Sonic The Hedgehog: And The Odysseys Through Time

by SomeRandomSonicFan

When the Prower family creates a time machine to save their parents from a tragic death at the hands of Dr. Eggman, they accidentally unleash war and chaos across time and space. Worse yet, their future is not the only world line at stake... and worth making sacrifices for.

12. Chapter 5: All Hail Shadow

Chapter Five: All Hail Shadow

A military grade watch silently vibrated indicating a call was incoming. An annoyed black and red hedgehog begrudgingly answered the call in a smooth yet gruff voice, "You know not to call me at this time. This better be important."

A caller was quick to respond, "Sorry to interrupt you Shadow but G.U.N. couldn't reach you. The Commanding Officer over here wanted me to ask you to unblock G.U.N. when you are at your meetings. The Colonel said they should be able to reach you at all times."

Shadow snorted in disdain, "Ridiculous. Right now I am working for the research center and not for G.U.N. despite the arrangement that was made between them. If I am needed that badly G.U.N. can simply call the receptionist here and request that I leave for other duties. She knows where I am. Besides, a couple hours once a week shouldnt be an issue. If G.U.N. can't handle their business without me being on standby for literally two hours a week then the entirety of G.U.N. are incompetent fools. The Colonel included."

"While I see your point, Shadow, you know how much everyone relies on you. Maybe you're right, maybe they're all incompetent. Or maybe you're the best they have and the only one who could have any hope of saving lives during those two hours..."

Shadow was taken aback by the caller's statement, "Rouge… you know… you know how much these… meetings mean to me. You know I would never let anyone purposely die just so I could-"

"-I understand Shadow. You don't need to say it. Just promise me you'll unmute G.U.N. when in the Garden. It's more of a professional courtesy than anything."

"Fine, now was there anything else you wanted to nag me about or is that it?"

"Since you mentioned it, there is one more thing G.U.N. wanted me to notify you of. You have a new mission you've been assigned."

"Hmph, just my luck. So what is it this time?"

"It's from the Commander. He needs you to evaluate a potential new hire and see if they would be a good addition to our Outfit. After that you are to file a formal report approving or rejecting the candidate. Your input is highly valued in case you were concerned-"

"I wasn't."

"-and will be used to determine whether the recruit is dropped or continues serving in G.U.N. on a probationary period."

Shadow rolled his eyes in irritation,but strangely did not sound surprised, "Oh, goodie. That's just what we need. A green recruit who we'll have to babysit in a possible combat zone and paperwork to go along with it. When will the joys of life cease? So, who is the fresh meat?"

"Beats me. You'd have to ask the Personnel Resources Division about that," Rouge replied, "I'd doubt they would tell you though. Both agents and prospective agents are kept top secret until they leave the force or are confirmed deceased, lest they become the victim of opportunists, spies, or other enemies of the state. This is Special Forces 101 Shadow. The fact you didn't remember that makes me think you're in need of an eval."

"I'd rather fight an army of Eggman's robots then take another test." Shadow deadpanned.

"Speaking of tests, the rumor circulating through the base is that whoever it was had received top marks on their preliminary exams. They even beat your obstacle course record by half a second. I guess even the P.R.D. cant keep everything secret."

"That's not possible." Shadow said with a faint hint of wounded pride.

"Oh, that I am sure of. I might have done some snooping to find out if it was true… it was." Rouge teased.

"Well then, I suppose I won't have to pull my punches when getting to know them." Shadow said.

"Just," Rouge let out a breath in exasperation, "Just try not to break their bones when sparring this time. Seriously Shadow, you don't need to push them to their limit the day you meet them. The last thing we need is everyone thinking that you're making Team Dark an exclusive club and are purposefully discouraging anyone from attempting to join our Outfit.

"Trust me Rouge. I have my reasons." Shadow said matter of fact.

"Well I'm tired of covering for you Shadow. You're going to get in trouble one of these days. Whoever this recruit is you need to promise me you'll go easy on them. I'm serious-"

Shadow The Hedgehog felt something tug on his leg, taking his attention away from the conversation. He looked down to see a single black and red Chao with beaming blue eyes, purple bat-like wings, and razor sharp teeth hidden behind an enormous smile.

"-Sorry Rouge I need to go now, We'll talk when I meet up with you back at the base. I promise the newbie will be able to breath at the end of the day."

"What? Shadow I wasn't finished talking to you! You're not really going to end the call after interrupting a lady just like that are-"

Shadow ended the call. He then stared down at the Chao now standing in front of him. Coincidentally, it had a remarkable likeness to Shadow himself. Now that it had Shadow's attention the Chao proceeded to lean forward, lift up its tiny arms, then furiously flap them like it was a bird in front of Shadow while squeezing shut its eyes.

Shadow's response was instant and stern, "No Terios. You've been spoiled rotten lately. If I do that again, even just once, then every Chao here is going to want a turn. My answer is no..."

Terios stared at Shadow with well practiced pleading eyes. Shadow refused yet again with a slight shake of his head. The Chao's mouth quivered and a whimper was let out -obviously fake to the well trained ear- as the Chao upped the pressure to get his way. Shadow was both equally impressed and irritated by the Chao's powers of manipulation.

"The staff said I can't anymore, so forget it." Shadow said as his iron willed resolve was slowly melting away.

The Chao stopped whimpering and stared at Shadow with a deadpan expression as if to nonverbally say, "Since when did you care what others think?" Shadow sighed, his resolve broken, "Fine, but don't expect this to become routine or you will be greatly disappointed..."

The thick steel doors slid open and Cream walked inside the Chao Garden. She was about to shout a greeting to all the Chao to surprise them with her unexpected arrival but she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before her. The Chao had formed an impromptu mosh pit and were jumping about, cheering, and rabidly flailing their arms in crazed excitement. Cream followed their collective gaze and was stupefied at what she saw. Fire was shooting out of Shadow's rocket shoes enabling Shadow to hover several feet above the pond. No less than five Chao were cheering and shouting with glee as they held onto Shadow's arms, legs, and even his neck for dear life as they flew around the Chao Garden at great speeds. They held onto the red and black hedgehog until Shadow came to a stop and landed in front of Cream The Rabbit, facing away from her, whereupon the dazed and exhilarated Chao dismounted from Shadow.

At that precise moment, Shadow, not having noticed Cream in all the commotion, crossed his arms and shouted to the crowd of Chao that were still across the Garden, "Alright, listen up, the next five may step forward for the Shadow Express. If you lose your grip and fall that's your own problem."

"I'd love a turn Mr. Shadow!" Cream said as she raised her hand high in the air.

The near petrified red and black hedgehog slowly turned around then issued a single threat, "If you speak a word of this to anyone... I swear Sonic will regret ever being born."

Cream could not help but let slip a small giggle.

