Chapter Revised [x]

(Rachel's POV)

To my amazement, Bokkun wasn't kidding. He really did have friends for me to meet. And low and behold, they weren't just any regular friends either. They were freaking robots!

I gawked curiously at the two robots standing in front of me. One was tall, lanky, and suited in golden colored metal, while the other was short and stumpy, and sported metal that was silver colored. They both had big, metallic eyes that held animated expressions, and from what I could gather, they possessed human qualities that enabled them to walk, talk, and react like humans. It was incredibly surreal.

I had never met robots this advanced before. I didn't even know these kind of robots existed anywhere in the world. But then again, we were outside my world. So I should learn to expect the unexpected.

But it was almost like these two were real people! I was more excited than I wanted to admit. And that was probably influenced by the fact that I lived a completely normal life before coming here. It was such a gigantic leap into scientific magnificence. I never thought I would get the chance to experience something this incredible.

Bokkun gestured towards his robot friends. "See? There you have it! I told you I was telling the truth! I can't believe you doubted me," he pouted.

I retorted by rolling my eyes playfully and flashing a giddy smirk, keeping my attention locked on the two humanoid robots. I noticed the silver one appeared normal and completely at ease, while the gold one looked like he was anxious...and even more excited than me at the moment, which I didn't think was possible. He stood bouncing in his steps, rattling the screws wired into his framework and stared at me in a star-struck manner. I ignored his odd behavior and put a smile out on display, pushing everything that had taken place not too long ago to the back of my mind.

"Hi. You must be Decoe and Bocoe," I stated, keeping my tone casual.

The silver one lifted his metal-linked hand upwards, aiming his thumb at himself and his gold comrade. "Indeed we are! I'm Bocoe, and this here is Decoe," he said in a hollow, processed robot voice that was still able to carry a tone. "And I'm guessing that you're-"

"So...so...so adorable!" The gold one, who I presumed was Decoe, finished for him, visibly exploding with a strange newfound happiness. Bocoe stopped and looked at him weirdly, while I lifted an eyebrow. Did he just say I was adorable?

"Er come again?" was all I could spit out.

He jumped forward, clamping his hand around mine and shaking it up and down vigorously. I made a small noise out of surprise.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you! Your name's Rachel, right?" he asked me.

I nodded quickly, almost in sync with his swift arm movements as he jerked my hand vertically nonstop.

"Yes, Rachel!" he went on. "I apologize for being so excited. Very very sorry. You must excuse me. It's been a while since I've been fully functioning, and I haven't seen a female in ages! Let alone a human girl! Truly remarkable! Plus I couldn't help but notice that you look like you're really nice. I was expecting someone fierce and mean-looking. But you...you seem sweet as can be!"

I widened my eyes at him before giggling. I was a little confused as to why he expected me to look mean, but the flattery was too great for me to care. And I thought meeting robots was something cool. He himself seemed to be getting a kick out of the fact that I was human, and a girl. I suddenly became extremely kind, like a celebrity greeting a fan.

"Oh, well thanks, Decoe. That's nice of you to say."

Decoe breathed out dreamily, still holding my hand as they both dropped from movement. But then Bocoe came from the side and whacked him upside the head, snapping him out of his awe-induced trance.

"Decoe, you're making a fool out of yourself. Why don't you get it together!"

Decoe released my hand, and I quickly brought it back to my side. He gripped his head and grunted in pain. "Hey! Don't whack on me, you bag of bolts!"

Bocoe sneered at him. "What are you gonna do about it, screws for brains?"

"Loose gears!"

"Heh. Jammed gears!"

"Hunk-a-junk!"

"Circuit buster!"

"Service impaired!"

"Wire-tangled!"

"CHUNKY!"

Bocoe gasped, looking stricken with horror. "HUH! D-Did you just call me chunky...?"

His hurt look then morphed into an expression of unquenchable rage. "That's it! You went too far that time!" he exclaimed, banging his head up against Decoe's forehead. The two glared at each other competitively, like a pair of rams wrestling their horns for dominance.

It took a second to bubble inside, but before I could stop myself, I doubled over and let out loud gasps of laughter at the scene, unable to contain it any longer. It'd been about two minutes since I met these guys, and I liked them already. They were pretty hilarious. A great relief to all the tension and frustration that I'd been experiencing since I got here.

I hadn't laughed in forever, and boy did it feel good. My own laughter was like music to my ears. My chest heaved as I lifted my head to look back at the bickering robots, who now had turned their gaze confusingly in my direction.

I grinned, realizing why the sight was so satisfying of me. But then I felt a twinge of homesickness and my smile faltered.

They reminded me of my twin siblings, Emma and Travis. The way they argued like two opposites, when really they were alike in nearly every way. It made me miss my brother and sister even more than I already had, and I sighed sadly before masking the sudden depression.

