CHAPTER TEN
Eventually, they stopped by a large door, with the GUN logo proudly adorned above it. Wasting no time, Wiper opened the door. "Commander, you've got visitors." he said, as he, Newt and Natal entered the room, before the others followed them.
As they entered the room, they'd see a large chair facing away from the door, along with cigarette smoke flowing up from the other side of it. "...thank you, Agent Wiper." a female voice said, just as the chair turned around, letting the group see the GUN Commander; it was a blonde woman, with her already short hair tied in a small ponytail, and if not for the heavily-decorated uniform, one could have mistaken her for a civilian. "I don't believe that we've met before, Miles Prower. Shadow told me a lot about you." she said, as she placed a lit cigarette between her lips, inhaling its contents.
Smelling the nicotine, Jill turned away. She didn't want to plug her nose, since it would be rude, but the putrid smell of the smoke was too much for her.
"Ma'am," Brick suddenly said. "About Shadow…have you…" he couldn't ask. He was going to ask if they actually properly buried him, but it was more likely he was in an autopsy rather than a grave.
"We're keeping his body cryogenically preserved." the Commander replied, as she extinguished the cigarette in a nearby ash tray. "Though I can assure you that we're not doing it for research purposes; many working in GUN would be enraged, if not outright violent, if a legend like him was left to just decompose after his death." Then, she looked at Tails. "Now, may I ask what was so important that you needed an audience with me, Prower?"
With a nod, Tails approached the desk, before fishing something out. "I wish to request that this is sealed." Then, he placed the pitch-black Chaos Emerald on the desk.
Whilst Newt and Natal eyed the gem with awe, the commander raised an eyebrow upon seeing it. "...a drained Chaos Emerald?" she mused.
"Allow me." Wiper said, as he approached the gem, placing a hand on it, and closing his eyes. "...no, this isn't drained. There's Chaos Energy in this thing." he said, before hissing in the same fashion as earlier.
"Hmph... I've never heard of a black Chaos Emerald before." the commander scoffed, before she looked at Tails. "And this is?"
Jill stepped forward, despite the cigarette smoke. "That holds a dangerous and evil power," she said. "And we ask that it be sealed away, because if Metal Sonic found out about it, he would try to use its power."
"Metal Sonic..." the commander said with a nod, before she looked at Jill, which would allow the ewe to see that the commander's eyes were differently colored from each other; the left one being green, and the right one being brown. "And how do you know of this power?"
"I've had a long and dark past with this power," she said, looking at her bandaged hand. Then she began to take off the bandages. "When I tried to use it, it did this to me." Then she showed the Commander the burns on her hand. Brick had to look away from that, remembering how she cried when they were taking care of it.
The commander hummed, as she looked at Jill's burnt hand. "It did that..." she said, before she stood up, placing her hands behind her back. "Injuries aside, simply saying that something contains a dark power, without explaining it, won't win you many cases. You're going to have to elaborate a bit more, if you want me to take you seriously." she said in a stern, yet fair tone.
"Yeah, you've gotta explain more, y'know!" Newt said, as he folded his arms, grinning.
"Do elaborate." Natal chimed in, as she grinned as well, though looks from both Wiper and the Commander made their grins wane off.
Jill understood, and with a sigh, she put her bandages back on, ignoring Natal and Newt. "Alright," she said. "This dark power is a being with abilities beyond anyone's understanding; including mine. No one knows of him because he had worked in secrecy, and he wouldn't even be in your records if you looked, but he is a vampire that goes by the name of Deity Novagod. I sealed him away in that gem long ago to contain his dark powers, and…I have a fear that he might be released from that prison."
Raising an eyebrow, Wiper hissed once more. "A vampire?" he mused, as he looked towards the gem. "...so it's a prison."
"And you want GUN to keep it locked away, so Metal Sonic can't attempt to harness this vampire's powers." the commander said, as she sat down, looking at the gem as well.
"That's right." Tails said, as he closed his eyes.
"Hmph... without any guarantee as to when it could be freed..." the commander mused, before she took a cigarette out from a pocket on her jacket. "...it sounds farfetched, but many things in this world are. We'll have it sealed off in no time."
"Thank you," Jill said, even though there was some doubt to her.
"Commander," Boomer said. "I'm curious; have you figured out any way of fighting Metal Sonic?" She was moving onto the next thing they needed to tell them.
