Chapter 38
A Plan to Rule the World
"What's the situation Erica?" President Alexander asked in a stiff, exhausted voice. Dark bags hung beneath his eyes and his face was lined with worry. The vivacious, youthful senator who had flashed his million dollar smile on every campaign ad looked as if office had aged him by fifteen years.
Press Secretary Erica Zabini, a dark skinned woman with short dried hair, shuffled the stack of papers in front of her and took a quick breath. "Your approval rating has dived sir. It is lower than it was even after the Ark incident. Public opinion shifted towards sympathy in the immediate aftermath of the explosion. We tried to push the press towards that direction, reminding all major news networks about GUN's swift response to attacks on all major cities. That worked at first but the conversation has soured over time. The media started getting more hits on stories that held a negative outlook. Stories suggesting that GUN was unprepared and that your admistirnation failed to provide the necessary security have swelled in the previous forty eight hours."
She did not look up from her page the entire time she spoke. When she was done, she exhaled softly and raised her eyes. Rouge did not need to investigate why she might have been nervous to give her report. Erica was decades younger than the rest of the men in the room and the only woman present. Rouge had seen the press secretary on the television plenty of times, but she had never appeared so rattled or nervous.
President Alexander leaned forward on his chair and rubbed his eyes. "Can't we apply more pressure on the networks? We've got to have something on them that will make them play ball."
"People don't want to hear that we did everything we could. That just isn't good enough," Erica replied. "As long as someone is willing to provide them with stories that feed on their preexisting mistrust of the government, they'll keep their eyes glued to their tvs. That's all the networks care about anyway."
"We can pressure the companies that run advertisements then." Rouge could not see the man with the idea. He was sitting directly below the vent and hidden from her view. She felt Espio shift beside her as he tried to get a better angle. "If we get them to pull their ads then the networks-"
"Why are we groveling like children?" Rouge recognized the growling voice immediately. Commander Argus Smith sat directly across from the president. His features were half veiled in shadow. Rouge saw him flex his hands in agitation before continuing. "There are other ways to apply pressure, to ensure the media's silence."
President Alexander only laughed dryly and shook his head. "Have you forgotten what decade this is Argus? Our kind of power barely rivals what the media can do. Even if we could put pressure on the major networks we can't stop the millions of freelancers." The president sighed and turned towards the man Rouge could not see. "Speak to the major players Mike. Let them know that if they continue to promote their businesses on networks taking shots at us then we can make things very difficult for them."
"Right away sir." Rouge heard the scrape of a chair being pushed back and then footsteps receding from the room. A door opened and then closed.
"What about this so-called Metal Sonic?" Has the press gotten wind of him yet?" Alexander asked Erica.
"No. For now, everyone still believes Dr. Eggman is behind everything."
"And how can we be sure he isn't?" The fourth voice was one Rouge did not know. He wore a generic black suit and sat beside Erica. He had a close cropped beard and dark olive skin. "Eggman's A.I, Eggman's machines, why shouldn't we suspect him?"
"Eggman isn't on the planet, Nathan," Commander Smith interjected firmly.
"Even so, it could still have been his plan," Nathan countered.
"Let's not do this again," Groaned Alexander. "We can't keep flip flopping. Until we get new information we have to believe what the evidence suggests. Eggman is gone and his machines fought one another. The attack on the cities and the explosion….those are random acts of violence Eggman was not known for. Right now we have to decide how we are going to respond. This Metal Sonic has told us that he and some unknown number of mechs are not responsible for the attack. He has offered us two of Eggman's former bases if we promise not to seek vengeance on himself."
"An offer we must refuse," Snarled Commander Smith. "Nobody negotiates terms with us."
"But what if he is telling the truth?"
"That doesn't matter. The truth is not nearly as important as the perception of it. People will be looking for blood, they will want someone to pay for what has happened. If we don't find someone to pin it on then it will be our heads that roll."
Rouge saw the President's mouth tighten. "You…I…that is very dangerous talk Argus. We would have to be very careful."
"I've already thought it through." Argus leaned forward. Rouge could see his colorless eyes glint with malice. "The test."
"The test?" Alexander looked around the table. No one else had the stomach to even look at Commander Smith.
"The Sol Gem. The scientists say it can fire the cannon with the payload of three Chaos Emeralds. That is more than enough to leave a sizable dent. But we need to make sure it will work."
