"Watch your right!"
I dodge left, mind heeding the warning without needing to process it. The small projectiles stream by me, not a single one grazing my granite skin, and I tuck into a roll to tumble across the floor. Coming up out of it like I never hit the ground, I launch myself towards the machine firing at me, planting my left hand claws first at its base and swinging my legs like a rotating arc of doom.
The momentum behind the already powerful strike isn't necessary, but, if there's one weakness in battle that I will admit, it's my lack of endurance. While I can actually replenish Chaos faster than Shadow, who's limited by his inhibitor rings, my muscles tire far more quickly from having to channel my power. Thus, I am a great assassin, with powerful bursts of energy coming easily to me, but the lengthy work here at G.U.N. is taxing and challenging.
Having taken care of the small turret, I let my legs carry me to the left, turning in midair to face the room as I land, crouched. I watch, stone still, senses scanning the walls, floor, and ceiling. After several seconds, they reveal nothing to me, and the lights brighten, indicating the training is over.
As I stand up straight, pleased with my performance, Shadow teleports out of the observation deck. Hardly one to wait, that hedgehog.
Indeed, the moment he walks within comfortable earshot, he starts critiquing me.
"That was good. You're taking care of the bots quickly and efficiently. But, be careful not to always attack them as soon as they engage you; it'll become predictable if you're in an extended battle. Also, you're still slow to respond to attacks coming from the back right. I even had to warn you that time."
"As someone with large quills, you should know the disadvantages of having things sticking out from your head," I retort, a little annoyed. "My left eye can't see around to the right, and, in loud close quarters fighting, you know how unreliable hearing is. I'm working on it. You only mentioned it to me last time, you know."
"I know," he sighs. "But, a second's delay like that could be a deciding factor in a skirmish. I don't want you getting hurt because I'm not telling you something you need to fix."
"I appreciate your concern, Shadow," I reply, glancing skyward but resisting rolling my eyes. "I'll keep that in mind during training today."
"That's all I ask," he says, standing a little uncomfortably.
Fact is, we're still struggling to interact consistently. Shadow still annoys me with his constant worrying, and I still drive him crazy with my flippancy. We've come a long way, but...
Well, most of the team doesn't know how hard we're trying. Take today, for example. Starting last week, Shadow and I have been meeting up every day at five thirty for specialized training, so we can work not just on fighting but also on combating foes together. By studying each other, we hope to eliminate holes in our technique and to work in tandem more efficiently.
It's been working rather well, too. But, sometimes I wish people knew about it. With all of the effort we're putting in, it'd be nice to be appreciated. I think Rouge suspects something, and I'm sure the Commanders and Captains know--Commander Tower authorized it, after all--but it's not the same.
"We, uh... We should hurry," Shadow begins, glancing at his watch. I nod, knowing we must be getting close to seven thirty. He hurries to set up the program, then comes back. This is the hardest fight of them all: Shadow and I working together not as separate individuals but as one.
Resigning myself to another day, I reach out to his mind. Neither of us likes it, but the hivemind is one of our most valuable assets in battle. Complete awareness of everything the other is doing allows us to function as a perfect team.
Well, that's the idea, anyways.
"Ready?" Shadow asks, voice in both my ears and my mind. I nod. He shouts the start command, and our biggest test begins again.
It's not thought, exactly, what I'm getting from Shadow. It's more like sensations, and I have to concentrate hard to not mix them up with my own. The feeling of Chaos tingling through his limbs is particularly distracting to me, we've discovered, as it's not something I'm used to or can do, so he avoids using it whenever possible. Even then, though, the awareness of his unfamiliar limbs swinging and his strange fur rustling in the wind of his movements is remarkably bothersome. Having what feels like two bodies isn't just strange; it's also tiring, as I have to trust him to control his own and focus on moving only my form while also keeping track of what he's doing and where.
Taking a preparatory breath, I leap to the side as the first of the turrets spring up and start firing. I feel Shadow go the other way, and we roll in tandem to escape the rubber bullets. It's always easier to make the same movement when we're connected, so we default to it whenever possible.
