16 - More Truth - 16

Evening, 9:30 PM

"..."

It wasn't like Sonic to clam up. He was uncomfortable with all of it. Not because of the demanded intimacy or the island, but because of something within himself. Shadow attempted to try and be patient and gentle. Sonic was an unloaded pistol when he was even slightly annoyed—Not cruel enough to shoot you, but cruel enough to break your jaw by pistol-whipping you with words alone. Shadow conceded that he somewhat feared what kind of foul language he'd use when fiercely upset. He'd be careful with what he had to say. "Are you afraid of what we might see when we open the entrance? Afraid of something we might find out?" Silence was his blue lover's response, and he only turned his back towards him while saying nothing. Shadow walked from behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you remember on the Ark, when Rouge read the transcript of Gerald's final words before his execution? How he explained that he wanted to basically kill everyone on Mobius by using me and the eclipse cannon?" He sighed heavily. "That still sticks in my mind to this day, how even Eggman of all people, was put off by such a vicious perspective on humanity. Then, when I found out about Black Doom, I hated myself. I despised that my origins stemmed from such hatred and greed from both of my creators. Maybe I still do from time to time when no one's around. But," He glanced at Sonic and pulled him a little closer. "After I reacted, albeit with depression and rage, I eventually embraced it and learned to live with it. It's not easy at all, I still struggle with it. This...Dark cloud in my brain."

With sorrowful sympathy, Sonic turned and met his gaze. However, he still said nothing. "..."

He rubbed his hand down Sonic's arm and grasped his hand, rubbing his thumb in his palm. "Sometimes even looking in the mirror hurts. Knowing that's all I was supposed to be to them: A blood stained weapon of brutality and carnage. Then, I listened to your words." He chuckled a little to himself. "Your brash, arrogant, annoying words—Preaching 'freedom this, freedom that,' and the rest of that rebellious, teenage drivel." Shadow laughed a little more. "I thought you were just some brat with power you didn't comprehend, only showing me up with pure luck. Then," His smile went from humorous, to warm. "You attempted to save me when I fell. As I blacked out, that's when I truly started to listen to what you were actually trying to tell me: Live."

He had Sonic's full attention when he said that.

"No matter what I went through or what I found out about myself, you always told me to just take things one day at a time and live for me. Not Gerald, not Black Doom, not even Maria. But for me." He grabbed his arms and pulled him even closer. "No matter what my past was, even if it was recent, to remedy the mistakes and walk it off. You recently almost killed someone, which is admittedly entirely out of character for you." He saw shame grow in Sonic's eyes, but he wouldn't let that last. "You scared your friends, and you feel you can't trust yourself. Now, Eggman claims he found evidence of you being related to some all-powerful evil race of chaos users. You think that everything you've experienced up to now, might be proven to be true. That maybe, you're...Not what you thought you were." He saw Sonic's eyes fall downcast, but he gripped him tighter to make him stop. "But that doesn't matter." Shadow exclaimed. "Because where ever you come from, whatever you may turn out to be, it doesn't define you. Because...You're Sonic the Hedgehog. You don't give a damn about what anyone thinks of you, and you never cared about what your origins were. You shouldn't run away from your past, but you shouldn't let it defeat you either. Keep that mentality, make it stronger. I want you to promise me that whatever we find out about you, you won't let it affect you." He reached his hand up and caressed the side of Sonic's face, which was turning a deep shade of pink. "I mean it, promise me."

Sonic's mouth was slightly agape, his expression pitifully bashful. "H-How do you...do that?"

Wait, did he do something wrong? "What?" Shadow blinked. "What did I do?"

The hero turned away with an annoyed scowl. "God, you don't even realize how smooth you are and that's so annoying. How do you just charm me like that? Do you have any idea how hard that is to do on the fly?" His blue ears flattened as he tried hiding his face by looking away. "And you do it like its nothing...it's making me..." He released a hot exhale that he didn't even realize he was holding. He covered his mouth a little. "You can't...do that..."