A miffed Shadow glared at Cream, his cheeks turning a light red, "It's not funny. This is serious and dangerous training to get the Chao used to high speed aerial maneuvers for those that can and will fly. It is a dangerous activity only the bravest of Chao undertake. So I recommend you stop laughing at once lest you incur my wrath."

"I'm not afraid of you Mr. Shadow." Cream said politely, with a massive smile on her face, she failed to end her fit of giggling.

Shadow clenched his teeth and fists, "You should be."

Cream finished her fit of giggling to Shadow's chagrin and bowed deeply, "I'm sorry Mr. Shadow, I had a very tense afternoon. It was wrong of me to laugh at you. I hope you will forgive me."

Shadow crossed his arms and stared down at Cream, "Be grateful Cream. Your apology has reluctantly been accepted despite my better judgement. You best show your appreciation by recognizing that what you saw in this room was Chao combat training, nothing more."

Cream straightened her posture and smiled at Shadow as she spoke, putting her hand over her heart, "I promise I won't tell anyone what I saw. So, would you consider giving me a ride on the Shadow Express?" The cheerful rabbit could not resist sticking out her tongue toward her friend, teasing him once again.

Shadow glared at Cream before letting out a mischievous grin, "Don't push your luck Rabbit. I still have dirt on you. Don't think I am above tattling to your Mother and telling her of some of your more… death defying adventures with Sonic and Amy. My loss of pride from losing to you in the Grand Prix has not been forgotten."

A single bead of sweat glided down Cream's face, "Mr. Shadow, you wouldn't..."

Shadow laughed dramatically,"Ha! Amy gave me your Mothers number in case of an emergency. I even have her on speed-dial. Try teasing me again bunny girl and watch what happens when you don't respect your elders. You'll be grounded for a month!"

Cream bowed even lower this time, and spoke with complete sincerity, "Please accept my humblest apologies Mr. Shadow. I mistook joyful playing with the Chao for the serious combat training exercise that it was. I won't make such a mistake again!"

"Good. I'm glad we can put today's events behind us. I think you'll become quite the adventurer yet, Cream. With proper combat and firearm training I could even see you becoming an agent of G.U.N. someday. Interested in a lesson sometime?"

"That is very kind of you Mr. Shadow, but I hate fighting and I don't think my mother would be happy to hear I was handling guns-"

"-and explosives."

Cream put a hand behind her head as she let out an awkward chuckle telegraphing her discomfort.

"What?" Shadow said, "It's all perfectly safe. Everyone should know how to handle a Firearm and defuse a bomb safely. I'd be doing society a community service by teaching you."

"My mother would see it differently." Cream admitted.

"You are forgetting one important point, Cream."

"What's that Mr. Shadow?"

"How would she ever know?" Shadow said, giving her a rare smile that exposed one of his twin fangs.

"Well… if you promised the training would be safe and that it would allow me to better protect others from Eggman's mean robots and evil plans..."

Shadow stepped next to Cream and put one hand gently on her back as he swept his other hand horizontally, gesturing outward and beyond them, "Just Imagine, Sonic rushing to save Central City from a bomb that is about to explode. But Sonic is powerless to stop it because he's an idiot and would probably get red and blue mixed up in the heat of the moment."

"Mr. Shadow!"

"You rush in and defuse the bomb saving millions of people."

"Millions?"

"Millions Cream! Now imagine-"

"-But what if I picked the wrong wire-"

"-You wouldn't. Now Imagine how impressed Sonic and the gang would be. Think of the pride you would feel and the glory the people would shower upon you-"

"-I don't think it matters who defuses the bomb only that everyone is safe-"

"-And your Mother... your Mother would be so proud of you. Her little girl, a national hero. City officials would even name a park after you. Cream Park they would call it. Children would run and play in it and ask, ""Who is the statue of the Rabbit girl?"" and the parents would say, ""Thats Cream The Rabbit, Savior of Central City!"""

"I suppose one small lesson on bomb defusal couldn't hurt... wait. Wait a second! Could we have a tea party afterwards with the Chao?" Cream asked ecstatically.

"Uhg, If we must, I suppose it won't kill me as long as no one finds out… specifically Sonic. Or anyone who talks to him. So basically anyone and everyone."

"Yay!" Cream jumped with excitement and flew in the air momentarily thanks to her long and powerful bunny ears that allowed her to fly and hover, "Let me know when you'd like to have the tea party and the, ahem, the other tea party my mother would not exactly approve of."

"Of course, I'm sure the Chao will enjoy themselves very much… as will Omega." Shadow said with a mischievous grin as Cream landed back on the ground.

After a pleasant moment of silence in the Chao Garden Cream spoke up, "Shadow, I'm so glad you get along well with the Chao, we can have so much fun together. Tea parties, karaoke, we can even teach the Chao how to do radio calisthenics-"

"-Let me stop you right there Cream. Trust me, this is the last place I want to be spending my free time." Shadow said bluntly.

Cream grew a smug grin then cheekily replied, "And yet… here we are."

Shadow's previous glare intensified, "I serve G.U.N. by monitoring this facility as one of their Agents. A facility with this much security is obviously hiding something big and I intend to find out what that is. My secondary goal is to prepare the Chao here for combat and ensure that they are shaped into deadly weapons of destruction not unlike your Chao friend, Cheese. That monster can join Team Dark any day."

Cheese flew out of the remnants of the disbanded impromptu mosh pit and landed beside Cream, giving a Chao's impression of a thumbs up.

Shadow continued, "Partial joking aside, what about you Cream? What goals do you have? If you're serious about expanding your skillset further, Rouge and I would be happy to give you lessons. You've helped us and the World against Eggman and many times have you shown both your skill and bravery. We'd be fools to treat you like a child. I know raw talent when I see it and you... you're going places. The question is, what do you want out of life? Do you want to be like Sonic or your Mother?"

Cream stared at the ground while she thought deeply about her answer then looked back up toward Shadow, "If I am honest Mr. Shadow, my goal is to make the world a better place and make my Mother proud of me." The rabbit said as she pumped her fists, her face with an expression of pure determination.

"What a disgustingly vague answer," Shadow complained, "You won't accomplish anything if you don't have a tangible goal to pursue. How exactly do you plan on making the world a better place? Or to make your Mother proud? When I go on a mission for G.U.N. I know exactly what my goal is and have mentally laid out every resource available to me, every piece of intel on the enemy, the area of operation, as well as the necessary steps, procedures, and precautions for completing my Mission without a single loss of my comrades' lives. In life you need to do the same. You need to have concrete achievable goals with a plan to achieve them or you are merely floating through life with abstractions and wasting both time and oxygen. Don't be that person Cream. Don't waste your life. Commit to something. Take it from me. It's never too late..."

Cream looked at Shadow with renewed respect, "Wow Mr. Shadow, you're so wise!"

Shadow grinned at the compliment, "Naturally."

