Jun Yabriel: I live! AGAIN! 14 glorious pages of continuation, this time! *Choirs singing again* I can't leave my readers hanging before I retire; a few of my own favorite authors have done that already... Here it is. A "mid-quel" for the Achilles chapters. It dives a little deeper in Phantom Ruby lore, as I see it for this headcanon. In case you haven't already, reading The Phantasy of Archangelus will be helpful, especially in later chapters. This Fix Fic is a loose continuation of that story. I'm in the process of creating my own universe, so I can use it for my first published work. My own version of Tezuka-sensei's "Star System," if you will.

Also, yes, you heard right. This is a Fix Fic for Sonic Forces. (Because it forced me to, lol.) Thank you for your patronage, and Happy Halloween! Enjoy! XD

WARNING: Brief but moderate depiction(s) of violence/suicide, psychological torture, cannibalism, body horror, and ideologically sensitive subjects ahead.

CONTINUE WITH CAUTION.

From Zero to Infinity

Phantasmagoria

Wild, maniacal cackling echoed throughout the throne room. The mad doctor-turned-warlord howled at the mere thought of a trade. Even if the exchange was perfectly even, he would've been a fool to accept it. Shadow was his grandfather's magnum opus; Metal Sonic had been his own. The E-100 series failed him one time too many, and the Gizoid was nigh omnipotent. From ancient technologies to extraterrestrial conquerors, even to the truest gods, Emperor Robotnik learned a most important lesson.

He remembered his imperial ensign flying over the battlefield: Undeterred and unwavering.

"Mweh-hahahahahh! You think I've learned nothing from these cumulative failures, Shadow?! My projections may have been flawed, but I've gone back and revised them! All of my minions come from that myriad of experiences! And now that I have all their data, I can recreate the deadliest of terrors—all at once! Not even you, my grandfather's greatest creation, can withstand this onslaught!" His shaded lenses flashed a malevolent gleam. Then, in an instant, the Phantom Ruby's ripple radiated within them. "Now, my Phantom Ruby: Initiate…Phantom Control!"

Nightmarish ripples became shockwaves that rattled every Phantom Device holder within the palatial complex. In consequence, a cacophony of agony rose.
Infinite was in Eggman's line of fire, and the first to feel the surge: His Phantom Ruby replica flashed even more erratically. A sharp pang brought him to his knees, putting him in a stranglehold. Spittle hit his mask's mouth-guard. The mask's right visor burned with unbridled malice. He clamped down his ears; his clawed gloves dug into his scalp, desperate to block out the distorted screeches.

Throughout the imperial fortress, each Ruby bearer had to suffer from Emperor Eggman's forceful dominance.

Deep within the Palace's prison hall was from which said agony rose. Every Imperial captive had been forced to don an artificially duplicated Phantom Ruby. Side effects varied from person to person, but all the prototypes guaranteed control. They contributed handsomely to his conquest, while supplying his new empire with laborers, territories, and valuable resources. With Infinite's guidance, he was able to enslave a majority of the world.

Including his co-ruler's Imperial henchmen: The former Jackal Squad's members all slowly crumpled to the floor, one by one. One screamed to the tops of his lungs, while he dug his claws into his ears—so far that they bled. "It's deafening…! This—Augh! Boss, why?!" he cried out. That was when the only female member curled into a fetal position and panicked. "I…I want my m-mommy…and d-d-d-daddy…!" Another member tore off his bandana as he raked his claws across his scalp. Desperate and on the edge of insanity, he threw his voice out to anyone within range, "Make it stop! Please—please, stop it!"

The overlord's own laugh was raucous and cruel. Eggman held the Phantom Cane over everyone's heads. Even seeing Infinite twisting beneath him brought an unexpected pleasure. A swirling madness emanated from the enormous, spherical Phantom Ruby. It seemed to swallow up everything. Eggman's dark glasses reflected its madness like a mirror. Had he been devoured by it, as well?

"Yes! Brilliant! Let everyone here know who the true lord and master here is, my Phantom Ruby! Brand it into their retinas, their cochlea—their hippocampi! Then, make them hang on my every word, make them come running to my every beck and call, then consume the world and regurgitate it in my own image! Gyah-hahaha! No longer shall I pine for 'Eggmanland'—Now, I dub this calamitous clod as 'Eggman-world'!"

More prominent waves of distortion rippled across the Empire's mainstay. They clambered past the Palace-Prison's borders like an infectious disease. They neither discriminated nor relented. They pounced on every single bearer of a Ruby replica.

Namely Omega, Rouge, Vector, Mimic, Amy, Tails, and Sonic.