"We're still looking into that." the commander replied, just as she lit the cigarette, inhaling its contents once more. "Since he returned just recently, we haven't developed any true countermeasures, and with Shadow's death, our progress has halted somewhat."
"But we can still take that bucket of scrap on, y'know!" Newt shot in, as he puffed his chest out whilst slamming his fist into it. "He's got no chance when Team Alpha's in the house, y'know!"
"Instant annihilation." Natal nodded, as she folded her arms, though as Wiper glared at the two of them, their enthusiasm quickly died out.
"I'm afraid it's not going to be that easy..." the commander sighed, before she nodded her head at the three agents. "In any case, after Shadow died, these three, commonly referred to as Team Alpha, became GUN's best when it comes to field operations; Newt the Salamander, heavy weapons expert, Natal the Bullfrog, tactical espionage expert, and the team leader, Wiper the Cobra." As she said their names, Newt and Natal folded their arms and nodded with satisfactory smiles, whilst Wiper simply nodded.
Boomer rubbed her bill as a smile came. "Tell me, have you guys actually faced Metal Sonic yet?"
"Yeah," Brick said, grinning as well.
"No, they haven't." Wiper said, as he shot both Newt and Natal a glare, as both of them lost their confident smirk. "And neither have I, for that matter. You'll have to excuse my teammates; they can get a little too impulsive at times." Then, he hissed. "Was there a reason behind your first question about Metal?" he asked, throwing Boomer a casual glance.
"Well, we have news that someone can stand up to Metal now," Boomer said, and then she directed a glance at Jill.
Jill hesitated, but she spoke. "Ma'am," she said. "The night that Shadow was killed, Metal Sonic acquired all seven emeralds and achieved a Super form. However, someone was able to stop him and scatter the emeralds again."
The commander raised an eyebrow, as she looked at Jill. "Really? And who would this person be?"
"He chose not to reveal his identity." Tails quickly shot in, as he looked at the commander. "Even I haven't seen that person before... he's an enigma, one could say."
"Someone who doesn't wish for any publicity, no doubt," Wiper said, as he hissed. "But anyone who can keep up with a machine like that must be quite powerful... I'd like to test myself against him, if I ever get the chance." Then, he smirked just a bit, revealing some fangs in his mouth.
"Ooh, Wiper's pretty scary when he's grinning like that, y'know!" Newt uttered, as he moved a bit away from Wiper.
"Terrifying." Natal said with a nod, backing cautiously away as well.
Boomer eyed Wiper cautiously, as she also stepped away from the snake with a shudder. Brick didn't like that look in Wiper's eyes, as he looked at him sternly. Jill didn't even move at all, as she blinked at the snake. She had seen scarier things, so she wasn't fazed by it.
"Be careful what you wish for Wiper," she said. "You never know what you'll get."
Hissing, Wiper looked back at Jill, the smirk fading away. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind if it would be the death of me," he said, before folding his arms. "As long as I know that my opponent is strong enough to fend off any tyrant that ought to be good enough for anyone."
"Yeah, you tell her! Nobody's as cool as Wiper when it comes to stuff like this, y'know!" Newt cheered, as Natal simply rolled her eyes at her partner's behavior.
"In any case..." the commander said as she cleared her throat. "...if there's someone who's capable of fighting Metal Sonic, the people should be notified. That should make things a bit calmer... but then, I begin to wonder about the safety of you people." she said, just as she glanced at Jill for a brief moment.
"We're alright," Brick said. "All of us have experience fending for ourselves. Heck, I was raised on a farm; I should know the meaning of self-reliance."
"Regardless," the commander said, just as she took another drag from her cigarette, "Metal Sonic is a shrewd fighter, if my great-grandfather's journals are anything to go by. There's no telling what lows he would stoop to, just to have any of you killed."
"But we can fight for ourselves!" Jack protested. "We've got a pirate robot back at our place, and almost everyone has something they can use to fight with!"
"I am sorry, but I will not be at ease unless you leave this building with bodyguards." the commander replied, as she closed her eyes. "...and I think that I know the perfect ones for the job. Agent Wiper!"
Quickly, Wiper spun around and saluted the commander. "Yes, ma'am?" he replied, just as the commander smirked.
"I have a new mission for Team Alpha... you are to accompany Miles Prower and his young friends for the following month." she said, something that surprised both Newt and Natal.
"Wait, we're gonna have to babysit these guys? Think about what that's gonna do to our cred, y'know!" Newt protested.
