As I slowly wake, I'm washed in a soothing wave of serenity and comfort, feeling entirely at peace with myself and the world.

Of course, this makes me immediately suspicious.

I quickly bolt upright and tense, glancing around the room, thoroughly ready to confront whatever supernatural thing has given me a pleasant morning. I peer at the walls, suspicious that something must have changed--but I find nothing out of the ordinary. Shrugging, I snuggle back under the covers, amazed that I'm actually feeling so well-rested and comfortable.

Then, I realize.

Of course.

It's not the room that's changed; it's me. I've finally experienced a moment where I was genuinely at peace with myself, where nightmares didn't haunt me through my resting hours. Maybe, at last, I've come to terms with my past and my present, letting go of the pain, trauma, anguish, and guilt that have plagued me for so long.

That, or I was just comatose from exhaustion. I mean, I did lose my species for the second time yesterday, after all.

But, I'd rather not think about that.

It really is a pleasant morning, barring the fact my body thinks being well-rested is wrong. The air of the room is cooler than it might usually be, while I am beneath a warm blanket. My muscles might ache were it not for the soft mattress supporting them, but they send no complaints to me. Even my mind appears to have had a restful night, which I did not expect to have after yesterday. All in all, everything seems about as blissful as could be, and I relish in it.

Unsure what to do and unwilling to leave my rare experience of true comfort, I remain in bed, dozing off and on without concern for the time. If I'm late to some unknown event, then let someone come and wake me. I'm making use of this opportunity.

Surprisingly, though, my peace goes uninterrupted, and I drift back awake after a wonderful nap, still feeling fantastic. This time, I'm more awake than previously, and I shift over in bed to look at the door, wrapping my blanket around myself in cozy defiance of anyone entering.

The longer I stare at it, though, the more I start to feel as if I'm missing something. I feel wonderful; surely, there are equally wonderful things outside my door, fleeting enjoyments that aren't waiting for me to get out of bed.

I roll to the edge, carefully disentangling myself from the covers as I wonder what I should do. A small package on my recently-acquired desk catches my eye; curious, I stand and walk over, sure I would have noticed had someone come in and left it. A quick sniff of the faded scents tells me it was left yesterday evening, before I returned to my room. It's no surprise I didn't notice it; I was dead tired after everything that happened.

Could it be the supplies Commander Tower mentioned? I wonder, turning it over a few times in my hands and gently shaking it. I don't hear much movement from whatever's inside, so it's probably something soft or well-packaged; I guess the former. Finally, my curiosity grows too much, and I set the box back down.

I slice through the tape excitedly with a sharp claw, opening it to reveal several plastic-wrapped bundles of...cloth? I remove one and slip it out of its plastic covering, shaking out the item and finding with surprise that it's a formal jacket to a uniform. I glance back at the box, unsure where to put the jacket while I'm inspecting the rest of the garments, eventually just resting it on my chair. Also included in the box is a keycard, which has a paper explaining my permittance to access any unclassified area of G.U.N. and quite a few classified ones. I pick it up slightly reverently, knowing it's a mark of serious trust from the Commander.

As I had suspected, the other bundles are a white, formal button-down shirt and a pair of dark blue dress pants that match the jacket, both made with strategic buttons and snaps to accomodate my crests. In addition, I find two gray t-shirts for casual wear and gray sweatpants, as well as... I peer at the last item, which is also blue, turning it over in an attempt to discern its purpose. It takes me a while to find its tag, which I know represents the top back of the item, but even orienting the thing correctly doesn't alleviate my confusion. It's simply a strip of cloth, narrower on one end than the other, that could be worn anywhere on the torso. Curious, I hold it up to my chest, determining it's too thin to fit there. I move it down, grinning successfully when I discover it's the same width as my hips.

Of all the items, this one catches my attention the most. It could be formal, as it matches my new uniform, or it could be casual. Either way, I cannot tell.

I study it a bit longer, eventually shrugging and tugging it on. I appreciate its freedom almost immediately; Shadow is always complaining about the restrictive qualities of pants and how he can hardly walk quickly in them without fear of tearing the fabric, but this does not keep me from stretching and lifting my leg nearly into a split. I pull on one of the t-shirts, tucking it in and buttoning the jacket over it, deciding I look quite good for my first attempt at Mobian clothing.

