Constellations

Chapter 1: Undertow

Space Colony Ark – June 2016

"Are the handcuffs really a necessity, Rouge?" a gruff and annoyed voice questioned.

One step at a time, the friends walked through the long docking corridor that had attached to their GUN issued space shuttle, acting like an umbilical cord for machines. Crews of military agents strolled through the long hallway entering the ARK, which had once been barren and lifeless. It was a drastic contrast for Shadow, seeing it bustling with life gave him a sense of nostalgia he hadn't felt in years, so much so he half expected Maria to come skipping around the corner! The black hedgehog tugged annoyingly at the cuffs tight around his wrists, knowing they weren't of the same standard GUN agents usually carried. Even though they weren't restricting his use of Chaos Energy, he hated the idea of his hands being clasped together.

"Feeling claustrophobic, doll?" Rouge teased with a playful wink as she tugged him to her side. "You know...I kind of like this new look. It's kind of kinky, don't you think?"

Blushing gently Shadow grunted heavily and stared ahead, trying not to give his partner the amusement of succumbing to her teasing. After exiting the long hallway and into the main level of the colony, the dark hero couldn't help but gaze in astonishment at the facelift the military had given his old home. At every corner he looked there was a new piece of technology sitting quietly waiting to be used, or in some cases old pieces of machinery that Professor Gerald had created were restored and updated to keep up with the new look of the ARK. Everything seemed to be taken from a science fiction movie!

"Since when did the government start using this place as a base?" Shadow wondered out loud.

"Not too long after Galaxy was defeated," Rouge informed simply. "I think they got tired of having their bases destroyed back home."

The duo continued walking, earning looks of disgust, happiness and snideness from the bustling soldiers as they saw Shadow. After his less than professional resignation from the military, he had become a very popular person – of course being a wanted man will do that to a person. Ignoring the glowering looks from his former associates and comrades in arms, Shadow retained a locked gaze on the elevator in front of them, perplexed with the new floor labels. Reading over them, a sensation of anger began to build up within his chest, which quickly turned into panicked breathing. Noticing his fists ball together, the young huntress set a calm hand on Shadow's neck, trying to bring him back to reality and away from his tipping point.

"I figured their choice to get rid of the old observatory would bother you..." Rouge commented solemnly, watching the small LED blip descend the floor numbers. "Listen...I understand that the observatory was a very special place for you...well, for both you and Maria. But you have to do your best to stay cool for now, we can't give away our cover while we're here."

"You know I could rip them all apart, Rouge." Shadow snarled, eying the guard in the elevator with a killer intent.

The man standing in the elevator with the duo smirked at the humbled position of the once feared Ultimate Lifeform, then snickered to himself. "I guess you've lost your touch, huh, Shadow?"

"If it weren't for these cuffs eliminating my power..." the dark hedgehog commented hauntingly. "I would have ripped the head from your shoulders the second those doors shut."

Noticing the color drain from the soldier's face, Rouge couldn't help but chuckle at the situation. Once the elevator had ascended four floors, the doors slid open once again, revealing what the former observatory had been transformed into, much to Shadow's displeasure. Behind a large, oak desk sat the one man Shadow had grown to despise more than anyone else on the planet. The single man that he had vowed to destroy, and to rip from the head of GUN.

"How do you like my new base, Shadow?" Shrike asked with a poisonous tone, his sickening grin burning into Shadow. "And of course you must recognize where I've chosen to build my new office as well! If you hadn't guessed already, it's the old observatory of this run down shit-hole! It's really been given a nice touch up, wouldn't you agree?"

"Eat shit." Shadow spat with a venomous glare.

"Heh, still such an attitude despite the clock on your life counting closer to zero..." Shrike smirked and stood up from his swivelling, leather office chair. "You know, I had thought you'd be a lot harder to capture after that colorful resignation. All those empty threats... perhaps it was all just hot air? Regardless...you're in my custody now, hedgehog."

Their eyes met; crimson battling turquoise in a mental struggle of dominance, proving neither of them were ready to back down from eachother. Shadow scowled angrily at the man, and had it not been for Rouge being beside him to keep him relatively calm, he knew he would've snapped by now. With a confident and proud grin, Shrike turned his attention from the hedgehog in front him, and moved to face his underling who, to his knowledge, captured the wanted criminal.

"I have to applaud your efforts, my dear," Shrike commented smoothly, appreciating her defined curves at the same time. "However you managed to subdue such a ferocious soul such as this man is worthy of praise! I hope a piece of trash like our close friend Shadow here didn't give you too much trouble. Tell me...what strategy did you come up with to outwit and out power GUN's former top-soldier? Surely it was of utmost grace and intellect coming from a woman such as yourself!"

Hiding the disgusted look finding its way onto her face, Rouge managed to smile with pride with her faked accomplishment. "Well, sugar, believe me... it wasn't easy!" She tugged on the chain connected to the cuffs gently, causing Shadow to stumble from the sudden jerk. "Granted he did give me a run for my money...but even the Ultimate Lifeform is no match for the wits and instinct of a skilled huntress and soldier such as myself. Did you really doubt me, Commander?" Rouge said with a seductive tone, winking at the man in front of her to ensure their plan wasn't jeopardized.

