Shadow's POV:

You've got to be kidding me, I think, sighing as I stop in the doorway to Eclipse's room. I put an exasperated hand to my forehead, taking a moment to calm myself, then stride over to his bed and shake him roughly.

"Get up, you idiot," I grumble, and his eyes open blearily, blinking up at me in confusion. "We're leaving. Everyone's been waiting for you."

"Oh, hell!" He exclaims, bolting upright, and I give him an unimpressed look as he leaps out of bed, frantically unbuckling the blunt plastic sheaths that prevent his crests from ruining the covers.

"Please tell me you're at least packed," I say flatly, crossing my arms as he grabs his suitcase from the foot of his bed, stuffing his crest guards into it.

"I am, I am, I'm sorry!" He replies, rezipping the suitcase and grabbing his keycard off his desk. "I'm ready!"

"Do you have your uniform?" I check in a slightly less deadpan tone--maybe we won't be too late--and he scoffs, slinging his suitcase onto his back.

"It was the first thing I packed," he answers, miffed, but I can see his glowing eyes sweep across the darkened room, just in case. He nods, satisfied, and he follows me as we step out into the hallway, locking his door. Only the emergency lights are on right now; it's before five in the morning, outside of G.U.N.'s usual operating hours, and the red lighting gives the sublevel an odd atmosphere as we jog up the stairs to ground level. I lead Eclipse to the nigh-deserted garage, and we hurry over to a black SUV on the first level, where Tower is waiting next to a bedraggled Rouge without makeup.

"Nice of you to be on time," Rouge mutters to Eclipse as I take the keys from Tower and unlock the car, loading our luggage into the hatchback, and my half-brother flushes as he apologizes to the Commander for oversleeping.

"It's alright this time, but please don't repeat the mistake. Would you like a louder alarm?" Tower questions after Eclipse finishes, and I let a relieved smile ghost across my lips. If the Commander was irritated like my batty teammate, this trip would be off to a bad start, but it seems he's in his usual mood.

"No thank you, sir. I just had a bad night," Eclipse replies, and I glance toward him with concern, catching the darkness in his tone as his sentence ends. His expression has flattened somewhat, confirming what I thought; he's having nightmares again.

Eclipse and I made a mutual pact to calm our minds before bed using the hivemind, and the practice has helped both of us sleep through the night more consistently, but it's not perfect. Sometimes, nightmares will slip through the cracks in my or his subconscious, especially when we're feeling stressed. If he's not sleeping well, it likely means that he's feeling under pressure, which--well, I can't blame him. This week is going to be a long, difficult one.

I wonder if I can do anything to help him out, I think, frowning as I adjust the driver's seat. Seeing as this is a human vehicle, I have to use a booster seat to see out the windshield, as well as switch the pedal commands over to the steering wheel. Only a few of G.U.N.'s newer vehicles have the necessary features to allow a Mobian to drive, a change Commander Tower is implementing to allow the organization to take on more Mobian employees.

Driving this thing is going to be weird, I remark to myself, reviewing the various controls on the steering wheel so that I won't make a mistake on the road. The passenger door next to me opens, and I'm surprised to see Eclipse hop in, his gloomy mood replaced by excitement as Tower and Rouge take their seats in the back.

"Is it safe to have Eclipse in the front, Commander?" I ask, looking at the man in the rearview mirror as I adjust it. I can almost feel the dirty look Eclipse is giving me, booster seat in hand, but I have to check, even if it means depriving him of a good view.

"The windows are sufficiently tinted. I don't expect any issues," Tower replies, buckling himself in as Rouge drops in her seat dramatically. "Also, the front seats are the most dangerous in a collision. It makes sense to have the two most crash-resistant people in front."

I glance at him skeptically in the mirror, only to see a twinkle of amusement in his mismatched eyes.

"I see," I answer dryly, suppressing a smile despite myself. Since when did Tower get himself a sense of humor? I find the corners of my lips poking upward as I adjust the air vents to fit Eclipse and I, thinking that this might not be such a long car trip, after all. "Alright, then, we're off."

I put the car in drive, and we cruise through the large, concrete parking deck, heading for the exit. Eclipse looks out the window in wonder, fascinated by all the different vehicles, and, struck by inspiration, I put the passenger window down for him.

