Entry 41
The Irregular Hunt
''Isn't it better to hide quietly in the shadows? There are even flowers like buds, you know. It's better to keep it a secret so it protects. Undisturbed by anyone, it blooms magnificently.''
– Hana ni Natte (Be a Flower) by The Apothecary Diaries
xXxXxXx
Touka took a deep breath, not looking forward to what was about to happen next. She and Shadow had been called to do a full health exam, with both having some idea what this exam would actually be about. Rouge led them to the room where they were supposed to have their health exam done, knocking on the door and being met by a female chinchilla ARNav wearing a labcoat.
''Ah, I've been waiting for you,'' she said. ''Come in. No, not you!''
The chinchilla glared at Rouge, who just gave her the sweetest and most innocent look possible. ''Aw, not even for emotional support?''
''No,'' the chinchilla replied in a sharp tone, glaring back at Rouge before walking back into the room. Touka and Shadow glanced at Rouge, who just shrugged.
''Well, I tried. Good luck you two,'' she said, watching them enter the examination room. As they walked inside, both Touka and Shadow were wondering why an ARNav was sent to exam them. They quickly both concluded that it was probably because Shadow was an Irregular. Even if he worked now for ARMS, the humans would still be wary of him since he could absorb their BioEnergy if they weren't careful around him.
''You can call me Dr. Manilla,'' the chinchilla ARNav introduced herself. ''I'm the one in charge of examining any Irregular ARNav that gets brought here, while my co-worker is responsible for the human partners. But, due to your unique circumstances, I had been told that you would participate in this examination together, Miss Sakamoto.''
''I prefer to be referred to as Kageura,'' Touka grumbled in an irked tone. Dr. Manilla glanced at the papers on her chart.
''Huh, but here, it says you're registered as Touka Sakamoto,'' she replied.
''That's an unfortunate mistake made by the higher-ups. You can just refer to me by my name for simplicity's sake,'' Touka responded with a sigh. Dr. Manilla just shrugged, then pointed at a platform in the corner of the room.
''Fine then, Touka. Please, go stand on the scanner,'' she said, with Touka obediently following her orders, stepping onto the platform and observing it as it lit up, scanning her. A holographic screen appeared before Dr. Manilla, who read through the incoming data. Her eyes widened in surprise, something Shadow, who was standing to the side with his arms folded across his chest, had noticed. ''Interesting… So, Sakamoto's notes were indeed right.''
''What are you talking about?'' Touka asked, furrowing a brow.
''You have an unusually high level of BioEnergy, far greater than what a normal human would have,'' Dr. Manilla revealed. ''I believe that this is because of Sakamoto tampering with your genetics, giving you a quite resilient body. It is genuinely fascinating, and I would love to learn more about what he had done.''
''I don't want to do more examinations than necessary,'' Touka replied, glaring at the chinchilla ARNav. Dr. Manilla took note of the look Touka was giving her, as well as Shadow glaring daggers at her. The chinchilla ARNav just frowned at the two, a bit annoyed that doing further tests on Touka's body was not part of her work and that she would need to get permission from the Comander to do that.
''In any case, you're completely fine,'' Dr. Manilla responded, with Touka stepping off the platform. She then typed something on the holographic monitor before her, then turned back to Shadow. ''Now it's your turn.''
Shadow stepped on the platform, not at all happy about the scanner sweeping over him, sending the data to Dr. Manilla. However, to the siblings' surprise, the chinchilla ARNav looked quite frustrated as she typed furiously on the holographic screen. ''Agh, what is going on here? Why am I getting errors?''
''Is something wrong?'' Touka asked. Dr. Manilla held up her hand to shut her up, then kept typing on the holographic screen.
''We'll have to redo this. The data I got seemed to be corrupted,'' she said, with the scanner sweeping once again over Shadow. However, when Dr. Manilla attempted to analyze the data she had gotten was once again filled with errors. She groaned in frustration, eventually realizing that her computer system couldn't actually process the data beyond the bare minimum.
''I'll have to send this over to someone who can get through this, but from what I've seen, you're in the clear,'' Dr. Manilla told Shadow. ''It seems like you have an unusual amount of energy that can be used in various ways, but my computer just cannot process what this kind of energy is.''
Touka and Shadow exchanged glances, the smallest of smirks forming on their lips as they knew well what this energy was. Their expressions turned back to more serious ones as Dr. Manilla called out for them to follow her to a short corridor that led to a different room. This one seemed to have thicker walls, with a mirror adorning one of the walls, and Touka and Shadow quickly realizing it was a two-way mirror.
