A/N - You almost didn't get an update today. I totally forgot today was my scheduled day and thought it were tomorrow instead. Until evening and I remembered. Oops! XD

Thanks for all reads, reviews, faves and follows! =D

Chapter Eleven

Infinite had been scouring the Chaos Network most of the day, on and off. It still caused him a headache, and he'd eventually had to cave and ask Amy for some pain killers just so he could keep going. Finally, with a pulsing head, he had some answers about that Shadow, and it was all so very interesting and ominous.

The black hedgehog had indeed shown up about the same time Infinite and Eggman had. But allegedly Shadow's roots went all the way back to a laboratory experiment in the former Gamma City, which was now entirely consumed by Null Space. There had been an explosion in the lab, followed rapidly by the arrival of Null Space. Hardly anyone had survived the explosion, and those who had resided in the city had been obliterated. Either consumed in a fiery blaze or dragged into Null Space never to be seen again.

The lab's explosion was nothing more than 'word of mouth', spread by passers-by and those living outside the city who reported to have seen an explosion. Given the lab had been deep in the heart of the city - a university laboratory dedicated to medical science - there wasn't much evidence to back it. If Shadow had indeed been in that laboratory, he was the lone survivor.

What was interesting was the amount of data that had survived, purged from the computers by GUN. Eggman's branch of GUN. The rogue branches had obtained the information through hiring hackers and mercenaries and, in exceptionally rare circumstances, space pirates and Phantom Thieves. There were discrepancies in the data, but one thing remained the same.

Shadow the Hedgehog had indeed been created in Mainframe. But was it their Shadow that was running free? Or was it Mobius's Shadow that had followed, or been dragged into, Mainframe much like Infinite had? An unexpected twist that had the black hedgehog running for his life, and upon discovering Infinite had not only survived but broken free of Gadget's grasp, Shadow now set out to frame him as a murderer?

There was no evidence to back Infinite's theories. The only thing that pointed towards a deliberate framing was the timing. Shadow had been eluding the authorities for as long as Infinite was locked up, and now he was free the hedgehog had begun killing people. The first one was believed to be merely two days after Team Datastream had bust Infinite from his cell.

Two days.

Why hide for five decades then risk revealing your existence to the world?! It had to be deliberate. It couldn't possibly be a coincidence.

But how could he prove it?

Infinite lowered his hand from his face to stare at the dark ceiling. Silence. It was an odd sensation after being stuck for so long in his own head. Amy and Tangle had long since retired for the night, leaving Infinite deep in the Chaos Network. He couldn't even recall them wishing him goodnight. Although there was the unsettling realisation he may have received a hug at some point off that annoying lemur.

Proving it… Mainframe now believed that Shadow was the killer. So he didn't need to reveal his face to the world, Shadow had done that himself by making a foolish mistake. Returning to the scene of the crime. Many people sympathized with him there, stating he was likely just investigating like any concerned Mainframer would, should they have the gall and power to do so. If he could vanish and reappear at will using the Chaos Network, then why not pop in and see if there was something the detectives had missed?

Infinite scoffed at that. He'd clearly shown up to finish the job by taking out DotMatrix's room-mate, but had been spotted and scared off when two people showed up instead of one.

Whether or not Mainframe knew he was the killer, whether or not he was caught, Infinite wanted to make sure Shadow knew full well he was onto him. That he knew Shadow was trying to frame him, and he wasn't going to stand for it. With the power of the Phantom Ruby at his disposal, Shadow wouldn't stand a chance. He'd be squashed like a fly. Slowly. Painfully. One painful minute after the other for each of his squad mates that wretched hedgehog had heartlessly murdered.

A low growl reached Infinite's ears and he became aware it was coming from himself. He snapped his mouth shut and paused, searching the apartment with his ears. But no one had been disturbed.

He sank back against the arm of the sofa and sighed. It wasn't going to be that easy, was it? If Shadow had been eluding the authorities for fifty years, could Infinite even find him? He looked every bit like any other Mainframer or Mobian. It would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. His only option really was to lurk around the school until he showed up. That was believed to be the next target, or someone who worked there at least. But all the teachers and students had been sent out of the Beatdrop Capital for their own safety while GUN tracked down Shadow. If there was no target, would there even be an attempt at murder? And now they knew who it was, would he even dare try?

