For once in my life, my dreams weren't plagued with neglected memories. I actually… dreamt. It was skewered, abstract even, but all I could make out was the colour pink. A soft, feminine voice called out to me. As I heard it, I felt warmth on my cheek. A caress. Strangely, I let my guard down and closed my eyes in submission. I was at peace. Whoever was calling out to me, I welcomed them. When I opened my eyes again, the scene transitioned into a blood curdling scream that pierced my eardrums, raping me from this tranquil euphoria. The colours' saturation drained to a crimson hue and I suddenly grew afraid. Another voice screamed out, but this time it was painstakingly clear who it belonged to.

Maria!

Maria's form began to come into focus through my blurry vision. Blood soaked her blue dress, gushing out a gaping wound that revealed flesh and bone. The horrific image started to morph as I desperately fought an invisible force. I struggled to reach her, the air seemingly thick and heavy on my legs. Maria looked down at her wound in horror, small hands shaking around her core. I called out her name. Her face shot up… to reveal Amy Rose's bloody face instead.

"Shadow!"

I shot up in a panicked state, sweat sticking to my fur. My breaths were raspy, each inhale a painful scratch down my throat. Getting up, I headed to my ensuite to wash my face and gargle some water. After composing myself I slowly made my way back to the bed. Plonking down onto the mattress, I took some time digesting what I had just experienced. Rubbing my forehead I checked my mandatory bedside clock for the time. 5:22 am. I let out a sigh and gave my head another rub. In my entire lifetime thus far, never have I encountered a dream. Sure, I will relive memories that already haunt my waking life, but a dream? Never.

I wasn't too surprised or that much disturbed by the graphic inclusion of Maria. I already have daily, real-life past enactments that run through my head like a film reel. No, what put me on edge was the imagery of the pink hedgehog. Out of every past transgression I've endured, why has my mind chosen her to fixate on? Maybe it was my anxiety about the triggered memory of her from yesterday that caused this estranged phenomenon. Either way, I needed to clear my head. The majority of the soldiers will be awake in an hour to get ready for training. Some, mostly the elitist of our soldiers, will arise earlier to train longer. Like me, there are some comrades that take their enforcement seriously and will train all day without break.

After getting dressed, I headed for the shooting rounds. If I'm lucky, the perfectionists would be absent and I'd be alone. When I arrived, I was greeted with shock instead.
Amy Rose was here, throwing her trademark PikoPiko hammer at the targets. She'd give an aggressive throw with her hammer, hitting the target in the abdomen, then the hammer would disappear in a puff of pink smoke only to reappear in her hand. This process would continue for a few rounds, with Rose sometimes switching it up a bit by practicing different arm swings or manoeuvres. She was pretty decent with her aiming, almost always consistently hitting her target. I've never seen her in battle often, and couldn't really imagine it either, but seeing her determination had me perplexed. Rose, nothing but a ditzy little girl, had more responsibility than the hero of all Mobius. I crossed my arms in interest.

"Why not use a gun?"

Rose whipped around, dropping her hammer in a startled manner. The hammer, again, disappeared in a pink cloud.
"Shadow!" She gasped, holding a hand to her mouth and took a few seconds to recover from being scared. "You're up early."

"It's my job to be," I stated. I nodded at the rounds and repeated my question. "Why your hammer, and not a gun in which the rounds were built for?"

Rose looked flustered, as if embarrassed that she was caught being here. Looking down, she twirled a quill and circled her boot on the floor. "I thought… maybe, since I'm here working with you guys and G.U.N, I would need some training to keep up." Rose tilted her head back up with a shy smile. "Also, I need to prove my worth, don't I?" In a sudden mood change, she straightened her composure and flexed her arms with a defiant grin. "I'm already fighting for Sonikku's approval, why not go for the government's too?"

I felt a tinge of pity for this girl. Despite being the most inexperienced at love, even I knew that pining over someone's mere approval was pathetic. I wasn't interested enough to delve into that rabbit hole any further, her infatuation with the hedgehog wasn't my concern. I uncrossed my arms and made my way to the wall that held a selection of firearms. Personally, I never found myself in a situation in where I needed such a flimsy weapon; I was a far more superior being than these weak humans to rely on such primitive protection. Although, the extra time on my hands benefited from wasting it on developing this new skill. I picked up my go-to pistol and brought it to Rose.

Puzzled, she looked at the gun as if she never held one before.

"Take it," I said. "The only way for you to grow as a soldier is to learn how they fight. G.U.N operates differently to your group of 'heroes', they don't take kindly to unfamiliar procedures that include supernatural abilities that they cannot access themselves. They feel more comfortable knowing that their fellow comrades won't have the upper advantage against them in war."

Still not taking the pistol from my outstretched hand, Rose looked up in suspicious, yet prudent curiosity. "How do you know?"
I retracted my arm and swiftly moved past her, making my way to one of the firing booths. Aiming my gun at the fresh target, I closed one of my eyes in concentration.