''This room is for testing out an Irregular's abilities,'' she explained, turning to Shadow. ''I'll activate a test dummy for you to use your powers on, so feel free to go all out. I have Prof. Sakamoto's notes in regards to your combat skills, and from what I've read, they're quite impressive. All you have to do is to show me that you didn't get rusty over the years.''
''Hmph.'' Shadow narrowed his eyes. He was the Ultimate Lifeform! Did she really believe that his combat skills would get worse only because he was stuck in a stasis pod for a decade? Admittedly, she wouldn't know about his battles in Neos City, but nevertheless, he did feel slighted. Nevertheless, he wondered just how much of his abilities he should show off. He didn't want these people to know just how powerful his Chaos Spear, Chaos Blast and Chaos Control were, as he knew they would take advantage of him. Still, he needed to prove himself worthy of his title. Clearly, Sonic wasn't the only one with an ego.
Dr. Manilla walked into the room next to this one to observe Shadow through the two-way mirror, while Touka was left standing in the corner. Shadow centered himself, observing the holographic opponent as Dr. Manilla activated the test dummy. His ears flicked, and his opponent charged at him, with Shadow punching the latter in the stomach before throwing it over his shoulder, causing it to land hard on the ground. The test dummy flickered and got up, with Shadow wondering if Dr. Manilla was also testing his own endurance as the close combat battle continued, with the test dummy getting tougher and tougher to fight against. Still, he decided to make it a challenge for himself not to use any of his powers, kicking the test dummy into the mirror and almost cracking it.
''Hey, watch it!'' Dr. Manilla shouted through the speaker.
''Tch, that was too easy,'' Shadow muttered, placing a hand on his waist.
''You know, you could just use your powers for this. This is supposed to be an exam to test all of your abilities, not just your close combat skills,'' Dr. Manilla told him. She then sighed, when she saw Shadow rolling his eyes. ''Fine, then. I suppose I we can skip this part and get to the more important stuff. You're going to absorb your partner's BioEnergy so I can see how you're handling it.''
Shadow's crimson eyes widened as he felt a chill flowing down his spine, but he tried to keep his expression impassive. Horrible memories of him hurting Touka due to Prof. Sakamoto's experiments and his own inexperience with BioEnergy flashed in his mind, and he shook his head. ''I refuse.''
''What?'' Dr. Manilla sounded quite surprised by his answer. Usually, Irregulars would act like rabid animals around BioEnergy, but she guessed that Shadow was a special case. After all, he was created to break the system and actually take properly advantage of BioEnergy. ''Well, you have no choice. If you have any complaints, take it up with the Commander.''
Shadow narrowed his eyes, turning to Touka as she stepped next to him. Neither of them wanted to go through this experience again, but they knew that they had no choice. At least, unless they wanted to use the alternative. Touka waved at the two-way mirror. ''Just, give us a moment.'' She then crouched next to Shadow, whispering, ''Should we go with Chaos Surge?''
''We can't let them know about this!'' Shadow hissed under his breath, shooting her a glare. Touka just nodded, a grim expression on her face.
''I know, Shadow, but if it comes to this, I want you to use Chaos Surge,'' she told him in a firm tone. ''I'll figure out a way to explain that power so they don't get suspicious.''
Shadow gave her a pleading look, his ears drooping as he was clearly unwilling to go through with this. Even though he was now used to using Chaos Surge, that still didn't mean that he wasn't traumatized by almost killing his own sister after having accidentally absorbed her BioEnergy. He knew that if he goes with the usual way the Irregulars would use BioEnergy, he might end up with the same situation as before and he refused to let that happen. However, Touka gave him an assuring look, and while this did help with Shadow's confidence, he still wished he didn't have to go through that.
''Are you two done with the pep talk? We don't have a whole day for this, you know,'' Dr. Manilla said, with Shadow and Touka hoping that she didn't overhear their conversation.
''Fine,'' Touka grumbled, glancing once again at Shadow in concern. She was willing to take the risk, but she also understood why Shadow refused to go through with this. Nevertheless, they were now property of ARMS, super soldiers that were forced to work for them, and they would have to follow orders. Still, they had a way out, but they needed to be patient.