Bokkun flew in between Decoe and Bocoe in order to separate them. "Ladies, ladies, let's break this up," he teased. "You're making a horrible impression on Rachel here."

I chuckled while wiping away some of the moist residue under my eyes. They had started to water from laughing so hard, and maybe even a few tears had emerged from thinking about my brother and sister again.

"Oh no. It's actually the opposite, Bokkun. Believe it or not, these two gave me the first real laugh since...I don't even remember when," I corrected him.

Decoe and Bocoe lost their hard expressions, seemingly smiling, even though they lacked mouths. "Good! We enjoy making people happy. We never seem to be able to please the Doctor," said Decoe.

Bocoe then stepped in. "It's true. He's a hard nut to crack, or better yet, a tough rag to ring."

He then paused. "Hey! That reminds me, we were meaning to congratulate you!"

I paused and stared at him curiously. "Oh yeah? For what exactly?"

They both jumped forward simultaneously.

"For what you did!" they declared in unison.

Decoe pointed at me. "Dr. Eggman told us about how you nearly strangled him the day you got here! It was unbelievably shocking to hear, but it's also unbelievably great!"

Bocoe joined in. "Yeah! When he told us, we both had a hard time believing it. But alas, it's true after all! We pretended to be sympathetic when he told us. We acted like we were all sad, remorseful, like we felt sorry or something. But actually, we were amazed! You're like our hero!"

"You did what we've wanted to do for years, only mere seconds after meeting him! We bow before you," Decoe said, dipping the upper part of his body downward in a bow. It was hard to depict whether he was joking or being serious.

My face began to flush. I had forgotten all about the incident where I nearly choked Eggman to death. But apparently, Eggman hadn't. Looking back now, I felt as though I might have taken things a bit out of proportion, despite how heroic these two were making it sound.

"O-Oh. Well, thanks, you guys. But it's nothing to be proud of, honestly," I admitted shamefully.

Bocoe digressed. "No, you're wrong! You should be very proud! Not everyone is able to bring themselves to do something like that to the Doctor."

Decoe laughed alongside him. "Exactly! That's why I thought you wouldn't look as kind as you do. I thought you would have to be really scary and hostile to do something like that. But I was wrong! You got guts, kid. It was really brave."

My mouth dropped in an epiphany. They really looked up to me just because I had a panic attack and attempted to strangle some chubby scientist? Really, I was only going along with my instincts when that happened. I wasn't trying to be cool or rebellious. It just happened. Their admiration was weird...yet kind of flattering. I giggled with an open-mouthed grin.

Bokkun, who was hovering between the two, stopped and frowned at me, his eyes traveling down to my mid-section area. "Wait a second. Rachel. What's that all over your shirt?"

I dropped my smile and furrowed my eyes at him, looking down to see what he was talking about. At first, I didn't see anything unusual.

"Huh? What do you mean-?"

But then, I held my breath, freezing the air pocket in my throat. My stomach took a dip into nausea, and my happily thumping heart sank along with it.

On the front of my white shirt, close to the edge that was nearly shielded by my cardigan, was a large stain of blood that looked was slowly enlarging.

Reality came crashing back to me with a vengeance.

(Shadow's POV)

"Greetings there, newcomer! And welcome to Club de la Glace S che!" a tall, gray colored Lynx declared when he caught sight of me. His voice arched over the music and sounds of people talking and clinking glasses. My eyes shifted in his direction.

I instantly took note of the Lynx's appearance. He was an inhabitant here on Rozorus, yet he looked like the same species as I...an oversized animal with human abilities, (my abilities more than likely surpassing his) yet he lived on a planet far from the world where Sonic and his friends derived from.

The Lynx was mainly gray, but his ears were tipped black, like they'd been dipped in charcoal ink, and there were various black patches covering the rest of his fur. He had large fangs, almost large enough to completely protrude over his bottom lip. His eyes were an electric, luminescent blue color, and it made him appear almost evil. He had on a black leather jacket that was torn around the chest area, loose leather trousers, and polished black shoes. His gloves were black, with sharpened, silver pyramids on the knuckles.

The guy may have appeared creepy to anyone else, but I saw right through his patchy, leather nonsense, and could see he was obviously trying way too hard. He didn't intimidate me at all.

I was so busy examining his attire, that I didn't notice how he'd maneuvered his way through the bustling crowd of young adults, all of which were also animals, and was now towering over me curiously. He stared down at me and tried to detect any vulnerability.

"Hm, you seem kind of familiar," he said in a low, roughly-edged voice that reminded me of crushed glass. "Have you attended my club before?"

I blinked. "Your club? So I'm assuming you're the owner then," I stated. Now I had a better idea of who to get the Chaos Emerald from.

He grinned, baring his white fangs. "Indeed. My name is Rorschach. Rorschach the Lynx."

