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Chapter Text

Prologue

I can't believe it… It's been four months since the famous, Sonic the Hedgehog, has been defeated by Dr. Eggman. I mean, I have not met him face-to-face, but he's been saving the world whenever it's in danger! And now, he's gone…

I made a huge sigh as I looked at my small, yellow bag that is filled with a photo and a white crescent moon necklace with my name on it. I pulled out the photo in my bag to look at it with a smile. It held a picture of a female blond wolf with red eyes and wears a white wedding dress and a male brown wolf with blue eyes and wears a black tuxedo. They are my parents. This photo took place on their wedding day. They would always tell me about it when I was young; it was one of the best days of their lives. In our culture, wolves usually are bonded for life. My parents told me I might find that special someone one day too, except for one problem. I… tend to be very scared around others… It wasn't my parents' fault… It was my uncle that became the blame. He hated the way I look and speak… Because of my uncle's crimes, I refused to speak to anyone except for my parents. However, a few months ago, my parents went to a different city to retrieve their parents to help them evacuate from Dr. Eggman's take over; but then, that city was attacked by the human. Only a few survived, but sadly my parents weren't on that list thanks to the news I received. To be honest, I was devastated and depressed… My parents were the only ones that I had left in my life. I didn't know what to do without them, but I knew my parents would want me to continue to live, just like they've told other people. So, throughout this time, I tried to live on for their sake.

"You will see it one day... You will see that you are not welcomed. You've already seen it and it will only happen again."

I stiffened when I heard a voice. Then again, that voice has been around for a while, but I try my best to ignore it. Because today, someone else came to my door and told me I need to evacuate from the city today… The soldier from the group called the resistance is currently waiting for me outside. Once I got everything I need in my bag and picked it up, I looked at the mirror for a bit. I stared at my reflection as it shows my blue eyes and blond fur with bangs, and the outfit I'm currently wearing: a white blouse with a red ribbon in the middle, white gloves with ruby wrist rings to match, long light red jeans, and red-orange shoes.

"Madam," I heard someone call out. I flinched a bit out of reaction since I'm not use to having someone else, aside from the voice before, in the house. "Please hurry it up! The empire army will be here any minute now," the voice added.

I shivered at the thought of Dr. Eggman's empire army being in the city. Quickly as I could, I got out of my room to meet with the soldier. When I got outside however, I see the male brown bear, the one who was going to help me evacuate, and a few other bird and dog soldiers shooting! What are they-

"Miss, take cover quickly," the bear soldier shouted! Without questioning it, I ran to a pile of rocks and hid behind them as I watched the soldiers continue to shoot.

"He's up there," one of the soldiers shouted as while he shoots at whatever it was he was talking about. I was attempting to look and see what the soldiers are shooting at, but fear over came me; plus, I had to think twice about the bear's warning and stay put.

"There is no reason to resist," I soon heard a deep voice say. The voice made me start shivering; it sounded so dark and sinister. "Your savior is no more," the voice added. By the time I tried to see the soldiers, a laser beam appeared from the other side and killed all the soldiers here! I gasped in shock and horror. Whoever this guy was, he killed those poor people! I wanted to do something, it's something my parents would do; but I'm too scared to do it… I noticed one of the soldiers' guns had rolled towards me. Should I go get it and attack whoever killed the soldiers, or I should-

"I see you there," I jumped at the same voice from earlier. It's too late to hide now! "And I can sense your terror," the same voice added. The voice sounded closer than before! I turned a bit to see a black figure with a silver mask that covers his entire face except for his left yellow eye with red sclera and is covered in red aura. There also appears to be a strange gem on its chest… Wait, it's behind me!

I gasped at the sight of this figure and quickly grabbed the gun after three attempts. "All of that anxiety and doubt," the voice mumbles. I aimed the gun at the figure, but I was shaking so much that it was hard to aim. The figure hmphed. "How amusing especially seeing it on a wolf," the voice added with a dark chuckle.

"Indeed... Although, there is no surprise there. You are a weak wolf."

I shivered as I continued to aim the weapon at the figure. Then somehow, the figure had flung the gun out of my hand. As that happened, I yelped a bit as I backed away while shivering more. "Give in to your fear. Flee and remember this defeat and I'll let you live," it offered.

"Go on, do as he says. You know there is nothing else you can do."

I kept backing up until I was at a good distance from it until I turned around and ran away. As I ran, I can hear that same voice letting out an evil laugh. I should probably start searching for this resistance group, maybe they can help with what's going on… I hope…

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: The Wordless Rookie

Two months later…

The blond wolf continued to sit in her room as the memories of her time before she arrived at the resistance base. The memories of that figure she saw at the city still haunts her. Every night when she sleeps, she still dreams of that figure and its voice. The wolf looks around the room she is in as more memories replay in her head. After her escape, she was able to find one of the maps the fallen soldiers, in the city, had. With it, she was able to locate the Resistance base. When she arrived, she was surprised to see someone there who knew the famous Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna.

Knuckles the Echidna, according to the stories she read, use to be Sonic's enemy; but as time went on, the two of them had become really goof friends. When Sonic disappeared, Knuckles had decided to start a resistance against the Eggman Empire. He's the leader, or commander, of this small army and is doing everything he can to save everyone. When he first saw the female blond wolf, he questioned her since she hadn't said a word. However, it quickly changed the moment he saw the map in the female's hands and her pointing to the city she came from. With this small amount of detail, Knuckles can already guess what happened. So, he lets her in, in exchange he asked the wolf to join the resistance. The wolf was not up for it at first. She didn't feel like she had what it takes to help due to lack of experience and many other reasons. The red echidna encourages her to anyway along with giving her some training sessions. When that became clear, she joined in not that she had much of a choice.

Throughout the months she was in the base, Knuckles had been training the female wolf while commanding the rest of the resistance. As each training session goes by, the echidna would give the blond wolf a test with a weapon called Wispons. There are seven different versions: Burst, Lightning, Cube, Drill, Asteroid, Hover, and Void. Burst allows you to shoot a flamethrower and give you better jumping distance. Lightning creates a lightning-like whip and can attack multiple enemies when they are in a row. Cube makes enemies turn into cubes and destroys them along with creating platforms to prevent you from falling. Drill pierces through your enemies and can dig any tunnel on the ground or wall. Asteroid creates little pixels used to be thrown at enemies and they protect you from enemy attacks. Hover will create a huge amount of wind to blow anything out of your way and can help you float in the air for a limit amount of time. Void creates a black hole that sucks in your enemies and teleports you through a short distance. After testing each wispon, Knuckles had decided the best wispon suited for the female wolf, the Lightning Wispon.

The training of the wispons went well. Unfortunately, the wolf's survival skills need some work. Knuckles tried to put the wolf with a group to see if that would help; apparently, that didn't help her at all. In fact, the female wolf will avoid the groups he placed her in like she made an invisible wall between them or would often get left behind due to not speaking up. So, he trains her solo from everyone else. Because of this, he equipped grabbling hooks attached to each of her ruby wrist rings on her gloves. Once the female wolf got use to serious training and understood how to use the grabbling hooks, she was able to get through the training session easily.

But there is one thing the female wolf is slacking on, communication. The wolf had continued to not say a word throughout her entire time here. Sure, she would gasp, yelp, or whimper, but never a word. Whenever Knuckles would talk to the wolf, she'll either nod, shake her head, or shrug her shoulders. This is a bad sign according to what the echidna told her especially if she could be in danger while doing missions. After all, communication is the most important part to have. But time is running out for the resistance. So, Knuckles had decided to end her training and start giving her missions.

"I bet the commander has come to release you from this little resistance group for not doing all of your communications skills correctly. Then again, why should they hear you. Your voice is pathetic."

The wolf shivers at this strange voice she hears. She heard it before, yes. However, it's been haunting her as well... for years. She wishes it would go away. Even during her time training, she would always hear that voice! That voice will be pestering and harassing her. The wolf suddenly snaps out of her memory lane when she sees the door open. The one who opened the door is the same commander who had taken her in and been her mentor for the past two months, Knuckles. "Hey, I need you to come to the computer room. It's time I give you your first mission and this one is really important," he said to the wolf. He then walks off to head towards the computer room. The wolf looks around the room a bit and grabs the necklace with a white crescent moon and places it on her along with hiding the moon in her shirt. Once that is done, she walks out of the room.

The female wolf walks to a set of doors that lead to the computer room. Luckily for her, she knows where all the rooms are at in the base when the commander gave her a tour of it on the day she arrived. As if they sensed her presence, the doors opened. The wolf froze when she sees who is in the room. She was expecting to meet with Knuckles alone to talk about the mission. Instead of just Knuckles, there are more faces in the room. There is a green male crocodile, purple male chameleon, male bee with a helmet on, pink female hedgehog, and male white hedgehog. She takes a step back nervously. But once she sees where Knuckles is at, he walks in until she is standing next to him. Knuckles seems to have noticed the wolf next to him and looks to the group. "Meet our newest recruit," he announces as he gently shoves the wolf to the center a bit.

The female wolf gasps a bit at the sudden push Knuckles gave her. Once she was able to stand up straight, she sees the male bee fly up to her and appears to be analyzing her. "She doesn't look like much," the bee said. His voice sounds like he's just a kid.

"Neither do you Charmy, but I still managed to find a use for your pointy butt," Knuckles points out to the bee. The bee, or Charmy, lets out a chuckle while rubbing his head.

The white male hedgehog walks up to the blond wolf and held his hand out. "Hi there. My name is Silver. It's nice to meet you," he says to her.

The wolf looks at the hand and then to Knuckles. When she sees the echidna nod, she looks back to Silver and shakes his hand shyly. The crocodile watches and looks concern. "I'm not sure about her Knuckles. She looks very nervous around us," he states.

"I'm sure she'll do fine Vector. Besides, we can use all the help we can get," Knuckles replies to the crocodile. Knuckles walks to a table that held on to seven weapons, the same ones he tested the blond wolf with, the wispons. He grabs the one that looks like a lightning bolt and walks to the female wolf. "Here take this," he says to the wolf while handing the weapon to her. Once she takes the Lightning Wispon, she looks at it for a bit. She soon feels a hand on her shoulder and flinches a bit until she realizes it's just Knuckles. "We're depending on you," he says to her. The wolf looks to the wispon in her hands and back to Knuckles with a nod.

"So, Knuckles, what's the plan?" the male chameleon asks. "I assume you have a plan since you brought in a new recruit," he added.

"Well first, I've just received some incredible news! Sonic is alive," Knuckles says to the group with excitement!

Everyone looks at Knuckles with surprise. "No way! That's excellent," said Silver as he smiles.

The pink hedgehog looked even more excited than the others. "Oh, thank goodness! I knew it! I knew he is still alive," she shouts with a grin!

"Yeah," Knuckles replies, but he then had a serious look. "But he's captured in the orbiting prison," he announces with bad news. "My spy there says he's in a solitary confinement cell and they've been torturing him for months," he added with some anger in him. He couldn't imagine what Sonic could've been through.

Everyone gasped at this news especially the pink hedgehog. "That's horrible! We must rescue him," she exclaimed!

Knuckles nodded. "Plan's already happening Amy," he reassures the pink hedgehog. "I've already got a squad ready to go to Spaceport in the Chemical Plate to… "borrow" a shuttle," he says while a smirk appears on his face. "Silver, Vector, Espio, and the rookie will head in there to grab a shuttle," he says to the group.

Silver, Vector, and the chameleon, who happens to be Espio, nodded. The wolf, on the other hand, looked around for anyone known as the rookie. When she sees everyone looking at her, she shivers and realizes who Knuckles is talking to. To be sure, she looks back at the echidna as she points to herself with a confused look on her face. "Yes, I'm mentioning you," Knuckles answers the wolf's silent question. "Since you never told me nor the rest of us your name, I'm calling you rookie, unless you want to tell us your name," he suggests. The female wolf flinches and looked like she was going to say something but stops as if something frightened her to stop. She looks down for a moment and then back up to Knuckles to shake her head.

Knuckles frowns a bit. He was hoping that would get the wolf to speak, but it seems she is still keeping her mouth shut. Before anyone notices his frown, he looks serious. "Then "rookie" it is," he says to the wolf. He looks to her along with Vector, Espio, and Silver. "Alright guys, who's up for an old-school style jailbreak?" he asks.

Espio, Vector, and Silver nodded as they all shout out yeah to answer. The wolf just nodded as she grips the lightning wispon a bit. When she sees the three males walk out of the room, she quietly follows them from behind. As she walks, she pulls out the necklace she is currently wearing around her neck to look at it. She never mentions it, but her necklace has some letters printed on it: S.a.u.r.a. After rereading it a bit, she quickly hides it again. It's probably best if no one really knows her real name, Saura the Wolf. She suddenly looks up and noticed the plane her, Vector, Espio, and Silver are going to be on. And now, her first mission is about to begin.

"Lets see how far you can go without that voice of yours, Saura."

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Rescuing Sonic

As Silver, Vector, and Saura arrived to Spaceport, Espio had decided to cause a distraction that way it's easier to grab a shuttle. He brought in Eggman's army's attention to him. In the mean time, Vector, Silver, and Saura will look for a shuttle.

The communicator soon had someone speaking through. "Espio here," Espio's voice announces. "I'm engaging the enemy in the orbital tunnel! I think I can hold them off," he added. Vector, Silver, and Saura nod to each other. Silver soon had a light blue aura around him and is in the air. "No wait," they suddenly hear Espio shout out! "Watch out! The masked one is here, the monster that took out Sonic," he warned.

"Oh, what ever shall you do? The one who also made you weak and pathetic is here as well. I wonder what you'll do if you see him."

Saura stopped and starts shivering at the thought of the masked figure being here. Vector noticed the wolf standing there. "Hey rookie stay focused," he calls out. Saura jumps a bit and looks to Vector. "Remember, we're here to find a shuttle," he reassures her. Silver nods to show Vector is right. Saura does a deep sigh to try and calm herself. Once she's good even though she's slightly shaking, she nods to Vector and Silver and runs with them.

As Vector, Silver, and Saura continues to look for a shuttle, they've been running into a lot of Eggman's robots. Silver was able to handle them will thanks to his telekinesis. Vector would use brutal force whenever Silver holds some down. Thanks to the Lightning Wispon, Saura was able to take down some of the robots whenever they're in a row or surrounding her. The group noticed a gap along with a train coming by. They managed to get through it thanks to Silver's abilities and Saura's grabbling hooks. They would often hide at times due to so many robots in the area guarding the shuttles. But with all of the commotion from Espio, the robots had left their posts. "Come on! Let's head in while Espio keeps them busy," Silver says to Vector and Saura as he flies in to the chamber.

When they arrived in the chamber, Saura noticed a group of robots behind her. To stop the robots, she used her Lightning Wispon to send them flying away from her, Vector, and Silver until they were destroyed. She looks back and notices Vector and Silver are already ahead of her. She quickly runs after them, so she won't get left behind.

"It's all quiet at the launch pad for now. Grab a shuttle before they sound the alert," Amy says through the communicator. Silver and Vector nodded as they continue to look for a perfect shuttle to use. It's important to get to Sonic in time. After searching a few rooms, along with uniting with Espio, they find a perfect shuttle.

"Perfect, I'm sure they won't mind if we borrow this for a while," said Vector as he smirks a bit.

Silver nods in agreement with Espio as he looks around to make sure everyone is present. He becomes worried when he doesn't see Saura. "Hey, where's the rookie?" he asks while still looking around.

Espio and Vector start to look around as well. They suddenly hear someone running in to the room. To their relief, it was only Saura. "There," Vector points out. "Hey rookie, hurry up," he calls out! Once Saura, Silver, Espio, and Vector are in the shuttle, they started it up as it moves to the launch pad. As soon as it is there, the shuttle immediately takes off as Vector and Epsio drive it.

"Well, you didn't see the figure after all. You got lucky. However, I wouldn't celebrate too soon if I were you. Who knows if he can catch up quickly. He is faster than the blue hero."

Saura shivers at that possibility. The resistance did say this figure is faster than Sonic. Is it really possible for it to catch up. The group's communitcators start beeping. "Did you guys get a shuttle?" Knuckles's voice asked through the communicator.

"We sure did," Silver responds for the group. "So, where is our destination commander?" he asks Knuckles through the communicator.

Before Knuckles could answer, the communicator beeps from an incoming caller. "Knuckles, can you hear me?" a feminine voice asks.

Saura showed no recognition on the voice, but Silver, Espio, and Vector knows who that is, even Knuckles. "Rouge, it's about time," Knuckles responds. "How's Sonic doing?" he asks the user with the feminine voice.

"He's been better," Rouge answers. "They're getting ready to banish him into space," she then added.

This caused the group to gasp. "What? You can't be serious," said Silver with shock.

"Eggman has been keeping Sonic alive all this time. He's been waiting to show him his completed empire before banishing him," Rouge explained as she points out what Dr. Eggman had done.

The Silver, Vector, Espio, and Saura can hear Knuckles growling in the communicator. "Torturing Sonic just to pass the time," the echidna growled out in anger. "That's low even for Eggman," he added.

"It seems Eggman got wind of our rescue plan and is moving forward with his plan ahead of schedule," Rouge warned to explain Eggman's plan. "The clock is ticking boss," she says to Knuckles with a serious tone.

"But we don't even know where he's being held captive," Amy points out through the communicator with a worried tone like she's about to panic.

"Yes, we do," Rouge says to hopefully calm Amy down. "Eggman rebuilt the Death Egg. That's where he's keeping Sonic," she added.

"The Death Egg?" Vector questions. Saura shivers a bit at the thought of the place. "Oh man, that's not good," the crocodile points out with a frown. Apparently, his comment didn't make anyone feel better.

"None of this is a good Vector," Knuckles replies. "That's why this is called "war,"" he added. "You all know what to do now?" he says to the group in the shuttle. "Go to the Death Egg and get Sonic," he tells the group seriously.

"Roger that," Espio replies while Vector and Silver replies with a "yeah." Saura just nodded to the group nervously. It's obvious she's not looking forward in going to the Death Egg.

Once the shuttle arrives into the Death Egg, the group, or rather Espio, Silver, and Vector, decided to it would be best to split up to look for Sonic. With their communicators, they can let each other know if they found him. Apparently, the paths Espio, Vector, and Silver took made them have to deal with Eggman's robots. Saura, on the other hand, was lucky. Her path appears to be clear of enemies. Her communicator was on the entire time since she still isn't speaking. That way, Knuckles and the others can know what's going on through her stand. The communicator beeps as Knuckles's voice was announced. "Listen up Rookie," he calls out to Saura. "Our other forces are busy dealing with enemies. It sounds like you took the best route," he points out. Saura does a quiet sigh of relief. "It's up to you to save Sonic now. Go find him," he says to her.

Saura shivers as she looks around the place after Knuckles's finished talking to her. This place scares her. If she remembers the story, the Death Egg use to be where Eggman had a "Death Egg" robot to destroy Sonic and the rest of the world. She shakes her head a bit to get the thoughts out of her head. Knuckles and everyone else is counting on her. Once the thoughts are somewhat cleared, she continues to move forward, while still shaking a bit.

As Saura moves forward, Rouge announces through the communicator about the prisoners being held in an interment facility and Sonic might be there. Although, it seems security there is tight. It took Saura a bit of time to knock out the enemies without being spotted and to calm herself down a bit. Silver, Vector, and Espio mentioned a few rooms they were in with nothing or was used along with more angry talks about Eggman.

Saura continues her search quietly along with taking out a few control systems that controls the facility. However, that triggered the alarm system. This, of course, had caused more enemies to go after her. "Everyone, go back to the shuttle! The control systems in the facility appear to be shut down. Make sure you wait for Sonic or get him to the shuttle when you see him," Knuckles announces through the communicator. Saura nods silently as she runs back.

Saura got to the room where the shuttle she, Silver, Espio, and Vector were in with; then suddenly, Eggman's robots had her surrounded! She tries to fight back, but they've managed to shoot the wispon out of her hand. She's trapped! Saura shivers as the robots got closer. However out of nowhere, something blue came out and attacked the robots. Once the enemies were destroyed, the blue blur landed, and it shows a hedgehog, - No, not just a blue hedgehog, it's him! It's Sonic the Hedgehog!

Once Sonic lands, he looks to Saura and smiles. "Don't worry, everything's cool," he reassures her as he held out his hand to her. Once Saura shyly and gently grabs his hand, Sonic helps her up. He watches the blond wolf go get the wispon and looks confused a bit. "Are you here to rescue me?" he asks. The blue hedgehog watches Saura look at him and nods to answer. Sonic smiles more since he knows she's on his side. "Sweet! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it," he says to her. He looks back at the robots. "It's been a while since I've seen a friendly face," he added as he looks back to the wolf.

Saura smiles, but soon hears her communicator beeping which caused her to pull it out. "Hey rookie, you still in one piece?" Knuckles asks through the communicator. She thought about responding but doesn't since she still doesn't want to speak due to being afraid to.

Luckily for Saura, Sonic answers instead. "Oh sure, don't even bother to ask how I am," he answers sarcastically.

"Sonic," Amy shouts through the communicator! This caused both, Sonic and Saura, to flinch at the high scream Amy made. "I'm so glad," she added with excitement.

Sonic shrugs a bit as Knuckles talks to Amy to calm her down. In the meantime, the blue hedgehog turns to Saura. "Is there an exit around here?" he asks the blond wolf. In response, Saura points to the shuttle up ahead. Sonic nods to Saura as he starts walking to the shuttle with her. "Your concern is touching Knuckles," he says once Knuckles finished his conversation with Amy.

Saura soon sees Sonic run up ahead and follows using her grabbling hooks. Once she and Sonic are inside the shuttle and closed its door, the shuttle takes off with Silver, Espio, Vector, and both of them in it.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Working with Sonic

When Silver, Vector, Espio, and Saura arrived back to the Resistance HQ with Sonic, everyone greeted the blue hedgehog back like a long-lost friend, especially Amy who had hugged him tightly. Saura, however, backed away from the group to give them space to see Sonic. Yes, she is happy to see the legendary blue hedgehog, but she doesn't feel as close as the others do. Besides, she still feels like she doesn't fit in with everyone.

"Sonic, finding you alive is the best news we've had in months," Knuckles says to the blue hedgehog with a smile. But then, he frowns. "And here's the bad news; our intel indicates Eggman's got a weapon's factory in Green Hill, pumping out munitions for his war effort," he says to Sonic and the rest of the group.

Silver looks surprised. "A factory? We can't take out Eggman's home base in Metropolis if he's got a factory supplying him," he says while clenching his fists a bit.

"No kidding," Knuckles said to Silver. He then turns to Sonic. "Look Sonic, I know you just got back, but we're spread thin. Can you take care of this?" he asks. When Sonic nods, Knuckles nods back. "We need that factory destroyed," he says to Sonic on what the mission is. He looks around until his eyes laid on Saura. The echidna walks up to the wolf and places his hand on her shoulder. "Take the rookie with you," he says now adding Saura to the involvement.

When Saura feels Knuckles's hand on her shoulder and talks about her going with Sonic to the factory, she flinches and shivers a bit. Vector noticed her reaction and looks unsure. "You sure about this?" he questions. "The girl was shaking like a leaf the whole time we were at the Death Egg," he mentions.

"Looks like someone was watching you. What will you do about that?"

When she heard Vector mention the Death Egg along with that voice just now, Saura looks down in shame with a frown. "That's because it's cold in space. The factory is nice and warm," Charmy says to Vector with a confused look.

Knuckles nods to Charmy as he looks to the bee. "It will be when it's burnt to the ground," the echidna reassures the bee. He turned to Sonic. "Sonic, you take the lead," he says to the blue hedgehog. Once Sonic nods, Knuckles turns to Saura. "Rookie, just make sure you take good notes," he says to the blond wolf as he shoves her to Sonic.

Saura wobbles a bit when Knuckles pushed her to Sonic. Once she manages to stand straight, she notices everyone still staring at her and shivers a little. Sonic, not paying attention to Saura's timid behavior, smirks as he stretches a bit. "I've got six months of payback I'm just dying to spend. This sounds like a great start," he says with excitement. Once finished stretching, he grabs Saura's arm. "Come on, let's go trash a factory," he said to Saura as he runs off with her as the wolf yelps a bit.

Thanks to Sonic's speed, he and Saura arrived at Green Hill in less than twenty minutes. Sonic lets go of the blond wolf as he looks around. There he sees a pyramid and it looks well-guarded. "So, that must be the factory," he states. He looks to Saura who nods. Sonic scratches his head a bit at the silent treatment. "Then, let's go," he says as he starts running to the factory with Saura behind him.

As they try to get to the factory, more robots began to attack Sonic and Saura. Being held captive for six months had taken its toll on him especially when he and the wolf would be surrounded. "The enemy's factory is inside the pyramid," Knuckles explains through Saura's communicator. "I can send in reinforcements if you don't think you can handle it," he offers.

Sonic thinks about Knuckles's offer as he and Saura were once again surrounded. Before he speaks, Saura activates her wispon and uses its lightning whip to take out all the enemies around them in one swing. He was surprised, and then smiles. This girl may not be a talker, but she's definitely a fighter. "No need! The two of us are more than enough," he reassures to Knuckles through Saura's communicator. "We'll blitz the place and open up a path for the resistance," he added. He then looks to Saura. "Right, partner?" he asks Saura.

Saura looks to Sonic with surprise. The legendary, blue hedgehog actually believes she can help him through this mission? Not only that, he called her partner! The thought of this makes the wolf nervous. What is she fails? What will happen if she messes up? When she noticed she had yet to reply, she nods to Sonic rapidly.

Sonic, unfortunately, caught on to the wolf's nervous behavior and pats her shoulder. "Hey, don't be scared," he says to Saura. "I know we can do this when we work together," he added. He then let's go and noticed a huge army of robots. They need to get in the pyramid quickly. Remembering Saura's skills with the wispon, Sonic came up with an idea! "Hey, grab on to my hand," he announces as he held his hand out to Saura. "And when I say go, I want you to use that weapon you have to take out enemies in front of us," he explains while still waiting. Saura looked confused, but she took his hand with her free one regardless.

Sonic watches the robots come closer to him and Saura. He takes a deep breath as he closes his eyes for a moment. Once he opens them back up, he glares at the robots. "Go," he shouts as he speeds towards the robots! Saura, while hanging on to Sonic tight, starts to use her Lightning Wispon's lightning trail to help destroying enemies in front of them.

The attack kept going the more Sonic kept on running. After a few minutes which felt like forever to Saura, Sonic found a way into the pyramid through a vent once the robots were defeated. When they got in, Saura stops her attack while deep breathing a bit. Sonic looks to Saura as he gives her a thumbs up. "Great work," he says to the wolf with a smile. Saura gives the hedgehog a smile as a response while deep breathing. Sonic took a hold of Saura's communicator, so he can bring out the good news. "We found a way in through the vent," he announces to the resistance and hands the communicator back to Saura.

"You should be able to get in to the factory through there," Amy says through the communicator. Sonic nods as he starts crawling through the vent with Saura. When they got to an exit that leads them inside, Sonic sees a bunch of robots guarding a door. "Remember to stay alert," Saura heard Amy's voice added through the communicator. Sonic, however, didn't get the message as he opens the hatch and jumps down to take out all the enemies blocking the door.

Saura tries to stop Sonic by reaching out to him, but he was too fast for her to stop. She watches Sonic take out the robots and comes down herself once the coast is clear. Unfortunately, she sees a robot right behind Sonic! Without even thinking, the wolf uses her grabbling hook to attach it onto the robot and pulls herself towards it. With a big jump and stomping as hard as she could, Saura destroyed the robot.

Sonic hears a crash and turns. He sees Saura standing there surrounded by broken robot parts until she falls to a sit position due to her clumsiness. He chuckles a bit as he helps thee wolf up. "Thanks for the cover," he says to Saura with a smile. Once Saura nods, Sonic walks in to the factory with the wolf. As soon as he gets a good look of the factory along with being in a good hiding spot, Sonic sees a bunch of robots working on machines that look war-related. He notices Saura looking at this as well and looks around more. "So, they're building weapons here, huh?" he asks the wolf, but mostly to himself. After all, she won't speak to him; but, it's still nice to have someone to talk to. "Making everyone work like robots," he mumbles as he grips his hands a bit. "Well, it will be Eggman's turn to get pushed around when I get a hold of him," he says a little louder.

Saura looks to Sonic as he spoke and back to the factory. There must be a way to destroy this area. Saura then noticed huge missile like bullets that are being built. As she looks at those missiles, the wolf began to shiver. Missiles like those can cause explosions when near fire or anything that can cause one. Explosions… That's it! With an idea, Saura gently tugs Sonic's arm to get his attention.

Sonic feels someone tugging his arm a bit and looks to see it was Saura. "What's up?" he asks the wolf. Hopefully, this girl will speak to him, right? Nope, Saura instead starts pointing to a different direction. He looks and sees huge bullet missile like bullets being created. Sonic flinches a bit, as he looks to Saura with a confused look. He then sees Saura having her hands together for a bit and soon moves them away from each other quickly and doing the same process for about five times. It's almost like they- "Explode the bullets?" he asks Saura. When the wolf nods in agreement, he looks back to the bullets for a minute to think on Saura's plan. Sonic takes another look around the factory and noticed bombs being made as well. He looks to Saura and smirks. "You know, that could work," he says with a smirk. "Let's tell Knuckles and the others about our plan," he said to Saura as he held his hand out for the communicator. When Saura hands Sonic the device, he switches it over just to have him speak through it without any other noise. "Hey Knux, we've got a plan to take out the factory, but we'll need you to get everyone away from here," he says through the communicator.

"Alright Sonic. But, I'm curious, what is your plan?" Knuckles asks through the communicator.

"We're gonna use Eggman's new weapons against him! With them, we'll be able to blow up this factory with ease," Sonic explains with determination as a smirk appears on his face.

"What?" Amy's voice shouted through the communicator. Both, Sonic and Saura, flinched a bit. "That's too dangerous! The explosions will destroy you as well Sonic," she added with worry!

Sonic stretches a bit and continues to smirk. "Well then, it's a good thing I'm the fastest hedgehog," he says to Amy. He looks to Saura. "Come on partner, let's blow up this old egg factory," said Sonic as he runs to the factory with the wolf.

Sonic and Saura's first objective is to grab a bomb! Apparently, the robots appear to be very protective of them. When they spot Sonic and Saura, the robots quickly start shipping the bombs to a secured room. But Sonic was too quick. He managed to grab one of them when it was suddenly starting to count down from thirty seconds! Quickly, the blue hedgehog throws the bomb close to the room filled with huge missiles. Sonic then grabs Saura's arm and runs out of the factory and pyramid. By the time he and Saura got out of the pyramid and at a good distance away, the pyramid was soon blown up! They feel the explosions pressure pass by them and it made Saura shiver. If it weren't for Sonic's speed, they both would have been done for. "That was a cake walk," Sonic says through the communicator.

Amy let out a sigh through the communicator. "I don't even know why I was even worried," she says with an annoyed voice through the communicator.

Sonic smirks a bit and turns to Saura. "Let's head back. Our work here is done," he announces. Without giving Saura a warning, he grabs a hold of her arm again and back to the resistance as the wolf yelps a bit.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: What You Think, or Feel is Right?

Once Saura and Sonic returned to the HQ, they noticed Silver isn't present and there is a female bat looking through some notes. According to Knuckles, that was Rouge, the same one who helped find Sonic. When Knuckles, Rouge, Vector, Espio, Charmy, and Amy came to gather around Sonic, Saura backed away from the group so they can see the blue hedgehog. Luckily for her, the doors from the room were opened; quietly, she steps out of the room away from view and leans to the wall to calm down from the recent mission.

"Hey Sonic, what gave you the idea to use Eggman's own weapons to blow up the factory?" Saura suddenly hears Vector ask. She flinches a bit and quietly steps further away from the crowd but listens to the group's conversation.

"Oh no, it wasn't my idea," Sonic admits to the group. "It was the rookie's idea and boy was it a good one," he added. Saura smiles a bit to Sonic for giver her credit but stops when she hears Knuckles gasp.

"Wait, you got the rookie to talk to you?" Knuckles asks the blue hedgehog. From the sound of Knuckles's voice, he seemed excited. She wonders why that is?

"No, no she just mentioned all the weapons in the room and kept making explosion like movements with her hands," Sonic replies quickly. Saura then hears the blue hedgehog sigh. "Still, I do wish you would speak sometime buddy," she hears Sonic add. "Buddy?" she then hears him call out. Noticing she's about to giggle since she realizes she isn't in the room with him or the others, she covers her mouth while she smiles sadly. Perhaps, she will speak to Sonic and everyone else one day once the war is over. Before she let Sonic and the others see her, Saura quickly and quietly leaves to the cafeteria; she could use something to eat right now.

When Saura arrived, she quickly got a plain hot dog and an apple. After that, she walks out. The wolf doesn't like sitting at a table with another due to… past experiences. So, she goes to her room and eats there by herself. She doesn't mind it. Even before she joined the resistance, she had mostly been on her own… unless you count her parents. But recently, they died during Eggman's conquer. Tears start to form and roll down the wolf's cheeks. She quickly wipes them away and continues to eat her food until they are consumed.

Once the hot dog and apple are no longer in sight, Saura sighs as she wipes away more tears. All the training and two missions she's been doing had not made her realize how lonely she really is. Yes, she has Knuckles, but he is the commander of the resistance. His friends need him more than her. And then there's Sonic. True, he called her partner and they've both done an excellent job at the factory, but that's just one time. Saura doesn't know what he really thinks of her. She shakes her head and gets up. Perhaps, she should go for a walk outside for a bit to clear her head. She thinks Knuckles won't mind as long as the enemy doesn't see her. And besides, the training room is occupied with new recruits.

Before she leaves, Saura grabs a little cloth towel in case she starts crying. She can't use her gloves all the time to cover her tears or injuries in case if she runs into danger. The wolf also gets her Lightning Wispon in case if she does run into any enemies. She goes out of HQ and starts walking.

The walk Saura took has lead her all around Green Hill and then into the jungle. She looks up at the sky and notices its already night time. Time can fly by when you try to focus on other things. The wolf figures she should return to HQ. Knuckles will question where she has been; and, she still doesn't want to speak to him nor anyone yet… not until she is confident that they won't make fun of her voice. She suddenly flinches.

"Saura, I keep telling you. No one wants to hear your voice! It's disgusting!"

Saura frowns as she heard the voice. She feels that voice has a point... Back when she was little, she would be picked on a lot whenever she spoke. And when she tried to get help... The wolf shakes her head to ignore that thought. She'll question rather or not if she can trust them after the war is over.

Speaking of questioning, Saura realized she hadn't heard anything from the resistance. True she isn't in danger, but she would still hear something if the other side is in danger. The wolf looks around for her communicator and is shocked to not see it armed with her! Where could it be?! Saura knows for sure she didn't drop it. The last time she had it was when she and Sonic-… oh, right. Sonic had never returned her communicator to her while they were at the pyramid. So that means, the wolf is all alone!

Suddenly, Saura feels the ground shaking which caused her to hang on to a tree. Questioning what's happening, the wolf looks around and listens in case someone is coming. Hearing movements, she hides in the tree as she looks at the direction of the movement. Saura sees a huge snake hissing at the sky. Curious, she looks at the sky and sees something glowing red. No! Someone is glowing red! Saura shivers as she hears a glitching like sound! It's him! The masked figure she saw in the city two months ago! The enemy of the resistance!

The masked figure watches the huge snake and makes a hmph noise. "Pathetic vermin. You have no idea who you're up against," it says to the snake in a dark, sinister voice. The masked figure charges at the large reptile, but the snake charges at the figure with its mouth wide open like it's going to eat the figure! It came close, but the masked figure dodges the snake. However, the masked figure did receive a scratch on its leg from the snake's teeth. The snake then used its tail to knock the masked figure away from it. The masked figure crashed to the ground with a groan. It tries getting back up, but only ends up back to the ground as the red glow disappears.

Saura gasps as she watches the fight. If this snake can finish off the masked figure, then the resistance will have an advantage against the Eggman Empire! They can defeat Eggman more easily! She should head back to the resistance and let everyone know the good news!... Then why does she feel like that's the wrong thing to do? Saura also has this feeling like she should save the masked figure. But, why? If she helps the figure, then she helps the enemy. The wolf grips the branch more. She has no idea on what to do. Should she follow what she thinks or feels is right? She remembers her mother always tell her she should do what she believes is right and she'll be fine. Her father has told her the same thing, but she can't let the resistance down… Saura then sees the snake about to charge after the masked figure.

Finally decided on her decision, Saura jumps out of the tree and uses her grabbling hook to have it attach to the snake and brings herself close to it. And with her wispon, the lightning whip smacks the snake at the nostril. The snake makes a hiss like pain noise as Saura releases her grabbling hook from it. It looks to Saura with anger as it gets ready to attack. But then, Saura uses the wispon to fight back with the lightning whip. Seeing the lightning whip seems to scare the snake as it retreats deeper in the jungle.

Saura deep breaths in relief as she watches the snake leaving with a smile. She did it; she fought off something all by herself! But the moment was gone when Saura looks back to the masked figure. The happy moment went instantly back to fear. She hides behind a tree as she watches him… or it. When the figure has not moved, she stops hiding a bit and watches cautiously. Could the figure be dead? Was Saura too late to save it? As she continues to watch, the wolf sees the figure had still not moved. She looks around for something she can use to try and wake it up. The wolf finds a stick and picks it up. Saura walks up to the figure and pokes it a few times with the stick and hides again behind a different tree that is closer to the masked figure.

When nothing happened, the fear in Saura subsides a bit as she stops hiding. Throwing the stick away, she walks closer to see if the masked figure is breathing. It appears to be breathing; however, it's having a hard time. Maybe if she removes that mask, it'll make breathing much easier… but, what if it wakes up when she removes it? It could be waiting for the perfect moment to attack! Saura suddenly shakes her head as she remembers Sonic's words from before:

"Don't be scared."

Saura shakes her head. Sonic is right; she shouldn't be scared. She needs to be brave. Slowly and shakily, Saura places her hands on the figure's mask. When it didn't respond, she pulls the mask off the figure.

Once the mask is off the figure, Saura was able to see both eyes are closed and there is a white scar like shape over its right eye. No, it's not an it. It's a male! Now that she got a good look at him, this figure is a male, black jackal with a white scarf, hair, and tip of his tail! Saura then notices the jackal deep breathing a bit. Did the snake poison him? The wolf looks at the jackal's face closely. He doesn't look like he's poisoned. But just to be safe, Saura looks at the scratch on the jackal's leg. Yes, there is a scratch; however, it is not enough to make him bleed. So, what could be wrong? Saura removes her gloves from her hands so, she can place her hand on the jackal's forehead to check his temperature. When she did, the jackal groans in pain as he unconsciously moves his head away. Saura flinches until she realizes when he didn't wake up. Why would he move away?... unless there could be a bruise? Saura remembers the cloth she has in case but will need to put cold water in it first. She sees a river close by and goes to it.

While Saura went to the river, the jackal starts to regain conscious. He opens his right blue eye and left yellow eye to observe his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was when he was attacking a huge snake in the jungle. He then realizes his mask is off! He growls quietly; someone is here with him! Is it the doctor? No, he's in the Mystic Jungle, outside of a lab. He then sees someone, a female blond wolf leaning towards a river. He narrows his eyes a bit until he sees her standing up and about to turn around. Quickly, he closes his eyes and acts unconscious, so he can lure her to him.

Once Saura got the cloth wet and gives it a squeeze so it's not dripping all over, she walks back to the jackal and places the cloth on his forehead. She smiles a bit and sits on her knees as she watches the jackal and places her gloves back on. She then looks at a red triangle like gem on his chest. The sound from before is still present and it seems to be coming from the gem! Curiously, Saura tries to reach out to touch the gem.

Suddenly, a black, gloved clawed hand grabs Saura's wrist, the same one she was about to use to touch the gem. Now panicked, Saura tries to get her hand out of the jackal's grasp, but that only caused the jackal to tighten his grip. Saura shivers in fear as she whimpers a bit from the pain. The wolf soon sees the jackal open up his eyes and is glaring at her. "How dare you see me as weak," the jackal says in a less sinister, but still dark voice. He looks at the wolf and sees some recognition from her eyes. Why does he feel like he knows those eyes?

Of course, the jackal saw those same eyes at the city two months ago! "I remember you," he states. Feeling the female wolf shivering more, the jackal evil smirks. "You ran from me before," he added. "You survived then, but now you're choosing to throw it away now, huh," he mocks with some confusion, but dark chuckles. He holds out his other hand as it glows red. "This will be good bye," he says once more.

Saura whimpers and shivers more as tears are in her eyes. She shuts them tight as she braces herself for her doom. Why did she help him? Why did she save this jackal when she knew this would happen? The wolf suddenly hears something fall to the ground between her and the jackal. Since she hadn't felt anything from the jackal, she opens her eyes to see what fell. It was the cloth she placed on the jackal's forehead.

The jackal noticed the cloth that had fallen and stopped the glowing on his hand. Did this wolf save him from that snake? Noticing something hanging around the wolf's neck, he grabs it and uses it to pull the female wolf closer to him causing the female to yelp a bit. They are so close; their foreheads are almost touching. The jackal feels the wolf shiver more at the close contact. "Who are you and why did you save me?" he asks the wolf in a demanding tone. The jackal notices the wolf whimpering and shivering more but is not speaking. The jackal growls at this; however, he takes a deep breath to stop himself to calm down without obliterating the wolf. When he did, he got a whiff of the wolf's scent. It was… alluring to him. It tops over the smells of fear he plants to all of his victims! How did she-

Saura, out of fear, suddenly pushes the jackal away from her. Thanks to this while unaware of a snap sound thanks to the gem on the jackal's chest, the jackal released his hold on the wolf's wrist. Once she's free and on her feet, Saura quickly grabs her wispon and runs into the jungle to get to Green Hill. That way when she gets to Green Hill, she can return to HQ.

The jackal groans a bit from the push. Realizing who pushed him, the jackal growls. He gets up and looks around for the blond wolf, but he sees she is already gone from sight. "Damn it," he growls out in anger. He must find her and make her pay for humiliating him. The jackal then realizes he is holding something in his hand. He looks at it and sees it's the white crescent moon shape necklace he grabbed earlier to pull the wolf closer. The chain must have broken off during her attempt to escape. The jackal noticed some letters printed on the moon and reads it. Afterwards, he smirks and lets out a dark chuckle. "Well, well. What a lovely name," he says out loud. He grips the necklace tighter, but not enough to crush it. The jackal gathers the cloth to secure the necklace from breaking. He soon grabs his mask to put it back on his face. The mask covers his entire face except for his left eye, but has his left sclera red. He looks at the direction where he thinks the wolf ran as he starts floating in the air with red aura around him. "I will find you. And when I do, I will make sure you can't escape from me, Saura," he vows. The jackal then flies off to leave the jungle and back to his base.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: The Rescue Mission

When Saura returned to the Resistance HQ without getting caught, she went straight to her room and locks the door while deep breathing from running and close to dying. That was way too close! That jackal would have killed her for sure if it weren't for the cloth distracting him. The wolf lays down on her bed-made cloth. She thinks it is best to get some sleep. Who knows what Knuckles will have her do tomorrow. So, Saura closes her eyes to sleep.

~

"Who are you and why did you save me?" Saura suddenly hears! She opens her eyes and sees the same blue and yellow eyed jackal from last night! She gasps and tries to move away, but the jackal has a grip on her wrist like before and pulled her, if any possible, closer. He growls at her attempt to escape. "Answer me," he demands. Saura shivers and shakes her head. The male black jackal snarls and grips her wrist tighter. Saura yelps at the pain around her wrist. She looks away as she tries again to break free from the jackal. Unfortunately, Saura feels a hand on her muzzle and it forced her to turn to the jackal. "Look at me," she hears the jackal command! Too frightened to disobey now, she looks at the jackal and sees him staring at her. "Tell me who you are and why did you save me right now," he says once more. Saura gulps as she shivers more in fear. She suddenly imagines someone else in the same spot as the jackal, but it instantly went away. Slowly, she opens her mouth to hopefully say something even if this jackal will torture her voice, just like-

~

Saura was jolted awake by the sound of a knock on her door. She looks around and notices she is in her room and no sign of the jackal. Was that all a dream? The wolf hears knocking on her door. She gets up to answer it. To her surprise, it was Charmy Bee. "Hey, Knuckles needs to see you in the computer room. We have a new mission for you," he says to the wolf.

Saura nods and walks to her wispon to grab it. Only then, she realizes her hand is shaking. Charmy seems to have noticed too since the wolf wasn't grabbing the weapon. "Are you cold?" he asks. Saura flinches a bit and shakes her head to the bee. She grabs the wispon and starts walking out of the room with Charmy.

"Well, well... That was a strange decision you made last night. Why did you save the enemy?"

Saura stops when she heard that voice. She also wondered the same thing... Why did she save that jackal last night? She sure would like to- "Hey, come on," the wolf suddenly hears Charmy. She noticed the bee is already ahead of her. Shaking her head, Saura ignores the voice from before to follow the bee.

When Saura and Charmy arrived, they were greeted by Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, and Vector. Once Knuckles laid his eyes on Saura, he walks up to her. "Alright rookie, I've got a tough one for you. I need you to head back to the city and save those civilians," he explains the mission. "I would send Sonic or Silver there, but they need time to heal from their battle," he says with a small sigh.

Saura looked confused. She had no idea Sonic and Silver were injured. "Oh, come on Knucklehead," she suddenly hears Rouge say to Knuckles. The bat walks towards them and shoves the red echidna a bit away from the wolf. "At least explain to the girl what happened last night," she added. When Knuckles grumbles at the bat, Rouge shrugs; so, she'll go ahead and tell the story. "So, here's some news for you," she began as she has her arm around Saura's shoulders. The wolf flinches at the contact but let's Rouge talk. "Silver was in the Mystic Jungle last night fighting against the masked one," she says to explain what happened to Silver. Saura's eyes shrunk back as she gulps quietly. "Sonic went ahead to the jungle so, he can help Silver out and even the score. However, they both came back here wounded. But we did get the name of the masked one," she then explains what happened to Sonic along with the masked one's identity name revealed. "His name is Infinite," she says the masked one's name. Saura shivers at the name. Infinite, it kind of fits him…

"Alright Rouge, I think the rookie understands the story," said Knuckles with an annoyed look. Once Rouge shrugs and let's go of Saura, he walks to the wolf. "Rookie, go to the city and help those civilians. Espio will be there to help you, alright?" he says to Saura as he places his hand on Saura's shoulder. The echidna feels the wolf shivering and looks confused.

Before Knuckles could ask about Saura's condition, the wolf nods. "Good," Amy says with a smile. The pink hedgehog hands Saura a communicator "Now hurry, I'm receiving an S.O.S message from some of our forces," she states as she mentions a few voices seeking out for help. With a nod, Saura runs out of the room.

Knuckles watches Saura leave with a worried expression. "Why so gloomy boss? After all, it is your idea to send her," Rouge asks as she looks to the echidna. Amy and Vector looks at the echidna as well.

Knuckles sighs as he looks at the screen. "I know, and she does and amazing job, but she still lacks on communication," he says to Rouge. "She's scared, really scared. And yet, she is charging into battle. She won't even say a word if she's in danger," he added.

Amy frowns when she hears Knuckles. "Have you tried training her with a group?" she asks Knuckles. "That could've helped her with communication," she added.

Knuckles shook his head. "I've tried that Amy, but the rookie will continue to not communicate and create some kind of invisible wall between her and any other group or someone else she works with," he answers as he looks down. "The only time she came close to talking to someone is when she was with Sonic at the factory," he states.

Amy would be fuming if another girl was talking to Sonic. But hearing the wolf didn't and she had not talked to others, the pink hedgehog became worried. "That's so sad," she mumbles a bit. Amy wonders why the wolf continues with this wordless behavior. Does it have to do with past experiences? "Do you think something bad might have happened to her before she came here?" she questions while looking towards Knuckles.

Knuckles sighs. That could be it. "Maybe," he says to Amy. "But, whatever it is, she must get over it quickly, for hers and everyone else's sake," he added.

Saura had arrived at the city with a few others who came to do the same mission. Once they arrived, everyone decided to split up to help as many citizens as they can. "Espio here," Espio announces through the communicator. "We're engaging enemy forces and can't search for civilians right now," he says.

"The fighting is too fierce for us to help out as well," a new masculine voice was heard through the communicator.

Saura flinches a bit. It seems she and a few others are the only ones in the city. The wolf keeps going through the city to find any civilians who couldn't evacuate in time. As she kept going, Saura had not seen any citizens yet. Did everyone in this area escape? The wolf suddenly hears someone crying. Running to the source, Saura sees a bunch of huge robots and they appear to be destroying the city. She shivers at the sight, but then she hears the crying again. Snapped out of it, Saura continues to search. Soon, she sees a small child clinging on to her stuff toy for her life. It looks like a female white dog! Saura looks shocked to see one of the huge robots aim its weapon at the child! With huge determination, Saura quickly gets to the young dog, picks her up, and uses her grabbling hook to dodge the robots attack. As she carries the child, the wolf continues to run while attacking enemies with her lightning wispon.

"We've broken through enemy lines! The rescue is underway," the same unknown voice says through the communicator.

"We've also secured an escape route, so there is a safe way out," said Espio through the communicator. Saura nods; she needs to get this child to safety by going to the escape route. And to get there, she needs to the destroy some robots blocking her way. The wolf feels the dog child clinging on to her while shivering. She can relate to the child. Saura is scared… Normally, she would be the one needing rescuing or hides somewhere to safety for being scared to death after the incident with her uncle. But this time, it's her who is doing the rescuing and she can't hide. Hugging the child to comfort her, Saura glares and fights the enemies.

Saura continues her battle while keeping the white dog safe. She then comes across some other civilians surrounded by robots! Quickly, the wolf destroys the enemies with her wispon. Once the robots were destroyed, Saura hears cheering from the crowd. She turns to the crowd while looking a bit embarrassed and a little scared of them from all the stares and attention. "Mommy," she hears the child shout out! Saura looks around the crowd and sees an adult white dog. The wolf releases the child, so the little dog can run to her mother. "Mommy," the little dog shouts again as she runs to the older white dog!

The older white dog notices the child running to her and is shocked. "Jena," the older dog exclaims as she runs to the child and hugs her! "Oh Jena, I'm so glad you're safe," she says to the child with tears in her eyes. While she still hugs her daughter, the older dog looks to Saura with a smile. "Thank you," she says to the wolf.

Saura smiles sadly a bit to the two white dogs. Just then, she sees Espio arrive with his team to help evacuate the rest of the civilians. "Nice work," the chameleon saus to Saura with a nod. Saura nods back as she helps out by taking out any enemies that comes after them.

Eventually, more members of the resistance had united with them and joined in in taking out enemies. When Saura, Espio, the other members of the resistance, and the civilians arrive to their escape route, they no longer see any enemies. "Update from HQ! The enemy is on the run," Knuckles announces through the communicator.

Espio and Saura smile at the big news. Espio looks to the resistance. "Mission complete! Well done everyone," he says to the group. Everyone cheered in victory; well, Saura just smiles and nods. So, without any more interruptions, everyone returned to HQ.

As Espio and Saura walk in to the computer room, they were greeted by not just Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Vector, and Charmy but Sonic and Silver are there as well! The crowd walks up to the two and praised them on what a great job they did. Espio nods with a smile. Saura, on the other hand, hides behind the chameleon for not being comfortable by the stares.

"Hey, there is nothing to hide from buddy," Sonic says to Saura with a smile. "You did great out there," he added with a smile. Saura continues to hide behind Espio but does smile a little.

Suddenly, everyone hears the big screen beeping and shows something on the map. Rouge goes to the computer screen to check it out. "The system is picking up a couple of strange readings," she announces as she gets the big screen to pull up the location. "They're coming from the laboratory, the one where Sonic and Silver fought Infinite," she added once the location is clear. Saura shivers at the thought of Infinite possibly being there.

"It's probably one of Eggman's robots," Silver suggests. Rouge, on the other hand, shook her head in disagreement.

"They are life readings, two of them. Definitely not robots," Rouge says to the group. The big screen then shows two orange spots at the Mystic Jungle area. Saura stops shivering when it's two instead of one life readings. Could they be others who had evacuated from another city Eggman attacked?

Knuckles thinks a bit on who to send. Even though Sonic and Silver are up, they still need time to heal. His eyes soon caught to Saura. He nods and walks to the wolf. "Hey rookie, go to the lab and check it out, okay?" he says to Saura. Saura nods and immediately heads out to the jungle.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: The Strange Gem & Familiar Faces

Saura arrives to the Mystic Jungle after taking out a few enemies. She needs to search for the two life readings that Rouge detected. She had a little bit of fun on the way there. The water slides had been something she never experienced before. It would have been more fun if there weren't any enemies on it. Saura soon arrived at the front of the laboratory.

"The readings are really close now," Amy says through Saura's communicator. Saura flinches a bit, but not much. "Reinforcements will arrive soon, so meet up with them," she added. Saura nods as she walks a bit to the laboratory.

Suddenly, Saura noticed something glowing on the ground close to the laboratory. Curiously, she walks to it and sees a gem on the ground. The gem had the same color and pattern as the triangular gem the jackal had on his chest! Saura looks around cautiously to see if there are any signs of the jackal. Seeing the jackal is not around, the wolf picks up the gem to get a closer look at it. The moment her hand made contact with the gem, it started to glow! Saura gasps at this; however, that glow only lasted for a few seconds. She tilts her head in confusion. Perhaps she should show this to Knuckles to see if he knows anything about it.

Saura then hears someone coming! She puts the gem in her pocket and gets ready to see who it is. To her surprise, it's Sonic! But how? She saw him at HQ and Knuckles said he needed time to heal… Wait! This Sonic looks different! He looks younger and his quills aren't as spikey. The wolf then sees a two-tailed fox flying down as the young Sonic waves to show him Saura. The fox looks at the wolf in confusion as he lands. "Who are you?" the fox asks.

Saura flinches a bit as she takes a step back. "Hey rookie, did you find anything?" Knuckles asks through the communicator. Saura picks up the communicator and looks at it.

Just then, the fox looked shocked. "Knuckles?" the fox says with excitement.

"Tails, is that you?" Knuckles asks through the communicator with a surprised tone. "Thank goodness you're in one piece," he added with relief. "Come head back to HQ! I'm sure Sonic will be happy to see you are okay. The rookie and some reinforcements will help you back," he says to the fox, also known as Tails.

Tails shows a huge smile along with the hedgehog that looks like Sonic. He then looks to Saura and has his hand out. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you're with Knuckles and Sonic. I'm Tails," he says to the wolf. Saura looked unsure but shook the fox's hand. Tails smiles and mentions the hedgehog looking like Sonic. "And this is Sonic," he added. The fox notices the confused look on Saura's face. "He's a Sonic from another dimension," he explains. Saura nods to show she understands. Tails nods back. "What's your name?" he asks the wolf. Saura flinches at the thought of speaking, but she doesn't need to now. She, Tails, and Sonic see reinforcements arrive.

~

The younger Sonic, Tails, and Saura arrived at HQ walking to the computer room. Tails and the younger Sonic went in the room first. "Sonic," Tails exclaims when he sees Sonic with everyone else!

The older Sonic, who was waiting eagerly, sees Tails and smiles in excitement. "Tails," he says to the two-tailed fox!

Before Sonic could respond, Tails hugged him as tears appeared in the fox's eyes. "I-I was so worried! I-I thought you were-" was all Tails could say as he continues to cry a bit. Saura smiles as she watches the older Sonic and Tails hug like long lost brothers.

"Oh, you worry too much Tails," the older Sonic says to Tails. He stops hugging the fox, so he can show the fox he's alright. "See? I'm perfectly fine," he added with a smile. The older Sonic then turns to the younger Sonic. "It's been generations since I've seen you. You okay?" he asks the younger hedgehog.

When the younger Sonic gave a thumps up, Tails wipes away his tears and looks to the older Sonic with a smile. "The good news is you're safe," he says to the older blue hedgehog. He then frowns and looks to everyone in the room. "The bad news is: Eggman said he had some plan that would destroy us all in three days," he announces.

"Three days huh?" said the older Sonic. "Well, a lot can happen in that time," he added. Saura, however, thinks differently. Who knows what Eggman could be up to... not to mention Infinite.

It seems Knuckles was thinking the same thing. "But still, I don't like the sound of that," he says with a serious expression. "Normally, I'd just laugh at an Eggman plan, but he's already conquered most of the world," he added. He then looks to Tails. "So, what's this plan of his?" he asks the fox.

Saura suddenly hears someone calling through the computer! "Commander, we're under attack! A black hedgehog is tearing through our troops in the city! Requesting reinforcement," a voice shouted.

The older Sonic glares at the mention of a black hedgehog. "Shadow," he says in anger. "The last time I saw him, he was fighting for Eggman," he added as he taps his foot a bit.

Knuckles looked confused. "That doesn't make sense," said the echidna. In confusion. "Why would Shadow help the enemy?" he asks the older Sonic.

"Do you think he could be under the control by that strange power from Infinite?" Silver asks to come up with a solution.

The older Sonic looks to Silver. "Whatever it is, I'll figure it out," he says to the white hedgehog. Sonic, once he's sure he has a communicator, walks out of the room to head into the city. On the way out, Sonic glances at Saura for he noticed the wolf had still not said a word the entire time. He wonders when the female wolf will soon speak up. When he's out of the room, Sonic runs to the city.

