Disclaimer- I don't own any Sonic the hedgehog characters. They all belong to SEGA.

Premonition

Chapter 21

"Right now?"

Rouge rolled her eyes. "Yes, right now. I'm anything but queasy at the sight of blood, but that doesn't mean I want the smell burning my nose all day. You cleaned as best as you could Red; I just have to wash before it becomes permanent."

Shadow inwardly scoffed, tightening his grip when Sonic attempted to pull his arm away. She was, and always be, overdramatic.

The bat turned away and started to walk up to the second floor. She glanced back. "Sonic hon, is there…" Rouge trailed off when a glare hot as a thousand suns sharply met her gaze. Her face throbbed from the memory alone. She hastily glanced over to Knuckles, since he would be the best to ask since Tails was in the garage and Sonic was… "Where can a girl get some extra soap? I think we've ran out."

The spilt pain shown on Rouge's face didn't escape the attention of Shadow and Knuckles, but they wisely didn't bring it to light. They both unconsciously clenched each peach arm firmer.

"I don't know really." Knuckles shrugged with a single shoulder. "Try looking under the sink in there or something."

Rouge rolled her eyes at the sub-par answer, but still stored the words in her memory. She gave a nod as a thanks before the bat continued up to the second floor. Then Amy's voice made her pause again, "Don't take too long though! Your food might get cold."

The agent grinned back at the pink hedgehog. "You don't have to worry about that hon. I'll be out way before then. If not, just put my food in the microwave." She gave a fleeting wave before disappearing upstairs.

Amy then turned to Shadow and Knuckles, obviously avoiding Sonic's fire-filled glower. "Well, guess I'll get started then!" She giggled with forced cheerfulness as she skipped her way into the kitchen. The black hedgehog and red echidna followed silently, dragging a sagging Sonic with them.

In the adjacent room, the duo was good with just leaving the blue blur propped up against the wall far away from the table, but Amy had another idea. Even though the Sonic they had was not the Sonic she knew and loved, the speedster was still a person. They couldn't just treat him like an animal, like Tails said before. He was already tied up, why add poor hospitality to the list?

"Don't just leave him on the floor!" Amy said as she pulled out eggs from the refrigerator, "He has a seat at the table like the rest of us!"

Sonic inwardly scoffed, turning his heated gaze to the table like it was the one behind all of this. He would rather be as far away as he could from his captors, at least until he could find a way to untie himself and get his deserved revenge. Eating breakfast and acting all hunky-dory with his targets is the last thing on his to-do list.

Knuckles pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Amy. Did you not see what just happened to Tails? Whoever's sitting beside him would be in-range."

"We could always duct tape him again." Shadow grunted out, glancing down at the silenced former hero. "Shouldn't be a problem."

Amy put a hand on her hip and frowned. "We can't do that! He has to eat, you know!"

"Missing one meal won't kill him. Consider this as punishment for what he did last night."

Knuckles nodded curtly. "I agree with Shadow. He has to have some kind of repercussion, even if Eggman was controlling him."

Sonic rolled his eyes. Here we go with the 'under control' crap again. I'm completely under my own freaking willpower. The stupid voice in my head is just my inner self telling me to hurry the heck up with my task so I can go back home.

Attack anyone-

Ugh. Yeah, it's weird and annoying, I get that. But go so far as unnatural and 'controlling me'? Hell no. I'm here because apparently these people are wanted or something. Why else would Robotnik give me the green light to attack? No other reason. I'm working to be a hero here.

If only I could get my hands free…

The pinkette ran a hand through her hanging quills. "But we can't just starve him! He's not our Sonic yet, but he's still Sonic! A Mobian! It's all about morals here!" Amy stared until she believed that the two weren't going to make a move. She turned around and unwrapped a loaf of bread. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. "N-Never mind then! Just leave him there!"

Finally! Someone's talking my language here. Sonic thought, moving his hands around behind his back. He resisted a victorious grin when he realized that he had more room than before to maneuver his fingers. Not much more, but enough to notice the slight difference. 'You won't be able to get out of them without help'. Sonic scowled up at the echidna. I'm about to make you eat those words, Red. It'll take some time, but you're gonna be choking soon.

Shadow and Knuckles shared a glance, them both seeing the moisture in Amy's eyes before she turned around. They stood there for a silent moment until the Ultimate Lifeform let out a quiet sigh before starting forward. Knuckles followed, dragging the other half of Sonic's body. If you'd ask them why they made the decision at a later date, they'd say that it was because they changed their minds on their own accord, not because they caved at the girl's tears.