A robot vaults out of the floor, and Shadow and I pause momentarily before I concede the enemy to him. Our communication speed leaves something to be desired, though it's still far better than when we first started working together; there were some points where we'd both be so stubborn about wanting an enemy that we'd end up getting hit by it because we waited too long. While I'm making note of the flaw to work on next time, Shadow spindashes the bot into pieces before it even lands, and I turn to scan the room for more.
Annoyingly enough, it's best to leave the majority of the robots to him; he is made to continually fight multiple foes and will not tire from the effort. I, on the other hand, would be exhausted if I had to engage so many things in such a short time.
Sure enough, another robot pops up off to my left. Shadow sees it through my eyes and smashes it, zooming in an arc to destroy another one I spot.
Boring though the position is, I am mostly Shadow's eyes and ears in battle. Watching and analyzing is my specialty, so that is my role when we fight together. I tell him what moves to make with quick thoughts, and he carries them out, using my sensory information to tell himself exactly where he needs to go. It's a useful trick, but playing with my senses is a cautious business; sometimes, he goes too deep into my mind. I'm still ticked about last time we did this, when he accidentally took control of my legs instead of his and attempted to jump, throwing me smack into the nearest wall.
A larger robot leaps out of the floor behind me, and I leap to intercept it, aggravated by standing around and the memory of what happened. Then, in the back of my mind, I feel Shadow calling a Chaos Spear. In my shock that he is attacking as well, I lose my focus and slip too deep into his mind. Suddenly, it is my arm with the Chaos tingling through it, and I cry out as fire seems to engulf my muscles.
A blinding white light explodes into my vision, and, stunned, I fly past my target, nearly losing consciousness.
"Eclipse!" I hear Shadow's voice through the white-hot pain, and I crash into the ground with what would be an embarrassing lack of control if I wasn't so preoccupied. My prone form rolls over the floor, bouncing with each impact and knocking the wind out of me. I try valiantly to break my continuing fall, but my limbs have no energy for movement. I tumble like a rag doll for several dozen meters before I feel my body halt, and I crack open my eyes, face scrunched in discomfort, to see why.
Shadow's concerned crimson eyes gaze worriedly at me, his mouth moving but no words coming out. Realizing my ears are ringing with sound, I refocus myself and process the language.
"...looked like a giant, out-of-control Chaos Spear. Are you alright? I'm sorry I couldn't catch you right away. I had to neutralize the energy, or the room could have caught fire."
"It's a metal room," I croak, chest feeling heavily sore from my experience as a crash test dummy.
"Chaos Energy can set any material on fire," Shadow says seriously, still holding me to his chest, which I imagine is far less winded than mine. "And energy fires can only be put out by absorbing the Chaos or waiting for it to burn out and disperse itself. You could have burnt down the whole room, if not the entire sublevel."
"It wasn't exactly intentional," I cough, feeling like I've been swallowing sand.
"I know." His ruby eyes look down, brow furrowing as he thinks. "We'll need to tell the Commander that you've managed to summon Chaos."
"Is that what that was?" I ask, mind too foggy to be sure on my own.
"Yeah. You summoned a huge field of Negative Chaos. I think you used your body's own reserves, since your Chaos levels are dangerously low. Can you move?"
"If you're asking about standing, I don't know," I groan, feeling very battered. "I can't move my extremities."
"Hold on," Shadow says, his eyebrows knitting together even more. He raises a hand over me, shifting my weight all to one arm, and does...something. I don't know what it is, but I feel Chaos start rushing into my body far more quickly than usual. "There, is that better?" I notice he seems tired from the effort, but his eyes gleam with power.
"What did you do?" I question, voice clearing. He sets me on my feet, and I hold myself steady with muscles far stronger than a moment ago.
"I absorbed some Positive Chaos from the neutral, ambient energy around us, freeing up the Negative Chaos for you to take in."
"Thanks," I reply, surprised by the gesture. He nods, and I take an experimental step to see if I can walk yet. Fortunately, my legs hold, and I nod at him to show I've got myself back under control. Acknowledging me with a glance, he fiddles with his communicator, no doubt making contact with someone. My deduction is confirmed when he turns his back, holding the watch to his mouth.
