Through the heavy door...
Up the hundred steps...
Down the long corridor...
Towards some yet unseen room, he carries me – the devil shaped like a soul bearer. Fuck my life... I'm not used to being so disadvantaged; I've never lost control of my body before. Injuries are nothing compared to this, because I would gladly accept the pain of bruises, cuts, and hunger if it meant not having to experience this numbness. At least then, it wouldn't feel like I'm somehow... dead.
The only slight positive here is that I don't have to suffer through the sensation of Shadow's hands on me. He hasn't slung me over his shoulder like a bag full of treasure, nor am I nested under his arm like a football. Weirdly, he carries me like normal. I would expect this kind of respect from a less despicable rival, so why is Shadow suddenly being mindful? Maybe he thinks my weakened body will fall apart if he isn't careful. If so, perhaps I can use that to my advantage when I come out of my paralysis...
I'm also not blindfolded. So, while I can't look around as I please, I do my best to commit what I can see to memory. This hallway leads into different rooms. There's a few doors on either side, but no way of knowing where they open to. And once we reach three branching archways, the Experiment turns right, then I see mahogany-colored double doors at the end of this new corridor. No other doors down this path, and no vents that I can see with my limited view. It isn't much, but it's more information than I had before.
"I imagine you must be afraid by now," Shadow suddenly speaks.
Where does he get off assuming such a thing about me? He should know very well I'm not easily frightened.
"Anything could happen to you from this point." His voice is calm, almost deadpan, as if he's speaking to no one. "Perhaps you'll face your worst nightmare when The Doctor arrives. So, mentally prepare now, while you still can."
What kind of mind game is he playing? I can't tell if he's toying with me or just filling the dead air. I'm inclined to believe it's the former, no matter how emotionless his tone is; because there's no other reason for him to say that, and he isn't the type to warn his victims in fairness. He'd be more likely to want to see me struggle with the unknown of what's to come. So, I'll take his comments as an attempt at getting into my head and ignore them. His taunting will be ineffective then.
We reach the double doors, and while he's maneuvering to open one of them, I start to feel a tingly sensation creep over my body. My sense of touch is coming back! So, the effect is brief, lasting less than ten minutes. Good to know if they ever manage to freeze me again. The hedgehog must've been trying to make me afraid, walking me down here instead of teleporting us. But all he did was give me more information about his master's hideout.
As the quickest part of me to recover, my eyes start responding to my attempts at looking around. This new room is very dim – of course it is, such is Robotnik's atmosphere of choice – and furnished with a chair and a table. I knew it; time for my interrogation. I try to coax my body into obeying my commands faster, but it's like pulling myself through molasses. And the Lifeform must be privy to my slight movements, because he hastens to set me in the chair, glancing at my face as he kneels to prop me against the wooden back.
I stare through my fading paralysis, my brows twitching downwards as I attempt to glare at him. But then, to my appall, a smile creeps across his lips. It's irritating how smug he is. He looks away and begins tying my wrists to the armrests just as I'm able to move my fingers a little, then the smile turns into a smirk. It's a devilish look, not unlike many he's given me before, where he lowers his eyelids and lets the corner of his mouth curl into that cocky curve, telling me silently that he thinks he's superior. He thinks he's beaten me. He thinks I'm helpless.
"Can you speak yet?" he asks, moving to restrain my numb ankles.
I think about trying to sneer at him, but it's best to ignore any of his prodding. I don't want to follow his command. When he doesn't hear a peep from me, he tugs one last time on the straps, making sure they're secure, and then brings his gaze to mine again. He's still kneeling, his height shorter than mine, so I get to look down my nose at him. But the only reason I can is because he doesn't feel threatened.
"I guess not," he says out loud, smirking away. "No rush. The Doctor will arrive on his own time, so until then... I don't mind carrying the conversation."
The anger in me rises at his nonchalance. Then he stands, overtaking my height, and I press my back more firmly against the chair. I've managed to furrow my brows the way I always do when I look at him, and this is how I'm more used to seeing the dark hedgehog; often standing up high with a confident smile. He seems to enjoy staring red eyes down at me like daggers.
"I always knew this is where we would end up, Rouge. But, in honesty, I didn't expect it to take this long."
He steps next to the chair so he's at my side, then bends over and drapes one arm atop the wooden curve behind my head. It makes me flinch forward, which I immediately regret – it takes him a mere second to speak a quip right next to my face.