The striped hedgehog quickly pulled out a chair, the wood scrapping harshly against the polished floor, and dumped Sonic into it with Knuckles' help. Shadow sat down at the blue blur's left while the echidna did the same on the speedster's right after pushing him in. The former crosses his arms and gave his doppelganger a sidelong glance. "No funny business."

Sonic glared back, getting comfortable in his seat. Tch. As if I'd ever listen to you. He leaned back a little, shielding his hands from sight as he continued wiggling them. From the lack of response so far, the others were none the wiser. Perfect.

Knuckles looked askance at him as he linked his hands behind his head. He didn't dare lean back in his chair however. He definitely didn't want a repeat of last time. Sure, the guardian was in a different seat, but he wasn't going to risk it. Knuckles flinched when the painful memories came rushing back. He then shook them away in favor of looking intimidating. "Yeah, don't try anything hedgehog. If you do, it'll be my turn to wail on you."

The speedster just ignored him, already knowing that he was those two's punching bag if he so much breathed the wrong way. And because he didn't want another black eye, Sonic was going to be a good little hedgehog. Until his hands were free. Then all bets were off. My legs are still tied together though… He inwardly shrugged. He was going to do some massive damage, legs free or not.

Everyone was quiet then. The only sounds were the pans clanking together.

No one spoke a word for a good ten minutes; Amy focused on cooking while Shadow and Knuckles were lost in their own thoughts. And of course, Sonic couldn't say anything anyway.

Then, the guardian's questioning voice filled the air. "Do you know what happened to you?" Sonic jumped a bit at the sudden question before he calmed back down. He peered at Knuckles out of the corner of his eye and perked up his good ear. He wanted to know where the other was going with his question. "That started all of this mess?" The red Mobian continued before chuckling to himself and leaning over to knock his namesakes against Sonic's head. Said hedgehog winced at the harsh treatment. "Of course you don't, because of what the doctor did to your head."

Oh, we're back to this baloney again? Then I'm pretty sure that the wall over there would care more than I do. Sonic pointedly stared back forward and drooped his ear, trying to convey his apathy to the other's words.

It worked, but the outcome wasn't what he wanted. The echidna rose a brow before returning to his previous position. There was a grin on his face. "So you're ignoring me? Alright, I'm going to tell you anyway." Amy and Shadow glanced over to Knuckles, wondering why the echidna was doing this. Then they came to the conclusion that the other was attempting to jog the blue blur's missing memory. It's a stretch, but it might work. "Let's start from the beginning." Knuckles shifted his gaze up to the ceiling, filing through his own memories. "Let's see… You, Tails, and I were on a mission to retrieve the Master Emerald – a very important gem – from Eggman-"

Sonic blocked him out.

Or at least tried to.

He was successful for about two minutes, but then he actually started to unconsciously pay attention to the words. Frowning at the mention of someone getting hurt and the ghost of a smile would appear when a joke was told. But then he caught himself further on in the story, not letting any more reactions show on his face. He also continued in moving his hands. This can't be true. It's a total lie! There's no way…

But then why would someone make this up? Why would he go through all this trouble to tell the story? Was I really…?

Sonic gritted his teeth and ousted away those thoughts, not feeding them any longer. There was no way any ounce of that can be true. Because if it was, that meant that Sonic was planning to attack, no, actually attacked, the good guys, making himself…the villain. The hedgehog couldn't recall many things, but he knew in his gut that he was a hero. No doubt about it.

"And then we gave all of the Chaos emeralds to you…"

Just stop! You're not getting anywhere with this! Can't you see that?

Attack anyone who finds you and their friends.

Dammit, you be quiet too! I'm trying my best here!

"You woke up with amnesia, and you were deaf and mute…"

No! I mean, I don't know how I'm all those things but – freakin cut it out!

Attack-

Leave me alone….

"That was when we knew that the old you was gone…"

Att-

SHUT UP!

Sonic's eyes widened marginally when the rope around his fingers loosened enough for them to be freed. Pushing his mental battle to the side, the blue hedgehog had to keep the smirk off his muzzle. Now for my wrists… Even though he was panting on the inside from the stress of his thoughts, none of that showed on the outside. He couldn't afford for the others to see his reaction. Bad for his pride.

"Is that French toast I smell?"

The speedster froze. Oh crap! The bat's back! He then wrapped the rope around his fingers once more to make it look like they were still tied. Emerald irises shifted over to see a clean Rouge saunter her way into the kitchen before fluttering over to the seat closest to Knuckles. She hadn't made eye contact with Sonic. "Looks great hon," she complimented Amy.

