Draco: Ooki…this is my first attempt at a StH fic since I was in 3rd grade or so. Please don't kill me if people are slightly out of character or anything.

^_^'

Nuke tapped boredly on the glass, neon green fur reflecting back at him. The white patch around his left eye made his gaze glow from behind the fluff of white-tipped green fur. His fox ears twitched, their white tips flashing, as he watched a fly buzz across his vision on the other side. It was impossible to hear it through the pane, but he somehow knew it was buzzing, even though he didn't remember ever hearing a fly buzz before. Actually, he wasn't even sure what buzzing sounded like, but it was buzzing none the less. He raised a white paw to play with the three glittering, gold rings in his left ear as his tail twitched behind him. Then he placed one paw on the glass, reeled the other back, and slammed his fist full force into the clear wall. Arm extended, knuckles bleeding, he listened to the tinkling of shards raining to the ground, and a grin spread across his snout. Now he could hear the buzzing.

* * *

*door opens, and footsteps echo, someone clears their throat*

Assistant: Excuse me sir.

*chair squeaks*

Doctor: Yes?

*silence*

Doctor: Yes? What is it?

Assistant: It escaped, sir.

Doctor: What?

Assistant: It…it escaped…sir…

Doctor: What do you mean 'it escaped'?

Assistant: It shattered the glass, sir, and escaped.

Doctor: Catch it.

Assistant: A crew is on it already, sir.

Doctor: Good.

Assistant: Um…sir?

Doctor: Yes?

Assistant: It…it stole weapons, sir.

Doctor: It what?

Assistant: It stole weapons.

Doctor: What weapons?

Assistant: There were atomic grenades and a nuclear launcher missing, sir.

*the chair squeaks again as someone stands*

Doctor: Find it, catch it, and kill it. Do you understand? Find it, catch it, and kill it immediately.

Assistant: Y-yes, sir. Right away, sir.

*footsteps, and the door closes*

* * *

Nuke sat back against the wall of the vent and rummaged through the things he had stolen. On the side of weaponry, there was a gun that was a little over half as long as he was tall, along with a pile of grenades. Other than that, he had grabbed a few things to make movement easier. He attached the gun and grenades to red shoulder strap, which he threw across his chest. Then he clamped an red, electronic gauntlet onto his left wrist and pulled a matching fingerless glove onto his right hand. After flexing his arms and hands to get used to the feel, he pulled on a pair of white socks and donned a pair of red sneakers. The shoes had gray, metal soles and metal strips over the toe and around the foot. Admiring them with a grin, he found himself wondering what they did. Somehow he knew that each set of sneakers in that room had to be made for something special. So he clicked his heels together on a whim and a jet board extended from the sole of his right foot. With another click, it retracted. Now this could be fun.

* * *

*running boots echo down the hall*

Speaker: All staff on alert! There has been a breech in Med Lab B! I repeat, there has been a breech in the Med Lab B! All staff must be on alert!

*running continues as the announcement is repeated*

* * *

Nuke snuck carefully through the shafts, the clang of his travels overshadowed by the hustle throughout the building. Something in his head turned his blind path into a goal-oriented wander, leading him round corner after corner over his pursuers. Finally, he found himself at a grating that lead to a room empty of workers. Without a second thought, he removed the bars and lowered himself from the ceiling. There were now glass boxes around him, much like the one he had just left shattered down the hall. A tapping drew his attention to the one, and he made his way around the tables to see what it might be. Inside, a little blue fox sat Indian-style on the ground, tapping at the glass. It was a female kit, younger and smaller than Nuke, with the same white-tipped ears and white paws, and on her chest was a little blue fluff. She was tapping rhythmically until Nuke tapped back, which caused her to turn her huge, green eyes up to him. Then he noticed the little yellow patch of fur on the outside of her right eye, shaped like a little star. That star was also on a plaque on the glass, along with the word "Atom."

* * *

*running boots are still echoing, along with shouts*

Speaker: All staff on maximum security! There has been a breech in Med Lab A! I repeat, there has been a breech in Med Lab ! All staff must be on maximum security!

*more shouts echo, boot tromp on*

* * *

Nuke lead little Atom through the ventilation system as people ran and shouted below. The girl had already worn a pair of sneakers, red with gray soles, which had allowed her to jump all the way up through the hole in the ceiling. He had been right, each and every pair of shoes did something special. His had a jet board, and hers had some sort of springs. So they wandered down twisting passages together, not sure where they were headed, until they reached another grating, beyond which lay a room lit by blue lights set in the walls. It was hard to see what exactly the room contained, and, at the urging of both Atom's curiosity and his own, Nuke decided to investigate. There seemed to be nothing there, save for an electronic ring set in one wall and what looked like a control panel set a few yards in front of it.

* * *

Speaker: All staff report to stations immediately! Tech Lab X has been breeched! I repeat, Tech Lab X has been breeched! All staff report to stations immediately!

* * *

Nuke examined the huge ring. It was made of the same gold as his earrings and encased in the same metal as his shoes. Electronics were carefully attached to it, reaching down to a platform at its base, from which cords ran in steel casings to the controls. Behind the green fox's back, little Atom stared in childish awe at the huge box on which the control panel was placed. Letting the wonder over take her, she bounced up onto the face of the panel and stared at the mass of computer screens, switches, levers, and glowing buttons.

Suddenly Nuke could hear the boots clomping along the corridor, and he dragged his attention from the glitter of the gold. They had to go. Unfortunately, Atom was nowhere to be seen. Then he heard her, clambering around atop the huge box of circuits. Like any little child would, she had begun playing with the equipment. With a click of his heels, Nuke released the jet board and flew up to her, but as he was about to carry her back to the vent, the ring began to glow. Frozen by a confused mix of amazement and fear, he watched as it slowly began to spin in its casing, going fast and faster until the motion was so fast that it became barely perceptible. In his arms, Atom giggled, then she pointed, jumping up and down, as the glow grew bright and brighter.

There was a blinding flash just as the soldiers crashed through the door, coming to a full halt at the sight of the shimmering in the room. Someone shouted something, and there was a chorus of human gasps, as the glittering air began to die away. Sprawled on the floor, looking slightly dazed, lay four creatures, the foremost of which appeared to be a very confused blue hedgehog.