Shadow nuzzled the side of his face with his nose. "Oh? And why not?" He whispered as he dragged his fingers down his shoulder blade, his lips hovering closely below his chin.

Gasping, the blue blur ended up falling right into his hold. He was kissing the back of his neck. "Because...You'll make me..."

"Make you what?" Ringed hands rubbed down his sides, earning Shadow a shiver. "I can't seem to hear you."

"Make me..." Sonic closed his legs instinctively. "Hot..." Shadow's hand was suddenly in between them, his fingers grinding against him from below. "A-Ahh..." The blue one flinched, his thighs unwillingly opening. "W-Wait..." He desperately seized Shadow's wrist. "I...You...N-Nghaah..." He felt a tongue slither against his throat, then he felt it suck against his flesh. Those fingers rubbed a little more vigorously, and Sonic nearly lost his footing. His knees started to bend forward, his grip on the elder one's arms tightening. "Not right there...Not here...I-I can't handle that right now."

Shadow stepped behind him, and began grinding himself against him, wrapping his arm around him so he couldn't escape. "I'll stop if you promise." He lifted his fingers from his crotch, then reached towards his upper torso. His hand suddenly groped his peach chest.

"A-Ah!" Sonic yelped in pleasure. "S-Shadow..."

"Promise me, hedgehog. Unless, you want me to embarrass you?"

"I-I promise..."

"If you break it, I'll be very cross with you. And I mean that."

Sonic shook his head desperately. "No...I promise, I won't break it. I swear-" Shadow squeezed his pectorals harder, causing the blue one to toss his head back. "F-Fuck...!" He hissed, his eyes rolling back. "Not there, anywhere but there, please...! I promise...I promi-Mmmnn...!" Panting heavily, he felt Shadow cease his teasing despite still having him in a very compromising position. Gulping, Sonic placed his hand onto Shadow's. He realized he was gripping the left side of his body, where his heart was. He could feel Shadow sigh against him. As entertaining and gratifying this was, he didn't want to prove his point like this, this was doing the reverse of what he wanted. Sonic understood that and tried to level with him. "I...I get it. You don't want me to fall into despair like you did. Right?" He felt his grip suddenly tighten again. "S-Stop that...!" Sonic whined with a moan. "If you keep touching me there, I'm gonna lose my mind!"

Shadow released him, turned him around and gripped the back of his head by his quills, shoving his forehead against his. "If you break that promise, I swear to Chaos...The things I'll do to you," His eyes went from sexually exasperated to genuine pleading. "The things you'll make me feel...You'll... Don't let me see you do that to yourself. Don't end up like me, Sonic." He leaned himself against Sonic. "Please."

Finally normalizing his breathing, Sonic nodded. "...I won't, Shadow. I swear on my life." His flushed cheeks slowly faded. "I don't wanna disappoint you, and I don't wanna make you sad. I'm sorry," The hero placed his hands onto his, and slowly lowered them. "I didn't mean to make you worry like that. But, if we do find out something bad," He pressed a small kiss on his cheek. "Will you be there for me?"

"Of course I will." Shadow replied without hesitation. "I'll be right by your side."

Sonic smiled widely. "See, you're doing it again. You're bein' cute and charming and what not."

The biohog pursed his lips. "What? I am not."

"Yes you are~" He teased. Admiring each other's eyes, they closed their eyes and leaned forward and shared a kiss. While a little heated, it was more romantic than lustful. "Mmn, you attacked me like an animal, y'know. I was in fear for my life because you were so rough." Sonic facetiously winced in imitative fear as Shadow caressed his muzzle. His voice mocking that of a damsel in distress. "No, you brute, no more—Please don't~"

Shadow was unimpressed. "Mock me all you want, you were like putty in my hands."

"Ooohhh nooooo~ This hot, sexy old man is gonna have his way with me! What ever shall I dooooo~?"

