Infinite.
Infinite.
Infinite.
Phantom Ruby.
Phantom inside the Ruby.
Phantom.
Get out of my head.
I will open your eyes, host.
Stop. You're... altering me.
They are... not... my friends. They are my enemies.
Gadget glances at me nervously as we stare down at the situation below us. I didn't meet his eyes, mine were locked down below, brows furrowed in concentration. I tried to think out a plan, but my mind was clouded, pain was blocking out any chance of a functioning mindset.
It felt like someone was crushing my skull. My fingers fiddle with the bandages surrounding my right hand. We had grabbed some extra medical supplies from one of the rooms up in Robotnik's base. Even though I still had some gauze of my own, it was a somewhat gold colour, burnt. I'm surprised it wasn't completely black, it made me wonder if I really did create such a powerful forcefield around myself and erase the sun. I try to push the thought about the sun out of my head. I can't think about that now. It's too bizarre. I mustn't let it distract me; I must be at my top condition. This can wait.
My entire body had gauze and bandages over it, wrapping up the heavily bleeding areas, or the largely affected areas. It didn't really do anything for the pain.
I could barely move my gaze from the scene below. Shadow, Sonic and Silver were trapped by Infinite, all in their own confinements. Sonic was almost completely submerged in water, and I know he can't swim. Is water his biggest fear?
Shadow was on his knees, fists pounding against the glass of the giant test-tube-like thing he was trapped inside. Blood gushed from the wound in his stomach. I squint my eyes, jaw slightly dropping. Shadow looked like he was hyperventilating. He looked... scared.
Silver was bleeding out, hands trapped in giant restraints. He was swaying, on the verge of passing out from blood loss.
One thought passed through my head. I must save them. I must protect my brothers.
Infinite was standing stiffly, facing away from the Hedgehogs. He was moving his head repeatedly, like he was trying to shake a thought away. After a moment, he stops. Infinite stares blankly ahead, unmoving. The white ribcage on his back facing us.
I look at Gadget, he stares at Infinite, eyes wide and confused. There was something else in them. Fear. That is only logical, I think this is his first time actually seeing Infinite in person.
My head turns back to Infinite, a deep-seated rage stirring inside. Nearly ever cell in my body wanted to charge at him and tackle him to ground. But then I must take into consideration that I am nothing compared to Infinite. He had powers I could only dream of wielding. Not that I would want them. And I... am powerless. Or at least the "powers" I should have are dormant.
And he let me fly into the sun. Did he want me to stop it or did he think I was going to turn into dust in an instant?
Infinite then clutched his head all a sudden, ducking down, red glitches tearing apart his body. A dark purple aura surrounded him. He stumbles to the side a bit. I was uncertain of how to process and react to this.
Infinite falls to one knee, hands moving to crush over where his ears would be under the mask. Cubes surround him, swirling around him like a whirlwind, a tornado. Strange flashes of images surround him as a disturbance in the wind surrounded the area. Me and Gadget could feel it from up here.
The images became figures, I could barely make them out. They seemed familiar; they were Mobian. Infinite floats into the air, back arching at that same sickening angle from our battle in Metropolis. I heard Gadget cringe.
The images turned into Jackals. I recognized them. It was Jackal Squad. They were all facing Infinite, smiling at him one moment, then the next they switched to a version of themselves covered in fatal injuries with blacked-out eyes.
All this stops out of nowhere, without warning. Infinite drops out of the air, landing on his knees. He sits there, back still turned away. His head was lowered. He didn't move, his tail remained deadly still.
Gadget looks at me, I could sense it, I meet his gaze. He looked scared. He eventually reaches to his beat, he grabs two knock-back grenades, and holds them out to me.
"It's not much, but I think you'll need it," he says nervous. I take them and add them to my own belt. This will help, all I have is a pistol and a few magazines. But I noticed Gadget didn't have many either. He must have used up most of his supplies in the battle.
"How are we going to approach this?" Gadget asked, eyes darting to Infinite.
I close my eyes, trying to think. "Comms aren't working, his powers affected the channels," Gadget adds. "Calling for help isn't an option."
Damn it. I try and piece something together, but strategy seemed out of the question with whom we are up against. The only thing I could come up with was to get behind Infinite when he's not looking. Hopefully hurting or distracting him will make his restraints on Sonic, Shadow and Silver disappear.
I open my eyes, grip tightening on my pistol. I hold it up, nodding at Gadget. He looks at me with hesitance.
