Hello Again New and Old Readers!
This will be a bit longer chapter with a bit longer Authors Note. But I am giving you some important info, so please bare with me!
First: Thank you BitterKiss and Laineybug04 for helping make this chapter into the masterpiece that it is! Love ya both! Also everyone, check out their stories too! They both write ShadAmy stories that are awesome and fun to read!
Second: Thank you all my lovely reviewers! I have enjoyed chatting and seeing your thoughts of this new story! Thanks to janaynoodle, Abril378, Heartless demon wolf, Amefloza13, pinksakura271, CherryTheRose, Angel–kohai, Pirilaxa, Laineybug04, ROCKCHIC179, MistyVoid48 for your lovely comments! I enjoyed chatting with you :)
ROCKCHIC179: In answer to your review, thank you for liking the story! I remember you from LGH, you've been a reader of mine for a while so thank you for trying this story out as well. I can't reveal all of the answers to your questions, lol, but here are some hints. Knuckles and Rouge are NOT dating in this one. They have they're normal flirtatious Frenemy vibe. I may have them get together or I may not. We shall see ;) As for Amy's interactions with Cream/Sonic during her two years of training... well you'll just have to wait and see ;)
Third and Final: Here are some 'world facts' you'll need to know, and I will place these in my Bio as well so that you can have easy access throughout the story if you need it.
G.U.N. Ranks
G.U.N. Field Agents
Field Agent – Amy Rose
Special Agent – Omega
Senior Special Agent – Shadow the Hedgehog
Supervisory Special Agent
Assistant Special Agent–in–Charge (ASAC)
Special Agent–in–Charge (SAC) – Rouge the Bat
...
G.U.N. Management
Deputy Assistant Director
Assistant Director
Deputy Chief of Staff – Jeffery Whiskers
Chief of Staff – Highest Level of Management at each Headquarters
Deputy Director – Only one, based in Metropolis
Director – Only one, based in Metropolis
******Super IMPORTANT! I changed what Rouge said when she first saw Amy. So just pop over to the last chapter for a sec to see it**********
Also, I'm going to do the dorky thing of renaming some brands like if you haven't already picked up on it Google is Noogle in this story XD If you have any questions about the world and setting, please let me know!
Alright! Enough chit chat! I'll shut up and let ya'll enjoy this lovely dramatic chapter ;)
EPISODE 3: Rising Tensions
G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters
~September 10th, 19:13~
Shadow was slowly becoming more and more irritated by the minute. He and Rouge were sitting outside the Chief of Staff's office, while Jeffery Whiskers was inside briefing the Chief on the situation. Rouge was was also fidgeting in anticipation, and although neither of them spoke, but they could tell they were on the same page. They'd been partners for years at this point, and in some cases there was no need for words between them.
Amy Rose was a grenade. She would destroy the team from the inside out, and a paranoid part of Shadow wondered if this was all a plan hatched by his rival Sonic. It would be a little out of the norm for the Blue Idiot to use underhanded means to trip up their team, but that didn't mean the sly, two tailed fox hadn't gotten creative. Amy was twisted around that chili–dog eating bastard's finger like a snake its prey. He had no desire to have someone who would abandon a mission or high stress situation just so that she could go running to her blue hero. And as much as everyone was so keen to persuade him that the girl's intentions have changed, the dark hedgehog knew better. No one could change that much no matter how many years of maturity had passed. She might have the higher ups fooled, but Shadow the Hedgehog was no fool.
The rat had obviously thought 'highly' of the new cadet, and Shadow grimaced at the memory of the bastard's lustful attitude towards Amy. He honestly didn't understand the attraction, she was an immature and obnoxious female. When their reaction had been less than welcoming, Whiskers had sent her away with Omega allowing the opportunity for the two special agents to – not very eloquently – voice their strong opinions on the matter.
The glass door of the COS opened, and Deputy Chief Whiskers poked his long snout out, "Come in Special Agent Rouge and Shadow."
The both of them stood, their backs straightened like the trunks of trees, and their gazes stiff and determined. They would make sure the pink hedgehog was removed from their team, if not from the G.U.N. organization all together. Amy Rose had no place in their lives and she was not going to disturb their delicate harmony… Well something like harmony.
Once the agents stepped inside, they were greeted with the calm green and blue eyes of their feline Chief of Staff, Chief Irina Kotka Snow. Her fur was a startling white, and her large pointed ears dwarfed her small elegant features. Her perfect pink nose twitched, as she lazily raised a hand.
"Sit." Her voice had a slight purring accent to it, and her long fluffy tail swished gently back and forth as she leaned back in her chair.
Rouge and Shadow immediately sat, their backs still stiff. Even Whiskers himself was standing off to the side at attention, his long, naked tail curled around his feet to keep it from twitching. His beady eyes stared at them with the intense message 'Don't embarrass me.'
