It takes a while to touch the ground, much to the red echidna's annoyance. But finally, he lands softly on the grassy field, right next to Tails and Amy who are there to greet him.
"That was a close one!" Tails says, glancing at the burning plane a short distance away. "Oh man, I just built that thing."
"Hey, do you guys see Sonic anywhere?" Amy asks, scanning each direction of the field.
"I'm sure he's fine, Amy," Tails assures. "It'll take a lot more than that to take Sonic down."
"It better," Knuckles mutters. "Because I have a plan. One that might put us on equal footing with that flying Jackal."
"Wait, do you actually?" Amy asks in disbelief.
"Yes," Knuckles answers confidently, watching as the entirety of Team Dark emerges from a layer of trees and races towards him. "And they can help too. But first, we need Sonic."
Patience has never been a thing Sonic bothered to work on. If it were so, he might've been able to sit still a few more seconds and wait for the others to back him up. But the mere sight of the current state of Station Square alone carries his legs forward.
He rockets through the field in five seconds and jumps over the wall bordering the city. A wall heavily reminiscent of the one they built around Scrapyard to contain a mess they didn't bother to clean. He lands on the sidewalk just left of what he soon realizes is a very busy street. And not the kind of busyness that's normal within Station Square.
Filling the messy street is a crowd of armed Jackals. Most are occupied with vandalizing and destroying all nearby property. One nearby is in the process of slashing an empty brown convertible beyond repair. Another to Sonic's left is dousing a warehouse store with gasoline.
More worrying, about four are huddled together three meters to the right, attempting to barge into a locked apartment complex. Sonic dashes in their direction, curling into a ball right before impact. Instead of rebounding off the first opponent's body like he's done so many times before, he shoots through the Jackal completely who disappears into two dozen small cubes.
With nothing to stop his mid-air travel, the hedgehog clears through the remaining three, rendering them into small cubes as well. To avoid doing their work for them, he uncurls in time to faceplant into the apartment door.
Better than smashing it in, I guess. He thinks, stumbling back. Well, that proves it. Zero's army is a bunch of fakes. I need to get a proper vantage point to see who needs the most help.
Putting both the plan and his legs in motion, Sonic speeds up the front wall of the large apartment building. Through the multiple windows he passes, he can see lights and even civilians inside their homes.
Didn't I tell them to evacuate? Did my message somehow fall on deaf ears?
Sonic reaches the top, taking a quick moment to catch a breather. His body still has only begun to recover from his past battle. But time is something he doesn't have. And the people of Station Square have even less of it.
He makes his way to the opposite end of the roof, overlooking the plethora of businesses and skyscrapers that all come together to form a labyrinth of a city. On every street, the war for the city wages on. GUN Hunters, Drones, and brave ground soldiers hold off the neverending Jackal army. Thankfully, most civilians seem to have gotten off the street. But if GUN can't hold up, their refuge won't matter.
"Like what I've done with the place?"
Sonic whirls around, ready for anything the Jackal might throw at him. On the opposite end of the apartment roof, standing right on the edge is Infinite.
"By now, you must be getting déjà vu. Is this bringing back memories of the Metal War? Rest assured, my rule will be nothing like that horrible conflict. No, it'll be much worse."
"Look, I hear you, but I CAN'T take you seriously with that ridiculous thing over your head. Was a supervillain mask really necessary? What's next, a cape?"
"Ah, there goes that smart mouth of yours. Look where it's gotten you and the world you tried so hard to save. Defenseless in the face of raw power."
"So is that what this is about?" Sonic frowns. "What, are you showing all of us how powerful and 'cool' you are?"
"Nonsense. Admiration is of no desire of mine. What I seek is respect. And the best kind of respect just so happens to be fear. How do you think people will feel watching me extinguish all of humanity along with their self-appointed 'guardians?' Just imagine the look on their pathetic faces once they hear I've torn out the heart of the hero they rally behind."
"That sure is a lot of talk considering the last time we fought."
"Must I repeat myself? The person you fought is no more. Besides, do you really think your speed can help you like before? Don't make me laugh."
Infinite places a hand on his chin, coming up with an idea.