The sound of the toilet flushing came from the far end of the corridor, followed by soft footsteps. Infinite couldn't see who it was, but it brought another problem into the mix.

Amy.

He couldn't just leave her to go off on his own little revenge path. It wasn't just the horrific murders gracing the news sites, but the news of slash marks and blood in alleyways and marring the streets. Sightings of a vicious monster with long claws and the reports of grunts and howls in the night. All things the news reporters were lumping in with this Heartbreaker, only adding to the nightmarishness of it all. A killer who not only crushed the hearts of his victims, but also ran rampant down alleyways attacking bystanders and cleaving gashes into brick and stone. Or… an accomplice.

Infinite knew better. He knew full well that monster on the loose was 'Project Wreckingball'. Amy had encountered it herself once already. If he went off looking for Shadow, she and her friends would be vulnerable. And he couldn't stand that. What if they encountered it again and he wasn't there to help?

Or what if Shadow showed up in her apartment when he was out looking for him? Leaving Infinite to come home to find…

His blood turned cold and he let his eyes close. Exhausted. Head pounding. Heart racing. Yet all he wanted was to find that Shadow and do to him what he did to his friends. His family.

But he couldn't. The sheer thought chilled him and turned his stomach. If anything happened to her because of his carelessness, he'd blame himself.

There had to be another way to deal with it. One that didn't put Amy or her friends in danger. His arm flopped across his face and he took a deep breath. He'd have to think about it more later. That wretched exhaustion was setting in again, as if something were draining him. No, he wasn't about to sleep again. Not when he had so much to mull over. So he pushed himself from the sofa to seek out a quick snack.

...

Shadow's black fur lit up with a faint red glow as he frowned at his open hand. Several crimson cubes floated over it, drifting around idly. They'd come from nowhere, just appeared while he'd been scouring the Chaos Network. But after a while he realised he had some level of control over them, and had blinked them in and out of existence several times before trying something new. It took a lot of concentration just to get them to move, and he was rapidly tiring. It wasn't something that had happened before, but if it was related to that pink mist then he wanted to explore it. Control it somehow, before it cost him dearly.

'Shadow?'

"Hey!"

The cubes vanished and Shadow jerked his head up to meet Sonic's playful emerald eyes.

"What are you doing back here?" Shadow grunted.

"I just wondered what you were up to," Sonic explained.

"Nothing." Shadow idly wiped his hands on his torso. "Now get out."

"It didn't look like nothing," said Sonic.

"It was nothing."

"That actually looked a lot like what Infinite can do."

Shadow's muzzle creased. "Eh?"

"Yeah, although on a much smaller scale." Sonic straightened and scratched his nose. "Given the damage he can cause, I'm kinda relieved, I gotta say."

A soft grunt came from the corner of the room as Rouge flipped herself over to face the wall.

Shadow cast a glance towards the sleeping bat then pushed himself to his feet. "Keep your voice down."

Sonic complied, giving Rouge a sideways glance of his own. "Then I guess we can continue this conversation back out in the workshop?"

"There is no conversation."

"Oh, I think there is." Sonic winked. "Rouge told us you've been showing some unusual talents lately, and I'm concerned. If they're the same thing-"

Concerned?

Shadow placed a hand on Sonic's chest and pushed him backwards towards the door. A look of surprise crossed the blue hedgehog's face before he realised what Shadow was actually doing. The door closed behind them and they stood in the dimly lit workshop. Tails was still working away at some machine Shadow didn't care enough to question.

He fixed his crimson eyes back on Sonic's. "What do you know?"

"Well, I know they've been troubling you for a few days. Or at least that's what you've told Rouge." Sonic smirked as Shadow narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm willing to bet you've been experiencing this strange power for longer than that, and you just don't want to worry her."

Shadow bared a canine and clenched his fist as he fought the urge to grab the annoying soldier by the scruff.

"I meant what do you know about these powers!" he said.

