Hello once again. I'm gonna keep this one short so you can get into the chapter quicker. But I have been contemplating how to tell this story in each chapter. If I were to change it, each chapter would consist of one of the storylines(Sonic/Shadow perspectives) and only that one for the whole chapter. Or I just write it how it is, but you guys can let me know what you prefer in the reviews. Speaking of, keep them coming. I enjoy the feedback and wish to learn from it to strengthen the story.

Chapter 3: Distant Call

G.U.N. HQ: Conference Room

"What a mess." Maybe he made a mistake by alerting everyone else, as everyone in G.U.N. was panicking. Conversations erupted among different groups around the conference table, and they weren't civil at all. Tower sat in silence, as everyone else kept drowning him out. As an assistant struggles to navigate through the crowd, Tower signals over to them. "I need a refill. Make it strong."

"Coffee or liquor, sir?"

"Both, please." The assistant frantically bolts out of the room. Tower presses his hand against his forehead, regretting his decision to suddenly tell everyone else about this new threat. 'If it meant leaving this meeting, I'd do anything to get out.' He thought while wiping off sweat from his face. At that moment, the door bursts open, revealing a very upset black hedgehog. Upon entering the room, Shadow, accompanied by Rouge, are greeted with silence.

"I see that you told everyone. Is there a reason you've kept something so dangerous away from us?" At this point, Tower preferred the bickering. The last thing he wanted was for Shadow to get on his case. But, it was inevitable that the truth would eventually surface.

"Fine, you all deserve the truth. It is well known to all of you that Dr. Eggman went missing last year. Sonic was the first to spot his last whereabouts in ruins, but he never noticed much else, besides a few discharged rounds and fried badniks. It wasn't until one of our teams investigated further, that we found this." Tower presses a button on the table's control panel. The symbol of the nine tails is engraved into a patch and appears as a hologram above the table. The patch appeared to have been ripped off the rest of the uniform due to a vicious battle. "This was the first sign we got that someone was on our front doorsteps, and we knew nothing about them. Until now, we kept it a secret because we suspected that one of their own had infiltrated us."

As the room fills with chatter and murmurs, the atmosphere becomes more tense. "How did you come to that conclusion?" Shadow inquires.

"Because eight days after the incident, this was located in one of our waste receptacles." Tower presses another button on the control panel, and a second hologram appears. This time a worn-out combat jacket with a notable tear on one of the sleeves. The patch is then placed into this tear and fits perfectly. "We've been trying to feign ignorance in order to catch them off guard for a while now. A code red would alert them that we were looking for them, which we couldn't risk. If they knew we were tracking them, we feared they would act out in desperation and cause extensive damage, but it seems that their next move had happened right under our noses. Which brings me to all of you." Tower arises from his seat with dedication in his eyes. "All of you here weren't called to simply catch up. To me, you're the only ones I trust. I've made the mistake of not sharing all of this before, but I'm done playing games. I have good reason to believe these intruders are still lurking around, and I'm assigning you all to flush them out. I know you don't have full control yet, but once we find the culprits, you will finish them off, Shadow."

After giving a somewhat unconvincing nod, Shadow still wasn't confident that this was the right choice to go with. There is an inquisitive look on Rouge's face as she glances at Shadow. She was intrigued by what Tower meant by 'control'. "I'll give you all full access to previous documents we have on these guys. Time is running out, and peace needs to be kept. You're all dismissed." There is an immediate clearing of the room. Shadow walks out with frustration spilled all over his face, to which Rouge chimes in to fixate his focus on something else.

"Hey, what was Tower referring to back there when he said you didn't have full control?"

"My chaos energy was not stolen in its entirety. A portion of it was trapped within my inhibitor rings. Regardless of what was siphoning me, it failed to drain the rest. Unfortunately, the chaos energy stored inside the rings is purely unstable, and without its other half, it gets significantly more dangerous the longer I have the rings off."

"That's probably why Tower has you on the backburners. It becomes a burden to the rest of us if you knock yourself out of the picture. You're too valuable to G.U.N." That statement didn't sit right with the hedgehog. Despite his lack of chaos powers, he is just as fast as Sonic and can hold his own against Knuckles in hand-to-hand combat. Shadow started to understand what Rouge was talking about the other day a little more. The best of your vitality will eventually dwindle to a small flame. But everyone else still remembers you for what you used to be, so they preserve what's left, despite knowing it might never be the same.