"I just know."

Before I fired, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Instinctively, I pulled back with a threatening glare. Rose pulled away after seeing my reaction but didn't show any signs of fear. That determined flare sparked in her jade eyes, reminding me of her inability to back down.

"As a well-known government organisation, they shouldn't have any discrimination against any eligible candidate for their military. No matter how powerful that person is, that's a worthy alibi against the enemy! Why wouldn't they embrace that?"

I looked at her in a dumbfounded stupor. Unbeknownst to her, she had inadvertently stood up for me. A few times, Rouge would occasionally defend me against the Commander or any other sergeant that dare gave me trouble. She even once admitted that she'll always be by my side, against the world if need be. I've always told myself it was because she was my partner in our team and she needed me in her missions. Here, was a complete stranger to me, obsessed with my rival and tormented my thoughts, standing up for my rights in this human-infested world.

Shaking myself from these new feelings of appreciation, I turned back to my booth and shot five times into the target's head. Rose jumped and held her ears in response to the deafening gunshots.

"This is the conditions in entering our military," I said once I was done. "If you don't like it, feel free to leave and let the professionals handle this."

The look of the offended schoolgirl almost made me smirk. The expression soon turned into anger as she unleashed her fury.

"How dare you, Shadow!" She challenged, "I've caught up to Sonic more times than you ever have, and he's the fastest thing alive! I may not be as strong as either of you, but I sure as hell can hold myself in a fight. I'm not the helpless girl you think I am, and I can't wait to prove your smug face wrong!"

Rose's little tantrum should have infuriated me, instead I found myself being amused at her attempts to interrogate the Ultimate Lifeform. The way her nose wrinkled and lips curling to a pout made her look… cute. Her defiance was surely admirable, the lack of fear in her eyes intrigued me in a way that I had never anticipated. This girl… was stirring something up inside me.

I did not like it. I was determined to make her fail and I still am. Amy Rose will not be here any longer, her affect on me jeopardised my dedication to Mobius. If my intimidating presence didn't scare her off, a personal attack will. I stepped closer to her, her unflinching gaze boring into my soul. How confident she was against me was bewildering, a reaction that was foreign to me. Growling to myself, I drowned this attraction as I narrowed my eyes.

"This is not a game, Rose," I spoke in a low voice, "Your priorities aren't straight. This is war, not a love tunnel where you can make googly eyes at the Faker in hopes he'll so much as bat an eye in your direction. You will get others killed or be killed if you don't see the severity of our situation. Sonic will never be interested in a girl who got himself roboticized or worse, killed, by her own negligence."

The flames quickly died as I said this, the flare washed away by devastation and heartbreak. I stepped back to give her space and for a second, there were tears. Shaking herself, Rose wiped them away and gave me her own glare.

"You're a jerk, Shadow the Hedgehog," she choked out. "But that won't stop me from doing my best to play my part in this battle. I will be stronger, I will win Sonic's heart and I can't wait to see your stupid face as I defeat Dr. Eggman with my hammer and not by your degrading standards!"

With a final stamp of her foot, Rose stormed out of the shooting range, leaving me alone in silence.

xxx

"Chaos, I wouldn't have agreed to come if you wanted me up so early," Sonic said with a yawn and a rub of his eye. It was now 8 am, everyone had gathered in the Commander's office to discuss our next move. Rose stood at the opposite side of the room from me, standing close beside Sonic with her eyes gazed elsewhere. What I said must have shaken her up and oddly enough, there was a small part of me that felt guilty. Which was absurd. I had no trouble breaking people's spirit in the past, albeit with brute force or insensitivities. I only had one goal: protect Mobius and humans alike. Harming a few feelings here and there meant nothing to me. So why was I so affected by this pink hedgehog with a soul full of passion?

Scowling at myself again, I looked at the Commander head-on, determined to keep my focus away from the girl.

"Early wakings should be the least of your problems, Sonic the Hedgehog," the Commander stated with a face of stone. "I've ordered Agent Shadow to recruit you regarding your past successions in defeating Ivo Robotnik. It is our best interests to have an ally such as yourself to aid in crashing down seven of his top facilities around the world."

Sonic had a final yawn before stretching. "Yeah, sure thing Mr. Sergeant or whatever. I'll help ya, I do this stuff as a living. I'll crash down Egghead's bases in a day, so don't worry."

"Just a day?" Rouge purred, placing a hand on her hip. "You're losing your touch, Big Blue."

Sonic gave a cheeky grin back. "Well, with you guys slowing me down, I have to accommodate of course. Right Shads?"

I was in too much of a bad mood to play into his games, so I gave a side eye glare and ignored his remarks.

