quietly, stepping into light. "So good to see you again." FallowFang gasps; a large mechanical bird made of knifelike plates turns to face me, mouth wide open, and as my gaze travels across her I recall her name: Hyacinth. My other instructors, Fleetfoot and Strongarm, show no reaction, but Lightpaws's reaction is by far my favorite.

"Hey, kid." She addresses me with a soft smile. "It's been a while." Her attire is the same as always, but her tattered jeans are more like ragged capris now. Her hair is longer than before, the cowlick combed back now, and her fur is unkempt and matted; her eyes are dull, but they still glimmer with intelligence.

"So," I suck in a deep breath, feigning nonchalance as I let my eyes drift across them all, "you're the band of thieves I've heard so much about? Tch," I snort, lowering my head with a sneer, "pathetic." My eyes rove back to Lightpaws, and sadness pangs in my heart. "Going from Robotnik's top five to a mere conglomerate of rogues?"

"We've fallen on hard times," FallowFang answers smoothly, but I know her well enough to recognize when she's annoyed. "We're still the best, we just have...other things to attend to."

"Hmph," I huff, shaking my head.  I don't believe that for a second. "Of course you do."

"You've undergone much more of a transformation than us," Lightpaws answers pointedly, smirking. "Rags to riches and back to rags again, eh?"

Turning my attention to her, I raise an eyebrow. "And what does that mean?"

"You began dirt-poor," She answers, "living in a cave; in Robotnik's army, you were the best, but you, of course," a disgusted snarl disfigures her face, and I bristle, "you left that behind." Her tone turns sweet again as she grins at me. "Hear you traveled the world for a bit~. Is that true?"

I shrug, glancing away. "I wandered for a while..." Does she know about my family? I think so...but I can't let her know that I--huh? My gaze sharply flicks back to her as a peculiar feeling arises behind my eyes. An unusual kind of pressure is brewing in my skull, like something--no, someone--is trying to get in. My eyes narrow and I focus intently on her. The pressure abruptly decreases and her eyes widen. I have had enough of my mind being violated, I snarl at her, curling my lip, and she flinches. Stay out of my head, Lightpaws. Her eyes darken and a subtle smirk tugs at her lips.

"To think, our little boy would grow up to be a government agent," she sighs, feigning despair, the back of one hand on her forehead. "What a travesty!"

"Travesty?" I chuckle shortly. "Like hell it's a travesty. I don't know what kind of twisted ideals Robotnik poured into your head, but what I'm doing now..." A sudden urge seizes me, and I whirl to face her, head-on. To my surprise, we are face-to-face--she's my height, and it's more than a little unusual to have someone at my level. "I'm doing the right thing. I know that."

"Too bad you seem to be the only one who cares," She replies flippantly, and I flinch, surprised. "Why are you working with these people?" Her expression grows concerned, but it looks wrong on her face. False concern. "These people...they don't know you as we do." She gently places one paw on my shoulder, gazing deep into my eyes, and something stirs in my heart. In a flash, I'm back in our cave; she's patting me on the shoulder gently after a sparring match. "Good work, kiddo," Lightpaws says, smiling down at me softly, "you'll be something to be proud of in no time." As quickly as the memory surfaces, it vanishes, and I'm left blinking blankly into her eyes. She's aged, I realize, her face is more wrinkled, her eyes tired, her tail drooping. How old is she? "They can never understand what you went through, the choices you had to make... They will never love you, not like we do. They'll never trust you, and you know that." I look down, sadness washing over me. She's right... Thinking back to all the times during my travels that I had to hide from people, the abusive things they shouted at me--during that one year where I wandered the world alone, humanity was much less than kind to me--and my mind drifts even to Sonic's dislike of me. They will never trust me. No one will. "Come back to us," she whispers, and my head snaps up. Her green eyes glow with a motherly worry, and my own red eyes widen. "Come back to us, and everything will be okay."

