Me: Disclaimer (that I may have forgotten in the first chapter): I own none of the original Sonic characters, though there may be one or two introduced character who are, for the most part, MINE! Enjoy!
Sonic's eyes slowly drifted open. He groaned slightly, shifted, tried to turn over and fall back asleep. He was so uncomfortable, and the ground beneath him was hard and cold. Sonic, his mind informed him, You've fallen asleep on the roof again. He sighed. When would he learn?
Despite his discomfort, he still wasn't quite ready to wake up. He shifted again, now on his stomach, and sighed deeply, the side of his face meshing into the roof below him at he started drifting off again.
He smelled metal.
Sonic's eyes snapped open. There was a metal door not two feet from his nose. What?…Oh. He groaned, this time with annoyance as his memories came flooding back. Slowly, wearily, he sat up, keeping one eye closed as he hadn't yet adjusted to the light. His other eye scanned the room he was in. Small. Boxlike. The same room. …Or was it?
Glancing down, the hedgehog noticed he had been lying on a table of some sort, a surface that hadn't been in the room he'd passed out in. His blood chilled when he saw the wires. They were snaking up from a panel near the floor, reaching up over the table. One of them seemed to be imbedded in his wrist.
Slowly, Sonic lifted the wired hand, his wide eyes examining the point where metal met flesh. He couldn't feel the wires. The rest of his nerves seemed to be functioning properly, but as he gingerly prodded his wrist he felt absolutely nothing. He swallowed thickly, trying to push his slowly mounting panic into the back of his mind.
What had Eggman done to him?
After prodding a little more, Sonic soon noticed that the wires were also connected to his other hand, as well as the back of both elbows. These were draped across the table and seemed to disappear behind him. Following the wires with his eyes, Sonic turned slowly, careful not to shift them too much. He had no idea what would happen or how it would feel if they were suddenly yanked out.
As he shifted, a new sound reached his ears. Rustling. Experimentally, he moved again, listening for the strange sound, trying to pinpoint it's location. It seemed to be coming from behind him, but whenever he turned, the sound turned with him, almost as though…Sonic suddenly went rigid as a thought crossed his mind.
His heart pounding, he felt behind him, his hands running across his back. As he searched, Sonic came across more and more wires. They were all connected to the back of his joints, except for the twelve clusters on his back, traveling in a row up his spine. Oh, and there was one on his neck, imbedded in the back of his scull.
Sonic felt sick. He started panicking. How long had he been out? What were all these wires for? The ones in his scull obviously had something to do with his mind…The hedgehog clenched his eyes shut, imagining everything Eggman could've done to him while he was out. He had done something, if these wires were any indication.
He swallowed again, feeling terror raking inside him. A familiar feeling buzzed in his limbs, urging them to move. Those wires anchored him, bolted him down, held him still. He was trapped. He needed to escape. He needed to run. He needed to get out!
He needed to breath. Sonic shut his eyes and sighed, long and low. With experienced patience, he carefully relaxed himself, little by little, breath by breath. On many occasions, this reckless hunger for action saved his life. Now, however, he needed to think. He sat there on the table, not moving. One minute passed. Then another. Then another. After awhile, his muscled unclenched, loosened. His heart rate slowed. Deep breaths…In…Out…In…Out….
He could never keep his hands from shaking, though. The nervous energy was smoothed out, but it could never be fully controlled. Fortunately, this never really posed a problem.
Sonic leaned forward and closed his eyes. Okay. He was in a small room. Now what? Sonic's eyes studied the featureless room he was in, incomprehensively. A strange fog had settled over his hind, and his thoughts seemed to blend together.
Okay. He was wired into the wall. Right. His was in a room, one he couldn't escape. Oh, that was it! Escape. He needed to escape. How should he escape? Sonic groaned, messaging his temple. What was wrong with him? Normally, escape routs, obstacles, and even possible threats immediately jumped out at him. Now, he felt…exhausted. Not physically, but mentally. It hurt to think.
Man, where's Tails when you need him?
He looked around the room again, pointlessly, trying to comprehend his surroundings. He couldn't concentrate; every time he tried to focus on something, his vision blurred and shifted. Where was he, again? It should be obvious…It was staring him right in the face! What had Eggman done to his head? Eggman. Eggman. Right. Eggman brought him here. Duh.
Come on, man. You get knocked out in Eggman's base, and you wake up wired to the wall. Not that hard.
As his mind started making logical connections, he felt the fog slowly begin to lift. Slowly, but surely, it became easier to concentrate. Details started popping out. Little things. Little things were important.
Focus, man.
Okay, so he needed to escape. He couldn't see any way out. He shook his head lightly. One step at a time. He wasn't going anywhere hooked to the wall.
So step one was…remove the wires. It was logical enough. Start with the wrists, he thought. Free your hands.
It wasn't until he'd already gotten a good grip on said wires that his brain told him this was going to hurt. A lot.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, and started to pull.
