Chapter Three: Now I Need Your Hand

Aboard a G.U.N. Helicoptor, En Route to Angel Island

—-lllll-

Despite the headphones that muted the sound of the chopper (as well as allowed her to hear the others easily), Rouge disliked the sensory overload the roar of the propellers caused her sensitive ears. Still, she'd learned to tune it out for the most part over her many missions, she just preferred flying on her own. Walking over to where Omega stood, she tuned her headset into her communicator to make a call.

"Is your echidna mate's presence necessary? Team Dark is not taking applicants, and I believe our efficiency shall be sufficient to find Shadow," Omega asked.

"Don't call him 'mate', that's so crass!" Rouge scoffed indignantly, sticking her tongue out in exaggerated disgust. "And yes, Knuckles is a great hunter! You're probably right; we probably could find Shadow on our own, but I don't want to take any chances. The more help we have, the more ground we can cover. Knuckles is someone we can trust. That good enough?"

"It is sufficient," Omega replied with a light shrug.

"Hey Rouge! You free already?" Knuckles' voice crackled through Rouge's headphones.

"Hi sugar! No, not exactly, but if you're feeling up to it, you can help me on my mission!" Rouge replied, her whole demeanor perking up at his voice.

"For G.U.N.? Uh, yeah, of course… what kind of mission?" Knuckles asked. As slow as he could be to catch on, even Knuckles knew that Rouge's call meant things weren't as casual as they seemed. Even though they often went treasure hunting together, she didn't always bring him along on her G.U.N. missions.

"I'll tell you more once I get there… it's kind of a big deal, I'd rather tell you in person," the ivory huntress said a bit lowly. Knuckles barely understood her over the background noise of the chopper. "See you at Angel Island in, say, ten minutes?"

"Yeah, sure thing Rouge… are you okay?" Knuckles asked, again feeling Rouge's shift in tone. Subtle as it was for her to drop her masterful facade, it was also quite rare, so Knuckles picked up on it sometimes.

"I'm fine, it's just… a lot right now. Like I said I'll tell you more when I get there," the bat answered truthfully.

"Okay Rouge, see you in a sec. Be careful!" he told her.

"You too Red! I'll try not to keep you waiting too long!" Rouge signed off with a "Smooch!" sound loud enough for Knuckles to hear.

"Please do not engage in kissing in my presence," Omega said dryly once the call had ended. "I do not understand why organics partake in the contact of your lips, covered in mu-"

"Ugh, Omega, give it a rest!" Rouge sighed, but couldn't help but chuckle. "You'll never get a girlfriend with that attitude!" she teased.

"That is not a priority. Not even remotely. Not by any account," the rogue mech said with a single shake of his head.

—-llll-

Later, Angel Island

Knuckles stood out in a clearing a ways from the altar of the Master Emerald, frowning. Whenever G.U.N. did allow him to help Rouge on her missions or even know anything, this is usually where they'd pick him up. Tapping his foot as he waited, the troubled echidna reflected on everything G.U.N. had put Rouge up to while they'd been together. After the hedgehog-hunt for Sonic that Eggman had framed him for (using Shadow's likeness), Knuckles had been wary of G.U.N., but there had been so much he'd been forced to stay in the dark about.

He didn't like it; he'd been deceived many times before, and they were forcing Rouge, his girlfriend, to keep who-knows-how many secrets from him. Why? Hadn't Knuckles proven himself trustworthy for all the times he and Sonic had helped to save the world? He knew Rouge had been secretive well before they started dating, and back then he had just taken it in stride as a no-good thief. But now that they were dating, it felt personal. It had taken a good while, both before and after dating, until they'd been able to build the trust they had.

Was G.U.N. going to compromise that? Knuckles couldn't help but wonder; what things were so bad that they had to make sure Rouge never told him?

He shook his head; he was being paranoid, he knew that. The huntress and he had had several "discussions" with Rouge assuring him she'd never keep anything to herself that would hurt him. So far, it had been great being with Rouge; she was gorgeous, a great hunter to go exploring with, fun to be around, and Knuckles admired her strength and drive, both in battle and in general. He had to trust her.

