10 - The Hour of Truth
Hazel blinked, slowly, groggily. Everything her heavy-lidded eyes registered was a pulsing red haze, and her ears were filled with a high-pitched ringing that muffled any other sound. But she wasn't alone. She could feel a strong arm tightly wrapped around her shoulders, another under her knees… someone was carrying her away from the battlefield…
"Commander, I… it's all my fault, I'm so sorry," she whispered, turning her head to look up at Knuckles.
Except it wasn't Knuckles.
Hazel stared at him, first confused and then horrified. "No…!"
Infinite had encased her and himself in a dome of twitching red energy, courtesy of the Phantom Ruby, shielding them both from the explosion that had engulfed the vault. Hazel attempted to break free, but her limbs felt impossibly heavy and his grip firm as steel.
"Let… let go of me," she whispered in a hoarse voice.
"Quiet, runt." Infinite barely paid her any attention. His metal mask was inches away from her face, but he was looking at something else, something far below… Hazel gritted her teeth.
"I said, let go…"
"LET GO OF ME, ROUGE!"
That second voice echoed much louder, much fiercer than her own, somehow piercing through the haze that muffled any other noise. The Commander… where was he? Hazel tried to turn around, but a bolt of agony shot through her spine… she arched her back, hissing... Chaos, why did everything hurt…?
"TAKE ME BACK, YOU BLOODY WOMAN! HE'S GOT ONE OF MY SOLDIERS!"
Hazel couldn't hear Rouge's response through the ringing noise pervading her ears, but whatever she said, it made Knuckles howl with fury again. She vaguely, vaguely noticed that half of the high-security vault was in ruins, a mess of charred metal and shattered capsules… ah, Wire and the other E-Cleaners wouldn't be happy… but wait, wasn't there a green hawk somewhere too? The one who'd caused all that havoc and nearly blown up the vault….
Then darkness swept over her senses, drowning her delirium.
#
When Hazel woke up again, her first, foolish thought was that she was back in the Redgate Refinery. Her cheek was pressed against cold metal tiles, and the smells stinging her nostrils reminded her of oil and chemicals. She slowly, painfully sat up. Her unfocused eyes didn't recognize the room: it was quite small - she could cover its whole length in seven or eight steps - and completely metallic, flooring and walls. The only light came from dim, ominous neon devices located at the topmost corners. Instinctively, Hazel looked for her Wispon, but it wasn't strapped to her back nor anywhere nearby.
Massaging her throbbing head, she looked around... and her heart sank as she realized that one of the walls wasn't a wall at all, but a barred opening. Behind those thick metal bars she could glimpse what was, without any shade of doubt, an internment facility.
A cell. She was in a prison cell.
She barely had the time to even consider the implications of that horrifying discovery, when the sound of footsteps - accompanied by a familiar whirring - reached her ears. Stumbling, teetering and feeling as if her brain had been replaced with peanut butter jelly, Hazel scrambled to her feet. Whoever it was, she woozily thought, she wouldn't have given them the satisfaction to see her on her knees.
Two Executioners came into sight, obediently flanking the tallest man she'd ever seen. He was garbed in a luxurious if flamboyant white cloak, halfway between a lab coat and a fur-lined cape befitting a king. His moustache twitched as he grinned down at her, arms folded behind his back.
Hazel had never met him before, but she knew who he was. His grinning insignia was on every factory and every uniform of the Empire.
"Emperor Eggman," she said quietly.
"Indeed! Your most excellent and magnanimous monarch," he exclaimed, throwing wide his arms. "You should feel honored, little fox. Precious few citizens are granted the privilege to meet me in person."
Hazel staggered back, flattening herself against the wall opposite him. Eggman's smirk widened.
"Now, now, no need to be shy. I have no intention to harm you. As a matter of fact, this is the most fortunate day of your life! And can you fathom why?"
She mutely stared at him.
"Because if everything goes according to plan, from today on you might be part of the imperial elite - my own personal court." Eggman twirled his moustache, looking extremely pleased with himself. "But let us start from the beginning, shall we? Infinite reported something interesting, very interesting indeed. The Obsidian Root, the gemstone I have been relentlessly researching for years, appears to have at last resonated with someone… you."
