A Dangerous Weapon part 1


“...Well… This is rather… odd…” commented Doctor Eggman, caressing his moustache. He had just come out of his hiding spot, a laboratory in Mystic Jungle, to receive Zero, the leader of the Jackal Squad, a former team of mercenaries of which the evil scientist had recently bought their loyalty and was employing them as bodyguards. But as he was about to receive him, the jackal vanished under his very eyes after being hit by a mysterious black and violet ray. From the shadows, emerged a mysterious flying figure, possibly a jackal, with a weird metal mask.
“I take it you’re the one who just murdered the leader of my defense squad.” commented the evil doctor, folding his arms and scoffing in an annoyed way. Not that he was particularly fond of the guy, but now how was he supposed to command the others?
“I am. But why would the ‘great’, Doctor Eggman, use someone so… weak, to protect yourself?” scoffed the figure. Eggman raised a brow: his voice was modified to sound deeper and more menacing, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something in his mannerisms was weirdly… familiar. 
“I shouldn’t be surprised, I got what I paid for. But what’s it to you? You knew that guy?” asked the doctor.
“Never seen him before in my life. But I recognize that same weakness when I see it. I could almost smell it. The putrid stench of failure he emanated was nauseating...” growled the masked figure, folding his arms. Eggman could tell just from the tone of his voice that the figure was most probably gritting his teeth in disgust.
“Mhm, mhm… Now, tell me why shouldn’t I obliterate you right here, right now?!” asked the doctor, grunting and turning on his defense system with a simple gesture of his hand. Cannons came out of the walls, pointing the intruder with laser pointers, and from the base came out a horde of Egg Pawns, all pointing their weapons at the mysterious masked figure, who simply chuckled.
“Is this how you deal with someone who wishes to make a deal with you?” scoffed the figure, adjusting the mask on his face.
“I’ve had more than my fair share of double crossers in my time as an evil genius. So I’d say I’m just skipping the unnecessary plays at being civil.”, Eggman retorted.
“Can’t say that I blame you. You have the wisdom of many failures under your belt.” answered the figure, widening his arms.
“...I can’t decide if that was meant to be a compliment or an insult.” grumbled the doctor.
“Interpret it however you please. But working with a genius of your caliber… and combined with the power I am offering you with no strings attached… Perhaps you would be inclined to see it for what it is…” said the figure, making a small curtsy bow. 


That made Eggman mellow out a little bit, especially the part where his intelligence was praised. He couldn’t help but let ego get over his head and laughed.
“Hah! I like the cut of your jib, stranger!” chuckled the doctor.
“Oh right, where are my manners? I forgot to properly introduce myself.” said the figure, flying a bit higher as an ominous red aura surrounded him.
“You may call me… Infinite. For that is how big my hatred for this world is.” he proclaimed before landing again.
“Uuh! Theatrical yet ominous! I like it, but… Why are you here, exactly? It seems weird for you to travel all this way from… wherever you came from just to kill a singular, lonely jackal.” Eggman asked, leaning a bit towards his interlocutor.
“Nothing gets by you, I see. I’ll go straight to the point, then: I’m here to help you.” said Infinite.
“Help me with…?” asked the doctor, folding his arms.
“Now now, let’s not insult each other, doctor. I know all about your little… pet project, stored cozily inside that lab of yours… and I know how to fix it.” Infinite chuckled yet again.
“...Assuming I know what you’re talking about, and I don’t, what makes you think I need external help to fix something? I am doctor Eggman, evil scientist extraordinaire! The very fabric of reality bends to the whim of my brain!” proclaimed the doctor, theatrically pointing at the sky.
“Your genius is not being questioned here, doctor. But you struggle against an obstacle which very few people could work around.” said Infinite, taking a USB drive out of his glove and handing it to the doctor.
“I merely ask you a few of your precious moments to show you… an alternative method.” said the figure, moving away soon after. Eggman studied the drive, then scoffed and put it in a port on his bracelet, starting to analyze it.
“...Come inside. But one hint of treachery and my robots will blast you into pieces! And then they’ll blast those pieces into even tinier pieces! Hahaha!”, the doctor mocked as he walked inside. Infinite made a small scoff and followed him, surrounded by robots that pointed their spears at him.