"Excuse me?" A lone chirp from behind the duo is drowned out by a flux of another group of agents traversing down the narrow hall. Rouge and Shadow walk along as if nothing happened.

"I could be doing so much more right now."

"Oh my, don't tell me you're jealous that Sonic is out doing an adventure and you aren't." Rouge teases.

"Don't be absurd. I have no reason to envy that faker."

"Excuse me, you two?" This time, Shadow and Rouge do notice the call from afar. Turning around, they see a crowd of agents raising a ruckus as if something was pushing through the middle. Out from the fray comes a lanky human. He appears to be a G.U.N. agent or some sort of officer. He stands high above the rest of the crowd in terms of his stature. The officer didn't seem to have moved very far, but he was quite exhausted. "I'm– *huff* sorry. I would just– *huff* like a chat with you two." Getting a closer look at the fellow, Shadow recognized him from the conference room. Although he didn't really do or say anything noteworthy. Shadow wondered why the hell out of all people, Tower could trust him.

"Didn't you hear the commander? I'm supposed to get ready for the mission." Shadow replied, taking no interest in conversing with the chump.

"I know, but with such an overwhelming operation, I don't think that working alone will heed us any more progress than working together."

"One could theorize, but my way is different than yours. I don't think we'd figure much out together." Shadow tries his best to end the discussion there, but to his dissatisfaction, the man presses.

"I'm sorry, but I think that keeping you in the dark would be less than ideal for the operation's enforcer. In other words, I would like your input on this case. I can get the documents you need on the dime, along with my own feedback." Rouge seems somewhat intrigued by the offer.

"Say, what's your name? If you want to work with us, then we should know each other a little better." Rouge knew that engaging would send Shadow closer to the edge, so much so that she almost felt bad. To her, Shadow could learn a thing or two about opening up.

"Uh… It's James. Lieutenant James Reed reporting." The awkwardness of James saluting to the two was enough to make Shadow die on the inside, and for Rouge to snicker at Shadow's internal suffering.

Deep Space

"Why is it that the worst thing about space travel is the travel itself?" Sonic was lying face down on the cushion seats of the shuttle. He doesn't even bother to lift his face up while speaking and leaves everything he says to remain muffled. "All those movies were total bogus. With a press of a button they instantly get to where they want. Why does reality have to be so slow?" A few seats ahead of Sonic is Knuckles trying to nap it out. However, Sonic's constant whining continuously aggravates him.

"Maybe if you stopped complaining about it for the eightieth time in a row. It would go faster for you."

"I'm not sure how you can even sleep through this. Especially when that is going on." Sonic musters to lift his hand up and point it toward the front of the shuttle. A tune of beeps and toots cruise through. Tails is seen sitting down on the ground with his legs crisscrossed, tinkering with his Miles Electric.

"I can tune it out fine." Knuckles remarks.

"Guess I'm what you would call an attentive sleeper."

*BEEP-BEEP-BEEP*

"Tails!" The sudden yell makes Tails' fur stand up.

"Sorry!"

"Could you at least tell me what you're doing?" Sonic groggily raises his head. Ever since they embarked on this trip, he hadn't gotten any rest, yet Tails has spent the entire trip messing around with his gadgets. Sonic would ask Tails to tell him how much time has passed, but he was worried it would take an agonizing process just to pull up a simple clock. But all of that wasn't what upset him the most. It was the fact that Tails had seemed to ignore Sonic's advice. Tails can't seem to resist gluing himself to his projects.

"I have to make sure all my gear is ready to go once we reach the coordinates. Can't rush into unknown territory unprepared, can't we?"

"Ok, but can you keep the noise to a minimum, I need to rejuvenate before we arrive." Tails gives Sonic a quick nod, before letting the blue blur lie his head back down and rest. Tails gingerly works on his gadgets, trying his best not to make a sound.

*BEEP-BEEP-BEEP* Tails glances down at his Miles Electric, while Sonic jolts back up in frustration again.

