Chapter 5; Third Shift, Putting on a Show

Sonic had been fine with thinking that Eggman was done messing with him, but even he knew he couldn't be that lucky. After a few days of being left alone allowed to move about and fed more reasonably, he suspected he was being allowed to get his strength back for a reason. One he'd rather not think about, really, as long as he got to eat normal food, and enough of it. It gave him time to plot. Eventually he knew he'd get a visitor, and when he did he frowned at who it was.

One thing he'd been wondering, after all the times the Doc' had used him for personal gain, was why on Mobius Shadow had started working for Eggman again. By now the striped hedgehog knew that he'd been deliberately kept unconscious by the fat human until he had a use for him; eventually being used by the Doc' to fight the Metarex. Shadow hadn't been happy to know he'd been stored away like property for months, and the remaining gratitude for his recovery at the Doctor's hands had faded. Now, though, Sonic didn't know where Shadow stood. "So what's up? Haven't seen you around much." Play it casual, maybe his rival would let something slip, or give some kind of explanation.

True to his nature, Shadow just glared as he gave him a sharp order. "Hands in front." That wasn't what the blue hero had wanted to hear, lifting his wrists, then taking a step back as a magnetic force from his cuffs yanked them together, clacking together on impact. Rats. That pull was going to be hard to fight against in the future, but at least the forcefield was being dropped. He was actually going somewhere! And that meant he was finally getting a chance to escape. Still, he'd have to be careful; this was Shadow, the master of chaos control and a wicked fighter. Normally he could match him, but if he messed this up the other hedgehog would try to mess him up in return, and Sonic was already at a disadvantage with his bound hands.

The second he'd moved he knew he'd gotten his moment, a solid shoe to Shadow's gut at just the right time. It should've left his rival winded. It should've given him plenty of time to put some distance between them. Shadow shouldn't have been able to catch up so quickly, with his head start; the blue hedgehog not getting far before his plan unravelled at warp speed. One turn around a corner and through an archway, and his ankles snapped together, the leg shackles activating quickly enough to send him sprawling on his face. The next thing he knew, an angry ultimate lifeform was slamming his metal shoe into his back, the his side to flip his target, then once more for good measure to Sonic's stomach; leaving the captive hedgehog coughing and doubled over, trying to catch his breath. Without a word, Shadow grabbed his legs and pulled the unfortunate hedgehog back in the direction he'd meant to take him, and no amount of squirming on Sonic's part could loosen his grip.

Their destination wasn't far, turning a few corners before they entered another room, but the prisoner was too occupied with the fact that his striped guard had just hooked his wrists to a cable, hoisting him upright, to pay much attention to any other details. Now the blue hedgehog was stuck hanging, with the toes of his shoes brushing the ground, and no better off than before he'd tried to bolt. "Oof…Shadow…" Sonic groaned at the retreating back, his stomach aching and already showing bruising through the short, peach fur. "…You know I only kicked you once, right?" The three blows didn't seem fair, even if the striped hedgehog was always one to give back worse than he got in a fight. Ha. If that could've even been called a fight; he hadn't stood a chance. The other hedgehog left, the door locking soundly, and leaving Sonic alone to balance on his toes.

Really, right now, he wasn't sure anything could be considered a fight until he could figure out how these stupid glowing shackles worked; not to mention how to get the annoying fat face off the screen in front of him, now lit up on the wall. "Oh- ho- ho! Nice try rodent, but I've got every doorway here wired. You can't run through a single one of them without your restraints activating, unless I give the permission." Okay, so that's how that went; not exactly good news, but that didn't mean he couldn't slow down and walk through them. Right? No, that wouldn't make any sense if this was all to prevent his escape... Dr. Eggman was happy to interrupt the hedgehog's thoughts. "Yes, yes, I'm certain you're already turning that bit of information through your tiny brain. It won't do you any good. I've learned from the past, and this prison is full of failsafes." And then some, to the point of redundancy, all to keep his slippery prey in one place for once and for all.

Dr. Eggman stroked his moustache happily, watching bravado fade on his captives face, even if it was only a second before it was quickly replaced with another expression of bold confidence. The hedgehog never gave up easily, one thing that was guaranteed with him, and there wasn't much that could shake that determination off his face. But there was one thing that always could, and he was about to reveal it, gleefully pushing a button in front of him within his control room. "Enough pleasantries." He watched the blue hedgehog scoff at the screen and roll his eyes, before they widened at the sound of rushing water. Lots of water. The button had opened several grates in the walls, sending gallons of the cold liquid gushing into the room, flooding under and over the hedgehog's bound feet.

Why did it have to be water?! Sonic hated the stuff, and unless it was a shower or sitting in a glass, he preferred to be well and clear away from it! But now, oh, now… Being trapped in a flooding room was the last thing he wanted. Jerking at the cable, Sonic tried to loosen it from his wrists, noting the end of it glowed the same blue as his cuffs. Great, that explained why it was so solidly stuck to them, and the cold, wet flow reaching his knees told him that getting the cuffs disconnected was only half the battle. Even if his wrists and ankles were free, he couldn't swim worth lead penny.

