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Rouge was not having it.
To be fair, there weren’t many G.U.N. assigned direct conflict missions that she was a fan of. She much preferred subterfuge- which was much more fun, and was most certainly her strong suit. Call it routine from her jewel thieving days, but she couldn’t resist a good heist- whether that be of jewels, or of information.
However, seeing as she worked with two literal forces of nature, weapons of mass destruction… head-on conflict situations were unavoidable. It was a good thing that she liked her team, Team Dark. (In fact, she loved her team, but she would never admit that aloud, unless the trio was sequestered off in their shared apartment). Regardless, if she disliked her team, she would have dipped long ago. Both from the team, and G.U.N. in general. She wasn’t a fan of the organization, or their methods. But if Shadow, who had legitimate trauma when it came to the organization, could suck it up and deal with them, she could too. Though she knew that once he left them, she would be close behind. He was her best friend after all, and despite contrary belief, she knew how to be loyal.
And Shadow had her loyalty. She’d live and die for him, her teammate, roommate, and honestly… she’d thought of him as a brother for a long time now. He was family, whether he liked it or not. Which often, he claimed not. She knew him better than that though, she saw the glimmer of affection whenever she boasted of him as her brother. He would just never admit it. Which was fine with her, she didn’t need the affirmation to know that he cared. It was in his actions, and that was enough. That was just how Shadow was.
She couldn’t fault him for how he was- being created as a super weapon genetic hybrid, raised in space, tragically losing everyone you loved, and being imprisoned in cryosleep for fifty years would stunt anyone’s emotions. He was learning. He hadn’t even been out of stasis for all that long. Years, yes, but Shadow had freaking layers of trauma to dig through.
Rouge was glad that she knew how to be patient. Otherwise, she likely would have given up long ago. Shadow could be cruel when he wanted to, especially when he believed that someone who offered good things only did so for their own self-interest. It had taken a long time to get him out of that mindset. Worth it, of course, but still.
“I WOULD LIKE TO BLOW THINGS UP.” Her other teammate, E123-OMEGA, or just Omega, as they called him, informed her. “IT HAS BEEN FAR TOO LONG SINCE WE GOT TO BLOW STUFF UP.”
“Megs, it was four days ago.” Rouge deadpanned at the bot, picking through her heart bombs and slipping some into her catsuit. “I think you’ll survive a bit longer.”
“Omega is correct.” Shadow’s deep voice cut into the conversation from where he idly checked over a hand pistol, standing at his locker. “It has been too long since we’ve had a good fight.”
Rouge groaned. “Bloodthirsty, the both of you!” Ignoring Omega’s protests of not being bloodthirsty, because he was a machine and could not thirst, she raised an eyebrow at Shadow. “No denial?”
A smirk flickered across his stoic expression. “None.” For a moment, his crimson eyes seemed to glow just the smallest hint brighter. A sight that would likely cause most people outside of them (as well as another certain group of exceptions) to faint, or flee in fear.
But as she was used to such looks, she didn’t even flinch. “Hopeless.” Rouge sighed heavily, sitting to pull on her combat boots. “You’re hopeless.”
Shadow said nothing, the smirk growing a little as he closed his locker, slipping the gun into a leather harness that crossed over his back and chest. Another gun already hung from it, one that Rouge didn’t have a name for. Not because it was anything terribly fancy, she just was bad with gun names. She just knew that this one was bigger, and shot faster.
Why the ultimate lifeform carried guns was a mystery to them all, but hey, they made him happy, so she wasn’t going to protest. Shadow loved guns, to an almost a concerning degree. Sometimes she was convinced that he cared about the guns (as well as his motorcycle) more than any living person on this earth.
Ah, oh well, at least he had hobbies outside of G.U.N. missions. She couldn’t complain too much- though she did wish that he would get some friends outside of Team Dark- like Sonic and his gaggle of chaos. Though perhaps the fact that they could be described in that manner made Shadow averse to the group. He thrived on routine and control, and the blue hedgehog’s friend group… was very bad at such things. Rouge found them hilarious, whereas Shadow… just found them all annoying. At least he didn’t beat them up on sight anymore.
Progress, right?
She chose to think so.
“Are you boys ready, or should I give you more time to dress up?” Rouge called to her teammates, spinning around to face them and propping a hand on her hip.
Shadow gave her a flat look. “We’ve been waiting for you. Both of us are ready.”
“Oh.” Rouge blinked, a small laugh escaping her. “Well, let’s go then. Tower is sure to be good and annoyed by now, so let’s find that helicopter.”
Whenever Shadow had a chaos emerald, he would usually use chaos control to teleport them to their destination. However, at the moment, he didn’t have an emerald, as Sonic had needed it to go super last week when Eggman had attempted to redirected a meteor to hit the earth. A typical Tuesday.
Thus, they were stuck taking G.U.N. transportation. Not her first choice, but it could be worse. She shuddered to think of what it would be like trying to haul these two destructive forces along on the bus or something of the sorts. It would be pure and utter chaos, that was for certain. Entertaining, but not worth the hassle and inevitable paperwork an incident would cause.
Because Rouge herself would end up doing the paperwork, as Omega didn’t understand the logistics of paperwork, and Shadow just flat-out refused to do it most of the time. Which left it to her to do the paperwork, as she didn’t particularly want to be dragged in for disorderly conduct/improper conduct every time they had a mission. That was more bothersome than just doing the paperwork herself, honestly.
Slamming her locker, she sashayed towards the door, moving at an unhurried pace. Her ear flicked as she heard the telltale sounds of her teammates flanking and following her, and the smallest of smirks crossed her face. Sometimes, she felt like she had her own personal bodyguards. That wasn’t even that far off- they both were protective enough that they might as well be.
Rouge’s smirk widened at the wide berth the other agents gave them as they made their way through G.U.N. They had a reputation- and a deserved one. When you were one of the most efficient and deadliest teams at G.U.N., people learned to steer clear. She had her short-fused, impatient teammates to thank for that. Neither of them were what you could call ‘friendly’.
But that was what made them who they were. She wouldn’t trade her team for the world, no matter how socially averse and stubborn the both of them were. Those qualities made her life more interesting, brought a spicy sort of flare to situations and interactions she would often call boring.
Such as now. No doubt Commander Tower was going to attempt to lecture them. But Shadow likely would ignore him and leave, Omega would scan for threat level and threaten violence, and she would attempt to keep her composure. It was a beautifully chaotic sort of teamwork, and she loved every minute.
“How fast do you think Tower will blow a gasket this time, boys?” She asked, tossing her smirk in their direction. Could they beat their record? Shake him from his stern composure?
