Serenity. Calmness. The warm breeze acting like a comforting blanket that welcomed him from the freezing bitterness of reality. After all the turmoil, Sonic's mind was finally at peace. The anguish his body suffered wasn't even a memory as he was enraptured in the all-consuming bliss of the lush landscape. Even the waterfalls abided by the laws of nature quietly, everything flowed in harmony with each other and filled the blue hedgehog's soul with elation. He relished this gentleness, this rare, perfect feeling that he wished could last for eternity. He had experienced a taste of it three times before during his captivity on the Death Egg, and though he didn't understand how he got to this place, or whether or not it was anything beyond a figment of his imagination, he clung to it with all of his might as he knew what awaited him afterwards.

The static of electricity and smell of burning flesh was a complex experience, and though Sonic never could get over the pain it induced, he was familiar with it all the same. The pulsing sensation that tensed his muscles until they spasmed violently for several moments before releasing him into a puddle of agony was always superceded by desperation, for he knew this treatment would continue until his warden had grown bored. 

However; the ampage used in this case was not the usual virocity of torture. 

In his own paradise, lightning streaked across the sky, summoning him from afar. He immediately grasped his chest, the sharp pains piercing through him like a spear as they intensified with each strike. The deafening call rang in his ears as he felt everything in the world shift. 

"N--NO! JUST LET ME HAVE THIS!" he shouted into thin air at the top of his lungs, only to discover no sound escaped him at all. No matter what he wanted, there was no denying the force pulling him away. For reasons unknown to him, he only knew the special tranquility of this place while he was there; otherwise, the fleeting moments of his reprieve fluttered from his conscious without a trace as though he never experienced them to begin with. The brightness of the scenery, the warmth of the atmosphere, all of it, shattered like glass, leaving him to tumble into an ocean of darkness. He struggled to breathe, but it was impossible; he fought to return to the surface, but he was relentlessly dragged down deeper into the freezing pitch blackness by an invisible power that he had to obey. 

The calmness. The happiness. The bliss. Everything left him as he was met by a flood of unwanted images, screaming voices, and anguish he knew all too well. 

He was home again. 

Unbridled, indescribeable, and unabating agony greeted his return as his tattered mind traced its way back to his mangled body, laying on the cold, metal table with the caretaker robot looming over him. His chest ached with each heartbeat while tiny raspy breaths escaped his agape mouth. 

"ASSESSING. ASSESSING. SUBJECT'S CIRCULATORY PUMP IS NOW FUNCTIONAL. PROCEEDING WITH ESSENTIAL REPAIRS." 
The robot then began applying an antibiotic spray to his wounds, bandaging the worse ones, and administering IV fluids introveniously. Sonic's limbs were completely limp, lacking the strength to even move a finger. His whole body felt 100x heavier than usual, with the simple task of moving his head taking a great amount of energy to do so. He stared at the ceiling in silence, hating this feeling like nothing he's ever hated before. He couldn't remember what had happened before this. He couldn't grasp anything but a string of painful of moments, mentally, physically, emotionally, it consumed him in every minute of every hour since what seemed like forever. 

He had to concentrate on something else. Anything else! His eyes shuffled around the room until he noticed the caretaker robot was using the bandages sparingly for some reason, and though he wanted to question it, he found it difficult to utter a single word. So, he surrendered to the weakness and let it be.

*You're back to square one, huh?* his inner conscience stated as though it were closer now than ever before, *This can't be good for your health.*

The broken hero sighed in annoyance, incidentally making his chest feel like it was on fire from the heave. 

*People who flatline shouldn't be overexerting themselves* the voice continued, *You're not going to last long if you keep letting him get away with this.*

Sonic remained silent, unwilling to argue and too tired to care about what an intangible voice in the back of his mind was saying. 

*Ignore me all you want, it's not going to change anything. Only you can do that, and the sooner, the better, because it's not just your life at risk anymore.* 

With another big heave, the blue hedgehog belted, "BACK OFF!", startling himself awake. He didn't realize he had dozed off, and though speaking was rather strenuous, at least he was capable of doing so now. He didn't know how long he was out, but the room looked the same and he felt just as awful. The robot that was in the process of recording his vitals took his outburst as a command and backed away. Though the blue hedgehog wanted to apologize, he just didn't have it in him to actually mean it, so he remained quiet. Using more effort than he cared to admit, he forced himself to sit up on the table while clenching his chest, wishing that the throbbing ache would fade away already. His head was spinning as he held his unsteady hand out to the machine, "Help me" he whispered in a hoarse breath. The robot responded and grabbed his arm, assisting him in sliding off the table and preventing him from collapsing once his bare feet touched the floor. The metal against his flesh wasn't at all comfortable, but it kept him stable enough. 

