Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Neo Metal Sonic stood in front of a screen that had a map with many, many X’s. It had been a few hours since he’s last moved. For weeks Neo has been stuck in the same routine. Send out search parties, listen to Orbot and Cubot’s idiotic suggestions and then mark off places when the search parties inevitably come back empty handed. Then return to his room to charge when he’s low on energy.

If it was possible Neo thinks he would have gone mad from this frustrating, fruitless search for his creator. Frustration isn’t a new emotion for the robot by any means, but as of lately he’s felt it much more then what was “normal” for him. No one else in the Eggman Empire shares his emotions, the only other badniks programmed to feel anything are Orbot and Cubot, but they see Eggman being gone as a vacation. If those two weren’t the only other sentient machines in the Empire, Neo thinks he would have dismembered them by now.

Things are different now. Not just with the Eggman Empire, but with Neo as well. He’s noticed several differences since he’s been upgraded to his Neo form. Not even differences from the previous time he was in his Neo form, just a difference in everything.

One notable example occurred just yesterday. Neo had been awaiting the return of the search parties, when he suddenly felt compelled to review his own maintenance logs. He watched and listened to footage of his creator repairing him. Whenever Eggman repaired him, his creator normally ranted about his next glorious plan or how much he hated that stinkin’ hedgehog. As he listened to the logs, Neo felt…something new. Something he didn’t know how to describe, when he realized that; he shut the logs off and went back to work. Neo can deal with having emotions, but when they district him and interfere with his work is where he’ll draw the line. As soon as his creator is found Neo will have to inform him of his defects.

The emotion itself doesn’t bother him, it’s the fact it’s interfering with his objectives. The emotions he was built with, hatred and pride served him with motivation. That…nostalgia, yes that’s the word, feeling can give him motivation as well. However it seems too strong to provide anything, but distractions. Neo is supposed to be better, the Doctor’s Finest Creation, but here he is letting emotions that he shouldn’t have unnerve and distract him.

While lost in his thoughts Neo didn’t even notice that he’d quit typing, his head had lowered. His trance was broken by the door opening behind him. Neo closed his fist when he realized that he was distracted again. It only fueled his frustration.

“Ah! Big bro! Still checking off the map I see.” Orbot’s voice only served to irritate him further.

“Have any reports came in from the search parties yet?” He turned to look down at the inferior robots.

“Yeah, a damage report.” Cubot chimed in as he looked at the screen in his hands.

“What?! By Sonic or any other of his meddling friends?” Neo exclaimed, his metallic voice raised in pitch.

“Did you not notice the alert up there?” Orbot asked and pointed to another screen beside the map.

Neo turned back to the screens and sure enough there was a red blinker on it. Blasted emotions, blasted memories.

“No, I was performing other tasks.” Neo said dryly as he went back to the command consul.

“It kinda looked like you were staring at a whole lot of nothing when we came in…” Cubot pointed out.

“You have been doing that a lot lately…when we were in the storage rooms the other day you stopped and stared for quite some time, at leftover mechanisms from you and the boss’s excursions on Little Planet. Is there anything you want to talk about, Big bro?” Orbot looked up to him.

Neo clenched his fists yet again, he didn’t bother to look at his “brothers”.

“There is nothing to talk about! We must immediately access the damages! And quit calling me that!” Neo snapped after a moment of seething.

“Fine…” They both sighed in unison. Typical. Just attempting to distract Neo to get out of work.

The first thing he saw when he opened the recording was Sonic drop kicking one of the badniks. The rest of the footage didn’t even last minute before the who party was destroyed, his copy had that smug grin on his face throughout the whole encounter. That was what the footage stopped at, the arrogant grin frozen on the screen.

Neo could feel his rage raising even higher then it already was. It seemed like everything was out to irritate him today. Neo wanted to do many things at the moment, slam his fist into the consul, punch his loathsome copy’s face on the screen and punt Orbot out the window.

