The Hunt Begins

Silence perfumed the air. Maria stood up tall, as blood dyed her silver pistol a deep crimson. Her heart sank at the sight... she felt like crap...

Why had she done this? Why had she killed him? As soon as she did it, she regretted it. This wasn't her... this wasn't Maria... but who was Maria? She didn't even know anymore... was she a little girl on the Ark, or a government super soldier...

Who is Maria Robotnik?

"Hey, Maria," her cousin's voice rang, "are you okay?"

Over her shoulders, a warm blanket appeared. She tugged on the blue object, while a certain laugh escaped her lips. She turned to face Ivo, while he gave back a frank, and concern looked. He could be sweet... some times...

"I feel like shit..." she murmured lowly.

"Well... having never killed someone like that before, I wouldn't know how to go about things..."

Yeah... having never killed someone like that before. She didn't know what to do. Would she had not called the soldier she murdered ally just a few days ago? Had one moment with her cousin changed her so much?

"You said you remembered some things, Maria," Ivo said, lifted a cup of java, "Care to explain?"

She chuckled, before finding a seat on one of the command console.

"A little..." she said, frankly enough, "I can't remember a lot of things but... I remember a few important details..."

Her eyes floated over the floor, and she found the manila folder labeled 'Project: Shadow'.

"I remember... Shadow..." she continued, "He was... my best friend, on the Ark..."

"So you do remember living on the Ark." Ivo said, moderately astonished.

"Just... bits and pieces... all of it revolves around Shadow..." she dusted off the folder in her hands, "This... will tell me everything else I need to know..."

Opening it up, she let out a much needed sigh. Her life had changed so fast.

"Well," Ivo murmured, "what next?"

What next... such simple words... she had no idea what to do next... Turning to Ivo, she gave a slight, and simple shrug.

"Weeeeeell," Ivo said exaggerated, while a smile grew on his lips, "I have an idea..."

"No, Ivo!" Maria said, knowing full well what his, 'ideas' meant, "I'm not going to help you with any stupid bull crap idea you have!"

"But Maria! Hear me out!"

"Ivo, you want to rule the world, and make some stupid 'Eggman Empire'. I'm not going to help you with something that's doomed to fail! Besides, I'm not helping some dictator!"

"But Maria, I wasn't even going to ask for your help in that! You're to much of a goodie goodie two shoes!"

She shot him a glare.

"That being said," he continued, "my plan can help both of us!"

"And how is that?"

"Your memories are a bit... off, right?"

"Maybe..."

"And you wanna remember everything, right?"

"Of course..."

"Well, Maria dear, how about we go and invade G.U.N., huh?"

"Why would I do that!?" she roared.

"Well, you don't work for them anymore! That, what you just did, nipped that in the bud! What I'm saying is G.U.N. is the only one with the answers you seek! And I can help myself if we get inside the base!"

"Help yourself to a very specific Emerald, I assume?"

"Oh, Maria! You know me so well!"

She crossed her arms.

"So, is it a deal?"

Maria was always quick to make decisions, but this one, she had to actually think. Would they just really run into her old base, attack, and find the answers like that? Would she actually go through with it? No one knew she killed a soldier... well, not yet, at least. They'd probably know soon enough. But, could she actually do it? Could she actually betray G.U.N.? She knew them for all of her life?

But, oh wait, that's right, that wasn't really her life. How much of her memories were real, and how much was fake and implanted by G.U.N.? She didn't know... only they knew. She needed answers, and now...

Blue eyes moved up, and met Ivo's crazy grin. She was going to regret this, she could tell... but she had to do it... she had to find answers. She needed to know.

"Fine, Ivo," she said, uncrossing her arms, "but we need to actually come up with a good plan."

"I'm always coming up with good plans!" he answered, enthusiastically enough.

"Good..." she murmured, then she turned around, and faced the man she had just killed.

"I never knew G.U.N. had agents like him." Ivo said.