"Thanks!" The pinkette chirped back, "You came down just in time! I just finished!" The girl placed everyone's plate in front of them, even Sonic, although her hand was shaking as soon as she was two feet away from him. Knuckles, Shadow, and Rouge poured the drink of their choice however before returning to their seats.

Knuckles sighed as he put down a glass of orange juice in front of himself and a glass of milk in front of a scowling Sonic. The echidna glared over at Shadow who was raising a full fork to his mouth. "And don't think I'm okay with that 'nose goes' thing. That was unfair! How was I supposed to that you, of all people, would resort to that?"

The Ultimate Lifeform just shrugged. "It's just how the game works. Sorry not sorry." Shadow smirked before shoveling the sweet bread into his mouth.

The guardian growled and was about to say something else, but Amy interrupted him. She was gazing worriedly over at the garage door. "Should we try to get Tails?"

Rouge nodded and stood out of her chair. "Yeah, I'll do it. Hopefully the kid's alright enough to eat." She strode over to the door, raising a fist. "He can't stay locked up in there forever." The bat knocked three times. "Tails? You want to eat breakfast with us? It's ready." The silence was palpable. Rouge sighed and stepped away from the wood. She gestured over to the microwave. "Might as well put his food in there Pinky. Doesn't seem like he's in the mood right now." Amy sadly sighed before doing just that, sitting down across from Knuckles when finished.

The echidna stared at the garage for a few more seconds before turning to Sonic, fork in hand. The speedster glowered, knowing what was coming next. Knuckles frowned back. "I like this no more than you do." He threw a glare over to Shadow who deflected it like a pro. Mumbling under his breath, the guardian impaled a piece of toast before holding it up to Sonic's mouth. "Open up," He muttered gloomily.

The speedster turned his head. There is no way I'm getting fed like a baby. They can just forget that. Just as he did so however, Shadow reached over and flicked him hard right below his black eye for the second time that morning. Sonic flinched violently at the sudden wave of pain that covered his whole face.

"Eat," Shadow ordered, "if you don't want your black eye worse." The blue hedgehog sent daggers the darker one's way, but when that didn't affect him, Sonic slowly turned back to Knuckles, accepting his fate. And not wanting his face permanently messed up. He shamefully opened his mouth and blushed embarrassingly when Knuckles made train sounds before feeding him. Man this is so degrading…

Rouge gestured over to the speedster after chuckling in amusement. "Speaking of black eyes and injuries…are we going to heal him?" The bat gave Sonic a once over before taking a deep breath at the sight of dried blood that was definitely not his own. "And clean him?" She drifted her gaze toward Shadow. "You need a good scrub yourself."

"I'll take a shower after breakfast." He answered, wiping a splatter of maple syrup off his cheek. "As for Faker…" Him and Sonic locked eyes and tension rose in the air. Shadow just grunted and the heaviness was wiped away immediately, like he was above that type of competition. "He'll get cleaned."

A pause.

"So…" Amy blinked, "no healing then?"

"No."

Sonic bared his canines after swallowing a gulp of milk, courtesy of Knuckles. 'No'?! This sadistic little…! He relaxed and resumed working on loosening the rope binding his wrists. No worries. He'll get what's coming for him very soon.

Knuckles tossed a strawberry into his mouth before picking up the blue blur's fork, picking up some scrambled eggs. He acted like he was going to give them to Sonic until the guardian twisted it in the air like an airplane. The hedgehog glowered at him, but it wasn't nearly as effective because of the tinge of pink on his cheeks. Knuckles chuckled before depositing them in the other's mouth.

The rest of breakfast pretty much went like that. Rouge and Amy were stuck in conversation most of the time, both sneakily shooting Sonic wary and amused glances. Shadow just sat peacefully, entertaining himself with Knuckles' many ways to embarrass the Faker. The echidna even got syrup in Sonic's lap, and Shadow was sure that it wasn't an accident. Knuckles himself made his chore as fun as possible, not bothering with the story anymore. Rouge had interrupted and it would kinda be weird to start up again out of the blue. Also…he didn't know if Shadow did, but Knuckles had noticed that while he was recalling the events, Sonic's expression would become more and more strained. The hedgehog was trying to hide it too, he knew, but the echidna caught it anyway.

Knuckles didn't know what was going on, and the tale didn't seem to bring back any of Sonic's memories, so he figured that he'd just leave it alone.

It was about ten minutes later when the garage door opened.

All of the Mobians' plates were mostly empty and Amy was about to put hers in the sink when there was the telltale creak. Five heads turned to see a subdued Tails cross the threshold with a phone in his hand. Shadow rose a brow at the fox's behavior. There was something off. Sure, the kit still seemed upset, but now it looked like he was trying to sell it. An act. But for who? It had to be for the Faker. Shadow leaned back in his chair some, wondering where this was going to lead.

