Chapter 8 Meeting an Old Friend and Making a New Enemy
Hello! My name is Rouge the Bat. Now it's my turn to take center stage! Sonic's and Tails' stories were okay, but I guarantee that mine is going to blow you away! As you know, Shadow and I chose to separate from Sonic and his friends. We had been on a quest to find Maria for over a week now. Fortunately, Shadow had been able to teleport us to different planets, and we didn't have to steal a ship, though I had asked him repeatedly if I could. I trusted Shadow, but I knew that when it came to finding Maria, he wouldn't hesitate to leave me stranded. We had traveled across the Gaelturi's empire, searching for a possible lead for Maria's location. During this, we also had to stay undercover so that no one would get suspicious of us.
On the third day of our search, Shadow and I discovered a file saying that Nightbaron had failed to transform Maria into a hedgehog and that he had died in an accident three years ago. Of course, this did little to impede Shadow's determination. Then, on the fifth day of our search, we received word that Tails had captured Gael and the Matriarchy was now claming supreme rule of the galaxy. This put Shadow on edge and we began to search with extra caution, knowing well that the Matriarchy was still looking for us, specifically Shadow. Two days had passed since then and we began to hear rumors that the Matriarch's fleet was approaching our system, Daithon III. It was a temperate planet on the edge of the Gaelturi's empire. We had been living in an old abandoned warehouse, which contained the perfect living conditions for me.
"Shadow, we need to get off of this planet." I said warily as I flew down from the scaffolding.
"It's time that we stopped hiding, Rouge. It is obvious that Maria's location is top secret among the Gaelturi, but if the Matriarchy has truly captured Gael, then perhaps he would have given them information on her." Shadow speculated.
"Are you suggesting that we just walk up to the Matriarch and ask her what she knows about Maria? Shadow, they'll attack us!" I said briskly.
Shadow looked at me and smiled.
"They would attack me, but not you." Shadow said as he rolled his eyes.
"Wait. You want me to join the Matriarchy? Shadow, I like you, but not enough to do something crazy like that!" I laughed.
"If you don't, then I'll kill every last one of them if I have to in order to find out the truth. I am more than willing to do so, for Maria's sake." Shadow said as he began to walk away.
I flew in front of Shadow and stopped him.
"Hold on, Shadow. If I didn't know you so well, I would say that you're just bluffing, but since I do, I know that you always mean what you say. I'll do it, but they better give me a ship that we can use, and a pretty gem wouldn't be so bad either." I said smiling.
"Go! I'll wait for you here. Be quick about it. There's no telling what tortures Maria could be enduring right now." Shadow sighed.
"You can't rush expertise, Shadow." I said proudly.
I winked at him and flew out through a hole in the roof. The rumors that we had heard were indeed true. A Matriarchy fleet had surrounded the planet and was preparing to invade it. Strangely enough, the Gaelturi were preparing to evacuate the planet instead of defending it. A large Matriarch ship was preparing to land just as the last of the Gaelturi had taken off. The ship landed on top of the city, crushing several buildings. I flew toward the ship and concealed myself in the rubble that surrounded it. I bruised my shoulder by hitting it against a large stone and crawled over the rubble, making sure to get myself as dirty as possible. I then threw myself onto the ground and cried, pretending to be in pain. A fox noticed me and ran to my aid. She held my head up and cleaned my face with her glove.
"You poor thing! What happened to you?" She asked, nervously.
"The building... It collapsed... but I escaped. Oh, it hurts!" I sobbed as I gripped my shoulder.
She yelled for help and two other foxes surrounded me. They were also women. I was carried onboard their ship into a medical bay. They laid me down on one of the tables and bandaged my shoulder. One of the foxes then scanned me.
"Nothing is broken, but you certainly hurt your shoulder. Other than that, your injuries are quite minor. I'm terribly sorry that we hurt you. We had been informed that this city was abandoned." She said frowning.
"They-They left me behind..." I said, wincing in pain.
"Please, is there anything we could do for you? I assure you that the Matriarchy would never mistreat a woman. I deeply apologize." She sighed.