"Out of the question!" Natal added, though as they acted up, Wiper suddenly shot a poisonous glare at the two, promptly making them freeze on the spot.
"That was a mission order," Wiper said, as he looked back at the group. "Whether any of us are okay with that or not, it's now officially our duty to protect them. And what is the main policy of Team Alpha?"
Gulping, both Newt and Natal eventually uttered "Duty first!" which made Wiper nod.
"Exactly," he said, before he hissed.
"Well, this will be interesting," Brick said, looking back and forth between the three mobians.
"I'm glad that we've settled that." the commander said, as she took a drag from the cigarette, before exhaling a cloud of smoke. "You can leave now. I'll have the gem sealed off, so don't worry about that."
"Thank you." Tails said with a nod, before looking at Team Alpha. "Well, shall we?" he said, and with that, the group began leaving...
"Ah, wait a moment!" the commander said, as she looked at Wiper. "I would like to discuss something in private with Agent Wiper, so the rest of you can go ahead without him for the time being."
Nodding, Wiper looked at Newt and Natal. "Why don't you guys show them our equipment? I think we'll have need for them during this mission."
Both the salamander and bullfrog nodded to this, as they motioned for the group to follow them out the door.
Boomer rolled her eyes, thinking, what kind of equipment do they have to show that I haven't already seen, or even invented? But nonetheless, she followed the two, as well as Brick. Jill stopped a moment, glancing back at the Commander and at Wiper. Then she looked at the black emerald on the desk.
"Please…guard that thing with your life," she said. "Unimaginable things can happen if that power is released…"
"Don't worry; we'll handle it," the commander said with a smile. "Now, hurry along now; this is a private conversation, so no eavesdropping, or we'll have you prosecuted." Of course, this last part was meant as a joke, even as she said it with that same smile on her face.
Jill cracked a half-smile; she got the joke, but she was still concerned about that dark emerald. She left out the door anyway, holding her bandaged hand with Brick waiting for her.
"Don't worry Brownie," he said. "That thing is in good hands…"
"He's going to come for it anyway," she murmured.
Brick looked at her.
"Metal can track down the emeralds like a blood hound," she said. "Not only that, but I can already tell that GUN has possession of one of the Chaos Emeralds. He's going to come sooner or later…" She said it quietly enough that no one else heard her, and they were too far back from the group.
Brick became concerned. Even if he didn't want Jill to worry about it, he knew she was right. He just wasn't sure if Jill was going to freak out, or not. Nowadays, Jill had been pretty unpredictable. "GUN will do their best Brownie," he said.
"Yeah, but it's not going to be enough," she said.
Brick was left without any other words to say to her. It was hopeless to try and cheer her up; she was much too practical and realistic. But then, Jill looked up at him. She saw how discouraged he looked, and she realized what was wrong.
"I'm sorry Brick," she said, setting a hand on his shoulder; which happened to be the bandaged one. "I get caught up thinking that way; it's how I survived." Then she winced from the burns, as she retreat her hand off his shoulder.
"Hey! You two hurry up, or you're gonna get lost, y'know!" they would hear Newt call after them, briefly followed by Natal uttering "Slowpokes."
Brick took Jill's bandaged hand gently, and led her down the hall. "You don't have to try and survive anymore Brownie," he said. "I'm here for you."
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When Jill closed the door, the commander slouched back in her chair. "...we're freezing that gem." she said, looking at the black gem.
"The cryolab? Isn't that where we keep Shadow's body?" Wiper uttered, as he hissed lowly. "I don't want to have it in the same place as a legend of his stature..."
"Because he was such a legend, is why we're placing it with him." The commander said, as she took a drag from her cigarette. "That is the place with the highest security, and in case of a breach, the whole laboratory would be locked down, with locks not even a Super could break through, and passwords only I know of. The cryolab is the safest place it can be kept."
"...was there anything else you wanted to speak with me about?" Wiper uttered, as he raised an eyebrow.
"Actually..." the commander said, as she closed her eyes, "...it's about the ewe."
Wiper raised an eyebrow. "What about her?" he asked, as he folded his arms.
"I can't put my finger on it... but she seems to be withholding information from us. I am curious as to how she sealed the vampire..." With a sigh, she looked at Wiper. "I want you to keep an eye on her, report on anything unnatural regarding her, and ensure that she isn't, under any circumstances, critically injured. That is a mission priority."
