Tails eyes flicked to the clock on the wall, the day came and went with his hands constantly unscrewing and rewiring his precious plane with few breaks between. Sweat crowding his brow and finally giving a sigh at his lack of progress. His mind too distracted and too unfocused, he dropped the wrench in his hand to the ground and sat back on his work stool.

Sonic had been gone the whole day, only returning to rush upstairs into his room. Tails barely made out a bag in his clutches in their greetings before returning to work on his poor, sick plane. The hedgehog did appear in high spirits, the fox could be happy at this at the very least. Seeing his brother in the state he awoke had sat with him, seeing this whole situation between him and…Shadow unnerved him.

There wasn't a way to shake it, but it saddened the fox that he felt it. And as he would, the awful possibilities that could follow days away brought his attention away from his work.

But, even Tails knew it was a tad unnecessary and unreasonable. On one hand admittedly, he was happy to see Sonic so overwhelmed with whatever feelings he had that it brought a side of him he rarely saw. His older brother figure was always so blasé, so laid back and at times careless as to the world about him before the thought of Shadow came. Now he was more upbeat than normal, he ran with a purpose whenever he flashed through.

However-however, but, and by every synonym of the like. Tails brought a hand to his face, frustrated by how the words followed every bit of optimism. Upon the other hand, Shadow the Hedgehog meant trouble. Always had.

For a second, Tails thought, he sat down at his table and brought his tails to his lap to stroke in thought. The chair spun left in right in slow succession, as he allowed a second or two to play with his devil and angel.

Say, this date happens. Alright, fine-

-but then it's revealed to be a clever ploy by Dr. Eggman to capture Sonic! Tails shivered, his active imagination rocked by metal claws ripping apart their setting and seizing the blue hedgehog in their crushing talons. Above them he could see The Doctor, twirling his frazzled facial hair as rubble and debris fell around them, laughing all the while in the shadows…uh, Shadow stood with a haunting glare.

"Shadow?!" Sonic would call out, still struggling in the grip of robotic claws crushing him. The evil dark hedgehog gives a haunting dark chortle, leaping high up onto the doctor's mech to join him. "But..but why?"

"Stupid, faker," the fox could already hear the disgust in Shadow's low voice. "What were you expecting?"

Tails paused, shaking his head and rising from his seat, now pacing his workshop. "Okay, okay. That's not happening, there's no way." He said aloud, hands folded behind his back and his twin tails anxiously spinning with his thoughts. "But…"

Okay, how about Sonic goes to meet with Shadow somewhere secluded. Maybe the rocky mountain tops north of downtown, no one's even allowed there due to the instability of avalanches and landslides. Sonic could show up to see Shadow smiling above, only to bring down an explosive chaos blast into the cliffside! A horrifying image of his brother attempting to out pace the roaring stampede of an environmental disaster had the fox biting a curled finger between his teeth. Shadow would strike him then, unable to handle both the assaulting scene and the evil hedgehog.

"Oh, no-no-no." Tails shook his head, covering his eyes with his hands. "This is impossible!"

The fox crossed his legs and sat upon the ground, propping his chin on a fist in the center of the workshop. The emptiness of the shop reflected the echoes of his exasperations.

Alright, he was scared. Sighing, Tails admitted defeat in the truth of the matter.

The hall walls of the Central City G.U.N. Base always felt so cold and imprisoning to Shadow.

The hard plastic of the chairs, the persistent grays and blacks in the base's décor, the click clacking metallic of his footsteps on black tiled floor, the how with every step the blink red lights of cameras followed his every step, lining the halls. His eyes were closed, silently wishing for this event to be over with and him to be escorted back through the secret entrance. Instead, time dragged, the fur on his arms standing to his irritation and impatience.

Rouge's overbearing requests of these check ups nearly tied with the visit itself of how much Shadow seethed. They weren't for him, they were to make sure he was staying in line. To make sure he was on the straight and narrow, in G.U.N.'s eyes at least. Shadow knew Rouge forced him to these as to make sure he wasn't being driven back into his past actions, to make sure he was keeping out of trouble, or at the very least not being controlled by a madman attempting to turn a new leaf to simply recruit him into their plans.

For a moment, he sighed knowing why. She cared about him, and thus he was there.

The doors before him opened, revealing three figures standing behind it. Shadow stared eyed them through slits, unwilling to offer a lick of compliance as they approached. Two soldiers dressed in protective Kevlar armor stood beside a woman in a white coat. She held a clipboard over her chest, red framed glasses sat across the bridge of her nose accentuating the icy stare that windowed.

"Yes, Shadow it it?" The woman spoke, skimming the papers stacked on the clipboard before turning back to eye the hedgehog with a playful smile. "For some reason, I keep expecting you to be taller."

"Can we get on with this?" Shadow found himself bearing canines, startling the soldiers before him. The woman smirked, holding her bodyguards with a single hand wave before turning to walk back through the doors with Shadow following.

As he passed through the doors and down another hallway, he felt one of the soldiers linger behind staring down at him in caution. He knew very well that he was seen as a criminal, a bio-weapon with a conscience. One of the few joys he felt of these visits was how on high alert the staff and guards had to be. Not ordered, he liked to believe-once causing a few security personnel to flinch as he scratched his nose.

The three of them arrived at the office, the women turned to the armed guard and gave a nod, which he hesitantly gave back and stood aside. She opened the office door and beckoned Shadow to step through. As he did, he felt their eyes on him and his fist subconsciously shook at his sides.

The office was small and quaint, again the cold décor still finding its way into every room. Oh, how this place would have benefited from a single potted plant. A single circular chair sat before another, a small table beside which he believed were the women's. The black of the floor is covered by carpet of a lighter gray to match the walls.