"Wh--No!" I step back. "I left Robotnik for a reason--" squeezing my eyes shut, I grit my teeth, stopping myself from telling her what happened, "--there's no way I'm ever going back!"

"Oh, really?" She crosses her arms. "Just how much of your past do you think G.U.N. knows?" Tilting her head to one side, she smiles sinisterly, like the cat who ate the canary. "You've got oh-so-much to hide, you know. You're a killer by trade--it's what we raised you to be." Lightpaws steps forward, and I step back; the others in the room are deadly silent, immobile, watching the scene unfold. "There's no other way. If you hide what you've done, your sins will eat you alive..." She presses her face close to mine, dropping to a whisper. "I've seen your future, boy. The only place you'll ever belong is with us. You pass up this offer...and someday, this world will betray you." Her words flash through me. The world, betray me? Where have I heard that before... "Shadow, listen to me." Her hands rub my cheeks gently, them drop to my shoulders as she continues, "The G.U.N. people don't care about you. We still do. Do you remember? All the good times we had--we were a family. We still are!" Her face is mere inches from mine, dull green eyes suddenly glittering like emeralds. Something's off, though, and I can tell this scene is wrong, but I'm frozen to the spot, ensnared like a mouse caught gazing into a snake's eyes, but...her eyes glow with love for me, a motherly affection. Her paws are gentle and soft, caressing my shoulder carefully; I almost don't care about how peculiar and unnatural this seems to me. I just don't want this feeling to end. Her hands are warm and fuzzy, and she's emitting such a cozy aura... "We taught you everything you know," she purrs, and I gasp. Wait--I know what's going on here! Fear spears through my heart and I pull away from her, ripping her hands off my shoulders. The world darkens slightly, my perception of reality changing; her gentle paws are rough against my skin, and I realize she's been digging her claws deeply into my arms. Anger blazes and my eyes glimmer red; whirling around, I turn my back to her, hands clenched in fists. How dare she do this... How dare she toy with my emotions this way! Playing on my--my past--I--! Hot tears brew at the edge of my vision, and I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking my head roughly. Manipulative BITCH! Hatred blazes behind my eyes, oozing out in these bitter tears.

"You're right," I whisper softly. "With you five is the only place I ever truly felt I belonged." Lifting my head to gaze at the ceiling, I smile. "But you know what, Lightpaws?" I twist, looking over my shoulder at her with a big grin on my face. She blinks, confused, and determination flares within me. If she's in my head, does this connection flow both ways? Turning to face her, I stare her down, focusing intently; reaching out, I feel her mind, normally so closely guarded, wide open and overexposed. Forcing my way in, I grit my teeth as she cries out in pain, clutching her forehead. The oppressive presence in my head lessens, and I gather my strength to shove her out entirely; in doing so, I find myself entering her mind as I try to jam her psyche back in its "box." She grips the side of her head, grinding her teeth together.

"I regret everything you've ever done for me." She screams as I force pain into her head, ripping her psyche to bits.

'How the hell is he doing this?! So...powerful...! Nothing like this has ever happened before--I can't get him o--' I delve further into her mind, driven my mad curiosity.

"Why are you here, Lightpaws? Why are you really here?" I growl, speaking both internally and externally. "Show me." Stepping forward, I glare at the top of her head as she doubles over, screaming.

Her mind seizes up, trying to shut me out. "N-No!" She gasps, knees shaking. I force my way through her barriers, cruelly tearing them to shreds. An odd coldness strikes my heart, a ruthless desire to know the truth. In an instant, I see her life, flickering before my eyes. I analyze it quickly, impatient; as it turns out, after my training was completed, she was delegated the task of monitoring Sonic, tracking him around the world, and the five were split for a while. A month after my 'departure' from Robotnik, she was reigned back in, and the five became Robotnik's leading force for finding me. Thank God they were unsuccessful, though I realize with a smirk that they were often closer than they'd think. By the time Robotnik re-captured me, sealing me away, she had lost communication with him, somehow, and never regained it... Or, that's what she told the others. My eyes widen as I withdraw from her psyche, and she crumples to the floor, choking on her own saliva. So that's it... He decided he didn't want them, after all... But it seems he changed his mind once she proved useful again.

