It's been 10 chapters and so far none of the silly romantic fluff I was envisioning when I began has happened. I originally hoped at least one of those scenes would happen by now but it's not the case. It looks like we are all going to be here for the long haul.
Infinite scowled at the door hanging half open, internally cursing himself for being so careless. Tossing the used up anticoagulant had unbalanced the bag and toppled it. He'd heard Sonic's whistling cease and knew that blue annoyance must have caught onto something. Now he wished he'd opted to sit through the pain in Gadget's cramped cupboard as there was nowhere else in the bedroom where he could hide. With the restrictive sternum supporter on and the drugs addling his mind he wouldn't be flexible or coordinated enough to roll under the bed. He only had one option. He'd tiptoed backwards into that tiny corner right next to the door. When it swung inwards it obscured him completely but was otherwise a terrible hiding spot. He just had to hope that Sonic wasn't suspicious enough to be thorough as he listened to the hedgehog rustling the paper bag. That fox child's call was a blessing but he didn't dare allow his silent, even breathing to falter. He counted thirty seconds under his breath after hearing the front door close and the conversation disappear behind it before he dared to move. That was far too close for his liking. If Sonic had caught him in his current state he'd be powerless against anything the blue hedgehog could throw at him.
He growled and slammed the bedroom door shut in frustration. Just when he thought the morning was taking a turn for the better it took three turns for the worse. At first Sonic and Tails had been hilarious. Infinite had leaned against the door, listening through the thin wood while he swallowed his painkillers and nearly choked on his beta blocker when their insane theory came out. Probably a good thing in hindsight because the panic of suddenly having no air supply stopped him from laughing out loud or even having to hold back sniggers. Gadget sounded out of his depth, which only made it all the more delicious up until he'd dropped his final excuse. Infinite growled just thinking about it. Afraid. Weak. A cowering waif with no face left to save, skulking in the shadows of shame. So that was how Gadget saw him now.
Hot pressure built up inside him like steam looking for even the smallest exit to funnel towards. He clenched his jaw so hard it began to ache. Unable to hold himself in, he darted to the bedside table where his mug sat empty, grabbed and pitched it at the wall across the room where it shattered so hard the pieces flew in every direction, some even hitting the ceiling. It hurt. The surgical wound in his chest felt like it was being clawed open and his hard, angry pants did nothing to stop the beast yet he felt better. The pressure had vented somewhat yet he still bubbled under the surface.
The unintended truth of it only aggravated him further. Why would a being holding the ultimate power need to hide his face behind a mask if he wasn't already a faceless humiliation? That ultimate mercenary soldier had been knocked down by a hedgehog who haughtily called himself the 'Ultimate Life Form' and ever since he'd only held onto his dignity by his teeth.
"Well, well, well, look who it is," the fat man mocked, turning himself around in his automatic chair. The chair had no legs, it hovered everywhere at his command and was a necessary accessory in the mad scientist's command centre. The tall room had no stairs or lifts to reach the lofts that hosted the screens and computers and without the ability to fly there was no direct way to him. Even with his capacity to leap he'd have to cross the room diagonally several times, giving away precious seconds for possible hidden defences to activate.
The jackal at the bottom of the room snarled. Behind him the fortified doors lay beaten and the carcasses and severed limbs of broken robots spilled inwards, hinting at the carnage that lay beyond. "You tried to kill me."
"A pity I haven't succeeded yet," Dr Eggman retorted. "You were just as useless as your pathetic squad! Hopefully they'll be easier to put down once my robots have finished scouring the jungle for their worthless hides."
"Worthless?" he echoed. The mere word rattled him. He crouched down for a machine gun lying by his right foot that had previously been attached to one of the robots that opposed him, hefted it onto his hip and held it steady with his left hand while his right hand yanked at the wires that pulled the trigger mechanism. Bullets flew on a straight path for the head console where Dr Eggman sat like a high and mighty emperor. They bounced against a force field that had been invisible until impacted against. They strained against the resisting field and then sprung back, raining onto the lower floor harmlessly.
Dr Eggman peeked between his arms that he had instinctively thrown up as a weak defence. "Aha!" he crowed, standing up with his hands balled in victory. "I knew it would work!"
"Then why were you so scared it wouldn't work?" asked Cubot, oblivious to his own insubordination. Dr Eggman smacked him so hard he spun on the spot like a Ferris wheel.
"Quiet, fool! I designed this shield to repel anything travelling above a certain speed threshold. No speeding bullets or speeding hedgehogs will ever reach me!"
"Except it uses up so much power that unless you can convince Sonic to confront you in your bases it'll never be a viable deterrent against him," Orbot pointed out. If he could drink tea he would have taken a sip by now. "Just like everything else you try against him."
Eggman smacked him too and he spun like a carousel. "Shut up!"
"You should be more concerned about me right now!" the jackal roared. To hell with the possible consequences. He leaped up to the closest loft. The worker bot at the station didn't even flinch as he landed and jumped straight to the next. Between the second and third ledge he was caught, stopped dead in midflight with two red-lit tractor beams that had unfolded from the wall. He swung his arms and kicked out uselessly, unable to shift beyond the narrow space where the beams crossed.
