Introspection

Chapter 3 - Squad Green

"However, this evening at 1600 Drago's tracker malfunctioned before rebooting. When it came back online, Drago's location pinged in the Kingdom of Mercia, only a few miles out from the Emerald Coast." Mia spoke and the scattered blue dots compressed into one as the screen zoomed out to show the full expanse of Mobius. The remaining images highlighted themselves in red as a new marker appeared across the ocean. If Shadow had to estimate it, there was about an 8000 mile difference between the red and blue markers.

"We're still exploring if this is a bug or if something was done intentionally to throw us off his trail; potentially tracker cloning. But, according to both geographic data and surveillance, this may be accurate to his location." She turned from the podium and approached the illuminated wall, finger tracing across the map of the sea. "Sir, with all due respect, even Sonic the Hedgehog is unable to achieve such a herculean feat without the support of external resources. Which is why we were waiting until you returned. In your experience, is Chaos Control a possible explanation for what we're seeing?"

"Unlikely. Without a Chaos Emerald and line of sight to the destination, it's nearly impossible for a Mobian to perform. Additionly, I'm certain we'd have heard about an Emerald going missing long before Drago had the chance to use it." Shadow pushed from his seat to stride over to the screens as his eyes flicked between the two locations on the map. "Your other options: a system error or an intentional decoy need to be explored immediately. Mia, have one of your teams review the surveillance feed of the City from over this past week, keep an eye out for any suspicious people or events. Sergeant Tempus-" His sight line landed on the Red Falcon of Aerial Command. "-have your Tech Team look into the possibility of a malfunction. Any strange behavior in the tracer prior to the reboot needs to be investigated."

Both officers gave a crisp salute as Shadow turned away from the monitors and began towards the door. "I'll retrace his steps from today. While Chaos Control is unlikely we should investigate every theory until we have a solid lead. I should be able to sense any remnants of Chaos energy if it's present."

"Commander, orders for the rest of us?" Dimitri called after him as he remained seated at the table.

"Dimitri, continue training the new Wing. As for the rest of you, business as usual, unless any of you uncover any additional details. If you do, I expect you to report them to Mia or myself immediately."

"Sir, Yes Sir." Echoed back at Shadow's back as he closed the metal doors behind himself and headed towards the stairs. His eyes drifted outside to the, now empty, Training Yard at the ache of his bruised shoulder. He smirked to himself, maybe Dimitri was right about Amy's "signature haymaker".

——

It became apparent that Week 2 would be different from the prior the moment the Cadet Wing had completed their morning jog and hour of study hall. Instead of being escorted to the Assault course, they underwent intensive physical training and an introductory lesson in proper firefighting techniques. It was a jarring shift in routine, but not an unwelcome one. By the time the sun was highest in the sky, Dimitri had ordered them to the eastern edge of the Training Yard's tarmac.

"Congrats pups, you've all made it to week 2 and none of you have given up yet. Guess that means I gotta up the ante." Dimitri marched in front of the 7 squads as all members worked to catch their breaths and wipe the sweat from their brows. "The Assault Course is undergoing some rearrangements. At the end of the week you will run it blind and as individual squads. But this time, we're going to make it a little game. The squad that beats the course with the best time-" There was an elongated pause and a wide smirk plastered across his muzzle as he paced before the cadets. It was obvious that the Sergeant was having more fun with drawing this out than he should. "-gets to go home for the weekend!" He stopped in front of the members of Squad Blue that were now struggling to suppress their excited mutterings. They weren't the only ones, as the sentiment was a domino effect across the wing.