Her cold mismatched eyes studied them for a long moment, they were still and unblinking, like a predator watching her prey. It was as though they'd stepped into a freezer and were frozen solid within moments. No one spoke or dared to move while the Chief stared at them, but after a few moments, her mouth opened, her fangs glinting like pearls,
"That'll be all Deputy Whiskers. I'd like to speak to my agents alone." Her eyes never left Rouge and Shadow, who were both feeling like they were children in the principal's office.
"But –" His voice sounded almost whiney. The rat hadn't been in the mood to deal with their complaining, and had suggested seeing the Chief in order to shirk the responsibility. However, he had also done so as a way to watch them squirm under her authority. He would never give up the opportunity to watch the 'Holier than Thou' Team get their asses handed to them.
He also had the plan to suggest – after a significant amount of Chief Snow berating the team – that Amy be transferred to one of the other squads he oversaw. After actually meeting the girl (and admiring her 'assets') he'd started to oppose the idea of her on Team Dark as well. It was a recipe for disaster – which is what had made the idea so glorious when hadn't met her – but now he didn't want to waste away an outstanding cadet. He was pretty sure that the girl wouldn't last a week around those thick headed fools.
However, his wishes were not to be fulfilled as the feline seemed to almost glare in his direction with disgust at the beginnings of his complaint, and with a mere eye twitch, Chief Snow looked at him, effectively cutting off whatever he was about to say.
"That will be all Deputy. Please continue on with your day," She emphasized her words with sternness in her deep feminine voice, a cold smile sat across her face but her eyes were slightly narrowed and her pupils were shrunken into slits.
The rat's mouth still hung open, but it clamped shut with an audible click, and he shot the Special Agents a warning glare on his way out. Once the grey vermin had closed the door, the white feline let out a small sigh of relief to be rid of his presence, which was barely heard.
"Now that your Chief is gone, please, feel free to express your concerns."
Rouge and Shadow exchanged looks, neither entirely wishing to speak first. All their aggression and frustrations had seemed to fly out the window once those unblinking, emotionless eyes had laid their gaze on them. Chief Snow waited patiently, but when neither agent offered up a word, she tilted her head to the left.
"I must say, I am disappointed. Whiskers seemed to think you had some sort of complaint with the agent I placed on your team. If there truly is need for concern then I must hear it. I wouldn't want the best team under my command to fail."
Rouge glanced at Shadow one more time, and he glared. In terms of rank, Rouge out ranked him by three levels. He was a Senior Special Agent and she was Special Agent In Charge, and as such, it was her duty to lead their team. Rouge cursed the hedgehog. She knew exactly what that look meant. Shadow only respected her rank when it was convenient to him. Gloomy, stubborn, bastard!
Chief Snow watched the interaction with narrowed eyes, and she brought her hands up before her, leaning on the desk with her elbows and intertwining her fingers. She felt a little irritation building within her, and it translated to small flicks with the tip of her tail, small enough to go unnoticed, but she knew if they pushed her, she'd have a hard time keeping her cool. However, she waited patiently as her agents bickered telepathically. Finally, Rouge sighed with frustrated resignation, and turned her gaze back to her Chief. This time though, the bat had hardened her gaze, and her jaw was set in determination. The Chief's right brow twitched unnoticeably with curiosity, interesting…
"Special Agent in Charge, Rouge the Bat reporting, Chief."
Chief Snow smiled, and once again leaned back in her seat. She seemed to be taking great amusement of their show and she nodded at the bat, "Proceed."
Rouge took a deep breath and began, her hands moving every now and then to accent her words.
"Amy Rose is a danger to any team, and quite frankly, a danger to herself. She is impulsive and only has one objective in mind, to chase after Sonic the Hedgehog. I don't think I have ever seen her squander an opportunity to chase after him or to jump in his arms, even in high stakes situations."
Shadow's arms were folded and he nodded along with the bat, pleased that she was addressing all the concerns properly.
"Amy not only gets distracted, but is also a distraction to those around her. Yes, in certain situations she is a power house, but she has a bad habit of getting captured and being used as bait. This will definitely interfere with our missions, as they are covert and high stakes. Please Chief Snow, remove her from our team… I honestly do not believe she is fitted for duty with G.U.N. She's more of a liability than a useful asset."
Her rant completed, Rouge took another deep breath, and her bright seafoam eyes stared at her Chief with determination and expectation. Irina Snow had just recently been transferred to their headquarters after the prior chief had retired, but Rouge was confident that the feline would see eye to eye with her. She'd heard the rumors of the Chief's almost 'Lady Justice' approach to leading, and she had no doubt that her logical points would hit home for the feline.
Irina stared at them, her blue right eye and left green one dug straight into their souls. Her whiskers twitched, and her large ears were angled towards them. She didn't say a word.
"Chief?" Rouge prompted, her own large ears flinching as she tried to urge the cat to speak.
Finally, with a flick of her fluffy tail, Chief Snow rose, and pushed her chair in. It was always a shock to anyone who saw her sitting, to realize how short she was. She was a good foot and a half shorter than Shadow, and probably stood just below Amy's muzzle. However, her height in no way lessened the aura of confident grace and authority that caused anyone around her to 'proceed with caution.'
