"Come on in."

The door closes behind him, and Shadow walks forward with a confident, firm step, places the printed report on the edge of the desk, and lingers beside it. Aidan is still immersed in his work, as evidenced by his pensive look and the rapid running of his pen across the tablet, so the black hedgehog has a few extra minutes while the Commander's attention is not focused on him.

Minutes of peace before the inevitable.

"I see you've prepared."

Shadow only shrugs at the sarcastic comment thrown by the lilac hedgehog along with a brief appraising glance at his shirt. "Didn't want to shock the team tomorrow," he explains his attire. "Should I take it off?

"Wait for now," still looking at the tablet, Aidan reaches with his free hand for the printouts brought by the lieutenant, "I'll read the report first. Then we'll see what to do with you.”

‘Like you're going to change your mind, asshole,’ Shadow faintly grimaces and involuntarily glances sideways and upward: there, firmly screwed into the ceiling, a metal hook awaits its turn. The massive chain hanging from it, spotted by the black hedgehog as he entered, leaves no doubt about how the rest of the evening will go. Shadow exhales briefly and returns his gaze to the table.

It's going to be a rough night.

Aidan takes his time: the thin sheets, methodically moved from one stack to another, rustle steadily under his fingers as his eyes thoughtfully glide over the lines. Finally, with a satisfied hum, the lilac hedgehog pushes the report aside and raises his gaze to his subordinate. Shadow inwardly winces. The Commander looks utterly pleased, which can only mean one thing – punishment is inevitable, and it will be intricate.

"Richie," Aidan says in a sweet tone, squinting at him, "remind me, what did you say to me this afternoon?"

The black hedgehog remains silent, stoutly enduring the stare of the poison-green eyes. He can't interrupt the game - he's not expected to answer - or the punishment for his insolence will be doubled and he won't be back in his quarters in time for the deadline.

Not that he's eagerly awaited there, though.

The Commander taps his finger against his lips in contrived thoughtfulness. "It was something along the lines of 'my toy, my rules' and even 'get out' at the end," he sighs fake sigh and props his hand on his chin. "Rude as always, Richard. Strip out."

Shadow, still silent, takes off his shirt and tosses it on the floor in front of him. Aidan waits until the gloves and sloppily kicked-off shoes with socks join it, and twirls his finger imperiously, "Turn around."

And the black hedgehog obeys without hesitation again.

"Now bend over and show me your ass."

Gritting his teeth, Shadow bends over, raises his tail and pulls his buttocks apart. Aidan rustles in his chair, there's a short tap on the glass and that's the end of the first part of the humiliation.

"Great, we have the ‘before’ photo. Go wash up while I get everything ready. And, Richie," the Commander stops him before the black hedgehog can straighten up and take a step, "No stretching, got it?"

Shadow nods.

"Richie."

"Yes, I got it," Shadow says in a muffled voice.

"Good boy. Сan behave when you want to, right?"

***

Preparation doesn't take much time: Shadow doesn't hurry, but he doesn't deliberately linger either – there is no point in delaying the moment. Let it be over sooner. So when he returns to the room, he finds the lilac hedgehog making the final preparations: lovingly stroking the handle, Aidan takes the leather whip from its case and gives it a test swing. Numerous tails whistle through the air, and Shadow holds his breath as he notices the glint of metal at their tips.

"Looks good, isn’t it?" Aidan turns in his direction and waves the whip in the air, jingling the dangerous inserts. "I think it's just right for tonight's demonstration. But don't worry, I won't go too hard, your pretty shirt will cover everything up afterwards. Catch," the lilac hedgehog picks up a pair of bracelets from the bed with his other hand and tosses them toward his subordinate; Shadow catches them on the fly. "You know what to do with these."

...the bracelets clink together with a metallic sound, trapping the blue hedgehog in an uncomfortable pose. Let him be angry, let him curse and hate even more – so be it. Anything to keep him unharmed…
Shaking off an untimely memory from earlier in the day, the black hedgehog fastens the bracelets on his wrists, pushing the inhibitors aside. The Commander nods toward the chain, and Shadow steps closer, raising his hands to let the magnets do their work. He has to strain – the chain is designed to leave him standing on his toes, tense and slightly lifted.
"Well done," Aidan ruffles the black hedgehog's chest hair briefly, causing him to grimace in displeasure, and then walks behind him, hiding his further actions.
Only the faint chiming of the whip ends gives him away. Then the sound becomes more rhythmic, swirling in circles, building up the nervous anticipation of the blow, and Shadow imperceptibly takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. 