Wiper blinked, before he hissed. "Understood, ma'am." he said with a nod.
"That's what I wanted to hear." the commander said, as she nodded. "You're dismissed."
Without a word, Wiper walked towards the door, exiting the room, and leaving the commander with the black gem.
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After a while, the group wound up by three doors; one of them with a snake on it, one with a dragon on it, and the other with a frog on it. "These are our quarters, y'know! This is where we keep our equipment, y'know!" Newt said enthusiastically, as he opened the door with the dragon, while Natal opened the door with the frog on it. "But don't enter Wiper's room; not until he catches up, y'know!" Then, they entered their respective rooms.
Boomer looked at Jill. "Didn't think you'd wipe that smile off his face," she said. "Earlier when Wiper said he wanted to face…" Boomer paused, remembering Newt and Natal, "…the anonymous hero if he got the chance."
Jill took a deep breath. "I just hope they'll be prepared for things to come."
"Yeah, I can share that worry," Brick murmured in opinion. "They look like rookies fresh from an academy, or just plain amateurs judging by their manners."
Boomer turned and went into Newt's room, leaning on the side of the doorway with folded arms. "So, word is you're a heavy weapon's expert," she said. "What kind of things do you deal with, big guy?"
Newt didn't answer Boomer, as he walked up to a large locker, which seemed to take up roughly one fifth of the entire room. With a smirk, he looked back at Boomer. "Stuff like this, y'know!" Then, he opened the locker, allowing Boomer to see just what was in that locker; a large Stinger missile launcher, a jetpack which was somehow combined with a flamethrower, and most surprising, a M61 Vulcan gatling gun, with an ammo belt that stuck out of a canister which took up roughly a third of the locker's room on its own. "Heavy weaponry!"
Boomer chuckled, having to admit that this stuff was pretty sweet, even if she had seen it before. "Nice," she said. "If you're planning to take all this junk with you, need any help with it?" She figured she'd be nice.
Newt laughed, as he grabbed the large canister with one hand. "Sure thing, if you can lift any of them!" Then, he hoisted it and the Vulcan out of the locker, hanging the canister on his back by some straps, whilst holding the Gatling with one hand. "Because they're a bit heavy, y'know!"
"Heavy? Psch!" Boomer immediately hoisted up the rest of the equipment with ease. "Believe me big guy; I'm stronger than I look."
Newt couldn't help but whistle as Boomer so easily lifted the remaining equipment.
Meanwhile, Jack entered Natal's room, though the first thing he noticed was that it was really dark in the room. "You were some tactical spy, or something?" he asked, as he could barely make out an outline of Natal further into the room. "What sort of stuff do you use?"
Without a word, Natal lit a set of candles, which illuminated the room enough for Jack to see an extremely long, sheathed Nodachi hanging from her wall, which she took down from the wall with one hand. "This." She said, before hanging the sheathed weapon on her back.
"Hey Brownie, before we met with the Commander, you said you were thinking," Brick said, looking at Jill curiously. "What about?"
Jill was quiet for a minute, looking at Brick with small eyes. "Uh…" She looked away shyly while shifting her feet. "I was just thinking back."
"Yeah?" Brick asked, a little curious about her behavior. "On what?"
"Oh, you know…" Jill couldn't stop herself from blushing while scratching her nose. What was she thinking about exactly? Well she was looking at Brick, wondering about whether or not what she discovered about Brick was true, and if so…whether or not she liked him back, "…particular things."
"Particular things?" Brick inquired, chuckling with amusement. "Like, what sort of things?"
"Uh…I'll tell you later," Jill said, scratching her head as she continued to blush.
"Why not now?" Brick asked, with a joking grin.
Jill turned to Tails, pointing at Brick. "Professoooooooor, Make him stop teasing me!" she whined, jokingly of course.
Tails chuckled, as he shook his finger at Brick. "You heard her; stop teasing her, Brick." he said just as jokingly, as Jack and Natal emerged from Natal's room, Natal carrying her Nodachi.
At that moment, Wiper caught up with the group, giving them a nod. "I suppose you've seen Newt and Natal's equipment?" he asked.
"Sure have," Boomer replied to Wiper as she came out with Newt, carrying the equipment. "The big guy sure knows his weaponry, that's for sure."
"Well, it's a hobby of his, you could say." Wiper shrugged, before he opened the door with the snake on it. "By all means, come in if you want." he said, before entering the room.
