CHAPTER 8

Hey guys! Nice long chapter for you to enjoy. A lot is happening. I know it feels like a flood of new stuff, but I hope I tied it together for you guys well enough. I'm starting to finish up establishing the different factions, allies and enemies, as well as going a bit more in depth for some characters, giving you guys better view of who they are. This chapter does contain some harsh language and a mature situation so be warned. Also, for you romantics who stuck through it this long, there is more for you here! I've also started listing some of my OC's on my profile if you want to read more about them, I'll continue updating their Bio's with more information for you guys who want to know more than what the story says. Also feel free to ask me any questions as well! Thanks to all of you who have followed, favorited, and reviewed! I hope you continue to enjoy my work!

It was a warm sunny day, perfect for being outside. People were out jogging, walking dogs, or riding bicycles. No one took much notice of Alan as he walked along the sidewalk nonchalantly, wearing black cargo shorts and a button up shirt. To the average passerby the only thing that stood out was the large black case he had slung over his shoulder. It was designed to look like a large cello case so no one would become overly suspicious. In truth, however, the case contained a vast amount of weaponry and gear for pretty much any scenario. In it, Alan carried a heavily modified G.U.N. sniper rifle, a pair of handguns, a knife, body armor, different scopes and optics, rappelling equipment, camouflage, ammo, and a variety of selective tools.

Alan was a G.U.N. Special Forces operative, and one of the best snipers in the force. He had seen a lot of combat, fighting on the front lines for the entire duration of the Black Arms conflict even though he had only been recruited a year before the fighting started. Alan had been deployed at the onset of the Black Arms invasion and put directly into the heart of the fighting. He had been part of the first company of troops deployed to repel the aliens, and was the only one man who survived from that company. During the conflict Alan had had two encounters with Shadow the hedgehog.

The first was when his company was wiped out. They had dropped from 250 men down to around 50 and were making a stand at a subway station. Civilians were using the subways to flee to safer more secure parts of the city. Alan was on a rooftop, using a large caliber rifle to pick off the bigger aliens while the troops below concentrated fire on smaller, more numerous targets. As the aliens pushed forward Alan was forced to go down to the ground level before they swarmed his building. More aliens began flooding the streets and they were quickly overrun. He lost his rifle during the melee and fought with a knife, getting swiped across the face and receiving a long scar that ran from the outer corner of his left eye down to his lip. He fought for his life until a large flash sent the aliens flying back.

He had looked around and saw he was the only one left standing. It was then he saw Shadow finishing off a large alien. He had heard there was a dangerous black hedgehog he needed to watch out for and guessed that was him. He raised his knife but the hedgehog just shook his head and disappeared. Alan had wondered why such a bad hedgehog would save him. The second time Alan encountered Shadow he was deep behind enemy lines. After he had been saved, he stayed in that area, having found his rifle, and kept harassing the aliens, picking off bigger aliens he guessed were more important. What he didn't know was that he was the only man still fighting in that half of the city.

He was on a second story rooftop when Shadow appeared in the street below, attracting a large group of aliens. He covered Shadow's back and approached him after the skirmish.

"You're still out here fighting? Thought everyone in this part of the city was dead or really good at hiding." Shadow had asked him."

"It's my job." Alan had replied.

"You are aware you're the only one left out here right? The rest of your forces cowered and retreated like pathetic sheep before wolves." Shadow said in a disgusted manner.

"I'm just doing what's right. What are you doing?" Alan shot back.

"Hmph." Shadow growled, crossing his arms.

"Well I'm Alan." Alan said. "I've heard about you, but it that seems what I heard was wrong."

"Shadow…watch your back Alan." With that Shadow was gone. Alan remained in that area of the city until the Black Arms were defeated. There is a small plaque at the subway he had defended which honored his company's last stand. Written on it is an account from a witness who described what happened. Also mentioned on the plaque is a soldier who some survivors, who weren't able to escape and went into hiding, claimed to have seen still operating in the area. Alan was never officially recognized or rewarded for his actions during the conflict, and only a few people are even aware of what he had done.