"...That isn't really a plan," he mumbles, averting his gaze. He takes a deep breath, clutching his assault rifle. Gadget looks back at me, determined. "Okay, let's do it."
If I didn't have so many other conflicting emotions at this moment, I might have smirked at him.
I jump over the metal boxes bolted to the ground, falling below, knowing Gadget wouldn't jump first. I extend out my left arm, firing my grapple – a spare one that Gadget had given me – towards Infinite.
My eyes widen when Infinite stood up as my cable stretched out towards him. It was unnatural, exerting no effort. The movement... it was too smooth. He turned to face me, blacked out eye looked at me. I knew then that I had made a mistake.
He dodged the cable, simply tilting his head back, drawing back his upper torso slightly. Infinite grabbed the end of the grapple as my eyes widen, swinging it – and me – around in two circles.
On the third, he lets go of me, letting me fly away. I spin slowly, wind pressing against me. Everything was moving so fast. My headache was turning into a migraine.
When I thought it would never end, something wraps around my forearm, stopping me from flying away any further. I instinctively grab it. The thing pulls me the way I was launched.
When my mind clears, I am on the ground. I stand up, holding a hand to my head.
I look at my forearm, there was a cable wrapped around it. My eyes follow the line to its source. I gasp when I find its wearer. Gadget was held above the ground by Infinite, his sharp fingers pressing into the young Wolf's neck.
Gadget had tears forming in his eyes though they were crushed shut in pain. He was trying to pry Infinite's hand away, but it was unsuccessful.
Gadget's assault rifle was on the ground, I quickly unwrap the cable from my arm, holstering my pistol and snatching up the rifle. I pulled the trigger at Infinite, not letting it go. I clutched the gun to control the recoil, trying not to risk hitting Gadget.
Infinite looked towards me as the bullets came. All of them reflected off his skin. It was then that I noticed claw marks on his arm. None of the Resistance has sharp nails like that...
Infinite drops Gadget to the ground, leaving him coughing and gasping. Infinite stared at me. His eye... it wasn't right. It was flat, dull. Like one of his own illusions. It slowly changed... I realize Infinite had a white pupil.
That wasn't him.
That image from my subconscious flashes in my mind. Infinite falling from the sky. Is that a representation of his downfall? How he became the monster he is? Or is it really just some part of my mind? Telling me that I must let him go. Let him go to hell? I intend on being the person to send him there.
I push this away when Infinite walks towards me, my ammo clip was empty. Gadget used this gun; he had the extra ammunition with him. I panic and chuck the rifle towards Infinite. He simply tilts his body to the side to avoid my pathetic attack. I quickly grab my pistol and fire at him, backing up.
The bullets bounced to the ground a few inches in front of Infinite, falling to the ground flattened by an invisible barrier. But I keep firing, hoping that it would do something.
I reload when an empty click comes from my handgun, and repeat the cycle. Infinite's shield can't hold up forever, right?!
Infinite vanished when I was on the sixth bullet. I quickly glance around me, scared. I was paranoid that he was going to appear out of nowhere and attack me.
And he did just that. His mask was centimeters away from mine, instead of Gadget being suspended by his neck, it was me now. My handgun was gone. My eyes widen, and I punch at his arm, causing bruises. It wasn't enough, Infinite's grip remained tight. I flail my legs, trying to hit him. I only strike him one or twice. Air was barely making its way into my airway, and my face was getting hot. He was crushing my voice box.
He slowly floats into the air, lowering me closer to meet his eyes. His pupil turns from white to black.
"Someone, save me," he uttered, grip loosening ever so slightly, allowing me to take in half-breaths. "No help. No way out."
His pupil becomes white again, filled with malevolent intentions, he squeezes my throat again. I stare in confusion of what just happened.
Did Infinite always have white pupils? No, I would have remembered something like that. Then what is it, and why is that here now?
Being this close to Infinite lets me take in all his features. He was built on muscle, there's no denying that. But with his dark colouring it was harder to notice how much thinner than most healthy Mobians were. His knuckles and joints were just poking out of his skin under his leather gloves, they were boney. Does Robotnik not feed him properly either? Or is it by free will?
I can't breathe. My heartbeat was pounding against Infinite's fingers. He was crushing my voice box in his grip. I try and pry his fingers away. I am able to loosen one or two fingers, but it barely helps me.
Infinite tilts his head at me, curiously. Almost like he found my struggling fascinating.
A new voice spoke now. It was like Infinite's, but darker. More metallic, deeper. "I am going to make you bend and break."