Hazel's head was throbbing. Everything was happening too fast, and nothing made sense. The Obsidian Root, resonating with her... For one, she was one hundred percent sure that there was nothing special about her. She wasn't stronger, she wasn't smarter, she wasn't any better than any other member of the Resistance. Truth be told, looking back and considering how many times death had been staring her right in the face, the only good thing she could say about herself was that she'd been luckier than most. Why she could hear the Obsidian's song when Vector couldn't was anyone's guess, but she doubted it had anything to do with any special virtue of hers - unless the Obsidian resonated with insecure people, in which case it would have perfectly made sense.
"Speechless, are you?" The Emperor casually adjusted his fur-lined collar and clasped his hands together, still beaming. He was excited, as excited as someone who was seeing his dreams come true right before his eyes. "How to blame you, how to blame you... Indeed, should it be true - should you prove the key to unlock the secrets of the Obsidian - then its powers will be finally mine! And you, my dear - you will live a life of luxury such as you've never known. I'm thinking to keep you by my side forever, safely locked away in the most lavish apartment of Central City..."
"I…" Hazel dizzily shook her head. Chaos, she would have died for a cup of Vector's special double coffee. "I have no idea what His Brilliance is talking about…"
"I'm talking about my shining future… Hm, and yours, of course. With the powers of the Phantom Ruby and the Obsidian Root at my fingertips, the Eggman Empire will become an unstoppable force, even more magnificent than what it already is. I can almost forgive the Resistance for blowing up one of my vaults... They destroyed years of invaluable research, and more than a few heads are going to roll for that, but they also delivered you straight to me." He impatiently began striding backward and forward, in a way that once again made her think of Vector. "You see, little missy, my Empire is a glorious nation - but it does have an insignificant little flaw. One I trust you will help me fix."
Information. Seize every occasion to gather information, rookie.
The Taskmaster's voice resounded clearly in her head. Hazel inhaled, the intake of cool air sending a chill through her lungs. There was no turning back now.
"I would be honored if His Brilliance could help me understand how the Obsidian works. What kind of flaw...?"
"Why don't you find out firsthand? Let us move this conversation somewhere else. I'm positive you will find the new location most… stimulating."
#
Two Executioners escorted Hazel through a narrow, dimly lit walkway, until they reached what she guessed was a laboratory of some manner. The smooth, metallic walls were aligned with screens, sensors and recording devices. Eggman hadn't followed them, but she was sure he was watching. Five different cameras, in the form of Red Eyes, were scrutinizing her every move.
Hazel was just beginning to wonder what the Emperor could possibly expect from her now, when another door slid open and two more Executioners walked in. One of them was holding a piece of brilliant black stone. The other one a certain blue hedgehog, shackled and blindfolded.
"I didn't know you were interested in this kind of fun, Eggman," he was cheerfully saying. "So what's the schedule for today? Some good ol' interrogation-with-intimidation? Electroshock? Another three hours long monologue about your villainous master plans? If you are looking for a rematch on the strip poker, I'm down for that, too."
"Oh, I think you're certainly going to enjoy today's activities, Sonic," Eggman's triumphant voice announced from the speaker on the wall. "To commemorate this moment, I even brought you a little present."
"A present? Great. Do I get to pick it myself? Because in that case I'd love a chili dog with double mustard and sauerkraut…"
One of the Executioners removed Sonic's blindfold. For a brief moment, his gaze met Hazel's, and she held her breath. Despite all his bravado, he was a mess: his left eye was black and swollen, an efflorescence of bruises bloomed on the side of his head, his nose was bleeding profusely as if someone had just punched him in the face. Sonic's smile wavered when he spotted her, but just for a moment.
"Ah, so the Resistance is still around and kicking your butt. Nice," he said with a grin, turning to face the Red Eyes-cameras. "Not like I expected anything less from them. So why did you bring this girl here, anyhow, Eggface? I'm right here with you already, in case you hadn't noticed. I would appreciate if you stopped kidnapping and tormenting your own citizens."
"No need to fret, my dearest enemy. I dare say that today you'll be my special guest - for a very special show. Make yourself comfortable, this might be a spectacle for the ages…"
"Cool. Can I have some popcorn, then, or…?"
