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When Shadow resurfaced two months later under GUN's employ, it felt like a personal betrayal to Sonic. To say that GUN had a checkered past gave them too much credit, it implied too many white patches. It seemed like the two hedgehogs were fated to always be on opposing sides.
Meanwhile, Shadow was not happy with how things were going. Commander Towers, to say the least, had not been pleased to see him. The feeling had been mutual, and Towers did not ever hesitate to bring up Maria in some fashion, pouring acid into Shadow's raw wounds. Despite this animosity, Shadow had still gotten the job, but was being kept on a very short leash. He was bound so tightly, he couldn't even punch the ones who used that analogy.
The whole situation was making his blood boil. Anyone who thought Shadow was out of line was allowed to call him on it and inflict some kind of punishment, whether that was a brutal number of pushups, or being confined to the brig and conveniently forgotten for a few days until they needed him again. The only ones who didn't put up with this abuse were his team. It had taken some time to explain to Omega in terms he understood what kinds of pain and humiliation that even the enlisted men were fully allowed and even encouraged to regularly inflict on Shadow.
Rouge had been a bit difficult to get along with at first, but once he got past the flirting, she turned out to be his greatest ally, and dare he say it, perhaps even a friend. The event that cemented their friendship, he'd spent a week in the brig with no food or water for a week. He'd been determined to outlast the abuse. Lack of food hadn't been too much of an issue, but every living thing needs water. Rouge had found him on the edge of slipping into delirium and had quietly burgled him out of the base and had taken him to her own home to nurse him back to health.
He'd trusted her to have his back ever since. Both Rouge and Omega had been held back from this current mission, which was why his quills were slowly starting to stand on end. He and a fireteam of five other GUN soldiers were currently lying in wait in the Green Hills Zone.
Colonel Hendricks was in charge of the operation, and was the only one who knew the identity of the target. The officer kept glaring at Shadow like he suspected him of sabotage. Hendricks was fairly typical of GUN rank and file. Clean shaven, but still coming across as rough and ready with a malicious edge and the eyes of a killer. His face was tanned from long hours in the sun, and his blue eyes were currently hidden behind a pair of dark shades, but Shadow could still feel the heat of his glares boring into his back, winding his quills tighter.
Shadow tried to shake off his misgivings and focus on the mission, but the longer they were there, the stronger his feelings of trepidation got.
The lookout radioed in suddenly.
"Target is approaching from the east path, arrival time estimated in five minutes traveling at approximately seventy miles per hour."
"Affirmative," Hendricks acknowledged the call. "Remember Shadow, it's a grab and subdue. I wont tolerate any mistakes!"
Right… It just so happened that Hendricks was responsible for more than half of Shadow's
torment. The hedgehog swallowed back a growl in response, opting to use a hand signal to acknowledge rather than trust his own voice at the moment.
A couple of tense minutes ticked by. Shadow was the first to spot their target. He hadn't known what to expect, but it was small enough to surprise him a bit. It was rare that they were sent after anything smaller than a tank. Whatever this was, it matched his size, was moving fast and as he kept looking, he was just able to catch a distinct shade of cobalt blue.
Their target was Sonic the Hedgehog?! Shadow's mind raced as hints of panic tightened his muscles. He hadn't even begun to climb ranks within GUN yet! Was this a test of his loyalty? If he balked now, he'd never reach his goal! Why did it always come back to this damn hedgehog?!
The men around him shifted in anticipation as they finally caught sight of their target as well. None of them seemed surprised, or could they even see yet that their target was the Hero of Mobius? The distance was closing fast, and Shadow still hadn't thought of a plan to botch the mission without implicating himself.
A hand came down on his shoulder in a firm pat, his signal to move. It was too late. Shadow shot out of cover like a bullet out of a gun, a small vapor cone forming around him as he almost broke the sound barrier.
Sorry Sonic, you're just gonna have to trust me.
Whatever direction this mission went, if Sonic was at risk of being harmed, well… That was a line he refused to cross. He'd simply have to find a different way to get GUN to change their ways.
"Woah!" Sonic shouted and put on the breaks, trying to stop before he and Shadow had a head on collision. The blue blur tried to move to the right so his momentum would carry him around the ultimate life form, but Shadow anticipated the move and tackled him. The forces on both hedgehogs would have been more than enough to kill the average human or sapient, Sonic and Shadow came out of it a little bruised.