Wet blue eyes swept the room until they landed on hard emeralds. He took a deep breath and prepared himself. He had to do this perfectly. The yellow fox kept eye contact and began to walk towards a glaring Sonic, trying not to let the gaze get to him. When he got close enough to feel the annoyance rolling off the hedgehog, Tails held out the phone. "I-It's for you…"

Sonic stared at it for the longest, wondering why in the heck someone would be calling him. Then a lightbulb went off in his head. It had to be Robotnik. But then…why was the fox letting him speak with the doctor? Weren't they enemies? Something was off here…

The speedster was about to shake his head, but then curiosity took over. He nodded over to Knuckles who looked as confused as he was, and the echidna took the phone from the kit and held it up to Sonic's ear. The hedgehog missed Tails pushing a button on the back of the phone, and the small grin the kit sent to everyone at the table.

When the fox went over to his seat across from the hedgehog, Sonic resumed wriggling his hands. He could almost get one free.

"Hello? …Sonic."

It was Robotnik, but his voice was choppy. Like a bad connection. …Which didn't make sense.

"Listen to…me."

Why is he talkin' weird? Sonic thought with a frown. His enunciation is all wrong. And what is that strange silence between words?

"Obey…what…ever…Shadow the hedgehog…the fox…pink annoyance…Knuckles…and…Rouge…say. Don't listen…to me…ever…again…after…this point. It is…for…the best. That is all."

The line went dead.

And it clicked for Sonic.

Robotnik wasn't on the other end of the call. Well, he was, but not really. It was his voice, but those sentences, those words, were just put together somehow mechanically. The hedgehog glared and scowled at Tails, who was looking down at his food, slowly eating. That little brat thought that he could fool me so easily? He's just as bad as the others! That wasn't the doctor! Just clips of his voice put together! Does he think I'm so dumb to fall for that? Think again!

All in under a second, Sonic's hand slipped free, yanked the phone from Knuckles' grip, and launched it over at Tails' head, knocking him to the floor with a pained yell.

The next moment, the blue hedgehog was on the ground with the echidna on top of him. "What did I say?!" Knuckles punched him hard enough in his cheek to make him see stars. This guy…can hit hard… "I said don't try anything! And guess what you do!" Knuckles reared back again for another hit when Tails' voice called out:

"Don't Knuckles!"

Said echidna and Sonic glanced over to see Amy helping the kit off the ground. There was a clear bruise forming on Tails' forehead. Knuckles frowned. "Why Tails? Look what he did to you!"

Despite the pain he was in, the fox let a tiny smile grow on his face. "But it was worth it."

Shadow, now out of his seat, furrowed his brow. "Worth it? What are you on about?"

"Is it connected to that look you gave us?" Rouge asked, picking up the sturdy phone-like walkie-talkie before going over to prepare an ice pack.

Tails nodded. "Yeah! I mean, I don't know if it worked yet, but that wasn't a real phone call." He felt Sonic's scowl, but paid him no attention. With a quiet sniff, he continued, "I looked up Eggman speeches on the computer and picked out bits and pieces of his voice to make sentences."

"Wait." Shadow crossed his arms. "Those aren't available to the public."

The fox scratched the back of his head. "I kinda…hacked into the G.U.N. database…"

The Ultimate Lifeform sighed. "Figures."

"But anyway, my plan was to use Eggman's control over Sonic against him." The hedgehog on the floor with a stinging face silently growled. I'm not under control! I'm just helping out society here! Tails took his seat again and put the bag Rouge gave him on his head. He breathed out in relief. "I made Eggman say that Sonic should listen to us, and not to follow the doctor's commands anymore."

There was a shocked silence.

"Did…did it work?" Amy questioned, cutting her eyes over to Sonic.

"Let's find out." Tails shyly focused on his irate big bro. "Sonic…don't hurt anybody in here." His only answer was the narrowing of green eyes. "Uh…time to test it, I guess. Knuckles, would you please get off him and untie his feet?"

The guardian hesitated. "Tails, how hard did that phone hit you? Must've knocked out a few brain cells because letting Sonic free is a very bad thing to do right now."

"I know, but we've got to see if it affected him, right?"

Knuckles hesitated before looking down at a blank Sonic. "If push comes to shove, it's you against the five of us, hedgehog."

Sonic didn't respond, just waiting until the echidna untied his feet. Then he would finish what he started in the lab. I should thank you fox for making this easier for me. He just laid there until the rope around his ankles was out of the way. When it was gone, the hedgehog smirked as he got off the floor. He peeled the rope from this other wrist and dropped it on the ground.

