Dragging Sonic between them, (Y/n) and Knuckles exited the tower with Tails trailing behind them, finding the others finishing off a group of Badniks just outside the entrance.
"What happened?" Rouge demanded.
"We need to get out of here," Knuckles growled. "Omega, come take Sonic." The former Badnik stomped over, easily scooping Sonic off the ground. The hedgehog groaned unhappily, cracking one dull eye open and reaching towards (Y/n). She glanced helplessly at Knuckles, though the commander was busy barking orders to the rest of the Resistance.
"Get moving," the echidna said finally, taking the lead at a fast jog. The rest fell in behind him, weapons out.
They made it to the edge of the city with surprisingly few interruptions, Infinite not among them. Apparently he'd been momentarily warned off by Dark Sonic.
(Y/n) dropped to her knees the instant they were out of range of the strange energy Infinite had created. She braced her hands on the ground and promptly vomited, clear bile dribbling from her lips. Tails collapsed on the ground beside her, his hands shaking.
"We're in pretty bad shape," he said, exhaustion tainting his voice. "Omega should go ahead and get Sonic back to headquarters. I've just gotta...rest my eyes..." He dropped his head, his eyes closing. Knuckles muttered something under his breath, grabbing the fox and tossing him over his shoulder.
"(Y/n), are you okay?" he asked. She looked up, wiping her lips and nodding. She forced herself onto shaky legs and nodded again, prompting the group to start moving again. "Tails was right, though, Omega. Go ahead and get Sonic to headquarters." Omega made an acknowledging noise, turning and taking off towards headquarters, the rest following at a slower pace.
"So?" Rouge prompted. "What did Infinite do to Sonic?"
"I don't know," Knuckles said lowly. "We'll talk about it later." Rouge fell silent, apparently content with his response for the moment.
After what seemed like hours, they arrived back at headquarters. Espio braced (Y/n) against him, limping through the door before lowering her onto a chair. Sonic was nowhere to be seen, though Omega was in the control room.
"He drained him, didn't he?" Shadow said as soon as the door slid closed.
"I'm not sure," Knuckles said. "It all happened so fast. It didn't seem like it had an immediate effect on Sonic, but it certainly took its toll once he powered down."
"Powered down?" Rouge said. "Like...Super Sonic?"
"Dark Sonic." The room went quiet.
"How is that possible?" Espio asked after a moment. "The real Chaos Emeralds were present, were they not? And, in Infinite's possession, it may be difficult to become Super Sonic."
"I don't know how he did it," the commander said gruffly. "But I have been noticing he's been...temperamental for a while now. Angrier, more impulsive."
"More impulsive than usual?" Rouge asked skeptically.
"He threatened to kill Infinite, even before he went...Dark," (Y/n) finally chimed in, her voice rasping. "I don't think Sonic would ever threaten to kill someone, even on a good day."
"It's his mind," Shadow said, tapping his temple once. "Infinite has found a way to get inside Sonic's head to manipulate his emotions."
"That's not possible with the Phantom Ruby," Knuckles said. "I thought it played on visual brain functions."
"With the Chaos Emeralds enhancing him, he was able to physically control (Y/n)," the dark hedgehog pointed out. "And he's taking the Chaos Energy from anyone who possesses it."
"Especially those who possess a lot of it," Rouge added, nodding at her teammate. "And with those control towers, a way to project this new power to the whole world, no one would be able to stand against him."
"And he's just taken part of Sonic's power," Knuckles breathed. "Sonic is the most powerful creature alive. If Infinite gets ahold of all of his power, he probably wouldn't even need the control towers."
"We don't know how much of it he got," Rouge said, a weak hope in her tone. "We still have a chance."