"He abandoned you five," I murmur flatly, staring down at her. But he wasn't done with you yet, was he? ...Should I expose her now, or wait?

"N-No!" She chokes out, stuttering again, tears brewing at the corners of her eyes. "He--He would never--!"

"But he did," I snarl coldly. "And now you think if you bring me to him, on my knees, he'll reward you." Fury ignites within my heart, melting my cold cruelty. "How dare you manipulate me!" Striding forward, I unsheathe my claws, bloodlust in my eyes. "How dare you pretend to care!" Without warning, something cold and sharp slashes into the side of my face, and I snarl reflexively, flinching away from it; whirling about, I hiss, my eyes meeting Hyacinth's. She holds one wing up, and I see a few blades missing from it. As blood oozes down my cheek, I feel my muscles tighten, and my vision sharpens unnaturally. Red miasma clouds its edges, and the sounds of the world dull and fade away as my heartbeat thrums in my ears. My fingertips grow cold as the world seems to slow down; Hyacinth lunges forward, screeching, and out of the corner of my vision I see FallowFang snarling into action too. They both seem so very sluggish, and I feel a sudden grin distort my face. This is just like the day Medusa injected me with that final dose. Sudden power surges beneath my skin, and I dash forward, moving impossibly fast as she seems frozen in the air. Only now, I'm not fighting for the wrong side. Twisting, I leap, gathering the Chaos Energy in my palm; landing on my other hand, I dig my claws into the ground, letting it be my pivoting point as I smash my open hand into the side of her head. Sparks fly, metal crunching beneath my hand as I release a blast of Chaos into Hyacinth's head. The lights in her eyes die as I whirl about, springing off my planted hand and into a front-flip. Teleporting halfway through, I reappear above FallowFang, landing right on her back, between her shoulder blades; metal plates crumple beneath my shoes as I turn the rockets on, melting her. She screams, and the sound snaps me out of my zone, and I leap off her, horrified. What am I doing?! These people... Skidding to a stop as I land, knees level with my chin, I dig my talons into the floorboards. These people are the closest I ever had as a family, and now I'm hurting them, killing them--

Something slams into me from behind, and I cry out, feeling something slice into my back roughly. Claws rake down my side, and something's stuck in me, sending searing pain through my back. Viciously I twist, reaching over my shoulder to grab Fleetfoot by the face, flinging him across the room. With a crash, he lands a mere few feet away from Lightpaws, who is currently struggling to her feet. "If you kill us," she screams, "you'll be proving what I've said!" She glowers at me hatefully, panting, and I freeze, not understanding. "You really will be the monster they believe you to be, the demon Robotnik wanted!"

Rage blurs my vision again. How dare she! She's not innocent, she's not even telling the truth to the rest of her teammates! "That's pretty rich," I hiss, heaving myself to my feet, "coming from you. Tell me, Lightpaws," I wipe the blood oozing down my face, "is it your conscience that keeps you running?" Her eyes fill with surprise, then fear. "Your reaction tells me I'm on to a little something more..." Taunting her now, I creep forward ever so slightly. "You didn't want to go back, did you?" Metal scrapes across hardwood as Fleetfoot drags himself to his feet. "You couldn't bear the thought of all the things you'd done, and you can't stomach the idea of doing it all again... You'd rather someone else like me do it in your stead, isn't that right?" So you thought if you brought me back to him, he wouldn't force you to do anything--foolish idiot! Relying on so inconsistent a thing as his gratitude. You ought know better--he doesn't give anyone retirement. "Well," I hiss, the red miasma clouding my eyes again, "I have news for you, you bitch--I'm not going to let anyone shape me anymore. I will be who I decide to be, and I will make my own decisions, my own life!" Striding forward, I clench and unclench my fists, claws slicing my palms. "I can't change my story," in a flash, I appear before her, and she flinches, gasping, as I grab her by the neck, slamming her into the wall behind her, "and I can't undo what's been done," tightening my grip, I ignore her choking, "but I'll do the best I can." And you, G.U.N., Sonic, the rest of the goddamned world--you'll all just have to accept the fact that I will never be who I was.