The steel doors behind them buzzed quietly, unlocking, then slid open. In walked a Pink Hedgehog that stared at the ground as she meandered into the Garden.

"Miss Amy," Cream asked, "Are you- are you okay?"

As if awoken from a dream, dazed and confused, Amy glanced around the room, a look of worry and extreme fatigue plagued her face, as she looked for the voice that had spoken to her. She saw Shadow and Cream a few feet away, then shuffled toward them, her lip trembling as she repeatedly swallowed and attempted to speak.

"Sh-Shadow. C-C-Cream." Amy struggled to say.

Shadow took a single step forward, "What's the matter? What happened?" He asked urgently. Sensing something terrible had happened.

Cream crossed her hands and held herself anxiously, "What's the matter Miss Amy?"

Amy Rose tried to speak but could not find the words. Every attempt threatened to break the dam of emotions she had desperately tried to keep from breaking yet again. She choked back her tears barely, but eventually, the dam broke…

"Sonic is in trouble! He-He-He-He's hurt really badly!"

Amy broke down in tears, collapsing to the ground. Becoming a puddle of emotion, "I-I promised myself I'd wouldn't cry in front of you. I'm sorry." Cream stepped forward to give her a comforting hug as Amy proceeded to cover her face and sob.

"What happened to Mr. Sonic?" Cream asked with great concern as she patted Amy's back gently.

"He and T-Tails went to f-fight Eggman, now they are both in the I.C.U. and could die." Amy's tears continued with a vengeance. Chao, noticing the commotion, came over and donated toys of all kinds, including a toy car and a jack-in-the-box, placing them at Amy's feet. The Chao's adrenaline and excitement had dissipated with the sudden change in the room's atmosphere and was replaced with tragedy and concern.

"Oh, thank you all so much but these are your toys-" Amy said sweetly before she was handed something by one of the Chao that made her want to cry all over again, this Chao was something of an artist and handed the pink hedgehog a crudely drawn picture of her face and Sonic's face inside the border of a pink heart.

Amy smiled as fresh tears slowly slid down her cheeks, "It's a masterpiece, thank you so much. I'll frame it."

Shadow cleared his throat before speaking, "Regardless of the severity of Sonic's injuries, I don't think you need worry Amy. Sonic is as resilient as he is annoying. I'm certain in a couple weeks he'll be running around and you'll wish to revisit the next few days when he was cooped up with you in a hospital room, alone, for hours, the only company each other has. Mark my words, this is merely a speed bump for him. I don't care what happened or what the doctors say."

Amy sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve, "Thank you Shadow."

"Don't mention it."

"Cream stopped rubbing Amy's back with her hand, "I'm going to go make us some tea, I'll be right back Miss Amy."

"I- I need to get going, G.U.N. has a job for me to attend to. If there is anything I can do Amy... you know how to contact me." Shadow said before heading to the exit.

"Thank you Cream. Thank you Shadow." Amy said.

Shadow waved goodbye, "Until next time..." As Shadow was about to exit the Chao Garden he felt something wrap tightly around his leg clinging to it. Shadow looked down to see his favorite Chao, Terios, with his head buried in his leg. As Shadow took a step forward the black and red Dark Chao clung to his leg and went along with him until the two were outside in the hallway. Shadow stopped after the steel doors had closed behind them, "Terios, I need to leave now but I'll be back to visit another day. Cream and Amy are both here now. You can play with them until I'm finished at work."

Terios simply tightened his grip. Shadow leaned down and patted Terios's head and gently said, "I'll be back Terios. You'll see me again. I won't be gone for very long. I promise."

The Terios waited a moment then reluctantly let go as Shadow spoke once again, "Now listen carefully, Operation Darkness has been compromised. Cream and Amy know about my visits here. So you and the other Dark Chao can stop pressuring Cheese to keep his mouth shut. He is a good Chao. You all should try to get along.

Terios Grimaced at the suggestion.

" Hey now, if I can get along with Sonic, then you and the other Dark Chao should all be able to get along with Cheese and the Hero Chao. Think you can try that for me?"

Terios hesitated then nodded. He kept staring intently at Shadow as if waiting for something. Shadow checked his surroundings and made sure no creature nor any cameras were watching them. Then, Shadow bent down and extended his arms and enveloped the Chao in a warm hug.

After Terios was returned to the Chao Garden Shadow hurried to exit the building.

He was almost outside when the receptionist noticed him leaving the facility, "Just where do you think you're going? You're not allowed to leave until your time with us is up. We have you under contract to provide security. Not to leave whenever it suits you."

Shadow continued to walk towards the exit, not even bothering to look at her when he spoke, "Watch me."

Enraged the receptionist shouted, "I'll tell your superiors of this!"

Shadow stopped, turned to look at the receptionist in the eyes, then in a cool and calm voice said, "I have no superiors." After which he turned, exited the building, got on his motorcycle, and drove to the G.U.N. base he was currently assigned to. Once his identity was verified and Shadow was cleared by the Military Police he entered the main wing of the base.

The term modern did not do the base justice. It was nothing but steel and concrete throughout the entire facility with sprinklers every six feet. The doors opened automatically except for the high security clearance doorways that require an identification card or an individual's biodata to enter. The hallways were mostly barren, being the epitome of function over form with only the occasional motivation poster, rug, and plants to liven the place up.

Shadow's mood was ruined after the tragic news from Amy. He reminded himself that he would need to suppress his emotions or he might not be at his best. First things first, Shadow would need to meet the recruit and assess their combat abilities in person. Shadow made his way to the office of the base's Commanding Officer to find out where the recruit was when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"Are my eyes deceiving me or is that a blue hedgehog walking by?"

Shadow turned to the familiar voice, "Walk with me Rouge. I'm in a hurry."

"Sure. So, how did your meeting go?"

"It went well, except for the part where Amy dropped in and told Cream and I that Sonic and Tails could be on death's door."

"Oh you are too funny, Shadow. Let me guess, Tails crashed his airplane again?"

"I don't know what happened, only that they are in the hospital and we should go check on them as soon as we can."

Rouge's demeanor changed instantly at those words, "Goodness, you're… you're not joking. How awful. Those poor boys."

"Yeah, well, worry and pity never solved any problem. So where is the Colonel? I need to find out where the mystery hire is hiding and get this mission over with."

Rouge covered her mouth with one hand feigning surprise, "Oh, so eager. Well, it just so happens that I met her on the way to the mess hall. The Colonel was there too."

"Oh really now? A she huh, how did you know she was our probationary recruit?"

"Oh, that? She asked where the lunch room was so I walked her there and along the way she let it slip. She's quite the chatterbox. It's a good thing we have the infiltrator position covered because she'd be awful at it." Rouge chuckled, "I'm excited to see what she can do in person. I'm going to tag along with you for a bit if you don't mind. I need to make sure you go easy on her."

