I smirk to myself, thinking about Rouge, and the last time I saw her. Rain pours down, huge buckets of it, clattering against the roof of the train car loudly. A drop splashes on my ear; I glance up just in time for another drop to hit me right between my eyebrows. "Oh, great," I complain, "now it's leaking." Scooting over, I sigh. "Guess that's what I get for being a stowaway, huh?" I say to the spider in the corner. For around a month now I'd been hitching rides from trains, usually by running alongside them, then ducking into a storage compartment. This was a produce train, particularly wheat and hay, moving through the countryside. I was just fortunate that I wound up in a wheat-bearing car--the last time I was in a hay carriage I couldn't stop sneezing.

Humming softly to myself, I look out the open door into the rain. We've been going through farmlands for quite a long time, past rolling hills and cows. I had no idea how much farmland there was in this country, but maybe all of it is right here. Who knows? I haven't even seen a map of this place before. Rain whips in as the train turns suddenly, and I'm soaked by it. Spluttering, I get up and shut the door, shoving it back into place. It really works more like a slab of slightly rusted metal that I shove over the opening to cover it. Darkness descends; it's pitch-black in here without any outer light. Only a few holes in the roof let in light, and even then that's hardly anything. Grumbling, I fumble around for a match, picking up the lantern I stole from my last train ride. After a few tries, the lantern's candle is lit, and an orange-yellow light washes over the cart. I set it down gently, far enough away from the wheat to avoid a fire.

"Man, this is the third time this week that I've gotten soaked like that." Sighing again, I shake myself off, the water splattering everywhere; afterwards, I proceed to run my fingers through my fur, trying to squeeze out the water. After about fifteen minutes, I'm a little dryer than I was before, but I can't say the same for the wheat. It's pretty damp. "Well, that's a problem, but it's not my problem." Turning around, I face the door, inspecting it as I've done hundreds of times before. Corrugated iron, rusting a bit, cheaply made, clearly not meant to be looked at an awful lot. Not glamorous at all. Not even mediocre. I grimace. "Ugh, that's it. Next city we stop at, I'm getting off." Stretching with a yawn, I crack a few bones and smirk to myself. "I'll find my way to The Heaven-Scraping Mountains by myself from there." Hitching trains was really only something I did to move across large swaths of land without lifting a finger. I'd always known that at some point I'd have to go back to walking, trekking across the land, all that.

Rubbing my face, I look around, trying to remember the last time I'd slept. It seems to me like the last time I'd actually, really gone to sleep was while I was still sick; the first night I ever had in a train. I'd almost gotten caught because of it, too. Fortunately, in order to sleep, I'd burrowed my way into the wheat, and the unloaders had decided to quit early that night rather than go through the cart I was in--the end cart. They'd woken me up, though, which wasn't a bad thing since it gave me time to figure out an escape route. I shudder to think of what might've happened had they not decided to quit early...pitchforks are sharp. Trotting over to the corner, I crouch down, picking up the now-tattered white paper bag I'd been given back at G.U.N.; I open and look into it. I still had a few of those candies Doctor Medusa gave me, but lately I've been more than a little suspicious of them. They soothed my throat while I was still sick, but most of the time after taking one I'd have flashbacks to the horrible things Robotnik had done to me. I can't explain why that happens, since cherries have absolutely nothing to do with the atrocities I endured. Despite the obvious correlation, I was still tempted to eat one...

"Gah!" I throw it across the cart, shrinking away. "No way. It's absolutely not worth it!" I yell, leaning back into the wheat. No way, I repeat mentally, rolling onto my side. Besides, I need to take a quick nap to keep my strength up. Curling up a bit, I try and make the damp wheat a bit more pleasant to lie on, but that's easier said than done. Ugh, whatever... I think as I drift off.

--------------

Robotnik looms over me. "I told you, Shadow." He growls, his voice distorted and demonic, sinister. "I told you, no more failures. You knew this would happen before you even set out, and you still chose to fail."

"N-No, Father, I promise I tried--" I stammer, terrified. "Please don't do it! It wasn't my fault!"

"Shut up!" He roars, slamming me with his wrench. I fall, clutching my face and whimpering. "You don't have any teammates to blame anymore! This was a solo mission. You obey me, you understand that?" He hits me again, this time in the shoulder. I flinch, trying not to cry. Who knew he'd have such destructive power behind those puny arms? "You obey me. I made you, and I own you. I ordered you to succeed. And you disobeyed me!"

"I know, Father, I know," I whisper, shivering, and hearing sparks fizz from somewhere on my metal hull. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I--"

"Enough!" He turns away. "It doesn't matter anyways, you won't remember this." He points at the two robots standing by the door to his room. "You two! Take him to the experimentation room."

