Chapter Text
Team Dark stood on the top of the Great Wall, felled robots in their wake. They stood around one robot that had been felled before their arrival. A hole was torn in its chassis, circuitry and wires pulled out.
"A SHAME," Omega lamented. "I WOULD'VE LIKED TO DESTROY THIS ONE TOO."
Shadow gazed at the robot, wondering who took it down.
"Isn't this the Black Arms symbol?" Rouge queried, pointing at the robot's back as she hovered above it.
Shadow brushed his fingers across the etching and nodded. "It is. Then we know Eclipse was here," Shadow concluded, making a fist.
"THIS ROBOT WAS TERMINATED APPROXIMATELY THIRTY-TWO HOURS AGO," Omega observed. "MY SCANS ALSO SHOW A VILLAGE NEARBY."
"We should check it out," Rouge suggested. "He stayed at the last one longer than that."
Shadow nodded. "Let's go."
The three traveled until they came to waterfall spilling into a valley. They searched the area but did not find Eclipse or his Dark Arms. Rouge paused by the water and crouched, eyeing up something shimmering in the Sun.
"Look! Fish scales! It could have just been a wild animal, but..." She trailed off, not needing to explain any further.
Omega scanned the area then pointed nearby. There was a small pile of thin dark indigo skin. "SCANS INDICATE THIS TO BE THE SHED SKIN OF THE DARK ARMS. THEY ARE INCOMPLETE. I POSTULATE THAT PIECES OF THE SKIN WERE USED TO BAIT THE FISH, WHICH WERE THEN CAUGHT AND EATEN."
"Makes sense," Shadow agreed. He hoped Eclipse and the Dark Arms eating the fish meant they hadn't eaten any people.
"Well, with that mystery solved, let's ask around town to see if anyone's seen him," Rouge suggested to get back on track.
Shadow nodded; he and Omega followed Rouge to the bridge and down the stairs into the village. The people were celebrating, though not as actively as before. Rouge approached a nearby elderly woman.
"Hello, ma'am. Sorry to bother you, but we're looking for someone and we're wondering if maybe you've seen him," Rouge asked, holding up the photo of Eclipse holding a chocolate bar; the photo they had found in Adabat.
The elderly woman peered at the photo. "Oh, yes, I remember seeing him. My granddaughter mistook him for one of those dark monsters and hit him with a pan.” She chuckled. “When she realized her mistake, she apologized with a gift of meat buns."
"He didn't retaliate?" Shadow questioned, rather surprised, though the meat buns made it a little less shocking. The negligible damage done to him wouldn't have outweighed the opportunity of easy food for his minions.
"Oh, no. He accepted the apology and the meat buns," the woman assured. "In my ninety years of dealing with customers, I've become an excellent judge of character, and I have to say, that boy is deeply troubled and lonely."
Shadow and Rouge exchanged glances of disbelief.
"Doubt an old woman all you want, but I know what I'm talking about," she insisted, then pointed at Shadow, continuing, "and you're just as troubled. Why, it's like looking at a mirror image."
Shadow frowned, more-so than he already was. It was bad enough dealing with their vaguely similar appearances, but to have his nature compared to Eclipse as well? Shadow was fully aware of his violent, sometimes cold, tendencies but that was a far cry from wanting to annihilate everyone on the planet. He wasn't that person anymore; he had broken free from that.
"Thank you for the information," Rouge interjected before anything more was said.
Team Dark walked away, having gotten the information they had come there for. Rouge held up the photo of Eclipse, trying to see what the woman was talking about. Perhaps when Shadow was first awakened by Dr. Eggman, but that had been primarily due to Professor Gerald's brainwashing rather than Shadow's own desires.
"Oh, are you looking for Eclipse? I'm afraid you may have missed him," a teenage girl said as she was passing by then focused on Shadow. "Oh, are you his brother?"
"No," Shadow said quickly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Oh, sorry. He mentioned having a brother and you just look similar," the girl defended. "Like I said, I believe he left."
"Thank you," Rouge said, stepping in front of Shadow.
Shadow and Omega were already on their way while Rouge politely waved goodbye. It was usually best that she did most of the talking anyway as the others tended to upset people even when not meaning to. The subject of Eclipse and his technical relationship to Shadow being particularly volatile.
