WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME DISTURBING MATERIAL!

PRESENT

Sonic slowly awoke, trying to figure out if he was really awake or just having a vivid dream. There was something warm pressed against his entire body and he didn't mind one bit. His eyes opened a bit and he saw Mina snuggled into his chest. He smiled and pulled her closer, waking her up as she stared at him with puppy-like eyes. For what felt like the first time he could see just how attractive she was.

"Good morning," she purred, snuggling deeper into his chest. At that moment they both snapped awake. "What the hell?!" she screamed and jumped away from him, falling off the bunk. "What were you doing?"

"What was I doing?" Sonic yelled back as he stood up. "You were in bed with me!" Mina stood up and Sonic's eyes fell across her body. He blushed as he saw that she was completely nude and despite his best efforts could not tear his eyes away. Mina looked down and immediately covered herself.

"You pervert! You undressed me while I was sleeping!" she said as her entire body blushed. "And would you put on some pants?" Sonic looked down and realized that he was naked as well. He grabbed the sheet they'd been under and handed it to her, covering himself with the pillow. "Do I really want to know why we're both naked?"

"I'm as lost as you are on this one," Sonic admitted. "The last thing I remember is that I was about to become a chew toy."

"Yeah, it was more or less the same thing for me too," Mina said. She looked around and saw that their clothes were scattered on the floor. "You don't think we...Oh God."

"With all the other crap going on THAT'S what you focus on?" Sonic asked as he picked up his shirt. It was completely shredded from where the beast had clawed him but he didn't know it'd been this bad. He tossed it to the side and grabbed his pants instead.

"I'm getting dressed first," Mina announced and Sonic looked up just as she dropped the sheet. "No peeking." As she slowly dressed Sonic still found himself unable to look away though Mina was making no attempt at effectively concealing herself. She was nowhere near as curvy or graceful as Fiona but there was something else about her that was driving him wild.

What is wrong with me? he thought as he shook his head. Mina finally finished and he felt himself calming down.

"Okay, now your turn," she said. Sonic nodded and turned around to put on the pants. Mina watched him intently. She had no idea why she suddenly felt this way but it wasn't all bad. As she stared she noticed something that made everything about him click. She could understand what Sylvanix saw in him and what made him so special.

"My God you have a fantastic ass." Sonic slowly turned to stare at her from tying his boots and she turned beet red. That was not what she had meant to say but it just popped out. Why did I say that? she thought. But he does. I've never seen an ass like that.

"Uh, what?" Sonic asked as Mina continued to stare.

"Um, uh, nothing! Just...nothing!" she said, shaking her head and waving her hands in front of her. Sonic shook his head and finished getting dressed. Then the two of them looked around their tiny cell. "So I hate to ask this but how are we alive?"

"Normally I wouldn't complain but I'm with you on that one," Sonic answered. "Cid was determined to kill us. What would possibly change her mind?"

"Interesting you should ask," a female voice said. They turned to the cell door to see a middle-aged woman in a lab coat and two guards. The woman had her brown hair in a bun and a pair of glasses sliding down her nose. She was just a bit shorter than Sonic with ordinary features.

"Who invited the nerd?" Mina asked and the woman glared at her over her glasses.

"I'd say it's nice to meet you but I'm a terrible liar," Sonic said, his eyes narrowing. "Mina, this is Cid."

"That's 'Cidana' to vermin like you," Cidana Magorium-Kintobor snapped. "You seem to take after your father in calling me by that name." She adjusted her glasses. "As for why you're alive I decided that you were worth keeping after you killed my specimens."

"What were those things?" Sonic asked. Cidana smiled and chuckled.

"Normally I wouldn't bother telling you but I can see how much they bothered you," she explained. "They are the result of over thirty years of research. Splicing together Mobian DNA over and over and over with other Mobians to create the perfect image of evolution." Sonic could taste bile in his mouth. "The term for such a creation is 'chimera'. And the two that you killed I could care less about." Her eyes narrowed as she glared at them. "When it comes to my gorgimera, however, I am not so forgiving."

"You mean that second thing?" Mina asked. "Does it help that neither of us know how it died?" Cidana snorted.

"How can you not remember something like that?" she asked, looking to Sonic. "It is for that reason alone that you are still alive. I'm curious to know about that little transformation of yours."

