Chapter Text
The apartment that Shadow shared with Rouge and Omega was extremely different from anyplace he had ever lived before. For example, it had color. On the Ark, Shadow lived in a world of monotony, broken only by the large windows looking out into the endless void of space. The void had been monotonous too, until Maria pointed out everything that made it so obviously chaotic and beautiful. She had been his colors.
Now, Rouge and Omega were his colors. Well, mostly Rouge. Shadow had a feeling that without her, Shadow and Omega would have made their apartment a picture perfect minimalistic wasteland, grays and whites and blacks everywhere. And there was an abundance of Shadow’s minimalistic style and Omega’s techy flare, but Rouge had clearly allowed her influence to impact the small space. Pink, fluffy heart pillows were tossed across the sofa, and the curtains were sheer and sparkly, catching the sun and throwing the room into a light show. The refrigerator and pantry were always stocked, even though Rouge was barely home and the other two inhabitants either didn’t eat or ate so sparsely he might as well never eat. And, although Shadow had detested it at first, pictures of Rouge, Omega, and Shadow himself adorned each wall. Most of them were silly or special, but Omega’s favorite was the mockery of an awkward family photo that towered over the couch.
This apartment had taken some getting used to, but Shadow had learned to call it and all of its quirks ‘home’.
Something he would never get used to, however, was the absolute lack of privacy that living with Rouge and Omega offered.
His bedroom door slammed open, and an energetic bat burst in. “Shadow!” she singsonged, twirling on her heels, a feat Shadow would never admit to her was highly impressive. “GUN has a brand new mission for little ol’ you!” She seemed bright and cheery, but the mischief in her eyes revealed just how much she knew that her words had ruined his mood immediately.
Shadow, sprawled on his bed in a leisurely and comfortable fashion, was very much not interested in whatever GUN wanted right now, but he definitely needed the extra cash. It had been a while since he had last gone out on a mission, and his funds were getting low. Reluctantly, he patted the spot next to him for her to sit down, which she swiftly did with a sharp flap of her wings.
Rouge’s gaze looked him over curiously. “Have you even left this bed today?”
They both knew the answer to that, so Shadow didn’t grace her with a response. Instead, he said, “What does GUN have for me this time?”
Twisting the comforter between her gloved fingers, Rouge smirked, but it was cynical enough that Shadow’s annoyance grew. Whatever it was, Rouge already knew he was not going to like it, and she was almost never wrong about that. Shadow resisted the urge to groan before he even knew anything. “GUN has been doing more biological experiments. You know, testing the limits of what a person’s body is truly capable of, and how they can use it to their advantage.” Even though Rouge has been working with GUN for years, she still never referred to herself as a part of their team, always speaking of GUN separately from herself. It was a small thing, but Shadow noticed, and it made him respect her infinitely more than he already did.
“Experiments?” GUN’s experiments never ended well. “What sort of experiments?”
Rouge’s eyes landed back on his. “GUN has been tampering with the brain, specifically brain waves. In short, they wanted to see if it were possible to read brain waves in the same way radio waves are read.”
Shadow blinked. “And?”
“It is and isn’t. Brain waves can’t be read like radio waves, but they can certainly be read! And once a person can read someone’s brain waves, they can read what is going on in their brains. Essentially-“
“Mind reading.” Shadow was appalled. “GUN is working on… mind reading?”
Rouge chuckled, and tapped Shadow’s forehead. “Worked on. GUN has officially figured it out, and they are quite excited about putting their new little piece of technology to the test! That’s what they need you for!” Her words were playful, and Shadow hated it, because everything she said was anything but unserious.
“Technology? Are they implementing biotech into their reservoir now? And what does this have to do with me?” Shadow attempted to stave off the exhaustion he could already feel brewing from this conversation alone. Talking about GUN always made him cranky, but talking about GUN’s stupidity was much worse.
The bat dug into her breastplate, pulling what looked like a small computer chip out. It was microscopic, not bigger than a grain of rice. It was also definitely something that could be easily lost and never found again. If GUN knew just how careless Rouge always was with their expensive technology and equipment, they would be horrified. That being said, nothing that was placed in Rouge’s dependable hands was ever returned broken, destroyed, or damaged in any way, so she must be doing something right. Half of the things Shadow got were lost in explosions or skirmishes that were definitely completely out of his control.
