The subject opened his eyes to be greeted with computers lined up along the walls, each spelling out a different pattern with green buttons and yellow trac-pads. The room that he was enclosed in was small, with not much place to explore aside from the technology that he dare not touch at the command of his master. After a bleary glance to and fro, a rubbing of his eyes within the dreary atmosphere, he stood on wobbly legs as if he was new-born, fingers brushing over one of the larger screens as if he was drawn there. He'd been given a series of commands: contact the Master at his activation, step into the main lavatory and meet with his robotic companions, and start building the pathways. The first step was almost instinctual, and it didn't take long before the screen flickered to life, making the unit face-to-face with the grin of the self proclaimed genius of robotics himself.
"Took you long enough," he remarked, though he didn't sound angry. If anything, he sounded like the happiest man alive.
Nevertheless, the unit bowed his head humbly anyway. "I apologize," he rumbled, his own voice gruff. There was no hint of his own thoughts there, mainly because all they were was to complete the missions he'd been assigned. "I have only just gained consciousness. If I may ask, where am I?"
The man threw his head back as he bellowed out a laugh. "Why, you're in the control room! I could've sworn I locked you within a containment unit, but I suppose it doesn't matter. Homely, isn't it?"
The unit glanced around himself, taking in the sight of the metallic walls, grating flooring (which he had to be careful stepping over since his shoes could easily get stuck), and the supercomputers scattered around, and he nodded, if only to humor his Master. "There are no seats," he observed.
"Yes, yes, that." The man drummed his fingers. "That's because we're moving. The room served its purpose. If you wish to stay a while longer, you can explore the interior of the ship. Otherwise, we need to move out. Just need to do a bit of a rain check first."
The unit nodded again. "I don't wish to hesitate. What are your orders, Doctor?"
The man's lips curled further into a smile at the title, which alerted the unit that he might be rewarded for it. He stored this information; he'd need to know how to get on his Master's good side should he cooperate with him at all. Doctor leaned closer to the screen, his arms folded. "Take down Sonic. That's the plan. Do you have any objections? That's the only test I need."
Of course, the unit had already known this was the objective; he'd had a picture of the blue hedgehog in his mind, and he was set on doing his directive, which was to make his life a living hell. At that, he couldn't help but reflect back to his Master a cruel smile of his own. Dare he say it, this might be fun. "None, Doctor. I am ready for this."
A certain Ivo Robotnik was pleased at this, and he clapped his hands together, rubbing them and chuckling. "Then let us head out, Shadow. We have a long day ahead of us."
At that, a certain black hedgehog's eyes glowed as he stepped out, leaving a clanging sound as the only symptom he'd been there.