Inside the lab, Infinite and Eggman walked past several canisters filled with a transparent liquid, too viscous-looking to be water, in which floated several red and black gems, all with different shapes and sizes but all sporting the same pattern and radiating a faint violet aura. All of them looked exactly like the gem Eggman held right above his computer, connected to the canisters by several wires.
“...The Phantom Ruby.” muttered Infinite, studying each piece with his arms behind his back.
“Exactly. A gem as mysterious as it is powerful. I’ve found next to no information about it on the very few scrolls that even cite its existence, only mentioning its great power. So forgive my skepticism when you say you know something about it.” scoffed Eggman as he checked the analyzed files on his main computer.
“I’m surprised you’ve managed to get this far on the replication process all on your own...” said Infinite, straight up ignoring Eggman’s snarky comments and just continuing to study the gems.
“Hey boy, don’t get too comfy around here. This isn’t a school trip.” snorted Eggman. It was then that Infinite made his arms flop to his sides and stared back at the doctor, his only visible piercing golden eye shimmering with a raging flame as his pupil shrunk to the size of a pinprick.
“DON’T. CALL ME. BOY.” hissed the masked figure, his aura flaring up of an ominous red along with his hair standing up, which the Egg Pawns interpreted as an assault and rushed to the defense of their master. 


Eggman made a snide smirk and chuckled: “Think very carefully about your next move, stranger. My Egg Pawns may look goofy, but they pack way more punch than you think.”. Infinite visibly forced himself to calm down, his aura vanishing and his hair flopping back down.
“...Hmf.” he simply huffed and went back to admire the gems. Eggman shrugged as he finished decrypting the files: not only were they safe, so no risk of viruses infecting the Eggnet, but the data they contained seemed legit.
“...These equations are… interesting. Not super hard to figure out, but… a nice change of pace…” Eggman muttered to himself, caressing his mustaches as he studied the strings of numbers on his screen, his beady eyes darted behind his glasses from left to right as he read through them.
“...Yes… Yes!! It’s stabilized!! Oh, of course!! Why didn’t I think of that sooner?! …Uh, I mean… I suppose I could ATTEMPT to implement these equations into my patented replication process… Doesn’t hurt to try, anyway…” Eggman catched himself, not wanting to give his mysterious visitor too much credit, and began implementing the equations. Underneath his mask, Infinite smirked. Soon, the formula was complete, and Eggman’s 3D print managed to create a perfectly functioning copy of the Phantom Ruby.


Suddenly a red alert blared. All the Egg Pawns gathered around Eggman to protect him.
“What’s going on?” asked Infinite, joining Eggman as a camera turned on his screen, showing an orangish blur zipping past the trees and past Eggman’s traps and troops.
“Rgh, it’s that damn Shadow! I swear, he’s even more annoying than that blue pest sometimes!” grunted Eggman, slamming his fists on the keyboard as he could only watch the Ultimate Lifeform mow through the Egg Pawns as if they weren’t even there.
“If he finds the lab before I’ve made enough copies…!” groaned the doctor.
“...I’ll take care of him.” said Infinite, making Eggman turn to face him.
“I appreciate the bravery, and you repaying your mistakes, but that’s the goddamn Ultimate Lifeform! How do you expect to even come close to matching his power?!” asked the doctor, pulling his mustaches in an exasperated gesture.
“With the Ruby prototype, of course.” replied the masked stranger, pointing at the newly made gem.
“Absolutely not! I’m not entrusting you with the first successful copy of the Ruby I made!” Eggman snapped.
“A copy that succeeded thanks to MY data. If that’s not enough proof you can trust me, at least let me fight Shadow on equal terms. Besides… What other choice do you have? Do you really think any of your toys would be capable of even slowing him down?” Infinite scoffed, keeping his calm and just floating to meet Eggman eye to eye, arms folded. Eggman’s gaze darted from the Ruby to Infinite to Shadow a few times, evaluating all of his options. But there was really only one that would work, as irritating as it was.
“...RRRGGGHHH!!! FINE!!” he huffed and opened the canister holding the newly-made copy. Infinite smiled behind the mask and went to grab it, but Eggman grabbed his wrist tight.
“You better sleep with your eyes open if you dare to double-cross me...” Eggman hissed, narrowing his eyes behind the dark lenses of his glasses.
“I’ll take my chances.” Infinite smirked and yanked his hand away, before going to grab the Phantom Ruby. Immediately, he felt the raw power of the copy surge into his very body, his aura became more jagged with purple bolts pulsating around it. The gem floated, glowing red, before it jammed itself onto Infinite’s chest, fusing with him and overcharging his powers. Infinite felt the immense energy fueling his veins, causing a powerful roar to come out of his throat as he arched his back a bit. Eggman shielded his eyes as the bright red light enveloped the entire lab.