Saura watches the older Sonic leaves and flinches a bit as she sees him watching her a bit. As soon as Sonic is out of the room, she looks around the room and sees everyone too occupied to see her since they appear to be either helping the older Sonic or thinking of another attack. She places her hand in her pocket that contains the gem she found earlier. It looks like she'll have to show the gem later. So, Saura walks out to go to her room.

~

Once Saura is in her room and shuts the door, she takes out the gem and looks at it. She had to wonder what it was doing in the jungle to begin with. This gem reminds the wolf of… him. Yes, him; the male jackal, or in this case Infinite, that she saved in the jungle last night. Actually, the gem almost looks exactly like the gem on Infinite's chest. Last night's encounter had started to fill in her head. She wondered why the jackal didn't kill her… Was it because she saved him or is there more to it? She remembered the question the jackal asked her last night. Who is she and why did she save him? Well, she saved him because it was the right thing to do… at least that's what she believes. And who is she? Saura places the wispon down so she can look at her hand. At first, she thought she is a coward… The weakest wolf in the world who is too afraid to speak... or rather that's what her uncle always said to her… Memories of her time when she was young replays in her head…

Saura was once a bit talkative at a young age. But when she started to go to school, everyone began giggling at her whenever she speaks. Wanting answers and ways to defend herself, she turned to her uncle when her parents were away. He made her go through some serious training that involved with her getting hurt in the process. When she tries to get out of it, her uncle locked her away and claimed how much he hated her voice, for it was the cause everyone picks on her, and wanted it gone. And to do that, he tried to…

Saura shivers as more memories of her time with her uncle replay in her head that causes her to drop everything and have her hands to her head. No, she can't think of that, not now! Not after how far she's come! The wolf feels something wet running through her muzzle. Realizing she's crying, Saura quickly wipes the tears off. She shouldn't be thinking that. The wolf should be happy that she's alive thanks to her parents. True, she took what her uncle said by heart and that caused her to never speak to anyone except for her parents. However, that will not stop her from at least trying to talk to others… until she knows she can trust them enough they won't make fun of her voice. But after all the adventures she went through with Knuckles, Amy, Silver, Espio, Charmy, Vector, and Sonic, she feels like she can trust them. Perhaps she should give them a chance. After the next mission Knuckles assigns her, Saura will start talking to the group! Saura wants to think of a good subject to speak about. The wolf looks to the gem and picks it up again. This gem could be a good start! Then, the jackal came back to her head. Sometimes when she sees him, she thinks of her uncle. But at other times, she doesn't. She wonders why that is.

"Do you really think they want to hear you talk? I believe it will only become a nuisance to them."

Saura flinched at the voice. That may be true, but it can't hurt to try... And she will try. The wolf continues to stare at the gem along with having a jackal stuck in her head until she hears a knock on her door. Once Saura puts the gem away in her pocket and picks up her wispon, she answers the door to see Silver. "Oh, thank goodness you're in there," he says with a smile. "Hey, Knuckles needs us in the meeting room this time," he added. "Come on, lets go meet with him and some members of the resistance," he said to the wolf. Saura nods as she walks with Silver to the meeting room.

When Silver and Saura arrived at the meeting room, they see Knuckles, Espio, Charmy, Vector, Tails, the younger Sonic, and a lot of unfamiliar faces. Saura shivers when she sees all of the strangers in the room but stops as she stands next to Silver when they joined in the crowd. Once Knuckles sees Silver and Saura, he decided to start the meeting. "Alright everyone, listen up," he announces loudly to get everyone's attention! "We just got word that Eggman's forces are undermanned at his headquarters in Metropolis," he explains the news.

Espio thinks on why that could be the case. "They're probably staging somewhere else as part of Eggman's plan," he tells his opinion. The chameleon then realizes something! "This could be out only chance to take the city," he says with surprise.

"Exactly," Knuckles says to Espio with a smirk. He then looks to the rest of the crowd. "That's why we're focusing on a full-frontal assault on Metropolis," he explains while showing a diagram of Metropolis. "I'm calling it: "Operation Big Wave,"" he says with pride!

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Interlude: Destroy or Desire?

Infinite watches in victory as every last resistance member and citizens of Mobius looking at him in fear while lined up for either execution or robotization. While hanging on the wall was that blue savior as he watches in agony his fellow members and friends either killed or robotized. The jackal dark chuckles as everyone shivers in fear or look down in defeat. "Infinite," he suddenly hears his communicator. Knowing who it is, he waits for the old man's status update or situation. "It appears we have someone trying to escape located near the exit. Find them and get rid of them," the voice added.

Infinite dark chuckles as he heads to the entrance/exit of the fortress. Once he arrives, he sees a blond wolf looking around for a way out... Wait, he recognizes her back at the Mystic Jungle! Finally, this can be his chance to get back at her for seeing him as weak! So, the jackal starts throwing his phantom cubes at the wolf. Unfortunately, Saura saw them coming and dodges them the best she could. Infinite growls and charges towards the wolf. Saura was barely able to get away. When the jackal was close to the wolf, he suddenly caught something from her again, her scent. Infinite froze when he smells it. Slowly, he turns to Saura, who is watching him in fear. Seeing this wolf look at him the same way as everyone else does, it makes him... hurt! He stiffens; why is he feeling pain?

Infinite then sees Saura running away! "Wait," he shouts to her without even thinking it! Still not thinking, the jackal charges towards the wolf and catches her. He has no idea what he's doing! He can't even get his own body to listen! Infinite then has Saura trapped to the wall with the Phantom Ruby. The wolf struggles to try and break herself free, but with no success as she starts deep breath. The jackal still sees her still looking at him in fear and now with tears in her eyes. Infinite starts to feel strange emotions rise as he frowns. Why can't he control himself?! He then feels himself moving closer to Saura until he's a few inches away. The scent from the wolf catches him once again. Its smell is so... alluring like last time. But, the more he smells it, he'll lose more control of himself... "Saura," he says the wolf's name in a gentle tone. He watches the wolf continue to shiver and look at him in fear. Infinite flinches at Saura's look of fear as he slowly tries to touch her cheek.

~

Infinite awoke from his rest while deep breathing. It was her again! Since that night, that female wolf had never left his mind. Even in his dream, that wolf, Saura, was there! He saw her showing the look of fear along with other mobian citizens. Seeing the citizens frightened brings him great joy. It shows how powerful he is compared to those insects. However, when he sees the blond wolf frightened, the jackal doesn't feel joy. It was pain! It made him feel- "No," he shouts to himself as he growls! He is not weak! He won't allow it! He should focus on doing his mission, finding all the rest of the other phantom ruby prototypes and destroy them. Noticing the cloth, he opens it up to see the white crescent moon necklace still there. He thought about not taking it with him for it will only be a distraction. But the necklace could be like… Growling a bit, he picks up the necklace to take it with him. Once he finds his mask and puts it on along with making sure the Phantom Ruby is on his chest, he walks out of his resting headquarters in Metropolis.

Infinite traveled all over the world to destroy the remaining Phantom Ruby prototypes aside from the Mystic Jungle; he believes he got the gem there. Finally, he arrives in Green Hill. Infinite immediately found the prototype. It had a different shape than the one he wears. The masked jackal looks up to see a human man in a hovering craft come down. He knows who that. This is the man who had given him the Phantom Ruby, which gave the jackal unlimited power, Dr. Eggman. He shows the human the gem in his hand. "And with that, the disposal of the Phantom Ruby prototypes is complete doctor," he says to the human as he easily crushes the gem. The gem in his hand shattered into tiny pieces.

The Doctor, or Dr. Eggman, nods. "It was a defective model," he starts to explain. "It could only record the DNA of the one that triggered it," he explains more about the gem.

"Only a being with my strength of will could ever activate it," Infinite reassures with confidence. Besides, there is no one out there with the same strength of will as he does.

Dr. Eggman nods as he thinks a bit. "It doesn't matter now with the lab locked down in Mystic Jungle," he states. He then remembers something. "Which reminds me, didn't you run into Sonic there after he escaped?" he asks Infinite with a confused look.

Infinite nodded as he crosses his arms. "Yes, but he was powerless against me," he replies. He lets out a small dark chuckle. "There is no need for concern," he states with a shrug.

Unfortunately, Eggman didn't like that. "You let the hedgehog LIVE?" he exclaims in anger! "That is a great source of concern," he added with more anger.

Infinite adjusts his mask a bit. "For you, perhaps. He has beaten you for decades, yet I defeated him in out first encounter," he points out. He noticed he angered Eggman more, but it doesn't concern him.

Infinite then thought he heard something and looked to the right, but to his confusion, no one is there. Eggman sees Infinite looking somewhere else. "What is it?" he asks.

The masked jackal looks for a moment more until he believes no one is there. "Nothing," he answers. He soon looks back to Eggman. "We move forward with the plan?" he asks the doctor.

Eggman lets out an evil smirk. "Of course," he replies in excitement. "When it's complete, the resistance will be erased. And then, the world will be nothing, but ashes, from which a glorious Eggman Empire will rise," he added as his smirk increases.

Infinite then rises from the ground with an evil smirk underneath his mask. "And the resistance will yield to the Phantom Ruby's power," he says as the red aura flows around him. "All will submit," he added. Once he sees Dr. Eggman nod in agreement, the masked jackal flies off.

As Infinite continues to fly around, he notices the city and flies towards it. Seeing all of the Death Egg robots destroying the city, he evil smirks and lands on to the ground. Suddenly, he remembers the time he attacked a city two months ago. All the fear the jackal saw in the citizens' eyes gave him so much power even with the resistance trying to fight back. And then… No, no! Not again, the image of the blond wolf appears in his head! Infinite places his hands on his head while groaning. That girl is still on his mind! "Why?" he asks himself in anger! The masked jackal uses the Phantom Ruby to make an illusion of the female wolf. Once he fights off this illusion, he'll know for sure he can crush the girl with no trouble. She is nothing but an insect just like everyone else! He glares at the trembling wolf. The masked jackal has his hand glow red and aims it at the female. He hopes this will clear his head once and for all.

But when Infinite continues to stare at the terrified female wolf, his glare weakens, and he puts his hand down as the glowing stops. What's going on with him? Why can't he destroy this wolf just like he does with the resistance? "You," he growls out. He walks up to the illusion while still watching it. Infinite sees the fake wolf back away from him a bit. Quickly, Infinite gets close which caused it to not move. "Who are you?" he asks. When there is no response, Infinite tries to place his hand on the muzzle to make the fake wolf look at him. But the moment his hand made contact, the illusion disappears.

The masked jackal glares at the spot where the illusion was at. Did he just try to… touch her just like in his dream? He puts his hand at the empty spot and growls. In anger, he blasts an already torn building with the Phantom Ruby. He must find her again! There is something wrong with him and she is the cause of it! If Infinite can't destroy her, then what can he do to her? One thing is certain, nothing will change if he doesn't find her. He needs to see her, touch her, and to smell her. Yes, he still had not forgotten that smell he scent on the wol- No, Saura. It was intoxicating to him as he remembers it!

Infinite growls as his hands form to fists. This feeling, what is it?! It's something he never felt before towards another mobian! He then pulls out the necklace he grabbed from Saura. He definitely needs to find her! And when he does, he will take the wolf and make her- "Mine," he says in a whisper subconsciously. Once he finally registers what he said and what it could mean, he looks at the necklace and has a dark smirk underneath his mask. "Yes, with the Phantom Ruby's power, she will submit just like the resistance, and she will be mine," he says to himself. Looking at the sky, he realizes it's best to head back to Metropolis to come up with a plan first. A plan to find the wolf and take her away from which ever group she is in if she is in one. After all, wolves are usually in packs. So, he flies back to Metropolis.

When Infinite arrives at night, everything seems to be calm. So, he starts searching back at the destroyed city first. When that failed, he moves on to Green Hill, and then the Mystic Jungle. Both places took the masked jackal all night to look everywhere for the blond wolf, but he hadn't found anything! He returns to Metropolis in the morning. True, he's exhausted from not stopping to rest, but he must not stop! While pacing a bit around the training room, Infinite suddenly sees a red, round robot who would sometimes follow the doctor. "Excuse me, but the boss requires your presence," it said nervously. Infinite growls a bit as he makes his way to Dr. Eggman and ignores the red robot.

When the masked jackal arrives, Eggman opens up several screens. Each one shows different mobians from the resistance attacking Metropolis. "It seems the resistance think they can take back this city with an-all-out attack. Let's show them how wrong they are," he says with an evil chuckle.

Infinite glares at the screens with annoyance. Out of all the times in the world, the resistance decided to attack now! How pathetic… Suddenly, he notices someone in one of the screens. It's her! The female blond wolf that he was searching for last night, Saura. And it seems, she is not alone. Several members of the resistance are with her. So, she is one of the members of the resistance… How sad that she wasted her time with them. He'll make her change her mind when he's done with the resistance and her. This isn't exactly how he plans it, but this could be the chance he needs to claim the wolf. He releases a dark chuckle and turns to Eggman. "So, what's the plan doctor?" he asks the human.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Breaking the Locks

This plan is crazy! Knuckles wants to attack one of Eggman's bases in Metropolis! But it seems most of Eggman's forces had moved somewhere else for one of his evil schemes. And Knuckles wants to use his strategy, "Operation Big Wave," to take back the city! So now, Saura along with a lot of the resistance members had arrived at Metropolis.

There are a lot of enemies in Metropolis; however, thanks to her wispon, Saura was able to get pass them with ease. Unfortunately, the massive number of enemies had separated her from her group! Which leaves Saura all alone in this hurricane. Just then, she hears a glitch like noise which caused her to hide! Why does that sound so familiar? Saura looks up and sees the masked jackal in the sky, Infinite! "Infinite, activate the Phantom Ruby! Make them wish they'd never been born," she hears a voice say! Infinite suddenly glows red and has it spread out around the city. When the aura contacts Saura and disappears, she suddenly gasps and yelps as she falls. While falling, the wolf sees Infinite turn around until he spots her! Quickly, she uses her grabbling hook and gets to the ground safely and away from the masked jackal. What's going on? Everything is upside-down.

"Stay calm everyone," Saura hears Knuckles say through her communicator! "What you're seeing isn't real," he added. Saura frowns at that. This looks more real than Knuckles thinks.

It seems Saura isn't the only one who thinks this is real. "It's no use! Our troops are scattering in the confusion," one of the soldier's voice shouts through her communicator. There were soon screams and shooting coming from the communicator as well which causes Saura to wince! She needs to get to the others to help! She then hears the glitch noise again! Infinite must have found her because of how loud her communicator was! She gets up to run; but since she wasn't paying attention, Saura triggered a few traps that caused her to lose her ground! Luckily for her, she uses her grabbling hooks to pull herself towards a building. Saura once again hears the glitching sound and it's coming closer! Saura swiftly jumps in to a building along with breaking a window and releasing the hooks back to her. She runs deeper into the building to get away from Infinite. As she continues to run, the glitching noise started to fade.

"This is Eagle Squad! We're caught in enemy crossfire," a voice shouted through Saura's communicator! The wolf needs to get to the others to help and fast!

"Snake Squad here! We're requesting reinforcements," another voice added with panic!

"This is Fox Squad! We can't hold out much more," a different voice adds in!

"Run while you still can."

Saura flinches as she got outside and heard a dark laughter. She needs to hurry and help everyone! Saura then hears the glitching noise again! He found her! Saura panics as she keeps running to get away from Infinite and help the resistance!

"Everyone, fall back," said Silver through Saura's communicator! "We can regroup at HQ to come up with another plan," he added. Saura nods as she gets ready to use her grabbling hook to head back. But then, she sees Infinite behind her! Saura quickly turns around and uses her grabbling hook to get in to another building to avoid the masked jackal!

As Saura gets in to another building, she gets in to a room that have no other doorways, nor windows except for the roof. She could try to get to the roof, but it's so high up! The glitch noise was soon close by! Saura turns and sees Infinite standing there between her and the only doorway that leads to the exit.

Saura freezes in fear. She can't go back the other way since Infinite is blocking her from that path. "Well, we meet again," he says to Saura. Saura shivers and tries to find another escape route, but with no luck…

"Hey rookie, what's going on back there? We're hearing strange noises coming from your side," Knuckles asks through the communicator since he hears the glitch noise as well. Saura didn't respond as she is too busy shaking in fear. Infinite seems to notice Saura's fear and growls a bit. Saura flinches and takes a couple steps back.

"Oh no, that sound means Infinite is near you! Hurry and get out of there rookie," Silver shouts through Saura's communicator. Once she sees the window is the only way out, Saura takes Silver's advice and uses her grabbling hook towards one of the walls of the room and swings towards it. Breaking the security camera there by accident, she uses it to keep her balance and gets ready to make another swing for the wall to climb up.

That is what Infinite can not allow! He quickly flies up to Saura, before she could use her grabbling hook again, and grabs her to the point she can't escape! As he gets back to the ground, he feels the wolf struggling, but he makes sure she can't break free by forcing her to let go of her weapon. The masked jackal can still sense the wolf's fear and growls. That turned out to be a mistake for Saura starts whimpering and shaking more to the point she's like a leaf.

"Rookie, respond! I know you don't like talking, but we need you to now! Please respond," Knuckles pleaded through Saura's communicator. Infinite heard what Knuckles said and looks to Saura in confusion.

"Oh, you've never spoken yet?" Infinite asks the wolf quietly with a dark chuckle. Hearing Saura whimpering again, Infinite growls a bit quietly. He needs to get rid of this pain Saura is planting on to him. How is she causing him pain?! Now noticing the communicator sticking out of Saura's pocket, he pulls it out as he holds the wolf with one arm.

Saura now panics and struggles more to try and break free from the jackal, but she is not getting anywhere close. "Don't worry buddy," Sonic's voice was heard through Saura's communicator! "We'll get you and everyone else out of there," he added. Saura would have smiled when she heard Sonic; but with Infinite still having a hold on her, she's having a hard time smiling right now.

Infinite growls at Saura's communicator, but then chuckles darkly. Still keeping a tight hold on Saura, the jackal covers the wolf's muzzle gently. "That will not be necessary, blue savior," he says to the communicator for he knows it's on for the other side to hear.

Sonic's growl was heard through Saura's communicator. "Infinite, let them go," he says through the communicator!

Infinite smirks underneath his mask. "Your pathetic resistance group will be gone by the time you arrive. As for this one, it's too late to save her," he replies to Sonic through Saura's communicator. "Because-" he tightens his grip on Saura a bit more. "-Saura belongs to me now," he added and finally crushes the communicator. Saura's eyes widen in shock. Infinite knows her name! How?! How did he know? There is no way! The wolf looks to Infinite. She has to know how he knows her name.

Infinite notices Saura staring at her. His smirk widens as he gets out the white crescent moon necklace and shows it to the wolf. "You left a little something after out last encounter in the jungle," he replies to Saura. Without letting her get a chance to grab it, he puts the necklace away.

Saura shivers more to the point fear is now making her see unclearly. Now thrashing, Saura breaks out of Infinite's hold and runs. Once Infinite recovers from the wolf's attack, he growls and blocks her from getting close to the exit near them. The masked jackal caught her with ease by trapping her between the wall and himself as he holds both of Saura's hands up with his one. Infinite removes his mask from his face, so he can look at the wolf. After all, a Saura has seen his face, so there is no point in hiding it from her. "You can't escape from me Saura," he warns her. Saura shivers while deep breathing. Too scared to find out what happens next, the wolf shuts her eyes tight. The jackal glares at the wolf a bit but stops when he got a whiff of her scent again. There it is; it's that smell again! He gets closer to the wolf and sniffs her with his eyes shut. The alluring smell is still there, but it got stronger when he gets closer to the wolf. Is it possible to get closer to that scent; it appears to be... calling out to him…

Saura continues to shiver with her eyes shut and waited for Infinite to finish her off. But instead, she feels something between her lips! She stiffens and opens her eyes out of curiosity. Her eyes widened in shock; Infinite is… kissing her! But why, didn't he want to finish what he was about to do to her in the Mystic Jungle? The jackal continues this action as he drops his mask. The sound of the mask landing on the ground has snapped Infinite out of his daze. The jackal looked shocked as he pulls away from the wolf. He growls while glaring at Saura. "What have you done to me?" he asks in anger.

Saura shivers as a huge blush appear on her muzzle. Hearing Infinite's question, she shakes her head to show she doesn't understand. Infinite growls more at the wolf's silent answer. "Speak," he commands the wolf. Saura shakes her head again as she turns her head away. Infinite snarls as he uses his other clawed hand to grab Saura's chin to make her look at him. "Look at me," he says to the female wolf.

Saura whimpers and shivers as she looks at Infinite. "What did you do to me?" the jackal asks again. Saura gulps as she shuts her eyes tight while shaking. Infinite is starting to lose his patience with this wolf and grips his hold on her more.

But then… "I-I don't know," a soft voice replies. Infinite freezes when he heard it. He loosens his grip a bit on Saura as he looks at her. She spoke to him, something the resistance couldn't do! And her voice… The jackal slowly let's go of her chin but places his hand on her muzzle gently. The wolf's voice makes Infinite feel… Just, who is this wolf?

"Infinite," a voice was heard from Infinite's communicator. "Sonic has been spotted in Metropolis. He had broke one of our prison ships," he announces. Saura stops shaking and looked surprised. Infinite, on the other hand, glares at the news. "No! Shadow has also been spotted and is destroying my ships as well! Annihilate them both," the voice commanded.

Saura hears Infinite growling a bit as he releases her muzzle and one of her wrists. He continues to hold on to one of the wolf's wrists as he gets his mask back on. Saura was then pulled closer to Infinite. "You're not going to be rescued by that little blue savior and his pathetic friends, I'll make sure of it," he threatens her. "Now walk," he commands the wolf as he starts walking. Infinite feels himself dragging Saura and looks to her. Saura shakes her head as she shivers and tries to fight back. Infinite glares at Saura and tugs her closer to him. "I said walk," he commands the wolf again. The jackal watches the wolf shake her head once more. Infinite pulls the wolf towards him more which causes the wolf to fall to the ground. He towers above Saura and makes a dominant-like growl. "You will obey me Saura," he says to the wolf as he leans closer to her. Saura shivers as she whimpers.

They suddenly hear someone break something like a window! "Chaos control," a male voice shouted. Out of nowhere, a black hedgehog with red stripes appeared and kicks Infinite away from Saura. Unaware of the attack, Infinite received the full blow and accidentally releases Saura. The masked jackal was sent flying until he hits a wall.

Saura watches Infinite get hit and then looks to the black hedgehog as she gets up. This guy almost looks like Sonic. "Buddy," she hears a familiar voice shout out! She turns and sees Sonic jumping down from the roof. Once the blue hedgehog lands, he rushes to Saura and the black hedgehog. "It's so good to see you're alright," he says with a smile. Saura smiles to Sonic as tears appeared in her eyes but are quickly wiped off by herself. Sonic pats her shoulder gently and then turns to the black hedgehog. "Great job Shadow," he says to the black hedgehog with a thumbs up.

The black hedgehog, Shadow, humphs as he continues to stare where Infinite is at. "Don't get too excited. Infinite will be back up any minute now. We got the girl and rescued the rest of the captured resistance. Now, let's go," he says to Sonic.

Saura got ready to get her wispon, but realizes she dropped it! She looks around and sees it near the wall where Infinite trapped her earlier. She runs to go get it. By the time she got the lightning wispon, Infinite rose from the ground with red aura around him. Saura yelps a bit as she runs back to Sonic and Shadow. Infinite sees Saura running to the two hedgehogs and snarls. "I said you can't escape from me," he shouts as he spreads the red aura around the area. The moment Saura, Sonic, and Shadow touch the aura, a bunch of robots appeared around the two hedgehogs and several surrounding Saura as the area glows red.

"Damn," Shadow mumbles as he and Sonic start fighting off the robots. Just when they got close to saving the girl, Infinite had to activate the Phantom Ruby.

Saura took out the enemies surrounding her using her wispon. When she starts running to Sonic and Shadow, Infinite uses the Phantom Ruby to create a capture net large enough to grab a mobian and throws it at Saura. Saura sees it and can't get away from it for how huge it is. She shuts her eyes to wait for the harsh capture. The wolf had no idea of the gem in her pocket glowing. Infinite watches with shock as the net passes by Saura. "What?" he says with shock. When Saura didn't feel anything, she opens her eyes and sees the net on the ground and not on her! She looks just as shocked as Infinite was, but the wolf quickly snaps out of it. She runs to Sonic and Shadow to help take out the rest of the enemies with her wispon.

When Sonic sees Saura back with him and Shadow along with taking out the rest of the enemies, he grabs Saura's wrist and pulls her close to him and Shadow. "Shadow, now," he shouts to the black hedgehog!

Shadow nods as he pulls out a yellow colored jewel. "Chaos Control," he shouts! Soon, he, Sonic, and Saura were surrounded by a bright light that had the wolf cover her eyes with her arm.

Infinite notices both hedgehogs and wolf disappeared in a flash of light. He flies down to the spot where they were at to find a trace of them. But, there was nothing there. He growls madly at this. He had her! The jackal was so close, but the blue hedgehog AND the black hedgehog got away with her. He needs to get that female wolf back and has only two days left. Saura's voice started to play through his head. The voice felt soothing to him… Infinite had his clawed hands to fists. "You can't escape from me Saura! I will find you again even if it takes me forever," he says in anger. The jackal soon has red aura around himself as he flies out of the room.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: Trust Issues…

When Sonic, Shadow, Saura and the other rescued members arrived back to the Resistance HQ, Saura and the others are sent to the medical room since some and maybe all of them could've been injured during their time in Metropolis. While that group was there, Knuckles informed Sonic and Shadow that he just sent the younger Sonic and Tails to the Chemical Plant to find out more about the Phantom Ruby. "So, we just wait until they both return?" Sonic asks.

"Yeah," Knuckles replies. "Although, I don't know what else we can do at this point," he added. Sonic nods while Shadow crosses his arms as he leans against the wall.

Amy had been listening through some of the conversations that were recorded through the communicators. The recent ones had grabbed her attention. As she listens to the audio clips over again with head phones, she gasps. Knuckles hears Amy and shows a look of concern. "What's wrong Amy?" he asks the pink hedgehog.

Amy takes the head phones off her ears and the computer. As she looks to the group, she puts the audio on speaker. "You guys might want to listen to this," she says to Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Rouge, Silver, Espio, and Charmy.

Once the audio clips are on the big screen, Amy plays the audio. When the crowd heard the glitch noise, Shadow's glare deepens at the audio. "It's Infinite," he states. Everyone else became tensed as they listened the audio clip.

"Well, we meet again," a voice was said through the speakers. Everyone flinched, that was Infinite's voice! They suddenly hear Knuckles's voice in the audio as well to ask the rookie what's going on!

Knuckles then realizes whose communicator this audio clip came from. "This audio clip is from the rookie's communicator before we lost her signal," he says while he listens.

The group soon hears growling coming from Infinite. Silver's voice was then heard telling the rookie to retreat! The sound of movement came as they hear the glitch noise being moved away, but it came back and sounded closer like Infinite was right behind them! Growls from Infinite and whimpers from Saura were heard. The poor wolf sounded so scared… Knuckles's voice was heard again pleading Saura to speak up. The growls suddenly stopped. "Oh, you've never spoken yet?" the group hears Infinite ask. Infinite appears to be talking to Saura! Sonic's voice was then heard along with Infinite growls, but chuckles afterwards. "That won't be necessary, blue savior," Infinite's voice was heard clearer as if he's speaking directly to a communicator. Sonic's voice was in again but was stopped. "Your pathetic resistance group will be gone by the time you arrive. As for this one, it's too late for that," Infinite says. The whimpers from Saura was then getting softer as if Infinite is trying to cover it. "Because, Saura belongs to me now," he added. A cracking noise was soon heard until the audio stops playing.

Everyone looked shocked. "So, Infinite and the rookie know each other?" Vector asks. Everyone looks around to see if anyone knew of this, but no one does.

"That's something we'll have to ask the ro- I mean Saura," Espio answers. "But the problem is, Saura had still not yet spoken a word to any of us," he says with a sigh. "Getting her to talk will take a miracle," he added.

Knuckles frowns as he looks at the ground. No matter how many times he tries to get her to talk, Saura continues to remain silent. Why is Saura so afraid to talk? Growling a bit, the echidna gets ready to leave. "And where are you going?" Rouge asks.

"I'm going to ask, "the rookie" some questions," Knuckles replies as he continues to walk towards the exit.

Before Knuckles could leave, Silver blocks his way. "Hold on Knuckles. We shouldn't just jump in on her after she just got back. Plus, maybe Infinite just knows her name," he says to the echidna.

"If Infinite knows her name, there is no doubt that they've met before! The more information on Infinite the better it is to have an advantage! We don't have much time! We have only one day left before Eggman launches his plan," Knuckles says. Everyone looked down to think while Shadow continues to remain unfazed.

Before Knuckles moves, the computer starts beeping and the screen has a dot blinking. Amy checks to see what's going on and gasps. "Metal Sonic has been spotted in the city," she says to the group!

Shadow looks to the screen in some concern. "Is it another fake?" he asks. Amy shrugs in response.

"Why would they bother making a fake out of something that already isn't real? Couldn't they just build more?" Sonic asks as he scratches his head a bit. He then stops to shake his head. "Either way, it's getting wrecked," he added. The blue hedgehog runs off to the city.

Knuckles thinks about staying to help Sonic, but he also wants to get some information from Saura. He looks around the group until his eyes lay on Charmy. "Charmy, go get "the rookie" from the medical room and bring her here," he says to the bee. He watches Charmy nod as he flies out of the room.

Meanwhile…

Saura returned to her room after she checked to make sure she had no serious injuries. Although, she did disobey the nurse for not staying in the medical room when she had to leave and check on someone. The nurse was an adult cream rabbit with a bit of orange. Once the nurse left, Saura went to her room where she feels more comfortable and safe. Besides, she has a lot on her mind right now and they mostly involve with Infinite.

For starters, Infinite had kissed her! Why did he do that? Saura thought the masked jackal wanted to destroy her… The wolf starts blushing as she places her hand on her lips. She shivers as that scene with Infinite placing his lips on hers returned to her thoughts. Why her out of everyone here? Saura stares at the ground as she leans to the wall. None of this makes sense!

Not only that, Saura actually spoke! Not to Knuckles, Sonic, nor anyone else in the resistance, but to Infinite! Something she had vowed to never do to anyone except for her parents until she trusts them. Even, she was surprised to hear herself speak; it has been four months since she last spoke. Saura gently has her finger tips touch her neck. Remembering a small scar, she shivers at some memories that replayed in her head.

"Your voice is disgusting! No one likes you for the way your voice is! That's why everyone hates you. And the only way everyone can like you, is for you to get rid of that pathetic voice of yours once and for all!"

Saura flinches as that phrase was played on her head repeatedly. Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut when she was at Metropolis?... But then again, Infinite didn't say anything bad about her voice… neither good as well. Sighing quietly, Saura looks at the ceiling.

"Now do you see? Nothing good can happen when you speak! I bet the jackal is thinking how disgusting your voice is."

Saura shivers when she hears the voice from before. That voice is right... After all, many things happen when she speaks and none of them were good results. She needs to keep quiet... Maybe Knuckles and the others wouldn't mind... She'll go ahead and ask them about the-

The wolf suddenly hears knocking on her door. She stays quiet and remains where she's at. "Miss, are you in there?" a feminine voice asks. Saura continues to be silent. After a minute, she quietly goes to the door to check if whoever is behind it is gone. "Miss, I need you back to the medical room please," the voice added. Saura freezes and stays still. She continues to wait for a bit and hears a sad sigh. "I hope the poor dear is around here somewhere," Saura hears the voice say. The wolf starts to hear footsteps as they get further away.

Once the footsteps are gone, Saura sighs as she opens the door a bit to peek and see if the one behind the door is gone. When she sees it's clear, she got ready to shut her door, but a white gloved hand stops her. She flinches and steps back a bit. To her relief, it was the younger Sonic! The wolf sighs quietly in relief. Just then, Tails shows up as well with a confused look until he sees Saura. "Oh, thank goodness it's you," said Tails with a smile. "Sonic and I are still trying to memorize this place a bit and we kind of got lost," he explains as he chuckles nervously. "Can you help us get to the Computer Room?" he asks. Saura jumps a bit, but she stops herself to hide it and nods. Tails and the younger Sonic smiled. "Thanks," the two-tailed fox says. Then, he, Sonic, and Saura walk to the computer room.

When they arrived, Tails and the younger Sonic entered the Computer Room while Saura stayed behind from sight. The wolf watches the group from a far. "We got it! We figured out a way to stop Eggman's Phantom Ruby," he says to the group with a smile. "Based on these readings, the Phantom Ruby requires an incredible amount of energy, which only the Death Egg can provide," he explains the weapon. "We simply stop the energy transfer and boom, the Phantom Ruby is practically useless," he added to explain what they should do.

Knuckles had a concerned look. "Simply? Last I checked, the Death Egg is heavily fortified… well, Death Egg," he says with a serious look.

Tails nodded. "True, but I came up with a plan," he says to Knuckles. He then looks to everyone in the room. "First, we distract Eggman. While he's not paying attention, we use the Chemical Plant computer to hack into the Death Egg's weapons systems and shut it down. With no weapons, destroying the Death Egg will be a piece of cake. No Death Egg, means the Phantom Ruby is nearly useless," he explains the plan.

Knuckles listened to Tails's plan and smiles. "Well you know, it's just crazy enough to work," he says in excitement. "So first, we need a distraction," he thinks. The echidna smirks as he pounds his fists together. "I'm on it," he volunteers.

Amy, on the other hand stops Knuckles with a serious look. "No way Knuckles! You're too easily distracted. That's not a good trait for a distraction," she scolds the echidna. "Plus, you're our commander! We kinda need you here," she added.

Knuckles had and annoyed look on his face as Tails thinks for someone to distract Eggman. And, the fox has someone on his mind. "How about the rookie?" Tails suggests. The younger Sonic nods in agreement, but the rest of the crowd winces. "Eggman would never-"

"No," Knuckles says immediately which caught Tails by surprise. "I'm not sending her into battle until she starts talking," he added in a serious tone.

"What… do you mean by that?" Tails asks in confusion. The younger Sonic looks confused as well as he looks at the crowd.

"Tails, something happened back at Metropolis during the mission. Somehow, "the rookie" and Infinite know each other. And until she tells us how, we can't trust her," said Knuckles. Everyone looked to Tails and the younger Sonic and nod in agreement aside from the older Sonic who seems to be lost in thought.

While everyone was discussing who should distract Eggman, Saura heard all of it as tears formed in her eyes. She turns away from the group and leans towards the wall as she grips on to the wispon in her hand. Now, she lost everyone's trust because of a decision she felt was right. Saura wipes off the tears in her eyes. She must find a way to prove she is on their side, but how? Remembering Tails's plan, she nods to herself. She will distract Eggman for them to prove she is still able to help without talking. She takes a peek to see if anyone is watching in the computer room. When no one is looking, she takes a deep breath and runs off to Green Hill.

Once Saura arrived at Green Hill, she was already surrounded by robots, but she took them out with one swing. As soon as the robots are gone around her, the wolf takes a deep breath to stop herself from crying a bit. She looks at the weapon in her hand, the same weapon Knuckles gave her to help them. She hugs the wispon as she frowns. "I hope this works," she mumbles. The wolf freezes when she realizes she spoke again.

"Your efforts will be futile. Don't you see what you've done? You and your choices will only cause suffering to everyone around you! Your "friends" don't trust you anymore. You are only wasting their time."

The wolf shivers more as the tears reappeared in her eyes. Perhaps, the voice is right. Look at the cause and it's effect! The resistance must have known for what she's done... Why else would she be questioned. The voice is- "No," she exclaims out loud! She can't let this get to her. There is still time! The wolf takes a deep breath to calm herself. Once the shivering and crying had subsided, she stops to look at the area. She suddenly feels the ground shaking and looks around. Saura then notices a huge spider looking robot walking! Realizing this could be the perfect distraction, Saura runs after it.

~

Espio sensed someone behind him and the group while they were discussing, but it soon vanished. He looks at the doorway but sees no one. He narrows his eyes at the area until he lets it go. "So, Sonic, go to the Chemical Plant. Once Espio finishes the distraction, we'll let you know when it's clear to get in to the computer room there," Knuckles says to the older Sonic.

The older Sonic nods to Knuckles and runs off. While the group starts to prepare for the plan, Charmy comes in with a panic expression. "Guys, she's gone! The rookie is gone," the bee shouts!

"What?" Knuckles exclaims in shock while everyone else gasps in shock! "What do you mean she's gone?" he asks Charmy.

Suddenly, the computer starts beeping and someone calls in as well. "Unidentified heat source detected! Requesting analysis," one of the soldiers says through the computer!

Amy quickly pulls up the visual of what the soldier sees and noticed a huge spider robot. She starts to try and analyze, but the readings were off. It must be a battlemech! "It's a multi-legged battlemech! The energy readings are off the charts," she says in shock!

Knuckles growls at this and turns to Espio. "Espio, go help out by taking down that battlemech," he says to the chameleon. Espio nods as he grabs a communicator and runs off to Green Hill.

The group quickly got ready to assist, but the computer starts beeping as an orange dot appears. The location of the dot appears to be in Green Hill and heading towards the battlemech. "Guys, there is a life reading heading towards the battlemech," Amy says as she tries to see who's chasing the huge robot.

To everyone's surprise, it's Saura! "Is that the rookie?" Silver asks with shock. "What is she doing over there?" he asks with complete shock.

The group noticed Saura taking out a few robots. Knuckles growls a bit as he pushes a button with a microphone on it. "Hey rookie, what are you doing over there?" he tries to call out. Everyone became stunned when Saura did not respond with a pause nor slowed down. Knuckles then remembers why and has his hands to fists. "That's right, she doesn't have a communicator," he says to the group, but mostly to himself. He pushes the microphone button again. "Espio, while you distract Eggman, see if you can find the rookie and bring her back to HQ," he says to the computer. Knuckles watches the screen in both anger and worry. What is that wolf up to?

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: Recaptured!

Saura continues to run through Green Hill as she chases the large spider robot. When other robots get in her way, she attacks them left and right. The wolf suddenly notices other resistance members are trying to find ways to attack the robot as well; but all their attacks had failed. One thing Saura realizes, however, she needs to find a way to distract it from attacking the others. Saura looks at the legs of the multi-legged robot. Perhaps, she could attack its legs!

Little did Saura know, she is being followed by someone. As soon as he spotted her, Epsio made himself invisible, thanks to his ninja training, and follows the female wolf. After he received the message to find Saura and bring her back, he cursed himself. Of course, that was Saura who ran off when he was with the others. However, he can't focus on that right now. Once the multi-legged battlemech is destroyed, he'll talk to Saura and try to ask her why she ran off from HQ. But first, he'll need to catch her. Unfortunately, from all the attacks Saura had done to the battlemech and other robots, the wolf had caught its attention.

Once the large multi-legged robot turned its attention to Saura, the wolf immediately runs away as the robot chases after her. Saura yelps every time it tries to stomp on her. Finally, she uses her grabbling hooks to swing around the robot and ties its legs together. When she finishes, Saura releases her hook since she has a back up like ready to be used. She deep breathes and looks around at the damage she has done. She smiles a bit and looks around for any signs of Eggman. But then, the wolf sees the resistance air craft coming down to investigate the damage. Saura, not wanting to get the attention, runs away from the group to hide deeper in Green Hill.

"Well, well... It seems you can do things without speaking. But I think, this little attempt is useless. The resistance will still question you when you return."

Saura, as she tries to ignore the voice, quickly hides in the bushes when she is at a good distance away from the group and watches them observe the robot. The voice has a valuable point. Her effort could be for nothing in her part. However, it can still help the resistance, and that is what she planned to do. The wolf sees some of the resistance members started to tweak with the large robot until it is no longer functionable. But soon, a hover craft started to float down with two little robots, and it cause the resistance members to raise their weapons. They soon froze when they see the masked jackal floating down with the craft! Frightened, the resistance members got in their air craft and escaped. Saura shivers as she hears the sound of glitching. That is definitely Infinite she hears!

Saura jumps when she feels someone's hand on her shoulder! She gets ready to attack but stops when she sees it was Espio. Remembering what happened earlier in HQ, she tenses and looks away from the chameleon. After all, it seems Epsio and his friends do not trust her… Knuckles certainly said it loud and clear.

As soon as he sees Saura defeat the mulit-legged battlemech, Espio stops his invisible cloak and looks amazed. He knew Knuckles was training her; however, he didn't expect the wolf to learn that quickly in using her weapon and hooks in sync. Then he saw Eggman come down along with Infinite. Looks like the mission to distract Eggman is complete and it's all thanks to Saura. Perhaps he, Knuckles, and the others had judged the wolf too quickly. Seeing the danger, Espio quietly goes to the bush Saura is hiding in and places his hand on her shoulder. The moment Saura sees him, the chameleon realizes the tension the wolf is feeling. She might not trust him nor the others a bit after what she heard. "Relax, I'm not here to scold you," he reassures the wolf. Noticing the message didn't sooth her, he sighs quietly as he looks to Eggman and Infinite. "Come, we must return to HQ. We need to report the mission is complete," he says to Saura to change the subject. Saura was still tensed since she is remaining in her place. Sighing a bit quietly, she nods in agreement.

The moment Saura takes the first step, she accidentally steps on a twig. "What was that?" she hears the same voice that was in Infinite's communicator. Saura was suddenly grabbed on the arm by Espio and then dragged to a run with him! Unfortunately for them, someone did spot them as they ran.

~

Espio and Saura continued to run for about a few minutes; but then, a red laser attacked the ground in front of them! This caused the two to stop on instinct and look towards where the laser came from. They see Infinite, who is floating down to the ground in front of them. "So, it was you who took out the robot," the masked jackal says as he eyes on Espio and Saura but mostly the wolf. "I must say, you surprise me with every new piece I find from you," he added. The moment Espio and Saura tried to take a step back, Infinite was suddenly right beside Saura in a blink of an eye. Saura froze in fear. "You're not as weak as I thought you were, Saura," he says directly to the wolf. The masked jackal's face was close to Saura's ear that caused the wolf to shiver. "And your voice is quite lovely which is why I can't let you get away from me again," he whispers to Saura.

Before Infinite could grab the wolf, Saura was suddenly pulled away from the masked jackal until she is behind Espio. "I don't know what's going on here, but I can't let you hurt Saura nor anyone else in the resistance. You and the doctor will fail," he says to the masked jackal. The masked jackal growls at Espio but was surprised to see him disappear. Infinite looks around for the chameleon until he was kicked away to the ground. Espio reappeared and grabs Saura's arm. "Come on let's get out of here," he says to Saura as he starts running. Saura follows since Espio still has a hold on her.

While Saura and Espio continue to run, the chameleon pulls out his communicator. "Espio here! Infinite had found me and Saura and we're trying to get away! Requesting reinforcements," he says through the communicator. Espio hopes the message gets through. Because, he knows Infinite will recover from the attack quickly. And, Espio was right. Infinite had thrown a huge red sphere in front of Saura and Espio! Suddenly, something started to form out of the area the red sphere was from. A huge red creature, with some black on his legs, head, and horns and teal on his claws and eye brows. "Zavok," Espio mumbles with a glare.

The red creature, or Zavok, does a dark chuckle. "Well, well, it seems I have more pests to take care of. No matter, once I finish with you two, that hedgehog will be next," he says while charging towards Espio and Saura. The wolf and chameleon dodged the red creature, but they both split up. Espio starts throwing his ninja stars at Zavok; however, the red creature dodged it. Zavok evil laughs. "How pathetic to throw your little toys at me," he says to the chameleon. Zavok lands a punch at Espio which sent the chameleon crash near the trees and bushes.

Saura gasps with her hands covering her mouth. She was about to call out to Espio, but she stopped herself. Wanting to help the chameleon, the wolf quickly gets in between Espio and Zavok as she glares a the red creature. Zavok eye narrows at Saura. "And who might you be?" he mocks. Saura flinches as she takes a step back in fear until she remembers what she plans to do. The wolf glares at the red creature as she raises her wispon at him. Zavok makes a dark chuckle. "Trying to play hero huh? You remind me of that blue hedgehog, Sonic. I'm going to enjoy crushing you," he says while getting ready to fight.

Infinite glares a bit at Zavok's last comment to Saura. That wolf is NOTHING compared to Sonic. She's different than the insects in the resistance. He doesn't know what that is, but he'll find out eventually. The jackal then noticed Saura dodged Zavok's attempt to grab her. The wolf then fights back with her wispon causing Zavok to block her attacks. Saura then starts using her grabbling hooks to kick Zavok as hard as she could. Infinite continues to watch the fight with an impressed look. The wolf isn't as strong and fast as Sonic. And yet, she is still fighting.

Espio watched the fight as well with a look of surprise. He tries to get up, but Zavok's punch got him good. Saura finally got Zavok on the ground. The wolf approaches Zavok as she continues to aim her Lighting Wispon at him. When Saura was close to Zavok, the chameleon noticed the red creature's tail lifting up. "Saura, look out," the chameleon warns Saura!

Saura stiffens and turns around. The moment she sees Zavok's tail, the red creature hits her with his tail hard on her head. The hit was so strong, it made Saura lose consciousness. Zavok dark chuckles as he gets up easily. Zavok evil laughs a bit. "Now then. I'll make this quick," he says while walking towards the wolf.

Infinite flinches at the thought of Zavok killing Saura... it caused him pain! Quickly, the jackal gets between the wolf and Zavok. With a snap of his fingers, the red creature was gone. Infinite walks and picks Saura up with one arm. Noticing the bruise on Saura's head from Zavok's attack, Infinite sighs quietly so the chameleon wouldn't hear him. He rubs the bruise gently a bit but stops when he hears Espio stand up. The jackal starts floating with red aura around him as he continues to hold Saura. "You and your pathetic resistance will yield to the phantom ruby before any of you shall have the chance," he says to the chameleon.

Espio glares at Infinite as he tries to stand up. "I’m warning you, Infinite," he says as he stands up. He hears the masked jackal dark chuckling. "Let Saura go," he commands as his glare deepened.

"And why should I?" Infinite mocks as his grip on Saura tightens a bit. "You’re too weak to do anything to me," he added as he shoots red spheres at Espio.

Espio dodges all of Infinite's attacks the best he could while trying to find a way to get the masked jackal to release Saura. "Espio," he hears someone call out. The chameleon turns and sees Charmy and Vector coming to him. By the time they caught up, the bee and crocodile see the situation. "Oh no, rookie," Vector tries to call out to Saura!

Due to being unconscious, Saura didn't respond. Infinite growls at the newcomers while remaining in the air. "No matter," he says to Espio and his friends. He adjusts his hold on Saura a bit as he uses his other hand to adjust his mask. "You all have one day left. You can try to keep fighting while you can. But, I will end this once and for all," he added. The masked jackal soon flies back while holding Saura.

"Come back here," Vector shouts as he tries to chase after Infinite. Unfortunately, Infinite had already vanished from sight. Vector stomps the ground a bit as he glares at the direction where the masked jackal left. He then hears a groan from Espio and helps him up as Charmy gets the Lightning Wispon that Saura dropped. "You okay Espio?" he asks the chameleon.

With Vector's help, Espio stood up. "I'll be fine," he reassures the crocodile. But then, he looks down. "But I failed to bring back Saura," he says in defeat. "She managed to distract Eggman by taking out the battlemech… I think she was trying to prove us she's still on our side. We were wrong to not trust her," he added with shame.

Vector frowns a bit and then gently pats Espio's shoulder. "Don't worry pal. We'll get her back," he says to the chameleon. He then looks to Charmy who flies towards them with the Lightning Wispon. "Come on, let's head back and let Knuckles know what happened while we get Espio healed up," he says to the bee as he walks with Espio to HQ. Charmy follows the two by flying.

Meanwhile…

Infinite lands near the bushes close to Eggman and places Saura down. Using the Phantom Ruby, he creates a replica of Shadow. He growls a bit as he looks at the fake black hedgehog, but he stops himself. "Watch her," he says to the imitation quietly as he points to Saura. "Don't let her escape," he added. Once the fake Shadow nods and look towards Saura emotionlessly, he walks out of the bushes to Dr. Eggman.

Dr. Eggman had stopped working on the battlemech when he hears his alarms going off. When he opened his holoprojector to see what's going on, he sees the Death Egg being exploded! He glares at the screen. "Those resistance pests and their clever, little plots. They're like something on your shoe that you can't wipe off," he says in anger while banging his fist on to his hovercraft.

The red, round robot that is with Eggman, along with a yellow, cube robot, floats up to Eggman, "It appears they have taken our legs right out from under us. Quite impressive really," it complimented.

"I don't have legs," the yellow robot says while swinging a bit. "Neither do you dude," it says to the red robot.

"Don't remind me, dude," the red robot says to the yellow robot.

Eggman glares at his robots and then sees Infinite walking towards him. The human then starts to think. "One day left before the plan is executed," he says while thinking. He sighs and then looks to the masked jackal. "Infinite, let's make a tactical retreat so that we can re-mobilize our forces," he tells Infinite.

Infinite adjusts his mask a bit with an unpleased look even though it's hidden. "And by tactical retreat, you mean to say, "Flee with our tails between our legs,"" he says with some disapproval. "I'm quite displeased about this doctor," he stated.

Dr. Eggman groans in anger. "Shut up and just follow me," he says to Infinite. The human then activates his hovercraft to have it fly him back to Metropolis as his two robots try to follow him.

Infinite watches Eggman leave and quickly goes back to the bushes where he hid Saura. Seeing the wolf is still unconscious, Infinite lifts Saura up with both hands as he makes the imitation Shadow disappear. He stares at her face a bit and then flies after Eggman. When Infinite faced away from the wolf, Saura had a pained expression shown.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: Memories Unfold & the Emotions!

When Saura awoke, she's already exhausted and she doesn't know why… She looks around until she sees a brown wolf with hazel eyes and wears black gloves and shoes and a strange gold medallion around his neck! The moment she saw the brown wolf, she knew she had to get away, but she can't move! It's like her body has a mind of its own! "Uncle Nevil, when can I go home?" she hears herself say. Saura was shocked! Why is she talking?

She stops when she sees the brown wolf, or Nevil, look at her emotionlessly. "Not until you learn to toughen up," he says to her. Suddenly, Saura was attacked by a huge whip. She shouts in pain as she lands on to the ground. "And it's better to keep that voice of yours shut when you're in training," he added. Saura shivers as tears appears in her eyes. Sniffing quietly, Saura slowly gets back up and starts twirling with her… hair-like fur? She knows for sure it's way shorter than it was. "Now, for speaking, you won't get to have any dinner tonight. Go back to your room for a bit. I'll prepare your next training session," he hears the wolf say.

Saura feels herself nod as she hears the wolf leave. She feels herself crying softly so the other wolf wouldn't hear her and walk off. After some time walking, she realizes she's in a different hallway that she never saw before. The area is almost dungeon like and it's starting to scare her a lot… The blond wolf continues to walk down the hallway until she sees a door. It seemed a bit tall, but she can still reach for the handle. Saura reaches her hand out and opens the door. As soon as it moves and she's inside, Saura flinches at the smell. It was disgusting and overpowering! She should turn on the lights, so she can see what it is and get it out quickly.

*WARNING STARTS HERE!*

Saura places her hands on the wall close to the door despite the liquid she suddenly feels. Feeling the switch, Saura flips it up. The blond wolf gasps as she sees her hand somewhat covered in red! She flinches and backs away as she sees the wall with red liquid. Saura turns around to see if the other walls are the same. Fear struck the little wolf when she sees remains of other… mobians! Some of them are on the ground while others are hanging through chains. They were all covered in red! Most of them were even missing some of their parts! A few are missing their eyes, about two appear to be missing their tails, and a handful had huge holes on their chests. As for the rest, they are too covered in the red liquid, it's hard to tell… No, that's not just liquid. It's blood!

Saura slowly backs away and out of the room. She continues to stare at the corpses in the room since the door is wide open with the lights on. Suddenly, Saura bumps into someone. She turns and sees the same brown wolf with hazel eyes staring at her… with no expression. Saura backs away from Nevil. "U-Uncle Nevil, I wanna go h-h-home now. P-p-please," she says to the wolf in a shaky voice.

As soon as Saura tries to move away from Nevil, the brown wolf pins her down to the ground. She shrieks as she tries to get out of Nevil's tight hold, but that didn't happen because of how scared she is. "I'm afraid I can't let you leave now. You've seen too much," he says to the blond wolf. Just then, Nevil pulls out what appears to be a switch knife! "To be honest, all of that training I did for you for the past weeks was just for you to shut up," he then says to Saura. "So, I'll just get straight to the point. The real reason everyone hates you is because of the way you speak," he explains.

Saura's eyes shrunk in shock. "Wh-why?" she asks Nevil. Why is he telling her all of this now? "Wh-why are you doing th-this?" she added.

"Your voice is disgusting," Nevil explains as he glares down at Saura in disgust! "No one likes you for the way your voice is! It makes everyone sick just hearing you. That's why everyone hates you," he added. Saura shivers as more tears appear in her eyes. "And the only way everyone can like you, is for you to get rid of that pathetic voice of yours once and for all," he then says as he brings the knife closer! … and closer to Saura's neck.

"No, please no," Saura begs. Saura suddenly feels something sharp slowly and painfully slide down through her neck. Saura screams in pain as she starts struggling and kicking the brown wolf while grabbing the medallion and yanking it hard off of him. Luckily, Saura manages to kick somewhere painful for the brown wolf since he instantly released her. Without waiting a second, Saura drops the medallion, gets up, and runs while unaware of the blood dripping down from her neck! She must in order to get away from the brown wolf.

Once Saura manages to get outside in the cold night, she starts screaming. "Mommy! Daddy! Help me," she shouts to get her parents' or anyone's attention! Suddenly, someone pins down the blond wolf as it knocks her out.

*WARNING ENDS HERE*

~  

Infinite quickly hid Saura in one of the cells in Metropolis with the help of the Phantom Ruby and catches up to Dr. Eggman. However, when he caught up, Eggman warned the masked jackal that he needs some privacy to plan out their counter attack to the resistance. Infinite decided to go check on Saura. Hopefully, the blond wolf will be conscious when he gets there. When he arrives in the cell Saura is in, he sees the wolf starting to stir as he walks in the cell and shuts the door.

Saura finally regains consciousness and opens her eyes. The wolf suddenly feels pain on the side of her head, where Zavok knocked her out. she places her head on the spot, but flinches from the pain. Gently having her hand on the bruise spot on her head, Saura surveys the area until she sees Infinite! Now scared, the wolf quickly gets up and looks around for a way to escape quickly but with no luck. She doesn't even know where she is. She then remembered Infinite is still in the room and looks back at him while backing away.

Infinite notices Saura backing away and growls a bit as he removes his mask. Placing the mask on to the ground, the jackal looks to Saura who is backed up to the wall. "There's no where for you to run Saura," he says to the wolf while walking up to her. He notices Saura's tail is tucked in between her legs and shivering as she looks down, a wolf's sign of fear. He sighs and lifts Saura's head up by having his clawed hand under her chin. He needs to calm Saura down somehow that way she can speak to him. Infinite mentally growls at himself. All he can do is terrorize other mobians; how can he do the opposite? The jackal then remembered the scent he picked up from Saura. That seemed to have calmed him down. Suddenly picking up Saura's scent, Infinite leans down to Saura a bit and sniffs at her. Without thinking, Infinite has his other arm around Saura and gently brings her closer to him. "Why are you so frightened of me Saura?" he asks without thinking.

Saura flinches a bit when she hears Infinite spoke to her. Realizing the gentle attention the jackal is giving her, the wolf slightly stops shaking and has her eyes at the jackal. Saura was soon pulled closer to Infinite until he traps her in a soft embrace. Saura stiffens a bit when she feels the jackal's head on hers. The wolf appears to be confused but sees the jackal doesn't intend to hurt her. She wonders what Infinite is up to.

Infinite suddenly flinches mentally at what he's doing! He's suppose to be someone who causes fear and pain to everyone not follow his instincts! He can't trust his instincts to solve his problems after what happened during the resistance's attempt to perform an all-out-attack. But, the way he's holding the blond wolf is very soothing. In fact, Saura has even stopped shaking a bit. Maybe he could trust his instincts this one time since the wolf is starting to calm down. So, Infinite follows his instincts and slowly nuzzles Saura's head. Now that he thinks about it, the wolf's fur feels soft... This got the jackal to nuzzle the wolf's head a bit more.

Saura feels Infinite nuzzling her which caused her to stop shaking. A blush started to appear on her muzzle. She is very curious on what Infinite is up to, but she is too afraid to speak. How can she since it will only drive everyone away from her.

"And your voice is quite lovely…"

Saura remembered that one sentence Infinite said to her back at Green Hill. Did he mean that or was it a trick to lower her guard? Saura suddenly feels Infinite nuzzling down to the side of her face and then to her shoulder and neck. As soon as she blinks, the wolf was then trapped between the wall and the jackal. Infinite had both clawed hands on the wall close to Saura and appears to be deep breathing. "Whatever it is you are doing, make it stop," she hears Infinite mumble out. Saura shivers a bit. Make what stop? She doesn't even know what she's doing. Saura feels Infinite moving closer to her. Remembering Infinite's words, she tries to push Infinite away to stop him. But when she did that, Infinite grabs Saura's hands and pins them to the wall. Saura then notices Infinite's face is really close to hers. The wolf gulps a bit and starts deep breathing a little. When Infinite closes his eyes, he leans closer and places his lips on to Saura's.

