Chapter Text
The silence had become the norm for them as did the empty void of space outside the windows of the Death Egg. Ever since Eggman locked them up. Ever since he fled with all the escape pods. It had become silent. A void of recycling air that the two shared. A small window here and there to see the Earth far below. The sun and stars are now always in sight. They no longer held wonder for them. They floated inside a metallic prison surrounded by them. They made the best of their situation. That was all they could really do.
The two kept staring down at the Earth. Silent as the void around them. How long had it been since the other had uttered a word? How long has it been since their capture? At first, they felt a sense of dread and kept trying to make plans to get back to Earth to stop Eggman. Yet with each failed attempt, they slowly gave up. With each failed attempt, their voice became more silent. They managed to somehow make food and keep power but for how long could they? How long would they be stuck up here? Did their friends notice their absence? Or were they long forgotten by now? He looked at his brother for a second and then back at Earth.
He once yearned to run along it once more. Settled with flying and now, he just couldn't make himself care. They had no way to make it for him to run and even then, it was only to power the station. They kept the power for two things, water and food. They learned to sleep floating and learned how to move with ease in zero gravity. Somehow talking without ever uttering a sound. A single glance said it all. He felt guilty for his brother being stuck with him here and yet he never got blamed once. They worked together to solve any problem that rose up. Never staying far from the other.
He caught a glance his way and returned it. His brother was passing him. He floated after him. Both going to another section of the Death Egg. He wanted to check on the plants. Seems he got tired of staring out the window. That was fair though. Staring didn't make this situation any better. Even if he learned to sit still in the quiet. Staring only did so much. They had better things to do. Like managing their supplies and conserving power for the Death Egg. If only they could move it but they didn't know how well it would work or how much power it'd take.
The same thing for communication. How much power would it take to call down to Earth? Would their friends even answer? Did they have a way to answer? What kind of signal could they use to reach out to them? Sonar? Radio waves? That would require the ability to enter the vacuum of space. They didn't have suits for that. Nor the material to build such a device. Each idea, struck down by many problems. All revolving around being unable to enter space safely. Then again, they doubted their friends could even call up to them. Not unless they convinced Eggman to help. Was he even alive? What year was it? What happened since Eggman had left? Were they okay? Did he take over?
So many unanswered questions, no way to get answers and no chances of escaping this metallic prison. If he had the energy, he would have hit something. Yet even trying to stir an emotional response was hard. If they did get back home, would they...be able to return to who they were? What would happen once they got back? Would it be straight to a fight? A meet up of friends? Would they be alone in a random part of the world? It was....a lot but also just wishful thinking. He glanced at his brother and saw a look. They needed the makeshift tools. He caught the floating tools around the main section and brought them over. Helping out with the procedure. Cut the dead leaves, ensure the plants are healthy and deposit the bad parts into a compost for fertilizer. All the plants faced the biggest window with the sun shining on them. They had water. They grew whatever seeds were here before hand. Mostly vegetables but that's okay. They made it work. After all, no pests were here to ruin the plants.
They finished the tasks and then moved to the next situation. Keeping power going and stored. Once more, they moved as a unit. He had a wheel to run in that took any power he gave into a stored compartment for the Death Egg. So long as he kept it full. That was the goal. Run until he sees a signal and then stops. Don't overfill it but don't underfill it either. Keep it balanced. He floated to the wheel and waited. He saw the signal to run and did as requested. Silently holding on and forcing his feet to make contact. Once he had, it was easy to go from there. Running and keeping an eye on his brother's raised hand. He kept glancing as he ran until finally, he saw the signal to stop. He did and went to his brother's side. Full on power. The food was fine and growing. The only thing left to do was float around or by a window again.
A part of him did wish to be home but the rest of him had given up hope on returning. After all, Eggman did it. He won. He trapped them and now, he probably had the Earth under his rule.