AN: Finally! Finished my exam and now I can sit back and relax. That means getting back to my creative projects! Though, not sure if I'll be able to upload much from the middle of December until the first few days of January. I'll see how it goes and I'll never stop!

This comes next since it's been a while ever since I did another chapter on it. This is where we dive right into the drama side of the story. Sorry if this may be more talking than the usual action and comedy you might like.

Chapter 7

To be honest, I didn't really know what I would be doing for the rest of the day. They arranged the experiments on my Phantom Ruby prototype, but it was like they had no other idea they had for me. Guessed that any work I had to do as an agent would take a while to figure out which spot I can take.

Case in point that a few field commanders came over to ask what time I can be available for patrolling. More like walking through the hallways or keeping an eye on prisoners or just watching outside. I decided to file in since I wasn't sure what else would happen if I said no. And they are flexible since they informed me that I wouldn't need to worry about missing out on patrolling if I had direct orders to go on missions.

When visiting one of the break rooms, Topaz and Stone told me to enter a specific one they personally take, it nearly felt as if I was walking into some kind of campsite. Before, whenever me and the Jackal Squad set up a campsite this big as if having a summer picnic, it would tend to get a bit messy.

The break room was equivalent to one. The burning of cigarettes from mouths and the floor nearly smells like a campfire or some sand being caught on fire. The place felt a little boring while the active conversations kept the people more entertained. There were a few small chatters and mysterious sounds from a few sides. The former was expected, though the latter reminded me a lot of how everybody likes to do their own thing.

In the past, Zero sometimes wouldn't come in due to wanting to practice or guard the tent. Paz would be trying to make something new. Fender looking out for something to blow up with. And Tempest and Ryder looking out to murder…

Aside from being inside and feeling the cool breeze of the air conditioners, I thought there was nothing much left to do. It also appeared cramped as if not many people were willing to give up their spots. And almost everybody was in groups instead of being alone. It was like they already formed their own squads to be with instead of being alone.

It made me feel a bit stumped that I might end up strolling around here on my own. I often like mixing around with others and yet, I didn't know these people. From what I could see, it nearly looked like they found something to amuse themselves. Some already got out card games with cards littering the floor around them. A couple were just staring at their phones, even with headphones on. There were a couple of guys at the corner, sipping down green bottles.

I sniffed. It was already starting to reek of whisky. It wasn't too similar to the dim alleys back in my hometown. Guess there was a good number of messes around.

Not even 10 steps and I found a half-eaten sandwiches attached to the bottom of my shoe. I wrinkled my nose, wondering how this could reflect the cleaner society of modern civilization.

However, an ironic smile came across my face. Guess that meant I didn't need to have manners here.

"Obsidian!" called a familiar voice. "Over here!"

It wasn't too hard to find Topaz in the sea of brown and black-haired humans, but I recognized the suit she wore. I was more than happy to get to her since I felt out of zone in this room.

"There you are," she said. "I was worried at first that you would end up in the wrong room. I heard that the break room downstairs had some kind of pipe problem."

"A pipe problem?" I said. "What's that?"

"I think it was…some kind of accidental plugging with the toilet pipes being connected to the sink pipes."

"Wait, what?"

"Anyway!" said Topaz, quickly tossing right into my hands. "I managed to grab these from the vending machine. It's all I'm able to grab from this place."

It was some kind of sandwich. It nearly looked like white and orange mush between the slices. I shrugged, ripping the wrapping off and scarfing down on the egg sandwich. Topaz smiled a little, leaning back against the wall as she took a bite from her sandwich.

"Where's Stone?" I asked.

Topaz shrugged. "Don't really know. He's always like this. He sometimes skips lunch breaks."

"What do you guess he might be doing?"

"Probably something dangerous," said Topaz, chuckling to herself. "Whenever he has something on his mind, he will never stop. Whether it is chemistry or machinery or any experiment in general, he would do anything to not let have something distract him from it. Someday, he's gonna collapse when someone tries to pull him off the table."

"I'm starting to see what you mean," I said, scratching the back of my head. "I've even noticed that he has an…obsession with Eggman." I shivered, not even liking how I said the name. "Like with him imagining touching his mustache and wearing a t-shirt of his face. I'm guessing that he has some ISSUES he needs to-"

Topaz rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about that. I think a couple of years being on the Mean Machine had its impact on him. But he is harmless."

"That you know of."

"OK, sure, he might have caused a few holes in my walls and he didn't really know how to build the attic a place where none of his experiments leak into my house, but I swear that he is good."

I raised an eye. "I…erm…see then. How exactly long did you know him for?"