Saura's blush started to increase as she tries to break out of Infinite's hold which proved to be impossible. And as the kiss continues, Saura slowly gives in to it. The jackal pulls away and looks at Saura. The back of his mind is telling Infinite to stop while he can and put an end to this torture the wolf planted on him. But when he sees Saura's eyes are shut and is deep breathing, the jackal smirks. The wolf is no longer shivering and showing fear. And the way he's making Saura blush, it makes him feel... stronger. To test the theory again, Infinite kisses her again with more passion.

Infinite continues the kiss until Saura needed air. He pulls away as he adjusts his hold, so he has one clawed hand holding both the wolf's hands up. That way, his other hand is free to move. While Saura deep breathes, the jackal sniffs her neck and realizes how strong her scent is there! Slowly, Infinite starts kissing her neck. The reaction he received from the wolf surprised him. He hears Saura gasp as she deep breathes. "I-Infinite," he hears a moan.

The jackal freezes. There it is, her voice! Saura spoke to him at last. Not only that, she said his name. The unknown feeling, he felt before, started to rise; and yes, it makes him feel a bit stronger. "Yes Saura, speak to me," he mumbles and then starts kissing the wolf's neck again. As Infinite continues to hear Saura moan, he starts to growl possessively while following his instincts more. And then without thinking, the jackal gently bites the wolf's neck.

Once she felt Infinite biting her neck, Saura's hazy mind now cleared up! She starts struggling again to break free, but she soon feels Infinite hold her head still. She shivers as she stares at the jackal in shock. The wolf then feels Infinite licking her neck for a bit and then stops. "Come now Saura, no one likes the silence for too long," he says to the wolf. Realizing Saura is shivering again, Infinite tenses a bit. It seems like the fear is rising again.

Saura shivers as she takes in what Infinite has done. All of this doesn't make sense at all! She must know why! "Wh-why are you doing this?" she suddenly asks the jackal. Infinite freezes when he hears that question. Saura became slightly concerned when the jackal was silent and not moving a muscle, but that changed when he pins her further to the wall. Saura yelps and shivers more in fear.

Infinite growls. "Since that night at the jungle, your face, smell, and name had never once left me. You would always be there haunting me! And when I see you trembling in fear, it makes me sick, "he answers the wolf. "I refuse to feel it! It makes me weak! And I refuse to be seen as weak," he added with anger! Saura flinches in fear at Infinite's anger. "At first, I thought if I would destroy you along with the resistance, it would get rid of this feeling that you've made me carry," he convinced. Feeling Saura shiver more, the jackal glares at the ground and then back to Saura. "But it only made me feel weaker," he admitted with a grumble.

Saura shows a confused expression as she continues to shiver. "And that's when I realized what I really wanted from you," Infinite continues as his glare dies down a bit. Infinite then moves his clawed hand from Saura's head to her cheek. "I don't want you to die Saura," he says to the wolf gently. "But, I can't let you get in my way of eliminating the resistance and their blue savior," he stated with a small glare. Infinite sees the shocked expression on Saura's face as she shakes her head. "You can't stop me. I finally have a chance to change this pathetic world for the better with the power of the Phantom Ruby," he added. The jackal grips Saura's wrists more causing the wolf to yelp. "And to make sure I succeed, I must make sure you don't get in my way," he says to Saura. "And to make sure you don't get taken from me again," he said once more.

Saura soon feels Infinite's clawed hand move from her cheek to the back of her head. Seeing the jackal move closer, the wolf flinches and tries to back away, but with no luck. Their faces were close as they both started deep breathing. "Kiss me Saura," Infinite commands. Saura shakes her head as she tries to look away. The jackal makes her look a him as he traps the wolf's lips with his. Saura whimpers a bit as she tries to resist. Suddenly, Saura feels something slip into her mouth that made her freeze in shock. Did Infinite- The jackal pulls away while deep breathing. Saura started deep breathing as well while staring at Infinite with shock. Infinite then starts making a possessive growl. "Mine," he mumbles. Saura shivers at Infinite's mumble but was then pulled back into another kiss by him. She tries to resist; but once again, the kiss was too hard to fight back the longer it continues.

Saura feels Infinite pull away as he buries his muzzle on to her shoulder and neck. Saura deep breaths a bit for air as she starts to have these weird emotions rise in her. What is this feeling? Is it trying to tell her something? The wolf blushes more when she feels Infinite kissing her neck. She then starts moaning but tries to stop herself. The wolf hears the jackal growl a bit as he starts licking her neck. "S-stop," the wolf breaths out while shivering.

Infinite stiffens a bit as he hears Saura. He gently uses his clawed hand, at the back of Saura's head, to pet the wolf. The jackal nuzzles the wolf's neck. "I can't do that Saura," he mumbles to Saura as he breathes to her neck. He feels the wolf shiver a bit but not in fear. The jackal looks back to the wolf and releases her wrists. He uses his free arm to pull Saura closer. "You are mine," he added. Infinite places his forehead on to Saura's as he attempts to place another-

"Infinite, I finally have a plan, but I'll need to run some tests," Eggman's voice was heard through Infinite's communicator. "Come to the lab now," he added.

Infinite growls madly at Eggman's interruption. Not wanting to keep the human waiting, Infinite releases Saura to go get his mask. Saura, while blushing red and deep breathing, watches Infinite get his mask. Once the mask is on his face, the jackal turns to the wolf. "Stay here," he tells Saura as he opens the cell door. Once he's out, Infinite shuts the door and locks it.

Saura tries to get to Infinite, but the masked jackal had already shut the door and locks it. Saura looks to Infinite as he looks back. They stared at each other for a bit until Infinite finally walks off. Saura frowns as she starts trying to bust the cell door open but with no success. When the masked jackal is no longer in sight, Saura deep breathes as she leans to a wall. She soon takes in everything that's happened and shivers. This feeling… she feels like she was taught about it before… Saura rubs her neck, the spot where Infinite put a lot of attention to. Saura needs to get out of here and fast. Looking around, Saura notices a window with small bars. Using the bench in the room, Saura climbs to the window and starts trying to pop the bars out of the window. Luckily for her, the bars were loose! The wolf starts removing the bars one by one. When she finally removes the bars, she hears something coming! Quickly, Saura hides the bars under the bench.

The wolf sees a robot had arrived to patrol around the area. It stands next to an entrance as it looks at the cell rooms. Saura shivers at the robot's stare as she looks away from it and sat on the ground while hugging her knees. Once the robot leaves, the wolf will make her escape. Saura looks around the room and noticed no one in the other cells. Then again, Sonic and Shadow did rescue everyone that was held captive here. She looks at the ceiling as the resistance started to pop in her head. Saura wonders how Sonic and the others are doing and hopes they're alright, especially Espio since he got attacked.

"Oh brother, listening to you just makes me want to throw up every time you say a word. It's pathetic how the jackal thinks your voice is "lovely." Then again, I think he's only saying that because he feels sorry for you. Or perhaps, he's trying to lure you away from your so-called friends so you can betray them. Besides, you've already done that since you saved his life, remember?"

Saura shivers at the voice as she shakes her head. It's not true! She didn't save Infinite to betray the resistance. She saved him because she knew it was the right thing to do! Everyone deserves to at least have a second chance in this world. Sonic had spared Eggman many times despite all the damage he has done. Infinite is no different... right? The jackal would've killed her here, but he didn't. Is he really doing it because he felt sorry for her or wanted to use her later? The wolf buries her head to her knees as she continues to shiver.

~

Meanwhile…

When both Sonics returned, they were greeted by all but two faces. The older Sonic noticed some of the gloomy emotions that were shown in some of his friends' faces. "What's wrong guys?" he asks to the crowd.

"We… we lost the rookie again," Vector replies to the older Sonic. Both Sonics looked shocked.

The older Sonic soon notices a yellow weapon on the desk, the Lightning Wispon. He walks up to the weapon and picks it up. It can't be true… can it? The older blue hedgehog shivers at the thought. "I… Is she…-"

"No, she's still alive for now," Knuckles replies to the older Sonic. He looks at the big screens and then back down sadly. "According to Espio, the rookie had done an amazing job in distracting Eggman by taking out a battlemech all by herself to prove she's still on our side. The distraction did catch Eggman's attention," he explains the story he was told. "Apparently, it seems it also got someone else's attention," he added as he looks to the older Sonic.

When the older Sonic understands who Knuckles is talking about, he grips his free hand to a fist. Silver showed a look of confusion. "This is all confusing though," he says to the group. "What does Infinite want with Saura?" he questions.

The older Sonic looks down as the question replays in his mind. Why does the masked jackal want the wolf alive? He then recalls six months ago when he first encountered the Infinite. Even though the masked jackal had defeated him, Infinite still kept the older blue hedgehog alive. Then again, that was because Eggman told him to, so the human can torture the older Sonic. But in this case, Eggman knows nothing about Saura from what they've heard. The older Sonic grips on to the wispon a bit. "That doesn't matter. We have to go rescue her and stop Eggman once and for all now that the Phantom Ruby is out of the way," he says to the gang.

Shadow nods in agreement. "With it gone, this should effectively put a stop to the doctor's greatest weapon," he states with a small smirk.

"Yeah," Vector shouts in agreement! "The Sonics have made an opening for us. We can't just let that go to waste," he added to bring out more encouragement.

Silver smiles. "And now, it's time to settle the score with Eggman," he says to the group.

Knuckles smirks. "I agree. Now that the Phantom Ruby is out, we can finally smash Eggman into an omelet," he says in excitement has he pounds his fists together.

Rouge steps forward a bit. "Hey, don't count your chickens before you smash your eggs," she says to Knuckles with her arms crossed.

The older Sonic nods in agreement. "Rouge is right. The fact that Eggman and Infinite are still around means we can't let our guard down. Also, they are holding Saura hostage. If it weren't for her, none of this would've been possible. The least we can do is save her," he says to Knuckles and the rest of the group.

Knuckles takes a deep breath a bit. "Alright, fine," he says. "Everyone get ready, we have several missions to take care of," he added.

Rouge looks to Knuckles with everyone else. "Well then, what's the plan boss?" the female bat asks.

~

Back to Infinite…

Infinite stops the Phantom Ruby's power with an exhausted look, but he easily hid it. Dr. Eggman calculated the energy and evil smirks. "Perfect! This will for sure put an end to that pesky hedgehog once and for all," he says with an evil chuckle. He then turns to Infinite. "You should go rest. Even with the back-up power source, it still takes out some energy. Just be ready when I need you," he tells the masked jackal. Infinite humphs silently as he makes his way out of the lab.

Instead of heading to his resting headquarters, Infinite walks to the cell room he left Saura in. Once he's in, he shuts the door and looks at the blond wolf. She appears to be sleeping on the ground. The jackal removes his mask from his face as he places it down. He sits down on the ground and watches Saura. Infinte continues to stare at the wolf's face, hoping a bit for her to wake up. That way, he can hear her voice again. He then noticed something strange about Saura's scent. Carefully to not wake her up, he picks up the wolf and places her on his lap. He sniffs down at Saura's neck and noticed a bit of his scent is now there along with a little mark, where he bit her. He smirks as he continues to catch the scent of his and Saura's scent together. He should do more of those soft bites on her neck. The scent it brings out is wonderful. Finally realizing how exhausted he is, Infinite gently puts Saura down and he lies down behind her. He nuzzles to Saura's neck and holds the wolf close. Finally, he closes his eyes to rest, enjoying Saura's scent mixed with his.

Saura opens her eyes after a few hours of resting. When the robot guard had not left, she decided to take a quick nap to try and recover some energy. She didn't mean to be asleep for that long. The wolf sighs a bit as she tries to get up but was suddenly pulled back down into someone's arms along with a familiar glitching sound that she should've picked up when she woke up! "So, you're finally awake," she hears a familiar voice say behind her. Saura stiffens as she turns around. Infinite is laying down behind her. The wolf jumps a bit to try and get up again; however, the jackal's arms tighten a bit around her. "I didn't expect you to be asleep when I returned," he added as he nuzzles Saura's neck.

Saura blushes as she feels Infinite nuzzling her neck. She needs to get out of here and back to the resistance as soon as she can. The wolf suddenly feels Infinite licking her neck slowly. Remembering the earlier event Infinite did to her, she tries to keep her mouth shut, but the way the jackal is holding her close is making it hard. Saura starts panting a bit from Infinite licking her neck constantly along with a few kisses. Infinite smirks as he sees Saura trying to resist on speaking. He'll get through to her; he did it before. The jackal then remembers the resistance. They're bound to come look for Saura and he can't allow that. Other wise he will be forced to- Infinite suddenly lets out a growl that startles Saura.

Saura starts trying to break out of Infinite's hold, but that caused the jackal to pin her down to the ground as he towers above her. The wolf shivers as she sees Infinite glaring. "Why are you resisting me?" he suddenly asks Saura. Saura flinches as she hears the gem on Infinite's chest get louder. She tries to look away, but that only angered Infinite more. The jackal has one of his clawed hands on to Saura's muzzle to have her look back at him. Hearing Infinite now growling, Saura shivers more.

Saura suddenly feels Infinite's other clawed hand on her shoulder and neck. The moment she feels Infinite's claws close to her neck, the wolf froze as memories started to flow in her mind: the blood, the corpses, the dungeon-like area, the brown wolf, and the knife. Each part flashes in Saura's mind as she stares down at Infinite's clawed hand.

Noticing the silence, Infinite growls more at Saura when he sees her ignoring him. The jackal grips his hold on the wolf's shoulder and neck more. "Look at me Saura," he growls out.

Upon feeling the claws touching her neck, Saura screams. Out of instinct, the wolf kicks Infinite off her and yelps from the scratch Infinite did to her neck. When she finally gets the jackal off, Saura gets up as she has her hand on her neck, on the side she got scratched. Infinite landed on his back after being kicked. He looks up and glares at Saura who is holding her neck while staring at Infinite eye-wide. Infinite can clearly see the expression on the wolf's face. There was pain and fear… a lot of fear! The jackal eye narrows as he watches Saura remove her hand from her neck and stares at it. Whatever it is the wolf saw, it brought more fear in her. And, Infinite sees why! There are four little scratch marks on Saura's neck! Did he do that? To find the answer, Infinite looks at his clawed hands and sees a tiny bit of red on his gloves. Infinite looks back to Saura with regret; he didn't mean to hurt her. "Saura?" he tries to call out to the spooked wolf.

Saura, while staring at the blood on her hand, starts shivering like a leaf. This is just like what happened when she spoke. Was that scratch meant for her because she spoke before? If so, she definitely needs to escape now while she's still alive! The wolf flinches when she hears Infinite. Seeing the jackal slowly getting up, she immediately jumps on the bench as she starts pulling herself to the open window and gets ready to make another jump!

The moment he sees Saura climbing to the, now non-barred, window and getting ready to jump, Infinite gets up fast, while he grabs his mask, and tries to stop her but was too late for the wolf had jumped. "Saura," he shouts to the wolf with worry! The jackal, as he puts his mask on, got ready to go after the wolf with red aura around him. But then, Infinite sees Saura had a grabbling hook as she uses it to cling on to a building and swing herself there to safety. Once the wolf safely gets on to the building and retrieved her hook, she runs off. The masked jackal growls as he starts floating to go after her.

"Infinite, Sonic and his friends have arrived in the city," Eggman says through Infinite's communicator. Infinite growls madly at another interruption. "Come meet me at the Central Tower to activate Null Space," he tells the masked jackal.

Infinite pounds his fist to the wall of the building closest to him as it created a dent. He looks at the direction where Saura ran off and noticed she's already gone from sight. "Damnit," he curses with a growl. "That hedgehog and his pathetic friends better not find her," he mumbles with venom. "Once I see her again, I'll have to take her to the fortress," he added. He then flies off to meet up with Dr. Eggman at the Central Tower.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: What Friends are for

Saura kept running until she gets in to another building by breaking the window. She deep breathes as she looks back to see if Infinite followed her. To her relief, there was no sign nor sound of the jackal. She leans to a wall and slides down to a sit position. As she recollects everything that's happened, she starts crying. When she resisted, and Infinite held her down, she's had flashbacks of her time when she was young… Saura has her hand to her neck for she still feels the little pain from Infinite's scratch. Perhaps, she overreacted a little bit. From what Infinite's been doing, he didn't appear to be hurting her when they were in the cell room. Actually, Saura enjoyed the attention the jackal gave her. And then, she freaked out over a memory she just had.

The wolf gets up as she wipes the tears off. She notices a sink and a shattered mirror disguised as a cupboard door. Walking to the mirror and sink, Saura was able to see a few scratch marks and a strange little mark on her neck, the same neck Infinite had been focusing on. She sighs while opening the shattered mirror door to see what the cupboard has available. Finding a bandage and looking through the shattered mirror, the wolf takes it and uses it on her neck that holds the scratch and strange marks. Once that was done, Saura looks around the area. It's almost similar to the cell room she's in but a little bigger. She suddenly imagines Infinite standing behind her and giving her a gentle look like he did back at the cell. Saura blushes a bit; but, she snaps out of it as she turns around to see him only to find out he's never here. That same feeling from before had come to her as she places her hand to her chest. Her heart is beating fast. What was it? How was he able to make her feel something so warm? The jackal's actions replayed in her head. Those actions were the same as the time she would catch her parents alone.

Saura soon gasps as she finally figures out what this feeling is… but it can't be! There is no way she can feel that way for Infinite, not after everything he did! Saura looks outside while shivering as the feeling rises more. She then looks down in shame. If it's true, then the resistance will definitely question her. She could find a way to change the resistance or Infinite's mind about their ideals. The resistance is definitely out of the option since what they're doing is the right thing to do. Eggman is the real enemy of it all. So, that only leaves to Infinite. But, how can she change the jackal's mind about going against Eggman instead of helping him? The wolf doesn't even know the first thing about negotiating… Knuckles is right; she does need to start talking. It can really help her improve with making friends… but, how can she? After everything she went through with her uncle and other people thinking terribly about the way her voice sounds... She's weak...

"That's right. You are weak."

Saura shakes her head to try an ignore the voice again. Speaking of friends, does Saura have any friends? The wolf looks down as she remembers Knuckles bringing out he didn't trust her. She knows how serious the commander of the resistance can be, especially during his time training her. Saura then thinks about Amy, Rouge, Espio, Charmy, Vector, and Silver. They would possible be agreeing with Knuckles since they've been with him for a while. Shadow hardly knows her; so, he's out as well. What about Tails and both Sonics? She remembers the mission to take out one of Eggman's factory with the older Sonic. He seems to trust her when they were there. Not only that, he came to rescue her when she was in trouble. As for Tails and the younger Sonic, they both trust her as well when they met in Mystic Jungle. They also looked like they were happy to have her accompany them to the computer room. In fact, Tails was the one who suggested the wolf to distract Eggman. Saura smiles a bit at the thought. It looks like Tails and both Sonics are her best bet. She'll have to find them and see it for herself. She'll need to before Eggman launches his next plan…

Plan?!... Oh no! Saura suddenly remembers what Eggman told Infinite through his communicator! They have a plan for their next attack! The wolf needs to get to Sonic and the others quickly and warn them! However, she discovers she doesn't have her Lightning Wispon! What can she do without it? That weapon has been her main tool in taking out enemies… Without it, she's… useless and weak… Saura looks at her hands with shame. She doesn't have powers, speed, and strength like everyone else… The wolf soon looks at her ruby wrist rings that also hold her grabbling hooks. She thinks to back how useful it was to her: moving quickly from buildings to building, quick turns, and taking out an enemy when Sonic was in danger… Wait, she did take out an enemy with her grabbling hooks back at the factory! Saura smiles; she can still help everyone else out! All she needs to do is find Sonic! Nodding to herself in determination, the wolf runs off to find the blue hedgehog.

~

Thanks to her grabbling hooks, Saura easily passed by Eggman's robots and climbed on top of some buildings. By the time she gets on top of a different building, she sees a small black hole between Eggman, Infinite, Sonic, and Tails. What is that hole? Before she could think more about the strange black sphere, she sees Infinite throw a red sphere at the other, which made the black hole increase in size and appears to be trying to suck Sonic in! The wolf gasps as she knows she must do something; Sonic is her friend! Without hesitating, she uses her grabbling hook to connect it to a building as she jumps to save the blue hedgehog.

Sonic feels this Null Space, or whatever this black hole Eggman calls it, pulling him in. He then doesn't feel his feet touching the ground as he was close to being sucked in to the hole; but then, the hedgehog feels someone grab his hand before he was completely in. He looks and sees it's Saura! As much as he is happy to see her alive, she'll be pulled in to this Null Space as well! "Buddy, don't! You'll be sucked in too," he says to the wolf.

Saura shakes her head as she continues to hold on to Sonic. Suddenly, she sees her grabbling hook lost its grip on to the building. Because of this, the wolf and Sonic get sucked into the hole. They both let out a scream as they continue to fall until they landed on a road of red and purple cubes. As they got up, they look around the area. There is technically nothing here… Nothing but darkness and null space. Well, except for a bright light ahead of them.

Sonic and Saura then hear something crumbling. They turned and noticed the road is starting to collapse from behind a few miles away. "This is definitely not the place we were meant to end up," he says to Saura. The wolf nods in agreement. The wolf got ready to start running. "Wait, buddy," she hears the hedgehog call out. Saura turns to Sonic and is shocked. The hedgehog is holding her Lightning Wispon. "Catch," he says to her as he gently tosses the weapon. Saura catches it easily with a smile on her face as she looks at the weapon. She turns to Sonic with the same smile but stops when she sees the collapse of the road is approaching fast. The hedgehog notices it as well as he grabs the wolf's free wrist. "Come on, let's head back! Everyone is waiting for us," he says to Saura and runs to the light.

Saura yelps as she holds on to Sonic with her hand that's being held by him and runs with the hedgehog. She noticed some red cubes coming after her and Sonic! To stop them, the wolf, with her wispon, uses the lightning whip to deflect all the red cubes coming at them. Sonic notices Saura blocking the cubes and smiles while still running with her. "We got this! Keep it up, partner," he says to the wolf as they get closer to the light. "Nothing can contain the two of us at max power, not even Null Space," he added as they kept going.

When Sonic and Saura got to the light, they were soon back outside on top of a building. But, that didn't last long since they started to fall since Sonic went a bit too fast to stop. Quickly, Saura uses her mouth to hold her wispon, so she can have a free hand, and uses her grabbling hook, while holding on to the hedgehog, to swing to another building for safety. Once they got to a building in a safe landing, Saura collapses to a sit position with an exhausted and shock expression while Sonic jumps in excitement as the black hole disappears. "That was awesome," he shouts in joy!

Sonic looks around to see the battle still going on and stretches a bit. Before he could speak to Saura, he notices Tails flying straight to them. "Sonic, are you okay?" he asks. "Wh-what happened in there? You and Saura disappeared when you guys got sucked in," he added with worry.

Saura flinches when she hears Tails said her real name. Knuckles must have told him what happened... Sonic looks to Tails. "Don't worry Tails, nothing happened," he answers to two-tailed fox. He looks back to where Null Space was at before it disappeared. "Literally," he added. The hedgehog then looks to Saura. He holds his hand out to her in case if she needs help up. "You okay?" he asks the wolf.

Saura, once she holds the wispon in her hand, looks to Sonic and noticed his hand is held out to her. Nodding a bit, she gently grabs on to Sonic's hand, with her free hand, and gets up with his help. Remembering Tails had called her by her real name, the wolf feels a bit tensed as she releases the hedgehog's hand as she rubs her arm. Tails frowns as he remembers the last time he saw Saura. He never meant to have Saura hear what Knuckles said. "Saura, I'm very sorry," he starts to apologize. Saura looks to Tails with a surprised look. "I had no idea that Knuckles would say that when we were discussing a plan to distract Eggman. I-I know he can be a bit harsh when it comes to some situations, but he's actually really worried about you," he added as he looks down in guilt. Saura watches Tails and smiles sadly. She walks to the fox and hugs him gently. Tails was surprised but does hug the wolf back with a confused look. "D-does that mean you forgive me?" he asks.

Sonic smiles sadly to Tails once Saura stops hugging his little brother. "There was nothing for you to apologize Tails. I'm sure you had no idea that would happen," he says to the fox. As the hedgehog pats Tails's shoulder, Saura, once Tails looks at her, points to Sonic as she nods in agreement. Sonic let's go of Tails as he sees the fox smiling at him and the wolf. "Once this battle is over, we'll go talk to Knuckles and handle the situation. And besides no matter what happens, you're still our friend," he added to the fox. He then looks to Saura. "Right, buddy?" he asks. He notices Saura look at Sonic with a surprised look as she points to herself in confusion. "Yes you, you're our friend too Saura. No matter what," he clarifies to the wolf as he held his fist out to her.

Saura notices Sonic's fist and tilts her head in confusion. She starts trying to do the same with her free hand and pounds her fist gently to Sonic's. Tails watches the two with a smile. It soon ended when the fox sees Eggman floating down in his hovercraft with a shocked expression along with his two robots. "It can't be! It's impossible to get out of the Phantom Ruby's null space," he shouts as he slams his fist on his hovercraft.

Saura stares at Eggman in shock. This is the first time Saura has ever seen the human in person. And to think, this is human who not only conquered most of the world but also murdered her parents. She starts growling, while glaring, at Eggman as she raises her wispon a bit. Sonic notices Saura's actions and has his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Maybe not by myself, but I had a little help from my friend, Saura," he says to the human as he mentions Saura. "Something you wouldn't understand since you don't have any friends," he mocks as Tails nods in agreement.

Eggman glares at Sonic, Tails, and Saura as he pounds his hovercraft. "This changes nothing," he says in anger. "Dr. Eggman will still have the last laugh," he declares. Saura growls more at the human, but she soon stops when she hears a glitching noise. She immediately stops her glare as well while hiding behind Sonic quickly. Upon hearing, and then, seeing Infinite float next to Eggman, Sonic and Tails stood next to each other in order to hide Saura. "Infinite, distract them while I get to the fortress. Come back once they're on their knees and make it quick," he tells the masked jackal as he takes off in his hover craft with his two robots.

Infinite glares at Eggman as he leaves. Normally, he would disagree to the order; but when he heard Sonic say Saura's name, he needs to stay around so he can bring her to the fortress and hide her there. She must be around- The masked jackal soon notices a hint of blond along with blue eyes staring back at him. Those eyes then went back behind the hedgehog the moment they and his eye made contact. When he's sure Eggman is far enough to not hear him, he lands on the building the three mobians are on while red aura is still around him. "Saura, I know you're there," he says to the wolf behind Sonic and Tails. He adjusts his mask and glares a bit. "Make it easier on yourself and come out," he added.

Sonic glares at Infinite as he continues to hide Saura. He turns to Tails and Saura. "You two get out of here and find the others," he whispers to the fox and wolf.

Both, Tails and Saura, look at Sonic with a surprised expression. "But what about you Sonic?" the fox asks the hedgehog with worry.

Sonic gives Tails a thumbs up. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," he whispers to the fox gently with a smile. The hedgehog then glares back at Infinite. "Sorry Infinite, but you'll have to get pass me first," he says to the masked jackal. Sonic quickly charges at Infinite and attacks him with his homing attack.

Infinite quickly dodges Sonic and kicks him away. The masked jackal turns and sees Saura and Tails making a run for it. By the time his and Saura's eyes made contact, Infinite quickly gets in front of the wolf and fox. Unfortunately, Saura had caught on Infinite's actions. The wolf quickly grabs Tails's hand with her free one and pulls him away from the jackal as they run to another opening, but the jackal stops them when he got in front of them again. Saura blushes a bit as the feeling returned while she stares at Infinite.

Before Infinite could grab Saura, Sonic uses his homing attack at the jackal to push him away. The wolf snaps out of her feelings as she stops herself from blushing. Sonic looks back to Saura and Tails. "Keep going," he says to the two! Sonic notices Infinite launching red lasers at him as the masked jackal floats in the air. The hedgehog dodges the lasers quickly while the fox and wolf start running away. Sonic charges at Infinite to do another homing attack.

Infinite dodges Sonic again and kicks the blue hedgehog to the building roof below him. He turns and sees Saura and Tails close to escaping. He gets in front of them fast thanks to the Phantom Ruby. Sonic sees the masked jackal in front of the fox and wolf and immediately tries to run to them but was too late. Infinite grabs Tails and then floats in the air. "Tails," Sonic shouts as he watches Infinite have a hold of his best friend!

Saura watches with shock and fear for Tails's life. Infinite has his clawed hand near Tails's neck. "I wouldn't move if I were you Sonic," the masked jackal says to the blue hedgehog.

Sonic glares at Infinite. "You coward," he growls out as his hands form to fists. There is nothing he can do when the masked jackal has a hold of Tails. Saura looks to Sonic and sees the devastated look on his face. The wolf frowns and feels ashamed. This is all her fault… It's her that Infinite wants. And now, the jackal is holding Tails hostage, terrifying the poor fox.

"Saura," the wolf hears Infinite call out! She gasps as she looks up to the masked jackal. "If you value this creature's life, you will do as I say and surrender yourself to me," he says in a serious voice. Saura has her hands to fists. "And I don't want you to prove it by movements, I want to hear you say it," he added.

Both, Sonic and Saura, looked shocked. Sonic looks to Saura. There is no way that's going to happen. The hedgehog has not heard the wolf speak at all when he first saw her nor any other time when he's with her. Sonic glares at Infinite. "Infinite, leave her out of this," he says to the masked jackal in anger.

Saura took in all what Infinite said to her. He seems that desperate to hear her speak again. But she can't in front of Sonic and Tails… But, they both think of her as their friend. Can they still feel the same when she speaks? The wolf still remembers the words her uncle said to her…

"Your voice is disgusting! No one likes you for the way your voice is! That's why everyone hates you."

Saura shivers as she lets those dark bubbles flow around in her head as she gently has her free hand touching her neck with the scar. She knows those words are true. She's seen it with her own eyes and her voice alone had almost got her killed… But will Sonic and Tails try to kill her if she spoke? No, they wouldn't! From what Sonic said, that's not what friends do! Friends work together and help each other out. And right now, Tails and Sonic need her help!

Saura suddenly hears Infinite growl at Sonic. She looks up and sees the masked jackal tighten his hold on Tails and brought his claws closer to the fox's neck. Tails shivers as he feels Infinite's claws close. "You are in no position to speak," Infinite says to Sonic in anger. "Next time you speak, you can say goodbye to-"

"Stop," a voice shouts! Sonic and Tails looked shocked as they turned to the source of that voice. Infinite turns as well with a dark smirk under his mask. They all look at Saura who held her hand out with a shocked expression. She can't believe she spoke again… But, it did get Infinite to stop. Shivering, Saura looks away from the group so she wouldn't see them as she spoke. "I…I-I s-surrender…" she says in defeat. The wolf looks back up to Infinite while still shivering for she's afraid what Sonic and Tails think of her voice. "P-please Infinite, l-let him go," she pleaded.

Infinite dark chuckles a bit as he lowers to the ground and releases his hold on Tails. Sonic looks to Saura in shock. After all, it's the first time he heard the wolf spoke. And with the way she shivers while speaking and covering her mouth a bit, it seems Saura had to go through something that made her not want to talk at all. The hedgehog's train of thought was interrupted when he sees Tails free from Infinite's grasp. "Tails," he calls to the fox as he hugs him in relief.

"S-Sonic," Tails said while hugging the blue hedgehog, still shaking for what almost happened to him. Saura watches Sonic and Tails as they hugged each other. She's so relieved to see Tails is unharmed and all it took was for her to speak. She spoke… Saura shivers at the thought she actually spoke in front of Sonic and Tails. What did they think of her voice? Saura shakes her head a bit; after all, Tails is safe. While still shivering, she watches Tails and Sonic.

"You just had to do it, did you? You know what they will think of you now right?"

Saura flinches when she heard the voice again! Now, she is nervous to see Sonic and Tails's face expressions after they hug. Will they really be disgusted from her voice? Before she can think any further, the wolf then hears the glitching noise right behind her!

Sonic continues to hug Tails. If it weren't for Saura speaking up, Tails would have been done for… Saura! The hedgehog turns to the wolf and sees Infinite already right behind her! "Stay away from her Infinite," he shouts at the masked jackal. He runs to Infinite and Saura.

Infinite growls as he grabs Saura to where she can't escape and floats in the air. Tails snapped out of his shocked state and sees the masked jackal holding the wolf as he starts to float away. Realizing what Saura did for him, tears formed in his eyes as he tries to run to her. "Saura," he calls out to the wolf fearing for her life, like she did for his!

Saura continues to shiver as she looks down to Sonic and Tails. They're both appear to be calling out to her! Does that mean they do not mind how her voice is? Realizing the reality of Infinite taking her away from her friends, Saura starts struggling and tries to reach out to Sonic and Tails with her free hand. "Sonic, Tails," she calls out to the hedgehog and fox as tears formed in her eyes!

"Saura," Both Sonic and Tails call out to Saura and tried to give chase! Infinite growls at the hedgehog and fox and increases speed to fly back to the fortress. Unfortunately, Sonic and Tails almost lost their ground and couldn't catch up to the masked jackal. When Saura and Infinite were no longer in sight, Sonic glares where Infinite went as his hands formed to fists as Tails looks down sadly. The wolf had saved them once again and paid the ultimate sacrifice in getting herself captured. They must save her for the courage she pulled off to save them. After all, Saura is their friend.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: Opening the Doors & Decisions

Infinite quickly arrives at the fortress while still carrying Saura, who is trying to escape from his hold but with no success. He gets to one of the basement floors where the cell rooms are and opens one of the cell doors. Unlike the cell rooms in Metropolis, these cell rooms are a about twice as large to keep at least 10 mobians in at once. The masked jackal tosses the wolf inside the cell room, that's opened, and walks in it as well. Once he shuts the door, Infinite takes off his mask as he glares at Saura. "What was that about?" he exclaims in anger. Saura shivers as she pulls out her wispon and aims it at Infinite as a warning. Noticing the weapon, the jackal growls as he grabs Saura's wrist, that held on to the wispon, and forced the wolf to release it by gripping her tightly. The wolf yelps a bit from the pain as she accidentally releases the wispon. The jackal pushes Saura to the wall, so she's trapped between it and him. "Answer me," he demanded since the wolf hasn't answered his previous question. All he received was a whine from Saura from the pain she is feeling on her wrists. Infinite loosens his grip a bit but doesn't let her go. The wolf continues to shiver as she looks away from the jackal. Infinite stops his growls and anger the moment he sees Saura crying quietly. He releases his hold on Saura as he has one of his clawed hand to his head while the other is on the Phantom Ruby and chest as he turns away from her. Saura took this opportunity to try and get her wispon, but it is close to Infinite. So, the wolf steps back away from the jackal until her back hits the corner as she continues to cry quietly and looks away.

Infinite hears movement as he sees Saura move away until she hits the corner. What's going on? Just when he saw the wolf shed tears, that pain he felt was just the same when he sees her scared of him but worse. It felt like a knife is slowly stabbing him in the chest repeatedly along with a headache. It hurts a lot and he wants Saura to stop it! He looks back at the wolf and then soon notices the bandage on the wolf's neck. Did he- Yes, he did hurt her. Infinite remembers what happened back at Metropolis… He scratched the wolf. The jackal sighs quietly as he removes his hands from his head and chest. He watches the wolf staring down to the ground like she's attempting to hide herself. He needs to find a way to calm the wolf down… but how? Infinite then remembers how he followed his instincts and that helped calm Saura. But in this case, he doesn't feel it right now because of the pain in his head and chest.

Realizing Infinite must calm Saura on his own, he starts approaching her gently and quietly. When he's close enough to the wolf, the jackal sees her still shivering and slightly covering her neck. He reaches out to place his clawed hand on the wolf's shoulder but stops half way. What is he doing? Infinite had wasted a lot of time for this particular mobian. True, she saved him back at the Mystic Jungle, but that is it! One simple act of kindness doesn't change a thing! He can just kill Saura and be done with… but that would only cause more pain to his chest.

Saura continues to look down as she tries to calm herself down; however, she is having no success. Infinite had taken her away from her friends! Just when she was finally having friends, the jackal had to take her away from them. Soon, the wolf remembers her previous plan! Now that she is alone with Infinite, she could try to talk him out of helping Dr. Eggman. But then, Infinite started to growl and glare at her. She held out her wispon as a signal to not come any closer even though she doesn't plan to hurt him. That didn't work out well since the jackal had easily got it out of her hand. As the pain on her wrist increased, more flashbacks of her time with her uncle had appeared as she recognized this position during one of her "training" sessions.

"All I saw was a weak wolf who's a coward of something weaker. You've wanted this training, so shut up and do it right! A weak wolf is nothing but trash."

Saura starts to shed tears the moment those words spoke to her. Remembering the situation, she tries to stop herself from crying, but they only came more. The moment she feels Infinite release her, the wolf backs away until she hits the corner of the cell room and looks away from the jackal in shame. She did it again! Why can't those memories leave her alone? She's dealt with them enough. But at the same time, she can't let go of them.

Saura was suddenly caught in a soft embrace! Judging by the arms and he's the only one in the room, she already knows who it is. She flinches at first, and then she shivers. She's afraid what Infinite is going to do after her little attack at Metropolis and warning just now. "I apologize for hurting you Saura," she then hears the jackal mumble. Saura stops shaking as she turns her head to look at Infinite with a shocked expression. The wolf feels the jackal lean his forehead on top of her head. "I never wanted to cause you pain," Infinite added with a mumble as he tightens his hold on Saura a bit.

Saura frowns in shame as she wipes the tears off her eyes. "N-no, I-I'm sorry," she then spoke to Infinite. She flinches a bit when she hears herself spoke. The wolf then shakes her head to try and work on her courage to speak. "I-I over rea-acted… a-and got s-spooked," she added. Once she finished, she looks away and starts shivering a bit for she thinks of- Saura soon gasps as she feels a pair of lips on her head. She blushes and looks to the jackal. Feeling her back against the wall, she tries to move aside, but Infinite blocks her by having a hand placed next to her. The jackal stares at the wolf as the other does the same. "Wh-wh-what are you d-doing?" she asks quietly.

Infinite continues to stare at Saura as the feelings from before had started to rise. When Saura tried to move away, he immediately traps her between the wall and himself. It's just them; he can't let this slide now. "Infinite, come and see me in the lab," Dr. Eggman commanded through Infinite's communicator.

Infinite glares at the communicator as he uses his free hand to grab it. Crushing the communicator, the jackal tosses it to the other side of the cell room. When he looks back to Saura, the anger from before had faded as the feeling continues to rise in its place. Infinite gently traces his finger slowly through her muzzle and neck. When he gets to her neck, the wolf starts to shiver as she stares at it. The jackal wonders why she's so scared of his hand near her neck if he already apologized; she wasn't like that when his face is close to it. Infinite mentally nods and gently moves his finger down to her chest. He feels Saura stop shivering as she starts deep breathing a bit. He smirks when he finally feels the wolf's heartbeat. Now placing his entire palm on her where he feels her heartbeat, the jackal looks up to the wolf and traps her in a lip-lock.

Saura starts blushing red as she feels Infinite's lips on hers. She first thought about breaking out of it but decided against it. The jackal had approached her gently and tossed out his communicator from Eggman which was unusual for him to do. Feeling the kiss is still going, it increases those feelings Saura felt for Infinite before she found Sonic and Tails. She closes her eyes and accepts it. The kiss continues to go on until air was needed.

Infinite pulls away from Saura when the wolf was struggling to breath a bit. He watches Saura deep breathing with her eyes closed and smirks. The jackal soon realizes he feels the wolf's heartbeat had increased which only increased his smirk more. Once the wolf regained some air, the jackal kisses her again as he wraps one arm around the wolf's waist and the other around her shoulders. This kiss didn't last long since the wolf needed air again. While Saura was deep breathing, Infinite nuzzles to her neck, the side without the bandage. Getting the wolf's scent again, the jackal remembers how he managed to add his scent to the wolf. Gripping his hold on Saura a bit more, Infinite starts kissing her neck. Like last time, the wolf starts with a gasp and then moans. The jackal growls quietly and possessively as he continues his kisses on her neck. Feeling Saura loosing her balance a bit, Infinite holds her, so she wouldn't fall. He then lowers her down until the wolf's back is on the ground as the jackal continues his kisses on her neck while towering above her. "I-Infinite," Saura moans out as she wraps her arms around Infinite's neck.

Infinite tightens his hold on Saura a bit more when he heard her. In response, he starts licking her neck. The jackal continues this action until he starts moving to the wolf's cheek and licks her there too and all the way up to the back of her ear. When he finishes, he looks at her and places his lips back on hers. Infinite hears Saura moaning more from this which helps him get his tongue into her mouth. The jackal explores the wolf's mouth while savoring the taste in it. It was delicious like before, and it only gets better as he hears the wolf moan. Finally, Infinite pulls away while he and Saura start deep breathing with a thin trail of saliva connected to their mouths. Noticing it, the jackal licks the wolf's mouth and stares at the wolf with want while still deep breathing. "I want you," he breaths out while looking at Saura with lust.

Unaware of what's in Infinite's mind when he spoke, Saura deep breathes as she looks up at him. When she feels the jackal's lips on hers again, this time the wolf returned it with passion as she holds onto him a bit tighter. She hears him moan in response to her actions. Saura pulls away when air was needed. She suddenly feels Infinite kissing her neck again which causes her to moan. Not hearing the possessive growl, the jackal is making, the wolf moves one of her hands to the back of his head to pull him a bit closer. Soon, she feels him giving her a little sharper kiss that has Saura tilt her head to the side as she moans more which gave Infinite more access to her neck. Little did she know; the jackal is actually giving the wolf a gentle bite on her neck. Infinite then releases his bite as he starts licking and kissing the bite mark he made on Saura's neck as he moves one of his clawed glove hands in the wolf's shirt. "Ah," the wolf gasps out as she clings on to the jackal.

Infinite was trying to touch Saura's back to feel more of her soft fur, but he forgot that he has his gloves on. The jackal silently curses himself until he hears Saura gasp and feels her cling on to him more. Infinite flinches as he feels his face heating up a little. He hasn't felt another mobian this close before in so long. And just like back at Metropolis, this wolf feels so warm and alluring thanks to her scent... The jackal then smirks as he makes Saura look back at him as he places his lips back on to hers while lowering her back on to the floor. He then releases the wolf and nibbles on her neck. Infinite hears Saura moaning a bit more as her grip tightens on him. Groaning, he rubs her back more as he feels more... aroused. The jackal really wants this wolf... No, he needs this wolf. Following his instincts even more, Infinite looks back to Saura and slams his lips back on to hers. He also shoved his tongue in the wolf's mouth to taste it once more.

Saura's moans were muffled by Infinites lips. She has no idea on what she's doing due to inexperience with what's going on. However, the back of Saura's mind is telling her to relax and let Infinite continue his actions except it also scares her a bit. The wolf feels the jackal leaving her lips once more to move back to her unbandaged neck. She feels him nibbling on her neck which caused her to shiver a little. Gasping and moaning a bit, Saura can feel her face heating up a lot as she continues to cling on to the jackal. She then gasps more when she feels a bit of breeze on her lower back and stomach. "I-Infinite, I-I'm starting to f-feel a little f-funny," she tries to say between her gasps.

Infinite nibbles Saura's neck a bit more and then looks to her with a smirk filled with lust and want. "Don't worry Saura," Infinite says gently. While he was nibbling her neck, the jackal was slowly lifting her shirt up until he heard the wolf speak a bit. "Relax," he added in a whisper and then places his lips back on Saura's. Hearing the wolf moan got the jackal more aroused as he deepens the kiss. While he distracts Saura with the kiss, Infinite's grip on her shirt tightened a little in an attempt to-

"Infinite, where are you?" Eggman's angry voice was heard! Infinite quickly stops his actions as he looks to where he heard the human. Saura snaps out of it and looks as well while blushing. The jackal growls a bit quietly and he removes his clawed hand from the wolf's shirt and removes the wolf off of him gently, so he can get up. Saura gets up as well when she sees Infinite trying to get his mask.

Once the mask is on, Infinite turns to Saura. "You are to stay here until the resistance is burned to ashes," he tells the wolf. As he walks to the door, the masked jackal sees the wolf had reacted quickly than last time for she is blocking him from leaving the cell room. "Move Saura," he warns her.

Saura shivers a bit at Infinite's warning but stands her ground. She takes a shaky deep breath to calm herself, so she can talk. Looking towards the masked jackal, the wolf shows a look of concern. "I-Infinite, d-don't hurt the resistance. Th-they're not your enemies," she says to him. Saura notices Infinite trying to walk past her. She grabs the jackal's hand with both of hers. "P-please Infinite. I-I'm begging you," she pleaded with a frown.

Infinite growls at Saura for holding him back. "They are the enemies to me! They are blocking my way from a perfect world that I want," he says to the wolf. "Now let go," he commands.

Saura's frown only deepened. She has to find a way to convince Infinite to stop helping Eggman and not hurt the resistance. True, there are others who can be mean and try to do crazy things and what Infinite is doing is beyond cruel… No one had done such worse things than he- No! There could be someone else who was far more worse than Infinite! She should know, she's seen it with her own eyes! Shaking her head, the wolf's grip only tightens a bit as she tries to pull him away from the cell. She then hears the masked jackal growl more and he shoves her off him. Saura yelps as she accidently let's go of Infinite and falls to the ground. Looking up, the wolf sees the jackal is already walking out of the door. She gets up and tries to stop him, but he already slams the cell door. Saura starts trying to break the door open; however, she is having no success with her strength. "P-please Infinite don't do it," she begged as tears are in her eyes. "I don't want you to become like…" she says as she stops herself as memories of her uncle start to replay in her head. The blond wolf releases the cell door as she backs up a bit while flashes of the brown wolf was replaced by the jackal. She flinches at the thought of Infinite becoming someone like her uncle. She can't let that happen; she must stop him! But first, she needs to get out of this cell and save the resistance!

Infinite, after he locks the cell door, suddenly notices Saura stopped herself in midsentence. He looks to the wolf and notices she had a look of fear as she backs away a bit, something that he didn't want to see! "Saura?" he calls out to the wolf with a growl. To his surprise, Saura didn't respond back. The jackal feels some kind of panic rise as he starts shaking the cell door to grab the wolf's attention. "Saura," he calls out again! When that failed, Infinite starts to try and unlock the cell door to get back in and see what's wrong.

"There you are," Infinite soon hears Dr. Eggman. He turns and sees the human, along with his two robots, walking towards him. The masked jackal quickly releases the cell door and crosses his arms as he watches them moving towards him. "Why haven't you been answering?" he asks in anger.

Infinite humphs as he turns away. "I do not have to answer you every time you call for me," he replies as he adjusts his mask. Noticing the masked jackal's comment, he starts ranting at him as his robots try to calm him down.

Once Saura starts hearing Dr. Eggman, she knew she needs to leave now. Remembering her Lightning Wispon, the wolf quickly grabs it and starts using it to start breaking the wall. Unfortunately, Dr. Eggman hears Saura's attack and had a suspicious look. "What was that?" he questions as he walks up and looks through the cell door Infinite was in front of. The masked jackal heard it too, but he didn't have time to see who it is since the human got in the way. Dr. Eggman suddenly sees Saura and was shocked as he glares at her. "Huh, you," he exclaims in anger!

Saura turns when she hears Dr. Eggman. The anger returned as she starts growling at the human and aims her wispon at the human. She wants nothing more than to do serious harm to him for what he's done to her parents, but she knows she can't let revenge take hold. Sonic and the others wouldn't appreciate that for they want some payback. Plus, it won't bring back her family. However, it won't hurt to do some damage on him. Without saying a word, the wolf summons the lightning whip and attacks the cell door. Eggman notices the whip and runs out of the way as he tries to call for some of his robot army to come and take out Saura, but she had already busted down the cell door.

As the cell door was destroyed, Infinite watches with shock as he sees Saura come out of the cell room. Just a few minutes ago, this wolf was shivering in fear with tears in her eyes. And now, he's looking at an angry wolf who's trying to get back at someone for killing their pack… No, did she really- The masked jackal soon sees an army of robots heading towards the wolf! Before he could try and grab the wolf, Saura starts destroying the robots one-by-one at lightning speed leading towards the exit!

Infinite starts to go after Saura but was stopped by Dr. Eggman as he gets up. "Let her go. She and rest of the resistance will fall and burn anyway," he says to the masked jackal. Infinite quietly growls at the human. Seeing the wolf escape heading towards her demise definitely matters to him. "At any rate Infinite, Sonic and his friends are already on their way here," he announces in a hurry. "Go meet up with them and activate our plan," he tells the jackal.

Infinite was shocked, but the expression was hidden thanks to his mask. It's time already?! He can't let it happen! He doesn't want Saura to suffer through what the resistance will go through! No matter what he does to keep the wolf out of harm, she's still jumping to her doom. He growls as he walks past Dr. Eggman and head outside. The plan must go on!

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: Stop the Sun!

Tails watches as the resistance charge into battle against Eggman's army, made by the Phantom Ruby, as he flies into the fortress. While the resistance fights off Eggman and his army, the fox decided to go find Saura. He owes her his life since she saved him from Infinite. Luckily, Sonic allowed him to go since the blue hedgehog has a feeling the masked jackal will be a part of army war. He arrives to the entrance of the fortress. Tails gets ready to enter; but suddenly, he sees a light fly into the sky. And then, the sun appears! "Oh no," he mumbles in disbelief.

"Tails, are you seeing this?" Sonic asks through Tails's communicator. Tails stares in awestruck. Was this the plan Eggman was talking about?

"This has got to be a joke! It's just a special effect, right?" asked Knuckles through the communicator!

"No, it's not! While we're under the Phantom Ruby's control, it's a part of our reality," Tails replies to Knuckles by speaking to the communicator. He continues watch with a devastated look, but soon hears someone coming out of the entrance! He gets ready to fly if it's a robot; but instead, he sees a blond wolf come out which caused him to smile instead. "Saura," he calls out to the wolf as he flies to her!

Once she got outside, Saura hears Tails call out to her. She turns and was soon hugged by the two-tailed fox. She flinches a bit in surprise, but she then smiles as she hugs him back. After their hug, Saura releases Tails for she noticed something bright in the sky. Looking up, the wolf sees the sun and stares at it in shock. "It's the Phantom Ruby," Tails says to Saura. The wolf looks to the fox with the same shocked expression. "As long as we're in its control, the sun is a part of our reality! Infinite and Eggman are going to burn us all," he added with no hope.

Saura stares back at the sun in disbelief. Is this what Infinite meant by burning the resistance to ashes? The wolf's hands had form to fists. She wants to stop this! She must save the resistance… and of course Infinite too. As if to hear her call, something starts glowing in the wolf's pocket.

Tails soon noticed something glowing in Saura's pocket. "Hey, what's that?" he asks Saura as he mentions the glowing object. Saura looks as well as well with a confused look. The fox watches as the wolf pulls out a gem from her pocket. The gem looks like the Phantom Ruby! Realizing how it started glowing the moment Saura arrived, he thinks there could be a connection. "I think it's reacting to the sun," he says while thinking. "You know, Eggman did say something about the Phantom Ruby prototypes when I was with the other Sonic," he recalls during his time with the younger Sonic. "Can I see?" he asks the wolf with his hand out. Saura nods as she hands the gem over to Tails. The moment the gem left Saura's hand, the glowing stops. Both, Saura and Tails, looked surprised. "Whoa, it is," he says with hope as he hands Saura back the gem. Saura took the gem back gently. "He said the Phantom Ruby prototypes only react to the person who activated it," he explains about the gem. The fox looks to the wolf and smiles. "And that must be you, Saura," he added eagerly.

Saura looks to Tails with shock as she points to herself. But how did she activate it to begin with? Tails nods to Saura. "Yes, you! Your courage and heroism are probably what triggered it," he added as he completely turns to Saura with an idea. "I might have an idea! Just maybe, if you use this-," he mentions the gem, now referred as the Phantom Ruby prototype- "it can make that sun disappear," he says to Saura!

Saura looks at the prototype and then to the sun. Can she really do it? What if the sun's effect hits her first? She could be- No, she must do it! She must be brave, just like her… friends. She has friends now and they need her help! Her grip tightens around the prototype as she looks to Tails, with the gem glowing a bit. "I'll do it," she says to Tails.

Tails looks to Saura with surprise. He expected the wolf to nod or even a thumbs up, not speak her answer. The fox smiles for he's happy to see the wolf speaking to him; then again, she did it before to save his life. He sees Saura starting to run. Tails uses his two tails to fly and follows Saura. The fox sees the wolf looking at him with a confused look. "I'm going with you," he replies to Saura's silent question. "I know you would do the same for me if I was in the same situation," he added. Tails watches Saura smile and they both start to head to the top of the tower.

~

Knuckles groans in defeat. "We made it so far. We were so close," he says to the group as he looks at the sun.

Vector clenched his hands to fists as he growls a bit. "Isn't there anything we can do?" he asks the group. He hopes someone can find the solution.

As if to answer, Tails's voice was heard through Knuckles's communicator. "Knuckles, can you hear me?" Tails asks through the communicator. "I found Saura and we have a plan," he added.

Knuckles looked surprised with the group as they smile when hope begins to shine on them. "Great work Tails, let's hear it," the echidna says to the communicator.

"Saura has something that can counter the sun. With it and if she can get close enough to the sun, that should cancel out its effect," Tails explains the plan through the communicator.

Everyone gasps in shock. "So, Saura is going to jump in to the sun? That's crazy," Silver says in complete shock.

Knuckles glares at the communicator. "No way Tails! She'll be burnt to a crisp before then! Both of you fall back now," he commanded. He hears Tails wanting to object but was interrupted. "Tails?" he tries to call out to the fox.

Instead of Tails's voice, the group hears another voice. "C-Commander, I appreciate your concern. But if I d-don't do this, then everyone else will s-suffer from the sun. And, don't worry a-about me. This is something I h-have to do for e-everyone else's lives. Thanks for all the t-training you taught me. I-if it weren't for that, I w-wouldn't be here today," the feminine voice says through the communicator. "Sonic, thanks for sh-showing me what it means to have a f-friend. A-as for the rest of y-you, I kn-know I d-didn't interact much, but I'm s-still glad I got to meet you all. W-we'll be back once this is o-over," the voice added.

Everyone looked at their communicators in shock. "Hey, who's this?" Knuckles asks to his communicator as everyone looked continued to stare at their own communicators. Well, everyone except for the older Sonic. He knows who that is. When there was no reply from the other line, Knuckles growls a bit. "Hey, answer me," he says to his communicator.

"Make peace with your fate," the group soon hear Infinite say. Everyone looks up and noticed the masked jackal floating into the sky. "Because, your lives are now over," he added as he gets ready to send the sun down on them as it starts glowing.

The older Sonic flinches and starts hearing Dr. Eggman evil laughing and counting down. He glares as he turns on his communicator. "Go get'em Saura," he shouts to the communicator!

~

After Saura finished her message to Knuckles, Sonic, and the others, she hands the communicator back to Tails despite Knuckles asking who it was that spoke. The two finally made it to the top of the tower closest to the sun. Once there, she also handed her wispon to Tails to hold on to for a bit. She's going to need a free hand. The wolf looks up at the sun as she gets the prototype out of her pocket. She looks back to the gem and glares in determination. The gem glows in response as Tails watches. "Go get'em Saura," the wolf hears Sonic through Tails's communicator! Saura takes a deep breath and glares at the sun. She runs and uses her grabbling hook to any objects closest or even in the sun and jumps in.

The moment Saura is in the sun she feels the pain from the heat. She needs to stay in it for a bit longer. But oh man, the heat hurts. Saura yelps a bit when she feels her neck and shoulder burning a bit where she had the bandage at. She uses her free hand to cover her neck and shoulder while whimpering from the pain. "J-just a bit longer," the wolf mumbles to herself. She feels the pain from the sun starting to increase a bit as she grips on to the prototype more. "P-please, save them… save everyone," she pleaded. The gem starts glowing brighter and the glowing soon began to spread around her and in the sun.

Tails watches Saura jump in to the sun and hopes the plan will work. Once the wolf is in the sun, he notices the sun starts glowing. He waits while holding the wispon. Suddenly, the fox hears Saura yelp a bit as if she's in pain! He becomes worried and that worry increased when he sees something glowing red in the sun. "Saura?" he tries to call out to the wolf with worry! When he got no response, his anxiety deepens. Now, the fox is reconsidering the plan and tries to find a way to get the wolf out of there. After a few seconds, the sun disappears. Tails smiles; the plan worked! Before he can celebrate, the fox sees a bright red light heading towards him from where the sun was at. It's Saura and she looks hurt! He couldn't get a chance to break her fall since the wolf had already crash landed on the tower with a groan. Tails flies to Saura and sees the prototype still in Saura's hand with cracks all over AND there are burn marks on her neck and shoulder. "Saura, are you okay?" he asks with worry.

Saura deep breathes as she places her free hand back on to the burned side of her neck while her eyes are shut. She nods a bit as she tries to get up but falls back down. "I-is it… gone?" she asks quietly to Tails.

Tails nods as he helps Saura up by having her arm around his neck and gets up with her. "Y-yeah! Everyone is saved thanks to you," he replies to the wolf. Once Saura is on her feet, the fox sees Saura smile weakly. When he saw the wolf's burnt marks, he looks down in shame. "I'm so sorry Saura. I shouldn't have sent you off into the sun like that if this would've happened," he apologizes as he mentions the burned marks on Saura's shoulder.

Saura shakes her head as she continues to smile to Tails. None of that matters now; everyone was saved and that's that. "Impossible," they suddenly hear a voice shout out! The fox and wolf turned around and noticed Eggman in his hover craft pointing at the prototype in the wolf's hand. "I thought all the prototypes were destroyed," he added in anger!

Tails glares at Eggman. "A costly oversight, doctor," he says to the human. "This is why I always check and double check as any good scientist would," he added.

