The Starfallen

Something's off

Shadow paces, ill at ease. He's recently discovered something, something potentially catastrophic. He's conflicted between searching for it, hopefully even destroy it before it can be found and cause havoc, and leaving it alone in the hopes to ensure it won't. He'll come to a decision once Rouge tells him where it is. She's good at digging up these sorts of things. "You should stop pacing. You'll wear a hole in the floor." Speaking of the devil(or in this case, the bat), Rouge lands on an outcropping a few feet away. "Well?" He asks, turning to face her. "Yeah, yeah, I got the thing." She rolls her eyes and holds up a small USB. "Eggman's got so much information on old things he's not even looked at yet, I'm surprised he's so committed to getting it at all." She comments, leaning forward to pass it to him. Without replying, Shadow takes it and goes to the computer they're sharing. While Shadow's here on a mission for G.U.N, Rouge is here for whatever Eggman was after, apparently somewhere in the area. "A thank you would be nice, I went out of my way for this, you know. And I didn't even find anything worth stealing." Shadow grunts, more focused on the text appearing on the screen. "Well?" He scans over the words one more time, then answers. "It's buried underground, 'hidden away from the face of the sun so that no living creature may disturb its waters'. Whatever it is, it's been trapped or sealed in a lake, it seems." Rouge makes a contemplative noise. "Tails mentioned something about going to a cave with Sonic today. Apparently Eggman thought he'd found something underground, which as you know, was what drew me to investigate in the first place." Shadow lifts his head, alert. "What?" He asks sharply. "Tails said something about going to a cave. It's probably not even the same one; Eggman never touched these files." Rouge shrugs, then pauses. "They always seem drawn straight into the thick of trouble. I have to make sure." Shadow insists. "If I go now, I might manage to stop them in time." Shadow steps away, passing the bat as he heads for the entrance. "And thank you." He mutters, returning the USB to her. Before she can say anything, he fires up his air shoes and speeds away. If he keeps at the speed he's at right now, he should be able to get there in about 5 minutes. He would use Chaos Control, but if they've uncovered it, he may need as much energy as he can.

Coming up to the cave, Shadow can already see something is horribly wrong. From what the hedgehog can tell, Sonic is...attacking Tails? He's holding the little fox up by the throat, clearly choking him as the younger Mobian struggles weakly, straining for breath. The dark, dreary clouds overhead do nothing to help with the setting, creating a mood of something dark and unpleasant. Pausing momentarily to be sure of what he's seeing, Shadow uses Chaos Control, intending to kick Sonic in the back of the head. He is unprepared for when Sonic uses his free hand to catch and entirely stop the attack, however, stopping his momentum instantly. "You certainly have a strong kick...why is that, I wonder? For anyone else, that would have been quite the headache, but unfortunately, I'm not so easy to take down." Dropping Tails, who collapses in a heap on the ground before gasping for air, Sonic turns to face the other hedgehog. At least he's alive. That's good. Sonic has all but forgotten Tails, entirely fixated on Shadow. He points at the darker hedgehog. "You. The so-called 'Ultimate Life-Form', right? You look like one of these..." he indicates to himself. "...but you aren't. You were made, by some other species. And that alien, Black Doom's help. It's the Black Arm's blood running through your veins right now, isn't it? Does that make you immortal, then?" Shadow puts his fists up to his face, refusing to respond. "Too bad it didn't work for your little girl, though. What was her name? Mary? Marie? Oh, yes, that's right! It was Maria!" Shadow clenches his teeth, getting into a fighting stance. "How dare you mention her?!" He snarls, struggling to control his anger. "Oh no, did I hurt your feelings?" Sonic mocks, still grinning wide. There's a crazed look in his eyes, almost giddy, as though he enjoys provoking Shadow. Seeing Tails stir behind the hedgehog, he snaps back to his senses, forcing himself to calm down and focus on saving the fox. Clearly, Sonic's able to deal with Chaos Control-based attacks, which he wasn't wholly expecting. He'd thought he held the element of surprise, though it doesn't matter much. But the fact he was able to use Chaos Control at all is still useful. He hates it, but he recognizes that as he is now, he won't be able to fight Sonic...or whatever he's become. "So, Shads..." Sonic drawls, leaning forward a little bit. The way he says it sounds off, not just the fact he drew it out, it's as though he's never said it before, and instead is trying to echo someone else who said it. "Are we going to fight, or are you going to stand there and keep thinking about poor Maria? After all, I've not met a creature that claims such immortality. I'd like to test that theory out." Shadow steps back, jumping to one side as Sonic attacks, a move unlike the blue hedgehog normally would use. He prefers to use his feet or to curl up into a ball to cause damage, never does he outright leap at an enemy. As he spins to face him again, Shadow uses Chaos Control to disappear, reappear for a moment to grab Tails, then disappears again, intending to get as far as he can before reappearing. This puts him just inside the base, coincidentally another cave, a momentarily safe place...unless Sonic finds them. Tails is unconscious in his arms, but Shadow is grateful the little fox is even breathing.

"Rouge!" He calls, looking around. "Rouge!" The bat lands in front of him; from the expression on her face she must've been sleeping, although it softens to shock and surprise when she lands eyes on Tails. "What happened?" She demands, taking over Shadow's hold on the kid. "I was too late. Something's happened to Sonic; he tried to kill Tails." She swivels one ear to continue listening as she moves towards the only bed in the room, used only for Shadow. She lays the young Mobian to rest there, checking for any injuries. "He's fine, just unconscious. Whatever injuries he's got, he'll have to heal on his own." Rouge tells him, sitting on the edge of the bed to face the hedgehog. "So, what's the story?" She motions for Shadow to sit down, which he does. "I don't think we really have the time–" He starts. "You sat down, you're telling me this." She insists, and Shadow sighs, as does Rouge. "Look, if you're really worried, I can have Omega keep watch." She offers, looking at the robot that had been silent up until that point. Omega leaves, his mission a minor comfort to Shadow. "I suppose it is just a waiting game now...fine. When I left, I found Sonic and Tails fighting just outside the cave. I assume Sonic used his speed to catch Tails, and begun trying to kill him." He shrugs. "Why would Sonic start trying to kill his best friend??" Rouge wonders, perturbed. "They must have found whatever was in that lake, and it did something to Sonic." Shadow replies, mulling over what he knows. "We'd probably be smart to figure out what's happened to him. Rouge, can you–" Shadow begins. "Yeah, yeah, I'll go see what I can find. But you owe me for this. Breaking into Eggman's base isn't the easiest walk in the park." Rouge waves a hand dismissively, standing up. "If you run into Sonic, don't engage. If he tried to hurt his best friend, I doubt he'll care about leaving anyone else safe either." Shadow advises, watching her leave. "Oh? Are you finally admitting you care about me?" Rouge teases, spreading her wings with a sly smirk. "Just go." Shadow sighs, waving her off.

For the next little while, Shadow debates leaving with Tails again, maybe find someplace better. The fact Sonic hadn't found them yet was impressive, if not lucky, but he doesn't know how long that 'luck' will hold up, and he's not willing to find out.