Chapter Text
The asset was missing, and it was his responsibility.
During his final checks, Captain Walters saw the tank empty. There was no sign of anything broken, or any sign of violence, which was a positive. But it didn’t change the fact that there was a teleporting alien loose.
He kept his eyes and ears open, walking through hallways. Most of the security team were in their quarters for the night, as were the team of researchers, so the halls were empty. Everyone was just beginning to settle into their new lifestyle here at this base. The research had to be carried out in secret, and everyone was prepared to live here for years if necessary. It was carefully planned and organized by the government. And now it was in serious jeopardy.
Walters heard a faint sound as he rounded the corner toward the head researcher’s wing. The side where the Robotniks were. The professor, Gerald, and his granddaughter, Maria. He walked faster.
As he approached, he heard the strumming of a guitar. The door to Maria’s room was open a crack, and intermittent talking was now audible.
Carefully, he slowed down so as not to alert her just yet. Who was she talking to? Probably her grandfather, but Walters had a crazy thought in his head. It could be someone else.
He stopped just outside the open doorway, making sure he remained hidden. The girl inside was saying something.
He peeked his head into the room, and the crazy thought in his head was real.
“And if I tune it...” Maria was saying, playing with the end of her guitar, “...it can sound different!”
She was sitting in a tent, accompanied by someone. The black alien that was codenamed “Project Shadow,” but that her grandfather referred to as the “Ultimate Life Form” was sitting strangely by her side. He was looking mostly at her, but his eyes moved towards the guitar when she gestured at it.
Maria played a short scale. “Doesn’t it sound different?”
Walters assessed the situation. Luckily, the alien seemed docile. But if he revealed himself, there would be a risk of endangering the girl. He knew it was best not to provoke the asset. He had to think for a moment of a proper extraction technique, and if he should notify other guards.
Again, Maria’s fingers picked over the guitar strings, a short scale. She giggled. Shadow examined the strings.
“And it’s easy, too. Do you want to try?” she asked.
Shadow was hard to read. He seemed to recoil slightly with a turn of his head looking at the guitar. But after another second, he turned back, his eyes meeting hers, as if he was looking for some kind of confirmation.
Maria had been holding the guitar towards him, and now nodded eagerly. “I can hold the string up here. You just have to strum it!”
Shadow’s gloved hand reached out, just a little, for the guitar. But he was reaching a bit too high, towards the neck.
“Not up there. Down here.” Maria pointed out the area.
Now, though, Shadow seemed less sure about it. His hand floated, unmoving, in the air.
Cautiously, Maria reached for his hand. Walters took a sharp inhale, nearly taking a step into the room.
But when she grabbed his wrist, Shadow made no indication of discomfort. She slid it towards the base of the guitar.
“Right...here,” she said, placing his finger on a string. “Now, can you strum it? I’ll hold the other end down up here.”
Shadow’s finger was on the string. He had looked to the neck, then to the base, then to her. He held his stare on her for a while, brow slightly furrowed.
“Come on...just like this!” Maria played another string. “You can do it!”
Shadow again looked at the guitar. Walters thought he heard the alien make a small, quick exhalation. With another short look at Maria, he looked down once more towards the guitar.
“No, not like that..." Maria said, still smiling. “Don’t press it down, that’s my job. You just strum it. See?” She plucked another note.
Shadow made a small frown, and straightened himself up. He leaned in closer to the guitar.
Maria and Walters watched him intently.
A small note came from the guitar.
“Yes!” Maria shouted. Her hand instinctively covered her mouth, but only for a split second before she excitedly continued, “That sounded beautiful!”
Shadow was confused again.
Walters almost made his move now. Surely Maria had realized she was being too loud and might have attracted attention. And since the alien was relatively calm, this could be done smoothly.
But he stayed planted, hidden outside.
Shadow was now pressing down on the string again. “No, no,” Maria chuckled. “Okay...you know what? You can hold down the strings. Here.”
