Chapter 14

"So that's where you've been all this time?" Rouge leaned casually against the tree inspecting her nails. "And to think we all were lamenting your loss as if you were some kind of martyr. Sonic gave a good speech, I'm sure you would have loved it."

Shadow folded his arms. "I've told you my story, now tell me yours. What are you doing here, are you still working with the doctor?"

"I never worked with Eggman," Rouge clarified. "Don't you remember? I was a GUN agent the entire time."

"That didn't stop you from helping us blow up the moon."

"Half the moon. A good agent knows when to hold their cover. Believe me if Eggman had ever tried to actually fire that Eclipse Cannon at the earth I would have stopped him."

"And how would you have stopped me?"

Rouge batted her eyes. "I wouldn't have needed to. I sized you up pretty quickly. You like to play the mysterious rogue but that's all for show."

Shadow wanted to frown but somehow felt that would only confirm her slander. "So why are you after Eggman then?"

"The good doctor's gone missing," Rouge explained with a lazy wave. "GUN operatives are concerned he is working on another superweapon so I'm here to scope him out. Bigwigs say they've detected unusual activity around the base. And you're here," Rouge continued, stepping away from the tree and uncomfortably close to Shadow, "To see if Eggman knows anything about your mysterious savior, the Realm Lord?"

Shadow retreated from Rouge. He did not like the way she was looking at him. "Yes."

"Well it looks like we are a team again," Rouge announced cheerfully. "Should be quite the party."

"Party?"

"O didn't I tell you? I am meeting friends here. My bosses felt that this mission is so important that I just couldn't go alone." The bat's tone was dripped in sarcasm.

Shadow smirked. "Are you getting in over your head?"

"Never," Rouge snapped. "I can handle this all by myself. The rest of you will probably get in my way." Despite her protests and her front of annoyance, Shadow noticed Rouge stealing glances at him as they made their way into the heart of the Mystic Ruins.

For about an hour they walked in silence. Rouge continuously consulted a tablet device which displayed a map of the jungle. "I am grateful," Rouge confessed, her usual air of indifference suddenly swept aside. "When you saved everyone's lives, that included my own. That's twice now."

"Don't mention it."

Rouge stopped. "You know this is your second chance?" Shadow turned to face her. He did not appreciate the knowing stare in her eyes. "I saw how Maria's memory hung over you. You did what you thought she wanted right up to the end. It was the same with the professor. Everything we did at the Ark, it was all about your attachment to the past."

"What's your point?" Shadow insisted.

His temper didn't shake Rouge. "Don't let this Realm Lord get into your head. Did you ever consider just taking your second chance and just walking away?"

Shadow hesitated. Of course he had, but he did not know how he could explain that to Rouge. It was not idle curiosity that drove Shadow forward. The true nature of his motivation was something he could hardly admit to himself. His fear shamed him, and shame made him frustrated and angry.

"O what am I saying?" Rouge said, waving aside her temporary vulnerability and smiling branzely at Shadow. "I suppose it's just your nature to seek after anyone you think is more powerful than yourself. It's all ego, in the end, everything boils down to ego." She hurried forward, apparently no longer interested in Shadow as her eyes drifted to consult her device. After composing himself, Shadow followed after.

Only a few minutes later, Rouge's device chimed. "The people I'm meeting are close."

"Why don't we just slip past them?" Shadow suggested. "We don't need a bunch of GUN agents getting in our way."

"They aren't GUN. They are a private contract, some kind of agency called the Chaotix."

"Still, I don't want to start a fire fight, I just want to talk to the doctor."

"And if he is building some kind of superweapon?" Rouge prompted.

"What's that got to do with me?"

His genuine perplexity made Rouge's frown turn into an indulgent smile. "Don't tell me you're that naive? Do you think if you show up at the front door Eggman will just let you in for tea?"

"Why not? There is no conflict between us. It's Sonic he hates."

"He hates everything," Rouge corrected. "Eggman will expect you've returned to serve him again. I assume that isn't part of your plan?"

