Chapter 7
"Robotnik? What are you doing?" My sleepy ears woke me to the sound of familiar tormented screams, and the agonizing cries of drowning. I sat up groggily and stared at the shadow in front of the new TV set.
A few years had past since he first found me, but with the discovery of my speed and our happy friendship, it hadn't seemed like a long time. We had just celebrated my ninth birthday and his twenty-eighth a couple days ago, and that TV set had been our present.
It was too bright to really see what he was watching, but I knew from the screams that it wasn't good. He turned to me and smiled.
"It's nothing, Sonic. Go back to sleep." But there was something wrong with his voice...it sounded like he was crying.
"Wakey wakey." The ground was metal beneath me as I was shaken awake with an iron hand, the child's voice robotic, yet alive above me. I opened my eyes and saw a black robotic child in the shape of a bunny shaking awake my friends in the cages above me. But I watched confusion as he went to the cage on the right side of Shadow's instead of the left like I remembered. Was Amy still there?
I turned to face the one above me and saw a black robotic wolf pup with happy red eyes staring at me in anticipation, "Good, you're awake!" He grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet, only to take my chains and hold me in place, "Now we just have to wait for your friends." He was smiling at me, but I didn't smile back.
When I was here before, both him and the bunny over there were our guards. They were programmed to partially think and feel for themselves, as well as talk and pretend to be our friends. They had been an experiment to see how we would react to kindness and a positive stimulus. In some ways, I felt guilty for leaving them behind...but at the same time, I didn't. They were created here and were treated with the utmost care by the Doctor...we hadn't been.
I looked away and closed my eyes, "Do you remember me, Okami?" The Good Doctor had both me and my sister refer to the robots with these names, and they would refer to us and themselves in the same way. The bunny over there was named Bani, and the wolf pup beside me was called Okami.
His happy, positive voice responded, the chains rattling in excitement, "Of course I remember you, Maurice! We were best friends." I felt his metal hand on my shoulder, and opened my eyes to look at him again. His red eyes were ecstatic to see me, and I couldn't help but feel better in his company.
"Okami.."I whispered, and he leaned in to listen, "Could you call me Sonic?" His eyes widened in curiosity and shock.
"Why?" He whispered back.
"I..I just want to be called that." I said with a smile. The pup smiled back and nodded.
"Of course!" He said rather loudly. I jumped at this sudden outburst, "Glad to have you back, Sonic!" Bani turned to look at us, his hand gently trying to shake the black and red hedgehog who seemed fast asleep..Either that, or he was faking it. The bunny had been trying to shake him awake now for a while, but he wasn't responding.
"Sonic?" He asked, his voice cute and calming, "Is that his name now?" Okami nodded, and Bani giggled, "It fits!" He went back to shaking Shadow, seeming to grow more and more violent with each shake.
Finally, he gave up and walked over to Okami, "All the others are awake, but the one named Shadow is being mean." He looked close to crying as he stared at the floor sadly, "Why is he so mean?" He turned to me and hugged me, his arms gentle as his face buried itself into my fur, "I just wanted to follow my orders..." He was just a child. Even if he was a robot, all his thoughts and programmed feelings were set to mimic that of a young child.
I had nothing to say accept, "That's just Shadow." In truth, I didn't want him to wake up...not to this. I knew that he wasn't prepared for what was in store, The Ultimate Life-form or not. I had done this before, and I wasn't prepared.
"Alright!" He ran back to Shadow's cage, "I'll keep trying then." With that, he continued to shake him with more patience than ever, "Come on Shadow! Time to wake up." He said happily. He kind of reminded me of my little bunny friend, Cream. She was a young, cream colored bunny with brown patches that looked and acted around the same age as Bani, and I sincerely hoped that she wouldn't be taken with the rest of us. She was far too young for any of this…
Then something sparked a bit of hope as I remembered the way Amy was captured. She had been with Cream and though she was captured, Cream had been left alone. Certainly that meant something.
I closed my eyes once more, "I hope she's okay.." I whispered to myself. Okami looked over but said nothing.
My eyes snapped open...Tails. Would he be dragged into this?
Panic filled my throat as I stared at the what looked like a new arrival. I couldn't make out the face though as whoever it was was shrouded in darkness, but I could sense their eyes. Though Tails was older than Cream by six years, the twelve year old was still too young to know. He was still too young to understand this, and he shouldn't have to.