"That's a funny question. Though, he had only been here for a few years ever since he broke out from his terrorist group. I think he managed to get them arrested, but it was never brought up again when we heard that one of them was killed before they were found. He was a little eccentric when I first met him." Topaz tilted her head in a way as if she was reflecting back. "He may be a bit too tolerant at times and usually endures most challenges surprisingly, he's a nice guy. Gives praises to those who he believes are 'geniuses', easily amazed and a guy who keeps his loyalties straight. Anybody will end up feeling like they are drugged for questioning his loyalties before he even opens his mouth."

"You mean what he…?" I trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence.

"Yeah," said Topaz. "He can play as a doormat, but he has an ace up his sleeve."

Ah, so Agent Stone was like one of those guys who like playing things their way. His present demeanor was quite sunny and friendly, though I could tell what she meant that he was a little eccentric. I have to wonder about the doormat part since so far, he isn't submissive. However, I felt like Stone should have an eye watching him as well since he would want to take down those he deemed to have wronged him.

For some reason, it made me think that there are more criminals in the city who are likely to kill their victims through giving them doses.

On the other hand, I couldn't help but nod a little. Stone would have a really likely chance to survive when up against mercenaries and assassins. This reminded me a little of Phoenix; he would have good respect towards Stone. Sure, Phoenix acted a bit more cooler than the goofy and polite Stone, but the two might have two things in common; relying on brains and can kill their enemies in ways instead of being more hands-on.

I smirked a little bit too myself, nearly carried away by the memories. It nearly made me feel down since I had been starting to compare a couple of situations and people to my former squad. Before I nearly lost my sense of reality, I managed to mutter out something.

"Must be why he became an agent here," I said. "Guess that he could use his skills for good here."

"It looks like so," reassured Topaz. "Hopefully, it will lead him on a better path than before."

"What about you?" I asked, trying to get my mind off the nudging feeling about if criminals could really change their ways here. "What brought you to G.U.N?"

Topaz smiled. "Glad that you asked. My beginning here was simple. First played around with a gun when I was 8 years old."

"You're kidding, aren't you?"

The agent snickered. "That's the same response every time. My father was a war veteran. When he started a family, he became a police cop, even today. I found myself wanting to follow him into wearing those special uniforms. The same ones who accompanied so many good people for everyday needs."

"Huh, lucky that he used his military experience for a stable job here, not like he could become a mercenary on the run."

Topaz shrugged. "Eh, there have been a couple of ups and downs with being a police cop. I only found out when I became a rookie on a police squad. I've seen a couple of things the police could do wrong." A frown crossed her face. "Assault on who they arrested. Assuming quickly who is the one harassing. Enforcing the laws despite protestors trying to tell them something. I-I know that there are still a couple of cops, even those who are aware, but…" She gulped, swallowing hard on her mouthful. "...it always feels like you take on a higher position."

My ears slowly lowered, knowing that the answer to my question wouldn't be kind. "So I guess that the police are allowed to go rogue."

"Far too many," said Topaz grimly. "Now, if you ever did, you might have known the stereotype of police not doing their job well or bribe when a crime is taking place. But it's unfortunately true. And with that, I found myself wanting to do more. To be able to be more direct with the ongoing problems of the world. To do SOMETHING for once instead of being in a role I knew that I could abuse easily. My father handled his job well, but I found myself wanting a higher and trustworthy position."

"And thus, starts your career as a G.U.N agent."

The smile reappeared on Topaz's face. "Not only that. In less than a few years, I became one of the greatest agents. Why do you think I'm with the council? My few missions with orders from the government went successful. I could never really ask that much to help so many lives." She suddenly looked sheepish. "And I…actually get to meet Sonic the Hedgehog, but not in the way I wanted it to be."

Keep in mind, I only heard about Sonic a few times. Eggman did mention him, but he never explained it fully to me and the Jackal Squad. He was quite vindictive about it. Sonic's name also tended to pop up in the desert. When you have many criminals who might have come upon him, they would spread word. But I heard that he was still a teenager, possibly younger than I am. I wondered what was the big deal with the blue hedgehog.

"Hmm, I heard about him," I said. "But…what is exciting about him?"

"Oh, he is possibly a god killer," joked Topaz. "He defeated Eggman many times. I thought you would know."

"I never really know about that, but…" I scratched my chin, trying to remember. "No wonder why he grumbled when he mentioned a 'Sonic'. And how did you exactly meet him?"