Everyone else was caught in a web of indistinguishable half-realities.

Rouge's Phantom Brand began to burn mercilessly, as if an iron had been pressed into her skin all over again. It was enough for her to scream out. Multiple female soldiers rushed over to aid her.

"Madam Rouge, are you all right?!" one cried out.

"Here, take my hands and bear the pain, like always," a more mature lieutenant spoke in a soothing lilt.

"M-…M-Mama…! P-P-P-Papa…!"

"It's all right now, Empress. I'm here…" That same lieutenant, a silky mink, had become accustomed to such episodes. "I'm here now, dear…!"

Amidst the searing pain came another pulse of power. The Phantom Ruby shard encrusted in her necklace emitted a quivering shine. The flesh around it flushed, fine hairs stood on end, and magenta light made tiny fissures around her Brand. Her back arched, wings tucked, and toes crimped. Her hands were vise grips against her right-hand woman's maternal touch. Pleas for help leapt from her mouth and eyes.

"Mommy's here now, sweetie."

The voice of the mink was misinterpreted by Rouge. In her mind, she heard her mother's voice. A mature, coy, nurturing coo—one she'd not heard since childhood. A past veiled in mystery had gaps to be filled. Unfortunately, said gaps were filled by the Phantom Ruby's influence. With nothing else to go on, Rouge had no choice but to believe her personal lieutenant.

The mink was her mother, but how was she still alive if she'd been shot dead?

Rouge clamped terrified hands into the older mink's back. She shivered feverishly, eyes wide with trauma and paranoia. "N-No…" and "Mommy" sputtered interchangeably from her lips.

However, the mink—under her Phantom Collar's own influence—continued to cradle Rouge as if she were her own child. She ignored the blood that crept down her back. She blocked the sting of the pain. In a simple yet powerful manner, she brought Rouge closer into her warm coat, wrapped her tail around her waist, and held her there.

"Porquoi, maman?" The traumatized Rouge strained for an answer in a nearly forgotten mother-tongue. Her nails dug deeper into the other woman's back. The Phantom Brand continued to burn; her corresponding choker, flashing like a skipping heart. Somewhere in the former agent's eyes was a vestige of regret, confusion, and disbelief. Those turquoises—given to her by her father—wobbled, bleared by tears.

Sinking further into the quagmire, they began to seethe in claret-tinged vengeance.

The Enchantress of Death had crushed her heart and lost her veils. All that was left were her skull…and those mind-skewering Rubies.

"…Why did he take you from me?"

Thus, Phantom Rouge was born.

Back in the Chariot Sector, Vector mobilized his offensive forces. He bopped to a tune he'd saved on his Phantom Gear's headphones. Just like a movie director, he put footwork into his guidance: Back and forth, he dashed. Shouts and yaps darted overhead. Even though his subordinates were technically his "slaves," Vector's inner core didn't accept that. He lovingly called them his "production staff." Nonetheless, their individual Phantom Collars were well within his Phantom Gear's control. A failure or a misstep had a three-strike system. One strike was a shock. Two, a knock-out punch. Strike three: "Ya won't wake up next time."

He didn't hold back; his punishments escalated quickly, depending on the significance of the failure. Gender no longer mattered to the croc, either. He handled the female workers just like the male ones. Disparaging names were used on all. From miscalculated inventory to the wrong creamer flavor in his coffee, Vector lashed out at anyone who ruined his milieu.

If anything, imperfection angered him the quickest: Whenever said milieu was blemished, murderous intent ignited within the crocodile's gaze.

Footmen and -women scurried about in a frenzy, for the moment. Intruders were expected, but no one wanted Shadow the Hedgehog to break down the walls. Armed vehicles rolled out to the march playing in Vector's head.

Suddenly, Vector made a face when static was all he could hear. "Gyah!? What the hell—what gives?!"

"Sir," a mustached simian began to report, "Our sensors have picked a massive, unknown wave of interference. The source…is the Emperor Sector, the Imperial Cathedral! It's surging, closing in—Guhaugh?!"

The man choked on the abrupt shock from his Phantom Collar. An electrocution's voltage struck his body without any warning. It was the same for the mammals on the Chariot Sector's staff. Left and right, people were electrocuted due to the extensive and violent flood of Phantom energy. It was so powerful that their devices couldn't handle the overload, thus exploding after mere moments. It wasn't enough to kill or maim, but the voltage was. Subordinates under Vector's authority all screamed, fell to floor, with singed hair and foam bubbling from their mouths. "Shock collars" only in emulation, it couldn't affect his reptilian workers. One female lizard, moments into realizing her coworkers were dead, screamed. It was enough to bring her to her knees and cower against another's leg.

