Warning: Implied child abuse.
Zero stood in his base and looked out a window. Everywhere he looked there were sand dunes with some bits and pieces of ruins peaking trough.
We're always drawn back here, thought the jackal. The others said it was because their homeland was calling to them. Zero, on the other hand, was convinced that their missions, their lives, were becoming repetitive.
Everything always the same over and over again. One mission after the other, which became more and more similar. Everything blurred into a cycle of repetition.
It had become so bland and, he couldn't think of a better word, boring. Zero sighed. Not that his and his Squad were doing badly, on the contrary. With the wealth they had accumulated, they could retire and live in walth. But that fact left Zero cold. It just seemed so insignificant to him. He was brought out of his thoughts when one of his members entered the room.
"Hey boss, me and the others discovered something incredible near our base during our patrol! You have to see this!"
Zero stared in with a blank expression on his face. He doubted that this discovery would really impress him.
...
Zero was undoubtedly impressed by the discovery his Squad had made. They were hiding behind the rubble of what was once a tall wall. A huge base rose from the dunes, its metal exterior glistening in the desert sun. The Eggman logo was emblazoned large and red on its facade. Zero pulled out a pair of binoculars and observed several robots busy rushing back and forth in front of the base.
"Well, look at that. The infamous Eggman has wandered into our territory. What's an oh-so-great genius doing here in the desert in the middle of nowhere?"
Finn, the newest recruit in the group asked, "Boss, who is Eggman?"
Everyone in the Jackal Squad looked at him.
"Uh hello? Doctor Eggman, the guy who has been terrorizing Mobius for decades with his machines and bizarre plans for world domination? Archenemy of Sonic the Hedgehog? Even in your remote village you must have heard something about him."
"Oh right, I remember. But isn't his name Robotnik?"
Claire, the only female member of the Jackal Squad, said: "Well, it's his real name. But at some point he changed his name."
Treus added, "I think he officially called himself Eggman in the incident where he used that space station to pi-"
"It doesn't matter what the guy's name is now!" Zero interrupted, making everyone fall silent. The leader of the mercenary squad looked thoughtfully at the base.
So the Scourge of Mobius was on their territory, most likely unaware of their presence. Zero had already defeated several powerful enemies in his life. But fighting someone of the doctor's caliber would be something new, something different. Something exciting.
The thoughtfulness on his face gave way to a grin full of anticipation.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have found our next target."
It took a while for everyone to say the word.
"You want to attack Doctor Eggman, Zero? THE Doctor Eggman?" asked Claire. "Are you serious?"
"I know we don't have a mission, but there's definitely a bounty on his head that will fill us with gold for the rest of our lives. Not to mention that all the technology can be sold. And just think how legendary our reputation will be when we eliminate the terror of Mobius. We would go down in history, we would be special!"
"I don't know, boss. I think we've already made pretty good money and I'm sure everyone expected us to retire. The constant battling..."
Zero sighed. He had already expected words like that. Of course he could partly understand them, but still...
"Listen, I know that many of you… are tired of the mercenary life. Not everyone is made for constant fighting. And that's okay. But before you lay down your arms forever, don't you want to have one more big fight? Achieve something big in your lives, show the world what you're made of?"
Everyone looked uncertain. It was impossible to tell whether they were unsure whether to agree with Zero or not. The blue and yellow eyed jackal raised his hands.
"Look, of course we won't attack right away. We explore our enemy's rhythms, memorize their patterns, and attack them when they least expect it. Just like we always did. And so far this tactic has always helped us win."
After a while, Claire finally said, "Well actually… it doesn't sound bad. And if you're sure we can do it..." She smiled at her leader. "Then I'm with you."
Claire's words seemed to have been the push that was needed to get the others to agree to Zero's plan. The leader of the Jackal Squad grinned. He instinctively sensed that the coming battle would have a major impact on their lives. And it actually would. But not in the way the jackal had hoped.
After several weeks of observation, the time had come. The Jackal Squad attacked the Eggman base. All the Badniks dropped the material they were carrying, pulled out their weapons, and fired at the intruders. But the jackals were used to being under fire. They sought cover behind parts of the ruins. From there they returned fire with precise shots of their own. The fastest members of the squad, including Zero, were on the field and directly engaging with Badniks in battle. Dodging projectiles and combating robots armed with melee weapons. Zero's red saber flashed in the bright sunlight as he slashed one Badnik after the other into pieces. The blade cut through steel and iron like butter. The mercenaries quickly decimated the number of their opponents and approached the entrance of the base. Zero was about to run towards it when a massive Egg Hammer blocked his path.
