A/N - Sorry for the delay. Busy weekend is busy...

Thanks so much for all reads, reviews, faves and follows!

Chapter Fourteen

It wasn't a matter of simply unleashing the Judge. That would have spelled 'disaster' for Mainframe. No, such matters needed preparation. Care. A laying-down of ground rules to avoid unnecessary lives being lost. The Judge program wasn't new, but it wasn't one that GUN often leapt to, either.

Starline wanted to see results before the day was out. That left them with very little time to prepare the Judge for its mission.

Faust sat on the other side of a controlled forcefield screen where the robot had been guided to. Bullet proof, shatter proof… to an extent. Despite it being set to its highest power level, the badger questioned its effectiveness should the robot fly into a rampage. The Judge program might not have been new, but this robot was definitely new to the program.

A huge holoscreen hung on the wall behind Faust, and he cleared his throat before addressing the Judge.

"I'm gonna need to run some tests before I send you out on your first mission," he explained.

"Affirmative," said the robot.

Manners, just like every other EggTech robot. So far so good…

Faust turned his head to see the screen as he brought up the first picture. A black hedgehog with red highlights in his quills.

"Is this hedgehog familiar to you?"

The Judge blinked its red eyes. "Negative. I have never seen that hedgehog before."

Faust let out a small breath and turned back to his computer. "How about this one?"

A white bat appeared on the screen, winking, holding one finger near her face.

The Judge blinked again then shook its yellow head. "Negative."

Faust wanted to say 'excellent' but bit his tongue. After all the work that had been put into the robot, letting anything slip could be detrimental.

"Well, the first Mainframer is your target." He brought the hedgehog back up onto the holoscreen. "His name is Shadow. He's proven to be a massive threat to Mainframe."

"How is this hedgehog a threat?" the Judge asked.

"He's a serial killer," Faust explained. "In the past few weeks, he's murdered at least seven people."

The Judge lowered one eyelid in a somewhat bemused expression. "'Few' translates to 'five'. The numbers you have given me dictate that he has killed on average one and a half Mainframers a week."

"The numbers were growin' closer together," said Faust.

"Threat level is medium. Awareness suggested to local vicinities while this Shadow is apprehended."

"Actually, Eggman wants this murderer brought in quickly. By any means necessary."

The Judge's eyes lit up at that, and Faust felt like he was being scrutinized and assessed. He idly checked the power level of the control screen was still set to its highest.

"That's why we're sendin' you," he went on. "He was last sighted in the Beatdrop Capital, the location of his murderous rampage. Eggman wants him dealt with before anyone else falls victim to him."

"Affirmative." The Judge groped at his side then fixed his glowing red eyes on Faust's. "I have verified that I am currently without a weapon."

"Don't worry. We'll get you kit out." Faust forced a grin. "First, I have to lay down some ground rules. The city is in the process of bein' evacuated. We don't want any unnecessary casualties. Shadow is your target. Not citizens."

"Affirmative. I shall eliminate the destruction of any targets that are unnecessary to remove for the effectiveness of this mission."

"Fantastic." Faust pushed a button on his desk and the control screen vanished. "If you could follow me? We shall kit you out with the appropriate tools. One thing you should know about Shadow is that he has strange regeneration properties. He's also bullet proof, and can access the Chaos Network to teleport to other areas of Mainframe, so he might vanish on you."

"Threat level reassessment," said the Judge. "Reassessing to 'high'. This new information suggests I am in want of a rocket launcher."

A chill ran down the badger's spine. "A rocket launcher would wreck the city. You'd knock down buildin's and cause a massacre!"

"By any means necessary, I am to apprehend this Shadow. That is my assignment."

Faust rubbed the back of his head and glanced away. "You're right. I did say that. Well, if you could keep it to a minimum, that would be appreciated."

"The target, Shadow, could prove problematic. If he is bullet proof, then mere bullets will do very little. He can also regenerate, rendering a bladed item moot. A rocket would reduce him to small, little meaty bits. He would have a hard time regenerating from that."

A chill ran down the badger's spine. That was a mental image he really didn't need. "That sounds a bit extreme."

"'Extreme' is a form of 'any means necessary'."

"Very well…" Faust grimaced and returned to his task.

