"Your system should be completely cleared now."
"Thank you, doctor."
Shadow closed the door of the Medical Center behind him and walked into Rouge in the hallways of one of G.U.N.'s many bases. The she-bat smiled solicitously as the dark hedgehog greeted her.
"Hey, Shadow. No more effects from the Phantom residue?"
"No more," He replied as she followed him down the hall. "Any new assignments?"
"Yes, actually. Sort of a side mission. Hey Omega," Rouge nodded as the robot joined them outside. She looked up at the sky, her half-closed eyes reflecting a light fuchsia color from the redness of the atmosphere. "It's regarding Infinite. A new branch of G.U.N. has been created." The bat tossed the Ultimate Lifeform a rolled-up sheet of paper.
He caught it mid-air, unrolled it, and scrutinized the poster of the smiling group of Mobians, all wearing coordinating outfits. "The Foundation for Villain Redemption? We're redeeming Infinite?"
Rouge chuckled. "Hardly. We're reforming him."
Shadow rolled the sheet back up and clutched it in his fist. "What does G.U.N. see in him?"
His comrade gave him an amused glance. "He was the one to destroy the doomsday device, remember?"
"He did that out of want for revenge against Eggman... And besides, he was the doctor's most loyal ally. The doctor made the mistake of using him rather than working with him. Had Eggman respected Infinite's wishes and waited until the ruby was at full power by itself, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."
"Shadow is correct," Omega piped in behind them. "But then again, the only reason Infinite became such a big villain was because Shadow supposedly annihilated Squad Jackal and ripped away Infinite's dignity."
The dark hedgehog sighed, evading Rouge's unimpressed look. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter now. He should be grateful for getting a second chance, though there's no promising he'll actually use it."
"You never know." The jewel thief's wings twitched as a faint breeze picked up. "And besides, his squad is fine. He should have more motivation to be good now than before."
Shadow just shook his head as they walked. "We shouldn't be presumptuous. Where are we headed?"
"We're going to G.U.N.'s Hospital Wing." The bat swung her wings down, taking her up into the air, and she delicately landed upon Omega's massive shoulder, who didn't break a stride. "Infinite's recovered greatly since we last saw him."
"I bet he and his squad sure will be happy to see me." Shadow slowed down. "You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up with you later."
As the dark hedgehog turned to walk the other direction, he spotted a familiar blue hedgehog jogging up to them, followed closely by another hedgehog, this one pink.
"Hey, Shadow!" Sonic caught up to him, Amy by his side. "Are you guys headed for the Hospital Wing, too?"
"Sure are," Rouge replied, smirking down at them. "Are you here for the same reason we are?"
Amy noticed the paper grasped tightly in Shadow's hand. "Looks like it!" Her bright green eyes swept across G.U.N.'s landscapes. "We can walk together!"
Shadow's eyes lowered, and he resumed walking with his group, an immense amount of doubt growing within him. Sonic walked directly beside him, giving him an irking grin.
"Are you all better from the old base-?"
"Yes."
Rouge looked over her shoulder at them. "Hey Amy, Shadow was wondering whose idea it was to give Infinite another chance."
The group entered the Hospital Wing building and stopped at the reception desk. The lady behind the counter, a woman with dark hair and an austere demeanor, motioned for them to continue on, so they did.
"Well, it was actually Gadget's friend who started the F.V.R.. She used to own that bakery in his hometown called Cherry Love, and it was her baked goods that got us through that tight month at Gadget's place. Nutmeg, remember? She and her friends actually joined together to raise enough money and buy an old school building, making a place where bad guys could come and learn how to better themselves." Amy tugged her red dress lower over her knees. "She's had her eye on Infinite ever since she met his squad."
"G.U.N.'s only giving him two choices," Rouge shrugged sheepishly. "Either join the F.V.R. or serve jail time."
"He'll be separated from his squad if he chooses jail time." Shadow noted, crossing his arms as they drew closer to the hospital room. "I doubt he'd want that to happen."
They reached his door and could hear excited voices on the inside. Amy knocked, smiling nervously. Derek opened the door and blinked in surprise.
"Guys, shut up!" He yelled over his shoulder, but the jackals behind him just laughed and jeered at him. He stepped back, opening the door wider. "We have company."
They then immediately went quiet. Only Mathilda smiled, locking eyes with the pink hedgehog.
"Hey Amy! We've talked it over and decided to do the recovery program."
