Sirens blared in the facility as a steel elevator quickly rose from the depths of the chilling, god-forsaken facility that entrapped the worst of the world. In all your time in imprisonment, you never heard those sirens. Long ago, you'd look up to those slowly pulsating red lights, wondering if you'd ever hear their ear-piercing shrieks as the scent of the sea drifted into your nose, an escape all on my your terms.

Escape was on your mind more than once, but you knew trying would leave you worse off, and with your solitude, you got the time to think to yourself, agree with the world, and that this is what you deserve.

Already, gray walls began to colorize. The dank smell of sickly unrecycled air turned into a current of new, recognizably fresher air that your body longe for.

The elevator screeched to a halt. With your arms chained in front of you and guards to all sides, the unit was led by Rouge back into a more open bunker. Two massive, steel sliding doors accompanied the back wall where two armored vehicles hummed their sturdy and powerful engines at the ready. An escort opened the door and ushered the guards inside, pulling you along with them. Rouge went around the side, and most likely into the passenger.

The vehicle began to shuffle forwards, the deep menace of the engine purred alive as you began to travel to wherever the Freedom Fighters had in store for you. You weren't afraid, it was a new chance to be someone you wanted to be. Your situation was still a sensitive one, and your prowess kept the guards on alert, however as sunlight flicked by the small slits in the roof of the vehicle, you couldn't help but bubble up inside. You wouldn't let them see the emotion gilding behind your eyes, but you knew that freedom was waiting, and you were coming for it.

A small mirror used for the drivers looked back into the cargo hold. Rouge was watching. "Enjoy that sunshine while it lasts (m/s)."

Your head quickly shifted to the small gap where the bat was looking through which startled the guards. You found it humorous these 'soldiers' were so startled by one heavily chained (m/s), but still, Rouge's words concerned you. You assumed she didn't mean anything about clouds. "This truck isn't for me, isn't it..."

Rouge's crimson eyes narrowed and she glanced back forwards towards the semi's driving direction. "No- the infected have spread rapidly, and have so far been unable to tear apart hard armor vehicles. We couldn't make it in a normal vehicle."

You nodded, trying to figure out what these infected were all about. Metal Virus... all by the infamous Dr.Robotinic, or Eggman as most people called him. No wonder Wolf's tech was so advanced. It just had its own spin on it. You still couldn't believe Dr.Eggman was hidden away in a small, remote village this whole time.

Throughout the ride, the tires of the vehicle kept the journey steady and rather boring. You wanted to see outside, desperately, to see how the world had changed, good and bad. For what felt like a few hours, 3 at most, the guards kept their eyes on you but periodically chatted, even whispered about how a legendary villain was in the same confined hold as them.

You couldn't help but prank the poor, petrified souls of these soldiers with some violent tugs at random parts of the trip, or sometimes trying to chat them up instead as they tried to hide their anxious eyes away from the conversation.

There was only one soldier who hadn't moved, shaken, or looked away from you antics. Ironically enough, he was the burliest of all the guards in the cargo hold. He was a black dragon wearing an armored police uniform. Tall, spiraled horns like a bulls' protruded from his head and dark spines that occasionally glinted from the sun ran down his back and his wings. Despite his dark and brooding appearance, very sunset-like colors accompanied his menace and that made you somewhat happy as you would soon get to see that in the real world.

You looked at him with a smug look and half-closed (e/c) eyes, ready to bother him...

"Hey~" you nodded at him in a sort of surfer 'sup' kind of way, and spoke casually to him, contradictory to how you were scary to the others.

He didn't respond, but instead huffed a wisp of spook out of his nostrils. Your eyes looked to a silver-plated name tag- 'Gante'.

"How's it going, Gantee?-" You stretched your tone and mispronounced his name, continuing to look at his narrowed eyes. In an instance, a completely unrelated soldier, small and frail-looking, stood up in the moving vehicle to protest, but his superior stopped him first.

"Leave it alone Lieutenant." The dragon spoke, eyeing his infantry down. The little soldier, who was probably a volunteer in these trying times, slowly sat back down hesitantly. The unit leader looked back at your smug talking face and pointed his claws back towards his nametag. "-and it's Gante." (Pronounced Gone-tay).

"Stop messing with the poor soldiers (n/n)." Rouge called out from the front seat... "Or else I'll take the long way!"

You pouted and sat back normally in your seat, waiting for the last 10 minutes of the ride to come to a stop. When the truck came to a halt, you heard another set of massive steel doors rumbling as the truck entered another facility. However when the doors began to snap their heavy locks open, the slow progression of sunlight filtered into the truck. The door was open. A squad of soldiers jumped out first, and then Gante pulled you by your shoulder out of the truck- and into broad daylight.

"Welcome to Resteration HQ (n/n)." His low voice grumbled as he let go of your shoulder. Rouge motioned to follow along, but you hadn't moved. Gante could push you and Rouge could yell, but you felt and heard nothing other than the bustling sound of people, streets, some birds even... and you felt warm. The sun that your (f/c) fur longed for was finally able to show itself. The relieving smell of the air was fresh with a recent rain despite the exhaust that fumed from the truck next to you. The world... here even it was beautiful... and you almost help destroyed it.

To everyone's surprise, you started to wonder on your own, looking at every little thing as if you were some 5 year old that finally got playtime outside. It really was like that honestly. You hadn't seen a tree in years. Dirt!? This is so soft-

Gante picked you up again by your shoulders and dragged your distracted soul away from the outside.

