II: Black & White
Maybe it was the sense of stillness in the atmosphere, or maybe it was the fact that they could finally take it easy after what felt like an eternity. Nothing felt better than success, yet they knew that this particular victory was not a safety net. Eggman was still out there somewhere plotting and scheming- most likely, but with this defeat he wasn't expected to return for a long while…at least that's what they hoped. Regardless of the win, there was still smoke in the air and rubble on the ground and the world wasn't going to pick up after itself.
A couple of weeks ago during the clean-up effort after the war, Sonic had run off to gain a sense of freedom and his life back again and she couldn't blame him for that. He needed it. As for the others, they stuck around and worked together to help repair what had been broken around the world, until two days ago when she got an unexpected call on the radio:
"Commander Rose! Please come to the infirmary at once! We found something you might want to see."
Her eyes widened at the urgency in her soldier's voice and she nodded in return back at the others who had overheard. She ran her way over at once, passing everyone else in a hurry without an explanation. When she opened the door to the makeshift hospital, she was breathless and the gasps emitted from surrounding passersby were quiet, but very clear. Someone here was either very popular or very unwanted. However, when she pulled back the ragged taupe-colored curtain to see who was on the other side, she felt her stomach drop. It couldn't be. Not now.
There, laying on the gurney, was the creature that had almost single-handedly destroyed them. He was covered in scrapes, blood, and bruises and his infamous mask was cracked badly in four different places. No one dared attempted to take it off of him, and instead stood as far back as possible whispering to each other about his presence. Amy grit her teeth in irritation and marched closer to him pointing at his battered body while facing her peers.
"Who would be responsible for this? Why would you bring him here?"
She was angry- no she was furious that someone in their refuge had allowed in the very creature that had almost killed Sonic and countless of others. She didn't know if that was something she could ever forgive, but it was definitely something she could prevent from ever staying stuck in her mind again. She thought her nightmares were over, but with his sudden reappearance it felt like everything came rushing back all at once. The sleepless nights, the illusions, the anxiety; all of it.
A familiar voice spoke up that she wished hadn't, "I did."
From the crowd, stepped out none other than Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy's eyes softened. She cursed to herself knowing if anyone were to bring Infinite here, it would be the blue blur himself.
"I found him underneath a pile of rubble on my way out, Amy. I couldn't just leave him there. If anyone can knock some sense into him, it's you." He looked at her with apologetic eyes, yet at the same time he was stern in letting her know he had to stand his ground behind this decision. He wasn't sorry for potentially saving a life. It's what heroes did. "I'll be right here in case anything goes wrong, which it won't. He won't lay a finger on you. I'm asking you because I know he won't want to talk to me or Silver, and you can forget about Shadow."
She was speechless for a moment before she visibly relaxed and offered him a small smile. The girl realized that he asked her to do this task because he knew that she was capable of it. "Of course, I understand. But hmm, I don't know why you're so confident that he'll want to talk to me, but I can at least try my best?"
Sonic grabbed her by the chin and smirked, "Who wouldn't want to talk to you? You could probably get him to say anything. I believe in ya, captain." He winked at her while letting go and walking away, leaving her flustered and blushing madly. This was definitely not the time for his games. Stupid hog.
She shook off the blue hedgehog's charm while carefully removing Infinite's mask and muttered a quiet gasp at what she discovered. A jackal, probably not much older than her and Sonic, but a Mobian nonetheless. He winced as he began to open his eyes and once he came to, he jerked against his restraints. His wounds were still fresh and he still had various rocks and twigs in his fur. The amount of injuries he probably had that she couldn't physically see could have been numerous, and Amy twisted her mouth at the thought of it.
"What the? Where am I?! Release me! Gah!" He cried out in pain as he sank back down into his bed. He looked defeated. Why was he resisting so hard? What was there to resist against? It was over, he lost. Amy stared at him with her brow furrowed trying to find the sympathy she needed to talk with him. Sonic stood at the edge of the doorway, one foot against the ledge with his arms crossed, and watched them closely. He gave her a nod of encouragement and she sighed shakily.
"Infinite." She started, looking intently at him. He had heterochromia of the eye. One blue and one yellow, but they weren't menacing. No, instead they looked scared. Without the mask, he seemed hardly like a threat. She realized that he was one of them, maybe a bad seed, but a Mobian, regardless of the path he decided to follow. Everyone deserved a second chance to prove themselves. She just wondered if that's what he wanted, or if that's just what she was hoping he would want.
He played off his discomfort and sneered at her while pointing his nose in the other direction, eyeing Sonic in the corner. "Ah, come to gloat I see. Why don't you just kill me? Finish me off, so I don't have to listen to your pathetic comrades try and convince me to join their efforts. I'm not interested." Sonic snickered at the comment and rubbed his nose in response.
"Aw come on dark and ugly, is that what you say to someone who saved your-"
"He's not here for you. I am." Amy's voice cut in coldly, and the two males turned to look at her.
Infinite looked at her like she was the most disgusting thing in the world. He could snap her in half if his Phantom Ruby hadn't been destroyed, and this made her nervous. She couldn't give into her fear though, and she shook it off. She closed her eyes and took a gulp while clenching a fist. She couldn't get careless. Not now, and definitely not ever again.