If she needed his help with a mission, he was going to be there for her; Knuckles was nothing if not dependable.

Finally seeing a light and hearing the puttering of a chopper, the echidna peered up to see Rouge and Omega arriving on their transport. Once the helicopter landed, the ivory bat leapt down and jogged towards Knuckles, giving him one of her signature adoring smiles. Despite his anxieties, he caught her smile and waved at her.

"Helloooo! Glad I didn't have to wait too long to see you again," Rouge laughed, winking. Knuckles nodded, still smiling as he leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.

"Good to see you too Rouge," he replied, but his smile wavered a little. "So… you gonna tell me what's going on?"

"Of course. It's kind of a long story, but basically…" Rouge took a deep breath; she was still trying to process the news herself. "G.U.N. might have a lead on where Shadow is, and they need him for a mission. So they want me and Omega to find him, and they said I could bring in help, so I picked you." She smiled innocently, albeit sheepishly at him.

"Shadow?!" Knuckles replied with shock. "Nobody's seen or heard from him in months! They really found him?"

"Well no, just a lead. They figured… Shadow would be easier to find with Omega and I," Rouge said with a shrug. "But we have a lot of ground to cover. I figured my big, handsome echidna would be up to help his poor girl out?" She winked again and smirked with a seductive, half-lidded eyed expression. It quickly vanished when she saw Knuckles was frowning, however.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know about this Rouge…" he said with a heavy sigh. "I don't really trust-"

"Come on, is this about G.U.N. again?!" Rouge cut in with a sigh. "It's more than that, it's about Shadow!"

"Exactly! Let me finish!" he replied firmly. "I don't trust that guy, Rouge! He's shady as hell, he acts like he hates everyone, he's beaten Sonic and I around more than once, I'm never sure who's side he's on-!"

"Maybe if you weren't so thick-headed you'd see he's on our side!" Rouge snapped back, folding her arms and frowning. "He worked with Eggman before sure, and believe me, I know you're right about how he acts! But he's helped us so many times! Plus he's been my friend for a long time!"

"Don't call me thick-headed!" Knuckles snapped back, making a fist as he looked at the ground. "Come on, everyone's giving me grief like that!"

"I know… you're right, I'm sorry…" Rouge replied softly, her ears drooping. "It's just… Shadow's a sensitive subject."

"Yeah, exactly Rouge! Shadow upsets you, he's never around and he's got you worried sick over him!" he said back, his stance softening in concern. "I hate to see you get upset…"

"I know. But there are things I need to say to him, to finally clear the air, or at least try to," she said, relaxing her arms as she looked Knuckles straight in the eyes. "Even when I was pretending to help him back on Prison Island, he saved my life. I've saved his, and he's saved mine more times than I can count. We've been through a lot, and I… I trust him. Maybe not to stick around, but I do with pretty much everything else." She shook her head and chuckled.

"Maybe this makes me sound stupid, but Shadow's not always an angsty ass. I've seen him… lighten up, here and there. It's subtle, but you spend enough time around him, and you can tell when he's opening up." Rouge put a hand on Knuckles' shoulder, and his eyes widened when we realized how zeroed-in she was.

"I owe him this Knuckles, and besides, other people need his help right now too," she said, still gently but firmly. "He may not have a clean slate but neither do I. I said some things… I'd like to make right too. Please Red… this is important."

It was impossible to ignore the sincerity in Rouge's voice. Honestly, it shook Knuckles a little to see how serious she was about this. He knew that she and Shadow had been close as a team but…

"Okay… no problem, Rouge," Knuckles said after a moment, smiling as he gave her hand on his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'll help. I just need to call Sonic or someone to guard the Emerald while I'm gone."

"There's a radio we can use on the chopper!" Rouge chirped, her mood immediately soaring once Knuckles finally relented. "Let's go! I'll tell you more about it on the way!" Shrugging, he followed after her. It was always impossible to deter Rouge when she got this excited.

