Disclaimer!
I don't own any of the characters, they are property of Sega and Sonic Team.
Through what felt like an endless corridor walked a small group of people, all of them GUN agents.
There was Team Dark, composed of Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the bat, and E-123 Omega, as well as two other agents that were escorting them to commander Tower's office.
"So, what did he want us for again?" Rouge asked as she looked around the same rooms that she always saw when she went to Tower's office. Nothing ever seemed to change in that place.
"He didn't say much, but supposedly, you three are going to get a new partner." One of the agents replied as they approached the door to Tower's office.
Shadow immediately snapped at that statement.
"Wait, wait, wait, what?! What do you mean another partner?! I don't want to work with some weakling! No offense, but you all are pathetic when it comes down to fighting…" He said, growling. The two agents didn't seem to be offended that much by his statement, partially because most of them were already familiar with the attitude of the black hedgehog.
"Actually, you're not going to be put with another agent." The other one said. "This one is apparently a 'special' guest, like a temporary agent."
"Oh, great…So he's not even trained?" Shadow said, feeling more and more irritated.
"Come on, it won't be so bad...It'll do you good to make new friends, sunshine…" Rouge said, smirking as she ruffled Shadow's hair. The hedgehog immediately pushed her hand away.
"What makes you think I want new friends? It's more than enough with the 'friends' I already have!" He snarled at her.
"We have shown a stable teamwork during our latest missions, what is the reason for the new member?" Omega asked to the agents, ignoring completely his two partners.
"He didn't say, but my guess is some kind of special mission." The agent replied as they reached the door.
"The commander is waiting inside. Please go in."
"Hmph…This guy better not be a wimp…" Shadow mumbled as they all walked into the room.
Sitting on a chair in the center of the room was commander Abraham Tower, his elbows resting on his desk as he watched Team Dark enter his office.
"Good to see you all so soon. I suppose you've already asked what you were called here for, right?" He asked, almost as if he already knew the answer.
"Yeah, we did. So, we're getting a new partner, right?" Rouge asked as she took a seat and leaned back, crossing her legs and putting her arms on the support of the chair.
"Indeed. You will have a temporary new member for a few missions."
"What missions exactly?" Omega questioned, opting for simply standing in the corner of the room rather than sitting in a chair like Shadow and Rouge.
"A set of very delicate missions." Tower replied sternly. "Some of our best spies have retrieved information about Eggman's latest plan, and this time it's much worse than what we've confronted before."
"Why? What makes this any different from all his other plans?" Shadow asked, crossing his arms.
"…He seems to have gotten his hands on some volatile and highly unstable materials, and he's using them to create another one of his machines. The problem is that the slightest disturbance of any of these materials' components will result in an explosion that would leave this entire district as a big crater!"
"Wow, is it really that bad?" Rouge asked, slightly surprised by the tone of seriousness in Tower's voice, even more serious than usual.
"Yes, it is. That's why you'll be getting a new member. He is one of the very few people capacitated to infiltrate Eggman's bases and disable his machinery without putting the life of everyone at risk."
"Well, where is he then?" Rouge asked. Tower simply leaned back in his chair and pointed to another one to his left, which was turned around. Rouge quickly detected a small hint of white fur coming from the sides of the chair.
"He's right here. Why don't you turn around?" He said, gesturing for him to do so. The chair was slowly turned around to reveal that the spots of white fur Rouge had seen were actually the tips of two tails. His legs reached down to the floor, a pair of red sneakers with a white stripe each turning the chair around so that he was facing them directly.
"Um…H-hey, guys…" The young yellow-furred fox said in a rather timid tone. Rouge was nothing short of shocked, and neither was Shadow. Omega remained emotionless as always.
"Tails?! You're the special agent?" Rouge asked in disbelief. Sure, she knew that he was a genius and all, but she never thought she'd see him inside GUN, much less on her team.
"…Should've known. Well, at least it's not that blue faker…" Shadow muttered, looking away.
"Indeed. He has shown a great courage on previous battles with Eggman, not to mention his technical and mechanical knowledge. And of course, how to forget that he's already saved us more than once from certain destruction. But of course, he doesn't have the training that our agents receive, so that's why you will have to work together to infiltrate Eggman's bases." Tower explained.
"Wait, don't you think he's too young to be in GUN?" Rouge asked. Tails seemed to react rather quickly to that statement.
"H-hey, that's not true! I can handle myself fine!" He said in a determined tone, but still stuttering slightly. He wasn't used to being around Shadow, Rouge, or Omega, for that matter. He wouldn't say it to anyone, but the large robot scared him a little. He's seen what he could do and how many weapons he held inside him, and Tails even fought against him once, so he knew what he was capable of and was slightly afraid of what could happen if Omega got aggressive with him. The robot simply stood there motionless, and Tails wasn't sure if he was staring at him or not.
"He's agreed completely on joining, and his past achievements have earned him respect both from the citizens, and from me." Tower said. Tails rubbed the back of his head and blushed slightly.
"Aw, t-thanks…I didn't really do that much…" He said sheepishly. He wasn't used to being praised, but he did like how it felt.
"Well, if you say so…" Rouge said, shrugging. She didn't really mind having Tails in the group all that much. Unlike some other individuals she won't mention, he was actually pretty nice to her, when they weren't on opposite teams…
Shadow, however, didn't like the idea of someone else slowing him down.
"Listen, you better not get in my way or I'll make you regret it, fox." He said, glaring at Tails. The kit yelped slightly at the sudden hostility from the black hedgehog, and began feeling more nervous.
Rouge saw the uneasy look on Tails' face and smiled a little.
"Don't worry, cutie, he's all bark and no bite, trust me." She said, smirking as she ruffled the hedgehog's quills again, making Shadow growl angrily in reaction. Tails couldn't help but chuckle a little at the two. He could barely believe that Shadow was being teased and annoyed so easily by Rouge.
"For the moment, we are still waiting for the details to be brought in by our men about Eggman's closest base." Tower said, bringing all of their attention back to him. "I thought this would be the perfect chance for you to get used to working together as a team. So, your only mission for today is to train and get ready to work as a team."
"That's all?" Rouge said, looking at Tails for a moment. The fox noticed her and gave her a slightly confused and innocent look. A sly and playful smile crept up on her face, immediately making Tails jump a little when he noticed it.
"This is going to be so much fun…"
