Rouge explored the island at a fixed pace, hovering above the ground and diligently scanning her surroundings so she wouldn't miss anything. Though, the longer she looked, the more she realized there wasn't much but jungle to be seen. She let out a bored sigh after ten minutes of seeing nothing but greenery.
'Where is this guy?' she asked herself, landing to walk leisurely. 'I thought he was built for destruction – so why am I not seeing any?'
Soon enough, she heard the unmistakable sound of buzz saws in the distance, turning towards it and wondering if that was a noise her target was capable of making. He could theoretically have indestructible saws for hands; though, the file didn't mention it explicitly. Without photo evidence of Project Shadow's appearance, Rouge had to prepare for anything. The sound was getting closer, so she dashed to the right, intending to encircle the source and possibly be able to catch sight of it from behind – that would give her time to plan. But when she stopped to judge her location, the mechanical whirring seemed to still be headed her way. That's when she saw trees falling, spotting them through the gaps between other trees.
'It's cutting them down,' she thought, running to the right again, and still being followed.
Now she could hear the tearing of tree bark as the blades made contact. If the unknown destructor was targeting her, there wasn't anything Rouge could do to make it stop the chase; she could only try to see it before it got too close. She hopped up onto a high branch to get a better vantage point, then looked towards the falling trees. The ground was starting to rumble. Whatever the thing was, it was big, and loud. The bat plugged the tips of her fingers into one ear to dampen the sound. And then she saw it – or, at least, part of it. Between the falling trees, Rouge could make out red metallic casing with gold decals and two glowing blue lights on the front.
Then she heard a voice to the left, not far from her. "Playing hide and seek, are we, Rouge?"
Gravelly, malicious, elderly… She looked and saw Dr. Eggman in his floating transport, grinning wickedly with his brows furrowed.
She glared back. "You're a sore sight. What are you doing on Prison Island?"
"I was just looking for something of mine. Something you seem to have thought would be of better use to you."
She remained vaguely aware of how close Eggman's buzz pawn was to her perch. "And what makes you think I took anything of yours?"
"Have you forgotten I'm a genius?!" he shouted over the noise. "When I walked into my lab, it smelled of cheap perfume! Not to mention the few white hairs I found under the table that used to hold my brand new invention!"
Rouge glowered at him more, simultaneously cursing her new scent and nurturing spite for his insult. She left the branch to hover in front of him, shoving both fists against her hips. "Too bad you came all the way out here for nothing, Doc. I don't have your trinket anymore, and you'll be hard pressed to get it back!"
A loud crack sounded out from behind her, making the spy turn around to see a tree falling her way. Eggman's robot stood still in its place while its saws continued running. She managed to dodge the tree trunk, but couldn't avoid the thick branch reaching out in the direction she'd instinctively flown. It hit her in the stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs. Rouge fell a few yards before she was caught by a metal clamp enveloping her sides.
She cried out when its unfeeling edges squeezed her body. Dr Robotnik cackled as he floated closer, then surveyed the scene while his pawn ceased the turning of its bladed hands. The steel triangular grip connected to a thick tube extending from the robot's back, holding the bat tightly enough that she could hardly breathe. Her eyes scrunched and she inhaled as deeply as she could, staring daggers at Eggman.
The human man peered back through shiny round glasses, grinning again. "Now, you thieving girl – since you didn't want to play nice, you'll have some time to regret your choices while I think up a fitting form of repentance for your transgression!"
Rouge merely grunted in response, trying to push against the constricting metal and feeling frustratingly helpless.
Shadow wandered far enough through the forest that he eventually managed to see beyond the thick collection of flora. It made him stop, because it wasn't more land he was seeing past the brush; it was water. There was nothing but water beyond the jungle, which led him to believe this place was either on the coast of an ocean, or it was an island. Neither was good, as it meant he had to change his trajectory. But he didn't have time to think about where he would turn to walk next, as he suddenly heard a distant crashing sound. It was followed by a feminine scream, and then a mad cackle.
'Someone must be in trouble,' ran through his mind, and he caught an intense urge to head in that direction.
Although he knew he had to be cautious, he couldn't ignore the instinct to assist whoever was clearly in need. The scream had awoken something in him, a slightly panicked feeling that terrible things would happen if he didn't check it out. And the laugh… it sounded sinister. He followed the noise, weaving past the trees as he tried to keep a straight line.
While Rouge tried hopelessly to push the robot's claw open, Eggman taunted her by humming performatively as he supposedly thought out his next move. His index finger tapped against his chin, then he plucked at his graying mustache, and the thief grew angrier at his smugness.
