Chapter 2. Afternoon Trouble
The coldness of the alley was blown back by the warmer air from inside the dark were house as Rex pulled up the dusted grey shutter that closed over the entrance. Rouge took a moment to let her eyes wonder about what she could see in the large shaded room that had a faint fragrance of scented candles. Allowing her eyes to adjust slightly to the dark.
A few large wooden crates lined a both sides of the entrance making like a long hallway affect. Some had been ripped open, leaving the floor around them cloaked in bubble rap and polystyrene, and some remained closed in there dusty form looking as if they had been untouched for many years.
Rex and Cass had been talking away quietly, forgetting Rouge's large satellite like ears capable of picking up there convocation rather clearly without any trouble.
"What are we going to do?" Cass asked in concern leaning over to her wolf friend. "I'm afraid that if we don't get the crystal in time he-"
"We'll get it, Cass." Rex interrupted rather harshly, placing his hand on her shoulder to help calm his friend. "Rouge is an expert at special gems. She can help."
Cass let out a small whimper of a sigh and nodded slowly dropping her gaze to the floor. "I hope so." She whispered. She felt as if she could trust anything Rex said with the calm tone and soft smile he had. Rouge also felt the same way. It was something about him that made him almost too calm.
Rouge turned her eyes the opposite direction, as she did so she was startled to find a certain black and red hedgehog was walking beside her.
"Jeez, do you enjoy in scaring me to death." She spoke with a soft laugh as she jumped slightly, but soon relaxed back after a short moment.
"What? I can't walk beside a guest to my own home?" Shadow asked quietly, turning his head away and focused his eyes straight ahead giving a softer smirk than he had before.
"Right." Rouge spoke after a brief space of silence regaining his attention. "So why are you staying at a were house? I mean, why can't you rent an apartment or something?"
"I'm not really a people person." He said in a hushed manner. "Besides, lovely amount of space in here for me to stretch my legs." The ebony hedgehog stopped as they came to the end of the long row of crates leaving a small metal door that led into a small room. The door had been left open, revealing a soft flickering glow from a almost fully melted candle on a small glass coffee table. It was too dim of a room for Rouge to be able to see what was there at first.
"Shadow, you shouldn't leave candles lit" Rex scolded, walking ahead into the room and blowing out the small candle as Cass reached across the wall on her way in, flicking a light switch and brightening the room. Shadow just tutted to himself and picked up the pile of books from on top of the small table and placing them at the side of a large black sofa.
"Why don't you sit down Rouge, make your self at home." Cass smiled sweetly as she dusted off a space on the sofa. "We can talk after Rex helps me get the tea." She suggested, taking the brown wolf into a different room. Rouge let her eyes wonder as she sat herself down and relaxed into the softness of the sofa. The velvet feel of the cochins made her more relaxed, giving a homely sense of comfort for her. The main thing that she liked about the room was the mixed colours and decoration that she paid close attention too. A smaller, black two-seater sofa with white cochins was left of the one she was sitting on. And two seats, one white and one back each with the opposite colour cochins, on the right side of her. The whole room was mainly black and white giving a look to the room that reminded her of an old movie the ivory bat had watched a few days ago. Even the floor was a made from rich, dark chocolate wood sheltered by a large white and black striped design rug.
The whole of the wall behind the sofa she was on was one big bookshelf, laced with books of all sized. It was clear to see that some one loved reading, and it was plain to see who as her attention was turned to the ebony hedgehog as Shadow lazily planted himself down on the sofa next to her, he had no problem with relaxing as he leaned back with his arms arched behind him, resting them on the top of the back of the large black sofa while he lifted his heavy boots and placed them one over the other on the small coffee table with a loud 'clank'. Rouge just smiled as he emitted a long soft yawn. She remembered what Rex had said, and it seemed highly unlikely to her that he had been rested at all today, and if he had then he must not have slept very well.
"Shadow boots off the table!" Cass complained as she re-entered the room with a small plate of biscuits. She placed them down on the glass surface, swiping at Shadow's feet to make him move. And it worked seeing as he was hasty to pull his boots away from her hand.
Rouge had just met Cass a few hours ago but she felt as if she had known her for years. Shadow on the other hand made Rouge feel as if she had found a long lost brother by the way he acted like a spoilt child. She was a little weary of him but curiosity got the best of her and she would rather get to know him before she would start making judgements.