This time he needs a very specific memory.

...his hands are bound above his head, he tries to pull away, to crawl back, to reason, he pleads to stop and not do what will soon follow, what will make him scream, make him cry, for the first time so openly and so desperately as he has never done before, and it hurts so much to watch and know that you, you, you will be the cause of those tears...

The first whiplash lands right in the middle of his back. The metal stingers pierce the flesh, leaving a trail of cuts, but it doesn't hurt much: Shadow flinches reflexively, but makes no sound. Aidan just warms up. Measures the distance and the strength of the blow. The next one becomes even sharper, making Shadow hiss and clench his teeth.

But it's not enough.

"Jay has very thick fur, you know," Aidan pauses and swings the whip in his hand. "The common leather couldn't do much, so I had to use something more substantial. He liked it," Shadow could almost hear the lilac hedgehog smile. "So did I, though I prefer more traumatic tools. But I see it works just fine on you.”

The last words are drowned out by the sound of metal and an explosion of sharp pain. The black hedgehog twitches, filling the room with the clanking of the chain and, as he regained his choked breath, a loud exhalation through the teeth. Still not enough.

"Don't... Please."

His throat tightens in a spasm, but Shadow stubbornly overcomes the urge to interrupt the torture of memories and squeezes harder. It's too soon, too soon to open his eyes - he has to wait for the main thing.

The wait is long: Aidan, having gotten a taste for it, beats him thoroughly, one might even say meticulously – by the end of the "demonstration" there is no living space left on the black hedgehog's back. Shadow almost gives up, and when he hears the thud of the whip hitting the floor, he lifts his eyelids in relief. A pool of blood has gathered under his toes. "If I wasn't a damn alien mutant, I'd be dead long ago in these conditions," Shadow thinks grimly, licking his parched lips.

Meanwhile, the Commander places his hands on Shadow’s hips, gripping his sides tightly and pulling him closer. The black hedgehog once again takes a subtle, full breath of air.

It begins.

But contrary to his expectations, Aidan doesn't rush in with a new bout of ripping – literally – pain, but instead slowly leads his arousal from the base of the black tail and down, bypassing the obvious target of the invasion.

"Don't you want to end the game early, Richard?" the Commander suddenly asks in a serious tone, continuing to rub the entrance thoughtfully and almost without pressure. "I know it's a pleasure to fuck the Master Chrome... Honestly, I wouldn't mind doing it myself too, even if he's a primitive. But don't you think this is a bit much?" he runs his claws along the bloody back, achieving only a faint twitching of the muscles that have almost lost all sensation, "You're pissing me off, and for what? Blue ass? Is he really that good?"

‘Even better than you think. But not in the way you mean, you obsessed psycho,’ Shadow growls to himself.

And hisses out loud as Aidan grabs him by the scruff of the neck, clawing through his fur and forcing him to tilt his head back.

