I blink and the scene changes from Robotnik's office-lair to a stone hallway with a door at the end of it. Blipping through reality really is unsettling... I can't help but look around immediately. Ahead is a circular steel door; we're flanked on both sides by cement walls; and behind us is a stretch of concrete stairs. It's all the same dystopian shade of slate. Yep, this looks like a dungeon, alright... I wouldn't put it past the overlander to be torturing people down here. But I don't intend to be one of those victims.

There's no blood in this hallway, which tells me that either he keeps this place spotless, or no one's tried to fight their fate before. I suppose no one but myself could slip away from this diligent escort. My rival stuffs the powerful artifact back into his suit coat, and I predict a split second of opportunity to bolt. With his one hand occupied, I quickly turn to knock the other away from me, putting all my strength into it and releasing myself from his hold. I push off the ground to take flight towards the stairs, and my heart skips a single beat-

-before Shadow's fingers wrap around my ankle and snatch me from the air. Shit!

A strong tug pulls me backwards. There's no fighting his grasp once his grip is tightened, so my only option is to cover the back of my head as he flings me towards the big door. Pain shoots through the backs of my hands when I make contact with the metal; but at least my brain is safe. My shoulders, wings, and back take some of the impact, as well, and I fall to the floor. Although I've certainly had a few heavier crashes than this, being caught and thrown forces me to remember how fast my enemy is and how much of a beating he can dole out if he has a decent hold on his target.

I'm shaken from the collision, my body aching already. As I raise my gaze, Shadow rushes towards me and grabs my shoulders, lifting my body and slamming me against the door. A shout escapes my mouth before I can stop it, and his scowling face is the only thing I see. But I hear something, too: what sounds like voices coming from behind the door. Prisoners, no doubt. I'll be joining them soon, because this bastard just had to be such a speedy powerhouse and lend his abilities to Eggman, of all people! The glower I give him is full of hatred, and if I was more impulsive, I would spit in his face.

Glaring, the man-made lifeform speaks to me in a low rumbly tone, the one I recognize as his go-to for serious threats. "Still a risk-taker, are you? Trust me, Rouge, you won't survive long if you keep pulling stunts like that."

His bright red eyes promise, through their fiery glint, that he isn't toying with me here. But he doesn't have the Doctor's permission to kill me, so he lowers me onto my feet. The firm wrap of his fingers still dig into my skin as he spins me around. Then, one hand moves up to gather some of my hair. The bastard cinches a bundle of my beautiful curls and yanks a little, forcing another exclamation from me. He holds me that way and angrily bangs the metal door open.

The voices I'd been hearing clamor through the open space, floating from cells on either side of another stone hallway. Shadow walks me into the room, and I get to see the faces of captives who've been imprisoned much longer than me. Some I recognize as dancers from the ballroom, others look even more worn and tired. A few inmates stand at the bars, speaking out and staring at us, but Robotnik's attack animal threatens them and they back away. He forces me down the hallway to the very end, then pulls my hair again to make me turn right. It leaves me standing at the bars of a cell that looks much the same as the others, but only holding one prisoner.

With a wave of his hand and yellow sparks of Chaos energy, the handcuffs – and subsequently, my wrists – receive a shock that releases the silver rings. They clang against the concrete, and while I grimace at the burning jolt, the dark hedgehog leans towards the bars and stares into an attached screen that scans his eyes, then straightens up and moves me closer. The singular bar holding the screen rises swiftly and Shadow pushes me through the opening hard enough to make me stumble. I regain my balance as quickly as I can, but by the time I turn around, the bar is back down, locking me inside; and the man who trapped me lingers his gaze on mine for a second before turning to leave.

I get my bearings and run up to the bars, shouting out, "You and your master think you can break me? Tell Eggman I've got a gravestone with his name on it!"

He doesn't respond, walking down the corridor and banging on the other cell bars when the captives make noise, until he leaves through the big door. And with him gone, my heart rate starts to slow down. I turn around and look at my new roommate for the first time, who's been silently sitting in the corner. In the dimness of shadows, he starts to stand, and I see that he's quite skinny. He wobbles a bit on his feet, then steps forward slowly, red shoes filled with holes slipping out into slightly brighter lighting.

Keeping my distance, I ask, "So this is my new home, huh?"

"Yeah..." The darkness falls away from his face, and I see he's another hedgehog, certainly younger than me. Frail and pale would describe this poor soul, in both appearance and voice. "Welcome to the worst place on the planet."

Something about him seems... familiar, but I can't put my finger on what, or why. I'm almost certain I haven't met him before. But he clearly poses no threat in his state, so I allow myself a moment to sit down. With my back against the bars, I straighten my legs out and rest my hands in my lap. And as I let out a deep sigh, the hedgehog walks to the far side of the bars on my right, sitting with his back to the solid cement wall.

He stares at nothing, even as I look over at him and comment morosely, "This castle gets worse the more I see of it... and it was bad to begin with. Dragged in against your will isn't how anyone wants to enter a palace."

"Can't agree with you more. A zero out of ten, for sure."

Lacking more to say, I keep my eyes on him. The nagging feeling that I know him from somewhere remains, almost gnawing at me. I can't stand such a feeling. And I guess I've stared at the spiny prisoner a bit too long, because he suddenly looks at me and smiles weakly.

"Not much to look at in here, huh?" he says, managing to joke even though he's clearly malnourished. "Good thing I'm not shy."