Rouge held the chip up, the metal catching the light coming through a small crack in between Shadow’s blackout curtains. “This chip, when connected with the brain waves of an individual, transmits the brain waves in close range to those of its host, translating them through for the user to be able to comprehend. Basically, it catches the thoughts of people around it and feeds them to the brain of its host.”
To Shadow, it was an abhorrent concept. Privacy was something he valued highly, his thoughts and inner world one of the few things that he could call truly his own. The idea of this security being lost to a tiny new revelation of GUN’s made him sick to the stomach.
And, Rouge still hadn’t told him what GUN actually wanted from him. “If GUN is planning to use this to pick my brain apart, you can tell them exactly where they can go.”
Shaking her head fondly at his words, Rouge rubbed his shoulder gently. “Do you really think I would have even bothered with this if that’s what they wanted? Darling, I know you better than that. Have more faith in me.” Shadow did trust her. Even so, the way she was dancing around the answer to his persistent and obvious question was telling him whatever GUN needed him for may not be completely off the table, but the chances of him being comfortable with it were still slim to none.
Shadow grunted in response, but he knew that Rouge would know it was an agreement to her words. “I still don’t know my mission, Rouge. Stop stalling.”
Rouge scoffed, placing the chip back where it had come from. “Fine, Mister Pricklypants. You have got to work on your patience, you know that?” Finally, she sighed. “They want you to use the chip to spy on Dr. Robotnik. GUN is curious how efficient the chip truly is, and how they can reap the benefits of it. Finding out Robotnik’s plans before he monologues about them would give GUN an unparalleled advantage against him. Additionally, GUN has already tested the chip on humans and Mobians alike, but they are incredibly curious on if the effects of the chip would be altered at all due to your biology. So, in short, they want to be you who spies on Eggman and finds out his next plans.”
It was silent for a beat.
Then, Shadow lost it. He slammed his hands against the covers, unconsciously giving Rouge a glimpse into how the proposition immediately made him want to fight someone or something. “They want me to be their guinea pig for their project that threatens the minds of every living being? Have they lost their fucking minds?” Shadow laughed, deep and sarcastic, the disbelief dripping from his attitude.
“Shadow, look at me.” Shadow snapped his head up to glare at his friend, but his expression softened when he saw the calm in her eyes. “Shadow. It’s not forever. It’s temporary. I don’t know yet just how long it would last, but the effects would only be as long as the chip is in your system. I have made GUN aware that your digestive system and metabolism are slower than the average Mobian’s, so it would have a slightly longer influence on you than on anyone else, but it is still not long-term.”
Shadow’s ire was not at all soothed by this. “So, for the entirety of the short time it takes for my body to destroy GUN’s new toy, I would have full access to the private thoughts of anyone that is close to me, with or without their consent?” He couldn’t even fathom how many codes, laws, and human rights violations this impacted. “Rouge, this is dystopian. More so than usual.”
Flopping on the mattress, Rouge spread her arms out wide. “I know. But can you imagine the potential? Finding out Robotnik’s plans before he ever has a chance to stop us. Never having to guess whether a new ally would be trustworthy or stub us in the back.” She stopped for a second, her words growing cold. “Being able to know for sure just how much this lifestyle affects the people we care about, so we can take the steps to help them. This tech has a great amount of dangers, of course, but there are so many ways it can benefit us. Just think about it, will you? I’ll bring the chip tomorrow, and if you choose to use it, then I’ll have more information.” As soon as Rouge was done with formalities, she turned to look up at him, still lying down on the blankets. “Remember, you don’t have to do this, okay? Whatever you want to do, I’ll have your back. GUN will be just fine.” Squeezing his hand, she flapped her wings once more to lift off of Shadow’s bed, and in a gust of wind, she was gone.
Rouge had an extremely infuriating habit of laying a bunch of information on Shadow, and then leaving him to pick up the pieces of whatever came after. He had noticed, in her last few sentences to him, that instead of saying ‘them’, Rouge had been saying ‘us’. Shadow had a feeling that anything that was gleamed from his usage of the chip would go directly to Rouge first, and that she would pick and choose what ended up getting sent to GUN. This made the likelihood of Shadow trying this experiment out go up significantly.