"Do you believe I am unfit to lead this G.U.N. headquarters in Station Square? Should I ask for reassignment?"
Her voice was calm, yet it reached a higher note in an ironic teasing way, her purring accent was more exaggerated, which sent shivers up both Shadow and Rouge spines. Rouge gulped and shook her head,
"No! Of course we're not saying that, it's just –"
"You think I didn't do my due diligence in researching the Agent I was placing on your team? You think we didn't run a thorough background check on everyone we decide to employ? Neither of you can claim to be 'upstanding citizens.'" She pointedly looked at Rouge, and then at Shadow. Rouge opened her mouth to argue, but found that she had no words to give, while Shadow's face merely scrunched up as though he'd been forced to swallow a sour grape, and his muzzle twisted with unvoiced objections
Chief Snow grunted at their silence, and she walked around the desk until she was in front of them. She leaned back onto her desk, her legs crossing elegantly in front of her.
"I can understand your hesitance. However, I can assure you that the placement of Field Agent Rose on your team was not only a well thought out decision, but also one that I made in hopes to help your team."
Shadow tilted his head, his scowl deepening, "We don't need any assistance." He growled, his eyes narrowed. The Chief turned her gaze to him, as though surprised he was still there.
"Oh my. What a pleasure to hear your voice Special Agent Shadow."
Said hedgehog sneered, and looked away, his face trying to hide the embarrassment he felt under a layer of defiant anger. The Chief smirked, and crossed her arms.
"Believe me, your team needs help. You have a supposedly reformed infamous Thief leading you," Rouge flinched, and her hand unconsciously started to fiddle with an expensive (and not legally obtained) ring on her right hand. Chief Snow didn't pause but her eyes did narrow slightly at the movement.
"You have a former planet destroyer and enemy of Mobius as your second in command," Shadow scoffed, and she continued, "And a decommissioned badnik, that quite frankly has ruined his fair share of missions with his single minded agenda of massacring all Eggman bots and the big jolly man himself."
Both agents remained quiet, a feeling of regret started to pool between them both, but pride stopped them from doing anything that could help their situation. The Chief sighed, and closed her eyes.
"Not to mention, none of you went through the official routes to become G.U.N. agents. You were recruited to prevent you from becoming worse criminals than you already were, and quite frankly, Metropolis Headquarters are starting to wonder just how useful you are to us anymore."
This statement proved to bring both the agents back from their pouting and stubbornness. They blinked, and Shadow's quills started to bristle, as Rouge's wings snapped in anger.
"What?!" Shadow growled, his red eyes glowing darkly with vengeance at the cat, "How dare you say that when we have the highest fucking success rate of all of G.U.N.! We work our asses off for this organization and this is how we get treated? That's bullshit!"
His anger was seething forth, and he stood to face Chief Snow. His usual calm voice was now raised and snarling dangerously. She stared at him with an emotionless gaze. She looked right into his rage filled eyes, and didn't bat a lash. Rouge was staring at the scene with an open mouth. Yes she was angry, but she would never speak to a higher up in such a manner, not to mention she had never known someone to be able to hold their own against a pissed Ultimate Lifeform.
"I suggest you sit yourself down Agent Shadow, before I am forced to take disciplinary action against you for disrespecting your Chief of Staff. You are still a G.U.N. agent, so act your rank."
Her voice was cold and menacing, and there was just enough growl in it to let them know she wasn't fooling around. Shadow narrowed his eyes at her, testing to see if she would back down. However, her face was the picture of perfect authority, and it did nothing to sate the fury boiling over in Shadow's chest. He was about to say something more, when he felt a hand on his forearm. His head snapped to the left to see Rouge staring at him with warning eyes.
"Don't Shad, it's not worth it."
Her eyes glanced in the patiently waiting feline's direction, and her head jerked in a commanding way. Shadow's eyes narrowed, but whether he would admit it aloud or not, he trusted the bat's judgement, and chose to sit heavily back in his seat with a growl. His anger not forgotten, but put on the back burner as they listened to their Chief's lecture.
"That, right there, is an example of why you are in the hot seat with the higher ups, and is why I am sitting right there next to you. Neither of you show the respect you need to, to your authority. You do not file reports correctly and most of the time they are turned in late, nor do you follow procedure. It has gotten to the point where your enemies in the organization outweigh your allies."
Rouge felt dread set within her. She had been suspicious of this for a while now, but had ignored it as it'd seemed unimportant and insignificant. But now she could feel her career slowly being flushed down the toilet. Team Dark's approach was always straight to the point. Finish the mission by any and all means. Wasn't that what G.U.N. wanted? Why would they be concerned by what the regular populace thought about their methods if they have proved to be effective? But she guessed that this was G.U.N.'s way to try to polish up their reputation and keep everyone in check. Especially Team Dark.
