"There Shadow goes," Rouge says fondly, commenting on the sonic boom everyone has to brace for. I glance at her, but she doesn't seem to be talking to me, likely unaware that I can hear her over the rushing wind. She perches on the back of the transport, while I crouch, digging my nails into it. I've never ridden such an unwieldy vehicle before, and I don't want to fall off of it and make a fool of myself on such an important mission.

I squint ahead at the building, watching a section of the wall implode on one side, undoubtedly due to Shadow's attack. He's doing an admirable job of causing a ruckus, I'll give him that. We're only a kilometer away and closing fast, and there aren't any signs of our approach being noticed.

I steady my breathing, rolling my shoulders as we fly across the landscape. Only seconds away now.

The driver skids to a halt against the side of the building, and I immediately scan for threats. Shadow didn't see any outside turrets, but I'm not about to take the chance. But, my caution isn't tested, with the last of Spider Troupe exiting the vehicles without a problem.

"Go, go!" Andrews orders, waving them on and pulling his weapon. I leap to the front of the line, taking my position, and we make for a closed steel door in the worse for wear wall. I make sure I have a good grip on the ground, then slam my joined palms into it with a powerful thrust forward. The metal screeches, making me wince involuntarily, and it warps around my hands. I worry for a split second that I'll just make a hole, but the door holds together and rips off its hinges.

I duck down, in case of gunfire, but my senses determine there's no one in the immediate vicinity. I dash into the empty hallway, ears alert for sounds of conflict.

"Shadow's moving upwards," I report, knowing that's an important detail for Andrews to hear.

"Where are the most people?" He questions, which is not an easy thing to answer with the cacophony of sensory information assaulting me, but I take my best guess.

"I would surmise there," I reply, pointing left and down several levels, deciding the people I can hear sound more scared than anything, like they're not fighting. If anything marks a typical human, it's fear of anything dangerous--and non-soldiers are what we came for.

"Where's the nearest stairwell?" He asks, and I give him a frustrated look.

"I don't know. I'm a Chaos Creature, not a god," I say, annoyed at the question.

"There's one here!" Rouge calls from the left, having moved to investigate. "I hear people, though."

"Ambush," I guess, picking up on the same signals as I come closer. "They would be moving if it wasn't."

"Should we challenge that?" Lodge, one of Spider Troupe, asks her captain. He frowns, and Rouge pipes up.

"Echolocation is telling me their weapons are pretty nasty. I think it's a bad idea to rush in."

"We don't have time to waste not getting downstairs," Andrews says, frustrated. "Omega could simply make us a path. Why did ground support get him?"

"You need a path?" I query, and his eyes switch to me sharply. "Where?"

"Down," he replies, and I grin.

"Got it." I briefly weigh my options to create such a thing, eventually deciding it'll be easier--and safer--to use my monster form, in case there are soldiers below us, too. I've only started training with it again recently in preparation for the mission, but it should be enough. I gesture everyone to move back, not wanting to hurt my teammates accidentally. Then, taking a deep breath, reminding myself to not keep it any longer than I have to, I trigger it, feeling my body's healing factor work overtime to create the exoskeleton.

Opening my newly gigantic eyes, I waste no time. A massive swing downwards with my club of a tail, and the ground shatters, metal wrenching to all sides. I fall heavily through, nearly punching through the next floor with my weight alone. A smattering of gunfire against my right side tells me I was right to use this form, as there are other soldiers who were waiting at the mouth of the stairwell down here.

I leap towards them, barely fitting in the space but still able to move quite quickly. I bat their weapons away, likely injuring a few hands in the process, but I don't have time to worry about our enemies. I check around me before shrinking out of the form, using my increased dexterity to hit a few choice points and knock the guards out.

"That's disgusting," Rouge comments from behind, having floated down through my hole. Spider Troupe members are lowering themselves through behind her, and I scoff as I use a convenient strip of twisted metal to bar to door to the stairs.

"You could at least be grateful," I sniff, wiping some of my monster form's blood off of my arms. I will admit, it's hardly clean to exit it, and the shed exoskeleton is hardly attractive, but it's hardly disgusting.

"Let's move," Andrews orders as everyone gets through, and I nod.

"There's a good-sized group of people there," I say, pointing down a hallway. I prowl towards the sounds, alert for an attack, but nothing comes as I approach the door that's hiding the humans. A glance backwards, and I see Spider Troupe flatten itself against the walls, preparing for me to break it down.

I consider using my monster form, dearly wishing I had Blurk with me, but I decide against it. I shouldn't use my energy too much unless I have to; my monster form drains Chaos energy from me like nothing else, save summoning Chaos itself. Instead, I take a few strides backwards so I can build momentum, readying myself to guard with my bulletproof arm crests.

I rush forward with more confidence than I truly feel, not allowing my body to think about the potential injuries waiting on the other side of the door. I hit the entrance with formidable speed, simply letting my momentum carry me right through the sheet of metal.