He led the massive robot to the adjoining room. He scanned his hand print on the panel then stood still as the camera scanned over his right eye. The heavy doors parted with a hiss and he led the Judge into the room.

Racks upon racks of weapons adorned the walls, from shotguns to missile launchers. The Judge's glowing eyes took in each and every one, and for a fleeting moment Faust thought the robot looked ecstatic. But that was impossible. It wasn't programmed with emotions.

"You have your pick," said Faust. "Whichever weapons would be the most effective to capture Shadow."

"Capturing is irrelevant." The Judge approached the rack of heavy duty firearms and pulled down a machine gun. It turned it in its huge hands and examined it. "Shadow's threat level is too high to simply apprehend. I shall remove this threat from Mainframe 'by any means necessary'." The final sentence had been said in Faust's voice.

The badger's spine stiffened and he took a step back towards the wall. "All right then. I'll leave the hedgehog in your capable hands."

"Affirmative." The Judge fastened the machine gun to its back then pulled down a rocket launcher. "Requesting a drop in the Beatdrop Capital. Estimates that I shall arrive by this evening at the latest."

"There's a ship waitin' already." Faust waved a hand towards the doors. "I'll take you to it."

He turned from the weapons room, visibly trembling. Yet the Judge had no comment on that. He heard the soft click of metal against metal as the Judge holstered the rocket launcher, then its heavy footsteps as they echoed across the metal floor. The whine of its mechanical joints cut through the silence as each one moved fluidly, like… well… a well-oiled machine.

Despite his fears, it had all gone very well. So far. But the badger's heart was still racing. Deep down, he felt this might be the single most ridiculous extreme Eggman had ever suggested in his rule over Mainframe.

...

Amy switched the vacuum cleaner off and tucked it away in the corner of the room. Well, that was the last of the little bits of torn paper. She swiped her hand across her brow and turned back to the living room. Much better, save for the aftermath.

"Wow, you really did a number on the wall, huh?" Tangle turned from the tattered plaster to address Infinite.

"I'll fix it later," he muttered.

He lay on his back on the sofa, gazing at the kitten-themed post-it pad in his hands. Whisper leant on the back of the sofa, looking between the jackal and the wall.

"Really got a beef with that hedgehog, huh?" said Tangle.

Infinite fixed a narrowed eye on her then returned to the kittens.

Amy rejoined them and smoothed out her dress. "It doesn't matter about the wall. I'm just glad they found out who the killer is. For definite, this time. Let's just hope they catch him before they start evacuating this part of the city. I really don't want to have to move again."

"Let's hope they've definitely found the right guy, too!" said Tangle.

Amy looked up with a start. "You don't think it's Shadow? With all that evidence?"

"Yeah, sure! Unless he's just mimicking." Tangle looked much too happy for someone who had just come up with that idea. "I mean, the real Heartbreaker could still be out there."

"It's Shadow," Infinite spat. "Drop it."

Tangle rounded on the jackal. "All right, grumpy guts. So your dreams are givin' us all the answers we need, now, huh?"

Infinite sneered at her and tossed the post-it pad to the end of the sofa. "Put the pieces together, genius! You saw the news! How's that a co-incidence?!"

"He's right." Amy perched on the end of the sofa, and Infinite moved his feet up to allow her space. "That mural at the crime scene was of a canine. Infinite's was of a hedgehog. I… can't understand it, but it does seem like Shadow is trying to frame Infinite."

"But why?" Tangle folded her arms and frowned. "I mean, it'd make sense if it is the same Shadow from your world, Niffy, but we've always understood he was created here. It might not even be the same guy."

"Then how else do you explain it?" Infinite snapped. "And I warned you not to use that name…"

"Maybe it is the same guy," said Amy. "Maybe there's two Shadows."

"I doubt that, Amy," said Tangle.

"It might be possible," said Amy. "He could have come through when Infinite and Eggman did, like Infinite suggested."

"Unless he was hiding, there'd be no reason for us not to know," Tangle went on.

"I've an idea." Whisper's soft voice drew their attention. She remained leaning over the back of the sofa, but her eyes were on the tattered plaster. "What if it is our Shadow, and he's trying to get your attention?"

Infinite scoffed. "Why would he want my attention?"