"This is not a joke, hedgehog," the Commander intervened with a more serious tone. "Robotnik's facilities are located around the equator, the locations being Pumpkin Hill, Railroad Station, the facility Team Dark had infiltrated, Sandopolis Zone, Arid Sands, Eggmanland and the last one is unknown. Hope has spent all night tracking the movements of the infected Eggbot, seeing that it has travelled to these locations frequently shown in its database. These locations were also highlighted in the restricted information that Agent Shadow acquired yesterday. The Eggbot is now situated in the Pumpkin Zone. We've decided to not retrieve the robot in case it has revealed the final base."

"Yeah, I see that, and good work to Shadow, but why is this such a big deal in the first place?" Sonic asked, clueless of the dangers yet to come.

"Because, Faker, each of these bases hold a mother roboticizer that connects along the equator line. If the Doctor were to activate it, the whole world would be roboticized in an instant." I explained, still looking straight ahead in case I caught a glimpse of the silent hedgehog.

"Oh…" Was all that Sonic had said before sitting with his thoughts. "Well… damn, that is serious. I mean, not too serious, nothing that I can't handle." I'm pretty sure everyone could read through Sonic's fake nonchalance. He was scared, I could see it in his timid composure. I made the mistake of taking a peek at Rose to find her terrified expression staring back at me. She reached out and held Sonic's arm for comfort, shoving her face into his side. Sonic's split look of exasperation disgusted me as he quickly comforted Rose. Faker indeed.

"Don't worry Ames, we'll kick Eggman's butt. We did before with the Death Egg, this isn't anymore different." He lifted her chin up with a compassionate smile and Rose beamed back up at him. If she paid more attention, she would have seen his original, and truthful, response.

"Now that you understand our predicament a bit more, will you join us?" Asked the Commander.

Gently, Sonic pried Rose off of him and nodded. "Only if it means that I have freedom in how I handle things. I'll help ya bring Eggman down, but I don't wanna be kept under control yea?"

"Understood. All we want from you is your corporation." The Commander replied. He turned his back and brought up a map of two locations. "This is your mission for today. Our first location is Sandopolis, located on Angel Island. How Robotnik managed to plant one of his top bases there without the Guardian's knowledge is impressive."

"Eh, not that impressive knowing how gullible and oblivious Knucklehead is," quipped Sonic while rubbing his nose. Rose shushed Sonic with him shrugging his shoulders in return.

"Regardless," continued the Commander, "there, is where you and Agent Rouge will go. Since both of you have a connection with the Guardian, maybe he will help you in this mission."

"Oh honey, you have no idea," Rouge replied, giving a small giggle afterwards. Sonic smirked and held up his thumb.

"Sure thing. I'm sure Knuckles would be thrilled to have our company."

"Good. Search for the base, destroy it and collect the chaos emerald that is inhabited. Now, for Agent Shadow and Amy Rose."

I looked at the Commander in shock. Me? With Rose?

"You're putting me with the girl? This is too dangerous for me to be babysitting." I argued.

"Silence. Agent Rouge reported that you insisted her coming here. I have only agreed because of her affiliation with Sonic. If she fails this mission, she will be no more and you can continue your duties as ordered. Make sure the same assignments are completed or else you will also be punished."

I crossed my arms more aggressively and looked to the side, struggling to control my frustration. It was true, I did bring this on myself. I guess I will have to use this to my advantage and ruin Rose further.

"Whoa there, you sure that's a good idea? Sorry, Shadow isn't the friendliest person alive." Sonic came to Rose's defense. Rose only smiled at Sonic more.

"Don't worry Sonikku, I'll be fine. I can handle myself, you know. If the world needs saving, we're here to save it, right?" Replied Rose.

Sonic smiled back and ruffled her bangs, causing her to giggle.

"You're right Amy. But if Shadow gets too grumpy, whip out that hammer of yours."
Admittedly, I was surprised at Rose's easy compliance in separating from Sonic. Maybe she was proving her point, and I could feel her defying energy from across the room. She is going to be a tough one to handle… and I like the challenge.

"Don't worry, I will." Rose poked her tongue at me. I couldn't help but give a small smirk back. Try me.

"Enough of this banter," said the Commander. "You have your orders. Gather your equipment and meet at your separate docks. Dismissed."

As we filed out, Sonic scooted passed me with a cocky grin.

"Wanna see who's the fastest in destroying Egghead's base?"

Just to humour him and to prove my superiority, I smirked back. "If you want to get humiliated."

"Sweet! Catch ya there," with that, he sped off.

Rouge was the next to pass me, but instead of giving any farewells, she gave me a knowing look and continued walking. I raised my eyebrow and wondered what she was thinking in that sultry mind of hers.

"Are you ready?"

I looked back to see Rose standing behind me, arms crossed with a challenging gleam in her eyes. I sighed and beckoned her to follow me.

"You may be able to keep up with Sonic, but let's see if you can keep up with me."