"S-Shut the hell up, I was making a point!"

"Pleeeaaase don't grope me again, mister~ If only a hotter and sexier older man could save me."

"Okay. You wanna play that game, fine." Feeling his eye twitch in unbridled vexation, Shadow poked his fingers into Sonic's sides.

Giggling from the sensation, the hero instantly gave up while putting his hands up in defeat. "A-Aight, aight. Chill." He yielded in his normal voice. He tickled him some more, however. "Ahaha-Hey! Hey. Chill." And then a little more. "Chill, chill chill chill chill! Chill dude! Bro-!" His laughs shrieked with glee as he uselessly attempted to block Shadow from his weak spots. "S-Stahahahap!"

"Say you're sorry."

"O-Okay okay, I'm sorry! Just stop tickling me...!"

Bright rainbow lights suddenly beamed in the corner of their eyes. They turned to the pillars to see a transparent arc of colors abruptly spawn from between the ancient structures. It was some kind of gigantic moving mass of energy, floating above the ground and shining bright. It stretched and twisted, until two prongs of the mass reached out from within. It formed a pair of arms with hands of raw chaos. They dived down towards the ground, digging it's semi-incorporeal fingers into the sand. As it scratched out the sand between the pillars, limestone rock was revealed from underneath the looser gravel. Once all the sand was cleared, the entire space of the material was a large circle of rock between the pillars. A strange symbol was marked on it's surface, an eye. The chaotic hands then paused, causing the two hedgehogs to glance at each other, baffled. What did it want? How were they to open this? Sonic cautiously stepped near the pillars, then looked down at the limestone rock below. He knelt down and placed his palm against the symbol that was carved into it. When he did, the carving lit up with a spectrum of color. It shined brightly into the sky, but it quickly faded soon after.

The ground began to shake violently, nearly causing them to lose balance. The chaotic arms moved once more out of stagnation, swooping down to dig their fingers around the large circle of rock. It lifted it up gradually, and the more it lifted it into the air, the more rock was revealed to have plugged this area of the island. A few seconds later, it was finally done lifting it's entire mass from within the ground. It was shaped like a sharp stalactite, the end pointed and sharp like a stake. When Sonic looked over to see what was uncovered from the limestone, he saw a cratered path with an old but organized structure of rock steps leading down. This circular shape, the rocky insides with moist spectral water and the strange bright lights emanating from below. This was the cave entrance Sonic remembered. He motioned for Shadow to come quickly, as now was their chance to get inside. "I don't get it," He murmured. "I thought it wanted us to mess around." He glanced at Shadow. "Maybe we proved enough?" They both took a moment to think about that, as he was probably right. Maybe they didn't need to go that far. What they had just experienced with each other was indeed adoration, and they could both feel that the lust was unnecessary. It saw all it needed to see, whatever it was. They smiled at each other and descended down the steps together.

Once they were fully underground, the chaotic hands immediately disappeared into rainbow embers of chaos drifting in the sky. The giant stalactite slammed down into the hole, raising sandy dust and minerals from off the ground. After it all settled, the sand mysteriously pushed itself over the hidden rock, as if no one was ever there in the first place. The ground shook again, both above and below, making the hedgehogs traversing down the stairs to lose their balance again. They recovered quickly, and continued going down. There was enough room to walk beside each other, they weren't cramped. They both looked up and around themselves, noticing the beautiful organic crystals and rock gems shining within the limestone walls. The radiance shining within them served as lighting for the cave, with absolutely no darkness to be found. Rouge would have a field day if she was in here, because a lot of these gems were minerals neither of them recognized. There were so many colors, hues and shades to all of them. It was fantastical down here.

