"The cat definitely had nine lives," Fiona's voice cut through the darkness, making Shadow whirl around. She leaned against a doorframe he hadn't noticed before, her silhouette sharp against the dim light behind her. "Though she's down to seven now."

The chaos energy around Shadow's hands intensified, casting harsh red shadows across the room. "What did you do to her?"

Fiona scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "Relax, cuteness. Your precious friend is alive... for now. Keep playing along, and she'll stay that way." She nodded toward a corridor behind her. "Want to see who's really pulling the strings here?"

Shadow's eyes narrowed, chaos energy still crackling around his fists. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because you don't have a choice." She turned, starting down the corridor. "Coming?"

Shadow followed, keeping his distance, every muscle tense. The corridor was lined with more of that green graffiti, the messages becoming increasingly unhinged.

"Fiona," he said, his voice low. "G.U.N. gave you a second chance. A clean slate. You don't have to—"

A bitter laugh cut him off. "A second chance?" Fiona glanced over her shoulder, her eyes hard. "Is that what they told you? No wonder he calls you G.U.N.'s lap dog." She spat the words like they were poison. "Always following orders, playing by their rules. How's that working out for you?"

"Better than whatever game you're playing now."

"Game?" She stopped at a heavy metal door, her hand resting on the handle. "Oh Shadow, you have no idea what game you're really playing. Or whose rules you're actually following." Her smile turned sharp. "But you're about to find out."

She pushed the door open, revealing darkness beyond.

"After you, Ultimate Lifeform."

Shadow hesitated for a split second, then stepped through the doorway. Somewhere in this building, Blaze was fighting for her life. And whatever was waiting in that darkness might be his only chance to save her.

The door clanged shut behind them, the sound echoing like prison bars sliding home.

—-

The room materialized out of the darkness as emergency lights flickered to life—rows of cells stretching into shadow, their metal bars gleaming with an unnatural blue sheen. Shadow's breath caught in his throat as he recognized one of their occupants.

Blaze sat slumped against the wall of the furthest cell, her lavender fur matted with dark patches that could only be blood. Her head rested against the concrete, eyes half-lidded as she fought to stay conscious. The usually pristine edges of her coat were torn and singed, telling a story of a fight she hadn't been prepared for.

"Blaze!" Shadow rushed forward, hands gripping the bars—

Pain shot through his palms like liquid fire, forcing him to stumble back. He stared at his hands, understanding dawning with horrible clarity. The bars had the same strange metallic sheen as those experimental bullets that had pierced his regeneration cells last week—the ones that had left him actually needing the hospital for the first time in years.

"Like them?" Fiona's voice dripped with satisfaction. "My boss found the formula for that special alloy. Fascinating stuff—specifically designed to bypass your regenerative abilities." She ran a finger along one of the bars.

Shadow dropped to one knee in front of Blaze's cell, careful not to touch the bars this time. "Blaze? Can you hear me?"

Her eyes fluttered open, focusing on him with visible effort. "Shadow..." Her voice was barely a whisper. "Don't... don't listen to what he..." She swallowed hard, a thin line of blood trailing from the corner of her mouth. "I'm so sorry... so sorry..."

"What do you want?" he demanded, not taking his eyes off Blaze's failing form.

"Me?" Fiona's smile widened. "I just follow orders. But my boss? He wants to have a little reunion with his old cellmate."

A new voice echoed through the hall, confirming his worst fears.

"Looking good, Stripes," Scourge drawled, his arm tightening around Fiona's waist. "Prison didn't leave too many scars, did it?" His gaze flickered to Shadow's wrists, where new inhibitor rings had replaced the ones he'd lost years ago. "Still wearing jewelry, I see. Though not the originals—those were pretty useful research material."

Shadow's eyes narrowed, the memory surfacing with painful clarity: that last day in prison, Scourge taking the fall for Shadow's fight with the prison gang. The punch that had sent Shadow reeling before he could confess to the guards, the strange triumphant gleam in Scourge's eyes as Shadow was dragged away for release processing. It wasn't until hours later, standing outside the prison gates, that Shadow had noticed his inhibitor rings were gone.