He felt like he could destroy every pathetic badnick in this base. He felt like he could rip out every quill from that blue pest. He felt like could dismantle the two useless bots beside him. He felt like-he felt…Neo felt nothing.

His rage was like a raging tsunami, but suddenly the waves leveled out in mere seconds. A fire that went out because of a lack of oxygen. The metaphors could go on, but Neo was “numb” as an organic being would describe it. The whiplash kept his body frozen as his mind settled.

Continue with the objective. Something prompted from his programming.

Yes. The objective. He straightened his posture and looked back to the screens in front of him. Neo began to check the camera’s of the other search parties. All the other badniks seemed to be intact and continuing their searches.

“Send out a command to all flying scouts, keep tabs on my burdensome copy and the rest of the annoyances when they’re spotted. I want near constant updates on their activity. We cannot allow them to gain awareness of our plans. The searc-” Neo was cut off by an alarm. A moment later the map zoomed in to one of the scouting parties location.

“Is that an update on where the boss is?” Cubot questioned.

“Isn’t that the energy alarm?” Orbot pointed out.

If the two robots would give him at least a second he could provide an answer. Orbot was correct, the alarm went off because of an energy source that the scouting party went too close to.

The main objective is to find Dr. Eggman of course, but almost all scouting bots are programmed to report any high energy source they come across. Neo synced the energy reading to the database to see if there’s any matches in frequency. As the program ran Neo scanned the reading, something about it looked familiar. But with how many different energy sources and types the Doctor utilized and tested out, it was difficult to pin down down which one it was. Whatever it was, the doctor would want him to secure a strong power source if the opportunity arises.

A moment later the computer made a chime as it found the match. Well, a similar match. It shared the same wavelength, but whatever the scout’s found it was significantly weaker then what was on record. The phantom ruby…how curious.

“Didn’t that thing disappear with Infinite?” Cubot questioned.

The ruby and the jackal had not been on Neo’s mind. Neither were relevant in the search of Dr. Eggman, so they were lower on his priority list. However it looks like the ruby’s importance just moved up on the list.

“Ready a carrier, something quick and stealthy. While the other parties continue their search we’ll investigate the area for the ruby.” Neo declared as he rested his arm behind his back.

“What a wonderful idea! The ruby would be a wonderful welcome back for the boss when we find him!” Orbot rambled while he tapped away on his tablet.

Neo continued to stare at the map. He expected himself to…feel…something. Excitement about recovering such a powerful gem, but no. All he could think about was the strange moment when his emotions rebooted. Dr. Eggman never mentioned something about messing with his programming. If his records are right…the last time his programming was rewritten was after he went rouge. Perhaps Dr. Eggman revised some of his code while he was upgrading him to his Neo form? That would be the only explanation-

“Alright, big bro! The carrier is ready for us! Oh, can me and Cubot come too? We haven’t left the base in weeks!” Orbot announced in a hopeful tone.

“Can’t remember the last time I was excited to go on an errand!” Cubot exclaimed.

Neo just nodded at the request as he started to make his way to the hallway. The prompt from earlier was right, he just needs to focus on his goals. Locate Dr. Eggman and secure any and all power available. Just because his creator is lost doesn’t mean he would want Neo to ignore such a powerful resource. He will do whatever he can to secure any and all power for his creator.

…

The only thing Infinite can say he’s felt for weeks is hunger. And hungry he’s stayed.

After he warped miles away from the battlefield, he struggled to find shelter, but a secluded cave was eventually found in a dense forest. There’s a patch of berry bushes a few yards away and a creek not too far.

He has enough to survive, for now. The berries have to be rationed and the jackal hasn’t ventured far enough to find another food source. An infection on his upper arm had only grown, every movement from his leg caused pain from what might be a sprain and burns covered his body. Infinite swears next time he sees Sonic and that pitiful wolf…

The jackal wants to say that he’ll destroy them, but that seems impossible at the moment. In his tightly closed fist sat a shard of the shattered phantom ruby.

The ruby shattered just as he used it to warp. The flash of light that occurred was too much for him to see what became of the other pieces.

