I haven't written in awhile, but I have so many ideas, so I had to. Okay, so I had this idea way back when I finished the game in January 2018. I edited a bit here and there and have an idea of where I want things to go, so there's that.

So, what bothered me about the game (apart from many other things) is the whole friendship theme felt really forced and out of place in comparison to say, Sonic Heroes, where it's integrated into gameplay and story. So I thought... what if Eggman and Infinite teamed up because they wanted to team up ? What if they shared goals and genuinely cared and respected each other? What if it was Sonic the one who had doubts? I mean, considering he was left alone imprisoned for 6 months you would think he would be at least a bit sad?Resentful? His friends are super capable and left him alone yet, it's Infinite the one who is sad and lonely? Hmm. ANYWAY, my rant is long enough. They're villainous characters, so expect them to be awful to each other at first. Enjoy what I have so far. This takes place just a few days after that flashback in Episode Shadow.

Chapter 1: Aftermath

The 'Ultimate Mercenary' was once an untouchable outlaw. He was a skilled swordsman, running freely with his squad and wreaking havoc wherever the wind took them. They were dangerous nomads who all came together with one thing in common; each jackal had no one but their newfound family to count on.

Often, they would take dangerous, unethical jobs just for the money; just to survive. Throughout the years, Infinite built himself an exceptional reputation for never once failing these harsh, questionable jobs.

No one could touch him.

No one could beat him.

No one would dare to.

And then everything crumbled to pieces when that one hedgehog with the face showed up. Sigh.

Years of training, hunting, searching, stealing, fighting… all were useless when he went up against him.

And now here he was, for the third night in a row, howling a loud cry in the middle of the night only fellow members of his species could understand, none which were anywhere nearby.

He didn't even land a single hit on him. Not a scratch. He wondered if his squad were present with him in the fight they'd be as disillusioned as he was with himself.

Ultimate mercenary. What a joke.

He not only failed his mission to defeat his foe. He straight was too incompetent to protect his pack. After realizing that they might not make it, he wasted no time to rush and face off this foe. And then… he was too weak to even avenge his jackal squad. He hadn't felt so worthless and pathetic in years. And even then, he at least had them for comfort, but now… he had no one.

No one to run to, no one acceptable to show any weakness to. For the first time in his life, he was completely and utterly alone.

And he hated every single second of it.

Currently, he was residing in Dr. Eggman's Arsenal Pyramid base in Green Hill Zone because the one in Mystic Jungle was destroyed due to his failure to kill the dark hedgehog.

Infinite reached out for the nearest object in his grasp. It was a loose arm of the remains of a common Eggman robot he'd just trashed. The jackal gripped it tightly enough to dent it and threw it against the wall. The metallic object broke into pieces and made a loud, crashing noise as it collided with the cold, metal floor. The doctor, he noted, shouldn't care how many of his toys he trashed. His newest research was supposedly going to give him an edge over his enemies, so common robots were completely disposable at the moment as the doctor had a greater source of power in mind.

Infinite let out another distraught growl that echoed in the huge, empty, metallic room. No matter how many things he broke, it wasn't enough. He wanted Shadow. He wanted him dead or in pain, it didn't matter. He just wanted to show him a tinge of what he felt. Just a piece of how hopeless and powerless he felt when he beat him down and took his only friends.

Friends…

He looked around in the room. It was littered with broken down robots. Wires and circuits were giving out sparks of electricity. It was quiet, empty, and cold.

In another room, same base…

Dr. Eggman lied awake in the middle of the night due to the annoying howls of his tormented guest. He mentally punched himself for hiring a canine mobian of all things. Now he couldn't even tell him to go away, as that would be low, even for himself, given that the pathetic creature was alone because he couldn't handle the job he made him do.

That, and he still had faith that the jackal could redeem himself.

He reached for his round glasses sitting right him and practically punched a red button that would summon Orbot, one of his robotic servants.

"Would you kindly tell our guest to shut up!?" The doctor ordered the robot upon arrival.

"I believe that would be a mistake, sir," Orbot stated in his usual matter-of-factly manner.

"How so?" His creator demanded.

"He's still upset over his loss," he pointed out, "a loss that you are indirectly responsible for. I think giving him more time to mourn is more favorable-"

"I want him to shut up," he repeated angrily. "I don't care if it's more 'favorable', he hasn't done anything useful since then and I'm losing patience!"

"You can't lose something you don't have, sir."

"Hmf!"

Eggman threw his covers aside and stalked out of bed, not noticing (or caring) that he accidently kicked Orbot out of the way. The robot didn't even try to retaliate. Eggman had been working on figuring out the ruby's power the entire day without breaks, he'd been so tired that he'd actually gone to bed in his work clothes.