A couple of sweat drops rolled down Topaz's face. "I may or may not have been sent to capture Sonic. We weren't exactly given reasons why, but it was as if he was a replacement for Shadow who was on the run ago. I-I didn't really know why, but I guessed that Sonic was a delinquent with ulterior motives. I'm glad that I was wrong that time since it did allow me to…see that there was something just wrong with the Commander back then."

The tired tone in her voice must mean that she was weary of all the mistakes that had happened when being a cop or an agent. It got me thinking if working for the military would have its disadvantages. Would it be as bad as being a mercenary?

"And you never stop working for them?" I asked.

Topaz nodded. "Yes. I just gave this place one more chance and they proved themselves not to disappoint."

"But…what keeps you going for all of this? Working as a police cop might not have been great. Working for the military might even lead you to accidentally abuse your position. How did you even get through all these mishaps?"

This got Topaz to think about it for a while. She acknowledged what I said, but she oddly appeared…content.

"I told myself why I continued trying to help people at the very start," she said. "All the answers led me back to my father. The very man who could save a good soul to make sure that everyone can survive. He would have passed away, but he lived long enough to help me grow. It felt like an honor to be taking a similar job to him and even if I took another job, this one would be the one I should treat it right for him."

At first, I was amazed by her explanation. It was simple and direct, but her father being the person who inspired her to keep going was heart-warming. She already said that he is a good man, so she carried along his name to find her own position and thus leading her here. She did make a couple of mistakes, but she never gave up on her careers. Instead, she kept going for honor.

It brought me back to the reason why I became sick of being a mercenary. I did it out of feeling disconnected from Zero and with our squad gone, there was no point trying to continue. And I couldn't replace it with another squad. It made me wonder if I could continue being a mercenary AND be happy about it for honor of at least someone I was close to.

Maybe if I know my parents or uncle better, then…

Despite my tail wrapped around my legs in a sign of defense, I kept myself straight. This wasn't about me after all.

"G-Good for you, Topaz," I said. "It's…actually nice knowing that there is someone around to help you go forward."

The agent smiled. "Well, there will be someone worth fighting for in the end. Stone did as well when I took him under my wing. Perhaps, you had someone who got you this far?"

"...well, I…I don't really know where to start," I said, crossing my arms. "It's a bit complicated to say what or who inspired me to be a mercenary this long and the fact about coming here…you know already."

"Perhaps I can hear from you," said Topaz, sounding both interested and playfully. "I already explained my part. Let's get to know each other. You can explain about yourself to me?"

That got my brain stuck on a train track. I tried thinking of how I could explain this, but trying to think of what I should really tell here…was quite difficult. And there were a couple of events that would be hard to distinguish as necessary. I never really told anybody else about what my past was like, so I don't have a plan or a script.

"Um…well…I-I don't know how to put it in that way," I said. "Sorry…"

"Maybe I can ask questions first?" offered Topaz. "That might be easier."

I shrugged. "Sure. Let me guess, one of your questions will be if Zero's hair is long as it looks."

"I was about to ask how you would have looked like as a baby." Something cliched in her mind as her eyes widened. "Oh! I nearly forgot to inform you. The Commander wants to see you later. He needs something from you."

That was new. So now he wanted me to come over.

"What may it be?" I asked.

"He has some information regarding on the whereabouts of the Mystical Jungle base you told him about," said Topaz. "And he has some questions about the Jackal Squad based on your interactions with them."

Two people were already curious about me. This was gonna take a while. I nearly panicking inside over the thought of needing to explain the full story. However, I told myself that as long as I'm not too slow, I can take all the time needed to think clearly and say the right things.

Besides, I haven't been feeling well when I remembered back to my former squad. Maybe talking about them a little might help get them off my mind for a while?

"Alright then," I said, taking a deep breath first. "So what time does he wants us to meet him?"

"Best when lunchtime is over," said Topaz. "I'll take you to his office to go over what he has and can be able to collect. Also, he has something in return for you."

"What is that?"

"Your taser."

The empty wrapper in my hand dropped to the floor. "Can we actually go now?"

The first thing I actually did was search for my taser when entering the office. It didn't come to mind at first that Abraham Towers was sitting patiently at one of the individual tables. I was trying to sniff around, walking across the room in hopes of finding my weapon. I swear that I left it on one of the tables when I had to fill in a couple of paper sheets.

I would have moved onto looking through the third table when Towers called my name.

"It's right here if it's your weapon that you are looking for," he said nonchalantly. "We are not that messy."

Immediately, I rushed over to them. To my joy, he had it right on the table without a single scratch on it.

"Yes!" I hissed, picking it up. "I've been hoping to find this!"

"I would have gone to the lost and found room to find it," said Topaz, sitting not far from us.

