Sonic felt his chest rise in another unwanted sigh as he raced through the wilderness, back towards his home.
He shouldn't be feeling this upset. He rescued his friends- hell, they managed to finally capture Eggman, something that they'd been trying to do for at least a decade! He had every reason in the world to feel happy and accomplished...
But all he needed was one reason to feel troubled to make everything else moot.
Sonic's fingers tightened around Omega's decapitated head, the reminder of the fight only causing the dull ache in his chest pang with increased intensity. Sonic couldn't recall a time he ever had to seriously fight with an ally like that... especially with as messy of an end as it was. Despite their standoffishness, the blue hedgehog knew that his rival held the robot in a very high regard. To be forced to tear out the insides of someone like that...
He shook his head, quickly shoving those thoughts aside. No, Omega was still alive, and hopefully with Tails they could reverse whatever the Doctor had done to him and bring him back to normal. Certainly, that would help... right?
He sighed again, clicking his tongue in annoyance as the landscape zoomed past him. He didn't feel like he was moving fast enough, but he was already going at his maximum speed.
A small wave of relief washed over him as his home finally appeared on the horizon, the small abode in the middle of nowhere that proudly stood atop a gentle hill with flowing green grass. Within just a few minutes he was at the open garage door, his brother turning around as the gust of wind from his dash rebounded through the enclosure.
"I heard from Espio about Rouge-" He stopped, eyes widening as he saw the robot head in Sonic's hands. With a quick spin of his tails, he was already next to the hedgehog, gently picking it up for himself as he carefully examined it.
He eventually looked back up to his brother. "What happened to him?"
Sonic tried, but miserably failed to put on a reassuring smile. "Eggman did something to his head- he was saying stuff about how precious his brain was and said he did something to make us look like enemies so he would fight us. Do you... think you can fix him?"
Tails rotated the head around, grimacing as he examined it from every corner.
"I can do my best... but Eggman's tech is always weird, and I'm not even sure if I'm going to be able to do anything if he tampered with Omega's software." He continued analyzing the quiet metal head, pausing as he ran his finger over a section where the adjoining metal surfaces were silver and bumpy. "This... looks like spot-welding. I don't remember him having this before."
The fox walked over to one of his workbenches, his brother not far behind.
"What does that mean?" Sonic asked, looking at the spot Tails was pointing to.
"It means his head was probably opened up and sealed back shut. Probably to put something inside." The young genius gently placed the head on the counter before turning back to the blue blur. "You said something about Eggman saying his brain was precious?"
"Well, not quite like that..." Came the sheepish reply. "I'm not good with details like that. He was talking about some kind of neural thing, he basically said..."
His mind recounted the Doctor taunting Shadow, claiming that it was through the hedgehog's own efforts that Omega was such a powerful killing tool. He paused for a moment, resisting the urge to bite his own cheek in frustration.
It was probably better to skip over that part.
"...Sorry, I lost my train of thought. He basically said that he thought Omega's brain was too good for even him to tamper with, so he just made him see us as enemies instead."
It was clear from Tails' expression that he knew Sonic was hiding something, but for the time being he was willing to look past it.
"Well, it sounds like he didn't want to tamper directly with Omega's programming- that's good at least." He pulled open a drawer from his workbench, pulling out a black facial mask with a shielded eye visor. As he slipped it over his face, he pointed to a scattering of tools left on a nearby shelf. "Can you go ahead and grab the angle grinder for me? It should have a diamond saw blade on it already."
The blue hedgehog nodded, walking over and grabbing the requested tool. The fox plugged it into a nearby receptacle, carefully nestling the blade against the weld marks as he turned the tool on.
Sonic watched as yellow sparks spat outwards like fireworks, showering the workbench and surrounding surfaces in the fiery particles. Slowly but surely, the weld scars were slowly being reopened, Tails expertly controlling the tool with surgical precision.
The hedgehog felt his phone buzz as he watched his brother at work. A look at the Caller ID told him that it was Espio on the other end of the line. He accepted the call, walking away from the loud machinery as he placed the device next to his ear.
"Hey, Espio, what's up!"
"Luckily, nothing new on our end. I just got off the phone with a nurse from the Central Hospital in Spagonia." He replied, his words slow and smooth as they came through the speaker.
Sonic stopped in his steps, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"But Shadow took her there, right? Why are they calling you?"
