Sonic the Hedgehog

Forced AU

Rating: R

Pairing: Undecided

Follow story developments on tumblr blog: sonicforcesau

The leader of the Jackal Squad was in deep thought. Sitting in the remodeled warehouse with a lit cigarette, he inhaled a deep breath from the stick of tobacco.

Because he was so confused. Confused about what he saw a day ago - which Doctor Eggman had said that it was his biggest desire: That horrible sight, that bleak place where no one should ever be.

That place that he was once trapped in; without love, without hope. A place where nobody helped him. A place where people glared, and spat at the poor, dirty jackal that slept on the streets at the age of fourteen. A place where he took his first life. A place where he shot his first bullet.

A place of endless suffering and agony.

Anger flared within him as he exhaled the smoke from his lungs. How dare that fat scientist claim that - that place, that sight, that smell, was his biggest desire? Finnigan never wanted to go back there ever again, not if he could help it. Not in this life. Not in the next.

Never.

"Ah, Finnigan. I was looking for you." It was Salvador.

The jackals were currently back in their claimed base hidden deep within the Mystic Jungle. A few Eggman robots were currently somewhere in the base, transforming their lair into another installation of the Eggman Empire

Without a doubt, the Jackal Squad wasn't so happy about the developments.

"What is it, Sal?" Finnigan acknowledged, as he continued to smoke, which caused the other jackal to frown.

"I was wondering-" Salvador began as he sat down onto the couch next to the leader. "-if you have plans to get out of this predicament we're in."

"I have no idea." Finnigan grumbled. "If we turn rogue, we're dead."

Salvador stared at the other. It was obvious that the Ultimate Mercenary was feeling incredibly stressed, and on edge.

If the maned jackal knew what the other jackal was thinking; he would have confirmed it, too. The depressants he was smoking did little to help his mental state. For the second time in his life, he was stuck without choice.

The safety of his friends - his current family - meant more to Finnigan currently than anything else. And for their safety, it meant working for the evil genius; Doctor Eggman.

He sighed and stood up. "Don't we have some place to be?"

"The others are waiting outside." replied Salvador and led the leader out of the warehouse, and they were presented to the sight of their dark blue sedan.

They had decided to keep the stolen vehicle, and they patched up the scratches in the bodywork a month before. With Jesse behind the wheel, the five jackals prepared to make their way to where Cassidy's original trio hid out before the Jackal Squad was formed.

Where this whole thing started. Where this whole thing began.

"I might have an idea running from the fat man." Cassidy said as the car moved on the roads, causing the jackals to pay attention to what she spoke of. "We could find Sonic the Hedgehog. He's his biggest enemy, remember?"

"It won't work." Salvador responded. "Eggman keeps his tabs on each and every one of us. I have no idea how he does it, but our actions are constantly being monitored."

Cassidy sighed.

The rest journey to Metropolis was filled with silence. Nobody talked, and all the members of the Jackal Squad could feel the frustrations radiating off of Finnigan regarding their current situation.

Eventually, their car reached the neglected areas of Metropolis some distance away from the Capital City, and drove into one of the garages painted with a little red infinity symbol on the entrance.

"So, this is where we'll stay now, huh." Clyde commented as he stepped out of the sedan.

"Until we find a way to get out of Eggman's clutches." Finnigan replied.

"I'm sure we can, Finn." Clyde said, smiling at him optimistically.

Seeing the youngest jackal's face made Finnigan's worries go away, even just a little. Since the day they met, Clyde had been nothing but a little ball of sunshine at his side.

Clyde was the sunshine needed to add light and colour into his world.

"I'll make sure of it."

He'd be damned if he would let anything bad happen to the Jackal Squad.

"You were looking for me?"

"Yes jackal, I was." replied Eggman in the reasonably lit laboratory as he stood up from his current workstation. "Finnigan, was it?"

He grunted an acknowledgement.

"I believe you're familiar with this piece of jewel?" the evil genius gestured to the Phantom Ruby kept in a glass case, with sensors connected to analyse the still-mysterious object. It was the only brightest lit object in the room.

To the jackal, the gemstone seemed evil. It seemed like it would want to destroy and control everything when it got let loose. It almost felt like when he saw that vision of that dystopia.

"What did that mean?"

Eggman looked over to the jackal who asked the question and grinned. He understood what the other was referring to.

"Not much, jackal. It is probably what you desire the most." the scientist stated. "You see; for me, I saw a beautiful place I've always dreamed of building: Eggmanland…!"

"There is no possible way that I would desire that!" Finnigan snapped, fury evident in his posture and voice.