"I... I would like a job. I don't have anywhere else to go." I said sadly.
"Of course! I will inform our commanding officer now. Rest now. She will come to see you here." The woman said and hastily left the room.
I then jumped up from the table and ran to a nearby computer where I began to access the data records. I discovered the location of the Matriarchy's capital planet as well as the identity of the new Matriarch, Miranda.
"What a pretty girl. It's good that she hates men. She could give me some competition. Oh, and what's this? It looks like her daughter was the girl that Shadow killed. We're in even more danger than I thought." I said nervously.
I quickly logged off and jumped back onto the table as I could hear faint footsteps slowly approaching.
Another fox walked into the medical bay. She walked over to me and held my hand.
"I am very sorry for that I hurt you. I assure you that we of the Matriarchy have the utmost respect for women. What is your name? My name is Elizabeth." She said as she kneeled down to face me.
"I'm Rouge the Bat. Don't worry. I've been hurt worse. The Gaelturi can be very cruel." I sighed.
"Well then, Rouge, if you are able to walk, I would be happy to escort you to your room. You can clean up there and rest more comfortably. We can talk about your recruitment later. As for now, consider yourself our guest." Elizabeth said happily.
"Thank you, Elizabeth. I would like to rest in my room now." I said as I sat up.
"Wonderful! Follow me, Rouge." She said smiling.
We left the medical bay and walked down the corridor together, though I pretended to limp.
"So what exactly is going on here with the Matriarchy?" I asked confused.
"My old friend, Miranda has been going insane since the death of her daughter. She recently declared herself the Matriarch and is determined to conquer the galaxy. It is a sad time, especially now that her other daughter has disappeared. I believe that she escaped with another one of my recent recruits, Miles Prower. I'm sure that you've heard of him." Elizabeth sighed.
I was very surprised to hear that Tails had left the Matriarchy. I guessed that he had met up with Sonic again on the Ark. However, I was even more surprised to hear that he had escaped with a girl. This intrigued me greatly.
"Yes, I've heard of him. It's a shame that he left..." I said sadly.
Elizabeth nodded and appeared to be struggling to hold back her tears.
"You know, I'm pretty good at flying with my wings, and I've flown a space fighter before. Maybe I could be a pilot as well. I'd just need a ship of course." I said as I flew around to show off.
"Perhaps. I wouldn't want you to get into the fray of battle, but we could always use transport ships. We receive many prisoners nowadays." Elizabeth speculated.
"That's fine with me." I said satisfied.
Elizabeth smiled at me and nodded. We entered my room and she made certain that I had everything I needed.
"Please, rest. Meet with me whenever you are ready and I will give you your training and ship. I suggest that you study our designs on your computer over there. It would be most helpful. There is a uniform on your bed as well. I would suggest that you refrain from wearing those pants of yours. It is standard protocol that we do not wear any male garments." Elizabeth said as she surveyed my outfit.
"Yes, of course!" I laughed.
She nodded and left the room. I walked over to my bed and observed the uniform. It was a standard black top and skirt with boots.
"I do look very nice in black." I said smiling.
I walked over to the bathroom and cleaned myself up. Afterwards, I changed into my uniform and got onto the computer that was in my room. I looked at the ship designs like Elizabeth had told me, but found myself quickly falling into boredom. I then continued my brief search through the Matriarchy's recent data records. I stumbled upon a recent file that had just been added the day before. I read it and almost fell out of my seat! It said that the Matriarchy had found Maria and that she was currently on Vulpes, their capital planet. However, that wasn't all. It also said that the Matriarch scientists had been successful in turning her into a hedgehog. Though, why they would do such a thing was unknown to me. I grabbed my original outfit and hurried to the hanger.
Elizabeth was already there waiting for me.
"Something told me that you wouldn't be resting very long." She laughed.
Elizabeth took me to my ship. It was fairly large, most of its size being in its cargo hold.