I turned to Okami, "He left Tails, right." My voice was filled with fear as I imagined the young fox's reaction to this nightmare, "He isn't so cruel that he would bring him into this...right?" At this, Okami looked away, and said nothing. The unusual cage rustled, and I saw amethyst eyes looking at me in confusion and a dazed stupor. His gloved, spiked hands wrapped around the bars as my dear friend, Knuckles, chained and sedated, tried to break the bars of his enclosure. I breathed a shaking sigh of relief, the idea of Tails not being privy to this chaos a huge weight off my shoulders.
But Okami replaced the fear as he continued, "Your adopted brother, Tails, insane friend, Amy, and little bee, Charmy have all been moved to safe quarters. Their minds are too young and unstable to handle your punishment today." My heart sunk, "So do not worry, they will be treated with the utmost care and love so as to keep them safe while they remain with us." He was smiling and more robotic than ever as he relayed that message. I hung my head. Why did they have to be dragged into this?
"What about Knuckles and Shadow?" My fists were clenched. Though my younger friends were safe..for now..the fact that they were forced to stay behind bars, and grow in a place like this was enraging to me.
"They are within the age limit to watch." He responded, gripping my chains tightly, "They are more violent and less controllable, so a lesson is in order." My fists released, a realization coming to my mind. Why was I blaming the robots? This was his fault…
Shadow still refused to open his eyes, and the little bunny was crying frantically at him, "Please wake up, Shadow! The Good Doctor doesn't take kindly to being late-" He never fully finished his sentence though as the door opened abruptly to my left.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, the cold darkness of the room increasing ten fold, "I've been waiting for you all in the hallway." The dark, static voice stated to the room. I didn't look at him, "And what has gotten you down, dear child?" I felt him grip the back of my collar, "Aren't you happy to be back with me?"
"Go to hell." I snarled back.
He chuckled knowingly, "But I'm already in it..."He lifted me off my feet, the chains rattling beneath me, "And now, so are you." He turned me so that I stared into his malicious, sad eyes, the crimson burning with pain, and the emerald shattered with insanity. Defiance filled my emerald eyes, and I stared him down, unblinking...unyielding. I wasn't a child, and I wasn't going to let this creature scare me anymore. We were going to escape.
"I escaped, and I can do it again." I smirked, "But this time, I won't leave anyone behind." I felt his hidden, malicious smile crawl up my spine.
"That so?" He mused, "My, my, how brave you've gotten," Before I could think of what he said, I was in the wall, bars bruising my back as I fell to the floor. I groaned, clutching my back and rubbing my aching ribs as he approached, "But I won't make the same mistake twice." He was kneeling down in front of me, petting my head softly, "I own you." He whispered in my ear, the static sending chills through my broken bones, and tracing the racing neurons of my mind.
I shook my head, growling in response, "Nobody owns me!" I tried to fight his hand away, but he only grabbed my wrists with one hand and held my face with the other. I struggled, but his grip felt stronger than the robots. I could hear Knuckle's angry cries echoing from within his cage as he struggled to get to me, but could do nothing…
I felt helpless against him.
He chortled once more as his aged eyes studied me, "We'll see how you feel after your punishment." He took my collar and lifted me up in the air again. I tried to peel his gloved hands off, but the sedatives and childhood fear sapped my strength. I wanted to run...run far, far away from this place. I wanted to be back in Tail's lab with all my friends, chatting and having fun..But I couldn't. I was trapped...tied down.
I was still fighting though, "I'll never belong to you!" I cried out, my quills sharpening themselves into knives, and my feet kicking with as much intensity as I could. But he wasn't even phased.
"You already do." Was all he said, and that alone drilled the final screw in my heart's prison. He threw me to the ground and put his large, metal foot on my chest so that I couldn't move. Slowly, he started to remove the chains attached to my legs and arms, leaving the irons around my wrists and ankles, and the chains around my neck. Then with a chuckle, he lifted me to my feet and attached the last chain to what looked like a metal belt concealed within his cloak, "You can leave this one to me, Okami." He looked at him, "Take the other two, and make sure they don't escape."
I tried to make a mad dash for it, but the chains held, and he didn't even flinch. The large, unyielding chain was too short to truly get any real speed, and the heavy, steel irons made it even harder to even walk. The sedatives dulled my mind and made it so that the more I fought to get away, the less my muscles obeyed. I was trapped beside the one man I could truly say that I hated. Even Robotnik couldn't come close to the hatred I felt for this man.
