Author's Corner -- Don't ask me where I got the idea for this new, creepy character. I just happened to find it in the dark alleys of my brain. More on him next chapter; more on Shadow and Sonic, too. I decided to focus on Rouge and Omega for now. Oh, and Eggman. You always need Eggman in the story, somewhere. =D

Moonlight, like the coldest, palest imitation of sunshine, covered the ground in broad splashes, making the world a black-and-white watercolor painting. Not a sound was emitted in the frozen, silent, frost-gripped world; cold steel reflected nightlights from its surface and cast long gray shadows upon the white terra. Marching in eternal muted determination were the warriors; watching in total silence was their creator and their destroyer.

In his mind, the game was beginning; he was moving chess pieces, and he was preparing himself to throw his opponent's pieces to the floor and smash them into chunks fit for firewood. Smiling grimly as he pushed back from his monitor, he pressed a single scarlet button, and, without a sound, destruction and chaos was unleashed unto the night.

He loved a good game; he always did, especially when the game was one he knew he could win. How could he, the great Robotnik, not win this? It was not much of a challenge, not when he knew every move these incompetent robots made, thoughtlessly monitored. And now that the thief, the bat with white fur, was with them, he would kill several birds with one swift, slaying stone.

As he had said many times before…

Let the game begin; or, rather, end.

Rouge exhaled softly in the thick, frozen air; her breath plumed thinly in front of her, and at this she was annoyed. Every move she made was muted by the feathery snow underfoot, and yet her beating heart was thumping furiously, filling her with hot blood. In front of her were a few randomly selected robots whom Omega had trusted to guard her and make sure she was not deceiving them during this crucial mission.

In a fit of stupidity, she had accepted Omega's offer to help them defeat Eggman and help them escape his maddening grip on their limited lives. She understood their will for freedom; for most of these mindless androids, well, they were not out for blood as much as liberation. Had they ever gotten to make a decision themselves? No… and in their eyes, E-123 Omega, the last of the E-Series Projects, the most powerful and the most intelligent, was the key to their freedom.

She could almost taste the Chaos Emerald that Omega had salvaged from somewhere; she didn't dare ask where, for she was sure she'd be unpleasantly surprised. These robots had no class, after all. However, she could disregard the gem's origins, no matter how ghastly. She knew they were planning something nasty for the good ol' doc, and the Emerald was crucial.

Rouge may have been cold, but she wasn't prepared for Eggman's bloodbath, nor was she prepared for the robots to be mercilessly wiped out. She was, in fact, planning on swiping the Emerald, getting rid of Eggman's death machine, then leaving with no strings attached. She had been hunting Emeralds for awhile, and thankfully her Master Emerald was somewhere safe… for she knew Knuckles and his goody-goody friends were hunting for it.

Stretching her wings, she uttered the softest of cries while the frozen gust around her hit the tender flesh there. Shuddering from the utter cold, she spread her wings and prepared to take flight. At least she could see if Eggman was approaching; after all, Omega and the rest of his soldiers were back at their small base, awaiting their creator there, while these two, plus her, were guards. Ready to alert them if they thought he was coming.

Shaking her head, she nodded to the observing machines, who inclined their heads once for affirmation, and she took to the sky, feeling her heart shed its shadows and her head clear. Ahh… there was that word again. Not head, not heart; Shadow.

Casting weary blue eyes over the frozen wasteland, she saw nothing but eternal white, edged by dark, forest-born prints and creating the silent dark and pale painting in which they seemed to dwell in. In slight frustration, slight relief, she prepared to release tension from her wings and float back down; however, as she prepared for landing, something sharp took her in the back; fiery pain flooded through her, starting at her spine and warming around her flanks and belly. Giving a heartfelt cry, she flew hard at the ground, like a falling star from space's depths.

The robots, alerted, turned to stare up at whatever had hit Rouge. Her face in snow, she managed to crawl forward before turning herself around to stare at what had forced her into frost. Instead of seeing battling robots, however, she was hit in the face with the unwittingly bright glare of silent explosion.