"I am not telling you this to discourage you, but rather to shine a light on our situation. I am on your side, I believe Team Dark is and can remain, the best team that G.U.N. has. But in order for this to happen, things need to change. Starting with Amy Rose."
Rouge narrowed her eyes, her arms were now crossed on her chest and her fingers tapped in a fidgety manner. Shadow glared at Chief Snow, and sneered, "And how is a pathetic, immature fangirl going to improve our standing in the eyes of main headquarters? Is she going to teach us the art of stalking? Or her infamous bone–crushing embrace techniques?" His tone took a mocking turn as he narrowed his eyes.
The feline slowly turned her gaze back to the dark hedgehog, and her whiskers twitched in irritation at his attitude. She was growing tired of this arrogant hedgehog and his close–minded, thick skull.
"Amy Rose is the only one of your group to have gone through the proper channels to be a G.U.N. agent. Not only that, but she was top of her class, and when I interviewed her, she assured me that her famous fangirl reputation was an out of date rumor, that she no longer acted in that manner."
Shadow glared at the Chief, but he didn't say anything else. Rouge sighed, and rubbed her forehead, "So what you're telling us, is that we have no choice."
Irina Snow chuckled darkly, taking pleasure in getting through their stubborness, "Now you get it."
She pushed her petite frame off her desk and made her way around to her seat, sitting down, she picked up some papers, and placed red, 50's style, cat–eye rimmed reading glasses on her nose. After a moment, she glanced up over the frames, and looked at them with stern eyes.
"You're dismissed. Go make your new team member feel welcome."
Her attention returned to the papers in her hand. Shadow felt burning rage flow through him at this cat's attitude. No one treated the Ultimate Life Form like a pawn. He stood, his mouth opening ready to say some regrettable choice of words, but Rouge for the second time grabbed his arm. His head snapped in her direction, and she stared at him with large seafoam eyes.
"Don't… there's nothing we can do right now."
Shadow's body trembled as he held back his wrath, but seeing her pleading eyes he felt the emotion weaken slightly. Rouge hardly ever stopped him from talking back to others even superiors. However, he could see that the new Chief had rattled her, and if he was being completely honest, he could understand the feeling. Team Dark hadn't had much one on one interactions with the Chief since her transfer, so before now, neither of them had experienced her direct leadership.
They only dealt with Deputy Chief Whiskers, as did most of the line level agents. The rat desperately tried to push his authority, but it was no secret that most agents had no respect for him. Besides, there were some nasty rumors going around about his credibility, which weren't doing him any favours. So as a result his type of punishments may be annoying but were not severe, in fear that he would be fired. In contrast, the Agents who'd seen the Chief on a regular basis usually didn't last long. The woman had a low tolerance for disobedience and failure.
Shadow ripped his arm from Rouge's grip, and shot the Chief a glare before storming out of the office. Rouge sighed, and started out after him, but just before she left she heard a voice behind her,
"Be careful of that one. You have a bright future ahead of you Agent Rouge, and I'd hate to see it tarnished by your partner."
Rouge stopped, her hand still on the glass door. She could see Shadow making his way down the hall, his quills bristled and his fists clenched to his sides. When he was far enough away, she shut the door and turned to the Chief. The white cat raised a brow, curious at what else the bat had to say.
Rouge smiled, but her expression was cold and her eyes radiated fervor. She crossed her arms, and flicked her wings.
"I wasn't going to say anything, because if I had, Shadow would've exploded. Besides, I do have respect for rank." She walked closer to the desk, and placed both her hands on the rim of the desk, leaning forward and curling her lip back from her fangs.
"You're new here, so I was cutting you some slack. You think Shadow is bad? Well hon, I have news for you. If you think the previous Chief retired because he wanted to, then you're dumber than I thought. He messed with my team one time too many, and I ran out of patience for his actions."
It was Snow's turn to to be intimidated, but she didn't show any fear or reaction to the words that Rouge spit forth like a dragon.
"Shadow is a damn good agent. Better than I am, especially when it comes to following G.U.N.'s policies and orders. I do not appreciate you insulting his abilities when you have only been in our headquarters for a short while. I like your leadership style, but don't think for a second that you can turn me against my partner, hon."
Rouge flicked her ears, and stood up straight once more, her stance was powerful, and anyone else would've run in the other direction. If looks could kill, than Rouge was a serial killer. The Chief stared at her for a long moment, but then a pleased smile crept across her muzzle.
"I was right about you."
Rouge blinked, confusion covering her fury, and caused her to tilt her head to the right, "What?"
"I think we'll get along just fine. You remind me a lot of myself when I was your age." Chief Snow tapped her clawed finger on her desk, and leaned her head into her other hand.
"I'll tell you what. If you really feel like Agent Rose isn't a good fit for your team, why don't we put her to the test." The feline narrowed her mismatched eyes as a mischievous smirk spread across her matte maroon lips.