"As long as you don't use it on the other agents," warned Towers.

"I'll be careful," I said, tossing the taser upwards and watching it spin. "I'm practically an expert in using this! No one knows how to use it better than I do."

"Even you?"

"Especially me. Wait, what do you mean?"

"If you had that for a long time, then where did you exactly got it from?"

I thought for a while, trying to remember. "I don't exactly remember, but it was at this kind of black market. Somebody was trying to pitch for weapons that looked a bit 'livelier'."

"It looked more like a toy," said Towers, randomly flicking his finger on the lightning bolt attachment. "Would this be something people can take seriously?"

"Somewhat," I said. "But it would be a good way of not making people too suspicious about it. Besides, it is an easier way to hold onto a taser like this without having trouble fitting into your pocket."

"And do you have any?"

"We could just hide it in our fur."

"What about if it goes off?" asked Topaz. "That would still be a thing in case the button gets pressed."

That was where I felt like I hit a wall. "...that never happened before."

Towers shrugged. "Anyway, we have something to tell you. Earlier today, I sent a team of soldiers to inspect the Mystic Jungle lair you told us about. We searched through to find if Eggman and Zero were there."

I blinked, nearly not prepared for this. That was a surprise that they did it this quick. It would be an urgent mission to do anyway since they would want to find what Eggman was doing. I took my seat, trying to maintain a relaxed composure in case there are any shocking news.

"And…did you find anything in there?" I asked.

Towers remained stoic, but he was concerned. "It was empty when we arrived there. We nearly fell for a trap, but the agents on the other side managed to hack into the system before the base could blow up. However, we noticed that most of the equipment that would be in there were gone."

That didn't sound good.

That would mean Zero is with Eggman as well.

"W-What about the one in the desert?" I asked.

Towers shook his head. "Unfortunately, we couldn't find anything there. The base is deserted as well. It's like he…made sure that nothing remained from those shells." He cleared his throat, taking out a device. "There's something we found however. I think you should know about this in case you didn't find it."

On his tablet was a picture captured from the jungle lair. Outside the gates. I leaned in close, trying to see the blurry image properly. I gasped, placing a hand over my mouth.

It was a tombstone. A grave for…the Jackal Squad. The tombstone itself was only a stone, but somebody painted it. It revealed every single name of those who died. And right in front of it was a bouquet of black and red roses.

I nearly choked seeing this. I…never thought that they would be given a proper burial. I remember that a friend of ours tried to pursue Zero to stay out of the Eggman Empire. I guessed that the least they could do was to bury the bodies of my fallen friends. They were still there the whole time. I thought Eggman threw them away or burn them since when I tried returning to them, they were…gone.

"These names you're familiar with?" asked Towers. "They were all from the Jackal Squad, but we need to check."

I couldn't speak. I was too stunned. They were still there on Eggman's ground. Where they died at. I nodded weakly as a response as I kept staring at the tablet.

"We also noticed that the roses left on the grave didn't appear to be real. When a few agents tried touching them, they…seemingly glitched. It was as if they were made out of thin air."

Topaz raised an eyebrow. "Are they…made from the Phantom Ruby."

"Highly likely. This might not be from Eggman using the ruby, right?"

It was then when I remembered back to Zero. He wouldn't leave his squad out of spite. Knowing how huge his outburst was, he would want a burial for them as well. I don't think Eggman would ensure that it was possible, but since there was a tombstone for them, that would mean Zero would know about it. And those roses…it wasn't possible for him to get them, so that would mean he created those flowers for them.

"But I got you. You're the only squad member who has been there by side. Don't throw this away. We're strong together."

And yet, I didn't think of taking the proper time of finding the tombstone or at least paying my respects to our squad with him. He was alone, mourning. Eggman wouldn't care enough to support him. My lips trembled at the thought of Zero coming to the tombstone and leaving flowers there, knowing that no one was gonna be by his side again.

I felt guilty of leaving him behind.

I shook my head. No. He was far gone. He already agreed. And if he disappeared, how would I know that he would be doing the right thing?

"We nearly thought of bringing the grave right here in Central City," continued Towers. "For a more suitable spot, of course. One of my soldiers suggested that it would be an offense to leave them on former Eggman property. But…would you want them to be moved away from Mystic Jungle?"

"L-Leave them there," I muttered, snapping out of my thoughts.

"What?"

I sighed. "Just…leave them there. I-I shouldn't be disturbing them for long."

Towers didn't reject anything about this. "Suit yourself then."

I muttered out a small 'thank you' to Towers. I winced at the sound of how quiet I was. I was becoming vulnerable again.