"That was your plan all along," Shadow said, his voice low. "Get your strength back…Break out of prison…Study the rings, figure out how they worked—"

"How they control chaos energy?" Scourge's grin widened. "How they could be modified to dampen abilities, or maybe..." he gestured to the bars with their strange metallic sheen, "...how to create something that could pierce even a Pyrokenetic cat's defenses? Give the guy a prize!"

Scourge's eyes shifted to Blaze's cell, his expression mockingly thoughtful. "Though I gotta say, even after all this time, you still seem to have a way with the ladies. First that bat showing up every visiting hour like clockwork, now a princess?" He clicked his tongue. "Rouge must be jealous."

Blaze stirred at this, trying to lift her head. "Don't... listen..."

"Your taste in women hasn't changed much either," Scourge continued, ignoring Blaze. "Still going for the dangerous ones. Though this one's got a bit more…fire than Rouge, wouldn't you say, Fi?"

Fiona laughed, pressing closer to him. "All that raw power, and one little shot took her down like any normal person."

Shadow's chaos energy crackled despite his exhaustion. "You used my own inhibitor rings to develop weapons against—"

"Against enhanced beings?" Scourge's smile turned sharp. "All those years you thought I was just some punk taking a fall for you, I was studying the very thing that made people like you and me special. Breaking it down. Learning how to break it." He unwound himself from Fiona, taking a step closer to Shadow. "And now? Now I know exactly how to break you."

Behind him, Blaze tried to reach for the bars again, her golden eyes desperate with warning, but her strength failed her. She slumped back against the wall, blood staining her white muzzle as she whispered, "Shadow... please..."

"See?" Scourge spread his arms wide. "Still got a way with the ladies. Too bad this one's not going to last much longer without proper medical attention." His grin turned savage. "Clock's ticking, Stripes. So waddya say? Wanna help me out with sumthin'?"

Shadow lunged forward, chaos energy crackling despite his exhaustion, but Scourge merely sidestepped, that knowing grin never leaving his face.

"You know, Stripes," Scourge caught Shadow's fist mid-swing, his own chaos energy—tainted and raw—pulsing in response. "For someone who knew all about the Sol Kingdom's involvement in Project Shadow, you sure missed the bigger picture."

Shadow stiffened. Yes, he'd learned about Blaze's ancestors, about their blood-soaked path. About the countless lives lost in their quest to create enhanced beings. But something in Scourge's tone made his blood run cold.

"Did you ever wonder," Scourge continued, shoving Shadow's fist away, "why our princess here was born with those pretty flames of hers? Bit convenient, wasn't it?"

Blaze's eyes widened in her cell, understanding and horror dawning simultaneously.

"You were one of her family's test subjects…" Shadow breathed, pieces clicking into place.

"Bingo." Scourge's grin turned bitter. "One of the lucky ones who didn't burn up from the inside out. Though 'lucky' is relative when you're screaming through the night because your blood feels like lava."

Shadow's gaze darted between Scourge and Blaze. "Then why keep her alive? If you want revenge—"

Scourge's laugh cut through the air like broken glass. "Revenge? Oh no, this is so much better." He gestured to the security footage playing on a nearby screen—Shadow diving in front of Blaze, taking bullets meant for her. "See, I remembered that self-righteous attitude of yours in prison. Always so noble, so above it all. But look at you now."

He stepped closer, voice dropping to a whisper. "You'll do anything for her, won't you? Break any rule, cross any line. Just like I did. Just like anyone would, given the right incentive." His grin widened. "I don't want her dead, Stripes. Nah, not anymore! I want you to realize you're no better than me. And watching you tear yourself apart trying to save her? That's worth more than any revenge."

From her cell, Blaze's voice cracked. "Shadow, I never knew—"

"Of course you didn't, princess," Scourge cut in. "But your father did. Your whole family did. And now?" He pulled out a syringe filled with swirling, flame-like liquid. "Now we get even!"