"Not much, actually." Sonic shrugged. "I only know what I've seen, and prior to that I only had access to some limited records. But the crimson cubes are the same. I'm lead to believe that Infinite uses his powers to manipulate reality."

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "How?"

"I don't really know the specifics. Just all the scientists in GUN called it 'virtual reality'. He could create something, and the effects would either stick or fade away."

"I'd say that was more down to his inability to control it," Tails piped up. "He could create something and paste it over our reality. So if he wanted a door, he could create a door. Or blast one into a wall with some virtual explosion. It's more similar to augmented reality than virtual." The twin-tailed fox looked up, expression blank and unnerving. "Have you tried anything like that yet?"

Shadow absently shook his hand as if those crimson cubes were bothering him again. Something about the fox's words had unsettled him.

"A door?" he asked.

"Anything really," said Tails. "It doesn't have to be a door. I'm just curious as to what those powers can do, and if they're going to prove a threat to GUN or anyone here."

Shadow clenched his teeth, stifling a hiss. But Sonic laughed and smacked the black hedgehog on the back.

"Oh, I don't think Shadz is gonna pose any threat to us while we're helping him, Tails."

Shadz?

Shadow fixed Sonic with an expression almost as blank as Tails'.

"Maybe not now," said Tails. "But once we part ways-"

Sonic attempted to shush his friend, but Shadow wasn't listening anymore. A door… if Infinite could create a door, then did that mean he was behind those killings? He could come and go with that pink mist, if he could control it better than Shadow anyway. Or gain access by some virtual door he could create and vanish at will. And as for executing the killings… if he could alter reality then why not cover up his victims without a blemish in sight? Wipe out all finger prints, fur, any traces of DNA.

Shadow's claws dug into his palms as his entire body began to tremble. Sonic and Tails fell silent, and he became increasingly aware of their eyes on him.

"You all right there, Shadz?" Sonic asked.

Shadow jerked his head up towards him. "I'm fine."

"I disagree," said Tails flatly.

"I'm with Tails," said Sonic. "You've gone seriously pale."

Shadow was silent as he stared at the shutter. One of the lights above it flickered, casting an erratic shadow across its corrugated surface.

"I think I know who the real killer is," he said slowly.

Sonic raised an eyebrow while Tails lowered his spanner.

"Oh?" Sonic asked.

"It's that jackal, isn't it?" said Shadow. "The method, the timing…"

Sonic and Tails exchanged glances, and a dull whine came from behind the workstation. It rapidly became a whimper, then T-Pup scurried back and forth out of sight.

Sonic let out a sigh and brushed back his quills. "I dunno…"

Tails turned from the workstation with T-Pup in tow. "I'll go and get my biggest gun."

"No, wait!" Sonic reached out a hand to his friend, freezing Tails on the spot. "We know it can't be Infinite, right? Amy is still with him, and I know she wouldn't stand for something like that. Besides, wouldn't she be at risk?"

"Not unless she was an accomplice," said Tails.

"We know Amy," said Sonic, aghast. "She wouldn't do something like this."

"How much do you ever really know someone?" asked Tails.

The look that crossed Sonic's face suggested to Shadow that that comment had struck a little too close to home.

The dark hedgehog brushed the pair off and marched towards the shutters. "I don't care if you two do something about this or not. I'll deal with this myself."

"You know what will happen once you leave here," Tails warned.

"I'm not leaving," said Shadow. "I'll come back once I've done some investigating."

"It's the same thing," said Tails. "You leave, you and Rouge are free game to turn into our boss."

Rouge…

Shadow snapped his head around towards the fox. "Are you blackmailing me, robot?!"

Tails met Shadow's glare with an empty stare. Chaos energy swirled around Shadow, interspersed with strings of binary.

Corrupted binary.

Shadow glanced down at it and his blood turned cold. The Chaos Network fizzled out, and he let his arms relax at his sides. Something definitely wasn't right.

"I don't understand," he began, slowly, "why I have that jackal's powers. Okay, say he's not behind these murders, I still want answers. Why do I have them? And what are they doing to me?"

"'Why' might not be something you need to track him down to uncover," said Tails. "If they manifested in you in the past few days-"

"It's been more than a few days," said Shadow. "I only told that to Rouge so I didn't worry her."

