The gentle push of the waves pulled Infinite back into consciousness.

His mind a fog, senses seemed to take hold one at a time. He felt the cool water running up and down his back and his snout pressed awkwardly against the inside of his mask. The Phantom Ruby embedded into his chest caused him to hunch over slightly as he lay on his stomach, and as he dug his paws into the sand and began to lift himself he felt his arms strain with fatigue, his back creaking and popping, the wet sand declaring itself through holes in his gloves. Though Infinite intended to stand, a sudden spell of vertigo and a throbbing headache begged him to take it slow and he obliged, instead bringing himself into a sitting position in the water, his hair which usually stuck out behind him dangling in front of his face, dripping wet.

As he got himself situated, he identified the telltale sound of waves gently crashing against the shore. In the distance birds took flight and cried at each other, and nearby he could hear the faint rustle of plants against the light wind. He breathed in, and the refreshing scent of the ocean greeted him with fervor, even from behind the thick metal faceplate. Said barrier didn't last for long, being removed along with several stray locks of hair the moment Infinite felt the unpleasant taste of salt and the crunch of sand between his teeth.

The jackal brushed his hair back and spat out as much of the awful substance as he could, but in his present state there was only so much he could do without more sand and saltwater blowing back into his face. Finally, Infinite opened his heavy eyelids and attempted to focus his sight, only for a sudden stinging sensation persuading him to force them shut again. He tried his best to wipe the water from his face, but with his arms equally as drenched and coated in sand little progress could be made, and the mobian instead simply tolerated the pain that greeted him as he once again attempted to look around.

He flinched at the sting, but kept his eyes open and forced his blurry surroundings into clarity. After some time, and a good amount of blinking, his eyes confirmed what all of his other senses suggested to him: he was on a beach. Infinite took a few seconds to get his bearings and allow his head to clear a bit, and with a deep breath he slowly rose to his feet. Dizziness spiked once again, his head throbbing in protest, but this did not deter the mercenary from his recovery. He wobbled slightly, but remained standing, and took several shaky steps out of the shore and onto dryer land.

Doing anything to distract from his migraine, Infinite lifted his mask to his face and frowned at what he saw. The glass screen lining the inside had a significant amount of scratches worn into it, water seeping out of small holes and sand caked within every crevice, working more scratches and grooves into the metal. Placing the device back onto his face, he attempted to activate the internal computer, and saw the glass light up faintly before flickering and giving up entirely. This was unsurprising, but nonetheless frustrating. He could really use a pick-up right about now.

Glancing down, Infinite found that his gloves had worn and split at the seams in several places, several claws poking through. His shoes were in slightly better shape, but the horrible squish of sand and water was an annoyance Infinite did not have the patience for, the canine removing the offending pieces of footwear and shaking out as much of the contaminate as he could before placing them on the ground in direct range of the sunlight. He then decided to placate his swimming head and sat down next to his shoes, the hot sand warming his dark fur.

Infinite glanced up at the sky, clear and blue, the sun planted firmly in the center. It was midday. Taking stock of the area, Infinite found himself facing an ocean that seemed to stretch off endlessly, and felt slight relief when he noticed the vague silhouettes of fishing vessels on the horizon, confirming the presence of civilization in the area. The beach seemed to continue on into the distance before curving away toward a vast tropical forest that laid behind the jackal. Not much to go off of, Mobius was littered with beaches and forests, perhaps even too many beaches and forests. He could be anywhere. Sighing, Infinite laid on his back, allowing his sore joints some rest and letting the heat of the sun wash over him.

How did I get here? He pondered.

"Friends are but a fleeting illusion, you can count on no one but yourself!"

"Your mask can't hide how sad and lonely you are!"

Infinite almost froze at the comment. That it? Really?

Pushing the thought out of his mind, the jackal drew his attention back to the hedgehog and his strange friend that for the life of him he could not remember the appearance of (He could kind of recall a hat with "GAMER" emblazoned on the front, but that had to be his imagination.) Allowing himself to glitch out of view, he summoned large twisting columns of his signature death cubes, which rotated and cross-crossed right in the path of the freedom fighters. He smirked seeing the two carefully dodge and boost through them. Allowing them enough time to grow accustomed to the pattern, he generated a new column that moved slightly slower than the previous few, and chuckled lightly seeing the hog's shocked expression as he careened directly into what should have been a safe jump, the rings he had accumulated flying out of him and over the edge of the platform.