Shadow’s mouth twitched, but his expression was still hard. “I would think that we’re about to find out.”
And that was Shadow-speak for, he was going to attempt to rile up the commander good.
Rouge’s smirk grew, giving a slow blink of acknowledgment. Turning around, she let her gaze wander across the hall in front of them, amusement pricking at her despite the serious situation.
This should be fun.
Sadly, they hadn’t broken their record. But Tower was so riled, Rouge couldn’t be too disappointed about it. When they’d took off in the copter, he’d been red faced and yelling, his words fading as they lifted off into the sky. Rouge had been laughing herself silly by that point, and even Shadow’s mouth was quirked in a smirk. Omega, of course, looked no different, but based on his silence, he was also quite amused. Or bored. It was hard to tell with him.
Rouge let her hand run across her hidden arsenal, double checking that everything was still in place. They hadn’t been as prepared as they usually were for this mission, as even G.U.N. didn’t know exactly what they were going to face. Only that it was a catastrophically powerful weapon, and Robotnik was attempting to learn how to wield it. Team Dark’s job was to destroy or take the weapon back to a secure location. Other than that… they didn’t know much, aside from the place they were getting dropped off at, which was an abandoned building near an old Eggman base- one that had been destroyed by Sonic and his friends, most likely. Whatever the case, it was pretty vague.
Well, they were prepared. They’d faced worse in the past, how bad could it be?
(If only she knew how much she’d eat those words later.)
They exited the helicopter one at a time, with Omega taking up the march behind them as the copter lifted off, going onward to deliver another team somewhere else. The area was overgrown, mostly jungle surrounding them. There was no effort to keep the jungle from taking over the abandoned/destroyed base, and so now it looked as if the vegetation was eating the place. Devouring it but by bit, nature slowly reclaiming its land. Rouge eyed it, something almost eerie about the building, the shattered windows and empty feeling to the area.
“Shadow… do you get the sense that something’s… off?” Rouge said in a low voice, ears rotating and twitching as she took in sounds around them. She wasn’t one for superstition, but something was making the fur on the back of her neck prickle, some sort of an instinctual warning.
Shadow was quiet for a moment, eyes scanning the foliage ahead. “I do. Keep alert.” For Shadow, that was saying something. He wasn’t one to encourage such feelings without having his own reasons.
The base was deeper into the jungle, so they made their way through on an overgrown path that looked as though it might’ve once been maintained, but had been left to grow again awhile ago. It was still easier to push through the smaller growth here than it would be to push through the literal jungle around them. After twenty or so minutes of walking, they were there.
They went through the base systematically, searching every room as thoroughly as they could. Every computer, memory bank, or anything of the sort was hacked into (by Rouge, mainly) and searched through, every storage room was checked for any hint of a new weapon or project.
But they found nothing. In fact, they found no trace of anyone’s presence. The base looked like it had been untouched for a long time, undisturbed for just as long. As if when Robotnik had cleared out… he’d really cleared out.
Rouge was confused. Not that she was one to sing G.U.N.’s praises, but usually their intel was sound. And the intel had clearly indicated this area as the culprit for whatever new plot the doctor was cooking up.
The three of them had decided that the base was clear, that the intel must have misled them, and they were making their way out and heading back for the path when the other abandoned building caught Rouge’s eye. It was a stretch… but could the intel have meant that building instead?
She voices that thought to her teammates, raising an eyebrow at Shadow. It wasn’t entirely clear who the technical leader of Team Dark was… either her or Shadow, but they deferred to each other at different times. It depended on the situation, honestly. Right now, she was going to let him lead.
“Might as well.” Shadow nodded, ear flicking. “Best to be thorough with our search, and check the area as well as the base. That building had to have been used for something.”
Rouge tilted her head in acknowledgment, then sighed as she realized they’d have to leave the somewhat-trail and trek through the jungle instead. Woe was her, now her boots would be mud splattered and she’d have to scrub them to get them back into their pristine condition. At least it wasn’t blood this time. It could be worse.
Before either her or Shadow could move, Omega moved in front of them, a whirring sound coming from him as he rotated what he liked to call his ‘weed whacker’ attachment out. With a buzzing noise, he started marching down towards the decrepit building. Grass, vines, and other plant life flew up in a trail behind him as he carved his way to the building, Rouge and Shadow trailing carefully behind him.
Rouge smirked, pleased with how this had turned out. Raising an eyebrow at Shadow, she grinned. “Well this is nice, isn’t it, doll?”
“It is… sufficient.” Shadow admitted, looking a little less rigid. Although he’d been quite frustrated with their lack of findings, he’d loosened up a little as they’d gotten away from the base. Rouge didn’t know if that was because he thought they would find something in this building, or because they wouldn’t. He was difficult to read on the best of days- though she had an easier time than most, being his best friend.
Omega halted in front of them, blades powering down before he closed the attachment once again. “WE HAVE ARRIVED.”
Rouge and Shadow moved around him to stand on either side, the three of them facing the run-down building. Half the roof was caved in, a wall was mostly torn down, and most of the windows had shattered. It looked hazardous.
Good thing they were used to hazardous, dangerous situations. In fact, their job was to face said situations.
“Well.” Rouge said brightly, propping her hands on her hips. “Doesn’t this look fun?” She grinned at her team, who wore matching blank expressions. Impressive for the one who wasn’t a machine. After a moment, when neither of them replied, she sighed. “Honestly, darlings, so serious. Lighten up a little, enjoy yourselves!” She waggled a finger at them both, then took a step towards the building. Sunlight barely peeked through the trees, glinting down on the area in an unsettlingly dim way.
She didn’t let that stop her. Instead, she pushed her shoulders back and sauntered forward, with all the brazenness she possessed.
“Rouge.” Shadow’s voice, firm and serious, made her pause in place. “Something’s not right here-” He was cut off by a scuttling noise, the sound metallic and ringing through the air.
Rouge lunged backwards, into line with her team, a heart bomb in her hand before she had even fully settled into a defensive position. Her wings flared, ready to launch her up if needed, and her ears twitched as she listened, eyes narrowed on the door to the building, where the noise was growing louder.
A click sounded as Shadow loaded his gun, the flick of a safety going off as he too readied for battle. Omega did nothing, just loomed menacingly as he waited for the threat to appear.
They didn’t wait long.
The scuttling sound invaded her ears as a wave of bots poured from the building- a small wave, but a wave nonetheless. About thirty or so crabmeats exited the building, followed closely by a familiar sight- the Egg Mobile. And piloting it was none other than Dr. Robotnik himself, though most knew him as Eggman, thanks to Sonic’s tendency to nickname everyone he came into contact with.