Despite many attempts, the single shard isn’t strong enough to conjure up even one illusion. Infinite can still feel it’s energy however, it’s power.

If-No…when his injuries are healed he’ll gather the shattered pieces and restore the ruby. Then those heroes will regret not finishing him off.

Infinite looked out the opening of his temporary den. The sun had started to lower out of sight. He spent a few minutes watching the orange sky that bled through the canopy of trees turn to dark blue. A few stars were visible.

He tore his eyes away from the outside world and looked across the cave to where his mask stared back at him. Infinite raised his free hand and rubbed at his face. He let out a pained breath when he stood and winced.

After he dawned his mask, he dragged himself out of the cave and into the small clearing outside. There were some berry bushes littered around the forest, but he’ll gather them on his way back to the cave. Infinite kept walking straight ahead, and not after long the sound of running water could be heard. He pushed aside some branches in his way and a small creek came into view.

The jackal approached and knelt down to the water, he dipped his arm in the creek. The cool water felt nice against a burn on his lower arm. He wished he could submerge himself in the shallow creek, and get a moment of reprieve from the irritation of the burns that littered his skin. But no. That would leave him vulnerable to any attackers that tracked him down.

It would be his luck…Infinite thought bitterly. He hasn’t seen another soul since the battle, but he knows it’s only a matter of time before someone tracks him down. Whether it’s Sonic or the Doctor, it matters not.

Infinite just needs time. Time to recover from his injuries. Time to recover the pieces of the phantom ruby. Time to grow his power again. Then finally crush his foes beneath his heel. And this time he’ll succeed alone. Eggman only ever chained him down. The Doctor might have given him the ruby, but other then that he’s done nothing, but hold Infinite back.

The jackal could faintly see his reflection from the water. His mask that was once spotless was now covered in dirt, scratches and scorch marks. He cupped his submerged hand and wiped what imperfections he could away.

His parched throat thirsted for water, but he stayed still. Every night it was the same. Venture to the creek for water and have the same mental battle each time. Infinite’s hand rested on his mask.

After a few moments of hesitating he finally lifted his mask away from his face. He closed his eyes before he dipped his muzzle into the water and began to drink. The water felt heavenly on his throat. The jackal only got one chance to drink every night, he has to drink all he can.

How much longer am I going to live like this? The question was the same one he asked himself almost multiple times a day. How much longer is he going to have to live off of a handful of berries a day? How much long can he ignore the heat that only grew from his wound on his arm?

A loud sound interrupted his thoughts. The sound of an engine in the air. In the weeks Infinite has spent in the forest there hasn’t been any signs of life besides himself and flickies. An engine close enough to be heard was anything, but a good sign.

Infinite hastily put his mask on again, then jumped to stand. His heart started to beat faster by the second. His eyes darted around what little sky he could see between the trees. The volume of the sound increased every second, whatever he was hearing is heading his way.

Infinite darted away from the creek and back towards his den. His heart raced as he ran. Branches smacked his masked face as he reckless pressed on. At one point he ran past a throne bush that snagged his leg in a few spots, but there wasn’t time to focus on that. The pain from his suspected sprain had subsided, the rush of adrenaline made the injury irreverent in the current situation.

Finally he reached his clearing. The jackal’s den only a few feet away, but he stopped. Infinite’s instincts demanded that he hid in the safety of the shelter. But then what? Get cornered by whoever tracked him down?

He looked down to his hand that held the phantom ruby shard, his hand had started to shake at one point. Infinite stared as his hand shook, he brought his other hand up and it shook as well. The jackal should be running, hiding, anything. But he’s frozen as he can only observe his shaking hands. Now that he stopped running he noted he could also hear his own heart pounding.

A million thoughts ran through his head. How could he so quickly, rendered powerless? Pathetic? Weak…Just a mere weeks ago he conquered almost the whole planet. Now look at him, shaking and cowering like a newborn pup.

