Wires and Free Wills

Prologue

        Drowsy. That was the first thing she registered. A faint yawn escaped her, one set of hands stretching out, then the other. Her mandibles clicked against one another, before pulling out to their furthest extent. Her arms returned to her sides, all six laying out as gently as they could on the table she was upon. It was then that she realized- it wasn't a table. It was a bed. She turned, three arms going down to hold her up.

The room she was in was semi-burnt, with a few pockmarks and sections of missing wall here and there. There was a chest at the end of her simple metal-framed bed. Dust choked the air, eliciting a cough from her lungs. It was strange, though- she could nearly hear a faint backfire; a car that had lost some of its semblance in internal structure. Regardless of that, her head was quick to begin pounding.

"... Dangit..." She ran a hand along her head.- Only to feel something akin to a dent near the back of her head. The female paused. She ran her fingers over it, the barest hint of talons dragging ever-so-lightly over the impression on her skull. The headache increased. She bit down hard, preventing herself from groaning.

What had she even been doing, before she awakened here?... Everything was just the worst fraction of off, but she couldn't quite place it. She stood from her bed, feet tapping down against a blanket. Her eyes flicked. There was a strange light in the room.- It nearly seemed to follow her, glowing the faintest yellow. She reached down and picked up the blanket. It had a few holes in it... But it wasn't too terrible for wear.

It was then that she noticed a main shaft of light, coming from nearby. Her eyes flicked to it, trailing along the expanse as it arose... Before vanishing out a window with bars. She blinked, stepping close. Outside, she could see green. Little blades of glass wavered in the wind, a few dandelions popping up here and there... And other cots- or cells- or whatever she was in- forming a massive circle of some sort. They were all tannish buildings, some with gaping holes, others with small breaks in the brick- all had the same window, though, (or so she assumed- some were missing their windows), and some... Were receiving repairs.

Fellow beings walked about, idly chatting with one another. She desperately wanted to speak to them, to ask what was going on- but the second she opened her mouth, the questions got the better of her. What if they had her here for a reason? What if these were friends of her sister, and her sister hadn't truly changed? What if they were Dr. Robotnik's goons,-

Dr. Robotnik... She could still hear his laughter echoing in h-... In...- She froze, feeling her main eyes shrink. All eight blinked. His laugh. His voice. It was- too familiar. Memories soared back at her, and she took a step back from the window. Memories of attack. Of attacking- of destroying- of forcing others- no. No, no no no....!

She pushed them back, noticing that her breathing had deepened by the smallest fraction. Her eyes soared over the others outside. Some were in armor, some were in rags... Some were actually in decent clothes. But they were all smiling- they were all okay- and they weren't robotocized.

Maybe it was all a dream.- Yes, that's what she had to tell herself. It was okay. It was alright... Dr. Robotnik's attack- it was just- yeah... Even with her self-assurances, she could sense her arms attempting to quaver, mandibles pulling closer to one another while her hands wrapped around herself.

There was a knock on her door. She spun around, having been so caught up in her thoughts that the idea of a visitor had completely escaped her mind. The door looked nearly reinforced, but that couldn't be the case, correct?- Nonetheless, she coughed into one of her hands- great, something was wrong with her voice... Probably just a dry mouth.

The door opened, and in stepped a mint-green mobian with thin (yet long) ears. The mobian smiled lightly, smoothing out a white doctor's suit before fully stepping inside. They had on ratty shoes, but those were mostly hidden by the suit- perhaps to keep her at ease?... Had she gone mental?