Now that was interesting, and Rouge couldn't help but be curious about what this cat had in mind, her large ears pointed upwards "Test?"
"Yes," Chief Snow stated, pulling open the bottom drawer of her desk and retrieving a manila folder.
The G.U.N. logo was watermarked on the front, and the feline offered it to the bat. Rouge hesitated for a moment, she had a gut feeling she was falling into a trap. The albino bat hid this part of herself better than her brooding partner, but she could be just as paranoid and untrusting as him. She was not at the level of Shadow's extremes, but experience had taught her not to give her trust away so easily. Her gut was rarely wrong, but her mind couldn't come up with a logical reason to not take the folder. She reached out and took it into her grasp. She looked at the Chief, who arched an eyebrow expectantly.
"Go on. Take a look."
Rouge stared at her for a moment longer, before finally unfolding the file. It was a surveillance mission overview. There was a new structure built in the wilderness of Knothole Forest, it was suspected to be one of Eggman's bases, and the mission was to infiltrate and collect data. It was odd to be given a mission like this so early in the progress, usually G.U.N. had lower profile agents observe new Eggman bases until either it need to be taken out or Sonic and his team destroyed it. Team Dark was usually called in after the groundwork was done, so Rouge glanced back, returning the arched brow, at the Chief.
"It's a low profile mission, yes, however, we have some intel that a certain Hero of Mobius has plans on paying the good Doctor a visit tomorrow. Your Team's mission will be to stay covert and undetected. You'll need to infiltrate the base while Sonic is distracting the Doctor, and gain any intel from his computers and base before it inevitably goes up in flames."
Rouge smirked, realization spreading throughout her face. The Chief returned the smile with her own and leaned back in her chair, folding her glasses and hanging them from the collar of her shirt.
"If Amy Rose compromises this mission because of her obsession with Sonic, then I will personally remove her from duty, and I'll never mess your precious team again." The cat intertwined her fingers in front of her face, with a playful smile on her lips.
Rouge couldn't help but feel her grin widen, Oh this was going to be too easy. There was no way pinky would be able to resist running to her hero the moment she laid eyes on him. She felt giddy, and it showed on her face. The Chief smiled evilly, and tsked her tongue.
"Don't celebrate prematurely Special Agent Rouge."
Her tone was light, with a hint of amusement in her voice,
"I will keep my word if she fails. However… if she succeeds and is able to follow through the mission without incident, then I expect to never have you in my office again with complaints about any of the orders I give from here on out. And Amy Rose will stay on your team until otherwise ordered. And I don't want you mentioning this to your partners, otherwise it could skew the results. Do I make myself clear?" Her voice shifted from the playful politeness to a deeper authority, making her pitch lower in a warning.
It was fair enough for Rogue. She was 99.9% sure the girl would flop the mission. Not that she had anything personal against the hedgehog. She felt indifferent towards the female, but if she were to compromise the delicate 'balance' in her team, she had another thing coming. Rouge closed the folder and tucked it beneath her arm.
"Clear as day, Chief."
"So, you are in agreement?" Snow asked, her smile unwavering, her fingers intertwined on her desk. She held a stoic pose, her tail flicking as she watched her prey walk obliviously into her trap. After all, both of them had a lot in common, they were two attractive and not to mention powerful females in a male's world, and Irina recognized the hunger in her eyes. The bat was falling for the plan, and the more she thought about it, the more a devious smile formed on the cat's muzzle. However Rouge wasn't looking at her anymore, she was already at the door and opening it.
"Yes, Chief." She stated, her very own smile curling on her muzzle. This was just too easy, by this time tomorrow Amy Rose would be out of their lives forever, and everything could go back to normal.
Team Dark's Living Quarters
~September 10, 20:32~
Shadow slammed the door open, and made a beeline for the stairs. He was still pissed from the conversation earlier, and he had finished the few tiny details on the report that was due, before leaving G.U.N. headquarters. Every agent that had the misfortune to catch the hedgehog's eye was immediately reduced to trembling and fumbling as they separated before him like the red sea. He stomped towards the exit like a demon emerging from the depths of hell devouring every soul that dared cross his path. His air shoes had helped to quicken his pace, and it had only taken about 5 minutes for him to make it home. He didn't plan on staying there for long, he just wanted to grab his motorcycle keys in order to go on a joyride to calm his nerves.
He reached the top of the steps and stopped in his tracks as he almost smashed right into Omega. The robot was frozen in place, and his voice was coming forth in a loop.
"Hypothetical, definition: of, based on, or serving as a hypothesis. Hypothesis: a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation. Hypothetical Question, a question, based on assumptions rather than facts, directed to an expert witness intended to elicit an opinion. Hypo –"
"Omega!" Shadow raised his tone and when he didn't get a response, he resorted to the only thing that seemed to make non responsive technology work. He curled his fist and banged on the robot's head, which resulted in the loop to breaking. Omega's head turned as his optics scanned the dark hedgehog standing before him. Works every time.
