Chapter 4; Second Shift, Hanging On

The hedgehog's stomach growled, though Sonic was used to hearing it by now. The routine happened three times a day, at morning, noon and night he guessed, since he didn't have a clock. By now it was usually Zavok who came by to order him about, since Eggman was obviously busy elsewhere. It didn't make any sense to him; why was he getting ordered to just sit and stand, an hour each session, three hours a day? There didn't seem to be any point to it other than to flaunt who was in charge of this place, other than maybe to give his bound body some kind of exercise. He was getting really tired of being so closely cuffed hand and foot, so that simply moving to the sink for water had him hobbling at a snail's pace. He couldn't even wash his fur like this, and if he wasn't hosed off every few days Sonic figured his skin would be itching as much as his restless legs. His eyes craved sunlight, too; his jailers hadn't bothered to turn on the lights since the second day, leaving him in perpetual near-dark.

The only good part of the humiliating sessions and overall treatment was getting to eat, even if it was clear by now he was only getting bare scraps. A stale heel of bread, or some limp vegetables and the gristly end and bone trimmed off a pork chop, and yesterday he got the joy of mouldy cheese for dinner. It was as if the Doc' was saving either the remains of his meals for him, or just giving him whatever leftovers he cleaned out from the back of his fridge. Still, Sonic ate everything he could and gnawed any bone for the marrow inside, not wanting to let his energy run any lower than it already was. His metabolism was faster than most people's, meaning he usually ate a lot more than they did. He might not be all that active cooped up in here, but he knew his body was still burning more calories than he took in.

Even if the passing days were as dull as a drained chaos emerald, the one thing Sonic managed to keep up was his spirit; how could he not? He made sure to give Zavok an attitude-packed smirk each time they started his sessions, and as he received his food from the slot in the wall, just to let him know that whatever this game was, he wasn't becoming any less tame. Because that's what this felt most like; as if they were trying to train him like a mobini dog, doing tricks for treats. He wanted to make sure that the only reports of his supposed obedience would be barely more than what he needed to keep from being shocked. Sonic refused to let this wear him down, and he certainly wasn't going to give in.

Finally, after several days of not doing much other than sitting and standing for a less than enthusiastic Zeti, the rolling of a chair sounded from down the hall. Sonic recognized that sound; he only heard it when Eggman decided he had the time to boss him about. But instead of sitting right away, the fat human gestured to the security camera outside his cell, and something almost unbelievable happened. Sonic almost lost his balance, sitting on the edge of his metal bed, when the remote controlled cuffs separated from each other. They were still securely latched around his limbs, but dang, it just felt so good to be able to flex his muscles again! He almost groaned with relief as he stretched his stiff arms and legs, catching the sound in his throat to deny his captor the pleasure of knowing how good it felt to be more or less free to move how he wanted.

Dr. Eggman waited patiently where he sat, enjoying the sight of the normally agile hedgehog's slow and careful movements, and his disheveled appearance. Bound hands didn't allow for much fur grooming, and the fact he could yet see the hedgehog's ribs showed was clearly loosing weight. Well, he was about to feed him better. Much better, grinning again at his least-favourite rat's surprise at the clanking of his food slot, even though he hadn't had a session yet, then at how his eyes grew wide at the full plate of food it revealed. "Eat up rodent, today's a special occasion." Sonic looked suspiciously at the food now, then back at the Doctor. "Uh-huh…you're not trying to poison me, are you?" While the thought had crossed his mind, the human only laughed. "You're not getting out of here that easily, pest. Eat, or don't eat. I don't need stealth to hurt you." Sonic was his now, and he could do whatever he wanted to him.

