Tower leaves, telling me to stay calm, and Topaz walks me from the gym after we bid a quick goodbye to her unit. They wish me luck, but I'm still jittery as we head down the hallway to where we'll wait for the newspeople. On the way, Topaz explains how I'm to conduct myself around the reporters, and I listen with the attentiveness of someone who's being told the one way to survive a mortal danger. Which, I admit, is overreacting, but I have a strong instinct that this conversation is far more important than I've been told.

Topaz and I arrive at a small, surprisingly comfy room, and she helps me into a chair that is, frankly, far too large for me. Pursing my lips in concentration, I start internally debating how best to introduce myself. Will Topaz do it for me, or will I be the one responding to everything? I huff in annoyance, casting my gaze up to my friendly escort.

"Topaz, when'll this be over?" I ask, whining intentionally. She rolls her eyes, chuckling.

"It will end when it does. Don't fret."

"That has to be the most useless answer I have ever gotten," I reply, leaning on the chair's arm with both elbows, sighing exaggeratedly.

"Perhaps," Topaz laughs, completely used to my childish side by now. I sit up suddenly as something occurs to me, and I tap her on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Hey, do I need to call you Lieutenant Topaz during this?" I question, giving her a quizzical look. She pauses, then sighs.

"I don't know. Are you comfortable doing that? It would probably look better for our relationship to appear more professional." I mull on that for a second, nodding.

"I think you're right. Doesn't mean I have to like it, though, right? 'Lieutenant Topaz, ma'am, Her Highness of the Escort Guild.'" She ruffles my fur a bit.

"I said professional, not sarcastic, Trouble." I smirk, grinning at the nickname.

"Not even a little?"

"No," she jokes back, but we both stiffen as a knock sounds on the door. "Come in," Topaz calls, clearing her throat and adjusting her collar. I try to strike a balance between intelligent, young, competent, and cool, but I think I just end up with a stupidly neutral look on my face.

Oh, well. Here goes.

"Good afternoon! I'm Scarlet Garcia from Station Square TV News," says the red-haired, green-eyed reporter poking her head through the door. As the rest of her follows, I note that she's wearing an overwhelming quantity of orange, though the observation is half-baked and unimportant. I try to focus myself.

"Good afternoon," Topaz replies, standing up to shake her hand. "Lieutenant Topaz, G.U.N., Special Forces." I hurriedly pop to my feet, standing on the chair so I have some measure of height. A large camera follows Miss Garcia in, but I ignore it, if only for the sake of my nerves.

"An honor to meet you. And, you must be Robotnik's creation." Garcia looks at me expectantly, but I'm already ahead of her, drawing myself to my full altitude.

"Shadow the Hedgehog, Ultimate Lifeform," I announce, trying to give off an air of presence. I doubt it works, but I gain some time from the usual 'woah' reaction to my ill-fit voice. I cautiously extend my hand to shake, not knowing if it's within acceptable social limits for me to do so. After all, no previous examples of protocol exist for interacting with intelligent creations. She shakes it, and I feel a little self-conscious at my ridiculously-large hands as she does.

No feeling out-of-place. I belong here. If not here, then nowhere. Besides, I'm the most powerful thing on this planet. I have nothing to be embarrassed about. The thoughts reassure me, and I try for a smile that doesn't show off my pointed fangs too much. I join the others in sitting down, with only the cameraman remaining standing.

"So, Shadow," Scarlet begins, "how have these past few months been for you?"

"They've been fine," I respond smoothly, doing my best to look like a well-fed and groomed agent. I consider mentioning the rigorous training, but I don't want to scare people who worry about my weapon status. I almost say my time has been easy to counteract this, but I realize that would breed contempt with people who see me as a tool of protection. Chaos, this is hard. "Everyone seems very interested in me," I continue, going for the vaguest answer possible.

"I imagine," Scarlet replies in a friendly way. "How does that make you feel?"

"...important?" I fumble for an actual answer, shrugging to gain time. "First creation of my caliber, ultimate living weapon, you know. I happen to contain a lot of studiable things. But, I don't feel 'dehumanized' at all. People are perfectly respectful of me," I add, worried I'll put G.U.N. into a bad light otherwise.

