I slid off my designated seat, ignoring the glare from my guard and held back an infuriated sneer. This was our mission, he had no right to act like he owned me. It was as the Commander stated; the fate of Mobius rested in my – our – hands. I snorted quietly. As if I'd fail this mission.
Making my way to the airship's back doors, duffel bag hung loosely over my shoulder, I reached for the red emergency switch.
"Agent Shadow!" Called the guard, but I ignored him and defiantly pulled it down. There was an instant pull as the interior of the aircraft immensely sucked in air; the hanging duffel bags and equipment inside trembled from the wind. The door opened slowly, and I stood back with a smirk.
"See you there." I had to yell to be heard. Not waiting for a reply, I jumped.
Rouge's scream in dismay was muffled from the deafening wind blockade.
Black Doom. The malevolent entity that was the cause of my existence. The very essence of who I was, what I was made of, if you will. If it weren't for the leader of the Black Arms, I wouldn't be here now.
It all started with the Professor. All he ever wanted was to save his sweet granddaughter from Neuro-Immuno Deficiency Syndrome; a deadly yet rare disease that infected her essence. He was so desperate for a cure, to save Maria from an untimely demise, that he made a deal with the devil himself to guarantee her survival.
Black Doom was not the devil. He may as well be for what he did to me. What he nearly made me do…
I will admit, however, being half-alien has its perks. The unnatural grace and agility that came with it enabled me to swiftly land without harm. Chaos advancements and Ultimate Lifeform aside, I was created to be highly superior than my fellow Mobian kin.
With the help of my rocket shoes, I swerved and skated through the forest without struggle. I knew the location of the so called 'hidden' facility; I had memorised the map and escape routes before I made my hasty departure. Waiting in a confined battle ship is not my thing. I much prefer to run, to loosen up and gain a clear conscious before any mission. I'll just have to deal with Rouge's lecturing afterwards.
It wasn't long until I arrived at the rendezvous point, dropping the duffel bag as I dug into its contents. Pulling out an earpiece, I applied it and grabbed my gun, examining the holster to double check it was full.
My ears flickered to the gradual hum of the airship navigating its way here, and the shrubbery and brush nearby whipped and lashed around from its decent. After a few more seconds I was greeted by an infuriated Rouge and a displeased guard.
"That was out of protocol, Agent Shadow," he informed. "I'll have to alert Commander Tower about this mishap."
I sneered at him and was about to tell him to hell with the Commander, before Rouge shoved me aside.
"Shadow I swear to Chaos if you pull that stunt again I will hand you over to the Doctor myself."
"Hmph. As if you call that a threat," I smirked in response and crossed my arms. "Besides, you? Caring about me? That's a start."
Rouge glared but it was obvious the tension had dissipated for she relaxed.
"Don't push your luck, Handsome."
"Shall we get started onto the mission at hand?" said Omega eagerly. The guard tightened his hold onto his gun while giving a stiff nod.
"You all have your orders. This is an undercover facility, which means the Doctor will have tighter security and advanced weaponry to ensure no infiltration at all costs. Be careful, do not mess this up."
"Still so doubtful of us. And after everything we've done for you, too." Rouge said as she equipped her earpiece. "Don't worry, hon. We'll blow up the Doctor's little kiddie fortress and acquire that emerald in no time."
Despite what the guard said, we infiltrated the base easily. The entrance to the facility was through an underground tunnel that lead to a steel door. Rouge hacked into the mainframe easily, unlocking the entrance through the electronic keypad on the left. It baffled me, how she can uncover security codes and passwords so easily. I shouldn't be surprised; she's a spy, after all.
We split up soon after, Omega on the hunt to capture the infected robot, Rouge out to seek the chaos emerald and me to download classified information. We head off, agreed to rendezvous back at the tunnel entrance in an hour, with our designated targets or not. Before we headed out, we waited for Omega to take down the security cameras, and once that was covered the mission began.
I slipped and slid through the endless dark corridors, pistol firmly grasped in my hand. I was on high alert, frantically searching for any incoming threats. It wouldn't be long until Eggman released reinforcements and initiated a backup supply. I needed to be quick.
The glow from my inhibitor rings illuminated the gloomy interior with an eerie, golden hue. My rocket shoes skating against the steel floor being the only cause of sound in this strangely vacant facility. From my experience with the Doctor, his bases constantly had Eggbots, Swatbots, Buzzbombers and other robots filtering the premises in paranoia of Faker's interference. This vast emptiness was a stark contrast to the Doctor's overbearing protection.
Something was wrong.
I continued on, finding nothing but the still, ominous hallways and control rooms. My earpiece buzzed before Rouge's voice filled my ear.
"Is it creepily quiet on your side or is it just me?"