Literally; no sound was emitted at all, except for the sound of scrap metal being blown to pieces. Instead of waiting to see what was attacking them or if her guards were still intact, she hurriedly scrambled to her feet, breathing heavily as she took, again, to the air. Of course, after her blow and unexpected fall, her flight was clumsy, and her takeoff allowed her only to hover above the ground for a few moments before she collapsed again.

She could hear nothing behind her, and this worried her immensely. Turning around or slowing down further could mean certain demise, and, with solid determination, she climbed to the sky again, this time without a takeoff or any other hindering preparations. She winced in pain as the sharp, freezing night air hit the sore slashes on her wings, but instead of lowering herself, Rouge propelled, not sure what was behind her but knowing it was bad news.

"Damn you, Eggman," she hissed with uncharacteristic rage. Not that she didn't get angry often; she was just usually more controlled. Knowing Omega's base was not too far and knowing she would have to lead the death-causing hunk of metal behind her right into the heart of it, she gritted her teeth in fury and charged forward like a jet plane. Nothing she could do, after all, but this…

And as her thoughts raced, the monstrous metal murderer behind her flew just behind her, focusing its target range on her back once again. She could hear light clicking, and a cold sweat broke over her white fur. Giving a strong flap, she pushed as fast as she could, but alas, all she could do to avoid being struck at again was to land. When she heard the unmistakable clipping of air -- the sound of bullets, or missiles, or something dangerous like that -- she ducked so low her boots scraped snow and sent it flying in a cold cloud behind her.

Struggling to become fully airborne again was difficult; her flanks heaved sharply, her wings grew numb with cold and weariness, and she knew she could not fly all the way to her destination. Rouge decided running was her best option, especially since she could surely put enough distance between her and this thing better that way.

Taking to the ground and then sending white dust flying into the fact of the confused metal avenger, she sped off as fast as her heels would let her. She was no Sonic or Shadow, but she was no Amy Rose either; Rouge was as fast as any well-built Mobian was, and certainly faster than this thing was on the land. Charging into the steel tunnel that led to a forgotten underground civilization, where Omega and his kingdom of machines lived and plotted, she heard the heavy clang as this thing struggled to follow her.

Hah! She thought triumphantly as the strange chaotic robot was stopped by the tiny hole in the earth. Damned thing's too big to fit in. Now--

Oh… how quickly hope dies! A powerful blast from behind her caused her to slow down and turn to stare as white enveloped the entire entryway and… lo and behold… the damn thing dissolved. "Of course," Rouge muttered sarcastically, shaking her head and turning away again. She still had no desire to see this thing; it was as if seeing it would be like laying herself at its talons and allowing it to kill her. Rouge the Bat was no martyr, that was for sure.

Hitting the button on the floor, where Omega had instructed it be left, red warning lights and a siren flashed through the several metallic buildings where surely the androids were planning on luring Eggman here, she continued to speed through the steel city, struggling to keep her former speed when she was so exhausted.

Finally deciding she couldn't take it anymore, she ducked behind the sharpest corner, hoping this thing didn't have heat sensory that could seek her instantly. Surely this wasn't necessary; after all… hadn't Eggman built this to kill robots, who gave off no heat? Breathing heavily but silently, she closed her mouth and clenched her body tightly, now knowing she'd have to see it.

And… what was this?

Not a robot?

Breathing… living… Mobian?

Well… kind of.

She hadn't seen anything like it -- or, at least, she hadn't in a long time. Half-Mobian, half-machine! With dark purple-black fur, it was in the Mobian's panther body, spots visible under a shaded coat. From where she was flattening herself, she could see one humane green-brown eye, and then beside it, where there should have been a match, was a marbled, unnaturally gleaming blood-red gem.

Is that…? Is that what I THINK it is?

Rouge felt sick to her stomach; no, she could have heaved up whatever it was she'd last eaten right there, would it not have given her away. That half-buried jewel in this monster's eyes was a Chaos Emerald!