Face to Face

[Val]

The rippling energy of the transport pad faded away to reveal a sterile looking room of smooth dark steel walls adorned with the symbol of G.U.N.
Personnel about the lab paused for a moment to take in what had just happened before simply returning to their duties, even the soldiers posted to guard the transporter didn’t seem all that concerned with his presence.

It was an odd feeling to be…mundane to them now. Of course it was to be expected, working for GUN and coming to and fro via the transport pad taken from Dr Eggman’s base long ago, they would become acclimated to seeing him eventually. Still it wasn’t something he himself was used to, not yet.

Stepping off the pad, Shadow marched purposefully out of the lab and through the right angled corridors of the base as the metallic rumble of activity all around him seemed to reverberate off the walls. Never a dull moment it seemed.
The signs on the walls gave the hedgehog hybrid his sense of direction as he made his way towards the medical wing. As he so rarely chose to accept any kind of examination after missions it was a place he wasn’t as familiar with.

[Jammerlee]

All around the medical wing nurses and technicians buzzed about. Some saw to patients, while others took to duties like sorting out supplies. In the center of the entrance was a desk occupied by personnel, with each side having seating where soldiers waiting to be seen sat.

Noticing the approach of the ebon hedgehog, one of the personnel behind the desk perked up. "Hello, how can I he-- Oh!" he paused in recognition. "You're Shadow, aren't you? One moment please, someone will fetch you in just a moment."

[Val]

Shadow only offered a nod in response before glancing around for a seat. Most were taken and he didn’t much like the idea of squeezing in between a pair of soldiers. Instead the hybrid opted to lean his back against the entry way wall, arms folded and let his eyes sink shut.
He hated waiting. Not that he was as impatient as that blue speedster to whom he was so often compared but the idea seemed to rob him of some sense of control. He was essentially unable to act until someone else acted first and that…just rubbed him wrong.

After only a few minutes he was already feeling itchy from inaction. His ruby eyes shot open and scanned for a coffee machine anywhere in sight.

[Jammerlee]

Fortunately it was around that point that a young girl in a pair of scrubs approached the waiting area. Glancing around, her eyes quickly fell upon Shadow. She approached him.

"Mr Shadow? We have a room ready for you. If you'll follow me we can go ahead and take your vitals."

[Val]

Mister? That was a new one. Without a word Shadow moved to walk towards the girl, following her closely. In the back of his mind he had to wonder if these tests and records were being used purely for his own well being. Whatever the case he would cross that bridge when it came. For now he only hoped this didn’t take too long.

[Jammerlee]

Leading him into the back, the girl proceeded to take his weight, height and blood pressure. Satisfied with the data, she lead the ultimate lifeform back toward a vacant doctor's office and instructed him to have a seat.

"Alright Mr Shadow, if you could just wait here Dr Maria will be with you shortly," she smiled, heading toward the door.

[Val]

He blinked. His head tilting at the girl’s casual mention of that name. For a split second Shadow felt his breath catch in his throat before promptly clearing it and giving a curt nod as he took his seat.

How odd. Not that Maria was an uncommon name but to have the doctor seeing him bear such a name was….well odd. A coincidence that would’ve made for a momentarily amusing anecdote perhaps, if Shadow knew anyone he would bother telling.

He put the creeping memories of his old friend out of mind and took in a slow breath. The room smelt clinical. It reminded him of the ARK back when he was still new.

[Jammerlee]

After what seemed like ages, the door finally opened again. It creaked, slowly, as though the person on the other side were reluctant to enter.

But enter she did. One bright blue eye surrounded by a bed of wrinkles followed another. She was tall and wore a doctor's labcoat and a pair of half-moon spectacles on her face. Her shoulder length hair was grey with a couple withering streaks of blonde that she had tied back into a ponytail. The elderly woman seemed to stiffen at the sight of the dark colored hybrid. She eyed him curiously.

"Hello Shadow," she spoke, the crack in her voice signaling that her mouth had gone dry. "I'm Dr Maria."

[Val]

The ebony hedgehog shifted uncomfortably as the woman entered. He didn’t like this. It felt like his past was mocking him, his mind conjuring up this twisted parody of his old life. He recalled so many tests on the ARK, so many times scientists would study him with awe and excitement and all the while she had been there at his side. He wanted to get this over and done with as soon as possible.