Zero, without pausing, jumped and struck with his saber, but the Egg Hammer blocked the blow with the pole of its weapon and brought the Jackal's run to an abrupt halt.
Shit, this one seems to be made from tougher stuff.
The machine pushed him away and Zero slammed into the ground, luckily the sand dampened the impact. His opponent jumped at him, hammer raised high. Zero rolled to the side, avoiding the fate of ending up as a jackal pancake. He picked up his saber, which had slipped from his hands, from the ground and watched the Egg Hammer. The two opponents circled each other, waiting. The combat robot narrowed its artificial eyes at him, but hesitated to go on the offensive again. Aware that another attack could leave it open for a strike for the fast and agile enemy. Zero grinned snidely.
"Well, at least one of all the wind-up toys has more than just a pea brain in the tin bucket for a head. Or maybe you've just been lucky so far."
The Egg Hammer produced a mechanical growl and swung. Zero ducked under the hammer blow, then jumped and slashed the robot across the chest. Oil dripped from the wound and the Egg Hammer staggered back a few steps. Zero used the opportunity and readied another attack. Since he was to close for the long-ranged hammer to work, the Egg Hammer raised one of its fists and punched the jackal back.
Once again the mobian crashed into the sand and had to do a side roll to avoid getting crushed. Zero held his broken nose and spit some blood out of his mouth. But despite the enormous pain, he grinned. He hadn't felt alive going into a fight in a long time. But this attack against Eggman finally brought some relief from the monotony.
Zero´s enemy started spinning wildly around with its weapon, but the jackal managed to keep his distance from it. Once it was done, the Badnik wobbled around for a bit, its sensors having been a bit overloaded from its own attack. Zero realized that this could lead him to ending this fight. However, instead of just dashing into another attack, the jackal baited his opponent.
"Is that all you've got? Come here!"
The Egg Hammer once again reacted to the taunting and raised its weapon above its head, bringing it down with all of its force. Zero jumped back so that the hammer head in front of him dug into the sand. The leader of the Jackal Squad hopped onto it and ran up the pole of the hammer and toward the head of the Badnik. The combat robot realized the danger it was in and let go of its weapon, but reacted too slowly. With all his might, Zero jumped and drove his saber deep into the machine's metal skull. It staggered back and forth, reaching for Zero with its hands. But the jackal clung to the frame of its head and struck with his saber, the glistening red metal digging its way deeper and deeper, until it was completely split. Sparks flew from cut trough and exposed wires and the massive machine fell to the ground, Zero jumped off it and looked around. All Badniks around the base had been destroyed by his Squad. They all looked at their leader. He gave them a proud smile with a thumbs up.
"Good job! Like I said, those metal buckets are nothing compared to our skills and tactics!"
Zero's team agreed with loud cheers. His smile widened.
"So, let's storm the inside of the base. And then…"
"What an outrage!"
All members of the Jackal Squad turned to face the entrance to the base. Eggman came flying out of it in his Egg Mobile.
"I was hoping for a quiet time in the seclusion of this desert to experiment on my newest project in peace, and then you mutts just burst in! Who do you think you are to mess with me?"
At this, Zero pointed his saber at the mad doctor while his fellow jackals stood behind their leader.
"My name is Zero the Jackal, better known as the Ultimate Mercenary, leader of the Jackal Squad. You have set up your base in our territory, this attack is the consequence of that."
"Oh really. Well I´ve got news for you: This WAS your territory. Now it's the property of my future Empire and you lousy mutts have no business being here any longer!"
He pressed a button on the Egg Mobile. The lower half of the flight apparatus was extended by a cannon-like apparatus in which a glowing ruby was integrated. Zero frowned at the gem. Was that one of those legendary Chaos Emeralds? His unspoken question was answered by Eggman.
"At least you can do me a favor and act as test subjects for my current creation in trying to control the Phantom Ruby!"
The apparatus fired. It produced cube-shaped projectiles, duplicating themselves several times in the air, sending them flying in every direction. Because of this, several members of the Jackal Squad were hit despite attempts to avoid them. They let out screams and moans as they clutched their heads and writhed on the ground. Some were even starting to going against each other. Zero blinked in shock.
"What the...WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM!?"
"Oh don't worry, currently I can only produce illusions with this. Wanna see some?"
Eggman fired many more projectiles this time, hitting even the fastest jackals. Including Zero. A cube brushed against him and scorpions and snakes appeared from the sand. They bit and stabbed Zero, injecting their venom into him. It burned, it felt like his organs were dissolving.