"Are you really sure about that, jackal?"

"What?" the Ultimate Mercenary responded, taken aback by the question of the fat man as his eyes widened. "Of course I'm sure; I have suffered enough!"

Eggman stared at him for a moment.

"Have you ever wanted to end the world?" inquired the scientist. "To end the world, along with the suffering - or something along those lines?"

Finnigan stared back in recognition of the other's words. The last time he had that thought was a very, very long time ago - Before he became the Ultimate Mercenary. Before he met Vulpes. Before he met Clyde. Before he met Cassidy, Jesse, and Salvador. Before the Jackal Squad became his family.

"That was a very long time ago, doctor." the maned jackal replied with solemn as he looked away. "I no longer desire those kind of notions."

"Believe what you want, jackal." Eggman almost huffed. "But I already know what I need to know."

Finnigan reached back into his backpack, and took out a pack of cigarettes.

"No smoking in my lab, jackal. You might make something explode."

Sighing in frustration, he kept the depressants back into the bag. "What is it that you called me here for, Eggman?"

"I'll be leaving Mobius for a while." replied the human. "I'll be rebuilding my space station - the Death Egg - in orbit around the planet."

"So?"

"So, I will need of the Jackal Squad's services to stand guard at the Mystic Jungle base as decoy." Eggman replied, sharing his plans with the other. "So far, I don't think anyone knows of my desert base in Sand Hill except me and your squad."

A thought made its way to the scientist's head as he realised some implications.

"Speaking of which; how did you discover this base?"

"I was attacked by one of your robots." came the reply.

"Ah." Eggman made a noise. Then, he grumbled. "The robots were not supposed to leave the proximity of the base - I'll have to reprogramme them."

"How long will you be gone?" asked Finnigan.

"Four weeks at most - I'm an expert at building things in a short time." Eggman replied. "But don't think you can leave your post while I'm away, jackal. I have you on tabs."

The Ultimate Mercenary's eyebrows furrowed. He disliked this human quite a lot.

"So we're just guarding an empty base?"

"Your squad will." Eggman replied as he handed over communicators to the jackal. "Keep in contact. You shall observe the Phantom Ruby and stand guard in this base, since you have a similar experience with it as I did."

Finnigan had a bad feeling about this.

And that was the conversation that happened between him and Eggman a week ago.

As it turned out, his suspicions were true. Currently, he was racing his way to the Mystic Jungle base in a car he stole from a civilian - a black sports coupe. The distance between Sand Hill and Mystic Jungle wasn't great; and hopefully, he could make it in time.

It was night, and he idled around in the room with the Phantom Ruby when all of a sudden, Eggman started to shout into the communicators, and babbled something about a dangerous enemy and wanted him to fight along with the Jackal Squad.

"Shadow the Hedgehog is closing in the vicinity!" came the voice from the wrist communicator. It was Eggman. "Hurry up and get there!"

"I'm on my way!"

With urgency and desperation, Finnigan floored the gas harder, even though the pedal already touched the floor, as he unconsciously gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"We'll handle him, boss!" came another voice. It was Clyde.

"He's an enemy tough beyond imagination, jackal!" Eggman shouted out again in the communication channel. "Do not underestimate him!"

Using moves that he learnt from Jesse, Finnigan sent the car charging down the roads that led to the base of the Mystic Jungle. He had already reached the end of the casinos - which turned out to be built by Eggman himself - where he had a choice of two routes: One way more riskier to take than the other, but also way shorter.

"... fuck it." Finnigan growled as he sent the car charging down Aqua Road. And as the name might suggest; the routes were halfpipes filled with water meant for canoes.

The four wheels of the car immediately splashed up water the moment they came into contact with the waterslide. The vehicle became practically uncontrollable as Finnigan attempted to wrestle with the steering wheel to keep the car stable as it was forced to follow the direction of the twists and turns of the halfpipes like a rollercoaster ride.

"He's very close to your locations, jackals!" Eggman's voice warned.

A view of a harsh turn was presented to the jackal, and Finnigan's eyes widened. But it didn't stop him from reacting, as he opened the driver's door and bailed out of the car. He immediately felt his fur getting wet from the water, as he watched the car run up the side of the halfpipe, and sink into the sea surrounding the jungle.

"He's here, Finn! We-" a cry was heard from Cassidy, but her voice was cut short by a scream of her own. She was attacked.

Upon hearing Cassidy interrupted message, Finnigan's heart sank, as he attempted to make his way over even faster.

He never felt more desperate in his life.

"Jackal Squad?" Eggman called out. "Jackal Squad, respond!"

