Shout outs to Hawk, AlexJ and emzhao07010. I even got a forth review on that last chapter! Thank you, jord477, so much for joining this adventure!
This was a more difficult chapter to write. I did some digging on the GUN base under Mt. Freedom in the comics, but the facility has no real details besides a lab, a conference room and a few other things. So for the sake of description, I based my inspiration for the facility off another show, but it still felt like I was making stuff up on the spot to fill the gaps. I have my sister to thank for helping me figure out the flow of the entire stealth scene.
Things are starting to happen!
You know it! Don't own it! Enjoy!
Six AM in the morning found the team at Tails' workshop. The living room was serving as a conference area. Espio dominated the center and he was carefully selecting weapons and tools from a leather roll out tool kit that he'd laid out on the coffee table. Shadow couldn't help but notice that he was sticking with ceramics or hardened wood, and he found himself agreeing with the chameleon's decision. The non metal weapons had no chance of tripping any metal detectors, and while they weren't as sharp or sturdy as steel, it was better than nothing should a situation arise.
Maria was also studying the array of tools with her hands behind her back in a way that was familiar to him. He knew his sister wanted more than a visual examination, but she was curbing the impulse by tucking her hands away.
Espio glanced up briefly from tying a leather wrist wrap, and smiled at her. "These are the tools of my trade," he said with a touch of pride. "I trust you to handle them respectfully if you'd like a closer look."
"Really?" Maria's face brightened.
Espio nodded. "Just be cautious with the wooden ones," he said. They're sharper than they seem."
Shadow frowned. Wood crumbled a little too easily to hold a razor edge. To his delight, the first one Maria picked up to examine was a wooden ninja star. It was a simple design, just the classic four points, and this close, Shadow could see that each edge had indeed been sanded down to an astonishingly good blade.
Maria combed her fingers through her hair until she found a loose stand, and gently laid the single hair over one of the blades, gasping in surprise and delight when the strand parted without too much trouble. "How…?"
Espio smiled again, and reverently traced the grain on one of the wooden kunai. "The wood itself was a gift," he said. "There is a special tree that grows on Angel Island. To my knowledge, it is known as the Angel Ironwood."
"It's a cousin of the Downunda Buloke which is the hardest wood on the continents," Knuckles piped up. "But the Angel Ironwood rivals steel." He turned to Espio. "You completed them."
"Not quite," Espio said, shaking his head just once. "I have one last Kunai that I'm working to carve from the core of the branch you gave me."
"You carved all of these yourself?!" Maria said, giving the star she was holding another close look.
"It has taken years, much patience and… truthfully I've lost count of the number of carving tools I've gone through," Espio said. "And if I'm skilled enough with my stealth, I won't have to use them at all, but they will serve me well on this mission."
Maria handed Espio the star she was holding and he tucked it away somewhere on his person.
"Speaking of making things…" Tails said and hurried into the workshop. To the surprise of all, he actually came right back with the top half of a shoe box. "I've been working on a few things." He handed Maria a wrist communicator with a baby blue wrist band. The one he handed Shadow was just a simple black, which suited him fine.
"Thank you, Tails!" Maria said, wrapping her arms around the fox. "I feel like I'm part of the team now!"
"Of course you are!" Tails said happily. "Sonic get's hurt sometimes, so I'm really glad you're here!"
"I'm happy to help," she said, setting him on his feet.
"This last one's for you, Espio," Tails said, handing Espio what looked like a key fob to a car. It was small and gray and had a single button on one side. "It's essentially a panic button. I'm assuming GUN will be monitoring all frequencies going to and coming from the mountain, so I'd offer you a communicator, but it would probably give you away. So instead, this little guy will remain completely silent until you press the button. If you've already been discovered, that will let us know if you're in enough trouble that we should send Sonic and Shadow in after you. It does have some metal inside it though, so depending on how they have their metal detector set up, you still might need to leave it behind, and I wish I had something better for you, but… I had to try."
Espio slipped it into a pocket on his boot. "That's very thoughtful of you," he said. "I'll do my best to make sure I don't need it."
"It'll be best if we don't approach the mountain with any vehicles," Rouge said. "Yesterday, Sonic took a little time to scout the area, and he found us a spot about half a mile away that will hide the flash caused by chaos control. So it will be a small hike for you Espio, but nothing insurmountable."
"That sounds ideal," Espio said.