I roll as I hit the ground, hearing cries and cursing all around me. A smattering of bullets makes the ground near me thunder with vibrations; someone has a gun. A pitched scream in the opposite direction tells me the bullets have ricocheted, and I come out of my roll swearing with unexpected vehemence.

"Bungling bastard! I'm supposed to make sure none of you get killed!" I exclaim, aggravated. It's not strictly true--the actual order was to not cause any fatalities myself, but I take it as a sully on my work if my presence causes mortal injuries.

I vault over to the woman holding the weapon, landing on it with my versatile feet. Unprepared for my weight--nearly 40 kilograms--she drops it, and I crush the barrel with my prehensile toes. Then, I turn about to face the majority of people, who fled to the other side of the room, sweeping my tail behind me to knock the bothersome human on her back.

"Who's next?" I ask the assembled crowd, huddling in one of the corners. The words are meant for intimidation; I don't want to actually have to fight all of these people. It's easy to smash my way through robots, but carefully aiming to knock twenty-something people unconscious is both a difficult task and a waste of energy.

Thankfully, my aura of power does the trick, and Spider Troupe sends Andrews and Lodge to survey my situation.

"Good find, Eclipse," Andrews notes as he looks over my catch. "Lodge, check his pulse." He gestures towards the man lying on the ground, the one who was hit by the ricocheting bullets and who I've been trying to forget ever since. I follow her as she walks over and feel a strong wave of nausea at the sight, memories of Shadow's own prone form flashing in my mind. I have to force my dinner back down my throat, determined not to lose it in front of my teammates. As I watch Lodge kneel and press her gloves hand to the man's neck, though, I barely manage to control myself.

"Gone," she reports, the simple word not a surprise to me but not welcome, either. I look pointedly away from the body, letting out a small, involuntary noise. Thankfully, it seems neither of my comrades hear it, and we exit the room, me keeping myself on autopilot enough to bar the remnants of this door, too.

I step away from it with relief, breathing shallowly in an attempt to avoid the cloying scent in my nostrils.

"Next," Andrews orders, nodding toward another room at the end of the hallway, and I nod, not trusting my voice.

Whatever strength it is that moves my feet, I don't know, but it's stronger than my mind right now. Running down the hallway in equal parts towards a destination and away from the scene, I raise my mental walls.

There's lot to come yet.

...

I grit my teeth, baring my fangs as bullets whip by and spark on the metal behind me. We've been trapped at a crossroads for several minutes now, unable to move backwards or forwards. I had detected the people approaching, but we had underestimated their weapons and capabilities. Now, we're struggling to hold a small hallway, the soldiers covering one end and me trying to find a way to move forward.

"Well?" Andrews barks from behind me, reloading his cartridge.

"If I teleport, they'll press forward. I'm sure they're coordinating with the ones behind us. I think we're going to have to go through," I reply lowly, sidling closer to him but keeping my ears focused on the people around the corner.

"They'll attack from behind if we do that," Andrews growls.

'That's why you'd need to stay right behind me," I respond, trying very hard not to snarl at him out of stress.

"Are you sure you can't teleport? They're not attacking yet, and they can't see you," the frustrated Captain argues, hefting his weapon.

"They're not approaching because they would see the flash," I grate, pointing to the reflective metal wall.

"Damn it," Andrews curses, blue eyes flashing. "If you transform, can you block most of the firing?"

"I'll cover you the best I can. I'll make a path," I answer, looking at him seriously. He stares for a moment at me, calculating, before turning about and hissing to his soldiers.

"Code Torch!" The whispered message is passed along the line, telling everyone that we're about to move, and move quickly. I focus my depleted energy, taking a few deep breaths and preparing to grow my monster form for the fifth time since our mission commenced. All of the transformations are taking a toll on me, but it would be harder to maintain the form, so I shed it as soon as possible after each use. This time, though... I might have to keep it a while.

I grimace, triggering it. I have to fight to keep a clear head as my energy drains sizeably, closing my eyes but seeing stars nevertheless.

When I raise my head, it's with the grim determination that I've cultivated over this last half hour, not unlike Shadow's own attitude. I check behind me, ensuring Spider Troupe is grouped and ready to sprint. Then, I nod at Andrews and Rouge, who jumps off the ground to start fluttering just enough for her wings to carry her. The sharp expressions I see make me feel more confident in an odd way, reminding me that I'm not the only one having a hard time of it right now. It's up to me to protect these soldiers, after all.

Feeling bolstered, I step out from our protective hallway. For a moment, shock keeps fingers off triggers, and then I'm racing forward with thundering footsteps as bullets engulf me. My momentum is strong, though, and I don't slow as the metal rebounds off of my reinforced skin. Instead, I barrel towards the assembly of armed persons that have been trapping us, using my bulk to block Spider Troupe as it scampers at my heels.