"Fat chance getting me to use it again," Sonic said, now realizing what had happened.

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," Cidana said, waving the issue away and laughing. "See, I'm now hoping to have a little more fun with the two of you. Well, likely not as much fun as you two are going to have with each other." She laughed again and walked away with the guards.

"Is it normal to hate someone this much just after meeting them?" Mina asked as she sat back down on the bunk.

"When it comes to Cid, definitely," Sonic replied, taking a seat next to her.

"So what transformation was she talking about?" Sonic didn't react at all but mentally thanked Kuroc.

"It's...a long story," he answered simply. "I'll tell you when we get out of here. What I want to know is what she meant by us having fun."

"Do you really want to know?" Mina asked, glancing over at him and Sonic chuckled.

"Good point." He stretched out, feeling surprisingly good considering everything they'd been through. "Hey, does your head still hurt?"

Not for the reason you're thinking, Mina thought and mentally slapped herself. "Yeah but nothing compared to before," she said. "Why? Is it a sign of something?"

"No, just trying to figure out what's going on," Sonic replied. "Well whatever that drug was blocking out powers before seems to have worn off. That is unless Cid's the one that patched us up."

"You're talking about the regeneration thing, right?" Mina asked and Sonic nodded. "I don't see any bandages so it must have kicked in. Doesn't explain why drugs would affect us though."

"Painkillers and all that still work like normal," Sonic explained. "It's not a physical injury or illness so I don't think our abilities recognize it."

"Then you were right about the headaches. They must have been from something she gave us," she said and he nodded. "Now the question is what she gave us for killing her gorgi-whatever."

"Engorgedimera." Mina stared at Sonic as he shook his head. "Gorgimera," he corrected himself. Where had that come from?

"Is it hot in here or is it just me?" Mina asked suddenly. She missed the fact that she'd only been staring at Sonic's abs and backside the entire time after Cidana had left. "I'm feeling really warm all of a sudden."

"There's something wrong with the air," Sonic said taking a deep breath. "I'm not sure what it is but I think it's doing something to our judgment. As for being warm I'm starting to feel it too."

"Probably that judgment thing, right?" Mina asked and Sonic nodded. "I think this is almost worse than the headache. I can think now but all I can think about is...well..."

"Tell me about it," Sonic replied stealing a glance at her. "At least the headaches didn't let us make bad decisions."

"I don't think you'd be all that bad," Mina let slip as she covered her mouth. "I, uh, didn't mean to say that out loud."

"I've heard about things like this," Sonic said, leaving her comment be. "They're called aphrodisiacs and they basically heighten sexual awareness. But why didn't it affect her when she was here?"

"Maybe the one she's using doesn't work on hard-ons...I mean humans!" Now Mina was bright red with both hands firmly over her mouth. Sonic couldn't help but laugh at that and Mina joined him, happy that he wasn't holding her responsible for the slip-up.

For several hours they attempted to stay out of each other's pants as best they could. They were rather successful, knowing that the longer they held out the better the chances were that Cidana would make a mistake. Finally they got the reaction they wanted as the scientist made another appearance.

"You two have been almost more irritating than I thought possible," Cidana said with quiet fury. "I will give you credit where it is due, however. Resisting the effects of the drug for this long is quite an accomplishment. Most couples give in after about ten minutes at this dosage."

"Yeah well we're not most subjects," Mina spat at her. "What do you want this time?"

"I'm here to speed up the fun," Cidana replied and motioned to the guards. They opened the cell door and grabbed Mina's biceps dragging her out.

"Let go of me you bastards!" she screamed kicking at their knees. Sonic was right behind them ready to strike. One of them turned and raised his hand towards Sonic. He was wearing a mechanical glove that glowed briefly before firing a burst of rippling air which threw Sonic into the opposite wall.

"How do you like my Suppression Gauntlet?" Cidana asked as they locked the cell again. "An improvement over Robotnik's pathetic little 'R-Wave', don't you think?" Sonic snarled and charged the door. When he touched it an electrical current ran through him, bringing him to the ground in a smoking heap. "Do be careful. I haven't had my fun with you yet." With that they walked away, Mina kicking and screaming the entire time.