As I exit my room, feeling well-dressed, I feel a lot of pride in my clothing. In my own race, clothing signifies leadership and power; I believe certain types signify the same things here, such as the Commander's unique, decorated jacket.

I'm an agent of G.U.N. now. I have the uniform to prove it. I've earned this through my own effort, and now the whole world can see my dedication simply by looking at me.

The thought makes me grin.

I pass several rooms, not entirely sure where I want to go until I catch the unmistakable presence of Shadow's mind nearby. Pausing, I locate him and teleport, appearing with a crack in the Chaos lab.

"--but overall, yes, that's right. Eclipse?" Shadow says in surprise, turning around from the scientist he was talking to; evidently, I interrupted him. "It's nearly eight. Have you been asleep?" As he asks the question, he scans me with a look of slight bewilderment, and I smirk at the inference he didn't know I was getting a uniform.

"Aver, and better off for it. I needed rest," I shrug, waving at Ayers as I glimpse her across the room. "What's she doing down here?"

"Well, er," Shadow replies, ears pinning back momentarily. "They're planning for how they're going to move the creations."

"Oh," I frown, quickly shaking off that thought before it ruins my good day. "Should have figured. Does the Commander have anything for us to do today?"

"He said the most important thing is to recover after all these weeks of stress. I've been answering questions for the lab this morning, but I'm almost done here," Shadow answers, looking a bit relieved himself; I almost feel guilty he had to do the task by himself, but what can I say? I'm glad it wasn't me. "Later, Rouge wants to drag me out to do something. But, one thing Tower also said was that you were allowed to access G.U.N.'s whole now, the same as Rouge and I."

"I know. It's epic," I grin, and my half-brother smirks. "I don't know where I want to go first."

"Wherever you go, prepare for a lot of staring and questions," he says, smirk turning somewhat rueful. "It's a madhouse trying to go somewhere for your first month as a new agent. Everyone crowds you and gets all excited..." He shudders, apparently not having liked his previous experiences, and I snicker.

"So, being a celebrity? Sounds fun," I reply, and he chuckles. "I was thinking I'll talk to Agatha, explore a little. Maybe make a few speeches, I dunno."

"Have fun with that," he responds, raising an eye ridge.

"Oh, I will," I grin, knocking him lightly on the shoulder. "Have fun on your outing with Rouge, brother. I'll see you later. I'm going to get breakfast!" I whoop, turning around and heading towards the door with an enthusiastic wave. Shadow raises his hand in farewell with a somewhat amused expression, then changes it to hold up a finger, opening his mouth as I near the door.

"Uh, Eclipse--" He pauses, looking like he's about to say something. "Er, nevermind. Tell Topaz hello for me."

"Sure," I call, wondering what that was about. I turn the corner with a spring in my step, excited for my first day as an official agent. I saunter through the halls, waving at various people I know from my time here, and pull out my new keycard as I arrive at the stairwell. I swipe my ID for the first time, grinning widely when the access pad turns green. I trot upwards, thrilled by my new freedom, happy with the start of my day, and eager to show Agatha all that I've earned.

Surely, she'll be as impressed as I.

...

"Mind if I sit here? I need to be by someone who knows about yesterday, just mentally," Andrews muttered gruffly as he pulled up a seat by Topaz. Raising an eyebrow, she nodded and returned to her scrambled eggs with the lackluster energy of one just returned from an important mission to daily life.

"Me too?" Lodge appeared behind Andrews, smiling tentatively. This time, Topaz made to reply, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Of course, I don't mind," she answered, though the two weren't her usual company.

"Thanks. Heck of a mission, wasn't it?" Lodge asked conversationally, avoiding any identifying details as required. Topaz nodded again, yawning as she sipped her coffee in an attempt to wake up.

"It was a garden tour of Hades' backyard, that's what it was," Andrews scowled, stabbing at his unappetizing sausage. "I'm just happy I don't have to deal with Team Dark today. Anymore of that motley crew, and I might just have gone crazy."

"They all did well, though. Especially Eclipse," Lodge pointed out, taking advantage of the young alien's newly-declassified status. Topaz gave Lodge an appreciative look, to which she smiled and continued. "Even with the discovery of...well, you know. He held it together. Better than I expected, honestly."

"No kidding. Can't say he hasn't come a good bit from our first impression of him on the Comet from Hell, but that doesn't mean I enjoy working with aliens and thieves," Andrews grumbled, and Topaz rolled her eyes.