“Hello, vermin.” The human sneered, flying the Egg Mobile to hover about them all, likely so he could look down upon them all scornfully. “Here to interrupt my fun?”
“That depends on what your ‘fun’ is, doctor.” Rouge called, tilting her head. “If it’s of the world-threatening variety, then yes, we are.” She let a lazy smile cross her face as she flipped the explosive through her fingers.
“What do you take me for?” Robotnik asked, as if scandalized. “Of course it’s the world-threatening variety. I’m no second rate villain, you know.”
Rouge’s smile sharpened, and she could practically feel the dangerous edge to the air- a danger put there by her own two teammates. Both itching for violence, itching for a fight. It was likely going to come to one. “I don’t suppose you want to save us all some time and hassle by just telling us now?”
Eggman pretended to think about that, stroking his mustache in a way one might pet a cat. “No, no I don’t think so.” With that, he pressed a button, and the crabmeats scrabbled towards them, waving their pincers aggressively. Rouge jumped into the air with a flap of her wings, hovering over the group as her boys lunged into action. Shadow instantly went in with a chaos blast, incinerating a group of five or so bots as he slammed his fist into another. Omega chose to ignore his guns for now, also in favor of his fists and feet at the close quarters. Rouge watched for a moment, until a group of the badniks broke off and attempted to circle around Shadow and Omega.
“Ah ah ah.” Rouge tsked, leaning into a dive to fly over them, pressing the subtle button on her bomb right before she dropped it on the group. Veering up, the concussive explosion that followed kissed her heels, making a wild grin cross her face at the destructiveness of the bomb. How she loved her heart bombs. She dropped from the sky again, sending powerful kicks at the bots that dared approach her, moving around Shadow and Omega in a synchronized pattern.
The fight, if you could even call it that, was over quickly. Soon all that lay around them was shattered and dented metal, the bots reduced to mere scrap now. Unrecognizable, undefinable, and unusable.
“Last chance, doctor.” Shadow’s voice held the hint of a growl as he spoke, eyes flickering with chaos energy that slowly began to fade as the battle finished. “Tell us what you’re planning.”
Eggman’s face was red, as if he was angry his bots had been taken down so easily. What was he supposed to expect? He was facing Team Dark, for crying out loud. After a moment, the fury faded and the man cleared his throat, straightening. “I suppose, since you asked so nicely…”
Rouge frowned, landing on the ground next to Shadow. She had a weird feeling that something wasn’t right. Something that she couldn’t put a finger on exactly what it was.
“I’ve been attempting to gain control of the world’s most powerful weapon.” Eggman began. “One powerful enough to level a city. Or more… in truth, I don’t believe its true capabilities were ever tested thoroughly.” His smirk grew, something vicious in the look as he watched them closely. “A weapon unlike the world has ever seen… some would even call it… ultimate.”
Rouge blinked, shock cooling her expression. Was he… saying what she thought he was? She very carefully did not let her eyes flick to Shadow, no matter how she wanted to see his expression.
“If you were going for subtlety, doctor, you very much missed the mark.” Shadow’s voice was as flat as his mask when he retorted. “But I am curious to know how you think you’re going to ‘use’ me as your weapon. Last I checked, I wanted you six feet under.” That sentence was spat with a level of hatred that made Rouge glance to him, surprised he was showing that much emotion. His eyes were dark, anger a boiling emotion that was all too clear to see in the crimson depths.
Rouge looked back to the doctor just in time to see a sadistic sort of grin cross his face. On instinct, her hand crept towards a sheathe, where she kept more of her bombs. Whatever the doctor was planning… based on that look, it had to be bad. Her knees bent as she sank into a crouch, ready to move at a moment’s notice.
“You see, Shadow, I’ve been doing my research on a certain alien species.” The man said, his voice conversational once more. “Specifically, a certain trait of said alien species.”
Rouge was confused. He had to mean the Black Arms, but what about them? What did he think he had over Shadow?
“Something called the hivemind.” Robotnik enunciated the word with relish, practically throwing it at Shadow, who froze in place. The doctor didn’t miss the action, and his grin widened. “Yes… Black Doom certainly had some nasty tricks, didn’t he? I was so curious, and all the information I found… yes, it was quite helpful.”
A snarl ripped from Shadow, and he took a step forward, as if he was going to attack. Rouge was still in shock, but horror began to tighten it’s fist around her lungs. Was it true? Could Eggman really access the hivemind of the Black Arms? For anyone else, Rouge would have laughed, said it was impossible. But… the doctor was a genius. If anyone could find a way, it was him. And if he truly had found a way… if this wasn’t all just a bluff…
Rouge looked to Shadow, horrified and worried for him. If Robotnik managed to turn Shadow against them… no, it shouldn’t work, but he couldn’t- wouldn’t be able to stand if he did something terrible while under Eggman’s control.
Shadow snapped, “Lies. That’s impossible.” His voice didn’t waver, but Rouge heard the apprehension to it all the same. Shadow was… afraid. Very few things could stir him from his blank attitude to true fear, but the Black Arms certainly could. The alien blood he shared with the bloodthirsty race haunted him, no matter the reassurances she had always tried to give.
“Is it now?” Robotnik’s voice hardened, something darker flickering in his gaze. “Perhaps we should test it out.” Before any of them had any sort of idea what he was going to do, he pressed something, and a shrill noise pierced the air, making Rouge hiss instinctively in response to the painful sound.
It affected Shadow quite differently though. He stiffened, shoulders tight and jaw locked as his pupils blew, taking over the crimson of his eyes in a heartbeat. Hands clenched into fists, quills flaring, and a strangled noise escaped him. His gun hit the ground, though thankfully it didn't go off, instead skidding away from the shaking hedgehog. Rouge peered around Omega at him, worry making her frown, distracting her from her focus on Eggman.
Shadow’s lips pulled back in a snarl, eyes unfocused. “Stop…” He shook his head sharply, hissing, “Get out of my head!”
Rouge moves now, trusting Omega to watch Robotnik as she moved to Shadow’s side, hand outstretched before she thought better of it. “Shadow, hon, what’s wrong?” Had the doctor done something to him? And airborne poison? Transmitter? Something?
“Get back.” Shadow spoke through gritted teeth, trying to beckon her to back up. “I don’t know what- what he did.” Blinking, he opened his eyes for a moment, only for Rouge to choke on a gasp. While usually red, his eyes were practically a siren with how vibrant they were, almost glowing. Wait… was that chaos energy? Was whatever Eggman was doing… activating Shadow’s chaos energy? Making him lose control? If that happened… Gaia help them, that would be bad.