One of the people who does know is his current commanding officer. Her name is Naytalia Brystol. She had heard of his encounters with Shadow and reached out to him. Brystol had started a secret sect. within G.U.N. meant to keep tabs on any plans G.U.N. had involving Shadow. She gathered people who felt that Shadow was misunderstood and not the bad weapon the higher ups made him out to be, and had them monitor G.U.N. activities involving Shadow in case someone tried to incriminate him. Her search for people sympathetic to Shadow lead her to Alan, who told her about his two encounters with the dark hedgehog. He agreed with her cause and joined her group, acting as a field agent for her, and going out to investigate different G.U.N. activities if they were suspicious.

A week ago Brystol had informed her team that G.U.N. was after a man who had appeared during an E.M.P. phenomena, and Shadow and Rogue were covering for him. She began an investigation using her team to try and find out who in G.U.N. was in charge of the man hunt. One of Brystol's moles reported that a small team of operatives had runn into the suspected man and one was critically injured. Alan was dispatched to a low rent hotel in the area where the attack happened. Since then he had been monitoring the man as he walked with the hedgehog known as Silver to pick up a bunny who Brystol had told him is a friend of Sonic's team and lives nearby.

He was told not to intervene unless absolutely necessary if something were to happen. Brystol's secret sect. was unknown to everyone outside of it. Not even Shadow and Rogue were aware of their hidden allies. Secrecy was their only protection from the brutal internal politics of G.U.N. and the less people knew the better. The investigation hit a standstill as no more moves were made to apprehend the man until a second portal phenomena occurred, and Brystol was told that three strike teams were dispatched to investigate, but again, they couldn't discover who issued the orders or who was leading the teams.

Alan was also sent to the spot by Brystol and watched as the G.U.N. troops engaged a large man in an alleyway. He was dressed like a regular trooper to blend in and observed the firefight from underneath one of the trucks. Seeing Shadow, Sonic, and the first man join the fight, Alan made his move. He slid a magnetic clamp with a tracker attached to it out of his pocked and stuck it to the underside of the truck. He then rolled out from underneath and ran up to the driver's door and pounded on it, yelling at him to leave. The truck sped off and Alan slipped into an alleyway as the fighting ceased. He ran long and hard until he was clear of the area and pulled off his uniform, throwing it in a dumpster. He made his way back to the hotel he was staying at before calling Brystol to report that she could track the truck, which in the end lead nowhere, since it was found abandoned in a parking lot.

After that Alan was back to watching as now the man was joined by the new arrival instead of Silver, still walking to pick up the bunny Cream. Alan walked down the street casually. No one would have guessed he had leapt out of a window and escaped a G.U.N. raid only twenty minutes prior. He wondered how he had been found out, and was concerned that Brystol's secret operation might have been discovered. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and pulled one out, sliding it into his mouth. He pocketed the pack and pulled out his zippo lighter. He flicked it open with a metallic "ting" and lit the cigarette. He flicked it shut and pocketed the lighter, taking a long draw from the cigarette.

He pinched the cigarette between his fingers and let his arm drop lazily to his side. He exhaled the smoke with a sigh and brought the cigarette up to his mouth again. He held it between his lips and glanced around at random people as he walked. He was lost in thought about what had happened at the hotel and didn't notice the woman in front of him until it was too late. He knocked her over easily and barely staggered at all.

"Oh geez, I'm terribly sorry." He said, reaching down to help her up. She was an attractive woman, long brown hair, pale skin, big hazel eyes, and a short, petite figure. She was wearing simple, yet professional, business attire. She sported a navy blue button up blouse, which hid her cleavage surprisingly well when Alan noticed she was quite well endowed, a black pencil skirt, simple black transparent leggings, and black heels.

"Hmph, well you should be." She scoffed, looking up at him suspiciously. She looked the man standing in front of her over. He was tall and muscular, but pretty lanky as well. He had red hair and was sporting the standard military crew cut. He also had a scar running from his left eye to his upper lip. He was definitely not a man she wanted to have stick around for too long. She ignored his hand and stood up on her own, brushing herself off. She looked up to see he had vanished and turned around to see him walking away like nothing happened.

"Yeah walk away asshole!" She called. Alan ignored her and kept walking until screeching tires caught his attention. He turned around, looking past the woman who was still glaring at him and saw a black truck fast approaching. He didn't have time to get his rifle ready so he turned and sprinted down the sidewalk. The truck quickly caught up with him and pulled up onto the sidewalk in front of him. He ran right up to the driver's door and ripped it open as men started climbing out of the back. Alan slammed the driver's head into the steering wheel and pulled the man partially out of the truck.