"Never," Shrike responded, kissing her hand slowly. "There's a reason I chose you to be my second in command, Rouge."

"Looks to me that reason is to get in my pants...keh, what a pig!" Rouge thought to herself angrily, disgusted with her Commander's attempts to come onto her. "Hopefully I don't provide you with any reason to change your mind...now..onto more important matters..."

"Ah, yes, your pay!" The Commander turned from the plotting duo and strode over to his desk, pulling from it an envelope pregnant with money. "As promised, $500,000 in cash as a reward for capturing Shadow. His containment cell is up on the top floor...he'll have the entire floor to himself to bask in his regrets and mistakes before we execute him."

Grabbing the envelope, Rouge seemed to vibrate at the feeling of such a huge amount of cash in her hands. It was beginning to get difficult to keep her mind focused on the task at hand when all she could think of was the jewelry and diamonds she could buy back home! But with great difficulty she nodded to her Commander and turned to leave, pulling Shadow along with her. The large buck eyed the dark hedgehog while he poured a drink of scotch, watching the doors close on the smirking face of Shadow.

The White House, Capital City – July, 2016

Men and women dressed in black and white suits walked quickly down the main hallway of the White House, each headed for a different destination. Quiet banter discussing the recent crippling attack on Station Square and the new terrorist group "Dusk" bounced across the walls, as it seemed it was the topic of every conversation in the country. However one woman couldn't be bothered with such gossip, granted her position in the government and how important it was. Erica Wakefield, the primary advisor to the President rushed through the crowds that had gathered in the building. She grunted as she slipped past the creepy, old man recognized as the Prime Minister of Areno; Gwek, knowing his infamous habit of being a bit crude with his remarks towards women.

"My, the Presidents assistant is looking especially good today!" Gwek remarked with a perverse chuckle. "Hotter than the sun on Mazuri's Savannah I tell ya'!"

"Ugh..." Erica groaned to herself and continued to push her way through the insane amounts of people, and up to the Oval Office where she'd find the President.

Counting the stairs rounding the perimeter of the White House's lobby as she always did, Erica pushed through the doors at the top of the fifty-first step and slammed it shut behind her with a sigh of relief. Lincoln McHolm, current president of the United Federations stared quietly at the young woman, noticing her matching blue blazer and skirt had been somewhat out of place. He had to guess it was due to the stress of the United Nations Summit meeting.

The young woman, no older than twenty-five, brushed her blonde hair free of her petite face and pushed her glasses back into place. With a gentle inhale and exhale to calm her nerves, she walked up to the president rather exhaustedly and laid a folder onto his desk.

"Are you alright, Miss Wakefield?" the President asked with concern, while also skimming over the pages within the folder. "I understand the overload on a day like this...they don't come around very often, but when they do, the UN meetings can be very hectic. This time especially...it's not often that a Summit is held in regards to the safety of our own country."

"Yeah...I've never seen so many different nationalities all in one place before," Erica commented, then sat down in front of the President. "But, it doesn't help with the news we've received from the crew delivery supplies out to the new GUN headquarters on ARK. After the capture and imprisonment of Shadow the Hedgehog, we hadn't heard from anyone on the ARK. Once the latest delivery of supplies had been sent to up there, the crew reported everyone had been killed..."

His look growing stern and uncertain, Lincoln scanned through the pictures and testimonies given by the crew to witness everything. "Have you gotten in contact with Commander Shrike yet?"

"Yes, and he should be arriving after the Summit to speak with you about the details and shed some light on the situation," she informed quickly, then grew quiet for a moment in thought. "Say...Mister President, are you sure the Commander is really on our side? I understand you may trust him as your head of military, but...there's something about him that seems strange, don't you think?"

Flipping the folder labeled "ARK" closed on his desk, the President sighed heavily and cupped his face in his hands briefly, as if to decide how to answer her question. The middle-aged man then sat straight in his chair, his arms crossed sternly over his chest, although the look in his eyes spoke of gentleness and justice. That was the trait Erica admired most of the President, was his ability to see all sides of a conflict with calmness and mercy, yet still retain a rock solid sense of justice in any situation. However...she wasn't sure how he'd handle an uprising in his own military, and that she was certain was happening as they spoke.

"Commander Towers and I both decided on Shrike to be the one to take up leadership of GUN should Towers pass..." Lincoln explained, then stood to stare out the gigantic window at the rear of his office as he often did. "That man has been a loyal member of GUN since the early days after it's conception. Without him, a lot of our operations and intelligence networks would have been largely under developed and most likely could have lead to the downfall of our nation. Granted, Shrike is a very hot tempted and bullheaded man...-"

The door swung open, hitting the wall with a gentle smack causing both Erica and the President to spin around to meet the rude intruder. "Then again, Mister President, you aren't without your faults either, now are you?"

