Chapter 48

Killer Instinct

FLASH! Shadow stepped out of the swirling void of light and onto a dark Westopolis rooftop. Sirens wailed beneath him, mixing with the frenetic bustle of the city. Shadow approached the edge and took in his surroundings. Neon signs displaying colorful advertisements lit up the sides of skyscrapers. Cars swelled the streets and shadowy figures darted through the alleyways. A faint stench of mildew, rain, and diesel wafted through the air.

Shadow directed his attention to the building across from him. The brick of the old apartment building was heavily faded and worn down. Every window was boarded up and stray flashes of light revealed tape with the words closed sprawled all over the walls. Shadow tapped the device he had stowed in his bracelet. "Metal, I'm in Westopolis, are you sure you have the right address? This place looks abandoned."

There was a faint silence followed by static. At last the cryptic voice of Metal Overlord answered. "It is the address the doctor had on file. He had it labeled as a hideout. It is probably only meant to look abandoned."

Shadow frowned. "She'd better be here. I'm sick of this game of hide and seek." He tapped the comm and ended the call. Shadow gripped the Chaos Emerald tightly in his hand and looked for an entry point in the boarded up building. He decided on the stairwell that wound up the side. Shadow leapt over the gap and landed softly on the stairs.

The heavily rusted steps groaned beneath his weight as Shadow ascended. He paused at every window and tried to see through the dirty panes of glass, but there were no lights on inside. Shadow frowned and with every step felt more and more certain he was wasting his time.

He had been on Rogue's trail for almost a week. Without a means of contacting her, and without an address he had not had much to go on. After a few fruitless days of warping around the planet, Shadow finally swallowed his pride and contacted Metal.

As Shadow had guessed, after Rouge had managed to conceal her true identity from Eggman at their first meeting, the Doctor had made a point of finding out all he could about her, including all her known aliases and addresses. Metal had relayed this information to Shadow who had warped from hideout to hideout only to find them all empty. Shadow assumed that Rouge had abandoned the hideouts after discovering that Eggman knew their location.

She's too careful for her own good. Shadow thought with increasing annoyance as he reached the top of the stairwell. The rooftop was just as dilapidated and empty as the rest of the building. There was no roof access door nor any sign that anyone had come up here in years. I guess I'll just have to break in and look inside.

Just as he was about to reserve himself for dust clogged hallways and mildew stained carpets, Shadow heard voices. Shadow crouched down and held his breath. Faint mutters were coming from just beyond the far edge of the roof. Shadow crept in their direction. At the edge, he looked down and saw a second stairwell. Figures veiled by the night were walking down the stairs. Some of them had stopped by a window they had just obviously broken open.

Shadow silently followed after them. He paused at every step so as not to alert the strangers. His instinct told him these were no burglars or squatters looking for a place to spend the night. Their movements were too deliberate, they were too quiet. One by one, the figures were fitting through the open window. The last one remained behind. Light from the street below flashed upward and Shadow caught the glimpse of a silenced rifle in the figure's hand.

Shadow stayed low to remain out of sight. His heart had skipped a beat upon seeing the gun. The gunman turned to the side to look out at the city. Shadow used that as his moment to strike. He rushed forward and before the figure could make a sound, Shadow's hand tightened around his throat. With a quick jerk, Shadow slammed the figure's head into the side of the building. Shadow felt the man's body go limp.

"What was that?" Shadow heard a voice ask from inside. Thinking quickly, Shadow leapt onto the frame of the window to hide himself. "Trey, what was that?" Footsteps approached the window. "Trey?"

Without even looking down, Shadow swung himself through the window. He collided into one figure, before quickly evading left. Shadow disappeared completely into the darkness of his surroundings. He heard the man pick himself off the ground and raise his gun. "Something is here!" He hissed.

More footsteps sounded from behind Shadow. Four more figures hurried towards the window. Shadow struck the last two from behind. "Hey!" BRRRT! Gunfire created flashes of yellow light that illuminated a furnished apartment for a brief second. Six armed soldiers in black armor had rushed into the living room.

"Hold your fire!"

"Urgh!" In the confusion, Shadow darted from foe to foe, striking them in the head and chest.

"Here!" Brrrrt! The sudden splashes of light only served to make the fighting even more confused.

"Behind you!"

"No!"

Shadow was a phantom in the night. His speed combined with his black fur made him almost impossible to see. In less than a minute all the soldiers were incapaciated. Most were left crumpled and unconscious on the floor, except for one who had tried to escape to another room. He had accidentally run into a door and hit his head.