"Have a seat then," The woman said, shutting the door and passing to sit. Shadow eyed the women, moving slowly to hop into the seat. Leather, of course.

The woman took her water glass and took a sip, took a pen in her hand and crossed her legs. "Now, as I'm sure you are aware, we will go through a kind of checklist to see where we're at, and then take notes on any recent possible changes in behavior." She said, not once looking up at the hedgehog.

Shadow gave a huff, "The sooner the better," He grumbled, arms folded and legs not reaching the ground swinging freely.

The woman clicked her tongue, "Now, when was the last time you had an exchange or any form of contact with Dr. Ivo Robotnik, also known as Doctor Eggman?"

"Two years ago." Shadow answered, "I presume he's retired."

"Wishful thinker," The woman commented under her breath before continuing down the list. "Have you been in any altercations of any kind outside or inside the Central City limits in the last month?"

Shadow sighed, "No, and surely G.U.N. would have been alerted to that."

Again, the pen checked off another. The woman brought a hand up and pushed the glasses up her nose. "Are you currently or have been in contact with the following- Sonic The Hedgehog, Miles Prower also known as 'Tails', one Knuckles The Echidna, or any member of the now debunked Chaotix Organization?"

"What do they have to do with anything?" The black hedgehog glared, his reflection staring back at him through the shine of the women's glasses.

The woman sighed. "Please, just answer the question."

"...I interact with who I please." Shadow stated, turning his gaze to the door. Through the frosted glass he could make out the guard's head peeking into view.

Hesitantly, the woman scribbled a note and checked it off the list. "You know, you don't have to be this difficult with me. This isn't a punishment." She mentioned, glancing up to eye the grumbling hedgehog. "This is by request of the higher ups and a cohort of yours. As annoying as it is, this is for your own good, Shadow."

"Noted," Shadow said, rolling his eyes. "And how does Sonic and his ragtag friends have to do with that?"

"Business as usual?" The woman shrugged, "I have no insights, just doing as I am asked. Now, about said hedgehog-have you two interacted in the last four weeks?"

Just as Shadow was about to retort teeth barred, the woman held up a finger. "This is at the request of your cohort, I'm not the one asking."

Shadow sniffed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "I have." He answered, voice having lost its edge for a fleeting moment.

"Okay," the woman smiled, writing on the clipboard before setting it down on her table. "Great, now I'm just going to try and see where you're at mentally and then we're done."

"Mentally?" Shadow asked, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah, this is technically an evaluation." She stated, leaning back in her seat. "We're passed all the necessary by-the-book junk and now we just talk. Surely, that's not so hard to do for a few minutes."

"And at whose request was this?" Shadow asked, rubbing his forehead frustrated. "I'm as fully functioning mentally as I have always been."

"Well, of course you can say that, but that can't be true," the woman commented, "I have had to do hundreds of these with real criminals, real bad guys like your doctor friend."

"The Doctor," Shadow hastily corrected, "is not my friend."

The woman crossed her arms, smirking. "Alright then. So, I don't suppose you have friends outside…Rouge was her name?" she asked, "And what about Sonic bothers you? Just when I mentioned him, your whole character changed for a moment."

The dark hedgehog's body felt hot, he gripped at the cufflinks at his wrists subconsciously. "I am unbothered by that fool-ahem," He breathed, "by Sonic. I just don't see how he is related to what is being asked of me."

"Hmm, tell me something." The woman switched her legs and swung in her seat, "You two have a bit of history based on your file, and he has a pretty large bio on file as well. You two share a lot in common-yet you aren't from his land are you?"

"Relevance," Shadow commanded, bringing another sigh from the doctor.

"Well," She laughed, "What's up with that, I guess? You think highly of him, don't you? Do you have beef or what?"

Shadow had turned his gaze to the floor, not unnoticed by the doctor. "Are you two close? I mean, I don't know beyond what's on file. Nothing about how you both interact beyond the A2 incident."

"We share traits, I suppose." The hedgehog mumbled, staring off past the doctor with a hand to his face. "Though if not for him, I suppose I'd still be with The Doctor…so consider that my answer."

The woman smiled, "Can I at least write down 'friends'?"

"Write what you wish." Shadow spat, rolling his eyes.

"Are you two romantically involved?" The doctor pondered aloud, earning a widened glare, "What? I'm trying to read you and honestly I am having a hard time doing so. It's okay if you are, of course! Love is love and all of that, but seriously, are you aware of how pent up you seem?"

"Please stop this." Shadow said, muffled behind his hand pressed to his forehead. "For the love of chaos, end this suffering."

The woman laughed, "Oh come on! These aren't supposed to be a miserable ordeal, you know? I'll just take a few more notes and then we'll be done." She finished, hearing the other let out a breath.

"At last," Shadow mumbled, rolling his wrists to satisfying pops.

"Now, mind you I almost don't want to ask this," The woman approached awkwardly, eyeing the note upon her clipboard written in violet gel. "Are you meeting with him this Thursday by any chance?"

Across from her, the energy of the room shifted. Shadow's nose twitched as he glared at the clipboard in her hands, a smile spreading on the woman's lips. "I swear, that is actually written here."

Shadow breathed, crossing his arms and legs. "And if I was?"

The woman smiled, "Cool, have a great time."

Shadow blinked, "That's it?"

"Yup," The woman shrugged. "There was nothing else with that, but hey," She smiled, "I'm sure you two will have fun."

Just then, the watch on the woman's wrist began to beep. "And that's it!" She rose from her seat and approached the door. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

The hedgehog hopped off the seat and followed her, fists at his sides. "Abhorrent," Shadow uttered, passing through the doorway beneath the doctor's arm holding it open, before following him through and shutting it behind them.