But at the same time, I also wanted to protect him. I wanted to love and obey this abusive creature. The thought made me want to gag, and fight still more to get away, but I could only stand in a growling silence. His obtrusive, gloved hand slowly stroked my quills and scratched behind my ears.
He used to reward us as kids with stuffed animals and cookies whenever we were good during an experiment. But the experiments ranged from killing robots in horrific ways to being shocked and burned with strange crystals and heavy wires. I would rather not mention the experiments in-between.
He only shocked me with the real Chaos Emeralds once...I would never wish that pain upon even him, and I hope he didn't do that to her. I have always hoped that my tortured screams and unending tears made a dent in his "research", but something deep down told me that nothing could.
I looked up from my sickening thoughts, trying to ignore his touch, and watched as Bani still couldn't get Shadow to stop pretending to sleep. I knew he was faking it, but unfortunately, so did The Doctor.
He dragged me over to the cage, pushed Bani out of the way, and grabbed the immortal teen by the throat. He woke up instantly and began to fight viciously, however, much like me, the heavy irons and drugs in his system kept him from doing much.
Okami held Knuckles back as Shadow was dragged effortlessly into the open and pinned to the ground by The Good Doctor's boot, "Well, don't you look familiar..." His static voice seemed mildly surprised at seeing Shadow's face and coloring, "However, being the biological cousin to Ogilvie," He gestured to me and I flinched at the name, "That should be no surprise." My face turned bright red as everyone in the room besides the doctor looked at me in shock.
Yes...my real, real name was Ogilvie Maurice the Hedgehog, the first name given to me by my father, and my first middle name by my mother. I had always gone by Maurice though as, seriously, who in the world would want to be called, Ogilvie? Last time I checked, that was also the name of a really bad disease.
Shadow didn't even struggle as the chains on his arms and legs were removed and he was placed on the other side of the doctor. All he could do was stare with wide, crimson eyes at me. Knuckles seemed to move on rather quickly though as he began fighting again.
I had known the name(how could I not?) but I had no clue that I was actually related to Shadow, and apparently, he didn't either. This fact played about his face rather nicely. I had also never seen him truly surprised and speechless either, so I myself was surprised at his surprise. Needless to say, we were just staring at each other for who knew how long. We didn't even struggle as The Good Doctor led us through the door and down the hall toward my doom.
Our footsteps echoed on the hard, metal floor, the walls, lights, and doors around us blinding in their white light. It was like walking through snow walls with bright mini suns right above us. It was definitely a lot different than the darkened dungeon like room I had awoken in, but was the same to what I remembered as a child.
Fear swam its way into my teenage heart and I tried to make another dash for it in the opposite direction we were going. This time, my pull startled him and he stopped to stare at me as I tripped and fell, the momentum of my desperate attempt betraying my footing.
"You seem to be fearful of me, child." He picked me up off the ground and held me in place so I could once again stare deep into his broken eyes, "But I don't remember ever causing true damage to your body." Knuckles and Shadow were both watching this with wide eyes, the robots keeping them from really doing anything at all, "Unlike with your...parents," He spat that word, "You were very well cared for in my company." Knuckles's eyes were shifting from me to him while Shadow just watched me, "So why do you persist with this useless temper-tantrum?" He was gripping my shoulder so hard that it hurt.
"Well cared for." I chuckled at those words, "Is that what you thought of hooking me up to seven volatile crystals and shocking me till I was half dead? Is that what you think of in making an innocent four year old girl and boy beg for forgiveness as you drown them?" I started laughing, the insane sound cold and humorless as I broke down into broken fits and menacing giggles. Then suddenly, I stopped, my eyes boring into his, "You've damaged me far more than you could ever imagine." I could feel the Echidna's fixed stare when he heard of the seven volatile crystals and Shadow's stare leaving as I called "The Good Doctor" out on only two of the hundreds of things he did to us.
However, the doctor himself didn't even flinch at these accusations, "Children are so emotional these days." He turned and continued walking, all the while dragging me by my quills down the hallway to which I cried out in pain, "At least the other two are obedient." He seemed slightly annoyed with my outburst and kept only gripping harder and harder onto my quills.
I couldn't help but cry out, "Let Go!" As we rounded a corner. But he only chuckled.