"Commander Tower? Good morning, sir. While we were training, Eclipse managed to summon Negative Chaos. No, it wasn't intentional. No. Nothing was damaged. Yes. No, it wasn't. Yes. Yes." He pauses, listening to the device. I could easily listen in with the hivemind, but I'm still shaken by the occurence a bit, and I don't want him to figure that out from touching my mind. "No, sir. Yes, we can. Do you want me to go with him? Alright. Do you want to talk to him? Okay. Yes, I'll do that. Of course. Thank you, sir. Alright. Yes. You too, Commander." He rings off, sighing.
"Okay, Tower wants us to head to the Chaos Lab. He's scheduling an evaluation for you, so they can make sure nothing's out of sorts. I'm going to take you there, then report to Captain Andrews to tell him you're busy. I'll train like usual, but, if there are any questions or concerns, I'll come right away. Got it?"
"Yes," I reply, not too pleased with missing morning training to go sit on an examination table. I've had far too much of that in these past months.
"Right. Let's get moving. I'm going to shut off the room's computer--I'll meet you at the elevator."
"Why can't we just teleport down?" I ask, frowning. Shadow pauses mid stride, then looks back at me.
"I, uh... I forgot you could," he says awkwardly, and I sigh irritatedly. "Well, you never did in combat with me," he points out defensively. "Only when you were transporting the Master Emerald."
"I can't maintain a blocking field while teleporting. Of course I wouldn't do it when battling you." He grimaces at the reminder of his least favorite power of mine, then turns around again.
"Yeah, well, we'll teleport, then. Less chance of running into someone that way."
I shake my head, annoyed, as he zips up to the observation and control deck.
I've used teleportation before, I think grumpily, feeling a little insulted. He's just so used to it being a power only he has, he underestimated me through force of habit. It occurs to me that the same is true with me apparently being able to wield Chaos. While I had known it was theoretically possible for me to do, I hadn't expected to accomplish it without specific training. Tch. Serves him right, not being as ultimate as he believes.
The thought creates an odd medley of feelings, the most prominent being unsurety over my own abilities and whether this will become something I can regularly rely on or just a last resort. Without trying again, I won't know, and I'm far too exhausted to attempt it now, especially after the first time essentially being an accident.
Does Shadow know it was his summoning that caused this? It could be a problem if I incinerate things every time he calls a Chaos Spear, at the expense of me becoming helpless, no less. I'll have to talk with him about it.
It's only a few more seconds before Shadow reappears, warping next to me. Then, he shares our destination with me over our link, and we head down to it. I catch myself easily, having always found Chaos Snap to be easier than Chaos Control.
"Here we go again," I mutter upon seeing the sublevel's labeling sign, already dreading being an item of interest again. I've had enough tests to last a lifetime, but it seems there are always more. Shadow gives me a slightly pitying look, understanding what it's like to be on the sharp end of the needle, but I ignore his sympathy in favor of bringing up what I noticed.
"I lost control when you formed that Chaos Spear, just so you know," I say, doing my best to sound like I am not using the information as an excuse; my half-brother won't respect that, and neither will I. "I wasn't expecting you to do that, and it was jarring enough that my concentration lapsed."
"I was wondering if that was why," Shadow replies seriously, his coal-black brow furrowing in thought. "That's a problem. I included that move because it's not likely going to be one I can avoid on the battlefield. If it messes you up that badly, then we should practice it specifically."
"Mmh." For a moment, we're both silent, not having yet begun walking to the lab. Then, Shadow breaks the metallic white noise with a quiet clearing of his throat.
"It's a useful power. I'm glad you have it." I glance at him, surmising that this is his equivalent of making up for forgetting one of my abilities only a minute before. "It's dangerous, though. Commander Tower said to tell you--and I endorse this, too--not to attempt the replicate the move until we do some tests and get a secure environment for you to practice in."
"That's rather specific," I reply a bit blandly, trying not to be annoyed that both Shadow and our Commander think me foolish enough to need the warning. He shifts uncomfortably, and I slowly release a breath, letting out some of the tension in my shoulders that's left over from our physical exertion. Our interactions have frequently been marred by instances like this; Shadow tries overly hard to be neutral and ends up acting stiffly, which in turn trips up my more casual demeanor, leading both of us into awkward gaps in conversation and stilted speech.