The human glares at Tails and Saura until he sees Infinite floating down. He lets out an evil smirk and chuckle. "Infinite, go destroy these two while I check on the rest of the army," he tells the masked jackal as he uses his hover craft to fly off.

Upon hearing the glitching noise and Eggman telling the name, Tails and Saura shiver as they see the masked jackal float down while Eggman leaves. "So, it was you who took out the sun?" he asks mostly to the wolf? Saura opens her eyes weakly as they had a red glow, but it disappears when she blinks. The wolf looks to see what the fox is staring at. Saura sees Infinite watching her and Tails as he adjusts his mask.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: Beware, Fear of the Ruby

Tails and Saura immediately shivers when they see Infinite watching them. The masked jackal continues to watch the two along with the Phantom Ruby prototype in the wolf's hand. He glares at the wolf a bit as he starts walking to her and the fox. Infinite soon notices Tails trying to hold up Saura since it seems she's in a weakened state. Seeing them both back away, the jackal growls as he uses his Phantom Ruby to quickly get closer to the fox and wolf. "Where did you get that?" he asks the wolf in a demanding tone. Saura shivers as she grips on to the prototype while attempting to hide it. Infinite's growl increased when he sees that as he tries to take the prototype away from the wolf. When the jackal's clawed hand comes into contact with the prototype in Saura's hand, the two rubies start to glow a bit.

Tails flinches as he watches both Phantom Rubies glowing. "Wh-what?" he mumbles a bit while feeling a bit frightened. The gem on Infinite's chest glows brighter and stops as it shoots a tiny red laser at the gem Saura is holding. Saura feels something sting her the moment the laser hits the Phantom Ruby prototype. It felt like something had been pulled out from her. The wolf yelps as she gets the prototype away from Infinite and flung it away out of instinct. The gem lands at a few feet away from the group. Luckily, it appears to not be damaged. Tails jumped when he heard Saura yelp as he accidentally drops the wispon. "Saura, are you alright? The fox asks the wolf.

Once Saura nods, she and Tails look back at the Phantom Ruby prototype with confusion on what just happened. That stung felt real to the wolf, but at the same time not real. Saura suddenly feels someone grab her arm and yanked her away from Tails. The wolf yelped as she tries to break out of Infinite's hold. She soon hears a growl which causes her to shiver a bit more. The wolf notices the fox trying to help her pull away from the masked jackal, but that only got the jackal to yank her more towards him and pushes the fox away from them. Feeling the pain on her neck and shoulder increasing, Saura whimpers as she places her free hand back on her neck and shoulder. She then feels a hand grab her cheeks, forcing the wolf to look at Infinite. "Where did you get that prototype?" she hears the jackal ask again. Saura said nothing as she still tries to break out of Infinite's hold. She feels the jackal's grip on her increase which had the wolf start whimpering more. "Answer me," he commanded.

Saura starts to feel memories of the brown wolf with hazel eyes and shivers at the thought. She can't let Infinite become like him! Speaking of the masked jackal, the wolf feels his metal mask on her forehead. She shivers more as she tries to look at the jackal's eyes. The only one she sees is the left yellow eye. When she blinks, she could've sworn she saw the hazel color take its place, but it quickly faded when she blinks again. Feeling the grip on her arm increase pressure, Saura whines a bit. "D-don't... b-be like… h-h-him," she manages to mumble out. The wolf feels the jackal move his head away as he looks at her.

Saura feels the clawed hand on her muzzle moving her face higher up. Infinite eye narrows at the wolf's sudden mumble as he becomes confused with what she said. He? Who is she talking about? If it's Dr. Eggman, then she should know better that he'll never be like that. He is far stronger than the human. The masked jackal suddenly notices something faint on her neck. There is a scar in a shape of a line like her neck had been… cut! Infinite stood there as he accidentally releases Saura's muzzle. That scar isn't normal! How did Saura get it?

When Tails got shoved away, he groans from the harsh tug. He gets up as he rubs his arm a bit since that's where Infinite shoved him away. The fox turns and sees the masked jackal still gripping on to the wolf's arm. "Saura," he calls out to the wolf! Saura looks to Tails as she snaps out of her frightened state to try and break out of Infinite's hold. Unfortunately, the jackal snaps out of his daze too and brings the wolf back closer to him. Tails runs to Saura but stops due to Infinite growling at him. "L-let her go Infinite," he says while shivering a bit from Infinite's growl. The jackal ignores the fox as he twirls the wolf until her back is facing towards him. And then, Infinite uses his same arm to hold Saura by her waist, so he can let go of her arm. The wolf tries to break free, but it only had the grip tighten a bit more. "Wh-what do you want with Saura?" the fox asks the jackal.

Infinite hears Tails's question as he holds Saura. All the memories he had with Saura start to flash in his head, two in particular. The first was when the wolf saved him and showed him kindness. And the other was back at Metropolis when she and the resistance try to pull an all-out-attack; the first time he heard her spoke. The masked jackal glares at the fox as he starts glowing red and floating in the air while holding on to the wolf around the waist. "That is none of your concern. Your friend here belongs to me now," he replies to the fox.

Tails flinches at Infinite's response. "Saura isn't a property to keep Infinite! She's a living being just like you, me, and everyone else! Do you think about how she feels?" he asks the jackal.

"She will understand once she submits to me," Infinite argues as he shoots a red laser at Tails. He sees the fox dodge the little attack which caused the masked jackal to glare at the fox. "Once you, that blue nuisance, and your annoying friends are out if the way, she will have no one to turn to except for me," he says more as he growls at the fox. "All I have to do is wait for the Phantom Ruby to be recharged," he added.

Saura shivers as she listened to Tails and Infinite's little conversation. It's true she has feeling for the masked jackal, but she can't let him do with her as he pleases. She must have him see that he can still stop this madness while he can! The wolf soon sees Infinite getting ready to toss a bunch of red cubes at Tails. "T-Tails, watch out," she shouts to the fox!

Tails looks to Saura and Infinite when he heard the wolf's warning and notices red cubes coming towards him. But before the red cubes could touch him, someone blue grabs the fox and dodges the red cubes. Infinite growls when he sees this dimension's Sonic holding Tails. The masked jackal suddenly gets hit by a spin attack. Because of the impact, Infinite accidentally releases Saura, but he catches her before she touches the ground. The jackal floats higher as he tightens his hold on the wolf a bit when he sees the other dimension Sonic. He glares at the two hedgehogs. "So, you've finally caught up with me?" he asks with an unamused expression. Infinite watches the older Sonic put Tails down as he and the younger Sonic glare back at him. He humphs as he adjusts his mask a bit with his free hand. "Pathetic little hedgehogs. Even with the Phantom Ruby's power weakened, I still have enough power to smash you into blue jelly, no matter how many of you there are," he says to both Sonics. "I'll show you both how outclass you really are," he added.

Both Sonic glare at Infinite. "We're in a class of our own," the older Sonic says to Infinite with an annoyed look. He then glares back at the masked jackal. "Time to put up or shut up Infinite," he added. Sonic notices Saura in Infinite's grasp still and glares more. He needs to find a way to set the wolf free, so he and the younger Sonic can fight Infinite. The younger Sonic appears to be on it for he charges and tries to spin attack the jackal.

Infinite quickly dodges the younger Sonic and kicks him away. The masked jackal realizes he can't fight both blue hedgehogs with a single hand. But at the same time, he can't let Saura get away from him. He glares at the two hedgehogs and fox as he launches more red cubes at them. When both Sonics and Tails dodge, the red cubes had created smoke screens when they make contact with the ground. "Sonic, I think Infinite is making the smoke screens to get away with Saura," Tails says to both Sonics!

When Infinite heard Tails, he immediately goes to a different tower a bit further with the group the Phantom Ruby's as the others tried to follow. Little did everyone know, a figure started to form around the Phantom Ruby prototype that Saura dropped. The figure stood up as it materialized into an adult mobian wolf. It over heard the fox as the color around him changed to brown fur with white muzzle and wearing black gloves and shoes despite the pixel like aura around it. It growled as it turns its head to where Infinite and Saura took off to. "So, she is still alive and talking now apparently," a deep masculine voice was heard from the figure. "Looks like I need to reteach her that silence is golden," it added with a dark chuckle as it opens its hazel eyes while a red fog starts slowly forming around the roof floor.

~

Once Infinite gets to the other tower thanks to the Phantom Ruby, he gently lowers down to roof. Since the hedgehogs and fox have some climbing to do along with taking out a few enemies, he moves his mask a bit until only his muzzle is shown. Quickly, the jackal pulls the wolf to him and plants a quick, but gentle peck on Saura's lips. While he does this, Infinite has one of his red cubed auras hit the area near Saura's foot and has it turn into a cuff chained to the ground and cuffs one of the wolf's legs. Saura blushed but it was immediately over when she feels something on her leg and the jackal pulled away. The wolf noticed cuff on her leg chained to the ground, so she starts to struggle to break herself free. "Stay here Saura," he gently commands as he puts the mask back on completely.

Saura frowns as she looks to Infinite and grabs his clawed hand. "Infinite p-please, don't hurt them nor the o-others. They're my friends," she pleaded to the jackal. The wolf hears the masked jackal growl at her a bit, but she stands her ground.

"Friends are nothing but a fleeting illusion Saura," Infinite says to Saura in a serious tone. The masked jackal looks straight at Saura in the eyes. "You can count on nobody but yourself," he added.

Saura looked shocked; but instead of letting go of Infinite's clawed hand, she tightens her hold. "Th-that's not true Infinite," she says to the masked jackal as her frown returns. "T-they're not illusions, they're as real as you and me," she added. She watches Infinite look at her with suspicion. "I-I know it is because I-I didn't understand i-it at first either," she replies to Infinite's silent question. The wolf starts to feel memories replay in her head of her time before Eggman's take over which caused her to look down. "B-Before I met Sonic a-and the others, I… never had any friends. M-mostly everyone w-would make fun of m-me because of my v-voice… I-If I spoke and t-tried to make friends, they would j-just push me a-away. A-and when I tried to get h-help… th-that's when I… stopped," she explains as she shivers. She takes a deep breath to try and stop shaking a bit. Saura looks back to Infinite even though she can't see his face expression with more confidence. "A-and then I met Sonic and his friends. They made me s-see that not everyone are the same and I can't be afraid of e-everything. They also had me see how the friendship th-they've given me gives me strength," she added.

Infinite listens to Saura until she finished her story before the takeover. It seems the wolf must have gone through some kind of trouble in the past. That's the more reason he must change this world. The masked jackal then sees Saura move her free hand to place it on the side of his mask. "Saura," he growls out quietly to warn her. He can't let the wolf remove his mask out in the open.

Saura, instead of shivering, frowns at Infinite's growl, but continues to have her hand on the side of his mask. "And then I met you. A-at first, I thought you would be like h-him… but after y-you kidnapped a-and took me to M-Metropolis and the same for now, I realized y-you're not. Y-you're in the s-same position I was in b-before, lonely and having n-no one to trust," she says to the masked jackal. Not hearing anything from the masked jackal, the wolf releases her hold on his arm to hug him, just like he does to her. She feels Infinite flinch at her sudden embrace, but she continues to hug him. "I-Infinite, there are other ways to make this w-world a better place. Don't help E-Eggman, he is not the s-solution to a better world. There are o-other solutions and you don't have t-to find them on your own. L-let me help you find that other way," she says to the jackal.

Infinite flinches a bit with a surprised look and blush behind the mask. He growls a bit quietly as the feelings he was feeling before with Saura start to rise. No, he can't let it get to him right now! The masked jackal grabs the wolf by her arms and has his forehead on her shoulder which caused the wolf to let go. "If you really want to help me, then you should submit to me," he says to Saura. When Infinite feels the wolf shake her head, his grip on her arms tighten a bit and growls more. He then remembers Saura mentioned "him" again. Who is she talking about?

"Infinite, let her go," Infinite and Saura soon hear the voice of a blue hedgehog. Saura turns and sees both Sonics and Tails glaring at Infinite.

Infinite growls madly at the Sonics and Tails. But then, he notices the Phantom Ruby on his chest starts glowing. With a dark chuckle, he releases Saura and turns to Tails and both Sonics as he floats in the air with red and pixel-like aura around him. "You're done for Sonic. The Phantom Ruby's energy is recharged," he announces.

Saura flinches at Infinite's announcement. Infinite spreads the red aura out around him. Tails, Saura, and both Sonics feel the Ruby's power thanks from the pressure. Once it finishes, the wolf looks up to Infinite with an upset expression and trying to break out of the chain as rain drops start to fall. "Infinite no," she shouts to the jackal!

"Perish along with your useless friends," Infinite says to both Sonics. Before he can make an attack, another red aura spreads around which lead to confusion. The masked jackal had already launched Phantom Ruby's pressure. So, why is it happening again? No matter, the ruby is all charged up and he can summon another sun to destroy the resistance.

Saura shakes her head a bit as she watches Infinite get ready to attack. What can she do to stop him? She has nothing but the grabbling hooks on her wrist bracelets. She suddenly feels another pressure of red aura with Tails and both Sonics. "Wh-what was that?" Tails asks as he looks around the already red area with Saura and both Sonics. When the second red aura pressure travels through, the chain and cuff on Saura's leg disappeared! Saura lifts her leg a bit for proof and sees she is free.

"Saura…"

Saura flinches when she hears something. She looks around rapidly eye-wide. That voice sounded so familiar! After all, that same voice had been whispering in her ear the whole time. But, it didn’t feel like it’s in her head; it felt real! She then looks straight ahead of her as she froze with fear. Something about that voice is telling the wolf to be silent. But, was it all real or her mind playing tricks again? Unfortunately, everyone else was oblivious to the voice. Both Sonics glare at Infinite as the get ready to attack. "Tails, you and Saura get back to the others," the older Sonic says to the fox.

Upon hearing the older Sonic, Infinite glares at the blue hedgehog and got ready to attack Tails. However, the fox had already got to the wolf. "Come on Saura, let's get going," he says to Saura. To his surprise, the wolf didn't respond. It was like time is frozen on her figure. "Saura, what's wrong?" he asks with worry. Once again, there was no response. Tails starts shaking Saura to hopefully snap her out of her trance. This time, Saura responded as she blinks and starts deep breathing after a gasp. She looks around until she sees Tails. "Saura, let's get back to the others," the fox says as he starts trying to drag Saura.

Before Tails could go far, Infinite was right in front of him and Saura. He's shocked to see the chain and cuff, that he originally used to trap the wolf, had disappeared. The fox was soon dragged until he is behind the wolf. The jackal glares a bit at Saura as he grabs her free arm to yank her away, but then the Sonics came after him and attacked together. When all five were in contact, something in the air gave them chills, even to Infinite.

"So, you're speaking again?"

The wolf froze once again. Now she knows it's not in her head! Saura stood there as she looks around the area without moving her body. It can't be… can it? This time, she wasn't alone. Tails looks around for the source of that voice while Infinite and both Sonics did the same. Thinking the masked jackal might have something to do with it, the older blue hedgehog glares at Infinite. "Infinite, stop toying us with your Phantom Ruby illusions," he says to the jackal.

Infinite humphs at the older Sonic as he looks around for the source of that voice. He knows for sure he isn't the one responsible for that effect of the Phantom Ruby. But still, there is something about that voice he doesn't like. From the looks of it, Sonic and his two friends are not responsible. The masked jackal looks to Saura who appears to be staring in… fear?! Infinite looks directly to the wolf; something is wrong! But then, the jackal was attacked by the older Sonic. Growling at both Sonics, he starts to fight them.

"Saura…"

Saura starts shivering more when she heard it. It sounds like it's coming from the tower she and the others were at. Slowly, the wolf turns to look at the other tower. There appears to be a red mist surrounding the area there, but there is also a figure standing there. She can't really tell who it is since the red mist is attempting to hid it. However, the moment the figure turned to look straight at Saura's eyes, the wolf sees the hazel color in their eyes. The wolf's eyes widen in fear as she starts backing away. It can't be... can it?

Tails notices the fear Saura is showing as she backs away. He looks at the direction the wolf was staring at and sees the figure, but not its eyes. Noticing Saura might be in danger, he grabs the wolf's hand. "Come on Saura, we need to leave," he says as he starts dragging Saura.

Infinite and both Sonics look at Tails as the fox tries to drag the wolf away. Infinite glares at Tails but was soon attacked by the younger Sonic. The older Sonic looks back to Tails. "Tails, get going now," he says to the fox.

When Tails nods, a red rope suddenly flies in from the other tower. Saura, recognizing the rope, immediately went to panic mode, but couldn't dodge it in time and was whipped to the ground with a yelp. "Saura," the fox shouts for the wolf! He quickly helps Saura up. "Don't worry, you're going to be fine," he tries to reassure the wolf.

When Saura hears Tails's voice, she realized her friends and everyone else are in huge danger! They have no idea who that figure is, but she does! She must warn Tails, both Sonics, and the others, including Infinite! "No, it's not! We're all in danger," she shouts! Realizing what she's doing, she covered her mouth and looks back to the figure in the other tower. The "training" she gets when she talks start to roll back in her mind. However, she can't let it get to her! She looks back to Tails as she shivers in fear. "Someone else is here! He's done deadlier things than Infinite has done! And he does it for his enjoyment," she starts explaining!

Tails shivers at Saura's sudden outburst. There is someone worse than Infinite? How can that be? Infinite is the one who has been murdering innocent lives! Who could be worse? "Wh-who are you talking about?" he asks with concern and fear.

"Speaking is forbidden Saura…"

Saura shivers more but shakes her head as she starts deep breathing in panic. "Please, get everyone away from him especially children! He's a killer but tortures his victims first! H-he's a-" before Saura could say more, the same rope appears and catches her. The wolf lets out a scream as she feels the rope dragging her away from Tails.

"Saura," Tails shouts as he tries to save the wolf! The fox tries to pull her out of the rope, but it seems to have a tight hold. He looks to both Sonics as they fight Infinite. He doesn't want to call out to them for help, but there isn't much of a choice! "Sonic, help," he calls out to both hedgehogs!

When he heard Tails, the older Sonic immediately look to where Tails is and sees his best friend struggling to save his new friend! Noticing Infinite is distracted a bit, he kicks the masked jackal away and runs to help Tails with the younger Sonic. The older Sonic has hold on Saura with Tails while the younger Sonic is trying to get the rope off the wolf. Unfortunately, even with the Sonics, the rope is still stronger. "Hang on buddy," the older Sonic calls out to Saura as he continues to try and save her!

Saura continues to struggle from the rope, but no matter how hard she tries, it's still stronger. The wolf suddenly loses her footing from the roof. She looks back to Tails and both Sonics as they try to help her. She can't let them near him! He'll kill them! She then looks to Infinite who gets up after being kicked by the older Sonic. When the jackal got up and looked at Saura, the rope, as if being used by someone, makes a huge tug as it forced Tails and both Sonics to let go. The wolf lets out one more scream as she was pulled into the other tower that now has red mist all over the roof.

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: The Lock Comes Back

*WARNING STARTS HERE!*

When Saura lands on the other tower, she groans a bit in pain from the landing. She tries to get up and then notices the Lightning Wispon that Tails dropped. Grabbing the weapon, she continues to get up as she gets the red rope off her while coughing from the red mist a bit. Once the wolf is on her feet and free, she looks around to see what's going on. There is red mist like smoke around the roof floor covering the area up to her waist. She looks to the other tower and sees Tails and the older Sonic calling out to her. But there is a problem, she can't hear what they're saying. Saura tries to walk closer to hear them, but she then notices glitches appearing in her vision. She shakes her head to try and get the weird pixel particles out of her eyes; but then, she hears herself step on something. Opening her eyes, the wolf looks down to see what it is; however, it's hard to tell with the red mist blocking the way. Whatever it is, the stench of it almost makes her want to gag a bit. That scent also seems familiar! Curious on what it is, Saura blows away some of the mist away to see what it is. A huge mistake! Saura noticed blood on the ground, but that isn't what she stepped on. She stepped on a dead mobian child, a bird, with no eyes! The wolf gasps with a yelp of fear while accidentally falling backwards on the roof flooring. She backs away from it quickly, but she bumps into something. Turning around slowly, Saura sees another dead mobian child; this time it's a dog covered in blood! Saura quickly gets up with another yelp of fear!

What's going on? Why are there dead mobians all over the roof tower? Saura knows for sure there weren't any mobians on this tower aside from her, Infinite, Tails, and both Sonics. The others are not as fast as the Sonics and Infinite. Speaking of the group, the wolf looks to the other tower and noticed Infinite is fighting both Sonics again. She has to find a way to stop the fighting. As much as she wants to stop the empire rise, she can't let Infinite get hurt. It's Eggman who's the real enemy. She shivers as she sees the red mist becoming more visible.

"Saura…" a masculine voice says with a slight dark chuckle. Saura flinches when she heard it! Slowly, the wolf turns to the source of that voice. Her eyes shrunk back in fear when she sees a male mobian brown wolf with hazel eyes and wearing black gloves and shoes and a strange gold medallion. "I must say, it's been a long time since we've last met face to face. I missed you," the brown wolf spoke in that same masculine voice while mocking the last sentence. "And look at you, you've certainly grown to a beautiful flower like your mother. It's just a shame you have your father's eyes. Worthless as ever though I see," he says Saura.

Saura shivers as she watches the brown wolf with caution. How is he alive? She thought he was put to death for the crimes he committed. Those poor mobians must have been through hell by the brown wolf before he finally finishes them. She can't let that happen to the others! The male wolf starts walking around the female wolf in a circle. The brown wolf sees the tension in Saura's eyes as she kept her eyes on him despite the fear in them. "I'm surprised you're not running from me," he says to the female wolf. The brown wolf makes a step forward which had the blond wolf step backwards as she slowly raises her weapon. The male wolf looks behind Saura to see two blue hedgehogs fighting a masked jackal while a two-tailed fox is watching them a bit while looking back to this direction. When he looks back to Saura, the weapon is now raised all the way up to his direction as the female wolf glares at him. Now, he understands what's going on. "So, you made some friends? Are you sure they think of you the same way?" the male wolf asks.

Once the blond wolf flinched, the brown wolf shows a dark smirk. But, that smirk faded when Saura's glare deepened. "Y-yes, they do," she says to the brown wolf. The brown wolf makes a humph noise. Before the female wolf had a chance to move, a red rope like weapon, being held by the male wolf, whips her to the ground. She yelps in pain as she falls to the ground. Making sure she feels the Lightning Wispon, Saura groans a bit as she rubs her arm, where she got attacked. As she tries to get up, the blond wolf suddenly sees a dead mobian adult with a huge hole on their chest; this time, it's a bear! She gasps and quickly gets up. Now shivering, she looks to the brown wolf with more fear.

"What did I say about talking Saura?" the brown wolf says to the blond wolf. The female wolf continues to shiver as she continues to glare at the male wolf. Even if he manages to break her, Saura still can't let this psychotic wolf hurt anyone else. The brown wolf looks back to the group behind Saura and noticed the hedgehogs and jackal are still fighting with each other. "You say they are your "friends." And yet, they're fighting with each other," he says in confusion a bit. Showing an unamused look, the male wolf looks back to the female wolf. "Tell me, why are they fighting?" he asks as a small dark smirk appears on his face.

Saura takes a step back from the brown wolf's question. He's trying to get her to talk. That way, he can just strike at her again. She continues to remain silent while gripping on to her wispon. Raising the wispon a bit, Saura watches the male wolf as she secretly gets ready to attack. The brown wolf stops his smirk to eye narrow at the blond wolf. "Now Saura, it's rude to raise your weapon and ignore your uncle," he says as he starts slowly walking towards the female wolf. Saura growls a bit and uses her wispon to attack the brown wolf. The male wolf gets hit by a lightning whip that caused him to fall in on to the roof floor until he's in the red mist.

Saura deep breaths a bit as she kept her eyes on the spot where the brown wolf could be, at the center. She then looks back to where Tails, both Sonics, and Infinite are at. The two hedgehogs are still fighting the masked jackal. She needs to get back over there and stop them and try again to convince Infinite to stop helping Eggman. Just then, she sees the fox flying straight to her. Remembering the dead bodies, panic start to rise. She can't let Tails see the damage the male wolf, her uncle, had done here. "No Tails, get back," she shouts to the two-tailed fox! Saura sees Tails stop moving to this direction with a surprised and confused look. She waits for Tails to fly back.

"You're speaking again," Saura hears the brown wolf say. Realizing what she did, the blond wolf's eyes shrunk back. Before she had a chance to look back at the male wolf, she felt her back get stung badly by the same red rope weapon twice. Saura yelps in pain as she falls to the ground. Seeing the dead bear mobian, she quickly gets back up while having a hard time thanks to her sore back. Turning around, the blond wolf sees the brown wolf back on his feet at the center of the roof floor.

Saura suddenly hears someone coming. Turning back around, the blond wolf sees Tails coming closer until he's close to the red mist while in the air. She notices Tails trying to speak to her, but she can't hear what he's saying! She wants to say something to the fox, but the thought of being attacked for speaking had shut her up. She then feels someone's hands on her shoulders. Wincing a bit, Saura looks behind her and sees the brown wolf with a dark smirk. "Oh, why don't you tell me about your friend here," he says to the female wolf.

Looking back to Tails, Saura can see him looking a bit frightened. Gaining a bit of courage, the female wolf kicks the male wolf away from her. She looks back to Tails. "Tails, get out of here, please! That wolf's name is Nevil! I-I've dealt with him for a long time an-and he's done more terrible things than Infinite has done! He's m-my uncle," she says in shame. Realizing she spoke, Saura sees she doesn't have much time before the brown wolf strikes. Suddenly, the blond wolf sees the red mist rising for she sees it covering up to her upper body. She then noticed more dead mobians lying around. Covering her mouth while shivering, the female wolf backs away a bit and looks back up to Tails. Noticing Tails is getting closer to the mist to get closer to her, she panics for the fox is about to see what she saw. "No Tails, don't look," she shouts!

"You're losing my patience "niece,"" Nevil, the brown wolf, says to Saura. The blond wolf flinches in fear as her eyes shrunk back again. She turns around and sees the male wolf standing up with the same red rope like weapon in his hand. "I told you, no one wants to hear your voice because of how disgusting it sounds," he reminds Saura. "Now, lets try to make this a little private, shall we?" he added with a dark smirk as the red mist rises higher.

Saura shivers as she feels the red mist now starting to cover her face and the rest of her. She sees the dead mobians again and tries to back away. But everytime she does, a new one pops in with each of them being worse than the others. Shivering, the blond wolf feels completely trapped in this deja vu nightmare. She then feels someone trying to lift her. Saura looks up and sees Tails flying and trying to get her out. Seeing the two tails clearing the mist around him, the blond wolf shakes her head. "Tails, noooo," she shouts!

Tails looks down to Saura in confusion. But then, he sees something on the ground. Once the mist around him cleared away, the fox became stunned. They appear to be dead mobians and some are covered in blood and missing something from them! Unconsciously, Tails lets go of Saura and looks around in fear. Who could've done this? Was all of this Infinite's doing? No, it can't be; he's back at the other tower fighting both Sonics. That way, he can get Saura out of this misty area. But to see this, it gave Tails a fright. He then sees pixle-like parts in his vision a bit as he wipes his eyes. Once that's done, he notices an older brown wolf looking a little bit like Saura except for his eyes, fur, and design. "It seems your friend has seen a little bit too much," the male wolf says. Tails became confused with the brown wolf's words. Seen a little too much, what does he mean by that? The fox then remembers Saura's warnings as he looks around. Finally putting the pieces together, Tails looks to the male wolf with fear. Was all of this done by him?!

Tails was soon attacked by a red rope like weapon, a whip! The fox shouts as he was being flown away due to how hard the attack was. "TAILS," Saura shouts as she tries to run after her friend! But then, she gets whipped on her back which caused her to fall to the roof floor. She whimpers from the pain as she tries to stand back up. She can only get on her hands and knees because of how much pain she's feeling on her back. The blond wolf looks to the direction where Tails was flown. She hopes the fox is alright…

"The whip your friend received was originally meant for you," Saura hears Nevil say. The blond wolf looks to the brown wolf with a confused look. "Your friend was trying to rescue you from this while you spoke to him. So in a way, it's your fault your friend got hurt. By speaking to him, he had to experience your pathetic voice and see what he had to see here," he explains Saura's silent question. "Now, he will have to suffer through what he saw along with the attack just now," he added with a small dark smirk. The blond wolf looks shocked as she looks back to where Tails was flown. "And whose fault is that?" he questions. "The blame goes to you, Saura. You caused this. All because you spoke and tried to save him," he says again.

Saura took in everything Nevil said as her eyes shrunk back further. Tails is hurt because of her? It makes sense… If she spoke, something bad would happen whether it was to her or someone else. And in this case, Tails took the fall this time. And why? Because, the blond wolf spoke. Tears started to appear in Saura's eyes as she lets them fall. "No," she mumbles. The female wolf sees the fox had managed to land on the other tower roof with both Sonics looking back at him with shock and worry. She also sees Infinite getting ready to attack but stops the moment Tails points to her. The fox could be telling both blue hedgehogs what has happened while the masked jackal just watches… Saura notices the mist around her and Nevil is getting thicker, making it hard to see both Sonics, Tails, and Infinite. "I-I'm sorry," she mumbles again as guilt start to take hold of her. "I'm so sorry," she added as she starts crying silently.

"You know, that jackal friend of yours reminds me of myself," the blond wolf hears Nevil say. "He seems to have the potential of showing the world to make the weak submit. It's just too bad he's a jackal. If he was a wolf, I'd show him more techniques to make the world of his dreams," he added. Saura shivers with more tears in her eyes. The thought of Infinite becoming like Nevil terrorizes her. And she… can't do anything to stop it… "Now then, I still need to punish you for those attacks you did and for opening your voice again," the male wolf mentions.

"Listen to that voice..."

"That is a weird sound her voice makes."

"It almost makes me want to throw up a bit."

"It's sounds so hideous."

"Your voice is disgusting."

Saura shivers as she hears those phrases without knowing where they are coming from. She gets her wispon and quickly gets up as she ignores the pain on her back and raises her weapon at Nevil while shivering and crying silently. The male wolf dark chuckles. "You can try to act brave all you want Saura. But I know deep down, you can't stop me now. You're worthless and weak. You can't even protect your friends," he says with certain. Saura shivers more as she looks down a bit. She noticed a little red glow flickering beside her and the brown wolf but not behind her. However, that doesn't really matter. There really isn't anything she can do. She can't even protect her friends from this mad wolf. Nevil is right…

He's always been right…

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: Interlude: What's in the Mist?

The moment Saura got taken away by the strange red rope, Infinite knew he needs to go after her. Something isn't right! He didn't cause this part of the Phantom Ruby. What he wants is to destroy the resistance, except Saura, by making the sun crash down on them. But then, he heard Saura's shout. He's never heard Saura so scared before. He saw the wolf talking to Tails. The masked jackal tries to hear what Saura is saying, but both Sonics are fighting him.

"Saura," Infinite hears Tails shout. While blocking both hedgehogs, the masked jackal looks to see what the fox and wolf are doing, but he soon sees the wolf being dragged away by a strange red rope. Looking at the source, he sees a strange red mist surrounding the other tower. This is definitely something he didn't plan! Infinite suddenly sees a figure covered in the red mist. He can't tell what it is, but he does see what it has, a strange red rope! "Sonic, help," he hears the fox shout out! Suddenly, he was kicked away and falls to the ground. The jackal gets up to glare at the hedgehogs, but he discovers Tails and both Sonics were trying to help Saura, who is still being dragged by the red rope. By the time he gets up, the rope somehow tugs the wolf harder to force the fox and both hedgehogs to let go as it goes back to the other tower with the wolf.

Luckily, Saura landed on the tower roof. Infinite makes a quiet sigh of relief. There is a chance the wolf can be okay. He hears the older Sonic and Tails call out to Saura the moment the wolf rose to her feet with the Lightning Wispon in her hand. The masked jackal can see Saura looking confused as she tries to walk closer. It's like she couldn't hear them! The mist around the wolf started glitching a bit that caused her to stop and wipe her eyes. Unconsciously, Infinite starts to move a bit towards the wolf. Something in him is telling the jackal something bad is about to happen and he doesn't want Saura involved with it. But then, he gets hit by the younger Sonic's spin attack. Infinite groans a bit as he glares at the younger Sonic. The older Sonic glares back at him. "I don't know what your planning Infinite, but my friends and I will do everything we can to stop you and your Phantom Ruby illusions," the older blue hedgehog says with determination. Infinite humphs as he starts throwing red spheres from the Phantom Ruby at both Sonics.

Tails backs away as he watches the hedgehogs and masked jackal fighting. He hopes his two friends can prevent any more illusion effects by Infinite. Nobody can take another virtual reality that could possibly get rid of them. Speaking of virtual reality, he wonders what Infinite plans to do with Saura at the other tower. He looks back at the other tower and noticed the wolf's back is facing towards him and the others while pointing her wispon at something… No, she's pointing it at someone! There is someone there covered in the red mist and has hazel eyes! Who is he? The figure soon had its hazel eyes look at his direction. Tails watches suspiciously at the figure as it looked at him and possibly both Sonics and Infinite. The hazel eyes then look back to Saura. He kept his eyes on the two to see what's going on. Before he knows it, the figure had that same red rope like weapon, used to drag Saura, and uses it to attack the wolf. The fox was surprised to see the figure attack Saura. The wolf needs help! Tails looks to both Sonics. "Sonic, I'm going to go help Saura," he says to both hedgehogs.

Both Sonics look back to Tails with a smile. "Alright! Be careful Tails," the older Sonic says as the younger Sonic gives a thumbs up. The older hedgehog suddenly sees Infinite about to fly off to the direction of the tower covered in red mist. He uses his homing attack at the masked jackal and pins him down as he looks back to Tails. "Go now," he says to the fox! Tails nods as he starts to fly to the misty covered tower.

Infinite growls madly at the older Sonic as he kicks the hedgehog off him. By the time he gets up, the masked jackal sees the younger Sonic charging at him with a spin attack. Quickly, he blocks the younger hedgehog's attack. If he was just against one Sonic, he has a chance in defeating him. But, it seems facing two of them is difficult. Infinite needs to find a way to defeat both Sonics, so he can release another reality of destruction for the resistance as he hides Saura to a safe place where she won't be harmed by it. For now, he'll have to fight the blue savior and his other dimension self.

~

Once he is completely in the air, Tails started to fly to the tower covered in red mist. He noticed Saura had managed to knock down the figure into the mist. He smiles a bit as he continues to fly towards the misty tower. "Saura," he tries to call out to the wolf! The fox watches her turn back to look at him. When his and her eyes made contact, Tails see Saura starting to panic.

"No Tails, get back," Saura shouts to Tails! Tails stops heading to the misty tower with a surprised and confused expression. That is strange. Why would Saura want him to go back? He watches the wolf as she did the same for him. Tails suddenly noticed something in Saura's eyes. They appear to be glowing red a bit! Did the red mist do that to her? He should avoid touching the mist.

Saura's eyes soon shrunk back a bit. The wolf was then attacked by the red rope like weapon. No, Tails knows what that is, a whip! "Saura," he calls out to the wolf! He starts flying to Saura again! He came close to the wolf when she stood up. The fox continues to fly above the red mist, so he wouldn't touch it. "Are you okay Saura?" he asks with worry.

Tails watches Saura looking confused. Did the wolf even hear him? The fox sees her about to speak but stops as fear appeared in her eyes. What's wrong with Saura? Why is she too afraid to speak? Tails then sees someone walking towards Saura. He notices it's the figure, still covered in the red mist. The figure had its hand on Saura's shoulder which made more fear be known in her eyes. The figure may be covered in red mist, but those hazel eyes are still there! Something about those eyes makes the fox feel frightened a bit. Tails then sees Saura kick the figure away which caused it to fall back in to the red mist. "Tails, get out of here, please! That wolf's name is Nevil! I-I've dealt with him for a long time an-and he's done more terrible things than Infinite has done! He's m-my uncle," she says in shame. The fox looked confused at what Saura said. That figure was a wolf and her uncle? How can she tell? The red mist started to slowly rise along with Saura covering her mouth for what she saw below her. He tries to see what it is, but the wolf blocks him. "No Tails, don't look," Saura shouts with a serious look!

Tails flinches a bit as he looks to Saura. "Wh-why? What's in this mist Saura?" he tries to ask. The wolf apparently didn't hear the fox for she flinches in fear as she turns around. He looks as well and sees the figure rising back up as it grips on to the whip. The mist was soon covering both the figure and Saura. "Saura," he tries to call out to the wolf! He needs to get Saura out of that mist, even if it means he needs to go in it! Nodding to himself, Tails flies down into the mist and has a hold on the wolf.

*WARNING STARTS HERE!*

"Tails, noooo," the fox hears Saura shout! Tails looks down to the wolf in confusion. But then, he sees something on the ground. Looking down to see what it is,the fox became stunned. They're appear to be dead mobians and some are covered in blood and missing something from them! Unconsciously, Tails lets go of Saura and looks around in fear. Who could've done this? Was all this Infinite's doing? No, it can't be; he's back at the other tower fighting both Sonics. That way, he can get Saura out of this misty area. But to see this, it gave Tails a fright.

Tails then sees pixel-like parts in his vision a bit as he wipes his eyes. Once that's done, he notices an older brown wolf looking a little bit like Saura except for his eyes, fur, and design. "It seems your friend has seen a little bit too much," the male wolf says. Tails became confused with the brown wolf's words. "Seen a little too much." What does he mean by that? The fox then remembers Saura's warnings as he looks around. Finally putting the pieces together, Tails looks to the male wolf with fear. Was all of this done by him?! Saura is right; this is far worse than what Infinite had done!

Tails was soon attacked by a red rope like weapon, the whip! The fox shouts as he was being flown away due to how hard the attack was. "TAILS," he hears Saura shout out!

*WARNING ENDS HERE!*

Both Sonics continue to fight Infinite. They would often jump around while fighting, but none of them came near the tower covered in red mist. The blue hedgehogs would make sure Infinite wouldn't get near there to attack their friends. Both Sonics are back at the tower with the masked jackal as they glare at each other. "You foolish hedgehogs, nothing and no one can defeat me," Infinite says in determination.

"Wrong! The things that can't be defeated are heart, soul, and the bonds of friendship. Something you and your counterfeit cronies lack," the older Sonic says. The younger Sonic nods in agreement as he continues to glare at Infinite. "Infinite we'll show you how sad and lonely you really are," the older hedgehog added.

Infinite humphs as he glares at the two blue hedgehogs. He's not lonely at all! He has the Phantom Ruby; it will help him rule this world and give him everything he wants! He doesn't need friendship. He needs-

"L-let me help you find that other way…"

Infinite froze a bit when he hears Saura's voice in his head. What's going on? Why is he hearing her? Without thinking, he looks back to the tower covered in red mist. Now that he sees it, the masked jackal noticed the mist had rose up and now he can't see Saura nor Tails. There is something going on here! He knows this isn't the cause of his Phantom Ruby. Is this Eggman's doing and if so, why? Infinite suddenly sees both Sonics charging after him. With the Phantom Ruby, he dodges them both as he glares. The first thing he should do is get rid of both Sonics. And then, he'll go after Saura.

"TAILS," both Sonics and Infinite hear a shout! That was Saura who shouted! The masked jackal and blue hedgehogs then see someone heading towards them! Recognizing the fur and two tails, both Sonics see it's Tails! The fox crash lands on to the roof floor as he groans in pain while shivering.

"Tails," Sonic says in shock and worry as he gets to the fox! When he got to his friend, the older blue hedgehog lifts Tails up as the younger hedgehog watches with worry as well. The two hedgehogs notice a long lash mark on the fox, but it slowly disappears like it's an illusion. The worry started to increase as they hear Tails deep breathing a bit while his eyes are glowing red, but the glowing starts to disappear until the eyes are normal again. "Tails, are you okay?" the older hedgehog asks.

Tails, once he landed, took in everything he saw at the misty tower. How could that brown wolf do such a terrible thing? Doesn't he know he is hurting so many lives? If he couldn't handle Infinite alone, what would happen if Sonic runs into that brown wolf? The fox feels someone lift him up. Perhaps it's that same brown wolf from before. Turning around quickly, Tails sees both Sonics staring at him with worry. Tails takes several more breaths as he stares at the two Sonics to make sure it's really them. Once it's confirmed, tears started to appear in the fox's eyes as he hugs the older Sonic tightly while shivering. "S-Sonic," he says as he starts crying a bit.

The older Sonic feels Tails shivering. He hugs the fox as he tries to help him calm down. "Tails, what happened?" he asks his closest friend. While both hedgehogs were distracted by Tails, Infinite took his time to float in the air as he watches the group. With both Sonics' guards down, he can finish them once and for all and take out the rest of the resistance. All it takes is one final blast!

Infinite stops charging his attack the moment Tails points to the misty tower. "Th-There is s-someone in there wh-who has been h-hurting others," he replies to the older Sonic with a shaky voice. The fox looks to the misty tower as he sees it getting thicker to a fog. Tails suddenly sees Saura who is staring at the group with guilt. Remembering what he saw and where Saura is at, he let's go of Sonic with a look of panic. "Sonic, Saura is still in there with… with…" he says but stops himself as he tries to find the best word to describe that brown wolf he saw. “S-something... t-terrifying...” he finishes.

Infinite's eyes shrunk back at the thought of Saura with something, or someone, that could be harming her the same way it harmed Tails. Without thinking, the masked jackal flies straight into the red mist. This unfortunately caught both Sonics and Tails's attention! The older Sonic tries to catch Infinite's attention, but it seems his call fell deaf to the jackal. The older hedgehog looks to the younger hedgehog. "You stay here and keep an eye on Tails. I'm going to go after Infinite and save Saura," he says with a serious expression. When the younger Sonic nods, the older Sonic charges through as he jumps through several rails to get to the misty tower faster.

Tails noticed the older Sonic heading straight for the misty tower. Remembering Saura's warnings, he watches the older hedgehog. He knows he can't stop his best friend, but what the fox saw could be something Sonic may not handle if that same stuff came close to breaking him. "B-be careful Sonic," he mumbles.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: The Power of a Bond (Part 1)

*WARNING STARTS HERE!*

When Sonic got in the red mist, Infinite tackles him down to the ground. The masked jackal growls at the blue hedgehog as he pins the hedgehog down further. But then, he noticed something strange around them. He sees more red on the ground and it doesn't belong to Sonic. Infinite looks around and noticed dead mobians around him and the hedgehog. The jackal releases Sonic as he looks around in shock. "What is this?" he asks out loud.

Sonic eye narrows at Infinite. Curious, he looks around as well to see the dead mobians with missing parts all over. Shocked and spooked, Sonic quickly gets up and looks at all the poor lives that were ruined. Snapping out of it, he glares at the masked jackal. "What are you talking about? Didn't you create this?" he asks while looking at the jackal suspiciously.

Infinite glares more at Sonic. "I haven't seen anything like this before you blue nuisance. I've seen it for one person, but not multiple," he states. The masked jackal goes back to looking around the area as he sees all of these dead mobians. Glitches started to appear in his vision which helped him figure out what's going on! This is all because of the Phantom Ruby! Infinite looks down at his Phantom ruby and uses it to take out this illusion. The red aura spreads around the area, but apparently it doesn't appear to be working. He growls at this; the Phantom Ruby has always worked! How could the ruby fail him? The gem still continues to glow which got the jackal confused.

Sonic watches Infinite with a confused glare while holding his ground from the red aura. What was the masked jackal trying to accomplish with that? Sonic suddenly notices Infinite's Phantom Ruby is glowing a bit. He then sees something else glowing in the distance along with two figures in between the red light. They both appear to be wolves. One is just standing there with both hands down and holding something while the other is holding out a weird lighting shaped weapon. Wait, he recognizes that weapon, the Lightning Wispon! "Saura," he calls out to one of the wolves! Infinite flinches and looks at where the hedgehog is looking at and sees the two wolf figures as well.

Saura continues to aim her wispon at Nevil, the brown wolf, while looking down a bit still and shedding tears. She then hears someone calling out to her! That voice sounds familiar, so she turns to see who it is and noticed a red light on one figure and another somewhat faded figure. They appear to be a hedgehog for the somewhat faded figure and a jackal with the glowing gem. She recognized them both! "Oh, so more of your "friends" had come to see you?" the blond wolf hears Nevil say. Saura looks back to the brown wolf as she realizes something. Both, Sonic and Infinite, are here! She needs to get them out of here!... But, how can she?... She couldn't save Tails from Nevil's attack… "That's sweet of them. However, it seems they are seeing too much like your fox friend did," he added. Saura shivers at what the brown wolf said! No, he's going to hurt Sonic and Infinite.

Sonic hears that masculine voice and glares. "Who are you? Are you the one who is behind this show?" he asks. The hedgehog and masked jackal noticed one of the wolf figures started to walk to them, but the other wolf blocks its way but flinches for moving a bit like it's injured. Sonic might have an idea on who the wolf blocking the other one is. "Saura, are you okay?" he asks the wolf blocking the other.

Saura thought about answering Sonic, but she soon remembered what happened last time she spoke and how Tails paid the price. "Go on Saura, answer him. He seems "so" worried about you," Nevil says to Saura with a dark smirk. Saura shivers as her tears returned. She can't; if she spoke, then Sonic or Infinite will take the fall. "Not talking are we Saura?" the brown wolf added.

Sonic frowns a bit in worry. He then glares at the wolf trying to walk to him and Infinite. "What did you do to her?" he asks in anger. The hedgehog hears a dark chuckle coming from one of the wolves. His worry increased as he walks closer to the wolf blocking the other one. Sonic noticed the blond fur, but also a lot of lash marks on her back, just like the one Tails had. "Saura?" he calls out to the blond wolf gently as he puts his hand on her shoulder. The blond wolf flinches at his touch which is a sign of something happened. He looks back to the other wolf and noticed his appearance. A male brown wolf with hazel eyes and black gloves and shoes. The male wolf also appears to be holding a red whip! Sonic glares at the brown wolf. "So, it was you behind the attack you did on Tails! I saw that lash mark on him and the terrified expression on his face! You're gonna pay for that," he says in anger. He starts to get ready to use a homing attack, but Saura blocks him by using her hand.

Nevil sees this and eye narrows at Saura. "Are you still trying to protect your friends?" he asks. The blond wolf continues to try and glare at the brown wolf as she points her weapon at him. Nevil then shakes his head. "Oh my poor "niece," you know how that worked last time. You tried to prevent that fox from seeing this little destruction your mind had played out. You can't do the same for this hedgehog and jackal," he added with his arms crossed.

Sonic and Infinite became surprised when the brown wolf mentioned the word niece. "Niece?" Sonic questions as he looks between Saura and Nevil.

Nevil dark chuckles a bit as he sees Saura flinch as her arm, blocking Sonic, lowers down a bit. "Go on Saura, aren't you going to tell your friends about your uncle just like how you told the fox. Surely, they both appear to be curious," he says to the blond wolf. Saura shivers as she somewhat looks to Sonic and Infinite in shame. She quickly snaps out of her shame and glares back at Nevil. "No? Do you really not want us to get to know each other? They sure want to," he then says with a dark smirk. Suddenly, the brown wolf was attacked by a lightning whip! Nevil was flung back a bit as he somewhat disappears in the red fog.

Infinite watched as Saura attacks the brown wolf. Uncle and niece? Could those two be related? The blond wolf appears to not be happy about that. He'll probably ask about him later. This place is already bad enough as it is, and he should get Saura out of here right after he destroys Sonic and that brown wolf. Although, the brown wolf did point out something interesting. The male wolf said something about "little destruction your mind played out." Is this all in Saura's head? If so, how did she come across the brown wolf and… this? "Come on Saura, let's get you out of here," the masked jackal hears Sonic say. When he sees Sonic grab Saura's wrist, he growls madly at the hedgehog. With the Phantom Ruby, he got to the hedgehog and wolf and kicks Sonic away. Infinite then looks back to Saura and finally sees the lashes on her back and left arm until she turns around. Seeing those injuries along with the fear and tears in the wolf's eyes, the jackal realizes he should've been here sooner. He needs to get her out of here now! Infinite was soon attacked by Sonic. "Stay away from her," the hedgehog shouts!

Infinite groans a bit as he growls at Sonic. "You can't tell me what to do, hedgehog," he says to Sonic. The masked jackal starts throwing red spheres at the hedgehog.

Sonic dodges Infinite's attacks as he charges after the masked jackal. Saura watches the hedgehog and jackal fight. She has to stop them from fighting… she has to! "Sonic, Infinite stop," she shouts to the two! Suddenly realizing she spoke, the blond wolf instantly covers her mouth as her eyes shrunk back a bit. However, both, Sonic and Infinite, stopped their tracks when they heard Saura spoke. They turned to the wolf in confusion. Why would she want them to stop?

"Listen to that voice…"

"That's the weirdest voice I've heard."

Sonic, Infinite, and especially Saura flinch as they heard those phrases. While the hedgehog and masked jackal look around for the sources, the blond wolf took in those phrases as she has her free hand on her head with tears in her eyes. This is what happened the last time she spoke! Then, what happens next is- "You spoke again Saura," she hears Nevil say. Saura shivers as she slowly turns around to where the brown wolf could be at, but she was then whipped to the ground. The blond wolf yelps as she falls to her knees and hands.

The sound of a whip and Saura's yelp caught Sonic and Infinite's attention. They both turned and noticed Saura is standing on her knees and hands. "Saura," Sonic calls out as he runs to the wolf! He soon noticed Saura trying to get up and helps her up. "You okay?" he asks. He watches the wolf, but nothing came out of her, not even a nod nor shake. Sonic cringes a bit as he tries to pick up Saura, that was when she shook her head. "Saura, we need to get out of here now," he says to the blond wolf.

"She can't get away. I've always been with her since the day she needed help," Sonic and Infinite hear the brown wolf say. They both looked around for him as Saura shivers. "For years, I've always been with her whether it was physically or emotionally. I stayed to make sure she doesn't do the one thing I find annoying to her, just as I've done for others that I've met," the male wolf added.

Infinite took in this new information with surprise. He remembered Saura's little conversation about getting help, but that caused her to stop talking… was that all because of the brown wolf?! He'll need more evidence to find out if his suspicious is right. "What was it that was annoying?" he asks subconsciously. Both Sonic and Saura look at the masked jackal with surprise. But, that ended when they hear a dark chuckle around them. Infinite glares as he looks around for the male wolf. That chuckle is starting to get him angry. "Tell me," he demanded.

"So touchy a bit, you kind of remind me of myself. The only problem I have with you is the fact that you're a jackal," the brown wolf comments. Ignoring the growls from the masked jackal, the brown wolf walks back to the group from the fog, now having a few blood stains on his fur and gloves due to landing on a pile of corpses. Infinite, Sonic, and Saura flinched at the sight of the male wolf. "But if you want to know that bad, then here is what I'll say," he begins as he walks around. "I first thought about getting rid of her eyes. They remind me of her father, my weak older brother. He was supposed to show the world that we wolves are the strongest out of everyone here; but instead, he helps yours and other kinds of weakling creatures," he explains a bit in anger while growling. Nevil stops to let out a dark chuckle quietly. "And then, I found something more annoying than her eyes, her voice," he then answers.

Sonic and Infinite froze at the answer. There it is, the answer to why Saura is always silent! "What's wrong with her voice?" Sonic asks as he glares at the brown wolf.

Nevil turns to the blue hedgehog. "Although I admit, it does sound like her mother's a bit, but it does reek a bit of her father's. It makes me sick," he replies with a tiny growl. Infinite's growls continue to grow as he hears the brown wolf. Out of all of the voices he heard, the masked jackal thought Saura's voice was the most beautiful. Before Infinite had a chance to attack, the male wolf took the chance to use his whip at the direction where Sonic and Saura are at. Saura quickly shoved Sonic away from the attack and takes the fall instead. The blond wolf yelps as she falls into the corpses. Panicked, Saura quickly gets up and backs away from the dead mobians while wincing from the pain. "Come now Saura, you've been in this situation before. Don't you remember?" the male wolf says to the female wolf.

"That's enough whoever you are," Sonic says to the brown wolf in anger! The blue hedgehog charges at the male wolf and attacks him with a homing attack. The brown wolf lands on the roof floor while groaning from the pain. Sonic then gets to Saura. "Hang on tight," he says to the female wolf as he picks her up. By the time the blue hedgehog has a hold on the blond wolf, Infinite glares madly at Sonic as he quickly got to the hedgehog and female wolf. The masked jackal grabs a hold of Sonic by the neck that forced the hedgehog to release Saura.

Saura falls to the roof floor and groans a bit. She looks back up while trying to get up. The blond wolf notices Infinite choking Sonic to death and has her hands on Infinite's wrist, the one holding on to Sonic. She tries to push the masked jackal away but doesn't appear to be working! She thought about speaking, but she remembered those voices she hears when she does along with the beating Nevil will do to either her, Sonic or Infinite. Whimpering and feeling helpless, she just tries to free Sonic by pushing Infinite away from him.

Infinite sees Saura trying to save Sonic, but she isn't speaking. The masked jackal then realizes something; that is exactly what the brown wolf wants her to feel, never speak and see how useless she is! Infinite unconsciously releases his hold on Sonic while staring at Saura as the wolf releases him. He doesn't want the blond wolf to think that way. It will only ma- Glitches started to appear in everyone's vision. And then, everyone gets whipped to the roof floor, except for the jackal. Infinite was surprised to see the attack go past him. It's almost like that attack never existed! But how?

Saura groans a bit as she tries to stand up. By the time she got on her hands and knees, the blond wolf noticed Sonic is knocked out from slamming on to the roof floor too hard. She frowns in worry as she crawls to the hedgehog to see if he's alright. She checks his pulse and sighs in relief. Sonic is alive, that's good. "Such a shame, the same thing has happened again," Saura hears Nevil say. The female wolf shivers as she turns to where she heard the brown wolf. Saura's shiver increased when she sees him. Nevil's fur appears to be messed up and more blood stains are on him too. "You can't protect your friends from me when you can't do the same for yourself. I've told you before: a weak wolf is nothing but trash," he states.

Infinite's eye widened when he hears the word "weak." That word was used at him before! When he was defending one of Eggman's facilities, Infinite was beaten by Shadow, the black hedgehog. That hedgehog had called him weak and that's why he gave up his old self. He's always hated to hear that word. He didn't want to ever think or feel it! The masked jackal glares a bit as he has his hand to his mask a bit. No, he's not weak! After all, it wasn't even directed to him.

Saura took in all that Nevil said as she looks down and drops her wispon in defeat. He's right; she is weak. Which means, she is nothing but trash… Infinite looked to the two wolves and noticed the sadness and hopeless look in Saura's eyes. The masked jackal has his hands to fists. The blond wolf is giving in… he can't let that happen! Not after everything he went through with her! Infinite then noticed the appearance of the older male wolf. He looks a bit more savage like than before and has a maniac like expression on his face. Infinite glares at the male wolf as he quickly gets in between Nevil and Saura. The jackal tries to smack the brown wolf away, but his hand passed through him. "What?" he says in shock.

Nevil eye narrows at Infinite, not fazed about the attack; it's like he never even saw it. "Well, what do we have here?" he mocks. "Ah, you're the "other friend,"" he says after a better look at the masked jackal. "You've got a lot of potential I'll give you that. Keep up your work and you might be like me," he added with a dark chuckle. Infinite listened to that last sentence with disgust. Sure, he did use to go after others during his days before he met Eggman and during his time with the doctor, but there is no way he can be like-

"D-don't b-become like… h-h-him,"

Infinite flinches a bit when he heard Saura's voice in his head. That phrase continues to replay like the time she was at the cell and after the sun disappeared. Infinite looks around the area a bit as he suddenly takes his mask off. He then looks back at the brown wolf as he was finally able to see more clearly of what the male wolf looks like and what he's done. Yes, he wants the world to see what fear is and make it yield to him, but this is taking it to another level. Just the thought of himself becoming like this… monster makes Infinite sick. Could this be who Saura meant by "him?" The jackal glares at Nevil as he growls. "I'll never become like you," he says in determination and anger!

"Really?" Nevil questions as his chuckles die down to an unamused expression. After looking at Infinite's face closely, the brown wolf makes a humph sound. "How disappointing," he says to the jackal. "After all the destruction you did to this world, and teaching the world its place, I thought you would be the one. But then again, I should've known better. Even when you take Saura away from her friends, you never once tried to harm her… well except for that one time even if they were tiny scratch marks," he explains with a small dark smirk.

Infinite glares at the memory, but he's also surprised to hear the brown wolf know about that accident. "How do you know about that?" he asks the male wolf suspiciously.

"Wherever Saura goes, I'm always there with her inside her head," Nevil answers. He watches Infinite eye narrow at him in confusion. "I may be dead in the physical world, but she can't get away from me mentally. As I mentioned before, for years, I've made sure she doesn't use that pathetic voice of hers in the physical world," he explains. "Then again, I'm not the only one who dislikes her voice," he added with a dark chuckle.

"Listen to that voice, it's so weird."

"Is she really a wolf or a squirrel?"

"My poor ears can't take that voice!"

Infinite looks around as he hears the unknown voices while Saura has her hands to her ears and head as she shivers with tears in her eyes. "Do you hear that? These are from others she encountered before she met you and your "friends,"" Nevil explains. Infinite showed a look of surprise as he looks to Saura, but he sees her in the state she's in now. "Because of them, she came to me for help. For several weeks, I tried giving her what she needs, but that weak wolf refuses to do what I tell her," he continues. "So, I had to try and give her some "motivation" to find it. But then, she discovered my hidden "stash." So, I decided to give the answer she's looking for through words and then tried to eliminate it and her myself," he added. "Unfortunately, I've been found out and was put to death for my crimes. But I discovered that Saura had always thought about what I said and all the "special training" I put her through. So, I took that advantage to plant the seeds in her head and watched them grow over time. She's never once spoken to anyone else," he finishes with a dark chuckle. Infinite became shocked and then glares at Nevil as he growls.