“Rouge, go-!” Shadow’s shaking legs slowly gave out on him, and he collapsed to his knees. “Can’t-” His voice broke, and he trailed off, but she had a good idea of what he’d meant. Something was very wrong, and he wanted her to get out of here. Her and Omega? She didn’t know.
Eggman cackled behind them, making Rouge’s wings twitch. “Shadow, what’s happening? Is it the hivemind?” She didn’t see how it could be- Robotnik hadn’t even done anything! Aside from hit some sort of button, but could that really have done anything?
Apparently so, as Shadow managed a short nod. He looked as though he was battling himself, and in reality, he likely was. The Black Arms were not any sort of friendly to anyone outside their race, and if he got caught in those instincts… things could get messy. An out-of-control Shadow was not something she’d like to experience.
Based on how Shadow’s eyes were still unfocused, she realized that she soon wouldn’t have a choice. Retreat was not an option, they were not going to leave their teammate and friend here alone, to deal with something like this. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do, running through ideas and scenarios. At least they were far from civilization out here, in the middle of the jungle.
“Well, bat, have fun with that!” Eggman cackles, disrupting her train of thought. “I’ll be back to retrieve my new weapon later, once you and that traitor creation of mine have been taken care of.” With that unimpressive farewell, the doctor motored his pitiful looking little vehicle away, making Rouge shake her head in disgust. What a coward. He caused this, then ran like a chicken because he was afraid of the fallout.
Omega turned to her, eye-lights flashing. “SHALL I PURSUE?” He sounded as eager as he could for someone who technically shouldn’t be able to feel emotions, metal claws curling into fists as he looked back towards the fleeing doctor.
Rouge looked down at Shadow, a grim look settling on her face as she made herself think through the worst scenario here. If Shadow really did lose control… Rouge wouldn’t be able to stop him on her own. Chaos, even her and Omega wouldn’t be able to stop him. Shaking off the chilling realization, she forced herself to speak calmly.
“Sorry, doll, but I have a feeling we’re going to need you here.” Rouge said, pressing a hand to Shadow’s back as he bent over, panting. Shudders ran through him as he fought whatever demons in his mind were attempting to take control. A low growl rumbled in his chest. “Standby for now, please.” She called over her shoulder. “I’m going to try to help him through it, but I don’t know if that’s possible anymore.” That assumption was based on how the pupils of Shadow’s eyes were slowly getting consumed by the eerie, odd blood-red color that sent chills down her spine. His ears no longer twitched or rotated as he listened, instead standing perfectly straight. The snarl on his face relaxed, something blank slowly erasing any and all emotion. A blink, and the shudders stopped.
Rouge pulled her hand away, wary. Some might assume that his relaxation meant that he was okay, that whatever was attacking his mind had left.
She knew better though. She had a bad feeling, and that feeling was backed up by logic as her gaze darted over him, taking in the cues of his body language.
It wasn’t relaxation, as one might think, but rather… controlled rigidity. The looseness of someone no longer fighting. Shadow wasn’t straining against an unseen foe any longer… but that didn’t mean he had won.
Rouge leaned back, ears flicking back apprehensively as she studied Shadow, trying to figure out what was going on with him. Did the hivemind have him? Was he aware and present at all? Based on the blankness to his eyes and expression, she didn’t think so. He just stared off into space, no recognition in his gaze, everything about him just… still.
“Shadow?” Rouge whispered, not daring to move. One wrong move could set something off, even if she didn’t know what that something was. When it came to Shadow, it was best to tread lightly.
Shadow moved. Too quickly for her to see, he was up and gone, red energy crackling like a lightening bolt between them. Not teleportation- just speed. He now stood across from her and Omega, near the entrance to the building that Robotnik had exited. Rouge scrambled to her feet, using her wings to assist her quicker. Bracing herself, she raised her hands in a calming way, trying to deescalate the situation, even as part of her warned that it was too late, that there was no turning back now.
“Shadow, it’s us.” Rouge tried, a hint of her growing panic to her voice. “Your team- Rouge, and Omega- remember us?”
Based on the snarl that ripped through the air, he did not, in fact, remember. Rouge blinked, taking a half-step back, then quickly said to Omega, “Shadow’s been compromised, Eggman somehow awakened the Black Arms’ hivemind in him, and he sees us as a threat.” With that said, she shot into the air just as Shadow lunged at them, teeth bared and a feral light in his eyes.
“UNDERSTOOD.” Omega said, sidestepping the first attack and watching the hybrid. “NEUTRALIZE CAREFULLY. NO INJURIES.”
Well, as fine and dandy as that sound, she had a feeling there would be injuries on both sides of this before it was over. Such was the case when fighting the ultimate lifeform.
“SHADOW, RETURN TO YOUR RIGHT MIND.” Omega commanded, raising his cannon and pointing it at their teammate. Rouge hovered, watching closely, trying to figure out how to go about this. She didn’t think that Omega simply willing Shadow to regain control would work, but you never knew! One could hope.
Said hope was instantly dashed when Shadow teleported, landing behind Omega and slamming his heel into the back of the bot, sending him flying forward. Omega stumbled, but whirled and threw a few blows of his own, keeping his gun out of the fight for now. That was probably for the best- they didn’t want to actually injure Shadow, not unless it was absolutely necessary. Omega landed no hits, as they were all dodged, then returned by Shadow. Shadow landed a punch so hard, it knocked Omega clear off his feet, the ground shaking a little at the impact.
Her turn. Rouge steeled herself, then dropped from the sky, spinning to deliver a savage kick to Shadow’s side, trying to distract him from Omega for a moment so that he could get back to his feet. She tried to push away the twinge of guilt and pain she felt. Shadow was her friend- her brother. But right now, he didn’t know that. He didn’t know them, and would hurt them- maybe even kill them if he had the chance. She had to stop him- both for their sakes, and his own.
What would Shadow do if he came out of the control of the hivemind only to find that he had killed his friends while lost in the haze?
He’d never forgive himself. Rouge knew that for a fact. Shadow would hate himself, and he would carry that pain for the rest of his immortal life. So not only did she force herself to fight for herself, or for Omega, but also for Shadow. He wouldn’t carry any more pain, any more guilt or grief. She wouldn’t allow it.
“Shadow!” He blocked her next strike with a hand, throwing a punch that she leaned to avoid. “It’s us! Your team!” Jumping, she used her wings to give her a boost as she vaulted over his head, landing behind him and kicking him in the bat hard enough to knock him to the dirt.
