The new sounds came to him slowly, brokenly, word by word. He still sat in the corner, but would venture into the light sometimes. It had been two days since the shoes and gloves had been 'given' to him.
He was grateful for them...but...the resentment was stronger. Still a part of him wished to be back in the caves with Lizard, hunting. Another part of him was disgusted by the thought, but all of him wanted to get out. In the fresh air. They had no right to keep him here. The idea of justice was beginning to come to him.
He still hated the room, and the people that had imprisoned him. Whoever they were...when he got free, they would be sorry. That black hedgehog, the cursed fox...and the rabbit, probably. They would pay.
"They...pay..." he muttered quietly. He waited.
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"One of us has to go in," Knuckles said firmly, "And it might as well be me. He could be dead in there for all we know." Tails began to voice an objection, but the echidna cut him off, "No. I'm strongest here, I can overpower him if he..."
Tails was still not convinced. "He's faster than you." he muttered rebelliously, swishing his tails angrily. Knuckles regarded him for a minute, then said, "Not enough room in there to run. I'll be fine." Tails had no reply.
Knuckles put his hand on the doorknob.
The door creaked quietly, and he sat up. He then dropped into a crouch, on full alert. They were coming in! For a minute he hoped dearly that it would be the fox...then his reasoning kicked in.
If he killed one, they would keep him here forever...but he wanted to hurt them. Badly. No, no! He would...communicate. Yes, talk to them. Look for an escape.
The door opened and a red shape slid in through the gap. Then the door slammed quickly. No chance. His instincts kicked in and he growled.
Knuckles slammed the door behind him and backed up against it, eyes flicking round the room. From the darkest corner, a deep growl emanated, sending shivers down his spine.
It was hopeless. Sonic was beyond saving. Then...the hedgehog spoke. Unbelievably, he spoke. His voice was very different, scratchy with lack of use, deeper from growling, and had an unfamiliar lilt to it.
"What...you want?"
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He watched the reaction. Had the red animal understood him? It was staring intently at his corner, trying to place him in the darkness. He couldn't tell...automatically he was crouching and squinting, merging with the wall.
No...no, he would show himself. Let the animal see...the...the echidna...that was it. He was pleased with the new word, and tried it.
"Ehh...echidna. What...do you...want, echidna?" It was his longest sentence yet, and the words were coming back to him. He stepped out of the shadows.
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"Ehh... echidna. What...do you...want, echidna?" Knuckles watched intently as Sonic materialised and stepped from the corner. His eyes had a slightly wild look...cunning, calculating.
His fur was matted and a dirty blue-brown with dirt...but he was wearing the shoes and gloves, Knuckles was pleased to see. So...he hadn't forgotten everything. There was hope yet.
"I...want to speak to you, Sonic." He said the words slowly, carefully. Did the hedgehog actually understand him? He looked confused. He repeated the sentence, slower.
Sonic took another step forward, but following the edge of the room...like he didn't like the light. Then he said, shadowed face betraying no emotion, "What is Son...Sonic?"
He still didn't remember.
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Sonic...Sonic...strange. He had heard the others say the sound several times...what did it mean? It must be something important. Even as he said it, it sounded slightly familiar.
The echidna was watching him, still. He didn't like that...it was threatening. He wanted to attack it, so badly...but he could see. It was strong...stronger than him. One punch could lay him flat, no matter how fast he was.
So he talked. Distract it. Confuse it. Anything.
It spoke again, and he concentrated hard on the words. "You. You are Sonic. Sonic is your name. Sonic the Hedgehog. You don't remember, do you?" Hedgehog...Sonic the Hedgehog...but he wasn't...
...was he? What was Sonic? What did Sonic mean? Was it how they called him? Like how the lizard had had a particular hiss to get his attention...this hiss was Sonic. His...his name...
"You...who are you? You are not...aren't...echidna. What's your...na...name?"