Resurgence (Shadow x Reader)

Chapter 16: Tattle Tail

As if on cue, the doors to the training center slid open.

A man in a high-ranking AEGIS uniform stepped in. His presence immediately drew attention—he wasn't from their division. He was from XTA.

Shadow straightened. Sonic perked up. The rest of the team fell silent.

The commander of the XTA department.

"I need both of you," he said, his voice calm but firm. "Upstairs. Now."

Shadow and Sonic exchanged a look.

Nobody went upstairs to XTA unless they were either in the department or high enough in the chain of command to have clearance.

This wasn't just unusual. This was unprecedented.

"Alright," Sonic said, following as Shadow stepped forward. "Guess we're going on a little field trip."

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

The elevator ride to the upper floors was silent.

Shadow stood rigid, arms crossed, his mind already piecing together theories. Sonic, despite his usual tendency to make conversation, kept quiet as well. Whatever this was, it was big.

The doors slid open, revealing the XTA headquarters.

Unlike the rest of AEGIS, which was sleek and heavily militarized, the XTA division had a different feel. It was cold, sterile, almost unsettlingly clean. The lighting was slightly dimmer, and the walls were lined with screens displaying data—reports, energy readings, maps marked with areas of anomaly.

This was where the real unknown was dealt with.

They were led into an office where the XTA commander sat behind a massive desk. He gestured for them to sit.

Then, without preamble, he slid a manila folder across the desk toward them.

"Tell me if you recognize this individual."

Shadow furrowed his brow, reaching for the folder first. He flipped it open, his eyes scanning the documents inside. Sonic leaned over slightly to get a look as well.

It took less than three seconds for them to freeze.

Y/n.

It was her.

Her full name. Her official AEGIS employment records. A photograph of her from six years ago, standing in front of a research station with a badge clipped to her uniform. The documents detailed her tenure at AEGIS—her work, her research, her rank.

Shadow felt his grip on the pages tighten.

Y/n wasn't just some former employee.

She had been one of the most important figures in the XTA division.

Her records showed that she had been recruited six years ago, handpicked for her expertise in dealing with extraterrestrial and interdimensional threats. It listed her field missions—planetary peacekeeping operations, classified engagements with alien species, hands-on research regarding unidentified anomalies.

Her position had been second-in-command.

Directly under the XTA commander himself.

And then—

The last recorded mission.

The one that almost killed her.

Shadow's breath was slow, controlled, but his fingers curled so tightly around the papers that they nearly crumpled.

She had never lied to him.

But she had withheld this.

All of it.

Sonic, who had been reading over his shoulder, let out a low whistle. "...Well, damn."

The XTA commander leaned back in his chair, watching their reactions.

"She left after her last mission," he said, voice even. "Her resignation was accepted, but her work remains some of the most groundbreaking research we have regarding the anomaly we're facing now."

He gestured toward the folder. "We need her back."

Shadow exhaled slowly through his nose.

He was angry. Not at Y/n, not entirely.

But at the situation.

At the fact that she had been carrying this weight alone. At the fact that AEGIS was dragging her back into this whether she wanted it or not. At the fact that now—now—he understood why she had been so afraid.

He closed the folder.

"She doesn't want to come back," he stated, his voice cool but firm.

The commander's expression didn't change. "That's not an option anymore."

Sonic leaned back in his chair. "So what? You want us to convince her?"

The commander didn't answer.

Because they all knew the truth.

Y/n didn't have a choice anymore.

Shadow's jaw tightened. But that wasn't the end of the document.