Chapter One – Sonic?

The target lay before him, the red centre calling out his name. He could answer the call, would answer it, like he'd done a thousand times. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. He steadied his aim, bringing his arm back to the side of his face. The blue hedgehog was so concentrated on lining up his shot that he hadn't even noticed that he was no longer alone in the training room.

"You could have warned me!"

He flinched at the sudden voice, his body jerking, causing him to loosen his grip on the bow string, "Wha-?!"

The arrow struck the wall beside the target with a thunk, the tip bouncing off the metal surface and clattering to the ground. He spun around on his heal, hand shooting up to grab another arrow instinctively. When he saw who else was in the room, his eyes emerald eyes widened.

"Huh? What are you guys doing here?" He turned his head to the side, ears flopping as he did so.

Why did they look… different?

Shadow growled, "We came here to find you, hedgehog."

He grew more confused, "Find me? Why would you need to find me? I only came back two days ago!" He chuckled, "Of course I'd still be here."

The black hedgehog looked just as confused as he did, if not annoyed, "You've been gone for four days, Sonic."

What? No he hadn't. He'd come back to the compound two days ago, he knew he had. He spent the first day back curled up in his room because he'd wanted to throw up. Rouge had been the one to bring him a med kit to fix up his wounds, though he'd been more tired than anything. His last mission had been draining and he'd been gone longer than he'd expected, was that what they were talking about? But he'd been gone longer than that if that was the case…

"No." He dragged out the word, frowning, "I did come back two days ago…" He noticed Rouge staring at his bow like she'd never seen one before, "Are you two feeling ok? Hit your head or something?"

"I think you're the one who hit your head, Faker." He shook his head, "Whatever. Come on, we're taking you home."

Sonic was confused. Taking him home? And did Shadow just call him Faker?! He hadn't heard that nickname in so long…

Shadow reached out to grab his arm. They both froze when his hand went right through like he was made of air. Sonic flinched away, confused and panicked beyond belief.

"What the fuck?! Who or what are you?" He snapped, flipping back and readying his bow once more, grabbing an arrow and pulling back the string, "How did you even know that stupid nickname?"

Shadow was looking at his own hand dumbfounded, "I know that 'stupid'nickname because I call you it all the time."

"Wh-what the hell is happening?"

Shadow ran a hand through his quills and faced him, "Like I already said, you've been gone for four days. I tried to use an Emerald to find you. It brought us here." He stated matter-of-factly.

It suddenly clicked. Only the Shadow from his original dimension called him Faker… The one in this dimension never called him that; they met on different terms so there was no need for the nickname. The only reason he'd have said that was if the Shadow before him truly was the old Shadow he used to know. Maybe that's why they both looked so different, why they both suddenly appeared without him hearing the door open or close. These two were not of this dimension.

Sonic's eyes widened, "You… you're from my original dimension?" He asked quietly, though he already knew the answer.

"Another dimension? Huh. That would explain why Chaos Control didn't work properly and why I couldn't find your Chaos signature anywhere on our planet." Shadow mused to himself, "It may also explain why we can't touch you; I suppose Chaos Control across dimensions doesn't work correctly with just one emerald. Weird how it worked anyway though…"

Rouge finally shook off her shock and cleared her throat, "For being gone for four days you certainly look different though. What's with the getup?"

Sonic looked down at himself, taking in the onyx, mud-stained, almost knee-high boots, fingerless black gloves and grey hoody. He always wore the boots, but the jumper was more of a casual wear thing. He never used to wear hoodies or jackets, but he found that he quite liked them. They were soft, and warm, and comfortable and did Rouge just say four days?!

"Guys… I… I haven't been here for four days." Sonic started with a frown, "I've been here for four years."

"Years?!" Shadow and Rouge exclaimed simultaneously.

The door to the training room suddenly opened with its usual trill and Sonic's head quickly flicked over to the doorway where he saw the Rouge he'd known for the past few years. She was wearing all black, even her eyeshadow was black, but there was some slight colour to her lips, if darker than his original Rouge's. Her cloak was discarded in the corner for now, as was his own, but she remained in her mission clothing. All black, she had on a heart chest plate, reminiscent of the other Rouge's outfit, long-sleeved shirt, trousers with a sewed on angle-cut skirt and knee high boots. Sonic guessed she was about to head out again.

Rouge stepped into the room, the other Rouge and Shadow gaping at her. Sonic narrowed his eyes in confusion. Why didn't she react to the others? That was when she walked right through them to place a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright there, Sonic?" She looked down at him in concern, "You look a little spaced out."

"Oh, um…" He glanced over at the other two mobians in the room, "No, I'm ok."

"You sure? That last mission was kinda rough." She looked sceptical but she removed her hand, making her way over to the corner where the two hooded cloaks were piled, "Maybe you should sit down for a few minutes, take another day off to relax or something."

He shook his head, briefly forgetting about the other occupants in the room who were currently very quiet, "No, I'm alright, really, Rouge. A little sore still, but I didn't want to sit around doing nothing."

She sighed, "I know, but just try and take it easy ok? You looked like hell the other day."

