My body jolted upwards until I was no longer lying flat on my back. I found myself gasping for air, regaining my grip on the real world. I wiped any sweat that had developed during my dream off my forehead. What a strange part of that dream it was. I've never felt anything like it in my entire life. I asked myself, who was that person? What did he inject into my skin, and where? More importantly, where was I?
I discovered I was in a prison cell by the time I got off the bunk bed. However, it was not what I expected it to be: the room was clean, and instead of bars, there was a door and a glass window in front of me.
Suddenly, my left shoulder burned greatly. As I grasped it, I felt inprintment. With my fingers, I traced the symbols.
"C-31..5..0."
A code name. Many possibilities ran through my mind, including a new name for when I was roboticized. I feared that I was a part of a world-wide experiment induced by Robotnik. Although, if that was true, I would have felt the effects by now.
What could have been done to me?
Instinctively, my hand reached for my precious locket; it was still there. Thank God. I was save.
"Janice!"
My undercover name. I recognized who was calling me at once.
"Cedric?"
Cedric had been working for the Royal Guard for twenty years. He had been extremely loyal to me throughout my perilous journey. Together, we disguised ourselves as a common resistance to lessen the danger upon us. He also had a son named Antoine who was sent to be a Freedom Fighter mercenary on the other side of Mobius. After six years, they have yet to reunite.
He stood in front of the glass window, focusing his attention straight on me.
"When you hadn't returned," he peered, piercing the glass with a high-tech laser. "We knew something had happened. Are you unharmed?"
Ignoring the burning on my arm, I replied. "Yes. Thank you. How did you find me?"
He kicked the glass circle he had created on the floor.
"Amadeus was able to reconstruct a Tracker Beetle to locate you."
Tracker Beetles were micro-mechanisms used by Robotnik to track what was required throughout his conquest. Amadeus Prower was a gifted scientist, and inventor. We saved him and his wife ten years ago from the troopers in an urban area where his works were known. His wife, Mary, was about to give birth to their son at any moment, who they named Miles Prower. We got her to a hospital just in time for her to deliver him safely. However, we discovered he had a mutated gene, leading him to have two tails instead of one. We later found out that it was linked to the radioactivity within the soil from nuclear industries Robotnik had developed. The substance had gotten into her bloodstream, thus affecting the little boy. Despite the birth defect, both parents were proud and were happy to have their son alive and healthy.
Everyone called the boy Tails because of his second tail.
"I'll be sure to thank him later," I guaranteed.
"We must make haste," Cedric urged. "They could be upon us at any moment."
I nodded.
At once, we took flight, with Cedric taking the lead.
As we made our way through the halls avoiding security, I saw some other prisoners in similar cells that I was in. Poor things. I wish we had more time to help them. Having my safety being the main priority was hard. We rarely became a part of others' affairs even when they were in dire need of help. It hurt, but I had to move on.
It didn't take long for the enemy to realize I was missing. Once we were outside, a squadron of guards were lying in waiting for us. Robotnik wasn't a fool in the sense of preparation. They had their rifles, ready to fire at will. However, Amadeus intervened by using a taser to short circuit the enemy. Whatever guards remained, Cedric took out with his sword.
"Let's go malady," Amadeus signaled.
I nodded.
Together, Amadeus, Cedric, and I escaped into my carriage, disguised as an ordinary vehicle, and drove away.
We arrived at our secret base with open arms. Mary and Tails were there waiting for Amadeus.
"Daddy!" Tails cheered. "I missed you!"
"I missed you too son," Amadeus smiled, hugging his boy.
Tails never left his parents' side. I watched the family embrace. If only I could embrace my children..
"You should get some rest your highness," Cedric told me. "It's been a long day, especially for you."
"Yes," I agreed. "Of course. I understand."
I walked to my room, feeling exhausted from the fight. I laid on my bed, relieved that the worst was over, or so I thought.
This was only the beginning.