Rouge poked a gloved finger into Shadow's chest, "You better go easy on her."

"I'll make no such promise and I really don't care what you do Rouge. As a leader I need to know how determined she is to join us and what her breaking point is. You can't stop me from testing her and I cant stop you from watching. So do as you wish… and you're sure you saw the Colonel there?"

Rouge repugnantly waved off Shadow's statement. "Hmph! Maybe he was. Why do you ask?"

"... no reason."

"Well whatever. I suppose I'll be joining you then, besides, if we're honest, what male wouldn't want to be in the presence of a Lady with my irresistible beauty and charm?" Rouge said half jokingly.

"Knuckles." Shadow said, without missing a beat.

A vein appeared on Rouge's forehead and she bared her fangs, "He doesnt count, he's an idiot, a barbaric brute, and a knucklehead. He couldn't identify a lady if one slapped him in the face."

Shadow grinned at Rouge The Bat, I didn't know you had such strong feelings for the Echidna."

I don't. He's just unfathomably irritating and naive to a fault, and I don't find your comments one bit funny."

"Come now, Rouge. You're the one who said I needed to develop a sense of humor and smile more. I find this topic hilarious!"

"Don't push your luck Shadow. I know where you sleep."

"Tell me, have you tried hitting him with your heels? I have a feeling he would get a kick out of it."

"Shadow, I'm about to kick you in the head if-"

"How cute. Your face is almost as red as the Echidna."

"One more word and I am going to hurt you Shadow!" Rouge threatened.

Shadow held up his hands momentarily as they continued their long walk toward the cafeteria, "Alright, alright. No need for violence… I just wanted to say one more thing on the topic. In all honesty here..."

Shadow stared into Rouges eyes as they walked alongside one another.

Rouge raised an eyebrow, "I'd be very careful with your next few words Shadow."

Shadow turned facing forward, and grinned, "I think Knuckles is batty for you."

Shadow ducked under a spinning-roundhouse kick that would have impacted the back of his head. Shadow raised his arms knowing Rouge was well versed and trained in combat and would likely already be delivering a follow up strike. His guess was correct as he had barely enough time to block a front kick to his chest. Shadow grinned, having caught Rouge's leg he twisted it forcing Rouge to jump and spin her body to avoid a sprained or broken foot. Being a bat, rouge used her unique physiology to her advantage as she pulled her leg in, thus pulling herself closer to Shadow, then used her powerful wings to launch herself higher into the air. She then used her free leg to deliver rapid kicks first to the hands that still held her other leg captive, then toward Shadow's chest and face. Shadow glided backwards on his rocket shoes, dodging or blocking each kick.

"Stop moving and let me kick you!" Rouge shouted.

"Save the heat for Knuckles." Shadow jeered.

"What did you just say! Now I'm really ticked off at you Shadow, get back here!"

Shadow kept skating along the hallways getting ever more distance between them but then stopped and doubled back. Shadow used his greater mobility to circle around Rouge mockingly, he easily blocked a series of weak punches from Rouge followed by a strong kick before Shadow dashed away using his rocket shoes to literally launch himself in the direction of the cafeteria. "Farewell."

Rouge, her face bright red and blushing, growled, baring her fangs before shouting across the hallway, "Knuckles is not my lover. There is nothing between us! Don't you dare run from me Shadow. Get back here you coward!"

Yet Shadow slipped further and further out of her reach before he disappeared down the maze of halls, as onlookers stared at a fuming and flustered Rouge awkwardly.

Once Shadow was sure he wasn't going to get a heel stuck in his neck by a surprise attack from Rouge, he nonchalantly walked the rest of the way to the cafeteria. He arrived to see the place was packed. Dozens and dozens of humans and other creatures were gathered around the mesh hall, chatting, and eating in small groups around the Cafeteria. The tables they all used were like everything G.U.N. purchased, the best money could buy and overcompensating for actual plans or policy. The heavy military grade tables were made of steel, and were both dense, and thick enough, to be used to block bullets and doorways in case of an emergency. The large cafeteria had dozens of such tables spread across the large room and with the pull of one of the many L-shaped rods the tables possessed, a table could be collapsed, folded, or rotated in a moment's notice to be used for a variety of situations assuming one had the knowledge and strength. Shadow, seeing how busy the cafeteria was, had not the slightest idea which of the female soldiers present was the one he was meant to evaluate, and decided to get in the nearest line for some food which was surprisingly long. His gaze followed the line as it turned and ran parallel to the actual food line.

"What the hell is this line for?" An irritated Shadow asked a burly human male in front of him.

The six and a half foot tall giant of a human turned around and looked down at the three foot three inch tall hedgehog before he answered, "There's some newbie challenging everyone to an arm-, well, more like a limb wrestling contest. She hasn't lost yet."

"What a waste of time and energy..." Shadow said more to himself than to anyone in particular, "Is the Colonel okay with this?" Shadow Asked the Man.

"Okay with it? He's the one organizing the bets." the young soldier said with a laugh.

"Oh really now?" Shadow said as he left his spot and walked up alongside the line. The crowd suddenly cheered as another soldier left the table in defeat with her head held low in shame and money was changed hands across the Mesh Hall. A couple of the low ranking soldiers yelled at Shadow as he was clearly cutting in line but a couple of officers put a hand on the outraged men and women indicating that they should drop the issue lest they make a scene.

Shadow pushed the recruit's newest challenger away from the table and off their seat disregarding the individual's complaints. Shadow then took the empty seat so he was sitting across from the recruit. Shadow's face was emotionless except for a seemingly permanent scowl that he wore as he stared into the Lemur's purple eyes. An irrational and emotional part of Shadow's subconscious hated those purple eyes that were staring back at him. They were eyes that were devoid of pain and suffering, only having known happiness and a life of love and companionship. Eyes, that with the exception of Cream, Shadow had not seen in a long, long, time. In truth, a part of Shadow was bitter and jealous of Cream and the Lemur. Such unbridled joy, optimism, and wonder had long since left his life. In its place was a promise he made to a young girl. A vow he was both, in body and spirit, dedicated towards in perpetuity. Shadow refocused his attention on the Lemur he was sizing up in person for the first time. Shadow looked down from her eyes and examined the rest of her body. The girl was a Lemur who looked to be the same or similar height as Shadow, she wore a yellow sleeveless top, a black bodysuit with orange stripes, and yellow shoes. Her body was well toned, sporting a thin and athletic build, revealing her to be not only in excellent physical shape but to have an extremely active lifestyle as well. Her highly prehensile tail was resting on the table and for the moment was in the rough shape of a large fist. Lastly, she had a cocky grin that reminded Shadow too much of Sonic.

"Ready when you are! Oh, I'm Tangle by the way. Good to meetcha." Tangle then extended her tail's "hand" to offer a "handshake" only for it to be left hanging awkwardly. Shadow continued to stare at the Lemur with the same angry and disapproving expression he had been wearing since they met moments ago.