—-lllll-

A couple hours after departing Angel Island, airspace above Soleanna

After making a few calls, Knuckles had gotten Sonic and Tails to agree to spend a night or two on Angel Island to keep an eye on the Master Emerald for him. Rouge had quickly filled her boyfriend in on the finer details of their destinations during the trip. Unfortunately this left Knuckles with less distraction from Omega's piercing-red glare for the duration of the ride; the mech clearly did not care for having another organic on board that wasn't Team Dark. It was equally clear that it was only at Rouge's behest that the deadly badnik didn't say or do anything beyond the glaring.

"So we really got a whole country to search, eh?" Knuckles said just to break the tension. "I guess it's lucky for them we're all the best at covering so much land so quickly. Y'know, maybe we should've brought Sonic along? He's the only one who really has a chance to outrun Shadow."

"I thought about it, but I figured Shadow wouldn't stick around if he saw Sonic of all people heading towards him," Rouge replied, leaning against the wall of the chopper. She appeared casual, but she was too antsy about the idea of seeing Shadow again to sit still. "Our best chance would probably be to head him off or get the drop on him, and hope he doesn't take off right away. I figured if you found him, he'd be more likely to stick around than with Sonic. I mean, you fought alongside him once, right?"

"Yeah, at Glyphic Canyon… not too long before he started working for the Black Arms for awhile…" Knuckles said with a frown.

"I detect a shift in tone," Omega spoke with deliberate derision. "Elaborate?" The echidna glanced over at him but Rouge waved it off.

"C'mon, the three of us got this! Like you said Red, we're all used to covering a lot of terrain in a short time!" the bat said, putting a hand on both Omega and Knuckles' shoulders. "Besides… I have a good idea where to start."

"Where's that?" Knuckles asked, leaning his head back into his palms.

"Well…" Rouge frowned slightly, her brow furrowing in thought. "It's hard to explain, but… I have a feeling. About White Acropolis. It's weird, because Shadow and I have never been on a mission there. But for some reason… I don't know, it just gave me a weird feeling of deja vu."

"You know, now that you mention it… Soleanna does seem familiar, but I've never been. I've only ever heard of some of the jungle ruins you showed me of this place," Knuckles replied, scratching his head.

"Perhaps your organic minds are eroding, causing memory failure. Suggestion: upgrade with cybernetics to counteract inefficiency," Omega piped in.

"Anyway, I figured I'd look in White Acropolis first," Rouge continued, giving her blunt teammate a quick glare. "You two should still search the other regions while I check, to be sure. I can usually trust my gut but we can't take any chances either."

"Alright Rouge… you can count on me!" the echidna assured her, and put an arm on her shoulder. "Bet I'll find him before you can even land!"

"Well, that's why I brought you along, not just for your good looks," the white bat teased with a chuckle, and gave Knuckles a quick peck on the lips. Omega blinked but said nothing, turning instead to face out a window. Perhaps he was considering jumping out early.

Soon after, they arrived by the shores of Soleanna. Omega decided to stop here and search along the coastline.

"So just to be clear, whoever finds Shadow first radios the others as soon as they know he's not going to take off again, right?" Rouge checked with Omega.

"Correct. When I find Shadow I shall notify you of my success," the renegade robot replied with confidence as he opened the hatch. The ivory bat chuckled at her friend's gusto.

"Be careful Omega, and good luck! Use that charisma that only you and Shadow understand to win him back over!" Rouge joked.

"Charisma? There is nothing as charming as a well-placed attack that achieves victory," Omega retorted as he prepared to jump out of the chopper. "I shall discuss such things with Shadow, and if he attempts to flee I will restrain him forcefully if need be."

"Yep, that kind of charisma!" she replied with a small laugh and a wink. With that, Omega leapt out, using the thrusters on his back and feet to safely slow his descent until he landed along the beach.

A while later, they arrived at the Dusty Desert region, where Knuckles would begin his search. He and Rouge exchanged another kiss for good luck.

"Thanks for doing this Knux… I really appreciate this," Rouge said gently.