"What's so important-"

"We're here!" In the span of a few seconds. All of Sonic's energy magically reenters his body and he sprints to the cockpit. It doesn't take Tails and Knuckles long to join him. As they peek out the window, they see a chain of two planets. It is striking how different the planets are compared to each other, with the one on the right being flush with greens and pockets of oceans, and the other appearing to be a barren rock with a gloomy presence.

"Where is this? Tails, what are those planets?" Tails uses his Miles Electric to get a scan of the flush planet. It takes some time, but it soon completes its scan.

"Get this, that is Planet Wisp."

"Huh, I always wondered where they went after the amusement park. Is that where the coordinates are located?"

"No, and strangely the same thing goes with the other planet. I can't quite get a reading of it either. It doesn't pop up in any database I have. It seems that the coordinates are slightly farther away from both of them." With a closer look, there seems to be a small dot between the planets. As the shuttle moves closer, the image becomes clearer. In the middle of both planets is a large space station. The station has seven hubs tethered together by a central one, forming some sort of web as a whole.

"Yeah, I think I can guess where those coordinates ended up at."

Space Station: Hangar -Later

The interior of the station is well-furbished with a whitish-grey metal. The layout resembles nothing close to what Sonic has seen before, but to Sonic, it still had a sense of familiarity. They had parked their shuttle in the hangar not too far away, but to their surprise, nothing had been waiting for them. Unlike the ARK, there were definitely signs of life up here, which didn't make Sonic feel at ease. It's not a stretch to say that following the chaos energy to this station wasn't intended by the perpetrators, given all the planning that went into this. "Are you ok, Sonic?" Tails chimed in, he noticed that Sonic seemed nervous.

"I'm ok buddy. Have you learned anything new about this place?" Tails glues himself back to his Miles Electric as the device runs through the schematic of the surrounding room.

"Two interesting details. First, the metal making up the hull around us is anodized not by artificial means. It's hard to articulate, but it's almost like it was naturally made up of electrolytes. As far as I know, we don't have metals like that back home, and neither do the two planets next to us." Tails taps on the hull. "Where this material was mined and refined, I'm not sure, but that's not the most curious point. After taking a closer look at the framework, I've noticed a lot of comparable designs to the ones at Eggman's bases. However, not in its entirety. It's almost like someone took his design and added onto it."

"I am shocked anyone would take note of his heinous designs." Knuckles adds. A lot of this wasn't making sense to Sonic, and his mind started to race with ideas. Is this the work of a copycat, or did the doctor want to cover his tracks by using a new alias?

"I'm just as curious as you Knuckles. If we're dealing with anyone who takes inspiration from him, we can expect some badniks to scrap." Sonic keenly runs forward through the hallway in search of some action. Knuckles eagerly tries to join in, while Tails is left displeased with their behavior. It doesn't take long for him to try and catch up. A sturdy-looking door awaits Sonic at the end of the hallway. Next to the door is a button, and with a press, the door begins to open. On the other side sends Sonic into awe. Knuckles and Tails catch up with Sonic, and they too look out with surprise. They have made it to a metropolitan city, with tall towers and flying cars. Above the city is a dome separating them from space. "Ok, I was not expecting this."

Knuckles rubs his head as if it's starting to hurt. Knuckles concentrate further until a well-known sensation makes its way to his mind. "The Master Emerald!" Sonic and Tails look back at Knuckles with confusion. "I can sense it again. Its power is here in the city."

"Can you sense the other emeralds?" Tails inquires.

*click* Knuckles twitches his head back. Something is watching them, and maybe is planning to take action. Knuckles see a barrel of a weapon point out from the shadows behind them. Knuckles tackles both Sonic and Tails out of the way as a spray of bullets riddle the floor where they once were. During the panic, Tails loses his grip on his Miles Electric and it is shot to pieces in the fire. From the dark corner where the shots came from, emerges a pack of bots. Their white armor is slick and narrow, with a slouched stature. One arm is mounted with a machine gun, while the other has a curved blade. *WARNING: Unauthorized personnel will be met with retaliation. Leave, or verify your authentication.* The lead bot dictates with a low harmonizing voice box.

"Maybe you should open up with that instead of shooting us first." Sonic remarks.