"Chaos Omega! What the hell is going on?" Shadow asked, glaring into the robot's lifeless eyes.
"Amy Rose asked a hypothetical question in attempt to explain how Omega used his heart to be kind. Omega can not process the question, it does not compute how the question can explain how Omega can use an organic organ he does not possess. Hypothetical definition –"
Shadow rolled his eyes. Great, just great! Look what that dumbass has done now! Shadow placed both hands on each metal shoulder of the robot covering the omega symbols.
"E–123 Omega, reboot requested by Senior Special Agent Shadow the Hedgehog, badge number: S–3456. Delete all memory data files from the previous hour."
The robot's body stiffened and gears whirled to life within the metal frame.
"Senior Special Agent Shadow the Hedgehog authority accepted, proceeding with deletion of E–123 Omega memory file: amount is one hour of data."
Shadow sighed, and patted the metal shoulder shell of his friend gently. This was an issue that had plagued the robot for as long as he could remember. Omega was a battle bot, he hadn't been created for anything besides battling Sonic, and ironically Shadow himself. However after developing an agenda against Eggman and all his creations, G.U.N. folded him in and reprogrammed him to take direct orders from Agents only. He didn't have any processing abilities for much outside of that, and oftentimes would be thrown into loop by anything that was different from his programing. The hedgehog actually had grown a soft spot for the machine, relating to its situation more then he would ever admit. As a result he trusted it more than he trusted Rouge, Omega would never do anything to harm him. Whereas the bat wasn't always the most reliable...
"It's okay old friend. I won't let her do that to you again." Shadow mumbled, but the robot couldn't hear him, his mechanics preoccupied with fulfilling his orders.
The ebony hedgehog patted him again, before heading down the hall to the left of the stairs. He was about to knock on the first door to the right which was now Amy's room – when he noticed the door to his own room was open. He stopped in his tracks, eyes maniacally wide with realization and the anger that now flowed through him was threatening to burst forth like a bomb. His quills bristled, his fists sparked with Chaos energy, and his ruby eyes burned. Oh this bitch was going to pay.
His legs felt like heavy weights, and it took all his energy to resist running into his room and rip her head off. Finally, after what seemed like a year, his feet brought him to the open door frame where – just as he expected – he could see Amy was in his room. A deep animalistic, and menacing growl erupted from the depths of his throat. He watched as her body stiffened, like a pray stunned before its predator, and he could almost see the words oh, shit! coming off her body in waves. He started to enter the room when he realized he'd missed an important detail of the situation. He'd been so preoccupied, that he had failed to see the position that he found her in.
She was kneeling on his bed, her hands placed on the glass of his weapon's display case and her clothing was twisted around her frame, exposing parts of her legs that would otherwise be covered. Her tail was pointed up and trembling, and her arse looked ready to peak from it's confines. That coupled with the fact that she was on his bed, suddenly caused the anger within him to be replaced by something else. It felt similar to the fury boiling just under the surface, but the heat wasn't centered in his chest, it was heading to a place much lower. It was a carnal feeling that had been able to sneak into him through the open door his rage had burst open.
He was swirling in a twister of conflicting emotions, when she started to scoot slowly across his bed. The movement brought his sanity back, the lust which had come unwanted was stuffed away, allowing his favorite emotion fury to return, and he felt in control once more. He growled, "What the hell do you think you're doing, Rose?"
She visibly jumped, and scrambled off the bed. She looked up, and her eyes held a terrified look. Good, she should be scared. Then, as though snapped from a trance, she made a lunge for the door. Shadow grunted and punched his fist into the door jam, making it crack from the pressure, effectively blocking her. She stopped just in time to avoid choking herself on his arm, and she stood before him trembling. Oh, how sweet it was to have the subject of his anger shaking in fear before him.
Amy was panicking, her mind working in overdrive. No amount of training or research could've prepared her for the Ultimate Life Form out of his mind with anger. A path that she never wanted to cross. She gulped, and figured there may be only one thing that could save her. Instead of treating him like something to be feared, she would treat him as her superior, in attempt to make the situation professional rather than personal. She held in her breath, took a step back, straightened her stance and lifted her hand to her forehead in a salute.
"Field Agent Amy Rose, ready to take her orders, sir!"
Shadow's mouth popped open slightly, and he blinked at her for a couple seconds. What the hell was she doing? He shook his head, narrowing his crimson bloodthirsty eyes and leaned on the door jam, keeping the opening blocked.
"Answer my question, what are you doing in my room?" He growled, unamused by her little act. Amy doubled down however, and stomped a foot on the floor as she straightened herself even more.
"I was searching for my room, and accidently entered this room. I didn't know it was your room Senior Special Agent Shadow, until just now."
Shadow took the few steps needed to close the distance between them, his gaze never breaking from hers. He stabbed a finger into her chest and hissed into her ear, his voice deep and laced with resentment.
"Don't play games with me, pinky, you were trying to take something weren't you?"