Fleetfoot and Strongarm leap forth, aiming straight for me; I flash a glance at them, then lift one leg, lashing out in a perfect side-thrust kick, hitting Fleetfoot into Strongarm. With a crash of tearing metal, the two fall in a heap; simultaneously, Lightpaws slashes her claws across my wrist and I hiss, pain lancing through my arm. "You should know well enough by now to stay put," I snarl menacingly, digging my claws into her delicate fur-covered flesh as I lean closer to her, pushing my face right up in hers. She wheezes, her struggles growing weaker, but before she can pass out, she makes one final escape attempt, her long black claws flashing across my face. I scream, slamming my eyes shut and dropping her, agony burning in my left eye. Something feels wrong, though--if she slashed my eye, shouldn't I feel blood gathering beneath my eyelids? One hand clapped firmly to my eye, I stagger backwards, gasping with pain, and an ugly snarl disfigures my face. Lightpaws slumps to the ground, coughing, and I feel rage consuming me. Wait--What's happening? Why am I so angry? Fire blazes in my heart, irrational, but I can't stop it; I feel its heat spreading throughout my body, blazing just underneath my skin, and within seconds my soul is engulfed in flames. Why am I doing any of this...? My eyes open, left eye still covered, and my crimson-tinted vision is a much darker red, deep blackness flickering at the edges. This time, though, this time, I'm the one in control--or...am I? I don't care anymore. I just want to kill her, to slash my claws across her throat, feel her precious lifeblood spilling out, gushing between my fingers; stepping forward again, a smile stretches across my muzzle, but my energy isn't in it--it's a vacant grin. The reason isn't important...

Looking up at me, she tries to shuffle away, back pressed to the wall, and a look of horror in her eyes. I leer down at her, bloodlust growing with every step. All I can think of is how exactly I should kill her. Should she suffer? Should I end it quickly, or take my time? How much blood does she have? Whimpering now, tears streaming down her muzzle, she shudders, eyes affixed on mine, but I don't see her. I don't see anything; everything's blurry, everything's unclear, and I don't even feel myself walking forward anymore. Is this real? Am I here? My hands raise, claws like daggers pointing right at her, and she shrinks away from them. I see myself, through my eyes, in third person, arms stretching out to her; I feel my own murderous intent, and in that second it shocks me. My fingers twitch, hesitating, and I realize I can't keep this at bay too much longer. "Please," I wheeze suddenly, surprising even myself, "Please don't let me do this." My voice is rough, foreign, and sounds half-dead, but shaking with emotion. "Don't let me be a monster..."

"I can't," she whispers, sniffling. "It's too late." I freeze, and my hands clench into fists again. Too late... It's too late for me... A peculiar giddiness rises within me, and I start laughing, softly at first, but growing with strength. I was wrong. I really can't make up for who I am, or what I've done... I truly am a villain. In a flash, my hands are around her throat again, and she cries out, but I silence it quickly, yanking her close to me, twisting her head slightly to cut off her oxygen. In seconds, she's unconscious, and I drop her; limply her form crumples to the ground, tangled in on itself. This is who I am. Standing up straight, I turn, looking at the dilapidated lighthouse. The husks of the robots that once were my teachers litter the ground; as I rake my gaze across the room, the red fades from my eyes and I think of everything these people meant to me...and all the pain they caused. Hatred flashes in my chest, and I grit my teeth, grimacing, as a conviction settles in my mind. I am a monster...

...And someday I will end my creator.