"Don't move!" One of the G.U.N. troops yelled as ten of them made a semi-circle around Alan. As Alan turned to address them he violently slammed the truck door on the driver's head, making a sickening wet crunch. The troops flinched and raised their rifles.

"Oops." Alan said casually. He noticed that behind their line the woman from before was standing there watching. "You're still here lady?" He asked her, making a few of the troops glance backwards. In that moment he crouched, slid off his case, and swung it forward by the strap, knocking four of their guns aside. He let go and sent it flying into three more to his left and lunged forward, drawing a hidden knife from his boot. He stabbed a man in the neck, grabbing his gun as he fell. He ripped the knife out and swung it at a second man in the same motion, slitting his throat. He then threw the knife, burying it into another troop's head, before shouldering the gun he had taken and opening fire on the remaining men, killing them all.

"Huh, six seconds." He said to himself, bending down to pick up his case. "Not too bad I suppose." He glanced over at the lady, who was frozen in shock. He opened the truck door and dragged the driver out, dumping his body on the ground. "Hey, you better leave." He said. She didn't reply, just stared down at the bodies. "Hello?" She looked up at him.

"Y-You…you killed them." She stammered.

"Well yeah, but shit happens, you know?" Alan replied nonchalantly.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Look, we need to get out of here, so get in the truck and I'll take you home." He climbed into the truck and gave her a nod. She quickly hurried around and climbed inside, understanding this wasn't the place to stand around and chat. She buckled herself in as he pulled the truck back onto the street. "My name is Alan by the way, don't worry, I won't hurt you or anything." He said, trying to calm her down. "Where do you live?"

"I-I'm Emily. Um…you can drop me off anywhere, I don't live to far." She replied hesitantly. She was clearly afraid of him. Unfortunately for her, he had to make sure he got her home safe.

"Look, I'm sure that you want nothing to do with me, but I can't just drop you off and hope you don't get picked up on your way home, so I'll ask again, where do you live?" Alan asked firmly.

"Fine, a few more blocks from here. I live in an apartment with my boyfriend." She muttered. Alan nodded and followed her directions, pulling into a pretty run down complex. He pulled up outside her building and watched her leave, wanting to make sure she got inside before heading out. She got to the door and as Alan was about to leave he saw a man rip open the door.

"Where the fuck have you been bitch? Get your ass in here!" He yelled at her, grabbing her arm and pulling her inside, slamming the door behind them.

"Why that son of a bitch." Alan snarled, turning off the truck and stepping out. He walked up to the door and heard a crash from inside, along with crying. He stepped back and kicked the door open, slowly walking inside. He heard noises coming from the bedroom and walked down the hall. He threw open the door to find the man holding Emily down by the neck, trying to take off his belt. Her blouse was ripped open and her leggings had been pulled down.

"Who the fuck are you?" The man demanded, getting up and grabbing a nearby empty bottle. Emily was crying too hard and had mentally removed herself from what was happening to her, thus no noticing Alan's arrival.

"I'm no one." Alan replied grimly.

"Get the fuck out of my house!" He screamed, swinging the bottle at Alan. He caught the man's arm and pivoted so his back was to the raging man. He brought the man's arm over his shoulder and yanked it down, snapping the man's elbow, and making it a gruesome obtuse angle. The man screamed but was quickly silenced as Alan snapped his arm back and smashed his elbow into the man's face, knocking him out. Alan slowly approached Emily, who had curled up into a fetal position and was sobbing.

"Emily, it's me, Alan." He spoke gently, kneeling down in front of her. She didn't reply or move. Dealing with emotionally traumatized, partially undressed women was not part of his training, and he had no idea how to help her. Alan reached out to pat her shoulder but pulled his arm back, not sure that touching her was a good idea. He stood up and ripped the covers off the bed, draping them over the top of her. He turned to the man on the floor and stepped over to him. Reaching down he grabbed the man's head and violently twisted it to the side, snapping his neck. He tossed the body onto the bed and wrapped it up with the remaining bedsheets. He threw the covered body over his shoulder and walked outside. He walked towards the nearest dumpster which also had a middle aged woman dumping out her garbage.