Reading minds was an ethical nightmare. Rouge’s morals were basically null and void, but while his were a dark shade of grey, he definitely had values that he stuck to. Keeping away from other people’s business was one of them. However… if it was Dr. Robotnik they were talking about, Shadow’s morals were thrown out the window. Sonic, with his moral code of gold, may be reluctant to kill the man, but he had been a constant nuisance on Shadow’s life, and couldn’t care less about what happened to him. When he really imagined it, the idea of breaching Dr. Robotnik’s privacy didn’t give him any sense of guilt, or even scratch at his conscience. Apparently, Robotnik was one of the few exceptions to his rule of privacy.
And, if the reading the thoughts of the evil mechanic could lead to preventative measures that saved lives… well, it was an advantage that he couldn’t just ignore. As much as he hated it, Rouge had a point. She always had a point.
In fact, if Shadow was honest with himself, the only thing stopping him from going through with GUN’s ridiculous plan was the fear of any stray thoughts he might hear in the temporary period of his ability to read minds that did not belong to Dr. Robotnik. Shadow had no desire to see the inner workings of his friends (even if his curiosity was tempting when it came to Omega), and he especially didn’t want to betray their trust. Anything he accidentally found out would be treated with the utmost confidence, of course, but it was still risky. There was no telling what he could learn that could never be forgotten, that could change the way he looks at someone he knows because of information that was never his to have.
This fear was itching at him, but Shadow could feel that he had already made a decision, the resolution in his head already settled in. He was going to use that chip. The tactical advantage was just too great, and he was relieved that Rouge had hinted at getting first glance at the results. The bat was correct, he trusted her, probably more than anyone else that lived on this planet. If she said that this experiment could be beneficial enough for him to suffer a bit of discomfort for a short period of time, then it almost definitely was.
After reaching a decision, Shadow continued to remain holed up in his room, pensive. He would obviously be avoiding everyone he knew while the chip was effective, but considering he basically did that on a regular basis anyway, it wouldn’t be too difficult. Rouge and Omega were the only people he saw daily, and anyone else he only saw during an attack. He assumed that Rouge would be careful to keep her distance if need be; she was clever like that. And considering Omega… Shadow doubted pretty heavily that the chip would even work on him, or if what Omega had was even considered thoughts in a literal sense at all. Shadow knew Omega had his own consciousness, that was certain, but he wasn’t exactly sure how that all worked for his robot roommate.
Either way, Shadow was feeling a much better than when Rouge had first sprung this on him, and although just thinking about tomorrow made his stomach twist in horrible knots, he was positive he would have a handle on things. Shadow was the Ultimate Lifeform, after all, and there was a reason GUN had chosen him specifically for this task (other than his different biology, but he was sure his prowess played a part too.)
Besides, it was only going to last for a few days. He would be fine. Everything would be just fine.
The next day, Rouge returned to the apartment while Shadow was lounging on the couch. Of course, he had been patiently waiting for her the whole time, the conversation from yesterday playing over and over in his head. Although it looked like he was relaxed, his shoulders were tensed and his quills were bristled just slightly from anticipation. Rouge couldn’t help but shake her head at Shadow’s attempt at calm.
“Honey, I’m home!” Rouge called, her heels clacking against the hardwood floor of their entryway. Shadow had already been staring at the door when she’d opened it, and Rouge figured that he had been watching that door for a long while before she had even placed her hand on the doorknob.
Shadow blinked at her. “Yes. You are.”
“Have you reached a decision yet?” Straight and to the point- it had always been one of Shadow’s favorite things about Rouge, and he was thankful for it now.
Giving Rouge a single sharp nod, he replied, “I have. I’m going to do it. The benefits outweigh the losses, and I am strong enough to handle this.”
Rouge’s attentive expression wavered a bit at his words, like she wasn’t sure if she truly believed him or not, but she trusted him enough to set aside her worries. They had known each other long enough to trust the instincts of their counterpart.
“Okay. If you feel alright with it, that’s enough for me!” Rouge pulled a small item out of the pocket of a small wristlet she had brought with her, and at first Shadow assumed it was the chip from yesterday, stored in a safer place, but when she held her hand out to him, it was revealed to be a small pill. Shadow looked from the pill to Rouge in confusion.
