A/N: Smileaway, you've risen from the grave at last? Yes, my dear friend, I am here, and I am very much alive (for the most part, anyway). I'm so glad to have been able to get a little bit of writing done in the midst of the insanity that is real life, and I'm equally glad that you're here to read it. Just a fair warning: this little oneshot does contain some dark elements as it was the result of my own frustration through my writer's block, so I'd advise you to read with caution. Thanks all!
"We have you surrounded, hedgehog! You'd better surrender, because you're outnumbered!"
The black and red hedgehog smirked, the bright lights in front of him reflecting wildly in his eyes. He was indeed outnumbered; soldiers stood on every corner, every gun pointed directly at him. If they were G.U.N soldiers, they'd be much more afraid-after all, G.U.N agents seemed to have more common sense. These men were too blind to the weapon within the dangerous hedgehog.
"I'll succumb, if you insist," Shadow said, dropping his weapon and raising his arms, though his smile remained.
"That's more like it."
The first man took his gun and stuffed it into a black pouch. He then snapped his fingers at two other men, who came forward and saluted.
"Bring this rodent back to the Chairman's office," the authoritative figure growled, "The Chairman will soon have his head on a platter when he finds out this guy tried to break in."
The men forced Shadow forward, leading him by the forearms. Irritated, the hedgehog yanked his arms away from them and his smirk quickly became a scowl.
"Keep your hands away from me," he muttered. When one man attempted to hold him down, Shadow glowered, staring directly into his black visor where he assumed the eyes were. The man shrunk back, seeing the fury locked in the red eyes.
Once they arrived at the office, the men shoved their captive into the neat, nearly-empty room. A single desk sat in the corner, along with a black carpet in the center, and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There were no windows installed, and the walls were painted with a flawless coat of white paint.
"I'm back here," called a booming voice from the other side of the doorway. A heavyset man in a red tuxedo came through, panting and sweating after running down the halls to catch up with his men. "Ah, so this is the alleged thief. A Mobian, no less."
The guards backed up as the Chairman brought his nose closer to Shadow's face, bending down to eye level with him. Shadow's eyes held nothing but a single raging look of murder.
"Snooping around my departments, I hear," the Chairman remarked, running a finger through his greasy black hair. "I'd expect no less from the likes of you. You and your entire kind, a bane to the human race."
"There are some who contradict that," Shadow replied calmly. "We are very much like humans; we're able to choose which side to fight on. Unlike humans, we have the capability to bring justice to this world rather than constantly combat it."
"Is that a hint of discrimination I detect?" the Chairman sneered, his ugly teeth showing between widely parted lips.
"No more than yours," Shadow retorted, "I could have easily chosen to be against the human race and destroyed you all in seconds. Yet this is the thanks I get, is it?"
The Chairman scoffed.
"That was years ago," he chuckled, wringing his fingers together. Shadow caught onto the nervous gesture very quickly, and began to play along with it.
"The Eclipse Cannon . . . with that, this entire world would be eradicated. Nothing but a barren wasteland. And what did you humans do to stop it?"
The Chairman hesitated.
"The President and the forces of G.U.N did everything in their power . . . we barely had any time, and-"
"Just when all was lost, my kind came and rescued your powerless and meager lives. You sat and watched it all unfold."
Once again, the Chairman said nothing in immediate response. He submitted to the act and shrugged, eager to change the subject.
"Very well. I suppose that's beside the point, isn't it?"
"Indeed. Let's discuss business, then, shall we?"
The Chairman nodded with a sinister grin.
"Agreed."
Shadow sprung into the air as bullets immediately began to fly at him from every angle. He swung himself from the hanging chandelier to the desk, and snatched the pistol from the top of a stack of papers. Standing behind the Chairman, the hedgehog held the pistol to the fat man's temple.
"Predictable," Shadow snickered. "Shoot if you so please," he said to the stunned guards, "and I won't hesitate to do the same."
The guards immediately dropped their weapons, holding up their arms in defeat. The Chairman remained motionless, save for his arms that rose to his shoulders' height. Pleased, Shadow smiled and spoke close to the man's ear.
"Now, then, to discuss that business?"
The Chairman's breathing grew rapid.
"There's nothing to discuss," he stammered.
"With whom have you been doing business in the past four weeks?" Shadow demanded, his patience failing.
The man's hands began trembling, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. The gun in that moment seemed more frightening than the hedgehog.
"Let me go and perhaps I'll tell you."
Shadow remained steadfast, keeping his ground and pressing the cold metal to the man's head, making a faint red imprint of the barrel.