"So what's your name?" Tangle asked with a fake cheerful smile as a couple beads of sweat formed across her brow.

"Tangle… relax." Shadow whispered. "My name is Shadow, Shadow the Hedgehog. Are you the recruit who is on probation and pending approval to join Team Dark?"

"Yep. That's me!" Tangle said, as she used her tail to grab a chili dog from the food station that was a dozen feet away, before taking a huge bite out of it. Her eyes shone bright like stars as she relished the chilli dogs flavor. "The food here is sooooooo good! I wish my friend could have tried this. Actually, I bet no one would mind if I snuck some food off base to give to my roomie." Tangle stuffed the remaining chilli dog in her face. Making her, for a few moments, look more like a chipmunk then a Lemur. "Joining G.U.N. was the best idea ever!" Tangle said enthusiastically through a mouth full of food.

"You are disturbingly open about your audition to join a Special Forces Unit. No matter, we can fix that if need be. Are you ready to start the evaluation process?"

Slowly, without breaking eye contact with Shadow, Tangle reached out across the cafeteria with her tail and slowly, deliberately, retrieved a chili dog and put it into her jacket pocket. "Hmm?" Tangle said with a mouth still full of chilli dog as she continued chewing.

Shadow glared at the Lemur, then spoke very slowly for her, "I asked, are you ready. To start. The evaluation. Process. I assume if you are here you passed your health inspection checks and are not deaf. So answer the damn question. I should not need to repeat myself."

Tangle's perpetual smile wavered for a second due to Shadow's perceived hostility. Tangle swallowed the last of her delicious snack, then answered, "R-Right now? Uh, Sure. Let's do it!"

"Good. Let's begin." Shadow extended a hand in solidarity and greeting and held it so Tangle could grab it.

Tangle looked at the hand and smiled as she grasped it with her now hotdog-free tail, "Did we just become friends?" Tangle said excitedly, "Wait, why is the crowd of people backing up? And isn't this hand shaking a little on the long side?"

Shadow continued to hold Tangle's tail in a deathgrip and Tangle smiled awkwardly in confusion as she let out a nervous chuckle, "Shadow… buddy, you going to let go of my tail sometime today? You know, you could at least buy a girl dinner before you go getting a girl worked up by holding her tail so tightly. It's pretty sensitive-"

"-Since the moment you signed the contract you have been monitored by G.U.N. and I have been meticulously examining the footage they have been giving me. I've been studying your movements and combat abilities, looking for every strength and every weakness you could possess. The worst part? The obstacle course footage. That made this personal. You surely understand this puts you at a severe disadvantage?"

Tangle, confused and getting a little bothered by her tail being held so tightly and for so long just looked at Shadow in confusion, "A disadvantage? Disadvantage for what?" She said loudly so everyone in the cafeteria could hear.

Shadow now shouting said, "We're going to see how dedicated you are to joining G.U.N. and how far your physical limits go."

The line of people had transformed into a rough circle as the cafeteria diners one at a time then en masse sensed what was coming. Tables were suddenly being moved and dragged away from the pair to make room. Tangle had a bad feeling in her gut and she knew it wasn't the chili dogs. An officer wearing a bronze maple leaf insignia was on the other side of the Mesh hall, he had a dry erase board and a marker and was starting to take bets from the many troops. One or two of the soldiers were pointing and gesturing to Tangle but the majority were siding with Shadow. Soon an impressive display of money had been collected by the Colonel and several officers.

What Shadow said next made Tangle's stomach churn, "Don't worry, I'll be sure that you survive. I'll try to keep the broken bones to a minimum so don't hold back on my account. Now, lets see what you can really do, the close quarters combat evaluation begins now."

Having heard Shadow speak without an iota of insincerity or callousness, her fight or flight response engaged and Tangle defensively tried to create distance so she could come up with a battle plan as she was not at all mentally prepared to fight, also, after eating several chili dogs as a reward for her many arm-wrestling victories, she really needed to poop. Shadow, however, still held a death grip on her tail, to Tangle's horror he was physically reeling her tail toward him like she was a fish caught on a line, this soon caused tangle to lose her footing as she was dragged backwards towards Shadow. Tangle faced her assailant as she was dragged across the floor but before she could finish blinking Shadow had closed the distance by jumping over the table then lunging at her, grabbing hold of not just her black top, but her chest fluff and the flesh beneath it, ensuring any escape would come at a painful price. Shadow lifted the dazed and confused Tangle up into the air, before slamming her hard onto the steel lunch table so she was then laying on her back. The crowd cheered while many others winced in sympathy for the Lemur, yet others yelled out trying to hedge their bets in light of Tangle's lackluster performance.

Tangle, dazed, confused, and still needing to poop, heard the sound of metal being pulled across metal beneath her when suddenly Shadow hurled half the foldable steel table inward upon itself, effectively folding the table in half. Tangle rolled backward to avoid getting smooshed but realized too late that Shadow had not let go of her tail the entire time. The table slammed down and Tangle's eyes watered from the pain of her tail getting stuck in an improvised trap. Shadow leapt onto the table and walked towards the now immobilized Tangle who was crawling backwards as far as her elastic Tail would enable her. Shadow was soon standing over Tangle. His foot pressed down upon her, crushing Tangle's chest and making it hard for the Lemur to breath.

Shadow's face was livid, as he snarled at Tangle, "Absolutely pathetic. You want to join Team Dark? You? Is this a sick joke? I've seen six year olds with more courage and fighting spirit than you. You're a disgrace. You're not even fit to clean the toilets here. Do yourself and the world a favor and crawl back to that dump, Spiral Hill Village where you belong. Whoever thought you could join G.U.N. and actually protect anything was a damn fool."

"You're wrong!" Tangle shouted. Tears swelled in her eyes before they silently trickled down her cheeks.

Shadow was surprised by her tonation and after unintentionally softening his expression he caught himself and resumed glaring at the Lemur, "What did you just say to me?" Shadow pushed down harder with his foot onto her chest ensuring she had to struggle significantly to breathe, let alone speak.

Tangle used her hands and struggled with all her might to lift Shadow's foot off her chest so she could breath. It was to no avail as the Lemur found herself speaking with her last remaining ragged breaths, "I said you're wrong! My best friend who I've known… knew my whole life... always... there for me... said I could do anything… even help protect the world."

Shadow pressed his foot down upon her chest even harder as he spoke, "Just give up. You're finished. Quit while you still can speak. This is my only offer of mercy. You wont get a second opportunity." Tangle's face was starting to turn a light shade of blue as tears continued to stream down her face. Shadow turned at locked eyes with their Colonel who was watching emotionlessly, waiting for the fight to have a declared victor.