"No," I replied, still running. "Something doesn't feel right."
"Should we abort mission?"
"No. We will continue as planned. If we don't run into trouble it will just make our job easier. Let me know when you've reached the emerald."
"Fine."
The earpiece buzzed again until silence beckoned me once more. For a few more minutes of traveling through dank rooms, I finally found the centre of the base. It wasn't anything special, just a room full of computer screens and monitors. I set my pistol down on one of the computer benches and took out Hope's hard-drive. Plugging it into the computer, I fired it up and began my search for the Doctor's next move on world domination. I clicked through countless of files, many of which consisted mainly on connections with other bases, Sonic's recent sightings and blue prints for new robot designs. I didn't know what the Commander's big deal was, this looked pretty basic to me.
That was until I stumbled upon the most recent file: TOP SECRET
I scanned the content and nearly fell back. I finally understood the Commander's uptight ass, why he was so tense and anxious about this seemingly normal mission.
We needed to get out of here now.
As quickly as I could, I downloaded all files onto the hard-drive and snatched my gun, making a hasty retreat from the room. I knew the Commander was up to something.
"Dammit," I growled, reaching for my earpiece. "Rouge, you there?"
"Yep, and I just found the chaos emerald, too. Any luck?"
"Unfortunately. Hurry to the rendezvous point now."
"Alright, geez. Hold on, the emerald is kept in this weird capsule and it's going to take a while to get out."
"Hurry." I turned a corner sharply and switched my earpiece around. "Omega, have you taken in the infected robot hostage yet?" For a reason, I already knew the answer before Omega replied.
"Negative. The whole facility is deserted. No life force detected."
"Nevermind that, Omega. Detonate the bombs now, we're leaving."
"Affirmative."
In twenty minutes, we regrouped. The green illuminance of Rouge's emerald mixed with the gold halo of my inhibitor rings, making a murky brown light within the darkness. Rouge stared at the gem like it was her own new born baby, oblivious of the horror that awaits us.
"You can swoon over it later, we have larger issues facing us." I growled at Rouge. In response, she raised an eyebrow.
"I take it you've found the information we're looking for?"
I couldn't reply for a shrill wail reverberated through the walls and air itself. The bombs had been released.
"Move!" I shouted, and we did. We sprinted through the tunnel once more and the force of the explosion sky-rocketed us out of the entrance hole. My colleagues landed roughly against the dry dirt, loose debris scattered across the floor along with rocks and black smoke. I landed on my feet and skidded to a halt with a pained grunt as the force of the land shook my legs.
Straightening, I glared at Omega.
"I thought those bombs were set for half an hour before they were detonated." I accused through clenched teeth.
"They were. My scanners proved so. However, just before the explosion, I was alarmed by new sets of mines incorporated into the walls of the facility. Those were not set off by accident, they were triggered manually. Which means-"
"-the base was meant to be destroyed." I finished off, the clues coming together in my head. "That was why it was deserted. The Doctor must have known how much of a risk it was to keep valuable knowledge such as this," I waved the hard-drive around, "in such a fragile facility. It must have become a liability."
"That probably explains why the emerald was in a tight capsule," Rouge intervened, "Eggman must have been planning to evacuate it before the explosion."
"Wow what a mess. I thought I heard something go 'boom'," said a familiar voice behind us. I tightened my grip on my gun as we all turned back to see the Faker. "Hi Shads." Sonic said with a wave of his hand and a smile. I glared back.
"Go away, Faker," I warned. "You have no purpose here."
"Really?" he asked, looking around in astonishment. "Because I'm quite curious as to why all of Team Dark are huddled together in the middle of what seems like a battle field."
"It is none of your concern." I growled whilst reaching for the emerald. Rouge, by instinct, snatched it away, and I gave her a fierce glare in exasperation.
The Faker noticed and tensed to leap forward. Dammit, we had no time for this!
In a flash, I swiped at Rouge and grabbed the emerald as well as her and Omega. Sonic rushing at us at full speed was the last thing I saw before we teleported away.
"Chaos control!"
Anger boiled. The Commander had a lot to answer for. He knew the danger of this mission, he knew that if we didn't make it out in time, we would have been blasted into smithereens. Overall, he knows about the Doctor's next move, on what he plans to do.
And that alone was both terrifying and concerning.
"Shadow?" Rouge asked in confusion, but I wasn't listening. I marched to the direction of the Commander's office, other G.U.N soldiers staring at me in bewilderment. I must have looked feral to them; rough fur, bloodied cheeks, stained gloves with murderous intent. I didn't care.
I slammed the door open, violating protocol again, and threw the hard-drive onto the Commander's desk. He glared but looked resigned, as if expecting this. Annoyance flared.
"You tell us everything."