Shadow put his hands on the walls and searched out like a blind man for a light switch. At last he found one and flicked it on. A lamp blazed to life in the corner of the room. It illuminated the apartment and the unconscious soldiers spread all around it. Bullet holes burned in the walls and several expensive looking nick nacks had fallen from their shelves to shatter on the floor.

It only took Shadow a few seconds to register that the hideout definitely belonged to Rouge. Frowning, he walked over to the still conscious soldier. Shadow kicked the man onto his back. "Who are you people?" He demanded.

The soldier did not answer. He whined and tried to remove the helmet covering his face. His impact with the door had dented the visor and was pinning it to his face. However, Shadow found his answer another way. He saw the "G" sigil on the man's belt. GUN? Shadow felt his blood run cold before boiling over with heat. His hands balled into fists. Why would GUN be after Rogue? Didn't she work for them?

Crack. Shadow heard movement from back towards the window. He looked in that direction but saw nothing. It had started to rain outside and he could see the drops lashing against the carpet through the still open window. Though he saw nothing, Shadow was not convinced. He felt a presence like an icy finger tracing down his spine.

Shadow looked around him. The room was cramped giving him very little room to move. Flash! The lights cut out. Shadow had less than a second to predict what his foe would do. Shadow ducked down. BANG! A bullet broke through the door behind him and blasted it off its hinges.

Someone in the darkness whistled. "Well, you are just as fast as they say." The voice had a southern drawl that Shadow did not recognize. Shadow closed his eyes and tried to picture the apartment. From where he was, there was only one place the shooter could go to make a second attempt. Shadow waited then sprung forward and rolled beneath the table in the middle of the living room. BANG!

The force of the bullet hitting the ground sent a shock wave throughout the entire apartment. Shadow felt his teeth rattle in his skull. Spurs rattled as heavy boots stomped on the ground. "You gonna run forever? So much for the Ultimate Life Form."

Shadow rolled out from beneath the table and sprang to his feet. He saw in slow motion the ignition of the round inside the chamber of the gun. Shadow turned his head just as the bullet came screaming past his face. The heat of the bullet scorched his cheek. "Got ya!" The light of the bullet revealed a purple wolfish figure holding a revolver. His hand was primed on the hammer and his smirk stretched from ear to ear. Shadow was exposed, but not defeated. "Chaos Control!"

Just as his foe started fanning the hammer of his gun and letting loose a rapid stream of bullets, Shadow vanished. He reappeared at his target's side. "Were it so easy." Shadow's hand shot forward and he snatched the gun out of the wolf's hand. He followed that up with a kick that sent him flying back into the kitchen counter. Shadow shot forward and spun the gun around to aim it at its owner. He slowly pulled back the hammer and smirked.

"Impressize," The wolf admitted. Blood trickled out of his mouth as he spoke.

"Who are you?"

"Name's Fang."

"Are you with GUN?"

Fang shrugged. "In a manner of speaking. They pay me, I spend their money."

"Why are you here?"

Fang cackled. "Isn't it obvious? I was meant to take down the bat. Apparently, she has gone rogue, so we were sent to bring her down. We didn't know she had a boyfriend to look after her." Shadow grimaced but that only made Fang laugh even harder. He wiped the blood from his mouth and gazed hungrily at Shadow. "The world's ultimate life form. I bet GUN would pay a pretty penny for you. The way I hear it, you have a bit of a history."

"Like you could ever bring me in," Shadow scoffed. "With toys like this." Shadow took the revolver and snapped it in half. He tossed the broken pieces aside. Fang's smile turned into a sneer of rage.

"Alive would pay better, but I know they won't mind if I bring you in cold."

"No more threats." Shadow snapped. "Why is GUN after Rouge? Why did she go rogue?"

Fang dropped his eyes and lowered his head. "I suppose you could say she got cold feet. She didn't have the nerve for what GUN had planned next."

"And what does GUN have planned exactly?"

Fang shook his head. "You should have kept the gun if you wanted to interrogate me."

"I don't need a gun to kill you."

Fang smiled wider than ever. "You can threaten well, but you should learn to pay better attention to your surroundings."

"To my what-"

Fang's eyes lit up. "BEAN now!"

BOOM! The floor beneath Shadow exploded. Debris and dust sprayed into Shadow's face. He fell through one story and then another. His Chaos Emerald slipped out of his hand. Shadow lunged for it but the ground reached up to meet him, driving all the air out of his lungs. His vision blurred and he could just make out the glint of the emerald just beyond his reach.

Every inch of his body throbbed as Shadow picked himself onto one knee. He was surrounded by darkness with the only light coming from the hole he had just fallen through. Shadow detected movement ahead of him. He readied to fight and groaned as he felt a flash of pain at his side. Shadow leaned onto his injured side and gritted his teeth.