"...Pleasure," I said. "And you speak English?"

Though Dr. Eggman said the sign outside was in French.

The Lynx named Rorschach nodded quickly. "Yes. I speak fluently in many languages. But English and French are definitely the most common."

And now I was stumped. How was it that this galaxy spoke the same languages from Earth? I had never seen or heard anything like this. And I had traveled quite a distance through the universe, and already visited many galaxies. But never did any of them share even a small relation to the human ways of life.

"And just who might you be?" he said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I hesitated on telling him my name. But I knew if I didn't, we wouldn't get anywhere.

"It's Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog."

Rorschach's glowing blue eyes widened. "Shadow...That name...Ah! Yes! I have heard of you after all! Shadow the Hedgehog! Yes, I've had visitors speak of you and your treason in other galaxies. Well...they didn't exactly speak of you. But let's just say, I found out all about you on my own. From what I hear, you're quite the destructive one, aren't you?" he said with a sly grin, nudging my shoulder with his spiked fist.

I cleared his touch away from me. Who here could've possibly been able to tell him anything about me? How could anyone have come here and spoke of the things I'd done in the past? Most of the residents on the planets I'd traveled to were either too frightened to speak of me again, or never lived to tell the tale.

Is that what I was known for now? For being 'quite the destructive one'?

Rorschach shrugged. "Never mind that. Why don't you stop by the bar for a drink? I highly recommend it. People all over the world stop by here for a taste of my club's finest wine."

I growled and stepped closer to him, shooting him a threatening glare. "Enough of this. I'm not here to play games or make small talk, Rorschach, and you must know that. If you're the club owner, then you also know the whereabouts of the Chaos Emerald I'm after, correct? If that's the case, there's no use in lying and saying it's nowhere near here, we've already tracked it down with our radar. I won't hesitate to kill any of these club guests of yours if I have to. So don't be a fool and hand it over. I assure you I'll leave as soon as you do."

Rorschach blinked twice, bewildered by my sudden change in mood.

He then did the unexpected. He threw his head back and howled in laughter. Many of the guests lifted their heads and peered over in our direction questioningly. I myself was a little confused, and annoyed. Did he not take me seriously or something? Does he really think I'm lying?

Rorschach then sighed out the last of his chuckles and brought his neck down to look at me. "Oh, how humorous your hostility is. But there's no need for all that, Shadow the Hedgehog. In fact, I admit that your assumptions are true. I do know where the Emerald is. And get this. It's with me right now," he said, patting a pocket on the side of his pants. "I have no problem giving it to you without the entire hullabaloo. No one needs to get hurt or killed. But in all seriousness, I admire you for your courageousness to speak to me in that manner. I do insist you take a minute to breathe. Sit down. Relax. You look like you haven't done so in years. Please have a drink. It's on the house."

I crossed my arms irritably. Really, all I wanted was to get the Chaos Emerald and go. I wanted to get back to the Egg Carrier. I wanted to check on Rachel.

But if he insists on keeping me here longer, I might as well go with it.

It's the least I could do if he's handing over the Chaos Emerald willingly, saving me the trouble of having to end lives over it. And now, he's offering me the hospitality of his club. No charge.

Then I stopped. What if this is all a trick? He doesn't look like someone who is naturally generous. He might have something brutal planned out for me. Maybe a trap.

I then smiled to myself. Ah, to hell with all that. If he wanted to challenge me, so be it. It's been a while since I experienced any diehard action or serious combat. And tonight, that might be exactly what's in store for me. Or then again, maybe I can take a second to just breathe, as he put it.

I let my arms fall to my sides and followed him to the bar.

(Rachel's POV)

"Ow," I hissed in pain. The spot where the blood-stain was had started to sting. My legs were growing tired from running for so long. My body was too weak for this. I wanted to stop, or at least slow down and catch my breath.

"Don't worry, Rachel! We'll figure out some way to help you!" Bocoe panted reassuringly. Him and Decoe each had one of my hands, and were running down the hall while pulling me along. They were running a bit harder than me, seeing as I was being dragged along. But how did this tire them? They're robots. They don't have muscles or lungs.

My legs stumbled over one another a few times, but I brought no attention to this. I just held my head high and tried to keep up with them. Where we were going, I hadn't the slightest clue.

Bokkun flew in front of me, hovering backwards to keep up with our pace and prevent from colliding with me. He reached out one arm and tampered with my shirt, trying to feel the area around the stain of blood. The moment his stubby little finger applied even a small bit of pressure, a sudden sharp bolt of pain exploded right there on the spot. It was like a white-hot stabbing pain that viciously throbbed.

"Aah, stop! Get away!" I gasped, trying not to scream too loudly and alert the robots in front of me. They already looked panicked enough. I didn't want them to worry more and create hysteria.