Walking them away from the doorway (Shadow had a habit of standing awkwardly in random spots), she explained. “GUN has made this for your mission. This pill has the chip that allows your brain to read other brainwaves. You swallow this pill, you can read minds. And then, you can tell us what ol’ Eggy is planning after some good, healthy espionage.”
Shadow looked at Rouge warily. “How long is this effective for?” He could tell that Rouge didn’t like being the bearer of GUN’s dirty work like this, especially with things like brain-altering medicine. Shadow may be much more comfortable with things like this with Rouge rather than anyone else, but she wanted to be Shadow’s best friend, not some GUN lackey using him for her own personal agenda.
Placing the pill in his hand, Rouge said, “A week. That allows time for you to infiltrate, touch base, and reinfiltrate if need be.” No matter how much she hated it, cold formality was best when working with Shadow on uncomfortable things. He wanted the required information and no extra nonsense, and she respected that.
Shadow stared at the pill, the off-white color of it contrasting oddly with the pristine white of his gloves. He hesitated for only a moment, before shoving his hand to his mouth, dry-swallowing the pill in one quick gulp.
The bat suddenly was approached with a glare of pure discontent and annoyance. Shadow grumbled something Rouge couldn’t make out, and then he addressed her, saying, “I’m going to hate every second of this.”
Rouge patted his shoulder in sympathy, an unreadable look on her face, but Shadow quickly understood when he heard her say I’m gonna kill GUN. Although he felt himself feeling similar more often than not, Shadow appreciated her righteous anger for his sake. When it came down to it, it was nice to have a friend that would kill for you, and one that you would kill for.
It was then that Shadow realized that he felt no different, and it hit him that he has no clue when the chip was supposed to kick in. “No need to resort to violence just yet, Rouge,” he replied in response to her earlier comment. “So. When does this actually become effective?”
When Shadow finally took in Rouge’s face, he was surprised to see a look of utter shock written there. Her eyes were wide, and her pupils shrunken. After seemingly catching her breath, she said, “Now, I guess? I definitely didn’t say that out loud.” It took Shadow a second to understand, but he quickly figured out that Rouge’s rage towards GUN was never meant to reach Shadow’s ears. Which meant he had heard what she was thinking, and her thoughts had been so clear that he had replied to them as if they were spoken aloud.
Facing one of the most secretive people he knew, other than himself, this was more startling than either of them had guessed it would be. They knew it would be weird, but not straight up freaky.
Shadow coughed, and mumbled, “Oh. Sorry.”
Rouge chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head. She was just as thrown off as Shadow himself, it seemed, even though they both knew what this pill did. “All good hun!” she forced out. “This’ll just take some getting used to.” She cut off her own words with a short laugh, and they stood there awkwardly for a moment, staring at the other in silence. Finally, Shadow heard her again, and looking directly at her like this, he could see this time that her lips were not moving. This is weird, but I trust you, Shadow. I know you won’t use my thoughts against me.
Hit with a sudden burst of affection for his coworker turned best friend, Shadow had to fight from showing the pure happiness those words gave him from Rouge. He found he was feeling very lucky that Rouge had not taken the same pill he did. “Rouge. You know I won’t be attempting to listen to your thoughts, only Dr. Robotnik’s. If you think your mind is not safe from me, I won’t be offended if you stay away for the full duration of the chip’s effects.” Shadow would love to have her as a confidant over the course of this wretched affair, but if it sacrificed her comfort he had no desire to have her by his side.
Rouge scoffed. “As if I’d leave you alone to deal with the pieces of whatever happens. You would lose your mind. Besides, I know better than to think of anything compromising when I don’t want to. I’ll be just fine, honey.” She gave Shadow a fond bump on the shoulder with her fist, before brushing her pristine clothes off. “Anyways, it was wonderful to see you, dear, but I really must be on my way. Now that I’ve finished here, my mission is complete and I’m off to get a new one. Have fun causing trouble without me!” Rouge blew him a kiss over her shoulder, and swiftly closed the apartment door without a sound.
Now, alone with no worries of hearing anything he wasn’t supposed to, he figured he might as well start preparing for his own mission.