'Air. I need air. Oh god I need air!' Panicked thoughts crossed the hedgehog's mind. Somehow, someway, he had found himself submerged in his worse fear: water. Try as he might, he could not find the strength within him to breach the surface. Sinking, sinking… the light of the sun fading, fading…
He breathed. Air rushed into his lungs as tears flowed down his cheeks. He was back in his cell, resting on all fours. The metallic floor was cold and unforgiving, but dear god he could breathe! He was shivering, wet, vulnerable… but he was alive.
Despite having eaten nothing in who knows how long, Sonic found himself emptying the contents of his stomach onto the floor in front of him. His arms felt weak and he forced himself to sit back before he fell face forward into his own vomit. He brought his knees up to his chin and cried into them.
How many times would he have to go through this? Why wouldn't Eggman just let him- "No," he hiccupped, lifting his head, "I can't… I can't think like that. I have to survive this."
"Did you enjoy your swim, Sonic?" Eggman's voice echoed in his ear. The doctor's taunts came daily, maybe even hourly. Whenever… whatever just happened, happens.
"Torture," Sonic spat under his breath, "that's what it is."
"Hmm, did you say something you spikey, blue rodent?" Although Sonic could not see Eggman's face, he could just imagine the grin. Oh that that bloodthirsty, maniacal grin. "If you have any grievances I'm sure our HR department would be more than willing to help. Isn't that right, Chaos?"
"Chaos-?!" Sonic barely got the word out before the water monster had him against the wall, claws around his throat. Through his clouded vision, the creature's watery form rose up in front of him. Sonic locked eyes with his foe, green met green. The hatred and anger that welled in Sonic's was overcome by his overwhelming sense of hopelessness. With bound hands and no shoes, there was no way to resist.
"Fu-" CRASH! Chaos slammed Sonic into the cell's ceiling. "You-" BANG! The impact into the wall was so intense that an indent was left in his wake. "-man." SLAM! With a final throw, Sonic found himself on the floor, forehead bleeding.
He heard Eggman jeering again. But what he was saying, Sonic had no idea. He was too frustrated, too distraught, too broken and useless to care. He didn't even fully register when he was finally alone again.
Alone. Alone. Alone. He was alone and afraid. Afraid of what, though? In the haze of his mind, Sonic thought deeply. He wasn't afraid of Eggman. He wasn't even afraid of Chaos or Zavok or Shadow or Metal. He wasn't afraid of dying… right? No, he wasn't. But as he thought he began to realize that he was afraid of never seeing his friends again. He was afraid of not being there for them. He was afraid of never smelling fresh flowers in Windy Valley or smelling the sea breeze on Emerald Hill. He was afraid of never eating a chocolate chip sundae supreme again or flying around the on the Tornado with Tails again.
Crawling the best he could towards the metallic cot that he called a bed, Sonic found himself lost in thought. For the first time in a long time, he realized his own sense of morality. He could die here, in his cell and no one, not Amy or Knuckles or Tails or Shadow, would know.
He pulled himself up onto the cot. As he tried to get at least some sleep, Sonic realized he was truly afraid of dying alone.
The beatings and the near drownings continued. Day after day, perhaps hour after hour, Sonic would be subjected to his near death. He no longer questioned how his cell would suddenly get rushed with water only for it to disappear moments later, leaving no puddles in its wake. He no longer cared how there could be multiple Chaos' attacking him at once, leaving him only within an inch of his life.
Sometimes, as he laid on his metal bed restless and unable to sleep, Orbot and Cubot would walk by. Try as he might, he could never fully overhear their conversation, only being able to pick up bits and pieces. "Ruby." "Infinite." "Resistance." Those words, without any context, meant nothing to Sonic. "Resistance" gave him hope however, that even though he was gone people didn't give up. The thought "but what if the resistance has been wiped out" crept into his mind, but he refused to pay attention.
'Positive, Sonic, stay positive,' he would tell himself. Positivity was the only thing keeping him alive at this point. Or, at least it felt like it.
And yes, his dreams, whenever they visited him in his short bursts of sleep, were positive. Memories of time spent with Tails, sparring with Knuckles, beating down Eggman. These were the images that graced his unconscious as he slept. They were comforting, and Sonic looked forward to his rest time.
"SONIC!" Tails' voice rang out. Sonic's eyes shot open, unsure of what he just heard. The space he found himself in, was not the same one he fell asleep in. His cell was gone and in front of him was a vast, burning city. The sky was painted red with swashes of black smoke obscuring the sun.
More shockingly, Sonic's hands were unbound and his shoes back on his feet. "W-what's going on? Am I dreaming?" He pinched himself. "Nope, not dreaming then…"
"SONIC PLEASE HELP ME!" Sonic's ears twitched towards the direction of the panicked scream.
"I'm coming buddy, hold on!" He had never accelerated faster in his entire life. The sense of freedom, the hair in his quills, the fact that he was no longer confided to that damned cell. He felt alive.
As he rounded a corner, he saw his friend chained to a wall, crying hysterically. Sonic's heart shattered; he had never seen anyone, let alone his best buddy, so distraught. "I'm here, Tails!"
And yet, Tails didn't seem to hear him. In fact, he didn't even appear to know Sonic was there. "Sonic! Sonic, where are you?!"
"Tails, I'm right here!" And yet as Sonic attempted to close the gap between him and the fox, he seemed to be making no progress. Like he was trying to run underwater, no matter how hard he moved his legs he didn't move. "Tails!" All heroics suddenly gone, Sonic called out to Tails in desperation. 'Please oh please let him see me!' He thought. If Tails saw Sonic, then at least he would calm down. And if he was calm he could think of a way out!