No reply came.

"Well look, 'Ultimate Mercenary'!" the fat man bellowed, and the volume of the shout distorted the audio transmitted. "Your squad was useless! Go take down Shadow the Hedgehog, NOW!"

"I get it!" the jackal gritted out.

Finnigan the Jackal could not think straight, for currently, there was a lot of information for him to take in, to process, and he was feeling both physically and mentally drained. Not only that, he had a load of questions to ask.

What had happened to his squad? Did they get… killed?

Hopping between pillars to get to their base entrance, Finnigan had finally arrived, and he saw a black hedgehog with red stripes. It must be Shadow the Hedgehog.

Sprinting over, the jackal was ready to attack; and he swung his fist at the enemy. But before the hit could land, the hedgehog noticed him, and instantly disappeared in a flash of blue light.

What was that? In confusion, he frantically turned and scanned the surroundings with his eyes, but the hedgehog was nowhere to be seen.

And all of a sudden, he felt pain - agonising pain on his chest, as he felt his feet leave the ground and himself flying through the air. More hits came, adding more torment to his already aching body. He didn't know what was happening. He was confused. He was desperate. He was terrified.

He couldn't scream anymore from the pain he was delivered. He couldn't think anymore.

Who exactly was Shadow the Hedgehog?

He felt a sharp pain on his back as he landed hard on a solid object. Shortly after, he felt himself finally landing on the ground. Finnigan cried out in agony as he tried to move, but he couldn't. He could see blood bleeding from cuts on his own body. It stung.

"Hmph. Eggman's henchmen…" a voice growled out. He could only assume the hedgehog was speaking. "... pathetic."

A movement was heard, and the jackal opened his eyes slowly, finding his vision blurred, and no hedgehog in sight. He felt his whole body shaking from the pain, along with the shock, and fear experienced just now.

What was that teleporting? Was it real? Was he dreaming? He had never encountered anything like it. And the hits the hedgehog landed - they were probably two, or three times harder than anything he had ever experienced…

His squad!

He had to make sure they were okay.

Finnigan pressed the button to start the transmission of his voice, but the wrist communicator didn't light up; it broke when he received all those damage. Willing himself, he groaned as he stood up shakily and limped his way to the area where he knew his squad would be.

It had took him the longest, most excruciating five minutes in his life to get there, and the sight was something he never wanted to see:

In the midsts of the jungle littered with trees, he saw four jackals laid on the grassy ground. Their bodies bled.

No... It couldn't be...

"Clyde?" he called out with a shaky voice, as he kneeled on the ground, shaking the young thief's unmoving body. "Clyde!"

There was no response. No jokes. No smile. Nothing.

"Cassidy!", "Jesse!", "Salvador!"

He desperately tried to feel for pulses with his shaking, trembling hands, but he could not feel anything. And so, he shook their bodies, hoping, wishing that they would open their eyes and awaken.

"Please wake up!"

They didn't wake up.

Clyde. Jesse. Cassidy. Salvador.

They were gone.

It was like a violent stab to his heart by a sharp, invisible blade. Only this blade was worse; this blade twisted his insides, his heart, and his guts. It tore him apart from the inside.

They were gone. The Jackal Squad. His friends. His family.

And the lone jackal laughed. It was maniacal. It was mournful. It was the laughter of someone who had lost their mind and their sanity. Tears flowed freely from his mismatched eyes, down his face like an open tap, as he curled up on the ground right next to their bodies.

He screamed out loud, and his voice echoed in the night.

To think that he deserved a family. What a joke - He couldn't even protect them. He had failed in such a simple task.

And they paid the price. Instead of him.

He thought that his suffering was finally over; but after all this time, it came back for more. Suffering came back to him like an old friend, and enveloped Finnigan the Jackal inside it's cold, icy arms, and wrapped itself tight against him.

His happiness was gone. Everything he knew had come, and gone. Suffering had never ended. It had never went away. It was only waiting for its opportunity to take it all away.

He so desperately wished this to be a horrible nightmare that he could wake up from.

"Jackals?" it was the scientist. "Any one of you still alive?"

Finnigan stared hard into the device with his teary eyes as made a choice. He reached for the lit up communicator wrapped around Salvador's wrist.

"... Doctor." he swallowed, as he tried to compose himself from his constricted throat preventing him from speaking clearly. "... You were right…"

"... about what?"

"I wish to destroy this world."

Because there was no reason left to carry on.

The world had turned its back against him once more, and he will not stop until the entire world ceased to exist.

It was time to start this war.

tumblr: sonicforcesau / kevpho