"Did you like that?" A wheezy, mocking voice called from the shadows. "How about another?"

BANG! A flash of white light stung Shadow's eyes. His eardrums felt as if they had popped as a high pitched ringing sound consumed his every sense. Shadow staggered backward, losing all sense of direction. He collided with a wall and used it to steady himself. The cackling, high pitched laugh continued. Shadow could not see, nor hear, but he reached out with his other senses to feel.

Shadow ran up the wall and sprung into a backflip, leaping over his attacker. He shot forward and blindly slammed into something. "Gah!" Shadow wiped his eyes and opened them slowly. A green woodpecker was slumped against the wall. It wore a red bandana over its neck and a belt full of strange metal devices.

"More pests!" Shadow raged as he rushed forward to finish the job.

"Anytime now Bark!" The woodpecker wheezed.

SMASH! Something huge broke straight through the wall at Shadow's right. Before he could even attempt to dodge, Shadow was smothered by a great white mass. Powerful arms hoisted him into the air and then squeezed. Shadow gave out a squeak of pain that made the woodpecker fall over himself laughing.

"I got him!" Roared the bear. Shadow struggled but that only made the polar bear redouble his vice-like grip. Shadow felt his bones groan and felt that there were only moments away from snapping. Dots appeared in his eyes. Without relief, he would lose consciousness.

"That'll do Bark, no need to kill him." Fang had arrived. The Sniper had pulled out a second revolver and was spinning it on his finger. "He will be worth more to us alive. GUN will pay a fortune for him."

Bark slackened his grip and Shadow was able to swallow a mouthful of air. The bear repositioned Shadow and held his arms behind his back while driving his knees into the ground. Shadow struggled to catch his breath. Fang was smiling down at him, gun in one hand, Chaos Emerald in the other. "This is quite the toy you've got here." Fang said with a self serving smirk.

"Well done team," He added to his fellows. "I told y'all there was a chance he would come looking for her."

"That's why you're the boss, boss." Simpered the wheezy voiced woodpecker.

Fang spun his gun around a few more times before aiming it threateningly at Shadow. "If it makes any difference, you really did impress me. That doesn't happen very often. Unfortunately for you, it seems you don't have a friend in the world, but where are my manners?" Fang gestured to the woodpecker. "This here is Bean, we call him the Dynamite. You got a good taste of his expertise already. The one that nearly snapped you in two, is Bark the Polar Bear. And we…" Fang paused for dramatic emphasis. "Are the Hooligans, the best bounty hunting, treasure seeking mercenaries that money can buy."

"I don't care what your damn names are!" Shadow spat.

Fang evaded the projectile and smiled. "I suppose you never had time to learn your manners. You are the creation of a war criminal and evil mastermind after all."

"Why you-" Shadow's words died when Bark pulled back his arms so far backward he was forced to let out a gasp of pain.

Fang laughed. "Now Bean, why don't you plant one of your little explosives on our friend here. The motion activated one. We wouldn't want him to use that super speed of his, now would we?"

Bean drew a red disc from his belt. The woodpecker had a maniacal smile and all his feathers stood out at odd angles. He behaved as if he was always receiving an electric shock. Shadow made another attempt to free himself but Barks' grip was too tight. "This won't hurt too much, but try and escape and we will have trouble putting you back together again!" Bean told Shadow with a smile that suggested he would have enjoyed watching Shadow explode.

Clang! "Ow!" Bean dropped the disc and jumped backwards. All eyes turned to the ground where Shadow could see a kunai driven into the earth.

"Three on one, that isn't a very fair fight." Rouge's voice drifted through the room. The Hooligans all turned in different directions trying to identify the source.

Fang's smile was gone now. He stepped towards Shadow and placed the barrel of his gun right in front of his face. "Come out and show yourself or I'll split your friend's head open."

"Friend?" Answered Rouge. "I'll believe that, when he says it himself." She chuckled and her laughter only seemed to make the Hooligans more tense.

Fang pulled back the hammer of his revolver. "I don't make idle threats."

"I know." Espio materialized right beside Fang. Slash! Espio's kunai cut the air and Fang dropped his gun with a howl of pain.

"Boss!" Shadow was lifted up as Bark moved to attack Espio. That left him wide open for Rouge. She came flying down from the rafters, and drove her boot right into Bark's neck. He cried out and dropped Shadow.