"Executioner 2897!" barked Eggman. Sonic's apparent lack of fear was starting to get on his nerves. "Give the Obsidian to the girl!"
The Executioner obediently whirred to action, holding out the chunk of black crystal; and Hazel tentatively reached for it. Indeed, it was another fragment of the Obsidian Root. She brushed her thumb against its sharp angles: even through the fabric of her gloves, it felt pleasantly warm to the touch.
Obsidian... Thanks for helping me, earlier.
A single, silvery note rang through her mind.
"Now, my dear, oblige with my orders and no one will get harmed," said the Emperor in a suddenly low voice. "Let me get straight to the point: I want you to yield the secrets of the Obsidian Root to me, and you will do exactly that, whether you like it or not."
Sonic glanced at Hazel, puzzled, but she only shrugged in turn, as confused as he was.
"I… I told you, I don't know what you're talking about…"
"Lies. Infinite told me everything about your little stunt. He is certain the wounds he inflicted upon you were grievous, grievous enough to send you straight to oblivion - and yet not even fifteen minutes later you were once again jumping around and making a mess of my beautiful creations!" Eggman's tone was laden with greed. "A mortal wound, suddenly gone without a trace… And what could heal you, if not my precious Obsidian - the most elusive gemstone in my collection?"
"Seriously, Eggman?" Sonic sneered. "After all this time, you're still messing around with gemstones you understand nothing of?"
"Silence! Well then, I was hoping to have your cooperation, but I suppose it can't be helped… Executioners, go ahead."
With his hands and ankles shackled so, Sonic could do nothing to dodge the point-blank shot. The bullet, aimed to calculatingly miss his vitals, hit him in the chest and had him collapse on the floor, eyes wide with pain and shock. A thick red pool quickly started forming under him.
"No!" Horrified, Hazel hurried to his side, dropping on one knee next to him but without daring to touch him. Sonic was still weakly breathing, but she didn't know for how much longer: he was losing so much blood, and there was no Phoenix Unit to save him here...
The Obsidian almost seemed to throb in her hand. Hazel squeezed it tightly, feeling its every facet under her fingers. Then she closed her eyes and whispered under her breath: "Through you… I repel the baneful."
It was immediate. Dark energy crackled in the pitch black behind her eyelids. Hazel felt it flow through her chest, her arms - and now it was running through her hands and spilling from her palms, warm and soothing… She opened her eyes again: a delicate black aura was swirling gently around her and Sonic, soft and ethereal like a wisp of mist. The horrible, bleeding wound on Sonic's chest was gone, his sapphire blue fur intact and pristine. It wasn't simply healed: it was as if no bullet had ever touched it. Hazel could feel the cuts on her own skin close and vanish one by one, too. The Obsidian gleamed and burned in her hand, its silvery song ringing clear in her mind.
"What the…" Sonic looked down at his chest, then up at the dark aura in marvel. "What in the world is this?"
"I knew it!" Eggman let out a maliciously triumphant laugh. "This, Sonic, is the fruit of my unparalleled genius and four years of relentless research. Behold the power of the Obsidian Root, the Living Crystal, the Black Beacon of the Sentries! A most useful little gemstone I discovered in some insignificant little settlement in Green Hill…"
"That insignificant little settlement was my home!" Hazel suddenly snapped, feeling a surge of strange bravery in her chest. "And the Obsidian Tree doesn't belong to you, nor to anyone else! You had no right to steal it!"
"Oh, but I do. I have the right to claim everything you lack the strength to defend. And I think we may both agree, my dear, that your village was hardly exploiting the true potential of the Obsidian. To think you would use it to fix some scratches… Tsk, tsk! The Obsidian can do far, far more than that." Though she couldn't see it, Hazel could hear the grin in Eggman's voice. She forced her fingers to relax their grip around the Obsidian fragment: the swirling black energy slowly dissipated. "Let me explain this so that even your lesser little brains may understand. First and foremost, the crown jewel of my collection: the Chaos Emeralds, the Gems of Miracles. My many experiments, as well as my personal experience with that meddlesome blue hedgehog sitting by your side, suggest that the Chaos Emeralds sense and resonate with their bearer's courage. They have the power to control the ebb and flow of Chaos, bend the very flow of space and time… Why, some would even say that their fortunate bearer may have the whole world in his hands!"