He slowly lifts his other hand to the side of my face. I squirm against his grip as I keep trying to breath, shivers going down my spine. He forces me to look him in the eye directly, not allowing me to struggle.
"Let's see what is in your head," the voice mutters. Infinite's eye widens. Everything goes cold, almost numb as a bright light took my vision.
There is a figure several meters away from me. They were dark, like the grey environment. They had their knees tucked to their chest, hands crushing down their large ears. They had a long tail trailing behind them, but it didn't move.
"It wants to kill me..." they whispered. It was a male voice. They slowly, barely, rocked themselves back and forth.
The white pupil stared into me, almost surprised. "Another host?" they inquired. "Fascinating..."
What did they mean? I wonder.
And what did he see in my head? Why didn't I see my own memories? It seemed like I saw into... Infinite's.
My vision was fading, my mind was reeling from the lack of oxygen. Was this how I am going to die? Without a fight? Not even able to land a single hit? My body was going limp. I was losing feeling to my entire system. My arms fall to my side slowly.
"I look forward to the day when you achieve sentience. Then, perhaps we can change this world together." Infinite's possessor lets me go, and I fall. It felt long, stretched out, my eyes were flickering shut. I try to take steady breaths, but my windpipe was still adjusting to being un-crushed.
Infinite watches me as I fall. How high up were we? Or was time that was moving slowly? I slowly reach to my belt, fingers searching for my grenades. I find one. I wrap my hand around it, thumb flicking off the ring. I work up the energy, and grunt as I throw the knock-back grenade towards Infinite. And my eyes close.
I hear him let out a noise of surprise, then an explosion. A grunt of pain.
I fall more. I could sense the ground growing closer. When I made impact, the hard metal ground wasn't the one that greeted my back. It was something else. Arms.
I was gasping, but my eyes wouldn't open, light headedness filled my mind. My migraine grew stronger. So many thoughts flowed throughout my head, yet I couldn't fixate on any of them.
Someone was calling me. I shove my eyelids open. Red eyes stared into mine.
I could recognize them anywhere.
I smile ever so slightly. I freed them.
My eyes were closing again, it hurt my eyes to keep them open.
The arms grab me from under my shoulders, lifting me up. "Get her and Silver under cover, I will deal with Infinite." Shadow's voice was tough. If I wasn't aware of his injury, I would never have been able to tell he had one.
I am passed to another set of arms, like an object. "What about you, Shad's?" Sonic's voice asks, concerned. I force my eyes open slightly again.
One of Shadow's hands were over his bleeding stomach. The other was in a fist. He looked determined, glancing at Sonic before turning away.
"I will face against my opponent."
I expecting pain to accompany the contact, but that wasn't it. Arms were wrapped around me.
I couldn't bring myself to react. My body tensed, but didn't lash out on instinct like it normally would. All I could do was sit there, unable to do anything. The thing controlling me didn't even react. I have not been embraced for nearly a year. It was almost comforting.
"I am sorry for what I've done..." a low voice sighed, regretful. I recognized that voice anywhere. It haunts my memories.
"There isn't a day that passes that I don't regret what I did... I decided to shoot first and ask questions later. I thought that I had learned my place. By the time I had realized what I had become, it was too late." Shadow takes a deep breath. "Infinite, or... ultimate mercenary, there is no way for me to express how sorry I am. I realize you feel great contempt for me, and I'm willing to accept that. You can kill me if that's what you truly want, but you must promise me one thing. You will let my comrades live, and you will kill the doctor. He had a role in taking away your squad too."
My insides were twisting. Emotions from my past life were emerging. I can't force them down. Scorn fills me. The entity raises our hand, claws ready to dig into Shadow's back while he was unaware.
I fight the presence for control, and I manage to stall what is going to happen.
"I revolved my priorities around power and vengeance for so long... that I became like you," I say. My voice broke slightly.
"You..." I growl, "took away our happy ending." My hand is trembling, the temptation was consuming.
No, I am not killing him by choice, someone else is choosing for me. I must kill Shadow myself, not by another's. I must avenge them on my own.
Axe, and Adham... Ryder. Shroud. Chevron. Diego. I... will... I made a you a promise, I must fulfill it. I must succeed. There is no other option.
"I have no excuse for what I did to you." Shadow says.
"I'm... not..." My hand is quivering. I couldn't hold the thing back for much longer. Any second now, I will be forced to observe whatever happens. "In control."
Shadow stiffens, he realizes what danger he is in.
"Run," we smile.