"...They were given my contact info." The chameleon replied, a sense of unease in his voice. "Shadow apparently told them to talk to me about her condition. I was told he... left right after that."
The blue hedgehog felt his insides begin to curl up again. There was definitely something wrong.
Espio paused for a moment but, hearing no response from Sonic, he decided to continue.
"They've got her on fluids for now and are feeding her intravenously. She had gone about a week or so without anything to eat or drink. But..."
Sonic clenched his eyes shut, hunching over slightly as he felt a wave of nausea come over him.
"Espio, please tell me that's all of the bad news."
The Chaotix member was unable to say anything for a moment, only confirming the hedgehog's fears.
"She... suffered multiple spinal fractures during the battle where she was taken hostage." He quietly informed the hero. "She isn't paralyzed, but they said that she's likely going to need to wear a back brace for a couple weeks, and she'll need physical therapy after that. Ironically, the fact she was suspended in stasis may have actually helped from making things worse on her back. She'll be out for a while, but they assured me a full recovery was likely. I'll let you know when she's regained consciousness."
Sonic let out a sigh of relief, nodding along as he took in the news.
"That's good... that's very good." He cleared his throat, glancing back to see Tails finishing up with the angle grinder. "Listen, thanks for all the help. The rest of Chaotix included. We'd never have been able to do it without you."
"Don't mention it." Espio replied. "No, seriously, don't mention it. Vector was the one who decided this was pro bono work despite our bills and I'm still upset."
The blue hedgehog chuckled, a small smirk growing on his muzzle.
"Well, I'm sure you'll get over it. Have a good one, Espio."
"You too."
With that, Sonic ended the call, walking back to see what his brother was up to. Once again, the fox was fully absorbed in his work, his mask removed as his eyes peered into the hole he had opened up into Omega's head.
"See anything, little buddy?" He called out, patting him lightly on the back.
"I think I do, actually. Take a look."
Tails pulled back, giving Sonic space to see for himself. He wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for, but there was an odd jumble of wire and metal blobbing that caught his attention.
"Is it that weird mess on top of the board there?"
The fox nodded, pulling out a heat gun and soldering iron from the workbench drawers.
"Yeah. I followed the traces, and it leads to some other components connected to his eyes and microphone array. It looks like Eggman just spliced into that data feed- there's a chip connected to the copper and soldering. It's probably what altered Omega's perception."
"Speaking of, isn't he... quiet?"
Tails reached towards a small metal tube laying on the side of the tabletop. It was covered in black scorch marks, and a crack running up its side.
"This is the battery that usually keeps him powered when his head is disconnected. It looks like it was overcharged somehow."
"I think I know how." Sonic nodded. "Eggman had him fitted with a device that let him use an emerald."
Another grimace formed on the fox's face as he apprehensively nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like that would do it. I've got spares from all the Badniks I've been salvaging. Once we're done fixing him, we can just... plug and play, basically."
Sonic nodded, watching as Tails quietly returned to his work. It felt... a little weird to be honest, seeing the sentient robot being operated on like how his brother normally would work on dismantling Badniks.
The fox placed a gel-like substance around the places where the wires were connected, then placed the heat gun over them and watched as it quickly melted. He grabbed some copper wick, placing it over the solder blobs before pressing it into the board with his soldering iron, watching as the wick quickly sucked it all up. Once it was done, he was able to pull the added components out of Omega's head, setting them aside.
"Drats." Tails chided, looking back at the space where the wires used to occupy. "Looks like he scratched out the trace to keep the original connection from restoring itself."
"Is that a problem?" Sonic asked, genuinely out of his depth.
"Not really, but it's just not going to look pretty." The fox sighed. He pulled out some thick copper wiring, placing it on both ends of the scratched trace, melting some solder onto the board to restore the connection. "There, we should be done. All that's left is to power him on and see if he still wants us dead."
Tails got up from his chair, walking over to a cabinet filled with pull-out drawers. He opened one of them, pulling a Badnik battery from the container. He walked back to the workbench, staring pensively at the head in front of him.
"I'm sure you did a great job." Sonic reassured him, seeing the indecision in his eyes. "Come on, let's get him back online."
The fox nodded, reaching back into the hole and placing the battery in its intended slot. Almost immediately, Omega's eyes flared to life, pulsating red as they rapidly focused and unfocused themselves.