"Sorry," I respond dryly, and drag my gaze off his face. "You look familiar."

He chuckles softly. "I get that a lot. It's been a long time since they nabbed me... but I'm glad to know I'm not lost to history just yet."

"Who are you?" I ask, bringing myself to study his features.

Though dull and heavily bagged, his eyes are a shade of green that would be pleasantly piercing if not for the dead hue of starvation sucking the life out of them. His fur is a dusty blue color, his skin is unhealthily pale, and the sight of his ribs poking through his chest pains me enough to look away again.

"Maybe you wouldn't believe me if I told you..." he starts, and I can tell he definitely noticed my reaction to his sickly body. "Name's Sonic the Hedgehog..."

The realization dawns on me rather slowly, and my brows raise a bit from their furrow. I gaze back at his eyes, trying not to be saddened by the melancholy smile he's giving me. "Sonic...? No wonder I... you were an international hero."

He nods slowly but keeps his smile, and I feel like it's taking all his energy to hold eye contact. "Yeah... those were the days, huh? Eggman couldn't get one up on me back then."

Then he tries to laugh, which sends him into a brief coughing fit; I cringe at the sound and the way he grips his middle. When it's over, he clears his throat and leans back against the wall. "Sorry... I came up with that moniker, you know?"

"What? 'Eggman'?"

"Yep. Took one look at him and just knew he'd be 'Eggman' for the rest of my life."

"Huh... I always wondered where that nickname came from." I cross my arms loosely and tip my head against the bars, looking up at the corner where the wall meets the ceiling. My mind is blank besides the vague feeling of defeat.

There's a moment of silence between us until Sonic asks a question, probably to ease the dreary mood looming over our cell. "So, what do you do for a living? Er- did, I guess..."

I sigh quietly before answering, "Government spy. I work for G.U.N, but... I think my time with them is done even if I get out of here."

"Ohh," he hums, his tone lifting slightly. "Now it's clicking. Government work, confident attitude, killer looks..." He snaps his fingers. "You're Rouge the Bat."

I look at him again, this time in disbelief. How-?

"How did you know that?" I ask. "I barely knew about you."

Sonic shrugs, and I silently lament that his smile must've been quite charming before Robotnik robbed him of his fire. "You hear all kinds of things when you travel the world. Now, I didn't hear much, but I know there was a top-notch super-agent working with the president a while back who matches the gal I'm looking at. Not many of those walking around, is there?"

He gets a chuckle out of me with his casual wit. How the hell does this guy stay so positive? "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Unfortunately, I can't be positive like him. I sigh, more deeply this time. "But now I'm just a prisoner."

He opens his mouth, but anything he might've said gets interrupted by the loud metal clunk of the dungeon door opening.

'That was fast,' I think, turning around to grip the bars and look towards the entrance.

I can hear captives in the other cells groaning as light pours in, spilling around the Doctor's spherical form. Some of them manage a word about water or food, but they're ignored. He walks down the hallway in long strides, overly confident with his arms folding behind his back, and I'm expecting him to march directly over to me for the assessment. I'm ready to fight him with every bit of ferociousness I can muster.

But I don't get that chance. Instead of addressing me, he turns to the cell across from us, facing diagonally towards the cold stone box that confines a mangy-looking brown lynx. I glance over at Sonic, whose head is tilted to lean against the bars; he's watching too, and his whisper of a smile has vanished completely. Eggman's voice harshly fills the air, sounding methodical and unforgiving.

"It's time, Perlo. On your feet."

The lynx remains seated, his head hanging. But purple eyes trail up to the human, alive with hatred. "My name is Naverickon..."

Robotnik bends over, his arms still folded, his lanky legs straight. I can't see much of it, but the cold sheen of his glasses is directed firmly at the prisoner's face. "How many times have we had this discussion, little rebel? Perlo is a much more fitting name for you. Now stand, or I will have Shadow 'invigorate' your legs to have you walk."

His word choice piques my curiosity. It's a strange phrase to use... and what the hell does it mean? My voice barely audible, I huff out, "Invigorate?"

I see Sonic shift out the corner of my eye. He answers my pondering with an even harder-to-hear murmur. "He means 'shock.' That's Eggman's 'nice' word for what he has Shadow do when the prisoners won't walk. His Chaos energy... really hurts."

I can't help but turn my horrified expression towards Sonic, moved by the heartbreak in his voice. It tells me that not only has he felt severe jolts of Chaos energy before – perhaps an untold number of times – but he's had to watch others suffer the punishment, as well. And I can see the pleading in his eyes as he stares at the lynx, begging him to do what Eggman says before he receives an even worse fate for his defiance. Finally, the rebel bends his legs and slowly pushes himself from the floor. Robotnik's posture straightens.

"Good," he says, scanning his palm to raise one cell bar enough for Naverickon to step out. "We will start with the crimes you've committed; that's always the most fun!"

My face twists in disgust at his gleeful tone, but I know now is not the time to speak up. If I run off at the mouth too much, I'll have another bundle of troubles to deal with, and certainly one of them will be facing Shadow again. I have a feeling he'd be the one giving me my punishment if Eggman didn't fancy doing it himself, except I surely wouldn't be given a fair fight. And if I really don't want to end up a victim of torture, I've got to play this smart. So, I silently watch the Doctor walk out with the lynx, burning a hole in the back of his head with my hateful gaze, until he shuts the door behind him and leaves us all in dimness once again.