*Lethal force permitted. Last chance-* Before the bot could finish, Sonic homing attacks it before it could react. As the other bots try to shoot Sonic, Tails and Knuckles join in on the action and wreck the bots. These bots can put up quite a fight, however, and it's not as easy to just homing attack one at a time. They're agile, persistent, and heavily armed, which they use to try and catch Team Sonic off their toes. To end all of this quickly, Sonic runs around the hoard in circles, causing a large gust of wind to build up, and send the bots flying in the air. Knuckles jumps up and meets them there. By clapping hard, he creates a shockwave that sends them plummeting back down. Tails finishes the job by throwing a gadget that latches onto one of the bots. Once set up, electricity discharges through both it and the rest of the bots, surging all of them to a crisp.

"So, we've met some new friends." Sonic says. As Tails examines the fried bots closer, he notices a symbol engraved beneath their armor. Tails signals for Knuckles to help him out, and Knuckles pulls the chest armor clean off. In the bots circuitry, the symbol of the nine tails is implanted.

"That mark. Who are these people?"

G.U.N. HQ: Offices

There were so many places Shadow could be. All that he was required to do was to take down the intruders once they have identified who they were, and yet he was somehow trapped in a cubicle filing through documents. 'What am I doing? Why am I forcing myself to do this?' His irritated thoughts obscured his sense of purpose as he continued to wonder what the point was, or why he felt obligated to stay. Maybe it was because he felt like Rouge would chastise him further, or because he had nothing better to do in his free time other than brooding. But what would he add to the mix that wouldn't already be obvious to a dozen other analysts? Nevertheless, he kept being fed more and more files and papers to review.

He had read through a plethora of documents. Each binder had 'Top-Secret' printed red across the front, which internally infuriated Shadow more. To him, this was something Tower should've revealed a while ago. But it was something Shadow needed to look past. It happened, and there is nothing that can change that.

Concerning the contents of these documents, most of them were the locations where there was suspicious activity linking back to this hidden movement. Wherever this group goes, they don't leave many tracks to trace, but there are a few key occurrences in each instance. In every scene, there were always the shattered remains of a G.U.N. radio, which meant two things. Whoever orchestrated these meetings, they were aware that the radios could be traced by GPS, and that keeping them meant compromising themselves. Second, those radios could only contact others who too also carried them. The possibility of some members in G.U.N. being corrupt, and both supplying and interacting with this shadow organization was starting to be the most prevalent answer.

The only other evidence that these guys exist lies in a photograph of a duo in beige cloaks nearby one of these sites. Their height evidently shows that they aren't human, but that's all that can be seen. Their hoods prevent even a glimpse of their physicality. "Figure anything out?" Rouge had sneaked behind Shadow.

"Some thoughts." Shadow faintly responds.

"Well whatever you had, I hope it stands up well with all of that." Rouge eyes over the cubicle, to which Shadow also pokes his head up too. James nonchalantly walks over carrying a ginormous amount of new binders and files.

"I just got access to these, hope they make good use." James plops the stack right in front of Shadow. As Rouge and James walk away from the cubicle, Shadow dips his head slightly down, and his eyes start to darken. Shadow's patience was starting to tip further over the peak of a mountain.

"I shouldn't have listened to Sonic." Shadow mutters. Rouge's confident face quickly fades away as she turns back to Shadow. "Cause here I am. I am about as useful as an intern on their first day. Now I'm sent in as backup when I was the frontlines!" Shadow strikes his hand down into the table, splitting it in two. James is shaking in such an intimidating presence, but Rouge just looks at the hedgehog in pity. She didn't like being in the backseat just as much as he did. She understood that all talent may seem forgotten, but there was a place for everyone to learn.

"Is that really what you believe you are? I got to let you know, that even though you lost a good amount of yourself, I still envy you more than anyone else I know. I understand that not being released into your full potential makes you feel like crap, but I know you realize that every hand we are given isn't in our favor. It's how we play that hand, that we can decide our fate." After Rouge has finished, Shadow starts to calm down.

"I… I've made quite a mess. Can we move this somewhere else?" Rouge smiles and gives Shadow a quick nod. She gestures to James to start picking up the strayed papers. James' legs quiver over to the destroyed cubicle and hurries to pick up all of the loose pages. Once he collects everything, he jerks upright and speedwalks to a nearby cubicle. James extends his arms forward as Shadow and Rouge approach to halt the two.

