*hisss*

I fall from the cryostasis chamber, unable to lift my arms or legs. Lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. I gulp, trying to inhale as much oxygen into my lungs as possible. I cough; the air tastes like rust. My hands scrabble at the cold metal floor, trying to grab purchase to push myself up, but in vain. I lift my eyes up, squinting from the harsh fluorescent lights shining on the ceiling of the strange place I fell into. A white gloved hand appears into my line of view, and when the dots and specks clear from my eyes, I see the owner of the glove. A tall, rather portly, bald man with tiny little black glasses and a huge handlebar moustache smiles down on me.

"Take my hand," He coos, "Take my hand little one; I will not hurt you." Tentatively, I slide my small hand into his larger gloved one. He grins, and lifts me gently to my feet. He murmurs something I cannot comprehend, and then pulls me into a large bear hug. "You are perfect," He whispers in my ear, "You are just what I wished for, MISTRESS TOXIC."

"MISTRESS TOXIC. MISTRESS TOXIC. MISTRESS TOXIC." I groaned, rolling out of bed.

"Shut the fuck up, Bocoe."

"But, Mistress Toxic, Dr. Eggman will be waiting, and you know he hates waiti-" Growling, I stood up, and lugged my bedside lamp at Bocoe's stubby silver form. He jumped to the side, having suffered this routine since Dr. Eggman created me, and having grown used to my short temper. I really wasn't a morning person.

"Bocoe. Fuck off."

Bocoe shrugged, and trundled out my bedroom. I heard his voice echo down the metallic corridor "Dr. Eggman ain't gonna be happy~" Sighing, I stripped down and got into my tracksuit. I supposed it was yet more physio training today. Dad really had this thing about me being the fastest hedgehog around.

As I walked down the hallway to the control room, my mind couldn't help but drift back to my dream. That dream, of course, was my earliest memory. My creation date. Yet, somehow, I found something odd about that dream. Something that didn't quite fit.

"Nah, just probably your paranoia, Toxie." I said out loud to myself. Plus, my brain was always working over something. I was a verified genius; I constantly needed something to think about.

"Are ya talking to yourself again, Toxic? Y'know, that's the first sign of insanity." A cheerful voice piped up by my side.

I groaned. "Bokkon, don't you have Decoe to annoy or something?"

"Nuh-uh." Bokkon shook his head, hovering by my side as we reached the door to the control room. "Doctor Eggman called us ALL to the control room! Something important is going down!"

"Oh, joy." I pushed the door open, and Computer flashed in greeting.

"Welcome Experiment 193.4."

"Yo, Computer." I strolled over to the communication pad, where my father was hunched over, furiously punching some numbers into the screen. "What's up, Dad?"

My father turned to me, and glared. "Toxic. We are doing business now. You know the term 'Dad' is only on social events."

I mock saluted him. "Yes, Dr. Eggman." I took a peek at the screen over my father's broad shoulder. "Wait…is that an email from our mole in the GUN unit?" My father nodded.

"It seems, Toxic, due to your appearances on the screen during the battles with Sonic the Hedgehog-" I shuddered at the name. "-He seems to think you are being kept here against your will. Word passed onto Great Uncle Gerald's failure, Project Shadow, and he's coming to investigate."

I scratched my ear. "So, what's the problem? He's just one of that imbecilic blue blur's friends. He won't get past the booby tracks, and even if he did-" I pulled out my guns from my boots, "-BANG BANG, he's finished." My father put a hand on my shoulder.

"You don't understand, Toxic. This hedgehog was created to be the ultimate lifeform-"

"Yeah, back in the fifties," I snorted, "Listen, 'Dr. Eggman', you created me to be the next ultimate lifeform thing, right? I have highly more developed and honed skills than that golden oldie. His time's ending, my time to shine." My father still looked worried. "Don't worry," I grinned evilly, "If he so much as shows his face round here, I'll go ape-shit crazy, and he gets shot through. And guess what? He doesn't have my regenerative genes. So no more Project Shadow." I turned away from my father, and began to walk towards the door, wanting to hit the reflex room. "This Shadow dude ain't seen nothing like me."