Hazel frowned. She'd always thought the Chaos Emeralds were the stuff of legend, but she saw Sonic narrow his eyes.
"Secondly! My Phantom Ruby, which resonates with willpower, draws astral images from your mind and turns them into solid reality. Dreams, desires, your innermost fears and passions - the Phantom Ruby knows them all. To control it means to control the fabric of reality, manipulating it at your leisure!"
A wicked laugh resonated through the speaker.
"And finally, last but not least: the Obsidian Root, the latest addendum to my research. I have yet to ascertain what makes it resonate with a possible bearer, but I'm sure our dearest miss fox, here, will be glad to assist me in my little inquiry. And what peculiarities does the Obsidian possess, you may wonder? Simple enough: the power to change or deny fates' design. Erase inconveniences such as maladies or lethal wounds, project unbreakable barriers, halt aging… Why, one could even use it to cheat death itself! And whereas the influence of the Phantom Ruby is magnificent but sadly temporary, the effects of the Obsidian are virtually eternal."
Hazel's eyes widened, and she saw her same horror reflected in Sonic's gaze. A terrible realization was dawning on them both.
"Eggman, this is insane," Sonic began. "You cannot possibly…"
"Indeed! Through the power of the Obsidian Root, I will make myself immortal! My empire of steel will be, hah - infinite!"
#
It was hard to tell whether it was day or night in the internment facility. The only thing marking the time was the occasional visit of Metal Sonic, who would silently bring her a tray of food - typically a ration of the spongy, flavorless synthetic bread so common in the Empire - and some water. There was no cutlery nor anything Hazel might have stolen and used as a weapon.
But more often than not Metal Sonic had to carry the tray back, because Hazel hardly ate, anyway. There was a hard knot in the pit of her stomach, and she doubted it could hold any food for long. At least, had she starved, Eggman would have nobody to channel the power of the Obsidian for him, she mused miserably. He did say he'd struggled to find a bearer who could tap into the powers of the Obsidian… Unsurprisingly so, after he ordered all the Sentries to be butchered…
Or not?
Infinite's words echoed in her memory, clear as day: "I did not kill those other weaklings you had the guts to call guardians, nor did I have any intention to slay your people. Eggman never wished for that. Every monarch needs peasants to rule over, don't you think?"
It could be a lie, of course. But Infinite loathed liars, or so he claimed…
And what did Opal say? "The Sentries on watch at the Obsidian Tree should have summoned the force field and joined the fight ages ago. I know for a fact the shield did activate, I saw it with my own eyes…"
Hazel's heart lurched painfully as more and more pieces came together. So, the barrier that should have protected Applenook Town from Eggman's army had activated… then the Sentried had been killed, by someone who wasn't Infinite, someone who was already inside the village by the time the imperial robots got there… and that was when the barrier had shut down. That was when Infinite and the robotic army had breached in. Had there been a spy in Applenook Town all along?
Curled up on herself in a corner of her cell, Hazel hugged her legs, her face buried against her crossed arms as she contemplated that terrible possibility. Back then, the Empire barely existed. Eggman had Central City under his control, and little else... No one could foresee the threat it would have grown into within just a few years….
One of her long, pointy ears perked up: the door of the cell had clicked open.
"For the last time," she wearily began, raising her head, "I have no desire to eat, please let me be..."
Her voice trailed off. It wasn't Metal Sonic. Infinite was kneeling down beside her, a tray in his hand. Though the metal mask covered his face, she could sense the annoyance he almost seemed to irradiate like an oven irradiates heat. No doubt he thought that bringing food to the prisoners was a task far below his station.
"Where… ah." Hazel bit the inside of her cheek. "Where is Metal Sonic?"
"Your Emperor reckoned you needed a firmer hand, thus he sent me," said Infinite in his monotone voice. "Allow me to clarify something with you: either you eat on your own, or I'll force the food down your throat myself. You decide."