Zero found himself back in reality. He lay on his knees, breathing heavily, the burning pain still clear in his memory. He looked left and right. The rest were still under the influence of the illusions.
"Well of you look at that, some mutts are trying to get up. Let me correct that."
Another wave of cubes. Zero tried to jump up from the ground, but he wasn't fast enough.
He found himself back in his father's shabby home.
"I told you to leave me alone, Zero!"
"But I'm not feeling well, I think I'm sick."
"So what? Weaklings die. Survive or be weak. Now leave me alone or do I need another beating to make this clear?"
Young Zero opened his mouth to reply, but coughed instead.
"Damn it, are you trying to infect me or what? Just you wait!"
"No father, please don't!"
The first punches hit him.
Zero was able to free himself from the Phantom Ruby's influence again. However, he was now the only one standing. Eggman raised his eyebrows, impressed.
"You have a strong will, I'll give you that. But every will can be broken."
This time Zero was able to dodge the projectiles. He jumped towards the Egg Mobile with his saber raised, but Eggman sent it flying to the side. Zero flew past him to the side. Before he could land, the apparatus spun around and hit him in the back.
"You're nothing, do you know that Zero? That's exactly why you're called that: To show the world that you're not worth anything! Zero strength, zero intelligence and zero anything!"
"Father, please… w-why are you picking up this broken bottle? Wait, please don't!"
Zero dropped his saber and pressed his hands to his scar. It felt like the jagged glass was sliding through his face again, cutting his skin and flesh. It hurt, almost as painful as the sheer hatred his father showed him. Which ultimately made him flee from home and into street life. Zero breathed heavily as he fell to his knees, shaking.
He felt less like the Ultimate Mercenary and more like the scared child of back then, the Phantom Ruby bringing the wort memories back…
A clatter made Zero look around. The apparatus had fallen off the Egg Mobile. The metal weapon was distorted and bent in bizarre ways. Rust and molten iron emanated from the place where the ruby was placed. Eggman looked at his weapon in disgruntlement.
"So that model didn't work either. I just do not understand. I try to balance the limited supply of Valtrom I have as good as I can into the design of my machines and yet nothing works. Robots either explode or become uncontrollable. And simpler mechanical devices are distorted by the energies and rendered useless. Even these mutts here proved to be more resilient. What would it take to control the Phantom Ruby's power?" The Doctor was brought out of his loud musings when he noticed Zero crawling toward his saber. Eggman looked at him briefly, then the rest of his squad, who were still fighting under the effects of the Phantom Ruby. Wrinkles formed on the doctor's forehead.
"Could it maybe…" He grinned. "Oh why not, I'll just try it out!"
The Egg Mobile extended a mechanical arm. Zero tried to reach for his saber. His fingertips brushed the grip of the weapon, then he was grabbed by the throat and pulled towards Eggman.
"Zero was it? I think I have an idea how you and your squad can pay for the property damage you caused me. What do you think about helping me channel the power of the Phantom Ruby? Some of my methods may be a little immoral, but you mercenaries are usually in a morally gray area anyway so I bet you don't care that much."
Zero stared at the deformed apparatus, particularly at the pulsating Phantom Ruby within it. Its glow seemed to be beckoning, like the lure of a hungry angler fish.
"If you're talking about using me and my squad as... as host bodies for this thing, then-" He was cut off as the mechanical arm tightened its grip, cutting off his air supply.
"No objections? Well then, what are we waiting for!"
The entire Jackal Squad, still mentally overwhelmed by the illusions, was thoroughly searched by Badniks, disarmed, handcuffed and imprisoned under heavy guard. Eggman gave them implants that shocked them whenever they left their cell without his allowance.
Of course they still tried to break out, but the technology of the mad doctor kept thwarting their efforts.
Zero repeatedly had to watch as Badniks took his Squad members, his friends, and led them to the doctor's laboratory. He heard their screams as the Phantom Ruby distorted their atomic structure. Sometimes some Badniks would come by his cell, transporting the crystallized and broken remains of the jackals to other parts of the base.
Never, not since he left his father's household, had Zero felt so helpless and disgusted as he did now.
And one day it was his turn. He lashed out wildly, kicked the robots, fought back with all his might.
Unsuccessfully.
The implant´s shocks rendered him weak. The machines took him to the laboratory, to a room with an operations table and tied him to it. Eggman was fiddling with several machines. He grinned at Zero.
"I finally perfected the formula. With this," he raised a metal mask, "I managed to utilize the amount of Valtrom I have so that it helps you to properly focus the Phantom Ruby! Very soon it will help me to world domination!"