Topaz noticed this. I tried to keep myself straight with my shoulders lifted upwards and head nearly high. It wasn't subtle enough for me to let the news of Zero mourning alone sink in. She sighed, patting me on the back. It felt new to me and a bit cold. I did my best not to flinch.

If Towers was worried, then he was doing a better job in hiding it.

"We don't have to answer right now," he said. "But I want you to tell me what you know about the Jackal Squad."

I managed to fix my gaze back to him. "...you do?"

"Zero is the only Jackal Squad survivor who is partnered with Eggman. The council suggested me to ask you so that we could understand what we might be facing here. One of the members, Doctor Sorders, came up with a theory that all members of the Jackal Squad are influenced by each other and their ways of living in the desert. Perhaps with this given information, we may know more about Zero and his weaknesses if he chose to strike."

So this is about telling who influenced me to become a mercenary? In the same way as Topaz telling me about how her father got her to push forward. It was a bit strange thinking about it as I didn't really stop to consider how being on the Jackal Squad shaped me. To say the least, I felt like I was the one making my own choices, not by others.

I nearly thought of opting out for it, but Topaz was right behind me. She would want to know as well. Besides, this might be vital information. Maybe it could make Towers and the council understand that the Jackal Squad weren't horrible people.

Especially if there were former members working here.

"Sure then," I said.

"OK," said Towers. "You can first explain about the members in no particular order."

"J-Just ask me questions first. I prefer given these instead of needing to…recap everything."

"Alright then," he said, adjusting his collar. "First, let's get to the point. How long do you know about Zero? How well do you know about him?"

That was a bit easy to answer. Usually, when you look at Zero, you could tell that he wanted to take things seriously and focused on his title as the 'ultimate mercenary'.

I clicked my tongue. "Zero can be quite…competitive. He had been going in and out from several squads, participating in different tournaments and doing different kinds of missions that I wouldn't even do. He could be shady at times, willing to do anything to prove to be the greatest of all time, overly ambitious, and, seriously, highly angry at anything or anyone. But he made it his responsibility to be protective towards any mutuals."

"Was he like that before you worked with Eggman?" asked Towers.

I nodded. "Yeah. I don't know if he took his role as leader too seriously or if he wanted to have friends, but he always looked out for his squad. He was probably the most advanced in his age. The rest of us were like his young." I placed my hands on my table, slowly standing up. "Now, let me tell you this; I don't exactly know the full story since I only met him when we were in our early teens. His father was really well-known as one of the greatest mercenaries in the world."

Towers' eyes widened. "Who is he then?"

I shrugged. "Nobody knows. He never reveals his name to those he doesn't trust nor he does he reveal his real name to the rest of the world. But from what I heard, it doesn't seem that Zero…have a good father." I sighed, rubbing my face as I grimaced at the many times when he sometimes ranted about him. "I sometimes think that maybe he wanted us more as his family. He was more likely to open up to us."

Towers mumbled to himself as he thought about these facts. He probably didn't expect that Zero would see his squad as family which would be a good reason why he wanted to use the Phantom Ruby. He muttered about Zero's father, making guesses on who it might be.

"Sounds like the alpha of the pack has some serious daddy issues," commented Topaz.

I tried my best not to cringe. I imagined that the other members of the Jackal Squad to be making jokes like this. Tempest used to tease Zero about it to annoy him, though Paz and Phoenix pointed out that it was a touchy subject not to be explained.

"I have some theories who might be his father," said Towers. "Some try-hard he turned out to be."

"You used to be one, Commander," muttered Topaz.

"You said something?"

"Nothing."

"You don't think that he would try to use Eggman as a way to gain more power, do you?" asked Towers.

"At first, it was sort of planning to overthrow him once he wasn't useful anymore," I said. "However, it looks like Zero is gonna take all the chances he could get. Even when I…walked out from him. He would definitely want some revenge, especially towards Shadow."

"If he is that competitive, he would be eager to take a Phantom Ruby prototype for himself to become the 'ultimate mercenary'. And when he puts it right on…" Towers exhaled sharply. "We really need to find him and bring him to here."

I nodded, knowing that it might come to this. "Maybe best if you just stop him no matter what."

Towers noticed the implication in my voice. "I think it would be safe for now to try to bring him here unless he proves to be a dire threat. Shadow might need to address to this since he can go overkill on his targets. Now, we know what might be the cause of the Jackal Squad's downfall and any future actions the Eggman Empire will take."

"I guess that makes sense," said Topaz. "Though, we are dealing with someone with that much of an ego, judging by his signature brutal style when on bounties."