"We're still on G.U.N. soil," I say by way of explanation, and he excitedly sticks his face out as I come up to the exit. We head up the little ramp, and the whole night sky opens up before us, drawing an appreciative gasp from my half-brother as he leans his whole head out the window.

The wind picks up as I steer us down the compound's roads, and Eclipse laughs as he makes his hand fly in the air streaming around the car. I can't help but grin myself as my fur is ruffled by the wind, and even Rouge cracks a smile as Eclipse lets out a whoop, clearly having a blast.

"This is so much fun! Can we do this all the time?" He asks excitedly, looking up at the bright moon with so much happiness that I almost acquiesce just out of the desire to see him smile like this more often.

"If you do a good job this week, I'll take you somewhere on the Dark Rider," I tell him, amused, and he giggles, half of his torso hanging out of the car now.

"Is that your car?" He questions, opening his mouth to eat the air as the gravel on the pavement crackles underneath the tires.

"It's my motorcycle. It's Team Dark's troop transport; I lease it for personal use," I reply, and he gives me an interested look, his golden eyes glowing in the car's softly lit interior.

"Ten minutes ago, I would have asked why you would ever need a motorcycle, but now... I think I get it," he says happily, a remarkably content look on his face as the wind blows over him. "Can I drive it one day?"

"Only once you have a license--I'm not letting you wreck my bike," I grunt, and he laughs. "You need a different license to drive a motorcycle anyway, so you'll have to do some extra work. Rouge had to get a motorcycle license just in case I'm ever incapacitated, so at least you'll be doing something useful."

"Excuse you, everything I do is useful," he retorts, giggling again as I give him a look. "Kidding, kidding."

Soon, we reach the end of G.U.N.'s territory, and I roll the window up on a disappointed Eclipse, who, despite his excitement, quickly becomes sleepy as we pull onto the near-empty interstate. He curls against his seat, falling asleep, and I gently soothe his mind to help him sleep better as Rouge pulls out a eyeshade and Tower opens a book, everyone settling in for our ten and a half hour trip.

I feel very peaceful as we cruise along at the speed limit, passing only the occasional truck. The interstate is very quiet beneath the starry sky, few people up at five thirty on a Saturday, and the empty road, illuminated by our headlights, has a distinct atmosphere of adventure.

We're heading West to where Castle Acorn is located, crossing two time zones along the way. It's a long trip, but Tower, ever pragmatic, decided against the far more costly jet flight, as Eclipse and I can provide more than enough security for traveling on the ground. So, we're heading out incognito, no escort or tail, which only adds to the feeling of adventure.

We're alone out here, accompanied only by the moon.

As the driver, I pay strict attention as night passes and dawn breaks, but everyone else is sleepy or occupied as traffic picks up, only Tower exchanging a glance with me as the sun rises. I see the sunlight hitting him right in the face in the rearview mirror as we curve North, leading him to hold a hand up to guard his eyes as he attempts to continue his novel without being blinded.

Mentally, I thank the stars that we're not driving East this morning, as I'd have to wear some serious sunglasses--and any glasses large enough to fit my eyes look ridiculous.

We pass several small cities and many smaller towns, but we're coming up on Central City as Eclipse stirs, yawning and stretching in the midmorning light. He blinks around at the five lane road, exclaiming at all the cars around us, and Rouge raises her eyeshade grumpily at his audible excitement. Smiling despite myself, I catch his attention with a quick thought and nod my head toward the building on the side of the beltway.

"Look left, there's the train station that goes into Central City. We'll be hitting heavy traffic soon, probably," I announce, and Eclipse peers curiously around me at the modern station, all steel and reflective glass. "The train line runs parallel and adjacent to the highway; we'll probably see some trains on it soon."

"Really?" Eclipse exclaims excitedly, leaning forward to look out the windshield until his seat belt catches.

"Really," I say, smiling slightly. "We'll be heading past the Western end of Central City, so you'll be able to see some of the more famous buildings from here."

"There are famous buildings? Can you visit them?" He questions, interested, and I nod. "Awesome! Have you been to any?"