When they reached the bottom, they saw an extremely large space. With hidden gems wedged between the walls and floors of the space, it created a gorgeous multi-colored reflection in certain parts of the area. A small circle of water sat in the middle, the water dazzling just like the oceans on the surface. Behind it was a straight edged monolith made entirely of those gems. It wasn't jagged or rocky with stones, it was completely smooth. Carved images were drawn within it's material, but Sonic and Shadow knew better by now. Around the small pond of water were small patches of dirt, and lovely wild flowers sprouted from the rich soil. The flowers oddly looked like bleeding heart flowers, an exotic and magnificent plant to be sure, but one had to be on the other side of the world to see one of those in its native grounds. These however looked like some rare mutated versions of them, because they were bigger than average and they weren't naturally all these colors.

Sonic stepped in front of the pond, and noticed that it was only big enough for one, maybe two people to get in the water. He then looked at the monolith looming over it and his eyes immediately began to water from slight burning of the chaos energy within the carvings. Glinting spectral tears fell from his eyes as he attempted to see through them and read the text carved within. "'Template number two, Sonic the Hedgehog'...Template?" He asked aloud. "The hell does it mean by that?" He then looked back down at the water below. This pond...It's small size...He blinked a few times, the chaos infused tears falling down his face and dropping into the water. The ripples symmetrically spread to all sides of the pond, causing something in his brain to spark up his memories. "...!"

The cries of an infant.

"My perfect one, no need to fuss." A motherly, yet strangely fatherly voice hushed it to sleep. "There there child, your hunger will wane soon enough."

The cries became happy coos and innocent giggles.

"What an angelic smile...Yes, you will be perfect."

Soon, those cute babbles turned into cries of torment.

"Oh, now you're fussing again."

Splashing, coughing, choking.

"Be still, it'll only be just a moment longer."

Can't breathe.

Can't breathe.

Can't breathe.

"This is for your own good."

"...onic. Sonic!"

Green eyes snapped open with a strong gasp. Sonic keeled over and began coughing and hacking, wheezing as if he was just held under water. He practically puked up the abnormal liquid from the pond, sensing it exit from his lungs. Feeling Shadow pat his back for support, he brought his hands up to his face. His muzzle was wet, water was dripping down his body. Panting, he turned to the ultimate life form. "W-What happened?"

"You threw yourself into the damn water." The GUN agent wrapped an arm around his waist to help him up on his feet, allowing him to lean against him. Sonic noticed they were some distance away from the pond now, and there were dragged water marks across the stone floor. "I found something of interest that I wanted you to see, but then I turn around and I see you drowning yourself in that pond. Why did you do that?"

"I," Sonic placed a hand over his head, he suddenly had a massive headache. "I don't know. I remembered—Someone did try to drown me in there. I was just a baby...I can't remember who it was for the life of me. Their voice was strange. It sounded like a man and a woman at the same time." His ears flattened. "I hate this, I don't like this at all." He made a small cough and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. "What was it that you wanted to show me?"

"Stay close to me." Shadow tightened his hold on the hero, causing Sonic to blush lightly. He guided him to the far left of the empty space, and showed him a wall. It looked like the rest of the walls of the cave, until he gestured for him to look down at the ground. There was another eye symbol carved here. "I tried touching it, but it wouldn't work. It must be the same as before when you touched the entrance."

The hero nodded and knelt down to place his palm against the symbol. It lit up like before, but it died out much faster than last time. Sonic narrowed his eyes. "Hey, put your hand here with me." He lifted his hand. "At the same time, c'mon." The biohog nodded and steadied his hand along with Sonic's. Concurrently, they both placed their palms down onto the symbol, and it lit up once again. This time, the light inside of it did not fade. The wall before them lifted upwards, revealing another section of the cave. It was much smaller, but something about it felt rather cozy. They stepped in together, noticing the items splayed out on the floor. There were several old, thick, warm blankets amassed in a pile. Almost like a nest. They were ancient, it's fabrics rotting away, formerly bright in pastel colors. In the back of the room was a full-body dug-in area. Something dug through the rocks here to form a reclining seat or resting place. There were old cushions covering the stone, and there was also some water from the pond inside of it. Looking up, there was a tiny skylight opening from above. Perhaps there was a hole somewhere above them. Moonlight shined down through it, illuminating the spot with colors. Was this supposed to be a bed of some kind? It was too big for a child.