Bokkun on the other hand, was growing more impatient by the second. Before Decoe and Bocoe had begun dragging me off to God knows where, he had made many attempts to lift my shirt up a little and see what was causing me to bleed. I myself wanted to see it, because previously I wasn't even aware that I was hurt. Where did this blood come from? What could have possibly caused it?

I then felt my mind click, and my stomach flip-flop. What if it was from the Chaos Spear.

I didn't think the energy from Shadow's attack was the kind to break skin. It hadn't worked that way for the man on the subway. But I was smaller than he was.

A chill coursed through my body, making me shudder.

But then I shook those thoughts out of my head. It didn't matter. I'd rag on Shadow later. For now, I wanted to steer clear of any interrogation on what happened between us, get this wound cleaned up, and just act like it never happened. We could start over, no questions asked. Simple as that.

But what will Shadow say when he sees it? Will he even care? Will he be happy that it might've scared some sense into me? I could just hear his voice now.

"That should teach you a lesson. Next time you'll know better than to test my patience."

"Ugh, come on Rachel! Let me see it! I just wanna know what the deal is, especially if YOU don't even know why YOU are bleeding!" Bokkun cried.

I growled. I didn't care how curious he was. It was none of his business.

"Please leave me alone! It's not that big of a deal anyway!" I yelled angrily.

Bokkun stared at me dumbfounded. "Wow, Rachel! You really thought you had me fooled, didn't you! I may not be the most intelligent guy in the universe, but how stupid do you think I am? Hit your head on the window my butt! Something went on between you and Shadow. He attacked you, didn't he!"

I pursed my lips tightly.

Bokkun narrowed his eyes. "Well didn't he!"

Decoe and Bocoe both turned their heads around, slowing down a little but still continuing to sprint. "What? Shadow attacked you? But why would he do such a thing!"

I felt my face turning red. So much for covering for Shadow. Bokkun obviously knew the truth all along, and now these two robots whom I barely knew had found out too. I was sinking deeper and deeper into the quicksand, beyond the point of getting out.

"No...L-Like I said, it doesn't matter," I spat stubbornly, desperately hoping that he would let the subject drop.

Bokkun rolled his eyes and turned back around to navigate where he flew. "Whatever. I cannot believe you! All I want to know is...why would you do that? Why would you try to protect Shadow? I've never heard of hostages covering for their kidnappers. And besides, he's more than capable of protecting himself from the wrath of Dr. Eggman. So it's not like the Doctor's knowledge is an issue. He hurt you, Rachel, and you're not doing anything about it, and trying to make it look like it's nothing. I'm sure you didn't deserve to be injured to the point of bloodshed. Do you really care about Shadow that much?"

I was getting more and more outraged. I was done trying to explain myself, when I simply couldn't. Care about Shadow? Hah! All I wanted was to settle our differences so this whole adventure from Hell would be easier to get through! After all, who really needs to deal with Shadow's bad temper all the time?

But he did have a point. Why was I trying to protect Shadow? It's not like he needed it. Right then my mind started doing mental gymnastics. I couldn't answer my own questions, let alone Bokkun's, and it annoyed me.

So I simply dropped my gaze from his in silence.

After a few more minutes of running, I finally gave up on the suspense and decided to ask the robots the one question that actually mattered to me in this situation.

"Okay. Where are you guys taking me."

But as soon as I asked, they stopped abruptly in front of a wide, iron black door. I craned my neck upwards, seeing that the door-frame stretched up and nearly grazed the bland ceiling. There was a keypad on the side, just like with my room. But the label on the door said A-1 instead of B-12.

A-1? What's inside A-1?

"Hey Bokkun, you wouldn't happen to know the access code, would you?" Decoe asked, turning to look at him.

"Yeah, we still haven't asked the Doctor how to get in," Bocoe added. "But this is an emergency. We need to get there in right now!"

Bokkun crossed his arms and shook his head. "Hah, you guys are funny! Of course I know the code; I know all the codes in this place! And there's no way in heck that I'm giving it to either of you! Of all rooms you could possibly choose now, you choose Dr. Eggman's? That's just asking for trouble!"

I gasped and wrinkled my nose in disgust. Dr. Eggman's room? But...why? How is this going to help anything!

I gritted my teeth to keep any rude remarks from slipping out, while the robots tried desperately to shake the code out of Bokkun, but to no prevail. He seemed pretty dead set on not giving any of us access.

"Please!" Decoe and Bocoe shouted together.

"No." Bokkun answered simply, glaring at the two beneath him.

"Please!"

"No!"

"Please!"

"No!"

"PLEASE!"

"I SAID NO!"

"Cut it out!" I yelled, tired of watching the robots and Bokkun go back and forth at each other. This was like the twins arguing in the worst situation possible, a.k.a. the last thing I needed. Their argument was so pointless, that I almost felt the need to slap sense into every single one of them. But of course, I refrained from doing so.