I roar for effect, throwing my arms out and bowling people down like so many ninepins. I aim for about waist height, hopefully incapacitating them so they can't follow us. I catch glimpses of our enemies' faces as I charge, noting their sheer terror and glad these aren't trained soldiers; using fear tactics has allowed us to avoid several combat scenarios already.

Nevertheless, more people resume firing at us from behind than I anticipated; it seems several ducked down just in time to avoid my heavy fists. One of Spider Troupe is grazed, as I can tell by a small cry, but everyone keeps running.

I swing around a corner at full speed, leaping off the wall and leaving sizeable dents in the metal. No one is in sight, but I smell people near, so I keep running, eventually coming upon the alcove they're hiding in.

I move to sweep them out with my tail, not wanting to leave a potential ambush, when I suddenly stagger, hit by a wave of exhaustion. Internally, I swear even as my vision darkens momentarily, caught off guard by my body's weakness.

Why now?! I ask, frustrated to no end. But, I can't stop my energy from failing, instead slumping heavily against the wall as my monster form becomes too hard to maintain.

I claw myself out of the back of it, not wanting to be too close to the alcove and its hidden dangers until I can see straight. Andrews runs up next to me, and I point wordlessly, too busy panting and trying to absorb any Chaos around to muster more than the gesture.

He almost asks something, but I see the comprehension hit his face, and his question turns into a grim nod. He waves several of his soldiers forward, and I lean on the wall again as they flush the people from the hidden pocket. Another soldier treats the one who was grazed by a bullet.

"Is our back still clear?" Andrews queries Lodge once the men have been taken care of. Her helmet was damaged enough earlier that I can see part of her face.

"For the moment," she answers, and he breathes a sigh of relief.

"Good. We need to recoup. Eclipse, are you still able to fight?"

"Of course," I scoff, but the answer is weakened by my heaving chest. "Monster form's a no go, though. I'm nearly out of Chaos, and replenishing it isn't fast." I fall silent, trying to get my breathing under control as Andrews absorbs that information.

"Great, that's all we need," he mutters, hand gripping the handle of his holstered weapon tightly. "Rouge, do you know where Shadow is?"

"Last he told me, he was demolishing the uppermost floor," the bat says, shrugging. "He was moving pretty quick, though."

"Helpful," Andrews deadpans. "Eclipse?"

"Already on it," I reply, using my scant energy to search for Shadow's mind.

Where are you? I shout mentally, so exhausted I'm having trouble knowing when our minds have touched.

Right above you. I felt you nearly faint; I'm on my way. The response is not the one I was expecting, but, before I can even protest his allegation that I almost feel unconscious, he's teleported into the midst of our group.

"Pretty much everything on my end is destroyed," he reports, black ear flicking at the eerie silence around us. "What do you need?"

"We're not getting anywhere," Andrews grunts, checking his cartridge. "Whether we're being turned in circles or if we just don't know what to look for, I don't know, but something's up. They've got a lot of small, mobile groups circulating, and every room we've found people in has been all but empty. There's something here that they're hiding, and they're running us around until they can figure out what to do with it. I need you to figure out what that is and where."

"Can you hold this area?" Shadow asks in reply, crimson eyes alert and strong. I feel a small pang of jealousy, appearing so exhausted while my half-brother is one his feet and moving, but I know part of it is simply his design. I was not made for missions like this; to compare myself to him would be foolish.

"Possibly," Andrews frowns, reholstering his gun. I notice that he likes to fiddle with it, a feeling I can understand. With the general physical weakness of humans, having a weapon must be comforting. "We held a hallway just like it a few minutes ago. Why?"

"Because I've been getting lost, too. The hallways curve and twist almost imperceptibly, and the layout is different on every floor. There's hiding places everywhere for the soldiers."

"Your point?"

"I keep running into ambushes. If you held position here, I could take Eclipse with me and avoid them. If anyone can find a secret location, it's him." Shadow directs the end of his comment right at me, and I feel my face flush. I hold my head high, some of my tiredness leaving, my confidence clicking up several notches.

"What if we need him?" Andrews questions, and I can see how his eyes spark as they run the possibilities. It's no wonder this hotheaded man is a Captain in G.U.N.

"We can both teleport down, or one of us. It only takes a millisecond. If you're staying put, then you don't need him unless you're attacked," Shadow responds, making what sounds like a good point to me.

"...I suppose. Alright, take Eclipse. We'll hold this spot as long as we can. And, report anything you find!" Andrews barks, and Shadow nods.

"Let's go," he smirks, and I take his outstretched hand. The contact makes our mental link easier, and I need to access his mind to teleport to the same place.

"Let's," I say lightly, grinning with the fierceness I want to feel.

The world warps around us, flashing blue as Andrews makes hurried orders to his soldiers, and then we're gone.

We're going to find the secret of this labyrinth.