"W-where's Finny?" Sonic questioned while still clutching between his breasts, each word feeling like a jab with brass knuckles. 

"ANALYZING. QUERY CONCERNS WHEREABOUTS OF SUBJECT KNOWN AS INFINITE. PROCESSING. SUBJECT KNOWN AS INFINITE IS CURRENTLY IN BASE CONTROL ROOM. BASE CONTROL ROOM IS LOCATED IN CENTRAL WING 008 SOUTH OF INFIRMARY."

The blue hedgehog rolled his eyes. This particular model of Eggman's was built for efficiency, not personality. "I w-want to....GGGAGGAHAHOO...", he said in a rough cough that lit his lungs on fire, "I-I want to---see...him..." he finished in spasmic grunts.

"PROCESSING REQUEST. RESEARCHING INSTRUCTIONS. NO PRIOR COMMANDS ISSUED TO REFUSE REQUEST. AUTHORIZING. ASSIGNMENT: ESCORT SUBJECT TO BASE CENTRAL CONTROL ROOM."

The robot picked Sonic up like cargo and proceeded to slowly, but surely, make its way down the hall. The pressure of his grip made his entire body throbbed, with the jostling of each stride only intensifying it. While he thought about ordering the machine to just let him go by himself, he has never went anywhere without supervision, and in his current state, even walking a short distance down the hall felt like a chore. 

Having arrived at the destination, the robot place the broken hero adjacent to the door before knocking in big heavy thuds. Within a few silent seconds, the doors opened automatically, revealing a large room with monitors covering an entire wall, though operated by a single crescent control panel with rows upon rows of keyboards that were stacked like the ivory teeth on a pipe organ. Seated in the chair with his back to them sat the infamous mercenary, who didn't bother to turn around. 

"What is it?" he questioned after suspiciously adjusting a knob on the panel. 

"SUBJECT REQUESTED ESCORT TO THIS LOCATION. NO PRIOR INSTRUCTIONS WERE ISSUED TO CONTRADICT REQUEST. REQUEST HAS THUS BEEN FULFILLED. AWAITING SUBSEQUENT COMMAND."

Infinite reached over and grabbed his mask off the console, returning it to its rightful place before turning to greet his visitors. 

"Return to the infirmary until you're needed," he spoke as he studied the blue hedgehog, whom was holding onto the door frame to keep his balance. 

"ACKNOWLEDGED". The robot then left the two alone, its echoing footsteps combined with the whirring of computers being the only sounds to fill the void in this awkward staring contest. Sonic's body looked like a mummy as barely any of his blue fur was visible between the bandages, which were stained in an assortment of crimson hues. Infinite was always enticed by the little blue savior's physique, but this visage, he found to suit him best.  

"Hey..." Sonic started, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."
Despite how much it hurt to speak clearly, the broken hero was determined to not falter.  

The jackal crossed his arms as he looked on curiously, "Proceed."

"I'm not sure what I did, but I want you to know that I'll do better. I owe you a lot and I promise to make it up to you..."
Once he pulled away from the doorframe; however, he stumbled onto the floor, his legs unable to sustain him. 

"GAAHH!" he grunted as the impact jarred his injuries. However, all he could think about was what that must look like to his master. 
"I-I'M SORRY!" he blurted out as he continuously failed to get his bearings. It was no use. His body was pushed beyond the limit and was no longer responding to him. 

Infinite arose from his chair and slowly ambled towards him, the glowing monitors behind casting his shadow over the fallen hedgehog, whose face was painted with a mix of fear and hope for sympathy. He clenched his eyes tightly, unwilling to see what was going to happen next. Without a word, the jackal gently rolled him over, slid his arms under his back and legs, and hoisted the light frame of the broken hero in his powerful arms. 
Sonic was speechless as he was carried to the chair. At first, he thought his master was merely going to sit him in a position that would make the favorite parts of his body more accessible, but instead, the jackal seated himself in the plush leather, allowing the hedgehog to sit across his lap with his legs dangling over the side of the armrest. He guided the blue blur's head to rest on his shoulder, where he then proceeded to stroke his claws through his fur in a delicate manner while he was cradled in his strong embrace. 