Jill managed to stop blushing from Brick, and curiously followed Wiper into his room. Brick joined, though to keep an eye on Jill since he wasn't sure about Wiper; that and after Cal, he wanted to make sure no one else wanted to put the moves on her.
Compared to Newt's and Natal's rooms, Wiper's room was relatively tame. The most noteworthy thing about it was a drawer, which Wiper approached and opened, only to pull out his equipment, which was nothing more than a shotgun and a case for its ammo shells. Again, compared to Newt and Natal, this seemed really tame. "There, all done." he said, as he hung the shotgun over his shoulders, taking the casing under his arm. "We're ready to go."
Brick raised a brow, "Not much to you, is there?"
"Hn?" Wiper looked at Brick with a blank expression. "Oh, this is just when I need more stopping power." he said with a hiss. "I work better without weapons." Then, he walked out of the room, giving Newt and Natal nods. "We're ready to leave."
"More stopping power?" Brick questioned.
"Well, yeah, if he can sense Chaos Energy, he might have abilities we've yet to see," Jill supposed, as she walked out into the hall.
Hearing Jill say that, Wiper let out another hiss, before him, Newt and Natal started walking down the hall, Wiper motioning for the group to follow him.
"I wonder what the others are gonna do when they see these guys..." Jack mused, as the group began following the three agents.
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"Alright ye wee scallywags, come ou'; I be going to find ye!" Back at the HQ, Whisker was walking through the halls, searching for the kids in a game of hide-and-seek. "You canna hide from Captain Whisker, ye know!"
Ani was hiding underneath the kitchen sink cabinet, trying to suppress her snickering. It wasn't hard for her to hear Whiskers; she had quite an acute sense of hearing. But there was a reason she was snickering, for above the doorway into the kitchen there was a bucket of water set to spill on whoever opened that door. Hopefully, Whisker wouldn't malfunction with just a little water; after all, he was a pirate captain and he was around a lot of water.
Eventually, Whisker stood by the door into the kitchen, as he slowly opened it, entering the room. "Peekaboo, I be seein'-" he said, just as the bucket of water fell down on him, soaking him and leaving the bucket stuck on his head. "...YAR HAR HAR HAR HAR! Who ere planted that thar got me good!" he laughed, before blindly stepping forward.
Ani finally couldn't help it. Knowing her trap got Whisker, she burst out laughing uncontrollably, which would likely give away her hiding spot.
"What? Who's thar?" Despite hearing Ani's laughter, with the bucket over his head, and without thinking that he could simply remove it, he 'looked' blindly around him. "I know that ye`re thar, so jus' come ou', wher ere you be!"
Ani fell out of the cabinet, and realizing that Whisker couldn't see, she snuck past Whisker until—
"Hey, you can't do that Ani!" blurted Striker, popping out of another cabinet door. "That's cheating!"
"Cheatin'? Who`s cheatin'?" Whisker said, as he continued looking blindly around him. "If I catch ere cheatin', I be going to punish them... wi' TICKLING!"
Ani laughed again with a maniacal tone, "You'll never catch me ALIVE!!!" And just as she was going to run out the kitchen, someone ran into her and the two of them tumbled onto the floor.
"They're back! They're back!" exclaimed Rudy, who was the one that ran into her.
"They are?!" Striker asked, crawling out of the cabinet he was in.
"Yeah! And they brought some really COOL friends with them!" Rudy said, just as Ani shoved him off. "There'—!"
"Good grief Rudy, breathe," Brick suddenly said, as he walked into the kitchen. Then he looked over at Whisker, raising an eye brow. "Whisker, why do you have a bucket on your head?" he asked.
"..." Whisker stood completely still when he heard that question. Then, in what could only be assumed to be nanoseconds, he removed the bucket, dropped it to the floor, and looked dumbfounded at Brick. "What bucket?"
"The bucket that was on your head!" Rudy said to Whisker.
"Ha-ha," Ani teased. "I got him with one of the oldest pranks in the book! Next time, I'm filling that bucket with pudding; or sauerkraut."
"I should've known it was Ani's doing," Brick mused. "Anyhow, come meet our guests; Team Alpha." He snickered at that last bit, seeing as he didn't exactly take them seriously.
"Team Alpha?" Whisker mused, as he scratched his head. "What be they, a bunch o' pretty-boys, or somethin'?"