"Only one of them's a thief," she reminded him, punctuating her point by gesturing with her fork.

"I seem to remember a certain emerald that would think otherwise," Andrews observed coolly, and Topaz frowned. She almost retorted, wanting to defend Eclipse because technically he hadn't stolen the Master Emerald off the island, but Andrews was such a pain to argue with... Instead, she just sighed and looked away, zoning out as Andrews and Lodge began eating their meals and marveling at how hard it was to get along with her fellow captain. Did he do it on purpose? Or was he trying to make a point? She honestly couldn't tell, but it sure was hard to deal with sometimes.

Thanks to her diverted attention, she was the first of the group to see her alien friend entering the room.

"Guys--" She started to say, making Lodge look up.

"Is that Eclipse?" The other female soldier queried in surprise, and Andrews swore under his breath.

"Dammit, why is he--is that a skirt?"

Topaz had made the same observation at the same time, and she covered her mouth with her hand to keep herself from laughing as Eclipse scanned the room happily, waving at her once he found her. She waved back, biting her lip with barely-suppressed amusement as he approached, appearing to sashay with the skirt's movements.

"Good morning, Agatha!" He called, making Lodge look at her in surprise.

"Special dispensation," Topaz said in answer to her silent question. "He means well."

"Should I tell him that's a skirt or should you?" Andrews intoned lowly, and Topaz gave him a disapproving eye raise.

"Somehow, I feel I would manage to be politer than you at that," she replied, and he gave an exasperated sigh as Eclipse all but bounded up to the table.

"Check it out! I got a uniform," he exclaimed, obviously excited. Topaz grinned back, understanding that such tokens meant a lot to the young alien.

"You did! And, you put it on correctly," Topaz complimented, making Eclipse bounce up on his toes with pride. To her right, Andrews' face seemed stuck somewhere between a grimace and a look of wanting very much to escape, and Topaz happily scooted over into him so Eclipse's good mood wasn't ruined by the sight. Eclipse was, in general, a cheerful person, but Topaz knew he could get defensive or moody if someone ventured on insult, and she wasn't about to let Andrews kill the excitement today.

"That's an interesting bottom half, Prowler. Did your uniform include it?" Lodge asked, not only avoiding any tone of surprise but also throwing in a fond term. She had always been more aware than her captain of the weight of words, which Topaz found refreshing when dealing with Andrews and his squad.

"Yep!" Eclipse confirmed happily, beaming at the nickname. "It's pretty comfortable, actually. I haven't seen anything like it before."

"Technically, it's called a skirt," Andrews informed, obviously about to lead into some less-technical tirade.

"--and they're worn by everyone, depending on culture and preference," Topaz jumped in, smiling at her alien friend. "Have you gotten breakfast yet, Eclipse?"

"Not yet. That's why I'm here," he answered, grinning.

"Would you like to come with me and get a tray?" Lodge offered, making Eclipse visibly confused. At first, Topaz assumed the terminology had baffled him, but then he looked at her in a clear expression of 'why is she asking me and not you I don't know how to handle this??'

"That's great, she can show you how the line works," Topaz encouraged, thinking it would be good for Eclipse to talk to someone other than her for a change. Eclipse's face was clear in that he didn't agree, but he nodded and followed Lodge as she tried somewhat awkwardly to gain his full attention. Topaz shook her head and smiled, imagining Shadow would have given much the same reaction if someone had tried to remove him from Maria's side. Eclipse was growing and getting older; hopefully, he would realize there were many people who could be fun and interesting to be friends with.

At any rate, he needed to be able to cope with other soldiers, and this was a good start.

"You are going to tell him that he's dressed like a girl, aren't you?" Andrews interjected into the silence, and Topaz took a calming breath. "Look, even if we don't say anything, other people will. And that's just a problem waiting to happen."

"If Eclipse likes wearing a skirt, then no one can tell him otherwise. He's an alien, for one. Anyone who expects him to accept Mobian norms without a hitch is in for a sore surprise. For another, I bet I know why Eclipse was given the skirt in the first place," she replied, making Andrews raise his own eyebrow. "Eclipse has been classified for a good while, so I'm betting only the barest physical details were sent to get his uniform made. And, he's not technically male."

"...what?" Andrews face was priceless, and Topaz suppressed her amusement.