"I'm done serving anyone."

This response seemed to amuse Rouge. "Well in that case, I suggest you follow my lead from now on. I'll make sure you get your audience with the doctor but let's just make sure it's on our terms and not his." Before Shadow could respond, Rouge's device rang. She stopped and looked down. "It looks like they are over here."

"This is a waste of time." Shadow protested.

"Come on, let's at least see who they are." Rouge took Shadow by the arm. He recoiled but did not pull himself free. "You've got a new lease on life, try not to kill it by being so sour." Rouge led Shadow off the path and through the bramble between the trees. Moments later, they stepped into a sudden clearing.

Chaotix were definitely not GUN agents. A bee wearing a vest, helmet and goggles hovered over a heavy terminal complete with a display and a miniature satellite. Beside the bee loomed a large crocodile who bopped his head to music playing from the headphones over his ears. Neither seemed to notice Shadow and Rouge as they approached. "Not very sensitive to their surroundings are they?" Rouge whispered.

Shadow got the distinct impression that they were dealing with complete amateurs. "Pathetic, we could take them down right now and they wouldn't notice."

"Were it so easy." Cold steel pressed into Shadow's neck. The blank space beside him shifted into the shape of a purple chameleon, its kunai threatening to slit Shadow's throat. Instantly, the bee and crocodile gave up the charade and came charging over to them. Before Rouge could so much as blink, a dozen bee shaped robots took to the air and encircled them.

"Vector came up with this plan about five seconds after Charmy's drones picked you up," The chameleon informed Shadow. His tone and glare were icy and implacable. "Never underestimate the Chaotix."

"Woah ease up their Espio," The crocodile said. He had a much friendlier voice with a strong city accent. "I think our friend here gets the point." The crocodile met Shadow's gaze and smiled, flashing a few golden teeth among the myriad of razor sharp white ones. At once, Espio removed his kunai away from Shadow.

"Sorry about that, friends. My boy here can get a little carried away. He was supposed to just come out and say hello. But orders can get a little lost in translation sometimes. Well no harm no foul as they say. I'm Vector, nice to meet you." Vector held out a heavy hand, and Rouge accepted it cautiously. Instead of squishing it, Vector held it softly before kneeling and kissing her on the palm. "A pleasure madam."

Rouge pulled her hand back, looking more surprised than offended. The bee hovered over all of them and waved with two hands. "I'm Charmy, nice to meet ya!"

Shadow kept his eyes on Espio. The chameleon danced his blade on his fingers and did not seem to blink. "So you're the ultimate life form? I guess it's just an empty title afterall."

Shadow's fist reared back but Rouge caught him around the would have broken the bat's grip, but Vector leapt between him and his target, shielding Espio with his bulk. "Woah, woah, fellas take it easy. Stand down Espio."

The chameleon spun his kunai and it vanished out of sight. Shadow collected himself and Rouge let him go. "Listen we all got a job to do so let's just play nice for now." Vector pointed at Shadow. "We heard that you need to speak with the doctor, but we haven't been able to confirm whether or not he's at the base."

Charmy flew to the ground and was quickly swarmed by his bee drones. "I sent them to scout out the entrance but we've run into a small problem."

"A big problem really," Vector admitted. "Sonic."

"Sonic!" Shadow exclaimed, the name driving out his anger towards Espio.

"The blue blur himself. I don't know why but he seems to be guarding the entrance."

"Sonic working with Dr. Eggman?" Rouge asked incredulously. "Some detectives you are."

"Take a look for yourself," Vector offered, motioning to the terminal Charmy had been working at. Shadow and Rouge walked over and Charmy pressed at some keys to turn on the display.

"This is footage we got almost an hour ago," Charmy explained. The monitor showed the heads up footage from one of the bee drones. It hovered with a swarm of a dozen others over the tops of the trees and neared a flashing set of neon lights. Eggman's base was built within a deep ravine somewhere in the jungle. The bee's camera was only able to capture a glimpse of it, but enough to tell Shadow it was quite expansive. The bee drones approached a heavy iron door that led into the mouth of base. There was a flash of blue and the camera jolted trying to capture the movement.

