Darkness and Unknown ch 14

*Sunday evening*

The romantic fall atmosphere was crisp as colors melted away from their cascades of coppers and oranges to start exposing naked branches. The bare limbs would soon be the singular of winter.
But Rouge was inside speaking to Alvin.

"Don't tell me you didn't expect resistance. If he is who you think..."
Rouge sat elegantly perched on top of the back of her chair.

The commander sighed
"No, we half expected this would utterly fail. But we now do face a problem. If we don't want to draw any attention, we can't make any more moves publicly. There is also that fact that this many not be the Ultimate Life Form."

"What'd you find?"

"Some operatives dusted some old hard drive and found some old files captured from...a long time ago. These files informed that the real Ultimate Life form is either missing or destroyed, and we would prefer the second."

"Commander, what exactly was this project?"

He hesitated.
"Keep track of your own assignment. I doubt he'll show again but keep on alert."

And he was right. Monday morning Shadow was absent again. The teachers didn't say a word about it. Then Tuesday was the same thing. Rouge even checked the school's enrollment record. His name was gone, secretly and silently they pulled him out of the system, like he never existed.

The students of course took to this differently that the teachers. Mia and Tia told her of the newest vicious rumor breading like how they normally do in high schools. Some where more vicious than others. One said he was pulled away to his old school or jail; another that he moved to some crazy far away place, varying to who told you. One violent one said he had killed a man, or even killed himself. It looked like Rouge was still the only one who knew the truth.

The end of school on Wednesday she was walking home. She'd fly but it looked like rain. Around her was the buzz of other people and cars passing around her. She stood on the street corner staring blankly across the street at a bench.

A black hedgehog sat there. He had a look of oblivious boredom.

She stomped across the street, bewildered, stopping in front of him. He didn't move or change his expression.

"You...you've been...waiting on me. You've been waiting for me to walk out of that school. Haven't you?"

He didn't say anything at first.
"...I saw this hot Maserati go by. I was a convertible and it had-"

"Why?!"

"Not here." Shadow stood and slowly walked away from the bench. He looked over his shoulder. "You coming with me?"

Rouge huffed "...Well, seeing how would let me say no."

"Yep, exactly."

With a sigh she followed Shadow past different streets. 'He better not be leading me to an ambush. Like you did him?' Uncomfortably, she pushed the question away.

They walked away from the busy part of town to the gentler suburbs. He stepped of the sidewalk and motioned for her to follow him on a gravel path. Autumn was very present here. The leaf coated path was lined with trees or pure golds, ambers, coppers, and ember oranges. A crude wood post fence ran behind one line of trees.

The gravel gradually ran out and the trees widened into an alcove. The open place revealed a creek running over stones to pore into a gorgeous, elegant pond. The perfect mirrored service reflected every detail of the foliage and the sky. Leafs floating on the water, stones could be seen from under. A small dark wood gazebo was on the edge of the water.

She was silent a while in awe.
"When did you find this?"

"Some time ago." Shadow sat on the ground "I like to wonder around places like this."

She lowered to the ground.
"Why go all the way out here just to talk to me?"

"I can't be seen. You would know why."

"Huh? No I wouldn't--"

His face was close to her ear.
"I know all about you miss agent."

Rouge was paralyzed.
"I..I-I...what?"

Shadow quoted:
"CIA agent, Rouge Baton, G.U.N. black ops. Handler: Commander Alvin Tower. You're really that surprised?"

She couldn't say anything. She hardly noised the dark sky starting to drop rain.

"How'd I find out? You told me. Saturday you called me the Ultimate Life form. That tells me you have seen some pretty classified information. Also...most companies and agencies never really have their databases as secure as they think." Shadow gave a smirk.

Rouge bolted up.
"YOU'RE BLACKMAILING ME!"

"Blackmail? Not really. I just think it's interesting. But I could just as easily say you're black mailing ME. You know enough to have permission from a superior to gun me down here and now, and no one would make a peep. Furthermore, I've always known GUN." She caught a glimpse of his ears drooping slightly.

Shadow looked up at her. His strong crimson eyes made her think of rubies. A rain drop hit his nose. "And this is more than Kragel. I haven't told anyone about you and never will. I promise."

That was so like him. He was either a complete heartless jerk or charming, never between.

A few minutes later and it was pouring down rain. Shadow and Rouge hid under the gazebo's shelter with there shoes off and the feet over the side in the water. They watched the rain ripple and thrash the surface of the water. Shadow broke the silence.

"What happens now? I know too much and you have to kill me? Or does Alvin want the deed done personally?"

She didn't answer, pretended she didn't hear.

"I get it, your pissed. But...you know...uh," He sighed and thought a moment to get his thoughts in order.

"I still...still am keeping your trust."

He stood. "I willing to take you home." He held out his hand to her.

She thought about it. She almost smacked it away but placed her's in his.

"Chaos control."

*Black Arms comment*
The white hedgehog steadily walked down a busy hallway. He was told by Doom to give Naraku a disk with some files on them. Axel didn't quite understand why Naraku was even here. Doom had a human from, that was true but this kid was almost completely human. Only his red eyes where the proof of his Black Arms. Why was Doom keeping a human kid up here? Kid wasn't the name for him really; he knew he was older than himself, being his partly his creator but he looked 18.

Axel pushed open a door to an experimental room. Naraku turned to look at the doorway. "Oh good, you have it. Thanks Axel."

Night was in here too. She had different devises attached to her wrists and IV in her arm. She laid leaning against the wall, eyes closed.

"She unconscious?"
Axel asked.

"Nah. Just suspended. We had to wait a while after her creation to finish up developing her powers."

"What powers? She useless." Axel muttered "Any way to just electrocute her now?"

"No! Really Axel, what's your problem? This will really help you guys. This will be great if I can get it to work! Oh you're still in here? If...you could go on out? I don't want anything messed up."

"I mean it Naraku. Do us all a favor and send that freak back to the hell you dragged her out of."
He slammed the door without hearing Naraku's reply.