"He's a hermaphrodite, technically. When they got the measurements, I'm sure that detail caused some confusion, so they just sent both pants and skirts as options. For ease of speech, we treat him as a male, but it's entirely up to him which qualities he wants to express."

"You've got to be kidding me," Andrews groaned, rubbing his temple with a palm. "They get weirder every day. Next thing I know, Shadow's going to be pregnant or something."

Topaz decided it would be wise not to comment on that.

"Okay, so, fine. Eclipse is half female. But, aren't people going to be confused by this and call him 'she' or something?"

"I doubt Eclipse would care either way, but probably not. Kilts," Topaz pointed out, and Andrews waved a hand in defeat.

"I give up. Let the alien wear the darn skirt, then?"

"That's the plan," Topaz replied easily, smiling as she saw Eclipse walking back over, now appearing to enjoy his conversation with Lodge.

"--heard of that, something in Shadow's memories. He thought of it because there's a character with my color eyes!"

"Mmh-hmm, Genos. He's one of my favorites," Lodge smiled, looking like she was genuinely enjoying the topic herself. "I think his powers are awesome, but he's just a great character in general."

"And he's human--how wild is that?" Eclipse was saying enthusiastically, tail swishing through the air. Topaz looked on proudly, able to tell the alien was truly excited from his now-familiar body language. "Humans with powers!"

"Well, technically, he's a cyborg, but--"

"Three guesses," Andrews muttered to Topaz, glancing up grumpily. "Comic? Book? Anime?" The question was directed at Eclipse and Lodge, who had both just reached the table.

"Yep; I've been telling Eclipse some of my favorite anime," Lodge replied cheerfully, and Eclipse nodded vigorously.

"I want to see some! They sound really cool!"

"Shadow knows a lot of good animes," Topaz commented, which seemed to surprise Eclipse.

"He's seen many of them? Really? I just know he's seen the one." The young alien said curiously, and she smiled.

"Rouge introduced him. They have marathons sometimes. I don't know much about them, but I know Shadow has found a lot that he said were really good."

"Shadow was the one who suggested I watch my first anime," Lodge mentioned, thinking. "I heard him talking about it with Rouge, and it sounded interesting. Never looked back."

"If I watch one, will you watch it with me?" Eclipse inquired enthusiastically, looking equally at Topaz and Lodge.

"Sure," Topaz said happily, thinking it would be worth it just to see the alien have fun.

"Awesome," Eclipse replied, grinning. "I want to see humans with powers!"

"Well, of course, they're not real people," Lodge started to explain, and Topaz suddenly realized how quiet the cafeteria had gotten. Glancing around, she could see, much to her worry, that almost everyone was staring at Eclipse now; apparently, his excitement was enough to gain the attention of even the most dull of the soldiers. In what was probably an effort to hear what was being said at her table, they had also all dropped their voices to whispering and low tones, discussing things among themselves with hurried glances and motions.

She'd been afraid of this.

Topaz looked at Eclipse, worried that he'd noticed. He seemed entirely caught up in reassuring Lodge that, of course, he knew they were just animated, but Topaz could see the slight hesitation he got whenever people were watching him rising. It was subtle, but it was there, in the way Eclipse laughed in his self-conscious, unnatural imitation of Mobian humor instead of his genuine chortle. It was there, in the way Eclipse's eyes glanced ever so slightly around, scanning the room nervously. It was there, and, to Topaz, that was unacceptable. The young alien didn't deserve to be stared at like he didn't belong.

Taking a determined breath, Topaz rose from her seat. She wasn't unusually tall, but she was the only person standing in the entire room, and people were already looking in her direction. As a result, she quickly gained the attention of most every soldier, including Eclipse, who was looking up at her in confusion.

"Everyone," she announced loudly, voice carrying through the awkward silence. "You may have noticed, we have a new Chaos Creature joining our ranks. This is Eclipse, who I know you've all heard of." The sea of people was quiet as she scanned the crowd, holding their attention, but Topaz could sense the questions and thoughts that were forming.

"I thought he couldn't talk," one bewildered soldier said, a sentiment that was quickly echoed across the masses.

"Darn Shadow," Eclipse grumbled quietly beside Topaz, who pretended not to hear.

"Which is why, I'm happy to say he can. Eclipse, why don't you say hi?" Topaz felt a little bad for putting her young friend on the spot, but Eclipse wasn't the socially inept alien child anymore. He looked back at her and nodded confidently, jumping easily onto the table--much to Andrews' apparent horror as the alien's tail came dangerously close to his scrambled eggs.

