Chapter Twenty-Six: Stakes
I.
Want.
To.
Cry.
Sonic was no longer in the Metarex skin but that did not mean he had been granted more than a fraction of control over his own body. He was locked in that same stupid cell laying on that same stupid mattress. And the only change in his routine was enough to send his heart running itself ragged in his chest. Because when the Metarex had dragged him back here and thrown him in his cell, Cosmo had been missing from the cell beside his own.
She hadn't yet been returned.
Sonic knew it was his fault. Even without the Metarex around him telling him so. In fact, he was convinced that their silence on the matter made things worse. Sonic's mind, though limited in so many ways under the Metarex control, seemed fully capable of imagining worse and worse things that could be happening to Cosmo.
And the only distraction he had from imagining ever-worsening fates for Cosmo was somehow worse. Sonic couldn't stop staring at his hand. Couldn't stop seeing the clawed hand of his Metarex skin closing down around Angel's throat.
Daddy, please.
No matter what Sonic did to rage against the Metarex skin surrounding him then had been enough to get the metal to release Angel. He had felt an immense sense of relief when Amy knocked him away. When Shadow took him down.
Followed by the dumping of cold water over his head with the realization that his failure meant Cosmo's punishment.
Sonic heard movement to the right of his cell. Though his heart jumped lithely at the sound, his limbs felt as heavy as if they had all fallen asleep. His brain pounded with the sheer effort it required to coordinate his thoughts enough to drag his body up into a sitting position. And even then, he had to brace himself against the wall beside him.
Cosmo stumbled into view.
She cast her gaze in Sonic's direction. Blood glistened against one side of Cosmo's face, which quite nearly disguised the black eye beneath. Her dress was torn and she clutched her side.
Then the Metarex behind her shoved her out of Sonic's line of sight.
Sonic's mind raced. Each breath he took in tore at his lungs. He couldn't command his tongue enough to even ask if she was okay.
When the Metarex cut across in front of Sonic's cell again, Cosmo was no longer with it. Sonic listened to the Metarex's joints scraping metal against metal until the sound was little more than a memory of the noise.
"This means our friends are safe, doesn't it?" Cosmo gasped.
Sonic ached. He shoved as hard as he could against the Metarex control in his head. And while he couldn't command his too heavy tongue, he forced the entirety of his energy into a single grunt.
He was pretty sure he heard Cosmo exhale in relief. The mattress in Cosmo's cell squeaked in protest at her movement. "Then it's worth it," she said.
Sonic slumped more heavily against the wall. All the weight he carried crashed painfully down on his shoulders. All the ways his friends ended up hurt because of him. No matter what choice he made, someone he loved paid the price.
"It's okay, Sonic," Cosmo whispered suddenly. "I'm okay."
That only made it worse, her trying to absolve his guilt. He wished to do nothing more than to brush off her kindness with a swift smirk and whatever quip he had at his disposal. Shed the weight on him for even an instant. But with so little of his body under his control, something that complicated wasn't an option. No quick wit, no gesture of brief comfort. He was a racing mind in the weight of his body.
His Metarex nightmare had once more become his horrific reality.