Amy shook her head violently, but kept her hand on her forehead. Although she knew she had no ground due to her actions, she couldn't help but feel a little irritated with his accusations.
"I was merely admiring the weapons in the display, I had no intention to take anything, sir." She stated while gritting her teeth. This act was starting to wear her down.
Shadow scoffed, and pushed his finger into her again, causing her to almost stumble backwards, but she held her ground. She'd faced worse bullies in the cadet program then him.
"Before now, I really didn't give a shit about you, Rose. In fact, I just thought of you as slightly annoying. But now? Well now I really don't like you." He pushed again, and this time she did stumble backwards. She could feel tears burning in the corner of her eyes, but she wouldn't give in. She wouldn't give this jerk the satisfaction. She smacked his hand from her chest, and squared up to him, her jade eyes reflecting the same fury burning within him, but there was a glimmer of pain in them as well.
"You think you're so much better than me?" Amy growled, the stress of the day and the irritation at his accusations were boiling forth.
"I have news for you, Ultimate Dumbass, you parade around with this superior air, but do you know what they say about you behind your back?" Her voice was rising, and her eyes were wet with tears of frustration. Shadow gulped, his lips ever so slightly parted from shock, he hadn't expected her to come back at him like this.
"No one wants to be around you, or join up with your team for missions, because you treat everyone like garbage. I can't even imagine how Rouge has been able to put up with you for so long. You're arrogant, an ass and everyone knows that you're a –"
"That's enough!" The shout came from the hall, and both hedgehogs whipped their attention to the door. Rouge was standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips, and her expression anything but friendly. She stepped into the room, and placed herself between the two of them.
"Amy, get your ass out of Shadow's room this minute. Your room is across the hall, take your suitcase there, and wait for me to see you."
Amy blinked at her, and her mouth opened, "But –"
"Are you disobeying a direct order from your Special Agent in Charge, Agent Rose?"
Rouge's eyes were stern, but there was a softness in her tone that helped to calm Amy enough for her to realize the bat was trying to help her out of her precarious situation. It sounded more like a warning rather than a threat. The bat was providing her with a way out of Shadow's line of fire, and she wasn't going to pass that up. Amy shot the growling male another glare, before grabbing her luggage and walking across the hall.
Once they heard the door slam, Shadow growled and slammed his door as well. Rouge rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she watched the ebony hedgehog pace back and forth, sparks of yellow Chaos Energy crackling within his fur, and surrounding his fists. It had been a while since she'd seen her partner so worked up, and she raised an eyebrow in reluctant admiration at Amy's remarkable ability to piss people off. The only other Mobian who had gotten him to this level in the past, had been the arrogant blue blur that the girl was obsessed with.
"Calm down, I need to speak with you."
Shadow turned towards her, his red eyes bright, and his jaw clenching.
"I want her gone." He growled, and Rouge closed her eyes with a sigh. "And if you don't take care of her, I will."
The bat lowered her ears and furrowed her brows, always going straight to the low–key death threats… this guy needs to get laid.
"Look, there isn't anything we can do at the moment. Chief Snow is pretty serious about keeping her on."
Shadow grunted, and moved to the far end of his room. He picked up a fist full of knives sitting on the desk, and started throwing them in quick succession into Eggman's face, the metal sinking into the wall, the clinking noise of the metal making impact was the only sound in the room.
Rouge walked to the edge of his bed, and sat down with a flick of her wings. She crossed her legs and leaned back on her arms. She watched with a bored look as Shadow worked through the pile of knives. She knew he wouldn't hear anything she was about to say if he was as angry as he was now. It was better for him to blow off some steam and allow the blood to stop rushing in his ears.
Finally, after the last weapon impaled the poster, Shadow stood there panting, his body was still stiff, but he no longer had yellow tendrils of Chaos snaking around his limbs. Satisfied that he was calm enough to hear her, Rouge pushed herself off the bed and made her way to stand behind Shadow. Her hands raised, and she placed them on his shoulders. The hedgehog flinched slightly, but she pushed her hands, and guided him to turn around. His eyes were closed, and she could see him trying hard to hold back his rage.
"Trust me, Shad, I have a plan."
At that his ruby eyes opened, and he stared at her, his irises moving side to side as he looked into her eyes as if trying to read her thoughts. His nose twitched, "Plan? What plan?"
Rouge opened her mouth, but then stopped with her her lips parted. Oh shit… I wasn't supposed to say anything. She scrunched up her face into a grimace as she shut her eyes and mouth, and bit her lip.
"I can't tell you right now, but trust me. I won't let her stay on this team for long."
Shadow shrugged her hands from his shoulders and glared at her, "Tell me what's going on."
She sighed, and brought her hand up to massage the top of her muzzle. She cursed her big mouth, and her ears flicked irritatingly.
"Can you just trust me? How long have we been partners now?" She asked, opening an eye and giving him a look. Damn this stubborn hedgehog.
He scoffed, and sat on his bed, "Too long. Long enough to know that you're not the most reliable person."