"Kinda wish that he gulped down his pride," I said, my ears lowering. "Though, if I just stayed, then I could have put some sense into him."

"Hey, it's not your fault," said Topaz, placing her hand onto my shoulder.

"He is alone now," I said, gritting my teeth. "Likely losing his mind that the whole team is dead."

"Well, you made a good choice of leaving," said Towers. "I would have suggest trying to look further into what Eggman is planning, but I guess that you or the rest of the Jackal Squad don't know anything else about his plans. Or even how to sabotage them without casualties. Even though your prototype is stable and Eggman is infamous for his inventions, we don't know how dangerous Zero might turn out to be. Best case scenario, it wouldn't take long to subdue him if he keeps trying to earn a 'satisfying' revenge."

That somehow made a lot of sense. And granted that many of my friends used to make fun of Infinite's temper, that might lead to Zero failing badly than he thought.

"I guess that can work," I said. "Worst case scenario, he gets himself killed."

"Possibly," said Towers.

A few more questions passed by and they didn't sound too bad. I did end up explaining to Towers and Topaz about the rest of the squad to him since one of the council members suggested that they would have some sort of impact on Zero and me, if any. To my surprise, it nearly looked like none of the squad members had a real problem.

"Seems that not all of you are the 'hardened' type," commented Towers. "So just to recheck, this Ace guy was one of the youngest and he served as Zero's second-in-command."

"Yep," I said. "Zero has this fondness towards him. I guess that might explain his overprotectiveness."

"Tempest, Ryder and Fender sound like they are similar to you. Tempest sound like she would be cool with being here like you. Though, Ryder wouldn't want to give up his career easily and Fender would have blown up the entire sun."

I chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, that would be true. If you let them in here, I can tell you that it might get interesting! Though, Fender would drive someone insane. Having Tempest over might be an upgrade."

"And even though Paz and Phoenix followed along, they mostly had the attitude of just doing what they need to do to surprise."

"Phoenix preferred having what would be beneficial for him. And Paz just needed a squad to be with, but not too happy about the behavior of others."

"Right then," said Towers. "It nearly looked like Zero was the one who significantly impacted you. However, I could guess that some of them were like him or their ideas clashed with his. Whether they are good or not, any arguments could leave their mark on them."

"Not gonna lie," I admitted. "It nearly sounds like Zero misunderstood the way of being a mercenary…and not as hardened as I thought. And how would you compare them to the forrme members who joined G.U.N?"

"Not too different. There will be a few bad apples. One even managed to blow up a warehouse that was producing beauty cosmetics."

Topaz lifted her head upwards, apparently passing time through looking on her phone. "Wait, blown up a-?"

"Shush now," said Towers, sounding a bit off. "You weren't there when it happened."

I already was about to ask questions about this since this said something else, but eventually, it didn't come back to mind. I could only guess that these former members might be like Zero now if not worse.

There were a few more questions about the decisions of doing certain crimes. Towers already knew why I only killed five people, though he was curious about the rest. As a few other members on the squad had a high kill count, this raised some concerns. The motive? Well, some were a bit silly while some got Towers to briefly drop his stoic stance. In addition, most of the bounties my squad did were needed to find money for supplies or save them up to be able to build an empire for ourselves.

"So what would happen if you build an empire?" asked Towers. "What did Zero plan to do?"

"That thing was what confused us all," I said. "Even Zero…didn't have a clear idea what to do with a huge empire. Perhaps he would want to carry out his father's tradition in leading a town? Well, I did kind of want to have an empire like it was some kind of…playground…park? Like those kind of attractions with all the rides and stuff?"

"You mean an amusement park?" remarked Topaz.

"Oh yes, exactly!"

"How can you turn an empire into an amusement park?" said Towers, flabbergasted. "It wouldn't even include civilians; it would be more visitors!"

"Ah, I getcha. Not a lot of us took the empire thing seriously. A couple here and there. Tempest seemed to be the only one serious about having an empire. She wanted Zero's help to make like a village. Saying along the lines about 'equality'. I think she was on the right idea than he was."

"That's 'female solidarity'?" asked Towers.

"That's biased," said Topaz, crossing her arms.

It wasn't until the end when I realized that we hadn't gone to the more serious side of the squad.

"There's something that I want to ask," said Towers. "How do think Zero led the Jackal Squad? How would you describe their…overall incentives today? Former members of the Jackal Squad who joined us tended to give different interpretations, but they always give out a similar motive in the team; the strong survives and the weak dies."

I closed my eyes. "I was gonna say the same thing and it's true. Especially what it means."