"News describes a pink mist," Whisper explained. "Like yours. Sounds like you have the same powers."

Infinite quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

"Dude, you missed that?" Tangle offered him her computer and he took it. "It says it right here. When he showed up in DotMatrix's apartment, he vanished into a pink mist. Although not all news sites have that little bit. They kinda dusted over it."

Infinite's canines poked between his lips and his arm visibly trembled. Tangle swooped in to grab her computer before it met an unfortunate fate against the wall.

"So he's using my powers now?!" Infinite roared.

Tangle and Whisper exchanged glances, and the former tucked her computer away.

"Well, I'm late to work," said Tangle. "I'll catch up on all this later, okay?"

Before anyone could interject, she was out the door. A silence washed over them, while Amy sat feeling increasingly awkward. Whisper watched Infinite for a moment, then pushed herself back from the sofa.

"Have to go out," she said. "Need anything?"

Amy gave her a small smile. "No, thank you, Whisper."

"Shadow's head on a platter," Infinite said plainly.

Whisper let out a small laugh. "They'll find him."

"I want to find him first."

Infinite looked up at the wolf, catching her eye. It was as if some unspoken message passed between them, before Whisper finally abandoned the sofa.

"Maybe you will," she said.

Infinite grunted at that as he watched her open the door. She left the apartment with a soft 'bye!'

Amy wound her fingers together as the sudden onset of silence pressed upon her like tar. That recent discovery nagged at her, and she let out a small breath as she braced herself to say it.

"So he's using your powers?"

Infinite fixed his red-tinted eye on her. "Sounds like it."

She parted her hands in a weak shrug. "How?"

"How should I know?" he scoffed, waving at the jewel in his chest. "It's not like I handed a piece to him." He sighed and pressed an arm over his face. "It explains why I'm so freaking tired all the time. If he's using it, then he's draining me. A leech on my very existence."

"It looks like everyone has their answers now." Amy screwed her eyes shut and dug her fingers into the sofa cushion. "I'm sorry I thought it was you."

He removed his arm to look at her, but she couldn't see him. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and a soft sob escaped her throat. Something soft brushed her legs and she opened her eyes again to find his tail sprawled across them. She looked up at him, meeting his eye. Soft. Forgiving.

She leant back into the sofa, letting her hands rest on his tail. "I shouldn't have leapt to conclusions like that."

"You had your reasons," he said flatly.

"Thank you. But still-"

"'But' nothing. Forget it."

Amy nodded stiffly and trailed her fingers over his tail, watching the long fur part between them. "So are you going to go looking for him?"

When he didn't answer, she looked up at him again. He nibbled on the end of a claw, his eye wide behind his mask. She retracted her hands, muttering an apology. The worry on his face melted slightly and he swiped her hands with his tail. Taking the hint, she returned to combing her fingers through it and relaxed back into the sofa.

"I'm thinking about looking for him." Infinite paused to let out a sigh. "I'm just wondering what to do with you."

She looked up at him with a start. "What about me?"

"I can't exactly take you with me, can I?" he said. "It's too dangerous. And if he really is after me, then I can't exactly leave you here unprotected either."

"What? You think he'd come for me?"

"Probably. He's killed my friends already. Why not you, too?"

Amy's shoulders slumped. "We don't know it's the same Shadow, though, do we?" She paused as she thought over her next words carefully, smoothing his soft fur between two fingers. "What if Whisper's right and he's trying to communicate with you?"

"By murdering people?!"

She flinched back and closed her eyes.

"I know I'm not a good person, Amy. I've killed people myself. Sometimes in self defense, sometimes because I was paid. But to use my powers for that?!" He covered his face with his hands. "If he is trying to give me a message, what if it's just torment? There's been hints at who might be next laced in there. What if each one is left for me? Messing with my head, worrying me, drawing one step closer to making this personal?"

"I think you're over-thinking things," said Amy.

"Am I?" He lowered his hands to his stomach. "I know you don't want to move again, but I want you out of this city. Just take your friends and go. You're safe with them."

"What?" she gasped. "I'm not leaving you!"

"I know what I'm doing," he growled. "You're pretty handy with a hammer, and as for your friends, I trust them. But none of you would be able to fight someone with my powers. If he were to disarm you, you'd be nothing short of useless! A dead weight! Literally!"