Saura continues to listen to all the voices even though she's trying very hard to block it off. She wishes she knew what to do? The blond wolf needs to protect Sonic from her uncle and Infinite while trying to get out of this… nightmare. The wolf soon noticed something slithering around her. She then feels something sharp like it's cutting her… neck! Saura yelps from the pain and kicks the strange thing away from her.

The jackal and brown wolf suddenly hear Saura yelp. Infinite looks to the blond wolf and noticed she's covering her neck. He also noticed a sharp string like… thing trying to come closer to the female wolf as she tries to move away while protecting Sonic. Out of instinct, Infinite drops his mask and grabs Saura, while she had a hold on Sonic, and moves away from that string in quick speed thanks to the Phantom Ruby. The jackal throws a red sphere at the "thing" and noticed it disappeared. He turned his attention back to Saura. "Are you okay? What happened?" he asks impatiently. Infinite waited, but all he hears are whimpers and sniffles from the blond wolf. The jackal glares; however, he stops himself. This is not Saura's fault. Infinite then sees one of Saura's hands is on her neck. He tries to remove the blond wolf's white gloved hand to see, but that only caused the female wolf to tighten her hold a bit and flinches while still shivering. Infinite starts frowning for he's running out of options. He has to find a way to make sure Saura doesn't give in to this… madness.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19: The Power of a Bond (Part 2)

*WARNING STARTS HERE!*

The jackal then sees the brown wolf walking straight to him and Saura. "I don't know what you're planning, but I won't let it happen," he says to Infinite as he holds his red whip out with a dark chuckle. Infinite feels Saura's shivering body increase as she shut her eyes tight. Without realizing it, the jackal pulls the female wolf into an embrace. He doesn't know what to do! He hasn't felt like this in a long time! Infinite looks at Saura as he watches her shiver. Tightening his hold on the blond wolf, the jackal glares at the brown wolf. "Pathetic," Nevil says at Infinite's attempt to comfort Saura. "Don't you see she's already given up? You should just quit while you can," he added. Infinite glares and growls madly at the brown wolf as the Phantom Ruby on his chest begins to glow brighter. How dare this male wolf call him weak! The jackal will make the brown wolf pay!

Saura suddenly noticed the glowing. She looks to the source and discovers Infinite's Phantom Ruby. Slowly, the blond wolf gently places her hand on it as the ruby continues to glow. She's seen something glowing like that before. She then looks up to Infinite. Why is the jackal still fighting? It doesn't matter anymore. She doesn't want to say anything about it. Her voice is-

"…your voice is quite lovely…"

Infinite and Nevil flinch a bit. The jackal was surprised to hear his own voice. Why is he hearing himself? While the two conscious males try to look around for the voice, Saura took in that phrase as the shivering decreases a bit. Her voice is lovely?

"I don't want you to die Saura."

Saura's tears start to dry up a bit as she continues to look at Infinite even if he's trying to figure out who's talking. Why is that; isn't he the one talking?

"Hey, don't be scared."

"There is nothing to hide from buddy. You did great out there."

Saura suddenly hears Sonic's voice. She looks to the unconscious hedgehog as she took in what he once said to her. She remembers hearing those phrases, including Infinite's, she looks at her hands, one covered in blood for covering a scratch on her neck. She ignores the red stain as she collects everything she went through to get here. Infinite and Nevil hear Sonic's voice as well and looked at him to see he's unconscious as well.

"We're depending on you."

"Nice work."

"Come on, lets go meet with him and some members of the resistance."

"I'm going with you. I know you would do the same for me if I was in the same situation."

"Everyone is saved thanks to you."

Infinite and Nevil hear these new voices as one growls while the other just listens suspiciously. Saura continues to hear the other voices and they are all familiar to her. There was Knuckles, Espio, Silver, and Tails. The blond wolf thinks about the time she was in the resistance. She sure came a long way, so, she shouldn't give up now! Saura looks around and realizes the embrace Infinite pulled her into. The blond wolf looks up to the jackal as he looks around the area suspiciously. Is Infinite… trying to help her? She remembers being in this situation before… back at the cell room. Saura thought about speaking but stops herself in fear a bit. Nevil is still right about there are others who don't like her voice.

"…you're our friend too Saura. No matter what."

Saura's eye widen at the phrase. Sonic sees her as his friend. And perhaps, the others think so too. She remembers she was trying to do the same for Infinite. Does the jackal think the same? The way he's trying to help her makes it look like that way, but she does feel something for the jackal that is a bit stronger than friendship. However, she can't stop trying. The blond wolf raises her non-blood covered glove to Infinite's face gently. "I…Infinite?" she calls out to the jackal softly.

The moment he hears Saura, Infinite quickly looks down and sees the female wolf staring at him. The wolf is trying to speak again. The jackal then feels a hand on his cheek. Seeing whose hand it is, he smiles a bit as he has his hand on to Saura's. Infinite then noticed something red sliding down from her neck that took away his smile. The jackal gently tilts her head upwards to see what happened. There, he sees the same scar he saw before now bleeding! He places his hand onto Saura's neck to stop the bleeding. He can't have her die! Who knows how deep that scratch was… "Do not die on me Saura," he mumbles as he continues to cover the blond wolf's neck.

Saura heard Infinite as she feels his hand on her neck. Saura flinched but not in fear. She watches and feels the jackal's attempt to stop the bleeding. This caused her to smile a bit as she uses her other hand to place it on Infinite's hand, the one on her neck. "Thank you," she says to the jackal.

Infinite freezes a bit when he hears Saura talking again. Not only that, he also noticed Saura isn't as scared as she used to be when he touches her neck with his hand. He looks to Saura with surprise. What changed? Why is she acting so hopeful? "I told you no speaking Saura," the two suddenly hear Nevil say in anger! Saura and Infinite look at the brown wolf and realized the anger in his eyes. Noticing what the male wolf will do, the jackal moves the female wolf behind him to protect her. Nevil noticed Infinite's actions as he lets out a maniac like laugh. "Fine, you shall join in as well," the brown wolf yells as he uses his red whip. Infinite uses himself to cover Saura. Once again, the whip goes past the jackal; and since he has a hold on her, the attack goes past the blond wolf too. "What? What is this?" he exclaims in shock and anger as he tries again.

Saura and Infinite watch in shock as the attacks Nevil tried to use kept passing by them. The blond wolf had seen this before! It was back in Metropolis when Sonic and Shadow came to rescue her when Infinite used his Phantom Ruby. That wasn't all; it happened again with the sun! She then remembered something Tails once said to her about the Phantom Ruby.

"If you use this, it can make that sun disappear!"

Saura thought about that and she might know what's going on. Could this be the cause of a Phantom Ruby? From the look on Infinite's face, he doesn't even understand what's going on. The blond wolf looks around the area and noticed something glowing in the fog. She remembered the jackal's Phantom Ruby is currently glowing. Could that other glowing object be the Phantom Ruby, the one she dropped? If that's the case, then Infinite can help by cancelling out the effect! "Infinite, I-I think this stuff is caused by the Ph-Phantom Ruby," she tries to explain.

Infinite eye narrows at Saura when he heard her. If this was caused by the Phantom Ruby, then why can't he stop it? "That's not the case," he says to the blond wolf. "I've tried to take out the illusion of this area, but it failed," he says in a serious tone. He then noticed something glowing in the background. Looking at the source, the jackal sees the glowing object in the shape of that Phantom Ruby prototype that the female wolf had. Why is that gem glowing?

Saura sees Infinite looking at the prototype, but it seems he's tried to stop it once. She looks around the area and noticed the Lightning Wispon lying where she dropped it. She could try to run and get it; however, her uncle will beat her to it when he sees what she'll do. So how can she- The blond wolf then looks at her wrist bracelets and remembers the grabbling hooks Knuckles equipped her with! That's perfect, she can use that to get her weapon back! She releases one of her hands off of Infinite as she quickly launches a grabbling hook at the direction where her wispon is at.

Infinite hears something launched after he felt Saura slightly release him. He looks to the blond wolf and noticed she is using one of her grabbling hooks. When it returns to her, it brought back her wispon. When Saura grips on to the Lightning Wispon, the jackal eye narrows a bit in confusion. "Saura, what are you doing?" he asks the female wolf.

Infinite wasn't honestly expecting Saura to answer; however, he stared in shock a bit when she did. "I'm going.. to stop this," the wolf replies. She hears the jackal mumble a what. "I have to," she added as she looks at Infinite.

Infinite and Saura suddenly hear a maniac like laugh coming from Nevil. "Stop this you say?" the brown wolf questions. "And how are you going to do that? You're worthless and weak! You can't even protect your friends nor yourself from me," he added.

Infinite growls at the brown wolf; but then, something grabbed both of his cheeks. He got ready to attack until he felt a pair of lips on his. The jackal stares in shock as he feels Saura kissing him. His heart starts pounding rapidly the same way he felt Saura's heartbeat in the cell room. This feeling, it is exactly what he felt whenever he was with the wolf, but it's stronger than before. Before he could relax in to it, Saura pulls away from Infinite. The jackal looks to the blond wolf with a slightly confused look, but he was wanting Saura to continue. "Saura," he mumbles a bit.

"Well well, I knew you felt something for that weak jackal, but I never thought I'd see it myself," Nevil says with a dark chuckle. He noticed Infinite glaring and growling at him madly. The brown wolf shows a dark smirk as he gets ready to fight the jackal. But to his and Infinite's surprise, Nevil sees Saura quickly releasing the jackal as she uses her Lightning Wispon at him. The brown wolf falls to the roof floor as he groans in pain.

"Infinite is not weak," Saura says to Nevil with a growl. The brown wolf glares madly at the blond wolf; however, he sees her glaring at him just the same. "N-none of my friends are! Not even me," she added as she attacks him again!

Nevil quickly dodges Saura's lightning whip. This is something new he hadn't seen from the blond wolf. All he's known from her was a happy child and has grown to fear the world by his manipulation and other mobians for what they've said about her voice. And now, he's looking at an angry wolf as if he's attacked her pack. Nevil glares at the female wolf. "I thought I told you no speaking! That is, if you want to be insulted by all of those pathetic creatures," he says as he uses his whip at Saura.

"Ugh, that voice sounds hideous."

"Why is she still talking?"

Saura tries to dodge the attack the best she could, but Nevil had managed to hit her left arm thanks to the phrases she heard. The blond wolf yelps from the pain as she took in what those voices said. She shivers a bit as she looks around the area. She then had her eyes on Infinite. The jackal is still there clenching his fists. But then, he turns to Sonic, who is finally regaining conscious. Infinite turns away, so the hedgehog wouldn't see his face once he realizes he isn't wearing his mask. When Saura sees Sonic regaining conscious, she remembered what the hedgehog said:

"…you're our friend too Saura. No matter what."

Saura regains her senses as she glares at Nevil. "That's true, b-but I know there are others out there who do n-not mind my voice," she says to the brown wolf. She hears Nevil growl as he looks back to Sonic and Infinite. Thinking what the male wolf will do, the blond wolf attacks him with the lightning whip. This caused the brown wolf to be flung a bit and lands in a corpse pile near the glowing Phantom Ruby prototype. Saura flinches a bit but shakes her head to snap out of it. The blond wolf looks back to Sonic and Infinite and sees the jackal getting his mask while the hedgehog is trying to get up while looking around a bit. Saura goes to Sonic and helps him up. "Are you o-okay Sonic?" she asks the blue hedgehog.

Sonic groans a bit as he rubs his head. "Yeah," he replies. Realizing who is speaking to him, the blue hedgehog looks surprised as he turns to Saura. "Saura, you're speaking?" he asks in some excitement. Remembering the brown wolf and Infinite, Sonic looks around for them. He sees the jackal, but not the male wolf. "Where's your uncle?" he asks the blond wolf.

"Th-that doesn't matter now," Saura replies to Sonic. "We need to d-destroy the prototype," she added as she points to the other glowing Phantom Ruby on the ground. "That is what's causing this..." she says as she stops around to look around the area. "…s-stuff to appear," she finishes. The blond wolf watches the blue hedgehog nod in agreement as he fully gets up. When he sees Infinite, Sonic glares at the masked jackal as the other does the same back at him. Saura gets in front of the hedgehog and shakes her head. "Sonic please, I need you to take out the p-prototype first while I distract Nevil. Besides, he's here to help us. It's thanks to Infinite that I f-found out what's going on," she tries to reason with Sonic.

Sonic looks to Saura with a surprised expression. Infinite helped her? But, why did he? Wasn't the masked jackal against them? Sonic looks back to Infinite suspiciously. He doesn't trust the jackal after what's happened. But if what Infinite said before was true, then Saura's theory about the other Phantom Ruby could be correct. He also heard the female wolf say a name he isn't familiar with. Perhaps that is the brown wolf's name. Sonic looks back to the blond wolf and smirks. "Alright buddy, let's do it to it," he says to Saura as he held his fist out. Sonic waits as Saura looked confused a bit. Once she understood what Sonic wants, the blond wolf smiles as she has her free hand to a fist and fist bumps with him.

"Not if I kill you and your friends first Saura," Nevil shouts! Saura was suddenly tackled to the ground by the brown wolf, who appeared out of nowhere. The female wolf yelps and groans in pain while being crushed to the roof floor. She looks up to the male wolf and noticed more blood stains on him than before. She shivers a bit, but glares at him.

"Saura," Sonic and Infinite shout out! Sonic looks to Infinite in surprise, but he snaps out of it as he gets ready to homing attack the brown wolf. "Hang on buddy! I'll get-"

"Sonic, destroy th-the prototype! Go," Saura says to Sonic! Sonic stops his tracks with shock. He needs to get the male wolf off the female wolf before- "Goooooo," Saura shouts at Sonic as she kicks Nevil off her! The blue hedgehog frowns a bit as he nods and heads to the glowing prototype.

Infinite watches Saura fighting Nevil, but it seems she is at a disadvantage. For starters, Saura is still damaged from all of the lashes she received not to mention her neck is slightly bleeding. And, the brown wolf doesn't appear to be hurt; the only thing that's affecting him is the physical appearance. Saura was then knocked backwards and lands next to the jackal. The blond wolf coughs a bit as the brown wolf walks up to her. Suddenly, there are glitches around the male wolf and the area. "What the?" the male wolf says in shock. He, Saura, and Infinite look towards Sonic as the fog is starting to clear a bit. The blue hedgehog appears to be trying to break the prototype by smacking it to the roof floor or crushing it with his foot.

Saura watches Sonic as she deep breaths a bit while smiling. She then glares at Nevil. "I-it's over Nevil! You're tied to the Phantom Ruby p-prototype! Without it, you can't harm anyone else a-and you will never exist again," she says in determination! The blond wolf watches the brown wolf glare madly at her; but then to her surprise the male wolf starts dark chuckling as it turns into a maniac like laugh that caused both her and Infinite to flinch. "Wh-what's so funny?" she asks as her confidence dies down a little.

"You're so naïve "niece,"" Nevil says as he grabs Saura by her neck harshly. Saura starts choking as she tries to break out of Nevil's hold, but with no success. "I knew I couldn't come close to the others and never harm them they way I can to you. Even when I attacked your fox friend, the wound he had before has already been healed. And once this is over, it'll all be just a short memory for your friends. They will forget everything that's happened here over time. But for you, you've lived through this for years, so it will never go away from you. You will once again be trapped in this in your head all alone. And when this and the little war is over, your friends will go their separate ways and forget all about you," he says while trying to crush the female wolf. "But don't worry, I'll make sure you fall first before that happens," he added.

Saura continues to choke as she tries her best to stop Nevil from choking her, but it hasn't worked. Just as soon as she thought it was over, Infinite has grabbed her by picking her up. When the masked jackal touches her, the blond wolf feels the brown wolf's hand go past her as the jackal takes her away from the male wolf. Saura starts coughing as she clings on to Infinite. While comforting the blond wolf, the jackal glares madly at Nevil. "Hands off," he growls out.

Nevil growls madly back at Infinite. "You," he says with a growl. "You say you'll never become like me, yet the path you're taking is similar to how I became the way I am. You think you can protect Saura and work for that pathetic human, the same one who had murdered my brother and his mate? I admit, I appreciate the doctor for doing that, but he's weak if he just uses others to do his dirty work," he says as a few glitches appear around him again. Infinite had a shocked expression on his face, but it was hidden thanks to his mask. Before Infinite could say a word, the brown wolf pulls out a dagger like knife with blood stains at the tip as more glitches appear around him. It looks like an ordinary dagger; but to Saura, it had history with her. "I'll finish this right here an-" was all the brown wolf could say as he starts to disappear as he tried to get close to Infinite and Saura.

As soon as Nevil disappeared, the fog started to lift up as all the corpses and dead modians disappear. Saura watches as each one fades away even the blood is fading away. When the dead mobians are all gone, the wounds Saura and Sonic have received in this area started to fade away as well, like it never happened. The blond wolf feels Infinite somewhat releasing her. She gets out of his grip gently and looks at the masked jackal in concern while the fog starts to disappear. The expression is hard to see thanks to his mask. Saura looks at Infinite's eye and noticed they looked a bit shocked. Remembering what Nevil said, she looks even more worried. The blond wolf hopes those words didn't affect the jackal. She then noticed Sonic staring at the shattered Phantom Ruby prototype. The wolf walks up to where the hedgehog is at, unaware of Infinite watching her when she starts walking.

*WARNING ENDS HERE!*

Sonic noticed Saura walking up to stare at the shattered Phantom Ruby. He looks to her and then back to the shattered gem as it starts to turn to dust and fades away with the wind and rain drops. "To think, that little gem is the cause of all that commotion," he says to the wolf.

Saura nods in agreement a bit as she looks back up to the cloudy, rainy sky. "But, it's not e-entirely wrong," she suddenly says to Sonic. The wolf recollects everything that Nevil had said and looks down a bit. She then noticed Sonic looking at her with a frown. She stares in confusion until she realized what she said. Looking away from Sonic a bit, she uses her free hand to rub her arm. "It's the truth," she added.

Sonic's frown grew as he watches Saura. The hedgehog walks closer to the wolf as he places a hand on her shoulder, the one without the burnt marks. "Was everything your uncle said true?" he asks with concern. He watches the wolf a bit in silence. Finally, the wolf nods slowly as she grips her arm and wispon tighter. Sonic flinches a bit and looks down for a moment. "How long have you been on your own… before you joined the resistance?" he asks Saura.

Saura sighs a bit as she shakes her head. "I wasn't entirely a-alone. But I've been on that mental cage f-for… thirteen years," she answers. She can feel Sonic staring at her when she answered. Shivering a bit, she looks away from the hedgehog, but looks back to his hand when she feels his hand grip on her shoulder tighten a bit.

"Well, you're not alone now buddy," Saura hears Sonic say. She looks to the hedgehog in surprise. "Once we finish off Baldy Nosehair and rebuild this world back to the way it used to be, my friends and I will show you around, okay?" he says to the wolf. Once she registered who Sonic meant by "Baldy Nosehair," Saura releases her arm to cover her mouth to prevent herself from laughing but does start to giggle. Sonic noticed this and smiles. But then, that smile faded away when he realizes Infinite is still around thanks to the glitch sound. He gently moves Saura behind him. "Stay behind me," he says to the wolf.

Saura stops her giggles when Sonic moves her behind him. Saura looks and noticed Infinite staring at her and Sonic. She frowns a bit as she watches the masked jackal. He appears to be lost in thought. Nodding to herself, Saura walks past Sonic while ignoring his questioning call. The wolf got close to the jackal, who just stares at her. "Infinite?" she tries to call out. The jackal continues to stare at her. Saura's frown grew when he says nothing. "Infinite, what's wrong?" she asks with more concern. Once again, she heard nothing. Saura then noticed Infinite looking straight at her until he places his head on her uninjured shoulder. She flinches in surprise when she felt the metal mask on her. The wolf looks back to Sonic, who's already next to her to prepare an attack on the jackal but stops when he sees the jackal didn't do anything else.

"Sonic, Saura," the group suddenly hear Tails shout out! Sonic and Saura look to where they here the call. They both noticed Tails, who is also carrying the younger Sonic, heading towards them. Saura noticed Tails is completely okay which is a huge relief for her. She then noticed other familiar faces heading towards her, the hedgehog and masked jackal! There's Knuckles, Silver, Amy, Rouge, and Shadow! Did they take ou-

Saura suddenly hears growling coming from Infinite! She turns to the masked jackal and noticed he's glaring at the group heading towards them and the older Sonic while his Phantom Ruby starts to glow. The wolf tries to calm him down, but Infinite was then right behind her. Saura yelps as Infinite lifts her with both arms around her. "Saura," she hears the older Sonic shout out! Saura tries to look at the older blue hedgehog, but the jackal moves away from him. "Put her down Infinite," Sonic commands!

Infinite glares at the older Sonic as he dodges Silver and Knuckles's attempt to attack him. "You are in no position to demand me around," he says to the older blue hedgehog as he makes red cube like auras appear around him. The masked jackal launches them straight at the older Sonic and his friends. Watching them dodge his cubes, Infinite took off to another tower quickly and goes inside it as Saura struggles in his hold a bit while asking him to let go.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: Admitting How You Feel

When Infinite finally arrived to the tower he wanted to get in to, he makes sure to be at the ground floor. That floor is where his other sleeping headquarters is at and it's extra special. It's where he first began. "Infinite, please let me go," the masked jackal hears Saura plead. When he arrives to his destination, Infinite quickly shuts the door and places the wolf down, but he does make her sit on a chair. When she tries to get up, the jackal makes a small dominant like growl to make her sit back down. When Saura sat back down with a little frightened expression and whimper, Infinite sighs a bit as he walks around to one of the empty tables. The wolf sat there waiting for the jackal but then hears something metal being dropped. She turned to look at him, but the sound of another tiny dominant growl stops her. So, she turns back around and waits. Saura then hears Infinite come back from behind. She then feels the jackal's clawed hand gently forcing her to release her wispon. The wolf unconsciously holds the weapon tighter but that didn't stop the jackal. Once the weapon is no longer in her hand, Saura is surprised to feel Infinite's hand tangled with hers. The wolf then flinched a bit from feeling the jackal's other clawed hand peeling the burnt bandage off of her neck. She blushes but then noticed something red in one of the tables. Saura looks at it carefully and noticed it looks like a sword!

Once the burnt bandage is off, Infinite then starts to treat the wound he made and a few burnt spots on her. Luckily for him, the jackal took off his mask and placed it on the table; so, he can see the wound better, but it fell off. Once the wounds have been treated, Infinite buries his muzzle on her neck while ignoring the chemical scent. As he breaths on her neck, Infinite noticed the wolf shivering a little. He lets out a small smirk as he nuzzles Saura's neck gently that caused her to shiver a bit more along with a gasp. The jackal then remembered the event that happened with the Phantom Ruby Prototype. He has so many questions about it. Who was that brown wolf and is he really related to Saura? What happened to her before the resistance? Is the story about her parents true? When he looks to Saura, Infinite notices her looking at something. He looks at her direction and sees his red sword. She might have a question for him about that sword. "That item represents a group important to me," he replies to the wolf.

Saura jumps a bit when she hears Infinite talk about the sword she was looking at. She looks to the jackal with a blush and confused look. "Wh-who does that item represent?" she asks softly.

Infinite continues to nuzzle Saura's neck as he hears her next question. "The sword is what I use to use with my squad," he starts to reply. The jackal stops nuzzling the wolf, so he can explain more. "Before I met the old man, my squad and I were the ultimate mercenaries. We would take out anyone that had items worth money. But then, I met the doctor. He offered me a chance to change the world for the price of being mercenaries for one of his facilities. My squad and I agreed to this task and we guarded the area. Suddenly, that black hedgehog came, Shadow," he continues his story and growls at the name. "He destroyed my squad and left me looking weak and pathetic and said it to my face! I wanted to destroy him and show him how much of an insect he is," he added with anger. Infinite quickly releases Saura, so he won't hurt her by accident like last time.

Saura turns to Infinite with a frown as she sees him walk to the table with the sword. She took in the jackal's story as her frown deepens a bit. His story really is somewhat similar to hers. Both of them lost people that are close to them. They were also called weak by someone who had tormented them. Saura gets up from the chair to walk to Infinite. The wolf then hugs the jackal from behind despite him flinch at her touch. "I-I'm so sorry," she says to Infinite as she continues to hug him.

Infinite turns to Saura the moment he hears her. Only then, he notices the wolf hugging her. This caused him to blush a bit but hides it. He looks down to Saura's hands and holds them with his own clawed hands. Rubbing the palm of the wolf's hands, he decides to continue. "That day, I decided to give up my unsighting face and let go of the old me. That way, I can become stronger," he explains. The jackal looks to the Phantom Ruby on his chest. "And then, I obtained the power to make everyone yield to my will," he says while looking down to the gem as it starts glowing a bit. Noticing the ruby glowing, Infinite stops it by using his hand along with Saura's since he didn't want to let go of her. "Thanks to this new power, I was reborn. I was able to prove Shadow and his dear robot friend how weak they are against me. Not even Sonic stood against me on our first encounter," he added with a smirk. "When Sonic was defeated, I brought fear to everyone in this world and showed everyone they were nothing but insects," he says more with a dark chuckle. He stops chuckling when he feels Saura lessen her hug a bit as she shivers a bit. Not wanting the wolf to let go, the jackal tightens his hold on one of her hands. He then remembers the necklace he pulled off of Saura on their encounter in the Mystic Jungle, so he releases one of Saura's hands to get it out and stares at it.

Saura just stares at Infinite since one of her hands is still being held by him. When she heard something being placed on the table, the wolf tries to see what it is, but the jackal soon turns around to her and quickly traps her between him and the wall thanks to the Phantom Ruby. She looks at Infinite in confusion while blushing a bit. "Wh-what-" Saura was then silenced by Infinite's finger since he placed it on her mouth gently. She blinks a bit in confusion as she looks at the jackal.

Infinite watches Saura as he stops her from asking more questions. "Now then, I've answered some of your questions. It's time for you to answer some of mine," he says to the wolf. The jackal watches her show a nervous look. He moves his finger from Saura's mouth, so he can move his hand to her cheek. "Do not worry. I'm only going to ask you a few questions. I told you some things about me. Now, it's your turn to do the same," he added. The jackal thinks about his questions on which one to ask first, and one had come to his head. "Tell me, who was that wolf," he asks. Infinite watches Saura look down as she shivers a bit. The wolf then tries to look away, but the jackal wasn't having it. He gently has Saura look back up to him. "Come now Saura, I must know who he is," he gently commands.

Saura gulps a bit as she has her eyes look down. "Th-that was Nevil… H-he is- er, was… my uncle," she admits. The wolf then starts to remember the stuff her uncle said and starts shivering with tears in her eyes. Out of instinct, Saura quickly jumps to Infinite into a tight embrace. She couldn't see the jackal had a surprised look on his face since the wolf hugs him out of nowhere. She feels Infinite's arms around her which helps her calm down a bit. "He's the r-reason why I don't talk much. I-I wanted help to defend m-myself, so I went to m-my uncle when my parents were stressed from th-their work. But then, he… he tried to hurt me the same way he did t-to others and told me my voice was th-the cause of everyone hating me… S-somehow, my parents and the police had found him a-and put him to death for his c-crimes," she explains. "But even after his d-death, my uncle still continues to t-torment me and showed me how cruel t-the world is…" she continues as the tears finally try to leave her eyes as new ones replace them. "H-he almost got me… After my p-parents passed, I felt so lonely and weak th-that I wanted it to end…" the wolf admitted. She felt the jackal's arms tighten around her a bit but doesn't pay attention too much to it. "I guess I have m-my parents' spirits to thank for s-stopping me… So, I decided to g-give the world another chance, but I v-vowed to only speak when I-" Saura was suddenly interrupted by Infinite, who slams her a bit back to the wall as his hands are on both of her shoulders.

"Enough," Infinite mumbled in a shaky voice. While he listened to Saura on the part where she almost committed suicide, the pain he felt before in the cell had returned. He had no idea that Saura had to suffer through all that damage during and before the war. Perhaps if he met her earlier, he could've protected her and prevented all of that. The jackal takes in deep breaths as he hugs Saura again. He needs to calm down before he feels- No, he's not weak! He will not accept it! Infinite needs to think of something else to not feel weak! He then remembers another question he has for Saura. "Your parents… you said they've passed… how did they die?" he asks while shivering a bit. He can't explain it, but now Infinite is really nervous about the answer to that question. No, he fears it! If what happened to her parents is the same answer he thinks, he can't forgive himself.

Saura feels Infinite shaking. Why is he afraid? Is it what she said? She doesn't know if she should answer him now… To be honest, the wolf has no idea on how her parents died. All what she was told is that Eggman and his army came to the city her parents were at and she was brought back a notice on her loss. "I… I don't know…" she replies with a small sigh. "All I was t-told was what happened and they're d-dead due to an E-Eggman attack. So, I just took the blame to Eggman, b-but I felt so weak and helpless to do something a-about it," she added. Saura feels Infinite continue to shiver a bit and flinches a little. "B-but, don't worry about it. I-if it really was you… I… I won't take revenge out on you… It won't really solve a-anything. I only have a grudge o-on Eggman for his d-decisions," she says once more.

Infinite listens to Saura as he continues to hug her. So, the attack could be his fault. "I'm sorry," he apologized. The jackal looks down to the wolf even though he is currently hiding her face from him. He doesn't want to see it; he can't see that look of anger and disappointment on her face.

Saura tries to look at Infinite, but the back of his clawed hand is preventing her from looking at his face. She frowns as she wipes the tears out of her eyes. Hearing his apology had made her feel a little better. And, he also thought about her. That is what matters to her. The wolf hugs the jackal gently as he jumps in response. "Th-Thank you Infinite," she says with a smile. "And thank you again f-for what you and Sonic did b-back when those illusions happened… If it w-weren't for you both, I'd probably be d-dead or never speak a-again," she mentioned the time back at the other tower. "So, thank you for saving me," she added while blushing red as a nervous look appeared on her face. Finally gaining courage, Saura looks up to Infinite and places a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Infinite flinches a bit when he sees Saura look at him. But to his surprise, the wolf wasn't showing any anger nor disappointment on her face. Shock rose to the jackal as he suddenly feels the wolf's lips on his cheek. A blush formed on Infinite's face as he continues to stare at Saura. This is bringing him back to the time when the wolf had placed her lips on his at the other tower. The jackal's heart starts pounding at the memory of it and what Saura did just now. Infinite lets out a growl, but it wasn't in anger. He places his forehead on the wolf's forehead as he has his eyes closed. Keeping his hold on the wolf's head and waist, the jackal deep breaths a tiny bit. "Saura, can you kiss me again?" he lightly requested.

Saura blushes at Infinite's request. Why is he asking her to do that? The wolf feels the jackal tighten his hold a bit. She looks up and noticed he still has his eyes closed. Gulping a bit, Saura leans close to Infinite despite him growling a bit. She stops when she realizes how close the two of them are, but she can't get out of his grasp. "Kiss me Saura," the jackal lightly commanded in a whisper. Saura shivers a bit as she continues to watch Infinite. Finally, the wolf gently places her lips on the jackal's.

Infinite blushes more the moment he feels Saura's lips on his. He returns the kiss with more passion as he tightens his hold on her. Feeling the wolf losing air, he pulls away to let her breath. While Saura tries to collect air, Infinite starts to give her neck kisses and nibbles. The jackal hears the wolf moan even though she is trying to stop herself from doing it. As he leaves out a smirk, he continues his kisses as he travels around her neck. But the moment he sees the scar, Infinite stops as he gently traces it with his finger. "Your uncle," he starts to mumble a bit quietly to himself. "He did this to you," he added with a frown. The jackal looks back to Saura, who is looking at him with a confused expression. Seeing the wolf's face, he smiles as he wraps one arm from her head to her shoulders and then his other arm from her waist to her legs, so he can lift her up.

Saura yelps as she clings on to Infinite. "I-Infinite, what are you doing?" she asks as she starts to show a nervous look. The jackal didn't say anything as he starts walking up to a bed and places the wolf on it. Saura blushes red as she sits up quickly, but she was suddenly caught in a lip-lock by Infinite. She blushes and stares in shock until she finally gave in after a few seconds. The wolf starts to return the affection as she wraps her arms around the jackal's neck. She hears Infinite moan as he pushes the kiss deeper. Saura then feels his tongue licking her lips for entrance. Blushing and shivering a bit, the wolf grants the jackal access as she feels his tongue now in her mouth. Saura then feels her back land on the bed again as Infinite towers over her and continues his little affection. Finally, the jackal pulls away from the wolf to stare at her with a trail of saliva connected to their lips. She then feels Infinite place another peck on her lips as he makes his way to the other side of her neck and starts to shower it with more kisses and nibbles. Saura lets out a moan as she unconsciously snuggles to the jackal. The wolf feels something sharp on her neck. She gasps a bit as she tightens her hold in response. "I-Infinite?" she questions.

Infinite had placed a soft bite on Saura's neck. Hearing Saura call out to him, he places gentle kisses on the spot he bit her at as he looks at her. "Yes Saura?" he responded. The jackal watches the wolf deep breathing a bit while looking at him. He then gently traces Saura's cheek and neck with his finger. While doing that, he starts to move his other hand down further, but then a pair of hands had grabbed his wrist. Looking at the source, he sees it was Saura who is showing a really nervous look and a shade of red on her face. "What's the matter Saura?" he asks the wolf.

Saura knows what Infinite plans to do. But the problem is, she isn't ready… She wants to wait a bit longer. Plus, there is still a war going on and a mission she needs to complete, showing Infinite what a friend is. "I-I'm not ready," she says to the jackal while shivering. The wolf's face got redder when she feels the jackal rubbing her cheek a bit.

"Come now Saura. There is nothing the be afraid of," Infinite reassures Saura. The jackal then places his lips on the wolf's cheek as he nuzzles to her neck. "Just relax," he says to try and sooth Saura. Infinite starts to plant kisses on the wolf's neck to help distract her a bit. He hears Saura gasp as she tries to hold back her moans. Unfortunately, the wolf still refuses to release the jackal's wrist. Not only that, she even started to whimper and shiver a bit. Infinite flinches a bit with a tiny, quiet growl. He wants to take these feelings to the next level; but at the same time, he doesn't want to frighten Saura. Once he's calm, the jackal lets out a small sigh as he moves his clawed hand away from the wolf's hands, so he can wrap it around her shoulders. "Very well Saura," he finally says. Infinite soon sits up and pulls Saura into a gentle embrace. He feels the wolf snuggle up to him which caused him to smile. Wrapping his tail around her, the jackal places his chin on the wolf's head. It's been a while since he felt this relaxed.

But that moment ended when the alarms went off. This caused Infinite and Saura to jump a bit as they release each other to get up. Realizing who the intruders are, the jackal growls in anger. "So that hedgehog and his friends had found a way in," he growled. Infinite walks to where he left his mask at and places it back on his face. He looks to Saura and sees her where the wispon is at. This got him to growl more. "Drop it Saura," he commands.

Saura, the moment she heard the alarm, had a feeling her friends need her help. When Infinite went to get his mask, she took this time to go get her Lightning Wispon. When she hears the jackal tell her to drop her wispon, the wolf frowns as she shakes her head. She flinches when Infinite quickly got a few inches in front of her, but she keeps her ground and hides the wispon behind her. She remembers her objective and looks to the jackal. "Please Infinite, d-don't hurt Sonic and the others," she pleaded. "Y-you don't need the Phantom Ruby n-nor Eggman to help you get what you w-want. You also don't need to ch-change the world," she added as she takes a step back.

Infinite growls at Saura who took another step back. "You obviously had not been listening to me when I told you my story," he says to the wolf with disappointment. "Who else would be there with me if I were to stop my plans? No one! I will be all alone in this pathetic world," he added with a glare. "So, why should I be suffering if I can just make the world suffer?" he questions.

Saura's frown increased as she shivers a bit from Infinite's glare that she can barely see. "That's not true! I-I've heard your story Infinite, but th-that doesn't mean you should g-give up and rely on that gem," she says to the jackal. "You won't b-be alone in this world. I know that f-for sure there will be someone w-with you," she added. The wolf walks up and uses her free hand to reach out to Infinite gently, but to her surprise he slaps her hand away from him.

Infinite's growls increased when he listened to Saura. After he slaps her hand away, he continues to glare at her. "You say I won't be alone, but it seems you don't know what it's like to be alone," he shouts at the wolf! The jackal then smacks Saura hard that it sends her to the ground. The wolf lets out a yelp from the hit as she falls to the ground. She lifts herself up until she's on her hands and knees. The smack she received from Infinite didn't hurt, but the actions and words he said to her do. She stares at the ground with shock and rejection as her tears returned. She never thought she would face this pain again, but of course it had to happen…

"It always does…"

Saura recollected Infinite's words as the sadness continues to grow along with another emotion, anger. He thinks she didn't listen to her story, then it seems he didn't do the same for her. With her bangs covering her eyes, she slightly looks back to the jackal. Her anger increased when she sees him just staring at her. She then gets up to her feet and fully turns to look at Infinite in the eye and ignored his flinch. "I may not know what it is like physically, but I DO know what it is like mentally," she starts to say without the shaking tone. It's just like the time she tried to warn Tails about Nevil. "I had my parents, yes; however, that doesn't mean I was never alone! Before I joined the resistance, I never once had a friend! And when I do try, I was always mentally attacked by my uncle or physically rejected by someone! That's why I vowed to never speak until I meet someone I trust until now," she continues as her volume increased. The tears on her face start to fall as she looks away from the shocked masked jackal. "I guess my uncle is right about me: I really am worthless and weak. The weakest wolf that ever exists," she added quietly.

"Finally, you are admitting what I have been telling you for years.."

Infinite listened with shock and regret as he stops his growling. The moment he saw Saura's face filled with sadness and anger, he realized what he's done. The jackal also took in what the wolf said as the regret continues to build up. He should've known better than to talk about loneliness with Saura; she knows exactly what it's like. The wolf made that perfectly clear when Sonic asked how long she's been on her own, thirteen years. Thirteen years of pain. Thirteen years of being alone. Thirteen years of no help from the outside world. Infinite tries to walk up to Saura. Unfortunately, the wolf caught his actions and backs away from him. "Saura, I-"

"And don't start with saying I now have friends! Yes, Sonic and his friends are my friends. But my uncle is right about one thing: when this war is over after a few weeks, everything will go back to the way it was! Except this time, I WILL be alone. Sonic and his friends will move on to stop whatever evil scheme Eggman has next, but I guess you don't care as long as you have that ruby," she states while interrupting Infinite! Saura shivers as she tries hard to not let her emotions get the best of her but is failing. "I can't believe I fell in love with you," she shouts at Infinite! Realizing what she just said, the wolf looked shock as she covers her mouth with both hands while holding the Lighting Wispon.

"Oh? So, you're admitting that too? Too bad, it seems he doesn't feel the same. What will you do now?"

Saura tenses as she continues to stare in shock.

"I know you're listening. Why don't you answer my question."

Saura suddenly froze as she looks straight at Infinite; but instead, she sees someone else, someone very familiar! Saura shivers as she suddenly sees brown fur instead of black and white along with a pair of hazel eyes instead of just one yellow eye behind a mask. She... she needs to get out of here now!

Infinite froze when he hears Saura's confession. This wolf is… No, it can't be! Is that what those feelings were when he's near her? The more he thinks about it and hears Saura's confession, the jackal feels his heart beating fast. So, it's true; he's in love with Saura, and she feels the same way with him! Without realizing it, Infinite removes his mask off his face; that way, he can look at her straight in the eyes. But once the jackal tries to take his mask off, Saura uses her wispon to break the door open. Once the mask is off, Infinite sees Saura make a run-for-it! "Wait, Saura," he calls out to the wolf! He tries to block her by using the red cubes from the Phantom Ruby, but Saura dodged it and uses her grabbling hooks to escape. The jackal tries to reach out to the wolf but then realizes what he's done. Saura confessed her feelings and he had rejected her when she reached out to him. Infinite shivers as he has his hands to fist. He must catch her, and he needs to do it fast! There is no doubt Sonic and his friends will find her soon! Growling, he tosses his mask away and runs off to find Saura.

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: Close to Death

Saura continues to run and jump through the halls. Whenever she would see quick turns to different hallways, she would take that route. She may not be able to outrun Infinite, but there is still a chance to trick him. Not to mention, she also saw something that had managed to crack her mind, even if she doesn't realize it. Any way to lose the jackal and escape the other figure is fine with her! She continues to run even when robots are in her way! She would use her Lightning Wispon to take them out. Saura kept going and zigging through each hallway she sees until she bumps into someone. "Ow," she hears someone say. Saura, while rubbing her head, looks to see who she ran into. Unknown to her, it was Knuckles along with Silver and Amy!

"Saura," Silver calls out in surprise. Once the white hedgehog lands gently to the ground, he goes to Saura and helps her up while Amy did the same for Knuckles. "Thank goodness we found you," he says to the wolf with a smile. As he helps the wolf up, he notices tears in her eyes. Silver shows a look of concern. "Hey, are you okay?" he asks.

Saura remains where she is, shivering from the recent event. What's going on? Why is she only seeing darkness? The wolf noticed someone in front of her along with a muffled voice. Who is that and why is it trying to speak to her?

Knuckles noticed the way Saura is staring at him, Amy and Silver. Just the way the wolf is staring has him tensed. Saura's eyes are wide open, but shrunk back in complete terror with tears in her eyes and looked like she lost some color on her. The echidna grabs a hold of the wolf and shakes her. "Rookie, get a hold of yourself," he tries to call out Saura.

Saura then snaps out of her trances as she looks at the figure shaking her a bit. It was Knuckles! And right beside the echidna are Silver and Amy! The wolf flinches as she quickly wipes the tears off her eyes as she looks to Silver, Amy, and Knuckles with a smile to hide her pain as she shakes her head to show she's alright. Amy frowns when she sees this. The pink hedgehog can tell the wolf is hiding something. "If there is something bothering you, you can tell us. We won't get mad," Amy reassures Saura.

Saura, once again, continues to smile and shake her head. If she were to speak, she would start crying and she has no time for that. Not when there are others around her. She has to be strong for her friends until this war is over!

"You're worthless and weak!"

Saura flinches when she hears her uncle's voice! No, she can't let him get to her even if she already submitted to his words... "Guys, this is Sonic! I found Infinite, but the way he's acting right now is making it hard to get the ruby's power source," Sonic says through Silver's communicator as a glitch noise is heard.

Saura shivers when Sonic mentions Infinite. Silver gets out his communicator to answer the blue hedgehog as he watches the group. "Sonic, be careful and do what you can to get to it. In the meantime, Knuckles, Amy, and I had found Saura and we're going to evacuate the fortress," he says through the communicator.

"Great job guys! The sooner you guys get out of there-" was all Sonic said before he was interrupted. Everyone hears Infinite scream out "What" and appears to be fighting the blue hedgehog. The group continues to hear the other side fighting with each other.

After some groans and fights, Amy, Silver, Knuckles, and Saura hear the glitch noise closer to the communicator. Saura shivers as she heard the glitch noise. It means Infinite is near Sonic! "Where are they?" Infinite's voice was heard through the communicator. The wolf shivers more when she heard the jackal. Infinite sounds mad and determined when he asked. "Tell me where they are," he commanded.

Amy seems to be really worried for Sonic since she took Silver's communicator and ignores his complaint. "Sonic?" she calls out to Sonic through the communicator! "Sonic, are you okay?" she tries to call out again!

The group hear growling coming from the communicator. "Tell me where they are now," they hear Infinite command. "Where are they?... Where is she?... I must get to her," he added.

Silver, Amy, Knuckles, and Saura start to hear more fighting along with the glitching noise get further away. "Guys get out of here with Saura! And whatever you do, do not let Infinite find her! I'll distract him as much as I can and look for the power source," Sonic says through the communicator!

Knuckles nodded as he grabs Silver's communicator from Amy. "You got it Sonic," he says through the communicator. Silver has a hold on Saura's arm while Knuckles did the same for Amy's arm.

"Wait, we have to go back and help Sonic," Amy complains as she gets out of Knuckles's grip. She lost Sonic once and she doesn't want to lose him again.

Suddenly, the group hears something like an engine. The two hedgehogs, echidna, and wolf look around to find the source; but then, a metal hand grabs Amy! The pink hedgehog lets out a scream as the white hedgehog, red echidna, and blond wolf turn to see who grabbed her. It's Dr. Eggman in one of his giant robot inventions with no legs but has hands! The human lets out an evil laugh. "Capturing you is just too easy every time," he says to Amy. His voice appears the be coming from the robot since it's hard to see the human. While Amy yells at Eggman to put her down, the human controls his robot to look at a different direction and flies off.

Thinking fast, Saura uses her grabbling hook to grab on to Eggman's robot and it drags her to the robot until she manages to grab on to it herself. "Saura, Amy," Silver shouts to the female wolf and female hedgehog!

"Come on, lets go after them," Knuckles says to Silver as he chases Eggman. Silver nods and flies after Eggman.

~

Sonic was shocked when he sees Infinite without his mask. He mocks at the jackal but was attacked immediately. By then, he contacted the others to let them know he found Infinite. He's relieved to hear Knuckles and his team had found Saura, but that only triggered Infinite's anger more for he had attacked the blue hedgehog while demanding to know where the group is at. Once Sonic warns Knuckles and his group about Infinite, he fights the jackal. "Let's finish this Infinite," he says while using a homing attack.

Infinite dodges Sonic's attack and growls at the blue hedgehog. He has no time to fight. He needs to find Saura! He somehow lost sight of the wolf when she kept running through different hallways. When he arrives at a practice battle arena, he ran into Sonic alone. "I have no time for you! Now, tell me where your friends are going with Saura," he commands.

"Somewhere far from you, that's for sure," Sonic replies as he proceeds to attack Infinite again. The jackal growls as he continues fighting Sonic. The two continued their fight in the arena after some time. Sonic appears to be a bit worn out, but he can't give up!

Just then, an evil laughter was heard. "Not so fast you blue nuisance," a voice was heard. Soon, a huge robot comes out from one of the halls. The robot looks like on of the Death Egg robots in the city except this one is hovering with no legs. The robot opens its head to reveal Dr. Eggman! The human presses a button and the robot lifts one of its hands to show Amy in its grasp. "I wouldn't move if I were you, or you'll never see your girlfriend again," he threatens Sonic. Sonic notices Eggman wasn't joking around when the robot squeezes Amy a bit tighter as the pink hedgehog screams a bit from the pain. Sonic glares as the human evil laughs. Eggman turns to Infinite. "Now Infinite, destroy Sonic," he commands the jackal.

Infinite glares madly at Eggman. As he told Sonic, he wants to search for Saura first. However, it seems he won't be leaving until he obliterates the blue hedgehog. The jackal glares down at Sonic. Just one huge blast at the hedgehog and victory is his! So, Infinite has both of his clawed hands together to start creating one of his powerful attacks. "Farewell hedgehog," he says to Sonic.

Before Infinite could launch his attack, a lightning whip cuts the hand holding Amy! Seeing Amy falling, Sonic took this chance to charge towards the pink hedgehog and catches her. "Amy are you alright?" he asks. For a reply, Sonic was hugged by Amy along with her mentioning he would rescue her.

Knuckles and Silver arrive just as Amy was hugging Sonic. The white hedgehog used his telekinesis to have the attack Infinite made directed towards him. Unfortunately, the jackal dodges the attack. "Sonic, what's going on here?" the echidna asked.

"Nothing you guys really missed," Sonic replies as he puts Amy down. "By the way, thanks for the save. If you guys hadn't made that attack at Eggman, I'd be a goner," he added with a smile.

Silver and Knuckles showed a confused look. "Sonic, we didn't do any attack on Eggman," Silver says with a confused look. Now Sonic and Amy had a look confused look.

While everyone looked around in confusion, Saura was barely hanging on to the arm she attacked. She used her Lightning Wispon to take out the hand holding on to Amy to save the pink hedgehog. Out of instinct, the wolf climbs to the top of the arm for safety. However, that allows Eggman to see her! "Why you annoying wolf," he shouts! Eggman uses his robot to attack Saura by smacking her off his robot. Saura couldn't dodge in time and takes the attack.

Sonic and his friends hear a yelp and turned to the source. They see Saura being flown across until she crashed to the wall. Once Saura is on the ground, Sonic and his friends went to her with shock and worried expressions. "Saura," Silver called out to the wolf!

Infinite, the moment he saw Saura, looked shocked as he watches the wolf slam to the wall and then to the ground. "Oh no," he mumbles quietly as he watches the wolf with worry. He wants to go over there and see if Saura is okay. He really does; he loves her after all. But Sonic and his friends are already surrounding her.

"Rookie! Rookie get up," Knuckles calls out to Saura with worry! He hears the wolf groan a bit as she starts trying to get up. The echidna sees she managed to get on her hands and knees, so he decides to help her up the rest of the way. "You alright?" he asks Saura.

Saura didn't say a word as she tries to keep herself up. Once she knows for sure she is balanced, the wolf looks to Knuckles and nods. Amy frowns as she looks at Saura's eyes and sees a lot of emotions, but one caught her attention the most, heartbroken. The pink hedgehog stands in front of the wolf and gently places her hands on the wolf's shoulders. "Hey, did… did something happen?" she asks gently. Amy watches Saura flinch but shakes her head. She frowns at this. "It's okay, you can tell us," Amy added.

Saura continues to shake her head. If she were to tell the group what happened and that she is in love with the enemy, they would definitely question her a lot. The wolf takes a quick look towards Infinite and noticed he's looking at her too. When her eyes made contact with the jackal's, Saura immediately looks away from him and the rest of the group as the sad emotions returned. "Enough of this pep talk," everyone hears Eggman shouting!

The group look up to Eggman and noticed the human has the robot's broken hand had transformed to a saw. The robot then starts lowering it closer to the group as it activates! "Guys, get back," Silver warns the group! The white hedgehog uses his telekinesis to lift everyone and himself away from the saw to dodge it. Once he got the group and himself away from the saw and on to the ground, he stops using his powers.

Infinite wanted to float down there and save Saura from the human's wrath, but that white hedgehog beat him to it. He started to grow jealous on Sonic and his friends for they are able to get close to Saura. The jackal then noticed the group is about to head in to one of the hall entrances. Growling, Infinite uses the Phantom Ruby to quickly get to the space between that entrance and the group. He then launches red spheres at everyone. The jackal didn't want to throw one at Saura; so for the sphere he threw at the wolf, he makes it hit the ground instead of towards he, that way he can catch her and talk to her.

Saura dodges the red spheres with the group along with the saw hand Eggman's robot tried to use. As she dodged, she suddenly picks up another sound aside from her friends, Infinite's glitching noise, and the robot, cracking. It's almost like something fragile, like glass, is about to break. The wolf looks around to find anything that could be close to shattering. She didn't see anything… until she looked down. The floor is starting to crack! There also appears to be water underneath it! Why hadn't she noticed it before?! Saura then noticed how spread apart the group is! She needs to warn everyone about the floor!... But the thought of speaking out loud gets her nervous- No, she can't let that get to her! She must not be scared and start speaking up! "Guys, th-the floor is glass! A-and there is water u-underneath it," she shouts to the group!

Silver, Knuckles, and Amy look to Saura with shock for it's the first time they are hearing her. Sonic looks down to the floor and noticed the cracks! Now he realizes that this arena is a trap for everyone but mostly for him! "Quick, everyone get to one of the exits," he says to his group! Sonic quickly grabs Amy since she was the closest and jumps to the far-left hall.

Knuckles had got the far-right hall and Silver landed in the hall near Knuckles. Saura starts running to one of the empty halls, but Infinite soon blocked her path. The wolf turned around to find another path, but the jackal blocks her from that as well. "Finally," he mumbles out. Infinite looks to Saura as he floats down until his feet touches the floor and starts walking to her. The wolf shivers as she backs away. Noticing a few other openings, Saura came up with a plan. She runs back the halls but was stopped again by the jackal. The wolf then uses her grabbling hook towards the far-right hall. Suddenly, Eggman's robot used its hand to block Saura which had her got close to it! Seeing the hand about to grab her, the wolf gets on the robot's arm to dodge.

Dr. Eggman glares at Saura as he uses his robot to activate its saw again to attack her. Thinking about her safety, Saura moves closer to the hand to dodge the saw, but the saw suddenly cuts through the arm of the robot which has her and the arm start to fall. Saura yelps and then yells a bit in fear as she falls to the floor- No, to the water! As soon as the half-sliced arm lands, the floor started to shatter! The wolf tries to get off of the arm, but she had already fell in. "SAURA," the three hedgehogs shouted! Silver quickly used his telekinesis to grab the fallen arm and throws it at Eggman.

Unfortunately, Saura had already let go of the arm while keeping a tight hold on her wispon. She looks around for the surface while holding her breath until she noticed Sonic and Amy. The wolf quickly swims to the two hedgehogs; but then, she accidentally bumps into the glass. This caused her to lose some air a bit. She starts banging on to the glass when she secures her wispon to her arm. Saura sees Sonic and Amy looking down when she got her attention. However, the wolf couldn't hold her breath any longer!

Infinite watched when he sees Saura used her grabbling hook to get away but then stopped by Eggman. Why couldn't that wolf stay still?! He's trying to talk to her! He starts floating again to go after her. And then, the foolish human had sliced his robot's other arm, causing it and Saura to fall and shatter the spot of glass where the broken hand and Saura were on as the three hedgehogs shouted for Saura and the echidna stared in shock. The jackal stared in shock and horror. "No," he mumbled as the Phantom Ruby on his chest starts glowing. Infinite sees Silver use his powers to move the arm off Saura, but the wolf had used the water to escape from the missing robotic part. If she doesn't get out of the water soon, the wolf will drown! "No," he mumbles again, but a little bit louder. He can't lose someone important to him again! The jackal had already lost his squad… he can't lose her too! He must save her! Infinite sees Saura trying to get Sonic and Amy's attention, but the wolf then couldn't hold her breath any longer! "NOOOO," he shouts as he charges and kicks the floor with all of his strength as the Phantom Ruby glows brighter!

Amy heard Infinite shout when she saw Saura below her and Sonic. She looks towards the jackal but sees a bright light pierce through the glass floor and into the water. Realizing he's going after the wolf, the pink hedgehog gets out her trusty hammer to try smash the floor. However, she soon noticed Saura had lost conscious and is starting to sink until Infinite catches her as the Phantom Ruby continues to glow. "Oh no," she says in shock! "Guys, we need to ge-" The pink hedgehog stops when another hole was made at the far end because of Infinite. The jackal soon quickly comes out of the newly opened floor while holding Saura.

Amy, Sonic, Knuckles, and Silver watched with surprise! Infinite rescued Saura; but why?! Why would the jackal help the wolf? The group soon noticed Eggman turning his attention towards them. Sonic glares at the human for he needs to stop him and his robot from causing anymore damage. So, the blue hedgehog starts fighting with the human and his robot. In the meantime, Amy, Silver, and Knuckles decided to go after Infinite to save Saura. The pink hedgehog also watches the jackal and wolf. She's curious on why the jackal wanted to help the wolf.

Once Infinite is out of the water, he looks to Saura. "Saura, are you alright?" he asks the wolf. There was no response which increased the jackal's worry. He looks to the wolf and sees her unconscious. "Saura," he tries to call out to the wolf as he shakes her to wake her up. Suddenly, Infinite hears someone after him. He turns and sees Knuckles about to punch him! The jackal quickly dodges the echidna and growls while holding Saura close.

"You put her down," Knuckles commanded at Infinite. Hearing the jackal's growl grow, Knuckles glares at the jackal and tries to punch him. But to the echidna's surprise, Infinite dodges the echidna with great speed and kicks him away. Knuckles groans in pain from the hit as he growls back.

Amy watched Infinite closely and is surprised with his behavior. The way he's holding Saura is almost like he's protecting her instead of hurting her. Did Saura do something to Infinite that made him behave this way? The pink hedgehog looked at the wolf, but noticed she is still unconscious. This is bad, especially since she had just come out of the water. As much as Amy hates the idea of Infinite being good, there is one thing he and her and her friends have a common goal: Saura's safety and health. "Wait," she shouts as she got between Knuckles and Infinite! The jackal and echidna look at the pink hedgehog in confusion, but Infinite still glares. The glare deepens when Amy turns and walks to the jackal. Amy flinches a bit but continues to walk to Infinite despite Knuckles and Silver telling her to stop. Amy got closer until she hears the jackal growling. Remembering the common goal, she tries to remain calm. "How is Saura? Is she okay?" she asks Infinite.

Infinite stops his growls and glare when Amy asks about Saura. He looks to Saura and frowns when he sees the wolf is still unconscious. He shakes her a bit to try and wake her up but with no success. The jackal notices the pink hedgehog walking closer to him. This caused him to growl as he shields Saura from Amy. "Back off," he threatens as red aura surrounds him.

Amy stops and shivers at Infinite's threat. She can see how serious the jackal is thanks to the red aura around him. "Please, we're worried about Saura as much as you do. But, we need to make sure she's breathing first in order to know if she's alright since she's lost conscious. There could be some water in her lungs that is blocking her from breathing," she says to Infinite.