"We'll keep this to the five of us," Rouge said. "I'll be going along with Tails to help monitor the activity coming from the base. Sonic and Shadow will remain there on standby in case anything happens."
"I think we're ready," Tails said, looking up from the checklist he was holding.
Maria turned and gave Shadow a hug. "Come back safely," she told him and he nodded. "That goes for all of you!"
Sonic put a hand on the small pile of supplies they were bringing. "Right, everybody grab onto something," he said. "Chaos…Control!"
Espio set off as soon as he knew which direction he was headed. Sonic had described the lay of the land pretty well, so there were no surprises. Pausing a moment to concentrate, he called on his chaos ability and camouflaged himself with his surroundings. An observer would have insisted that it could only have been a trick of technology, it was so flawless. It had taken him many years of training to achieve a blend that left not even a single ripple or distortion. He was one of the few who'd perfected the ability.
Rouge had also done her job well with the photos of the base's entrance, and Espio had no problem getting past the checkpoint on the road. Staying conscious of how much the tunnel into the mountain would echo, he concentrated on keeping his footsteps silent, only speeding up when he found a sentry walking the same way he was going. He matched the man's footsteps so the sound would cover his own.
About a hundred feet into the mountain to the right was a parking garage, and Espio wasn't quite as worried about sounds carrying here. Large industrial fans set at regular intervals were whirring away, cycling the air through the space so that there could be no dangerous build up of carbon monoxide from the vehicles. The cars themselves were a mixture of the large covered military trucks, a few armored ones and some personal cars.
There was a line of tanks along one wall and he recognized them as the M808V Main Battle Tank, a nastier variation on the Scorpion. The driveway in front of them looked like it was carefully kept clear at all times so that they'd be ready to drive at the drop of a hat. The fact that they had four was discouraging. That alone was going to be important information.
There was a large steel and concrete door to the left. It was ten feet tall, six feet across, a foot and a half deep, and currently standing open to permit servicemen and other employees. If there was an emergency, they could close that door and it would take nothing less than C4 explosives to open it, but in this enclosed space, that also brought with it the risk of a cave in.
It was in this doorway that Espio found the second security checkpoint. There was a countertop that had a sheet of bulletproof glass going up from it to the ceiling. There was a small gap where servicemen could pass their equipment in for inspection. The doorway to the side was set up with a metal detector. Espio leaned in to examine it closely and heaved an internal sigh of relief. The sensor did not go all the way up.
A squad of twelve men were stationed at the entrance. The sentry he'd been following took a moment to hand over all his metal items to the one running the scanner, and while their focus was on him, Espio made his move. Taking the panic button out of his pocket, he approached the scanner and tossed it in a sharp arch over the sensor, catching it on the other side.
One of the men might have noticed the motion of the little button flying through the air, because he glanced at the doorway. Espio moved quickly to a different corner of the room, reminding himself to breathe calmly and not hold his breath.
"Must have been a bug," one of them commented and Espio was able to relax.
"Coulda been one of those big beetles," his buddy said. "Had one fly right past my ear once. It sounded like a B-17 bomber…"
The conversation faded as Espio made his way further inside. The base was pretty much what he expected from an underground facility: concrete walls, industrial lighting and worn chipped paint. Another two sentries were guarding a bank of elevators. There was a set of stairs as well, but he'd have to wait until someone came by to open the door. Luckily for him, the sentry who had been heading into the base had just caught up and looked interested in taking an elevator.
Espio dodged into the small space with him, staying well away from the buttons.
The man reached out and pressed a button that looked worn from use before settling into a corner to wait, arms crossed, one leg slightly kicked forward and resting on the heel of his boot. Small spaces like this was where silence became utterly crucial. If he even sniffled, the man would hear it. He'd also learned to ever underestimate the sixth sense.
The guy frowned as the elevator began to move and he glanced warily around the space they occupied before shaking his head. "Gotta stop listening to ghost stories," he murmured.
At last, with a horrible buzz, the elevator announced they'd arrived and the guy stepped off. Espio stayed directly behind him just in case anyone else wanted in for a ride.
This part of the base was busy with people coming and going carrying anything from toolboxes to clipboards with paperwork they were filling out as they walked. The smell of food and coffee to the right told him there must have been a cafeteria on this level, and the sentry was headed straight for it. That wasn't going to be of any use.