"Unfortunately, Rouge, I was just called on an emergency mission. I will have to leave the planet soon. I hope that you studied because you'll have to make time for training later. Your first task will be to deliver a supply of weapons to Vulpes. Miranda doesn't want any more escapees from that planet. If you don't know the way there, just check your navigation charts. There will also be a clearance code that you will need in order to land. Good luck. I must be off. You can stay here on the surface until you are ready.
I thought to myself that this couldn't be anymore perfect. Not only were we given a shop, but a free pass to Vulpes and Maria as well. I was also certain that Shadow would enjoy looking through their stock of weapons. Elizabeth left me and I got into my ship. I threw my outfit into the cargo hold and took the wheel. Fortunately, I new enough about flying planes from G.U.N.'s basic training to operate their ship. I flew out of the hanger and onto the planet's surface, though I flew much faster than I intended. Elizabeth's vessel left the planet shortly after and I flew toward the warehouse, hoping that Shadow was still there. To my surprise, he had not left. He ran outside of the building to meet me.
"Nice outfit." He said with a smirk.
"Shadow, if you don't start treating me with respect then I won't tell you anything that I discovered." I said as I began to walk away.
"Rouge, wait! I'm... I'm sorry. I am just so anxious to find her." Shadow said regretfully.
"Then you'll be pleased to know that Maria has already been liberated by the Matriarchy and she is on Vulpes. I also received a ship along with a code that will allow us to land on the planet." I said haughtily. I refrained from telling him that she had been turned into a hedgehog.
"Are you serious? Rouge, that's wonderful! You're amazing!" Shadow said happily.
"I know I am." I laughed.
"Let's go to Vulpes and find her, Rouge. Then we can get back to the Ark and go home." Shadow said, his mood now drastically changed.
We got onto my ship and took off into space.
"You do know that way to Vulpes, right, Rouge?" Shadow asked concerned.
"Yes, it's in the navigation charts. I can put the ship on auto pilot to take us there." I explained.
"Doesn't this thing have a warp drive like their other vessels." Shadow said impatiently.
"I'm sure that it does, but I don't feel like pressing random buttons until I find out which one it is." I said smiling.
Shadow nodded.
"I will wait in the cargo hold." Shadow said as he walked away.
"Wait! I'll join you. There are some weapons back there if you'd like to check them out." I said as I got up and followed him.
"So be it." He said frowning.
The cargo hold was quite large, being about the size of the observation deck on the Ark. There were three large crates chained to the back wall. Shadow began to open one of them, but I quickly grabbed his hand.
"Hold up, Shadow! Do you hear that? There are explosive devices in these crates! They could detonate if you open them." I said urgently.
Shadow backed away from them and gripped my hand tightly.
"We need to get them off of here now before they destroy the ship." Shadow said nervously.
"Hang on, Shadow. This is very mysterious. Did Elizabeth really mean to kill me, or did she know that I was helping you? Whatever the reason, this was obviously a trap. I have a feeling that there will be a lot of confused faces when we arrive. I think that we can use these bombs to our advantage." I said pleasantly.
"Fine, Rouge, but I'm staying close to you so I can get us out of here if they detonate. I don't like this, Rouge. This our only chance to find Maria." Shadow said warily.
"That sounds like a great idea, Shadow! I can't complain about that." I said as I threw my arms around him.
"Not that close." He sighed and shrugged me off.
"You know, Shadow, playing hard to get will only make me try harder." I said as I took his hand.
"Rouge, your affiliation towards me is not mutual. Just stay focused on the task at hand." Shadow said annoyed.
"Fine, Shadow. Let's just get to Vulpes and find Maria. It's all that you care about anyway." I said as I left the cargo hold.
Shadow grabbed my shoulder.
"Rouge, wait. I didn't mean to say that I don't care for you. I do, but I'm not in love with you. I've never loved anyone..." Shadow sighed.
"Oh, come on, Shadow! You loved Maria didn't you, and I say that you're just too embarrassed to express your true feelings for me as well." I said as I winked at him.
Shadow laughed and smiled at me.
"I did love Maria, but not in the way that you are thinking. Maybe you are right, Rouge, but my love toward Maria only means that I need to focus on finding her." Shadow said as he crossed his arms.
"All right, then. Let's get going." I sighed.