A nearby bee exploded and when the camera moved all it managed to display was another blue blur. This happened again and again until finally only one bee remained. It turned to see a silhouette of a blue hedgehog rising from smoke charred ruins of one the bee drones. Then there was another flash of blue and static.

"That was Sonic?" Rouge asked.

"Do you know another blue hedgehog that can move like that?" Vector fired back.

"We may have to take him down," Espio suggested, drawing a set of ninja stars out of thin air. "I've always wanted to see what he was really made of."

"I don't want to fight Sonic!" Charmy protested violently. "He's a hero! Surely this is just a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding or not. He's in our way." Rouge slammed her boot down and somehow the dynamic shifted. Now everyone was looking to her as the leader. "Here's what we are going to do. Shadow is going to head straight for the front door. If it really is Sonic, then I bet he will try to talk to him. While he distracts Sonic, me and the invisible man over here will sneak into the base."

"And what about me and Vector?" Charmy asked, pointing at himself and looking eager for a mission objective.

"You two have to be ready to help us escape."

Vector scratched his head and looked slightly abashed. "Well uh…miss…you know I'm the one who usually gives the orders."

"Not anymore," Rouge returned with a tone that offered no argument.

Shadow didn't care one way or another. His thoughts had turned to Sonic. Why would he be here? Though it did not pertain to his mission to discover the identity of the Realm Lord, Shadow could not deny a part of him wanted to even the score with his blue rival.

The newly formed team left the clearing and followed Charmy's directions to the entrance of Eggman's base. "It's not just Sonic that's the problem," Vector informed them as they went. "We've been picking up all kinds of strange noises and interference. Our drones can't find the source, but it almost seems as if there is some kind of battle going on inside the base."

"Perhaps the doctor is running some battle simulations?" Shadow suggested. He had been walking beside Espio but when he turned the chameleon had disappeared. That's getting annoying.

"Just be on guard," Rouge commanded from the front of the line.

Shadow felt the ground start to slant and minutes later they reached the edge of the tree line. Though he had seen much in his life, even Shadow was momentarily stunned by the size of the ravine. It stretched nearly beyond his sight and was deep enough for Eggman's entire neon city-like base to hide out of sight. At the top of the ravine was a metal door that led to a blue shoot racing down into the base proper.

They could see nothing at the entrance except the broken parts of Charmy's drones. "Urgh! I spent like two weeks making those," He complained.

"Never mind that, they did their job, now it's time for us to do ours," Vector assured his ally.

"Okay, Shadow, you go to the door and see what happens. If Sonic really is here, he should come out, if not, try requesting an audience with Eggman. Meanwhile, I will take Espio and fly down into the base." Shadow did not wait for Rouge to finish. He broke cover and walked casually towards the metal door.

When he was five feet away an alarm blared and the door opened with hiss. Shadow readied himself to face a wave of Eggman's pawns but instead he was met by a long tunnel of darkness. Something vague and blue was walking towards him. The figure stopped before Shadow could see it clearly, but there was no mistaking the blue spikes. "Hey Shadow, long time no see!" Sonic's carefree, slightly vexing voice echoed out of the tunnel.

Shadow took a step closer to the door. Sonic's silhouette was clear in the gloom, but Shadow could not see his eyes. Sonic turned and waved Shadow forward. "Are you here to see Eggman? He's in here. Race you there if you're up for a little friendly competition?" Without waiting, Sonic shot forward out of sight. Only his voice trailed back. "Last one there is a rotten eggman!"

Groaning with annoyance, Shadow raced forward. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the metal door slammed shut behind him. Shadow didn't notice. He was too focused on catching Sonic to realize he was running straight into darkness and the unknown.

AN: sonic_therealmlord