Tangle's face was a dark blue when she yelled at Shadow, "No! My friend was the smartest and Kindest person I knew. She- she was no fool," Tangle meanwhile had extended the end of her Tail and wrapped it around the underside of the steel table before she pulled hard with all her strength causing the table to effectively be caught in a large makeshift lasso. Then, instead of pulling the table, Tangle stretched the base of her elastic tail which still laid silently behind Shadow, Tangle then flashed Shadow that cocky grin he hated so much, "…and I have not even begun to fight!"

Tangle, stretched the tail around Shadow's neck. Shadow reacted fast, but not fast enough as his raised arms kept his neck from being strangled but he found himself on the defensive. In the same beat, Tangle changed the position from where her tail was pulling from and used the remaining slack to transfer the pull from the base of her tail to between the table and Shadow's neck, throwing the hedgehog backwards onto the floor. Tangle with surprising strength, lifted up and tilted the steel table at an angle as Shadow was pulled under it, then she let go of the table, letting gravity do its part. Shadow reacted instantly, placing one of his arms on the ground and began to do a handstand, his other hand was left in place where it had been alongside his neck to keep him from getting choked and properly subdued, his feet were used to push against and then kick away the massive steel table, sending it flying several feet end over end backwards, enabling Tangle to free her tail as it sprung back to its natural state of rest.

The crowd cheered as more bets were called out, some being placed on Tangle The Lemur.

Shadow let slip a grin but was quick to be rid of it. "Not bad but I've seen far better. You have a little fight in you. I suppose you're not a complete waste of oxygen. Lets see what else you can do." Shadow then took a fighting stance, "Prepare yourself. I won't hold back."

The shouting and cheering in the room died down in seconds as soldiers quickly stood at attention in an almost hive-mind like manner, even Tangle had dropped her fighting stance and was saluting as beads of sweat poured down her face suddenly. Shadow turned around to see none other than the leader of the Guardian Units of Nation, The Commander. Shadow immediately stood at attention and saluted after recognizing the Man at once, as they had something of a shared history...

The Commander was a tall man in his 50's with peach skin, both a green and a brown eye and gray hair. He walked across the room, his black combat boots being heard across the deathly silent cafeteria. On the shoulders of his freshly pressed gray service dress uniform were five stars indicating himself as a Wartime General with Authority above all others, the sole exception being the President of The United Federation. His walk was calm and steady as he passed both Shadow and Tangle. He stopped at the end of the room in front of the Colonel who was still holding on to the clipboard he had used to record and organize the various bets for the fight. The Colonel stood at attention holding a crisp salute, not daring to move a muscle.

"Colonel, explain to me what exactly the soldiers under your command were doing just now."

"Commander, we were just blowing off some steam, Sir. Having a friendly wager on whether the new recruit would meet Agent Shadow's standards."

"Is that so?" The Commander looked sternly at the pile of money on the table near the Colonel and a few other officers that stood at attention near it, who no doubt had assisted the Colonel in organizing the system of collections and payouts… and had undoubtedly been charging a fee for the privilege thus keeping some of the money for themselves.

"It seems to me you're doing more than simply blowing off steam. You've organized quite the operation here, Colonel. You even have your own hand picked knights of the round table to help count the spoils." The Commander said, giving faux praise to the Officer.

"Sir, the men and I were just having a bit of harmless fun, is all, and last I checked, gambling isn't illegal for soldiers in G.U.N."

"The fact of the matter is, while gambling is not illegal for soldiers so long as it is done on their own time, you as the commanding officer led those under your command to profit from the blood and sweat of a fellow soldier. Showing no concern for their well being. Nor did you have the foresight to intervene when harm and danger befell them-"

"-To be perfectly frank, Sir. The Officers know that Shadow is practically your lapdog. Any officer would think twice before daring to correct his behavior, not that he would listen. Secondly, Shadow was the one who started the fight. It's his third fight in three weeks. The fights were just supposed to be harmless sparring sessions but Shadow was unable to control himself and overstepped his boundaries each time."

"Of course he did, I asked him to. We wanted to catch you in the act and see what you would tolerate. A leader should never play chance with the well being of those under their command. Especially for profit."

"Are you saying you all set me up? This- this doesn't make sense. The last two people Shadow fought… he broke their bones."

"That he did. The previous two soldiers whose bones were broken, were volunteers from other bases. Bases who also had people who long ago were injured thanks to your lack of oversight and… lets say... enterprising spirit. They knew Shadow would not pull punches and that they would be fighting earnestly. They knew the risks in this operation and accepted the risks. They wanted to get to the bottom of your improper conduct and put an end to it. They were given paid leave and the appropriate medical attention after sustaining any and all injuries. The most egregious fact of all was that despite physical harm befalling those in your care several times in the past and more recent present, in each case you decided to continue on your path and to profit from it."

"You can't talk to me like this. This is entrapment!"

"That will be for the Military Court to decide. This is all to say nothing of your other alleged operations. Now we will be able to open a formal investigation. I'm sure you're familiar with the expression, where there is smoke? You are temporarily relieved from your command pending further investigation and trial. In the meantime, I will be assuming command of this base, effective immediately."

"How dare you. How dare you! I have spent decades serving this nation. For you to come in here and humiliate me in front of everyone present is unforgivable and extremely unprofessional. You can't do this to me. I've served my country honorably for decades. I'm going to sue you for every penny you're worth!" The Colonel said seething with anger.

The Commander walked up mere inches away from the Colonels face, the former's face stern and resolute, "Now you listen to me and you listen good. We are at war. Lives are at stake. You better believe I don't give a damn about your pride or reputation. You ruined both well enough on your own.

Two Military Police officers appeared. "Take him away." The Commander ordered. The MP's then escorted the former Colonel away after having confiscated any and all evidence.

A third MP approached the commander and saluted, "Sir?".

"At ease, soldier. Everyone who partook in the gambling according to the evidence you have confiscated, is to be fined the maximum amount possible. Ensure the other officers are interrogated and charged as required by the letter of the law."

"Yes sir, consider it done." The MP saluted, and the Commander dismissed him with a quick salute of his own.

The commander turned to the dozens of soldiers who were still at attention. He began to slowly walk across to the center of the mesh hall, then spoke loudly while he paced, so that all present could hear him, "War... make no mistake ladies and gentlemen, the reason I stand before you bearing five stars instead of four on my shoulders is because we are at war. Every other day it seems we barely prevent a robotic massacre on the outskirts of some small village or barely destroy the last salvo of Eggman's missiles intent on reducing military and civilian targets to dust. Our robots have been infected with a virus and currently none of them are combat ready. This forces us to risk flesh and blood instead of aluminum and steel. The topping on this diarrhea dump of a sunday? A few of the robots at nearly every base… have gone missing. Eggman has our forces stretched thin. Very thin. This is why we must be vigilant, why we must hold ourselves to the highest of standards, moral or otherwise. We must ensure our own house is in order so nothing is distracting us or inhibiting us from our object of achieving complete and total victory over the enemy. An enemy who seeks nothing less than the end of the free world."