Despite that sweeping wave of stillness, panic, and burnt flesh permeating around him, Vector found himself locked in place. Not from the event that'd just transpired, but by the whirring cacophony coming from his headphones. It roiled beneath the static, swelling and ebbing, enough to hold his attention and pull him into an eerie listener's silence.

Then, just as other surviving staff members barely recovered, the pair of lizards looked over to see Vector stymied by the control room's monitors.

The Sector Chief made a face at the multiple screens. Every monitor suddenly showed a ripple of text: Random numbers, letters, symbols, and graphemes jumbled in and out of sequence. They changed, cycling randomly, and inverted at a pulsating rhythm. It was an unsteady wave, an amorphous outline, in the same pattern as the Phantom Ruby. Its colors alternated with the non-words—Magenta screen, black text. Black screen, magenta text.

As if to hypnotize him.

"Chief V-V-V-Vector…?" the lizard woman couldn't stop stuttering. Even after a nonresponse, she still cowered against the male lizard's leg.

Unbeknownst to them, Vector's Phantom Gear had already been activated. In that moment came an unknown, epicene voice; it whispered in and out beneath the noise. One that only Vector could hear. Nondescript words resonated within his ear canals, and meaning was understood. The Gear's influence had intensified, while his normally goldenrod eyes reflected that eerie pattern.

In the moments of losing his signature vim and vigor, words uncharacteristic of Vector floated into the expectant silence: "Pain…Carnage…Disaster…Chaos…"

The survivors had no choice but to abandon their stations. The female lizard scurried over to a first-aid cabinet and grabbed a bunch of supplies. The male, on the other hand, raced over to the monitor, trying to forcefully shut down its operation. As he rapidly pecked at the keys, he yelled back, "Liza, don't worry about me! Just take enough for yourself and get out of here, right now!"

"No! We went in together; we're getting out together!" She fumbled with the emergency pack, but her feet carried her towards her mate.

"You idiot! There's no point if Sector Self-Detonation is activated!" Even though he'd entered the code, it was rejected. He gasped, "What the—?! Omega, what are you doing?! Initiate the Chariot Sector's self-destruct protocol! If the Chief's been compromised, then the entire sector has to go!"

A cold monotone retorted, "Negative. Subject Chariot Sector Chief Vector the Crocodile has not been compromised. He is receiving Lord-Father's next orders via Phantom Control. The energy surge manifested as electromagnetic waves, hence the hyper-activation of all Phantom Devices and destruction of the prisoners' Phantom Collars."

Everyone stood dumbfounded by what they'd just heard. But even more information was poured into their minds.

"Data compiled by Justice Sector Chief Espio the Chameleon reports that the death toll within the Imperial Palace's Prison Hall has surpassed 2,000, due to the effects of Lord-Father's Phantom Control. The remaining 7,000, including the Sector Chiefs, are currently undergoing various forms of psychological trauma. Chief Vector's mind is absorbing Lord-Father's directives via audiovisual stimulation."

"But…Chief Espio is dead," the female technician, Liza, rebutted. "How can he report anything if he isn't here?"

"More importantly, the enemy could be just outside this wall,"— a different one retorted strongly, pointing for emphasis—"ready to blow it apart any minute, now! This sector is compromised, Omega! We have to destroy it and take all of its data with it before the enemy can steal it!"

"…Data transfer from Chariot Sector to Justice, Lovers, Magician, and Emperor Sectors complete. Sector Self-Detonation sequence activated. T-minus 1 minute until detonation."

Terror sculled across the woman's face before her gaze fell on the emergency exit.

The male lizard spat, "Hold on, Omega! That's not enough time to get out of here!"

"Despair…"

Suddenly, the man threw back his eyes. Only to be met by two piercing ambers that burned like brimstone. He hadn't seen or heard the crocodile's approach, much less expected his much closer proximity. Shock caused him to freeze in disbelief. "Omega…are you and Chief Vector under Phantom Control, right now?"

That robotic monotone replied, "Yes, that is correct."

Within that psycho-digital realm, Vector couldn't see, hear, or do anything. This thing had his voice, but it was a completely different entity.

"Roy! Roy, the door—it won't open!"

The male technician, Roy, swiveled around in a panic, only to see others struggling—vainly—to open the emergency exit. "What?!"

"Devour…!" Vector murmured again in an ominous growl.

"Roy, look out!"

However, as soon as he whipped back around, he met by a huge hole. The inside of which resembled the very stone that'd reversed the tide of hope. It pulsated in an increasingly unsettling rhythm, as if it sensed the moment his heart dropped into his feet.