"I told you to be careful with your choices or you'll lose your precious quills, did I not?" He was back to his numb voice and merciless ways, as though my cries only made him happier. Suddenly, Knuckles's huge voice filled the hallway.
"Leave him alone, Bastard!" He shouted threateningly. I turned to look at him and was shaking my head "no" at him but he continued to persist, "Why not pick on someone your own size!" He was redder than normal, and was fighting Okami savagely in order to get to The Good Doctor, but the man didn't even turn around.
"If you are insinuating that I fight you, than you would be killed without question." He stopped and threw me to the ground by my quills, breaking one of them without any empathy as though to showcase his strength. I bit my tongue upon landing and refused to give him the satisfaction of a pain-filled shriek, all the while trying to feel which one he had broken, "Trust me." He turned to look at Knuckles who backed down at his empty, malicious eyes.
I found the offending quill and steeled myself to pull it. I knew that if I left it in for any length of time, it would hinder me, and the broken portion of it could get infected. I had left a broken quill in once before...it had not been pretty. They grow back eventually anyways.
The Doctor waited, watching my shaking hand on my spine. He had never seen me pull my own quill, even as a child. He had always had to do it for me. I remembered those agonizing moments, but somehow they were always sweetened with a lollipop he had always used to give me and my sister after such a procedure.
I closed my eyes, bit my glove and pulled. It came right out, but not before making me scream into my glove in agony. It felt like I was getting stabbed in the back of the head, and I could feel the warm, black blood oozing from the wound down my other cobalt quills. I was shaking as I looked at the quill in my hand and slowly released my teeth from my cloth glove.
The drugs in my system began to dull the pain in my head almost instantly, but the adrenaline and initial pain of the wound still remained imprinted in my mind for a couple minutes.
His voice filled my ears and broke the stunned silence, pleased with my strength, "Look at you." I could feel his smile as he knelt down and scratched behind my left ear, "I wonder who taught you that." He continued to scratch behind my ears, and at this point, I didn't really care if he did. I was too worn to do anything to stop it...and in some ways, I welcomed it. My mind felt like it was slowly trying to go back to the way it used to think before I met Robotnik. It felt like it was trying to go back to the scared child willing to take any bit of kindness it could get no matter who or what was giving it.
NO! My mind screamed, Don't you dare give in!
Suddenly, I growled and shook his hands off, "I taught myself." I pushed myself to my feet and turned away from him, my hands balled into fists and my teeth clenched. I was different now. I was the hero of Mobius, and this creep wasn't going to under my skin again. I...I've faced worse….
"Curious isn't it?" He walked up behind me, Shadow's chain rattling as he tried to resist, but failed against his overwhelming strength and drugs, "As soon as one is set free, he becomes arrogant and proud. He cares for no one besides himself, and forgets the love he was shown by his father." He chuckled, "You are no different." He placed a hand on my shoulder, but it was gentle this time, "Come, Maurice. I will knock this annoying rebel out of you, and we can be a happy family once more." I refused to look at him and planted my feet where they were.
He chuckled, grabbed my chain and yanked me with him. I fought back once more, "You aren't my father!" I growled.
"No, but then again, you never had one." He decided, coming up to a large, white double door, "But I am a much better replacement to the neglectful, 'guardian' you used to have." He grabbed the handle, "You should thank me: I did you a favor in releasing you from his...watchful eye."
He opened the doors to reveal a huge, white room with a black, glass window in the wall and a six foot tall, two foot wide glass box in the center of the room. It was hooked up to a metal tube in the top of it, and I could just see a closed off drain in the bottom of it.
A green crocodile and purple Chameleon who I recognized as Victor and Espio both stood near it. Two black, twin robot bunnies held their chains and prevented them from doing anything besides talking.
I recognized those two bunnies...they were truly evil. They were programmed to be emotionless and cold to us...they were the ones that brought me to that one chamber with the wires and crystals. I had hoped to never see them again...but then again, I had hoped to ever see this place again. Beggars can't be choosers.
Though Victor and Espio were talking before, they went silent at the sound of the door. They both tried to turn their heads to look at us, but the bunnies wouldn't allow it and held them firm.
"Who's that?" Vector's funny, reptilian voice asked seriously. I could tell that they were both scared out of their minds, but were, at the same time, hiding it as any normal person would. Even I tried to conceal it, but with the doctor's unwavering attention to me, he made sure that I wasn't allowed to hide.