Team Dark returned to the wall for the better view and continued on, not that they had a clue which direction Eclipse would have gone. They figured the way opposite of how he arrived would be their best bet. If they lost his trail, it'd be nearly impossible to find him again unless he started leaving a trail of carnage. The planet being back together meant they wouldn't have to deal with the dark monsters slowing them down, but it also meant Eclipse was no longer confined to one chunk of land.
"Yet another village Eclipse has left unharmed. If I didn't know any better, I'd think we're following the wrong guy," Rouge remarked as she flew alongside Shadow.
"ECLIPSE KNOWS WE ARE PURSUING HIM. ENGAGING IN UNNECESSARY BATTLES WOULD RESULT IN HIM BEING WEAKER WHEN WE CATCH HIM, " Omega rationalized.
"True and I won't wait for him to harm someone," Shadow vowed.
"Look!" Rouge pointed ahead at Eclipse soaring through the air, three Dark Arms trailing behind him. "There he is! I'll force him down!"
Rouge flew after him as Shadow picked up the pace and Omega directed more fuel to his jet boosters. Eclipse didn't notice Rouge until she was right on top of him and tossing a barrage of pink and white bombs on him. With a shout, he half-fell and half-flew down to the wall, landing and unbonding with Cregal, who was shaken up. The other Dark Arms floated in behind him, ready for orders.
"No! Not now! Not yet!" Eclipse shouted as he took a defensive stance.
"Still planning on revenge when humans have helped you?" Shadow questioned as he sped forward.
"Humans took my family!" Eclipse bonded with Blurk, absorbing Shadow's blows. "My home!"
"Mindless creatures that do nothing but consume aren't family!" Shadow swept Eclipse's legs out from under him, knocking him to the ground. "And they were here to destroy real families!"
"Shut up!" Eclipse leaped and landed on Shadow. He pulled back his clawed hand, about to strike the hedgehog.
"DESIST OR I WILL TEST HOW FLAME PROOF YOUR MINIONS ARE," Omega threatened, holding Rhygenta up to the barrel of his flame thrower arm. "HYPOTHESIS: NOT VERY."
"No!" Eclipse shouted, his eyes wide. He dropped his arm and slowly got off Shadow. "Let him go!"
"Not until you drop that armor," Rouge stipulated, "and get on the ground!"
Eclipse frantically looked between Shadow—who was now standing again—and the others. A tear escaped his eye as his armor coating disappeared and Blurk materialized. He fell to his knees and stared at Rhygenta. Omega released Rhygenta, who immediately flew to Eclipse's side and nuzzled him.
"Doom never would've allowed himself to be vulnerable for the sake of a single minion," Shadow stated coolly as he paced over to Eclipse and wrapped his fingers around his throat.
"Urk!" Eclipse feebly clawed at Shadow's hands. Loosing air, he desperately reached out with his mind to cloud Shadow's.
"Shadow, please!" Eclipse begged but it wasn't his voice Shadow heard or his face he saw; it was that of a young blonde girl with blue eyes.
"Maria?" Shadow gasped, letting go immediately. He stumbled back and stared at his shaking hands.
"Snap out of it, Shadow!" Rouge shouted, running forward. "It's not real!"
Rouge put all her might behind a kick aimed at Eclipse's head. He teleported, appearing behind Omega. Bonding again with Blurk, Eclipse grabbed Omega's arm and tore it off. He then swung the arm at Shadow, knocking him off the wall. He teleported away from Omega and swapped out to Rygenta, hitting him with a sonic blast strong enough to knock him off the other side of the wall.
Eclipse turned to Rouge. He grinned wide, showing off his sharp teeth. "You'd *cough* better catch them."
Rouge gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "That girl you used: she was Shadow's family, not you." Rouge turned and dove after Shadow.
Eclipse gritted his own teeth; another tear fell down his cheek. How could a human be Shadow's family over him? They shared the same blood, she didn’t!
"Cregal," Eclipse beckoned, pushing those thoughts aside. The Dark Arm bonded with him, morphing Eclipse's arms in to wings. The Black Arm took off into the sky, the rest of his Dark Arms trailing behind him.
Rouge made it just in time to catch Shadow, not that such a fall would've killed him or even done much more than daze him. Setting him down, Rouge placed a hand on his shoulder. Shadow somberly looked away.
"Come on," Rouge said softly. "We'd better retrieve Omega. He's going to be insufferable..."
Shadow nodded, picking up Omega's fallen arm. This would delay their mission to end Eclipse, but it wouldn’t stop them. Nothing would stop Shadow from fulfilling his promise to Maria.