It was beyond comprehension. It was something Roy had never seen before: The abyss that was Vector's gaping maw.

SNAP!

Whatever it was, it was powerful and seemed all-knowing. It read Vector's memories. It peered into his flaws, ripped them out, and shredded them.

Liza screamed her mate's name, but the crocodile's gullet had taken the skull whole. She continued to scream, watching in horror as Roy's corpse followed suit—lab coat and all. She shrank back and pled for mercy to any and every god that would listen. The other survivors leapt towards the only exit, nearly trampling her in the process. Vector licked his teeth, reduced to all fours, and started to creep towards her next. A famished madness had entered his eyes, not terribly unlike the seething rage the former Resistance Commander held. Instead of cannibalizing for survival, Vector had been reduced to a gluttonous beast.

It did the same to his friends, his career, his dreams, his life, and himself.

"Roy…Roy, come back! Help me!" Liza's hysterical tears didn't stop Vector's encroachment. They didn't stop her colleagues from pounding and clawing at the locked door, either.

Lastly, Omega wasn't swayed to release them. He simply continued to update the self-destruct counter. "Ten seconds to detonation."

"Omega! Open the door! Let us out—please, I'm begging you! Don't let me die like this!" Fists hammered, and talons clawed at the door, but it was built to withstand a sector's self-destruction; there was zero possibility of escape. Several of them climbed over each other. Some even fought their way to futility. The remaining pled for their lives. "No! Please! Please! Somebody, please help me! He's going to eat me!"

However, all Liza could do was share a final sight with her fallen lover. She had the misfortune of watching Vector's maw open, slowly gathering deadly strength, and peering into that Phantom-coated abyss. Her pupils slivered from absolute terror.

His cruel, wolfish ambers spelled doom.

A final scream. Then, sheer carnage. Merciless, ravenous, gleeful eating.

Something primitive had awakened in him. An apex predator, a notorious menace of the swamp, and an infamous carnivore: Phantom Vector.

SNAP.

"3…2…1…0."

Sometime after the Chariot Sector's self-destruction, the Imperial Cathedral's glass bio-dome began to glimmer. It was the only place left on the island that had vegetation. It was also the safest haven for the "Imperial Princess" Amy Rose. It was a lavish greenhouse, brimming with life and growth. Hibiscuses, lilies, primroses, and petunias popped with vitality. Hydrangeas, firethorns, daisies, and snapdragons burst with color and whimsy. A decorative pond cradled water lilies, as well. Its surface had a milky, mirror-like quality to it. A crawl space higher stood a small stage: Undulating light surrounded the circular platform.

At its center stood the Imperial Princess: Amy's Phantom Compact began to throb with power, but it was not painful. The mad emperors took uncharacteristic, yet insidious, care to ensure she felt no physical pain. In fact, everything had calmed when she entered the arena near the end of "The Battle for the Rose." Everyone smiled, relieved of their oppressive environment and the sickening madness of the "Humili-Egg-tion Hour" segments, even if for a brief moment. As the Phantom Ruby in her brooch shined, everyone within eyeshot became instantly enamored with her. Even Eggman had fallen under the Phantom Compact's spell for a while. There were instances where subjects under the Phantom Collars' influence would trip over themselves just to please her. Her gardeners, fraught for her praises, pulled whatever failed to meet her expectations.

Delicate rose petals crystallized atop the pond's crest…

When an order of roses came in peach instead of pink, one gardener viciously rooted them out, cursed at them, and even stomp them into mulch. They'd only hear her pleas to stop after it was already over. "Why did you do that?! They were just harmless flowers," she remembered her first "overreaction." "You should ashamed of yourself! Don't you ever hurt my flowers again! Next time, jus—?!"

KSLISSHHK…

All of a sudden, Amy's gardener was bleeding profusely. A garden trowel had made its way into the chest cavity, between ribs, and near their heart. A maddening delight tangoed with fear as their eyes widened. "Anything for you, my princess. Long live the Eggman Empire." They wrenched it through, as if to complete the ceremonial suicide. A thick thud rocked the air. Pooling blood oxidized. The terror and fealty faded from their eyes. The indicator on their Phantom Collar faded from an active magenta to a listless white, before automatically unlatching itself from its captor's neck.

Enamored Obedience—another hidden ability that Emperor Robotnik neglected to tell Amy about her Phantom Compact. She could tell anyone to do anything, and it would be followed, down to the letter. There were no limitations, as long as the target was a Phantom Device or Collar user. However, Amy had to mind her tongue, since there were no compromises or restrictions.