Knuckles shouted to them, "It's us, Vector." Now they were fighting to turn around.
"Knuckles? Who else is with you?" Espio asked next, fighting the robots in order to look. The Good Doctor just watched this conversation with a scientist's fascination...kind of creepy.
"Sonic and Shadow." Knuckles elaborated and I could hear their sighs of relief. I started to panic, and the glass box in front of them only made that worse every time I looked at it. This false relief I heard was agonizing to know, and I wanted to break them out of it, but I couldn't speak. The knowledge of what was coming gagged me.
"Are you guys here to break us out?" Vector asked hopefully, "This bunny is nasty." He said jokingly, gesturing to the robot holding his chains. Nobody laughed or even cracked a smile.
Espio managed to turn his head around for a second before the bunny beside him forced him back, "Who's that with you? Is he an ally?"
Shadow answered this time, "No." He said in a soft, low voice. It was so quiet that it took all of us a minute to understand, but when we did, I could see the back muscles of the crocodile and chameleon tighten in reaction.
The Good Doctor seemed to have his fill of the conversation, "Okami, Bani, take these two up there." The robots obeyed without delay and took both Knuckles and Shadow up to stand beside Vector and Espio. I wanted to join them. It seemed nice to stare at an empty tank...But I knew I wasn't so lucky.
Still hooked up to the Doctor's belt, he placed a hand on my shoulder and said so that everyone in the room could hear, "Don't make me have to do this again, Maurice. I don't like having to punish you." Somehow, I didn't believe him as he started walking up to the tank, dragging me by my collar.
I once again fought, but this time harder than ever before. I clawed at his hands and kicked furiously, trying to break free from his grip. He didn't care and kept walking.
I saw my friends' faces as I passed. They were all shocked and worried, the idea of me being defeated like this filling their hearts with dread. I had always been there to save them, but now...there was no one to save me or them. My true fear of being helpless filled my mind, and before I knew it, I had stopped fighting.
The Good Doctor stopped and studied my shadowed face, "Much better." He said, "Isn't this better than always fighting or running away?" He asked. I didn't answer, my heart too depressed to do anything. The look in my friend's hopeless eyes filled me with overwhelming despair.
He threw me inside the tank, and before I could recover, chained me to the bottom, and closed it tight. He then went and stood beside everyone else. I ran to the closed door and placed my hands on it. I didn't even know why. It was a programmed response to place your hands on your container. Who knows, maybe it was a comforting mechanism to touch the glass and know that just beyond it was freedom. I stared at my oppressor, a soft, drained defiance written in my soul.
He held up his hand to signal to the bots that I knew were waiting above to start the water, but before he could give the signal, a black, robotic hedgehog pup burst in with a promiscuous, white bat. She had teal eyes and tan skin, her wings black and shining in the phosphorescent lights. She wore a black jumpsuit with a pink heart over her well endowed chest, and white boots with pink hearts on the toes. Her hands and arms were covered with matching, white gloves and she wore flattering makeup at all times.
This was Rouge, Rouge the Bat, and the reason why I said she was promiscuous was because of the way she talked and what she wore. She always used her sexy moves and speech to daze or get rid of enemies, and/or entice her allies. She's tried it with me and Shadow, but we aren't as inclined to accept some of her offers.
Her irritated, mysterious voice came in and slapped us all in the face, "Get your hands off me, kid." The little hedgehog chuckled, "Man, for a child robot, you sure are rude." The pup had her by her arms and was dragging her in without much effort even as she fought.
"Ah, Rouge, nice of you to join us." The Good Doctor said softly, his hand still raised, "It took some time to find you, but it wasn't too difficult." I started banging on the glass, yelling as loud as I could:
"ROUGE, GET OUT OF HERE!" But no one could hear me. She did however hear the banging and turned to face me. A look of shock and confusion filled her eyes despite her overall face remaining calm and collected.
"Why don't you bring her right here beside me, Kokoro." The Doctor motioned to his left so that Rouge would be away from the others. I knew why. He wanted to keep an eye on her to make sure she couldn't escape. She wasn't drugged or chained, and looked like she had just been brought in. My guess was, he didn't want to take the chance.
She was half-walked, half-dragged to his side, and when she got there, she smirked, "What are you going to do to this wild hedgehog, Hotshot?" She said in as sexy of a voice as possible. It's sad that I could hear them, but they couldn't hear me.