Topaz rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "That doesn't sound right."

"But you're all working in a military. And I have a ruby prototype that could make me one of the most powerful. Pretty reliable, ain't it?"

"I don't believe that. Half of this place don't have combat intelligence and they still live."

"Look," I said firmly. "What I learnt from the squad is that when we come right at the top, we will survive for longer and our name will be known for longer. If you could somehow make the world stop making you suffer, then a miracle is needed to make it like heaven. But it will never happen, so why should I just do nothing and die? And when you live in the real world without needing all of your fancy gadgets and gizmos you have, then…it will let you know what you're gonna be into. Of course you don't know that with all of those privileges and your own goody parents to take care of you in the first place."

It took me a few seconds to realize that I said too much. During my ramble, Topaz was having a hard time looking at me, awkwardly trying to observe some spider webs in the corner. Towers, even after being serious of making the right choices to protect the world, appeared to be taken aback by this.

"Zero told you this, did he?" the Commander said.

"He may not have made the best decisions, but he is right," I said, crossing my arms. "I just…felt that we all started from nothing."

"Nothing?" questioned Topaz. "You mean like the world made people deserve nothing at the start?"

"T-That's not what I meant."

"You don't really sound positive when you said 'living in the real world' which meant your life in the desert before coming here."

I growled. "I had to learn how to look out for myself before the squad approached me. You got it much better with your father even still alive now."

"Do the rest of the squad believe this? Because of…" She hesitated before gesturing to me. "...you know."

I paused, trying to think back. Aside from Zero reminding us, we never took the time to discuss about this. Only small complains and grumbles.

"I-I can't really tell," I said. "Ace is probably the most uncomfortable about it. Tempest, Ryder and Fender don't seem to listen. Paz and Phoeniz never pointed out anything wrong with Zero's words. But it should be true which was why we never talked about it much, right? So we all agreed with it."

Towers rubbed his chin. "Not all of them. The former members told me that they didn't agree with what he said. Some of them didn't have easy upbringings, but that didn't make them believe that they need to be really strong in everything to survive. In fact, one thing they really want is to be more around 'kinder people' instead of needing to prove themselves completely. They want to move on from the harsh life in the criminal world."

"How would you know that they will eventually be alright if they live in that way?" I questioned. "They're just letting their guard down."

"You're kind of letting your guard down as well since you choose to be here," pointed out Topaz. "It's like…I don't know. Finally relaxing as if you're a nor-I mean, like…a child?"

I tried my best not to let out a whimper. She had a really good point.

I came here because I had enough of living the life of a mercenary. The thought of 'strong survives while weak dies' didn't come to mind as I was more concentrated on finding a happier place. It made me realize that this civilization never had this mindset and several people would vary in what they believe in.

My grip on my arms tightened, nearly enough for my claws to poke into my skin. I felt foolish. I even forgotten that this world was different. I am still a wild jackal, tense about things despite already settling in.

"And would your squad want you to move on from what happened before?" asked Towers, still keeping a professional composure. "Especially with moving to something considered more 'relaxing'?"

I tried thinking what they would say to me if I made that decision right in front of them. They wouldn't be happy given that we stuck together for long, but when previous members left, we understood their decisions.

"They…would want to," I said, barely audible. Why did it feel hard to say it? "They would want me to move on from whatever that's…troubling me? Damn, it's not gonna be that easy, is it?"

"It nearly sounds like you listened to Zero ever since childhood that you didn't even bother to say otherwise," summarized Topaz.

"W-What? I do say otherwise at times! I just…thought he was doing the right thing at times and he knows what he is doing."

"You kind of took that too easy," said Towers bluntly. "And given from what you said, it is as if almost all from the Jackal Squad are impacted by this belief. Zero's thinking might have caused this or just enhanced it due to your own experiences. I think you all took the whole 'strong survives' too seriously. But if you just try your best without needing to prove that you're strong enough for the whole world, then you'll turn out to be fine."

"How would you know that to be exact?" I asked. "How would I know I'm not lowering my guard down?"

"Specifically, it's not exactly lowering your guard. I agree. We need to put up a good front to get ready for anything. However, to keep trying to fight is just gonna leave you crashing in a train wreck. That's what I learnt when I tried using my leadership of G.U.N in the wrong way and this led all of us to suffer a huge blow. More than the threat we were up against."

"And? So you're saying that it wasn't…life itself that caused people to die around me?"