Rouge fastened her longer cloak around her neck, leaving the hood down. The black fastener looked like a heart. Rouge moved her shoulders to make sure it was in place properly then crossed the room to one of the few hooks that still had items hanging off them. Weapons and sometimes cloaks were hung there all along the wall when everyone was inside the compound, but at the moment only two hooks were occupied. Rouge grabbed and inspected a dark handled spear, the part just below the blade was wrapped in a grey cloth, a heart charm hanging off one of the parts dangling down. His ears perked up. Definitely going on a mission. He shuffled his feet unconsciously in dread. That meant he'd be alone…

"You headin' out? I thought you already took the mission before mine?"

She nodded, "I have to make up for…" She trailed off, looking at him apologetically, "For the disruption in the last one."

He winced. She didn't have to say it, he knew what she was implying. He folded his ears back and glared at the floor.

"I would have been back sooner if I hadn't been ambushed…"

"I know, Sonic." She wrapped her arms around him, "It's not your fault. Don't let Scourge and the others get you down about it, ok? You did the right thing." She ruffled his quills before pulling away, a familiar gesture he'd grown used to, "I'll see you in a few days, alright? I won't be long, I promise."

She turned to leave.

"Just be careful…" He mumbled.

She shot him a smile over her shoulder, "I always am." Then she was gone.

He sighed, rubbing his face with his black gloved hands. He knew the others wanted to ask questions, but he didn't really want to answer them right now. He felt tired.

"W-was that me? Why didn't I- she see us?"

"Obviously." He mumbled into his hands, "And how should I know?"

He glanced at the time, swallowing thickly when he noticed that it was around the time Scourge and Fiona usually sparred together. Quickly, he slipped off his quiver and hung it on the wall. Out of habit, he made sure the little lightning bolt design etched into the side of the leather was facing out, proudly proclaiming that the quiver belonged to him and only him. His bow, which was made of a dark wood and metal and bore the same lightning bolt crest, followed it shortly. He picked up his cloak from the same heap it had been in by Rouge's. She was the first one to greet him when he got back. He almost collapsed in the hallway and she had to practically drag him in the training room to dump his stuff, which he quite literally did in a heap in the corner. Rouge's joined his because she'd been doing some stealth training in another room at the time. He shook his head and went to hang it by the bow and quiver when he remembered the mud and blood still caked on the fabric and groaned. He'd have to toss it in the cleaning room before heading back to his own.

He ignored the questioning looks his original Shadow and Rouge were sending him and headed out into the hallway. Hopefully, if he went around the long way, he could avoid Scourge and his bitchy girlfriend. He winced at the screech of the door as it closed, making a mental note to get someone to look at it, and began to head left. He turned the corner and bumped right into who he'd hoped to avoid, only he wasn't with Fiona as he'd expected. He also looked angry.

Scourge was also a hedgehog. He was slightly taller than him, being a couple years older, with green fur that reminded Sonic of some kind of plant. He usually called him Cactus behind his back, but he never quite had the guts to say it to his face. His eyes were a piercing light blue, currently narrowed into sharp daggers of ice. Like everyone else, he was wearing black, except he was in his more casual attire; the torn leather jacket with flames running up the arms that Sonic hated the more he saw. On his chest were two jagged scars that were half hidden by the jacket. His black boots didn't quite go up his leg as far as Sonic's did, despite their boots being identical in height. The blue hedgehog hated the fact that he was shorter.

Sonic was hoping he could slip away before Scourge turned that anger on him, but he wasn't so lucky. As he tried to dart past, Scourge grabbed him by the arm and flung him against the wall. He winced. His back was still bruised from his mission and the blow knocked some of the air from his lungs. The taller hedgehog pushed him back into the wall, one hand still clasped tightly around his forearm, the other curled into a fist three inches from his face. Sonic couldn't stop his ears from folding back.

"Hey, Blue." He spat, "Because you fucked up, now Fiona has to go out with that stupid bat so I'm down a sparring partner."

'Fiona left with Rouge?' He thought confused, 'The hooks! Only two were occupied. I never even thought about it…'

Suddenly, a cruel grin spread across the green hedgehog's face. Sonic really didn't like it.

"You're the only one else in the compound. Looks like I'm sparring with you then."

"I'd rather not…" He tried to twist out of his grasp, but the older hedgehog's grip on his arm only tightened in warning.

"Too bad, you don't get a choice."

Just as Scourge was bringing back his fist to strike him in the face, Sonic instinctively kicked out, landing a blow on his stomach. He sent Scourge reeling, not far, but enough of a distance to try and make a run for it. He was about halfway down the hallway when Scourge grabbed him by the quills and yanked him back, causing him to yelp. Sonic grabbed Scourge's wrist and dug his claws in. He knew he was fighting dirty, but Scourge wasn't exactly an honourable fighter himself. He hissed and loosened his grip. Sonic swung his leg around to sweep Scourge's feet out from under him.

The green furred hedgehog growled lowly and grabbed this gun. Sonic froze. Would the bastard really shoot him over this?

'Of course he would!'