"Hey, no problem! Anything for my girl," Knuckles replied with a firm smile and nod. "Don't worry, we'll have Shadow back before you know it!" Then the echidna leapt out and began gliding towards some ruins to begin his part of the search. Now that she had the back of the helicopter to herself, Rouge sighed heavily. She still wasn't sure what to say to Shadow when she finally saw him again…

"First things first," the spy muttered to herself. "Gotta find him first." She went over to the supplies G.U.N. had provided for the mission, and found a custom-tailored sort of jumpsuit designed for serious cold. It was similar to her outfit when she, Shadow and Omega had first become a team, but warmer, less revealing and completely white, matching the fur of her head. It also had some built-in equipment made to make traversing snow and ice easier if need be.

Finally, the chopper arrived over the snowy peaks and valleys of White Acropolis. Rouge had finished changing by now, sliding a pair of night-vision-tinted snow goggles on as she stepped out to the chopper.

"Tell Abe when I find Shadow, I'd like my bonus in sapphires this time, thank you very much!" Rouge said to the pilots, and with a wave, elegantly fell backwards out of the helicopter. After a moment, she spread her wings and expertly maneuvered herself to ride the wind for awhile, and then flew down towards the white landscape.

Now the next big question; where to start?

Lucky for Rouge, her years of honing her hunting skills had paid off in superhuman ways. When hunting for pieces of the Master Emerald, she had developed a sort of sixth-sense for the energy they put out. After acquiring the Chaos Emeralds time and time again, she had developed a similar sense for them. Then, when they'd been separated by the Time Eater, Rouge had actually been able to use the same sense on Shadow, most likely due to the Chaos Energy that ran through his blood. It hadn't worked until she'd been within about fifty, maybe sixty meters of the dark hedgehog, but it had still saved her a lot of time.

When hunting anything, Rouge had to know where to look. With treasures, hidden switches, trapdoors, fake walls, all sorts of things could be the right place to look. When looking for a person, you had to think like them; where would they go, what would they be doing?

The huntress had concluded; if Shadow was doing anything here, he was probably looking for Dr. Eggman or someone else to pick a fight with. So she brought a small radar with a search radius greater than two kilometers, capable of honing in on many different kinds of energy. Rouge had used similar devices on other missions for G.U.N., and only on very rare occasions did her target have a means of thwarting it. It had a hard time distinguishing Chaos Energy from other kinds of radiation, but her own senses would take care of that. Between her ability to fly at high altitudes and the range of her radar, she should be able to find a good lead fairly quickly… if there was one.

Rouge sighed to herself as she began her search. Should she try a stealthy approach? Would Shadow try to split when he saw her, like she'd mentioned he might upon seeing Sonic? She felt confident in saying Shadow had been an ass that day, but she also felt she should've handled it better. Rouge shouldn't have made any kind of jealous jab about Maria, not pushed him so much to talk if he wasn't ready… They both owed each other an apology, didn't they?

"Focus," Rouge shook herself out of her stupor. She tried to keep what Omega said in mind: just find him and make sure he's okay first. The snowy-white bat continued her search, keeping a sharp eye on both the landscape and the radar she held. Occasionally flying at a lower altitude to stay beneath any clouds that might obscure her vision, she never dropped her focus; she was a professional huntress, after all. Nobody, not even the Ultimate Life-Form was going to elude her forever.

—-lllll-

Over Fifty Years ago, Space Colony ARK

"Are… you sure this is a good idea, Maria?"

"Nope! But that's not the point, Shadow!," Maria giggled. "It's good to live a little every once in a while, even if there are risks. Besides, you need to learn how to use your new skates!"

Shadow again looked down at his newly-built skates, powered by small jets, with uncertainty. It had been Maria's idea when Professor Gerald was thinking of ways to increase Shadow's mobility, speed and stamina; rocket-roller blades! As silly as it may have sounded, Gerald had made Maria's idea a reality.

Even though the "official" testing was slated for tomorrow, neither Shadow nor Maria liked the idea of the first trial being in front of all the other researchers. While Gerald treated the hedgehog he'd created not so differently from how he treated Maria, the other scientists were hit or miss on their attitudes towards him. Some were kind, some indifferent, others looked upon him with thinly-veiled disdain or disgust. Or fear.