"No! Please, don't do this!" I scream as the bulky machines approach me. Fear causes every muscle in my body to shiver, and I thrash as they try to pick me up. "Please, don't--mmph!" A robot claps a rag over my mouth and I cough as an invasive, chemical smell burns my nose. The room fades to black as my flailing grows weaker and weaker.

Groaning, I try to lift my head, only to find myself bound down to whatever I'm laying on. I open my eyes to see a green light right above my head. "Ugh, what the--"

"Oh, good, you're awake." A familiarly harsh voice cackles. "It's so much more fun when you're awake, you know?" Terror spears my heart, and I struggle against the ties binding me as Robotnik looms over me. "How cute, you're trying to get away!" He sings sadistically, picking something up from a table that I can't see. I start to thrash, convulsing against my restrictions, but the more I move, the tighter they become, and I start to choke as the sharp tie around my neck cuts into me. "If you're smart, you'll give that up before the plastic slices your windpipe open. You see, I used those little white plastic strips that you can curl into a circle, with the little clasp that clamps down onto the teeth of it--oh, what are they called?" He leans back, rubbing his chin, and I glare at him out of the corner of my eye. "I want to say they're 'rip-ties' but that doesn't sound right. Whatever they're called, they're cheap and sharp, and do the job pretty well!" Grinning, he holds a syringe in my vision. It's filled with some kind of black fluid, laced with glowing veins of dark purple that pulse light, writhing like snakes. I cough, trying to speak, but I'm lucky enough to still be getting air in my lungs at this point. "Aw, relax, Shadow," his smile spreads unnaturally across his face, and his saliva-slicked teeth seem like knives to me, "this will all be over soon, I promise." Turning the needle over in his hands, he checks to make certain that there's no air left; finding it to his satisfaction, he holds it tip-down over my eye.

Trembling, I try to turn my head away from him, not caring anymore if I was choking. I just want to get as far away from that needle as possible. "No, no, no, that won't do--" Robotnik grabs my head roughly, clenching his hand around my jaw, gloved fingers crushing my cheeks into my teeth, "you have to hold still, or I might miss, and that'd be a disaster. And besides, in the long run, this will help you. You'll understand when you're older." With that, he violently plunges the syringe into my left eye, right in the center of my pupil, eliciting a scream from me. The dark fluid rushes from it, flooding my vision, and all I can see is blackness.

-----------

Jolting upright, I scream, clutching at my eye with my left hand. My god! My god, what did he do to me?! Panting, I shakily remove my hand, staring down at it in horror. For a moment, I think I see a black splotch--my breath catches as I move my hand, but it was just a trick of the light. My glove is still porcelain-white, and I can still see perfectly fine. Hanging my head in my hands, I draw my knees up to my chest, whimpering. Tears build up in the corner of my eyes, sliding through my lashes as I shut my eyes, curling up tighter. Why me? Why me? Why? What was he doing? What's special about me? My hands tremble as I tighten my grip, feeling horrible. A pounding headache started while I was sleeping; it feels like my skull's going to explode from the pressure. Groaning, I lean my head back, resting it on the rusted hull of the cart and roughly rubbing the tears out of my eyes with my arm. It's deadly-silent now, save for the gentle rumbling of the wheels. The rain must have stopped as I slept. Opening my eyes, I get up slowly, walking in a slightly unsteady manner towards the door. Leaning heavily against the wall, I catch my breath--for whatever reason, I was still trembling and panting. I guess that nightmare gave me more adrenaline than I'd thought. Slumping a bit, I let my hand fall back to my side, my arm thumping clumsily against my chest. My stomach growls, reminding me that I've not had any real food in far too long. Drawing myself up, I open the door, sliding the huge metal panel all the way over, completely opening the train cart. Wind rushes in, buffeting my fur and cooling me off a bit--I hadn't even noticed how hot it was in the trailer. Outside, the sky has partially cleared, and the sun is setting, casting orange and gold hues across the world. My eyes widen as I marvel the beauty of it all; the outside world looks so tranquil, with the rolling hillsides and forests, the fluffy, marshmallow-like clouds hanging lazily around the falling sun--even though the train's moving at a decent 30-mph clip, the world looks still and silent. Sitting down, I dangle my legs out the opening, enjoying the breeze quite a lot. My fur tumbles as the zephyr tousles it, running its nonexistent fingers through my spines. Taking a deep breath, I lean back, closing my eyes and relaxing a bit. I imagine all of my stress and paranoia being pulled out by the current, the wind whisking them away, blowing them miles away as the train trundles along its tracks. Exhaling, I toss my head back, kicking my legs a bit. The train turns right, this time moving smoothly along the track--it's then that I notice that the train's slowing down. We must be nearing a city, I think, and my stomach growls again; absentmindedly I put my hand over my torso, as if somehow that'll stop it from growling. Maybe there I'll be able to snag some food.