"I haven't," I admit, checking my side mirror as a red muscle car roars past. Driving a human-sized SUV is a novelty for me, especially with its size. I can't maneuver through traffic like I can with my smaller, nimbler motorcycle, leaving me to nudge this behemoth through the throngs of vehicles on the road. "I figured I'd grind the lines to a halt if I showed up somewhere too popular, with all the people that would flock to meet me."

"Are you actually that famous, or are you being arrogant?" Eclipse queries skeptically, and I snort, only half amused.

"I wish I was exaggerating. I can't go anywhere in the cities without causing a mob. That's why Sonic zips through, not letting anyone get a chance to que up. It's a hazard of being a hero," I respond, steering into a small gap in the fast lane and wondering how traffic is already this bad when it's not even rush hour.

"Are you serious?" Eclipse wails, sounding distressed by the thought.

"It's not as bad with Mobians--they're used to Sonic and the Freedom Fighters. But, humans are newer to the Mobian hero scene, so I get a lot of fans asking for autographs and pictures anytime I travel."

And people trying to rip my fur out as a keepsake, but Eclipse is stressed enough, I add mentally, quills stiffening at the thought. The hardest part about being a famous hedgehog is not accidentally stabbing those idiots; the bad press would be ridiculous if someone cut their hand on my spines, even if I did nothing against them.

"That sounds awful," my younger half-brother groans, looking far less excited about the prospect of being a tourist.

"Nah, you just have to go at less busy times and keep a low profile," I tell him, trying to encourage his happier mood. "A good sweatshirt, some pants, and sunglasses--or colored contacts, if you're desperate--can stave off a lot of it. Most of the fans who will notice are understanding if you tell them you're trying to be incognito."

"That sounds like a lot of work," he grumbles, side-eyeing the window with disappointment. "Why can't we stop and see something before I'm famous, then? Aren't I declassified already?"

"You can't be seen by the public until G.U.N. holds the press conference and formally announces your presence to the world," I reply, knowing telling him to stop complaining won't do nearly as much good as explaining the situation. "You've been declassified, but knowledge of the New Black Comet hasn't been released publicly."

"So?" He asks irritatedly, clearly out of points but still wanting to argue.

"So, unfortunately, we have to wait until next week to show you around Mobius," I say, trying to be understanding.

He's frustrated with his situation, not with you, I tell myself firmly, focusing as I change lanes and let Eclipse grumble next to me. He's been stuck inside for months, and he's in the final stretch. Of course he's going to be impatient to get out in the world.

"What's with all of this classification stuff anyway? Why does everything have to stay secret? It's not like the world doesn't know about you or the Black Arms, so why bother?" Eclipse questions, his chin resting on his hand as he slumps against the door in frustration.

"Well, it's complicated. G.U.N. is new to declassifying information in general," I tell him, trying to think of a good way to explain this. "It's been pretty much opaque until relatively recently; Commander Tower was the first Commander to make G.U.N. more transparent, and that was just with current information until I showed up. G.U.N. didn't even know I existed because it had buried its past--only the Commander knew about me, and he couldn't exactly cite memories from when he was six years old on the ARK. That would have flown like an anvil."

"Unfortunately, yes," Tower agrees, glancing up from his book. "Becoming transparent has been a very slow process. There are a lot of levels of security that information has to descend through to become public, and not everyone agrees with my policies, which further complicates the matter."

"But why?" Eclipse persists, and I give him a puzzled look, confused by his question. "Why are things classified in the first place?"

"Ah," Commander Tower says at the same time as I let out an 'oh,' suddenly understanding why this has been frustrating Eclipse so much. "Eclipse, the idea behind classifying certain information is based on two fronts: first, that some information could be misused, as when you and Shadow were kidnapped for your DNA. Second, that knowledge of some information will cause more harm to the public than ignorance would. When G.U.N. became aware of the New Black Comet, the world was in crisis, and scaring the public by announcing the potential threat of another Black Arms invasion, or, subsequently, your own existence, could have caused a mass panic. Information is withheld on those two grounds, both in the interest of public safety."

"Oh," Eclipse responds, looking down as he processes that. "That makes sense, I guess."

For a while, the car is silent. Eclipse continues staring out the window, apparently thinking, and Rouge is listening to something on her music player. I enjoy the quiet, listening to the car shift gears and hum over the road surface as we cruise closer to our destination, only interrupted when I give Eclipse a brief explanation of which buildings are known for what, occupying his curiosity for a few minutes. But, then, we pull away from the city, and all is quiet again.