"Honestly, Decoe and Bocoe, why did you take me here? How is anything in Dr. Eggman's room going to benefit me?" I asked, dipping my head down to inspect the blood stain on my shirt. It had nearly doubled in size, and the center of it had darkened in tint. I swallowed a gulp of air and placed my palm over it protectively.

Decoe cocked his head to the side and stared at me as if it were obvious. "Well, we figured that since we don't know if your flesh wound is deep or not, we were going to let you go into the bathroom and see for yourself, without us there."

Bocoe nodded. "Yeah, just in case you wanted the privacy, you know? And maybe then you could take a shower, clean the wound, and there are some bandages in the cabinet, and a first-aid kit-"

"Wait!" I shouted, to keep him from going further. My eyes were wide with anticipation, and my mouth had dropped open.

"Did you say...shower?" I asked, mindlessly smiling at the idea.

A shower. I had been wanting one of those for a long time now. And I needed it too. My skin was coated in a layer of dirt and grit. My hair was grimy and dull, still saturated with Westopolis rain-water. I looked and felt like someone who hadn't showered in years, let alone weeks. Nothing else mattered anymore. I wouldn't have even given half a care that it was in Eggman's bathroom, or even that I might've been bleeding from an internal organ. I just wanted some good hygiene back.

Decoe and Bocoe exchanged glances and then simultaneously nodded. "Sure, why not? It looks like a shower could do you some good," Bocoe said sheepishly.

I paid no attention to his comment, and turned to look at Bokkun, who was hovering behind my head.

"Oh my gosh, please give them the code, Bokkun! Give them the code, now! I want to take a shower! No, I need to take one! I promise I'll be in and out before Eggman could ever find out I was in there! Please! If you do, I will never ask anything of you again, or call you names or be rude to you! I'm begging you!" I shouted desperately.

Bokkun squinted his eyes at me then sighed. "...Okay fine! Calm your gritz. The code is 1817490121."

I chewed on the edge of my lip, subconsciously storing the code into my memory bank. 1817490121. 1817490121. 1817490121...

Beep

I whipped my head around, just in time to see the door slide open, revealing the lit inside.

Since it was Eggman's room, I expected it to be really fancy and high-class. But instead of looking grand, it appeared futuristic. There were various machines and paperwork scattered about, along with finished and unfinished inventions lined along the chrome shelves that were nailed to the walls. The bed was huge. It would need to be huge to be Eggman's bed. And the posts and headboards were styled in strange curvature. The sheets and pillowcases were covered in a shiny, reflective fabric that I had never seen before in my life. Right above the bed was a stamped symbol of Eggman's face on the wall. And instead of the only light sources coming from the bolted lights on the ceiling and lamp on the bedside, they were made up of various bulbs that were decorated across the walls, all sculpted in complicated shapes, each glowing either white or red. They cast colorful shadows all over the entire room.

Bocoe and Decoe took a look around as well. "Hm, it looks like he did some renovating," Bocoe said to himself.

They both then snapped back to reality, and guided me to a door off to the side, dragging me once again like a prisoner in shackles. Decoe opened the door, and they both used their strength to push me in.

I tripped inside and heard the door slam behind me.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get to it!" they both shouted.

The inside of the bathroom was much like the regular room. Except it was more brightly-lit. But everything was still constructed out of chrome. Including the...

Shower.

I looked up at the beautiful appliance in front of me. My eyes lit up and my mouth fell open. It was like the angels above were singing in a chorus as I stood there, gaping at the shower like I had never seen one before in my sixteen years of life. Like it had been dropped down from heaven itself. The more I stared at it, the more anticipated I became.

I grabbed the shower door-handle and yanked it open, examining all the shiny twists and knobs curiously. I always had this problem back on Earth whenever I slept over at a friend's house. I never knew how to work their showers when it came time to bathe. But this looked like something out of the forty-third century. I hesitated, then pulled the center knob out and turned it to the left, assuming that the left direction would give me hot water.

Suddenly, water sprang out of the showerhead in a warm, powerful mist, soaking my arm and part of my sleeve in the process. I gasped and yanked my hand back before lightly laughing at my stupidity. At least I got this far without any problems. Maybe this would be less complicated than I thought.

I quickly pulled my shoes and socks off, then stripped my clothes off as well. Once I removed my shirt, I examined the area that had soaked through the cloth with blood. There was a lengthy gash caved into my skin. Somehow, looking at it made it hurt worse. I brushed my fingers against it, squeaking as it burned under my touch. I sighed shakily and knew I had no time to waste.

This might hurt a bit.