A furious growl escaped him, and he snapped his teeth together, not bothering to get fully to his feet before he was throwing himself at her, bared teeth and reaching hands. He swiped at her, and she realized that his claws had lengthened, torn through the tips of his gloves. Well, wasn’t that nice.
She twisted to the side to dodge the swipe, feeling the breeze of the closeness of the action. Before she could recover her balance, Shadow’s fist connected with her open side, knocking the wind from her in one painful blow.
Rouge stumbled back with a wheeze, trying to kickstart her lungs into working again. It was like they had forgotten how to do their one purpose- breathe. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly, like a fish out of water, and that was exactly how she felt as she struggled for air, head spinning with the need for oxygen. Taking advantage of her disorientation, Shadow struck again. In a mockery of her fighting style, he jumped up, twisting around to send a solid kick to her chest, sending her flying backwards. Rouge hit the ground hard enough that all of the progress she’d made in trying to get her breath back was immediately nulled, as the little air in her lungs was jarred loose as well. A hacking cough escaped her, and she gasped, inhaling sharply.
She needed to get up- she was a sitting duck like this. An easy target, prey for the Black Arms’ instincts and mindset.
Before she had managed to get up, Omega was there, shooting a few rounds of bullets in a halo around Shadow, but not directly at him. Likely an attempt at distracting him. It worked- Shadow’s dark crimson eyes flashed from Rouge to Omega, and his quills bristled sharper at the new threat. He didn’t speak, but the growl rumbling in his throat said it all.
They clashed, manmade machine against manmade hybrid. Debris was kicked up as they really got into it, Omega’s attempts at getting through to Shadow the only sound aside from the noise of battle and Shadow’s snarls. Omega bodily picked Shadow up and slammed him into a tree, eyelights flashing with warning, but Shadow still snapped and writhed, trying to escape the robots hold.
Rouge finally shook off the hits, wincing at the bruises she knew she’d have in the morning, then stumbled towards the boys- her boys, at each other’s throats. How was she supposed to watch this? To participate? As necessary as it was, it hurt to do this. To fight her brother like this, to see him so mindless and feral.
“SHADOW. CEASE AND DESIST.” Omega tried again, but his words didn’t register. Whatever Eggman had done had driven him deep into the hivemind, making him listen to whatever evil force was puppeting him- whether that was the Black Arms, or the doctor himself, she didn’t know. In all honesty, she hadn’t known that the hivemind could even go this far- to strip him of his sense of self and his rational mind.
“Shadow.” Rouge tried, jumping into the air again, hovering over the both of them. “Remember us? Fighting Eggman with us? Taking down bases and badniks? What about movie nights?” She coughed- the way her chest felt, she wouldn’t be surprised if she had a cracked rib. Changing directions, she said, “What about Sonic? Sparring and racing with Sonic? Talking with Amy?”
Shadow teleported out of Omega’s grasp, appearing behind him with a chaos spear manifested as he solidified back into time and space. His eyes were narrowed with a savage sort of fury, and he slammed the chaos spear into Omega so hard the robot was knocking clear through the tree in front of him. Rouge threw herself out of the way as the tree creaked and fell, unable to stand after a 2,000 something pound bot was chucked through it. She heard crashing noises as he rolled to a stop in the underbrush, then his mechanical voice muttering the few swear words she’d taught him.
He was fine, then. Rouge now had bigger problems. Shadow was now eyeing her, standing with his feet braced just below her, looking as if he were weighing the pros and cons of jumping. Just in case, she rose a little further up in the air.
That didn’t do as much good as she thought it would.
There was a flash, and then he was next to her, tackling her from the air and sending them both plummeting to the ground. Rouge swore, squirming and thrashing to try to free herself from his grip as they neared the ground. If she hit back first, there was no way her wings wouldn’t break. Shadow’s grip was unbreakable, hands on her shoulders so tight she had no doubt there would be handprint-shaped bruises later. Looking up into his face, she saw no trace of her Shadow- the brother who had taken bullets for her, who had been there when everyone else was against her, who had picked her up every time she fell.
Gone was her brother, because all she could see in him was rage.
Wind whistled in her ears, before determination swelled in her chest. She did something stupid- grabbing Shadow’s head between her hands, she slammed their heads together in a headbutt, making sure to hit his nose. If she was lucky, the strike would cause reflex tears, or at least give her a moment to slip away.
It worked. Shadow grunted, hands releasing her to instinctively protect his face. Now free, Rouge rolled midair, snapping her wings open just in time to slow her fall to a survivable momentum. Flapping once, then twice to slow herself even more, she curled into a ball and hit the ground in a roll, spreading the impact out before she got back to her feet. Glancing up, she blinked, not seeing Shadow anywhere.
Instinct and years of fighting for her life screamed at her to duck, and she did, tucking into another roll to put distance between her and whatever set off her internal alarm. Popping up, she threw a narrow-eyed look back. Of course, Shadow stood there, pulling his arm back from where he’d been aiming to slash the back of her neck.
Chills ran down her spine, and she suppressed a shiver. If he’d managed to hit her there… she might’ve died.
Crashing noises came as Omega apparently finally detangled himself from the jungle, reentering the battle with a cry of challenge, slamming into Shadow with little regard for the hybrid’s health.
Which… was what they might need to do. Stop prioritizing Shadow’s wellbeing over their own, because Shadow could tank a hell of a lot more damage than she could. Shadow could have killed her a moment ago. Only her reflexes had saved her.
Narrowing her eyes, she slid into a battle-ready crouch, eyes on the fight between Omega and Shadow. Both were swinging wildly, inflicting damage on each other as they did so. Omega’s new strategy was apparently to beat the Black Arms out of Shadow, which likely wouldn’t work. But if they did knock him out, then perhaps that would give them a little more time to figure out how to snap him out of it. Which would be easier to do if they knew even how Robotnik had managed to put him into this.
Rouge glanced back towards the building, wondering if the decrepit place would hold any sort of answer. Only one way to find out. “Omega, keep him busy! I’m going to see if I can figure out how to stop this!” With that, she took off, sprinting towards the hazard of a building, wings tucked tight against her back as she did.
She heard Omega confirm behind her, before a furious snarl split the air, matched then by Omega’s challenges. They’d be fine for a few minutes. Omega could handle it. Well, she hoped, at least.
Rouge reached the door, and stepped inside with no hesitation. She immediately came to a halt, blinking in confusion. Because there was… nothing. It was a big open space, showing what she thought was the whole building. To her right there was a doorway, and one room, but that seemed to be it. Open space, and one room. What was this building? Or, what had it been was a better question? Maybe a garage, or storage? There was rubble littering the floor from the slowly collapsing roof and patchy walls.