The time passes quickly for me, occupied as I am by driving, but soon Eclipse looks away from the window, fidgeting in his seat until Tower offers him the book he's been reading. The gesture buys the peace an appreciated hour, Rouge and Tower both appearing to doze in the backseat as Eclipse flips slowly through the pages of the Commander's novel. Out of curiosity, I glance over to see what the book is titled and nearly laugh when I see he's being occupied by The Art of War.

I guess that would be right up his alley, I think to myself in amusement, and I happily leave everyone to their own devices, only occasionally explaining a word to Eclipse through the hivemind. The clock ticks by until it's nearing eleven, and I watch Commander Tower to see if he's going to wake up, not wanting to get us off schedule.

At 10:50, I bite the bullet and wake him with a questioned, "Commander?" He sits up quickly, and I ask him if I should start looking for a place to pull off and get some food, something we built into our trip schedule. He answers in the affirmative, and I scan the signs until I see a reasonable fast food restaurant, and I pull off the interstate, stopping in a corner of the lot and putting the car in park with a happy sigh, glad to have a break from looking out at the sunny blacktop.

This has been going a lot better than I thought it would, I think, impressed as everyone stretches, undoing their seat belts. I leave the car on as I step out, as Eclipse and Tower are going to stay in the car for security, and I walk with Rouge toward the entrance to the restaurant, listening with amusement as she complains about how much her neck hurts and how long this trip is taking.

I've actually quite enjoyed today, I muse to myself as we step in, the door chiming, and we join the line at the counter to an assortment of gasps and whispers as people notice us. I share the menu with Eclipse mentally and wait for him to read it to Tower, thinking over what I might want as we stand in line. My half-brother relays their orders, and, when it's our turn at the counter, I order for all three of us, only realizing after the cash register has ringed up the total that six sandwiches, four curly fries, and five milkshakes--Eclipse couldn't decide between chocolate and peach--probably sounds a bit excessive for two people.

"People are going to think you're a glutton," Rouge titters as we walk away to wait, and I blink in surprise as she claims a table by the window.

"Aren't we eating outside?" I ask, accepting her comment as a fact of life; even if I hadn't ordered so much, people would probably make assumptions based on Sonic's bottomless appetite, anyway.

"Hon, I am not spending a second longer in that car than I have to. You can take their food out to them," she replies, her eyeshadow-free eyelids appearing as she yawns.

"And how am I supposed to do that without everyone noticing?" I question, and she shrugs.

"What does it matter if they notice? They'll just assume you're a hoarder."

"Gee, my reputation is improving by the minute," I mutter, nevertheless admitting to myself that it probably won't strike anyone as unusually odd if I teleport from the counter and then appear over at our table a few seconds later. I'll just seem lazy--my already suffering reputation will be the only casualty, unless one of the workers counts our food and wonders how I managed to eat so much food so quickly.

"Shadow," one of the employees calls, the waver in his voice conveying his barely-hidden excitement, and I take a breath, standing up and resigning myself that my reputation among half a dozen people doesn't matter all that much, anyway.

"Well, then. I'll be back."

Eclipse's POV:

"Thanks," I say as Shadow hands me the three milkshakes, putting two in the car's cup holders and handing one to the Commander before I turn back to take the bags as well.

"Rouge is insistent on eating inside, so don't do something unusually stupid while I'm gone," Shadow replies, and I give him a look as he disappears with a crack, a mutual understanding between us that he'll return in an instant if anything happens.

Yeah, sure, I grumble internally, giving Commander Tower his order and grabbing the first of my milkshakes. One sip is enough to make me forget all about Shadow's comment, and I cradle the drink with wonder as I try to understand the cold, sweet dairy product.

For a few minutes, the food occupies all of my attention, filled with flavors and textures I've never experienced before. Crispy curly fries, a glorious chicken sandwich--how much better can cheap food get?

I crunch happily on the meal, drinking my milkshakes in turn and appreciating the calories after not having any breakfast this morning. I'm starting in on my second sandwich when Tower crumples his trash into a small ball and coughs purposefully, gaining my attention as I pause in chewing for a moment.