Alas, the Princess's folly cost her an able hand. Now, all she could do was scream in horror.

…They lightened, frosted, and ascended on an intangible breeze.

Princess Amy Rose's gown flourished. Over her clasped hands, she prayed, "Oh, Sonic, Silver…give me the strength to never be weak again."

As the "rosebud" in her Phantom Compact blossomed, the Ruby shard itself began to glow, steadily brightening and casting a spell-like shimmer over her gown. Magenta sparkles enlivened it, as well as the roses on its bustle. Carmine satins were given an otherworldly glow. The roses on her pumps sent thorn-less vines up her calves; the same with the corsages on her wrists, coiling up to her shoulders. Her Carmen-loved crown separated itself slowly, floated in front of her, and waited—as if for her.

Amy counted all of the roses in front of her. Then, after a self-assuring nod, she brought one of the five into her hands. Her wide, emerald eyes glazed with the renewed hope of a long-forsaken prayer. She lightly kissed the rose. "If you're still with us, Sonic, you shouldn't appear…! Go! Phantom Summoning!"

A whirlwind encircled the rose, whipped off its petals, and joined the crystalline petals that had risen from the pool's surface. A helix of magenta and ice reshaped itself into an almost familiar shape. A long rectangle: softened corners, sparkling magenta borders, and a Phantom Ruby-influenced rose as its decal. Said rose's core flashed briefly the card steadied itself. Its rotation slowed, halted, and showed its face to Amy.

She gasped, awaiting tears slipping from the edges of her mascara.

The card recoiled, as if something had gone through it. Its face fractured, its splinters falling away and coalescing into a new shape. They revealed a silhouette—one of a male hedgehog.

But it wasn't Sonic, which meant he was still among the living.

Amy was relieved and mortified at the same time. So much that her legs gave out.

However, as quick as a gust, Silver caught her before her skirts could hit the tile. Amy's face felt something familiar—Silver's chest tuft—but it felt cold. Her blush warmed the spot, but only it. His secure embrace felt hollow, like the motions of a marionette. There was no care or thoughtfulness. He held her there, but something didn't feel right; something was missing.

Reluctantly, Amy wiped her tears away, so she could look up at his face. "Silver…?"

Alas, when their eyes met, there was a distinct mismatch in emotion. While Amy's heart was a hodgepodge of joy and dread, Silver's heart was absent. His face was deadpan, the eyes themselves dead and without reflection. There was no reaction, even to her touch. He simply stared at her: He was awaiting further orders.

Amy could do nothing for a long moment. She stared back into his empty eyes. Sadness crept its way back into her heart. Though, there was a grade of happiness, too. Her smile returned. It was small, a bit shy, and conflicted, but her gratefulness trumped them all at the same pace. After a rainbow of emotions flooded from her eyes, all that was left was grace—no matter how "ugly" her crying face became.

"Silver…oh, Silver, you're here again. Not all here, but…you came back. I thought I'd never see you again." She wept into his chest. "Please help me…! Eggman's taken over the world, and Infinite's killing our friends! I don't want anyone else to die, Silver! Sonic, he's—he's fighting Phantom Control, I just know it! We've gotta save him! Shadow's here, but…! All I know is that"—her face was in the shape of desperation—"I'm scared! I'm really, really scared! I don't know where Cream and Cheese are! Charmy's missing, too! So many people died after you, and any one of us could be next! Please protect me, Silver! Please help me save Sonic!"

Such plump, full-faced tears: ones only a true princess can shed.

Your tears are the testament of your faith, o Princess of Roses and Hope.
Your Strength shall manifest in due time.
Guardians will rise to be your swords and shields—
Your very own Chrysaor.

An echo thrummed throughout the hollowness of Silver's replica. Princess Amy's plea clanged like wedding bells. Crimson rose petals flooded into him like blood cells. Giggles and sweet-nothings surged through him like synapses. Red ribbons of fate bound his bones; those bones hardened by her grace and love. The Princess needed him, once again. An eclipse of body and mind reproduced sapience. Before he knew it, he'd returned from the void.

A gentle caress on Amy's cheek heralded his official return. When she looked up at him, her eyes brightened, tearful but without a strand of sadness. A brand-new relief washed over her. "Silver? Is…Are you…?"

May he shine like the dawn upon your heart,
O Princess of Roses and Hope.

His canary eyes beamed with renewed hope. A strangely aureate halo radiated from the crown of his head. It spun slowly, glittering with imperceptible crystals. His robes had returned, as well: fresh and light as feathers, a lovely shade of eggshell, beneath a paladin's cape of rich turquoise. Another strange emblem adorned its back. It looked like a glyph, and it was lined in the same material as his halo.