"Tell me, Richie," the Commander continues in a sly voice right into his ear, "how is he inside? Great, hmm? Did you fuck his mouth? Or were you too scared? I can help – it's not like he'll need his teeth anymore anyway. Just imagine how he'll scream, how he'll cry from the pain when you shove it," at these words, he thrusts in sharply himself, forcing a short, pained groan from Shadow, "into his blood-slick mouth. You'll go right over the fresh wounds," with his free hand Aidan scratches the swollen marks of the blows again, "and deeper, right into his throat, so he'll choke on your cock. Oh, how he'll tighten around you then. Don't you want that?"
Shadow grits his teeth as he feels a trickle of blood run down his leg. How could he possibly want something like this? Just the hint, the unconfirmed suspicion, the near certainty that he was in pain, is enough to tear his heart to pieces. If something even more terrible were to happen… Shadow is ready to do anything to prevent it.
He’s no longer afraid of pain.
But what if it happens without pain, Shadow? With mutual, intense, and passionate desire? Imagine him below, on his knees, mouth open, his daring tongue running along the entire tense length, circling the tip… and then you push inside, and he greedily takes all of you, to the very end, deep, tight, and hot…
Biting his lip until it bleeds, Shadow shakes his head and opens his eyes, which he had closed again without noticing. No. No, no, no – he can’t, he mustn’t imagine this anymore. There is only reality now: hatred, disgust, trust lost forever, and contempt in those emerald green eyes. There’s only deserved humiliation, soaked in pain and despair.
There’s no hope left.
And nothing can be fixed.
"You’re such a sweetheart, Richie," Aidan purrs into his ear, correctly interpreting his silent denial. “I’ve given you so many privileges, and you don’t use a single one. I’m gonna get bored of your nobility soon, you know? Two weeks is such a long time, and you still refuse to play by the rules. I’ll wait, of course. But keep in mind – afterward, I’ll break your blue toy with extra care," the lilac hand grabs Shadow’s crotch suggestively, "With your own hands."
Shadow almost lets out a hysterical laugh. Oh, he’s already done a pretty good job of breaking everything himself. And he’ll make sure that by the end of this, everyone involved pays in full.
Including himself.
"Two weeks… he’s all mine,"  the black hedgehog finds the strength to break his prolonged silence, to object to the Commander in some way.
"Already less, Richie. Already less," Aidan chuckles smugly at his attempt. "But I do like how touchingly protective you are of him. It's a shame to ruin such a rare blue pelt, I agree. You know how expensive a whore like that can be in the capital? Very. Much," he punctuates his words with emphatic thrusts. “So, appreciate my generosity while I give you time to enjoy him to the fullest."
"And what happens after depends on his words,” Aidan continues. "The more you get out of him, the less I’ll have to maim him. Who knows, maybe you’ll even make him… cooperate? He’d truly make a really great whore. Submissive, flexible, willing to do anything. I know what I’m talking about, Richie," the Commander wraps his palm around Shadow’s neck and whispers intently, "I have one myself."
A shiver runs through the black hedgehog’s body at that whisper, and nausea rises in his throat. That’s right. Aidan has achieved his goal, and something in Shadow has irreparably broken, turning him into that very convenient and compliant plaything, devoid of his own will or voice. With intrusive desires that – he’s almost certain – aren’t his own. Too explicit, shamelessly obscene, fake images that haunt him – would never have appeared in his mind on their own. They are the result of careful cultivation, indoctrination and examples of what impunity and unrestrained lust can lead to.
He was skillfully led to the edge and forced to step into the abyss.
And everything happening now is just another evidence of how low he has fallen.
Suddenly, Aidan pulls away. Distracted by his words and his own dark thoughts, Shadow doesn’t notice the moment when the Commander reaches his climax – the sickening talks only fueled the bastard, so it happened quickly. The proof remains in the acrid burning of the damaged insides and the nauseating sensation of the semen leaking out. Mixed with blood.
"And here’s the ‘after’ photo," this time, Aidan himself pulls the skin near the black tail aside for a better shot and clicks his tongue in satisfaction. "A little memento of our fun, right, Richie? Something to brag about back home."
Remembering how many such “mementos” have already piled up, Shadow drops his head in resignation and smirks bitterly. Indeed, there’s plenty to brag about – the collection is worthy of the most explicit articles or catalogs of torture tools. And there’s no way to get rid of it – Aidan zealously stores everything in his personal archive to remind the black hedgehog of the past nightmares from time to time.
All that’s left to hope is that this archive will perish along with its owner.
The lilac hand finally releases the dark ass, and the Commander gives his subordinate a final, sharp smack. "Hang there a little longer," he murmurs, "I’m not done yet. I’ll clean up, and we’ll continue. I promised you’d scream plenty tonight, didn’t I?"
Picking up the whip from the floor, he walks away, leaving Shadow to wait for his return. And to drown in thoughts that, with every passing moment, drag the black hedgehog deeper into the abyss.
It's certainly going to be a rough night.

_________
The title of this extra not only obviously echoes the exact word within the text itself, but also foreshadows a small scene that will appear in the second part of the story. Yep, that’s the kind of long-running references we’re dealing with here.