"Eclipse, I want to make sure you're aware how important this week is for your future as a Mobian hero," he begins, and I blink back for a moment before realizing he wants me to reply.

"Yesh?" I ask with a mouthful of sandwich, swallowing quickly and smiling sheepishly as he closes his eyes in a moment of exasperation.

"It's imperative that you understand how important it is that you present a good face to the public," he continues after a moment, regaining his composure. "You have to stay calm and composed, no matter what occurs. If you show any signs of anger or aggressiveness, even minor frustration, it could jeopardize your whole career. The media has many reasons to doubt your true intentions, and a slight misunderstanding or slip of composure could be devastating for your public image."

"I--I wasn't aware it was that dangerous," I reply, food forgotten as I turn to give him my full attention. "How do I maintain a perfect image? My best strength is ad libbing," I say half to myself, worried.

"You don't have to be serious all of the time. Some humor and lightheartedness is okay, but you have to be very careful what you say. You can never take words back; you can only apologize and beg forgiveness. Think of the implications before you speak."

"Y-Yes, sir," I answer, suddenly feeling an immense sense of pressure. The Commander raises an acute eyebrow, clearly seeing my discomfort.

"It's very intimidating, but you're intelligent and quick witted enough that it shouldn't be too much of a challenge. Approach it as a verbal sparring match, which you lose if you give your opponent any reason to believe you're the violent alien that they'll undoubtedly try to paint you as."

"I thought Mobians were nice," I say, distressed, and a half smile briefly crosses his face for a moment before his expression is serious again.

"The media's top priority is a good story that will bring in ratings. An exposé on why the newest member of Team Dark is secretly still evil would create a media uprising, which I would prefer to avoid."

"I would, too," I agree numbly, shivering and cradling my milkshake close. "Verbal battle--I can do that. I can win that."

"I have every faith that you can, as well as every faith that reporters and paparazzi will do their best to trip you up at every turn," Tower replies, and I grin weakly, taking a draught of my shake and trying to remember the carefree attitude I had only a minute ago. "We'll prepare you as well as we can for the press conference, but you're the only one who can give yourself a good introduction. When things get difficult, try to remember the support of those behind you. In a tight spot, Shadow may be able to help you out--if you're discreet."

"Yeah, it wouldn't do to have people think he was speaking for me," I sigh, leaning on my hand and wondering why the world has to be so complicated. "Why can't life be simple?"

"Life is simple. Politics isn't," Tower answers dryly, and I can see the years of exasperation on his face as he sets his bag of trash in the seat next to him. "You won't be perfect at putting on a public persona at first--few people ever are--but it would do you a lot of good to act more serious than Rouge and more charismatic than Shadow. They have far more leeway in their public images than you, since you're working against ingrained ideas of the Black Arms as monsters."

He pauses, apparently having conveyed his point, and I lean my head back against the seat, looking up at the gray, cloth roof of the car with a sudden listlessness.

"As bad as it all sounds, I feel like I shouldn't be nervous. I've faced so much worse than this before, why would this make me so jittery?" I ask, taking an absent-minded sip of my milkshake, and I'm surprised when Tower responds, so wrapped up in my thoughts I'd forgotten that he was there.

"Everyone gets nervous--and not always about what they expect to. It's perfectly fine to be apprehensive, as long as you do your best to be calm and composed when the time comes," he tells me, and I look back at him curiously, finishing my milkshake and picking up my second one.

"How did you learn to deal with the press?" I ask, a sudden noise outside the car catching my attention. I look out to see an SUV pull up only a few spots away, a tired mother stepping out of the driver's door as several children tumble out of the back seat.

"It was difficult, but I'd already been cultivating my public persona for quite a while before I became a public figure. Most of it, I learned through immersion," the Commander replies, settling into his seat and sighing--I internally wonder how hard it is for such a large person to stay in such a confined space for so long on end. "Sit back here, so that they don't see you," he adds, nodding toward the group. Grabbing the rest of my sandwich and my remaining milkshake, I hop over the center console to sit in Rouge's seat, barely able to see anything out of the high window, but I kneel on the seat to look at the people, never having seen a Mobian family before.

