Misconception: Realization
Ch.4
“Keep up!” Shad ordered as he pulled Silver through a doorway and down another passage. Silver was barely keeping up, and was gasping for breath, but managed to choke out “where…are…we…going?” “There are 2 paths to the room that I’m supposed to be in. I wasn’t thinking straight back then. I knew I had to get her to safety, but I…I didn’t think it through. This path…there are many places to hide. Maybe if I had came this way…” he trailed off.
Silver and Shad came to a doorway with a circle of glass on it that they looked through. The next room was wide and circular with big windows on either side. They watched as Shadow and Maria entered the room. “Hurry Shadow!” Maria cried, running to the controls for the escape pods, “I’ll set it for launch, then join you.” Shadow nodded and replied, “I think we lost them. But just in case, hurry!” Maria nodded and began to work the controls, ignoring the pain from her wound. Shadow stood on a circular pattern on the floor and a large glass tube fell over him and connected to the floor. The escape pod was ready for launch. As Maria was finishing up, the door on the other side of the room from where Shad and Silver were suddenly slid open, and there stood a gunman. From his distance, Shad couldn’t see the color of his eyes, but to him it didn’t matter anymore. He could change this from ever happening! He pulled back his hand, preparing to knock the door down, when Silver grabbed his arm “stop! We can’t be seen!” Shad glared at him “I won’t let Maria die again!” Silver was about to protest when the gunman’s voice reached their ears “stop! Don’t pull that lever! I mean it-stop!” Shad turned towards the door, ready to knock it down; Silver trying to pull him away from the door. “Don’t do this Shadow! We’re not supposed to mess with time!” At this, Shadow knocked Silver into the wall. “Don’t preach to me about changing the past! You have no right!” Silver shook his head “you know as well as I do that that was a trap that I fell for. You can’t change the past. You can only change the present!”
Just then Maria spoke, and her words reached Shad’s. He turned and looked out the window to watch her final moments…again. “Shadow, I beg of you, please do it for me…for a better future! For all the people who live on that planet…give them a chance to be happy…let them live for their dreams. Shadow, I know you can do it. That’s the reason you were brought into this world.” “Maria…please!” Shadow begged, knocking on the unbreakable glass of his escape pod, “please don’t do this! Let me go Maria! Let me out! I won’t lose you!” “No” Shad agreed “not again.” and made to break down the door, but Silver held him back. In the room, the gunman aimed his weapon at Maria “this is your last warning. Don’t pull that lever!” “Maria…please” Shadow begged, tears forming in his eyes as he sank to his knees, “don’t do this. Let me free, Maria. I can help!” She merely shook her head, tears flying from her face, and Shadow fell silent, tears still forming on his eyes…
“Sayonara, Shadow the hedgehog.”
She pulled the lever…
“no” Shad whispered. He had stopped struggling against Silver and
now stood frozen at the window…
*bang*
“MARIA!!!!!!” Shadow cried as his escape pod was launched out of the ARK. Meanwhile, Shad had collapsed with his face in his hands. “I am sorry,” Silver apologized, “but you needed to know. And now you do. You know who was responsible, as well as what happened to cause this tragic turn of events. However, we’re not done yet. You’re not fully done yet. We have a little more to learn before you know the truth…are you ready? Can you handle the rest?” Shad wiped his tears on his glove, stood and stared at the door. “This was the worst memory of my past…and the reason I messed up a while back. I understood what Maria wanted from me…and yet you claim there’s more?” He turned to look at the white hedgehog, who replied, “yes. Professor Robotnik wasn’t killed, and still had plans for you.” He took out his emerald. Shad stared into the room a few moments longer. The gunman was still in the room, talking into a walkie-talkie, but his words didn’t reach Shad’s ears. Behind him, Silver spoke up “we should be leaving soon. They’re going to search every inch of the place for survivors.” Shad lowered his head, turned to Silver and held out his own emerald. “Chaos control” they both chanted and the vortex opened above their heads. “Hurry” Silver urged as he jumped into the portal. Shad spared one last glance at the room beyond and a simple sentence escaped his lips. He jumped into the portal after Silver.
“So long forever…Maria.”