She watched him suspiciously and looked back to see which apartment he had come from. She knew who lived there, but this wasn't the terrible man who did. Alan noticed her suspicious and worried look and gave her a smile as he dumped the sheets into the dumpster, making an obviously louder noise than they normally would. She stepped back a bit and narrowed her eyes. He continued smiling.

"She had a lot of trash she needed to get rid of." Alan chuckled and walked back to the apartment, leaving the stunned woman behind. He walked back in and shut the door, then headed for the bedroom. He walked in, hearing that she wasn't sobbing anymore but hadn't moved and was still under the blanket. "Uh, Emily?" He asked. "It's me, Alan." Again no reply. He figured it had been quite the day for her, witnessing him kill G.U.N. troops then getting attacked by her boyfriend. Still, he had somewhere to be and he didn't wanna spend more time waiting for her to come out of her shell. He removed the covers and looked into her eyes. He saw they were blank and unresponsive. He poked her knee and got no response.

"Alright Emily, I can't be a gentleman anymore, hope you can get your life on the right track, later." He stood up and left the room. He found the key by the front door and stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. His conscience was eating away at him as he slid the key into the lock.

"Oh God dammit." He muttered, opening up the door and going back inside. He stepped into the room where she still remained, curled up on the floor. He stepped up to her and scooped her up in his arms. Emily whimpered as he set her down on her feet and pulled her leggings back up. He buttoned up her blouse and lifted her into his arms again, heading for the door. He went out to the truck and set her in the passenger seat and climbed up behind the wheel. He started the truck and pulled out, having decided that he would just have to bring her with him.

After an hour of driving, seemingly aimlessly to throw off anyone trying to tail him, Alan pulled into an underground parking garage. It was old and had been in disuse until Brystol had acquired it for renovations. Brystol was high ranking brass in G.U.N. and had secretly made an underground bunker underneath this garage. He pulled into a space by an old elevator and got out, stepping up to a hidden camera to give it the proper signal. He flipped off the camera and walked around to the passenger seat, gently shaking the shoulder of the now asleep Emily.

"Rise and shine princess." He said.

"Ugh, where am I." She grumbled.

"Well I can't really tell you, but you're with me so you are in better hands than with your ex." Alan replied, wondering just how shut down she was when it all happened.

"Alan? Oh, right…" Emily shivered, remembering what had happened when she got back home.

"Also, you should slap me hard in the face." He said, receiving a confused look. "You were in a vulnerable position, let's say. I had to redress you somewhat, take it how you will." Emily looked down at herself, noticing her blouse was re-buttoned and her leggings were on normally, and blushed.

"You didn't…like…" She started.

"Look? Feel you up? Take advantage of you in some way?" Alan interrupted. "No. Under more consensual circumstances sure." He continued with his normal bored sounding voice. He started walking for the elevator, slinging his case over his shoulder. Emily hurried to follow. She walked up beside Alan and looked at the wall around the elevator, not seeing a button.

"How do we call the elevator here?" She asked.

"Just wait." Alan grumbled. He hated standing here waiting. It made him feel like a sitting duck. Suddenly there was a ding and the doors slid open. Alan stepped inside as did Emily. The doors closed and the elevator began its descent.

Zulu sat with Cream at the dining room table helping her with an art project. Victor was sitting in his corner watching them, occasionally adding to their conversation. It was getting dark and Victor went to the kitchen to pour himself a drink when the door to the garage opened.

"I'm home!" Vanilla announced.

"Momma!" Cream called from the dining room.

"Good evening ma'am." Victor greeted her. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Oh! Well my files are still out in my car if you wouldn't mind." She smiled as the big man stepped by her, ducking under the doorway and heading to her car. Vanilla heaved her hospital bag onto the counter and sighed. Cream came bolting into the kitchen and gave her a hug. Zulu entered the kitchen and smiled at her.

"Hello." He greeted cheerfully.

"Well well, should you really be up and about?" Vanilla gently scolded him.

"Zulu, take it easy on himself?" Victor asked sarcastically, entering the kitchen. "Ma'am, Zulu may be grown and mature on the outside, but inside, he's still young and stupid. He still thinks girls have cooties." Vanilla could barely hide her laugh as Zulu narrowed his eyes at Victor.