XXxxXXxxXXxxXX
In an entirely different room, Robotnic frowned, irritated as he took in the flashing lights before him. Blast that hedgehog…It seemed he was awake.
Metal appeared beside him, standing at a respectful distance, his glowing red eyes staring strait ahead. "Master," his robotic voice droned. "The alarms-"
"Yes, I know."
The robot waited patiently for an order, and when none came, he quietly asked. "What would you have me do?" Metal was, for once, glad that his voice portrayed no emotion, else his master might've detected a hint of eagerness in it. He'd been maintaining the experiment constantly since Sonic's capture a few weeks ago, and was looking forward to finally doing what he'd been built for. In his own, unspoken opinion, he'd been idle far too long.
His master was silent a moment longer, and Metal waited patiently. "Metal," Robotnic murmured, and the robot was instantly listening.
"Yes Master?"
"It's time."
"'Time', Master?"
"Time to wake the experiment."
The robot felt disappointment hover around him, but he refused to let it settle. He had known this would happen eventually. It wasn't a surprise. Even so, he had hoped to have one last mission, to serve Robotnic one last time before... "Yes master," Metal responded, bowing respectfully, and obediently turned and left.
As the door whirred shut, Robotnic frowned, observing the readings once more. "Hmmmm…." He murmured. Perhaps he should send…but then, what would be the fun in that? A moment's more thought, and he'd made his decision, typing in commands to his computer. He'd wanted to test his experiment, hadn't he?
XXxxXXxxXXxxXX
"Ah," Sonic gasped, breathing in sharply at the pain prickled his skin. He paused a moment, letting it fade slightly, before again checking the fresh wound. There was a tiny bead of blood pooling from where the wire had once been, lodged into the back of his knee
The hedgehog closed his eyes again, trying to control his shaking hands. He had no idea what Eggman had done to him. It was so…so…disturbing.
He took a deep breath, released it. Right. Almost done. He'd removed most of the wires without much difficulty, and the strange numbness did wonders to lessen his pain.
The ones on his back and neck, though, would be a problem. From what he could tell, the wires were attached to his spine. He didn't know much about his own anatomy, but enough to know it'd be bad if he damaged that particular bone. Very bad. Paralyzed bad. And then there was the one in his scull…He could easily kill himself removing that one.
Sonic frowned, trying to think through the problem. This was Tails' thing, not his: thinking things through. He himself was an action person; he got things done. His little brother, however, could sit for hours. He would plan things out long into the night, the whole night if need be. Sonic would usually enter his workshop the next morning to find him asleep at his desk, diagrams and blueprints spread out before him.
He smiled slightly. Tails had known. He'd recognized the trap and had urged them to head back. Sonic should have listened from the very beginning, before they'd even entered the base. If he had, he wouldn't be…
He swallowed, his mind coming back to his current problem, then frowned and shook his head. Well, he had one more wire to remove before he had to deal with the ones behind him. He sighed and reached down to grasp the one on his ankle
Sharp pain traveled up his leg as the wire suddenly jerked itself out. Sonic watched in shock as the once dormant wire suddenly came alive, writhing and twitching like a wounded snake. That wire had just…pulled itself out. Then, what about…Cautiously, he reached behind him and gently probed the wires on his back. Nothing happened. He closed his eyes in relief.
Good, he thought. That would've really-
Sonic suddenly lurched forward as the wires in his head started twitching, shifting. Disconnecting.
Hurt.
After a moment, he blinked, confused. It actually wasn't that bad. It was a weird feeling. He was still numb and strangely desensitized, but he could feel the wires shifting themselves, preparing to…to…
Sonic's back arched, his eyes wide as the wires suddenly yanked themselves out, all at once. He barely noticed as they all slivered back toward the wall, pulling themselves back through the panel. He sat there a moment longer, frozen in shock, then collapsed, shivering onto the table.
Ow.
XXxxXXxxXXxxXX
Robotnic grinned, watching from the computer screens and his enemy trembled on the table, helpless as an infant. Priceless.
XXxxXXxxXXxxXX
It took several minutes for Sonic to start moving again. He felt like he'd just been dipped in molten lava; every inch of him burned. The parts of his body that were once numb now buzzed as the nerves suddenly awoke from their temporary slumber. Ow. Ow. Owowowowow.
Sonic sat up slowly, clenching his eyes shut, waiting for the pain to pass, as he knew it would. Breath in….Breath out….Breath in…Breath out…
Eventually, the fire became a dull throb. Oh, he was going to ache for days after this. He groaned, annoyed, and stood.
THUD.
XXxxXXxxXXxxXX
In the computer room, Robotnic laughed, watching his most powerful, feared enemy fall flat on his face.
XXxxXXxxXXxxXX
"Ow." Grumbling, Sonic pushed himself off the floor, onto his elbows. Huh. His legs didn't seem to be working right. He froze, rewinding his sentence. Had…Had Eggman…paralyzed him? The feeling rose up inside him again, and Sonic closed his eyes, once more forcing himself to relax. You don't know that, he told himself. You probably just haven't used them in awhile. He ground his teeth nervously at the thought. How long had he even been here, anyway?