Shadow maneuvered himself through the branches and foliage with unprecedented grace and agility, swinging and dashing past the trees and traps with precision and speed. He stopped behind a giant rock and reached for the communicator in his ear.
“Agent Shadow, reporting from Mystic Jungle. I’m closing in on Eggman’s last known location.” he said.
“Excellent, agent. Did you find any trouble reaching the location? We heard Eggman bought a squad of mercenaries to act as a defense squad…” said the voice of Commander Towers through the comm. At that, Shadow made an unimpressed scoff: “That’s what those nuisances were? They could barely tell up from down, let alone be of any problem to me… I’ve defeated and tied them up, left them ready for you to come pick up.”.
“Very well. From now on, you decide the best COA. Remember, defeat Eggman, destroy the lab and bring over whatever he was studying. Whatever it is, it can’t be good.” said the commander, already sending over a squad to come pick up the prisoners.
“Understood. I…” Shadow was interrupted as he could see the piercing red light shining through the foliage, intense enough that he had to shield his eyes even though he was fairly distant.
“...Something’s happening. I’m going in.” said Shadow bluntly, closing the comm and speeding towards the light. He had picked up a weird energy feedback. It felt stronger than Chaos energy but more unstable. Whatever it was, it was definitely not a good sign. 


Shadow picked up speed, burrowing a hole in a tree thrice his size and age with his Spin Attack, until he reached a clearing in the forest. From the trees he could see the lab, it was close by. He began to walk there, making sure not to make any sounds, but he froze in his tracks and teleported away, just before a giant rock came crashing down where he stood. He reappeared on top of a nearby tree, but it too shook before it was uprooted completely and flung into the air by an ominous red aura. Shadow didn’t waste any time and dashed downwards, sawing the tree in half with his sharp quills before he landed down with enough force to shake the ground. A slow sarcastic clap echoed through the jungle as a voice said: “Impressive. For someone who has never seen you fight, you must look so cool. Unfortunately for you, that won’t work on me.” right as the same aura snapped a few branches, quickly sharpening their edges and throwing them at Shadow like countless spears. The ebony hedgehog started breaking each branch with his strikes and Chaos Attacks, but he realized almost too late that now he was surrounded by a whirlpool of sharp splinters, which managed to get a few cuts in before he slapped his hands together, shouting: “CHAOS… SHIELD!” and getting surrounded by a fiery bubble of orange energy, which burned away the splinters.
“...Wow, okay, consider me impressed. Now that’s a new trick.” said the voice, a twinge of excitement in his tone.
“...Where are you?” Shadow asked as the shield vanished. Still clapping, Infinite made his entrance, floating above the ground.
“Grave mistake.” he scoffed as he leapt at Infinite, readying a punch… only to be stopped in midair.
“Or maybe, just maybe, it was what I wanted.” Infinite scoffed back as he threw Shadow down yet again, then he lifted two pieces of ground and attempted to crush him. Shadow simply revved a Spin Dash and zoomed past the two plates, burrowing through them and heading straight for Infinite. The masked figure rolled his eyes and prepared to block Shadow again, but he vanished suddenly, plunging the jungle into silence. Infinite looked around carefully, making sure to check from every angle. That’s when the ground shook. Widening his eye, Infinite looked down just in time for Shadow to come out from the ground and landed a powerful uppercut right on the masked menace’s jaw. 