The Commander stopped pacing and stared at those before him who stood, still at attention, "At ease." Everyone put down their exhausted hands and stood at rest.

"In the next couple weeks many of you may come to personally despise me. That is acceptable. That is even preferable. What is not acceptable however, is that those we care about deeply should come to great harm because of our negligence, insufficient ability, or inaction. To illustrate a point I'd like to share with you all a personal story very few people know about. One that I trust will not leave this cafeteria. When I was a boy, my parents were renowned scientists working for G.U.N. on several top secret projects. One of the projects terrified the higher echelons of the Government and the Military. The Government ordered the project my family worked on to be shut down by G.U.N. and all traces of evidence destroyed. The base my parents were at was-"

The Commander swallowed tensely before he continued.

"-was eradicated. Now, I don't need to tell you what kind of Boy, what kind of Man grows up to lead the organization that killed his sister and parents. What I will say, was that some forty odd years later, it was discovered to my never ending regret and anger, that G.U.N. had been wrong in their understanding of the threat the projects posed. They were ignorant, negligent, fearful, and at the risk of sounding cliche, pure evil in their calculations. Calculations which led them to execute an entire division of researchers and scientists, including my sister and parents. With that said, I can swear to you the following. The organization that committed those atrocities... that version of G.U.N. will never be reborn so long as I am alive. We must work together to be a shield upon the world, with our sword ready to strike down any threat that comes over the horizon, lest we fail not just ourselves but the world and all those in it we seek to protect. How do we accomplish this, you may ask? We start with ourselves. We make ourselves the concrete ideal we wish to see born unto the world, in our morals, our conduct, our training, everything. All finely tuned to a single goal, a single purpose- to protect others from harm. My advice going forward? Those of you that receive it, pay the damn fine. All of you, get a good night's sleep, and be ready for what tomorrow will bring. Be ready to sweat blood. We cannot choose what world we live in, nor alter the hand we have been dealt, but we can do the next best thing. We can shape the world of tomorrow with the actions and choices we make today.

The Commander looked at Shadow and Tangle, "Shadow. Tangle. Follow me to my office. The rest of you... dismissed."

Tangle stared at pictures lined along the wall of the Commander's office, pictures of his wife and children before she asked, "Is… is what you said true, Sir?"

"Is what true?" The commander asked from behind his desk as he rummaged through a pile of paperwork.

"Was your family really…"

"They were. The lesson to learn here is that we must be very careful of those with power, lest it be used to bring harm and ruin upon the world. This is a lesson Shadow and I learned all too early and yet all too late. It is why I was determined to become the leader of G.U.N. to prevent tragedies like what Shadow and I went through from occurring again.

Tangle stared at the ground, her fists clenched and her tail tensed. Then Tangle turned to Shadow with a look of sorrow and confusion on her normally ecstatic face, "Shadow, what is he saying? You couldn't possibly have been there."

Shadow crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he leaned against the wall, collecting his thoughts before he answered, "I was. I saw Maria killed before my eyes. It's all a true story. In the end, I sorted out my issues and focused my anger and despair to a better cause by devoted myself to keeping the promise I made to Maria."

Tangle stared at the ground. "A promise? What was your promise?" A curious Tangle asked hesitantly.

Shadow opened his eyes and glared at Tangle."

Tangle put her hand behind her head and smiled, "Right, sorry. That was probably a little impolite of me seeing as we just met today." Tangle turned and looked at the pictures on the wall when she spotted something that returned her to her usual ecstatic self, "Oh my goodness, who is this little boy? He is so precious!"

The Commander looked at the wall of pictures, then let slip a smile, "Oh, him? That is my grandson. He is the jewel of the family."

Tangle's cheerful gaze faltered for a second then was quickly recovered, "He is so cute!" Tangle continued both unable to help herself and also to lighten the depressed atmosphere.

"Unfortunately, he is attending the Central City's Children's Hospital due to an illness. He is a strong kid. I'm sure he will come out of it stronger than ever. Adversity always focuses the mind and strengthens one's spirit… assuming it does not crush you. He's got some of his Grandfather in him. I'm sure he is going to pull through just fine."

Tangle's cheer further deflated at the news.

The Commander noticing this decided to change the conversation, "Let's get down to the matter at hand, shall we? Tangle, your willingness to assist us while voluntarily taking on risk yourself to remove a rogue element in our organization is commendable. As was your performance on the Space Colony Ark training courses so I hear."

Tangle grinned, put her hands on her hips, and puffed out her chest with pride, while pointing to herself with her thumb, "Thank you Sir, honestly, it was the coolest thing ever. If you need robots smashed or people saved I'm your girl."

"I'm glad to hear that. Shadow, what are your thoughts on Tangle joining Team Dark?"

Shadow thought for a moment before answering, "It has always been a Team of three, I'd like more time to assess her. Not just her abilities but her potential synergy with the Team. She has potential… I'll give her that."

The Commander leaned back in his leather chair and stroked his chin, "That is a reasonable request. It's settled then. Tangle, you are still on probation. Please continue to give us your best until we arrive at a final decision."

Tangle did a quick albeit slightly wrong salute, "Sir, yes sir!"

The Commander then leaned forward and interlocked his fingers together as he spoke, "Shadow. Tangle. Rouge. I am sending you three on a mission. We have received intel that Eggman has been mining in the mountains outside of our area of operations. Your mission is to head to the mountains and recon the area. Locate and make note of any entrances to underground facilities. This is a stealth mission. Only fight if you have no other option. You will be able to call in Close Air Support to clear a path for your evac should you require it."

The Commander then stared at Shadow, "I want all three of you back no later than twenty four hours. That is an order."

Shadow nodded, then asked, "Will we be striking directly against Eggman's Empire soon Commander?" Shadow asked.

"I'd like to say yes but with our robot army out of commission and election season quickly approaching, our deployments are being increasingly politicized. We cannot conduct any major offensive operations without approval from either Congress or the President. In other words, for the time being at least, our hands and tails are tied. We can only prepare and wait for an opportunity to present itself. I pray a tragedy does not force them to change their position on this issue."

The Commander paused for a moment before he continued, with a tone of faux sternness, "Now remember, you are not allowed to engage the enemy as this is a recon mission. Now, should you be forced to defend yourself, or happen to get lost and find yourself in an eggman base, it would be understandable if you used self defense given the unplanned and unforeseeable development to escape from danger and to preserve your lives. No one would question what you would have to do to survive against Eggman's forces. Whether that is destroying a robot or causing an unplanned detonation of an Eggman facility to… cover your escape. We, and I'm sure the press, would just be glad you are okay. So, be sure to stay out of harm's way and to not do anything too reckless. Is that clear, Shadow?"