She grabbed his wrist and moved it, this time towards the neck of the guitar.
“Hold down here,” she said. “Actually...can you do this?” She exaggeratedly raised and lowered her finger on the string, then looked at him.
Shadow placed his finger where hers had been. He began imitating her, raising and lowering his finger off the fret, slowly.
“Perfect! Keep doing that,” she said, getting her other hand ready to play. “Now, you’ll feel some vibration. But that’s how it’s supposed to feel.”
She began tapping the guitar, finding the rhythm with which Shadow was raising and lowering his finger. Her head nodded as she did so. Shadow stayed focused on raising and lowering his finger off the string.
Maria played. It was the simplest possible arrangement. One string, two different tones. One, two, one, two, one, two, one two.
They were both focused now. Shadow had fallen in with the time. His body was subtly rocking as he simply moved his finger up and down.
Maria had been focused, but it was impossible to keep a grin off her face. She giggled again, still playing. Shadow looked at her as she smiled. She kept nodding her head with each note, and now Shadow was nodding in the same way.
The two of them kept making their music in the tent. Walters slowly pulled away from the door, hiding outside.
As oddly endearing as this was, he had waited long enough. The situation was assessed. Continuing to watch them any longer from outside would make him feel like a creep. He was here for a reason. It was time to assert his authority and make sure the asset was where he had to be, in the tank. He took a deep breath. He painstakingly peered into the room again.
The song had changed. New notes were being played Maria and Shadow were close together, but now it was just Maria playing.
She was delicately picking out notes. She played a short, simple riff, though Walters couldn’t place what it was.
“Was that good?” she asked the alien. “I came up with it myself.”
Walters took one more breath. He had to force himself to go and stop delaying. He began to move.
But again, he stopped. He had seen something.
For the week or so he had been around the asset, he had only seen him with a tiny spectrum of moods. Grumpy, usually. Tired, or annoyed. His frown ranged from unmoved to upset. That was it.
However, in this moment, the corner of his mouth was turned up. He looked...happy.
It was subtle, yet it didn’t change. Walters had to take a few seconds to make sure of what he was seeing.
Maria kept playing the riff, going into a slightly longer version. Shadow looked on with interest.
Walters’ military personnel training was screaming at him to go in there. His sense as a human being was telling him he couldn’t interrupt.
Another moment passed.
The girl playing her guitar softly, the alien enraptured by it.
Walters slid back behind the doorway. He pressed his back against the wall, letting his knees give slightly. His eyes looked towards the ceiling.
His job responsibilities, outlined by the Department of Defense, mandated that his primary job was to oversee the security of Project Shadow. It was up to him the manner in which the asset should be contained and supervised.
Well...nothing said who would actually be doing the supervising.
The professor’s granddaughter seemed to be doing a good enough job watching him for now. Perhaps a better job than he could, or better than anyone else on the base.
She was here, she knew of him, and now she was playing music for him, and with him. He couldn’t change any of that. Shadow probably needed a break from testing. Maybe a few excursions with Maria could be used as a reward. It wasn’t the worst thing to have a companion.
Let the girl and the alien bond. What’s the worst that could happen?
No one would know until the next morning's checks. As long as he ensured the asset was back in the tank in the morning, this would be fine.
Which begged the question: Should he tell the professor about this?
From their few chats since he’d known him, Walters had sensed the eccentricities of the mustachioed scientist. Grandparents often enjoyed spoiling their grandkids, but most had some boundaries for danger. Gerald Robotnik did not. He may have even arranged this for her.
Walters walked back into the main lab and grabbed a pencil and a sheet of paper.
Please make sure Shadow is in his tank by 0600 hours – otherwise we will both be in trouble. Check Maria’s room.
He walked back down the hallway, past the music floating out of Maria’s room. Gerald’s door was closed. Walters gave a small knock, then slid the note under the door. He turned and walked away.
Maybe it would just be a one-time thing.