"They look like they're having fun..." The words slip out before I can stop them, the Commander glancing out the window to see the joyful family. Watching the little boy chase his shrieking older sister around the car, I feel a slight jealousy, wishing my childhood had been filled with moments of happiness like that. How would I be different if I'd grown up on Mobius with Shadow, raised with humans that could have taught me friendship and love from the start?

I mull over the possibility for a moment, thinking of what it would be like to not have such tragic memories hanging over me, to simply live life unaware of the harshness of death and revenge. Would I be able to laugh and smile without that twinge of guilt, that lingering feeling that I shouldn't put my past from my mind? Would Shadow and I be closer, or would we be more distant without the tragedies we had to overcome together?

It's only after several moments of thought that I realize Commander Tower hasn't commented on the scene, instead watching the family with a slight sadness in his eyes. I blink at him, never having considered that my Commander's past might not be that of a normal human's.

"Do you know what it's like, having a normal family?" I ask after the family walks past our car, curious to learn more both about Mobians and the tall human himself.

"In some respects," he answers, using a more personal tone than I've ever heard from him. "I--"

We both jump in alarm as the driver's door abruptly opens, Commander Tower and I staring as Shadow hops into the driver's seat, shortly followed by Rouge, who opens my passenger door and makes me crawl, grumbling, back into the front seat.

"Are we ready to go?" Shadow questions, clearly unaware of the conversation he just disrupted, and Tower clears his throat while I mentally give my brother a dirty look.

"Yes. If we leave by now, we should make it by about 2:30," the Commander replies, resuming his commanding voice, and Shadow's ears flick back as he glances to the back seat.

"Did we... interrupt something?" My half-brother asks, sensing the irritation I can't entirely shake, having been about to have my first real conversation with Tower.

"Commander Tower was about to tell me about his family," I answer, hoping announcing it will get the Commander to continue.

"Oh, that's an interesting story," Shadow comments as he reverses the car, and my eye ridges knit together in surprise as we pull out of the parking lot.

"You know about the Commander's family?" I ask, mildly incredulous--Shadow has never given me the impression he and Commander Tower have a closer relationship than our workplace requires.

"Yeah, somewhat. He grew up on the ARK, like I did," Shadow responds, and I sit in shock, disbelieving that I never knew this.

"Is... Is that supposed to be common knowledge? Because no one told me," I say, miffed that, in all I've been learning about Mobius, I never heard that Tower was from the same ARK that my half-brother was created on. The thought sparks another one, and I straighten in excitement, wondering if I just understood something. "Is that why he's so odd genetically?! Was he created like us?"

"What? No, don't be ridiculous," Shadow snorts, and I slump back in my seat in disappointment as we merge back onto the interstate.

"Just wondering..." I grumble, feeling surprisingly let down by the fact Tower's genetics truly are just random.

"Both of my parents were scientists on the ARK, though neither were assigned to Project: Shadow," Tower comments from the back seat, and I sit up again, looking back as he intertwines his fingers on his lap and feeling eager to hear more. "I lived there for several years, during which I became close friends with Maria and had a brief glimpse of Black Doom that revealed Shadow's true origins to me."

"So, everyone's seen Black Doom except for me?" I ask grouchily, jealous, and Rouge reaches forward to flick my head. "Hey!"

"It wasn't an experience any of us wanted, you know," she says irritatedly, and I fold my legs on the seat, interlocking my toes together and huffing.

"Yeah, but I would have liked being able to meet him," I mumble, leaning my elbow on the door rest and slouching onto my hand as I remember Tower was speaking. "My apologies, please continue."

"Yes, well. When I told my parents what I saw, they worried that the rumors circulating about Project: Shadow involving aliens were true and sent me to live with a friend of theirs on Mobius for safety. Not four months later, they perished in the ARK massacre--"

"The what?" I interrupt, wondering if I heard that right and hoping I didn't.

"The ARK massacre, when G.U.N. invaded the ARK with the intent to stop Project: Shadow. Anyone who showed even a hint of resistance was killed, as well as many who didn't," Tower answers in a dark tone that makes the skin at the base of my tail prickle. "That was the raid in which Maria was killed and which Shadow was launched to the planet in an escape pod."

"How did you not know about the massacre? You knew how Maria died," Shadow says, glancing at me with an odd expression.