Tails slowly rotated the head, holding his breath as he brought himself and Sonic into the robot's field of view.
They didn't have to wait long before a monotone voice boomed from the head's internal speakers.
"EXPLAIN. NOW."
The response gave them both a glimpse of hope- Sonic was quick to speak up.
"Hey Omega, do you recognize us?"
"YOU ARE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG AND MILES PROWER." The E-Series robot barked back. "I DO NOT UNDERSTAND SUCH AN IRRELEVANT QUESTION. I WAS BATTLING EGGMAN AND METAL SONIC. I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION FOR MY CURRENT STATUS AND LOCATION."
The two brothers nervously glanced at each other. It was good that the robot finally recognized them, but...
Explaining what had happened would not be easy.
Shadow paced the floor plan of his apartment, anger welling up within him as he fought back the urge to scream and punch himself.
He was an idiot. A fool. No, worse than that.
He should have known from the beginning. He allowed himself to be deluded, all for what- some temporary amusement to distract him from where things would inevitably lead? What did he think was going to happen?
His lungs could barely hold the breath he forced into them. He was a trembling mess, clutching at his quills as he felt himself slump against the wall.
My very existence is incompatible with theirs.
It felt like a punch to the gut as the thought echoed through his mind. Yet... he knew there was truth to that statement. It gave him a sick sense of validation, as if it were peeling back a mask to expose the true form beneath it.
In a way, he felt appreciative of the realization. Had he continued on his current path, it would have been nothing short of an eternity of torture, slowly pulling him apart until the only thing that would remain of him was a broken husk. All because he couldn't face what he really was.
But now, that had changed. With realization came truth, and despite the fear that overtook him earlier, he would overcome, and he would be stronger for it.
He had no choice but to.
Sonic's image flashed through his mind, just as quickly as the hedgehog himself. His lips quivered as his guilt from their previous conversations resurfaced.
The guilt-ridden need to apologize flared up again, but... it was no longer indecision that forced the emotion down again.
Sonic didn't deserve it, but... it was better this way. If he succumbed to his guilt, he would just relapse again. And with how soured their relationship had already become, it would help in keeping his... former rival away.
The same would have to go with Rouge and Omega. He intentionally kept himself away from them after dropping his partner off at the hospital. It... hurt . Everything hurt him like a blade puncturing his chest. But it had to be done. He was something that was never meant to exist, and the longer he spent around them the more harm would come to him and everyone around him.
He swallowed thickly, doing his best to steel his nerves as he pulled out his phone. With a few taps on his screen, he started a call with Commander Tower. It was barely a full ring before the leader of GUN picked up.
"Agent Shadow." The man curtly acknowledged the other's presence.
"Commander." Shadow forced out of his throat.
"The rescue squad members have finished their reports regarding the situation. Just as a safety precaution, we've deployed a guard unit to Rouge's hospital room. Where is Omega?"
"With Sonic and Tails." The black and red hedgehog choked out, clutching at his chest as he struggled to keep himself together. "They're working on fixing him."
"I see. I'll have a liaison reach out to keep us informed on his status." Commander Tower paused. "And Shadow, good work on apprehending Doctor Robotnik. You just made the world a lot safer."
Shadow paused. Praise from his superior was exceedingly rare, but never disingenuous. But it did nothing to sway him from the purpose of his call. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerves as he opened his mouth.
"Commander, I am resigning from my post within GUN." He felt his grip on his phone tighten as he shoved the words out of his throat. "Effective immediately."
There was a long pause from Commander Tower, setting Shadow's nerves ablaze as he waited to hear the man's response.
"...When you requested to work with GUN, you said that you were convinced that our organization had changed since the Ark Incident. Maria was my friend too, after all. You thought your power and our resources would help us all make the world a place she would have liked to visit."
"...Things have changed." He quietly responded. "My reasons are my own."
"I want you to think very carefully about this." The Commander warned. "There are a lot of people above and below me who still have it out for you, even after your recent accomplishments. If you leave GUN, I will no longer be able to use my influence to protect you. Even if you were to ask to rejoin, the fact you left in the first place will be reason enough for them to consider you a threat."
"It doesn't matter what they think. I made a promise to Maria- even if you are ordered to throw your entire might at me, I will continue to protect this world with all I have."
"...Stubborn as always." The CO sighed. "Very well. Good luck out there, Shadow."