Shadow took a deep breath and took Touka's hands into his own, sensing her BioEnergy. He was still reluctant to even start the absorption process, but being under the watchful eye of Dr. Manilla, he pressed on. He hated this, feeling Touka's BioEnergy coursing through his own. It wasn't unfamiliar, but his instincts were screaming to stop this, but hearing Dr. Manilla's voice over the speaker forced him to continue. He could see Touka looking uncomfortable and pale, her hands shaking. Even if she had a greater pool of BioEnergy than a normal person would, it didn't mean that she was immune to having it absorbed.
''Touka…''
''It's fine-'' Touka hissed back, her chest heaving with every breath as she glared at the two-way mirror. Both were already past the activation point for a Chaos Surge, with Touka suddenly falling on her knees, crying out as her mind was in a haze.
''Touka!''
''Don't move! We're not done yet!''
Shadow wanted to stop, but Dr. Manilla's voice over the speaker made him freeze for a moment. This was replaced with anger, and he pressed back the BioEnergy he had absorbed, cutting it off. Touka looked up at him, a small smile tugging on her lips as she clutched her chest, breathing heavily, but her eyes now glowing in an red and orange colour. Shadow turned to the two-way mirror, about to tell Dr. Manilla how he won't participate in the when both of them suddenly heard a scream.
''What the hell is this?! You two fried the goddamn computer!''
Touka, who was now sitting down on the ground, and Shadow exchanged glances, with Touka snorting in amusement. This was followed by a groan from Dr. Manilla, who then added, ''Your exam is over now. I need to get this sorted out… Screw the Sakamoto and his experiments ruining my equipment…''
Shadow glanced at Touka. ''Do you think you can walk?''
''Yeah, I just need a moment,'' Touka said, her eyes returning to her normal colour, before taking a deep breath and getting up. ''It's still not a pleasant experience…''
Shadow walked closely next to her, fearing that she might fall over, but fortunately, Touka managed to walk on her own. Rouge was waiting for them outside, trying her best not to show just how anxious she was. ''Are you two okay?''
''Yeah, we were until the Doctor wanted me to absorb Touka's BioEnergy,'' Shadow said, his tone grim. Rouge sighed, giving the two a sympathetic look.
''I was afraid they would do that. This was one of the experiments they put all of Irregulars through,'' Rouge told them.
''I used Chaos Surge,'' Shadow stated, with Rouge's eyes widening in surprise.
''Apparently, it fried Manilla's computer,'' Touka added. ''I suppose that, unlike Sakamoto, they don't have the equipment to handle analyzing Chaos Energy, especially not after a Chaos Surge.''
''I see… Although, I suppose that at this point, you two have also improved your ability to use Chaos Energy, so it would be difficult to analyze it regardless, especially if they don't know what they're dealing with,'' Rouge responded.
Both Touka and Shadow nodded, with Touka adding, ''If anyone asks, Chaos Surge can only be used by me and Shadow. We cannot let them know that the rest of Team Neos can do that.''
''Don't worry, my lips are sealed,'' Rouge told her.
xXx
Sonic stared at the TV, his eyes narrowed and his arms folded as he scowled in a surprisingly Shadow-like manner. Lucas, who was nearby in the kitchen, took note that the azure hedgehog had been running all over and outside Neos City, trying to burn off the excess energy and figure out a plan how to save his friends, but clearly, he couldn't think of anything. He returned home, looking defeated and irritated, turning on the TV and just aimlessly switched through the programs.
''Sonic, are you okay?'' Lucas asked, already knowing what the answer would be.
''No, I'm not. Shadow and Touka are gone, and there's nothing I can do to help them. All I'm doing is just sitting around,'' Sonic told him, clearly frustrated. Lucas sat next to him.
''I know how you feel. I'm more patient than you are, but even I hate the idea of just doing nothing,'' Lucas said. ''Unfortunately, we really cannot do anything for now. We do have that deal with Dr. Eggman and we can communicate with Touka and Shadow through that private network, which is better than nothing.''
''Do you have any ideas on what to do?'' Sonic asked.
''I've been thinking all night about it, but the only thing that came up on my mind was to find a way to get Touka and Shadow get sent to Neos City. They now work as Agents for ARMS, and given how Neos City is a magnet for Irregulars, I'm certain that they would want them to fight Irregulars,'' Lucas told him.
''Shadow is an excellent fighter. I doubt that they would send him to fight Irregulars that Hunters can deal with,'' Sonic told him. ''They would need a bigger threat.''
''You're right,'' Lucas responded, suddenly getting up. ''That's why we're going outside.''