I stepped into the shower, already welcomed by a warm cloud of silver steam, and closed the door behind me. The moment the water made contact with my wound, the pain was so sharp that I had to clamp down on my tongue to keep from screaming. The dried blood around the shallow cut began softening until it trickled down my stomach, legs, and sank down the drain. After a while, the stinging began to sub-side. I took deep breaths until the pain had finally ceased, and reverted my intentions back to getting clean.

Almost instantly, I could feel the grime sliding off of me. The water was crisp, hot, and refreshing. It sprayed down on me like a geyser. I let out a soft, satisfied whimper while knotting the back of my hair with my fingers. I have never been so grateful for something as simple a shower in my entire life.

My chest tightened and I closed my eyes. I could worry about soap and shampoo later. Right now, just basking in the mist, with a steamy aura hanging around me was enough to make me happy. I let all my worries escape me, and for a moment I even imagined that I was back at home, taking a shower in my own bathroom. Outside, my parents were waiting to kiss me goodnight before they went to bed, and Emma and Travis were lounging on their bunks in their pajamas, watching cartoons or fighting over who got the last slice of pizza.

I could almost hear their voices echoing throughout my skull.

My heart shriveled in sadness.

(Shadow's POV)

"Isn't this a nice place?" Rorschach asked me, rotating his bar seat around in my direction.

I darted my eyes to him while resting my head in my hand. My elbow moved slightly on top of the marble bar table. After ten minutes, I still had no idea what this guy was going at. I paid close attention to his rhythmic, sultry tone and expressive body language. I didn't let anything in the club interrupt my thinking. Not the music or the sound of the customers all trying to talk over each other. If he did so much as even dropped his voice an octave, my attentive ears would twitch. Everything about this mysterious Rorschach character was left for me to decode. So far, I hadn't depicted anything unusual. He just came off as another cocky, charismatic club owner. But I still remained on offense.

"Yes," I said stiffly. "I guess it's energetic enough."

Rorschach kept his eye contact locked with mine as he took a swig of the drink in his cup. It was some sort of thick, foamy white liquid that was encased in an oversized shot glass. After he finished his gulp, he licked the corner of his lip clean and clanked it back down on the tabletop.

"Of course it's energetic! I make sure that the buzz never dies here," he laughed, taking a look around the club. "But, you haven't even seen the best thing we have to offer yet."

I lifted an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

Rorschach tilted his head back and looked towards the stage that stood in the center of the dance floor. There was a band playing jazz music off to the side of it, but no one was actually on stage performing any vocals. There was a lone microphone that stood in place, yet no singer attached to the other side. I averted my gaze back to him, confused.

He saw the look on my face and chuckled. "Allow me to explain, Shadow," he said, coating my name with sticky mockery. "Every night at midnight, we have a singer who comes out and sings a few songs. It's always the same girl, my girl if you will, who performs as entertainment for the club. We do it as part of the closing for every night, since the club closes at 3:00 AM. It's a great way to keep the customers from leaving early, but it also has them coming back for more."

I just continued staring at him. "You have this singer sing for three hours straight. Didn't you say she was your girl?"

A hungry look glazed over his eyes as he nodded. "Yes...she is my girl. Her name is Dakota. She's the most beautiful specimen to ever grace this planet, and she's all mine."

I couldn't help but feel disturbed. He was calling his girlfriend a specimen.

"And she works for you. At your club," I said in a serious, almost disgusted tone. Although Rorschach didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Hell yes. That's how we met. She auditioned for the closing act, and I hired her in a heartbeat. Her beautiful voice combined with her sexual appeal was something too good for me to pass up. We started dating right after I hired her. Of course, I had to break it off with my current girlfriend at the time. She wasn't too happy about it, but that's not my problem. I couldn't help who I'd fallen for. So, it was on to the next one," he stated with a wink.

I shook my head. Why would anyone ever want to be with scum like Rorschach was beyond me. He obviously had no respect for the females on his planet. It even bothered me. Me.

Suddenly, the lights around us dimmed until it was nearly stark black. The only light was coming from the single spotlight on stage. The audience did slow, synchronized claps, and even a few whistles were cooed. I looked up and saw a dark purple cat emerging from the velvet curtains on stage, taking her place at the microphone. The moment she was visible to all the crowd, the applauding grew louder.

The fur on the cat's head was long and styled like human hair. It trailed down the sides of her face in styled flips, with a long swoop covering her left eye. From what I could tell through the other eye, they were a light amethyst color, and were shadowed by her thick eyelashes and glittered makeup. She wore a short black dress that was covered in lavender sparkles and loose jewels. Her black heels clopped against the stage as she positioned herself at the microphone. She smiled gently at the people surrounding her and gave a slight nod of greeting.

"How are you all doing tonight?" she asked in a soft, womanly voice.

Everyone cheered in response, and I even heard a few men shout, "We love you, Dakota babe!"