Focus. She chided herself, stepping inside, letting her gaze catch every detail as she walked through the area. Any sort of hint about Eggman’s plans, about how he’d done this to Shadow.
But the more she searched, her pace picking up the more empty ground she covered, the more the tight feeling in her chest increased. There was nothing here. Eggman hadn’t plotted here, he’d just used this area to ambush them, to hide and wait for them to come to them. So did that mean… if she couldn’t find anything to get him out of it, was Shadow stuck in the hivemind? Could they do anything to help?
Panic threatened to steal her calm, her logic, but she took deep breaths to stave it off. She had to keep her cool, couldn’t lose her head now. Not when Shadow needed her. Not when he was a slave to his own genetics. There had to be a way.
She searched the small room, but came up with nothing, just like the rest of the room. Disappointment and a growing panic urged her to go back, unable to hear much of the struggle from inside the stone and wood building. Hurrying for the door, she squinted in the light, her eyes having adjusted to the darkness inside. She paused halfway through when she caught sight of the battle going on.
The area all in front of the building was scuffed and torn up, the carcasses of trees and other plants laying in witness to the destruction the other two had wrecked in her absence. Currently, they were trading hits somewhere close to the building, the sounds catching her attention as they were somewhere close. She followed the noise to find her boys still beating the crap out of each other. Omega had new scratches and dents, and green blood dripped from a few small cuts on Shadow. So Omega was giving as good as he got… maybe. The dents would likely take a while to fix, and he would complain about it endlessly. Oh well, that was future hers’ problem. Right now, she needed to get Shadow snapped out of it before they were forced to resort to drastic measures.
It seemed she was just a hair too late.
Chaos energy built around Shadow, an unstable sort of quality to it. It was joined by something else… something tarry, and dark, and wrong. It made her take a step back with discomfort, having not seen anything quite like that before.
As she watched, the power built, concentrating on the black and red hedgehog before it burst out with a concussive ‘boom’, knocking into Omega so hard, it sent him flying though yet another tree. He didn’t get up right away, meaning it had likely done more damage this time.
Shadow’s eyes were on her, and she blinked up, attempting to back up, hands raised in a calming manner. “It’s alright, darling. Just me.” She kept her voice low and soothing as she could, trying to help in the only way she had. “Just me. No one’s in danger.” Not entirely honest, but she was trying to calm the situation, not make it worse.
It didn’t work regardless. Shadow ignored her words, snapping his teeth as he now attempted to bite her. Honestly, what was this? He was trying to bite her? It was ridiculous, and yet it made somewhat sense. The Black Arms were cannibals, weren’t they? Was biting really so out of the question?
Rouge sidestepped the bite, trying to sweep his legs out from under him and failing when he dodged with a small sidestep, the other grabbing her shoulders and yanking her at him. Rouge thrashed, and managed to free herself after a moment.
Shadow followed as she tried to retreat, ears pinned. Whatever Omega had done to keep him distracted, it had ticked him off good and plenty. He was riled as could be now, and they were going to pay for it. Omega crashed back into the fight, thundering footsteps preceding him. Rouge saw her chance, and prayed that this would work. They needed to stop Shadow long enough to get this figured out, and to do that…
“Omega!” Rouge called, taking a few steps back, then running forward, hoping against hope that this worked. She jumped, letting both feet slam into Shadow, sending him flying. As she hit the ground, rolling to pop to her feet, she caught sight of Omega’s powerful blow, slamming Shadow to the ground so hard it left a crater. She couldn’t help her wince, even though she knew it had to be done.
There was a tense moment of silence as both of the waited to see if it had worked. That silence was then shattered by the furious roar of a hedgehog who was not, in fact, unconscious like they’d hoped.
“Oh Chaos.” Rouge whispered, knowing it was about to hit the fan. Their gamble had not paid off, and now Shadow was furious. There was a blur of movement, then something hit Omega so hard that a clang sounded in the air from the collision. Omega attempted to pry the hybrid off of him, but Shadow was relentless. He pulled back, only to spindash at Omega, launching him towards the thicker parts of the jungle. Shadow was a whirlwind as he moved around Omega, the sounds of chaos snapping and slams of fists and feet striking metal echoing in the air.
And then it was still. Shadow came to a halt in front of the war machine, sparking with so much unstable chaos energy he was practically shaking with the power. He did nothing, just held it there as it built, staring down Omega, who hesitated, not sure on what to do.
Rouge then understood what he was about to do. “Omega-!” She tried to warn, but it was too late. She could only watch in helpless horror as Shadow attacked.
The hybrid released a chaos blast, the power incinerating the plants around him, and hitting Omega with such force that the bot was thrown clear out into the jungle, far enough that Rouge couldn’t see where he landed, only able to hear and feel his collision with the ground. She winced. It was a good thing Omega couldn’t feel pain, because chaos, that would hurt.
Shadow then turned slowly, setting his gaze on her. there was no emotion to his face, no rage or anger, or anything but a blank nothingness that was far scarier than the rage. Rouge took a step back, wings twitching as she tried to decide if she dared go back to the air, or if she should fight with her feet on the ground.
Shadow decided that for her, teleporting next to her in a burst of energy, reaching for her. Rouge tried to twist away, but Shadow was there, grabbing her wrist, his eyes still glowing red as fresh blood against snow. Rouge had one, quick moment to think, Chaos, that’s not good, before he spun and flung her at the wall of the building with enough force to send her clear through it, the sound of shattering wood and drywall hitting her ears as she did so.
Pain erupted all over her body when she hit the ground, and she was pretty sure she blacked out for a moment. When she tuned back into the world, her head was spinning with disorientation and confusion over what had just happened. The wind had been completely knocked from her, again, and she coughed a few times before she managed to take a breath the right way.
She should get back up. But everything hurt, she was tired, and she didn’t want to push through all the wall rubble that was half-burying her at the moment. Knowing she needed to get up anyways, she strained against the rubble. Shifting it just a little, she found that she was pinned below the debris, the weight too much at the angle she was at. The wall had been one of the connectors to the office, meaning she’d went through a outside wall and into the office, into a spot where the ceiling had partially collapsed. The force of the blow had propelled her into a pile of debris already in the room, which resulted in her current stuck positioning.
She had a moment of panic, then twitched her wings, relief at finding them mostly unscathed making her slump into her uncomfortable position, trapped under part of a wall and ceiling.
Chaos, Shadow hit hard. She knew that, of course, but it wasn’t hardly ever aimed towards her, so sometimes she forgot just how strong he was. But… yes. Somehow, all her muscles felt like jelly, and her bones felt unstable, as though they could dissolve at a moment’s notice.