"Today's the first day of F.V.R.." Infinite was sitting up in bed, a nurse at his bedside wiping the needle pinpricks on the inside of his arm with rubbing alcohol. "Are you guys my escorts?"
Shadow glared up at Rouge. "Why didn't-?"
"I just wanted to give you anxiety, Shadow. G.U.N. already told his squad so they could talk it over." The she-bat gave him a sickeningly sweet smile. "We're just here to collect them."
"What's up with the extra guards?" Jay asked, sitting at his boss's feet upon the bed, not noticing the amused look Infinite gave him.
"Well it's a very special jackal we're transporting." Sonic grinned, leaning against the doorway beside Amy. "He requires extra 'protection'."
His entertained gaze met Infinite's cool, detached one, and the jackals all got up and headed for the door. The nurse stopped Infinite.
"You need to be careful, the scar tissue is still delicate. Any sort of extreme physical exercise will most certainly reopen your wounds." She handed him a roll of bandaging tape. "If there's some bleeding still, just use this and keep any open sores clean."
The jackal nodded and took the roll from her, then followed his team out the door.
"Aren't you going to say something like, 'Don't even think about escaping'?" Infinite lightly joked, giving Shadow a sidelong look. "I've got legs now."
The dark hedgehog just returned to him a humorless smirk as they began walking down the hall. "Don't jinx it."
His comment caused an outcry of jeering and hector from the squad, but the chatter died down the minute the Ultimate Lifeform gave them a nasty look.
"You can never be too careful." Sonic laughed, knocking on the wooden surface of the counter three times as they walked past the receptionist. She gave them a quizzical look, but quickly looked back down at her computer screen to avoid the annoyed looks that Squad Jackal gave her.
"Think we'll be on any more raids?" Aaron asked Derek as they stepped outside and saw the long, sleek G.U.N. vehicle that awaited them. Soldiers, armed and alert, stood in uniform lines on either side of their pathway facing them.
Derek sighed quietly. "Doubt it."
The trip was brief, and the car ride was slightly uncomfortable, with all the jackals stowed inside the chambered vehicle, and Team Dark using their respective modes of transportation outside. Amy and Sonic rode closer to the front, in a separated part of the vehicle shared with the driver. The pink hedgehog gazed wistfully out the tinted window at the blood-red sky up above.
"Do you think the sky will ever change back?" She asked softly to the blue hedgehog.
Sonic shrugged, looking out his own window. "I don't know. The doomsday device was able to make some damage before we destroyed it."
"Sunsets make the sky look like lava now," she turned her head and looked at him sadly, resting her elbow against the door. "It's nothing but red and amber."
Sonic noticed her gaze but nervously darted his eyes further across the sky. "Yep."
A pause.
"I liked the sky a lot more when it was still blue."
"Why is that?" Sonic had an odd feeling he knew what she was about to say.
"Because it reminded me of you." She tilted her head.
"Well I think I like it better red," the blue blur shot back. "It's the same color as your dress."
Amy giggled at the overwhelming sense of flattery and reached out to embrace him, but before the car had even stopped, Sonic shoved the door open and quickly jumped out, narrowly evading her loving arms. "We're here!"
She wore a slight pout as she unbuckled her seatbelt and went out after him, but quickly recovered as she remembered the task at hand.
"Oh yes, we're here! Welcome to the F.V.R., guys!"
The old school building, which now they could see was actually a college building, would have been easily considered beautiful had not the red sky cast its foreboding vermillion hue across the school grounds. Well-kept plants and flowers decorated the front fields in gorgeous geometrical designs, and the cracked bricks holding up the building were almost glowing with the radiance of their red color. Several long roads extending from the main road up to the school had been stripped of the painted lines for parking spaces and were decorated instead with random drawings made in chalk. Aaron stepped forward and peered down at a comical drawing of Shadow in an odd fighting stance.
"Uh, Shadow, have you been here before?" His squad gathered behind him and either laughed or stared at the cartoonish picture.
"No. First time." Shadow uncrossed his arms, silently judging the artwork. "Let's get moving."
"Oh, come on, it's kind of cute. They captured your expression perfectly." Rouge teased, smiling at her comrade, who just rolled his eyes and began walking after the jackals to the retired school building.
"Hey look! There's one of me, too!" Sonic smiled down at it as he walked past. "I'm holding a ukulele for some reason, but that's cool!"