The girl exhaled heavily while slowly sliding into the seat next to his bed, and took a minute to think about what she wanted to say. She didn't know what to say. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place because half of her wanted to believe that he deserved a chance to redeem himself and begin anew, while the other half of her wanted him to rot and never worry about him again. He had done a number on them, and she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to let it go.
"Look Infinite, I'm sorry this happened to you and I'm sorry that you're angry. I want to understand and believe me, I want you to be free just as much as you do. I don't believe you're evil, but I don't forgive you. At least not yet anyway. You've hurt a lot of people and you don't underst-"
Infinite scoffed as he interrupted her, "Free me? I have no interest in your forgiveness and I didn't ask for your help, insolent girl. I'm better off alone. The Jackal Squad, MY friends are gone, so I don't see the point in building friendships anymore. The ones I trusted were taken from me by a member of your repulsive group."
"Eggman corrupted you! I don't believe you were bent on destroying the world until he put those ideas in your head. You and your group unfortunately paid the price for his negligence, and I am so sorry for that. I really am, but it doesn't have to be this way Infinite. We can help you-"
"MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD! Nothing you say or do will change that and I do not have the kindness in what should be my heart to care about your therapy tactics. You don't know anything about me, nor will I allow you to ever find out." He snarled showing his canines, as he clawed the sheets and lunged at her, only to be held back by his restraints.
Amy jumped at his sudden outburst placing hand on her heart for a second, then studied him carefully. His attention to her face ended as quickly as it came and he focused his gaze on the billboard next to his bed. It was a Resistance ad calling for help from volunteers all over the continent. She stared at it too, and realized that innocent beings saw that poster and came on to fight this seemingly unbeatable battle, and didn't make it to the end. However, she looked at his face while he stared at that poster and he looked hurt. A physical look of regret is what she read from his expression. Amy then could understand that he lost something too. Something that meant so much to him. It didn't excuse his actions, not by a long shot and maybe not ever. But if she could help in the slightest way, she would feel that she did her job right and she would feel that much better about the war. She could offer him a smidge of sympathy, his soul was broken. The Resistance would be the one to mend it.
The rosy hedgehog exchanged a look with her opposite, still hanging against the wall, and he gave her a gentle thumbs up.
"Infinite…if I'm being completely honest, you don't deserve our forgiveness and you should have been left exactly where you were found, but we're all starting over and that includes with you too. So regardless of what you say, we're going to help you." She gripped the fabric of her dress. "You took so many things away from us…you had us on the verge of giving up. But you know what? We're here now, stronger than ever, choosing to forgive you. The leader in me says to give everyone a second chance, and my heart says to let everyone in, even the ones who do us the worst. So here I am, letting you in and hoping I'm not making a mistake."
The jackal watched this pink girl go from fearful to fearless in a matter of seconds. He was impressed by her bluntness, and saw that she had guts to sit in front of him and speak like she knew him. He looked over to Sonic and noticed him returning the eye contact, but the blue hedgehog didn't retort with his usual cocky smirk or snarky comment. He just stared back, and suddenly the bed-ridden jackal realized there was a reason the hero entrusted this girl to converse with him instead of anyone else. She was the most level-headed of all of them in this place they called a sanctuary. He knew that without a doubt, if anyone else came to talk, it wouldn't have been a talk. He most likely would have ended up dead- like how he was left when he was defeated.
In that moment he let down his defense understanding what exactly the female was inferring when she gave him her last speech, and offered the speed demon a quaint nod. An apology in the lightest form. A surrender.
Amy watched their small encounter and couldn't help but smile lightly as she stood up. "As for now…I feel like I've inconvenienced you enough for one day. Cream is making something to eat, so she'll be around shortly to drop that off. Maybe we can talk tomorrow, and I don't know…start from the beginning or something. Easy stuff."
He returned his sight to the young girl and didn't react. She offered her hand out to shake, a symbol of a truce. A retraction of any prior complications they had before this. Infinite stared at her gloved bangled hand waiting for some sort of contact and he felt conflicted. Give in or give up? But what if giving in meant starting a brand new life, a fresh start, and a clean slate? It didn't seem so bad in retrospect, but given that his entire argument and everything he fought for revolved around the idea that he wasn't weak didn't sit well with that option. Reduced to some hero? He was better than that. He wasn't good, nor was he bad, he was just yet to be determined.
He pushed her hand away with a single finger and responded keenly, "It'll take more than a speech to change me…but I can respect your efforts."
Amy's eyes widened and she was stunned at the fact that she received something back from him. She couldn't let her guard down yet, and quickly gained back control of her emotions and gave him a tenacious look.
"If it's more effort you're looking for, I'll be sure to deliver. I'm not giving up on you that easily!" And with that she walked away towards Sonic, now waiting for her in the middle of the room with a halfhearted smile. She returned the sentiment as he threw an arm around her shoulder and the two made their way out of the clinic together.
Infinite watched them leave with their backs turned to him and while closing his two toned eyes, he felt a small smile slowly creep on to his features.
Perhaps change wouldn't be so bad.
A/N: Let me know what you think! I based some of the information in this around the Infinite prequel comic from IDW before the game came out! Also thank you to SpeedsMyGame & Linz2 for their reviews! It helps a lot! The next color I have planned to upload next might be one of my favorites I've written so far, I can't wait to show you guys! XO, until next time.