"See? I knew it." Sonic scratched his chin. "How long then, exactly?"

"I don't know," Shadow scoffed. "A couple of weeks? Small things. I didn't think much of it at all until they started to get worse."

"Then it could have coincided with him removing his detainment collar," said Tails. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case at all."

Shadow's brow furrowed, but Sonic voiced his question perfectly. "What are you getting at, bro?"

"Infinite's powers were suppressed for years," Tails explained. "All experiments only had him without that collar for about five minutes at the most. It's safe to say he was fairly inept with them. If Shadow's powers are linked to Infinite's, then the stronger and more accomplished Infinite becomes, the stronger they will manifest in Shadow."

"That sounds a bit too complicated," said Sonic. "How did Shadz even get these powers in the first place? They're alien to our world. They come from that… ruby thing in his chest, right?"

"That's what was believed," said Tails. "We don't know for certain, and Infinite was very secretive about it. But you read about Shadow's creation yourself, right? Infinite can also regenerate with that 'Dark Arms' DNA, and he's shown he can access the Chaos Network. He can vanish without that pink mist, much like Shadow can. So I wouldn't be surprised if it has something to do with that explosion."

Sonic was silent as he stared at his friend, idly scratching his cheek. Shadow looked between the two, slowly bristling.

He flashed his canines and took a step towards the fox. "So you're telling me that this has been lying in wait for over fifty years like some time bomb waiting to go off?!"

"Hey, hang on a sec!" Sonic leapt between them and placed a hand on Shadow's chest. "Tails isn't the one who created you! Don't lash out at him."

"It's fine, Sonic." Tails didn't look the slightest bit unnerved. "I'm only guessing, anyway. But it makes a lot of sense."

"It makes too much sense." Rouge leaned in the doorway to the little room she'd been sleeping in. "I think you're onto something, hon. It might be a good idea to track down that jackal and see if he can't help us."

"And what if I'm right and he's the murderer?" Shadow scoffed. "I'm not putting you at risk!"

"You're not putting me at risk," Rouge chuckled. "But if it makes you feel any better, then we go after him armed. Okay?"

Sonic lowered his face into his hands and groaned. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

...

Rough's black ship drifted low over the Beatdrop Capital, invisible to the people below. He'd thought tracking Tumble down again was going to be near impossible, but both he and Gadget had heard the skunk's howls and roars no sooner had they reached the heart of the city.

People fled in all directions, scampering into alleys too narrow for Tumble to maneuver easily. But the enraged skunk's full attention was on one citizen, leaving the rest to escape.

Rough dashed around his cockpit, grabbing his own weapons. He didn't usually use firearms but if he needed to keep his distance from his brother, then needs must. He holstered them on his barely used belt and fired a glare at Gadget who waited patiently by the air lock.

"You can put that away," Rough grunted.

The wolf looked up from his gravity gun, a small smirk plastered on his muzzle. "Oh, I don't think so, skunk. Do you really think either of us can detain that monster with physical strength alone?"

"I don't plan to use physical strength," Rough countered. "I plan to use reasonin'."

"Don't be ridiculous," Gadget spat. "You can't reason with that thing!"

"That 'thing'," Rough scoffed, "is my bro! So watch what you say, doc, or I'm tossin' you from the air lock."

Gadget tutted and tucked his gun back inside his trench coat. "As if you think I'd give you that chance?"

Rough grunted and scanned his hand over the panel beside the air lock. The door whizzed open and cool air flooded through it. And with it came the noise. The howls, screams, and zaps from a laser weapon. In the distance rang a siren as a Strider Drone broadcast the situation back to Eggman.

No… Eggman wasn't going to get a hand in this. If he got hold of Tumble, that was it. Rough would lose him forever. The sheer thought created a gnawing sensation in his gut.

Rough screwed his eyes shut and grabbed onto his ship's ladder, dropping down towards the streets below. Gadget wasn't far behind him, and the pair landed in a squat on the concrete. The Strider's camera didn't so much as twitch, but its presence made Rough increasingly aware of the wolf next to him.