''What do you want to do?'' Sonic asked, also getting up.
''See what the Irregular Hunters are up to,'' Lucas said. ''I don't know how much they would know about ARMS, but we need to start from somewhere.''
''I think I saw ol' Commander Loki and his squad somewhere,'' Sonic said, perking up and ready to get back into action. ''We could tag along.''
xXx
''Hey, look at that!'' Tails exclaimed, pointing at the red sky. Sonic, Lucas and Warren looked up, taking note of the AR Field that displayed warning signs above, urging people to stay away from that area. They were at Kita, the northern part of the city, having gone there due to seeing a squad of Irregular Hunters heading there. Fortunately for them, it seemed that ARMS wasn't following them around, but it was possible that that was because Touka and Shadow had agreed to work for them. ARMS would lose interest in them so long as they got to keep their secret project.
''I'll go check things out!'' Sonic told them, and before his friends could reply, sped up towards the area. Lucas, Warren and Tails exchanged glances, wondering how they ended up in this situation. To start off, Lucas and Sonic did pass by the Taylor Workshop, and after telling the two what they had planned, Warren and Tails agreed to accompany them.
''We haven't gotten any message from Eggman, so there really isn't much we can do,'' Warren said. Considering how their main task of contacting Touka and Shadow had been completed, he and Tails focused on their personal projects, with Tails even working on a new device that would aid him in a battle. After they heard about Lucas and Sonic's plan, they agreed to accompany the two, also expressing desire to just do something instead of sitting around at home.
The three had soon joined Sonic, who was peeking around a building, observing Loki and his Alpha Unit fighting fox-like entities made out of blue flames. The azure hedgehog then pointed at a building further away, where a familiar figure was standing.
''That's Shiro!'' Tails said, looking stunned. He hadn't expected to see the kitsune again, even though he knew that she was still out there, free to do whatever she wanted.
''Shiro?'' Lucas rose an eyebrow.
''Right, we haven't told you, have we? Basically, Shiro was the Irregular that had been attacking people at the Kita Inari Shrine, but Tails and I had managed to force her to retreat along with Minami and Amy's help,'' Warren explained. ''Seems like she's back.''
''I see…'' Lucas muttered, taking note of Sonic's gaze. He was a bit surprised that Sonic didn't leap into action immediately, staying back instead, and quickly realized that Sonic was actually looking around for any sign of ARMS. Unfortunately for him, it was only the Hunters.
''Any plans?'' Sonic asked, understanding the look Lucas gave him. He knew that it was unusual for him not to participate in the battle, but given the current circumstances, he decided to rely on Lucas for the next move.
''I'd say that we go for Shiro. The Hunters seem to be handling those… uh, what are they?'' Lucas glanced at Tails.
''That's just foxfire – an illusion created by Shiro to keep them occupied,'' Tails said, staring at the fox-like entities.
''Got it. Do you guys think you can sneak up to Shiro?'' Lucas asked. Sonic and Tails glanced at each other, a wide smile on their expressions and nodded. Tails then reached into his backpack, taking out the devices he and Warren had been working on.
''Actually, we could use this opportunity for a field test,'' Tails said, with Sonic giving him a curious look.
''What's that?'' he asked. Tails flashed a grin.
''You'll see!'' He and Warren then stepped closer, and to Lucas and Sonic's surprise, initiated a Chaos Surge. ''Let's go!''
Lucas and Warren observed as Sonic and Tails rushed out behind the building, with Sonic finding a way around and speeding up the building Shiro was standing on. Fortunately, she didn't seem to have noticed the azure hedgehog, as she fully focused her attention on the battle below. However, sensing a rush of wind, she turned around and saw a ball landing and uncurling into a hedgehog right before her.
''So, I see that you decided to cause trouble. Let me guess, you're gonna tell me how you have some kind of excuse to attack people, and I'll tell you why that's the wrong answer,'' Sonic said, stretching his arms for the upcoming fight, before giving a confused Shiro a confident smirk. She managed to quickly collect herself, unfolding her fan.
''This is quite unexpected, but not out of place. I assume you act as back-up for the Hunters?'' Shiro said, giving Sonic a scrutinizing gaze.
''Nope, I'm just a hedgehog who likes adventure and has a tendency to save the day,'' Sonic replied.
''Dance of the Foxflame!''