"Before you proceed, can you promise you won't break this one? They're becoming really expensive these days." Rouge covers her mouth to contain her laughter. She can't help but find his gawkiness adorable. Shadow starts to warm up a bit to James, humoring his genuine request.

"Guess that depends on how many more files you bring me." With a smug look, James simply steps out of the hedgehog's way.

"So, what were those thoughts from earlier?" Rouge inquires.

"That you're an absolute knob." Regardless of her snobbish attitude, Shadow knows when someone is just trying to break the ice. "In all seriousness, I have a few… theories? Under all of this, lies some sort of pattern. From Station Square to Central City, the sites of contact are close to smaller G.U.N. bases. How many bases do we know haven't already been near these cases?"

"Too many to count. We have a designated base for most cities. What are you getting at?" James replies. Both he and Rouge slightly lean in, now curious to hear what Shadow is getting at.

"Considering our new friends have been receiving our tech, and that nothing in any of these documents are listed as attacks to bases, I believe that the situation is becoming far worse once the thin lining fades away. James, bring in a map." James promptly speeds out of the room. Shadow digs through the pile of documents and separates each record individually across the table. James returns, wheeling in a board with a map of the country. Shadow tosses James a box of push pins and to Rouge some sticky notes and a pen. "I'm going to read off the date and the city. Rouge, you write down the date on the pad and hand it to James. James, pin the sticky note on the base located in said city. I'm hoping you've got them all memorized, right?"

James sheepishly nods, "Yup, I got them."

"Alright, starting from the first incident, dating back six months after Eggman's disappearance. On 4/15, located at Seaside hill." Rouge swiftly writes down on the pad, rips off the note, and hands it to James. James takes a second to correctly position where to put the pin and note in. Shadow continues through each incident, from cities ranging from Casino City, Grand Metropolis, and Westopolis. The duration between each occurrence averages within half a month. James finishes pinning the last note in, he steps back revealing the map coated in notes. Rouge then wraps string around each pin, constructing an easier-to-see route. There appears to be no discernible or predictable path indicated by the course.

"If you wanted to see a pattern here, then I hate to burst your bubble. James says as he is about to tear down the board. Shadow raises his hand to stop him.

"Wait. Although their path seems erratic, there seems to be some sort of method to how they move."

"What do you mean?"

"In every instance, they have taken the direction which would lead them to the city with the closest G.U.N. base. No trackbacks to the ones they passed by."

"And considering the gap between each incident, they are taking their time too." Rouge adds. "These aren't just circumstances of us finding whatever mess they leave behind. They stay there to compromise and convert bases."

"Since their last stop was by Central City, we can try to anticipate where they'll head next." James states. He heads to the board and traces his finger north on the map, and sticks a pin into the next city base. "This is where we'll meet them."

"No." Shadow responds.

"No? This is the closest base."

"You're right, but this group is smart. If they have people on the inside, they'll know we sent a code red for their search. Our agents are crowding the streets, and they can't risk that." Shadow heads to the map and traces another path to the east. "In order to mix things up, they'll take the scenic route of the mountainous landscape and vast oceans to reach the closest base. To do that, they'll have to move through a city we don't have any eyes in."

"Which one is that?"

"Soleanna, the city of water."

Space Station: City Center

Like a grid of circuits, hovercars soar across the city skies. All those souls up there act as their own spark, whether they know it or not. But a spark doesn't require knowledge, it needs to just move along with itself and it feeds what it has to a greater network. Tails stares up at the flux. He too wondered if he was a part of something bigger than himself. He had a great mind, constructing several outstanding instruments, but did that truly make him different from all the other sparks, or does he just act as a higher charge? "You're spacing out again." Again, Tails had kept zoning out, and Sonic was there to snap him out of it once more. "You're starting to worry me again. Are you going to be good if we encounter something else?"

"I'll be fine. I can be quite attentive when the time comes."

"Will you? Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I feel like you aren't taking my advice all that seriously." No matter how Tails tried to deny it, the fact was that he couldn't always help himself. He felt almost trapped in a loop. He wanted to help in any way he could, but sometimes he would overdo himself, and that would make the people he tried to help worried about him. He would then try to correct his mistake by overdoing himself even more. All he wanted to do was elevate the stress from his friends.