"Don't be so jumpy, agent. You might be fragile enough now to faint if you let your nerves get the best of you."
Then he tuts at me, and the sound of his tongue clicking behind his teeth sends a shiver up my spine. He's way too close for comfort...
"You're such a troublemaker. Always giving us a tough time instead of leaving us be. Hell, you could've joined us, if you'd surrendered sooner. We wouldn't be doing this. You wouldn't have seen the prison."
Every muscle in me that's gained some strength back is tensing as much as possible. My body temperature feels like it's skyrocketing being this close to my enemy, and being mocked by him. But if I give anything away, it'll only fuel his ego more. Finally, he shows a bit of mercy and straightens his posture, but I don't feel his arm leave the chair entirely. It sounds like his gloved palm glides across the wood right behind me while he takes one step back to where he kneeled before.
His mouth wavers between a smile and a frown as he hisses, "You just like to do things the hard way, don't you? Vexatious spy..."
I never expected this kind of confrontation when I was just trying to capture him. The look he's giving me is so... deep. It's intense and heavy, a mixture of contempt and triumph. Maybe I didn't realize just how serious our rivalry was for him... it seemed like he thought of me as just another annoyance, another 'hero' he had to protect his boss from. Does he hate me as much as I hate him? Has catching me always been more than just a way to thin our numbers?
Then his scowl turns up again, back into an arrogant grin to flash his fangs, as if it's going to intimidate me. But when he cocks his head to one side, suddenly his expression gives off more of an amusement than anything else. I feel a drop of sweat form enough to start sliding down my cheek. This is a new emotion on him – one I really don't like. It's unsettling...
"Now that's new," he speaks, and he sounds amused. "I've never seen your face flush before."
What?! My face – flushed?! He must just be trying to get a reaction out of me... Shit... I can't stand his intrigued stare!
My voice comes out a bit hoarse when I blurt, "You're letting the darkness fool you, Experiment. Keep your eyes off my face and go fuck yourself."
Curse my sharp tongue... that second jab was really risky. But weakened and rattled, I have to try twice as hard to stop myself from going too far. Slowly, his demeanor slackens. His hand leaves the chair. His face returns to a more neutral state. And for a moment, I think he's going to lash out – the calm before the storm. But he looks up at the doors behind me, just before I hear them open.
"Shadow, I hope our newest resident is ready, because I'm in no mood for delays now that I've had to deal with Perlo, that insubordinate little..."
"Yes, Doctor." The artificial being backs away from the chair. "She's restrained. And the paralytic has worn off."
"Good," huffs the egg-shaped man, striding into my field of view. He waves a hand at his minion. "You're dismissed. Reward yourself with a book."
Shadow bows his head. "Yes, sir." Then he turns to leave, not regarding me anymore as he walks past. What a brainwashed henchman... but at least his leader's arrival let me off the hook.
"Now, then," Robotnik starts, and I hear the doors close again, "to deal with my second-most annoying obstacle." He starts pacing on the other side of the table. "Rouge the Bat, G.U.N's most valuable agent – possibly the most cunning and deceptive adversary I've had..."
He stops pacing and turns to glare at me, the skin of his browbone bulging over his glasses as he scowls. "Look at where those skills have landed you."
I push a breath through my lips, a mixture of a scoff and a chuckle. "I don't disagree, overlander. Working for the government has gotten me into more scrapes than a beautiful woman deserves to endure."
He shakes his head and lets out a sigh, beginning to fiddle with his gloves in the dark. "You could've been a valuable part of our operation if-"
"Save it. The Experiment already gave me that spiel."
He pauses, scowls at me again, then closes his hands and I hear a clicking sound, right before a blinding light is beamed into my face. It makes me wince and squeeze my eyes shut.
"Don't get comfortable in your quipping. You think because I haven't killed you yet, you'll get off easy?"
The light moves back and I blink away the dark spots invading my vision. When I can look at him again, I see the lights are coming from his palms. Some sort of flashlight strapped to his hands; they move around while he gesticulates. "Let's go over the history of you making things needlessly difficult, shall we?"
The lights on his palms move to his neck, and I can see the geezer adjusting his neckerchief. He certainly doesn't have the figure for those fancy clothes – his least offensive crime, but a crime nonetheless. He starts pacing again and his arrogant, gravelly voice continues filling the room.
"When you first made yourself a roadblock, I didn't think much of yet another hero trying to stop me. But since the first day you slipped into my lair on Prison Island undetected, I knew you would be a particular thorn in my side. Even my longest-standing opponent could've never worked his way through one of my compounds without drawing attention to himself."