The flight to Vulpes took hours, hours that were lengthened by Shadow's silent mood as he gazed out into space, occasionally glaring at me when I flirted with him. Though, he seemed to lighten up once we arrived at Vulpes. There was a large fleet surrounding the planet. It looked as though they were repairing a large space station. The communications alarm sounded, and Shadow ran into the cargo hold.
A fox appeared on my view screen. She stared at me in confusion.
"State your name at once! Your arrival isn't on my schedule." She said hastily.
"I know, sweetie, but I hear that you are desperate for weapons. I brought a large supply for you, at a reasonable price, of course." I said smiling.
She sighed and glared at me.
"If our situation hear wasn't so dire, I would destroy you right now. My reputation could be tarnished for accepting your black market merchandise. Make your visit short and stay quiet about this. I will personally compensate you later. Now go before I change my mind." She said angrily.
She began to close communications, but hesitated.
"Sensors are reading another organic life form onboard your ship... Wait. Now it's gone? What kind of game are you playing, bat?" She asked, growing further annoyed.
"Hey! I started this mission alone! How do I know that it's not one of your spies trying to steal my cargo?" I said warily.
"Fair enough. You better leave the system within the hour, little girl." She warned me and closed communications.
I sped towards the planet's surface, knowing with full confidence that Shadow was already there. I landed at the air field outside the Matriarchy's military headquarters. Several male foxes immediately came to unload my cargo. They were being led by a woman.
"Take these to the prison, and be quick! Miranda wants Gael locked down as hard as possible before his foolish people come to his rescue!" She ordered.
The woman paid me no attention, obviously unaware to the fact that my delivery was not on schedule. I followed them further into the city. It was filled with statues and symbols of a woman that I guessed was Miranda, though her portrayals here were much more grand than those that I saw in her records.
I was suddenly pulled into a dark alley to be reunited with Shadow.
"I apologize for scaring you, Rouge, but I have to remain conspicuous. Where is Maria any way? Do you know?" He asked desperately.
"I don't know, Shadow. She's probably in some hospital or research facility. Something tells me that these Matriarch women aren't going to treat her much differently from the Gaelturi." I said as I shrugged my shoulders.
"All right. Then why don't we check the prison? Your explosive ammunitions would cause the perfect distraction. Continue to follow them. I'll be right behind you." Shadow said smiling.
I nodded and ran off to catch up with the convoy that was heading toward the prison. I was surprised to see someone emerge from its gate. The woman was none other than Miranda accompanied by her elite female guards. They ran to the men carrying my supplies and lashed at them with their whips until they were kneeling on the ground before her. The female fox then began speaking with Miranda.
"How is she? Will she live?" The woman asked nervously.
"Of course. She will be fine. Actually, she has helped my plans immensely. Miles will soon pay for taking my daughter. And Amanda will have her vengeance upon Shadow. It will all work out in the end. Soon, both of my daughters will return to me and the Gaelturi shall be utterly crushed. Then the galaxy will be ours and I shall sit upon a throne of the skulls of men. The hour swiftly approaches that we will be relived from their vile existence forever." Miranda said as she clenched her fists.
"My lady, I mean no disrespect, but how does Amanda plan to kill Shadow? He possesses great power." She asked concerned.
"My daughter has her way of avenging her broken heart. After all, look at what happened to Nightbaron. His death will be the precursor to the doom of the galaxy." Miranda said as she walked away, ignoring me, for which I was thankful.
Without saying a word, we continued into the prison. After the door had closed behind us, the fox stopped me.
"I thank you for blindly following me here. Now, I can place you under arrest you thief!" She said smiling.
"Me? What did I ever do wrong?" I asked in shock.
"Don't play games with me, little girl. You came here to steal our secrets and sell them to the Gaelturi! Well, it's too late for that. Nothing can save them now, I assure you." The fox said as she bound my hands with a pair of cuffs.
The ammunition crates then exploded, knocking us over and sending debris throughout the corridor. The prison immediately went on lockdown as alarms began to sound. Shadow appeared and helped me up. He broke me free and grabbed my hand.