"Oh! I was wondering if you two were down here yet," Ayers exclaims down the hallway, her head having appeared in a doorway. Shadow and I both turn to look at her as she maneuvers around the frame, coming fully into view. Her white coat is freshly 'starched,' a concept Topaz introduced to me only a few days ago, and I appreciate its crisp appearance. "Am I interrupting?"
"No," Shadow and I both reply in unison, which doesn't serve to dispel the awkward atmosphere. Another moment passes where no one speaks, but Shadow breaks it again.
"I'm going to return to training," he states, nodding respectfully to Ayers and giving me a quick, slightly tense smile. "Call if you need me, alright?" Then he vanishes with a crack, leaving me alone in the hallway with the older female scientist. I immediately relax, not having realized how taught my muscles were until the tension receded. Ayers gives me a moment to collect myself, something I'm grateful for; I'm still recovering from my loss of control earlier, and the lack of energy is making my mind work a little slower than usual.
"Are you getting along with him?" She inquires, gesturing for us to head to the lab.
"I suppose," I answer, shrugging as I walk besides her, strides long to match her human steps. She looks down at me, her bluestone eyes clearly not satisfied with the answer. "No, really," I amend, quirking my lips into a small grin. "We're working pretty well together. At the very least, we're functioning far better than we were before. We still have moments where we don't really know how to interact--lots of them, actually--but it's going pretty well otherwise. My energy mishap was just a fluke."
"Speaking of that, since that's why you're here, what were Shadow's thoughts on that?"
"He thinks I have the ability to summon Negative Chaos and that I used my own body's energy when I did it this time," I recite, hefting myself onto the examination table. It's a mark of how much energy I used that the task is difficult at all; normally, I would hardly notice having to lift my weight. "I knew it was possible for me to do, I just...thought it would be harder than it was." I frown slightly, swinging my leg back and forth slightly.
"It is hard when you control it," Ayers reminds me gently, attaching a sensor of some sort. "Shadow has practiced diligently for well over a year, and he's still making notable improvement."
"I know that," I reply, trying to find the words I need. "I mean that I always assumed I would need to train to summon Chaos, not that it would simply...happen."
"Well, I don't have answer for that. That's not something I know enough about," Ayers responds, smiling slightly. "I doubt even Professor Gerald understood enough about Chaos powers to accurately predict how easy or hard controlling them can be. Shadow's told me a great deal depends on the situation at hand, as well as his mood and concentration at the time."
"I would say he's likely right in that," I grunt, unsure how I feel about Shadow's human creator being brought up. "I just hope I don't disintegrate things at random from now on."
"It would be best to avoid that, yes," Ayers says, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. I feel my mouth grin a bit in return, glad to be around someone who has a sense of humor for the first time today. "Anyways, if you could just hold your arm out like this for a second..."
I sigh heavily, but my grin simply becomes a bit self-deprecating, rather than disappearing.
Even with all these new developments, some things never change...
Author's Note: (That chapter title ,lol) And so introduces Eclipse's newest ability! To give a brief explanation: Chaos comes in two forms, Positive and Negative. Mobian Chaos Creatures use Positive Chaos, and Eclipse is the last living Negative Chaos Creature besides the Dark Arms. Shadow is a Neutral Chaos Creature, something that should be impossible but that isn't, due to his test-tube origins. This will be explained more in depth in the coming chapters, and the importance of it will also come to light.
I hope you enjoyed our favorite dysfunctional duo's latest interaction. The next few chapters may be moving to a two week schedule; if this occurs, then I apologize in advance, but they are so far unwritten and I am very busy with finals right now. But, they are a priority for me! I want to do this story justice! If I miss a Brothers in Arms update next week, I'll update the Shadonia one-shot that I've been waffling over for a few months (in my one-shot book). So, if you crave for entertainment, hopefully you can look forward to that, as well. Thanks for reading, and please comment on what you enjoyed!