Rouge glared at him, and was about to rebuke him, when he smirked and looked at her from the corner of his eye.
"And long enough to know when you're not lying."
He sighed, and placed his head into his hands.
"Just go. I need some peace after the day I've had." His voice was low, and she could see the stress pulling his ears downward. Rouge said nothing, but as she passed him to get to the door, she placed her hand on his shoulder for a moment.
Once she was in the hall, she shut the door behind her, and leaned up against it. Her eyes were closed for a moment, but she opened them to slits, her pupils dilated in order to stare at the dark door across from her. She could see that there was no light coming from underneath it, and she guessed that Amy had retired for the night. She was tempted to just walk past and go to her own room, but she had a duty to make sure this rookie had settled in.
She walked to the door and knocked quietly, when there was no answer she popped the door open a bit, and sure enough the room was veiled in darkness, and she could see a mound in the bed. Rouge sighed, and shut the door, grateful she didn't have to calm down another crazy hedgehog. She'd had enough of that for one day. The bat shook her head and walked down the hall, past the stairs, and turned to the left to enter her own room. Usually she would stay up for hours into the night, but just as Shadow had said, she needed to rest after the day she'd had.
Amy forced her breathing to be slow, and her eyes were shut tight. She was facing away from the door. Her delicate ears picked up the creek from the door that opened beside her, and a line of light shot through the room to shine on her sleeping mask. There was no movement for a moment, until Amy heard a soft sigh of relief and the door once again shut closed.
The pink female counted to 100 before sitting up in her bed and stared out the window in front of her. Her eyes were adjusted to the dim light in the room, and she looked around at the empty dorm. All that was in the room was a bed and a desk. She started to think about what she would add to it if she was still allowed to stay, but she found she couldn't focus on anything. She felt sick to her stomach. Today had not gone at all how she had envisioned.
Two years… for two long years she'd trained her hardest, and the only thing that had gotten her through the mind numbing pain and impossible challenges, was the wish that when it was all over she would be a part of a team. She hadn't even cared who her team was, as long as she could finally find her place and purpose in life. So when Chief Snow had suggested that she join Team Dark, she'd immediately been ecstatic. She thought it would be the perfect fit, and she had felt more comfortable with the idea of being with people she knew.
Yes, she had been nervous, who wouldn't be when joining the infamously badass, and edgy Team Dark – which also had a reputation of being pretty withdrawn and uninterested in cooperation with others. She could remember times when she was still a part of Team Rose and they ran into Shadow and his team. They were cold and didn't care to work with her team or Sonic's. It was like pulling teeth to get them to band together in order to defeat Metal Sonic and his army of robotic Shadow Clones.
Despite all that, she had still hoped that they would've at least given her an opportunity to make her case and prove herself. She wanted to work with them, they were the best after all, and she knew that she had a bad reputation to overcome from the way she'd done things in the past, but she wasn't the same little girl that they remember. Despite her changes, there was still a part of her that fantasized and embellished any situation she found herself in. She'd expected there to be confusion and hesitance, but had truly thought that after their initial shock, they would see her accomplishments in the cadet program and realize she would be an asset to the team.
She grabbed the pillow behind her and stuffed her face in it before plopping down on the bed, forming a prickly ball. Her long quills fanned out around her, and she tighten her body until she almost burst. Their reactions… they had been so much harsher then she had imagined… they hated her. Rouge had called her a child and said she was more suited to desk work, for Chaos sake.
She couldn't contain her hurt anymore, she felt tears begin to form in her eyes. She felt defeated, worthless, as though all that she'd gone through had been a waste of time. All the abuse and discrimination she'd experienced in the cadet program was suddenly weighing on her like an anvil. She felt a tear escape the corner of her eye, and her cheek fur tickled as it slowly made its way to her chin. She shut her eyes, and almost went into full bawling mode when an image of Shadow's furious face took up all of her inner thoughts. She could see the hatred emitting from him, the way he was barely containing himself to rip her open for the mere fact that she had entered his room by mistake.
Suddenly her eyes stopped burning, and she felt her chest come a blaze with anger. He and Rouge reminded her of the assholes that put her down, and underestimated her everyday. It had brought her to a breaking point in the first month and a half of the program. However, hitting her bottom had only caused an odd fire to spark within her. She had dug in her feet, and faced her issues and enemies head on. She became obsessed with being the best, and she had achieved it. She had gotten through the hard part, and she told herself that this was just a small hill compared with her experiences. This was only her first day, nothing to get all dramatic over.
Smiling decisively, and wiping the dampness from her muzzle, she sat straight up and swung her feet over the side of her bed. Moving to the light switch, she flipped it on and rubbed her hands together. She suddenly had multiple ideas about how to spruce up the space, and it started with moving her bed to the other side of the room. Amy Rose hiked up her sleeves and got to work. Determination flowing through her as it always did, swallowing any doubts in its path. She would be fine, and they would see, she would show them all just how valuable she was.