"First off, I believe I'm older than you, and second, I don't still think that." Zulu retorted. Victor smirked.

"That's right you are older than me! Man, makes it even sadder that you still haven't lost your V-card." Victor said smugly. Zulu growled, and opened his mouth to reply but Vanilla spoke first.

"V-card?" She asked. Victor leaned down and whispered in her ear. Slowly her cheeks began to get red. "Oh my…" She muttered quietly.

"What are you guys talking about?" Cream asked.

"Cream let's finish your art project." Zulu smiled to her and they left the room, Zulu giving Victor a death glare as he left.

"I am so in for it later." Victor chuckled. "But it was worth it. I see why he likes teasing everyone so much."

"You know more about Zulu than you let on." Vanilla eyed him.

"Actually I don't, I just said that, but based on his reaction, it was true." Victor laughed. "Who would have thought? I overheard him brag about how much of a ladies man he was during down time between tests once."

"You're like the friend who tells me all of my partner's secrets." Vanilla giggled, then blushed, realizing what she had said.

"Ah is that how it is?" Victor smirked. "Speaking of that, does he know?"

"…Yes…" She replied shyly.

"Ha! Good for you! So have you two-"

"Victor please." Vanilla cut him off. "Don't even start with that. You're not allowed to tease me." She stated. Victor chuckled.

"Ok I see who the boss is." He replied. He returned to his seat in the corner while Vanilla prepared dinner in the kitchen. Zulu and Cream finished her project just as Vanilla brought out dinner. Cream cleared the table while Zulu again helped Vanilla with bringing out all the food. They all sat at the table with Victor sitting beside Vanilla while Zulu sat across from her and next to Cream. Tonight Vanilla had made spaghetti and garlic bread and they all dug in with a hungry fervor. Vanilla found something strangely charming about how Zulu ate. While she, Cream, and even Victor to some extent, ate with table manners, Zulu just wolfed it down. There was some semblance of table manners, he kept his elbows off the table, wiped his mouth, didn't talk with his mouth full, yet he chewed with his mouth somewhat open, he sat slightly hunched over the table, and he usually tried to fit a bit too much food into his mouth at once, giving him fat cheeks. She adored the latter, watching as he stuffed a piece of bread loaded with spaghetti into his mouth and slowly tried to chew with his eyes closed.

After dinner Victor had taken Cream to the kitchen to start on dishes while Vanilla and Zulu cleared the table. Vanilla was stacking plates when she felt a warm presence behind her. Zulu carefully leaned over her, reaching for a fork across the table. She looked up and wriggled her ears, tickling Zulu's neck.

"Hey now." Zulu chuckled. He blew on her ears, causing her to shiver and fold them down behind her head. He retrieved the fork and placed it in a glass full of other silverware and they brought the silverware and plates to the kitchen. Zulu smiled at the sight they walked in on, seeing Victor hunched over the sink while Cream stood on the counter next to him. He and Vanilla gave them the dishes and Zulu headed for the couch in the living room. He sat down heavily and shut his eyes, sensing someone else join him on the couch.

"You know, I was gonna get you back, but I forgot my own plan." Zulu chuckled tiredly. Vanilla sat beside him and blushed, remembering her confession the previous night.

"Hmm, and here I thought you were the spontaneous type." She teased. Zulu slowly stretched his arms out and rested them on top of the couch, his right arm laying behind her head. Vanilla looked over at him, he had his legs crossed, his right ankle resting on his left knee, his head was resting back on the couch, and he was taking slow, deep, relaxed breaths. She was debating on leaning up against him when Cream came out of the kitchen with Victor.

"Zulu, Shadow just called." Victor said. "He and Rogue are on their way here right now. I'll be going with them to a parking garage downtown. Obviously you're in no state to be out and about." Zulu cracked an eye open at Victor before sitting up and cracking his neck. Zulu slowly stood up as the doorbell rang.

"Zulu…" Victor said warningly.

"Cream get the door sweety." Vanilla asked. Cream hurried to the door, and returned with Shadow and Rogue.

"Look Zulu-" Victor began but Zulu cut him off.

"Shadow, brief me." Zulu said.