"Na, give him a brake Cass. You can lecture him about your furniture issues later." Rex laughed making a sweeping motion with his hand to signal the vixen to move away from Shadow as he made his way into the room and placed a cup of coffee down in front of Rouge. "Hope you like it creamy, we ran out of sugar days ago." The wolf laughed handing a clear glass of water to Shadow and sat with Cass on the other small sofa.
"Aww Rex you're a life saver." the bat stated in a softened tone just after a sip of the warm drink. The darkest member of the group gave a small sarcastic laugh before bringing one arm in front of him and crossing one leg over the other to help himself to face a direction away from the other three of the room.
"Sorry about this Rouge, he dose tent to get grouchy if he doesn't get his own way." Cass responded as he turned.
Rouge nodded as she leaned forward. "Right, so this crystal." She began.
"The Ambrose Diamond." The dark hedgehog finished, interrupting as he read out from a small book, turning himself to face the other three and tossing it down face up on the table for the others to see. "Clear as glass in the light and deep scarlet as blood in the full moon in the dark." He spoke. The actual words weren't in the book but he did describe what it basically said in his own way of words. "No one knows why it makes these colour changes but it's own legends call it The Vampire Crystal, and so the name has stayed."
Rouge leaned over to the small book, placing her cup next to it on the table. There was a small photo of the crystal on the one page and some info about were it was last seen. She knew the place well, GUN. She had seen the gem a few times but it was always kept in a well lit glass box, clear as glass just as it said, in an empty room full of security cameras and trigger beams, and Rouge knew she couldn't possibly get to it.
"Researching now are we?" Rex smiled as he shook him mind clear of the thought. "Anything Rouge?"
"There is no way I can help you, Rex." Rouge said leaning back and shaking her head.
"What?" The wolf questioned leaning to his bat friend.
"That crystal, the GUN Corporation has it. It's something barley anyone is allowed to see, it's top secret. So much so people brand it a myth." Rouge told as she looked up to meet the gaze of the ebony hedgehog. His rich crimson eyes almost seemed to glow as he smirked and rose from his seat.
"Shadow don't tell me your going after that crystal now." Cass stated also standing from her seated position.
"I do what I please." The dark hedgehog spoke making his way to the door. The grey fox let out a long sigh as she stormed over to her friend.
"Listen Shadow, you have no idea were it is or how to get there, and who knows what security they have there." As much as Shadow wanted to go there right that very second he knew Cass had a point. Letting out a loud groan and walking back over to the sofa and replacing himself on it as Cass did the same after setting the door back to it's more appropriate closed position.
"So why do you need the crystal? I mean I've herd stories about it, that most people call it The Vampire Crystal because the light and dark sides to it, but that's all just legend, right?. So tell me what other reason is there, why do you need it?" The white bat questioned turning her attention to Rex and the room fell silent. The wolf pondered for a moment on what to say and how to say it in a way she would understand him, or at least believe him, while Shadow on the other hand had no problem with thinking about what to say.
"I would have thought you or Cass would of told her by now." He mumbled aloud. Cass let out an angry sigh at Shadow as she cast a glare his way but it didn't seem to bother him.
"Rouge this may sound funny but you know when I told you that Shadow isn't a normal hedgehog?" Rex managed to figure out what to say. Rouge nodded slowly is response.
"Yeah" Rouge answered looking at Shadow and back at her wolf friend.
"Well the only way I can put it is he-" Before Rex could finish Shadow stood from his seat once more, placing his hand in front of Rex to signal him to stop.
"What is it Shad?" Cass whispered leaning forward. The dark hedgehog's gaze was fixed on the closed door to the room. Silence was all that could be herd for three members of the room, but Shadow herd different.
"Some one is out there.. A few, Getting near the door." He told quietly as he lowered his hand and narrowed his eyes, taking a step towards the door. Rouge listened in onto what was behind that door as she leaned forwards, looking past the ebony hedgehog. An extremely faint shuffle and an almost silent footstep on bubble rap was all she could here, it would have been something even she wouldn't of been able to detect, even with her bat ears. She couldn't figure out how a normal hedgehog was able to pick up something so faint and so clear, but that even she couldn't detect. But then again, like Rex had said, he isn't a normal hedgehog.
"I still don't hear anything." Cass whispered a little louder thinking it was just his imagination.
"I do." Rouge answered back as she quietly rose from the sofa. Shadow didn't seem surprised, he just gave a quick backwards glance to the ivory bat and then spun his head back to the door as a loud bang caught his attention and the three others in the room. The metal door was forcefully blown open and small group of four armed GUN soldiers flooded the small room, surrounding the current figures in the room.