May he garner arms of gold.
May he parade from the annals of mercy
and honor our sacred covenant from a dead plane.
Forged in sacrificial fire,
Bathed in melancholy,
But glowing with the virtue of a star…
O Princess, rejoice! For your Chrysaor is born!

Silver said nothing. There was still a distance in his gaze. Despite it, he still gave her a warm smile, lifted her up, and flew away. They left the Imperial Cathedra behind. Amy held onto her knight for dear life, tears floating in their wake.

"Y'know, for a robot, you've got one hell of a taste for carnage."

Deep within the control room of the Justice Sector, Infinite had seen and heard everything. A wall of monitors floated before him. Dancing between his fingers was a kunai. The keyboard in front of him flickered with light; strings of protocol code filled the centermost screen. Unknown script jumbled in and out of comprehension. Fascinated, Infinite leaned in closer.

"Omega? You know what you're putting in here? It's all nonsense, even to experienced hackers like myself and Miles Prower. What exactly are you doing?"

"Code re-encryption." Omega's notable coldness dictated his retort. "Lord-Father tasked me with one of the most magnanimous responsibilities of all: I am responsible for everyone's safety and security. I am His will—the cradle of His Empire. Security must remain optimal, as per His orders."

"Even if it means killing comrades?"

For a moment, there was only a sound of confirmation. The main screen read, "Chariot Sector Self-Detonation confirmed. Code re-encryption of Justice, Lovers, Magician, and Emperor Sectors now complete."

Omega filled in the extra gap of silence. "Lord-Father's orders are absolute. Sacrifices needed to be made. Nothing more."

While Omega relayed counterattack plans, Infinite eyed a few monitors: Shadow's bluff had not been called. His resistance was strong, indeed, but futile in the face of the Empire. The Diamond Cutters were no more, Sonic was in imperial custody, and 99.9% of the Earth had become "Eggmanworld" under the Imperial banner. The totalitarian autocracy unified said world, from ruby mines to Badnik manufacture to propaganda-laced goods. Heroes became villains. Victims became prisoners. Dissenters and traitors became memento mori. Dr. Ivo Robotnik had gone back to his roots as a genius, an inventor, and a conqueror; "The Eggman" was merely a stage name for the future master of ceremonies. His anthem would echo throughout hundreds of "Egg Cartons," housing projects designated for workers who'd pledged their allegiance to His Excellency. Men, women, and children were forced to labor, procreate, and learn, respectively. He had been one of them. However, a double life as a laborer-by-day and spy-by-night would spell a death sentence, if caught. He had no alliances, connections, or compatriots, at the time.

Until they came to him, begging and bragging and ready to rebel. Their faces, however, he couldn't recognize…

"I would advise getting your 'act' together, Justice Sector Chief."

Infinite snorted, stifling a laugh. He rose from his chair, sheathing the kunai into a holster, and flexed his fingers. "Re-encryption affects the Master Key, as well, you know. Getting it back now would be pointless. Let the vermin keep it, so I can savor their reactions to another hope dashed."

Omega didn't have a retort.

"It's always nice to see a plan go right, for once, isn't it?" There was a mask awaiting its wearer. "I thought that egg-man was too incompetent to pull off such wide-scale conquest. Those gods he toyed with finally opened his eyes, eh? Well, then…" Donning it, Infinite took a peek at the camera monitoring Sonic's cell. A sadistic gleam flickered across his eye. Suddenly, an oily substance spewed from the back of Infinite's mask. It oozed about, gumming and stringing itself in abstract shapes. Once it settled, it vined itself along the jackal's curves, soon encasing him from head to tail to toe. He pecked new orders into the main computer's keyboard.

Omega chimed out to confirm: "Justice Sector Self-Detonation Protocol recognized. Do you wish to proceed, Sector Chief Mimic the Octopus?"

The mask he'd donned was not Infinite's. It was a repurposed Diamond Cutters mask—his own, though devoid of its semi-sentient Wisp AI. Thanks to the power of his Phantom Cloak, his shortcomings for perfect disguises were addressed. Not only were his mimicries much more accurate, but now he'd gained optical camouflage. Ultimately, he could be anyone, and anywhere, he desired.

He grinned within his Cloak. "But of course, my dear Omega."

"Acknowledged. Data transfer from Justice Sector to Magician, Lovers, and Emperor Sectors underway. Sector Self-Detonation Protocol set to launch upon completion. Estimated Time: T-minus four minutes."