Eggman walked straight towards his old weapons room, which he was sure he was going to find shattered to pieces.

"Hey you!" He hissed, knocking harshly on the door. "You can scream and lament all you want in the morning! I'm trying to sleep!"

The noises suddenly died down completely.

Huh. It worked.

Then a soft, cynical laughter emerged instead.

Oh boy.

"Here I thought evil didn't rest, doctor?" A mocking tone said from within.

"It dosen't. It's just a lot better when it does," he barked back. "And don't take that tone with me, I know exactly why you're upset. Tell me, does breaking my stuff make you feel any better?"

The halls were quiet once more. Slowly, the giant, heavy door opened. Eggman had to look down to make eye contact with his tiny guest. Two mismatched eyes looked up at him with defiance, but he knew the jackal was too emotionally damaged to even try to bark back.

"Glad you're finally out of your cave," Eggman remarked with annoyance.

"… What do you want?" Infinite mumbled, looking away with his ears lowered.

Eggman observed his guest. It was the first time since the whole Shadow mission failure since he'd really taken a good look at the jackal. He looked every bit as pitiful as he sounded. He refused to eat and come out from this room since the incident. The rare times he did leave the room, he appeared to be trying to hide. His messy white hair over his blue eye would hinder his scar; refusing to show anyone and anything his face. His fur looked dull, and his body slightly frail from the lack of sunlight and food. So needless to say, he looked rather feeble and weary compared to the arrogant, rebellious mercenary he was when he met him. It was so bizarre to him that just a little over a week ago, he had such confidence that this particular Mobian was going to help him get rid of Sonic. Perhaps he had had too much faith, like always.

He had a sudden realization that maybe he really didn't want anything from him anymore. He wondered if he should just dispose of him, after all, he was starting to cause more trouble than it was worth.

However, at the same time, the doctor had to admit that none of his plans had ever worked when he was alone, so when he joined forces with the jackal, he was genuinely excited to see how the outcome would be. There was no betrayal, so that was great. But there was also no winning either yet, so that wasn't great. However, he still had the fully unrealized power of the Phantom Ruby to count on. Things could work. Things could get better. They could win. He could win.

"… Never mind. Just be quiet and get some sleep." He tried to be gentle, but it still sounded like an order rather than a suggestion.

Infinite didn't seem to catch that the doctor was trying to be nice to him, or perhaps he just didn't care, so he immediately shut the door in his face and went back to self-pitying. Eggman had to suppress the urge to tirade the jackal for his rude behavior and disobedience. He took a breath and instead of walking back to his room, he went to his lab where the Phantom Ruby was held inside a giant tube with cords attached to it as it floated eerily in the liquid being tested on.

"Bah, I can't believe I haven't figured you out yet!" He exclaimed, looking at his monitor featuring the ruby's information.

One of the few things he'd found out about the Phantom Ruby was that it was nothing like a Chaos Emerald. Chaos Emeralds had pure, infinite, positive energy that normally power up their host. The ruby, however, was a whole different story….

One of his many concerns is how well the ruby would stack up against the other powerful gems. Would he need rings to maintain their power like the emeralds ? What were the side effects of prolonged exposure to the ruby's illusions, and just how real were these "illusions"? He had only used common robots so far to experiment the range of the illusions, but so far, he wasn't convinced any of them could beat Sonic. He was convinced a living being wielding the ruby could do so much more with it... it didn't help that his only living subject was being difficult.

Well, he'd also learned the emeralds didn't seem to have a liking to the ruby. Their mysterious chaotic energy would wind down when in close contact with the mysterious gemstone…

Huh… interesting.

Then, the door to the lab slowly creaked open, and a concerned Orbot poked his head inside to check on his creator. "Oh? Did you manage to calm down our guest? He isn't howling anymore."

"I tried, if that's what you're asking," Eggman's voice still carried a tinge of irritation, "but he's being stubborn. I have a mission for him soon and don't want him to disappoint me again!"

"Ah, the ruby again," the robot directed his attention at the precious jewel.

"What of it?"

"Isn't that how you two bonded?" The robot inquired. "I think it would help to find common ground. He might be more willing to help if you were kind...er."

Eggman thought for a moment. It had been Infinite's curious vision of a devastated city that had interested him. He'd never quite come across a Mobian that he could straight up consider… cruel. Sonic and his friends, while all varied in degree of morality, were never on par with his level of villainy. Even Shadow, whom he thought of cold and willing to do wrong in the name of revenge, had proven to be quite the opposite. He was almost sure that evil was reserved for mankind until he met the jackal.