'Yes!' Sonic and Tails locked eyes but Sonic's elation disappeared as he quickly turned his head, searching for him. "TAILS!" Sonic screamed as he continued to fruitlessly run in place, "TAILS! I'm right here! Look at me buddy!"
"SON-" Tails' final scream was cut short. A Death Egg Robot, towering and foreboding, stomped down onto the fox, silencing him.
"TAILS!" Sonic was finally able to move forward, but it was too late. He dropped to his knees in front of the robot's foot. He was numb. "Tails!" He yelled again. "Tails, no no no no!" He began to sob and punch the robot's foot. His gloves tore away revealing the fur underneath and still he continued to punch. By the time he stopped, not because of exhaustion but because his body gave out from the sobs, the fur had been torn away to reveal the skin and the skin had been torn away until his knuckles were a bloody mess.
"Tails, I'm… I…" He could barely speak through his hiccups.
"You were too slow, Sonic." A familiar voice made Sonic turn his head.
"A-Amy!?"
"It's your fault he died, Sonic. You were too slow," she continued.
"N-no… you're wrong…" Sonic began his rebuttal. But as if from nowhere, Knuckles appeared to Amy's side. His arms were crossed and he shook his head solemnly.
"She's right, Sonic," he scolded, "if you had gotten there on time Tails would still be alive."
"No Knuckles, you don't understand! I-" Sonic was cut off. All around him his friends appeared. Silver. Blaze. Shadow. The Chaotix. Rouge. Even Cream.
"It's your fault." They chanted, eerily in synch. "Tails is dead because of you, Sonic. You didn't get there fast enough."
"NO!" Sonic closed his eyes and covered his ears. "NO! You're wrong it's not my fault! Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"
And suddenly, the voices stopped. What had been a deafening roar was suddenly utter silence. Apprehensively, Sonic opened his eyes. He was back in his cell. His hands were bound again and his shoes gone. It's as if everything had been a dream.
"B-but…" Sonic stammered. "It was real! Everything! Tails is…" A sob interrupted him. "Tails…"
"Is Tails really dead? Ho ho ho, that's hard to say." Eggman's voice sounded out. Only this time it was not over a loudspeaker. Sonic turned around and saw the mad doctor standing in front of his cell. To his side was Metal Sonic and Zavok. "Was everything you saw just and illusion? Or was it reality?"
As fast as his feet could take him, Sonic was the door of his cell. If the cell door had bars akin to regular prison instead of a glass barrier, Sonic would have attempted to wrap his hands around Eggman's neck. Instead, he opted to banging on the glass; at least the best he could with bound wrists.
"What did you do to Tails?!" Sonic screamed. Even with his glasses, Sonic could see the villainous gleam that twinkled in Eggman's eyes. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO TAILS!?" He demanded as he continued to pound on the barrier between the two of them.
"Tsk, tsk, Sonic." Eggman chuckled. "You should calm down if you know what's best for you." Both Metal Sonic and Zavok took a step forward. Under normal circumstances, Sonic wouldn't have backed down. Being vulnerable, emotionally, psychologically and physically, made him obey the doctor's orders.
Eggman beamed. "That's a good, subservient hedgehog."
"What do you want?" Sonic growled. "It's not every day that his royal fatness pays me a visit."
The smile on Eggman's face faded. "You're not in any position to call me names, you rat. I have you wrapped around my finger. At the drop of a hat, you're dead." Sonic didn't falter and continued to glare at his captor. "I was just figuring you would like to see just how much the Eggman Empire has expanded."
"What are you blabbering on about? Even without me, your Empire would never happen." Sonic taunted.
Eggman's beam returned, only wider this time. "Get a load of this." From Metal Sonic's midsection, a holographic screen appeared.
Images flashed by. Mushroom Hill on fire. Mystic Ruins deforested. Empire City on lockdown. Everywhere, every image was destruction. Seaside Hill, Mystic Cave, Westopolis… everywhere.
"Y-you're bluffing." Sonic stammered. "These images are simulated. They're not real!" And yet, he knew himself to be lying. He knew that these images were real.
"55 percent of the planet is now under direct control of the Eggman Empire." Eggman jeered as the holo-screen disappeared. "Soon, I will be in control of the whole world. And there's nothing you or your friends can do to stop me."
"You're wrong! My friends will never give up." Sonic at least knew that as a fact. His friends were tough, determined. They would never allow Eggman to win. They are his friends after all, and Sonic's friends were the best friends in the entire world. "Even without me, they're still fighting! I know they are."
Eggman turned his back as if to leave, but cast a quick glance over his shoulder. "Without you Sonic, people have lost hope. They have no hope of fighting back. Your friends, the resistance, are fighting a fruitless fight. Oh ho ho ho! Victory is so sweet!" He walked away, his lackeys following close behind.
"That's where you're wrong, Eggman." Sonic whispered with contempt as he watched the doctor walk away. "My friends have more hope than you could ever believe. That hope will spread and more people will hope. More people will help. I know in my heart Tails isn't dead."
He walked towards his cot and sat down, never once taking his eyes off Eggman. "Tails is alive and spreading that hope. And so are Knuckles and Amy and everyone else." He closed his eyes and smiled. "I'm hopeful too."
Sonic wasn't sure how long he had been held in captivity, nor how long he would remain locked up. The beatings, the torture, the psychological abuse… Sonic knew these things to be absolute. They would keep coming like clockwork. He wasn't sure how much more he would have to endure, how many times Eggman would keep him within an inch of his life.
"You gotta stay positive." Sonic sighed. And he was. No matter what he would go through, Sonic promised that he would remain positive. Positive and full of hope for his friends. Hope that they would stick together. Hope that they would overcome any adversary. And most importantly, hope that they would put a stop to Eggman once and for all.