Shadow remained in his chair, not a word leaving his lips even now. His bright red eyes locking onto the elderly doctor…Her eyes.

[Jammerlee]

The tension in the air was palatable. Taking a deep breath as though she were steeling herself, the doctor moved toward the rolling stool reserved for her. Setting her clipboard down on the desk, she placed her hands in her lap and leaned forward, eyeing the hedgehog hard.

"Goodness. You look exactly the same. I was surprised when I was asked to come examine you. Do you.. remember me?"

[Val]

The question struck Shadow with a sense of panic. His expression shifted from tense discomfort to blind surprise. Try as he might, he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from hers, that blue…that bright vibrant blue.

Somewhere in the deepest corner of his mind an idea flickered to life. A swirling sickening mix of conflicting suggestions and questions rose and were put down as Shadow simply stared in silence. He couldn’t remember ever meeting this woman before, never speaking to her at the GUN base at all. But he knew her.

“Who are you?” He finally asked, his voice trembling ever so slightly.

[Jammerlee]

The doctor closed her eyes an exhaled, removing her spectacles and wiping them with her lapel. "Maria," she answered. She drew in a long breath, placing the glasses back on her nose. "I don't generally use my last name anymore for.. various reasons. But, my name is Maria Robotnik."

[Val]

Shadow felt numb. The world about him seemed to simply not be there anymore. The worlds played over and over in his head. Maria Robotnik.
There was a flush of anger. Who was this human to so blasphemously use that name, claim it as her own?

But those eyes. They were hers.

Shadow didn’t even realise until his vision of the elderly woman infront of him began to blur, until the hot streaks began to trail down his muzzle. His hands were balled into fists so tight it hurt. How? How was she here? Every second that ticked by, the black pit in his stomach grew larger.

“You…You died.” He managed to utter.

[Jammerlee]

"Shadow..."

She couldn't help it. Seeing him break down was causing her to do the same. Her eyes blurred, and she reached behind her spectacles to wipe the moisture away. She smiled sullenly.

"I woke up several days later in the hospital. The bullet managed to miss my organs. It's still in my chest, actually. They couldn't safely remove it."

[Val]

All this time. She’d lived all this time. It didn’t feel real. It –couldn’t- be real. An entire lifetime had gone by for her and he had slept. He’d mourned her. He’d…Chaos, the things he’d done. He tried to crash the ARK into the planet…for her, in revenge for what they’d done to her. And all this time she’d lived. Did she know? Surely she knew? Was that why she hadn’t told him she was still alive? Was she ashamed?

He felt sick. Years of regret surged up to meet him. All the rage, hate and sorrow he’d suffered, thinking he’d lost her…He’d abandoned her.

[Jammerlee]

Shadow felt a gentle hand place itself atop his head. Maria had scooched herself forward, eyeing him more closely now. "Oh, Shadow, I'm supposed to be giving you a physical. How are we going to do that when you're like this?" her hand slid to the side of his head and she scritched at his ear with her thumb. Then, almost as though she had read his mind - "I'm sorry I didn't try to get in touch with you when I'd heard you were awake. I didn't--I mean I wanted--I just..." she breathed out. "I don't know. You were with Eggman at first, and then we had a hard time keeping track of where you were. Even when you started working here at GUN, getting the clearance to get near you was incredibly difficult. And--I guess I was also just scared. I didn't know if you were the same person anymore, after everything."

Her hand slipped away. She placed it into her lap and glanced at the floor in shame. "I didn't even find out about what happened to you and Grandpa until years after the incident. By then, of course, you were frozen, and Grandpa had been executed..."

[Val]

Was he still the same person? No. He wasn’t. Shadow’s eyes trailed down to stare at the floor as he tried to take all this in. A lifetime had passed for her. The raid, seeing her be shot…it all felt raw again but for her it must be a distant memory.
The mention of clearance…So GUN knew and simply hadn’t allowed her to see him? They took her away in the first place and then denied him to even know she was still alive?
Like the pain, the anger came spilling back, rising at the idea of GUN keeping this from him all this time. He wanted to kick the door down to the Commander’s office, to demand to know why.
Look at what they had done. Her entire life had gone by without him because he’d been frozen away as nothing more than a failed experiment.