"Hey, everybody!" Eclipse greeted, exclaiming with somewhat exaggerated friendliness. Topaz remained standing, slightly below his eye level now, trusting him to handle the situation. Eclipse was a surprisingly charismatic, likeable person; he just needed the proper encouragement and support to have confidence in himself. "I know you've heard a lot of things about me, but I'm here to tell you that most of them aren't entirely true. There's been some misunderstandings and some intentional misinformation, which was for security reasons, so let's set the record straight!

"First, I love talking, if you can't already tell," Eclipse began, laughing a little, but the atmosphere was still too tense for humor. "Second, I am, in fact, a thinking being. What a concept!" Topaz almost winced at the alien's nervousness coming through in the awkward, forced jokes, but she couldn't help finding them just a little funny. Eclipse wouldn't make the best stand-up comedian, but at least he wasn't just saying 'uhhh' like so many uncomfortable public speakers--to Topaz, that was enough to feel proud of him. "Third, I'm actually not a hybrid--Shadow's the only half-and-half around. I'm a hundred percent creamer!"

A lukewarm response. Topaz heard Andrews snort with laughter behind her, but she knew he was interpreting that joke in a way the innocent alien definitely didn't intend.

"Wow, okay, so you're not a very humorous bunch," Eclipse noted, but, to Topaz's surprise, he seemed to be getting more comfortable with his impromptu speech instead of less. "Darn shame. But, yeah; I'm the newest member of Team Dark. I know I'm not Shadow, but I hope you can come to barely tolerate me, anyway." A few people laughed that time; Eclipse's flow was getting better, slowing down from his rushed nervousness into a more natural pace. "It's good to meet you all--or, it would be, if I didn't know more expressive mannequins."

Some more chuckles, people starting to relax in posture. Topaz was amazed; when this had started, she'd sure been worried, but Eclipse's introduction was starting to pull together.

"As you can see, I'm a bit young. I like to joke," Eclipse continued, walking up and down the table to address the whole room. "But, I can promise you--I'm serious about my commitment here. G.U.N. helped me out in a time I needed it, and I'm doing my best to return the favor. I like this planet, and I like the people I've met. I'm sure I'll come to like you all, too, if you'll give me the chance. Having said that, it's good to be working with you!"

Eclipse swept himself into a stage bow, with his arm theatrically thrown out to the side and his leg crossed behind him.

Several people clapped, then more, and suddenly the beaming alien was getting applause, cheering, and even a few wolf whistles. Topaz felt her heart swell as Eclipse looked around, smiling genuinely at the people he'd somehow won over.

Bowing again, he hopped off the table, sitting in his chair like he'd never left. Then, with a deep breath, he collapsed against the seat back and let out a loud, relieved sigh.

"You good?" Topaz asked, and the alien looked at her with comically widened eyes.

"I think I nearly died," he wheezed, slumping in his chair. "What a tough crowd." Topaz smiled, pulling him into an affectionate half-hug.

"I'm proud of you," she said softly, and the way his eyes lit up like stars with pride made the words seem so much more important than they were, Eclipse's happiness melting Topaz's heart.

"How in the hell did you do that?" Andrews asked, baffled, completely ruining the moment in a way he'd long ago perfected.

"What, get people to like me? Well, I suppose you wouldn't know," Eclipse replied, and Topaz could barely breathe for the look on Andrews' face. "Heh, kidding. Sorry, that was probably a bit mean. But, honestly? I have absolutely no clue. I'm just naturally gifted, I suppose."

"Right," the red-haired captain grumbled, returning to his meal with an eye roll. Eclipse looked back at Topaz, grinning from ear to ear, and she felt the world brighten.

She really was so incredibly proud of him.

Author's Note: The first epilogue chapter is out! Do you like having some more POV's? The rest of the chapters will be a mix of people, to really give the scenes that 'out in the world' feel.

To those of you who love Shadow , Sonic Adventure 2, and the Black Arms: I collaborated on a story recently, called ARK: Data Logs, by @shastabeez, who just happens to be the editor for this story! They've been a big part of the success of Brothers in Arms, so if you think you'd be interested, check it out and give 'em some love! I enjoyed writing it with them, for sure. Thanks for reading, until next time!