Supposed To Be Me (Shadow x Reader)

Chapter 16 Playing God

It only took five minutes to shatter all the glass, and you figured that being exposed to air prematurely would be enough to destroy the prototypes. Now that all of the science projects were destroyed, you knew that the future would be a lot safer. There was just one thing left to do before your plan could completely succeed.

While on your way to finding Shadow's pod to wake him up, you noticed an odd commotion being made in another room. GUN agents were flocking in and out, and there were men shouting. You were able to make out Barrett's shrill, obnoxious voice from inside. Barrett and Gilbert were in danger... Distracted from your previous mission, you shoved your way into the room to figure out what was going on. Shadow could wait for another minute.

You saw Barrett and Gilbert backed into a corner at gunpoint. They seemed terrified; but despite that, Barrett continued babbling to their attackers like the fool he was. His blonde hair was falling into his eyes like normal, but he was so determined to persuade his attackers to lower their weapons that he hardly noticed the inconvenience.

"My sisters are in danger! I need to find (Y/N) and Maria before they get themselves killed by one of you! Please! We don't want to hurt anyone! I just need to make sure that they are safe!" Barrett begged. He took a daring step forward, but more guns just turned to face him.

Gilbert tugged Barrett back harshly by the collar and whispered something in his ear that you couldn't quite make out. It seemed to be a warning because Barrett reluctantly held his tongue and cooperated from that point forward. You had to wonder if they remembered the events from before... Did they know they time traveled...? They weren't acting as if they time traveled..., but who's to say for sure?

You wanted to tell them that you were okay and that you were on your way to fixing things. Sadly, it then occurred to you that taking another step forward and directing their attention away from the agents could cost them their lives. It was best to let them continue paying attention to the tense situation at hand and continue going along with the agents for the sake of staying alive. You would have to go on without them.

That left one task left: finding Shadow and Maria. Having lived out all of these events before, you knew that wouldn't be a challenge. The challenge would be changing the past, and it had to be done correctly. You only had one shot to get things right. You only had one shot to save the future from being devoured by the Dark Arms. You made a plan before you left of all the things that would need to change to save the future. There was just one more thing that needed to be done.

Fully aware of what you had to do, you hurtled down the hallways in search of someone you hadn't seen in months... According to your plan, the only way to stop the alien war was to ensure that Maria would escape the ARK today completely unharmed. Her life is what will decide the world's fate.

History repeated itself as you threw yourself into the room Maria was in. You blurted out, "MARIA!!"

"S-Sister...?"

At first, your eyes refused to believe what they saw. Dazzling blue eyes were stretched in fear at the situation..., but not dead and glazed over. Her vibrant golden hair was glistening brightly in the light of the room. Golden and not stained red in her own blood. The sound coming from her lungs was little more than a whisper rather than her deafening screams that continue to haunt your nightmares. When you flew across the room and brought her into your tight embrace..., it was real and not a dream.

Maria sniffled in your arms. "Th-They're going to--!"

"Shhh!" you quickly shushed.

The GUN commanding officer entered the room and began hand-cuffing several scientists. Some men resisted. Others resigned themselves to a new life behind bars for tampering with alien genetics. You squished Maria into a dark corner and struggled to open the mechanical door to the corridor leading to the escape pods and Shadow's containment unit. Cautiously, you punched in the letters... You only had one shot to get this right. If you failed, then it would be over for all of humanity. Not just your beloved sister Maria. You sucked in a tight breath when your finger found the last digit... and mashed the button with as much confidence as you could force out of your tiny finger. The corridor's metal doors swung open and you dragged Maria inside before the GUN officer could notice what was happening. You closed the metal doors just as soon as you opened them, but it wasn't fast enough to not attract the GUN officer's attention. He pounded on the door with his fist.