Hazel didn't feel hungry in the slightest, but she was reaching for the synthetic bread before Infinite even finished talking. She didn't want him to touch her. She never wanted to feel his hands on her ever again. Bringing the bread to her mouth, she took an unenthusiastic little bite: it tasted like cardboard, like most Empire-approved food.
"Faster, runt. I have no time to waste."
"Stop calling me runt," Hazel sighed, staring down at the unappetizing pale glop in her hands. "I'm Hazel. And I doubt Infinite is your real name, either…"
"And yet you will address me as such if you wish to keep your tongue where it is. Eggman wants you alive, not necessarily intact."
Hazel winced, dumbfounded. "But… why? Why are you so afraid- I mean," she quickly corrected herself, as Infinite was getting tense already, "why do you hate your real name so much?"
"Because that person does not exist anymore," he sneered. "There is no point in remembering him."
"How can you say that? That person was you. There must have been something, someone you cherished, a few memories you wish to remember…"
"Not another word."
Hazel let an uneasy silence fall between them as she broke the bread and brought another small, unsavory mouthful to her lips. Her gaze wandered towards the prison corridors - as silent as catacombs - and then returned to Infinite, studying his darkened profile. He was watching her, folded-armed and inexpressive. The Phantom Ruby embedded into his chest gleamed faintly in the shadows; a trembling reflection of the neon lights flickered on his mask. He still terrified her, enough to make her fingers tremble as she ate, but at least his presence didn't quite paralyze her anymore. Meager progress, but progress nonetheless. She finished the synthetic bread and took a sip of water. Warm and disgusting as it was, it still helped dissolve some of the anxiety clogging her throat.
"There is something I wanted to ask you, if… if that's alright with you," she said hesitantly, as she lowered the cup.
Infinite didn't reply. She chose to interpret it as his unspoken permission to go on.
"About that day in Applenook Town… When the Empire attacked." Hazel crossed her legs and rested her head against the wall. "You told me it wasn't you who killed the Sentries, aside Opal, right?"
"That is correct," said Infinite flatly.
"But if it wasn't you… Then who was it?"
As if on cue, heavy footsteps resounded outside of the cell. "Me," answered a raspy, mechanical voice.
Infinite and Hazel both looked up. A cyborg was leaning against the bars of the cell, one hand indolently resting on the handle of his gun-sword. Only his right arm, right ear and scarlet red eyes seemed natural; the rest of his body was made of polished, hard metal, which fused flawlessly with the kevlar alloy forming his armor.
"Vanadium," said Infinite with evident distaste.
"Infinite," the cyborg growled in turn. Then his glacial red gaze fell upon Hazel, who froze. She stared at him, mouth agape, trying and failing to articulate words; because of all the things that had happened as of recently, this was the most surreal of all. There was no way. She told herself she was wrong, she had to be wrong.
"Hazel," said Vanadium slowly. "I knew you were here, of course. When the Emperor said he'd found a fitting bearer for the Obsidian Root, I knew it had to be you."
"Father…? Is that you? You…" Hazel swallowed. "But…this makes no sense… What happened to your body? Why… Why are you helping Eggman?"
"Why am I helping the only one with the power to grant my greatest wish? You have not changed much, Hazel. You are still so naive, so..." Vanadium's jagged, metallic teeth suddenly flashed in a silent snarl. "Weak. Insufferably, unforgivably, irremediably weak. A waste of life, just like your mother… I look at you, and I see her. It's disgusting."
Hazel stiffened. Oddly enough, so did Infinite. For reasons unfathomable, the word weak seemed to annoy him; he'd slowly straightened up, arms folded across his chest, his eye narrowed in a cool glare.
"So why are you here, Vanadium? Shouldn't you be busy murdering critical hostages or failing missions of utmost urgency, as is your wont?"
"Keen on ruining this most touching family reunion, Infinite?" Vanadium chuckled bitterly. "Ah, but I couldn't miss this opportunity, could I? As soon as I heard that someone had resonated with the Obsidian Root, I simply had to come and see them with my own eyes."
"You have seen her," said Infinite, and though his voice was quiet and dispassionate as ever, there was a dangerous snarl in his undertone. "Now disappear from my sight."
"Or else?"
"Or else I will kill you myself."