A malicious smile slowly crept back in its usual place. Orbot shook his head wearily. He would have jumped back if he wasn't already used to seeing this at least twice a week.

"And so it is!" The doctor clapped his hands together. Clearly, he had a plan. "Open a planner and start scheduling ! This will be a very busy week!"

Eggman exited the lab and walked back to where he had just been shut off a few minutes ago. He made a mental note of the rockus inside.

His knock was then answered by the same tired jackal. Infinite looked up at the mustached man with gritted teeth.

"What?" He barked, not liking at all the huge smile on the human man's face. "What do you-?"

Without warning, The doctor pushed the door back harshly and entered the room, almost knocking Infinite off his feet.

Eggman walked past the shattered mess until he reached the end of the room. He looked again at Infinite, who somehow looked even smaller and had a few loose hairs covering his scarred eye.

"You did this." It was a statement rather than a question, but Infinite still muttered something about him no longer using the base anyway.

"I'm not mad," Eggman clarified with a rather intimidating smile, "I think it was great training actually!"

"I didn't- what?" Infinite was bewildered at Eggman's enthusiasm. They had done nothing but lose so far, and now he took it upon himself to destroy even more of their already small army, yet Eggman was happy?

"I have a mission for you soon, and I think you'll find that the end result will favor us both," Eggman explained, lowering his glasses and flashing his guest a wicked smile. "I know exactly what you want, and believe me, I can help you achieve it."

"Do you? Because I have trouble knowing what I want after all this," he admitted, looking down pessimistically.

"Hmm, let's see," Eggman clapped his hands and Cubot came running into the room with a tiny projector. He pointed it at the wall behind them and a video recording of the Phantom Ruby appeared. There was readings and written information on-screen. Infinite squinted at the screen but otherwise made no reaction. He then looked up expectantly at Eggman.

"What is it?" He asked, shyly.

"What you're seeing is the Phantom Ruby's capabilities so far," Eggman raised an eyebrow, "and this… is an interesting bit I found just a few days earlier."

A video played of one of Eggman's robots infiltrating a museum that contained a Chaos Emerald. The robot was was carrying the Phantom Ruby in a protective case, carefully placing it near the golden Chaos Emerald. Almost immediately, the emerald's usual mystic glow dimmed into a dull mustard. Infinite's eyes widened. The ruby could cancel out the power of the emeralds?

"I want you to use the Ruby, see what's it capable of," Eggman said. Infinite gave him a bewildered look.

"Me?"

" Yes, I hope you realize how big of an opportunity this is," he insisted, "that is… if you still have plans to create the world you saw in your vision."

"And there's… no downside to this? You haven't tested the ruby with an actual living being…" Infinite crossed his arms and frowned.

"Well, you'll have that honor! I have no doubt you are capable of taking its power." He said encouragingly. "Think about it. With the ability to manipulate perception, AND be unfazed by a Super form, we could be invincible! We could rule the world!"

"I don't know..." Infinite looked away from him. Eggman caught him eyeing his red sword. The same one he used against Shadow the night his world turned upside down.

"You want revenge on Shadow? This is your best bet," Eggman looked expectantly at his guest.

Infinite clutched the infinity scarf around his neck. A gift from one of the younger members of his squad. With his free hand, he pushed back his hair, and his face lit up with determination as he turned back to Eggman.

"I'll do it."

"Excellent choice!" Eggman clapped his hands together excitedly. "I'll need to start making prototype models to test first! We'll need lots of rings and-"

"But… I'm not convinced." Infinite interrupted.

"What?"

"I'll help you on your mission. I'll fight and get what you need. I'll even get you a test subject, but I don't want to be your lab rat." He said. "I want that hedgehog, but I'm not taking any more risks than I need to."

Eggman forced a grin through his gritted teeth. "As you wish."

With that, he left the room, the door shutting loudly behind him. Orbot was waiting patiently outside and watched as his creator walked back to his own room.

"Did you get him to cooperate?" He asked.

"Almost." Eggman frowned.

"Oh?"

"I'll get through to him…" Eggman said, walking into his room. "He's desperate. Winning his trust won't be easy, but… he wants Shadow to pay almost as much as I want Sonic. He will give in eventually. And when he does, I will have found a way to make him fall in line. You'll see."

Wow that took much longer than I anticipated! Please leave some feedback and reviews, would be appreciated. I referenced the game as well the promotional Sonic Forces comics that showed us Infinite's face and vision when he touched the Ruby for the first time. Anyways, have a nice day.