Mimic replied, "More than enough time to get in character. Let the Magician and the Empress know that the She-Wolf are my prey. As for the intruders…well, I plan to use the commotion to tangle their lines, if you know what I mean." He glared at the one of the monitors. He managed to catch a glimpse of Tangle's battle before the visual link was cut.

"Acknowledged. Glory to the Eggman Empire."

"Indeed, my comrade. Glory to the Eggman Empire."

The countdown continued as Mimic swaggered out of the control room. Omega put in the new security code in Mimic's stead. Crossing a small threshold, another security lock was undone. Mimic stepped inside the elevator.

"Now, then. Let's see how the rabble react to fallen comrades…? Hmm, perhaps, past lovers? Parents? Friends? The flock of sheep they swore to protect…?!"

Moments before reaching his destined floor, yet another Phantom Ruby Device activated. A magnetic resonance forced it into a mode of maximum output. It soon swallowed its host's psyche into a realm of phantoms. Just as forcefully, a transformation rippled across Mimic's features. It was a slow blend from one side of nature's spectrum to the other. It couldn't decide between his cephalopodan features and the warm-blooded jackal's, so it transmuted them into something entirely different.

His silhouette became a true horror: horns, extra limbs and digits, eyeless, and with a cheek-slashed smile. Only his mask remained. His voice stumbled between timbres of malicious contralto and demonic bass. Best of all, gained while remaining completely invisible.

"Keh-keh-keh-kehhh…! LEt's seE hOW thE REBels reACt to thE GOd of thE VoID HIMSELF?"

Another nasty snicker followed. Even sooner, he blended into the steely walls.

Around the same time, Tails' precious keepsake—the only one he could hide—fell from his grasp. Everything he'd fought for, sacrificed his innocence for, they were in that single photo. But now, it fluttered to the floor, mere paces away.

His Phantom Goggles had snapped themselves over his eyes. Without any warning. Not even from Orbot.

Since Omega wasn't the only one installed with a Phantom Chip.

"Orbot! Initiate Magician System override sequence!" The boy's hands frantically pulled and tugged at the eyewear. "Orbot?! Are you listening—can you hear me?!"

"—I'm sorry. The AI you have installed is not available at this time…on account of 'I've hacked him, fox boy'!" That sonorous laugh raked Tails' eardrums. "You thought you could outsmart me, didn't you? Tsk, tsk! You should've known not to bring a calculator to a supercomputer fight! Foolish boy!"

Panicking, Tails had only seconds to manually override Orbot's Phantom Chip. Unfortunately, no matter what he did the commands were rejected. "No, no, no! Orbot, don't leave me…!"

"Too bad, runt! You're a hundred years too late to be a threat to me! As ruler of this glorious empire, I command you to take out any insurgents that come your way!"

Tails was soon gripped by a clamoring anguish. "No…Orbot, please…wake up!" Everywhere he turned, there was nothing but error message after error message—"System Failure Imminent!" "Magician Override Sequence Null—Emperor Override Sequence Activated" "Data Transfer Complete" and "Code Re-Encryption Complete"—error after error after error after error…

Plump, despondent tears ran from the boy's eyes. "Please…don't leave me…like Sonic did."

"There's a reason why he left you behind, you know."

Fathoms within the numbness of his disbelief, Tails gasped and found himself in front of him. However, the sole difference between him and his doppelganger was countenance: The Tails who'd spoken carried an unerring rationale in his tone. He stood before him with a dispassionate smile, hands folded behind his back, and Goggles off.

"It…It was supposed to be impossible! I reprogrammed Orbot to counteract the Phantom Ruby's control—I created the Phantom Chip, myself!"

"Except it wasn't. Eggman caught wind of your plans while you were making them. It didn't help that Mimic spied and tattled on you. You let it happen. The same way you let Sonic get caught: By being naïve, careless, and worst of all, deceitful."

Tails gasped from shock. Who was this "Tails" and how could he see into so much of his heart? Why did his words hit so close to home?

"No wonder he keeps calling you a runt. On what planet did you think that 'overwriting the writer's original work' was a clever idea?" Despite his condescension, the other "Tails" remained painfully indifferent. "The Phantom Chip was your creation, yes…but it was Eggman's brainchild. You were stupid to think he couldn't see sabotage in his own work. You were naïve to think that Orbot was your 'friend,' the only one that'd never leave you or betray you, despite knowing that he would. What about your real friends? What were they, lambs to the slaughter? Guinea pigs? Lab rats to be pulled out of a box at random? My, you are a terrible friend, if that's the case."

A stronger shock surged through Tails, crumpling him to his knees.