Sonic touched his fingers against the strange bed, but he felt nothing.

He did however, see a tiny little metal thing in the corner of it. He reached down to pick it up between his fingers, and he realized that this was a tiny drone. A bug, practically, except it could fly. It probably fell through that tiny skylight. This must have been how Eggman was able to get information about Sonic's alleged ancestry, despite being attacked on the surface. He never physically made it down here, but he did get to see it through this drone. He then walked over and picked up one of the blankets on the ground, but he didn't feel anything pulling at his memory banks. No good. He turned over to Shadow, to see that he was attempting to read some carved text in the wall to the right. He mumbled a curse at the burning sensation, but eventually was able to read it. Sonic walked over beside him. "What's it say?"

Shadow blinked his eyes to rid himself of the tears that were not his own, and began to read aloud again. "'To the child who slumbers here, always remember the Divine Quadrant. The gold one, the dark one, the demon and the angel. If you wish for courage, look for the auric sun. If you wish for acceptance, look for the melancholy moon. If you wish for madness, look for your mind's pandemonium. If you wish for true love, look for your heart's perfection. If you are ever lost, look to their eyes for guidance.' Look," Shadow tapped his fingers on some of the text, and they began to glow in specific colors. The one that spoke of the 'gold one' was glowing gold. The 'dark one' text was glowing a dark blue, almost black. The 'demon' text was glowing scarlet red. The 'angel' text was glowing white, with small bits of other bright colors around it. "The gold one," Shadow repeated slowly before glancing at Sonic. "If you were born here, is it talking about Super Sonic?"

Anxiously, Sonic stared at the 'demon' text. "...Is...that what I..." He gripped his hands into fists. "That's what happened that day?"

The biohog frowned. "What do you-?" Then he remembered what his friends told him about Sonic's attack against Eggman three years ago. Yes, they said it looked like Super Sonic, but that it seemed as if Sonic was possessed by something demonic. "A demon...That can't be real." He whispered. "Why the hell would you have a demon inside of you? And what are the others that the text is talking about?"

"So I used some kind of fucked up demonic power...?" Sonic scowled furiously. "...Bullshit." That tiny amount of rage made a small spark of scarlet red aura emanate from Sonic's figure, startling them both. "T-The hell?" He watched as the energy traveled to the wall, it's power infusing with it and the text. Suddenly, the imagery covering the wall was rearranged with added carvings. It was reading something different. "'Let our blood subjugate and conquer forevermore. Chaos...reigns.'" That again? Who would write something so menacing? "I know I was born here," Sonic suddenly said hastily. "I know I was drowned here, and I know I must have slept in this room when I was little. But this—" He swung his fist into the wall, causing it to rumble. "Demons? Subjugation? Bullshit!" He shouted, gripping his fingers into the wall. "I don't believe it, and I'll never believe it until I see real proof for myself!" He tossed down the tiny drone, shattering it into pieces the moment it hit the ground. "Eggman's pussing out because of this? Really? We didn't even see where he got this 'Phantom Ruby' thing from. What a bunch of crap..." He watched pebbles and rocks crumble onto the floor. Sonic turned and immediately exited out of the room.

Concerned but fully understanding his frustration, Shadow followed him. The hero had his back turned to him, glaring at the small pond with great anger. "...What do you believe?"