When Maria had come to Shadow with the idea of trying them out early, it was clear to him that the young girl wanted to pull a fast one on the researchers and show them how incredible Shadow really was. Obviously, she knew he'd be more comfortable trying them out with just her around, which was why he'd ultimately agreed.

Still, the usually-sweet demeanor of Maria's had flickered to show a fierce determination; she wanted something for Shadow to have to rub in the faces of the less-than-kind scientists. Despite everything, she managed to be so full of life…

It didn't change Shadow's perception that this seemed to be a silly idea: Maria had put on a pair of roller blades brought up from Earth, and had found a harness to attach a rope to the Ultimate Life-Form. He couldn't see how Maria joining in was necessary, but after a lot of arm-pulling, begging and convincing, he'd relented.

"Okay Maria… just be careful, okay?" Shadow said, looking back towards her. "Give a tug if you feel uneasy or if I need to slow down, alright?"

"I promise, Shadow," Maria replied with a firm nod. "I won't push it today. Now come on, let's go! While the scientists in this part of the ARK are still asleep!"

Taking a deep breath, Shadow crouched down, legs behind him with his hands touching the floor, like a marathon runner. Then, he finally took off, and began going through the motions he'd been learning about that day. The dark hedgehog expected to stumble or catch his feet on something, or feel more resistance than he should have…

Instead, he glided smoothly. Gasping softly, Shadow risked a quick glance down at his shoes, and saw the orange glow of the jets pushing him across the floor. It almost felt like gravity had surrendered its control back to him. Smirking, he kept going at a steady pace, smooth but not too fast.

Behind him, Maria was trying to stifle her giddy laughter. Even though they still weren't making too much noise, she didn't want to wake a scientist or someone and cut this fun short. She felt silly doing this too, but she didn't have many chances to roller-skate due to her condition. With Shadow pulling her along, it put less of a strain on her. As long as they were careful, they could take this opportunity to have some innocent fun.

"Come on Shadow, you can run a little faster!" Maria urged with a grin.

"Hm… very well!" he replied, his smirk growing into a smile, and gradually began picking up his pace. Shadow was starting to enjoy this too; the skates felt so natural on him, the movement so seamless. The longer he ran, the easier it came to him. It was as if in another life, he'd been born with these fire-skates; a part of him. Upon reaching a particularly long, uninterrupted bend, he increased his speed a little more. The motions he made with his arms felt like they were cutting some sort of metaphorical path of their own.

"There you go Shadow!" Maria encouraged, beaming brightly. Shadow began chuckling; this felt so freeing. Something akin to a breeze brushed past the two of them as they glided across the floors of the colony. Taking a risk, Maria let out a small "Whoop!" as they ran. Very rarely did she get a chance to do something this exhilarating without straining herself. It reminded Maria of her brief time on Earth before having to live on the ARK…

Shadow smiled when he realized why Maria had wanted to come along for the ride so badly. She was having the time of her life, it seemed.

"Shadow!" Maria shouted, realizing a closed door was suddenly in their path. With a startled look, Shadow tried skidding to a stop but had some difficulty adjusting his feet. Only slowing his momentum a little with Maria about to roll into him, Shadow caught her and braced himself to crash into the door…

But it slid open, and Shadow tripped and the two of them fell onto the floor.

"Maria! Are you all right?!" Shadow asked immediately, but Maria was just giggling.

"I'm fine, Shadow! Thanks for catching me!" she assured him, straightening out her messed-up hair as she sat up. "Just our luck the door opened when it did! But why did-?"

"Maria, what did I tell you about running around the ARK after the curfew?" a familiar voice chided.

Eyes widening, Shadow and Maria looked up to see Professor Gerald, hands on his hips, giving a look at the disheveled duo.

"Grandfather! I'm sorry, I just thought Shadow could use a test-run of his skates!" Maria defended, but Gerald just chuckled, shaking his head.