A sudden thought spears me. Grabbing the bag that I so hastily threw away earlier, and feeling a little ridiculous for thinking some candy was triggering my nightmarish visions, I reach inside and pull out the last two wrapped cherry drops. Gently I unfurl the packaging on one, and a tantalizing, sweet aroma wafts from it; within a few seconds, I was chewing on both of them, careful not to crush them yet. Well, at least I have something to eat, I muse as I stare at the setting sun.

------------

Rouge's heels click against the hardwood floors of the old G.U.N. building. Man, why don't they update this place already? She scowls at the old pale yellow plaster walls. I'm hoping they deliberately painted it this gross shade of yellow--please tell me it wasn't originally white! Cringing, she stops for a moment, furrowing her brow.

"...Great," she sighs. "I'm lost again. Dammit!" She whirls around, frustrated. "All these corridors look the same!" The snowy bat exclaims, face-palming.

"Oh, Rouge!" A cheerful voice calls from behind her.

"Eh?" The agent turns around, looking for the source of the voice; her eyes land on a blonde-haired human with golden eyes sticking her head out the door.

"Hi, there!" Doctor Medusa chirps, stepping into the hall. "I don't think we've met yet, but I've heard a lot about you." Smiling cheerfully, she extends one hand. "My name's Medusa. I'm a doctor here. Glad to meet you!"

Rouge takes the woman's hand in hers, returning the cheerful grin. "Nice to meet you too. Can you help me out here? I'm a little lost..." She admits sheepishly.

"Oh, man, do I understand that!" Medusa laughs, "This place is built like a maze. Here, lemme help you out--I spend a lotta time in this area, so I know how to get around most of the time." She walks past Rouge calmly.

"Great!" The ivory bat starts trotting after the human woman. "I'm trying to find the West Wing."

"Okay, I can get you there from here!" The blonde lady chirps, quickening her pace. A pause follows, with the two women's shoes clacking noisily against the floor being the only sound. "Hey, by the way," Medusa comments suddenly, "how has Shadow been doing?"

"Sh-Shadow?" The bat stutters, startled. "How do you know Shadow?"

"Ah, I was the doctor who treated him!" The blond human chirps, looking over her shoulder. "I was wondering if his cold cleared up, if he was doing alright, you know?"

Nodding, the blue-eyed bat replies, "That's really sweet of you, but I haven't talked to him in a while. Over a month now, actually." She tried to keep the sadness out of her voice, lowering her gaze. I wish I knew how he was doing, she sighs inwardly. I wish I could talk to him again.

Medusa's gaze sharpened suddenly, but since Rouge was behind her it went unseen. "Oh? Well, that's unfortunate," she smiles, softening her expression again. "But, he's a strong boy; I'm sure he's doing fine. I just wanted to be sure, is all~!" Stopping suddenly, she turns around, the sunny expression she usually wore plastered across her face again. "Here we are! Just go left here," she points down a corridor, "and in no time you'll find the West Wing."

"Thank you sooo much!" Rouge gushes, "You're a real lifesaver, Doc."

"Oh, it's nothing!" Medusa claps her left hand to the side of her face, blushing. "I'm glad I could help you out." She waves, her black-painted nails glittering in the light, as the bat cheerfully runs down the hall. Once the bat ducks into the wing and shuts the door, Medusa drops her charming act, her face becoming stony and cold. "Keh. I'm surprised G.U.N.'s top agent is so air-headed." Stretching, she smirks. "Then again, they're going downhill anyways." Turning around, the blonde woman walks back the way she came. "The truly worrying thing is Shadow," sighing, she puts her hands in her pockets, "especially since I can't tell if those drops are affecting him yet..."

Another doctor walks out of their room a bit further down the hall, and Medusa stops talking, internally monologuing from then on. 'It was risky at first, setting this all up--I had to first infiltrate G.U.N., then gain enough of a reputation to change their brand of cough drops to those, which was somehow more difficult than I'd imagined. Thank god no one ran a toxicity check on those. The chemical Robotnik laced in those won't affect the average person, of course, but it would have been enough to make them suspicious. Even if the chemical only effects Shadow, and Shadow in particular for whatever reason, I couldn't tell them that, since he's who they were for, anyways.' The doctor smirks, lowering her head a bit. 'In any case, I'd best report back to him today. Even if Rouge hasn't talked to Shadow in a while, Robotnik and his cohorts ought be able to find him. And that means I can finally leave this dump, thank God--I can't wait to get the hell out of here.' Grimacing, she runs one hand through her hair as she ducks into her office. 'Soon,' she thinks, sitting down at her computer. 'Soon, I can go back to doing more exciting stuff than desk work.' A smirk flashes across her face. 'But first, I've gotta write up my reports...'