On impact the entire world around them shook, turning a sickly red. The normally safe path through Imperial Tower materialized a thin twisting wire wrapping around the entire platform, firing a complex tapestry of lasers that arched back and forth. The hedgehog wordlessly grabbed the arm of his companion, carefully leading the duo through whatever gaps and openings they could find until the world returned to normal. Annoyed at this, the jackal re materialized and crossed his arms across his chest. A glow began to pulsate around him, he could feel the power of the Ruby building up within him. A familiar BWOOSH! told Infinite his enemy had begun boosting toward him. No matter, dragging that buddy around with him was sure to slow him down just enough for-

BAM! His monologue was cut short as he felt the impact of a spin-attack ramming into his tors one, twice, a third time, knocking him back and evaporating his concentration.

"Here goes, partner!" The rodent cried out, "When we join forces, the skies the limit!"

Infinite had little time to process the powerful blows and cheesy dialogue dealt to him before the two adversaries joined hands and rocketed forward. The mercenary reacted quickly enough to launch himself backward, but low on energy he could do little as the two inched closer and closer, gaining speed at an exponential rate, until finally they slammed all of that force directly into the jackal, all the velocity that had been accumulated in a moment converting into pure punishment for the villain, and smashing him into the hard steel walkway.

Shakily, the jackal hoisted himself up. He could feel the ruby pulsing in his chest like the heart it now replaced, and felt the sparks and distortion of his own body, begging him to stop.

"Impossible..." He wheezed, "I cannot be defeated..."

"Wrong, loser! The things that can't be defeated are heart, soul, and the bonds of friendship!"

Infinite would have griped at that insanely childish sentiment, had he not been in the middle of dedicating all of his energy toward keeping himself from phasing out of reality. But it was no use, he could sense his very essence splitting apart, deteriorating into nothingness.

"No! Wait! I can still fight!"

These were the last words he uttered before the Ruby disintegrated him completely.

...

The Ruby!

Infinite shot up, having only just now recalled the magic rock fused to his body. Glancing down, the stone appeared undamaged, albeit the thing could seriously use some polishing, but that was the least of his concerns. The Ruby he had was only a copy, the true gem being held onto by Eggman for his own purposes. Because of this, it relied on an external power source that Infinite had drawn from. But given the lack of destruction and chaos, it had to have been destroyed. But that would mean...

No. There was no way. Infinite reached out for the Ruby's power. He had to conjure something, anything. And yet...nothing. Desperate for confirmation, Infinite sat up straight and closed his eyes, pushing down a panicking mind to focus on the Ruby. He slowly inhaled, feeling the sun on his face, the breeze pushing against his fur, the weight of the gem on his torso. And slowly, he tried to draw power from it.

He felt nothing but a pit forming in his stomach.

After everything he'd been through, all he'd worked for, the power he relied on so heavily had failed him. He could feel it, once again. Just like before, that feeling he thought he had discarded for good. Fear. Crawling up his spine, dulling his senses, whispering to him the possibility that this was all inevitable, and that like his raid on the Eggman Base or his first encounter with Shadow, he was never the mobian he thought he was. He was weak, and always would be.

He bit his tongue, a small punishment for the thought. Weak? Him? Never! His raid on the base? That was hardly a failure. It was thanks to his exposure to the Ruby that he finally realized his true desires. The wasteland that had been generated around him, that was his greatest dream, a creation he had always wanted to make a reality, but had been so buried in his mind that he never realized how badly he wanted it until he could smell the brimstone. His battle with Shadow? A potent lesson. He relied far too heavily on his Squad, and the pain of their failure had clouded his mind. If anything the hedgehog had done him a favor removing those parasites from his life. Each of these incidents were a stepping stone. An invaluable experience that shaped him into the mobian he is today.

Infinite began pacing, thoughts shooting around in his head. Like before, his previous defeat had been a lesson to him. But what was it? The Doctor's plan seemed solid enough, and the Ruby Prototype gave him seemingly unlimited power. Victory for him should have been inevitable.

Except it wouldn't be his victory.

The realization hit him like a blow to the head. Each failure had been the result of relying on others. He knew that. That is why he abandoned his previous identity, became a new man capable of making his dream world a reality. But he only did this by way of joining the Egg army. He didn't move up when he surrendered his squad, he simply passed his leash to someone else. Eggman. He let the Doctor do all of the planning, followed his orders, used his technology.