Amy's eyes flashed and her quills bristled. "I can handle myself!"

"I know!" He groaned and covered his face again. "But this… Just leave, Amy. Run away! Leave this fight to me!"

"Are you serious?! I can't leave you like this! You're exhausted! You need me!"

"I need you safe!"

Her heart jolted and she almost left her seat. They stared at each other for a moment in the sudden silence, Amy slack-jawed and Infinite breathing heavily.

He sank back against the arm of the chair and closed his eyes. "Please, Amy…"

She huddled in her seat and looked away from him, winding her fingers into his tail. "I don't want to lose you…"

"I don't want to lose you either." He pinched the bridge of his muzzle and closed his eyes. "I can't go through that again."

A silence passed between them, heavy on the air. Amy buckled over slightly, clutching Infinite's tail in both hands.

"We'd be cities apart." Despite the silence, her voice sounded weak and quiet. "How would we even contact each other? You don't have a computer, or a phone. I wouldn't even know if you were okay." Pause. "It works both ways."

"We'd find a way."

She screwed her eyes shut. "Just please… Can you think about this before rushing into anything?"

"I have been thinking about it."

So he'd already been warring with this? How long for? She shook her head as tears began to break forth. His tail slipped from her hands as the entire sofa shifted, and she felt him loop an arm over her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I've tried to come up with something else, but this really is the only way." He paused as he let his head rest on hers. "I don't like it."

She let herself lean into him and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. "Neither do I."

The room fell into silence again. Another heavy silence, weighing down on them, broken only by their soft breathing and the steady pulse of Infinite's heart against her ear. Amy finished clearing tears from her eyes and stared across at the tattered wall. The mural… she frowned at the peeling plaster as she searched her mind for why that suddenly seemed significant.

A hedgehog's head… a canine… it all swirled together in her mind mixed with the soft heartbeat against her ear. Her own picked up as it all made sense to her. She barely even noticed Infinite's claws brushing up and down her arm.

"Infinite?"

"Hmm?" The noise was barely more than the breathy response of someone who'd been drifting off to sleep.

"What if… what if you're his next target?"

Infinite released her as he pushed himself up. His expression was unreadable as he frowned at the far wall.

"Huh," he said. "I hadn't considered that."

"It makes sense," she said. "You're pretty difficult to kill. Shadow's method would… well…"

"Oh, it'd kill me with bells on."

Amy grimaced as she tried to dispel the awful image forming in her mind. "Well, Shadow left a mural of a canine's head… yours was of a hedgehog." Her voice began to waver and she brushed her quills back from her face. "Whisper's idea might be partly right. It might be a way of communicating, but not what she thought it was. Your powers are clearly linked. So what if the Phantom Ruby is trying to warn you?"

He tilted his head to scratch his cheek, letting out a thoughtful grunt. "It's always a possibility. If I die, then it'll fade from existence." He paused and let out a dry chuckle. "I guess I'll just have to get one up on him then, won't I?"

"Then if I'm not his target, I can help you track him down, right?" She gave the jackal a hopeful smile.

"Oh, no." Infinite looked down at her and shook his head, causing her smile to melt into a frown. "My plan's not going to change. You're still leaving this city, and I'm still gonna look for him." A sly smirk twisted his lips. "But I'll find him first."

...

The shutter was still open when the two soldiers returned to the workshop. After two hours, Sonic had finally managed to scrub the blood stain from the wall, although it was still clear it had been there. A quick DNA check had confirmed it didn't belong to either Shadow or Rouge, but the gentleman who'd been murdered in the school earlier that night.

Tails rummaged about around his workshop, occasionally glancing at his computer as he took note of all his inventions and weapons. Sonic leant against the wall beside T-Pup, tapping his foot as they watched the fox move back and forth along the weapon rack.

"I hate to rush you, bud," said Sonic. "But the longer we spend here, the less chance we have of tracking down Shadow and Rouge."

"I need to check if they've taken anything first," Tails explained. "That way we know what to prepare ourselves for."

"Noticed anything?"

Tails looked down at his computer again and nodded. "A laser pistol is missing. I'm going to guess one of them has taken it."