"There's a large difference between 'one girl was shot for helping the Ultimate Lifeform escape the military' and 'anyone who didn't surrender was killed in cold blood,'" I reply, returning the look. "Everyone seems to be forgetting, so I'll remind you--I've been at G.U.N. for only three months, and most of that time was spent not learning about all the events I'd missed. I knew humans had betrayed you by killing Maria, but I didn't know the details."

"I didn't either, until the middle of the first invasion," Shadow admits, maneuvering the car through a knot of traffic. "Commander Tower was the first person to tell me just how many people actually died on the ARK."

"Yes. We had... a rather severe miscommunication," Tower adds, and I glance between him and Shadow in confusion, not having ever heard of this before, either. "Due to the coverup of the massacre as an 'accident,' I had blamed Shadow for the deaths of Maria and my parents, and I harbored a strong hatred of him for much of my life. It was only after I met Shadow that I began to suspect I was wrong, and I only learned for sure when G.U.N. reopened the files on the ARK and investigated the accident."

"Wow," I say, unsure how else to respond to that. Although I don't want to directly say it, it sounds to me like Commander Tower and I felt similarly about Shadow--I internally wonder how many people on this planet have more complex feelings about my half-brother than meets the eye. First Andrews, now Tower? How many people has my half-brother made enemies, then allies of?

For a moment, the car is silent, and I gather that that's all the information that Commander Tower is willing to volunteer. I internally decide to ask Shadow more about their relationship at another time, when my own emotions aren't itching to come out of their locked box.

"So, then, out of the four people here, three of us have been in space?" I ask, trying to steer the conversation--and my thoughts--away from dangerous territory, and Rouge snorts, kicking the back of my seat.

"Try all four, idiot. Hasn't Shadow told you I worked with him on the ARK?"

"I'm starting to think Shadow hasn't told me a lot of things," I retort, eyeing the hybrid hedgehog next to me with an irritation that's much preferable to the pain I still feel, thinking about what he did.

"I'm sorry! I'm used to everyone knowing all these things already!" He complains exasperatedly, signaling as we pass a truck. "I figured you'd just read my mind or something."

"Says the person always lecturing me on mental privacy," I huff, and he sighs as we merge back into the right lane, conceding the point. "I don't have the luxury of hundreds of hours to spend processing all of your memories, you know. If I don't know to look for it, I don't know about it."

"We'll give you a written summary of the more important events on Mobius before the press conference, to avoid any issues," Tower says, the thoughtful tone of his voice telling me that this conversation has revealed faults in my knowledge even he didn't know about. "You need to have at least a basic idea of the past two years, or there could be misunderstandings."

"I definitely don't want any of those," I wince, thinking of his warning about the press and shuddering.

"Ah, cheer up, shark boy. For the next twenty four hours, we're on vacation," Rouge tells me easily, and I give her an unimpressed look as she rests her crossed legs next to my headrest. "Worries can wait."

"Hardly," Tower replies dryly, eyeing the white bat. "I expect you'll all be on your best behavior for the Freedom Fighters. This will be very good practice for the press conference."

The distressed look on my face speaks to how nervous the idea makes me, and I slump against my seat, resisting the urge to curl into a spiky ball and hide from this new horror of politics and media scandals.

"Well," I say dully, doing my best to think positively. "I'm sure glad we just ate...

"Because I think I just lost my appetite."

Author's Note: This chapter took WAY too long. I got in a slump where I was only writing originals for a long while, something further compounded by the fact that I initially tried to do the second half of this chapter from Tower's POV, which was... not ideal. Now, though, we're out of the unwritten territory and into the working drafts I've had forever, so updates can come much quicker!

Quick poll: Would any of you be interested, even the tiniest bit, in seeing a relatively short (6-10 chapters) story about Tower's rise to the top of G.U.N.? I don't know if I've mentioned this here, but I love Tower. I've been wanting to do a story on him forever, but I know he's not a very popular character--I think this would be the only fanfic I've ever seen focusing on him. I want to finish BiA first, but, if you guys would like to see how Tower gutted old G.U.N. and became G.U.N.'s youngest Commander despite corruption, politics, and a broken system, then I'd love to provide that for you. Abraham appreciation to the max!