Infinite slipped the mask off of his face and stared at the metal visage. Why bother rejecting your identity if you're simply allowing a new one to be fed to you? Screw that. He was done being someone else's lap dog. With dramatic flair, he allowed the mask to slip from his fingers and dropped into the sand with a satisfying thunk. The internal computer had been quite useful. A powerful communicator, the ability to analyse objects and creatures down to their pheromone levels, and access to a vast online database. Yes, it was quite nice. A gilded crutch. If Infinite were to be truly self-reliant, he would have no need for such toys.

Yes, that was it. Infinite would no longer depend on others for strength. Everything he needed he would acquire by his own devices. Every path he took he would carve on his own. He was Infinite. Captain of the Jackal Squad. Conqueror of nations. The Ultimate Mercenary.

And he didn't need anyone.

Okay, maybe he needed someone.

After having taken the time to dry off and clean up to the best of his ability, Infinite begun walking along the beach, looking for anything indicative of his location. Eventually he found a dirt road, which he had followed for a little over an hour before reaching a sort of village where he now stood, bewildered as to what action to take next.

That's the problem with dramatic declarations, Infinite pondered, You can't just shout your motivations and walk into the sunset, there's a bit of a then-what. So... Now what?

Ignoring the stares from passerby, the canine made his way over to a wooden bench and sat down. Looking around, the village seemed fairly unassuming. A healthy mix of old stone structures and homes made from wood, bamboo, and concrete. Many of them sported tin or thatched roofs, and large boulders sat alongside simple stone walkways, a thin drainage channel cutting through and weaving into the distance. Behind him, a large stone structure, almost like a castle wall, sat imposingly but seemed to lack a definite purpose. Palm trees both thin and thick were peppered all throughout the area, while small tropical ferns sat in pots along the walkway, which lead from the square to a sort of shopping center, open displays of fruit, vegetables, and spices, along with other shops offering a variety of imports. As much as Infinite hated the word, he had to admit the town was rather "cute." It would be a cinch to take this place for himself on any other day, but with no powers he knew he would have to play his cards carefully. Still, this wouldn't be a bad place to start his new conquest. How was he going to do that, anyway?

Instead of an answer, infinite felt a rumbling in his belly. Right. Food. He needed that to live. As if on cue, he caught the scent of something cooking not too far away, probably meat, and looked up to see what appeared to be some sort of eatery sitting at the center of the town, about twenty feet away. Well, can't re-establish dominance on an empty stomach. Infinite slid off the bench and strode around to the front of the establishment.

The restaurant was almost entirely outdoors, with nothing but a large square comprised of white wooden flooring to establish its place, flooring that look as though it had been seldom cleaned, given the light condiment stains and dirt visible between the boards. Several patrons ate away at burger and fries, which sat atop wooden tables, adjacent to a counter dedicated to straw and condiment dispensers. No napkins, though. At the back of the square was a long stand that stood against a yellow wooden fence, facilitating a cash register, stove, cabinets, and various food preparation devices underneath an arched wooden awning. In place of walls, there were wooden supports that held up several lanterns, two televisions at the back, and most notably a large wooden sign depicting a burger with cartoon eyes and a mouth. However instead of smiling or winking or doing anything to appear inviting, the burger glanced at all who entered almost as though it was judging them, eyes narrowed and mouth pressed into a frown. Overall the restaurant gave a distinct aura of "Eat here if you want, I guess," but Infinite was too hungry to care.

What did concern the jackal was how exactly he should approach this situation. He could stride in, confidently demand food, waving his sword-

Right. No sword. It clashed with his outfit in the Egg Army, and so he had discarded it somewhere a long time ago. Why did he do that? It was a really nice sword.

Well, regardless, he had a very commanding presence about him, he could just smash the employee's head into the counter to show his power and threaten further violence-

And then get apprehended by the restaurant patrons. Mobius was full of wannabe heroes, and given the intense fatigue and exhaustion still hanging over him, Infinite was in no condition to fight off all of these people. And besides, even if he succeeded he would be a wanted criminal before he could really establish himself. Is that the kind of reputation he wants to start out with? As a hamburglar? The employee would probably drip blood on his food too. Gross.

No, before he really makes his move, Infinite needed to make sure he had all his ducks in a row. First impressions are everything, after all. If he wanted the people to truly fear and serve him he would need to plan something big. For now he'll just play nice and order food like any other randy. Not everything has to be about schemes, after all. Sometimes an ultimate mercenary's gotta eat.