Without any warning, Shiro waved her fan down, suddenly sending fiery crescents towards Sonic, who leapt upwards and homing attacked Shiro. Gracefully, she dodged his attack and entered close combat, using her fan like a tessen, a war fan, as she sliced through the air, leaving wisps of fire, meaning that Sonic was not only in danger of being hurt by the weapon, but also being at risk of being burnt. Fortunately, his training with Shadow did pay off, as he used some of the new moves he had learned to fight back. While Shiro moved with grace and precision, Sonic was way more unpredictable, rolling onto the ground and kicking Shiro from below, who blocked the kick with her closed fan, but when he got on his feet to punch her, she had placed the fan over his wrist and held it, blocking his punch, but what she didn't expect was for Sonic to suddenly drop down, his own weight pulling her down with him. She let go, attempting to hit him with the end of her fan, but was met with sharp quills that almost cut her hand. She backed away, only for Sonic to bounce at her, but she waved again, creating a wall of flames. Sonic uncurled, landing at the edge of the building and feeling his quills getting singed.
Shiro was about to go for another attack, only to suddenly see a bunch of circular devices being thrown at her, hovering in the air. She looked up, a bit stunned to see Tails hovering above, his eyes now glowing amber as he snapped his fingers. To Shiro's shock, she was suddenly enveloped in a light blue EMP field that acted more like a cage.
''Agh!'' Shiro fell on her knees, feeling like a shock pulse coursed through her body, keeping her paralyzed. She gritted her teeth, glaring at Tails. ''Y-You!''
''Woah, what did you do?'' Sonic asked.
''Warren and I had figured that we could make a conductor for my EMP power that would allow me to use it as an offensive attack from a distance… Or, in this case, several can also act like a EMP cage to keep the opponent at bay,'' Tails explained, turning back to Shiro as he carefully controlled the energy output. ''This time, you won't get away!''
''This is awesome!'' Sonic was amazed by this move.
Shiro, on the other hand, could just glare daggers at Tails.
xXx
Below them, the foxfire illusions had suddenly disappeared, with Lucas and Warren realizing that Sonic and Tails managed to take care of Shiro. Both of them looked at the Hunters, who were quite confused by the sudden disappearance of their opponents, probably not having realized what had happened.
''What was- What are you doing here?! You can't be here!'' Loki shouted at Lucas and Warren as the two approached him.
''We know, but you guys had been held back by illusions. The Irregular is up there!'' Lucas pointed at the nearby building, where Tails was keeping Shiro paralyzed. Unfortunately for them, there was a small burst from one of the devices, catching on fire and fizzling out, with Tails' eyes widening as he realized what had just happened.
''No no no!'' Tails stared in horror as the devices broke down, clearly fried due to just how much power they had to channel, despite the twin-tailed fox's attempts at keeping the stream of energy as steady as possible. Sonic, who saw Shiro getting up, went for a kick, but was blocked by the fan, with Shiro glaring at both of them.
''This is not over yet!''
A wall of flames suddenly emerged, wrapping itself around Shiro and forcing Sonic to retreat, with the flaming orb suddenly falling off the building. Sonic and Tails gasped in shock, looking over the edge of the building, but as the flames dissipated, they realized that Shiro was gone.
''I thought I had her this time,'' Tails grumbled, only to feel a hand on his shoulder.
''Don't worry, little bro. I'm sure that next time, you'll be able to defeat her for good. You have already grown really strong,'' Sonic told him, with Tails smiling back in response. Both saw the Alpha Unit and their partners gathering below the building, with Tails grabbing Sonic's arms and then lowering both of them onto the street.
''You again!'' Loki exclaimed when he saw Sonic, clearly irritated. ''Seriously, hedgehog, every time there is an Irregular attack-''
Sonic shrugged. ''What can I say? I like to be in the middle of the action.''
''In my defense, I had fought Shiro before, when she had taken over Kita Inari Shrine,'' Tails added. Loki's eyes narrowed as he looked at Tails.
''Wait, were you one of the Inari Shrine kitsune that were supposed to guard it?'' he asked.
''I had left it a while ago, so I wasn't involved with it when Shiro came along. Me and my friends were the ones who discovered what had happened… Uh, we're not in trouble for that, right?'' Tails asked nervously. Loki just rubbed his temple, sighing. He then turned back to his unit.
''Go and check the area out for any signs of the Irregular. I'll take over this one,'' he said, with the squad spreading out. He then turned to Tails. ''Do you have any information that could help us in containing the Irregular? We know that she had been lurking in Kita to drain humans of their BioEnergy, and we have a report from the blue kitsune, named Ao, about her activities.''