"A simple act of self-preservation. You're not completely faultless, but you've made enough of a mess, haven't you? You should stay here. Stay in that neat little corner of your cage and think about what you've done."

The darkness around them fashioned itself into a prison cell. Magenta thorns slithered in and out of visibility and coiled themselves around Tails' form. From an ankle to his twin tails, it crept upward to hold him in place. Further up the climb, those thorns anchored themselves into the cell's cornerstones. Then, much like a child in timeout, Tails felt a stool grow up from the floor, more thorns fastening him to it, and an iron ball manifested near his ankle.

The other "Tails" watched with unbiased contentment. "There. A fitting punishment to an insubordinate child."

The light in the real Tails' eyes had gone out. A magenta sleeve wrapped itself around his mouth. It left an X in its wake. It didn't bother with the fox's profuse tears, though.

"Now, sit there. Behave. Ruminate. Stay quiet…and let me take over for a while." The doppelganger's deadpan smile curled into a malevolent grin.

Emperor Robotnik's insane laughter continued to violate the eardrums of everyone within earshot. The overlord didn't question how long he'd been laughing or how his lungs hadn't collapsed—he guffawed and huffed, swept by the hilarity in how easily executed his master plan was. His Phantom Cane's pummel, that massive Phantom Ruby replica, never halted nor paused. It feasted on Eggman's euphoria like a famished wolf. He sounded genuinely pleased, triumphant, and even giddy about his plan's success. After countless failures, could anyone blame him?

"I've won," the madman exclaimed, "I've finally won! This world is finally mine! It's mine—all mine!" The old man kissed the Ruby repeatedly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Phantom Ruby! You were the key to my plan! Without you, I'd still be blasting that unyielding urchin with lasers and missiles—and losing!—right now! Thanks to you, I shall no more! Bwoah-ho-ho-ho-ho!"…

There: in that lonely cell connected by that lonely elevator. Bare minimum landings connected it to a rail-less footbridge. Should anyone misstep, it would spell their death. In the very middle, that special cell. It was the same one Rouge had visited not too long ago. It was the only one specifically designed to hold the Empire's "enemy of the generation."

Suspended within it was the Blue Blur himself, Sonic the Hedgehog. He was not immune to Phantom Control. Soon after another explosion rattled his cell, Sonic felt another sensation: His hair and quills stood on end; the air around him had shifted.

"Hrghk!" His eyes began to glow, and a distinct magenta ring encircled his irises. "No! Let me go!"

His Phantom Bracers had activated. Not just the ones on his ankles, but his wrists too. The straightjacket that bound him did not let up. Tried and true, reinforced material held him in its merciless grip. His struggling echoed throughout the inverted pyramidal prison. While it held every prisoner, Sonic's cell was special: Reflective surfaces gave Sonic the impression of total isolation when in reality he'd been locked in a box of one-way glass panels—outsiders could look in, but he could not look out. Air holes were cut into the top for ventilation, nothing more. During his captivity, he had no choice but to hear those pleas for help, cries for salvation, and diatribes of anger. He couldn't see them, but their voices rang loudest in his psyche. To be repeatedly called "Liar," "Failure," and other obscene names dug deeper than any torture device. Several cells brimmed the prison's four walls—as if to resemble an auditorium.

Allowing the ones he'd vowed to save to witness his final performance. The more the prisoners' lamented, the more memories were revived.

Families had been torn apart…

Governments had collapsed…

Friends had died one after the other…

Those faces. He couldn't forget those faces. Youthful, happy, hopeful faces. All of them. He couldn't forget them. He couldn't possibly forget them.

"I'll remember you." The softness of Sonic's retort was drowned out by the prisoners' cries of heartless blame and maniacal blasphemy. "I'll remember all of you."

The mad Emperor's insane laughter flourished. "Eggmanworld will be our new home! You hear that, Sonic?! Every man, woman, and child is property of my glorious empire…! That includes you and your 'precious' friends! Gyah-hahahahahahh!"

No matter how dark, hopeless, and bleak things got, Sonic would not yield. Despite the struggle, Sonic couldn't dwell in despair. The promise he'd made wouldn't let him.

Your battle has just begun,
O Shining Hero of Providence.
The nadir is approaching…

The struggle between himself and Phantom Sonic had arrested his train of thought. That beautiful voice, clear as a bell, engendered courage, faith, and determination. His Phantom Bracers tried to tie his psyche back down, but the voice had such pure grace that his Phantom could barely contend with him. It wasn't one-sided by any means, but a welcome relief for the Blue Blur.

Just enough for him to crack a defiant smirk. He spat, "I…will not…break, Egghead."

The Phantasmagoria Swells…