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He yanks his arm hard but it doesn’t break the zone cop’s grip on him. He’d actually prefer a beating from his old inmates than this bullshit. “Once I get this %@*! collar off its over for you dweebs!” The cop takes the threat for what it is. Nothing. The cop doesn’t even dignify it with a response. Scourge has no power in this situation. Dammit. He hates this. He hates being powerless.
If he’d been smart he would’ve seen them coming. He should’ve been more prepared to kick ass, but no; He had to be distractedly sunning himself in a field while lightly dozing. In his defense, most people in his zone weren’t suicidal enough to chance messing with him. Still though, hindsight's 20/20 and it always seems to come back to bite him in the ass.
The room they pull him into is almost entirely empty sans a few chairs in the center. The zone cop that was leading him shoves him rather forcefully into one of those chairs. Scourge tries to stand back up, but he’s easily shoved back down into the chair again. He growls at the zone cop in front of him. He’s about to start hurling insults his way when someone clears their throat, drawing his attention away.
He hadn't thought anyone else was in the room? He turns to face them fully and sees none other than the number one asshole standing there. Zonic. He can’t get away from this guy! Scourge rolls his eyes. This is a joke.
“This is pathetic. Are you arresting me? If you put me back in that jail I’ll just break out again. You know I can,” Scourge threatens, smirking at the cops. Zonic doesn’t seem to take the threat very seriously.
“You aren’t going back to jail. I have a better offer for you. One from higher up.” Scourge yawns at Zonic, laughing when that causes him to huff. Zonic continues, “We’re low on bodies so we have orders to-”
“You think I’m going to listen to any orders you were given?” Scourge interrupts with a cackle. This is gotta be a joke! Zonic lifts his arm and pushes a button on his cuff. The electricity that zips through Scourge has his body locking up and him screaming out in pain.
He isn’t sure how long he was being zapped for but it felt like forever. When it finally stops he collapses into the chair, panting.
“Let's try that again, this time without interruptions?” When Scourge doesn’t do anything but pant he again continues,
“We are low on bodies to fill out our forces, as a result this calls for drastic measures. So you are being given a few choices. Join the Zone Police and work to reform, or be permanently eliminated.” The clipped tone should be threatening but Scourge finds it hard to care with such a ridiculous offer being presented to him.
he looks up, glaring up at Zonic, “No.” he says through clipped breathes
“That wasn’t one of the options.”
Scourge scoffs, “Don’t care. I’m making it an option!” This only seems to irritate the zone cop more.
Zonic tries to push down his exasperation but Scourge can see it clearly. The Zone cop’s mask is slipping. Perfect.
“Can’t you help yourself? Even just once?” Scourge mimics the question in an, admittedly, really good Sonic impression. The cop seems to lack a sense of humor as he doesn’t even crack a smile at that. Actually he looks like he wants to shock him again.
“I’m trying to help you!” Zonic tries, his true feelings finally slipping free. He almost sounds tired, “You don’t have to die for the sake of your own pride!”
It almost sounds like he really wants to help Scourge. That's laughable.
“You guys don’t kill. You’re bluffing. This isn’t a real offer. I’m not as stupid as you guys seem to think I am.” Scourge says. He really doesn’t believe this.
That is until the look on Zonic’s face has him a bit unsteady in that statement. Why is that stupid pitying look sticking around? He tries another route, “You can’t kill me. I’m a mirror or something!” Scourge tries. The look doesn’t leave. Shit. “Fine. …What aren’t you telling me?” he finally asks.
“A major timeline event is coming. One I- we,” Zonic corrects “as a whole cannot stop. It’s going to change... So much. Too much. Sonic prime as you know him is going to be fine but a new prime timeline is going to be created.”
This will make you and your entire world obsolete." He shakes his head, "not obsolete rather, your existence and the thorn in the side you create won't be justifiable. We don’t want you dead but if you can’t be contained; if you can’t be controlled? We’ll have to resort to extreme measures. And that includes deleting your existence,'' The silence that follows Zonic’s speech is loud. Deafening really.
“So. I ask you again, will you join us?” Zonic holds out his hand as he asks him this. Scourge looks at the hand and actually sits quietly, thinking the offer over. He doesn’t want to be leashed. He’s his own hedgehog! He doesn’t do being ordered around. He calls the shots. However, dying for the sake of giving himself his own orders is stupid and definitely not conducive to a happy life filled with chaos and fun. It is however conducive to being dead. Which he doesn’t want to be.
Zonic could be bluffing, he could have the best poker face Scourge has ever seen and this is all a crazy act. Then again, he also isn’t hiding his emotions. He looks worried. That stupid sad pity look etching lines in his face Scourge wants to slap away. Scourge is positive that worry is more for the Zones and their stability then it is for him but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s there. Zonic really does think this will break bad for him. Scourge wants to hit something.
Preferably Zonic’s stupid visor. A crack might add a sorta cool factor to that dumb outfit.
He could always betray them. Find a way to get out without actually needing to reform. He could play good doggy for a bit until he has a solid out. He probably wouldn’t even need to do any actual work! He looks at the hand one more time before slapping it out of his face. “Shock me again and we’re going to have serious problems.”
“Is that a yes?” Zonic asks. Scourge leans back in the chair, folding his hands behind his head as he feigns thinking about it more. “Hmm let’s see… Join you lot and look as stupid as you clowns do all the time or die doing the thing I love, causing chaos? It really is a tough choice.” he shrugs “But fine, if you’re truly that desperate for someone like me I suppose I can come and mix things up for you.”
Zonic still looks just as unimpressed as he did at his Sonic impression. Someone should really get this guy laid. Or at the very least remove that stick from his ass. “It’s a yes. Jeez, can't you read between the lines?” Scourge asks, annoyed at the cop for insisting on ruining his fun. He leans forward, resting his arms on his legs.
“I can read between the lines, I’m making sure there’s no doubt in your agreement. That this was without a doubt a ‘yes’. That there is no reasonable deniability. I’m not having you weasel your way out of this by trying to argue semantics,” Zonic states.
Scourge just rolls his eyes. This guy. “Okay so I’ve agreed. Now what?”
Zonic taps something into his bracer and then the collar clicks open. "Now we start you on field training and then send you home."
Scourge breathes a sigh of relief at having the collar off. He rubs his neck, enjoying the energy running through him again before attempting to spin-dash the zone cop. Zonic is easily able to dodge Scourge’s attack.
As Scourge charges up another attack Zonic grabs something from his holster, shocking the inmate again. Like before Scourge screams in pain. Unlike before, Zonic has to recall the barbs from the taser he used.
“Did you really think that would work?” he asks, ignoring the childish glare Scourge throws his way. When Scourge still doesn't answer after a few moments he sighs. “Are you really ignoring me?” The zone cop asks.
“&*$# you, That hurt!”
“It was supposed to.” He lifts Scourge to his feet.