Long enough for Eggman to paralyze you. Sonic groaned. I don't know that!he repeated . Slowly, carefully, he tried once again to stand. At first, his legs didn't seem to want to obey his commands, but after awhile, he managed to move to a kneeling position. Sonic sighed. His arms had shaken with the effort of holding himself up. Those wires had really taken it out of him.
After several minutes of struggling, shaking, and falling, Sonic finally managed to stand. He groaned. He couldn't escape like this! His legs felt like noodles. Sighing, Sonic stretched and began walking around the room, trying to wake up his muscles.
XXxxXXxxXXxxXX
On the other side of the base, Metal typed in the last few commands, putting the finishing touches on his master's precious creation. The robot paused a moment, editing 'precious' out of his previous thought. It made him sound bitter. Robots didn't get bitter.
He pressed the release valve and waited as the creation's containment vessel slowly opened. The creature inside stood still for a moment, blinking it's bright green eyes. Then, it stepped out of the capsule and stretched.
Metal immediately began instructing it, as he'd been ordered. "You are Robotnic's creation," he informed it, "And are therefore bound to-"
"Follow his every command and be forever in his service," the creature completed flatly, sounding bored. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I was programmed with the rules, same as you. What, do I have to recite a pledge or something?"
Metal's eyes flickered with annoyance, the closest he could get to a frown. He didn't like this. Not at all. Everything about it was wrong. "No," he answered, though he recognized the question to be rhetorical. He bowed his head slightly, showing respect as he'd been instructed, acknowledging its higher ranking. "Master has an assignment for you."
Metal saw the creatures eyes brighten, and its expression became eager, almost dangerous. "Oh?" it responded, grinning. "What would that be then?"
XXxxXXxxXXxxXX
Sonic was thrilled. His paralysis seemed to be wearing off! He still felt a little light-headed and was definitely weaker that he used to be, but every step he took renewed his strength.
With his exercise, another side-effect made itself known. He was starving. Now that the pain from the wires had nearly faded, he could feel hunger gnawing at his insides. Actually, his hunger would explain his weakened state…When was the last time he'd eaten…or been fed? He paused in his walking to touch his neck gingerly. He hadn't remembered there being any tube stuck down his throat, but it burned steadily, so he guessed something had been there at one point or another.
Sonic sighed, feeling revolted again, and glanced around the room. Now that he had his strength back, more-or-less anyway, he had focus on getting out. He frowned, staring hard at the door. He hadn't been able to break through this door before, so he doubted he'd be able to this time.
He narrowed his eyes, thinking, then jumped back in surprise as the door suddenly slid open. For a moment, he just stared at the open door, confused. Then he frowned again and glanced around the room, searching for cameras. There were none. Well, none visible anyway. Right. Either someone was on their way, or he was being led into a trap. Again.
He sighed. Well, there was only one way to find out…
He stepped through the door and immediately rushed down the nearest hallway. He had no idea where he was, but that didn't matter very much to him. Usually, if he kept running in the same direction, bursting through whatever wall got in his way, he would eventually find his exit.
Unless he came across a wall like the one used for his cell. He frowned, clenching his fists as a thought shot through his head. That metal was the first Eggman had produced that was strong enough to hold him in. If he started making everything from that metal, like his robots, for instance…
He shook his head slightly, dislodging the thought from the front of his mind. One step at a time, he reminded himself.He would cross that bridge when he came to it, maybe discuss it with Tails. As soon as he got out of here.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't see the figure waiting, shrouded in shadow, until it suddenly rammed into him, effectively knocking the air from his lungs. He hit the ground, skidding with his momentum as the thing leapt back. Sonic was on his feet before he stopped sliding, rolling and pushing himself up with lightning speed.
He was winded, though, and had to pause for a moment to catch his breath. Still weak. Jeeze, those wires had really-
Sonic's brain short-circuited as his attacker suddenly blurred into focus. Noticing his shock, the…thing folded it's arms, casually leaning against the wall as it smirked at him.
This was…wrong. So very, very wrong.
It was an abomination.
It shouldn't exist.
Sonic's heart hammered in his chest as the realization of what the creature was sunk into his skin. He stared at its green eyes, its blue fur, its toothy grin. A perfect replica. Of himself.
The clone grinned, watching with amusement as horror filled Sonic's features. "Hello."
Me: I know I've been dormant awhile, but I came back, as I always will. The title makes sense now, doesn't it?
Quick question: Has anyone read a 'Sonic clone' story before? I don't mean Shadow or Metal Sonic; I mean an actual honest-to-God clone. I know there must be a few out there, but I could only find one. *pouts*
Anyway, I incorporate reader's advice into the story ALL THE TIME. So, if you've got anything AT ALL to say, I'd love to hear from you. It's the reason I'm writing online: FEEDBACK. Now, go press the shiny blue button at the end of this ridiculously long arrow.
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
V