The blue blur hesitated for one more moment before scooping up the plate and, in the absence of utensils, started shovelling seasoned scrambled eggs and bacon into his mouth before he even got back to his bed. The food was freshly made, still warm, and the heavenly flavour made his stomach gurgle with anger that it wasn't being filled fast enough. Sonic had to make an effort to pace himself, just so he wouldn't be sick later. "So what's the big occasion, Eggman?" Sonic asked as he alternated between bites of melon and jammy toast. "I was starting to thing your cooking robots had a screw loose, after a couple of weeks of that junk." The food was good, really good, and he refused to think that fatso would stoop so low as to cook for himself, let alone a prisoner.

The bravado was no less than Dr. Eggman expected, with the hedgehog deliberately talking as if the poor food had been a simple mistake and not the malicious intent it was. But he was almost surprised at how the hedgehog had lost track of time; there was no way for Sonic to mark how many days had passed in these dark confines. "Four weeks, roughly. You've been here a full month's time." He grinned wider at the hedgehog's brief shocked expression, before the wide gaze faded into an irritated, mild glare. "No one's coming for you, rodent. Your friends all think you're dead, and any time I want, those shackles can yank your ankles back together again, or shock you until you pass out." The hedgehog merely rolled his eyes, so the Doctor held up a newspaper featuring the somber ceremony. "I mean it, rat! They've already had your funeral, and it was pleasure to watch through my spy drones. All it took was a faked video of your beheading, sent worldwide for everyone to view." Sonic actually choked at that, and he waited for his prisoner to clear his airways. "You're mine now, rodent. Enjoy your funeral feast." With a grin and a taunting bow, he left Sonic alone to let this news sink in.

Dead… So everyone thought he was dead…? No way! His friends wouldn't think he'd go down that easily, but…a beheading. That didn't leave a lot of room for doubt, and he'd learned to tell when Eggface was bluffing; he'd meant what he'd said, and he'd probably used some fancy computer graphics to make it look real. Poor Tails, he must be in an awful state right now. Amy too, and he knew that despite his stony exterior the news would hit Knuckles hard. "Tails… Wait, yeah, Tails!" His brother was too smart to fall for a computer program! He'd speak up, and want to examine to footage. But that didn't explain the funeral. Didn't they think to need a body before having it? Or did Eggman just broadcast the funeral himself? Ugh…the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt, and looking down he realized his food was getting cold. It was good food, too, and it'd be a shame to waste it when it was specially made to honour him. "So I'm dead, huh? I was planning to get out of here on my own anyways!" He would escape; that's all there was to it, and his friends would be happy to see him. Sonic had to chuckle at the idea of being given a feast to honour his life…by the guy who hated him most.

So a rescue wasn't coming, so what? He wouldn't stop until he found a way to break out of here, and since his hands and feet were still free, that'd make it all the easier; especially if he could get Eggy to think he was taking the threat of being shocked seriously. There wasn't a trap of Eggman's that he hadn't escaped yet, and getting out of here was only a matter on time. Digging back into his meal, he ate heartily before laying back for a nap, and enjoying his full stomach.

He'd show Eggman a thing or two, but first he needed to get himself in order once he got a little rest for his digestion. That meant washing up and grooming his fur and quills properly at the sink, and getting his muscles limber again. If he was going to have the luxury of free movement within his cell, he was going to use it. Lunch and dinner arrived on their own, without anyone showing up to boss him about. They weren't anything as loaded or fancy as his breakfast, but the stew and bread were filling and didn't taste half bad, if rather plain. The next several days passed the same way, with some kind of porridge as his breakfast, and no one showing up to bother him. At this rate he figured he might get some meat back on his frame, and he was able to replace the boredom of sitting around all day with exercise, especially now that he had the energy for it.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder why there'd been a change in the routine. He didn't resent the better treatment one bit, but after a month of near-starvation and restraints there had to be a reason for it. For the time being Sonic assumed the Eggman was just too busy to think of ways to mess with him, and he was only somewhat okay with that. He should be glad that the fat man was away, but that meant he was probably giving his friends trouble instead. He didn't like missing out on the action, especially when people's lives might be at stake, but he had to trust that his friends were fully capable of giving Eggy a run for his money.

Heck, they might've stopped that invasion of his already.