"Tell me, and then I'll consider letting you go."
"How can I trust you? Who in the hell are you?"
Shadow shook his head, with an irate smile sneaking up the side of his face.
"I'm the one asking questions, here; answer them or suffer the consequences," the hedgehog barked, causing the Chairman to wince. "With whom have you been doing business?"
The Chairman gasped as Shadow pressed the gun into his skin a little harder.
"Farrone Corporation," he answered. "The architectural designers."
Shadow nodded.
"I see."
"Let me go," the man hissed, his hands now grasping the edge of the desk. Shadow put his feet down on them to prevent any kind of escape.
"I haven't finished yet," the hedgehog snapped. "I'll admit, your sharp-eyed guards caught me going through the files of your most recently designed buildings. The blueprints were remarkably planned out."
The Chairman said nothing; he only breathed heavily through his nose. Shadow continued, his voice reaching a strangely casual tone.
"One blueprint struck me as . . . peculiar, to say the least," the hedgehog said. "I believe it was titled, 'Salvation Alley'?"
The guards that were in the room advanced closer to Shadow and his hostage, guns at the ready. The Chairman laughed.
"I have no such building being built," he replied, the anxiety in his voice heightening.
"You speak the truth," Shadow said. "It's already been built. Were you aware of that fact?"
No response.
"I noticed rooms being designed for those of us who might be more vertically challenged," Shadow remarked. "Rooms with mazes of walls, some with no way out. The ones that did have a solution were discontinued at the conclusion, as if there was a sudden . . . drop."
The Chairman yelled and jerked one hand out from under Shadow's shoe. Reacting quickly, the hedgehog aimed the gun at the chandelier chain and shot at it three times, causing a sudden shattering of tiny crystals on the floor beneath it. At that moment, a voice called from the hallway as gunshots from the various guards rang through the room.
"Hands up, boys, you're surrounded with the real good guys!"
Two figures led a large group of men clad in gray and black charging into the office. The large robot that led them gazed threateningly into the eyes of the Chairman with his own unblinking red ones. Rouge fluttered to the ground and motioned to the G.U.N soldiers to take away the red-clad guards, while others clambered around the Chairman.
"A Mobian-killing building," the bat spat. "Disguised as a hotel where us Mobians thought we could be a little more free, only to be led to our demises. A genocide machine."
The Chairman's face was shiny with sweat as Rouge strutted up to him.
"Sickening," she hissed, "I've met screwed-up people before, but you disgust me more than any of they did. Gents, get this psycho wrapped up like a burrito."
The soldiers did as Rouge ordered, and took out the sweaty, fat man, who only laughed maniacally in reply.
"Humanity will be ruined because of you!" he roared.
"My own kind would have been extinct if it wasn't for you!" Rouge shouted back. "Duct tape, men! I want to see duct tape over that fat kisser of his!"
The room cleared out, save for Team Dark. Shadow hopped down from the desk and shook his head.
"What's his sentence?" he asked, stepping towards her.
"Solitary confinement, possibly for life," Rouge replied, smoothing out her G.U.N field uniform. "It's remarkable what people can get away with."
"Remarkably disgusting," Shadow growled. "Only a deranged maniac like him would have thought of such a thing."
"Deranged, though well-hidden," Rouge answered, the tiniest fraction of admiration fluttering in and out of her voice. "He's insane, for sure, but a mad genius. I thought we'd never be able to find out who did it."
Shadow raised his eyebrows, amused.
"You doubted us?" he inquired. "You doubted the power of Team Dark?"
"Not for a moment, you rat."
The bat pulled a well-folded blueprint from Omega's storage compartment and opened it, revealing a mass of tangled lines and scrawled writing.
"The commander will be happy to see these. I'm most certainly not, though." the bat said.
"Should a next time occur," Shadow began, "You're the one getting caught, not me. I've never felt so degraded and humiliated in all my life."
Rouge chuckled, punching Shadow playfully on the shoulder.
"Oh, come on, that was a brilliant plan!" she cried, "Use a fake thief, and while they're distracted with you, snatch the blueprints, inspect them, catch the Chairman by surprise. Easy peasy, and genius."
"And our entrance was positively dramatic," Omega stated. "They did not see anything coming, I am absolutely sure."
Shadow grinned.
"I, for one, am exhausted," he said between yawns. Rouge nudged him on the shoulder after replacing the blueprints in Omega's storage unit.
"We make a good team, you know," she commented. "Good work today, guys."
After a team fist-bump, Team Dark exited the room, following their fellow agents after another successful mission.