With an enemy like Speedy, I can see why he wasn't prepared to deal with a sneaky type. I wish I could say it out loud and push his buttons a little, but I don't want to test his limits right now.
"We had lots of interesting run-ins on that island, didn't we?" He stops pacing and turns to look at me. "I can almost reminisce about it now that you're my prisoner! And when I look back at my old work, I can see very well why you had such an easy time running circles around me after only a few encounters. If they told you everything they knew about me, then you had more than enough information to infiltrate that shoddy lair."
His body turns again to face me fully and he plants his hands on the table. The flashlights clatter against the wood and spray white rays out in odd directions. "And why wouldn't they tell you everything they knew? I had just stolen their most valuable asset! How beautiful it is that I've managed that twice now!" A brief, annoying laugh leaves his open mouth and I crinkle my nose in disgust. "You had such an easy time there because that old lab was, admittedly, not my best work. It was a bit of a rush job, something to house Shadow inside and keep some of my more mobile developments well-sheltered."
I scoff at his flippant wording. "You talk about that place like it was just some rickety shack you threw together. You make it sound like getting in was effortless."
"It might as well have been!" he shouts, banging the lights once against the table in frustration. Thankfully, G.U.N's composure training keeps me from getting spooked. Robotnik calms himself and stands up straight. "Even one person treading undetected in a lair of mine is too many. I've learned from those days, and over time, it even became a benefit that you were always around, fighting with Shadow. I was able to study you while he kept you busy, and it helped me fortify what I call the Ultimate Fortress."
He raises his arms and looks to the ceiling with a grin, praising his own work. "I afforded Shadow the honor of having his title in its name. But in a way, I owe some thanks to you, as well. I wouldn't have built this magnificent, undetectable residence without help from both of you."
My anger turns to wrath. I'm starting to feel used from every angle; Eggman perfecting his castle because of me, while I fought for my life against his minion, who treated our battles like games. And G.U.N, the government claiming to be doing everything in their power to stop this evil, just kept throwing me at them. I'm the most skilled agent, but I couldn't have been the only one who could face these two as personally as I did. They fell back on me far too much. I should've left them in the dust a long time ago.
"However..." draws slowly from the man's lips as he takes steps to walk around the table. This is the part where he tries to intimidate me, I'm sure. "Despite the part you played in technically helping me, it's still unbelievably irritating how you slowed my progress in other places."
He approaches me, but I refuse to show him fear; and he bends over to put his face nearer my eye level. One hand plants firmly on the table again, and the other he holds up beside me so the light aggravates my vision. If only my lids didn't flinch all on their own.
He spits, "I hardly got to claim any of the land I'd planned to have because of you! My empire has been stagnant due to your constant meddling – forcing me to expend resources to keep track of you, and to make sure my possessions were protected from your thieving hands!"
"You should have Commander Tower in this chair, then," I say, the venom I feel towards G.U.N seeping into my words. "I wouldn't have gone after you and your pet on my own. Frankly, there's not much you have that I want; technology isn't really my thing."
"Hmph! Perhaps the day will come when I can turn my arsenal on him, as well as the leaders of the world. But taking you hostage will have to do for now. At least under my control, you can't meddle at all!"
I barely see the hand he has on the table move to then join the one pointing at my face, assaulting me with more brightness than my eyes can stand. Scrunching them shut, I bite back the impulse to say something crass. Eggman continues his abrasive rant, "Whether or not you were just doing your job, you cost me a great deal of time and materials I could've used for much better things! Punishing you for your transgressions may not be productive, but it would be satisfying to hear you scream in pain and watch the confidence drain right out of you!"
"We have that in common," flies through my clenched teeth despite the attempt to hold my tongue. It feels like these lights are burning through my eyelids, and I have too tough a time staying silent when I'm so agitated. Then my blanketed vision darkens more – he's pulled back again.
I hear Robotnik release a sigh of contempt. "We both have our agendas, don't we? And you would certainly deserve the prison experience or a full roboticization..."
I let my eyes flutter open and see he's faced away from me, crossing his arms. "But you see, Rouge... unfortunately, you have skills that even I don't want to waste. Natural affinities that I could really use for a certain problem I've been facing lately."
"You gonna try to pull a team switch, Doc?" I ask dryly. "Turn me against G.U.N or something?"