"Well Rogue got contacted by someone in G.U.N. asking her to get me and meet up at an old parking garage downtown. Rogue was told it was about the man hunt for you two." Shadow said. "I want to bring Victor along but-"

"Be careful." Zulu interrupted, surprising everyone, who all had expected he would try and go as well. "Taking Victor is a good plan. They can then see that we are not threats. Just be careful out there you guys."

"Understood, thanks for not making things difficult." Shadow replied.

"How you holding up hun?" Rogue asked.

"I'm still fatigued." Zulu replied honestly. "I know I'd be a combat risk, so of course I won't be going, as much as I want to." He patted Victor on the shoulder. "Alright, you're my diplomat, I'm trusting you to act for me."

"Yes sir." Victor said. Zulu, Vanilla, and Cream saw them out and wished them luck. Cream let out a long yawn.

"Looks like its bed time dear." Vanilla said.

"Really?" Cream pouted.

"How about I read you a bed time story." Zulu added.

"Yay!" Cream ran up to her room, followed by Zulu. Vanilla sighed and laid down on the couch again, thinking about how much of a happy family they made.

Zulu sat on Creams bed while she picked out a story for him to read. Having picked one, she jumped up onto the bed and snuggled into his lap. He opened the book and began reading her the story. He didn't recognize the fairy tale but it seemed to follow the prince saves the princess plotline. Cream began to fall asleep and murmur questions that popped into her mind.

"Have you ever fought a dragon Zulu?"

"No Cream, nor do I want to." He chuckled.

"Why not?" She asked softly.

"Well, they are big and scary and even though I am quite capable with a sword, I don't think I could do what this prince does."

"Would you fight one for me?" She asked sleepily.

"Cream I would take on a hundred dragons with a sword for you." Zulu whispered, slipping out of the bed and tucking her in. He kissed her forehead and smiled as he heard her whisper "I love you Zulu."

"I love you too Cream." He silently left the room and headed down the stairs. He noticed Vanilla on the couch and quietly walked over to her. Slowly he lay down on the other end of the couch, not wanting to disturb her, and put his hands behind his head. As he lie there on his back he felt someone crawling onto him. He opened an eye and found Vanilla's head resting on his chest and her legs wrapped around one of his. He gently blew on her ears and smiled when she shivered and looked up at him.

"Leave my ears alone." She tried sounding stern.

"Not my fault they are always in my face." He replied, smirking at her. Vanilla flicked them into his face and giggled as he tried to turn his face away from them. "There isn't enough room for me and your ears on this couch."

"My ears are fine, you're big enough to be a couch." Vanilla shot back.

"Oh is that your plan, use me for a couch?" Zulu accused.

"Well, you sure are comfy, I might sell my couch." She laughed.

"Comfy? Well, you do seem quite content where you are."

"Mmhmm, very."

"Geez you flirt like a teenage girl."

"You sure do make me feel like one."

"Wait, is that good or bad?" Zulu asked.

"Good I suppose, I just feel like a young girl in love around you." Vanilla sighed. Zulu gently wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"Why you love me I'll never know, but I love you too Vanilla." Zulu smiled at her and she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in until her forehead was resting on his.

"Really?" She playfully asked, rubbing her nose against his nose.

"Yes." He replied softly. Slowly Vanilla leaned in and tenderly pressed her lips to his.

"This the place?" Victor asked. Rogue, Shadow and Victor were outside of an old decrepit underground parking garage.

"Seems like it." Shadow confirmed. "Rogue didn't see anything else like it in the area, so this has to be the one.

"Well let's get inside, ladies first." Rogue walked down the paved slope and into the garage, followed by Victor and Shadow. The garage was pretty much deserted, save for a black G.U.N. truck parked by an elevator. They cautiously approached it and looked around.

"Hmm, nothing inside." Victor said. Shadow crawled out from underneath it.

"It's not rigged up or anything." He reported.

"Hey boys, smile for the camera." Rogue laughed, waving at what seemed to be an ordinary concrete wall. On closer inspection, embedded in the bottom left corner of the wall there was a tiny camera lens. They all heard a "ding" and peeked around the wall to see that the elevator doors had opened.