"So I saw," he replied. "I daresay it was a fairly successful first try, if reckless. May I offer a piece of advice, Shadow?" The ebony hedgehog glanced at Maria, then back at Gerald and nodded.

"I designed these skates to act intuitively, for the most part," he told him. "If you focus yourself on what you want them to do, you should be able to get them to stop on a dime. I suspect that your sudden panic clouded your intuition. Once you get the hang of it, it'll be as natural as breathing.

"Intuition? Got it," Shadow replied with a nod and determined smirk. "Would it be alright if… we tried one more time?" he added sheepishly.

"Yes! Please, one more run? Please?" Maria chimed in excitedly.

"Very well, very well, but let's continue in one of my larger test chambers," Gerald said with a resigned smile. "That way it'll be safer and I can monitor you. And you won't risk waking anyone. After that, you two should head to bed."

"Yes! Thank you Grandfather. Let's go!" Maria exclaimed, and pulled Shadow by the arm as they went along to Gerald's personal testing areas.

"Slow down, Maria!" the hedgehog warned her, the condition that plagued Maria ever weighing on his mind. Even so, her contagious, radiant smile caught on, and he smiled back at her.

Watching the two of them, Gerald Robotnik smiled assuredly to himself. After G.U.N. had been breathing down his neck, the atrocities he'd been forced to work on, seeing his granddaughter with Shadow always put him at ease. The one successful creation he'd made since his time on the ARK he could say he was genuinely proud of.

He was her stalwart companion, a friend in her darkest days. To Shadow, Maria was the key to life, his guide. For all his fear of what Project: Shadow would bring, especially after Black Doom's involvement, Maria had rendered those fears unfounded. Seeing them together gave Gerald hope, for them, and for the Earth below.

With Maria as Shadow's guide, he knew the Ultimate Life-Form would always do what was right.

—-lllll-

Present Day: Shadow's Shelter, White Acropolis, Several Hours after Returning

Waking with a start, Shadow the Hedgehog looked up to see scattered rays of moonlight shining into his shelter. Peering a while longer, he reflected on the moon's shattered appearance, the chunks of rock now perpetually orbiting it and the Earth.

A constant reminder of the sins both he and Gerald had committed.

Still… at least through his dreams, Shadow could remember the good.

He glanced down at his fire skates, smiling sadly for a moment as he stood up. As foolishly sentimental as it might have been to think so, they were one of the few reminders Shadow had of Maria; her idea brought to life by Gerald's hands. A part of his family's legacy. On a rare, lucky night like tonight, he'd get a dream of a good memory like his first run.

But now, the dream was over, and so was the snowstorm outside. Time to get back to work.

Sighing, Shadow put aside the minimal heating and bed equipment he had, and holstered the energy weapon he'd brought with him. Quickly checking his radio channels, he learned it was predicted to storm again in a few hours.

Oh well. As long as he worked quickly, it should give him plenty of time to get back.

"No reason to think this base will hold anything new… but I can't leave any stone unturned. Besides, the only good Eggman base is a destroyed one," Shadow mused to himself, and took off running through his outpost's entrance.

If this base didn't hold anything new… Shadow honestly wasn't sure where to look next. Maybe, once he finally tried to talk to Rouge, he could take some time to clear his head and figure out his next move… Still, the uncertainty gnawed at him; Shadow hated the idea of lacking a purpose. He was a warrior, first and foremost; battling enemies like Dr. Eggman protected the world, its people, and it was what he was best at.

But what would happen when he ran out of battles?

—-lllll-

White Acropolis, About Ten Minutes Later

A quick reconnaissance told Shadow that infiltrating this base would be much easier. There were no giant walls or gates to keep him out, only a loose path of guarded recon towers. As long as he tore through them fast enough, he could still get the drop on the forces guarding the main base further down the valley. Readying himself for another fight, Shadow again sped down the icy paths down the valley. A red blitz of destruction followed him when he reached the towers, a flurry of Homing Attacks and Chaos Spears causing them to collapse and explode in his wake.