I raised my eyebrows in slight approval. Dakota was easy on the eyes, I had to admit. But she wasn't as big of a deal as thought previously, the way Rorschach had made her sound. I didn't say this out loud though, and simply watched as she gave the band the cue to start playing with a flick of her wrist, opening her mouth to sing. Instantly, the entire atmosphere of the club changed. A very sensual feeling had drifted through the air as the notes began flowing from her sugared lips.

"I want you to know,
That you've fallen through a hole in the sky.
The strangers welcome you.
As you lose your sanity, they touch your soul.

Let them into your mind.
Let them into, let me in you..."

"Ah," Rorschach sighed, breaking my attention away from Dakota as she swayed and sung. "Her voice. My ears eat it up like candy. Women who can carry a tune have always been something of a fetish for me."

I just shrugged. She wasn't bad. But I found myself thinking something relatively odd, and it shocked me once I realized what it was.

Rachel outdoes this cat by a long shot.

I nearly gasped.

What the hell…? What am I thinking!

I widened my eyes and turned my head down sharply. Don't do that, Shadow. Don't think about her. Not here, not now. The more you think about her, the more you'll be anticipating going to back to the Egg Carrier. I knew I couldn't rush this if I wanted to make any progress.

But I still strongly believed my opinion. Rachel's talent could surpass this loose-looking girl's any day.

Rorschach suddenly glared at me in a furious manner, but then forced a smirk. He had a competitive gleam reflecting out of his eyes. "Ah. So...you got a girl Shadow?"

I frowned at him. "Excuse me?"

He laughed. "Oh so you're one of those guys. There's no need to get defensive with me. It's just a simple question, even if it's not any of my business. Just trying to spark a conversation."

I rolled my eyes and thought his question over, and once again, Rachel's face was plastering itself in my head. I growled and turned away.

No, stop it. Don't even think such things. I know I don't like Rachel in that way. That's something I can barely fathom. In fact I don't like her period. She's a human and I hate humans. The only exception to that was Maria. No one else. Not ever.

"No," I said through gritted teeth, almost sounding like I was in pain. I really just wanted to get the Chaos Emerald, get out of this place, and get back to the Egg Carrier. I knew Eggman was outside waiting for me too.

Rorschach bellowed a low, dark laugh. "You liar," he said, hardening his eyes as his fangs gleamed in an evil smirk. "I can see right through you."

I frowned right back.

Okay?

"Whatever, Rorschach. Enough is enough. Just give me the Chaos Emerald so I can leave. I need to be somewhere."

I need to be with Rachel. I want to be there when she wakes up.

I almost growled out loud again, frustrated with myself. Why couldn't my mind shut up.

Rorschach paused and looked at me like I was insane, before suddenly giving a single nod and pursing his lips in a tight line. "Why of course, Shadow. Anything for a patient fellow like you," he said sarcastically, showing off a crooked smirk.

"I want you to know that the smoke bellows out the depths of the pipe.
Caress you, it makes you believe anything.
All the truths, all the lies."

He reached into his pants pocket and pulled the Chaos Emerald out from the leather folds, shoving it towards me. The moment I saw it, I could feel the Chaos power inside of me beckoning it. The Emerald itself was a bright, sky blue color. It matched the color of Rorschach's devious eyes.

He loosened his grip on it and allowed me to pry it out of his hand. I clutched it to my chest, self-satisfied that I was one Chaos Emerald closer to having all seven. But that also meant I was also one Emerald closer to having six, and then returning back to Earth for the seventh one...

Then I would have to use Rachel for ransom. And afterwards, never see her again, right?

"Let them into your mind.
Let them into, let me in you...

Let them into your mind

Let them in too, let me in you..."

Dr. Eggman was waiting outside for me. I stood up from my seat and headed for the exit.

But then, Rorschach stopped me.

"Not so fast, Shadow the Hedgehog."

With a quiet groan, I looked back at him, this time beyond irritated. "What do you want now," I asked less than politely.

He cracked a sadistic smile. "So, you're a kidnapper now?"

I felt my heart start to race from the sudden accusation and stiffened. "What are you talking about?"

Rorschach took a few, threatening steps towards me, never losing his ridiculously wide grin. "I'll have you know that I can read minds, Shadow. I've been reading your mind since you stepped foot into my club. How do you think I found you? Your head was screaming the same wishes over and over. Chaos Emerald this, and Return to a Carrier that," he said.

The idea was scary, but for some reason I refused to believe him despite his proof. Anyone could say that those things were on my mind after what we'd been talking about. My eyes scrunched at him disbelievingly. "Yeah, right. Do I look like I was born yesterday? Why don't you give me one real reason to believe you."

He shrugged. "How else would I know that you're a kidnapper? And that you're going to hold the girl for ransom?"

The pace of my heart beat went awry. Hearing someone else actually say it out loud made me cringe.