Espio glanced around. There wasn't a directory of any kind to be seen, but judging by the number of floors available in the elevator, the facility was too large to check floor by floor, and the longer he was there, the more likely he was to be discovered. What he needed was someone from Research and Development. A man with gray hair wearing a lab coat walked past coming from the cafeteria. He was walking swiftly and seemed to be on some kind of mission. Espio decided to follow him.
In a situation like this, he knew that one of the best ways to find information was to follow someone who looked like they knew what they were doing. That was not always true of course… The scientist led him straight to the men's restroom. He almost turned away, but some instinct told him to stay on him.
"Ethan," the man said sharply. "Are you in here? We've been waiting on your results on the power output for the prototype. It's been almost half an hour now!"
Prototype?
"...Yeah… I went to Burrito Gong," Ethan said bashfully. "I've got them, I just…"
The scientist pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Will you be able to finish your work?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah!" Ethan said. "I just… need a minute."
"Fine," the scientist said in clear frustration. "I want those results on my desk ASAP." He stormed out of the bathroom with Espio hard on his heels.
Perhaps this was what he needed after all…
The scientist went straight to the elevator after that and pressed a button for an even lower level. The man was clearly still steamed about his coworker's poor life choices.
Espio stepped off the elevator with him on a level clearly labeled Research and Development. There were more concrete hallways though, so Espio stayed with his current mark. The man made his way through the maze-like structure and took him to a lab. On a white board was a detailed drawing of the very weapon he was looking for.
Another scientist in the room looked up from his computer. "Did you find Ethan?" he asked.
Espio's guide sighed deeply. "Idiot went to Burrito Gong," he said.
The man at the desk also sighed and ran a hand up his face, dislodging his glasses and continued up into his salt and pepper hair. "The colonel has been riding my ass hard about this one," he said. "If he finds out about this… We just need those results. Commander Towers himself wants to be present for the next weapons test, and that's tomorrow!"
Espio began to look around. They'd clearly been trying to change something about the Scrambler, but he needed to find out what. Much of the science here was advanced enough that he couldn't follow a good deal. If he could just have access to the notes…
"You know what, the coffee in the cafeteria is better," his guide said and the other man stood up with a defeated nod.
"Maybe it is time for a break."
They left.
Espio couldn't help rubbing his hands together. Now, he could truly get to work.
Rouge and Tails traded on and off in two hour shifts keeping one ear occupied with listening for any kind of chatter from Mt. Freedom. Radio traffic had been silent, which they took as good news, especially since Espio hadn't activated his panic button. The hours began to roll by, and they made sure to eat and stay hydrated.
Sonic had been restless at first, but he eventually found a nice patch of sunshine and fell asleep in it. Shadow however had remained alert, checking their surroundings and even volunteering as a listener. It was almost at the six hour mark and the end of Shadow's shift that he and Rouge both looked up, ears twitching towards a sound.
"I'm impressed that you heard me," Espio said, materializing at the edge of their camp.
Sonic sat up so fast, Shadow could have sworn he saw a vapor cone form around him. The blue hedgehog sprang off the ground and zipped over. "How'd it go? Were you able to get in? Didja find anything?" he asked.
"I found plenty," Espio said, looking highly displeased. "Let's pick up here and go back to the workshop. I think everyone needs to hear this."
"That doesn't sound good," Sonic said, and began to assist in packing.
They came back home to the smell of freshly baked cookies, but that did little to nothing to lighten Espio's mood, and Shadow was starting to grow worried.
"Did Amy come by or something?" Sonic asked, munching on a still warm chocolate chip cookie.
"She did," Tails said, enjoying a cookie of his own. "She asked me to keep her updated on the situation.
Maria took the plate with her as they filed into the living room.
Espio stood silently for a moment until he had their undivided attention. "The first thing you should know is that they found a way to increase the intensity of the Scrambler. I believe this will have a far more immediate effect on the surrounding area where they fire it," he began.
"Not a great start," Shadow said, crossing his arms.
"It gets worse," Espio said. "They have a chaos emerald and they have been zapping it with highly controlled sparks from the weapon. It hasn't been enough to harm the emerald, but now they plan to do a test fire at full strength on the emerald, and it's happening tomorrow."
"That's a horrible idea!"
"Shit."
"Are they insane?"
"Quiet!" Shadow barked. "We need to learn everything we can about this. It looks like the full frontal assault is our only choice."
Maria nodded. "That would be big enough to delay a weapons test," she said. "I guess, at this point we need to know what kind of forces we're looking at, and how to counter them."
