"Do you see them?" a woman asked in a whisper.
Two agents laid still in the darkness. They were hiding amongst the massive metal beams that supported the ceiling of an enormous research facility.
"They're still working." her partner replied. He was looking through a pair of specialized binoculars that he kept angled toward a seemingly normal wall.
They kept their breathing slow and steady as they watched the hubbub below. Waiting.
They were sent on a mission to a distant planet, far away from any G.U.N. base. They couldn't share their coordinates. They couldn't contact HQ. They couldn't call for back up. They were isolated, and on their own,.. but they were used to this.
Just three feet above them laid a gorgeous mansion. The mansion was secluded, heavily guarded, and hidden amongst the three great snowy peaks of the Donpa Tundra.
No one was foolish enough to travel to the three peaks or even venture to the forgotten wasteland. Anyone who did would die before reaching them. It was the perfect place to be if you didn't wish to be found.
"The maintenance crew has to come out of there soon!" the woman continued as she looked at her Mobian friend.
"And when they do," Slinger added, not taking his eyes off the wall, "we'll learn the location of the scanner. Just be patient and stop fidgeting, Salkia!"
Salkia whipped back her kinks and gave a defiant growl. Slinger loves going on missions, except when it's for G.U.N.
She gripped firmly on the gun-looking device in her hands. It wasn't a gun, but an invention made specifically for this mission, created by the renowned Pro. Miles Prower himself. The instructions he gave her to use it were simple.
FLASHBACK
"Just aim it at a target, and wait for it to lock on. Then press the yellow button to scan its shape, followed by the green button to shoot a thin silhouette of the object anywhere you please! The silhouette is made of a thin natural fiber from the bioluminescent mushroom called Shimmering Violet. We've altered the fiber so that once the silhouette makes contact with a surface, it becomes completely invisible to the naked eye! To find the silhouette again, just use this scanner. It will detect the silhouette's faint energy signals."
END OF FLAFHBACK
"I'm not fidgeting!" Salkia protested, "I'm lying perfectly still just as you are!"
"Just be ready for my signal."
Just as he finished speaking, a hidden door opened from the plain wall, and workmen carrying brooms, mops, and buckets exited, revealing the secret room. Before following his crew members, the last person to exit the room turned and placed his palm to the wall.
"Aim." Slinger hushed.
"Aiming."
A bright blue rectangle appeared, scanning the worker's hand; activating the door to close.
"Scan it now!" Slinger hissed.
The gun locked on to its target and Salkia pressed the yellow button. Without a moment to spare, Salkia shot the silhouette at the scanner, just as its blue hue faded away, returning back to a normal wall.
"Bingo!" she grinned.
"We can't celebrate yet." Slinger reminded, "We still need Rouge to do her part."
"Don't you worry your pretty head about me, Ocelot." a soothing voice called from their earpieces, "I'm already in the mansion, and I've got to say, this mysterious dealer knows how to put on a party! I'm surprised that Dodon Pa even allowed this event! But seeing that he never takes sides...I guess it's not too surprising."
"Hey Rouge!" Salkia butted in, "If any of the food looks good, save me some!"
"Will do, honey!"
Slinger groaned.
He did not understand this woman's fascination with food.
"Just stay focused, alright!"
"Relax, Slinger. No need to get snippy!" the bat said.
"Yeah! We all know you're jealous!" Salkia smirked.
Slinger didn't even respond, at first. He knew when these two were together, there was no way he'd win any argument. But he decided to give it a shot.
"That's not the reason why!" he insisted.
The two ladies fell silent. Slinger didn't need to continue; they knew what he was talking about.
Back in the day, Salkia used to be G.U.N.'s top child agent, but after she saved Slinger, her relationship with the organization changed. They were branded as wanted criminals and were on the run for six months before their names were finally cleared. Salkia and Slinger are now an independent team. It's only occasionally that they take paid G.U.N. missions.
Though her relationship with the G.U.N. has changed, Salkia was still glad that Rouge was on this mission with them. Although, her presence was unexpected.
FLASHBACK
"Welp, I guess that's the place." Slinger said, looking through his binoculars.