"Well, ladies first!" Victor declared, nudging Rogue forward. They all entered the elevator and it began to descend. After fifteen seconds Victor started to worry. "Damn, how far down did they dig?"

"Could be a trap, get ready." Shadow ordered. The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors slid open, revealing a large room full of tables with computers, wires, filing cabinets, chairs, and around twenty people either walking around, or sitting and typing. Immediately to the left of the elevator were three people. One of them was a serious looking woman wearing black rimmed glasses. The second was a man Shadow thought looked familiar but he couldn't quite put his finger on who he was. The third person was behind them and seemed a bit lost and confused. She was pretty short and seemed to be gazing around everywhere.

"Welcome Shadow and Rogue, I'm Naytalia Brystol, G.U.N. brass. I see you've brought one of the men from the E.M.P. occurrences, excellent. Beside me is Alan, a Special Forces G.U.N. sniper who only takes orders from me, you may recognize him Shadow. I'm told you encountered Alan twice during the Black Arms conflict."

"Ah, that's why you seemed familiar. Nice to see you're still alive." Shadow gave him a nod.

"Likewise Shadow, I have a lot to thank you for." Alan replied.

"You know him?" Rogue asked.

"Very well, it's disappointing most people don't. G.U.N. pretty much wiped what he did during the Black Arms conflict under the rug. He is the sole survivor of the first company of troops deployed to repel the invasion. He was trapped deep in the Black Arms controlled part of the city for the entire conflict, by himself. His company is the same one that made the stand at the subway station, which is where he got that scar."

"Wow, you'd think he would have received loads of recognition." Rogue replied.

"Wait, Alan, are you the guy that is mentioned on that plaque at the station?!" The shorter girl behind him asked, shocked.

"Guilty as charged." He responded, although not very cheerfully. Victor stepped forward, surprising Alan by shoving his hand in his face.

"I'm honored to meet you Alan, I'm Victor. You got some balls. You have my full respect and admiration." Alan shook his hand, overwhelmed by the giant's praise.

"Thank you Victor, it means a lot." He replied.

"We will have more time for war stories later boys, we have much to discuss, this way." Brystol lead them all to a separate room from the main hub and shut the door. There was a large table in the middle of the room and a large screen on the wall. Brystol sat at the head of the table with Alan and Emily on one side and Rogue, Shadow, and Victor on the other.

"First off, I would like to hear how you and the other man got here Victor, and who you both are." Brystol started.

"Yes ma'am." Victor replied. "I'll keep it brief. I was part of a program that was started against government orders and secretly operated with the goal of creating augmented super soldiers. At some point we were given drugs obtained from G.U.N., how I'm not really sure. Someone found out and tried to erase everything relating to the program. Our team was sent straight into an ambush and only our team leader Zulu and I made it out alive. He was sent through the portal during the ambush, while I tracked down another afterwards and came here to find him. Currently we want to find out who is trying to eliminate us and find out what type of deal G.U.N. made with the man running the program. Zulu is worried that there could be a multidimensional conflict if we don't clear up what is going on."

"Where is Zulu currently? I was expecting both of you." Brystol asked.

"I'm not sure you are aware but we are responsible for the break in at G.U.N. last night. Zulu was attacked by an unnaturally skilled person and was stabbed. I'm not trying to brag here but he and I are highly trained and augmented to maximize our combat capabilities, and I witnessed the fight. That was no normal man he was fighting. The man also was using knives coated in a liquid sedative. Zulu is currently able to walk around but he isn't combat ready, and didn't want to risk coming here if it was a trap."

"It was you two?!" She exclaimed. "Are you both insane? How the Hell did you survive?!"

"Well Shadow and Silver did most of the work, Zulu and I just held the rear." Victor replied casually.

"Unbelievable, two men held off the entire G.U.N. complex." Brystol muttered, having heard details of the casualties and damage, but no reports as to who was responsible.

"Two hedgehogs, and two men I think you mean." Victor added, winking at Shadow. "But what is important is do you know of any soldiers with inhuman fighting capabilities or any sedative drug research?"

"I have not been informed of any super soldier like projects or drug developments, but I will certainly look into it." She shook her head. "Can I just hear whose dumb idea it was to break into G.U.N.?"

"Zulu planned the whole thing, down to who would be in each group." Victor replied with pride.