Even taking her state of pain into consideration, she still couldn’t blame Shadow. He wasn’t in control- the Black Arms hivemind was. He was doing what Eggman wished him to, with no recognition of her or Omega.
So how could she blame him? Be upset with him?
Even if this did end badly- end tragically, she could never blame him. No, the blame lied only with Robotnik and his cruelty.
Before she had a chance to try to escape, Shadow appeared in the hole in the wall, his glowing eyes locked on her. She tried to push one of the wooden beams off of herself, knowing it would be extremely bad if he got his hands on her again, especially trapped as she was. The beam shifted, making her let out a keening cry when it pressed down on her, forcing some of the air from her lungs, grinding against her already injured ribs. Frantically, she squirmed, trying to wriggle out from under it, ignoring the pain to the best of her abilities.
But Shadow… paused. Rouge’s heart pounded frantically as she stared at the scene in front of her, panic sending adrenaline rushing through her veins.
His head was tilted, gaze seeming to be… confused? Yes, confusion was the best word for what she saw. The glow to his eyes flickered, then abruptly vanished, the hedgehog blinking rapidly.
Rouge watched with wide eyes, wondering what sort of trick was going on. Was Eggman doing this? Making Shadow do something else? Making him pretend he was fine?
Shadow stumbled on his feet a bit, raising a hand to his head, before he looked up again. His gaze hooked hers, and she sucked in a half-breath, the best she could do while pinned like this. Shadow’s eyes were filled with horror, his expression twisting with agony and fear. Looking into his eyes, she knew the hivemind had released him- this was her Shadow. Her teammate, friend, and brother. Relief made her lightheaded (or was that the lack of air and crushing pressure?) and she opened her mouth, trying to find the words. Before she could, Shadow did- and the tone to his voice made her recoil.
“Rouge!” He cried, genuine fear in his voice as he scrambled towards her, his gait unsteady. When he reached her amidst the rubble, he didn’t seem to know what to do, reaching out with shaking hands before pulling them away, his breaths too fast as he panicked. His gaze couldn’t seem to stay on her, crimson eyes (back to their usual shade of red) darting about, wide and dazed.
“Honey, it’s okay, I’m okay!” Rouge told him quickly, heart wrenching at the frightened pain in his every action. “I’m just stuck, that’s all.” She was desperate to reassure him, knowing that guilt would be overwhelming him- he’d blame himself for this. Even when the blame lied with only one- a certain doctor- she knew he’d blame himself regardless.
A noise escaped Shadow- a sound she’d never heard from him before. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say it was almost a whimper. “R-Rouge, I-I-” His voice was strained, trembling. His ears were pinned flat to his head, expression distraught.
Before he could say anything more, Omega’s hand closed around the hedgehog’s throat, making him choke, hands flying up to grip the metal claws.
Rouge didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed the giant death robot that had finally made his way back to them, but in her defense, she had been a little distracted.
She gave a sharp cry at the bot’s action, trying to get up again, but failing. “Omega, wait!” She had to stop him, he didn’t realize-!
Shadow hung limply from Omega’s grasp, refusing to fight back, even as his face changed colors from lack of oxygen. The hybrid’s ears were pinned flat in distress, limbs loose and limp as the robot dangled him off the ground. His hands gripped Omega’s, but he wasn’t fighting him. He just hung there, resigned to whatever the bot would do to him.
Omega yanked him away,, backing up, eyelights flashing red, holding Shadow even further off the ground. “ROUGE. INJURIES?”
“I’m fine, Megs, let him go!” Rouge said, scrabbling at the beam in sudden desperation. The dead look in Shadow’s gaze was making her panic. She knew he was spiraling, she had to help him-
“NEGATIVE, HEDGEHOG IS STILL A THREAT.”
Shadow reacted to that with a flinch, but still didn’t fight back, even as he wheezed in Omega’s grip. Even as he choked and suffocated, he didn’t protest. Didn’t resist in any way.
“He’s not under the hivemind anymore, let him go!” With a huge heave, channeling her worry and panic into the action, she finally managed to push the beam off of herself. Scrambling up despite the twinges of pain, she lunged toward the other two, reaching for Shadow. Omega backed up, carrying Shadow with him, and making her let out a frustrated sound. What was he doing?
“YOU ARE IN DISTRESS; NOT THINKING CLEARLY.” Omega told her. “THE THREAT-”
“He’s not even fighting you!” Rouge snarled at him, snapping her wings open to make herself more intimidating. “He snapped out of it!” How could she convince the overprotective bot that it was fine?
Shadow let out a choked whine when Omega turned his attention to the hedgehog in his grasp. Shadow’s hands still curled lightly around the larger metal fingers/claws, but his eyes were closed, body limp. He wasn’t going to fight, wasn’t going to protest whatever Omega did to him. Because why? He thought he deserved it? A frantic sort of worry was driving her to get him back, to make sure he was okay.
“Omega.” Rouge begged, reaching for her surrogate little brother, held just out of her reach.
Omega was still for a moment, considering, before he released Shadow without a word. Shadow didn’t even try to land on his feet- he just collapsed on the ground, curling up into the fetal position. Ragged breaths came from him as he coughed, and he shook violently, muscles trembling and spasming.
Rouge lunged for him, resting a hand on his shoulder, the other brushing his forehead. “Shadow- honey, please look at me-” She didn’t know what to do, how to bring him back from the spiral.
A choked sob broke from him, and he curled up even tighter. He seemed so… small, for lack of any other words. Small, and broken, shaking with the force of his emotions. Shadow had never seemed small to her- though quiet, he carried a presence to him. But right now… small was all she could think as she stared down at him, emotions going haywire as she watched Shadow- strong, stoic Shadow- fall apart.
Rouge’s heart shattered into tiny pieces, her eyes hazing with tears. “Shadow, please.” She begged, needing the confirmation that he was okay. She needed to reassure him, to let him know she didn’t blame him, that she wasn’t mad. Omega hovered, watching closely, as if unsure of what to do. Or as if… he was still half-convinced that Shadow was still lost to the hivemind, as if this was all a ploy. Rouge knew better.
Shadow’s eyes snapped open, full of anguish and grief, self-hatred spilling out of him like a tidal wave. Rouge sucked in a breath at the emotions his eyes held, the hybrid’s gaze not quite meeting hers. Omega loomed over them both, watching Shadow intensely.
“Look at me.” Rouge stressed gently, finally getting him to meet her eyes. Guilt hung so heavy in his expression, adding to the impression that he was smaller than he was. “Listen to me- it’s not your fault. Do you hear me? Eggman manipulated something that you can’t control. It’s not your fault.” She rested a hand on his cheek, feeling the way he trembled.