In the distance he could just about see the lights of the vehicle through the trees. It appeared to be landing, it wasn’t that far from him. Whoever tracked him down will be approaching soon…Infinite can only wonder what will become of him.

Will the Resistance lock him away in a cell to rot? Will Eggman dispose of him for his failures? Will Sonic, himself appear from the treeline to finish him off?

No. Whoever is here for him will find that he will not go down without a fight. He will destroy his enemies and be feared once more.

Despite the courageous talk in his head the jackal’s hands still shook and his heartbeat hadn’t faltered in it’s rapid beating. The normal and new pains in his body were covered under the adrenaline that flowed through his veins.

The jackal’s ear flicked as the vehicle’s engine slowed, it was still running; just not moving now. The forest’s foliage that broke and cracked further alerted him that someone was approaching him quickly.

Whoever it is will regret challenging him.

Infinite could see a silhouette in the distance. He couldn’t distinguish who it was, his eyes were made to see during the night, but the trees and other foliage didn’t allow him to see the figure clearly.

It doesn’t matter who it is, Infinite will strike them down all the same. The jackal clutched the ruby shard and waited for his enemy to reveal themselves.

Chapter Text

Neo had been theorizing why the the frequency from the ruby had been so much weaker then what was on record. It’s power could had been overexerted and simply needed time to recover. It could be an old trace from a previous time it was used at the location. The ruby being shattered was a theory, although an unlikely one. However Neo couldn’t deny the possibility when he dug through a rubble pile of once a great city to find a fractured piece of the gem. Neo held the ruby piece between his metal claws.

He had limited experiences with the gem, but he could tell that its power had dulled when it shattered. The once shining gem now mute and discolored. Even dulled it still had enough energy to emit a signal.

On the ride back to the base, Neo had begun organizing more search parties, but these ones won’t be looking for Dr. Eggman. They’ll be on the hunt for the other pieces of the phantom ruby. The search for Eggman will continue, of course, but the ruby will not be ignored. If he was able to locate a shard, then he has no doubt that others will as well. It is best to locate the shards as quickly and quietly as possible. The last thing Neo needs are the organic pests shoving their noses in his business. If he succeeds in restoring the ruby then perhaps concealing himself wouldn’t be necessary.

Finally the view of the chemical plant appeared on the horizon. A temporary base of operations. The place was the obvious choice to start rebuilding the Eggman Empire, it already had mountains of resources in storage and the basic assembly lines only needed a few repairs to start producing badniks again. As he stated the obvious choice, which is why Neo has to start relocating to a different, more hidden base. It’s only a matter of time before the Resistance and Sonic come to investigate with the increase of badniks roaming the planet. Neo is surprised they haven’t already.

“Find me every file, report, tests results, any information the Doctor had on the phantom ruby.” Neo ordered as he exited the carrier after the door slid open.

“Right away, big bro! I’m presuming that you’ll be taking the ruby piece to the lab?” Orbot asked as he and Cubot hovered behind him.

“Yes, but I’ll just prepare it a stasis chamber for now. I won’t start properly analyzing it until we’re moved into the new base. I’ve prepared extra scouting parties, alert me if there are any reports.” Neo stated as the metal doors slid open as the three approached the entrance.

As he walked in long strides down the long barren hallway, badniks were walking past him with boxes of resources, ready to be loaded and transported. With his efficient organizational skills they’ll be ready to move in a day or two. The only thing that was left was to finalize the new location of his base of operations. Neo longed to restore the shattered ruby, but no, the new base must take priority.

After that however, Neo will raze anywhere or anyone who attempts to keep the other pieces of the ruby from him.

…

In the distance Infinite could see the lights of the ship as it landed. It couldn’t have been more then two hundred feet away, luckily the dense forest could provide him some cover.

Well, only if whoever it is wasn’t after him. That ship landed way too close to his shelter for it to be a coincidence. Infinite doesn’t care who it is, they’ll regret disturbing him.