But now was not the time to be worrying about treason.

Rubble exploded from beneath Tumble's metal claws, raining down onto the streets and peppering Rough's dark fur with grey. The citizen defending herself leapt back from him, firing her laser. But each shot only bounced off his helmet in a flash of blue. It was difficult to say what species she was, but from the tail alone she was clearly a canine. Her face was almost entirely obscured by some strange mask. The left eyepiece was wide and blue, lit up as whatever technology was behind it allowed her to keep her mark. Either that, or she was just a superb marksman.

Another laser fire and Tumble's deadly claws were deflected and he tottered backwards, a mechanical howl slicing through the main streets of Beatdrop.

Rough could barely take his eyes off the canine. Her black coat, mask, weapon… everything about it reeked of GUN. So now they had got involved? Well he wasn't about to let her take his brother into custody.

He dashed away from Gadget and curled into a ball, letting off his stink bomb as he rolled between Tumble and the soldier. The canine coughed, staggering back from them and waving her hand before her face. Tumble twisted, trying to follow Rough through the smog that filled the air.

Rough pushed himself to his feet and waved to draw the larger skunk's attention. "Here I am, bro. Miss me?"

The blue lights on either side of Tumble's helmet flickered erratically. Then he threw his head back and howled. His metal claws glinted in the dim light as he raised them above his head.

"That's a no then?" said Rough.

He leapt aside as the large skunk flew through the air. But he didn't hit the ground. He thrashed, suspended in the air inside a blue bubble of anti-gravity.

Rough flashed his sharp teeth at Gadget, but the female soldier had her laser trained on the scientist. Her finger fastened over the trigger, but she seemed to be hesitating to pull it, as if she'd realized doing so would release the beast back into the streets and they'd all die at his claws.

Gadget gave her a sly smile. "Wise."

He marched towards them, keeping Tumble trapped and flailing in his bubble. His grunts and howls were muffled, and each movement looked strained as if he were trying to swim through tar.

"I told you no anti-gravity!" Rough snapped.

Gadget ignored him, instead keeping his full attention on the larger skunk. "Now… let's try and figure out where that helmet went wrong, hmm?"

"Hey! You're meant to be removin' it, not fixin' it!"

"I never agreed to remove it, you disgusting space pirate," Gadget snapped. "I needed that cloaking technology and I said what I had to in order to get it. I was never your ally, skunk, I just took advantage of your slow wit."

"I never gave it to ya," Rough growled. "So you've wasted that opportunity, eh?"

Gadget smirked, sending a chill down Rough's spine.

"Why you slimy little…" Rough bristled from ear to tail.

He moved backwards away from Gadget, drawing closer to the GUN soldier. Her weapon was still aimed at Gadget, but she didn't appear afraid. Instead calculating.

"All right, I didn't know none o' that," Rough muttered loud enough for her to hear him. "I thought he were gonna remove that helmet and save my brother. I just wanted you to know that before ya turn us all into GUN."

"Not with GUN." Her voice was oddly quiet, almost drowned out by the muffled grunts from Tumble and the Strider's siren. "Help him. I've got the wolf."

'Help him'? Rough blinked. Of course, she'd been aiming for his helmet!

Before he could reply, she zipped away from him and fired her weapon once. Gadget yelped and the white shell of his gun arced through the air, reflecting the neon lights. Tumble struck the ground before Rough with a grunt. But Tumble staggered to his feet before his brother could finish processing it all.

Tumble brought the huge claws of his right hand around in a swipe, and Rough leapt into the air with a squeal. He tucked in his tail and scurried away from Tumble, drawing the larger skunk after him.

"I know you miss your tail, bro, but that don't mean you have to cut off mine!"

Another swipe of iron claws and the concrete exploded behind him. Rough rolled out of the way as rubble bounced off his body. He skidded to a stop as a misfire from the girl's weapon bounced off the white wall of an office block. Gadget had slapped her arm aside in a bid to disarm her, but she kept spinning, turning it into a crescent kick. Her foot struck the wolf's head and he stumbled back, catching his heel on the curb. Rough didn't see him fall as Tumble's body crashed down on all-fours beside him, all hair and muscle. Rough found himself on the receiving end of a back-hand that sent him careening backwards into a trash can.