"Commander, it's a pleasure to see you," Lincoln greeted with a warm smile, shaking the stern hand of his most trusted soldier. "I was just explaining to my assistant here how you have helped build our military into what it is today! Sometimes the young souls of our nation need a history lesson, don't you agree?"

Sighing, Erica stood to her feet and bowed to show her respect to the man she ironically had none for. "Greetings, Commander."

"I do agree," Shrike replied, blatantly ignoring the gesture from the quiet assistant, sending her off outside with a wave of his hand. "Without the work of Head Commander Towers and Myself, our military would be a very different organization than it is today, that's for sure."

Taking a seat where the President's assistant had been, the GUN Commander waited until she had closed the door to bring up the next article of discussion. Watching Lincoln stroll through the room, carrying a black safe in his hands towards the desk, Shrike knew exactly what was within. The President sat down quietly, and then rummaged through his desk for a key to open the case, before long revealing it to be the seven Chaos Emeralds.

"So...I see you got the report from the massacre aboard the colony?" Shrike said, glancing down at the folder. "No one found it suspicious that it happened so suddenly? More importantly...no one knew I was up there when it happened, right?"

"You have to understand, Commander," Lincoln began with a look of conviction in his eyes. "I do not agree with the methods you're using to build up our army, especially since it's using the innocent lives of our own people for christ's sake! But, I can't deny the fact that after the last attack our nation suffered...we do need more security than what Sonic and his comrades are offering us. Station Square is still uninhabitable, and is still only about fifty percent rebuilt. With that said, I acknowledge the fact we cannot face another crisis such as another terrorist attack from that organization."

"I understand, Mister President," Shrike replied with a grin. "However, it should be noticed Shadow the Hedgehog is still in our custody aboard the ARK. He has been in solitary confinement for a month now, and has had his Chaos energy blocked until we bring him into the labs to begin testing for our new soldier program, making it one less pest running around interfering. And to clear your conscience, Lincoln...you don't have to act like you have any idea of the government's involvement with that massacre last month. The lives taken were all put to good use. As you may know, our super soldier program requires an astonishing amount of human sacrifice, solely for the fact that the serum we have developed has the tendency to send the weaker mind into a rampage. So if you look at it in a scientific light, it's simply natural selection weeding out the soldiers that aren't capable for the revised military we're creating. Those who were not killed in initial testing having been recovered and sent to a training facility in the Emerald Desert."

"The doings and methods of achieving our national security is all on your shoulders and conscience, Commander." Lincoln remarked with a sickened tone, and stood up to gaze out the window once again. "I want to talk to you about the Summit today."

"What about it, sir?" Shrike questioned curiously, pulling the seven Chaos Emeralds closer to himself with an envious gaze.

"The other nations are well aware that we're using our funds for something other than restoration," the President explained, his arms folded behind his back. "We've already had to borrow large sums of money from the international reserves, and as you know, the United Federations are already in a great amount of debt. I'm going to warn you now, the UN is prepared to freeze our assets in order to see to it that all our loans go to recovering Station Square and building up our economy once more. If that happens, GUN becomes no longer apart of our country, and at that point is a world police. This is why I've presented you the Chaos Emeralds..."

"Never thought you were one too use bribery, Mister President!" Shrike retorted with glee, staring down at the powerful gems. "So what's the catch?"

"If we do end up facing a situation where all our assets are being generated away from the military, then it'll leave us open to war from any of the other countries or organizations outside the UN," the President paused for a moment, as if to ponder whether his decision was the right one. "We've already been targeted by the terrorist organization known as Dusk, and I have strong reason to believe it's being headed by Doctor Robotnik, even though he was said to have been killed six years ago. The Chaos Emeralds are payment for GUN's unlimited support in defending the United Federations should we see another attack from that group, as well as the capture of any vigilante attempting to enforce the duties of your military. That includes Sonic and anyone he's associated with."

"I'm sensing a lack of trust for that blue hedgehog, sir," Shrike noted curiously. "I thought you were on agreeable terms with him and his associates?"

"Their participation in the safety of our country has recently been...dubious. I feel our nation is safer under the eye of its own military. After the catastrophe in Station Square earlier this year, fatalities have gone up when compared to events similar. I've noticed an increased ignorance to the people of the United Federations and it's property."

"Understood," Shrike replied with a nod.

Suddenly a loud bell filled the White House, signalling everyone it was time for the leaders of the world to meet together in one of the most high tension events of the political world.

"Shall we head down into the meeting room, Commander?" The President suggested rhetorically, walking down the stairs ahead of Shrike, leaving him with the seven Chaos Emeralds and ultimately unmatched power to do with the planet whatever he pleased.

Every leader makes their mistakes, and it would only be a matter of time before the consequences made themselves present.

To be Continued

Authors Note~ Things will be a bit confusing if you haven't read this stories sequel – Violet Dreams. I suggest you go check it out to be fully informed about some of the terms and events explained in this. As always, please leave your theories, comments and advice in a review and thanks for reading!