Sonic sat against the wall trying to undo the knot in his stomach. Every now and then he would hear Mina screaming and sobbing, each time tightening the knot in his gut. He didn't want to know what they were doing to her even though he had a pretty good idea. It had been an hour already and it just kept going. The sound of incoming footsteps made him anxious expecting Cidana to toss Mina's body onto the ground in front of him.

"Look at you," a nasally male voice said but Sonic didn't look at him. "Are you just going to sit there like a pathetic lump? Or are you going to go and save her?"

"Don't you think I've tried?" he said dejectedly. "I can't do anything to get out of here. And the longer I'm stuck in here the worse it is for her." He clenched his fists. "There's not a damn thing I can do and that bitch Cid knows it."

"You are not the same hedgehog I once knew," the man said. "He wouldn't just give up. He would find a way no matter how badly the odds were stacked against him." Now Sonic was intrigued. The voice was familiar but he couldn't place it. He looked over and blinked to clear his vision. Even though it was clear he still blinked, unwilling to believe what he seeing.

"But...how did you...why are you...?" In front of the cell dressed in a green coat and black slacks was Snively Kintobor. "The last time I saw you was when-"

"It was when Kinos threw me into the Void," Snively finished in his nasal voice. "It's not the sort of thing one forgets, hedgehog. Cidana came and retrieved me from Void using the Portal Room Naugus had built." He rolled his sleeve up, anticipating Sonic's next question. "There was no real permanent damage, nothing I can't live with anyway." His left shoulder and bicep were entirely crystalline but moved as though they were flesh and blood. He rolled the sleeve back down. "What are you doing here?"

"Being useless," Sonic repeated looking back to the opposite wall.

"I see that Cidana finally got to you," he said as he rummaged through his pockets. "I wouldn't feel too bad. She does it to everyone, even her husband."

"Wouldn't feel too bad?" Sonic snarled, leaping to his feet. "Do you have any idea what it is they're doing to her in there? How many times do they have to violate her before they've had their fill? Why not just kill us and get this over with?"

"That's the hedgehog I remember," Snively said. "Her husband felt the same way about her experiments. But in truth the whole time they were married she was experimenting on him." Sonic let his curiosity get the better of him and asked what Snively meant. "She used the marriage to further her own research. Her husband was nothing but a means to an end." A door slamming in the distance caught his attention. "It seems that Cidana is finished with your friend. For what it's worth I am sorry." He tossed Sonic a scrap of paper. "Be sure to read that when she's finished with you," he said and walked away just as Cidana returned. The guards opened the door and deposited Mina on the floor. She was still alive but obviously traumatized. Before Sonic could go over to her the guards grabbed him.

"I wouldn't resist if I were you," Cidana suggested. "Otherwise things will only get worse for the mongoose later on." Sonic started to snarl but looked over to Mina to see her huddled in the corner crying.

"Fine," he said, defeated. The guards led him out and down the hall. They passed an open door where Sonic could hear bits and pieces of the other guards' conversations. They were bragging about the things they had done to Mina and Sonic felt his blood boil. He wanted nothing more than to rip all of them apart but he knew that doing so would only end up hurting Mina more if they didn't escape. He was so absorbed in thought that he barely noticed when they entered a room and he was secured in a giant metal ring.

"It seems that you've become quite the obedient little hedgehog," Cidana said, lifting his chin. "All that enthusiasm you had earlier seems to have drained out finally."

"I'm going to kill you, Cid," Sonic promised calmly, fury filling his eyes. "I'm going to rip your heart out and let you watch it stop in front of you. But that's nothing compared to what I'll do to your guards for what they did to Mina."

"Hmm, well I suppose I can live with being wrong in this case," the human said, unfazed by Sonic's threat. "Good to see you still have some spunk in you. Must be something Colin said to you." She picked up a needle and injected it into Sonic's neck. "There. How are you feeling now?"

"Do what you want to me," Sonic said. "It doesn't change the fact that you aren't leaving here alive."

"Interesting you should say that," Cidana said with a smile, picking up a metal pipe and swinging it. Sonic remained unfazed as Cidana looked up at him again amusedly. "Incredible. Most people have at least some reaction but you didn't even notice that your leg is broken." Confused, Sonic looked down to see that she spoke the truth. His right leg was twisted at an odd angle, obviously broken, but yet there was no pain.

