Introspection

Chapter 3 - Squad Green

He turned from the window then, proceeding down the sterile blue-white halls towards the debrief room. Dimitri wasn't far behind as he fell in step beside the Commander. The two walked in silence for a couple paces before Dimitri spoke again.
"That reminds me, got something that's been buggin' me. You and Cadet Amy clearly know each other. What's the story?"

"Cadet Rose and I have been on missions together before. She has affiliation with the Freedom Fighters." Shadow's response was curt.

"The organization led by King Acorn's daughter?" Dimitir's question was emphasized by the flicking of his ears in Shadow's direction.

"Yes, the very one." The conversation ended as quickly as it started when Shadow pushed open the metal double doors of the Debrief Room. Inside, the space was darker than the previous hallways. Void of windows, the primary sources of light came from a bank of screens lining the northern wall. Across them stretched a map of planet Mobius; its black and green display punctuated by red markers highlighting key locations around the globe.

At the center of the room sat a large, crescent-shaped table surrounded by chairs. A podium stood in the middle of the curve, where officers could present their findings and control the data projected behind them. In the four corners of the room were open cubicles, each equipped with computers, communication systems, and AR piloting equipment which was used to control various G.U.N-issued drones or robots. These stations connected mission-bound squadrons to Central Command, or in the case of solo missions, served as the critical link between agents and their backup.

This evening, a few seats around the table were already occupied. First Lieutenant Mia, a stoic looking Meerkat sat closest to the podium, while other Master Sergeants of various corps were scattered across the other seats. They were deep in discussion when Shadow and Dimitri entered. When one of them noticed the approaching pair they all rose in unison, saluting the Commander, who acknowledged them with a swift "at ease." As they settled back into their chairs, Dimitri found a seat beside Solomon, the Sea Lion Master Sergeant of the Aquatic Force. When Shadow took his place in front of the podium, the conversations that filled the room faded away.

"Evening, thank you all for joining me. Mia, unless there's any urgent matters to discuss, I'll start by debriefing you all on my recent assignment." Shadows eyes glided around the room to each of the attendants before settling back on Mia. His tone flooded the room with a refined confidence.

"Actually, Sir, there is. We were hoping to get your thoughts on the matter." There was an uneasiness to her voice, her violet eyes flicking towards the podium at Shadows back. "If I may?" He nodded in response as he and Mia exchanged places. The hedgehog settled into the seat, while the meerkat brushed her blonde bangs behind her ears and began. "As you all know, Drago Wolf was released on parole two days ago. However, he's under strict surveillance for the remainder of his sentence and must stay within a 50-mile radius of the G.U.N. compound."

"First Lieutenant, is a recap really necessary? It was two days ago. I'm sure we all remember the details," the Sea Lion interjected with a dismissive scoff, leaning back in his seat.

"The Commander has been absent since the start of the week, understanding the status of a person of interest is expected protocol, Sergeant." Mia's nostrils flared as she shot.

"Thank you, Mia. But there's no need to follow protocol right now. I'm aware of Drago's status; what is the new information?" The black hedgehog's words cut through the tension, forcefully refocusing Mia and Soloman.

"Sir." The meerkat cleared her throat, fingers clicking away at the podium's controls as a few of the monitors behind her flicked to images of Drago. One screen displayed a collection of still photos and a small handful of videos. Some of the graphics displayed him in-custody while others showed his location while on parole. All of the photos were denoted with coordinates in their bottom left. "Drago Wolf was seen in Central City this morning at 1000." Every image with geographically clustered coordinates outlined themselves in blue. Another display projected a map of Central City with flashing blue markers scattered about; a large green marker designated the location of Central Command. Relatively speaking, all the locations Drago was shown to be visiting were perfectly mundane with no elongated travel times in between the timestamps of the videos.