Still, he couldn't help but kick out, desperately trying to tread water, even as it reached his chest before changing tactics and grabbing at the cable. If he could only find some way to climb it…surely the room wasn't going to flood all the way to the ceiling? Sonic lifted his legs, swinging them, trying anything that could possibly get him a good enough grip further up the cable, his hands too close together to even inch further up the rough, metal cord. Then it was all too late, Sonic barely remembering to gasp in a deep lungful of precious oxygen before the water rose above his head, then to the ceiling. Stay calm, don't panic. Save your air. He wants you to panic. He told himself, forcing down the effects of being submerged in his most overwhelming phobia. He hasn't killed you yet. You've Just got to hold your breath.

That was one thing he could count on- The Doc's preference for live prisoners. It was really the only thing Sonic knew he could count on, even as he could just see him grinning from the panel on the wall through the distortion of the water. Dr. Eggman was loving every moment of this as Sonic shuddered and squirmed on the end of his rope before going still to conserve his air. It was something he could count on, right?

Right?

Wrong.

This wasn't some silly moment to make Sonic miserable, or to drive in how serious his capture was. He had no interest in making some ransom video, or even just to prove a point. This was entertainment, by his torture, plain and simple. Dr. Eggman's grin grew as the hedgehog on the other side of his screen squeezed his eyes tightly shut, the first sign of strain showing in his face and the occasional twitch, before the lean chest jerked slightly, the hedgehog's abdomen tucking in before jerking again. The hedgehog squirmed slightly, lifting his knees and arcing his back slightly as of that would aid his struggle, but his reddening cheeks were betraying Sonic, showing that the air in his burning lungs was running short.

Then it was if something had snapped, panic rising faster than he could stop it as he squirmed harder against his bonds, thrashing before he could stop himself, trying to make what little remaining oxygen left in him last, but it just wasn't enough. Laughing, Dr. Eggman watched as the hedgehog's breathing reflex kicked in, the bubbles leaving his mouth as water was sucked in to take its place, and the real thrashing began; instinctive desperation to reach air the above that wasn't coming fast enough to prevent the fluid from filling him, painfully choking on the substance.

But Sonic had been right about one thing; Dr. Eggman had no intentions of killing him yet, and even as he began to black out, the water around him was draining, and the cable going slack to drop him to the floor like a beached fish. He barely heard the door open, his pointed ears waterlogged as Shadow tipped him over his knee, thumping his back to aid the flow of water from the blue hedgehog's lungs so he could cough and gasp the much-needed oxygen back into his air-starved body. Dropping Sonic to let him gag up the water from his stomach, Shadow left the room again.

"Did you enjoy your bath, rodent?" The Doctor taunted from the screen, his mocking tone drawing the prisoner back to the here and now, shifting to pull himself to his knees to show some kind of stubborn resistance, even as his heart pounded in his chest. "Let me help you up. You look horrible." The cable pulled on Sonic's hands, his eyes cracking open to see them lifted up, and pulling back to try to prevent the inevitable. His resistance was hindered by the fact he was still just trying to catch his breath, and Sonic was unable to keep from being suspended once more, feeling like he was now being hung to dry. "…Shut up…" He rasped, coughing again as he forced himself to take deep, filling lungful after lungful, and at least the Doc' was giving him a moment to get himself sorted out.

Just enough time, it would seem, before the sound of rushing water filled his ears again. "Wha- N-no!" This time Sonic knew what was coming, lifting his feet in anxious anticipation. "This isn't funny, Eggman!" The laugher that greeted his ears made him shudder, as cold and cruel as the water that was filling the room. "Oh, but my little rodent, we've only just begun!" Green eyes widened as Sonic realized just how out of control everything had gotten, taking another deep breath as the water flowed over his head, almost panicking immediately as the sensation of asphyxiation began to rise.

No air.

I need it.

No air.

Calm down.

I can't!

You have to.

I have to breathe!

Sonic lost count of how many times the pattern repeated; holding his breath as long as he could before he began to truly drown, only to be saved just as his body began to give out. To make it harder on him, the Doctor made sure no two times were the same. The second time the water surrounded him, the cable went slack before he started gulping water. The third, he was hung by his feet; forced to try to lift himself free of the too-slowly rising surface before the water passed his ankles. On the fourth the cord again went slack, dropping him in as he thrashed for air, leaving him to sink. The fifth and sixth were hard to remember; his head now pounding as hard as his heart, his lungs screaming at him after being filled and drained so many times with the unforgiving fluids. Adrenaline ruled his body, and it hurt just to think.

Just when he thought he couldn't survive another immersion, the cable was removed from his wrists and Shadow dragged the weak, waterlogged hedgehog out of the room and down the hall, throwing him into his cell to collapse into a limp, shaking, panting heap. He was barely aware of his surroundings as it was. It took awhile after he'd left for Sonic to realize his wrist and ankle cuffs had released, instead simply laying where he'd been left as his foggy mind finally let him drift off into blissful unconsciousness.