"Did you expect to? Is that usual for creations?" I give her a briefly odd look before I realize she really doesn't know.

"Well, I'm the only sentient creation ever, so there's no precedent. I can't compare my experiences. It just isn't the same. No one pets a cloned dog and worries the dog's feelings might be hurt, but I'm not like a dog. I'm more like a human, so I get treated like one. That's why I'm talking to you and not sitting in someone's lap." I know Topaz well enough to recognize the amused snort she stifles, and I grin slightly.

"You were created by late Professor Gerald Robotnik, correct?" Asks Scarlet, and I'm surprised by the non sequitur.

"Yes," I reply.

"Can you tell us about that?"

"I can. I was created on June 19th, 3185, aboard the Space Colony ARK. I had several purposes, with two of them being polar opposites; I'm a panacea for diseases and can fight off any illness, but I'm also a living weapon that's nigh on undefeatable. Theoretically, at least."

"Have you received much training as a...a weapon?" Garcia sounds hesitant about calling me that, like she's worried she'll offend me.

"I have some limited training. I'm not nearly the force I could be, at least." This detail seems to catch her by surprise.

"Oh? It's reported you not only escaped Prison Island's guarding robots but also nearly escaped from the special unit sent to apprehend you. They're both impressive feats."

"Not really," I respond, slightly uncomfortable at how amazed she sounds. "I mean, if I had had half a wit about me, I wouldn't have been around long enough for them to see me. I'm more embarrassed by those 'achievements' than anything else."

"So, it's true you have super speed?" I glance at Topaz to see if she's got a warning look, but she nods.

"Yes. I have multiple abilities." For a moment, Garcia pauses, looking at me contemplatively.

"How old are you, Shadow?" She asks, and I reign back a little in surprise.

"Technically, physically, mentally, or experientially?" I ask, and the dismayed look on her face almost makes me laugh. "Heh, I have many different ages. Technically, I'm almost 51 years old, but, physically, I'm around 18 or 19. In human terms, at least. Mentally, that's hard to say. My mind doesn't match my body; it's completely mature, so I'm about 25 in that way. Experientially, though? I'm almost a year old, but not quite. Because my mature body and mind are exactly that, I don't age like other people. I'm still a new creation, but I can practically be considered an adult. I can't really tell you my overall age--even I don't know it."

"Behaviourally, he's about 10 most of the time," Topaz adds, and I start. "Sometimes, he'll act like an adult. But, it's pretty rare."

"It's not that rare..." I grumble, belatedly adding "...Lieutenant."

"It's very rare," Topaz reaffirms, and I scowl at her.

"It is not..." I try to gather my dignity, attempting to reassure myself of my own maturity. A soft chuckle escapes Garcia, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Back to being a kid again...

"Have you ever heard of Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow?" She asks, and I blink a bit.

"Once, I read a newspaper where he was a headline," I say slowly, thinking. "And, I hear people say I look like him a lot. I don't really see it--he's blue and peach with a runner's form, light-skinned, and round-eyed. I'm black and red with a leaner, more muscular build, and my face has tanned tones and sharper eye ridges. And, I have longer fur and sharper quills. But, people say we look alike, anyways."

"Would you say you're as fast as he is?" Scarlet asks, and I shrug.

"I haven't raced him, so I wouldn't know. I'm based off a Mobian hedgehog with super speed abilities the same as him, but I don't have his years of practice. If I trained for it, I would probably be faster because I have a stronger connection with Chaos Energy, or so I'm told."

"A what?" I search for the words to explain what exactly I'm talking about, and I settle for a basic answer.

"I have larger Chaos caches, which can restore themselves faster, and I have a more conscious idea of how I'm using my powers." Garcia nods as she absorbs that for a moment, then asks another question.

"Could Sonic train to have a stronger connection?"

"Erh..." I begin, not sure how to put this. "Not really. I can fine tune my Chaos abilities for a few decades and learn to do much more with my power, gaining more precise control of it, but, assuming I was in peak form before, I can't become more 'powerful' than I already am. Now, since I'm not in peak form, I still have some room for growth, but not much. Much of storing Chaos in the body and using it to increase strength effectively comes from precise control, not being able to store or use more of it, per say. There's only so much a body can take, after all; it's a physical limit. The only surefire way to get stronger, for a Chaos Creature, is to increase one's knowledge and, through that, one's precision, awareness, and range through repeated exercises and techniques."

