Destroy the Absolution

You'll Feel it. ALL of it.

--Shadow's Pov--

Professor, Maria and I sat at the cafeteria in a booth eating oatmeal, or at least I think it was... something similar to oatmeal. I never could tell what the food was up in space. The noise was a low mumble in the room as everyone talked amongst themselves. Everything was perfect, there was no fear in anyone of me or each other, it set me off ease even though it was nice.

"What's the mater Shadow, do you have to go to the bathroom?" Maria asked noticing my uncomfortable squirms.
"Um, Yeah." I nodded and slipped from the booth, I needed time to think, "I'll be back."
"Well let me take you just in case, It's only been a day and-"
"No! I'd like to go alone, don't worry I'm fine." I snapped quickly causing her to sit down, "I'm sorry, just... let me go alone."
"O-okay.."

I made my way out of the cafeteria and down one of the many corridors, and all was silent, only the hum of electricity flowing through the lights, and the tapping of my shoes. But that tapping was horrible, like sandpaper to my ears, it triggered my heart rate to race making my chest tight, but why? The tapping on the mettle like floor was all that I heard while running from the GUN troops, the sound of running feet and heavy breath. Thats what the tapping sound reminded me of, running for life. I still remember that much, from this supposed coma I had been in. Even though I want to believe this is reality, theres a part of me deep inside my mind that knows it's not. Such sides are now in conflict with each other, and I don't know which to believe. I'd like to believe this was true, but why... because it's less painful? Or was it? Could any life be painless if I still remember the pain of my life before? And just when I come close to letting that second thought of my life before slip away I feel this deep disgust in myself, as if my heart sank to my stomach and my stomach sank to my feet and emptiness within a whole purpose of living, as if I lost someone very dear and close to me again. Only this time it is not death taking them away, it would be me, simply leaving them behind.

"Shadow?" Maria's voice answered behind me bringing me out from my thoughts, "Did you get lost? Silly hedgehog, the bathroom was to the left three doors ago." She came up to my side and took my hand again, "Where were you going?"
"Oh just for a walk I suppose." I answered not holding her hand back, this all seems planned, and my dear Maria seems to be nothing but a distraction of pleasant thoughts to keep me distracted from figuring out the bigger picture.
"Oh a walk? Well do you mind if I walk with you?" She asked her smile never faltering, trying to make me feel guilty of ever wanting to leave.
"I guess I don't." I shrugged continuing to walk as she held my hand.

We passed a room with yelling coming from inside. It was a familiar conversation I've heard before. An angry mother talking to her child.

"Oh this is Abraham's room! Let's see if he'll  play with us, he's a friend of mine but I haven't seen him in a while." Maria lifter her hand to the door and if my stomach could sink any lower it would have fallen through the floor.
"No don't!" I pulled her away.
"What, why not Shadow? Are you shy? Don't worry he's really nice." She insisted pulling out of my grip and knocked on the door before I could take her away again.
I stood behind her at the door as it creaked open and a woman answered, only when I looked to see her face, it was dark and distorted. Black patches where eyes should be and just a numb of a nose, I blinked quickly and the face straightened and looked to be normal.
"Hi is Abraham in?"

"Hi Maria!" A small boy looking odd with white hair and mismatch eyes of blue and brown stood by the woman's legs peeking from behind her, and then struck in fear as he saw me.
"Of course he's here, but he has to clean his room." The woman answered coldly and slammed the door on Maria's face. But her smile never faltered as she turned to me with a shrug.
"Oh well, we can find something else to do Shadow." She began to walk away.

No, this can't be happening. I remember this happening. That odd boy in there, is the Commander Towers that I know from my 'dream'. His father was in command at this time and his mother was responsible for spreading fear of me, to the GUN in the first place, causing them to shut the ARK down.

My hands were shaking as I took the handle and opened the door, and saw the mother and the small commander arguing, their words; I heard this argument before, but I never saw it. And my vision of the two became distorted and choppy. Like a corrupted data folder on a computer, things were damaged and misplaced.

"Shadow!!" Maria pulled me out of the room, "What are you doing you can't go in there like that!!" She yelled.
"What was that? Didn't you see!? Their faces!" I squirmed from her grasp but she blocked the door.
"You can't enter a room with out knocking first! You know better, don't be rude!"
"That's not the point!" I yelled, "This isn't real!" it couldn't be, not when things look like this.
"Shadow this is crazy talk, I think you need to see grandpa and have him check you." She finally frowned shaking her head, "Come on lets go."        
"No! I'm not crazy Maria, I know what I saw and this place, and everyone here isn't real!" I pulled away from her and began to run, I don't know where too, how could I escape this place? It looked like my home ARK but it was nothing of it, not even close.

"Halt hedgehog!" I found myself surrounded by troops with their guns drawn, and Professor walking closer with a needle and vile in his hands.
"Easy my boy, this will just help to calm you down." The vile was full of a dark liquid with purple bubbles bobbing up and down like a lava lamp.
"Oh Shadow... why did you have to do this? We could have been together." Maria began to cry hiding her face in her hands.

"No! This isn't my fault, none of you are real!" I was cornered, maybe a chaos control could get me away, but before I could do so the needle broke into my skin and my vision went black again.

"The subject was unstable, and had bouts of Schizophrenia." The words of the Professor's voice was all I heard in my darkness, "I'll begin the new process of brain material, and experimentation to correct this flaw." He seemed to be recording analysis in a diary.

"I'm not crazy damn it!" I shouted mentally hoping I was able to make some kind of noise.
"No, of course you aren't." Mephiles' voice answered my call, "But he'll fix that. He'll tear you apart and rebuild you over and over again, and the best part is? You'll feel it. All of it."