The call was cut short as the military officer hung up. A numbing wave pulsed through the hedgehog as he lowered his phone, the whirlwind of emotions deadening as a result of his actions. Compared to the turmoil he was going through, it felt... nice, in a way.
He felt his phone buzzing in his hand, his attention drawn back to the device as he saw that another call was coming through.
Sonic.
The hero was calling him. He felt another pang of guilt ring out in his chest, but he knew better.
He dismissed the call, letting the phone slip through his fingers as it fell to the ground. He stared at the screen for only a moment before he brought his foot up, sending his heel crashing down on the device and watching as it shattered into a mess of broken glass, metal, and silicon.
What's done is done.
He shook his head, letting another wave of numbing feeling overtake him as he walked into his living room. On the coffee table was a small, brown leather-bound notebook. He scooped it up, thumbing the spine for just a second before he put it away.
With that, he walked out the door of his apartment, never to see it again.
"YOUR ATTEMPTS AT DECEPTION ARE NOT AMUSING." Omega loudly proclaimed, eyes focusing on the fox who was struggling to converse with the robot.
Sonic was just outside of the garage, staring at his phone with concern in his eyes. Shadow was not picking up. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong, but...
He looked back at Tails to see the young genius stammer out a few words, only for Omega to immediately interrupt him and denounce what he was being told.
The hedgehog shook his head, putting his phone away. As usual, there were more pressing issues at hand.
"I'm trying to tell you!" Tails was getting agitated, his arms waving emphatically as he tried to reason with the decapitated head. "Eggman tricked you into-"
"I AM FAR TOO SUPERIOR TO THAT FOOLISH HUMAN TO BE DECEIVED BY HIM. YOU ARE HIDING THE REAL REASON I AM IN THIS SITUATION."
"I'm not!" The fox yelled back. "Why can't you just listen for once?!"
"I WILL LISTEN WHEN I AM TOLD SOMETHING WORTH LISTENING TO."
The young genius turned back to look at his brother, who was already approaching them.
"This is going nowhere, Sonic." He complained, scrunching his eyes shut as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
The hedgehog shrugged, shaking his head in sympathy. "Maybe we can see if GUN can send us over some satellite footage?"
"THERE IS NO NEED." Omega barked back, his monotone voice exuding defiance despite his completely vulnerable position. "MY SENSORS CONTAIN THEIR OWN AUTO-RECORDING FUNCTION. CONNECT ME TO YOUR COMPUTER AND I WILL SHOW YOU ALL THE DESTRUCTION I CAUSED TO EGGMAN'S BASES FIRSTHAND."
The two brothers froze at the suggestion, looking at each other with a great deal of concern.
"...Is that a good idea, Tails?" Sonic whispered, looking back and forth between the fox and the robot head.
"...No." Tails concluded, covering his mouth with his hand. "There's no way that ends well. But... I don't think he'll listen otherwise."
The fox turned back to the robot, nervously biting his lips as he spoke to the robot again.
"Omega... how does your auto-recording work?"
"I HAVE MULTIPLE ENCODING AND DECODING CHIPLETS ON-BOARD THAT ARE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE SENSORS. THEY ARE DESIGNED TO CONTINUE FUNCTIONING EVEN IF MY PROCESSORS FAIL OR RUN OUT OF POWER."
Tails turned back to the blue hedgehog, his expression grim.
"We'd... be showing him what he really did, then."
Sonic felt his stomach lurch at the suggestion. Was that really a good idea?
"I DEMAND YOU PROVIDE ME ACCESS TO YOUR COMPUTER." Omega reiterated.
The fox sighed, his shoulders slumping as he walked towards his desk.
"Okay, but... I wish you didn't make us do this." He resigned to himself, scooping the robot's head off of the workbench and sitting down in his computer chair with the E-Series' optical sensors facing the screen.
Tails pulled out a serial port wire, plugging it into a small, recessed set of pins on the back of Omega's head. Within an instant, a video player window popped up, the viewport black as it waited for the footage to be sent over.
"It's ready." Tails quietly stated.
As soon as he was told, Omega began feeding the recording through the port in the back of his head, which showed up on the computer monitor.
The trio watched Omega blast through an Eggman-logo covered room, using his autocannons and brute force to tear through cardboard cutouts and modeled replicas of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles.
Almost immediately, the E-Series robot began to protest.