Content with this decision, Infinite walked past the patrons and up to the counter, where he was greeted by lanky, aqua blue nutria sporting freckles, braces visible on large buck teeth, and an expression that declared to everyone who witnessed it that he would really rather be somewhere else right now. Infinite could relate.

"If you're looking for the goth poetry slam, that's the next town over."

Oh good, a wise guy. Not like the mobian didn't have enough of those in his life.

"Just get me something cheap and quick." Infinite retorted bluntly, seriously considering his previous plan.

"Then you came to the right place~" The nutria replied, dialing Infinite's order into the register with a light smirk on his face. Infinite could almost feel the tilde in the guy's hoarse voice. He added "To go" to his order.

His attention was drawn away from the sassy frycook by a loud, greasy POP. Glancing past the unfazed employee, Infinite shifted his gaze to the source of the noise, a deep fryer located toward the back of a stand that looked as though it was about to bubble over. He was no master chef or anything, but it looked like the heat was turned up way too high on that.

"That'll be eight dollars and sixty-seven cents."

Dollars? Scents? What exactly was that in rings? Wait, did Infinite even have any rings on him? And what smells like burning?

The Jackal checked the inside of his glove, where he typically kept his ring pouch, only to find a distinctly pouch-sized hole in the side. Oh good. Everything's coming up Infinite. The cashier sighed, easily comprehending the meaning of Infinite's actions.

"If you can't pay I can't give you food." He griped, "Don't make me politely ask you to leave the premises."

Infinite looked up to meet his gaze. Ok, time for plan... Smoke. That's a lot of smoke. Is no one else seeing this? Should he say something? It'd definitely make Infinite feel better getting to watch someone burn to death...

Ah, wait, Infinite realized, If he burns he can't make me food. I guess I'd better-

As if to spite him, a bright flame then sparked to life over the deep fryer, finally grabbing the misanthrope's attention.

"Gyaah!" He cried, looking around for something to persuade the fire into going away

The sudden panic expunging any logic in his brain, the cashier quickly grabbed a mop bucket off of the ground. Infinite's eyes widened at what this foolish rodent was about to cause, but was only able to cry out "NO, YOU IMBECILE! DON'T-" before the guy thrust the mop-water onto an open grease fire.

Rather than extinguishing the flames, the water simply vaporized on impact, expanding the small flicker into a vast fireball that cast onto everything in its path until the entire half of the kitchen was a blazing inferno. The employee hurled himself out of way, only managing to get out of the cross-fire by the skin of his metal-clad teeth. Infinite would have found this really funny if only it wasn't coming in between him and getting food. Natural instincts can influence men into some truly peculiar tasks, he mused as he hoisted himself over the counter and into the den of fast-food hell.

The moment his shoes hit the floor he felt the intense heat of the blaze, beads of sweat already beginning to form on his brow. However to Infinite, who had once set entire cities ablaze, this discomfort meant little. At least I don't have a metal plate over my face this time, he thought to himself, walking over to a nearby cabinet and beginning to rummage through. Not finding what he needed, he moved to the next cabinet.

"Uhhhh, I like looting as much as the next guy, but there's kind of a huge fire next to you..." The cashier trembled, watching Infinite from the other end of the restaurant, not even able to summon enough common sense to leave the area. He wasn't alone, as many patrons of the eatery had jumped out of their seats once the sound of action hit their ears, and were now watching the show in rapt.

"Shut up." Infinite growled, choosing to ignore the somewhat troubling first half of that last statement. Pushing aside containers of salt, flour, salt, allspice, more salt, mostly just salt, Infinite found what he was looking for and pulled the box out from the back, turning to face the fire. And with the courage and composure that had led him through countless battles, he strode into the inferno, to the shock and gasps of the growing audience. He stepped around the flame as though it was nothing but a small crack in the sidewalk, and expressionlessly approached the deep-fryer. Without a shred of hesitation, he turned the dial to the "off" position, took a lid in each hand, and slammed them shut over the fire, ignoring the searing pain that cut through his gloves as he did so.