Salkia and Slinger were resting on top of a hill 15 km (9.3 miles) away from an enormous mansion, that was heavily guarded by soldiers and drones. They were hiding under the cover of the snowy trees. Space crafts flew overhead traveling toward the elegant mansion.
To move undetected, they decided to hid their snowmobiles in a cave and travel on foot. The wind had picked up and both of their nose and ears were red.
"He's got to be in there!" Salkia insisted. "My GPS tracker ends here."
"Trackers are sometimes wrong."
"My trackers are never wrong!"
"Pft! Please! Remember our last mission on Green Hill?"
"Those trackers were created by GUN! Not me! I am not at fault for having us fall into that river!"
"Will you two please stop bickering! Do you want to be spotted?!" A female voice said through their earpieces.
"Rouge?" Salkia looked around trying to find her old friend.
"That's my name honey! Don't wear it out."
"Where are you? What are you doing here?"
"And how did you intercept our radio signal?!" Slinger barked, checking his surroundings to also find the bat.
"So many questions! Let's just say I'm here because Commander Shadow thought it would be good for you to have some backup."
"That's kind of him!" Salkia said with a smile.
"Yeah," Slinger added sarcastically, "especially since he's never done that before."
"Are you doubting Shadow's good nature, Slinger!? I thought you'd be happy with me being here! Besides, someone has to secure your ride home."
"We have an escape route, snowmobiles." Slinger stated.
"True, but how do you plan to leave that mansion full of party-goers with a powerful relic and the mysterious black market dealer, without some backup?"
"Fine, whatever! Just stay out of our way!" Slinger huffed.
"Will do!"
END OF FLASHBACK
"By the way," continued Rouge, "What do you mean by 'Rouge needs to do her part'? You two are the ones assigned to get the package! I'm just here in case there's a slip-up."
"And to secure our escape route!" Slinger emphasized.
"Which I already have covered! Now you stay focused on your job, while I stay on mine."
Slinger sighed. "Fine. We'll contact you when the package is secured."
3 Hours Later
"Stand Down Dodon Pa! Move an inch and you'll be reminded why we're called the Blazers!"
Salkia was standing over the fallen Tanuki, restraining him with an enerbeam. She was still in shock that Donda Pa was the mysterious dealer. She thought he was part of the good guys.
[Author: Enerbeams are the electrified whips that you see Team Sonic use in Sonic Boom. So, the whip isn't hurting Dodon Pa, just restraining him.]
"Come now! I wouldn't think of doing anything like that! Let's all just calm down, and talk reasonably!"
Slinger stood in front of Dodon Pa, glaring at the corrupted king.
"We'll be talking alright!" he spat, as he began circling him. "What is the identity of the buyer you were speaking to!? And where are you hiding the relic!?"
"I don't know who that buyer was." King Pa began, coolly. "We were talking on the phone, and I never heard that man's voice before in my life."
"Don't lie to me! We saw you use a warp ring! You were about to meet him before we intervened!"
"Yes, that is true. But it is because you intervened that I wasn't able to see who the buyer was."
Slinger growled in frustration.
"And the relic!?" Salkia added, "Where is that hiding?"
"It is in a secret compartment hidden within the bookcase." Dodon Pa answered with a sigh, "Just move the black queen that's on the chessboard to checkmate. Then the compartment will open."
Slinger nodded to Salkia and she quickly followed Dodon Pa's instructions, leaving the restrained king with the ocelot. Dodon Pa watched Salkia follow his instructions to the 'T'. She yelled "Got it!" when she pulled out a small locked briefcase from a hidden compartment. The king watched Salkia fidget with the box, but his view was soon blocked by Slinger. The Tanuki looked up to see a grim face.
"King Dodon Pa. By the ordinances of G.U.N. you are under arrest for black market trading, illegal use of warp rings, and the intention of selling a powerful relic that could endanger the lives of all Mobius."
Slinger reached in his tool belt and pulled out a pixy stick.
"Really? A tough Mobian like you still eats candy?" Dodon Pa smirked.
"Yeah! I do."
Slinger blew through the stick, releasing a small dart that lodged into the king's neck. Dodon Pa was soon out cold.
"Rouge, do you copy!?"
"I'm here."
"Prepare our escape route. We got the relic and the person responsible for this whole ordeal."