Cream’s frantic footsteps echoed all the way down the steel corridor. Her sobs bounced off the walls—sharp, panicked, heartbreaking. Rouge rounded the corner first, heels digging into the floor as she skidded to a halt. “Cream? Honey—Cream, what happened?!” Will and Omega were right behind her, almost crashing into each other. Before Cream could answer, she stumbled straight into Rouge’s arms, shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. “S–She—Sh–Shadie—” Cream choked out, clutching Rouge’s chest fur with trembling hands. “I… I heard… I heard Shadow say she… she… she—” Rouge’s eyes widened, flicking instantly toward the weapons room. “Oh no.” Her voice dropped into something cold, sharp, and deadly serious. “What did he tell her?” Will swallowed hard, ears flattened. “Is Shadie okay? Is Cream okay? What’s going on?” But Rouge didn’t answer him. She dragged Cream gently behind her, pushing Will to stay close. “Come on. Something happened.” They stormed into the weapons room— —and stopped. Shadow stood alone at the center of the room. The air around him felt strained, thick, almost suffocating. His quills were lowered. His fists still trembling. And Shadie? She was nowhere. Rouge’s voice was sharp enough to cut through metal. “Shadow Maria The Hedgehog. What did you do?” Shadow didn’t snap back. Didn’t glare. Didn’t defend himself. He just stared at the floor. “I told her the truth,” he muttered. Rouge blinked. “The truth about what?” “The Eggman incident,” Shadow answered quietly. “The part she doesn’t remember.” Cream let out a strangled whimper and hid her face in Rouge’s leg, still terrified. Will’s eyes went huge. “Y–You mean the thing that made Cream cry? That scary?!” Shadow closed his eyes. “It was time she knew.” Rouge’s voice softened—not much, but enough to show she understood the weight of what he said. “Where is she now?” Shadow hesitated. “She didn’t say,” he admitted. “She just… left.” “Left?” Rouge repeated, disbelief flashing through her eyes. “Shadow—Shadie never stays quiet. Ever. If she walked out without a word—” “—then she’s not okay,” Will finished in a whisper. Cream peeked up, her voice fragile as glass. “Is she… is she mad? Is she… dangerous?” Shadow immediately shook his head. “No. She’s not dangerous. Not anymore. But she’s… processing.” Rouge frowned deeply. “And you let her walk off alone when she’s dealing with a buried nightmare you just shoved into the light?” Shadow didn’t argue. He just said softly— “I didn’t stop her because she wasn’t angry.” A pause. “She looked… empty.” The room went silent. Rouge exchanged a worried glance with Omega. Will shivered. Cream squeezed Rouge’s hand tighter. Rouge exhaled sharply and clapped her hands once, switching to crisis-mode. “Alright. We’re splitting up. We find her, we comfort her, and we make damn sure she doesn’t spiral.” Shadow started toward the door. Rouge grabbed his arm. “No,” she said firmly. “We find her. You stay with Cream.” Shadow stiffened. “Why?” Rouge lowered her voice. “Because she needs space from the one who just tore open a wound she didn’t know she had.” Shadow froze. Rouge continued, gentler this time: “We’re not punishing you. We’re protecting her.” Cream whispered, still trembling, “I–I want her to be okay…” Shadow’s chest tightened. “So do I.” Omega stepped forward, scanning the room. “PROBABILITY OF LOCATING SHADIE IN BASE: 68%. PROBABILITY OF HER DOING SOMETHING RECKLESS: ALSO 68%.” Will squeaked, “That’s not comforting!” Rouge flicked her wings open. “Let’s move.” And the team rushed out into the hall, splitting off down different corridors— —searching for a girl who hadn’t said a single word since learning she used to be a monster.