"WHO'S CALLING US PRETTY-BOYS, Y'KNOW?!" they could hear someone yell from outside.
Brick snickered even more. Just because Whiskers said that, he now had a great respect for the pirate robot. Anyhow, the three kids in the kitchen eagerly flooded into the living room, where everyone else was.
"Hi guys," Jill said, smiling at them. "How were you guys?"
"We played hide-and-seek, and Whisker was it!" Striker said.
"You played hide and seek? That sounds like fun!" Jack laughed.
Whisker blinked, as he looked at the three agents; Wiper, who seemed fairly disinterested, Natal, who was inspecting the sheath of her sword, and Newt, who glared at the pirate robot. "Where`d ye find these guys? They look like guys from some kind o' video game!" he said, which seemed to tick Newt off.
"You tryin' to start something, y'know?!" he replied, just as he and Whisker butted heads, glaring intensely at each other.
"Newt, give it a rest." Wiper said which instantly made Newt back down. "Nice to meet you all. The name's Wiper." he said with a nod to the kids.
Natal, after placing her sword on her lap, eventually looked towards the kids, before giving them a friendly smile. "Hi." she said in a sweeter tone than the one she had carried back at GUN's headquarters. "I'm Natal."
"…hi, I'm Milo," said a small voice. Milo came into the room a bit shyly after seeing the new three here. "You didn't come find me, so after a long time, I came out to look for you guys…I was kinda scared."
Striker scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry Milo, we forgot about you…"
"…chao?" Buddy was hiding behind Milo, looking between Newt and Wiper with fear since both of them looked intimidating.
"Whisker, any dangers to report since we were gone?" Boomer asked, setting down the stuff she was carrying, which made the kids' eyes widen with amazement how much she carried.
Since Newt had backed down, Whisker looked at her with a shrug. "Nope, nothin' interestin', ma'am." he said, as he threw a glance at Wiper, before looking back at Boomer. "What about ye guys? Did th' meetin' go well?"
"Yeah, they're going to seal up that black emerald," Jill said.
"But the Commander was worried about our safety," Brick said, and then jotted a thumb at Wiper, Newt and Natal. "So she assigned these guys as our bodyguards for the next month."
"Bodyguards?" Ani said, walking up to Newt with a big grin. "We don't need no bodyguards! I bet I could take this big guy on!"
Newt looked down at Ani with a smirk. "The kid's got spunk, y'know!" he laughed, as he rubbed Ani's head. "I like this one already!"
"You would." Natal remarked, as she couldn't help but giggle when she saw Newt grow an annoyed look on his face.
"In any case, you're stuck with us for an entire month." Wiper said, as he sat down on a chair. "Make the best of that time, I say."
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Meanwhile, a very long distance from the HQ, something suddenly crash-landed on the ground; a black pod, similar to the one that had carried Whisker to the area. Soon, it opened, with lots of steam emitting from the opening, and a white glove grabbing hold of the entrance. "...Jillian..."
Hanging in a nearby tree, the invisible Cal had awaited this exact area that it was calculated to land. Now that it came, he stuck his head out of the brush, but he remained invisible.
The figure slowly stepped out of the pod, looking around, until it saw the HQ ahead of him. "...Jillian..." he uttered once more, before he began running towards the house, holding something in his hand...
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"...how do ye carry around them things, anyway?" At this point, Whisker had begun questioning Newt about his equipment, after the salamander had placed his Gatling gun along with the other things Boomer had carried for him. "I'd be havin' a hard time imaginin' ere but Boomer liftin' things
like that, right, ma'am?" he asked, looking at Boomer.
Newt scoffed, as he folded his arms. "How else do you think I can carry them around? With lots and lots of training, y'know!"
Humming, Jack looked at the kids. "You guys wanna play hide-and-seek again?" he asked, though this caught Natal's attention, as she looked at them with a surprised look.
"...can I join?" she asked.
They looked at her with some surprise as well, but then all the kids smiled. "Sure!" Striker said. "I bet you're a really good hide-and-seeker!"
"Thanks." Natal said with a smile, as she placed her Nodachi on the floor, before giving the kids a nod.
Boomer chuckled seeing how excited the kids got, and then she looked over at Whisker. "I worked in a lumber yard before the Chaotix," she said. "I did a lot of heavy lifting, so he's somewhat right about that."
"Really now?" Brick asked. "You never told us that."
"Yeah, well you never really told us you were raised on a farm," remarked Boomer.