He continued. "And if that isn't enough proof for you, I also overheard that the girl's name is Ra-chel."

I became tense. And now hearing Rachel's name said out loud, by someone as dark and suspicious as Rorschach, strangely made my blood boil. My fists tightened, including the one wound around the Chaos Emerald.

He then looked like he was trying to control his smile. "Oh? You don't like me saying her name either? Is that so, Shadow the Hedgehog. It would make sense. You haven't been able to take your mind off her the entire time you've been here. Either you're the guiltiest monster that ever lived, or you must really like her. I'm guessing the latter is correct."

"Magic potions, grinning fur.
It's all a blur, it's all a blur.
Magic poisons, royal tea.
Run screaming, run screaming to me.

I want you to know...
I want you to know..."

I gritted my teeth. It was taking every last ounce of my willpower to keep from ripping Rorschach to shreds. I started taking backwards steps, hoping that I could just leave and get away from him.

He shook his head. "Ah ah ah, Shadow. You're not leaving now. I don't know what it's like where you come from, but kidnapping is against the law here on Rozorus. It's illegal. I could have you arrested and thrown in prison. I could give you a life sentence, or even the death penalty with just the snap of a finger. Unless..."

I frowned back almost desperately. Whatever he wanted, as long as it didn't conflict with me leaving with the Chaos Emerald, I might be up to it.

"Unless what."

He squinted his eyes at me and flashed another smirk.

"Unless you sell this Rachel girl to me. Leave her here under my possession, and I will let you go free."

My eyes widened.

Sell Rachel to him?

Like a slave?

Leave her behind here on this planet?

No.

No.

There has to be another way.

Rorschach stretched his smirk farther.

"There isn't."

"Let them into your mind.
Let them into...
Let me in you..."

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(Me speaking) GOD, I am SO SORRY that it took so long to update (once again). I had to have my laptop shipped off somewhere for repair. I pouted every day until it got here. And when it did, I immediately started writing.

Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter. To me, it's not that fun. I was suffering from some major writer's block. And still kind of am.

I also noticed that I have 90 reviews. Good lord...THANK YOU SO MUCH :) It's something of a big deal to me since this is my first fanfiction story and I didn't expect it to do this well, even if 90 is not that big a number to some people. Either way PLEASE help me get to 100. If you do, then I would die a happy girl. K, little dramatic, but it's true. Tell your friends about this story. If you haven't reviewed yet, please do! I know I sound like a desperate wench. It's because I am.

Response to reviews:

Honestly…Rachel and Shadow might not become friends at all if you can wrap your head around that. This isn't a case of two high school sweethearts meeting, befriending and then falling in love. We're talking people of different species; one kidnapped and held hostage by the other. It isn't exactly Romeo and Juliet. But even then, those two didn't become friends first, those dorks.

I'm sorry if the (script) part at the beginning of Chapter 17 bothered anybody. But I couldn't think of any other way to make it, and I didn't want it to be through a point of view. I wanted it to have no viewpoint, in order to make the reader feel like they were really watching it. I guess I failed, haha. Sorry if it was lame.

I thought Sonic having a crush on a human was a somewhat cute idea. But I HATE Elise. Even if I've never played Next Gen, I've watched walkthroughs and cutscenes, and my gosh is she is the most annoying, obnoxious, and pointless character ever -.- I can only imagine how frustrated the players got having to save her all the time. She's Princess Peach done wrong. But that's only my opinion.

Congrats to reviewer who's close to finishing the Shadow the Hedgehog game :) I seriously wish I could play the game, seeing as I don't even own it. I don't care if it got bad reviews. I think Shadow is a badass character. You could slap him onto any franchise and it would instantly become epic.

The way Commander Tower sees the story of the ARK and with Maria is wrong, I agree :( But I don't intend him to be the character that everyone hates. He's just an old man with a bad past and a kidnapped grand-daughter. I'd say we should cut him some slack.

Once again, nobody should feel bad about wanting to share ideas with me :) Because I really appreciate the help. But I already have everything planned. I even have ideas for OTHER stories (that I'm not sharing).

I agree, Rachel was calm when she realized she was in Shadow's room. But if you need me to explain, it was kind of one of those "...Whhaaaattt daaaaa fuuuuhhhhh?" moments. Not really a freak-out moment. Rachel's not a dramatic person all the time. I try to have her only freak out when it's highly necessary…*grins and cracks mirror*

Every one of your compliments and positive feedback on the story is truly heartwarming to read. I love to satisfy readers, so thank you for that.

And about this chapter, I know it's a cliffhanger. Sorry to make you wait so long JUST to leave you hanging. But don't worry. I'll keep updating. And Shadow and Rachel will actually interact again in the next chapter.

Song that was used: Alice is Dead by Hania.

Again, 100 reviews...please :)

Thank you.

Bye!