Not wasting any time, the blue blur threw a punch in Knuckles' direction. And the first target is…

DON'T HURT ANYBODY IN HERE.

Ack! The words were shouted harshly in his brain and a very sharp pain coursed throughout is mind. Sonic let out a silent yell as he put his hands on his head, trying to stop the agonizing throbbing. He tripped over his own feet and went crashing to the ground. He didn't even notice the pain in his knees, only caring about the torture he was going through because of his head.

Then, as soon as it came, it was gone.

What in the heck was that? Sonic was panting, frozen in shock. Did that happen…just because I didn't listen to that voice?

"What in the world just happened?!" The hedgehog peered up to see Knuckles looking down at him in badly hidden concern. The echidna thought to himself for a moment before holding out a hand for the speedster to grab. Sonic scowled before attempting to slap away the other's hand-

Don't.

But then realized that he couldn't. His hand had frozen mid-swing. And Sonic didn't want to push it, because that sudden migraine was nowhere near pleasant.

The speedster just shook his head marginally before shakily standing back up under his own power and leaning on the table. He let out deep breaths, trying to wrap his head around what was going on here. The fox told me not to hurt anyone in here, and I can't… The fake Robotnik told me to listen to the Mobians in here with me, and I unconsciously do… And the voice…it isn't my inner self, is it? Were they right all along? I was being controlled without realizing it? And now I have to bend to their will? Robotnik was using me…

Who are the real bad guys here?

"Sonic hon. Are you alright?" The hedgehog's good ear twitched at the sound of the bat's voice, but he ignored her. Sonic gripped the side of the table hard, his mind in a whirlwind. I-I need to leave. I need to get out of here. Where? I have no idea. I just know that I has to get as far away from this place as possible.

Shadow, seeming to read Sonic's mind, grunted out, "Don't you even think about it. Sit down in your chair, Faker."

Sit down.

Sonic's hand was reaching for his seat before he even realized it. There's no doubt about it now… He thought as he slowly sat down in the chair, every muscle in his body protesting against the action. He snarled in his seat just to keep up appearances, but on the inside, he was scared. What was going to happen now? He wasn't in control of his own body anymore. But he was even more frightened at the nagging feeling in the back of his head that was telling him that everything he had done previously were serious mistakes. Attacking Shadow, Rouge, Tails… Sonic barely knew what was up and down anymore.

"So it's safe to say…" Knuckles focused on a conflicted Tails. "…that it worked."

The fox frowned. "Yeah it did…but why did he fall to the floor?"

"I dunno..." Amy wrung her hands together, not knowing how to feel about the blue hedgehog in front of her. "But that was kinda scary…"

"It was sorta like how Sonic reacted when he had a vision."

Shadow shook his head at Tails. "It couldn't be that though. It must have been for another reason."

Rouge tapped her chin before snapping her fingers. "I know the solution to our problem." She flapped her wings and left the room. The agent then returned with paper and pen in her hand. She landed and walked up to a frowning Sonic. She was still cautious around Blue, but not like before because she knew that he was harmless. For now. The bat dropped the two items in front of the hedgehog. "We can just ask him."

I hate this so much. Sonic inwardly seethed. I can't do anything about this!

"Why did you fall to the floor Sonic?"

Said hedgehog just glared at Shadow.

The black Mobian rolled his eyes. "Always so difficult. Write down your answer. The truth."

Write it down.

Sonic clenched his teeth together as he reached for the pen. This is so unfair! At least Robotnik didn't micromanage my life! He wrote down his response before practically throwing the paper over to Shadow. The Ultimate Lifeform picked it up and read, "'I came too close in hitting him'." Shadow nodded to himself before focusing on the others. "So that means if he doesn't do what we say, then he would get a migraine."

"Guys…" Tails was then the center of attention. He was playing worriedly with his namesakes. "I don't like this plan anymore. He's practically nothing but a puppet now. I think we should reverse it."

"No hon." Rouge shook her head. "If we do that, then there is a very real chance that he would attack us again. Especially now. We can't risk that. Also, puppets can't feel anything. Sonic has enough attitude to make up for all of us."

Knuckles let out an unexpected laugh. "And plus, we can have some major fun with this!"

Sonic's eyes widened fully, horrified. Fun? I'm doomed.

"I had a dream about this situation once." The echidna playfully punched his shoulder and Sonic really wanted to punch him in the kidneys. Knuckles grinned mischievously. "I had my own little servant!"

The blue blur's stomach dropped.

This is going to be hell.