The problem child taken care of, Infinite turned his attention to the smaller flares peppering the counters and equipment and produced what he had taken from the cabinet: A large box of baking soda. With characteristic performativity, the Jackal bit down on the top of the box and thrust his head back, ripping it open as though he was yanking the pin from a live grenade. He swung the open cardboard across the room like he was casting a magic spell, the powder spilling out of the container and over the smaller flames, putting them out almost instantly. Satisfied with his handiwork, Infinite tossed the empty carton over his shoulder and begun to march forward, before noticing a sweet tiny flicker of a fire at his feet, still clinging to life. He glared at it, before glancing ahead and stomping the flame into nothingness.

Slowly, he made his way over to the trembling cashier, still on the ground and looking up at the jackal with wide eyes. Infinite held his glare for a few wordless moments before letting out an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes, and offering his hand. He just wanted lunch. Why did this have to be so complicated?

The employee took his hand and Infinite begrudgingly helped him to his feet. Man, this guy was skinny, it was like holding a couple of grapes. He opened his mouth to say something, only to be cut off by sudden uproarious applause. Wow, a LOT of people came to watch this place burn down. It was just a grease fire. Is this village really so easily impressed?

Just as soon as the crowd formed, they eventually dispersed, returning to their routines as though nothing had happened. Infinite must have seriously misjudged the heroism of these people. Damn. He could have had his food, AND got to watch the place burn down. Still, strange that a mobian town be so fickle. The human cities Infinite had been to were decently indifferent to travesty, but mobians are usually very tightly knit, always willing to help one of their own. By comparison these people seemed downright cynical, but perhaps this was just a strange case.

"Um, thanks for like, saving my life and stuff..." The nutria mumbled, drawing Infinite's attention.

Well that's a bit dramatic, The mercenary mused. But really, look who's talking.

"Is it not your job to handle situations like this?" Infinite responded, "It is basic knowledge to not throw water onto a grease fire. You could have just turned the burner off."

"Hmm..." The frycook refused to meet eyes with the jackal, scratching the back of his neck and shifting around awkwardly. What happened to the pessimistic teenager who had casually insulted Infinite not ten minutes ago?

"You're hurt..." He finally piped up.

"Hunh?" Infinite raised a brow, but looking down at his hands he realized what the guy had meant. His tattered gloves had done little to protect from the heat, and when he grabbed the metallic lids of the deep fryer the heat cut into his hands, leaving distinct burn marks. The adrenaline had stymied much of the pain, but the problem resolved the jackal could feel the burning slowly creep in.

"Ah. This is nothing."

"Um, hold on a second..."

Infinite watched as the cashier moved toward the fridge. Pulling out a drawer near the bottom, he reached in and grabbed two frozen disks that perhaps had been patties at one point, but were so thoroughly frozen that they more resembled some kind of ice-cake. Closing the drawer behind him, he then handed the meatsicles to Infinite. It took the jackal a few seconds of confusion before he realized the point of this gesture, and removed the scraps of cloth that were once his gloves, allowing his palms full exposure to the ice. The cold stung at first, but within moments began to soothe his aching fingers. A sigh escaped Infinite's lips, feeling the wonderful numbness.

The jackal then snapped back to reality, realizing what was happening. He quickly placed the ice back onto the counter, to the surprise of the rodent.

"Thanks." The jackal mumbled, climbing back over the counter.

"Uh, w-wait!"

Infinite took toward the exit, ignoring the cashier's protests.

"Are you looking for a job?"

This got his attention. A job? Here? He had to be kidding. Glancing behind his shoulder, the employee seemed just as surprised by their outburst. Obviously, Infinite should just keep walking. He hadn't even spent a half-hour at this shanty and already people were starting to see him as some sort of do-gooder. And that was the last thing he wanted.

Or was it?

What if he played nice, pretended to be the friendly neighbor, just another part of the crowd, but secretly he would amass his resources. Build up his power from the ground up, and then when the townspeople least expected it, he would lay waste to everything they loved. Infinite turned to face the fry cook, picturing him crumpled at his feet, broken and wounded, looking up at him with tears in his eyes. "Why? We used to be friends..." would escape his lips before Infinite kicked him back to the ground. The thought was delicious. To play everyone, seeming unassuming while secretly bringing ruination behind-the-scenes, no one would forget a scoundrel like that. Recalling the crowd from earlier, these people seem desperate for release from their stagnated lives. Nothing better than a little anarchy and betrayal to shake things up a bit. Still, is this where he wanted to start out? Some fast food joint?

Infinite's stomach growled once again, reminding the jackal what he was doing here in the first place.

"Employees get free meals..."

Oh, this kid was good.