Sonic scoffed, almost as if the answer was obvious. "I believe I'm me. I don't care what these ruins say, and I don't care what Egghead thinks. I'm no monster, and I'm not a demon." He glanced at Shadow over his shoulder, his green eyes shining with a strong sense of conviction. "I'm just a guy who loves adventure, nothing more and nothing less. I don't need some old rock tellin' me what I am." He made a big sigh, all of that fury slowly drifting away. He then stretched his arms high up in the air and put his hands on his hips. "Aight, I'm about sick of this dump. It's pretty an' all, but for what? To hide a bunch of shitty secrets? Tch, please." He waved for Shadow to come closer. "Could you Chaos Control us out? I could probably tap some rock to make an exit or something, but I don't wanna touch anything else in here. It feels nasty."

Sonic was obviously still bothered by this mystifying discovery, but he wasn't letting it keep him down. He was keeping his promise, and his huge personality was too powerful to back down from insecurity. With a small but proud smile, Shadow accepted. "Of course." He offered his hand like a gentleman, to which Sonic smiled and took it gratefully. "Chaos Control." In a green flash, they appeared above ground and back on the sand. Shadow recoiled a little in pain, feeling a slight headache after that. "This entire island must be covered in ancient chaos energy, so teleporting in it's space felt a little...Resistant to it's atmosphere. I'll need to take something for that, it gave me a migraine. I've had a lot of those this month." He noticed Sonic was still holding his hand, and when he did, the blue one just grinned at him. 'Guess he felt too comfortable to let go. "So, if you were born here, that means you were born in pure chaos." He eyed Sonic up and down, something he did often when the hero wasn't looking, but this time it was for a more serious reason. "Yet, you're biologically not made of it. At least, not like me. All Mobians have some tiny abysmal level of chaos power, but not like us. I wonder why your body's so different from mine..."

The hero shrugged while reaching his arms behind his head. "I dunno, maybe 'cause I gotta grow into it? I could barely Chaos Control when I was younger, and that was with a fake emerald. Now I can do a little more, but I still can't use abilities as well as you can. Practicing with it is hard for me. For some reason, my body can't focus well enough to go that far unless I transform. With age, it gets a little bit easier every year. Not by much, though. Unleeeessssss..." Sonic made a mischievous smile. He then leaned against Shadow, playfully nudging against him. "Since you and I are more than cool now, whatcha think about teaching me a lil' somethin'? Maybe gimme a training regimen? Maybeeee..." He fluttered his eyes at him dramatically. "Some private lessons with yours truly~?"

"Okay first off," Shadow poked his finger into Sonic's head to push him away. "Never make that face again, it's unattractive. Second, I don't mind training you, but we'd have to do it in an open space. Green Hill Zone should be perfect, actually. Plus, you'd have to set aside time every week to see me."

"Babe, I'll always set aside time for you."

Blushing, Shadow averted his eyes quickly. "Alright, work is usually lax on Fridays for me, so I suppose you can meet me in the early evenings of that day. Just, don't...You know."

"What?" Sonic tilted his head with a smirk. "Make your legs shake?"

"Shut-" The biohog reached up to pinch the tip of his ear. "-Your filthy mouth."

"Owwww!" The hero swatted his arm away. "Your mouth was filthy too! It had cu-"

"Sonic I swear on Gerald's grave, I will punt you into the sun."

July 19th - Unknown Location

Eggman's Hidden Underground Base

DAY 9: Saturday

Morning, 11:00 AM

Pain.

So much pain.

Everything hurts.

He...was on the floor.

He couldn't even focus his vision correctly. Where was he? He couldn't feel the water anymore, was he free? Heterochromic eyes attempted to refocus their pupils, noticing that he was still in Dr. Eggman's laboratory. He was still trapped here as per Shadow's plan, but...What happened? The room, it was a mess. Trashed, destroyed objects, turned over furniture, computers and monitors smashed into pieces. There were even some burn marks here, and water that was filling his pod was all around him on the metallic floor with broken glass, yet it didn't evaporate or dry up. It's obviously been some time since he was put in this pod, so why was the water still here? This water wasn't normal either, multicolored. Oh yes, didn't the doctor say this was pure chaos? Maybe that's why it didn't fade away. How long as he out? And why was his pod destroyed? He carefully tried to move his limbs, the glass shards perilously surrounding his body. He accidentally cut himself on his arm when trying to push himself off the floor. He winced in pain, as everything in his body felt hyper sensitive at the moment.