"Make up your mind already, you old kook!" was what she wanted to say, if she could breathe enough to speak. But she felt like if she tried, all that would come out would be a gasp.
"Aha!" he finally exclaimed, smiling wide and pointing upwards. "I know! I'll- GAHHH!"
The bat's teal eyes widened at what she saw: a black and red ball smacking into Robotnik before bouncing back and unfurling. What landed on the overgrown grass was a scowling, dark-furred hedgehog who glared at the overlander before tucking into another spin. He launched himself towards the floating transport, knocking it out of the sky. Upon hitting the ground, Eggman fell out of his seat, still shouting in pained surprise, and Rouge saw the brave stranger look her way as his stance shifted for a third attack. Thinking she might be next, she closed her eyes and braced, then heard a loud clunk against the metal right beside her.
After another thunk, the clamp loosened a bit; Rouge opened her eyes, looking down as she was able to breathe normally again. If it loosened one more time, she could position her hands for a more powerful push and possibly free herself! Eggman's minion turned towards its enemy, its buzzsaw hands starting to whirr. The claw swung through the air, extending behind the robotic pawn as if it was keeping its captive away from salvation. She discerned that the unknown hedgehog was trying to save her, barely glimpsing his determined expression as he stared down the robot.
The Doctor yelled from his place on the ground, "Destroy him, B-Saw! NOW!"
One of the spinning blades thrust forward, but the hero was far too quick for it to make contact; Rouge didn't even realize he was in the air until she saw his foot crashing down on the robot's head. The metal folded immediately, caving inwards and crunching loudly. Eggman shouted in angered panic. Then, the stranger disappeared as the minion's arms started to flail. She blinked incredulously – did he actually disappear, or was he really just that fast?
She was soon distracted from her thoughts by being flung around as the claw's tubelike connector also waved through the air. The mechanical thing probably couldn't see anymore, seemingly trying to hit its attacker randomly by swinging its weapons around. She wiggled against the metal, trying to gain any kind of leverage, because the sharp high-pitched sound the blades made when they whizzed by scared her.
She didn't have to worry about her safety for long, though. A deep voice yelled, "Chaos Spear!" one brief moment before she heard an electrical zapping sound and felt the drop of the robot's extension tube being sliced in half. The claw fell to the ground with Rouge still in its grasp, and she looked up to see the dark hero approaching quickly. His face still held the same serious expression, but she could see his red eyes were sparking with urgency.
He slipped his hands into the gap between each section of the claw, grabbing both and pushing them apart to pry the giant grip open. It seemed almost effortless, the ease of freeing her only betrayed by the light grunt that escaped through his clenched teeth. The bat stared in awe at the mysterious being saving her life, then slipped out from her prison as soon as the opening was wide enough.
She had so many questions for him already – a brave hedgehog with fighting spirit, jumping to her rescue even as they were strangers – but she couldn't ignore the threat that remained. They both turned to face the robot, whose arms were still flailing as Robotnik cursed and shouted from the other side. Without a word, the black and red speedster charged at the buzzing machine, going to work on destroying it fully. Rouge pushed off the ground and hovered around the saw bot, catching sight of Dr. Eggman climbing back into his vehicle.
She cupped her hands around her mouth to be heard over the noise. "Leaving now, huh, Eggy? What happened to my punishment? I'd love to hear what method of suffering you thought up for me!"
His panicked face snapped in her direction as he slid into the tilted seat and grabbed the directional sticks. There was a big dent in the metal where the hedgehog had bashed into it. "Never mind me! I'll let you off the hook just this once – but don't think your luck will last forever, thief!"
He pressed buttons and piloted the transport as it floated upwards. Rouge flew towards him and reared back, then spun rapidly into a Screw Kick and flung herself towards the rounded bottom of the vehicle. The force of her powerful attack put another dent in the metal, and it clunked loudly before Eggman was sent flying higher into the air. She smirked and watched the Doctor's hovercraft wobble from the aftershock of her kick, jostling the human inside as he exclaimed and cursed again.
Then, he flew away himself, and she heard the whirr of the buzz saws coming to a stop behind her. When the jewel hunter turned around, she saw her savior jumping down from the wrecked pile of parts that was formerly Robotnik's minion. Now that the enemy was dealt with, she could ask her questions, figure out who this guy really was, learn what the hell he was trying to do… and thank him for selflessly helping her escape.