''If you have Ao's statement, then I don't believe I can add much more to that. She is susceptible to EMP fields, though,'' Tails replied.
''I'll keep that in mind. Now, it would be the best for you to leave, especially you two since we have an Irregular on the loose, and we already had to send another person to the hospital,'' Loki said, looking over at Lucas and Warren.
''Except, we know how to deal with Irregulars,'' Lucas told him, with Warren giving him a look of concern. He didn't remember admitting that being part of the plan. ''You don't have to worry about us.''
''Again, being a Hunter, I'd be responsible for your safety-'' Loki said, only to get annoyed when Sonic interrupted him.
''Then just tell whoever's in charge that we'll take responsibility for our own safety,'' Sonic told him. He then folded his arms across his chest. ''Speaking of Irregulars, what do you guys even do with them?''
''That is none of your concern,'' Loki told him in a stern tone, wondering what this civilian ARNav was even up to.
''Do you know anything about an organization called ARMS?'' Sonic suddenly asked. Loki's jaw dropped, while Warren and Tails turned their attention towards Lucas, since from what they knew, they were supposed to keep the whole thing with ARMS a secret. Lucas just gave them a resolute look, as this was something he and Sonic had planned.
''H-How-?'' Loki stammered, only for Sonic to respond.
''Our friends have been taken by them. We're not supposed to talk, but I had figured that, as an Irregular Hunter, it would be fine to talk to you,'' Sonic replied. Loki fell suddenly silent.
''I see… Officially, I can't tell you anything, but unofficially, the only reason I'm aware of their existence is because I have seen several of their members visiting our HQ and taking away the Irregulars we had captured. I don't know what they do with them, but I had attended a meeting where they showed off an Irregular after they had done something to him, something that made him completely lifeless. My supervisor wasn't too keen on witnessing that.'' Loki's eyes narrowed, his voice lowering into a whisper. ''It really feels like some shady business.''
''Why are you telling us all of that?'' Lucas asked.
''Look, I know I shouldn't divulge information like that, but I don't like ARMS. Not to mention, if your friends are involved with them, I can only imagine in just how much trouble they are,'' Loki answered.
''They even told us to forget that our friends exist,'' Sonic added. Loki sighed.
''Figures… We had a similar situation with one of our human co-workers, who had managed to find an Irregular who did not want to absorb BioEnergy, which came as shock to us. She wanted to help the Irregular, but then those ARMS agents came, took both of them away, and when our co-worker returned, she acted like nothing happened and never told us what happened at ARMS. She later left and moved away, and we never heard anything back from her. Like said, shady business,'' he explained. ''I hope your friends make it out alive.''
''Do you know where they are?'' Lucas asked. Loki shook his head.
''I sincerely hope you'll never have to deal with them personally,'' he told them. ''I know it's not easy, but it would be better to avoid them.''
''I doubt it. They made it personal when they took away our friends' freedom,'' Sonic said, his tone serious.
xXx
''Unfortunately, the information we have on Agent Shadow is inconclusive… As in, the energy spike he created friend our computers and the technicians will take a couple of days to fix them,'' Dr. Manilla told Commander Williams. ''However, from what I have gathered, the hedgehog is incredibly powerful, and I believe that even Sakamoto didn't manage to get any correct data on his abilities. Furthermore, simply absorbing BioEnergy results in just the usual growth we observed in other Irregulars, but it when the hedgehog did… something, his energy levels suddenly went off the charts. I've never seen anything like this before,'' Dr. Manilla said in amazement. ''I'm asking your for permission to conduct more exams on the two, since they're refusing to participate.''
''Do you think they'd be ready for a mission?'' Commander Williams suddenly asked.
''Well, they're in good condition and the hedgehog's combat skills are quite astounding-'' Dr. Manilla was interrupted by the Commander.
''Then, I don't believe further exams are necessary. We need these two for the next mission,'' Commander Williams told her. Dr. Manilla pouted, but she nodded.
''Yes, sir. I'll try to salvage whatever data I can find on the computer,'' she muttered, walking out of the room. Commander Williams then turned to the other person in the room, his assistant.
''Call Agent Sakamoto, Agent Shadow and Agent Rouge to the meeting room for a briefing. I want them to be there in ten minutes tops,'' the Commander told the man, who just nodded and left. He then turned to his monitor, frowning as the insignia of the Eggman Empire flashed across the screen.
This mission was going to take priority.