Rouge felt her heart skip a beat. Had they really found a way to fire the Eclipse Cannon without the Chaos Emeralds?
"So what are you saying Argus? We fire the cannon? At what?"
Creek. Smith drew back his chair. He strode over to the map of the globe displayed on the far wall. He pointed to one of the countries on the opposite end of the ocean from the U.F. "Our enemies."
No one spoke. Rouge could feel her heart racing inside her chest. President Alexander shivered. "Arugs, what are you talking about? We can't just attack them. That will start a world war."
"That's why it won't be us. Would anyone be shocked if Eggman's old weapon was fired by his old machines? Their war caused one of our cities to be lost. As it continues," Commander Smith gestured back to the map. "There are more casualties."
"You want to pin the attack on Metal Sonic?"
"It would not be difficult to do. Present him as some great enemy of mankind and watch as favor turns back our way when we are the ones to take him down."
"But why attack Chun-nan?" The President asked in mounting confusion.
"Because of this." Smith reached into his suit jacket and revealed a shimmering pink jewel. "This is the key to the future." The light glowed into Commander Smith's face sharpening his features. Rouge cringed. Her former supervisor looked much older than when she had last seen him. Gray stubble clung to his usually clean shaven face. He looked hungry, like a stalking wolf in the dead of winter. There was a deranged twist in his expression that made her insides run cold.
The President rubbed his temple. "So…you read the Emperor's report?"
"I did." Commander Smith said without hesitation. "I believe he is absolutely correct. There is only one way to ensure the survival of the earth. The Sol Gem must become our primary power source and that transition must be handled by us." Smith started pacing in front of the map. "After Chun-nan is attacked we will be free to blame Metal Sonic and wage war against him. At the same time, we offer Chun-nan the hand of friendship from a position of strength. We offer them Sol Gems to help restore their ruined cities."
"Why attack them then?" Erica asked coldly.
"They must be humbled," Smith answered contemptuously. "Every dealing the Sol Gems are involved with, we must be seen as the ones with the upper hand. That was one of the primary principles outlined in the Emperor's plan. When Chun-nan sees what can be done, the possibilities the Sol Gems provide, they will fall on their knees to get more out of us. Slowly but surely we will completely overturn the global economy to run on Sol Gems. But we will make sure that we are the only ones that can provide them."
"But we can't provide them," The President countered. "How can we be sure the emperor will continue to give them to us? What if he starts asking for more? Are these gems worth more than our sovereignty?"
"Nothing is worth more than that," Argus answered swiftly. "That is why we must keep our greatest weapon a secret. The Emperor does not know about the Eclipse Cannon. That is our ace-in-the-hole." Silence followed again. Everyone at the table looked down at the ground as if they were afraid to catch someone else's eye.
Speak. Rouge pleaded in her head. Please speak. They were discussing the potential deaths of millions of people all in the name of some vague sense of control. All it would take is for someone to stand up and disagree. But none dared so much as meet Commander Smith's eyes. They blazed with cold fury and wilted all opposition.
"It could work." The president spoke so softly, Rouge had to put her ears directly by the vent. "We would have to be careful and Argus you can't get up and speak like that, you'll scare people. But I suppose, sometimes people have to be afraid of their governments. How can we protect them if we aren't feared?" Alexander sighed and turned his chair to face the wall sized map. "We've given Chun-nan plenty of chances to come to the table. Maybe this is best. If we do it right we will prevent a future war. Metal Sonic will bear the burden and he will have to be sacrificed to assuage Chun-nan's rage, but what is he to us?" The President trailed off, apparently unable to say the rest of what he was thinking.
Commander Smith seized the lull in the conversation. He walked back over to his seat and jabbed his finger at a heavy binder set on the table. "That is not all. The Emperor has provided us with a way to ensure our success. We need only remove all other obstacles. This world," Smith started as he opened the binder and started passing out pages to the table.
"Is full of strange powers. However, by its nature, power is only real when it is held by a few. Spread it out, dilute it and you will find that you have no power at all. G.U.N will only be strong when power is held by us alone. The free radical element has stung us too many times. No more. On these pages, the emperor has outlined what he believes are the greatest threats to our supremacy of power and he has also provided a means of how to destroy them."