At that moment, they heard a knocking on the door. "Huh... who could that be?" Whisker mused, as he moved to the door, before opening it, only to be met with absolutely nothing. "Nobody here... hn?" Looking down, Whisker noticed something lying on the doorstep, as he picked it up.
"What is it Whisker?" Jill asked, as she came to the door to see.
Nearby on a ledge, Cal sat, watching…
"...'tis fer ye." Whisker replied, as he handed Jill a small note, which read this: 'Jillian, come to the shore, alone.'
Jill tried to read over Whisker's shoulder, but since she was having trouble, she reached over and took the note to reread it. Cal spotted her bandaged hand with widened eyes. Metal had told him that Jill had the ability to heal… so why is her hand wrapped in bandages? He thought.
"Huh," Jill said. "I wonder who put it here."
Boomer came over and read it too, and laughed, "maybe you have a secret admirer!" and Brick growled promptly.
Jill shot her an annoyed look which clearly showed she wasn't amused. "Ha-ha," she groaned.
Cal closed his eyes in realization. So, there IS something that can hurt you, he thought. And I may have a feeling what that 'something' is…
"`tis tellin' ye t' go t' th' shore by yerself..." Whisker said, as he scratched his head. "Be ye sure that 'tis a good idee t' do that? 't could be a trap."
Wiper looked at Jill with a raised eyebrow, before hissing lowly to himself.
"Yeah, it could be," Jill said, looking over the note. "But this is something I don't want to leave unchecked...maybe if one other person came with me--!"
"I'll go," Brick said right away, standing up from where he sat.
"Brick...I meant someone lingering close by...in stealth," Jill said, turning to the bull.
"Brownie, I'm not letting you out of my sight," Brick said sternly.
"Brick, I need someone who can be silent and sneaky, and I'm sorry, but...you're not either of those," she said. Brick just looked at her in disbelief, and Jill felt so guilty knowing that saying something like that hurt his feelings. "If it IS a trap, then I need someone who can jump them..." Brick just turned away and started walking away. "Brick, I didn't mean--"
"No, go!" he said, leaving the room.
Newt blinked. "Huh. What was his deal?" he uttered, just as Natal smacked him across the head. "OW! Why'd you do that, y'know?"
"Inappropriate." was her reply, as she looked at Jill.
Seeing this scene, Wiper sighed, as he stood up. "I don't mean to intrude, but I'll accompany you." he said with a hiss.
"But... isn't Natal the spy?" Jack said, as he tilted his head. "So shouldn't she be the one to-"
"Wasn't she going to play with you?" Wiper replied, as he threw Natal a glance, when she only nodded. "Then I think it's settled.
Jill finally sighed in disdain, looking at Wiper. "Sure," she said. "It's yours and your parter's job to protect us anyway. It's just that..." she paused, going for the door, and then she stopped. "...I didn't mean it that way.
"I'm sure he'll be fine Jill," Boomer said. "Go on, and hurry back you two; or we're coming after you.
Jill nodded, and then she stepped out the door. Wiper hissed, before he threw another glance at Newt and Natal, who nodded at him. Then, he followed Jill out, though he made sure not to stay too close to her, so he would remain hidden from whoever wanted to see Jill.
And Cal waited until the two of them were far enough that they wouldn't hear the monkey tap into his communicator. "Metal," he said. "The android has set a trap for Jill, and she took the bait, but she is being cautious by letting someone else follow her in hiding. However...I believe I have made a beneficial discovery about dear Jill."
"Good work, Calculate... but I would rather that you keep an eye on the android before you tell me anything regarding Jillian. Call me if something else comes up."
Soon, Jill would approach the shore, where she would make out the outline of someone, standing partly in the water, facing away from her. Still tailing her was Wiper, who kept himself hidden from view, observing what was to happen.
It was about sunset now, so the setting sun in the horizon was a big factor concealing this figure as Jill shielded her eyes; but she saw the figure, nonetheless. "Are you the one that left the note?" she asked, approaching the water.
The figure nodded, as it sighed. "...yes... it was me..." he said, and Jill would instantly recognize the voice. Then, the figure slowly turned around, showing his black-furred body, the red stripes on his quills, two rings on his wrists, and a pair of jet-shoes. "...Jillian."
Jill's heart would've stopped to see who it was, and she stood there silently, stunned beyond belief. It was like that for a moment, and then she finally spoke. "Shadow?!"