Shadow rolled to his feet. Fang and Bark had already recovered and were in the midst of intense counterattacks. Bark snatched Rouge by the leg and slammed her hard into a wall. Fang had pulled out a third gun and was firing madly. Shadow ducked down and pelted straight at Bean. In the confusion, Bean had taken out a bomb but look confused as to what to do with it. Shadow ended his doubt by landing a kick right in the soft spot beneath his chin. Bean went soaring upward and landed with a dull thud several feet away.

"YOU'll DIE FOR WHAT YOU DID!" Espio was charging Fang. The Sniper was fanning the hammer of his gun but Espio sidestepped and countered with a barrage of ninja stars.

When Fang shot at them they exploded into puffs of smoke that covered the two fighters. Shadow ignored them and raced to help Rouge. Bark was smashing his fists into everything, breaking through walls with every strike. Rouge was narrowly avoiding him, slipping out of his range and responding with swift kicks to the chest.

"Just go down already!" She yelled in frustration.

Bark answered with a snarl and attempted to dive on Rouge and crush her flat. Shadow revved up into a spin dash and met Bark in the air. He managed to push the bear backward and slam him against a wall, breaking it and burying Bark in debris. "Now!" But Shadow did not need Rouge to tell him. They both rushed forward and simultaneously attacked him. Rouge hit him in the face while Shadow drove down onto the bear's immense stomach. Bark gasped, made an effort to pick himself up and then fell backward with a groan.

Shadow and Rouge left him to see what had become of Fang and Espio. They found them at the far end of the room. Espio had Fang pinned to the wall with a kunai resting against the skin of his neck. "This is for Charmy," Espio whispered. The chameleon was shaking with rage.

Fang did not struggle. He was bleeding from cuts all over his face. "I did what I was paid to do. I'm not different from you."

"I'm no murderer!"

"Are you not? Then let me go."

Shadow paused on his way over and collected the fallen and disregarded Chaos Emerald. Rouge had put a hand to her mouth and was watching the exchange with Fang and Espio with a petrified expression. "Just kill him and be done with it." Shadow said with a groan. His head was aching and the pain in his side was making it hard for Shadow to stand up straight.

Espio, however, was frozen stiff. "You…you deserve it…Charmy….he didn't do anything wrong."

"Nothing wrong?" Laughed Fang. "Don't tell me you're so naive. There are no innocents."

"I…"

Shadow could see the indecision in Espio's eyes. He knew the moment to strike had already passed. Despite his bravado and ninja skill, Espio did not have a killer's instinct. Rouge hurried forward and put a hand on Espio's shoulder. "We can take him in. We can use his testimony as evidence against GUN."

"I'll never talk," Fang growled.

"Won't you?" Rouge asked, her hand on her hip. "Why so loyal? Aren't you just a hired gun?"

"I won't talk, because GUN will kill me if I do. Besides, who is there to talk to? GUN is the authority and the law in case your too stupid to realize that."

"I'll make you talk!" Espio threatened. He drove the edge of kunai deeper into Fang's fur. However, this only made the Sniper laugh even more.

"Do you honestly think I would cross GUN for the likes of you? You won't do anything to me, because you haven't the guts. Commander Smith, on the other hand, would never stop hunting me. She knows," Fang added, gesturing to Rouge. "She knows how he is. She will never be safe again."

"And what about me?" Shadow stepped forward. His expression was set and grim. He glared deep into Fang's eyes. "You think you could keep your secrets from me? You think I give a damn about getting my hands dirty?"

Fang's confidence fractured. He looked to Espio and Rouge for support. "I won't…you…you wouldn't dare-"

"What wouldn't I dare? Like you said, I have a history with GUN. You work for them so my bad blood runs over to you. I would love to take out some of my frustration." Fang gulped. He looked afraid now, and Shadow knew that he had him.

"STAND BACK!" They all flipped around. Bean was back on his feet, a huge bomb ready in his hand. "Let him go, or I blow this whole building to kingdom come."

"Hah!" Fang chortled. "I knew you'd come through Bean."

"You wouldn't dare," Shadow fired back. "Drop that bomb and you will all die to."

"Will we?" Bean answered. The smile on his face was completely deranged. "Give me the word boss."

Fang turned to Shadow. "Well, I'm sorry we won't be able to bring you back alive. But we can swing back later and pick up your corpses."

"No!" Before Shadow could stop him, Espio released Fang and threw his knife at Bean. Several things happened at once. Now free to move, Fang pressed something on his arm. Espio's knife spun through the air and Bean threw his bomb directly at it. The knife struck the bomb. Light sparkled at the impact and time seemed to stop. Flashing pink lights appeared around all the Hooligans. Shadow understood just in time that they had been transported away. Seizing Rouge and jumping towards Espio, Shadow grabbed the chameleon just as the explosion started to expand. "CHAOS CONTROL!"