You'll lose. You always do.
The wolf had one eye, the other was a blind white orb hidden by a grimy black leather patch. The words she had spoken cut him still, a razor as sharp as yesterday's regrets.
It wasn't true, he knew. He had won his share of battles, lost his share too.
His jet fighter had gone down in the ocean of grass the Mobians called the Emerald Plain, home to the ruins of a dozen cities of as many ancient races. They had lost in the end, the battle to survive, the war to stand the test of time. It brought him little comfort.
Flying for Snively had been stupid, he was more sure of that than he was of most everything else. The little man had offered him a fortune to keep the new air force occupied, so that he could make good his escape. So the wolf had done it, launching his fighter unauthorized from the new airbase in Mobotropolis. Four of the eight new jets had come after his, their pilots calling him traitor, filth and worse over the radio. He had shot down three, then the fourth got a lock. You'll lose. You always do.
He had asked her for forgiveness, once, before leaving the Wolf Pack for good. Her response had been laughter, brittle and cruel. He didn't think he hated anyone in the world as much.
He hadn't betrayed them for money. She was there in the city, a royal advisor now that the war was over. Sonic valued her counsel rather highly, she had helped destroy the Doomsday Device after all. She had counseled against giving him his wings, too. He supposed Sonic trusted her more than ever now. She had won, he had lost.
He scowled darkly, sadness and anger filling him up until he thought he would drown in it. The tall grass rippled in the wind, like the waves of a great green sea. No end to it was in sight.
The cut on her cheek could have been worse than a scar. She would have lost for the last time, if not for him. If he had a time machine he believed he would have travelled back, took the place of his younger self, and let her walk into the trap. The ambush had been a masterpiece. Robotnik must have been fuming, when he lost.
She had loved him, once. His days had been so bright, even in the endless night that was the war for freedom. He supposed it was just the way life was, the more you gained the more you had to…
It had been two days since he had a drink of water. He ate the grass but he wasn't meant to live on that sort of thing. He didn't think he'd make it out of here, facing a walk of a hundred miles or more. It depressed him and infuriated him in equal measure, because then he'd finally prove her right. If he never fought again he could never win.
When he saw the tanks and SWATbots he was quite surprised. They moved at walking pace, in a ragged column. He thought it was about half a battalion. Snively had taken quite a beating, despite being free of Sonic's new-fangled airpower.
The dark steel of their armor was a stark contrast to green, at this distance the small army looked like a line of ants. He wondered if the little man would offer aid or just put him out of his misery. He suspected it would be the latter. Though his mission had been a success the last thing he expected was gratitude.
He set out to meet them anyway. There would be an end to all this, either way. Thirst was a terrible way to lose.
They deployed into an attack formation when he was sighted, the tanks picking up speed and flattening the grass, which sprang up again in their wake. The SWATbots kept up as best they could, fanning out and seeking what the grass might conceal. The wolf felt very tired but he found the strength to put his hands up.
The biggest, nastiest looking tank stopped just short of plowing him under. He looked up at its black bulk but felt no fear. She had left him an empty shell, he had wondered for the longest time how he could live without a heart.
The hatch opened. Shock made him lower his hands, his eye widening.
"And what do we have here, eh? Lost your friends, you wretched freedom fighter? Don't worry. We'll take good care of you." Robotnik's evil laughter boomed across the plains, grating to his ears. The SWATbots leveled their rifles, aiming for his head. The wolf felt a strange calm, surprised to realize he was smiling. Well, knew it would happen. But maybe now that he's back he can make her suffer…
Snively climbed out after Robotnik, looked down at the wolf. "Sir, that one's on our side! He's a renegade fighter pilot." The little man's voice raised the wolf's hackles. It had a nasally quality that had always struck him wrong. "He helped me get out of Mobotropolis before the hedgehog's jets could scramble, sir. Shot down three, I saw it on radar. He could be…useful."
The words didn't give him much hope. Robotnik hardly ever listened to his nephew.
Robotnik's robotic hand went to his double chin and his eyes narrowed, their bright crimson light boring into the wolf as they studied him. "Oh is that so? And why would you betray your friends, wolf? Are you a mercenary? A fool?"
He knew what he said next would determine his fate. He almost told the fat man something insulting. Has she taken that much of me, that I would throw it all away? He decided that she had, but then her words came back to haunt him yet again. "I want revenge," he said simply, "against Lupe."
Robotnik's expression changed, from one of contempt to one of thoughtfulness. For a moment he thought he could even see a speck of sympathy. Of course. The hedgehog he hates more than anything in the universe. He lives and breathes vengeance. He almost burst out laughing, but knew that would be the end. He would have his chance at her after all.
I'll win. I always will. I'm coming back for you, then you'll wish I'd never saved your miserable life.