The Doctor wasn't phased and kept a strong hand on her shoulder, "I'm going to teach him a lesson."
"What lesson?" She crossed her arms with a look of slight interest in the topic.
"To never run from me again." I was shocked that he was even answering her questions...maybe he liked her? The idea made me a little sick.
"Good luck!" She chortled at the idea, "He's too-" She was trying to come up with the correct word, "-Sonic, to be taught anything like that." She waved his "lesson" away, "Even Eggman could never tame his unruly spirit." He looked at her, and I once again felt his smile behind that dark, menacing mask.
"Robotnik never tried." He said simply, "He was only trying to keep him out of my hands." Rouge's eyes grew large, despite her calm manner.
"Robotnik and Sonic are bitter enemies." She corrected him, her eyes returning to their normal seductive nature, "Besides, why would he be keeping him from you? You don't seem that bad...besides the kidnapping part-that is." Shadow, Knuckles, Espio, and Vector all turned to gaze at her, and for the first time, The Good Doctor also just stared, speechless into her cyan eyes.
She looked at them, "What?"
Shadow piped up, his voice quiet, "You don't know." She looked into his drugged, sad eyes and realized her mistake. She immediately looked at me, and studied my injuries.
I had a cracked rib that, though it was healing quickly, still left a large bruise on my chest. A black stream of blood was still etched into my quills, and my arms and legs were black and blue from fighting so hard.
She hadn't noticed any of this upon entrance, and in truth, I wasn't surprised. I had been blocked from full view by my older friends, and their backs had been turned to her so she couldn't see the mental damage done to them.
A dark look faded into her eyes as she took it all in. She wasn't used to seeing this, and in truth, after all these years, I wasn't either. I had grown up away from this abuse, and suddenly being thrust back into it again filled me with a nightmarish nostalgia. It was a bad dream that had followed me through the years, and even now, I was still contemplating on it's reality. Deep down, I was still hoping it was just a nightmare, and I would wake up on a grassy hill, or in my buddy's workshop. But I also knew deep down, that this was no nightmare.
"What are you going to do to him?" She asked him quietly. All pretense was gone, and with it, her flirtatious attitude.
"Watch, dear child." He turned back to me, his mismatched eyes glaring, and dark, "Watch and learn." His arm had been raised the entire time, and only now did he drop it.
That was the cursed signal for the robots above me, and with a surge of panic, I felt the water around my ankles. I pounded on the metal glass, fear in my eyes of the water that was now at my knees.
"Later, I will brush you up on your swimming, Maurice." He decided as he watched me pound and slosh around in the murky poison, "I'm sure you won't disappoint me." He said that dangerously, but I didn't care. The water was up to my waist, the black blood on my quills washing away to mix with it.
I saw him press a button on his arm, and Suddenly, I could hear myself outside of this box. I covered my mouth, determined not to give him the screams for forgiveness that I knew he wanted.
It was up to my neck now, the rushing water biting my muzzle, and tearing at my sanity. I watched him push another button, and my erratic heartbeat could be heard, the beeping monitor filling the room with a fleeting fear.
I couldn't breath anymore as the waterfall dove me underwater. The shackles kept me pinned to the bottom, and my hands kept me from taking in any water, but my breath had ceased.
I looked up to the pocket of air shining like a beacon above me. This gave me comfort and I released my mouth, but still held my breath.
Beep..Beep..Beep..Beep..My eyes flickered, my lungs burning as the light dimmed around my vision.
"Are you crying?" I asked softly, my friend turning the TV off and coming to sit by my side, "Why did those screams sound so familiar?" He smiled.
Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...Please...I wanted to breath, but the blue terror around me was suffocating me.
"It was just a sad horror movie." He told me, "That was likely an actress you recognized." He was probably right. There's no way he would lie to me, so…
Beep….Beep….I fell, the metal ground vicious below me as the water fell through. I sputtered and threw up the access water in my lungs. I turned to look at him and my eyes widened. He already had his arm back up in the air.
I tried to crawl to the door, and touched it, hoping beyond hope that it would open. Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw Rouge holding her mouth and Shadow turning away. Vector, Espio, and my dear friend Knuckles were all being held back by the robots as they tried to get to me, but failed as they were subdued and forced to continue watching.