"Hmph," he breathes, turning around to look at me. "I couldn't trust you to do that! No, leaving this castle isn't an option, little spy. My problem is more interpersonal; and from what I've seen, you have efficient social skills."
I give him a quizzical frown while he starts pacing across the room.
"What you have in abundance, my dear Shadow is severely lacking. Now, normally I would want my followers to have no personality of their own, to be mindless and obey my every command without feeling. Every time I've given my creations the ability to express themselves, it's only made things more difficult or come back to bite me later!"
He stops on the other side of the table yet again to address me directly. "Shadow is different. He's a family experiment, one I can't deny the small bit of humanity my grandfather wanted him to possess."
Family...? G.U.N didn't tell me about that. I thought Shadow was just... actually, now that I think about it, I'm not sure what I thought. I didn't really consider his origin.
Eggman continues, "If there's any of my subjects I want to have some personality, it's him. Otherwise, who will I have to keep me company? Right now, he has no taste for conversation."
No taste for conversation... that's not how it seemed when he was taunting me earlier. It was like the haughty lifeform wanted to do nothing but converse. Maybe he doesn't see his master as someone he can talk to. And it looks like the overlander hasn't considered this; it's best if I play along, in that case. So, I butt in with, "I'll say. He's a brick wall of arrogance and violent thoughts."
Robotnik pauses, then clasps his hands behind his back, illuminating the wall behind him and shading his form. "I do think he tries, but... he simply doesn't have a knack for chit-chat. And I also think that's made the poor fellow a bit lonely. But you're going to change that."
Excuse me? I know I didn't hear that right. He wants me to-
"Teach the Experiment to hold a conversation?" I scoff, unable to hold back the laugh that rolls out of my mouth. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, you smartass!" he grunts, then smacks his palms on the table. "I have much more important things to be doing! I don't have the time nor the patience to teach Shadow everything about social interaction. And you're the only one who can match him. So, I want you to keep him company, and give him the knowledge he needs to speak with others in a less clinical manner."
My disbelief turns to disgust. No way am I keeping that hedgehog company. He's been getting on my nerves for too long already – to hell with being around him willingly! "Hell no. Did you forget I hate him with every fiber of my being? All the jewels in the world wouldn't be worth-"
"It wasn't a question!" Robotnik yells, stomping around the table towards me. The heft in his voice actually makes me lean back a bit. "You have no choice! You think this is a summer camp where you get to choose your activity?!"
Alright, maybe I pissed him off too much this time... Now he gets in my face, his brow dipping deeply against his glasses. "Your only other option is to be tortured and roboticized by my hand! Your skin will be flayed and your bones will be broken! I will deafen and blind you in the most painful ways possible! I can even dismember you and still use the parts to put you back together! I would ensure it would be slow and excruciating; I would agonize you until your screams ripped your own throat to bloody shreds!"
Holy fuck, he's furious. I've never seen the Doctor so enraged before, and this is actually starting to scare me... which he can probably see on my shock-stricken face. I'm leaned away from him as far as I can be with my wrists restrained, though it doesn't matter much when he's bent his body over the chair. I keep my mouth pressed into a thin line, silencing myself so he ends his tirade.
His voice does lower to a more bearable level. "You don't strike me as a stupid girl, so I trust you can see what your best chance at survival is! As such, I would highly suggest accepting your punishment in the form of assisting your enemy."
He finally backs away and I'm able to sit up straight. That was not a reaction I was expecting. Robotnik has always been pathetically goofy, in a way – at least from what I'd seen during my stint fighting his bodyguard. This is the first time he's ever been legitimately menacing to me... and I really don't like how surprisingly intense he can be.
"Now," he says, an angry grumble still gnawing at the edge of his words, "do you agree to be Shadow's mentor in the ways of acceptable socialization?"
This is when I notice how roughly my heart is beating in my chest, the way it usually does only when I'm barely holding my own against Shadow. I can't believe Eggman managed to shake me up! Against my own stubbornness, I begrudgingly nod at him, choosing not to speak in case my voice wavers against my will.
"I'm glad we could come to an understanding." He pinches his wrist and a beeping noise sounds from beneath his lacy sleeve. Not a minute later, I hear the doors open. The tall human walks past my chair, ordering, "Let her sit for a little while, then escort her in cuffs to the library."
There's more beeping from the entrance, this time in a few different keys and clearly being made by one of his robotic minions. An affirmation of his command, I guess. The doors close, darkening the room once more, and I feel like I can hear the rushing thump of my heart racing in the stony silence.