"Now that I think about it... it'd be pretty entertaining to see just how much I've surpassed the supposed 'fastest thing alive.' Do you know the location of Station Square's orphanage?"
Sonic stiffens, his eyes widening with disbelief.
"I'll take that as a yes. I'm going to blow it to pieces. Let's see who gets there first."
Without a moment's hesitation, Sonic is once more a trail of blue light. It shoots across the neighboring rooftops in the direction of the center of the city. He does his best to ignore the aching pain pulsing through his entire body from the wounds that are nowhere near healed. Currently, he sprints up the front side of an office building with a stunning height of three-hundred-and-eighty meters.
"Ugh, don't tell me this is the best you can do."
Sonic looks to his right and nearly stops running out of shock. Ascending the building, arms folded and legs crossed is Infinite.
"This is OUR fight, Zero!" Sonic tells him. "Leave innocent people out of this!"
"Now now, this isn't a fight, this is a race, hedgehog. And it's one you won't escape by changing my mind."
Both of the Mobians' combined speed shatters the windows lined throughout the building. Finally, Sonic reaches its roof, but not before Infinite does, who stands at its end to greet him.
"How boring. I at least expected a challenge. But alas, you're too slow. Maybe I'll just cut to the chase and destroy the orphanage now."
As Sonic's lips part to form words of protest, everything disappears. Infinite, the skyscraper beneath his feet, even the sky. All of it is nowhere to be seen in the empty black void he now finds himself in.
In this darkness, the hedgehog can't even see his own body. It makes no difference whether he has his eyes closed or open. All of that changes with a flash of light he has to shield his eyes from. Once he can finally look at what caused such brightness, he collapses under the weight of his own distress.
Just ahead is the familiar, brown-bricked, square-shaped large building he and Infinite were just racing for. The orphanage. Except now, the flames that consume both its exterior and interior make it almost beyond recognition. Sonic can feel the heat warming his skin from where he lies.
"Why cry over a few humans?"
Infinite's voice echoes through the empty room.
"If I were you, I'd be much more upset at the loss of my closest friends."
The orphanage vanishes. Where it previously stood are three motionless bodies sprawled across the dark, empty floor. It doesn't take long for Sonic to realize who they are, much to his mind's bewilderment.
"No... NO!"
It takes everything he can muster to once again ignore the agony of standing up. Even then, he can barely manage a walk. Running is out of the question, despite how much he wants to.
The identity of the still bodies gets more and more clear the more he approaches. Tails, Amy, and Knuckles- all thrown on the floor like ragdolls. No sign of life can be seen in their open eyes. It's enough to send Sonic back to his knees, trembling.
"Get up..." he begs weakly. "Please get up!"
"Your pleading can't raise the dead, war hero."
Either he was always there, or Sonic is just now noticing him. Looming over the hedgehog is Infinite, now the size of a titan.
"If only you hadn't so foolishly opposed me. Let your friends serve as a constant reminder- a cautionary tale of what happens to heroes in my new world. I am invincible. I am perfection. I... AM INFI-!"
Much to the displeasure of Sonic's watery eyes, all color comes back, forcing him to shut them. Because of that, he can't fully understand what's gripping his hand, nor what's carrying him through the air for that matter.
"Next time, Sonic, please wait for us," Tails says to the blue hedgehog in his arms.
"TAILS!" Sonic blurts out, risking the sting of his eyes to look at his best friend. "YOU'RE OKAY!"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Tails asks, not understanding Sonic's joy.
"It... it doesn't matter. Thanks for the save, little buddy."
"No, sweat!" Tails winks. "Anyways, we'd better hurry. Knuckles has a plan."
"Wanna run that by me again? Knuckles... has a plan?"
"More like a longshot."
Infinite remains standing on the skyscraper, watching with slight interest as the distance between him and the flying fox carrying Sonic grows larger.
"Interesting. I hadn't anticipated his fox friend getting involved. Isn't he supposed to be the smart one? Only a fool would dare interfere. Although, this does work well in my favor. Yes... I can trail them. Soon enough, the dimwit will lead me to the others. If that hedgehog was so distraught over a couple of dead replicas in the image of his friends, I can only imagine how CRUSHED he'll be when confronted with the real thing! Who knew breaking a hero could be so exhilarating?"
...