He wobbled onto his knees, and eventually his feet. Quivering with abnormal energy and decreasing pain, Infinite just barely managed to stand up. He panted lightly, feeling as if he worked his body a little too hard just to stand. He looked downwards, and saw that protruding cursed Phantom Ruby sticking out from his chest. He tried to touch it, wrapping his fingers around the base of the stone and pulled. The moment he did, that excruciating pain from before hit him like a dumpster truck. "...!" He screamed in gruesome agony, letting go immediately. It was like his whole body was electrocuted with thousands of volts the moment he tried to pull it off. He could feel his fur being stuck against it, were his nerves connected to it too? The doctor—Damn that bastard. He remembered the pain he felt when he first installed this damn thing on him, but attempting to get it off felt way worse than the installation process. Speaking of which, where was the fat lard? He looked around the destroyed room, noticing how empty it was. Along with the destruction of his precious materials, what happened to the doctor? And if he was gone, was his experimentation over? Did he do to him what he wanted?

If he was gone and the place looked like this, he must have been attacked. His eyes glinted with a shine of hope. Maybe Shadow stopped him after all? But, if that was the case, why didn't he come get him? Or at the very least, arrest him now that his job was done? Something wasn't right, he had to think back to last night. He was asleep most of the time, so he didn't remember much. Everything was mostly a blur but...He did open his eyes once last night. Eggman told him how they would conquer the world together once he finished one last phase in the experiment. Did he finish it? Did it work? And what happened after he told him that...? He closed his eyes, he had to think. Think, think, think. Wait—He remembered now. His eyes snapped wide opened. Someone, some strange intruder with odd military garb broke in and took the doctor away to Chaos knows where. So, Eggman was captured. If that was the case, what would he do now? Well, looking back down at his ruby-planted chest, maybe he could find a way to destroy this damned thing. Whatever it was, it was bad news and he wanted it off of him. Maybe he could let Shadow know that technically, the mission was a success and that they wouldn't have to worry about the doctor anymore.

When he moved to take a few steps away from the ruined pod, broken glass crushing under his bare feet, his ears perked up. Someone was coming. He looked up at the broken entrance with an alert posture, was the doctor coming back for him? The floor slightly shook, something with heavy weight was approaching. When it finally entered the room, his eyes began to shake. It was a robot, but it wasn't a normal robot. The limbs, the color of the metal and it's figure shape was too familiar. It had a robotic tail, robotic claws, ears and even a muzzle. Infinite took a few steps back, his voice caught in his throat. Behind the robot, more and more robots looking strikingly similar to both him and the one before him, began to fill the room. There were several of them, dozens. They kept filling the room until Infinite was eventually backed into the wall. He shook his head slowly in denial, his lips quavering in a never ending pitting despair. His eyes became moist with tears, the only noise he could make being a pitiful sob. The robots didn't harm him, they didn't even intimidate him because he already knew what they were.

They were his roboticized family.

The remaining remnants of the Jackal Squad, the only people whom he ever trusted and loved...

...Were now mindless, braindead robots that lived only to do Eggman's bidding.

He fell back down to his knees, slamming his fists into the ground. He wailed in great forlorn, as he was reunited with them in the worst possible way. Shadow had already warned them of their fates, but he never knew for sure. Now that the proof was right in front of him, he couldn't take it. This was a fate worse than death, they weren't even themselves anymore. Their souls, their brains, what was left of their real selves? And there was no way to reverse this, and he wasn't smart enough to know how. And even if he asked for help, he wouldn't receive it. He was just some criminal, no one would help him fix this. Sniffing with tears rolling down his muzzle, he slowly looked up at his lifeless crowd. They weren't even looking at him, they were just standing there, staring into nothing. Perhaps that was why they weren't attacking him, because maybe some part of them was still in there—Somewhere. And them encircling him like this, perhaps this was their way of mourning? He didn't know, but he knew that his own spirit was destroyed. He wanted to destroy them, free their souls of their metal entrapment. And with them all gone, what reason did he have to live at this point?