Infinite now stops his growls to look at Saura with extreme concern! If the wolf isn't breathing and dies, there is no way he can forgive himself. He places Saura down and checks to see if she is alive. The jackal is so focused on the wolf, he wasn't paying attention when Amy got closer. Infinite winces after looking over Saura. The wolf's heart is still beating a bit, but she's not breathing! "Come on Saura," he mumbles in fear. This pain, it's almost as bad when he was in the cell room with the wolf. The jackal suddenly noticed how close Amy is to him and Saura, causing him to growl at the pink hedgehog.

"Oh no, she's not breathing," Amy says mostly to herself with worry. She looks to Infinite despite him growling at her. "I need your help. We must perform CPR on her, so we can get the water out of her. That way, it will help her breath again," she says to the jackal. Noticing the glare still present on Infinite's face, Amy sighs a bit. "You breath into her mouth to give her air. In the meantime, I'll pump her chest to get the water out of her-" was all the pink hedgehog said since Infinite used the Phantom Ruby to shove her away from him and Saura. Silver quickly catches Amy. The pink hedgehog looks to Infinite with a glare but sees him pumping the wolf's chest. She watches the jackal with surprise at his actions and his expression, fear. Amy watches with worry and concern.

Infinite kept pumping Saura's chest. He knows about the whole CPR trick, but he needs to get the water out of her first. After some time on pumping her chest, the wolf suddenly opened her eyes wide and turns around as she spits out some water. The jackal flinches as he watches Saura spit out some water and starts coughing in the process. "Saura?" he calls out to the wolf gently with worry as he rubs her back.

Saura continues to cough a bit until it finally settles down as she deep breaths from the lack of oxygen. The wolf then feels someone rubbing her back. Curiously, she looks and noticed it was Infinite! She stares at the jackal with surprise. She thought about speaking to him, but she remembered the last time she spoke to him. Before she had a chance to turn away, Saura was soon hugged by Infinite. This caused her to blush a bit; however, that quickly faded when she feels the jackal shaking. Now worried, the wolf gently hugs Infinite back and pats him to help calm him down.

Amy watches Infinite's actions with shock. That jackal seems to really care about Saura. She wonders if they really did meet before the war; and if so, how close were they? Close… Amy then looks to the way Saura and Infinite are hugging each other. It almost looked like they are… Amy gasps in shock loudly as she gets out of Silver's hold. A smile slowly makes way on the pink hedgehog's face as a bit of excitement starts to build in. "Oh my gosh," she says out loud that startles everyone, including Sonic and Eggman. "You two are in love," she says in pure excitement! Amy watched to the jackal and wolf flinch as a blush appear on both of their faces. Infinite instantly moves a bit away from Saura, but he came back to Saura when he remembered the damage Saura took a bit ago and how she almost… died. "That is so adorable," the pink hedgehog added!

Silver and Knuckles stood there looking shocked and disbelief with Sonic. There is no way the enemy is in love, nor being in love with someone who is on their side. Eggman did the same but starts evil laughing. "Don't think such idiotic nonsense," the doctor says while laughing. "Infinite can't feel such useless emotions! His only purpose is to make you all yield to the Eggman Empire," he shouts. The human then lets out an evil smirk at Sonic and his friends. "Just watch," he added. Eggman then turned towards Infinite. "Infinite, destroy the wolf," he commanded the jackal!

Chapter Text

Chapter 22: Rise of Anger

Infinite looks at Dr. Eggman with shock and anger. How dare the human think of him as a tool! If it weren't for the Phantom Ruby, he would smack the doctor. And finally, the command Eggman gave the jackal left a stunned expression on his face, but it's hidden from the others. Destroy Saura?! He can't allow that! Not after finding her now AND almost losing her!... But if he doesn't destroy the wolf, there is a chance he'll lose the Phantom Ruby… Infinite growls quietly on this situation. He desires to have both not one or the other!

Saura can feel Infinite's grip on her tighten as he growls. This is it, she knows it… The wolf knew how much the jackal needs the Phantom Ruby. He certainly proved it back at the other room… Saura gently releases Infinite as she looks down.

"Just. Give. In..."

Saura's hands turned to fists a bit as tears started to appear in her eyes. The voice is right. After all, she's already listened to it. "Do it," she mumbles to Infinite. The wolf feels the jackal flinch and staring at her. "I kn-know how much you need that g-gem to prove everyone y-you're not weak…" she added as her tears started to fall as more appear in its place. "A-Amy may be wrong about you, b-but she was not about m-me… No matter where this g-goes, I did and still do l-love you… I w-wanted to tell y-you later, b-but my anger g-got the b-better of m-me…" she explains while the shivers start to come, making it harder for her to speak. "I-I'm sorry… f-for all the h-hurt I c-caused to you a-and to e-everyone else," she apologized to Infinite as she tries to stop her tears and shaking. Saura looks away from Infinite and her friends as she shuts her eyes tight as her tears continue to leave her eyes. "J-just do it. G-get it over with q-quickly p-please," she tells the jackal.

Infinite listens to Saura after he hears her to attack her. His eyes widened as he hears the wolf confessed her feelings to him once again along with an apology for her anger and the hurt she caused to him. What did she mean by "the hurt?" Did she know she was hurting him?... No! She also mentioned it to everyone. But how did she hurt Sonic and his friends? From the way the blue hedgehog and his friends are desperately trying to rescue her, she doesn't seem to be hurting them. The jackal was about to place his clawed hand to Saura's muzzle, but the wolf turned away with her eyes shut tightly telling him to get his attack done quickly. In the corner of her eye, Infinite can see tears coming out of Saura's eyes. Is she…-

"Wherever Saura goes, I'm always there with her inside her head. I may be dead in the physical world, but she can't get away from me mentally…"

Infnite's eyes widen as that encounter and phrase replays in his head. Is Saura thinking what she believes what her uncle would say?! How can he stop that?!... Infinite suddenly starts growling quietly as this feeling of weakness returns which gets him angry. But, he can't blame Saura; she hasn't done anything wrong. It's that other wolf's fault. If he were still alive, the jackal would enjoy torturing him just like how Eggman was torturing Sonic. Speaking of Eggman, he is also to blame for this! The human has actually become more of a nuisance to Infinite. The jackal lost his squad to protect one of the facilities, been used as a guinea pig for the Phantom Ruby project, and is now forced to kill Saura. And that's all Dr. Eggman's fault! That is the final time he'll take orders! Infinite looks to Saura, who is still looking away to prepare for her last breath, with a gentle expression as he gently pets the wolf's muzzle, that's facing away from the group and Eggman, while also wiping one of the tears out of her face. Then, he gets up, after releasing the wolf, and has red aura like spheres in each hand as the Phantom Ruby starts to glow. He knows exactly what he needs to do, and he won't stop until they are out of the way.

Sonic, noticing the red spheres, gets ready to charge, so he can defend Saura. But to his surprise, Infinite turns around and is aiming the spheres at him and his friends! "Guys, get back quickly," he says to Amy, Silver, and Knuckles! As if on que, Silver used his telekinesis abilities to lift Amy, Knuckles, and himself away from the red spheres Infinite now launched at them as Sonic dodges them by jumping away. The blue hedgehog lands on the floor but stops dead in his tracks when he sees how close he is to the opened floor showing the water. Shivering a bit, Sonic ignores the water, so he can glare at the jackal but looks shocked. Infinite's scleras are red, just like the Phantom Ruby! The blue hedgehog looks back to Knuckles and his group and Saura. The jackal must be stopped! "Infinite, lets finish this now," he says while preparing to fight.

Dr. Eggman watches Infinite's actions and looks annoyed. Yes, he didn't mind the jackal attacking Sonic and his friends, but Infinite isn't attacking the one he wants to be hurt, the wolf. "What are you doing Infinite? I said destroy the wolf," he shouts at Infinite! The human watches the jackal turn towards him and had a look of anger. This caused Eggman to shiver a bit as his two robots had a look of panic in them.

"Uh boss, I don't think we should make him angry. M-maybe we should just have him focus on Sonic and his friends," the red robot says in fear as it tries to remain calm. The yellow robot was shaking in fear as well while hiding a bit. The red robot noticed where the yellow robot was at as well and hides a bit as well.

Dr. Eggman shivers a bit at Infinite's glare. He thought about his robot's statement; however, he also wants to show Sonic and his friends how wrong they are about the jackal! "I-I don't care! Infinite is meant to serve me! Therefore, he should do as I say," he shouts in anger and to hide his fear! "Do as I say Infinite and destroy that pathetic wolf now," he shouts again at Infinite

Sonic noticed Infinite looking back at Dr. Eggman as the human continues to yell at the jackal. And before he knew it, the jackal starts attacking the human! The blue hedgehog watches with shock as Eggman and his robots freak out over the attacks Infinite launched while dodging them. "Wh-what?" he questions quietly. Why is Infinite attacking Eggman; aren't they working together?

"Wh-what's going on here? Why is Infinite attacking Eggman?" Silver asks curiously. The white hedgehog is really stunned and confused with the jackal's actions. Infinite wants world domination as much as Eggman does, so why would the jackal attack someone who lent him a powerful weapon?

Saura, the moment she hears Sonic and his friends, looked to Infinite and watches with surprise! Why is the jackal attacking the human? When the human's large robot crash lands on the floor, the glass started shattering the entire floor! The human quickly escapes with his hovercraft with his two robots. Luckily for Knuckles, Amy, Silver, and Infinite they are above the floor thanks to the white hedgehog's telekinesis; however, that doesn't mean Sonic and Saura are safe! The wolf looks to the blue hedgehog with worry. "Sonic, the glass," she warns him!

Sonic looks down and noticed the glass floor is cracking! He turns his attention to Knuckles, Amy, and Silver. "Guys, get out of this area and fast," he warns his friends. Once the two hedgehogs and echidna are out, Sonic quickly runs to Saura, picks her up, and jumps to one of the entries to a hallway. Infinite noticed Sonic having a hold on Saura the moment he got to safety. Growling at the blue hedgehog, the jackal is now in front of him and prepares to attack. Sonic got ready to fight back, but Saura suddenly got out of his hold and stood between him and Infinite. "Saura?" he questioned softly.

Saura stood between Sonic and Infinite as she looks towards the jackal. "Please don't," she mumbles to Infinite softly. The wolf watches the jackal look at her while his anger subsides a bit as he stops his attacks along with his growls as he looks at her; however, the scleras haven't changed back. She watches the jackal start walking closer to her as he tries to reach for her. Saura thought about backing away, but she also can't let Infinite hurt Sonic nor Sonic hurt Infinite.

"Sonic, we need to regroup quickly! We need to destroy that reactor and fast," Knuckles's voice was heard through Sonic's communicator! Infinite's anger returned when he looks back to Sonic. The jackal then sees the blue hedgehog grab Saura's arm and runs off with her. Growling once again, he chases off after Sonic and Saura.

Saura looks to Sonic with a confused look as she continues to be dragged. The blue hedgehog and blond wolf suddenly noticed a red sphere being thrown pass them. There is no doubt Infinite is behind them! Speaking of the jackal, his behavior now is confusing, but at the same time terrifying. It's almost like Infinite had lost some control of his mind when Eggman told him to attack Saura. Hopefully, the blue hedgehog can regroup with his friends to solve this quickly. Because, if Infinite keeps this up, he can blow up the whole fortress and the area around it including him, his friends, and the other resistance members. Sonic quickly increased his speed despite Saura's quiet complaint.

Chapter Text

Chapter 23: Don't be Scared, Speak Up

Sonic and Saura arrived at another arena, this time with no glass nor water involved. Sonic sighs in relief when there isn't a single drop of water in sight. He lets go of Saura as Knuckles, Silver, and Amy arrive from a different hallway. "Guys, be ready! Infinite is heading this way," the blue hedgehog says to his friends!

Silver frowns a bit at the thought of Infinite heading this way especially with the behavior the jackal is showing. "But how can we beat him? From the way he's attacking us lately, Infinite seems to be stronger than before," he says with concern.

Saura looks back to the hallway her and Sonic came out from. Infinite's behavior also has her concerned. It's almost like he's lost some control a bit. She turns towards the group as they come up with a plan until Amy points to her. "You," the pink hedgehog says with hope. Saura flinches a bit from being pointed at while showing a confused look. "You can stop him," Amy added with a smile.

Saura shows a shocked expression while everyone else looked confused still. "Amy, what can Saura do against Infinite?" Silver asks with a confused look.

Amy shakes her head. "Saura won't be against Infinite, but she can stop him," she replies as she looks towards Saura. "After all, you love him, and he loves you," she added with a smile. Amy's smile vanished when she sees Saura shake her head as she looks away from the group. "What do you mean? Isn't it true, are you in love with Infinite?" she asks.

Saura flinches as a small blush appears on her face but also a frown. It's true she does have feelings for Infinite; however, can her friends accept that aside from Amy? And besides, Infinite doesn't love her back…

"Go on Saura, just tell them how close you and that pathetic jackal are. Unless, you want to see the looks of disappointment and rejection on your "friends'" faces just like what the jackal did to you."

Saura shivers a bit as her frown deepens. She doesn't want her friends to reject her. And yet, she doesn't want to lie to them. Having tears in her eyes once again, the wolf lowers her head, so her bangs can cover her eyes as she nods slowly. She hears gasps of shock which causes her to wince.

Knuckles glares a bit at Saura as he walks up to the wolf. "Rookie, you have a lot of explaining to do! That behavior is-"

"-so adorable," Amy shouts with excitement! Sonic and Silver gave Amy a shocked expression with Knuckles. Before he had a chance to yell, the pink hedgehog shoves the red echidna away as she has both of her hands on Saura's shoulders. The wolf stares at Amy with shock and a little scared. "Tell me, how did this all happen?" Amy asks with a big smile on her face. Saura continues to stare in shock but stops as she remembered the last conversation she and Infinite had. Not to mention, there was the anger Knuckles showed just a moment ago. She looks down and shakes her head to Amy. Amy saw this and frowns. "What's wrong?" she asks with worry.

Sonic notices the look of sadness in Saura's eyes. He recognized the wolf being in this similar situation, back at Metropolis. The blue hedgehog shows a sad smile as he walks to Amy and Saura. He looks to Saura as he places a hand on her head. "Hey, remember what I told you and Tails back at Metropolis?" he asks the wolf. Amy looks to Sonic curiously while Saura looks towards him with a confused look with a few tears in her eyes. "Well, my statement stays the same. You're still my friend, no matter what even if you have a crush on the enemy," he says to the wolf with a smile. "And I'm not your only friend, you also have Tails," he added so he can continue to cheer up Saura.

Saura's tears increased, but she does have a smile replacing her frown. "And you've got another one right here too," Amy says with a smile and wink. Saura's eyes widen in surprise. "And Silver and Knuckles are your friends as well," she added. She turns to Knuckles and Silver who looked at her with shock. "Right guys?" she asks along with a little threatening glare to get them to agree without letting Saura see her.

Silver was about to object; however, when he sees Sonic and Saura look back to him, he sighs quietly and nods a bit. "Y-yeah, of course," he says. He watches the wolf's tears increase as her smile got a little bigger and then she tries to wipe the tears away. The white hedgehog frowns a bit but then smiles sadly.

Knuckles glares at Amy until he noticed everyone in the room staring at him. Groaning, he crosses his arms as he looks away from the group. "Yes, we're friends," he says while looking a bit embarrassed.

Saura looks to the group as she tries to wipe away all of her tears; however, they kept on coming. She can't even believe what she's seeing. The wolf wonders if this is all real or if it will just become another illusion from her mind and then-

"Aww, your friends appear to have forgiven you, how sad. It's too bad I can't say the same for the jackal. Unlike the folks around you, the jackal rejected you. Then again, I'm not surprised since you did get angry at him, some friend you are."

Saura's frown returns as the thought of Infinite had made a comeback to her head. Sonic sees the frown on the wolf's face. "Hey, is there something bothering you?" he asks. The blue hedgehog waits for the blond wolf to reply, but he notices Saura shakes her head a bit. "Saura," he calls out to the wolf. Sonic gently has the wolf look at him and the group. "Don't be scared, speak up. We're not going to make fun of your voice not even Nevil can stop you," he added with a smile. Saura's eyes widen in shock as more tears appeared in her eyes.

"That fool! You know he can't stop me! No matter what happens I'll-"

Saura suddenly feels Sonic hugging her. "You have to let that go. Don't let your fear own you," the blue hedgehog added.

Saura shivers as she took in Sonic's advice as Amy joins in on the hug. When Silver finally joined in, the wolf let it all out. She hugged the three hedgehogs and cried. "Sonic, Amy, Silver," Saura cries as she finally lets her emotions go!

Silver frowns as he hears Saura cry. She must have been through a lot if she's pouring out this much. The white hedgehog looks to Sonic and Amy who are frowning as well and then to Knuckles, who is watching with a frown as he lets out a sad sigh. The red echidna walks to the group and he pats Saura's shoulder.

Saura looks to Knuckles as her crying dies down a bit. She wipes the tears out of her eyes while releasing Sonic, Amy, and Silver. She looks the Knuckles once she calms down a bit. "I-I'm sorry Commander. I didn't m-mean to waste t-time," she apologized.

Knuckles looks to Saura with surprise. Aside from the communicator and warning in the other arena, this is the first time the wolf spoke to him. The red echidna shakes his head. "Don't push yourself Rookie. It had to be out," he says to Saura with a small sad smile.

Saura smiles a bit to Knuckles, but then Infinite had came back in her head. Frowning a bit, the wolf looked towards Amy. "Amy, y-you may be r-right about me falling in l-love with Infinite, but I don't th-think Infinite feels the same f-for me," she says to the pink hedgehog. "W-we had a little a-argument and I c-confessed my feelings t-to him out of anger," she added with sadness.

Amy frowns as she pats Saura's shoulder. "Then what did he say after you confessed?" she asks the wolf.

Saura looks to Amy as she gets ready to answer; however, Knuckles interrupts them. "Look, I understand you two want to talk about this, but that can be done later. We have to find the reactor and destroy it to prevent anymore Phantom Ruby illusions," he says to the females.

The group suddenly hear someone coming! Looking at the source, they see Shadow and Rouge along with a red robot following them. "Hey, it's Shadow, Rouge, and Omega," Silver says with relief.

"Seems like you guys aren't having any luck with finding the reactor too," Rouge says with a sigh.

"Yeah, and Eggman and Infinite were on our tails. They know some of us are here," Knuckles says with a groan.

Omega, the red robot, had its eyes shine a bit. "TARGET MUST BE LOCATED. MUST GIVE PAYBACK. EXTERMINATION INITIATED," it says while it starts to walk. It didn't get far however thanks to Rouge. Saura watches the red robot as it walks with a frown. She didn't want Infinite to be exterminated… However, she did remember Infinite's story about his fight with Shadow and Omega. The robot wants revenge on Infinite that's for sure. She soon sees the robot look at her after Rouge stops it. Shivering, the wolf slightly hides behind Amy. "UNIDENTIFIED CREATURE DETECTED. SCANNING SUBJECT," Omega says as it continues to look at Saura.

Saura feels Omega's gaze on her as she hides further behind Amy. Amy sees this and smiles gently to Saura. "Hey, it's okay. This is Omega, he's on our side. He won't hurt you like Eggman's robots," she reassures to the wolf.

Omega soon made a beep noise. "SUBJECT IS A LIFEFORM SPECIE KNOWN AS A WOLF. GENDER FEMALE. NAME UNKNOWN," it says while continue to stare at Saura.

Amy smiles a bit. "Omega, this is Saura. She's our friend," she says to the robot. The pink hedgehog then moves away from the wolf as she slightly moves Saura closer to Omega. "And Saura, this is Omega," she added.

Omega continued to stare. "NO DATA FOUND ON SAURA. UPDATING DATA," it said while still watching Saura. It then walked a bit closer. "DATA UPDATING COMPLETE," it then added. The wolf continues to watch the robot closely while smiling a tiny bit.

Suddenly, Infinite finally arrives after he creates a hole through a wall that also created a smokescreen around it. Once he's out of the hole, everyone can see the jackal with red aura and red cube like auras around him with an angry look as the red color on his scleras are still there. Infinite looks to the group and noticed how close everyone, especially Amy and Omega, is to Saura. The jackal growls madly. "Don't touch her," he shouts as he spreads his red aura around the arena!

Everyone started to float when the red aura came into contact. It also has everyone scattered around the arena. Silver, being used to float around, controlled it just fine as he uses his telekinesis to hold on to Sonic and Amy. Rouge uses her wings to control as well while trying her best to hold on to Shadow and Knuckles. Omega used its hover boosters to keep straight. Saura uses her grabbling hook to cling on to the pole close to her. Infinite watches the group scattered a bit as he floats towards the wolf. Before the jackal could grab her, Shadow releases Rouge as he attacks Infinite. Thanks to the attack, the red aura around the arena faded and everyone was back on the ground. The black hedgehog glares at the jackal and then he completely recognizes him. "You, you're the leader of that squad who was defending one of Eggman's facilities," he says to Infinite as his glare deepens.

Infinite glares at Shadow as he gets up. "So, you finally recognize me Shadow," he mocks at the black hedgehog. "Too bad that will be one of the last things you will remember when I'm finished with you and your friends. You may have been able to escape the last few times, but now nothing will save you," he added as he starts to float up. The next thing anyone knew, Shadow and Infinite start fighting with each other as Omega shoots its green lasers at Infinite.

Saura quickly slides down from the pole; and then, she was soon stopped by Amy. "Saura, it's up to you to stop Infinite from this rampage before he blows up the fortress," she says to the wolf with worry.

Saura frowns as she looks nervous. "B-but, what should I d-do?" she asks. The wolf looks back to the fight as Shadow and Infinite continue their attacks at each other as the jackal have his red cube like auras after Shadow. "I-I've tried talking to him, b-but he didn't l-listen to me," she added.

"Try again. And this time you're not alone. If things get out of hand, Sonic will save us all," Amy replies to Saura's question. The pink hedgehog watches the wolf look back to the fight and appears to be focusing on Shadow, Rouge and Omega. "Don't worry about them. I'm sure they don't mind how your voice sounds like," she answers the silent question.

Saura looks to Amy with an unsure look. But when she sees the pink hedgehog nod, the wolf takes a deep breath to calm down a bit as she nods back. "O-okay," Saura says quietly.

Amy smile a bit to Saura as she looks to Sonic, Silver, and Knuckles. "Guys, we need to stop Shadow and Omega from attacking. That way, we can get Saura close to Infinite," she says the blue and white hedgehogs and red echidna.

Silver gave a nervous look as he looks back to the fight. "But how, we all know how rough Shadow can be with that and Omega is just as the same," he says to Amy.

"There is no time! Let's quickly get this over with. You deal with Omega while Sonic and I deal with Shadow," Knuckles says to Silver. He then turns to Amy. "Let's hope this plan of yours works," he says to the pink hedgehog. The red echidna and blue hedgehog quickly made their way towards Shadow.

Shadow had managed to attack Infinite with a yellow energy spears; but before he could finish off the jackal, Sonic and Knuckles had tackled him to the ground! "What are you idiots doing?" he asks while glaring at blue hedgehog and red echidna.

Omega was about to give Shadow some help but was suddenly held down by Silver's telekinesis. Rouge sees what Silver, Sonic, and Knuckles are doing and looks confused. "Have you guys lost your minds?" she asks as she got ready to help her two friends.

Amy soon held down Rouge, so she wouldn't fly. Infinite watches the group with a dark chuckle. "You all are making this too easy," he says as he got ready to attack with red cubed auras. But then, Saura got in between him and the group. He watches her with surprise.

Once Shadow, Rouge, and Omega here held down, Saura immediately gets in the middle while facing towards Infinite. She watches the jackal look at her with surprise. She shows a nervous look as she looks back to Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, and Silver. When Sonic gives a reassuring nod with the others, Saura looks back to Infinite with a frown as she slowly starts walking towards him. "I-Infinite that's enough," she says gently to the jackal.

Infinite watches Saura a bit. As he tries to walk past her, the wolf will continue to block the jackal's way. He glares a bit as he continues to look at Saura. "Saura, move," he commands lightly.

Saura shakes her head. "No Infinite, y-you need to listen to m-me," she replies. "Wh-what's wrong with you? Why a-are you acting like th-this?" she asks the jackal.

Infinite glares a bit more as he got ready to use the Phantom Ruby to by pass Saura. Suddenly, Infinite feels something grab his arm. He looks down and sees Saura's grabbling hook on his arm. This got him a bit angry, so he just uses his Phantom Ruby to quickly get close until he's right in front of the wolf. He watches the wolf flinch, but she didn't back away. "Saura, for once obey me and stand aside," he commands again. Infinite noticed Saura shakes her head once again as she has her hands on to his chest and Phantom Ruby. Growling, the jackal got ready to attack the wolf, but he stopped when he noticed the wolf looking down along with trying to push him away from the others.

"Why are you still trying to talk to him Saura? You know he'll just reject you again like last time."

Saura's looks down in shame as she hears that. But she quickly shakes her head to snap out of it. The wolf suddenly sees Infinite remove her grabbling hook as he moves away from her to get to the others with a look of deep anger as the red aura around him starts to grow. So, Saura grabs Infinite's arm fast and starts pulling him away from Sonic and his friends. "Infinite please stop," she begged to the jackal.

Infinite glares down at Saura as he feels her pull him away from Shadow and the others. "Saura, let go of me now," he commands! He watches the wolf shake her head in response as she held on to him a bit tighter. This had the jackal growl more as the red aura starts to flow out faster. "I said let go of me Saura," he demanded loudly!

Saura continues to hold on tight to Infinite while shivering a bit. "N-no," she says to the jackal. "Infinite, you need to c-calm down. This anger a-and solution won't bring b-back your squad," she added.

Infinite's anger rose as he forces Saura to let go, so he can grab her arm. "What makes you so sure about that?! When you lost your parents, you wanted to destroy Eggman. Isn't that right?" he says while glaring down at the wolf.

Saura stiffens when she hears that question as she looks away. Yes, she did want to destroy Eggman when she heard about what happened to her parents but… "Yeah, I did," she admitted quietly. She then remembers the last conversation she had with her parents.

*Flashback*

Saura watched her parents going over their luggage one last time before they got ready. Saura didn't want to go because of how much the place there reminds her of Nevil. "Mom, do you and Dad have to go back there? Aren't Dad's parents still upset at us about what happened to… u-uncle N-N-Ne-Nevil?" she asks the older blond wolf with red eyes and red outfit.

The older blond wolf and brown wolf look at Saura with surprise. a bit, the older blond wolf walks up to the younger blond wolf and places her hands gently on the young wolf's shoulders. "Saura, your grandparents are not upset with us at all. I think they are worried about you just as we are," she says gentlyFrowning. She then gasps a bit with a deeper frown. "Saura, is that why you refuse to talk to anyone and let yourself be bullied?" she asks. The older blond wolf watches Saura nod a bit which caused her to have tears in her eyes. "Saura, please don't shut the world out. There will be someone out there waiting for you. They might need you one day, and you have to be ready for them. Don't let what Nevil say get the best of you. You can't let those sadness and anger emotions get to you or it could hurt you even more," she says to Saura as she hugs the young wolf. "Promise me you won't let that happen, okay?" she asks.

Saura had some tears in her eyes as she hugs the older blond wolf with a nod. "I promise Mom," she vowed. She then feels the older blond wolf let go with a sad smile, so she releases her too. She watched the two older wolves get their luggage ready. "B-but still, d-do you guys really have to go? Wh-what if that E-Eggman Empire attacks here or D-dad's parents?" she suddenly asks again.

The two older wolves look back to Saura and then at each other. Nodding, the older brown wolf with blue eyes walks to Saura. "You'll be fine Saura. Your mother and I will only be gone for a few days and then we will return with your grandparents and aunt. In the meantime, we need you to watch the house for us and make sure everything is good when we come back. Can I count on you to do that?" he asks Saura. He watches Saura look away another tear appears in her eye. Finally, the young blond wolf with blue eyes looks back to him and nods. "That's my little-" he says as he stops himself with a little chuckle. "I can't call you little wolf anymore. You're a fully-grown wolf ready to take on anything," he added with a smile. Once Saura smiles a bit back, he hugs the younger blond wolf. "We will always be with you Saura, even when we are apart. Remember that," he added. The older brown wolf releases the young blond wolf gently as he grabs his luggage. "We'll be back. We love you Saura," he says to Saura.

Saura smiles a bit as she gets the tear out of her eye. "I love you guys too. Be careful," she says to the two older wolves as they walk out of the house.

*Flashback End*

Saura had a tear fall out of her face. Suddenly, she looks back at Infinite with determination. "But then, I remembered a lesson my parents told me before they left. "You can't let those sadness and anger emotions get to you or it could hurt you even more." I didn't understand it… until the day I found out they died," she says to the jackal. She watches Infinite look at her with a confused glare. "You remember what I said about what happened after I found out my parents were gone?" she asked. The wolf watches the jackal's confused expression change to a surprise as the anger somewhat dies down. "That was out of sadness and anger in my part. I was sad for the loss and angry that I didn't go with them. And that was when Nevil told me to "end it,"" she says to add more to the silent answer.

Sonic and his friends listened to the conversation Saura is having with Infinite. Amy suddenly releases Rouge after the comment Saura threw out. Rouge was too focused listening to the conversation to move. Silver frowns as he continues to hold down Omega. Shadow continues to struggle against Sonic and Knuckles's hold. Knuckles looks down a bit as continues to hold down Shadow. Sonic listened with a frown and finally looks down. The blue hedgehog remembered the wolf telling him how long she had to deal with the torments from earlier. With that AND the fact about her parents' death, it's no wonder the wolf lost it when he, Amy, and Silver hugged her.

Saura then looked down at the Lightning Wispon in her hand. To everyone's surprise, the wolf drops her wispon. Knuckles got ready to shout at Saura, but Sonic stops him as the hedgehog shakes his head. Infinite watched with surprise and flinches when the wolf looks back at him with a gentle expression. "Infinite, I understand what you're going through when you saw Shadow, but violence isn't the answer," she explains. Saura then has her free hand move towards Infinite's cheek but stops when the jackal moved away. She then feels something attack her from behind but doesn't flinch. Thinking who it might be, she ignores him as she continues to look at Infinite with a gentle expression.

"I know you felt that Saura. Just stop speaking and it won't happen again."

Ignoring that voice, Saura continues to try and finally places her hand gently on to Infinite's face. "Remember when you told me you can count on no one but yourself?" she says the jackal. "But sometimes in situations like this, it never hurts to have a friend help you," she added. "Can you let me be that friend for now like that time when we were in that room?" she requests with a small sad smile.

Infinite widened his eyes when he hears Saura's request. Before he can stop her, the jackal soon feels the wolf pull him to a gentle hug. Seeing Sonic and his friends watching, Infinite was about to shove Saura away, so he won't be seen as weak until he caught her scent again. That same smell that has been soothing him ever since he saw her in the Mystic Jungle. The jackal tries to fight it, but he remembers the last time he pushed her away. He doesn't want it to happen again… He wants Saura to stay with him… Infinite, once he gave in to Saura's scent along with it mixed with his, hugs Saura as the red aura starts to die down and the red cubes disappear. As he closes eyes and buries his muzzle into her neck, the scent became stronger as he takes in more of it. This caused him to tighten the hug a bit as a single tear appears and falls off his cheek. "Saura," he mumbles the wolf's name.

Sonic sees Saura hug Infinite, the same way he and his friends hugged her when she was needing friends. The blue hedgehog watched Saura continue to hug Infinite as she looks to Amy with a smile. He smiles when he sees the pink hedgehog smile back. "Sonic, if you and your friend do not release me now, I will do it by force," Shadow says with anger.

Sonic glares down at Shadow a bit. "We will if you stop fighting," he says to the black hedgehog. Knuckles watches Shadow as well to make sure he doesn't break loose. "Okay?" Sonic asks as he watches the black hedgehog.

Shadow hmphed as he suddenly vanishes from Sonic and Knuckles's grasp! The blue hedgehog and red echidna looked surprised as they looked around for the black hedgehog. They soon see him appear in front of them as he gets ready to attack Saura and Infinite. "Buddy," Sonic shouts to Saura with the nickname he gave her! Sonic quickly blocks Shadow's attack with his arm.

As the two hedgehogs glare at each other, Saura and Infinite stopped hugging each other. When Infinite opened his eyes, the scleras are back to normal as he sees Sonic defending him and Saura from Shadow. Saura saw what Sonic and Shadow are doing and looked shocked. "S-Sonic?" she questioned with a confused look. Saura suddenly felt the same attack from before; and this time, she couldn't stop herself from flinching. The wolf shakes her head to ignore it but was suddenly being held by the jackal. She yelps as she looked to Infinite.

Infinite, the moment he sees Shadow trying to get to him, knew he needs to get Saura away from the black hedgehog. He lost his squad by Shadow; he won't let that happen to Saura too. Not to mention, he noticed Saura flinched a second ago like she got hurt after she said the blue hedgehog's name...

"Wherever Saura goes, I'm always there with her inside her head. I may be dead in the physical world, but she can't get away from me mentally…"

Infinite showed a look of shock and worry as that sentence replays in his head like before. If that's the case, then Saura must have been mentally attacked by her uncle! He must save her from everyone! So, the jackal quickly picks up the wolf by having one arm around her shoulders while the other is around her legs. He also grabs Saura's Lightning Wispon as the red aura returns, so he can use the Phantom Ruby to float in the air. "Hey," Infinite hears Silver shout out!

Saura sees Silver flying towards her and Infinite. She noticed the jackal shows a smirk on his face as he gets ready to attack. Panicked, the wolf looks to the white hedgehog. "Look out Silver," she warns Silver! Before Silver could take in the warning, Infinite had already got behind him and kicks him to the ground close to Sonic and Shadow.

When Silver lands on the ground, his telekinesis wears off on Omega. The robot stands up completely as its metal hand transforms to a laser cannon. "PAYBACK INITIATED," it says while firing green lasers at Infinite and, while unaware of it, Saura.

Amy noticed Omega shooting lasers at Infinite and Saura! Worried, she quickly runs to the robot to stop it from shooting. "Wait, you'll hurt Saura too," she says with worry. Noticing Omega isn't listening, the pink hedgehog looks up to the jackal and wolf with worry.

Infinite soon noticed the lasers coming at him and Saura. He quickly dodges them while protecting Saura and glares at Omega. The jackal then notices he's surrounded since Sonic and Shadow had stopped their little face-off when they realized he snagged Saura. "You fools, thinking you can attack me with my guard down. How low of you and your friends Sonic," he says to Sonic with a glare. Infinite watches Sonic glare a bit; and then, he turns to Saura who is watching him with a frown. "As for you, you will not leave my side from now on," he reassures. The jackal carefully keeps a hold of the wolf's shoulders and legs as he allows more red aura surround him and the Phantom Ruby. "The rest of you shall stay out of my sight or else I will kill you all," he warns as he spreads the red aura out at everyone, except for Saura. Sonic and his friends were all slammed to the wall by the force of the Phantom Ruby's power. When that happens, Infinite quickly leaves the arena with Saura through the hole he broke out.

"No," Knuckles exclaims as he tries to break out of the Phantom Ruby's hold! Once Infinite had completely left, that was when the effects had worn off. The red echidna tries to run towards the hole to go after them but realizes how fast the jackal can be with the Phantom Ruby. Knuckles groans as he pounds his fist together. "Damn it, we were so close," he says in anger.

Shadow glares at Sonic and his friends. "Why did you all hold us back? We could've easily taken out Infinite and his Phantom Illusions," he says while crossing his arms.

"Because, Infinite might not be all bad. He saved Saura when Eggman attacked in the other arena," Amy says to Shadow with an annoyed look. "And Saura was doing just fine calming Infinite down to stop the Phantom Ruby until you jumped in," she added as her anger start to raise. Soon, the pink and black hedgehogs start glaring at each other.

"Enough guys," Sonic says as he looks to the hole Infinite went through. "Some of us should find the reactor while the rest will go after Infinite and Saura," he then says to the group.

"WILL LOOK FOR TARGET," Omega says to the group as it starts walking to the hallway close to the hole and turns on its boosters to go faster. Shadow and Rouge went on to follow the robot.

"Stop," Amy shouts to Shadow and his friends, but the group is already up ahead! The pink hedgehog looks to her friends with worry. "Guys, we need to do something quickly! There is a chance they could hurt Saura in the process," she tells the group!

Sonic nods in agreement. "Yeah, I think we should split in two teams," he suggests as he looks to Knuckles. "Knux, you and I will go find the reactor," he says to the echidna. The blue hedgehog then looked towards the other two hedgehogs. "Amy, you and Silver will go after Shadow and the others and try to do what you can help Saura," he says to them.

Amy frowns when she couldn't be able to go with Sonic, but time is running short and everyone is doing their best to help prevent Eggman from winning. With determination, Amy nods. "Alright," she says as she gets out her trusty Piko-Piko hammer. "Let's go," she shouts as she runs after Shadow and his friends. Silver follows her quickly with his telekinesis. Sonic and Knuckles went to the opposite hallway to find the reactor.

Chapter Text

Chapter 24: Opening the Heart

Infinite and Saura are now back in the room they were in before. Unfortunately, Infinite couldn't shut the door since Saura broke it. So, he created a new one with his red cubed auras from the Phantom Ruby. Once that was taken cared of, the jackal gently places the wolf down. He watches Saura look at him as she stands on both feet. The two stared at each other for a bit in silence. Finally, Infinite sighs as he looks to Saura with worry. "Saura, are you alright?" he asks. The memory of Saura almost died quickly played back in his head. The jackal shivers, but he quickly ignores it.

Saura tilts her head in confusion when Infinite asked if she was alright. She believes she is okay. She looks around a bit at herself to make sure she is. "I-I think so," she replies with a little uncertain sound in her voice.

Saura suddenly feels Infinite's claw hands on her arms and noticed the worried and serious look. "Please Saura, I need you to be honest with me. Are you alright?" he asks the wolf in desperation.

Saura flinches a bit at Infinite's sudden desperation. "I-I'm fine Infinite," she replies again with the same answer. She noticed Infinite frowns as he starts to investigate her by checking for any wounds on her. The wolf shivers a bit as she has her hand on the jackal's shoulder. "Infinite, I said I'm okay," she says with a worried expression.

"Are you?" Infinite asks as fear starts to rise in his voice. "You could've been mentally hurt by your uncle while you were talking," he added. The jackal noticed the wolf shows a shocked look. So, it did happen just like when Saura told him to attack her! Nevil is still mentally attacking Saura even as they speak. Infinite had his hand on to Saura's cheek. "Now, are you alright?" he asks again.

Saura frowns a bit as she looks down to Infinite's hand. The last conversation they had still rings in the wolf's head. Saura mentally shakes her head to ignore that memory.

"Go on Saura, tell him how you feel or remain silent... Then again, he rejected you... No matter what answer you choose, it will still hurt you.."

Saura looks down for she honestly hadn't thought of her answer. "I… I don't know," she answers. "I don't kn-know how you want me to answer th-that," she added as she sighs a bit. The wolf looks back up to the jackal's blue and yellow eyes. "B-but I can tell you that I will be. If it weren't for Sonic and his friends, I wouldn't be able to speak to you in that arena," she then says.

Infinite growls a bit at the thought of Sonic. He moves his hand from Saura's cheek to her shoulder. "Don't mention that blue nuisance's name nor his friends! They are nothing but insects," he says to the wolf. "He and his annoying resistance group are in the way of my world domination," he added.

Saura flinches a tiny bit in surprise when Infinite got a bit angry when she mentioned Sonic and his friends. It was almost like he was… jealous. However, when she heard Infinite's last sentence, the wolf frowns at the jackal. "Are you sure that's what you really want?" she asks in concern.

Infinite looks to Saura with an eye narrow. "Yes, it is. And once I get rid of the resistance and their blue savior, I will take out the old man and rule this world," he replies! The jackal then has his other hand on Saura's cheek. "And you will be there by my side ruling with me," he then says to Saura as he gently pets the wolf's cheek. Infinite then releases Saura to look at the red cubed door. "Together, we shall show the world what it means to have fear and pain," he added.

Saura cringes at the thought of hurting the resistance. She would never do such a thing!... The wolf then remembered about the jackal wanting to get rid of the resistance first. "B-but, I'm part of the resistance too. Wh-which means you have to kill me too," she says to Infinite as the frown still remains on her face.

Infinite stood there stunned after Saura spoke as the memories from the first arena took place. He looks to Saura in shock and disbelief. Kill Saura because she's in the resistance… Never! The Phantom Ruby starts to glow rapidly on the jackal's chest as he uses it to slam Saura to the wall and traps her in between there and himself. As he deep breathes, Infinite watches the wolf stare at him with extreme shock and slightly shivering. "I… will never… do such thing," he says while deep breathing. Seeing Saura raise her hands a bit, he remembers the grabbling hooks on her wrist bands. Quickly, the jackal grabs the wolf's wrist and holds her hands up above her head. "You… are mine… mine alone," he says to Saura as two red cubes appear next to him. Infinite soon has the two floating red cubes transform to handcuffs. The floating red handcuffs then attached themselves on to Saura's wrists and the wall. Once the cuffs are on the wolf and attached to the wall, Infinite lets her go.

Saura starts to freak out a bit as she tries to break out of the handcuffs. "I-Infinite, wh-what's going on?" she asks as she continues to try and break out of the handcuffs. The wolf then noticed the jackal had placed his clawed hand on the wall close to her face.

Infinite soon has his other clawed hand on Saura's cheek. "I said… you… are… mine," he says as he leans closer while deep breathing. Suddenly, the jackal slams his lips to the wolf's. Saura blushes, but also flinched at the kiss. This isn't like one of those romantic nor gentle like kisses Infinite used to do. This kind of kiss is rough, almost animal like which is something Saura isn't used to. The wolf tries to break free, but the jackal had moved his hand from her cheek to the back of her head. Infinite then hears Saura whimpering, perhaps she's low on air. Slowly, he releases the wolf's lips and watches her.

Saura deep breaths as a blush continues to remain on her face. She looks to Infinite with a shock and somewhat scared expression. "Wh-what are you… d-doing?" she asks quietly. The wolf suddenly feels the jackal nuzzle to the right side of her neck that caused her to shiver and hold her breath a bit since she's trying to stop herself from moaning.

Infinite noticed Saura preventing herself from moaning; this caused him to growl a bit. "There is no need to resist Saura. I know you like this," he says to the wolf. The jackal soon starts placing kisses on to her neck and continues up to her cheek and forehead. He then looks to Saura as he gently pets her cheek with his clawed finger. "I know I do," he whispered. Infinite then places his lips back on hers. He hears the wolf trying to say something. Instead of listening, the jackal takes that advantage to shove his tongue into the wolf's mouth. He then releases her and watched her deep breathing with a trail of saliva connected to the wolf and jackal's lips. Once Infinite gave Saura a small peck on her lips, he wraps an arm around her waste to bring her a bit closer without hurting her arms. The jackal feels their bodies touch a bit which caused the wolf to gasp. Smirking, Infinite moved closer to Saura to have their bodies closer as he tightens his hold a bit. Now, he starts hearing the wolf moan a bit. "Yes, that's it," Infinite whispered again as he starts showering Saura's neck and chest with kisses.

Saura continues to moan a bit as she feels Infinite really close and kissing her. "Wh-wh-why are you- ah... d-doing- o-oh... th-this?" She asks between her gasps and moans.

Saura hears Infinite chuckle a bit as he moves up to her ear. "I told you Saura. You are mine," the jackal continues to whisper. Infinite then gently nibbles the wolf's ear a bit and stops to look at her. "After all, you did say you love me. Is that true?" he then asks.

Saura blushes red when Infinite brought her confession up. "Y-yes," she admitted while looking away embarrassed.

Infinite purred at the answer with a pleased look. "Then that means, you belong to me now," he says with a smirk. The jackal nuzzles to the other side of the wolf's neck as he inhales her scent. Infinite moves his hand, that was on the back of Saura's head, to her upper back. "Jackals may not be the same as wolves, but they do share some things in common. One is when they bond with someone, they are paired with that individual for life. You are no different despite being a wolf; which means, you are mine," he added.

Saura continues to blush and stiffens when she feels Infinite holding her a bit closer as he looks at her with want. As Infinite leans closer to Saura's face again, they suddenly hear something outside of the room. It sounded like lasers are shooting the red cubed door. Infinite glares at the cubed door and growls at the interruption; but before he could do anything, the cubed door was already destroyed. Omega was the first to walk in to the room. "BLOCKAGE HAS BEEN DESTROYED," it said while walking in. The robot soon noticed Infinite and aims its laser arm at the jackal. "TARGET HAS BEEN FOUND. EXTERMINATION INETABLE," it stated as it got ready to fire.

Infinite growls more at Omega as he gets ready to dodge the upcoming attack until he remembers Saura right beside him! When the robot starts to shoot its lasers, the jackal quickly has his Phantom Ruby create a shield around him and the wolf. Once the shooting was over, he glares at Omega as the shield remains up. Just then, Infinite noticed Shadow and Rouge coming in as well which caused him to growl madly at the black hedgehog. Noticing the danger, the jackal turns to Saura with a gentle expression. "You stay here my chosen one while I take care of these insects," he says to the wolf as he gently places his lips on her forehead.

Saura blushed a bit when Infinite kissed her forehead; but the moment ended as she sees him glare madly at Shadow and his friends as the shield fades away. The wolf tries to break free from the handcuffs but with no success. She watches the jackal walk towards the black hedgehog and his friends with worry. Saura thought about shouting to Infinite to stop, but seeing Shadow, Omega, and Rouge in front instead of behind made her stop. Whimpering a bit silently, Saura said nothing.

Amy and Silver soon arrived in the room and noticed they were a bit too late to stop Shadow and his friends. The white hedgehog then noticed Saura and her hands trapped by red handcuffs. "Saura," he calls out to the wolf!

Saura jumps a bit when she hears Silver. She looks towards where she heard it and noticed the white and pink hedgehogs behind Shadow and his group. "Silver, Amy," she calls out to the two hedgehogs in response! The wolf then hears the jackal growl a bit at her which caused her to shiver a bit.

Infinite slightly glares at Saura for speaking to Amy and Silver. He glares back at Shadow and his group as he starts to spread the red aura, from the Phantom Ruby, around the room. Everyone held their ground as the area turns red. Shadow glares at Infinite. "Chaos Spear," he shouts as he throws out yellow energy spears at the jackal.

Infinite counters Shadow's attack using red aura cubes. The two then began to start fighting. Omega and Rouge tried to assist the black hedgehog as much as they can. In the meantime, Silver and Amy got to Saura without being spotted by Infinite. The white hedgehog approached to the wolf first and noticed the handcuffs. "Saura, what happened?" he asks the wolf.

Saura watches Silver try to get the handcuffs off her as he waits for her answer. "I-Infinite wanted to take you guys out; a-and once he does, he's going to take out E-Eggman, so he can rule the w-world," she starts to explain. "When I told him that I-I'm part of the resistance which means h-he'll need to get past me, I-I think I got him angry and jealous. B-because he told me that I should be h-his alone since I told him h-how I felt for him," she added as she looks down in shame.

Amy listened to the conversation and frowns. She then sees Saura look down in shame. She can't let the jackal play with the wolf's feeling like that! Until, she remembered the actions the jackal showed at the first arena. If so, then jealousy is definitely one of the reasons for his behavior now. She has to find a way to see if Infinite likes Saura the same way she likes him. The pink hedgehog looks back up to the fight between Infinite and Shadow, Rouge, and Omega. The jackal had just summoned strange floating cannons out of nowhere to start firing them at the black hedgehog, white bat, and robot. Infinite then looks to her direction and glares more.

Silver sees Infinite glaring at him and Amy. Quickly, he finally frees Saura from the handcuffs. This got the jackal more angry as he makes a few of the cannons aim at him, Saura, and Amy. The white hedgehog gets ready to use his psychokinesis to protect him and the two females. He waited but nothing popped out. Curious, he watches Infinite and noticed he's holding back his attacks as he only looks at Saura. Amy is right! The jackal is in love with the wolf, that's why he can't hurt her! Silver looks to Saura. "Saura, can you try to talk to him again? Maybe you can convince him to help us stop the war and change his mind about world domination," he says to the wolf. Saura looks away from Silver as she remembered how she tried before and got backfired.

Shadow, as he and his team tried to dodge the cannons from Infinite's cannon illusions, noticed the other set of the cannons aimed at Silver, Amy, and Saura and yet not attacking them. He watches carefully and finally understands why; It's the wolf! In fast speed, the black hedgehog got behind the other two hedgehogs and wolf. He forced Saura to turn around and look at him as he ignores her flinch and shiver a bit. "You! why is he not attacking you?" he barks out his question. Shadow watches the wolf look confused as she shakes her head like she doesn't know. This got the black hedgehog to glare at her. "Answer me," he demands as he grabs the wolf's arm tightly.

Infinite glares at Shadow and it deepened when he sees the black hedgehog close to Saura. The jackal growls madly at the black hedgehog once he grabs the wolf… his mate! With the Phantom Ruby, Infinite got behind Shadow and grabs him by the neck that forced the hedgehog to release the wolf. "Don't. Touch. Her," he says to the black hedgehog with anger while the Phantom Ruby glows brighter! The jackal then throws Shadow to a wall with red aura.

When Shadow's back hits the wall, four red binds held both of his hands and feet to the wall. He tries to break out of it but is having no luck. "Damn it," he cursed out while trying to break out of his binds. The black hedgehog glares at the jackal as he continues to try and break free.

Infinite lets out a dark smirk and then turns his attention to Rouge, Omega, Silver, and Amy. He launches red aura like spheres at the four, trapping them the same way he did to Shadow. Amy drops her hammer when this happened and now tries to break out of her binds with the others. "Hey," she exclaims!

Saura watches the Silver, Amy, Rouge, Shadow, and Omega with worry. They increased when she sees the cannons increase their number until there is one for each of the others and aimed at them. She has to do something or else they'll be killed! The wolf looks around the room and noticed her Lightning wispon lying on the ground. Infinite must have dropped it when they returned here! Quickly, Saura uses her grabbling hook to grab the wispon. Once the weapon is in her hand, she destroys all the floating cannons in the room in one swing. When the cannons are destroyed to tiny red cubes and vanish, the wolf goes to Amy, since she was the closest, and tries to help remove the binds.

Infinite watched Saura with surprise as she took out his cannon illusions. He wasn't expecting her to quickly take them out that fast. His thoughts were interrupted when he sees her trying to help the pink hedgehog. Growling a bit, the jackal uses his Phantom Ruby to get close to the wolf and grabs her from behind. Why are these insects always taking her attention away from him? Saura belongs to him only! He hears Amy call out to the wolf. Infinite's growls increased as he moves away from the group with Saura. The wolf started to struggle but she couldn't get out of the jackal's hold. Infinite traps Saura to the wall that does not hold Shadow nor any of his friends. And instead of using the Phantom Ruby, he used himself to hold her down. "Why do you keep protecting them?" he asks a bit in anger. "I told you Saura, you're mine," he says while growling a bit possessively!

Saura, now recognizing the kind of growl he's doing, tries to look at Infinite with a disappointed look. "I-I'm not some kind of p-property Infinite," she says to the jackal. "I am a l-living creature," she added with a bit more determination as she tries to break out of his hold.

Infinite humphs as he pushes Saura towards the wall a bit more, so she can't escape. "No, you are more than that," he says to the wolf in a whisper. Little did he know, Rouge is able to hear him since she's closer and can hear well thanks to her stealth skills. The jackal starts to pet the wolf's left cheek and neck as he nuzzles to the other side of her neck. "And I will do anything to keep you," he mumbles out. Infinite stops petting Saura as he holds her closer while shivering a bit from the memories of losing his squad and her almost died. "I've lost my squad and almost lost you once. I will not let that happen again even if it means taking you away from the resistance," he added. Infinite then flips Saura until her back touches the wall.

Saura listened to Infinite with a shocked look. What could she be that is more than a living creature? And what about almost lost her once? The wolf was then flipped around, so her back is touching the wall. She looks to Infinite and sees the scared look on his face. Saura remembers Silver asking her to talk to Infinite. The white hedgehog did say something about the jackal can help them. Figuring it's worth a shot, Saura looks to Infinite. "Wh-what if you don't have to rule the world and take me away? Y-you can help me, and my friends defeat E-Eggman," she says to him. The wolf noticed the jackal look at her with suspicion. "W-we all have an enemy in c-common now and that's Eggman. With all of u-us working together, we can s-stop Eggman from his world d-domination," she tries to explain. "And once th-this war is over, everyone will go th-their separate ways even me. Wh-when all the cities are rebuilt, I-I want to see more of what I've missed from this w-world," she added. "It's true I-I've given that part a shot and… well, I've already told you what happened," she says while looking down. Saura flinched a bit but shakes her head and looks back to Infinite. "Now, I'm ready to give it another chance to see what it really is. Why can't you do the same?" she then asked with a bit more confidence despite flinching a bit from time to time.

Infinite widens his eyes a bit as he slowly releases Saura. Backing up a bit, he watches Saura flinching as she continues her speech. There is no doubt the wolf's uncle is attacking her, but why is she ignoring it?! Right when Saura asked her question, Infinite growls a bit. "Why should I do the same if it will only happen again?" he asks.

"Indeed Saura, why should he continue to try.. It will only hurt him even more.."

Saura frowns a bit as she walks a little closer to Infinite. "Then learn from what happened and use that knowledge to think of a new strategy and try again," she replies. "Not only that, try to make some new friends and it can help you understand what went wrong so you don't have to worry about making the same mistakes. I'm sure your squad would want you to do that. And I will do the same starting now," she added. The wolf holds her hand out to the jackal. This brought back to the time Infinite rejected her at first which got her to frown a bit more.

"I told you no more SPEAKIN-"

"Don't let your fear own you."

Saura's confidence returned when she remembered what Sonic told her. She continues to watch Infinite as she held her hand out to him. Amy watched Saura and Infinite as they talked. The way Saura worded her speech had her smile a bit. She must have learned it from her and her friends. But when the wolf held out her hand to the jackal, the pink hedgehog's smile faded as she watches the two with hope. "Come on," she mumbled a bit with hope.

Infinite looks to Saura and noticed her hand. He looks at the group he had trapped. The pink and white hedgehogs appear to be watching with hope. The white bat is just watching with a surprised look. Shadow and Omega appear to be just watching with no expressions. Just seeing the black hedgehog makes the jackal angry. He refuses to help Shadow not after what the hedgehog did to his friends. The moment he looks back to the wolf, memories of what the Phantom Ruby prototype showed him and Sonic. All of those dead mobians, voices of disgust, and of course… Nevil. The wolf who was the cause of all the torture at that tower. Just thinking about the brown wolf, Infinite imagines him just right behind Saura in her shadow. That terrible wolf just there laughing, mocking, and attacking the poor blond wolf from behind every time she opens her mouth… and yet, she's ignoring him. Why… why is she doing that now after everything that's happened?!... Looking back at the wolf, the jackal slowly raises his clawed hand. Can this wolf really help him?... So far, she seems to have been a bit. She listened to his story, shared hers with him, and admitted her feelings for him… Infinite sees Saura more than just a living creature… he loves her as his mate... and friend. Finally, he places his hand on the wolf's hand with a small smile. When this happens, the Phantom Ruby on Infinite's chest stops glowing and the red aura starts to fade around the area.

Once the red aura around the area faded, everyone's binds had disappeared as well! One by one, everyone dropped to the ground and watched Saura and Infinite. Amy smiles brightly while Silver watch with shock. Omega gets ready to shoot lasers at the jackal but was stopped by Rouge. Shadow watches with his arms crossed. The black hedgehog wanted to finish off the jackal for what he did seven months ago; however, seeing the white bat stop Omega and looking at him, he stayed put. Shadow looks back to Infinite and Saura as he watches them. "That wolf better know what she's doing," he mumbles out to Rouge.

Saura watches Infinite have his clawed hand on her hand. Smiling, she looks up to the jackal and sees him smiling a bit. The wolf starts blushing with a little nervous look but continues to smile. Infinite catches Saura blushing which got him to blush a bit. Remembering Saura admitting her feelings to him, he decides to do the same. "Saura," he calls out to the wolf. The jackal places his free clawed hand on to the wolf's cheek gently. "There is something I need to tell you," he says as he starts to feel nervous a bit.

Saura looks to Infinite to hear what he has to say until she starts to feel the ground start shaking. Before she could ask what's going on, the wolf hears the jackal start groaning and growling in pain as he falls to his knees. Worried, Saura lowers down to Infinite. "I-Infinite, what's wrong?" she asks the jackal. The wolf noticed the Phantom Ruby starts to glow a bit as the sound gets louder, the one she always hears when she's with Infinite.

The moment Amy feels the earthquake and smiles more. "It's Sonic! He must have destroyed the reactor," she says to the group. Saura looks to the group and then to Infinite. After all, it doesn't explain why Infinite is suddenly in pain.

"Then we need to get out of here before we get caught in the explosion," Silver says to everyone.

Saura watches the group nod in response. "Saura," she then hears Infinite mumble out. She looks to the jackal with worry to let him know she's here. "The items… get the items," he added while pointing to the table that held his red sword. Nodding, Saura gets Infinite on her back, so she can carry him and goes to the table while holding her wispon with her arm. She grabs on to the sword and then noticed something else on the table, her necklace! Well, the crescent moon that held her necklace attached to a black string. She looks to the jackal and back to the necklace. Quickly, the wolf grabs her necklace and has it in her pocket.

"Saura, come on! We need to get out of here," Silver calls out to Saura! Nodding, the wolf quickly keeps her hold on Infinite, his sword, and her wispon as she starts running to keep up with Silver, Amy, Shadow, Rouge, and Omega as Infinite held on to her and the Phantom Ruby on his chest.

