So here we are, another chapter for your entertainment.
Legal stuff: Sonic and team don't belong to me, but OC's do.
Rouge's pen skittered across the paper work that always somehow ended up on her desk. She kept glancing up at her desktop clock, willing the hands to turn faster and bring around her lunch break. There was a knock at the door and she looked up from her work.
"Miss Bat? The Commander wants to see you in his office." Rouge nodded to the human and he left. Sighing heavily, realising that she'd be taking most of that paperwork home with her, Rouge pushed away from her desk and walked out of her office.
She shared inconsequential chatter with some of her co-workers as she made her way towards the elevator. Pushing the button for the top floor, she folded her arms and waited, as the same annoying track played over and over again.
"My morgue is not a walk in peepshow!" Bawled Sheba, as her autopsy room was invaded by Shadow and a confused looking red Echidna. Shadow raised a hand to stop her ranting.
"Relax Sheba, Knuckles is going to help me in this investigation."
"I'm what!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock. The ginger feline huffed and crossed her arms, scalpel still in hand.
"Recruiting again Shadow?" The ebony Hedgehog gave her a withering look that once had Eggman and Sonic both quailing in his sight, Sheba didn't even flinch. "I've spent most of my life staring death in the face, is that meant to scare me?"
Knuckles was taken aback by the Cats dicing with death, but to his surprise Shadow began to laugh. Sheba chuckled lightly, amusement shining in her light blue eyes.
"Did I miss something?" He asked, looking from one anthro to the other.
"No you didn't Knuckles, just a running joke between us." Shadow answered.
"Yeah. First time we met, he glared at me and I glared right back." She prodded Shadow in the chest with an extended finger. "You've never lived that down."
"Yeah, yeah. Could you show my friend here what you found?"
"Sure thing." Sheba waved Knuckles to join her by the table. She showed him what she had shown Shadow earlier, keying him into what they had discovered so far in their investigation.
Rouge walked into her Commanders office and stood with her hands on her hips.
"You wanted to see me Sir?" The human Commander of G.U.N looked up from his work and regarded her with cold eyes. He laid his pen down and reached for a file.
"Satellite reports indicate an increase in electrical activity within the vicinity of the Death Egg debris site." Rouge took the file and began to skim-read the contents. "It will be a covert drop. You will investigate the disturbance and report back your findings at a predetermined date."
Rouge's eyes glazed over as she listened to the Commander go over the mission parameters. She would be flying out this very evening. The first thing to go through her mind was the fact that she wouldn't be able to keep her lunch date with Knuckles.
"Do you understand Agent Rouge?" She mentally shook herself and brought her attention back to the man sat before her.
"Yes Sir, I understand. I'll be… I'll go get prepared." She saluted and left the office, her heart feeling heavy in her chest.
The Commander sighed when Rouge had left his office. He reopened the file resting on his desk and read through the reports for the shooting at the celebration two days ago. Hundreds of witnesses and yet not one of them had seen the shooter. He reached out a finger and pressed the flashing intercom.
"Tell Agent Shadow that he is to come to my office immediately."
"Yes Sir." Came the reply from his secretary. The Commander shook his head as he looked at the profile report. He pushed the intercom again.
"And send me in a coffee, I'm going to need."
"So this guy was the target?" Knuckles stood next to Sheba the forensic pathologist, looking over the lifeless Crow on the table.
"Yes he was. Judging by the entry wound of the bullet, it was a high angled shot, and into a crowd? It would've been one hell of a shot to make."
"That's an understatement." Shadow stepped forward. "The shooter knew his target, there's no doubt in that. But we want to find out who his target was."
"Didn't he have a wallet on him or something?" Asked Knuckles. Shadow shook his head.
"Nothing."
"We've pulled finger prints, taken a graft of his teeth and ran his DNA through the system." Sheba listed. "So far nothings come up."
Shadow lowered his face towards the Crow's beak. "Who are you?"
The phone in the corner of the autopsy room began ringing and Sheba walked over to answer it. Knuckles moved to stand besides Shadow.
"So how do you think I can help you with this?" Knuckles would be the first to admit that he had no idea how to be a big G.U.N Agent. Ask him to stand around guarding a big glowing rock and he'd be the best man for the job, but this?
"Honestly, not much. I want you here because I'm fed up with the Commander trying to lumber me with a partner." The ebony Hedgehog stood back upright and looked at the dejected Echidna.
"Oh thanks, I feel a lot better now." He was about to snap back at Knuckles, when Sheba called from across the grey room.
"Shadow, the Commander wants to see you in his office."
Shadow scowled and, turning on his heel, marched out of the room.
"I'm guessing there's bad blood between Shadow and the Commander." Said Knuckles, his eyes still on the flapping sheet of plastic where Shadow had stormed out. Sheba sighed and placed the phone back on the hook.
"You could say that." She fixed the Echidna with a friendly gaze. "Knuckles wasn't it?" He nodded. She smiled. "It was very nice to meet you. Now get the hell out of my lab!"
Knuckles scrambled out of the autopsy room as fast as his feet could carry him, leaving behind a smiling ginger Cat who was calmly cleaning her equipment while humming a generic tune.
Shadow stalked past the cowering Squirrel behind her desk, and slammed open his Commanders door, sending splinters flying into the room beyond. His red eyes instantly focused on the clear blue of the human.
"What do you want now?" The human that Shadow had long come to despise looked up from the paper work on his desk.
"Shadow." He calmly handed a piece of paper to the ebony Hedgehog, who snatched it from his hands. Shadow's crimson eyes narrowed as he scanned the piece of paper.
"I don't work with others." Shadow crushed the sheet of paper and threw it back at the Commander, who sat with barely contained rage as it bounced off his chest.
"And if it were up to me, you would be rotting in Prison Island for what you did on the ARK and during the Black Arms invasion!" The Commander slammed his palm against the table, his face contorted with anger.
The face of the Squirrel secretary peered around the remains of the door.
"Sir? There's someone here to see you."
"Send them in." The Squirrel nodded and disappeared. Shadow and the Commander continued to glare at each other, both silently daring the other to make the first move.
"Am I interrupting something?" They both turned and regarded the newcomer.
In the doorway stood a female Hedgehog with lavender fur and seven long quills reaching down her back. She was wearing a standard issue G.U.N uniform with the ranking of Lieutenant on her right shoulder. She had a small smirk on her face, and her hazel eyes were fixed on Shadow.
"Ah, it's about time you got here." The Commander leaned back in his chair. "Shadow, I'd like to meet your new partner, Agent Casie Rahna." Shadow glared at his Commander, fists clenching.
"I told you, I work alone!"
"Not any more Shadow." Shadow turned his glare at the lavender Hedgehog as she stood at ease next him. She smirked at him, making his blood boil. "It has come to my attention that you have no experience with this kind of case. Miss Rahna does."
He passed a case file to Agent Rahna before continuing.
"I want this shooter caught." He glared at the ebony Hedgehog standing with his arms folded. "Make it happen." Shadow grunted and turned to leave.
"Will do Sir." Said Casie, saluting before turning to follow her new partner.
The human watched them make their way towards the elevator, before calling for his secretary.
"Miss Acorn, order me a new door."
Don't you just hate bosses?
I enjoyed writing this one. Hope you've enjoyed reading it.
As usual: read, review, ridicule. Constructive criticism appreciated.