"THIS FOOTAGE IS MANIPULATED." It immediately claimed. "I RECALL NO EVENTS SUCH AS THESE."
"...Because Eggman made you see something different." Tails quietly noted.
The video feed cut out again, only to show him in the same room, this time with the Chaos Energy drive.
" Oooooh ho ho ho ho ho!" Eggman's voice boomed over the intercom in the recording. " Go ahead and take it, Omega! It's my latest creation, made just for hedgehog killing! "
"NO. NO. NO. NO." Omega boomed over the voice of the Mad Doctor. "COMPARING RECORDING CHECKSUMS AGAINST KNOWN INTERNAL DATABASE. CLEARLY TAMPERED-"
The robot cut himself off, causing Tails to look back down at the metal head in his lap.
"...CHECKSUM COMPARISON IS A MATCH." He concluded, just as loud as before, but the words coming out significantly more slowly.
The video cut out once more, skipping forward until the screen showed his arms extended, raining a volley of chaos-derived bullets onto the Spagonian forest village, its inhabitants screaming and crying as they desperately tried to avoid the blast. There was too much smoke to tell what hit and what missed.
Tails felt his stomach churn watching the footage. He slowly reached for the wire plugged into the robot's head. "Omega, I think that's enough-"
"NO." He commanded.
The video sped forward, to the point where the E-Series robot had Sonic half-buried in the ground, ready to split his body in two with his cannons. A chaos spear struck his arm, missing the shot as he turned to see Shadow frozen in place with his hand outstretched, looking back at him with a bewildered and distressed look on his face.
"Omega-" Tails tried again.
"I SAID NO." The robot barked back.
The video sped up again, only to stop shortly after. The frame depicted Omega's arm outstretched towards the ground, hand wrapped around Shadow's neck. His muzzle was a nasty shade of purplish red, his expression hurt and confused as he desperately tried to reach out towards the E-Series robot.
Sonic looked away from the monitor, closing his eyes and clenching his fists.
"...THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE EGGMAN." The metal head stated, his monotonous voice unable to convey any kind of emotion.
"I know." Sonic quietly answered.
"WHERE IS SHADOW?"
The blue hedgehog shook his head. "He isn't answering my calls."
The three of them sat in a heavy silence.
Tails finally had enough. He didn't bother to ask permission from the robot, opting to just yank the cable out from the back of his head. The video player went dark, its data source cut off.
"INTERNAL DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE." Omega noted. "PREVIOUS LATENCY DISPARITY IN EXTERNAL SENSORS IS NOW GONE. CONCLUSION... SOURCE OF DELAY WAS FROM EGGMAN'S PERCEPTION FILTER."
The fox opened his mouth, fully ready to give the robot a piece of his mind- to tell him that that's what they've been trying to tell him for the past hour or so.
However, just as quickly as the anger had flared up, it was extinguished by the uncomfortable chill of the situation on their hands.
"...I still have your technical specifications on file." Tails told the robot, his own voice quiet and hollow. "It's going to take a while... and I don't have any ammo to give you."
"...THAT IS ACCEPTABLE." Omega concluded.
Sonic raised an eyebrow at the robot's response. He thought the E-Series machine would at least voice contempt for the fact that he would not be getting any munitions. Though, with what just happened, perhaps this reaction was to be expected- even if the person in question was a relentless war machine.
The blue hedgehog placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, squeezing it slightly to provide him some sort of comfort.
"It's getting dark out, and we've got a lot of work to do." He noted. "And I think we're all long overdue for a rest."
Tails looked back up at the blue hedgehog, before lifting Omega's head up and turning it so they talked at face level.
"Do you mind if we keep you in the garage for now?"
"THESE ACCOMMODATIONS WILL SUFFICE."
The fox quietly nodded, placing the robot down on the workbench. He pressed a button on the wall, watching as the garage door slowly closed.
Sonic opened a door leading to the living room, disappearing deeper into the house. Tails shortly followed, pausing at the door frame as he looked back at their temporary guest.
"Hey Omega," He began, pausing as his voice cracked a little. "Just so you know... even during the fight, Shadow was thinking of how he could save you without hurting you. I don't know where he is right now, but... he doesn't resent you."
"...I AM FULLY AWARE OF THAT." Omega was quick to respond, though he paused for a moment before following up.
"...BUT YOUR AFFIRMATION OF THAT IS ACKNOWLEDGED."