The hedgehog let out a trembling sigh as he tried to grasp hold of his emotions. He knew where that path led and had no interest in following it again. What was done was done and now…she was here. To see her alive again was a blessing, regardless of the situation.
Shadow extended his hand, still struggling to push away the numbness that had washed over him. He rested his hand atop hers, still keeping his gaze low. The words came with out effortlessly but not without causing a stab of shame through him.

“Forgive me.”

[Jammerlee]

"I can only begin to imagine what you've been through. We've both been through so much, haven't we?" the elderly woman said gently, placing her other hand atop his and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could take it away."

[Val]

He wasn’t sure what to say or do anymore. He felt lost. What were you supposed to say in this situation? All he could think about was how much time he had missed, how much time he’d wasted…

His head slowly tilted back up, the last few tears falling away as his ruby eyes met her sky blue ones. They were just as bright as they ever had been. “Have you…been well?” It was an awkward question but he felt so far away from her life. He wanted to know everything about the life she’d lived while he’d been encapsulated.

[Jammerlee]

"I have been," she smiled softly. "You know, Grandpa had been closer to a breakthrough for my NIDS than any of us could have realized. I haven't suffered from it for decades. I have a family of my own, now, too. I'm sure my grandchildren would love to meet you. I tell them stories about us all the time, you know."

[Val]

It was finally sinking in just how much time had passed since the days aboard the ARK. Shadow felt another wave of nausea wash over him. He’d never come face to face with something to really drive home how long he’d been asleep. Fifty years. Enough time for Maria to be cured, grow up…have children…who had children of their own.
For the first time in...perhaps ever…Shadow felt obsolete. Like a remnant of a part of Maria’s life she’d grown out of so long ago it was only a faded memory.

He did feel a little joy at the idea of her telling stories about him to her grandchildren. She never forgot him.
He went to speak, only to find his mouth unbearably dry. “I…I’d like to meet them too.” Then an idea came to him. He hadn’t been entirely idle in the time since they last met. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet aswell. He’s been staying aboard the ARK with me.”

[Jammerlee]

"Oh?" Maria raised her eyebrows. "I'd heard something about you staying on the ARK. I didn't know there was anyone else up there with you though?"

[Val]

“His name is Silver. He’s…” How to word it. Silver was a lot of things. Naive, optimistic, emotional. “..Innocent.” That seemed the most fitting word to sum him up.
“He had nowhere else to go so i offered to let him stay aboard the ARK with me.”

[Jammerlee]

A smile found its way across Maria's face. "It sounds like you haven't changed as much as I might have feared," she beamed. "I would love to meet him."

[Val]

As much as she feared? That phrase stung but it was to be expected. Thinking back on everything that’d happened, knowing now that she would’ve seen…
Letting out a small sigh through his nose, Shadow gave a slight nod. “I’m certain he’d be happy to meet you.”

[Jammerlee]

A small sigh of her own passed Maria's lips. She removed her spectacles and looked down at them. "I realize how much of a shock this must be for you. Why don't we go ahead and reschedule your physical? If you like.. we could meet up again later. Once I'm off work."

[Val]

“No.” He blurted out. Was it the desire to not appear as if this was getting to him? Was it just that he didn’t want to leave this room? Shadow wasn’t entirely sure but he knew he didn’t want to just reschedule and leave. He would see this through. “I’m alright."

[Jammerlee]

Maria looked up in mild surprise, placing her spectacles back. "Well, if you're sure. Were there any medical concerns you wanted to bring up?"

[Val]

It was…a curious question. He was the Ultimate Lifeform so he should be perfect. Surely she knew that. No physical abnormalities he could think of, nothing that needed specific attention.

Well…there was one thing.

A small smile crept onto the hedgehog’s muzzle. “Lactose intolerance.” He said quietly, “I was designed to be the ultimate and yet I was left with that.”

[Jammerlee]

Maria couldn't help it. She covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "You know there's over-the-counter supplements you can take to help with that, right?"