"Don't start thinking like this," said Topaz, coming closer to me. "It's wrong that your squad died and it's wrong that…you didn't have good people to look after you growing up. I cannot blame you for having this belief. But if you do keep that belief, then you would keep feeling that you're worthless to live. You might come across a lot of things that will disappoint you, but…you don't have to go through it alone. I'm not saying that you're weak, you're far from that. You made the right choice to come here to heal, more than I realize."

Her last line made me remember and even feel that I wanted to be here to start over. To have a better life. Mr. Ghost told me that coming over here might give me 'healthy relationships' and seeing how reserved the city and military were, he was right. I didn't expect that there would be some people willing to let others recover first without pushing them to their limits.

This is probably the first time I ever was told that it was OK not to be strong.

I slowly looked down, feeling a harrowing sensation inside. Like a wound opening wider. Sniffing a little, I squeezed my eyes for a few seconds to try not to cry. I felt pathetic for opening up about this, but something told me that I could be a little vulnerable here.

"I-I never…know something like this before," I said, rubbing my eyes.

"Like what?" said Topaz.

"Someone fully spelling out that I…don't need to keep proving myself a lot and stuff. It's…new."

A smile crossed over her face. "I'll tell you what. A little time here can help you. It may not be like what you squad was like to or mean that you can do nothing. It's a chance to grow."

Towers sighed. "If this may be making you uncomfortable, Obsidian, then I apologize."

I finally was able to keep on a calm look, smiling a little. "T-That's alright. I haven't been with people who never heard or go along with what Zero told me before. In a while."

"For that long. My guess that your boss never had this kind of talk before, hadn't he? With that, this would reinforced his belief much stronger, leaving him stuck in that illusion."

"So, what do you think you might do when you even managed to get him?" I asked.

Towers shrugged. "I might have to discuss about what we could do. The counselling fraction should be aware about this since you just told me. If we find, then we would need to really let him know that this belief isn't healthy for him. If this prolongs for any further, then he might cause a huge disaster in any way."

I nodded. Thinking about it, despite being given advice from me and the rest of the squad, Zero never let his guard down. Not at least when away from places where bandits roam around. With that mindset straight in his head, he would be persistent despite some things that could go horribly wrong.

"Are there any other questions you would like to ask?" I said.

"I think that might be all that I need," said Towers. "I have a few more, but they may not be urgent. I think it should be fair that you withdraw in case you need a moment."

Maybe I should stay since I was starting to learn more about the Jackal Squad. However, he had a good point. I could feel myself slightly shaking with a bitter taste in my mouth. I wasn't in the mood to answer any more.

"That's fair" I said. "I think we can leave it right there. However, thank you for hearing me out, you two."

AN: This one nearly feel like more of a psychologist session and I had to remind myself that this isn't a therapy lesson for Obsidian. However, it's in a room where the information given is also vital for understanding Zero (who will become Infinite soon as we all know) and if Obsidian is sane enough to use the ruby on his chest.

To say the least, here, I put out one hell of a deconstruction of the 'Social Darwinist' trope and the 'Darker and Edgier' trope, all part of Infinite's/Zero's character. Something that has been enjoyed by fans is due to how they break down his character to show that he was nothing more than a bully, easily losing his temper when his ego gets bruised. The former trope is something I have been biting hard into, but I'm giving another try of addressing it nicely here.

So apparently, I didn't know much about Topaz; there isn't that much background about her in the past. So, I ended up giving her a nice humble backstory of her reasons trying to be a good authority figure. I touched on her being aware that the police and the military can be quite brutal for no reason, but she continues to fight when she remembers her father.

I wanted to create this sort of concept of how people growing up from different upbringings could turn out to be either a good person or not while also having the ones from not-so-good upbringings questioning the other side on why they are 'perfect'.

This is also an opportunity to flesh out Abraham Towers. I know that the Commander isn't a loved character-no, let's get straight to the point. He's a hated character. So, I took that in consideration on how I could put him in a better light. Towers admitting his faults and warning Obsidian about not thinking things through is another aspect of him not falling for the same mistake. He even mentioned that G.U.N had a negative blow, possibily ever since the events of 'Shadow the Hedgehog' game. Though, whether this fixes things up a bit, let me know since this is important.

Topaz referencing to being sent on a mission to capture Sonic links to Sonic Adventure 2. A bit of a poke into the lore and a poke at the idiotic move of taking Sonic for Shadow. Doctor Sorders is also a reference to the character from the Fleetway Editions comic, though she is likely not to make a full appearance here.

Thank you for reading this chapter! If you enjoy this story, be sure to follow or favorite this story, so you can get updates about this story. If there is any feedback or constructive criticism you want to share, let me know in your review. It would be nice to hear open thoughts so that I can know what to improve.

Until next time, keep on rocking!