Maybe...

Maybe he could destroy them and-

"You lost almost everything, but you still have something left worth saving: The remaining survivors of your family—Eggman is going to destroy them all! Are you going to let that happen? Are you going to give up just like that? Are you just going to lay down and die!?"

-No.

No, he couldn't give up.

He still had family who were alive and breathing. They were imprisoned and some weren't even members of the squad anymore, hidden away in various parts of Mobius. But they were still here and that's all that mattered. He sniffled, stubbornly wiping his tears and standing up with a straightened posture. He was no weakling, he was too strong to give up. He'd fix this, some way, somehow. He glared at the gemstone sitting in his chest and gripped his hands into tight fists. He would use this thing to get exactly what he wanted. All he had to do was try and harness it's powers. Once he did that, he could get his family back and take vengeance on the very person who destroyed his life. This room was trashed, and anything valuable within it was more than likely destroyed. He'd figure this out, as he was sure that fat bastard had back up files in this base somewhere about this gem. He'd learn of how Eggman got it, it's powers, how to use them and how to make the world his. He glanced up at the jackal robots surrounding him. Maybe he could do something with them.

"...!"

A spark of magenta instantly rushed throughout the entire room, illuminating it with it's color. It flashed within every single robot, hopping from machine to machine, going straight for the soulless plastic eyes. Their bodies suddenly flinched, their limbs twitching and shaking with a different force of energy powering them from the inside. Intrigued, Infinite gradually raised up his hand. When he did, the robots looked up. When he lowered it back down, they lowered their heads. He then continued to lower it to his side, until all robots knelt down and bowed to his feet. He cracked a small smirk, so that's how this power worked. He then looked down at his own bare palm, seeing the magenta energy surge through every digit on his hand. Yes, this power was the key. This was it! If he could just learn to master it, he'd be unstoppable.

"Heheheh..." The jackal suddenly began to chuckle. "Hehehehahahahahaha..." This would be his moment, his time to finally get everything he's ever wanted. He wouldn't let this chance slip by, he'd embrace it. "Hahahahaha-!"

His heterochromic eyes flashed magenta.

And that's when he saw it all.

Images flashed in his mind the moment he felt the ruby's power. Images of strange things, things that didn't seem possible. The planet burning from the inside out, Overlanders and Mobians dying. Buildings on fire, falling and collapsing on the streets that were broken from deep within the earth. Multicolored lights everywhere, strangling the globe like a constrictor. GUN, Sonic Team, Team Dark, Eggman—They were all dying or already lifeless with their lifeforces drifting in the skies. Angel Island crashing into the oceans, the Master Emerald shattering into green embers, the God of Destruction inside of it being vacuumed into a stronger force. And that stronger force, had blue fur and lime green eyes. He stood and watched all of the destruction with a sinister smile, cackling as the world he had promised to save fell apart all under his order.

Gasping in alarm, Infinite held the side of his face as his normal iris colors returned.

Oh God.

Those visions-

That was what Eggman feared. This was what he found, this was why he needed to kill Sonic the Hedgehog. It wasn't some stupid conspiracy, it wasn't some bullshit excuse to kill the world's hero—That deceptive monster was never a hero to begin with! He was tricking them all, he was playing them all for fools. He was going to destroy everyone, and Eggman was the only one who wised up to it. He would kill them all, including not only his family, but Shadow.

He couldn't let that happen, he'd never let that happen.

He'd...never let anyone hurt...

...Shadow.

He felt his chest get warm all of a sudden.

16 - END - 16