"But he has enough from Shadow and the Chaos Emeralds," Knuckles countered. "If he finishes the control towers, he could eliminate any resistance left and take the power he needs." He rubbed a hand down his face. "Alright. So our next move needs to be on the control tower. He's using Mobian slaves to build it. Free his work force and destroy the tower. I'll start working on a plan of attack. Tails, (Y/n), you need rest. The rest of you, gather as much intel as you can from the Resistance across the world."
"You got it, commander," Vector said, saluting and gathering the rest of the Chaotix. The others broke up into their teams to get to work. Tails approached (Y/n), helping her to her feet before the pair limped out of the control center and towards their quarters.
"I'm gonna check on Sonic," Tails said. "You want to come with me?"
"I think I'm going to get a drink of water and some sleep," (Y/n) said evasively. Tails studied her, then nodded and the pair parted ways.
The (a/t) did as she had said, getting a glass of water and returning to her room. She shut the door quietly and curled up on her bed, though sleep refused to come.
I'm going to kill you.
She hadn't thought Sonic had such a dark side. It had been terrifying. And when she'd touched him, he'd been so cold. She never wanted to see Dark Sonic again, but whenever she closed her eyes, it was all she could see.
She laid awake for what felt like hours, alternating between staring at the wall and actively attempting to quiet her thoughts. She jumped when a soft knock sounded on her door.
"Come in," she called, her voice weak. The door cracked open and Sonic slipped in, his ears lowered. (Y/n) sat up, blinking.
"Should I...should I go?" he asked, jerking his head to the hallway.
"No, no, it's okay," the (a/t) assured him. Sonic shut the door, tentatively approaching her. He stopped a couple of feet in front of her. She scratched behind her neck. "Um...how are you feeling? You didn't seem too good on the way back."
"I think I was just a little physically drained," he said, his voice trembling despite his apparent efforts. "You have no idea how much will it took to get here, though." He blew out a breath and dropped to his knees in front of her. "(Y/n), I am so sorry. I know I must have terrified you, and I don't want you to hate me-please don't hate me-"
"Sonic," she interrupted. "I could never hate you." He blinked, then dropped his forehead into her lap.
"That's good," he mumbled. She sighed softly and ran her fingers through the fur on the sides of his face. He lifted his head, meeting her gaze briefly before his fell slightly. She opened her mouth to say something, but in the next few seconds, Sonic had pushed himself up to her height and his lips were on hers.
The suddenness of it caused (Y/n) to fall backwards, but Sonic steadied her, pulling her close. His kiss was heated and desperate, his mouth moving hastily against hers. He drew away briefly and she barely sucked in a breath before he was kissing her again. Her brain finally caught up to her and she quickly cradled his face between her hands, leaning into him. He groaned softly, his lips falling to her jaw.
"Sonic," she whispered, pushing his face upwards. He met her gaze briefly before pressing another kiss to her mouth, his hands running up and down her sides and setting her nerves on fire.
"This isn't..." he murmured against her lips. She shook her head and he caught her bottom lip between his, one hand curling behind her head to press her closer. She managed to pull away slightly, his breath hot against her face.
"You should get some rest," she said, the end of her sentence muffled as Sonic kissed her yet again.
"Can't sleep," he mumbled. He sighed and pressed his cheek to hers, his hands settling at her waist. "He can get into my head so easily when I try..." His grip tightened slightly and (Y/n) touched his face softly, prompting him to pull back to look at her.
"Then stay with me," she said gently. His ears fell backwards and he leaned forward, her eyes fluttering closed as his lips brushed hers.
"You're sure?" he asked quietly. He pulled back, looking down at his lap.
"Of course," she replied, drawing his face back up to hers and pressing a lingering kiss to his forehead. "You've always been there for me; now it's my turn."
"Okay," he said, exhaustion clear in his voice. He nodded and she sat back, tugging Sonic with her as she fell back on her pillow. He curled up next to her, nuzzling his face into her neck. "Thank you. For not hating me." She simply turned on her side to face him, wrapping her arms around him and closing her eyes. He snuggled in closer and before either of them knew it, they were both asleep.