Several metal arms extended from the machines in the room. One was holding said gemstone. The rest had surgical instruments. They cloed in on Zero.
"No! NO! Keep this thing away from me!" He desperately tried to tear himself away. But no matter how much force he applied, it was no use. Zero couldn't save himself. Just as little as his comrades. He had assured them that they would manage to defeat Eggman and they had trusted him. Instead, he had led them all to their death.
And himself to his damnation.
"NO!"
Cold metal touched his chest.
...
"…after that came pain. And that was the last thing I felt before the Phantom Ruby took over me," finished Zero, his torso being tightly bandaged to treat his chest wound. He and other Resistance members were in a hastily set up hospital tent where the wounded were being treated. In front of the jackal were: Sonic, Tails, Ruby, Knuckles, Amy and Team Dark.
They had all listened to the mercenary's story with growing tension. After he finished speaking, Ruby asked, "So the Phantom Ruby took control of you and turned you into Infinite?"
"No, it wasn't that simple. The ruby... its contempt for existence penetrated my mind... my soul. It changed me, shattered my being, and formed Infinite, from my worst memories and characteristics. He could use my skills at any time and abused me for whatever he wanted. For me everything was distorted by a red haze and pain. But there were still moments when I gained enough clarity to notice what was happening around me. I saw what my body was doing…"
"I get it now," said Tails. "When I saw glimpses remorse in Infinite's eye, it was you."
Zero gave a slight nod and a shrug.
"I admit that I am far from being the best person. But Infinite…" He shook his mismatching eyes and shook his head. "He went too far. I didn't want anyone to suffer such terror and be brutally slaughtered. Like... like what happened to my Squad. I always tried to fight him."
"That does explain a few things," Sonic said, catching onto things quickly. Everyone looked at him. "I saw Infinite let Tails run when he and his Phantoms defeated me. I bet it was your influence. And I think you were the reason Infinite banished us to Null Space. He had brought the Chaos Emeralds there because they would help us. It was an obvious mistake on his part to send us there. Unless someone influenced him to do it."
Knuckles crossed his arms. "Of course, that doesn't mean you're actually telling the truth 'Zero'. You could just be making it all up to save your skin."
To everyone's surprise, it was Shadow who said, "I'm not so sure. Omega, do you still have access to G.U.N.'s archives? I'm sure I read something about that Jackal Squad there."
The combat robot was silent for a while. Then he answered. "POSITIVE. THE JACKAL SQUAD POSSESSED HIGH NOTORIETY FOR THEIR EFFECTIVENESS, THEIR LEADER EVEN BEING KNOWN AS THE ULTIMATE MERCENARY UNDER CERTAIN CRIMINAL RINGS. HOWEVER, MORE PERSONAL DATA OF SINGLE MEMBERS WAS DIFFICULT TO GATHER DUE TO THEIR ELUSIVENESS."
Zero cracked a small but cynical and bitter smile at this.
"So we actually made it on G.U.N.´s watch list trough our work and yet kept ourselves in the shadows regarding our personal history? Guess we were more special than I imagined. If I had known that then maybe…"
He didn't finish that sentence, but his dishonest smile disappeared.
"Maybe I wouldn't have made such a foolish mistake. Now… everything is messed up. My father was right."
"Don´t say that!" Ruby proclaimed. Maybe she was being naive for showing Zero empathy, in the case he really was Infinite, but she couldn't help herself. The way he acted, his tired and exhausted tone and slouched posture, it reminded her too much of her uncle Qrow and her father during their worst moments.
"You made a mistake, a really horrible one, but your not like Cinder or Eggman! You-"
"I still have some of the blame to share. And it where my hands that committed Infinite´s atrocities." Zero waved the human girl´s concern off. "People want their outlet for what happened to them. Doesn't matter if I say the truth or not, they want to believe what they want."
Ruby flinched at the utter resignation in the jackals voice. Shadow looked from the exhausted mobian to the human girl whose silver eyes looked hurt. Hurt for the guy that had terrorized countless people, including her. She reminded the black hedgehog once again of Maria. The real one and not the horrors the Phantom Ruby had shown him. He closed his eyes and sighed. Then he opened them again and looked straight at Ruby.
"I understand your concern and sympathy, but things can rarely be seen as black and white. Real life is messy and chaotic. I agree we should make sure that Infinite and Zero truly are one and the same before we let retribution reign. But it wont be easy for anyone with many people involved."
Ruby opened her mouth… and then closed it, looking conflicted.
"I… I´m not sure what to… can I have a minute?"
