I Am...All of Me

Shadow's Infiltration (Sequel to To Catch a Bat)

Guardian Units of Nations HQ

Shadow had been anxious ever since Rouge had departed for her mission. Even during his sparring round with Omega, he had been distracted, making the robot somewhat annoyed, something no one thought was possible. When the day ended, Shadow refused to leave the base, preferring to stay on call at all times. He spent the entire night at the base, catching up on his paperwork and trying to do anything to take his mind off of the potential danger his partner could be in.

At 2:00 am he had had enough and decided to go find Eggman's base on his own. Slipping out of the base unseen, he skated for over an hour, until the cold northern winds blew fresh snow into his face. He could faintly distinguish the outline of White Acropolis in the darkness.

  His charcoal fur and crimson streaks stood out against the snow, but blended perfectly with the early morning in the forest surrounding the base. The only sources of light came from the base's search lights and the fire pouring out from beneath his skates. The familiar sound of metal straining against metal alerted him to the presence of Eggman's robot army patrolling the border. It wasn't long before one of them noticed his approaching figure, and sirens began to wail throughout the base.

"So much for getting in unseen," he chuckled darkly to himself, ruby orbs glinting with anticipation of the fight.

He rounded the last bend of tree and came face to face with the mechanical hoard without stopping. Hands alight with chaos energy, he slashed through the defense in a flaming streak, the machines exploding on impact. One attempted to shoot him as he neared the wall, but the ebony agent dodged and leaped up on top of it. In one fluid motion, he used its head as a springboard and launched himself over the outerwall. He landed in a half-crouch position just as the robot on the other side exploded, sending a fiery beacon that reached above the wall, bathing him in warmth and light for the briefest of moments.

A search beacon neared his position, and he stepped out of its view, taking cover behind a stack of barrels filled with what smelled like oil. He would have to utilize that fact later on. The blood-streaked hedgehog studied the outer layout of the base, preparing his route. As he did this, static reached his sensitive ears, and he tipped his head downward to the small communicator built in to his left inhibitor.

Transmission from HQ. There's an SOS coming from Dr. Eggman's base. Our last communication was with our agent 26 hours ago. We expect an immediate rescue, Shadow the Hedgehog.

Shadow inwardly sighed. They hadn't heard a word from his partner since she left headquarters. He should have left sooner.

"Understood. Initiating the mission now. "

He flicked the com off and glared at the main base before disappearing in a flash of blue light. He reappeared moments later against the wall of the building, and he leaned deeper into his namesake for cover. A search light crossed in front of him, inches away from revealing his position. A nearby robot marching close by sparked an idea in his mind.

Within seconds he teleported behind the unsuspecting automaton, and chaos energy painted his hands in a golden glow. The robot turned around milliseconds too late as the sable hedgehog slashed it fiercely, reducing it to nothing more than a pile of scrap metal. The only thing still intact was its head. Shadow picked it up and skated to the entrance.

   A smaller robot with a large camera eye popped out of a slot beside the two giant metal doors. He hefted the robot head above himself, allowing the smaller machine to see it. He heard two distinct clicks, and the robot returned back into its slot. Seconds later, the massive doors swung open, permitting him entrance. He promptly tossed the robot's head away and strode inside to find his captive partner.