Smith snatched his own piece of paper and held it up. Rouge squinted but all she could see on it was a vague red outline. "Knuckles the Echidna. Apparently, as strong as Sonic is fast. Capable of taking on the blue blur one and one and only narrowly meeting his match. We've had very few run-ins with him so we do not know how he matches against our armies, but we can guess that he would destroy them. He is in possession of the Master Emerald. A gem of unlimited power. Why we have allowed him to live unsupervised and uncontested is beyond me. But the Emperor has outlined a possible solution. In his time, he never took these steps because he desired the Master Emerald for himself. We, however, do not need it. The emerald is too difficult to harness. However, it can be shattered to be made unusable. Using the Eclipse Cannon, I suggest we fire it at his floating island, kill him and shatter the Emerald in one blast."
"Knuckles? Isn't he a good guy? I thought he went with Sonic to the Space Colony Ark?" Erica asked.
"To restore his master emerald, not to save us." Smith insisted. "Rou-" Smith's expression darkened. His eyes bulged slightly. "Our agent insists that Knuckles has no allegiance other to himself."
Commander Smith reshuffled his papers and held out a second one. "Miles Prower, also known as Tails. He is far more dangerous than he appears. Fortunately, we know where he lives." Smith tossed the page aside. He grabbed a third one and Rouge saw his hand tremble slightly.
"Rouge the Bat. She is still awol. She knows about the Eclipse Canon. An expert agent and thief. She can be a real threat."
"You haven't caught her yet?" The president asked with a tone of mild surprise.
Commander Smith grinded his teeth. "No. But I think I've narrowed it down. I've sent Fang and a squadron to her last known hideout somewhere in Westopolis." At the mention of Fang's name, Rouge felt Espio shift. His eyes burned a dark yellow in the gloom of the vent.
Smith tossed Rouge's page aside and took out another one. "Sonic the Hedgehog. The most powerful being on the planet."
"Surely you don't plan on killing him!" Erica interrupted. "He is a hero! He has saved us a number of times. He nearly burned himself to death holding back that blast at Emerald city!"
Smith frowned. "His death could be necessary if I thought we could pull it off. The Emperor, however, has shown us another way." He flashed a small strip of torn paper. Without showing it to the others, he passed it directly to the president.
Alexander read it over and his face paled. "Argus…if we…if we do this we would have no honor. At what point…."
"Do we draw the line?" Smith finished. "We draw the line at national security Mr. President. That will ensure that Sonic never moves against us."
The president still looked shaken. "I…But if we do this?"
"How is it worse than what we have done in the past, what we plan on doing in the future? We promised to do whatever it took to protect our nation from threats foreign and domestic. This is us coming through."
Alexander sighed and placed the strip of paper back on his desk. Smith straightened out his suit and inhaled. "There is one more threat we have to discuss. And it is one that the Emperor could not warn us about. Shadow the Hedgehog. Somehow, he is still alive, and I doubt time has made him forgive G.U.N for all that we did to him. If he gets his hands on a Chaos Emerald he is nearly unstoppable. We must all focus all our efforts in finding a way to either control him, or if necessary destroy him."
When no one offered up any suggestions, President Alexander rose to his feet. "It's late, Argus. Let's call it a night. We certainly have plenty to think about." Alexander offered out his hand and helped Erica to her feet. They lowered their heads to whisper as they filed out of the room. Everyone else left in a hurry as it seemed no one wanted to be left alone with Commander Smith. Smith lingered before the world map and seemed to drink in its image. It was several minutes before he finally left.
Rouge and Espio waited until the lights turned off. As quietly as she could, Rouge took out the wielding pen out of her boot and started to cut through the vents. They broke down with ease and the two spies dropped into the room. Rouge fumbled towards the table. "Higari," Espio whispered. A ball of floating flame appeared above their heads.
"Thanks," Rouge said as she snatched a stack of papers. She found the one reporting on Knuckles. It displayed a picture of him as well as an image and coordinates of Angel Island. Written on the bottom was a quote. "He isn't very smart. Dr. Eggman has been able to fool him several times. Would recommend avoiding a direct confrontation." The quote was credited to Rouge the Bat.
Her heart seemed to drop into her stomach. She tossed the page aside. Espio was standing beside the President's chair. He had found the small scrap of paper. "Well?" Rouge asked. "What's the secret weapon that can take down Sonic?"
"It's not a weapon, it's a name; Amy Rose."