Infinite was sent flying, stopping midair and rubbing the spot Shadow hit, then flew back and dodged a few Chaos Spears Shadow threw at him.
“Insufficient.” scoffed Infinite as Shadow held a Spear in his hands and attacked him with it.
“Old.” snorted the masked enemy as he dodged each attack with frightening precision and timing. Shadow began to grow frustrated, more so than any corny joke Sonic had ever said, and made the Spear vanish. Then he charged his fists with Chaos energy and started to attack Infinite: each time he hit his foe, Shadow would teleport away, only to reappear behind him and attack him again, trying to disorient him. He was able to strike Infinite a few times, even making him bend back as he struck his stomach. However, that came to a halt as Shadow appeared on his right and Infinite blocked his punch. Not with his powers, but with his bare hands.
“Weak.” scoffed the villain as he dragged Shadow closer and hit his stomach with his elbow. The force of the hit was unlike anything Shadow had ever felt, and it sent him flying onto the rock Infinite had previously thrown, burrowing a hole in it. Infinite reappeared in front of the rock, folded his arms and said: “Pathetic.” while chuckling ominously. The ground shook once more and Infinite backed away a bit, seeing the ominous red light emanating from the hole in the rock, which crumbled, leaving way for Shadow, charging up all the Chaos energy he could muster. He strained himself, veins appearing on his body as he charged up. Infinite raised a brow but scoffed again, laying his arms limp and signaling at Shadow to hit him with his best shot. Growling at his foe’s mockery, Shadow shouted: “CHAOS… BLAST!!” and a red explosion came out of him, enveloping and destroying everything around them for a 10 mile radius. Infinite gasped and used the gem’s power to erect a barrier, straining and growling as he too was enveloped in the red light, seemingly vanishing…


Eggman had watched the entire fight from the safety of his base, built to be strong enough to resist even a Chaos Blast. He watched how the Chaos Blast had completely vaporized a section of the jungle, leaving nothing more than singed ground and charred tree stumps.
“...He was able to go toe to toe with Shadow. Most impressive. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Nothing can survive a Chaos Blast from that range… Oh well, at least I got some decent data from this experience.” he said with a shrug, having gotten enough time to print a few more copies of the Ruby and having packed everything, ready to leave as soon as Shadow would recover. Something suddenly slammed on the door, causing a dent in it. Eggman winced.
“,,,It can’t be… He has never recovered from a Chaos Blast of that size that easily…” muttered the doctor as his Egg Pawns crowded in front of the door, weapons up to deal with the invader. The metal door was then ripped away from its hinges and sent towards the robots, squashing them underneath it. In walked Infinite, covered in dust and with his hair and suit slightly burnt. The gem was also gone, probably it burnt all of its energy shielding him from most of the damage. Panting, Infinite wobbled inside before falling on his face.
“...You’re still alive?! After a Chaos Blast to the face? …Ho ho ho! You’re one gutsy kid!” Eggman laughed, amused by Infinite’s resilience.
“...Don’t… call me… kid…” grunted the masked figure, getting on his knees.
“Well, don’t worry. For a guy fighting Shadow the first time, you did good.” said Eggman, patting his shoulder. Infinite shivered, cackling and whispering: “...The first time…” as he slowly got up.
“Well, it doesn't matter. We gotta move before Shadow can get back on his feet.” Eggman said, getting up. At that Infinite Scoffed and handed Eggman something. As Eggman watched what was in his hand, gasping as he saw it was one of Shadow’s Inhibitor Rings stained with dust and blood, Infinite chuckled: “He won’t.”. 
Eggman shivered a little, studying the bracelet in his hand.
“You… You killed Shadow the Hedgehog?!” he asked, his voice a mix of shock, awe and joy.
“He almost killed me. I simply returned the favor.” Infinite replied with a shrug as he dusted himself off.
“That… is… AMAZING!! HAHAHAHAHA!! One of the greatest pains in my back is finally gone! FOREVER!!” Eggman gloated, giving the ring to a Pawn.
“Quick! Go frame it!” he said then he ran to Infinite and shook his hand, having lost all doubts about him.
“Welcome to Operation: Phantom, Infinite! I think you and I are destined to do GREAT things together! HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!” Eggman laughed his lungs out, having to stop a few seconds later to catch his breath. As he flopped on an arm chair and a robot brought him some water. Infinite thought: 
(I did it. I’m in, and I managed to defeat Shadow. But, as strong as he was, he was just a test. The Phantom Ruby’s power can really do wonders. Let’s see if it will be enough for me to kill… HIM…). As Infinite thought, he clenched his fists and smiled menacingly under his mask.


To be Continued…