Jackal and cyborg glowered at each other for several long, frosty seconds. There was a definite chill in the air, a tension so palpable it could be cut with Arondight's edge. Vanadium was the first to lower his gaze.
"Bah… Very well. But I'll be back," he growled menacingly, before pivoting on himself and stalking off.
Hazel waited until the echo of his last footsteps faded, then she curled up on herself again, her face on her knees. She felt drained, devoid of any energy. Her befuddled mind still struggled to process what she'd just seen, what she'd just heard, because there was no way any of that could be real. All she could think about was all the endless nights spent scanning the Eggnet, searching for her father, staring helplessly at the screen of the datapad, hoping against hope for a notification that would have never come… And before that, all the torpid evenings the two of them had spent watching the sunset from the porch of their little house in Applenook Town, talking and sipping homemade cold tea… An albino fox, strong and lean, regarded by many as the finest swordsman of Green Hill; and his minuscule, caramel-furred daughter, with the longer and sharper ears of the desert fennecs, though her eyes had exactly the same shape as his own, even if they were more orange than red in color… Those little moments filled her heart with unspeakable delight, because she desperately, desperately wanted him to love her, to appreciate her, even if she kept on disappointing him on the training grounds...
"You're too slow, Hazel."
"Not good enough, Hazel."
"Are you even trying, Hazel?"
He was always harsh, seldom cruel. But for all his efforts he'd never managed to shape her into a fighter. Now as then, she'd never been much a warrior…
Her eyes burned. Hazel didn't realize she was weeping until the first tear rolled down her cheek. Hugging herself, she stifled a sob against her crossed arms, wishing she could be anywhere except there, wishing she could be anyone except a pathetic failure who...
When Infinite struck her, he caught her completely off guard.
Before Hazel even processed what had happened, her head had snapped to the side and a burst of pain had bitten into her skull. Blinking, as if waking from a trance, she sluggishly reached for her cheek: she felt something wet and warm against her fingers… blood trickled down from four thin red lines, staining her glove.
"Is that everything you've got?" Infinite loomed over her. He hadn't hit her at full strength - she had a very accurate idea of how vicious he could be when he actually meant to hurt you - but still hard enough to make her feel the burn. "That man called you weak, a waste of life. And all you can do is sit there and cry? Have you no pride at all?"
"And what do you expect me to do…? How am I supposed to…"
A black-gloved hand seized the collar of her uniform, harshly yanking her up. Infinite's metal mask was one breath away from her face, and his one-eyed gaze was cold.
"I told you, this world is made up of predators and preys. If you lack the strength to be the predator… then you have no choice but to fall prey to the stronger." He drew his other fist back, ready to strike her again. "If you don't have what it takes to fight for your life - you might as well die!"
For a moment, just a fleeting moment, the horror and despair tearing her chest apart from within were replaced with pained surprise…
… and then with a hot surge of anger.
She raised her forearm to deflect Infinite's punch, then she smacked his other hand away from her collar. Leaping up to her feet and lunging for him in the same motion, she returned the courtesy with an uppercut which he easily parried. Without missing a beat, Hazel headbutted him in the chin. It hurt, of course, her eyes squeezing shut for a moment as her forehead collided against his metal mask - but there was something inherently satisfying in watching him take just one small step back...
His next kick hit her straight in the stomach, with enough force to make her stagger and double over.
"Slow." Infinite sneered, his mane of thick white hair whipping around his mask as he easily switched back to an upright stance. "Are you a prey, runt?"
"No… No!"
"Then prove it!"
His hand shot towards her, but Hazel ducked under his swipe and attempted to strike back. Her punch was stopped with painful ease. Then he retaliated with an open-handed blow that flung her back against the wall. A split second before the impact, Hazel spun on herself, with a maneuver that made her regret Espio wasn't there to see her; the soles of her boots met the smooth metal surface instead of her spine, and she kicked off the wall again, lunging for Infinite. His forearm easily intercepted her jab, but it didn't matter.
She no longer felt the urge to cry. It was as if all her insecurity, all her despair, all the blind terror of the past few days had caught fire, and those flames were now raging hard inside of her, setting any other emotion ablaze. She had no desire to attack anyone…
But she would have defended herself!