"It looks like there are some pretty talented artists already here..." Amy silently snuck out her phone and took a picture before catching up with them. A couple of G.U.N. soldiers followed behind, weapons at the ready, and they stepped through the metal doors into the main lobby
"Don't let the pretty scenery fool you," one of them grunted. "There are some pretty dangerous villains here."
"They wouldn't be here if they were still villains! Hi, everybody!" A pink blur swooped down from above, and before them landed the familiar smiling flying squirrel.
"Nutmeg!" Mathilda smiled brightly. "What are you doing here?"
"I own this place, silly!" The squirrel accepted her hug and nearly squeezed the jackal to death. "I'm glad you recognize me!"
She let go and ushered to the two girls behind her who both wore corresponding outfits to her own. Shadow recognized the lavender bat and heterochromia-eyed fox and realized that they looked exactly as they all had on the poster.
"This is Batanna the bat," Nutmeg introduced them, "and Valorie Fox." She looked around. "There should be two more counselors on the way... Valorie, could you...?"
The she-fox pulled up her walkie talkie. "Savages, report to main lobby. Our guests are here."
A sudden shriek sounded far off in the building. Shadow and Sonic immediately tensed, searching for signs of danger, but Nutmeg put her hand up to reassure them nothing was wrong. A moment later everyone jumped as a bright flash of purple chaos energy exploded from the center of the room. When the showering sparkles finally faded, two female hedgehogs stood there, hand-in-hand, and they smiled diffidently and pulled away from one another as they realized all the attention was on them.
"Ladies, maybe try just walking here next time..." Nutmeg sighed, entirely nonplussed. She then turned back to her guests. "Meet the Savage sisters, Cyanic and Scarlet. We're all counselors here to-!"
"You can use Chaos Control?!" Shadow and Sonic exclaimed in unison. They glared at each other in bewilderment.
"Batanna, if you could just lead Squad Jackal to their dormitories..." Nutmeg smiled politely, but there was an underlying tone of annoyance to her voice.
The bat ushered for the jackals to follow her, and she shot Rouge a quick smile before heading down one of the halls. Rouge smiled back, not quite used to seeing other bats. She looked back down from where she sat on Omega's shoulder and watched as the two male hedgehogs scrutinized their female counterparts.
"Well, I guess we've completed our mission," she interrupted their revelation, patting Omega's head. "Time to head back."
It seemed as though Shadow and Sonic hadn't heard her. The darker hedgehog blinked in surprise as he noticed the footwear of the two girls.
"Are those my shoes?" He asked, pointing down at Scarlet's feet.
Visible sweat trickled down her forehead. "...No?"
Cyanic, who had been clenching her hands into fists, finally burst. "We're your biggest fans! It's so cool to finally meet you!"
Scarlet smacked her hand against her own face. "Cyan..."
"Oh come on, there's no need to be shy," her sister socked her in the arm. Scarlet's eyes widened in momentary surprise before her shock melded into irritation, and she punched her back, twice as hard.
"Ow!" Cyanic rubbed her arm, grinning. "Alright, fine. Hi guys, we're all the head counselors here!"
"We make people question their life choices." Scarlet crossed her arms, a small smile on her face. Her sister snickered at the tone of her voice.
"Yep, that's what we do. We also read Sonic comi- Ow!" Scarlet had socked her before she could continue. "What's your problem, man?!"
"You're my problem!"
"That's too bad, faker-!" Before they launched into attack, they suddenly vanished in a flash of purple light.
"I'll go make sure they don't break anything," Valorie sighed, turned on her heels, and walked down another hallway.
"Does this place have good enough security to withhold villains?" Amy asked, tilting her head in concern at the hedgehogs' display of immaturity.
Nutmeg nodded, fingering the cuff of one of her gloves in a disconcerted manner. "Of course! G.U.N. has security guards all over the place! Our group is one of the branches connecting the Resistance to G.U.N... Those two were just a couple of the head counselors of our program. They're a bit... childish."
"I think we should get going..." Rouge tried again, but this time Shadow shook his head.
"You guys can head on back, I have to see these girls' offices."
"Me too," Sonic grinned, not noticing the irritated look Amy was giving him.
Nutmeg let out a small laugh. "Their offices match their choices in fashion, if that's what you're wondering. I can give you a tour, if you'd like."
"Just their offices, then we'll be satisfied." Shadow sounded confounded.
Amy sighed, seeing the guys were set on staying, and turned to leave. "We'll go back then, see you boys later."