His hand came crashing down, and with it, so did the water, "You've left me no choice, Maurice." My fist fell helplessly against the glass as the waterfall fell once more.
My heart was racing again, the frantic beats filling my mind as the real thing hammered my skull. I was shaking violently as the water reached my head in no time. I was on the ground after all.
I still held my breath, not daring to let go. My vision was falling away, taking me with it.
Beep..Beep..Beep..Help…
I smiled back, "Okay.." I looked around the room, the darkness filling my head with sleep. I yawned, the sound sending me thoughts of my dream, "Hey Robotnik?"
Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep...My emerald eyes stared up at the fleeing light. It always left too soon.
"Yeah Kiddo?" He asked, his eyebrow raised. I chuckled.
"Why are dreams so scary?"
Beep….Beep….Beep….a repeated story, told again and again through time. This story will morph and soon will become a twisted lie.
The water drained, the metal leaving marks in my damaged skin as I fell once more. The cycle repeated, but my breath was mine, and I refused to give it up.
Beep..Beep…
"Well.." He thought for a moment, "Not all dreams are scary." He got up and assumed a silly position, making me laugh, "I mean, I had a dream last night about a big poke-dot elephant that was helping me with my laundry." I made a face.
"You did not!" I laughed.
Beep…Beep….memories don't keep.
"I did too, and you were riding it!" His green eyes sparkled as they watched me light up in a happy laughter. When I had calmed down, he sat down beside me and dinged my nose, "See, not all dreams are bad." My smile faded.
"Then...why are mine?"
Beep…...But you've held onto the memory, and made it into something it wasn't. Happy memories have turned twisted and confused, while bad memories have poisoned your mind with hopes and lies. You watch as you stumble on a rock, and think of ways you could've avoided that rock.
He hesitated, "I'm sure you've had some good dreams before..." I cocked my head, "They're just overshadowed by the bad ones." He petted my head.
"How do I remember the good ones?"
Beep….Beep...…..….….Before long, you forget the rock in your story, and it's left to fester in your soul like an open wound.
I fell to the ground once more, but I didn't even bother to get up this time. I had lost all the feeling in my arms and legs, and I couldn't even remember which round we were on. I knew it had been more then seven, but I lost count after that.
I watched weakly as he raised his arm one more time, and let it drop.
I heard the water crash, and I was weightless. A long, drawn out line of sound rung in my ear.
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee- Why we forget to add such facts has always been a mystery. Perhaps it's to save time, or perhaps, it's to make yourself forget that one mistake, or that one helpless moment in your life: that one person in your life that you took for granted.
He smiled, his light making the nightmares flee, "You just have to believe that you had them." He looked into my eyes, "And sooner or later, you'll see them." I nodded, and hugged him.
"Thank you, Robotnik!"
I didn't even try to hold my breath this time. I just wanted it to end.
Dimly, I felt myself hit the floor, my eyes dull and glassy as I stared at my horrified friends. Their voices slowly came to me even when my heartbeat did not.
"You killed him!" Rouge was crying.
"Sonic!" Knuckles was screaming my name, but seeing no response from my limp body, he turned to the Doctor, "You monster." He was growling, and I could see small tears falling down his cheeks.
Shadow was silent, and stayed turned away. The bots couldn't even get him to look. Espio and Vector could only stare, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed. I couldn't blame them..I could only blame myself.
Beep…..Beep….A soft heartbeat filled the room, and with bated breath, everyone watched. My body, though numb at first, began to burn. Stabbing pains shot through my muscles while my bones weighed me down like irons. I was too weak to do anything, but they all seemed relieved and surprised that I wasn't dead.
The Good Doctor spoke, his voice parting the verbal waves of everyone else, "Don't make me do that again, Maurice." He walked up to the tank, and opened it knowing I was too weak to do anything. I couldn't even get up, "Off to bed with you." He decided softly, his static voice making me feel like death as he stroked my wet, shivering quills.
We were all led away by the robots, The Good Doctor staying behind with a sorrowful look in his eyes. He had commissioned Shadow to carry me, despite Knuckles insistence that he do it. They all looked at me sadly, their hero broken in a way they had never known.
Shadow was the only one who looked ahead, and I couldn't help but be reminded of a long winding road, and a tall, brotherly boy who took pity on a broken blue hedgehog. I closed my eyes, the nightmares of today fading away into the happy memories of the past.