… nor would she ever throw the first punch…
But she would have punched back!
… and as she danced around Infinite, punching and jabbing and striking at him, she was only acutely aware of how fast her blood was pumping through her veins, how hot her anger burned through every inch of her being. Her mind furiously replayed the moment when Infinite had shot her straight through the stomach, dispatching her like garbage - and now she could hear the cold, dismissive laugh of her father, or whatever the hell her father had become, ringing in her head, driving her insane… and then Eggman! Eggman who'd burned down her hometown and stolen its most precious treasure just to add one more tool to its shed, Eggman who carelessly talked about shoving her into a gilded cage so he could abuse the power of the Obsidian whenever he pleased…
Was she a prey?
Crying out, she grabbed the tray still innocently resting on the floor and threw it at Infinite with all her might. He dodged it with ease; the tray harmlessly flew past his shoulder and shattered against the wall.
"I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS - ANY OF THIS!" she screamed, with a ferocity that surprised even herself. "ALL I'VE EVER, _EVER_ WANTED WAS TO BE LEFT ALONE! AND STILL YOU HAD TO COME AND RUIN MY LIFE! YOU RUINED THE WHOLE WORLD!"
"Yes," was Infinite's cool reply as he effortlessly parried her next attack. "That I did. I loved every moment of it."
"I HATE YOU!" Chaos, how deliciously liberating it felt - to vent it all out, to release the simmering rage sealed inside her chest. "I HATE YOU, I HATE EGGMAN, I HATE YOUR WHOLE BLOODY EMPIRE - YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME, EVERYTHING!"
"And yet you couldn't do anything about it, because you were powerless."
She channeled every drop of her fury in her following strike, but Infinite easily blocked that too. With or without Phantom Ruby, he was an exceptional fighter in his own right. His next kick sent her crashing against the bars of the prison cell; she slumped to the ground with a groan, arms wrapped around her stomach, her breathing heavy and frantic.
"Cease thinking and acting like a prey," said Infinite quietly. "It's high time you learn to become the predator."
Teeth gritted, Hazel forced herself up on her feet and lunged at him again - but she was exhausted, bruised, battered, and she could only stumble forward and attempt to weakly strike him across the face. Infinite easily caught her wrist and shoved her back. She staggered, leaning against the wall to catch her breath. The glare she shot at him was venomous, but he didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
"Now that's more like it," said Infinite. He hadn't even broken a sweat. "You're finally starting to show your fangs. Better late than never, I suppose."
"And why would you care?" she panted, still glowering at him from the shadows of her cell. "In your eyes, I am nothing but trash, remember? If you're acting under Eggman's orders… if this is some kind of… of stupid charade to 'unlock my true potential' or some dumb crap like that…"
"Eggman has nothing to do with this. I just want you to remember this moment. The moment you purposely discarded your fragility to embrace a stronger, fearless side of yourself, one you didn't even know you possessed."
"It hurts... it hurts so much." Hazel hissed quietly. "I wish someone, anyone could just... tear open my chest, and rip out all the feelings. I don't wanna feel anything anymore."
"That would be awfully convenient, wouldn't it?" Infinite canted his head to the side. "Do not delude yourself thinking the pain will ever fade. You merely get better at controlling it."
He laughed, ever so softly. The sound echoed cold and eerie in the silence of the darkened hallways.
Hazel couldn't help but feel a littlest pang of compassion somewhere under the cinders of all her exhausted anger, because Infinite's laugh was completely devoid of any joy.
... Hi! Too many years later, I'm back in black. Stuff happened. -bows- Thanks for the patience.
I renamed The White of Sky 'Empire of Steel'. It just feels more fitting. The first 9 chapters have been rewritten and polished and all, as well. It was a painful but necessary procedure, considering the sheer amount of grammar mistakes scattered everywhere. (And I'm sure I missed some mistakes here and there anyway, but hey!).
A belated but super big quokka plushie for AngelWolf1994, DustyClouds, AzureStriker2014, Dragonfire719, Steel Fairy and the nice Guest, thanks so much for your lovely reviews! And thanks everyone who's fav/following the story too!
Syrence, out!