"What the hell?"

"It's a special painkiller I've been developing," Cidana explained as she walked over to a control panel. "It shuts off the pain receptors in the brain, allowing me to inflict countless injuries to your body while keeping you conscious. It really isn't any fun when my subjects pass out." Sonic tried to move his arms and legs but found them completely useless. "That won't do you any good either. Those restraints block the nerve receptors in your arms and legs. Rather handy for rowdy subjects like yourself."

"What do you want from me?" Sonic asked simply. He just wanted this to be over with. If she wanted state secrets he would gladly trade them just to keep Mina safe or for Cidana to just kill them both.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Cidana said, her smile gone and replaced with a look of pure hate. "You and I have some unfinished business."

"What are you talking about?" Sonic replied. "This is the first time we've met."

"But not the first time you've encountered my work. Doesn't my last name ring a bell?" Sonic thought for a moment until it dawned on him. "Yes, I see you understand. Now, do you remember my son, Daryl?"

"I guess that's what he meant," Sonic muttered, thinking on what Snively had said. "Do you even know what Robotnik did to him? He killed his own son!" Cidana gave a dismissive wave.

"Like I care," she said and Sonic could feel bile rising in his throat. "Even in cybernetic form much of the work I put into Daryl wasn't lost, at least not the important bits. That idiot husband of mine at least managed to not entirely screw up." She leaned forward on the control panel to glare at him. "You, on the other hand, actually dealt the killing blow. Now THAT I care about. Not because he's my son but because of the irreplaceable research that went into the boy."

"You really are one twisted bitch," Sonic replied sick to his stomach.

"Then I lose two more important subjects because of you," she continued. "Even though Kinos was incomplete I could still see how nanites and flesh worked together. That made him a 'good' mistake. As for the other hedgehog..." Sonic knew she was talking about Shadow but said nothing. "...studying his psychological and physiological reactions to becoming flesh and blood was well worth the time it took to find those two gems. But now he's disappeared and Kinos is dead, again thanks to you."

"And I'd do it all again," Sonic said without thinking. After mentally kicking himself he was surprised to see Cidana's reaction was not one of anger but amusement.

"I'm glad you feel that way," she said with a smile, "because you're going to help me test a few new toys I've been developing." She pulled a leg out from under the control panel. "Looks like an ordinary leg, correct? I actually got the idea from when Julian sent his reports to Arias about Robotization, how it can turn flesh into metal. That got me thinking, 'What if I could create a metal that mimicked flesh?'. Of course, every test subject I've tried this on has died."

"Ain't that just a cryin' shame," Sonic mocked.

"It seems that when the metal fuses with the nerves it always caused a pain overload, basically shorting out their brains and making them worthless for the remainder of the test," Cidana continued, unfazed by Sonic. "Surprisingly this happened even with the painkiller that I've given you. However, that's only been with humans and one-tailed Mobians. At least if this doesn't work with you I still have the mongoose. That is, of course, once my crew is finished having fun with her." The last was said with a cruel smile and Sonic felt his hate rise back up.

"Before this is over you will die," he repeated with a snarl but Cidana simply laughed.

"So you keep threatening but I have yet to see any proof," she said as she toyed with the commands on the panel. A series of surgical tools, almost all of which Sonic didn't recognize, came down in front of him. Cidana stepped away from the panel and put on a surgical mask and gloves. "Now normally I'd say you'd feel a little pain but that won't be the case," she explained as she grabbed a red-tipped tool. The tip began to glow brightly and Sonic could smell the heat coming off of it. His platform rose making it so her face was at his hip. Sonic closed his eyes and braced himself but no pain ever came, just as she had said. After a few moments he felt his right leg swing free of the restraints. Hoping that he now had a way to attacking her he tried to kick.

That's when he saw one of her assistants taking a leg away from Cidana. His leg. He looked down to see that where his right leg had been was now nothing but a short stump. There was no blood but the smell of burning flesh was quickly filling the air.

"What the fuck did you do to me?!" he yelled, trying to throw himself at her in a panic. Cidana just laughed.

"This is always the best part," she said, picking out another tool. "But I wouldn't worry too much about that if I were you. We are far from finished here."