"I managed to find a duty roster," Espio said. "The facility hosts roughly two hundred people depending on how many specialists are visiting. A hundred and forty of those are scientists, consultants and other support staff, such as engineers and maintenance. The sixty left over are the ones we'll need to watch. They're trained soldiers. The most directly concerning thing I saw were the tanks."
"What model?" Shadow and Tails asked at the same time.
"M808V," Espio said. "They have four."
Tails whistled softly and Shadow's brows rose sharply.
"There might be a way we could sabotage them," Tails said. "If I could get my nano blade working, we could cut the treads, or maybe set off a series of detonations that would bury them in rubble…"
"We do have a heavy hitter of our own," Shadow said.
"I don't know about sending him out against four of those Shadow," Rouge cut in. "Chaos knows he'd jump at the chance… but still!"
"Two for each of us then," Shadow said decisively. "A chaos emerald should be more than enough to let me cut right through their armor, and Omega is a walking arsenal of a superior design."
"Who's our strike team bound for Mt. Freedom?" Sonic asked. "Shadow can't, he's a necessary part of the diversion. I think it kinda makes sense to send me in with the other emerald."
"We'll need someone tech savvy to go with you," Espio said, glancing at the fox.
"I'm the logical choice," Tails said. "I think Sonic and I will be able to handle any guards they leave behind."
Nobody looked happy at the idea of sending Tails into the facility, but it wasn't as if they had any adult geniuses around.
"Everyone else available should be there to act as backup for Shadow," Knuckles said. "I gotta admit, I kinda feel like punching some faces in. It's been a while since I've had a good fight!"
"I could bring Vector in on this," Espio offered. "I don't believe he'd be motivated to join without a fee…"
"Money is not an object given what we're facing," Rouge said. "We can negotiate prices in a minute."
"Should we call the Freedom Fighters?" Tails asked. "They kinda owe us anyway."
Sonic rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know how much they can afford to get involved," he said. "I suspect they'll have to say no. They're already on the front lines against Eggman's territory, they can't afford to be fighting a two front war if they antagonize GUN by helping us. Let's go ahead and contact them though. Can you take care of that Tails?"
"Sure Sonic, I'll see what I can do," Tails agreed.
"Shadow," Maria said. "This is getting serious. I think we need that first aid kit. Can you help me assemble one?"
"Sure," Shadow said. "I think it would be prudent to move Omega to this location at this point as well."
"Are we even sure we'll be able to draw Towers out?" Espio asked.
Shadow and Maria looked at each other. "What do you think, Shadow?" she said. "Can you still press his buttons after all these years?"
Shadow treated them to an evil chuckle. "If anything, I've gotten even better at it."
…And that is how Team Sonic found themselves with a little less than a day to organize an entire army.
Towers was staring out into the evening when Shadow chaos controlled into his office.
"You're trespassing," Towers said without turning around.
"I won't be here long," Shadow assured him. "I came with fair warning."
"Oh?"
"You must have known my motivations for joining this organization in the first place," Shadow said. "I needed to be sure this terrorist group wasn't still in the business of murdering little girls."
Towers whirled on him, mismatched eyes blazing with anger. "I fixed that already, Shadow!" he said with a dangerous hiss. "But I also understand now that some sacrifices must be made!"
"This… is exactly what I hated about GUN fifty years ago," Shadow said. "In all this time, they haven't learned anything. They brought you down with them."
Towers face was looking a little purple at this point.
Shadow decided to twist the knife blade a little more. "I was thinking about our conversation the other day," he said. "You told me that children make mistakes. Perhaps that is true… but… How many times did Maria ask for you when her health took a turn for the worse? How often did she grab your hand to drag you off on her next scheme? On that space station, she had very few possessions of her own, but she gave her love to me so freely. What did she ever give to you, Abraham? I may have been born from evil, I may even be evil, but on this particular battle ground, I am still the victor."
"You're wrong!" Towers shouted, spit flying from his mouth. "Shut up!"
"You want to shut me up, Abraham?" Shadow said. "Meet me on the plains up against the mountains outside of Station Square. Unlike you, I don't want any innocent bystanders getting hurt because of this, but I think we both agree that this has to end. Bring as many friends as you want… You're going to need them."
Shadow disappeared in a flash of light.
"Count on it, you demon," Towers hissed. "You'll be nothing but a smear on the mountainside!"