"Oh lord." Brystol rolled her eyes.

"I have a question." Shadow said. "Why did you call us here, and what are you even doing?"

"Well Shadow, we have you to thank for this operation." Brystol replied. "I started this secret sect., which I've dubbed the Shadow Sect., of G.U.N. with the original purpose of monitoring G.U.N.'s intentions for you. If anyone in G.U.N. tries to incriminate you or make you a scapegoat we will put a stop to it. I handpick people here who believe that you aren't the evil weapon that G.U.N. brass would like everyone to believe. Don't get me wrong, we don't think we are protecting you, we all know and respect your abilities, but we see this as doing our part to repay your unmentioned services to the world. The Shadow Sect. has now grown to stopping any internal corruption and other activities that are not for the good of everyone."

"Wow, it's like a big Shadow fan club!" Rogue teased, nudging the black hedgehog.

"I joined because this group is about revealing what is going on behind the curtains and making sure those who have done any wrong are held accountable, and likewise no one will get swept under the rug." Alan added.

"I'm sure it is all well and good, just seems childish to me." Shadow mumbled. "Doesn't answer why you called us here."

"Earlier today the hotel Alan was using to monitor Zulu and Victor was raided by G.U.N. troops. They were searching for him. This is very worrying, since the Shadow Sect. isn't supposed to be known about by anyone outside of it. Someone has gotten word of what we are up to and is trying to shut us down. So I decided to call you in and tell you that we are on your side and will provide you with any information we can. I would have reached out sooner, but that would have drawn more attention to myself, but now that we have been discovered, it doesn't matter who I talk to." Brystol explained in full.

"Great! We have a reliable contact inside G.U.N. now." Victor said excitedly. "Zulu will definitely approve."

"Thanks for the heads up." Shadow nodded to Brystol. "One more question. Who is she then?" Shadow motioned to Emily.

"It's, well, quite a long story." Alan replied. Brystol gave him a hard look.

"I'm Emily." She replied quietly. "I witnessed Alan fight G.U.N. troops, so he offered me a ride home to get me out of the area so I wouldn't be questioned."

"So why are you here now?" Shadow pressed, glancing at her suspiciously.

"I was…attacked…by my boyfriend when I got home." She stared at the floor.

"Oh geez, sorry hun!" Rogue walked over and rubbed her shoulder.

"I intervened and stopped him. She was in no position to be left alone so I brought her with me." Alan finished.

"Hmph, shouldn't date assholes." Shadow replied. "Alright, keep in touch with us and let us know of any new developments. Rogue, Victor, we should get moving."

"Here's my number girly." Rogue gave Emily a piece of paper. "You look in need of some serious girl time. Emily smiled at her and nodded.

"Guess we can trade stories another time Alan." Victor shook his hand.

"Look forward to it Victor, as well as meeting Zulu." Alan replied.

They stepped out of the elevator and into the empty parking garage. Shadow and Victor started to leave when Rogue stopped them.

"Hey boys, I know noticing subtle things like a new haircut or hairstyle, accessories, or new makeup is hard for you, but did you blank out on the fact that the big truck that was parked here is now gone?" She asked.

"Damn, I thought it felt a little emptier." Victor replied, looking around.

"Someone probably just stole it, remember where we are. This part of town has a number of gangs and thugs." Shadow shrugged, turning to leave. They exited the parking garage and Shadow warped them back to Tails' place.

A black G.U.N. truck pulled into a parking lot not far from where the Shadow Sect.'s base of operations was located. The parking lot was empty, save for a clean black sedan. The truck pulled up in front of it and the door opened. A black rat clad in a black tactical vest climbed out and approached the rear of the sedan. A window rolled down and the rat stepped up to the door.

"Ah Bilge, I see you accomplished your mission." An unidentifiable man spoke from the darkened interior of the car.

"Yes sir, they are in an abandoned parking garage not far from here." Bilge growled. His voice was deep and gravelly, turning everything he said into a menacing growl.

"Excellent." A plume of cigar smoke fumed out of the window. "Kill them all." The window rolled up and the sedan left the parking lot. Bilge returned to the truck and climbed inside.

"Time for my favorite part of the job." He growled to himself, turning on the truck and pulling out of the parking lot, heading back to the garage he had stolen the truck from.