"Probably the bat."

"My thoughts exactly." Tails scratched behind his ear as he took in the massive row of weapons. "So far that's all I've noticed, and I've checked over this thing twice now."

"Then I think it's safe to say that's all they've taken." Sonic grinned down at T-Pup who returned it with a happy pant. "At least they've not taken your Tornado, eh?"

"They don't need it."

Tails pocketed his computer and grabbed his tranquilizer rifle from where it lay propped against the wall. Much to Sonic's surprise, he exchanged it for a much larger weapon. One formed up of two long shafts with an electromagnetic coil between them.

Sonic's eyes widened and he pushed himself back from the wall. "You're takin' a railgun?! We're not shooting down battle planes, Tails!"

"We know that Shadow can regenerate, and is almost entirely bullet proof," Tails explained. "Sure, he isn't immune to projectiles, but he can take some hefty punishment. A railgun packs enough power to take him out of action before he causes any more damage than he already has."

Sonic brushed his quills back from his face. "I get you, bud, but you met Shadow. He was convinced Infinite was the killer. Until now, we've had zero indication it was Shadow at all."

"He could have been putting on a front."

"I dunno…" Sonic dragged his hand over his muzzle as he stared at the wall in thought. "Something makes me think there's more to this than meets the eye."

T-Pup gave an affirmative yap.

"We did agree that once Shadow and Rouge left here, we'd be tracking them down again," said Tails. "It is our job after all."

"I know that," said Sonic. "But now a massive spanner has been thrown in the works, and it doesn't settle well with me to hand someone over who might actually be innocent. The whole of Mainframe would believe he was a cold blooded killer, and there'd be no solid facts to back that story."

Tails lowered his railgun and narrowed his eyes at Sonic. "So you don't believe Shadow is the murderer? Even though he was found at the scene of the crime, and trailed that deer's blood back here into my workshop?"

"Oh, I believe he killed the guy," said Sonic. "I just don't understand why. I mean, what if he's not aware he's doing it? He said himself those powers he shares with Infinite are completely new and unpredictable. Isn't it possible he's being used as some kind of puppet?"

Tails stared at him for a moment longer as he thought over Sonic's words. The hedgehog shifted against the wall, forcing himself to maintain eye contact.

Finally, Tails spoke. "You think Infinite's controlling him? That he's the real murderer behind all this?"

"I'm not saying that at all. That's entirely speculative. I'm wondering if the powers have something to do with it."

"That's also speculative."

"Yes, but that way no one else dies!"

"Until he strikes again."

Sonic clenched his teeth and snapped his glare off Tails to the open shutter. "Look, let's not do anything hasty. We'll round up Shadow and question him, okay? Rouge too. No one gets killed until someone is proven guilty of murder with intent."

"And what about Infinite?"

"We leave him." Sonic shrugged. "He's not shown himself for weeks. We can't just assume he's controlling Shadow. We don't know for a fact that Shadow's isn't doing this consciously. He might be a blood thirsty serial killer for all we know, but the fact is we don't." He paused and ruffled his quills between his ears. "I just don't want to kill him, Tails. Not if he's actually innocent."

Tails nodded and propped the railgun against his workbench. "And what about the 'clues' left at the crime scene? I still think they're pointing to his next target."

"A canine?" Sonic inclined his head on one side in thought.

"Canine. Vulpine. We're all pretty similar."

Sonic's ears pricked up and he nodded slowly as he watched Tails strap the railgun over his back. He didn't look scared, or worried. Sonic had to wonder, without all those emotions warring for centre stage, Tails was probably thinking quite rationally.

"All right," said Sonic. "We'll take precautions. But we are not going to shoot on sight. Are you understanding me?"

"I understand you perfectly." Tails reached for a tranquilizer gun and tossed it to Sonic, who caught it flawlessly. "It just makes sense to go in armed to the gills."

"We don't have gills," Sonic joked.

Tails ignored that statement and reached for a second tranquilizer gun. Then he fastened a few grenades over the strap holding his railgun.

Sonic sighed and holstered his weapon. "You might wanna make sure you're also carrying the GUN emblem before we get stopped by drones and GUN solders."

Tails didn't look up, too occupied with his explosives. "Noted."

...

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