Chapter Text

Chapter 25: The Phantom Death Egg Robot Battle

Saura and her friends had arrived outside of the fortress on a cliff that shows the horrid buildings. To their surprise, the fortress isn't being blown to pieces like they predicted, but it does give time for the rest of their friends to escape. As Amy, Silver, Rouge, Shadow, Omega, and Saura wait for their friends, the wolf helps Infinite down to a sit position. "A-are you okay?" she asks with extreme concern. The wolf watches the jackal deep breath for he's no longer groaning in pain. Just then, Infinite looked down to one of his clawed hands to what he was holding, a shattered gem. Recognizing the ruby color, Saura frowns at what it was. "Oh no," she says quietly. It is bad because Infinite will think he's weak again…

"I should've known," Saura hears Infinite say. The wolf looks to the jackal and sees him looking at the shattered Phantom Ruby. "Once the reactor is destroyed, this Phantom Ruby turns back to an ordinary prototype like the one you had," he explains. He glares at the shattered ruby as it disappears with the wind and rain. "And now, I'm back to being a weak mercenary," he added with anger.

Saura frowns as she sits on her knees next to Infinite. She places her wispon down so, she can place her hand on the jackal's shoulder to have him look at her. "You're not weak Infinite," she reassures him. "Just because the Phantom Ruby is gone, it does not make you weak. You're still strong without it," she added. Before she could have Infinite speak, Saura hugs him gently to comfort him.

Infinite watches Saura hug him and then looks at the others. Everyone else seems to be waiting for their blue savior and the rest of their friends. Seeing it is safe, the jackal hugs the wolf back as he nuzzles to her fur a bit. Just then, he remembered the items he wanted Saura to get! "Saura, do you have the items?" he asks while letting her go. Infinite watches Saura nod as she shows him his red sword. The wolf hands the sword to the jackal with a smile. He looks at the blade and then back to the wolf. "What about the other?" he asks. Saura flinches a little as she looks down a bit. Infinite thought she might have forgot it until she reaches to her pocket. The wolf pulls it out and shows it to him, her crescent moon necklace. Once the jewelry is in his other hand, the jackal looks at it as he places his sword down. "Turn around," he lightly commanded the wolf.

Saura looks at Infinite with a confused look. Why does he want her to turn around? Noticing the jackal is waiting, the wolf turns around until her back is facing him. She noticed Amy and the others are still waiting for Tails, Knuckles, and both Sonics. She really hopes they're okay… She noticed Shadow look back at her and Infinite. Saura slightly shivers a bit at the black hedgehog's glare or his expressionless gaze. She suddenly feels something being placed around her neck. The wolf looks down and noticed her necklace! "Wh-what?" she says in confusion.

"Do not lose that," Saura hears Infinite say. The wolf looks back to the jackal and sees him get his sword while trying to get up. Helping Infinite up, she starts to hear someone coming! The wolf looks and sees the older Sonic and Knuckles come out of the fortress first; and then Tails and the younger Sonic came out next! "Hmph, figures they would come out," the jackal mumbles out. Saura looks to Infinite and then back to the older Sonic and his friends. The wolf sees the pink hedgehog hug the older blue hedgehog as she gives him kisses on the cheek and he tries to gently move her away. Saura giggles a bit at the two until it dies down a bit while she blushes as she thinks of Infinite and herself. Without even thinking, the wolf places her head on the jackal's shoulder. Infinite notices the strange attention along with how close her scent is and looks at her. "What's wrong?" he asks.

When she heard Infinite, Saura immediately blushes red at what she's doing and quickly backs away a bit. "I-I'm sorry," she says quietly. After all, she still doesn't know if Infinite loves her the same way she does for him. True, there was that time back in the fortress, but that was only because the jackal was raged with the Phantom Ruby. She then sees the others looking at her and Infinite. The first one to try and approach them was the younger Sonic since he seems to be glaring at Infinite. The wolf quickly gets in between the young blue hedgehog and jackal as she protects the jackal.

The younger Sonic skids to a stop to the point he's close to Saura and Infinite. He looks to the wolf with a confused look as he scratches his head a bit. The older Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Silver, Rouge, Omega, and Shadow then came up until they are close and behind the younger Sonic. Saura sees the group all come up and starts to show a nervous look for she isn't use to having so many mobians come up to her at once. She can see mixed emotions in the group. A few are scared while most of them are tensed. Saura realizes she needs to introduce Infinite to the group. She looks at the group a bit more for a few seconds as she gulps with a little scared look herself. Taking a deep breath, Saura hides in her fear as she looks to the group with a tiny smile. "G-guys, I want you to m-meet Infinite. He is here to h-help us to take out E-Eggman's army," she says to the group while moving away a bit to show everyone the jackal.

The older Sonic and his friends watch Saura trying to introduce them to Infinite. When she finished, he looks to Infinite and noticed the tensed expression he's giving them as the jackal grips on to his sword tighter. The older blue hedgehog looks to his friends and noticed they're tensed as well. Looking back at Infinite, he lets out a smile. "Well, we don't really need any help taking out Eggman since his army is butt kicked," he says to Saura. He watches the wolf stop smiling as she looks down a bit as the jackal looks at her. The older Sonic then looks to Infinite with the same smile. "But, any friend of Saura's is a friend of mine," he says with a grin. The wolf and jackal look at the older hedgehog with surprise along with everyone else. The older Sonic then held his hand out to Infinite. "I'm Sonic, Sonic the hedgehog. It's nice to meet you Infinite," he says to the jackal.

Amy smiles to the older Sonic as she shows a dreamy look on her face. Tails, the younger Sonic, Knuckles, and Silver continue to show their surprised expressions. Rouge just gives out a small smile and Shadow and Omega remain expressionless. Saura starts to show a smile when she realizes the older Sonic wants to be Infinite's friend. She looks to the jackal and gives him a reassuring nod. Infinite looks to Saura until he notices the nod and looks back to the older Sonic. He watches the older blue hedgehog with suspicion as he slowly raises his hand a bit.

Before Infinite could shake the older Sonic's hand, the earth started to shake. This caused caution to rise on everyone! "Oh come on, now what?" the older Sonic complains as he looks around. "Can't we just win and have that to be the end if it?" he added.

Tails looks around until he sees something come up from below the cliff. "Look" he says to everyone! Everyone turned to see what Tails is pointing at. They all see a huge metallic, black robot with red glowing spots all over. Could it be-

"Gotcha," Dr. Eggman's voice shouted through the robot speakers! The large group glares at the doctor. "The fortress reactor was just a decoy. A true winner always keeps his trump card hidden until the end," he added with a dark chuckle.

Knuckles glares at Eggman with the others until he suddenly hears the communicator going off and picks it up. "Guys, what's going on?! There aren't less enemies, there's MORE," Vector's voice was heard through the communicator!

Everyone but Infinite gasps in shock. The jackal shows a shocked look. "There's so many of them," Charmy's voice shouted through the communicator.

"We have confirmed sightings on Shadow, Metal Sonic, Chaos, and Zavok, there are thousands of them," Espio exclaims through the communicator! "We don't know how much more our forces can take," he added!

Both Sonics glare madly at Dr. Eggman. "What have you done?" the older Sonic asks with anger!

Dr. Eggman lets out a short evil laugh. "I merely incorporated the Phantom Ruby into this Death Egg Robot," he replies with an evil smirk.

Tails frowns a bit as he thinks out loud. "But, that means the Phantom Ruby no longer has a vulnerable energy supply," he says in disbelief. Then it hit the two-tailed fox! "It's an invulnerable ruby?" he asks with shock!

While he glares at Eggman, Infinite hears Tails's theory. The jackal remembers all the info the doctor gave to him about the Phantom Ruby which had his clawed hands to fists. "I'm afraid so," he says to the fox while ignoring the surprised stare he received.

"A good deduction Tails," Dr. Eggman comments while rubbing his moustache a bit. He then stops. "This Death Egg Robot has-" he stops to adjust what he said. "No, I have surpassed Infinite to become the complete and ultimate form," he added with determination.

So, the human was going to betray Infinite sometime soon. He should've known better! Infinite had a chance to stop Eggman before! He should've done it before the war started! The jackal growls at the human with anger. "Why that pathetic human," he growls out in anger.

"You all will be crushed by this Death Egg Robot, powered by the Phantom Ruby, and in the end everything will be just as I planned," Eggman shouts as he lets out an evil laugh! The robot spread out its front arms and shoots out red aura around the area.

Everyone held their ground as the red aura makes contact with them. Once the red aura dies down, Saura and both Sonics recovered quickly as they help their friends up, including Infinite. When that's done, the older Sonic steps forward. "Your plan will end like all your plans do with you sitting in a pile of busted robot parts wondering how you failed so badly," he says to Eggman with a glare.

Saura watches the older Sonic look towards his friends as they all nod while she looked confused with Infinite. And then, she sees Shadow pull out his yellow gem. Knuckles pulls out two gems similar to Shadow's, but one is red and the other is turquoise. Amy pulls out another one except it's purple. Rouge pulls out the same gem, only this one is white. Tails pulls out another gem, but this one is blue. And finally, the older Sonic pulls out the same, but it's green. "Seven gems?" Saura questions quietly.

Infinite noticed the gems the older Sonic and his friends have float in the air and surround both the older and younger blue hedgehogs. Now understanding what those gems are, the jackal takes a step back. According to the legend he read, those seven gems are known as Chaos Emeralds! Both Sonics were soon swallowed by a bright light with the emeralds! When the light finishes, both Sonics are now yellow instead of blue and are surrounded by a light aura. "Th-This can't be," Eggman shouts!

The two Sonics glare at Eggman in determination. The older Sonic looks to the younger one. "Let's get him," the older Sonic says. Once the younger Sonic nods, he and the older Sonic float in the air and fly towards Eggman as they start fighting him.

As the battle of both Sonics and Eggman rages on, the group on the ground realizes how the Phantom Ruby is being overclocked! Whenever the Sonics get close to the human, the ruby will counter back which leads the two yellow hedgehogs back to the way they were at before they fought the mad doctor. "Are the emeralds really useless against the Phantom Ruby?" Knuckles asks with shock. Everyone started to worry for both Sonics especially Amy.

Tails suddenly gets an idea! "Perhaps we should counter back! One of us should help Sonic out! Someone who knows more about the Phantom Ruby than any of us," he says to the group. And Tails knows who can help! The fox turns to the jackal. "Infinite, you can help us," he says.

Infinite narrows his eyes at Tails in confusion. "What?" he questions the fox's idea. He watches the fox walk up to him and Saura.

"You've known about the Phantom Ruby longer than any of us! Plus, you've got one too! Maybe you can stop Eggman from using his tricks," Tails explains to Infinite. But then, the fox notices the jackal no longer has his own Phantom Ruby on his chest! "Wh-what happened to your-"

"Gone for good thanks to your blue savior," Infinite interrupts Tails as he growls. "When the reactor was destroyed, the Phantom Ruby I had becomes a regular prototype and shatters because of how much it was used," he added with anger. The jackal watches the fox back up a bit as Knuckles glares at him. Infinite glares back but stops when he feels someone's hand on his shoulder. Knowing the one mobian who can do that, he tries to calm down as he gently looks to the wolf behind him who is staring at him with a worried frown. He sighs to finally calm down.

"Guys, look out," Silver warns the group for he sees one of the metallic robot's hands heading straight for him and the others! The white hedgehog starts using his telekinesis to stop the arm from getting any closer, but it is still coming closer. Silver cringes as he continues to try and hold the hand away from the others. "I… I can't hold on to this forever," he announces as he continues to struggle to hold the arm.

Saura looks at the metallic robot arm that Silver has a hold of along with both Sonics trying to fight off Eggman while looking like they are struggling. Without even thinking, she lets go of Infinite, grabs her wispon, and charges towards the Death Egg Robot. The jackal noticed the wolf's actions and tries to stop her. "Saura, what are you doing?" he tries to ask and runs off after her. Silver looks and notices Saura running towards the huge robot and Infinite running after her. That one second was all Eggman needed to have his robot's arm break out of Silver's psychokinesis. Unfortunately, Saura quickly uses her grabbling hook to grab on to the upper arm of the robot. Infinite came close to catching her, but her grabbling hook pulled her away from him. "Damn it Saura," he mumbles in anger and worry.

Once Saura got on the Death Egg Robot's upper arm, she sees the lower arm is free from Silver's grasp. She quickly uses her Lightning Wispon to take out the lower half of the arm along with managing to toss it away from the others on the ground. When that was finished, the wolf looks at the robot she is on and glares at the red glow at the center as she starts running towards it.

When the younger Sonic had managed to break his little forcefield at the center of the robot, Dr. Eggman had to find a way to stall the two Sonics. He noticed Tails talking to Infinite and evil smirks. Once he used the Phantom Ruby to push the two yellow hedgehogs away, he uses one of the Death Egg Robot's arms to attack their friends and the traitor. Apparently, Silver caught his actions and tries to hold his arm down, but he knows the white hedgehog can't hold it for long. Just when the arm is finally free, the lower half of it had suddenly been sliced off and tossed away thanks to a lightning whip. The human looks to the source and notices the blond wolf heading towards him on his robot! He glares at her as he launches some missiles at the wolf.

Saura noticed the missiles heading towards her, so she uses her wispon to deflect them back at the Death Egg Robot. While the missiles are aimed towards the huge robot, the wolf continues to run towards the center in order to get to Eggman and the real Phantom Ruby. As soon as the missiles hit the robot along with both Sonics using the missiles as cover to attack, Saura took the chance to bust the red center and sneaks in! The wolf looks around once she's inside as she sees all the wires and red holograms everywhere! She would've been distracted by the scene until she hears a familiar sound, the sound of glitch. Recognizing what that sound means, Saura glares at the direction and starts heading towards that sound.

Dr. Eggman glared at the wolf when he sees her deflect his missiles. He bangs on his hidden white robot with eight arms attached to his Death Egg Robot. That wolf is about as annoying as Sonic and his meddling friends. Then again, she is one of Sonic's friends, but he knows nothing about her. What was her name again? Sabrina… no, Sable… not that- The human's train of thought was interrupted when the missiles hit his Death Egg Robot. He tries to find the wolf until he was interrupted by Sonic and his other dimensional self who are still using the Chaos Emeralds. He summons more missiles along with red cubed like auras and aims them at the two yellow hedgehogs. He watches them dodge with an evil smirk as he gets ready to smash them. Suddenly, he hears a loud crash inside his robot! Looking around, Eggman then sees the blond wolf break in as she looks at his other robot that was hidden with shock until she glares at him. "You annoying pest," he shouts at the wolf! He quickly activates one of his white robot's arms to attack her.

Saura, stared at this other robot that is in the Death Egg Robot with her and Eggman in shock. Could that robot be one of the human's backup plans in case both Sonics defeat this robot. When the wolf sees the human, she lets out a glare and growls quietly at him. She then sees the arm of the white robot being released from the Death Egg Robot as it starts heading towards her. Quickly, she dodges the arm and charges towards Eggman with her wispon.

Dr. Eggman glares madly at the wolf as he now activates the lasers in his white Death Egg Robot. The wolf avoids the lasers the best she could and managed to get hit on her left arm and side from one of the lasers since the human heard her yelp in pain. And then, the human notices the lasers are also hitting his dark metallic Death Egg Robot. He tries to stop his lasers but sees it's already too late. He glares towards the wolf and finally catches her with one of the white robot's arms and brings her close to him. "Curse you," he shouts at the wolf! "Not only you helped Sonic and his friends, but YOU also took away my best soldier," he added as his glare deepened! The human watches the wolf trying to break out of his robot's grip while glaring back at him. "Who are you?" he asks in a demanding tone.

Saura continues to remain silent as she tries to break out of the white robot's grip and glaring at Eggman. She refuses to speak anything to the human for what he's done to her, and everyone else. The wolf is also in pain after that laser managed to hit her left arm and side along with the fact she is being squeezed by the white robot. Then, she and the mad doctor hears some kind of warning sound going off along with the Phantom Ruby sound effect.

Outside, both Sonics and their friends waited for Eggman's next attack, but nothing came out after the two Sonics managed to land a hit on him. They suddenly noticed lasers being shot out of the Death Egg Robot and looked surprised. Infinite watches with worry as he grips on to his sword. He feels so helpless when he sees those lasers continue to fire. His fear deepened when the lasers stopped. "Saura," he calls out for the wolf! Sonic and his friends look at the jackal and then back to the black metallic robot.

The Death Egg Robot suddenly stops functioning; but soon, a hole in the middle started to pulse a bit as it shatters the red glass protecting it until a white floating spider looking robot pops out of the other robot. Its six back arms have claw-like grabbers while the two front arms look like they launch missiles and lasers. The front of the robot's face has three purple like glowing dots. The older Sonic noticed the robot holding someone familiar, someone with blond fur. "Buddy," he says in shock and worry for his friend! The yellow hedgehog glares at Eggman as he charges towards him and his new robot.

Eggman noticed the older Sonic heading towards him. He uses the Phantom Ruby to push the older yellow hedgehog away. He lets out an evil chuckle as he uses one of the front arms of the white Death Egg Robot to shoot out a laser at both Sonics. "I will destroy you Sonic and your little resistance will be next," he shouts at the older Sonic! To prove his point, Eggman had the robot's arm, the one that is holding Saura, start to crush her.

Saura glares at Eggman as she tries to break out of his robot's hold until she feels it trying to crush her. She groans from the pain as she tries to endure it the best she could. Remembering her mental abuse from her uncle, the wolf ignores the robot's grip as she looks around for a way to escape.

"…give in and all of this will end right now…"

Saura flinched at the memory of that little phrase of the lullaby Nevil did when she was young. Shaking the memory away, she continues to try and endure the pain the best she could. However, the wolf knows that she has her limits and that could happen soon.

Infinite noticed Saura being crushed by Eggman's robot and knew he must do something! Without even thinking, the jackal starts heading towards the white robot by getting on to the busted metallic black robot. He heard one of Sonic's friends call for him but ignores them. Infinite jumps and runs on the busted robot until he manages to grab on to one of the white robot's back arms. Hanging on to the arm tightly, he starts climbing until he reaches to the body of the robot. As he glares at Eggman, the jackal notices the real Phantom Ruby in the power storage of the robot! This could be his chance to take back the power he had for six months! He slowly tries to reach for the gem until he hears Saura start whimpering in pain. Infinite looks to her and sees she is trying to hold back a scream for how much pain she is in. The jackal needs to hurry and rescue the wolf!... but if he doesn't he'll risk the opportunity to get his power back. Infinite looks back to the Phantom Ruby then to Saura and repeats the cycle. Every time he looks back to the wolf, the jackal memorizes all the times he was with her including the very first encounter at the city. He shut his eyes tight for he struggles to go to what he desires most.

"No matter where this g-goes, I did and still do l-love you…"

When that memory replayed in his head repeatedly, Infinite shot his eyes wide open as he looks back to Saura, who is now struggling to breath. "No," he shouts! The jackal quickly uses his sword to chop off the arm holding the wolf and frees her from its grip. Once she's free, Infinite grabs Saura with his free arm and uses his sword to hold them in place even though he's damaging the white Death Egg Robot. "Hang on Saura," he says to the wolf. The wolf looks to Infinite with surprise as she deep breaths a bit and wincing in pain.

Eggman suddenly noticed Infinite by the time the jackal had sliced the white robot's arm that held Saura. He glares at the jackal and wolf. "Infinite, how dare you betray me after I've given you the power of the Phantom Ruby," he exclaims in anger! "For what you've done, I will make sure you and the one you've chosen suffer through the same power I have given you," he added. The human then has the other front arm of the robot aimed at Infinite and Saura as it charges a laser beam.

Both Sonics watched Infinite choose between grabbing the Phantom Ruby or saving Saura while dodging the laser beams Eggman kept launching at them. They were a bit surprised when he chose the wolf over the gem. Once they see the jackal and wolf in danger, the older Sonic looks to the younger Sonic. "Come on, our friends need us," he says with determination. When the young yellow hedgehog nodded, he and the older yellow hedgehog fly towards the white robot. The younger Sonic attacks the front arm aimed at Saura and Infinite to distract Eggman. Apparently, the distraction also caused the jackal's sword to release the robot which has him and the wolf start to fall. The older Sonic quickly catches Saura and Infinite before they could fall down any further. "Are you guys alright?" he asks the jackal and wolf.

Infinite glares a bit at the older Sonic; however when he sees Saura is with them, he sighs a bit quietly in relief. She's safe and that's what matters to him. Saura, on the other hand, continues to wince, but doesn't show it to the older Sonic and Infinite. She nods to the older yellow hedgehog. "Y-yeah," she replies. The wolf looks back up to the older Sonic. "B-but, Eggman is t-too strong," she says with a frown.

The older Sonic looks to the white robot and noticed it seems to be struggling a bit since it's having a hard time stopping some of the younger Sonic's attacks. "No, I think Infinite had managed to damage it enough to weaken it," he says to Saura with a smile. He then looks to Infinite. "Thanks for the hand pal," he says to the jackal.

Infinite growls quietly at the older Sonic. Before he could bark back at the older yellow hedgehog, the jackal and the wolf were gently placed down on the ground next to the others. The older Sonic then floats back up to help the younger Sonic fight Eggman. Infinite looks around and noticed the others, aside from Saura, looking at him with either shock or suspicious look. "What are you all looking at?" he mumbled with a glare.

The group suddenly hear the white robot being attacked as Eggman yells at both Sonics in anger. And then, both yellow hedgehogs surround themselves with a bright light as they charge towards the human and his white robot. The light goes through the robot and caused it to explode as a red light appears around it. When the white robot is destroyed, the red light spreads out to millions of red sparkles. "They did it," Knuckles shouts in excitement! The echidna's friends cheered in joy as both Sonics fly down and their fur turns back to blue when they landed. Everyone then noticed Vector, Espio, and Charmy heading towards them.

"We've got excellent news! All the enemies have disappeared," Vector says with joy! The older Sonic and his friends smile to Vector, Charmy, and Espio. The crocodile then notices Infinite standing next to Saura. "Hey that's-" Vector tries to say as he got ready to attack the jackal.

But then, the older Sonic stops Vector and his two friends from charging towards Infinite. "Relax you guys. He's cool," he says to the crocodile, bee, and chameleon. The older blue hedgehog walks to the jackal and wolf. "Thanks for the help! You two did great up there," he says to the two. Infinite turns away from the older Sonic until he sees Saura give the older blue hedgehog a smile. The wolf looks to the jackal and gives him a smile as well. Infinite sighs a bit quietly and gives the wolf a tiny smile.

Everyone then noticed someone glowing! They turned to the source and see the younger Sonic starting to glow, Everyone, but Saura and Infinite, knows what's going on. Tails walks up to the younger Sonic. "I guess this is goodbye," he says to the younger hedgehog as he holds his hand out. "Get home safely Sonic and thanks for everything," he added. The younger Sonic shakes Tails's hand and shows a thumbs up to the fox. The young hedgehog looks at the rest of the group and nods as they said their goodbyes.

Saura frowns when she hears Tails say bye to the younger Sonic. She had no idea that the young hedgehog would leave once the war is over, but that's the way it is. When she sees the younger Sonic look at her and Infinite, the wolf smiles sadly a bit and waves. "B-bye Sonic," she says to the younger hedgehog while ignoring Vector, Espio, and Charmy's surprised expressions.

"Saura….."

The younger Sonic smiles to Saura, but his body soon starts to fade a bit. He looks to Tails and holds his fist out to the fox. Tails smiles and has his fist to the younger Sonic's fist gently. After the younger hedgehog starts waving, he completely fades. Tails has his hand out to the younger Sonic but sees that it's too late. The fox looks down sadly with tears in his eyes.

Sonic noticed the sadness Tails is showing so, he walks up to the fox and gently places a hand on Tails's shoulder. "Cheer up Tails. I'm sure we'll run into him again," he reassures the fox. Once Tails nods and wipes the tears off, Sonic nods and looks to him and everyone else. "Alright guys! It's time we clean up the mess that Eggman left this world in, and I'm not talking about those illusions he dreamed up for us! We need to fix the real world we all live in," he says to the group.

Tails smiles as he nods. "True dat," he mumbles. He looks to everyone and sees them all but Saura and Infinite nod in agreement. The jackal just makes a hmph noise and looks away a bit. The wolf on, the other hand, starts to look like she's having a hard time breathing a little bit while continuing to hold her arm and side like she's covering something. What could be wrong with-

"What about him?" Charmy asks as he points to Infinite. Tails looks to the jackal who is now looking back at the group like he's ready to fight. Saura quickly hides in her pain as she walks in between Infinite and the group to protect the jackal.

Sonic noticed Saura defending Infinite and smiles. "Don't worry, Infinite is friends with Saura. He helped us take out Eggman," he says to the group. Vector, Espio, and Charmy looked to towards Sonic with a shocked look.

Saura looks to Sonic with a smile. "Th-thank you," she mumbles to the hedgehog. Suddenly, the wolf feels the pain on her arm and side increase. She starts deep breathing quietly a bit as she tries to not show her struggle.

"Saura…."

Saura flinches as she feels the pain continue to grow and deep breaths a bit more. However, she can't let it show to her friends. The wolf can't let them worry, now that the war is finally over…

Tails, apparently, caught Saura's struggle and looks worried. He notices Sonic getting everyone ready to head back. "Wait Sonic," he calls to the blue hedgehog. The fox steps a bit closer to the wolf with worry. "Saura, are you okay?" he asks.

Saura noticed Tails caught her and now everyone is looking at her in concern especially Infinite. She tries to smile for the group, but the pain becomes unbearable. In fact, she's already struggling to stand and drops her wispon! The jackal notices the wolf is about to fall. "Saura," he calls out to the wolf and catches her! Now Sonic and his friends are worried, aside from Shadow and Omega since it's hard to tell. They all gathered around Saura to see what's wrong. Infinite noticed Saura covering her arm and side. He gently removes her hands away from those spots and noticed both spots are covered in blood! This only increased the jackal's worry. "Saura, what happened?" he asked.

Saura, seeing Infinite and her friends looking at her with worry, notices there is no use into hiding it. She looks to jackal even though it is hard to keep her eyes open. "E-Eggman landed… l-laser… wh-while also… his D-Death Egg Robot…" she tries to reply but finds it hard to.

"Saura…"

Espio notices Saura is struggling to speak and tightens his hands to fists with worry. He quickly pulls out his communicator and turns it on. "Espio here. We have an injured soldier. Requesting medical attention. I repeat, requesting medical attention," he says through the communicator.

Knuckles watches Espio calling out for help and then turns back to watch Saura. "Help is on the way Rookie. Hang on until then you got that?" he says to the wolf. The echidna notices the wolf nods but is struggling to keep her eyes open. Growling a bit, he gets up. "I'm going to go look for the rest of the resistance," he announces.

Silver looks to Saura with worry as she tries to stay strong. He then hears Knuckles and nods. "I'll go with you," he says to the echidna with determination. When Knuckles nods, he and the white hedgehog took off to find the rest of their team.

Sonic, Tails, Amy, Vector, Espio, Charmy, and Rouge continue to watch Saura with worry. The wolf leans towards Infinite, who seems to be the most scared for her, and clings on to him like her life depends on it. Sonic places his hand gently on to Saura's head. "Don't worry Buddy, Knuckles and Silver will be back with reinforcements and everything will be okay," he tries to reassure the wolf.

Saura looks to Sonic with a tired smile. Infinite noticed how tired the wolf looks along with how she clings on to him. The jackal pulls to wolf closer to him and watches her gently. "Please hang in there Saura," he mumbles so only Saura can hear him.

Saura looks back up to Infinite and grips on to him. That way, she can show him she will try. But the wolf suddenly feels herself losing conscious. The last thing she heard was Knuckles calling out with help.

Chapter Text

Chapter 26: Illusions & Reality

Saura opens her eyes as she pulls herself up to her knees. She wondered what happened and how did she get here. Speaking of here, the wolf has no idea where she is. The moment she starts to lift her head a bit, she only sees darkness. Lifting herself up to her feet, she looks around for the others. "Infinite?" she calls out for the jackal first. She waited for a reply, but it was only silence. "Infinite?" she tries to call out again! However, she once again hears only silence. Now, the wolf begins to worry. "Sonic?! Tails!? Amy?" she now calls for the blue and pink hedgehogs and fox! There was silence which only got Saura scared. "C-Commander?! Silver?! Espio?! V-Vector?! Ch-Charmy?" she then tries to call for the echidna, white hedgehog, chameleon, crocodile, and bee! When there was nothing but silence again, the wolf starts to shiver. "R-Rouge?!... Omega?!... Sh-Shadow?!" she tries to call out even though she won't hear a reply…

"There is no one here," a voice replied. The voice sounds familiar, but also not familiar to Saura. There is also something off about their tone… The wolf looks around for the source of that voice but sees no one. "Then again, no one really cares, so why should you?" the same voice asks.

Saura glares a bit as she continues to look around for the source of that voice. "Th-that's not true! They are my friends! They wouldn't abandon me," she shouts at the voice in some anger! "Who are you to judge if my friends cared or not?" she asks with a little growl.

"What happened to you?" the voice replies with a question. "You used to be so quiet and mind your own business… Now, look at you. You're getting weaker and you allowed them to collect pieces of you. They can turn that information against you," the voice added. The voice sounds a bit… emotionless.

However, Saura only got a little angrier to think about the voice's tone. "They would never do that! You don't know them like I do! You don't even know anything about me," she says to the voice!

"That's where you're wrong. I know everything about you. You've been through a lot. And after everything I did to help you find a way to end it, you still refuse to give in," the voice answers. To Saura's surprise, the voice sounds closer. "And because of these "friends," you now continue to move further away. So, I decided to come out before he finishes it," the voice added.

"Just give in…"

Saura starts to shiver a bit as she backs away while that memory of Nevil's voice replays while the area brightens up to that memory and fades back to darkness when it's over. The wolf looks around for the one who spoke. "Wh-who are you?... Wh-why would you know anything a-about me?" she asks.

"That's an easy question to answer," the voice says. Saura suddenly feels someone behind her. Not only that, the voice sounds like it's behind her as well. She looks around and now shows a shocked and spooked expression. The blond wolf sees another blond wolf looking down. Its bangs are covering its eyes so it's hard to see the eye color. This blond wolf had long hair-like fur that covers her upper back and wears short sleeve black shirt and long black jeans. There are cuts everywhere on her wrists and they appear to be bleeding! Saura takes a step back as she continues to watch this blond wolf. "I know you-" the blond wolf looks up as there is also a cut on her neck that also appears to be bleeding. The blond wolf then opens her blue, soulless eyes. "-because I am you," the voice replies as the blond wolf's mouth moves along with the voice.

~

Infinite awakens and realizes he's in a cell. Growling, he tries to break out of the area but realizes he no longer has the Phantom Ruby nor his sword to help. So, he starts using his own strength to break out. Unfortunately, it wasn't successful. The jackal has to think… how did this happen? The last thing he remembered was holding on to Saura. And then…

*Flashback*

Infinite watches Saura finally lost consciousness and shivers in fear. The wolf better not die!... she can't… He then hears the echidna and white hedgehog finally arrive with a couple other resistance members. One of them appear to be a lavender male dog and two are bears, one black male and brown female. They appear to be carrying some kind of equipment. One of the bears appears to be holding a weapon similar to Saura's, but it looks like a hammer with the color blue instead of yellow. When the group arrived, the newcomers noticed him! The black bear with the hammer looking wispon starts charging towards the jackal in anger but was suddenly stopped by Silver.

Knuckles mentions for the dog and other bear to follow him. As they got close, the lavender dog and brown bear get tensed when they are near Infinite. But seeing Sonic, their confidence returned as they look at Saura's arm and side and anywhere else they might see injuries. Infinite grips a bit on to Saura gently. After examining the wolf, the dog and brown bear look at each other for a bit and then back to the echidna. "She has serious wounds on her left arm and waist. She also appears to be lacking oxygen since she lost some blood in the process. However, she shouldn't have lost conscious this fast with this amount of blood loss. We'll need to take her back to HQ to properly treat her wounds and see what else is going on Commander," the male dog says to Knuckles.

Knuckles thought about what the lavender dog said. He is not a doctor but hearing about that does have him a bit concerned. The echidna nods to the dog. "Alright then," he says to the male dog and female bear. He watches the two nod back as they got ready to get Saura.

Apparently, Infinite pulls Saura closer to him as he protects her while growling. Sonic frowns at Infinite's response. "Infinite, we are trying to help Saura. You have to trust us," he says to the jackal. Infinite didn't listen to Sonic and continues to growl. Then, the blue hedgehog shows a shocked look. "Wait, don't do-" was all Infinite heard until he was hit hard in the head. The attack was enough to knock him out.

*Flashback end*

Infinite glares madly at the ground as he pounds his fist to it. He knew he shouldn't trust them. Then again, he did use to be their enemy and did a number of damage on them. Knowing there is nothing he can do now, the jackal leans towards the wall and watches the outside of the cell. He's really worried about Saura as he recalls what the male dog said earlier. If blood loss isn't the cause of her loosing consciousness, then what was?

~

Sonic, Tails, Amy, Silver, Vector, Espio, Charmy, Shadow, Rouge, and Omega continue to chat with each other in the computer room. They soon hear someone coming in and see Knuckles. "Finally, an end to this endless battle," he says in relief. "Everyone can go back home and relax. There's no need for the resistance," he added with a smile.

Silver jumps off his seat and steps forward. "Hold on, there's still a lot we need to do. We're just getting started," he says to Knuckles with a serious and concern look.

Espio nods in agreement. "Silver's right. We still have Infinite in the cell. Not to mention, we still don't know what's wrong with Saura," he says to the group.

Everyone then sees someone walking in and noticed a cream and orange colored female rabbit, wearing a purple outfit, white gloves, and maroon boots, walking in with a purple female cat, that has a red gem on her forehead, purple outfit, white spiked gloves, and pink heels. Amy walks up to the two. "Vanilla, Blaze, how is she?" she asks as the others wait for a response.

Blaze, the purple cat, sighs while Vanilla, the cream and orange rabbit, frowns a bit. "That wolf's wounds are now healed thanks to the medics, but she is still unconscious," the cat replies to Amy as she sighs a bit.

Vanilla places her hand on Blaze's shoulder. "I'm sure with rest, she will be as good as new," she says to the cat. The rabbit then looks to the others. "We're also glad to see you all still alive. Cream and Cheese were worried," she added with a small smile.

Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Silver smile at the thought of their other friends. Those two were too young and innocent to understand what was going on when Infinite took out Sonic and Eggman conquered most of the world. "How are they doing?" Tails asks.

Vanilla continues to smile. "They are doing fine. They wanted to watch over your friend while the poor dear rests," she replies. "Cream was curious about your new friend," she added with a little giggle.

Sonic and his friends smile at the idea of Cream meeting Saura. The young rabbit would get along with anyone. The group was soon interrupted by a male red mobian bird came into the room with a look of worry and shivering while holding a tablet. "S-sir, we figured out what is going on with the wolf," he says to the group but mostly to Knuckles.

Everyone looked towards the red bird mobian to let him know they are listening. "Well then, what is it?" Knuckles asks.

The red bird mobian sighs as he looks at the tablet and then back to the group. "I'm afraid Miss Saura is going through a symptom called derealization, an anxiety symptom when one is trapped in another world made in their minds. That is the cause for Miss Saura's unconsciousness," he says to the group with a frown.

Everyone showed a shocked look as it grows to worry. "B-but how? She shouldn't be feeling any anxiety. The war is over," Amy says with disbelief.

"Perhaps it's something she's scared about in the future or something that had been going on before the war," the red bird replies with a frown. He then looks at the tablet as the frown increases while quickly looking away from it. "So, my team and I decided to do a little research on Miss Saura to find the issue, but… I don't know how you guys will handle it… well, my team and I didn't," he suggests.

Sonic questions what the red bird meant until he remembers what he and Infinite saw back at the fortress… To be honest, when he saw all of those dead mobians, he thought he failed them. Seeing those lives sacrificed for that one final battle had crushed him. He stayed positive for the sake of his friends, but it still hurts to see it. But when he realized it was something Saura thought of, he was concerned about what she went through… "We had to go through a war here soldier," Sonic hears Knuckles say to the red bird. The blue hedgehog looks to the red echidna. "What could be worse than a war?" Knuckles asks.

Sonic looks down with a frown. "Torture..." he mumbles out. Feeling his friends' gaze at him, the blue hedgehog looks up to them and sees frowns and expression less looks. "I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about Saura," he added. Now everyone is showing a confused look. Sonic looks to the red bird. "I saw "it" while I was battling against Infinite. All of that… "stuff" she went through along with who planned them," he says to the red bird.

The red bird stares at Sonic in shock. "H-how? All of that stuff had h-happened thirteen years ago," he asks. Everyone looks to Sonic and the red bird as the confusion continues to grow.

"It was the Phantom Ruby prototype Saura had that showed it. I think it somehow activated when Saura thought about something of her past," Sonic explains. He then looks to the red bird with a sad expression. "And, she's been with it more than you think… at least mentally," he added.

Once he puts it all together, Tails looks to Sonic with shock then fear and shivers. He remembers now: back at the tower Saura was trapped in. All of those dead mobians, some with missing parts, others just dead. And then, that brown wolf who had done it all and attacked him. Saura has been through all of that for thirteen years?! "Tails are you alright?" he hears Knuckles ask.

Sonic looks to Tails when he heard Knuckles ask the fox if he's alright. When he sees the look of fear on his little brother's face, the blue hedgehog realizes the fox knows what he's talking about. Sonic walks to Tails and hugs him. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he mumbles to the fox.

Tails start to have tears in his eyes until he feels Sonic hug him. He hugs the blue hedgehog tightly while shivering. Knuckles watches the two hug with a confused look. "Guys, what are you talking about? What happened at the fortress?" he asks Sonic and Tails with a confused look.

Sonic looks to Knuckles and the others who still showed confused looks. The blue hedgehog sighs as he releases Tails to look at the red bird. "Do you mind if I show it to them?" he asks.

The red bird showed a shocked expression. "I-I'm not sure if that is a good idea M-Mr. Sonic," he says while shivering as he looks back at the screen of the tablet. He then looks back up to Tails and Charmy. "Plus, I don't think everyone should see this," he added for he's worried about the fox and bee.

Sonic looks to Tails for he already knows Tails can't handle it and Charmy is too young. He looks to Vanilla. "I hope you don't mind, but can you take Charmy and Tails to check on Saura?" he asks the rabbit.

Vanilla blinks a bit, but she nods to show she understands. Charmy showed a confused look as he sees Vanilla mentioning him and Tails to follow her. The bee follows the rabbit out of the room with the fox. Once the door shuts, Knuckles watches Sonic ask for the tablet from the red bird and receives it. The echidna crosses his arms in annoyance and confusion. "Sonic, what's going on?" he asks suspiciously.

Once Sonic finishes looking through the screen of the tablet, he frowns. The information is just the same as when he saw it at the fortress. Sonic then hears Knuckles's question as he returns the tablet to the red bird. He turns to his friends and noticed they are looking at him with confused expressions. The blue hedgehog sighs as he looks to the others. "Guys, what we're about to see isn't pleasant. I think this kind of stuff is a little worse than the war we fought against Eggman," he announces.

Sonic watches his friends look at each other in confusion and then back at him. "Sonic, there can't be anything worse than war," Knuckles says as he eye narrows. The echidna then looks to the red bird. "Put the information on the big screen soldier," he requests. The red bird mobian nods nervously as he starts to tap a few things and connects the tablet to the big screen of the computer room. Once the screen successfully loaded, everyone in the room, aside from Sonic and the red bird, stared in shock.

~

Saura stared at the blond wolf with shock. "Th-that can't be," she mumbled as she took a couple steps back. There is no way that this wolf is her! That's impossible!

"But it is," the blond wolf replies with no emotion. "I have been with you for quite some time watching you," she added.

Saura shakes her head multiple times as she glares at the wolf. "That's a lie! The one who has been watching me was Nevil, the wolf who's been tormenting-"

"You mean uncle Nevil?" the blond wolf questions while still looking straight at Saura with soulless eyes. The wolf watches Saura show a confused look. "You know who I am talking about. He is our uncle," she says with the emotionless tone still there.

Saura growls a bit. "Biologically yes," she admitted in shame. "However, he lost the rights for me to say that now," she then tells the wolf in front of her. "And he is not "our" uncle because you are not me," she added.

"But I am you. I'm the you who should've gave up the moment our parents died," the blond wolf explains. "The you who is free from all the pain and destruction along with hurting anyone else," she continues.

Saura frowns with shock. This is the "her" that chose differently on that day… the day of her parents' deaths. She looks at the blond wolf and thought about the words said. Saura had always yearned for that freedom, free from all of that suffering and despair after the way everyone treated her because of her voice. But…

"...your voice is quite lovely..."

Flashes of Infinite appeared around Saura and the blond wolf as she remembered the phrase Infinite said to her twice. Saura looks around for the jackal, hoping he is around. "Infinite?" she tries to call out to the jackal! She hears nothing. "Infinite," she calls out even louder!

Saura suddenly sees the other blond wolf appear in front of her! Before she had the chance to look behind her, the blond wolf's hand was covering her mouth. "I'd be quiet if I were you. Do you want him to know we are here?" the blond wolf asks while eye narrowing. Saura blinks in confusion. "You know, him…" the blond wolf added.

Saura continues to look at the blond wolf with a confused look. Before she could ask, both, her and the blond wolf were suddenly flown away a bit as Saura landed on her back and the blond wolf landed on her stomach. Saura feels the left side of her stomach and arm hurting a bit. Groaning, she sits up and looks to the blond wolf. "A-are you okay?" she asks the blond wolf.

Saura doesn't hear a reply, so she starts shaking the blond wolf but got no response. She turns the blond wolf a bit in order to see the front. Saura then gasped a bit in horror! The blond wolf's cut on her neck increased in size along with more blood seeping out of it. The blond wolf also appears to be having trouble breathing as she tries to get up and grabs Saura's hand with her non-gloved hands! "L-let go of h-him… U-uncle Nevil will… n-never leave us… a-alone until we d-do," she tries to say to Saura.

Saura frowns once she understood what the blond wolf said. "B-but how?" she asks. How can she let Nevil go after everything he put her through both physically and mentally? Saura then notices the blond wolf stopped breathing and falls to her arms. Saura shivers in fear as she watches the now dead wolf until the wolf disappears into little red pieces of light and flow into her.

Saura flinches a bit at what just happened until she remembers the recent attack. Looking up, she sees a male brown wolf with hazel eyes and black gloves and shoes, the same wolf who's been tormenting her. "You know what I told you about speaking Saura," the brown wolf says as he pulls out his whip. Saura shivers as she backs away from Nevil, the brown wolf. She looks around for a way out but remembers there is nothing but darkness in the area around them. "You can't escape Saura. You should know better than that," he added with a dark chuckle. The blond wolf sees the brown wolf about to use his whip at her. Gasping a bit, she quickly dodges the attack.

Once Saura successfully dodges, she hears herself step on something. Recognizing the stench, she yelps a bit and quickly moves away but hears another one. Covering her mouth with her hands, she tries to move away from that spot as well until she got hit by the whip. Groaning from the pain, the blond wolf stands where she's at and looks at the spots she was previously at. She then sees two dead mobians: one is an orange dog, but the ears are completely torn off and bleeding to death while the other one is a wolf, but it's hard to tell what color fur it is due to all the blood on it! Saura feels her anger rise since she now glares at Nevil. "Y-you monster," she shouts at the brown wolf and tackles him hard!

Nevil wasn't expecting an attack from Saura. He falls to the floor and glares at the blond wolf. "I will make sure you regret that, you bitch," he says to the blond wolf with a growl. Saura growls back at Nevil as she tries to find her Lightning Wispon but realizes it isn't on her. The blond wolf showed a look of shock until she snaps out of it to use her grabbling hooks. Saura became stunned when she discovers her bracelets don't have the grabbling hooks. She then hears Nevil getting up while laughing as she backs away. "You fool, what are you trying to search for?! There is nothing for you here," he says while laughing!

Saura shivers as her confidence starts to fade away. What's going on here? She's been through so much during the war! And thanks to it, she's made a bunch of new friends: The legendary hero Sonic and his friends and Infinite! Did all of that really happen… or was that all an illusion? Just something out of her- "No," she shouts as she slapped both sides of her cheeks a bit! She then glares at Nevil as her confidence returns! "Stop with your l-lies," she shouts at the brown wolf!

Saura noticed Nevil's glare deepening at her for talking as he stops his laughter. She noticed he's about to use his whip and starts dodging them as he uses it. The blond wolf growls and tackles the brown wolf again. After the impact, Nevil growls as he gets up. "What makes you think I'm lying? I know you've seen it too, how you are so afraid of the world," he states as he attacks again.

Saura received the impact yelps a bit from pain. She glares at Nevil. "I am not afraid of that, not anymore! And, I'm also not afraid of you," she yells out! Noticing the whip, the blond wolf quickly dodges it and tackles the brown wolf again. "Thanks to my friends, I now know I can't let fear take a hold of me forever," she shouts!

Nevil growls madly at Saura, not from the tackles he's receiving, for talking too much. "Shut up you stupid bitch," he shouts and rapidly uses his whip at the wolf! The blond wolf dodges Nevil's attacks the best she could until he manages to hit her a few times. Yelping, Saura tries her best to endure the attacks, so she won't scream. "You know nothing of the world! You barely made it when my pathetic brother and your mother had died," he shouts as he continues to attack! The brown wolf then noticed the blond wolf had managed to catch the whip in her hand which caused him to deepen his glare. "What makes you think that you have a chance now?" he asks with a glare.

Saura, while deep breathing, glares up at Nevil and holding the whip. To be honest, she has no idea on what to think…

~

Tails and Charmy arrived at the medical room with Vanilla. Tails thought about what Sonic and the others will see and shivers. Just imagining it already got the fox spooked. When they arrived to one of the recovery rooms, they see a young female cream rabbit, and a blue chao with a red bow tie flying next to her as the two stood next to Saura, who is still unconscious but deep breathing a bit. "Cream, Cheese, did the doctor say you can come in here?" Vanilla asks.

Cream, the young cream rabbit, nods. "Yes Mom. When the doctors came out of the room, they started to mumble to each other and allowed me and Cheese to go see her if we want to, but we can't wake her up," she explains.

"Chao," the chao, Cheese, cooed in response. The little chao flies down a bit to Saura as he watches her with curiosity as the blond wolf unconsciously grips on to the bed a bit while groaning quietly.

Cream noticed this as well and looks to Vanilla. "Mom, what do you think she's dreaming about?" she asks the older rabbit. Tails flinches at the young rabbit's question. He knows what Saura is "dreaming" about. The fox looks back to the wolf with a worried expression.

"I'm not sure sweetie," Vanilla replies to Cream. The two rabbits continue to watch Saura with Tails, Charmy, and Cheese. The two rabbits then hear someone groaning a bit more.

Tails suddenly hears it as well. From the sound of that groan, it's coming from Saura. The fox walks up to the unconscious wolf as his worry expression grew. He tries to wake her up a bit, but it wasn't working. "In…," he hears the wolf mumbling. Tails had a confused look, so he leans a bit closer to hear what Saura is mumbling about. "Infinite…" she mumbles again.

Tails had a surprised look. Saura might be trying to call out for help! And the one she wants help from is Infinite… If he remembers correctly, Infinite is currently in the prison room. But, Knuckles told him and the others to not let him out unless Sonic or Shadow are with them… The fox looks to the wolf as she starts to show a look of pain and then back to the exit of the room back and forth. Finally making up his mind, he looks to Charmy. "Hey Charmy, do you have a map of the HQ?" he asks the bee.

Charmy looks to Tails with a confused look as he pulls out the map. "Yeah, but I thought you already know around the-"

"Thanks," Tails interrupts Charmy as he quickly takes the map from Charmy's hand. Before the bee can stop him, the fox quickly runs out of the room as he looks through the map on where to go. He knows he needs to be cautious, so he needs to get there and ask several questions. He hopes his friends can forgive him.

Charmy tries to stop Tails, but the fox was faster than him. "J-just bring that back when your done so Vector doesn't get mad," he shouts to the fox. Vanilla, Cream, and Cheese watch Tails leave with a confused and concern expressions.

~

Infinite hears a couple of resistance members walk by as they glare at him. He glares back at them until they are gone. Once they are gone, the jackal sighs as he looks back at the entrance. Whatever it is the resistance are planning to do, they better get it over with; he's tired of waiting.

Infinite then hears someone coming! He hears a few complaints on one of the guards. "I-it's okay. Kn-knuckles asked me to," he hears a voice reply to the guard. The voice actually sounds familiar… and out of breath. After a few rattling noises, he hears someone coming in. To his surprise, it was the fox who always follows the blue savior, Tails!

Infinite watches Tails with suspicion. "What do you want?" he questions the fox. He watches the fox shiver a bit with a gulp, but he remained silent. "Well?" he asks impatiently.

Tails stiffens a bit until he stops himself to take a breath. Once he does, the fox looks to Infinite. "Infinite, we need your help," he says to the jackal.

Infinite glares at Tails. "Pathetic, why should I help you?" he asks with a growl. "You and your friends do not trust me since you all decided to lock me up here," he states while crossing his arms.

Tails looks away with a frown. Infinite did have a valid point. The jackal has every right to not trust him and his friends since they locked him up in a cell. The fox has to find a way to convince the jackal to trust him… Once he thought of someone, Tails looks back to Infinite. "Y-you don't have to help us… But, can you help Saura?" he asks the jackal.

Infinite stiffens when Tails mentioned Saura. He watches suspiciously at the fox. "What do you mean by that? Your pathetic resistance has "medics" that are helping her as we speak," he says with a bit of confusion. The jackal watches the fox frown as he looks down while shaking his head a bit. Now, he's getting concerned as his fear grows. Growling, Infinite walks to Tails until he reaches to his cell door and grabs on to the bars. "What's going on?" he asks the fox.

Tails shivers at Infinite's growl. "I-I can explain everything, I promise. B-but, I need you to t-trust me," he says nervously. Man, if Sonic was here, Tails would feel a bit more confident… Hearing the jackal growling more, the fox's shivering increased. He then remembers the red sword Infinite use to have and where it is at now. "W-wait here," he says to the jackal as he flies to the storage area in the prison room. Using the keys he got from the guard, Tails easily got the storage open and immediately spot the red sword. He gets the sword and flies back to the cell the jackal is in.

Infinite sees his sword in Tails's hands and looks shocked as his glare lessens a bit, but his anger is still there. "Return that to me," he says while shaking the bars in his cell!

Tails moves back a bit. "I-I will hand it to you, but you have to trust me," he says to Infinite. The jackal starts to growl again while trying again to shake the cell bars. The fox backs away a bit from the raging jackal as he looks back to the room he came out from. He doesn't know how much time he has left before Sonic and the others finish looking through the research the doctors found. Not only that, he doesn't know how long Saura will last through her derealization issue. He shivers a bit as the frustration and anger rose as he throws the sword to the ground. "Why don't you stop and just think about the problem we're having! No one besides you, Sonic, and I know what happened back at the fortress when that red mist surrounded one of the towers! And as of now, Saura is going through some kind of symptom that's making her see those illusions all over again," he exclaims! The fox then thinks of the possibilities that could happen to Saura if he were to fail and has tears in his eyes. "She's… she's calling for you and needs your help… But she can't get to you because of the derealization issue she's in," he explains as he tries to wipe the tears off. Little did Tails know, Infinite stops his actions with a stunned expression the moment the fox mentioned Saura's condition. Once the fox calmed down a bit, he sighs while looking down. "S-so, if you don't want to help, th-that's fine… My friends will think of something else," he says as he finishes wiping his tears and gets ready to walk out.

"Wait," Infinite shouts to Tails as he held his clawed hand out! When he heard about Saura might be suffering from the same experience back at the fortress, he stopped his tracks to think about what the fox said. She's calling for him, but she can't reach for him. And if what Tails said is true, she's in trouble, mental trouble. Noticing the fox had stopped and looked back at him, the jackal grips on to the bar a bit. "I will help," he says while looking away. He looks back to Tails and noticed the fox looks surprised with a small smile. "However, I am only doing this for Saura. No one else," he states with a tiny growl.

Tails still shows a tiny smile despite Infinite's growl. Tails gets out one of the keys and uses it to unlock the door to Infinite's cell. Once the jackal is out, the fox remembers the sword he threw and picks it up. "S-sorry I threw your sword," he apologizes as he hands the red sword to Infinite.

Infinite watches Tails hand him the red sword while apologizing. He sighs a bit as he gently takes his sword back. "It is I who needs to apologize for my little behavior earlier," he says to the fox while looking away. He looks back to Tails and noticed the fox look at him with surprise as his smile returned and increased. Growling a bit, Infinite shows an impatient look. "Well, take me to her," he states while taping his foot.

Tails had to hold in everything from chuckling at Infinite's behavior. It reminds the fox of Sonic's impatient behavior sometimes. He then uses his two tails to start hovering in the air. “This way, follow me," he says as he starts flying to the medical area of the HQ. On their way out, the fox and jackal hear the guard shouting at them to stop; however, it fell deaf to them. After all, someone needs their help.

Chapter Text

Chapter 27: A Wish of Determination

Sonic watches his friends as they read the article of a brown wolf named Nevil and his criminal records. To the blue hedgehog's surprise, the brown wolf wasn't wearing the medallion he previously saw; but nonetheless, it's still him. According to the records, this wolf has been charged for child abuse, first degree murder, and voluntary manslaughter. There were even picture proofs of what he's done. Because of this, Nevil's punishment was instant death to prevent any more lives from suffering the same fate. There were also a few video clips of a few mobians explaining their missing children and how upset they are when they found the results of their loved ones. They all explained what punishment Nevil deserved and everyone of them said death. When the police found the brown wolf, he was seen pinning down an unconscious little blond wolf with a bleeding neck.

Amy was the first to start shivering as tears formed in her eyes. And here she thought Eggman was cruel… maybe. "Th-that's horrible," she mumbled. "How could someone do such a thing especially to their own kind?" she added.

Silver was in shock as he read and watched about Nevil. He, on the other hand, thinks this is worse than Eggman's take over. The only thing that's keeping him from finding this wolf is the fact that the brown wolf is already dead. But, there are still several questions he has about how this relates to Saura's condition. "I'm still confused. All of this happened thirteen years ago, so why would the derealization symptom happen now?" he asks.

Knuckles looks down for he's thinking the same question along with many other questions he has; however, he wants to find the answers himself. He thinks about what he read and watched. Saura had to have been with that wolf for a significant amount of time in order to have her condition, like days or weeks perhaps. And, the echidna wonders if the blond wolf had witnessed something similar to the images he and his friends saw but at a young age. How long and what can those images along with going through the same abuse affect and do to a child?... Knuckles doesn't want to know the answer, but at the same time he does.

Shadow had his arms crossed while looking down. He knew humans can be evil at times, but he didn't think there were other mobians, aside from Infinite, that can be evil. And this wolf had no part of Eggman's schemes. The black hedgehog looks back at the big screen. He may not know much about Saura; but, whenever he sees her with Infinite in the same area, he imagines the wolf being misplaced with a blond hair human with blue eyes and the jackal as himself. Sighing quietly, Shadow watches the group to see if anyone can answer Silver's question.

"Torture," Sonic finally answers. Everyone turned their attention to the blue hedgehog. "Just… constant torture," he added as his hands turned to fists. He looks to his friends and noticed some showed a confused look and others showed shock. "Remember how you guys brought me back and Rouge had to explain the six months of torture Eggman had me go through? Imagine that, but instead of six months it was thirteen years," he explains.

Now, everyone showed a shocked look as each one looks down. Years of torture… Now, that is something that could even out with war. Knuckles has his hands to fists now as he looks at the red bird mobian. "Is there any kind of cure for this symptom?" he asks.

"My team and I are currently trying to think of the best solution for it," the red bird replies. "So far, the only solutions we thought of-"

The alarms suddenly went off causing the group to look around with shock. A male black bear comes in to the computer room when the doors open. "S-sir, Infinite has escaped," he exclaims to Knuckles!

Knuckles showed a shocked expression on his face with his friends. "Hurry and search for him! Who knows where he will go," he says to the bear. He watches the bear leave to look for Infinite. The echidna looks to his friends. "Come on, we need to find him before he escapes," he says to his friends!

Sonic quickly stops Knuckles. "Hold on Knux, I think I have an idea where he might be going, and we can meet up with him there," he says to the echidna. The blue hedgehog looks to the rest of the group. "I'm heading to the medical area with the recovery room Saura is in. I'm sure that is where Infinite is heading to," he announces. Before anyone can protest, Sonic already took off to the medical area.

Knuckles watches Sonic with surprise but nods and follows him. The group look to each other and then back to where the blue hedgehog and red echidna ran off. Shadow was the first to follow which had Amy, Rouge, Espio, Vector, Blaze, and Silver show a surprised look. Quickly snapping out of it, they too start to follow along with Omega and the red bird.

~

When two of the three medics returned to check on Saura, Cream, Cheese, Charmy, and Vanilla walked out of the recovery room, so the medics can do their work. After a few minutes, however, the alarms suddenly went off which caused the medics to stop their work and leave to find out what's wrong. Cream stayed close to her mother and watched the medics leave as the alarms are going off. "Wh-what do you think might be wrong Mom?" she asks with a worried look.

Before Vanilla could answer, Charmy sees a group heading towards him and both rabbits. He first spotted Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow. Just as the bee got ready to ask, the blue hedgehog stops him. "Infinite is on his way here," he answers Charmy's unasked question. Sonic noticed the Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla showed a confused look. "We'll explain later; but right now, we need to be ready for any incoming attack by him," he says to the three. "I need you guys to-" he starts to explain but notices Tails isn't around! "Guys, where's Tails?" he asks with worry.