"Of course. I understand if you need some alone time to gather your thoughts." Knuckles gave her a nod. Amy added, "Considering what the battle you just had out there, you deserve more than a break."
Ruby just nodded and went out the tent. She wandered around, careful not to get in the way of people trying to patch up Resistance soldiers or made graves for the ones that had fallen during battle. She finally arrived the edge of the name giving canyon of Mortar Canyon, her thoughtful gaze wandering over the still active Badnik factories and the teams raiding and eliminating them. After a while she heard steps approaching her from behind. Ruby turned around and saw that it was Sonic. He gave her a smile.
"Hey, you´re doing good?"
"I´m… fine, I guess. Just shaken up by Zero´s tale. And the fact that people could blame and hurt someone who is a victim."
Sonic´s smile disappeared as he stepped to the silver-eyed girl´s side.
"Yeah… I know it is harsh but Shadow was right. While I like to give everyone the freedom they deserve, people like Cinder and Eggman show that actions have consequences. And it causes people to get hurt or worse. In my opinion Zero should be able to have a chance at… well, maybe redemption isn't the right word, but you know what I mean. But in the case he really is just Infinite, well… me Shadow and other will be concerned that he will cause more harm to others." The smile on the blue hedgehog´s face returned, but it was fainter. "I guess there´s simply no adventure without risks."
A faint smile appeared on Ruby´s face as well. "Heh, you know… I always dreamed of having great adventures. It was one of the reasons I wanted to be a huntress. And being here on Mobius…" She shrugged. "Not to say I didn't have fun. Meeting you and everyone else, it made many of the terrible things appear not so terrible anymore. But this war and the Fall of Beacon have shown me that things are more… harsher than I thought they would be."
Sonic nodded.
"Yeah, that is the thing about adventures. There a two sides of the coin. But hey, despite everything you managed to come atop. You should be proud of that. You, and Tails, even helped me to take Infinite down when I lost my Super Form and saved Zero."
"But…"
"If helping him really backfires than that´s his fault and not yours. Sure, you may still have a long way of being as experienced as me, but you have potential. The potential of bringing hope to those that can´t protect themselves. Don't let others or your fears and doubts hinder you at being the best you can be."
Ruby couldn't help having a more genuine smile appear on her face as a warm feeling spread inside her chest.
"I… thank you, Sonic."
He looked up to the human girl and raised his fist toward her. "No problem partner."
Ruby was about to make a fist bump with her friend…
...when the ground suddenly started to shake.
Human and mobian tried to keep their balance at the sudden tremors.
"Oh come on! What now?"
"Something is wrong. Very wrong," Ruby said as a weak but weird feeling was eminating trough her.
From Eggman´s imperial tower a dark mass of storm clouds spread across the sky, rain began to fall and the wind was picking up, as the magic of the Fall Maiden was used by something that was against its nature. The tower´s side burst open as a huge and mechanical shape erupted from it. Lightning flashed and Sonic and Ruby could see a gigantic robot made from a dark-grayish metal similiar to the one of Infinite´s mask. Its upper body had a rougly humanoid shape, but with six arms and a flat head. The lower part was segmentet and snake-like. The visor on the head, alongside several sensors and wires spread across the robot´s surface, lit up in a sinister red, followed by a familiar yet dreaded tone vibrating trough reality as the machine teleported with a glitch right in front of them. The duo took sveral steps back as they looked up and up and up to the monstrous machine towering over them.
Loud and megalomanic laughter was heard trough the robot´s speakers, slightly distorted by them, as Eggman triumphantly revealed the Resistance his true masterplan.
So this was more of an interlude chapter towards the final battle of this story. Still, we got the backstory here of my version of Infinite, or rather, Zero. It left many of our heroes unsure of what to do with him, but they didn't have any time to really ponder about his tale for Eggman as enacted his true plan. Next chapter he will monologue about it before the heroes quickly have to find a way in defeating the final boss without the Chaos Emeralds.
To Grand Chaos Master: What´s wrong with Super humans?
Glad you liked the battle and as for the sequel, yeah you could say there will be accidental consequences for something multidimensional happening.
To Haxorus Knight: As told by Zero, the Phantom Ruby is less straight up possession and more like corrupting the bearer and creating a new personality from them. If Cinder would have used the Phantom Ruby, a much more violent and bloodthirsty version of Infinite would have been borne.
To quirky2023: Thank you and I will. Infinite was absolutely done with Sonic so he wanted to give him the most horrible vision imaginable.
To SuperSaiyanFever: That he did.
As I said to Haxorus Knight, not directly sentient. Although you have a point that the thing needs to be destroyed.
To Monster King: Thank you.