"He was a Iguana Agent," she said, "Special Soldiers with extra training, and certain skills... They wear suits, as you can tell, that allow them to go invisible. They're only used for very special missions. Usually the kind that entails assassinating some volatile overseas leaders..."

"Wow... didn't know G.U.N. got that down and dirty... then again, I guess I should!"

"Just shut up!"

...

He stared at the screen.

Boop... gone... just like that...

Here he stood, Captain Coffee, Professor Samantha Prower, Supervisor Chalmers, and G.U.N. Commander Taylor. The screen had just showed one of their agents disappear, just like that. Samantha was the first to react. Her fox tail ceased wagging, as she gazed at the area of its disappearance.

Glyphic Canyon...

"Don't you see now, Taylor!?" Captain Coffee said, slamming his fist down on the desk, "Maria has gone to far!"

"No!" Samantha interrupted, "Maria wouldn't kill one of us... she's a friend..."

"She's a weapon, Samantha!" Coffee yelled, "She just killed one of us!"

"That place is heavily populated with tornadoes!" she shot back, getting into his face, "He could have been killed by one of them!"

"Iguanas don't die that easy," he said, his voice becoming threatening, "and I recommend you step back, Samantha!"

Though her mouth opened up to give a retort, she ultimately relented. Falling back, she let out an unhappy groan. Slowly, her light blue eyes looked over to Commander Taylor, as he mulled over the information in his head.

It came so soon. He knew one day Maria would go AWOL, and that his playing of her mind would come back to bite him in the butt. But this was quick... too quick...

"What was it that Ivo wanted? When he told Maria about the pills being drugs, that is." Taylor murmured, gazing at the screen.

"The Iguana agents said he was at Prison Island so he could find the Chaos Emerald we have within..." Coffee replied.

"Does he know about the Eclipse Cannon?" Taylor inquired.

"From what we can tell... no, he only wanted the Chaos Emeralds for his own nefarious purposes..."

A slight, and happy nod came to Taylor's head. But that happiness was short-lived, thanks to Samantha. She gave a faint, and scared face, before raising her hand.

"Uh... Commander Taylor?" she called.

"Yes... Samantha?" he questioned.

"At seven o'clock of yesterday... Delta Branch noticed a breach in G.U.N.'s systems..."

Silence.

"When we investigated it," she continued, "we got... this..."

She showed him an image. It was of Ivo's Eggman symbol. Commander Taylor shook his head, as he didn't want to ask the question. And yet, he knew the answer before he asked.

"What information was breached?"

"The one pertaining to a certain... Space... Colony... Ark..." she answered.

"Damn you Samantha!" Captain Coffee yelled, "I can't believe you've done such a stupid thing!"

"I didn't know!" she yelled back, "We didn't find out we were hacked until it was too late..."

Sulking back, she wanted to cry. But the tears wouldn't come.

"So... what now?" Supervisor Chalmers spoke, this being his first words.

What now... What now... such simple words, and yet, the Commander had no ideas. He was pushed up against a corner. Maria, their super soldier and quite possibly the strongest being on the planet, had possibly learned of her past. And he was sure, she would get revenge for G.U.N.'s past sins. So... how does one defend against a living weapon? No G.U.N. soldier matched Maria's skills, and thanks to her meta human abilities, no mechanical soldier matched her skills as well. She was the perfect weapon. The perfect weapon he helped sculpted.

Everyone's eyes looked to him for answers. He had to answer, and soon.

"Set out a manhunt for Maria," he ordered, "and fortify the defenses around Prison Island! Also, send a heavy attack squad to Glyphic Canyon. If Ivo, Maria, or anything is there, I want to know about it! And Samantha, I want you to monitor Space Colony Ark! If even a spec of dust is missing from that place I wanna know about it, do you hear me!?" he looked to everyone else, "Do you all hear me!?"

They gave a salute, and in unison said,

"Yes sir!"