"Tails just ran out to go do something. But, he never said what he was doing for he was in a hurry," Vanilla replies with a small look of worry herself. Cream nods in agreement which only increased Sonic's worry.

Shadow watches Sonic and Knuckles think of an idea where Tails could be until he sees the recovery room with Saura in it. He watches the wolf closely and noticed her head constantly turning. He wonders what the wolf is thinking about but knows he won't get an answer.

The red bird noticed Saura tossing and turning her head and decides to check in on her. The moment he walked into the room, the heart moderator was beeping rapidly while the wolf was groaning and tossing her head! Sonic and his friends hear it as well, but the red bird immediately closes the door before anyone can walk in. He gets his equipment ready to try and calm Saura's heart down.

Knuckles watches through the window with worry. He wants to go in there to make sure everything is fine, but he knows not to interfere when the medics- er, medic is in work. He then noticed Saura grabs the red bird's arm when the red mobian tried to keep Saura still. The wolf started to speak despite still having her eyes shut, but the echidna can't hear what she's saying. And then, Saura struggles until she falls to the ground. "Damn it," Knuckles mumbles.

Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla were watching as well. The three were worried as the young rabbit hugs the older rabbit. Amy, Sonic, Silver, Blaze, Rouge, Vector, Espio, and Charmy frowns a bit as they watch Saura, but all they can do is watch. Sonic then hears someone coming! Perhaps it is Infinite finally arriving. "Guys be ready," he says to his friends. The blue hedgehog walks in front of his friends and gets ready to face Infinite.

Everyone sees the upcoming company and are shocked! Yes, they do see Infinite, but there was someone in front of him, guiding the jackal. It was Tails! "Tails?" Sonic questions with shock. He watches Tails look shocked as well until he frowns with a guilty look. Sonic looks to Infinite, who is glaring at him and the others, and then back to Tails. "Did you release Infinite?" he asks the fox.

Tails frowns as he looks away while Infinite eye narrows. The fox should've known that Sonic and the others would catch up to him and the jackal… But, he knows Saura needs him since she has been calling out for him. "Y-yeah I did," he answers with a bit of shame. Having his hands to fists, Tails looks up to Sonic with a bit of determination. "But, I did it because Saura needs him," he explains with a serious look.

Amy showed a confused look until she remembers her previous theory and Saura admitted she had feelings for Infinite. Was the wolf mumbling about the jackal in her sleep? She watches the jackal glaring at her and her friends as he slowly raises his red sword. In case if he attacks, the pink hedgehog has her hammer out as she steps forward a bit. "Why are you willing to help us?" she asks directly to the jackal.

Infinite continues to glare with a suspicious look. After hearing Amy's question, he starts to growl a bit. "I'm not here to help you nor your friends," he replies to the pink hedgehog. He noticed everyone tensed up a bit as they either get ready to attack or watch suspiciously. The jackal also gets ready to attack.

Rouge suddenly hears a scream in the other room thanks to her sense of hearing! She looks through the window and noticed the red bird's back is against the wall like he had been thrown. The bat looks to the wolf and noticed Saura curled herself up with her hands on her head while screaming. Rouge shows a worried look as she watches Saura. Shadow catches Rouge watching the recovery room and looks as well without moving his head. He too sees the wolf in the position she's in and eye narrows. Saura then looks like she stopped screaming while looking down with her hands still on her head. Finally, the black hedgehog starts walking towards the recovery room and opens the door to walk in. This caught Rouge's attention. "Shadow, what are you doing?" she asks.

Infinite noticed Shadow walking towards the recovery room, so he starts charging to get to the door. Unfortunately, Knuckles caught him before the jackal could get any closer. "Oh no you don't," the echidna grumbles out as he holds back Infinite. The jackal growls at Knuckles while trying to break out of the echidna's hold. Because of that, Silver now starts to help Knuckles hold down Infinite.

The red bird had a look of shock after Saura had kicked him away when she got out of the bed. When someone is in their derealization state, they should not be moving at all! And yet, here he sees the wolf moving around like she is awake but sees another world. The red bird noticed Shadow walking in to the room. "S-sir, you need to head back out before you or anyone else gets hurt," he tries to warn the black hedgehog! Shadow eye narrows at the red bird. "I-I don't know why she's able to move. She just got up and tried to attack me whenever I try to get near her," he explains.

Shadow, despite his emotionless expression, shows a confused look. He turns to Saura and starts walking to her. The black hedgehog can hear the others asking what he's doing or telling him to come back, but he ignores them. Once he's close, Shadow can see the wolf shivering with her hands still on her head. He lowers down, so he is on one knee and watches Saura lift her head and open her eyes. To the black hedgehog's surprise, the wolf's eyes are glowing red. Noticing someone is beside her, Saura glares at Shadow as if she sees someone she despises. Shadow glares back a bit, but he continues to watch. The wolf tries to get up; however, she only got to her knees while using a hand to support herself. "I'll… I'll do… more than fight back," she starts to say. The black hedgehog questions what Saura is trying to say.

Shadow then noticed the red bird coming closer to him and Saura! "Stay back," he warns the male mobian! The red bird flinched; however, before he could step away, the wolf noticed his presence and made her move. Saura quickly got behind the red bird and kicks him towards the black hedgehog. Shadow dodges the red bird as the male mobian crashes to the wall closest to the exit. He glares at the wolf and sees her deep breathing a bit while holding her arm a bit and looking down like she's trying to hide something on her face.

"I'll… I'LL MAKE SURE YOU WON'T HURT ANYONE ELSE AGAIN YOU MONSTER," Saura shouts in anger with tears in her eyes! The wolf starts charging towards Shadow at an attempt to tackle him. Shadow dodges Saura easily as he smacks her to the ground. The wolf yelps as she falls to the ground.

Shadow continues to watch Saura as she groans. He then noticed Sonic saw his actions for he gets ready to barge in. In order to stop the blue hedgehog, Shadow gently has his foot on the wolf's head; however, he makes it look like he's somewhat squeezing her head. "Stand down Sonic," he warns the blue hedgehog.

Sonic stops and glares a bit at Shadow. "What's the deal Shadow?" he asks the black hedgehog.

"She isn't affected by some symptom. It's the Phantom Ruby," Shadow answers with a serious expression.

Upon hearing Shadow's response, everyone froze and showed a shocked expression, including Infinite. Sonic showed a shocked look as well while looking down at Saura. The wolf starts growling as she glares at Shadow. The blue hedgehog can see the red glow in the wolf's eyes. "But how? The Phantom Ruby was destroyed when Eggman disappeared…" he questions until he stops himself to think. Is the real Phantom Ruby destroyed… or did it just return to where it came from like the other Sonic did?

"Who knows," Shadow says to Sonic. "But now that we know the real situation, we need to figure out how to get rid of this problem before it makes her do something that could put others in danger," he added.

Infinite finally snaps out of his shock state with a glare as he breaks free from Knuckles and Silver's grasp. The jackal starts to charge towards the recovery room and sees Shadow's foot on Saura's head while the wolf growls with red glowing eyes. Infinite glares at the black hedgehog as he points his sword at Shadow as Sonic flinches. "Release her now," the jackal commands with a growl.

Shadow glares back at Infinite. "I suggest you back off unless you really don't care what happens to her," he threatens the jackal. The black hedgehog watches Infinite flinch while lowering his sword a bit, but the jackal's glare deepens. Shadow eye narrows at Infinite since he doesn't understand why Infinite cared. The jackal had never thought about someone else's during the war. While ignoring everyone else, the black hedgehog watches the jackal. "Why do you even care for her?" he suddenly asks.

Infinite tenses when Shadow asked his question. He looks down to Saura, who is still glaring at Shadow until she shuts her eyes. And then, the jackal glares at the black hedgehog. "Why should I tell you anything?" he questions. He then hears the others getting ready to grab him as he gets ready to attack them.

Sonic and the others suddenly hear Saura start screaming again. Shadow quickly removes his foot off the wolf, but she continues to scream. "Buddy," Sonic tries to call out to Saura! The blue hedgehog places his hand on to Saura's shoulder and noticed how much she's shaking. Sonic lets go instantly out of reaction and frowns. Saura must be going through something horrible if she's shaking up like this. Then it hit him; what the wolf is seeing, hearing, and feeling the same experience on what she's been through for thirteen years, that brown wolf he and Infinite saw back at the tower! The blue hedgehog lowers down to his knees as he watches Saura with worry. "Saura, you can't let your uncle win! You need to fight back," he tries to tell the wolf!

Infinite had a shocked expression while he accidentally drops his sword. He looks to Sonic. "Are you certain that is what she sees?" he asks. The jackal didn't wait for the blue hedgehog's answer since he's already attempting to hold Saura. He feels the wolf shaking, after she stopped screaming, which only got him more worried than he already is. "Saura," he mumbles quietly.

~

Saura still thought about Nevil's question as she continues to hold down his whip. Once that answer came, her glare deepens. "I have a chance now because I now have friends who don't judge my voice," she answers! She then uses the whip to drag Nevil towards her and kicks him hard. She remembered Knuckles would tell her to use her fists from time to time when she isn't equipped. But he also mentioned her feet can give her a better result, so she used her foot to attack. Seeing Nevil on the ground and release his hold on the whip, the blond wolf breaks the handle and tosses it along with the whip away.

Nevil noticed Saura's actions and growls madly at her. "What makes them so special? They'll be just like everyone else," he exclaims as he pulls out a dagger and charges at the blond wolf. Saura sees him heading towards her, but she couldn't dodge the tackle in time! The blond wolf crashes to the ground hard as she stared up a bit in shock. Finally snapping out of it, she sees Nevil above her about to thrash the dagger at her throat. Saura quickly grabs the brown wolf's arm to prevent him from stabbing her on the neck. "They will abandon you just like everyone else," he says while trying to get the dagger to the blond wolf's throat. That way, he can finally get rid of that ridiculous sound.

Saura glares as she tries to keep the dagger away from her throat. Growling, she kicks Nevil off her and snags the dagger from him. The blond wolf attempted to roll away from the brown wolf, but she was surprised to fall off from the floor a bit. She groans a bit; however, she stops herself, so she can destroy the dagger by breaking the blade part of the object. After smashing it to the ground a few times, she successfully broke the dagger. She makes a satisfied smile, but that quickly ended when she looked up. The blond wolf showed a look of pure shock and horror. What she sees in front of her are bodies of three of her friends: Tails, Sonic, and Infinite. All three continued to lay there lifeless as blood seeps out from below them. "No," she mumbles as tears start to appear in her eyes. Saura then feels something on her shoulders, but she didn't bother to look at who it is. "Please no," she mumbles again. She looks to where Nevil is and sees a dark smirk on his face. She feels herself shaking as her rage comes to her along with something trying to move her. "RRRAAAAAAGGGHH," she shouts as she kicks whatever or whoever had a hold of her! She then charges towards Nevil; but then, she noticed the brown wolf had a hold of something and shoots it at her head. She feels something latch on to her head and suddenly feels it electrifying her. She screams from the pain as she falls to the ground with her hands on her head and curls herself up.

Nevil lets out a dark chuckle as he uses his taser to zap Saura. After a bit of time, he stops zapping the blond wolf, but still lets the probe pads stay on her. He walks up to Saura as she deep breaths while shaking. "Look at that, the same thing has happened again. I told you: if you speak, there will be consequences to you and those around you. Do you still continue to fight back even with the consequences?" he says while staring down at the blond wolf with a dark chuckle.

Saura looks to Nevil with a deadly glare. She then tries to get up, but she was only able to get to her knees as she uses one hand for support. "I'll…" she starts to mumble out while deep breathing. "I'll do… more than fight back," she finally says. The blond wolf suddenly notices a black figure beside her, probably another one of Nevil's traps! Feeling her anger rise a bit more, Saura quickly got behind the black figure and kicks it towards the brown wolf. She watches Nevil dodge the figure as she tries to keep her balance and cover her left arm. Seeing the dead bodies of Sonic, Tails, and Infinite, the blond wolf feels her tears come back. She looks down, so she won't be able to see them. It hurts… no wonder Infinite wanted to destroy Shadow. Finally done with hiding her face, Saura glares at Nevil as the tears roll out of her face. "I'll… I'LL MAKE SURE YOU WON'T HURT ANYONE ELSE AGAIN YOU MONSTER," she shouts in anger! She then charges towards the brown wolf in an attempt to tackle him again.

Unfortunately, Saura misses and was smacked to the ground. She yelps a bit in surprise and falls to the ground. The blond wolf groans as she tries to snap out of the impact. By the time she does, she feels someone's foot on her. Looking up, Saura sees Nevil and glares while growling at him as she ignores the upcoming black figures. "Monster? Now that is a strong word to say to your uncle," he mocks. The brown wolf noticed Saura's growls increased as she tries to remove his foot off her with her eyes shut. "And for that, you should be punished for your bad choice of words," he then says in a serious tone as he removes his foot.

Saura then shows a shocked look until she feels the electrifying pain from before. She screams from the pain as she has her hands on her head again. The blond wolf stops screaming and shivers from the pain once the zapping stops. She then feels someone holding her. Saura looks to the source and notices another black figure, but this one is in a different shape and… familiar. Why does that shape look familiar? She tries to get up, but the figure continues to hold her and comfort her… but why comfort? The blond wolf looks around and sees more black figures surrounding her. Most of these figures have a familiar shape; however, she couldn't think of where she's seen them from. It seems her brain is too fried from all the electric shocks.

"Don't let what Nevil say get the best of you. You can't let those sadness and anger emotions get to you…"

Saura suddenly sees the background show an image of a blond female wolf with red eyes until that memory stops. She looks around for that blond wolf but doesn't see her. She continues to watch the black figures and notices one of them looks like a rabbit child even though she can't see its face. Remembering Nevil in the area, she starts to try to get up again, but the black figure, that is holding her, stops her from doing that. "Run, he'll come after you next," she tries to warn the little rabbit figure! She watches the little rabbit figure back up a bit until she's next to an adult rabbit. Good, the child has a parent… she hopes. Saura then noticed Nevil walking towards her with a strange weapon in his hands. Now that she notices it, she also sees a little rope and it goes to her head! Is that how the brown wolf was able to electrify her? Glaring at Nevil, Saura grabs the ropes and rips them out of her head while unaware of the black figure, that was holding her, helping her. Tossing them away, she notices the rope actually passes through some of the black figures! What's going on here?

Nevil growls as he sees Saura rip off his probe pads. He quickly retreats them as he gets ready to launch them at the blond wolf again. Apparently, Saura is finally out of that one figure's grasp for she dodges the pads. He was then kicked by the blond wolf as he lands on to the ground in a sit position. Why is that female wolf still fighting? "Why are you still resisting? Can't you see that your pathetic friends are gone," he states to try and lower Saura's guard.

Saura shivers a bit as she remembers the bodies of Infinite, Sonic, and Tails… True, there is Knuckles and the others; however, those three have been her closest.

"We will always be with you Saura, even when we are apart."

Images of a brown wolf with blue eyes starts to appear around the background. And to Saura's surprise, when the background glows a bit around her, the figures' shapes became more noticeable. Now, she recognizes some of the figures. Aside from the two rabbits and now a bird, there was: Shadow, Knuckles, Amy… and Sonic, Tails, and Infinite! Saura had a shocked look as she looks between the dead Sonic, Tails, and Infinite and the black figures that look like Sonic, Tails, and Infinite. Which one is… real? Are the dead trio actually illusions? She rubs her eyes a bit and noticed the dead versions had disappeared! They really are illusions! Noticing Nevil about to shoot at her again, the blond wolf dodges the ropes as she glares and growls at him. "My friends are not pathetic, none of them are," she says to the brown wolf! She quickly dodges the ropes again and grabs them at an attempt to rip them off the weapon. Instead, Saura managed to rip the weapon out of Nevil's hand. Once the strange weapon lands close to her, the blond wolf steps on it, so it would break.

Nevil glares madly at Saura while backing up a bit. Why? He doesn't have any ideas left to break the blond wolf. Her friends, and even her parents are too powerful now! "Damn you all," he mumbles in defeat. He then gets tackled to the wall by Saura and glares at her with a growl.

"L-let go of h-him… U-uncle Nevil will… n-never leave us… a-alone until we d-do…"

"You can't let those sadness and anger emotions get to you…"

Saura flinches even as the background shows two blond wolves, one with red eyes and the other with blue soulless eyes, flashing in the background. She looks around along with the black figures as she thinks about those phrases. Saura then shows a surprised look along with a small sigh once she understood what they meant. Loosening her grip on Nevil a bit, she glares at him. "It's over," she states as she releases the brown wolf. "Now stay out of my mind. I'm done with your tricks," she added. She turns to the black figures and starts walking towards them slowly thanks to the weakened state she's in.

Nevil showed a little surprised, but mostly a confused look. She's letting him go, just like that? He growls at this. He then remembers seeing one of her friends, or rather her love interest, be just like him. "Your jackal friend is just like me," he starts to say. "When time goes on, he will return to that state and destroy everyone in his path including you," he added with a dark smirk.

Saura stops when she heard Nevil mention Infinite. She looks to the jackal figure, who she thinks is Infinite. She remembered the words she said to the jackal at the fortress. She still meant them too; the blond wolf will show Infinite what it means to be a friend. That way, he won't be alone and help others, the same thing she'll do. "He will never be like you," she says while looking back at Nevil. "He's stronger than you, not because he had the Phantom Ruby. It's because he still cares for his friends, even if they aren't around. He is nothing like you and never will be. Because, he still has a friend and more in the future who will help him avoid that path," she explains. Saura noticed Nevil's expression shows more shocked.

Before Saura can turn away, she noticed her body starts to glow red! She looked shocked and it increased when she sees Nevil disappear along with all of the dead bodies around her. Some of the red glow suddenly leaves her body and travels to where Nevil was at. "Finally, your wish has been completed," a voice suddenly says, the blond wolf heard it before! The red light materialized until it is shaped and appeared as a blond wolf with blue soulless eyes in a black outfit. Saura gasps as she stares at the blond wolf in shock. The blond wolf walks to Saura and has her hand on the living wolf's shoulder. "Live on Saura," the blond wolf says as a little red light appears in her eyes. Both blond wolves start to glow which caused Saura to cover her eyes.

~

Infinite watched Saura look at him with a confused look. Noticing the wolf is trying to get up, he gently lowers her back down to him. "Saura, calm down," he says gently while trying to comfort her.

Sonic watches as well with a look of worry. "We're all here for you Saura," he says to the wolf, hopefully she can hear him and the others. "Please hang in there," he added. The blue hedgehog doesn't really know what else to do from this point if the Phantom Ruby is affecting her. He then noticed Knuckles, Amy, and Tails walking in to the recovery room as well to see Saura.

Much to everyone's surprise, Cream comes in as well to see Saura. Infinite glares a bit at Sonic and his friends but decides to ignore them to focus on the wolf first. The group noticed Saura turning her attention to Cream as a look of worry appears on the wolf's face. Saura tries to get up again; however, Infinite holds her and brought her back closer to him. The wolf looks to the young rabbit with the look of worry still shown on her face. "Run, he'll come after you next," Saura says to Cream!

Cream had a surprised look on her face and backs up a bit. Noticing her mom walking up to her with a bit of worry, she looks up to Vanilla and then to Sonic. "Mr. Sonic, what did your friend mean by that?" she asks the blue hedgehog.

Sonic looks down a bit. He isn't sure if he really wants to answer that. He looks to Saura with a concern look to whether or not answer the young rabbit's question, but he then noticed the wolf starts to glare. "Everyone, get back," he quickly warns Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and the two rabbits! The group, aside from Infinite, backed up. The jackal had a hold of Saura; plus, he didn't want to leave her side.

Saura then grabs at nothing; well, at least it was like that to everyone else. The wolf starts to push; although, it looks like she's having a hard time with getting something off. Infinite quickly has his hand on hers to try and help her. Once the jackal feels the wolf no longer pushing, or rather ripping, he quickly releases her. Saura tosses whatever it was she had a hold of away and glares to the end of the room. Before he could stop her, the wolf jumps out of the jackal's hold and makes a kick there at an attempt to hurt someone. Infinite gets up as he watches Saura glaring at the end of that room and turns as if she's watching someone make a move.

Amy noticed Saura started to shiver as she looks down now as if something terrible had happened. She stiffens and watches with worry. "Oh no," she mumbles quietly. The wolf then noticed the jackal, pink hedgehog, and her friends. Saura looks back to the ground and then to Sonic, Tails, and Infinite with a look of shock and confusion. Is there another version of Sonic, Tails, and Infinite that Saura sees? "Saura," Amy tries to call out to the wolf!

Saura starts rubbing her eyes a bit and looked back to the ground she was staring at which led her to another shocked expression. She then looks at another direction and ducks down to dodge something. Once she gets back up, the wolf starts to glare and growl at the same direction. "My friends are not pathetic, none of them are," she says in anger!

Knuckles looks surprised. Is someone mentioning him and the others? If so, then he'd be mad too if someone talked bad about him and his friends. The echidna then noticed Saura grabbing on to something again and tugs on it like last time. He wished he knew what she's pulling on. Saura then stops pulling for she's looking down below her feet until she makes a good stomp at the spot she was looking at. He then noticed the wolf charges to a wall and push whoever it is she sees to the wall. All Knuckles can do is watch and hope that Saura is winning the challenge the Phantom Ruby has for her.

Sonic and his friends continue to watch Saura crushing something to the wall until she flinches. The wolf looks around her, including the blue hedgehog and the others, and then back down to think. Finally, she showed a surprised expression with a small sigh as she looks back to the wall. "It's over," Sonic hears the wolf say. Is she trying to speak to Nevil? "Now stay out of my mind. I'm done with your tricks," she added.

Tails frowns a bit for he has no clue as to what Saura is saying. He then noticed the wolf look back to him and the others and starts walking towards them. "Saura?" the fox tries to call out to the wolf. Before anyone can walk up to Saura, she suddenly stops.

Infinite watches Saura look straight at him with a bit concern, despite the red glow in her eyes. Infinite took a step closer to Saura, but the wolf suddenly looks back to the wall. "He will never become like you," she then says. The group showed a confused look at what she's saying. "He's stronger than you, not because he had the Phantom Ruby. It's because he still cares for his friends, even if they aren't around him," she explains. The jackal and the others then realize the wolf is talking about Infinite! "He is nothing like you and never will be. Because, he still has a friend and more in the future who will help him avoid that path," the wolf added. Infinite showed a surprised expression while everyone else looked towards him.

Saura suddenly started to glow red especially on her left arm and waist which caught everyone's attention. The wolf continues to look towards the wall until the glowing around her got brighter as she covers her eyes. "Saura," Infinite calls out as he runs to the wolf! By the time the jackal reaches to her, the red glow moves out of the wolf to a red aura cube with glitch noises. The cube itself then disappears with the sound until it is no longer there. "Saura?" Infinite tries to call out again.

Saura uncovers her eyes when she hears Infinite. She looks to the jackal with a surprised look. To everyone's surprise, the wolf's eyes are back to normal! "I-Infinite?" she says with surprise. The wolf looks to the jackal as she slowly places her hand on his cheek. Infinite watches Saura's expression, to which it shows concern and doubtful. To prove the wolf he's real, the jackal has his clawed hand on the wolf's hand and holds it a bit while pressing it to his cheek with a small smile. Saura looked shocked and turns to Sonic and Tails for more clarification. "S-Sonic? T-Tails?" she calls out to the blue hedgehog and two-tailed fox.

Sonic had a look of relief as he shows a thumbs up to Saura. Tails looks to Saura with a small smile as he waves to her. Shadow just stood there with his arms crossed while, Knuckles and Amy stood there with relief. Cream and Vanilla looked happy to see the wolf okay. Amy walks a bit to Saura. "Oh thank goodness you're alright! We were all so worried when you haven't-" the pink hedgehog starts to say until the wolf releases Infinite and falls to a sit position to the ground. "Saura?" Amy says in confusion and worry.

Saura didn't respond to Amy. Instead, tears start to appear in the wolf's eyes as a relieved smile is shown on her face. "You're alive," she starts to mumble out. "You're all alive," she added increasing the volume a bit as her tears start to flow out.

Infinite, realizing what Saura might saw from the Phantom Ruby, quickly sits next to the wolf and pulls her to a hug. "Don't worry Saura, it's okay now," he tries to comfort Saura. The jackal feels the wolf hug back along with her shivering. "It's okay," he mumbles out quietly.

Sonic watches Infinite hug Saura and smiles. He walks to the two with a smile still on his face. "We're all alive Saura," he says to the wolf. "We wouldn't leave our new buddy behind," he added with confidence.

Saura smiles to Sonic and Infinite. She then noticed Knuckles, Amy, and Tails walking up to her with a smile of their own. Silver, Vector, Espio, Charmy, and Rouge walked up as well when their friends are okay. The wolf looks to the group as the smile and tears continue to show. Saura wipes the tears off her eyes until she feels Infinite's grip on her tighten a bit. Smiling gently to the jackal, the wolf gently has her hand on Infinite's shoulder. "Thank you," she says to the jackal. Saura starts to get up along with Infinite. She then looks to Sonic and his friends. "Thank you all," she says to the group.

Sonic smiles with his friends. Saura is finally opening up to him and his friends. Not only that, she's even made a new friend on her own, even though he was once the enemy. The blue hedgehog then sees Saura look down at her left arm and winces. "What's wrong Buddy?" he asks the wolf.

Saura, after realizing she feels pain, looked at her left arm and side to see what's going on. She noticed her arm and side had bleed though her bandage. This caused her to flinch in reaction. "I-I think I accidentally opened my wounds again," she answers Sonic's question with a little look of concern. The wolf noticed everyone looking worried. In this case, she starts to freak out a bit. "I-it's okay. It doesn't hurt that bad," she tries to say in order to calm everyone down.

"Miss Saura," Saura hears a voice say and stiffens. Sonic and the others start to flinch when they hear someone else speaking and turned around to see Vanilla walking up to the group while looking towards the wolf. Cream and Cheese are right beside the older rabbit. "I can help you take care of that for you if you like," she offers.

Cream smiles to Saura, unaware of Saura's tensed expression. "Yeah, Mom is really good at helping everyone's injuries! She's been helping a lot of people in the resistance," she says to the wolf as her pet chao cooed in response. Cream noticed the wolf being silent as she nods a bit. "Are you okay Miss Saura?" the young rabbit asks with worry.

Sonic noticed Saura continuing to nod. He chuckles a bit and looks to Cream. "She said okay and thank you both," he says to the young rabbit as he pats her head gently. He looks to the wolf who nods in agreement with a smile. The blue hedgehog also noticed how close Saura is to Infinite. It isn't a bad idea to have the jackal with wolf for the time being. He knows Saura is getting there especially with Infinite's help. All it takes is time.

Chapter Text

Chapter 28: Infinite's Choice

Saura was back to laying down on the bed with a new bandage on her left arm and side. Luckily, Sonic allowed Infinite to stay in the room as long as Saura keeps an eye on him and he behaves with Vanilla, Cream, Cheese and the medics. The adult rabbit continues to patch the wolf's wounds while the red bird and the other two medics, an aqua female dog and brown female bear watch over the process to make sure Saura isn't freaking out or if the derealization will happen while Infinite watches the two rabbits and wolf with his arms crossed. Vanilla finishes putting bandages on to Saura. The adult rabbit looks to the wolf. "There you go. Now, try to rest up Miss Saura," she says with a smile. Saura smiles a bit to bow her head down a bit to show her gratitude.

"I'm glad you're feeling better Miss Saura," Cream says to the wolf with a smile. Cheese flies next to the young rabbit as he cooed in joy. Saura looks to the young rabbit and her pet chao curiously. She wonders what a child like her is doing here. "Oh, my name is Cream," the young rabbit starts to introduce herself. "And this is my special friend name Cheese," she also says to mention her pet chao. "Mr. Sonic and the others told us a lot about you. It's nice to meet you," she added with a little bow.

Saura looked surprised when Cream mentioned Sonic telling the young rabbit about her. Are they friends with the blue hedgehog? Saura frowns a bit to show a nervous look. The wolf shivers a bit as she looks down. Shaking her head, she looks back to Cream, who is now showing a worried expression. "I-it's… nice to… m-meet you too… Cream," Saura was finally able to say. The wolf noticed the young rabbit look surprised along with Vanilla and Cheese. Thinking she may have said something wrong, Saura looks away. "S-sorry," she mumbles her apology.

Cream then grew a big smile grew on her face until she heard Saura apologize. "What are you sorry for Miss Saura? You didn't say anything bad," Cream says to the wolf with a smaller smile. Cheese cooed as he flies to Saura and nuzzles to her cheek as the little ball floating on his head changes to a heart. Saura stiffens at the sudden contact; however, with the way the little chao is nuzzling her, it caused her to start giggling a bit.

Infinite shows a surprised look. He never heard Saura giggling before. And seeing the little chao making her giggle like that, the jackal started to grow jealous again as he tightens his grip on his arm and growls quietly. The medics can hear the jackal growl and tensed up as they watch him.

When Cheese stops nuzzling Saura and the heart returns to a ball, he flies back to Cream who was giggling as well. "Cheese seems really happy to hear you speak," she says to the wolf with a smile. The little chao cooed in response with excitement.

"It's true," Vanilla says with a smile. "You have a lovely voice," she compliments while her smile is present. Saura looks to the adult rabbit with surprise at her compliment.

"And your voice is quite lovely…"

Saura's surprised expression grew as she remembers Infinite telling her the same thing. The wolf looks to the jackal, who had a little look of anger at the two rabbits and chao. When Infinite noticed Saura looking at him, his facial expression changed to a look of confusion and some surprise. The wolf blushes and looks away a bit. Vanilla noticed Saura's reaction and looks a bit worried. "What's wrong Miss Saura? Did I say something bad?" she asks.

Saura flinches and shakes her head. "N-no m-ma'am," she responds quickly. Still having that phrase from Infinite in her head, the wolf continues to blush. "I-it's just that… um… s-someone else s-said that to me before," she answers. She lightly looks back to Infinite who is still giving her a confused look. "S-someone… very important to me," she mumbles as the blush grew on her face.

Infinite listened carefully when Vanilla asked what's wrong to Saura. He hears Saura's answer and stiffens a bit. He didn't think Saura would mention him. And much to the wolf's mumble, the jackal heard it, for he starts blushing in response. Suddenly, he sees Amy coming in to the room. "Cream, Blaze and I are going to go tell everyone the good news with Sonic and the others. Do you, Cheese, and your mom want to come?" she asks the young rabbit.

Cream and Cheese began to smile. "Sure, we'd like to see everyone else again," the young rabbit answers. Vanilla smiles while the little chao cooed a bit.

Amy smiles and noticed Saura is trying to get off the bed. "Uh no," she mumbles as she walks up to the wolf. The pink hedgehog made sure Saura gets back on the bed. "You are going to stay here and rest," she says in a serious tone. Noticing the wolf had a pout look on her face, the pink hedgehog sighs. "You'll be fine. It's mostly about the war being over," she says to Saura a bit softer. That way, only the wolf can hear her. Amy then turns to the three medics. "You three should come as well," she says to the three. "We could use more medics to help the soldiers," she added with a smile.

The female brown bear looks to Amy with a worried look. "A-are you sure about that Miss Amy?" she questions. "I don't think it's wise to leave Miss Saura alone," she added with concern.

Amy smiles to the female bear. "She won't be alone. She'll have Infinite here," she explains. Noticing the three medics tensed, the pink hedgehog sighs a bit quietly. "Don't worry, the door will be locked when we leave. Plus, Saura can keep an eye on him," she added. Before any of the medics can question, Amy starts rushing them out of the room while Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla follow. Once the medics, two rabbits, and chao are out of the room, the pink hedgehog stood next to the jackal. "I know you like her," she states quietly with a little serious tone. Infinite starts to blush as he glares at Amy. "Use this chance to talk to her and tell her how you feel. No one likes to be left in the dark after admitting their feelings," she says with a bit of concern. The pink hedgehog then leaves the room and shuts the door.

Infinite watches Amy leave until she closed the door. He sighs a bit quietly and looks to Saura, who is looking at her wrist and seems to be securing her grabbling hook. Confused, the jackal walks to the wolf. "What are you doing?" he asks Saura.

Saura flinched when she heard Infinite. Looking towards the jackal, she chuckled a bit nervously. "I-I was just making sure my grabbling hooks are still on… I… I couldn't use them before," she replies as her chuckling dies down a bit.

Infinite had a surprised look and then frowns in concern. Even though he has a guess, he still wants to know what happened when Saura was under the Phantom Ruby's control. He watches the wolf check the other grabbling hook to see if it's in good condition. Finally, he places his clawed hand on to Saura's shoulder to catch her attention. "Saura, what happened? You were fighting something or someone and couldn't hear me… nor anyone else," he asks.

Saura flinches a bit as she stops checking her grabbling hooks. She looks down a bit as she recollects what she saw. "It was…" she starts to say but stops. Realizing she can't hide it, the wolf sighs. "It was Nevil," she finally answers. Unaware of the grip on her shoulder, Saura thinks about the other wolf she saw. "And someone else," she then added.

Infinite's grip lessened a bit in confusion. Someone else was there besides Nevil? "What do you mean by someone else?" he asks.

Saura shakes her head a bit. "Sh-she… she said she was… me," she replies while she starts to think. "The me who had died that day," she mumbles out quietly. "She had wounds… on all of the places I had hurt myself on… and they were bleeding," she starts to explain. "She tried to warn me about Nevil. And then, Nevil came and attacked us, killing that other one in the process," she added.

Infinite stiffens a bit as he looks down in confusion and worry. Another Saura, how can that be? Whatever it was for, Nevil clearly wanted it- er, her gone. "And then, Nevil tried to have me afraid again," he suddenly hears Saura. The jackal looks to the wolf, so he can listen. "But this time, I didn't allow it because I thought about you and the others. I wanted his illusions to stop since I know the time I had during the war was real: meeting Commander Knuckles and his crew, rescuing Sonic, saving you, stopping the sun, getting to know you, making friends, and defeating Eggman," she continues while staring down at her hands. "I don't want it to all be fake. And then, he… he…" she then says as her grip tighten a bit around her legs while shaking. Infinite frowns as he waits for Saura to speak. Instead of continuing, she said something else. "I am so sorry about what happened to your friends," the wolf says to the jackal.

Infinite froze when he heard what Saura said along with her facial expression. The wolf is crying since tears are rolling out of her eyes along with a look of sadness. Is she understanding more on his point-of-view? After a sigh, Infinite hugs Saura gently. "There is nothing for you to be sorry about," he mumbles gently.

Saura continues to cry silently a bit as she returns the hug to Infinite. After a minute has passed, the wolf wipes her tears out of her face. "Nevil showed me you, Sonic, and Tails laying on the ground… lifeless," she says to continue. The wolf was unaware of the jackal's gasp. "He's done it before with my parents… But when he did it to you guys, I felt so… lonely and shattered… that I wanted to kill Nevil myself," she confessed while shivering a bit. Saura takes a deep breath to calm herself down a bit. "But then I saw strange black figures around me. They all reminded me of you and everyone else. It's what helped me snap out of it," she then says with a small smile. The wolf stops her smile as she remembered her next move on Nevil. "I could've finished him, but my mom and that other wolf spoke to me… So, I let him go. And finally, that same wolf appeared again. The next thing I know, I was standing next to you and the others," she finishes her story.

Once Saura finished her explanation, Infinite looks down to her with a concern expression. "Saura, would you still try to kill your uncle if you could?" he suddenly asks.

Saura thinks about Infinite's question carefully. She still remembered what that other wolf said before. Letting go is the only way she can be free… She then looks to the jackal with a true smile. "No, I wouldn't. If I do that, then I'll lose that part of me and never feel the same. And I don't want to give that part up," she answers.

Infinite widens his eyes in surprise a bit at Saura's answer and her smile. Seeing that smile makes the jackal's heart start pounding rapidly and follows his instincts. He gently places a clawed hand on to the wolf's cheek. And then, Infinite places his lips on to the wolf's in a strong passionate kiss. Saura was shocked as she feels the jackal's lips on hers. She thought about moving away, but Infinite held on to her tight the point she couldn't move. The jackal finally breaks the contact and watches the wolf closely. Realizing what he just did, Infinite blushes, but continues to look at Saura. "You really are amazing Saura," he suddenly says. The wolf's blush increased as she shows a confused look. "You faced your fears and stood against your nightmares. I had a feeling you would be the one to overpower the Phantom Ruby. And now, you had wanted to become my friend, even after what I've done," he added with a sad chuckle.

"But, there is one problem," Infinite continues. "Since that day you saved me, I started to feel something even more towards you; this feeling was strong, stronger than the bond I shared with my squad. That feeling continued to grow every time I see you," he says with a little sigh. "I never knew what it was… until you convinced it yourself," the jackal convinced as his blush grew. Saura continues to show a confused expression. "Not only that, every time I see you with that blue savior and his friends, I began to feel jealous. I wanted to be the only one you think of, and it's something the Phantom Ruby has no power over. And then, I heard your story. You are just like me, but you chose a different path than I did. Because of that, I wanted to understand why you took that route and how you accomplished it. Now, I know everything and where I should go," he finishes. Infinite moves back, but only for a little bit, as he moves his clawed hands to hold Saura's right hand. Once he has a hold of the wolf's hand, the jackal brings it close to him a bit. "I just hope, you can share that path with me," he says to the wolf with a bit of hope.

Saura's blush grew until her face is red. After hearing Infinite wanting to walk in the same path, a smile starts to grow on her face. However, that stopped when she remembered confessing her feelings to the jackal. Shivering a bit, Saura watches Infinite. "A-are you… s-sure? Even though I-I'm in… l-love with you," she asks nervously.

Infinite had a little surprised look, but that ended when he slightly chuckles. He then has a small smirk on his face. "Really, Saura?" he starts to say. "Surely, my little affections have been giving you hints," he comments while watching the wolf. After seeing the confusion look on Saura's face still present, he sighs a tiny bit but smiles sadly. "You did say you've haven't had much contact with anyone before the resistance," he says. The jackal releases the wolf's hand with one of his clawed ones, so he can use that to place it on her chin. Making sure she is looking at him, Infinite leans close to Saura as he moves her hand on to his shoulder. "Then, let me show it to you again," he whispers.

Saura suddenly feels Infinite's lips on hers again. She stared in shock as she feels the jackal move his clawed hands to her back and behind her head. Finally, the wolf gives in and returns the kiss with her eyes shut. Saura then feels Infinite's tongue in her mouth, and she lets him in. She moans; however, they were muffled in the kiss although the jackal did hear it. The wolf feels the other's tongue exploring her mouth which caused her grip to tighten around the jackal. Saura then feels Infinite pull away which allows her to catch her breath. "I-Infinite," she says quietly.

Infinite hears Saura's quiet moan and growls a bit possessively. He places several kisses on the wolf's cheek and neck and then nuzzles there. "I love you, Saura," he says quietly. He hears Saura gasp which caused him to smirk. Before he could give her another kiss, Infinite hears someone outside of the room trying to unlock the door. Growling a bit, he releases Saura and watched to see who's coming.

Infinite and Saura were shocked to see Rouge AND Shadow walk in to the room. Instinctively, the jackal stands in front of the wolf to protect her. The bat noticed for she lets out a little smirk. "Relax jackal-boy, we didn't come here to take Saura away," she says to Infinite. "We actually came to see you mostly," she added. Infinite eye narrows in confusion as Saura showed a surprised expression. "We have looked up some information about your group, known as the Jackal Squad and there is news about them," she added as she placed a hand on her hip while the other one is behind her back.

Infinite stiffens and now glares at Shadow and Rouge. "There is nothing to say about them! They are all gone because of you," he says in anger while pointing at the black hedgehog! The jackal growls as he prepares to fight but stops himself for Saura's sake. "Just hurry and get it over with. I'm still not-"

"Some members of your squad are still alive," Shadow states with his arms crossed. Both Saura and Infinite look towards the black hedgehog with shock. "Yes, I did murder two of them, but they were the ones who tried to kill me. The rest of your crew, on the other hand, were hidden somewhere else during these six months," he explains.

Infinite stares at Shadow in shock until he mentioned two of his friends. The jackal glares madly at the black hedgehog. "Liar! Eggman told me the entire squad has been annihilated by you and no one was left alive! There was video proof," he yells in anger!

"Are you sure that is true? Or, was it the Phantom Ruby that showed it to you?" Shadow questions. Hearing Infinite growling, the black hedgehog glares. "If you want proof of that, you will have to head to the Shararah Desert near Seaside Hill. That is where they were last seen," he says to the jackal.

"However," Rouge suddenly jumps in. "You are still under arrest for assisting Eggman and murdering citizens of Mobius," she says to Infinite. "And as punishment, you are to help clean up Mobius to its original state and serve some time in prison for at least six months or more," she added.

Infinite glares at Rouge and Shadow while growling. How dare they tell him information about his squad and then say he can't go to them for six months! "W-wait," he suddenly hears Saura say. The jackal looks to the wolf with a surprised look.

Saura, after hearing what Shadow and Rouge are going to do with Infinite, had to say something! She noticed the jackal watching her with a surprised look while the bat and black hedgehog are just watching her. The wolf shivers a bit but stops herself. "Wh-what if one of the r-resistance members can w-watch him instead of s-sending him to prison," she suggested.

Shadow and Rouge looked at each other a bit and then back to Saura. "Are you sure about that? And if I were to guess, the only resistance member who can handle that is you," Rouge states to the wolf. "We also know a bit more about you Saura, niece of Nevil," she then says. The bat noticed the startled expression on the wolf's face but pretends to not see it. "We know what happened on that day along with how you kept yourself locked up. Do you really think you can watch over Infinite with no experience of the outside world?" she asks.

Saura looks away with a little frightened expression of Nevil being brought up by Rouge. Remembering all of her times during the war and resistance, she starts to try to get off of the bed despite Infinite trying to stop her. Shadow watches with a cautious and a bit of surprise expression. The wolf is determined, he'll say that. Once her foot is on the floor, Saura ignores the pain on her side and walks to the bat and black hedgehog until she is between them and the jackal. The wolf looks to the two with a determined look. "I don't think I can do it, I know I can do it. I don't care what everyone thinks of me or how I speak, that's their opinion. So, I am ready to take on that task," she says with confidence.

Rouge stared with surprise. She still remembered how shy and mutely the wolf used to be back in the resistance. Not only that, the wolf would also be shivering from time to time. And now, Saura is standing towards them like she can take on the entire world. The bat took a tiny step back as she watches the wolf.

Shadow, on the other hand, isn't too convinced yet. He steps a little closer to Saura and stares down at her as he eye narrows. The wolf stiffens a little as her confidence decreases a bit. The wolf glares a little at the black hedgehog in determination. The two kept glaring at each other for quite some time, making Infinite a bit quirky. The jackal wants to jump in and shield the wolf from the hedgehog who murdered his squad… two members, but he doesn't want to get involved when he saw the expression on her face a minute ago.

Finally, Shadow lets his arms loose as Saura still stiffens as her glare was decreasing a bit due to not able to hold it. "Brave," he comments. Saura showed a confused look. "Stupid, but still brave," he added. The wolf makes a little annoyed face with a huff. The black hedgehog looks to her with an unexpressive look. "Fine, we shall allow Infinite to roam free under your watch," he states to Saura. The wolf starts to smile big as she tries her best to not jump in joy. "But remember this," Shadow starts to say as he got close to Saura's face. This caused the wolf's smile to retreat along stepping back a bit as a scared expression is shown on her face. "If he were to cause any trouble that could put Mobius in jeopardy, you will be the one to receive punishment along side with him," he warns with a glare. Saura starts to shiver in fear from Shadow's threat until she gulps to hold it in to stand her ground. "Are we clear?" he asks.

Saura quickly nods in response. Noticing Shadow hasn't moved, she shivers a bit. "Cr-cr-crystal c-c-clear, s-s-sir," she says to the black hedgehog in a whisper. The wolf watches Shadow eye narrow at her which got her a bit more scared. Was it something she said?

"Good," Rouge butts in as she placed an arm around Saura's shoulders. The bat also distant the wolf away from Shadow for she noticed Infinite glaring madly at Shadow. "Now then, once you recover, you and jackal-boy are going to help everyone clean up the city first," she states. Watching Saura nod, she then remembers what Knuckles asked her to do. "Oh right! Before we forget, we have something for you Saura," Rouge suddenly mentions. The bat then pulls out a Lightning Wispon from behind her. The wolf smiles in excitement. "Now, this is no ordinary Lightning Wispon. This one will bring out your lighting whip and speed through enemies much faster than the other one," she added. Rouge hands Saura the Lightning Wispon and steps back a bit. The wolf looks to the wispon with a smile; but suddenly, the weapon starts to glow causing her to jump a bit. "Ah, one more thing I got to mention," Rouge says with a little giggle. "You and jackal-boy will have a little friend with you as well," she states.

Infinite growls at Rouge for saying "jackal-boy" too much. Before he can complain at the bat, the light leaves the wispon and fades to reveal a little yellow lightning creature floating. Its arms, body and tip of the head is shaped like a lighting bolt, but it has no legs. The creature opened its cyan eyes as it stretches a bit. It then noticed Saura and Infinite. It floats to the two and watches them curiously. Saura stiffens a bit but smiles. "H-hello," she says to the creature.

The creature starts to chirp as it floats in circles and zigzag formation around Saura and Infinite. Rouge chuckles a bit. "Well, he likes you both already," she comments. "That little fella is a wisp. Sonic had to save his kind one time, but some have started to live in our planet and aid us in defeating Eggman. Play nice with him," she says to the jackal and wolf. "Well, that is all we have for you two. Be ready when Knuckles gets here," she says to the jackal and wolf. The bat starts walking out of the room.

Shadow stayed put a bit which got Infinite to glare at him. The black hedgehog eye narrows at the jackal. "You should start putting the past behind you," he says with a serious expression. "Take it from someone who's experienced it," he added. Ignoring the Infinite's surprised expression, Shadow looks to Saura. "As for you, I expect you to do the same even if you've already accomplished it once," he states. The black hedgehog then exits the room and shuts the door.

Infinite watched Shadow leave with a surprised expression. Did Shadow face something a bit similar? Infinite's thoughts were interrupted when he sees the creatu- er, wisp floating near him. The little yellow wisp lands on Saura's shoulder. The wolf looks to it- well, him, and then to the jackal with a smile. Infinite smiles a bit back as he hugs the two, but mostly Saura. This will be a long set of time to rebuild Mobius. But, if his squad really is alive, he needs to find them. And to do that, he must help rebuild this world back to the way it was. He also needs to think of a better future, one where he can live happily with his squad and Saura.

Chapter Text

Epilogue

Five months later…

I sat on a hill watching the city from afar while holding my Lightning Wispon, a weapon that was given to me. It's been a while since the war… and since I last heard him. To be honest, I'm glad he's gone. It actually gives me time to think of other things aside from people judging on my voice. Thanks to Sonic and his friends, I was able to open up more. He also introduced me to a purple cat named Blaze, who is a princess in another dimension, two cream and orange rabbits named Cream and Vanilla. I recognized Vanilla before, she was one of the nurses of the resistance, but I never really put too much attention to her. I tried to make some new friends; however, I had a job to do and wanted to focus more on that.

During these five months, I had to keep an eye on someone while rebuilding the world with Sonic and the others. He was the one who helped Eggman rule the world thanks to a strange gem they had. Unfortunately, we have met, and it was thanks to him, I joined the resistance. We met again in the Mystic Jungle when he was attacked by a large reptile… I do not know why I did it, but I saved his life. I guess something inside me told me to do it, or I'll be worse than my uncle. When he regained conscious, he tried to get rid of me, but I somehow escaped.

Apparently, that same mobian and I saw each other again during one of my missions in Metropolis. I did get away thanks to Sonic and one of his friends, Shadow; but, something else happened before they came. We started to connect a bit and I started talking to him. It startled me a lot since it was the first time I've spoken to a stranger in a long time. After that event, Sonic and his friends were questioning me because of that encounter. I made my own mission in order to prove that I am on their side still; sadly, this also resulted me in being caught by that mobian, I'm looking after. Since then, I started to become closer to him. The way he looks at me has been telling me he's suffering mentally, just like me. Not only that, I started to have feelings for him. I don't know why, but it happened.

I wanted to get to know that mobian more; however, he started to show features that reminded me of my uncle and I let fear take a hold of me. During my little time alone, I discovered my feelings for the mobian. And then somehow, I started to feel like he may not be as bad everyone thinks. By then, I found Sonic and discovered he and his best friend Tails accepted me as their friend, despite everyone else having doubt in me. But then, the mobian had me surrender in order to save Tails from his death. When we got to Eggman's Fortress, I started to notice a bit of kindness in the mobian until Eggman came in. Whenever Eggman comes in, the mobian acts like my uncle; in his own will, he's completely different. I knew I had to snap him out of it somehow.

While at the fortress, my past had been haunting me, and it got shown to Sonic, Tails, and the mobian. I didn't want anyone involved with it… My uncle did so many terrible things to others and myself, and I didn't want his evil deeds to scatter even when he's dead. After that, I got some more alone time with the mobian. During that time, we exchanged our stories. He told me his, so it's only fair if I tell him mine since he saw half of it. Plus, I don't like lying. But suddenly, I knew he would try to go after Sonic and the others. So, I took my chance to convince him to not help Eggman; unfortunately, he didn't take it well. Out of anger and sadness, I convinced my feelings to him. Because of that, I felt my past haunting me again which had me run away.

A lot of things happened after that. There was: Dr. Eggman's trap, me finally talking to Sonic and his friends, finally getting the other mobian on the resistance side, Eggman's final attack, and me finally putting my past behind me. I guess that's why I haven't heard my uncle's voice nor his mental torture in a while. I think I figured out what Shadow meant when he says to put the past behind me. He doesn't want me to keep thinking about my uncle. Instead, he wants me to focus on other things in life.

"I see you decided to change appearance," I heard someone say behind me. I turned and noticed a male black and white jackal with yellow left eye and blue right eye. He also has a white scar across his right eye and wearing a white scarf around his neck, and black clawed gloves and boot-like pointed shoes. The jackal is also carrying a red blade but only because he has no where else to put it.

Remembering the jackal's comment, I looked down at my outfit. He's right after all. I use to wear something a bit heavy; now, I am currently wearing a sleeveless, long-legged red bodysuit with three gold belts around the top, a white long sleeve jacket, red boot-like shoes, my usual crescent moon necklace, and white gloves with little white decorative flowers around the wrist while my ruby wristband grabbling hooks are hidden in them. Amy, one of Sonic's friends- er I think she is his girlfriend, wanted me to change my outfit for how dirty my previous outfit was due to all the construction. She, Cream, and Cheese had decided to come up with an outfit for me back at the resistance. Most of them were a bit girly for my taste, but then their friend Blaze recommended a different outfit and it's the one I'm currently wearing. I chuckled a bit nervously. "Y-yeah," I said a bit nervously. "A-Amy and her friends wanted me to wear something different thanks to the construction we did with the rest of the resistance," I explained. I then started to feel nervous as I rubbed my arm and gripped on to my wispon a bit. "Wh-what do you think?" I asked a bit nervously while looking away.

I heard the jackal walking, but I didn't turn around. Suddenly, I felt someone pulling me towards them! Noticing the black-furred arms and black gloves, I look towards the jackal and noticed the smirk on his face that caused me to blush a bit. "If it weren't for your scent and voice, I wouldn't have recognized you. But I do admit, it is a nice touch for you," he says with the smirk still present. I suddenly felt the jackal nuzzle to my neck and giving it kisses. My blush increased as I let him. I feel myself giving in and moaned a bit to his actions. I then felt him stop which caused me to whimper a bit as he chuckles. "You just love my attention, don't you?" I heard the jackal asked. Before I had a chance to question what he meant, I felt the jackal tilt my face towards him as he places his lips on mine. This had me blush a bit more.

The Lightning Wispon, in my hand, started to shake a bit which had the jackal and I separated a bit. And then, a little yellow creature with teal eyes popped out of the wispon. It looks to the jackal as it tries to make the jackal move even further away from me. The jackal growls a bit at the creature as his grip on me tightens a bit as he brings me closer. "And you always like to pop out and ruin the moment," he says to the creature. The yellow creature crosses its arms as it looks at the jackal with an unpleased look.

I let out a soft quiet sigh while watching the jackal and the little creature. Those two sure like to fight a bit when this stuff happens. I look to the little creature with a soft smile. "You don't need to worry Rai, it's okay. He's not doing anything bad," I said to the creature. Rai is the name I gave to the creature. Rai is actually a wisp that has just begun to hang out with the jackal and me. According to Rouge and Tails, Rai and his kind have been helping the resistance making the wispons. Sometimes, they would lend the resistance a hand in battle.

Rai, the yellow creature, looks towards me and then flies around me and the jackal in a zigzag circle while chirping happily. It- Well, I believe it is a he, then stops after a few times just to watch me and the jackal. The jackal continues to growl but more quietly as he holds me closer. We then noticed someone walking towards us and looks familiar, a blue hedgehog. "I was wondering where the resistance's prisoner went off to," the blue hedgehog says with a smile. I noticed the jackal quickly releases me and looks away from the hedgehog. "What, did I interrupt something?" he asks teasingly.

The jackal growls as he continues to look away. I blushed a bit, but quickly stopped as I look at the blue hedgehog. "Hi Sonic! What are you doing here?" I asked with curiosity.

"Well," Sonic, the blue hedgehog, starts to say but stops to scratch his head a bit. He then stops as he looks back to me. "I came to say bye," he then says with a sad smile.

I looked surprised as tears started to appear in my eyes. Of course, how could I forget. I told Knuckles that someone else needed my help and I had to leave the resistance. He wasn't convinced at first, but he let me go regardless. News had seemed to travel since everyone else heard what I planned to do and said their goodbyes. It was hard since I have friends and then I'm about to leave them, especially to Tails. However, I felt that it is something I have to do. I want to see more of the world and help those who might need me. And right now, there is someone who needs me. Unfortunately, it seems it'll be harder saying it to Sonic. "O-oh, right," I replied a bit sadly while looking down. I tried to stop my tears, but they just kept coming.

"We all gotta keep moving forward. No matter what, yeah?" I heard Sonic ask. However, I didn't bother looking up since it's really hard to say bye to Sonic, my first friend along with Tails.

"Y-yeah," I replied a bit sadly. The tears had continued to flow out while I tried to stop them. I then noticed Rai in front of me with a worried look. I tried to smile, but it doesn't seem to be working.

"Hey," I heard Sonic call out! I flinched a bit as I looked up to the hedgehog. "Don't worry too much about it. I'm sure we'll meet again. In fact, I'm certain of it," he says as his actual smile returns.

"S-Sonic," I mumbled as I smiled. Once I successfully got the tears out of my face, I looked back up to the hedgehog. "Y-yeah, you're right," I said with a nod. I walked up to Sonic until we are a hand reach apart. I looked at my free hand and remembered how the hedgehog would offer a fist bump at times. Now, it's my turn to do the same. "Thanks for everything," I said with a smile. I had my free hand form to a fist and then held up my fist to Sonic. "I'll see you later Sonic," I added to the hedgehog.

I noticed Sonic look at my fist with a bit of surprise. He then looks back to me with a smile. "See you later, Buddy," he replies as he fist bumps with mine. We stood like that for a few seconds until we both removed our fists from each other. Sonic then looks to the jackal behind me. "Hey, you take care of her or else my friends and I will have issues with you, got that pal?" he calls out to the jackal. I looked and noticed the jackal hmphed. I looked back to Sonic as he waves a bit and then runs off.

I waved to Sonic as I see him run off to wherever his feet takes him to. Once the hedgehog is no longer in sight, my tears returned. I looked down and cried a bit quietly. I suddenly felt someone hugging me! I looked and noticed it was the jackal. I smiled and hugged him back. "Thanks," I said to him.

"You know," I heard the jackal say. I look towards him. "You do not have to do this. You can stay with the resistance and I shall be off to do my own stuff," he says while looking away.

I smiled a bit and shook my head. "I appreciate your concern over me, but don't," I said while looking at the jackal. I then placed a hand gently on his cheek. "I want to do this. It helps me learn more about the world and I get to do it with someone close to me," I added. I watched the jackal smile, but still looked concerned. "Besides, your trial isn't over yet. Someone needs to keep an eye on you," I added with a little giggle.

The jackal gave me a bit of an annoyed look. "Sometimes, you spend too much time with that blue nuisance and his friends during and after the war," he commented with a grumble.

I giggled again in response. But then, I stopped and released the jackal from the hug. Rai looks to me and then goes back into the Lightning Wispon. "Well, where to partner?" I asked him. I noticed the jackal gives me a confused look. "Come on, I said was going to help those who need me. And you look like you need it," I explained a bit.

The jackal looked a bit surprised. He then quickly snaps out of it with a bit of serious expression. "To the Shararah Desert to find the rest of my squad. According to Shadow and that bat, that was where they were last seen. I am hoping to find them there or find any clues to their current whereabouts," he added. The jackal looks to the sunset for a moment and then back to me while holding his free hand out to me. "Are you ready to go Saura?" he asks with a smile.

I gave the jackal a smile. "I'll go where ever you go, Zero," I replied to the jackal. I placed my free hand to his and had my smile grow. I feel the ja- Zero grip on to my hand. We both looked at each other for a minute and then started walking off. As long as I'm with Zero, I'm no longer afraid. It's time to see what is up ahead and speak up.

The End.