“I hurt you.” Shadow whispered, voice choked. “I could’ve- could’ve-” His voice broke, and he flinched away from the thought, as if it hurt to even think about.
“But you didn’t.” Rouge enunciated, thumb rubbing the fur of his cheek gently. “You didn’t. We’re fine. Everyone is fine.” It could have gone so badly, yes, but it hadn’t.
Shadow held her gaze, then looked away as another sob tore free. A single tear traced its way down his face, then more followed. Slipping down through dark fur with a slow inevitability, as if the sight of them didn’t make her eyes widen.
The shattered pieces of her heart burned, and she inhaled sharply, the noise practically a gasp. Shadow was crying.
Shadow. Crying.
Her own tears escaped her control, and she pulled on Shadow a little, desperately wanting to hold him. He resisted at first, then finally scrambled up, throwing himself at her as broken sobs wracked his frame, clearly too overwhelmed to even try to pretend to hide them. Rouge’s own tears poured down her face as she wrapped both arms around him tightly, rocking back and forth as she tried to piece him back together. His face was buried in her shoulder, and she tucked her own face against his neck as they clung to each other. Murmured comforts escaped her instinctively, one hand smoothing over his quills carefully, gently, trying to comfort him.
How must it feel, to have your mind stolen from you time and time again? Forced to fight your friends, your family? Having no idea that you were hurting the ones you loved?
It was a nightmare. A nightmare that had been reality for Shadow far too many times. A nightmare that had become his reality once again, thanks to a doctor wicked enough to try it. Fury mixed with the sympathetic grief, and she tightened her grip on Shadow. The doctor had tried to steal him entirely to use him as a weapon. To turn him against them.
Rouge was going to make him pay. Somehow, some way. Robotnik would regret this, and she would make sure he never tried anything like this again.
Robotnik had crossed a line. And now he would face a fury like none other. Rouge wasn’t going to just go after him alone, no. She was going to gather everyone. Sonic and his team. The Chaotix. Silver and Blaze.
And then they would teach the doctor a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget. Anger boiled in her chest, feeling like it would burn her up from the inside out. Her muscles trembled with barely restrained rage, every instinct urging her to hunt Robotnik down now, to show him what happened when he messed with her little brother. If he thought he could get away with this- he was so very, very wrong.
She was pulled from her murderous thoughts by Shadow moving, his arms tightening around her slightly as a noise not unlike a hiccup escaped him. The tears seemed to have slowed, his sobs dying down to a gentle shuddering as he burrowed into her, making no move to pull away.
“ROUGE?” Omega asked, his voice quieter than she’d ever heard it before. “SHADOW IS…?” He almost sounded… hesitant. Which was an emotion that the bot didn’t often feel, or display. Hesitating was not in his nature. But right now, as she lifted her head to look back at him… he was subdued. No longer looming, as if ready to jump in if this proved to be a threat. No, instead he hovered with an uncertain sort of helplessness, as if he was uncertain what exactly he should do.
“He’ll… he’ll be okay.” Rouge said after a moment, her voice thick with tears. Perhaps he wasn’t okay right now- and who could blame him? He wasn’t okay. And he likely wouldn’t be for a while. But he had them, and they would never let him fall.
Shadow shifted a little, pulling away to blink at her with swollen eyes. He said nothing, hunching over in the embrace she couldn’t bring herself to break. Rouge met his gaze, trying to push all the love and reassurance she could into her expression. She didn’t know where exactly to go from here. How did one move on from a moment this fragile?
“I-I’m sorry.” Shadow breathed, voice hoarse. “I didn’t know what I was… didn’t know I was fighting you.” He said the words to both of them, glancing back at Omega hesitantly, like the robot might still be suspicious of him.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Shadow.” Rouge told him gently, taking his hands in her own and squeezing them gently, reassuring him to the best of her abilities. She rubbed his knuckles gently with her thumb, trying to just… be there. Ground him, help him understand that this wasn’t his fault, that he himself had done nothing wrong.
“ROUGE IS CORRECT. YOU ARE NOT TO BLAME.” Omega said, surprising Rouge with the… softness to his tone. Could a robot be soft? Omega certainly was trying. “THE BLAME LIES WITH THE ENEMY, WHO WILL SOON REGRET HIS ACTIONS.” A dangerous underlying threat hung over his words, practically snarled. Well, that showed how Omega felt on the subject.
Shadow let out a choked noise resembling a snort. Finally pulling away from Rouge, he sat fully upright, letting a sigh leak from him. He slumped, quills messy and fanning around his head, fur mused and dirty. He was a mess.
They all were. And after the day they had, no one could blame them. Rouge wanted to go home. Back to their shared apartment, to shower and hopefully wash away the memories and emotions of this horrid day. She wanted to crash on the couch, bury herself under a blanket with a protesting Shadow, who of course would insist that he didn’t need the blanket, as he was the ultimate lifeform and could regulate his body temperature. Put on some cheesy movie that would end up being background noise when they inevitably fell asleep.
Rouge sighed, blinking once to refocus herself, then turned to Shadow to ask if he felt ready enough to try to get up, to get out of here before G.U.N. came back to check on them. This was not a moment that G.U.N. needed to intrude on. This wasn’t a victory, but rather a recovery. They didn’t need an organization breathing down their necks, asking enough questions to call it an interrogation as they tried to regroup.
Before she could speak, however, Shadow looked at her, everything about him radiating exhaustion, and said, “Let’s go home.” Clearly, he was done with sitting here. Probably feeling too exposed to continue displaying his emotions in such a manner. They’d obviously overwhelmed him for a moment there, but no doubt the discomfort at the vulnerability was creeping in, pushing him to want somewhere safe.
“Couldn’t agree more, hon.” Rouge smiled, soft and warm, then stood, helping Shadow to his feet despite his protests. She saw how his legs still slightly trembled, how his breaths hitched a little with the emotion that had yet to fade. Despite that, Shadow began trudging in a direction, uncaring how long it would take him to walk back. That was fine though. Rouge followed, catching up with him quickly. She didn’t care that they were walking, didn’t care if it took them all night to walk back. Didn’t care that she was exhausted already, that her muscles protested the idea of walking that far.
If Shadow needed to walk, then she’d walk with him. If this would help clear his head, help alleviate the spiral he was in… then she’d be right by his side. Without a word or question, Omega followed, head rotating as he watched for threats.
Shadow and Rouge walked side by side, with Omega shadowing them. watching their backs as always. United, falling into sync without a word of hesitancy or question.
Together, Team Dark began to make their way home.