Sonic blinked up at Shadow in surprise, before his eyes narrowed into a glare. Shadow had him on his back, hands restrained above his head.
"What gives man?" Sonic said, an edge of anger in his tone. "If you'd wanted to say 'hi' you could've-."
"Shut up idiot!" Shadow hissed, cutting him off. "Stay behind me, and do as I say!"
Before Shadow could even begin to explain, there were several loud pops to his right, and suddenly they were both enveloped in several weighted nets.
"Uhhh… Shadow?" Sonic asked from beneath him. "Was this a part of your plan?"
The ultimate life form grit his teeth as he felt his blood pressure rise. Tensing his spines, he threw his head back and heard several strands in the net break. It was enough to give them a little breathing space.
"No, find an opening," Shadow told him in a near whisper. "Run, and don't look back."
Hendrickson and the other gun soldiers advanced on them at a leisurely amble.
"Well done, Agent Shadow," the Colonel drawled sarcastically. "I'll be sure to notify Commander Towers of your sacrifice in the line of duty."
"What the hell do you mean sacrifice?" Shadow growled, managing to turn his head so he could see the man a little better.
He had what looked like a gun in his hand, but instead of a magazine in the handle, it was hooked up to a couple of hoses that ran back to some kind of device that another soldier was carrying by a strap over his shoulder.
Hendrickson came to a stop, his boot kicking a puff of dust in their direction. He raised his sunglasses, perching them on the crown of his head as he stared down at the two hedgehogs in contempt.
"Who's your friend Shadow?" Sonic asked so quietly only Shadow heard him.
"Get out of here, faker," Shadow said just as quietly.
Sonic's body moved subtly beneath him. "Working on it."
"Towers will be impressed with your dedication," Hendrickson said, tone still dripping with sarcasm. "Choosing to keep the target pinned down so we can have our little weapons test."
Sonic went perfectly still beneath him for an instant, before raising his head to peer out of the net, and judging by the sharp inhale, he definitely didn't like what he saw.
Shadow looked down and met Sonic's apprehension filled gaze.
"Shadow," he said, sounding deadly serious. "Trust me, we do not want to get hit by that! Push up against the net as hard as you can, then follow me."
One of the soldiers spoke up. "Sir, they're trying to escape."
"Hmm," Hendrickson sounded amused. The man leveled the weapon at them.
Shadow heaved all his strength upward against the net, giving Sonic enough room to curl up and spin, kicking up dirt as the blue buzz saw cut into the ground.
Hendrickson fired the weapon. There was a blast of chaos energy that washed over both hedgehogs. Sonic's form disappeared into the ground. Shadow was about to follow when suddenly, he felt it. It was like all at once, his chaos energy began to scream inside him, roiling and twisting like a tortured beast. His arms and legs gave out and he hit the ground, distantly aware of a sonic boom roaring in his ears. At least Sonic got away, right?
"It looks like Sonic escaped sir," one of the soldiers reported.
Shadow felt a wave of relief, but it wasn't enough to calm the storm of chaos energy inside him. He shuddered, closed his eyes and concentrated trying to pull it back under control, but it was like he was trying to squeeze a wet bar of soap. The more he tried, the more it slipped away. It continued to wreak havoc, sparking in his limbs and souring his stomach. The world began to tilt and spin.
Something hit him, the pain from it causing a curious blue flash behind his eyes, driving the air out of his lungs, and ripping away his orientation.
"I'm talking to you!" Hendrickson screamed.
Shadow tried to speak, but there was a ripple of agony as his chaos energy said 'NO.'
Hendrickson kicked him again.
"This is the ultimate life form? Pathetic..."
The phrase sparked a bad memory and the corrupted chaos energy seemed to latch onto his fear. Shadow's lungs seized up and he stopped breathing. The ultimate life form began to thrash as panic set in, he began to claw at his own chest in an instinctual need to free himself from the invisible bands preventing his lungs from expanding.
Over the blood roaring in his ears, he heard Hendrickson spit. "He can find his own way back," the Colonel said, and walked away
He was dimly aware of the GUN soldiers packing up and driving off in the truck they'd hidden off the path. Trapped under several nets and unable to breathe, Shadow watched as the men who were supposed to be his brothers in arms abandoned him there. Not a single one of them even looked back.