He blinked a few times to dismiss the haze that filled his head. He'd been sent into the mouth of an alley.

Tumble's huge form blocked out the light, making the crimson glow of his eye piece and the flickering blue lights all the more terrifying.

Rough struggled to clamber back out of the trash can. He didn't take his eyes off his brother, bracing himself for another lunge. Those flickering lights went into overdrive and Tumble shook his head violently, crashing it against the stone walls of either building like some giant, metal ping-pong ball. Sparks lit up the alley, peppering the wet trash and causing it to smolder slightly before giving up.

Rough saw his chance. He took a step back and gave his brother a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry 'bout this, bro…"

Then he leapt forward, landing a kick to the larger skunk's torso. He flew back from him with a grunt and landed in a sprawl on his back. A loud squeal rent the air and as Rough dashed towards him he spotted Gadget struggling beneath Tumble's bulk. The female canine stooped to help him, reaching for his hand. Tumble jerked his head towards Gadget and leapt to his feet, bringing his claws around towards the wolf. The girl ducked and rolled out of the way, and Gadget howled as the claws ran straight through his right shoulder, pinning him to the ground.

The blue lights on Tumble's helmet flickered and he froze briefly. Enough for Rough to spot something strange on the back of his helmet. A soft tube, sparking where wires had frayed through the surface. A weak spot? There was only one way to find out…

Tumble brought up his other hand, claws glinting in the dim light. Gadget's eyes widened with terror, then fixed on Rough as he leapt through the air towards Tumble.

The smaller skunk brought his foot down towards Tumble's head, aiming for the back of the helmet.

"No!" Gadget wailed.

Sparks flew beneath Rough's boot and Tumble lurched forwards, almost nutting Gadget in the muzzle. The blue lights flickered a few times, then went out altogether. Tumble fell face first towards the ground, motionless.

"Tumble?!" Rough gasped as he rushed to the fallen skunk's side. "Bro? Can you hear me?!"

Silence. An odd silence, despite the shrill alarm from the Strider Drone. Chopper blades sounded in the distance as Eggman's fleets finally leapt into action, heading their way. Rough didn't care. He occupied himself with trying to free Tumble's metal claws from the ground and Gadget's shoulder. Not to help the wolf, but to hurry the fallen skunk onto his ship.

The other canine joined him, fastening her hands around Tumble's arm and yanking the blades free of the concrete.

"Is he okay?" she asked.

Rough honestly couldn't answer that. Tears pricked his eyes as he stared down at his brother. The frayed wires sparked more aggressively, dancing over the wet tarmac. His chest rose and fell with each steady breath, but that didn't mean the helmet hadn't caused some level of damage.

"I dunno," he said flatly.

"You idiot!" Gadget hissed.

The red wolf swayed beside him, clutching his shoulder. A fruitless act. Fresh blood ran down his arm and trench coat to pool at his feet.

"I told you if you tried to remove the helmet yourself you could-" Gadget's words were cut off as he found a pistol in his face.

"Go." The female canine didn't look away from Gadget, but Rough didn't need telling twice.

He summoned his ship, and its ladder dropped from beneath its cloak. He hoisted Tumble onto his back and clambered up the ladder, out of sight.

Once the air lock had closed behind him, he turned towards the back of his ship. No bedrooms. Just a room for storing things. It would have to do.

He set Tumble down on the floor and dropped down beside him. Still silent. Unmoving.

"I'm sorry, bro," he said. "We'll get you help, all right? I promise we'll get that helmet off, but you have to promise me you'll be back to your normal self."

Nothing.

Rough pushed himself up and nodded, turning from the room. He gave one last glance back at his brother before letting the door close behind him. Then, just to be safe, he locked it.

He stared at his hand over the lock panel, snuffling as repressed tears leaked free. Then he rubbed them away with his other hand.

Gadget…

He growled out a mutter and turned from the door, marching back towards his bridge. He yanked open the small drawer beneath his control deck and cursed under his breath.

The cloaking schematics were gone.

...

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