"Rouge!" A familiar voice called as one more person entered the room. A red echidna.
"Knux?! What are you doing here!" Rouge gasped as her eyes shifted at all the new faces in the room. Knuckles looked at the dark hedgehog standing next to the white bat, his face the only one in the room who's didn't have a surprised look.
"Rouge, are you ok? I hope these three threats didn't try to harm you." The echidna growled passing glances as he pointed at Rouge, sending one of the soldiers to remove her from Shadow's side and over to Knuckles. "Some one who lives in your street herd a scream, they said they seen a white bat and a brown wolf going down the same alley. And when you didn't come back out they got worried and called the police, so here I am." The echidna Rouge didn't like the sound of that. She wondered what he meant until it finally hit her what she was talking about.
"Knux, don't you get this is just a big misunderstanding?" The bat answered as she stepped in front of the echidna. Knuckles nodded at one of the guards who nodded back, lifting his weapon and pointing it straight at the black hedgehog.
"Stop it!" She spat as she took a few steps backwards. "These are not 'threats', these are my friends!"
"Some friends, You could have been hurt." Knuckles cut in before she could say anything else. The bat didn't want to have to say anything more. She realised that nothing was going to come out of this.
"Hey leave the girl alone." Cass commanded as she took a step forward. As she did so Shadow sat back down. Knuckles set his eyes upon the dark hedgehog giving him a cold glare back. "Your that guy from the crime scene a few weeks ago, aren't you?" Knuckles stated as he scanned the hedgehog. Shadow let out a small smirk and turned his head away.
"What, not happy to see me, red?" He crossed his arms slowly leaving silance to dance around the room as Rouge tried to make sense of the situation. Shadow smirked as he closed his eyes and let out a small unimpressed laugh.
"What? Are you going to try and shoot me like before?" Knuckles growled and looked back at Rouge's confused face.
"Rouge this hedgehog was seen a few weeks ago at one of the murder scenes." He began. Rouge didn't see how that was a big deal. But she listened just in case it got worse. "Two young teenage girls found with their wrists sliced, and when we arrived he was literally licking the blood off his fingers. He's a dangerous criminal." Rex and Cass looked at each other and nodded, The grey vixen then grabbing Rouge's wrist softly before she could think of anything to say back as a blank look came upon her face. Being pulled away slowly, the white bat was to pissed off to give a damn about the current situation, she was to far confused.
"So? What are you going to do?" A deep voice whispered in the ear of Knuckles. The red echidna's head span around quickly as so did the soldiers aiming there guns his direction as Knuckles stared at the black and red hedgehog now behind him, his eyes seemed to turn from a deep crimson to a jet black as he blinked.
"How did you-?" Knuckles began but couldn't finish as a black blur shot passed the echidna causing him to look away slightly. When he turned his head back he saw Shadow had gone only to hear a quick gasp of pain behind him. Rouge couldn't believe how fast Shadow could move. It only added to her confusion. He was like a darker version of sonic too her. Her thoughts were interrupted by Rex and Cass trying direct her to the door, immediately shaking her back out of her daydream.
A small groan of pain caught Rouge's ears from behind her and she span her head around quickly to look back at what was going on, only to see Shadow pinning one of the guards to the wall with his hand tightly grasped around his shoulder. The black hedgehog catching the soldier off guard causing him to drop his heavy weapon hitting the floor with a loud metallic 'clank'.
"Rouge we have to leave now! Don't worry about Shadow, he'll be fine!" Cass called over the sound of bullets being fired as Shadow bit down on the man's neck, his razor-like fangs piecing the skin with ease causing a large trail of blood to run down his shoulder, the hedgehog being quick to rip his fangs out and lick up as much of it as he could when another two soldiers fired shot after shot at him. Shadow let out a small growl of pain with each shot, until he decided he had had enough of the irritating feeling, quickly letting go of the limp form he held before turning around. Licking the crimson substance from around his mouth and smudged across his muzzle being drenched in the blood, watching as Rex and Cass escorted Rouge out of the room quickly before diving on top of the second man and ripping his throat open with his sharp canines.
Rouge didn't know what to make of the scene as she was dragged outside the door. As soon as her eyes relished she was out of the room she took a quick breath and closed her eyes tightly to try and block out the sound of the soldier choking on his own blood, when something grabbed her wrist tightly and began to drag her away, she opened her eyes realising it was Rex and began to run as fast as she could with Cass and Rex at her side.