Sonic couldn't remember the last time Infinite had been so kind and careful with him. Usually, such treatment was a prelude to something horrendous, other times, it led to nothing and was merely a method to trap him in a false sense of security, to keep him guessing on edge. At least, that's what it was before. 
In the recent weeks, he savored any attention he received from the mercenary, be it kind or cruel. He didn't anticipate anything. He merely lived in the moment and starved for the next in his confined existence. Now, he was essentially having a banquet of affection! 
The mercenary glided his claws over his body, gently massaging his bruises, lightly tracing his volatile wounds, carressing his broken quills and stroking his scuffed muzzle. Each touch was even more delicious than the last! 

The blue hedgehog used every fiber of will within him to block the pain his body still suffered so he could enjoy this moment to the fullest. The bond he felt with his captor enraptured him to the point he couldn't resist placing his hand on the jackal's wrist and guiding it lower until it reached his private area between his legs. 

 "Do...you want to...?" he asked meakly while he directed his master's fingers to his anus. 

However, Infinite stopped short and looped his claws around the damaged hero's feeble hand, "Not now," he said firmly, but with a hint of compassion resonating in his voice. 

"Aww...okay," he replied in a childishly disappointed manner. He wasn't about to spoil this moment by pursuing anything his master was against, but a flash of light went through his mind that compelled him to speak up. "C-Can I tell you about this weird dream I had?"

"Go on," Infinite responded with intrigue while massaging the blue hedgehog's ear.

"I dreamt that Shadow, of all people, was with us while we were...together." Sonic said as he nuzzled his face into Infinite's neck, "Pretty crazy, huh?"

"--And if he was?" the jackal questioned without hesitation, probing every aspect of Sonic's voice and body for a reaction. 

The broken hero was caught by surprise and wasn't sure what to think.
What was real and what was fake had long since blurred together to the point he could no longer distinguish the two apart. From the scraps of memory he could piece together, he recalled being caught between them, with the familiar texture of Infinite's arms holding him. Everything kept fading in and out, but he remembered the sensations he had grown accustomed to. 
Seeing Shadow's face wasn't anything knew. The black hedgehog haunted him during his captivity. 
How he longed for him, only to be betrayed. The punch to the gut he felt when he was abandoned by his friends suddenly formed once again in the pit of his stomach and brought with it the shock, disbelief, and hopelessness in an emotional tidal wave the likes of which made him completely shut down. 

"I don't really care," he said in a monotone voice, "would it be okay if we just stayed here-- quietly-- a bit longer?"

The jackal chuckled softly, "Very well, little mouse," before continuing his therapuetic routine on the broken hero, who closed his eyes and allowed himself to be wrapped in the tender arms of one whom he had come to adore. 

Meanwhile, on the center monitor, housed in a chamber down below, hung the battered body of the Ultimate Life Form. His arms were bound in a strappado position, weights tied with barbed wire to his legs, and a specialized helmet was fastened over his head, depriving him of all his senses. Aside from his inhibitor rings, the rest of his clothing had been discarded. His shoulders were already dislocated. His left leg, broken. Blood trickled from the numerous streaks over his black fur that could only have originated from a whip. The collar around his neck made it difficult to breathe, while the gag further prevented any sound from escaping him. Despite the torment he was facing, despite the humiliating position, Shadow's mind remained resolute, the silence actually acting as an aid in helping him focus. 

The scene replayed over and over in his mind. The life in Sonic's eyes fading. His frail body falling limp in that bastard's arms, who only jested, "Seems we took his breath away", when in fact he had stopped breathing. His heart had stopped beating...HE WAS DYING! Shadow couldn't shake the feeling of witnessing his partner like that, nor the
way Infinite merely waved for a machine to take the blue hedgehog away to parts unknown on the simple order "fix him," which made his blood boil. As terrified as he was that Sonic was gone, he knew that jackal wouldn't let either one of them die, not yet. He had to trust that Sonic would survive, but after what had happened earlier, he regrettably could no longer trust his partner's judgment, not in his current state of mind at least. With slow, deep breaths, he vowed he would get them both out of there. And with hate coating his heart, he promised to make their captor pay in ways fitting his twisted soul.