"Let's get moving!" He said urgently.
We blasted our way through the security doors, trying to find where they were keeping Maria.
"Shadow, do you know where you're going? We could run into another trap!" I yelled over the blare of the alarm.
"I know what I'm doing, Rouge!" He said annoyed.
"Lost, are we Shadow?" A voice said from within a cell behind us.
It was a dreadful voice, one that burrowed into my soul's deepest chambers and chilled my spirit. It was that of Gael's.
"I had a feeling that we would be seeing you here, Gael." Shadow said smiling.
"Indeed. I foresaw our meeting as well. Tell me, what are you doing here besides falling deeper into a trap of course." Gael laughed.
"I'm looking for Maria. The Matriarchy is holding her here." Shadow said confused.
"What? Where did you receive this information? Maria is still in my custody on Carellium. It is not possible that the Matriarchy could have found her so quickly. Release me, and I will bring you to the real Maria." Gael said as he walked toward us.
"She is here, Gael! It was in their records. They even managed to turn her into a hedgehog, something you failed to do." I said smugly.
"They what?" Shadow gasped.
"Oh... I see. I will leave you both alone, then." Gael said, quite baffled as he sat back down.
"Rouge! Why did you not tell me about this?" Shadow asked in shock.
"Forget it, Shadow! Let's go!" I said hastily.
We continued running down the corridor at a frantic pace. However, our speed did little to aid us in finding Maria. Eventually, the alarm ceased, bring relief to my sensitive ears. Shadow had stopped running so that I could rest.
"Shadow, maybe Gael was right. Perhaps Maria isn't here, and those files I read were just forged in order to lead us into this trap." I sighed.
"No, she is here! You heard Miranda. She was speaking about Maria earlier. How would she know that I was with you?" Shadow yelled in denial.
"Shadow, she could have been speaking about anyone. Perhaps it was her daughter that you thought to have killed. Maybe they had been trying to save her. I'm sorry Shadow, but she isn't here." I said with pity.
Shadow turned around and stared at me.
"Rouge, I apologize for getting you into this. I really am grateful for your support. If you truly think that we should go then we will." Shadow said embarrassed.
I smiled at him and began to blush.
"Thanks, Shadow... I-"
"Maria!" Shadow yelled, cutting me off.
He sprinted down the corridor. I hurried to follow him. I caught up to Shadow as he was standing outside of a cell, trying to deactivate its force field. Inside the cell was a young female hedgehog. She was as tall as me though she looked to be somewhat older, perhaps nineteen or twenty. She had yellow fur and blonde hair that were both very unkempt. She had deep blue eyes that would have been intensified by her blue dress had it not been so filthy and discolored. Despite all of this, she was quite beautiful, and to my displeasure, Shadow quickly realized this as well. I didn't want to believe that this girl could possibly be Maria, but there was no denying it. She was crying furiously, her dress stained with tears as she pressed her body up against the force field.
"Shadow! You came! I knew you would come back for me!" Maria sobbed as tears streamed down her face.
Shadow then punched the control systems, disabling the field. Maria ran to Shadow and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, making me green with envy. Shadow was now crying, something I had never seen him do.
"Maria, you're alive! I knew that I would see you again! I'm so sorry, Maria, for letting them do this to you!" Shadow cried in grief.
"It's alright, Shadow. There was nothing you could do. All that matters is that we're together again." Maria whispered to him.
"Hey, don't you think that we should get back to the Ark before they come looking for us?" I said annoyed.
"You brought the Ark here? How?" Maria asked in shock.
"It's a long story, Maria. I'll explain once we get there." Shadow said hastily.
Maria nodded and held onto Shadow. Shadow put his other arm around me. Maria and I stared at each other, and for a brief moment she looked as though she wanted to kill me. If it had been anyone else, I would not have feared, but this was supposed to be Shadow's friend who he portrayed as being innocent and harmless. To know that she had already gathered so much hatred for me just because Shadow put his arm around me was enough to inspire fear within my heart.
Shadow looked down at us suspiciously. We smiled at him and he nodded. We then vanished in a flash of light.
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