"Wow, that sounds very complicated," replies Garcia politely, and I realize that I went on a bit of a joyride with that last point.

"Heh, yeah. A bit," I say sheepishly, feeling embarrassed by my long-windedness. Thankfully, she moves on, sparing me a bit of humiliation.

"Since you're so young, Shadow, some people worry that you haven't had time to grow properly. They argue that you shouldn't be in G.U.N. but, instead, in a home environment where you can experience a childhood. Do you have any thoughts on that?" I try to keep my face from falling at the word 'childhood,' and I take a deep breath before responding, casting my eyes towards the ceiling.

"Well, if you were more familiar with my life, you'd know my days as a 'child' ended a while back. I can't really go back to being one, at this point. I've seen the darker side of the world, and I know I have a responsibility to change it. I knew that even when I was still a new creation on the ARK." I shift my position on the chair, now looking down at the floor over my knees. "I mean, I've been shot more than once. I've almost been killed before. I've ran through hallways echoing with gunfire, fearing for my life and for those of the people I love. I've watched an innocent girl die under my protection. I can't just unlive those experiences. I know I act like it a lot, but I'm really not a child anymore.

"Sure, I understand that I have few 'normal' experiences and that I need guidance, but there's absolutely no way I can ignore what I've been through. I can't see the rose tint of life anymore. I know exactly what happens when I'm not strong enough or determined enough to protect people, and I can only maintain any amount of optimism when I'm around people who understand that, too.

"I still get treated as a kid. I don't mind that. But, people here can also see that I'm more than that. I'm not a soldier, but I'm hardened and toughened, and I'm not to be kept inside from the dangers of the world." I look up, steeling my gaze. "I'm a weapon, to be used as those in power see fit. I've met the people I'll grow up to take orders from here, and I trust them. They're honest and hard-working, and they're intelligent. I was built to follow orders, and, in a twist I never expected, I get the chance to have my own input into the missions I'll take on. I don't have to blindly stumble through the commands of people who look down on me as nothing but an animal." Sitting straight, I clench my right fist and hold it to my chest, feeling incredibly emotional now.

"Fifty years ago, I was dismissed by even my own creator as being a subhuman. I lived through a time where people tried to play with me like a cat. I was treated like a creature that had somehow learned to talk, not as a fellow being and comrade. Here, I've been given the chance to earn respect, and that which I've been shown has made my opinion clear as day!" I leap up, vaulting onto the top of the chair. "I'm going to work for G.U.N. with everything I've got as a employee!!"

For a long moment, everyone is silent, and I worry I said something wrong. Then, good old Topaz speaks up.

"Indeed you are, Shadow," she says, grinning a bit herself. "And, we're just lucky enough to get to see it." She stands up, putting an arm around my shoulders in a surprising move. "This guy has a fire for helping others, and we're doing everything we can to help it grow. G.U.N. is well aware of the issues surrounding our 'ownership' of Shadow, but, rest assured, it's only legal at this point. We're already working on changing it." Caught off guard by her last statement, I stare in wonder at my escort.

G.U.N. is really going to give up on owning me? Topaz didn't tell me, so it must be in the first stages. I can't help but smile a little bit at the thought. Wow! To not belong to anyone anymore? I don't even know what I'll do once I have freedom... I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet, in all honesty. I try not to look sheepish as Topaz continues discussing the minor points of G.U.N.'s eventual securing of citizenship for me. Yeah, I'm definitely not ready for that. But, I will be when it happens! Feeling pumped, I hold my fist with my spare hand, determined to work even harder now.

The interview goes on for a while, taking up its planned window of time, but Topaz is answering most of the questions. I don't mind, feeling I wrapped my thoughts up with a flourish. As my escort is explaining some minor details about my diet, I let myself relax, forgetting that the camera is still recording.

I can't believe how much has changed in my life. I feel like I've been here for years, but it's only been a few months! I wonder if I really have found where I belong...

I sure hope so.