He tried to will his body to move, but he was too shocked. His quills flattened in response and his eyes widened. Behind Scourge, Shadow and Rouge were standing, shouting something at him. He couldn't hear what they were saying, they felt too far away, too distant. In slow motion, he saw Scourge take aim. From his angle, it seemed to be directed right at his heart. His intent was to kill.

Sonic heard a gunshot ring out and he braced for the pain but… it never came. He opened his eyes and saw Scourge in as much shock as he was, staring at the hand that no longer contained a gun. Sonic turned to look over his shoulder and spotted Shadow, this world's Shadow, gun in hand. He couldn't have been more relieved to see him, but he knew he was also in trouble here. He lowered his eyes and ears in shame. Scourge simply scoffed in annoyance.

'I should have just taken that punch… if he was in the building this entire time, then Scourge would have been the only one in trouble.'

Shadow walked up to them, a scowl etched onto his features. He was still wearing his cloak, having quite obviously just gotten back from his own mission. The fastener on his cloak was a black emerald and the bottom of his boots reflected that of his counterpart, just black instead. He still held the gun in his hand, but it was lowered at his side now.

"What is the meaning of his?" His voice was quiet, almost calm, but Sonic knew better; that tone meant that he was pissed off.

Sonic didn't bother responding. He found it was better not to say anything than to say the wrong thing. He always seemed to do the wrong thing these days…

Scourge just folded his arms. With a lack of response, Shadow let out a small growl.

"Scourge, you will be on cleaning duty for the rest of the month, your mission schedule will remain the same."

"What?! I can't do both of those things; I won't have enough time! You know how big this place is?!" Scourge snapped, outraged.

"Not my problem." He growled.

"Well, what's Blue getting then?"

"Nothing."

Sonic's ears pricked up, startled. Nothing? Why…?

"NOTHING?!"

"Do not argue with your Commander!" Shadow snapped, voice laced with venom.

Scourge stomped away past Shadow, not even bothering to retrieve his gun in his fury. Shadow holstered his gun again and went back down the way Sonic had come from. The young hedgehog raced through a startled Shadow and Rouge to pick up the cloak he'd dropped earlier and followed Shadow despite his better judgement. The dark furred agent was not in a great mood, but he had to know why he wasn't being punished.

He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Shadow who hadn't even turned around, "You're not being punished because I know it wasn't your fault."

He blinked, "But… I still fought another agent outside of a designated zone. I landed the first blow. Those are both against the rules… According to the Code I-"

"According to the Code? Do you hear yourself? Fuck the Code. It's all based on the physical, not the intent. And as far as I'm concerned, Scourge landed the first blow."

"Wh-what? But I…"

"Your pride." He clarified, "He landed a blow against your pride, he started the fight by provoking you. You were defending yourself. You pushed him away and tried to leave, did you not?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Then he attacked and you tripped him." Shadow shook his head, "It was hardly a fight. It was one sided from the start. Then, he pulled his gun on you. At that point, he intended to physically harm you in a way that very likely could have killed you. Now, who should I punish? The one trying to get away or the one with the intent to kill?"

Sonic fell silent. All of that was technically true, so he wasn't sure quite how to respond. Surely, in some way, he was still in the wrong? He really shouldn't have done anything. But, he also couldn't argue with his leader. Something didn't sit right with him though.

"Wait… I… Forgive me, Sir, but… how did you know all of that?"

Shadow finally turned to face him, ruby eyes meeting his own, "I heard everything. I was just around the corner when Scourge pushed you into the wall. I saw the whole fight."

"And yet… while I'm not in trouble, it's almost worse, right? I ran like a coward." He mumbled.

He was kicking himself. Why did he even think for a second that he should have taken that punch? He should have fought back harder. Now he just looked pathetic in front of his own Leader.

"I don't think it was cowardly, Sonic." There it was, that hand on the shoulder again, "From the beginning, you wanted no part in it. Running was the smartest thing you could have done. In fact, had I not been there at the time I was, and you had fought back, I would have no evidence against Scourge."

"I guess…" He sighed.

"You look exhausted. You should probably go rest."

"Why does everyone keep saying that? I'm fine."

"You are now, but what about when that adrenaline wears off, hmm? Rouge contacted me and said you had some nasty bruises on your back yesterday and you were gone for a full week longer than you should have been. You were also, no doubt, in the training room before, correct?" He didn't respond, Shadow could read him like a book, "Get some rest, Sonic. For at least the next week, you are exempt from any missions that come up, understood?"

"I…" He wanted so badly to object, but he knew he couldn't, so he sighed, "Understood, Sir."

"Atta hedgehog." He smiled briefly before a troubled frown crossed his face.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

"We're having a meeting tomorrow once everyone's back at the compound but…" He looked at Sonic for a moment before sighing, "I suppose I can tell you now." He stared at him with a serious and grave face, "There's a traitor among us."

Sonic's quills bristled, "A traitor?"

"Someone's been giving out our mission info. So far, there have been no name slips as far as I'm aware, nor has there been any exposing of our base. There have, however, been leaks of mission locations."

"Mission locations… Wait." He stared at Shadow in horror, "D-does that mean? Last week?"

"Was not your fault. You were set up."