As it began to get cold again, you snapped out of it. Clouds covered the sun and the landscape was slowly disappearing. A door was closing in front of you.

"Wa-WAIT I want to go back outside again!?" You looked to Rouge who poked her finger into you forehead, holding you back. Along with Gante- I guess.

"I'm sure it looks nice, but we have a real situation outside of those walls. Sonic had to distract a horde just to get the truck in." Rouge swatted you back and you stumbled back onto your own legs and-..

Sonic was here!? The greatest Freedom Fighter ever to come from everything heroic and good for the world's people.

You knew all too well you were on bad terms, of all people, you knew he would be the most upset upon seeing you. You watched Wolf kill his friend, which in a strange reversal, turned you into a blind rage of your own. You've tricked and hurt the blue heroine in so many ways. Yeah- You really hoped we wouldn't cross paths, but you knew it would be impossible to avoid their leader. Rouge noticed your hesitation and tilted her head to the side.

"No worries honey, Sonic's been busy so there's no need to be afraid of our hero. And you'll be on the same side remember?"

You sighed and looked back at Rouge, "But you all know what I did, to your family and all those people-"

"-AND we know Wolf had all the power over you. We decided to let you help us because we believe you're good, deep down." She quickly flew forwards and placed both hands firmly on your shoulders and stared you down HARD. "Or were we wrong?"

"NO NO! I really do want to help your little infection situation." More like, you don't want to go back down in that lonely, life-deprived cell... but all the same, she was right. The dormant cells in your sleeping civilian mind were ready to bring back society.

It may not be you and Wolf's idea, but this made the world happy how it was. Wolf was a tyrant that wanted power. You wanted power as well but- not at the price you paid. That the world paid.

"Good." Rouge cooed. Nobody spoke the rest of the ride downwards. This 'Restoration HQ' had to be some fort of an underground bunker, which gave you eerie flashbacks to your previous prison. After the elevator doors opened at whatever floor we were so far deep into, you walked a small corridor and into a simple room with two chairs and a table. An interrogation room.

"Whoa- what's this for?" The pupils of your (e/c) eyes narrowed into slits as you appeared agitated, your fur began to rise and your dagger eyes glared at the bat who was all too comfortable.

"Nothing to worry about. I have something for you." The bat motioned for you to sit down, and you did. Gante had walked off to the other side of the one-way soundproof glass. Now it was just the two of you girls.

"What is it?" You leaned forward, suspicious of what it was.

Now Rouge was the smug one, lacing her fingers together and raising an eyebrow. "I thought you'd like to refamiliarize yourself with an old friend." The door to the room opened and Gante came in with a briefcase. At first, you were scared that some of the Freedom Fighters were coming in and you had to make a whole "I'm sorry" situation to all of them.

He set the case down so that the opening faced you. Rouge nodded for you to open it... and with the cold touch of the container, you knew what it was.

An old friend indeed, as you pulled out your old (n/n) combat uniform. They had kept it as evidence, and looking at this piece of history didn't inflict the same damage as it did back when you last used it. It didn't trigger fear from Wolf, or the ship, or the situation you threw upon the world. All you felt was the regret that came with it. The helmet was missing but was soon placed on the table, a deep crack almost severing through the left side.

(Optional) That event now permanently place itself on my forehead, a massive scar running down just above your left eye. You placed your hand over it...

"I thought you wouldn't want this much of (n/n) back into the world..." You muttered to the Bat, looking away and averting your gaze in shame. Yes, you wanted this alias to be seen in a better light, but doing it so straight forward felt like a massive push.

"Despite the virus being a metal virus, it only affects organics when touched. Your armor is completely metal infused and quite advanced, so we want you to use it again. For your own protection and to stop it from spreading as well." Rouge stood back up over the chair and walked over, taking out a key and freeing your bound wrists from the table and the cuffs. You were completely free. The first time those came off in 5 years. Your (f/c) fur was stained to a charcoal black the cuffs had imprinted their mark.

You smiled at the weightless feeling, you immediately felt stronger and in high spirits. You stood up and shook, pumping your fists ready for whatever was ahead.

"Calm down (m/s), we'll show you the plan but I need to warn you. The outside is just as cold. The virus is everywhere, you'll see for yourself soon enough." Rouge also sat up and calmed down Gante who was ready to grab a taser on his back belt pouch.

Shrugging to the dragon, you followed Rouge out of the room and slipped on your armor as you rode the elevator back up to the surface, or control room as Rouge directed. You put your signature helmet that was just as important to your image as the weapons you wielded.

The mighty dragon by your side now looked a little tenser. You might be finally back in business, but with your armor reunited with your image, you knew he was aware of how dangerous you had become. "Don't worry Gantee, I hope you trust I'm on your side now."

He shrugged and stared back at the steel elevator doors that began to open, "We'll see." And he walked off to address a bunch of soldiers who were sitting on crates next to a- drop ship. It was beautiful in a pristine white that glistened in the small bit of sunlight that came in through the hanger doors. Streaks of orange and blue lined for decor and lighting, making it all more pleasing just to look at.

Who KNEW what it was capable of, everyone but me probably. This airship was a suited up version of the one you had last seen when you were fighting them 5 years ago.

The second you stepped out of the elevator, everyone froze, staring, at the supersoldier villain that entered their headquarters.

It's time to meet some Freedom Fighters, let's hope y'all get along 😎✌️ Rouge said your name would be a secret but don't worry, you'll get to use your real name soon enough, I promise.

Chapter Length @2300 Words