Shadow simply grinned, bearing his twin fangs in devilish excitement, "Crystal clear Sir."

Tangle strained her brain, what the commander was saying was not making sense, it seemed contradictory- then it clicked, "Ohhhhh, I understand Command," Tangle said with an exchangerated wink. "Leave it to us. We won't-"

Rouge the bat fell from the ceiling landing next to Tangle, the latter of which nearly had a heart attack at the shock and surprise.

"-We won't let you down sir." Rouge said with a sassy salute.

Tangle after recovering from her shock looked to Rouge and said, "Where did you come from? I almost had a heart attack!"

Rouge grinned. "Tsk tsk, so much left to learn. Always check and be aware of your surroundings. Shadow and the Commander noticed me immediately. If you had too you wouldn't have been surprised. Well, that's fine. We can work on that."

Shadow turned his head to Tangle and said, "Rouge has a habit of dropping in dramatically, you learn to expect it-"

"-Enough," The Commander interrupted standing up from his chair, "The three of you. Prepare for deployment. Shadow. You're in charge. Show Tangle how it's done. Good luck."

Soon the three agents had arrived at the Armory to get prepared for their deployment. Shadow as he was about to retrieve his gear, turned to Tangle and asked, "Are you sure you don't want a gun? They're given away like candy here to any soldier who passes the safety and proficiency test."

Tangle stared at Shadow and was about to say no when she hesitated, "I'm good. My Tail and friendship are the only weapons I need."

Shadow, slightly irritated, continued his argument, "If you can manipulate objects with your tail with the equivalent precision of your hand you are giving up vast amounts of potential firepower that you could otherwise wield. Three guns. You could hold and utilize three guns in combat. I had such high hopes for you Tangle. Now look at you… no guns, no bulletproof vests, just... spandex."

Rouge sashayed over to the pair, "Give her a break Shadow. Not everyone is comfortable using a gun nor willing to take the time to be proficient with them. I don't use one."

"That's because your job is to infiltrate and remain undetected until your objective is complete." Shadow argued, "If you're using a gun, then you're in grave danger. I, on the other hand, I am the danger."

Tangle's mouth grinned as she stared at Shadow as he approached a wall that had his name emblazoned on a section of it above a scanner. "So. Cool." Tangle said out loud.

Shadow rolled his eyes at Tangle's remark, then scanned his biometrics and the wall parted to reveal Shadow's personal armory and an electronic keypad, as well as a second hidden compartment. Shadow took two pistols from the wall and loaded them with titanium tipped incendiary explosive rounds. After putting them in his holsters, Shadow entered a code on the touchscreen: M-A-R-I-A. The final compartment opened and Shadow retrieved the object held within… a single Chaos Emerald. Shadow expected Tangle's eyes to shine like stars when she beheld what Shadow retrieved. Instead when Shadow glanced at Tangle she was looking away from him and the Emerald he held.

"Are you sure you want to bring that with us? It's a risk." Rouge asked, with a hint of concern.

Shadow looked at Rouge who had her arms crossed in a judging manner, then to Tangle who was adjusting her sports tape on her outfit."Yes, I'm sure." Shadow said.

The Public Address System chimed then made an announcement, "Team Dark, report to the Deployment Zone. I repeat, Team Dark, report to the Deployment Zone."

"That's our cue." Rouge said as the trio walked to their destination. The three walked silently for several steps as Rouge glanced at Tangle with a curious expression, "So, Tangle. No offense, but you seem more like someone who'd tag along with Sonic rather than the Military. What made you want to join G.U.N. and begin a professional career if you don't mind me asking."

Tangle furrowed her brows then looked to the floor as she answered, "Well, back in Spiral Hill Village my best friend Jewel and I lived in our peaceful little town. I would run off on adventures and Jewel was always there to get me out of trouble. I would bring Jewel little treasures that I found on my adventures. Sometimes Jewel would join me on my journeys and we would come home with gemstones, historical artifacts, trinkets, things like that. Eventually we found enough neat stuff that Jewel was able to accomplish her dream of becoming a Curator of her own M-Museum."

Tangle was swallowing hard and was struggling to speak as she forced her lip to stop quivering.

Rouge looked at Tangle with saddened and solemn eyes, "Tangle, I didn't mean to dig, err, bring up any sensitive topics. You don't have to share anything if you don't want to."

Tangle wiped her face and cleared her throat, "No, it's fine. You all should know my real reason for joining."

The three continued their walk as Shadow and Rouge listened intently.

Tangle continued with her story, "One day I found the most beautiful Gem ever. Deep in the woods. I brought it back and showed it to Jewel. Turns out it was a Chaos Emerald."

"Really?" Rouge shouted in shock and surprise. Shadow glanced over at both of them before staring forward again.

"It was, Jewel recognized the Chaos Emerald immediately and wanted to get rid of it. She said the Emerald needed to be in a place more worthy of its history than her rustic museum. That really got me angry. I argued with her, as good friends do at times when they disagree over an important issue, and convinced her that none of that mattered. We found it and it was ours by right like all the other treasures we had found. It became the main showpiece or "pièce de résistance", as Jewel would say. Our small town got visitors from all over the world. Even G.U.N. wanted to take a closer look at the Chaos Emerald but Jewel's lawyers made sure they legally couldn't, and I was there at the Museum to make sure they didn't. Things were wonderful. I'd save the town from danger from this or that ruffian then chase down a group of kids that tried to make off with the Emerald to their parents house. Life became slow and predictable but we were happy. Then I came into the Museum late one evening to see Jewel after the Museum had closed…"

The three agents kept walking in silence as Tangle suddenly wiped her eyes and blew her nose into her tail. Rouge quietly and delicately asked, "What happened next sweetheart?"

"She had been murdered. The Chaos Emerald Stolen."

"Oh, Tangle. I'm so-"

"-It's fine. You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault. After she died I couldn't stay in Spiral Hill Village. The memories… it was all too painful. I wanted to fight against evil and if I'm honest, I was also out of a job and needed money. So I moved in with a friend into an apartment here at Central City and the rest is history."

Rouge stepped closer to Tangle and put a gentle hand on her back and looked at her, "Oh, Tangle dear. Did you find the one who-" Rouge looked at Tangle's eyes and immediately stopped speaking.

Tangle's magenta eyes were sharply focused at some distant and unforeseeable future ahead of her and looked as if they could conjure fire any second with their prevailing intensity alone.

"-No. We haven't yet. A friend and I tried to find the killer but our trail went cold. We'll find the killer someday... someday."

"If there is anything we can do to help… let us know." Shadow said soberly.

"Thank you Shadow. That means so much to me." Tangle said as she struggled to hold back tears, "Thank you."

"I mean it." Shadow said earnestly as he walked ahead of the trio.

The rest of the walk was in silence.