Like the last base, Eggman's mechs had barely even reacted to the initial attack by the time Shadow arrived at the main base; a small, two-story building surrounded by a laser-fence just barely too tall for him to jump over. Most of the base was actually underground, and held a respectable arsenal, which was now being deployed against Shadow.

"Just get out of my way already!" the dark hedgehog growled as dozens of mechs began soaring or running towards him. Vanishing and then appearing above one of the lower-flying robots, Shadow brought his foot down in a vicious kick, and then used the metal carcass to launch himself higher into the air.

"Chaos Spear!"

A flurry of yellow bolts tore through the advancing mechs as Shadow slammed his balled-up form into another flying robot. Using the momentum, Shadow leapt over the laser-fence of the base, and then rolled himself into a ball again. From high in the air, he charged his body with Chaos Energy, and flew down like a little black-and-red meteor into the roof of the base, bursting right through the metal.

"Intruder alert! Enemy has breached the-!" a mech started to cry through the commotion, but was abruptly cut off by an energy blast from Shadow's weapon. Two mechs quickly swung some close-quarter blade weapons at him, who blocked both attacks with his ring bracelets. With a smirk, Shadow quickly kicked one so hard the metal torso crunched inwards, and then used his free hand to shoot the other mech at point-blank range.

More robots rushed to attack him, but the Ultimate Life-Form took them all down. Moving and warping too quickly for them to keep up with, a blur of fists, fiery kicks and blue blasts from his gun spelled their end. In less than a minute, the area was clear again.

"Now… let's see if this pathetic establishment has all the answers," Shadow said to himself with a scoff of derision. "I'm sure this hole in the ice, that's not even as well-guarded as the other one, holds-"

SCRREEECH!

A terrible noise cut off Shadow's rant, and the alarmed hedgehog looked up to see a giant, mechanical beast of some sort tearing at the opening he'd made in the roof. It appeared to resemble a… hound, of some sort, made of black metal with a red, metal visor over where the eyes would be. After tearing off most of the roof, the giant robotic hellhound seemed to stare at Shadow before throwing its head back and letting out a loud, metallic roar that reverberated through the steel of the building. Then, it quickly fired a large, focused laser right at him.

"Damn it!" Shadow cursed, quickly darting out of harm's way, and attempted to jump his way back through the opening to counter-attack. The giant metal hound responded with a volley of missiles that seemed to launch from its back. This forced Shadow to warp out of the way, but his foe was ready. Eggman's guard dog leapt up just as he reappeared, and began to close its steel-trap razor-jaws around the black hedgehog…

WHAM!

But a sudden force came careening down out of nowhere, slamming itself into the hound's head. The blow dealt was so hard it actually caused the mech to crash down into the building, screeching in dismay.

Landing safely on the snowy ground, Shadow looked around him, wondering what had happened.

"Nice to bump into you on a night like this, hm?."

His red eyes widened; he'd know that voice anywhere.

Looking upwards, Shadow saw a familiar, ivory figure silhouetted against the shattered moonlight. Wings lightly fluttering in the wind, Rouge the Bat gently hovered downwards a little, arms behind her back as she regarded Shadow with an unreadable smirk.

"Rouge…?"

"Shadow… long time no see."

Author's

Note*

Finally getting to the parts I've been wanting to write since before starting lol. People seemed pleased with Omega in this chapter. Wanted to show both the positives and negatives of both Shadouge and Knuxouge in this story; I feel like, realistically, if Rouge and Knuckles got together, one thing they might argue about is Rouge's secretive nature, being a theif etc. I've established here that she doesn't actually try to steal the Master Emeralds from Knuckles here anymore; they've made it a game. But still, unless Rouge was able to give up her thieving ways entirely I can see someone as honorable as Knuckles taking issue with that.

Still working out some specifics with Shadow and Rouge's (possible) reconciliation; such a long time gap after a bad fight would be difficult to address. Plus there's an imminent alien invasion to distract them D:

Thanks for the faves and follows! PM me if you wanna discuss anything Sonic, especially if it's Shadouge lol. Let me know what you think!