"I'm… I'm really trying but it's hard. I just want to do what I love, but it's almost like a toxin." Sonic kneels down to Tails and places his hand on Tails' shoulder in a reassuring way.

"You have a gift that not every ten-year-old has. And that can be a lot for someone that age. You just have to figure things out a little. So don't shut me out, alright? Because although you may feel lost, I'll always be there when you need me." Those amiable words warmed Tails' core. He should've taken his big brother more seriously, as there is nothing he cares more about than him. As Sonic and Tails have this moment, Knuckles catches attention somewhere else.

"Hey, look at that." Knuckles points them to a pillar. The pillar projects a feed of videos on each of its walls. From there, a voice similar to the bots they encountered before emits through a speaker.

*If you or anyone you know has come in contact with these three fugitives, notify your local Vulechs immediately.* The feed on the pillar plays the POV of the last moments of the bots Team Sonic destroyed earlier. Occasionally, the feed pauses to show Sonic winding up a homing attack while Tails and Knuckles stand by. *Again, these are dangerous individuals. Report at your own risk.*

"They could've at least got a better picture of me." Sonic boasts.

"We're too far out in the open. Follow me." Knuckles signals Sonic and Tails to follow him to a nearby manhole. Knuckles lifts the cover and allows the other two to jump in before he enters himself. As in the city above, the sewers are surprisingly clear of any filth. The trio looks around and are split on which way to go. Suddenly, an alarm triggers above them, and a flashing red light surrounds the area in dread. A low rumble courses through the sewer. As all three of them look to where the sound is coming from, a huge wave of sewage floods through the tunnels and heads towards them at high speeds. Sonic wastes no time to grab Tails and Knuckles and race the other way.

The floor beneath them declines downward, and Sonic starts to lose his balance on the slippery ground. As he falls, the wave catches up to them, pushing them farther down the tunnel. Further down, the tunnel forks out into two paths. Sonic is flushed down the right, while Tails and Knuckles are sent down the left. Sonic was out of his element, and not only is he trapped in water, but it also of course had to be the foulest of quality.

It was impossible for him to escape, even if he were a good swimmer. Luckily, he had reached a straight runway, and with a good eye, he finds a railing to hold onto as the water passes through. The worst of it is over, and all the grey water drains away, but where he was now was another problem. To try and go back up the way he came was futile as the grim made little friction to run on. This only gave Sonic the choice to go forward, but he had to get to his friends, and the path ahead was uncertain.

Nevertheless, Sonic continues forward.

Later

"What did I ever do to deserve this?" Sonic hated every moment of being here. It didn't bother him before, but the stank of the sewage was really getting to him. Even worse, the tunnel ahead ends, and all that remains as a way forward was a small pipe. It's big enough for Sonic to fit in, yet small enough to be absurdly uncomfortable. "This better be worth it." Sonic then starts to squeeze through the pipe. If his quills weren't oily before, they most certainly were now. He could tell that the pipe was thin, as he could feel the vibrations from the city above. And below, he could strangely hear… a voice.

"Do you have something good to tell me?" Sonic could make out what the voice was saying, but was too muffled to identify.

*The mending process has begun and has exceeded our timeframe, we can get results in no time.* The voice didn't seem to be there physically, but it sounded like it had come through some sort of communication device.

"Excellent, I'll be up to advise later."

*Are you busy right now?*

"Even with us being ahead of schedule, I'll still need something to show off before… she arrives."

*I see. One other thing, there had been intruders breaking into the station. I don't think it'll be a problem, but you can't always trust Vulmechs to handle the job. Right, Do-* A creak in the pipe shifts downwards. Sonic's weight is too much for it to handle. He tries to move out of the way, but it's too late, and the pipe snaps. Sonic drops down into what appears to be some kind of warehouse. As sonic hits the ground, all eyes fall upon him.

"Sonic!?" Sonic looks at the voice, and he couldn't believe his eyes. The more he tried to process who stood before him, the more questions arose. In the end, Sonic can only force one word out.

"Eggman!?"

To be continued…