"Pathetic," Dr Eggman sneered. "If you were Sonic those tractors wouldn't have caught you until after the force field had considerably slowed your velocity. Even Shadow would have been faster." He sighed and shook his head. "I should have known better than to trust anyone other than myself to be able to match skills against my arch nemesis and his annoying friends. My brains are the only even match for their powers."
"Then why do you always lose?" Cubot asked. Eggman smacked him again with the same effect.
"However, I am impressed by your spiritedness," he continued as though Cubot hadn't uttered a word, rubbing his moustache thoughtfully. "You may be the kind of subject I require for my latest invention. Yes, it could work!"
He gazed down at the jackal with that wide grin that stretched from one side of his moustache to the other. His lips seemed to disappear in the presence of those teeth that appeared mad and wicked. There were many reasons why the jackal had believed this would be a job worth taking - Dr Eggman was a globally notorious terrorist who went toe-to-toe regularly with the world's most powerful warriors, of whom he'd deemed himself worthy of comparison - but this smile was clincher. In his mind Dr Eggman was simply a fat nerd hiding behind armies of soulless pawns but the cunning smile when his greatest ideas came to him had the impression of a devil scheming behind an army of demons. He appeared to be a predator with blunt teeth that would crush the fool who got too close. That was the kind of ruthless power the jackal wanted to be associated with, what he sought to achieve and in the end overcome. Yet he felt like a child, overwhelmed and terrified by the appearance of the looming monster that lived under his bed. In that moment, trapped and under the sinister scientist's mercy, he wondered how he could have been such fool to think he could ever put this man beneath him.
"I'm giving you this last chance to redeem yourself," Dr Eggman said. His glasses shone sinisterly. "If you are worthy enough to succeed the reward is incredible power beyond your wildest dreams."
The jackal swallowed nervously. "And if I refuse to entertain your delusions of grandeur?"
Dr Eggman pressed a button on a panel at the end of his armrest. Several panels at strategic points in the wall flipped open, bringing out wall-mounted rifles ready to fire at the drop of a fingertip. "Then you are trash to me."
Infinite shuddered. Unbidden his hands grasped his arms to hug himself, seeking comfort while in solitude. In hindsight that had been his true weakest moment. Tamed by terror he submitted himself to Dr Eggman and the Phantom Ruby and in doing so exposed himself to the void.
He hated that place and knowing what it felt like personally is what gave him the most sadistic pleasure when subjecting others to it. At first the void had felt to him exactly how Sonic had described it and only got worse as things progressed. Saying that the void seemed sentient was apt as the greater his affinity for the ruby grew the more accommodating it became. It sought the ruby's power to draw in and contain but it hadn't reconciled the ruby with its attachment to his body. Leave. Don't leave. Give me your power. You are the power. The void vacillated between welcoming him fondly and tearing him apart in search of its rightful resident. Initially he'd had no control over when it would manifest in front of him but its attitude towards him mellowed over time until it eventually stopped spontaneously appearing and agreed to being summoned at will. He was the only experimental subject to get that far.
His fur stood on end so savagely it felt like it had been brushed backwards. He dropped his arms with a huff, forcing himself to stop behaving like a frightened pup haunted by bad dreams. The thought of them experimenting with the void unnerved him, if only because they were supposed to have died in there without the Phantom Ruby's power. They could still die in there if given the second chance they're looking for.
Infinite itched with adrenalin, spurring him out of the bedroom. The door slammed against the wall. He didn't care. He charged towards the end table on a mission and yanked it open so hard it nearly fell out. The coins, pens, batteries, mini torch, pieces of card, and spare U-lock jerked towards the open end. He sorted through them in a hurry. His brow furrowed and he gave another search before slamming the drawer shut and turned to the cupboard. The boxes on the top shelf had a tiny fake Christmas tree, gift-wrapping supplies, and various holiday decorations. The middle shelf had some outdoor and sports gear shoved in wherever they would fit. The largest part at the bottom housed broom, mop, vacuum cleaner, duster, and buckets full of scrubbing brushes. Crouching down with a straight torso was a chore but upon thoroughly checking the buckets he still hadn't found what he was looking for. He went out to the living room and searched through the cabinets and bookshelf and then the kitchen cupboards but it became ever clearer that there was no hope of finding it. Gadget, that infuriating goody two-shoes, must have taken the motorcycle key with him.
Infinite resigned himself with a sigh. Why was he so determined anyway? If those idiots chose to flirt with death then they could do as they pleased. He took the key from its secure place under the cuff of his glove, examining the plain silver house key with the wire ring on the end where a keychain could have hung. It wasn't lost on Infinite that the spare key was kept inside the house, instead of hidden somewhere just outside for emergencies. However, it was none of his business. He shrugged and stowed the key back under his glove. Looks like he would be going to his appointment after all. He wondered if that sick feeling he had came from side effects of the medication.