The jackal stood and waited for his unknown foe. His breath still heavy from his run, he hadn’t guessed that the absence of nutrients in his diet would hinder him this severally. The physical hindrances weren’t the only thing that affected him it seemed. Despite his best efforts his mind was frazzled. A clear head is one of the most important things in battle. He knew this, yet here he was.

Memories of his recent failures in the war flooded his mind. Failures he still haven’t recovered from yet.

Infinite stood and waited for what felt like hours before he heard his foe. It started as a crack of sticks and branches brushed away. As the noises increased in volume, Infinite could finally see a figure through the dense forest. The figure was tall with long spikes that protruded from their head.

Finally, the figure that came into view was Metal Sonic, a taller more forbidding version of the machine. The Doctor must have finished upgrading the robotic replica. The two just stared at each other for who knew how long.

“Infinite…I would say you’re looking well, but I try not to lie anymore.” The machine looked him up and down with his red glowing eyes. If he didn’t know any better he would say that the robot is judging him. How dare Eggman’s guard dog judge him? The simple thought made Infinite want to snarl. The few times Infinite had interacted with the robot weren’t pleasant either. Even without a voice the robot had an easy time letting everyone know what his thoughts of you were.

“Is there a reason for disturbing me? Why are you here and not the doctor?” Infinite attempted to say in a calm, controlled manner, but what came out was a snarl.

“You’ve been labeled as dead since the last battle, it’s pure coincidence that we’re meeting now.” Metal Sonic responded. The machine now being able to speak unsettled the jackal, perhaps it was just the badnik’s voice itself. Infinite wasn’t sure what he expected it to sound like, but the bold, deep voice wasn’t it.

“Then how did you find me?” The jackal demanded, his matted tail swished back and forth.

“I can’t help, but notice you never attempted to connect back with Dr. Eggman…” Metal Sonic ignored his question, his head tilted and his tone was full of condescension.

“I was…waiting for my injuries to heal. Best not to be seen in a state where I wouldn’t be able to defend myself properly.” Infinite hesitated before he answered. A traitorous voice in his head encouraged him to run. To live another day, but his feet were nailed in place.

No. He’s not going to flee. The jackal isn’t weak.

“Well, now you can rejoin the empire without a worry. And I believe you are in possession of some very valuable right now.” Metal Sonic began to slowly take a few steps closer, his eyes had lowered to the jackal’s closed fist.

Ah. The ruby shard was his objective, not him. Of course. Infinite felt foolish that the Doctor would even consider him an essential asset. He was replaceable, but the power of the phantom ruby was not.

Infinite dug his nails into his palms. There is no other him in this world. There will never be another him. There will neverbe another being that bent this world to its knees like he did. A fire was suddenly relighted inside him.

All he could do in the moment was stare at the robot. How dare this piece of scrap metal come and disturb him, then just insult him with underlying threats laced in his words.

Infinite has seen the numerous records of the badnik’s failures. The jackal knew he was weakened, and without the complete phantom ruby he had limited options, but he refused to run without at least attempting to defend himself. Upgrade or not, Infinite looked at the machine in front of him and wanted to scoff.

Eggman is far more threatening then the cheap knock-off in front of him. Infinite has had years of fighting experience, some of those years spent fighting the doctor’s badniks before the jackal joined him. If he still had his sword he would make even shorter work of the machine. Infinite wasn’t some weakling who cowered. Who let his dignity be define by his one failure. No, he’ll show the Doctor that he is not some failed experiment.

He almost wished it was the Doctor in front of him now.

“Well? Hand it over.” Metal Sonic ordered.

“Meta-” Infinite began.

“Neo Metal Sonic.” The badnik corrected, an edge to his voice.

“Neo Metal Sonic, before I do such a thing. Were there any search parties for me? Did the Doctor even attempt to locate me? It seems the Empire is searching for the phantom ruby shards, but not the one that commands it.” The jackal growled.

“Commands it? You were the one to let the ruby shatter while you cost us a important battle.” Neo Metal Sonic looked down at him.

The final string of restriant in the jackal snapped at the robot’s words.

With a snarl and a rush of adrenaline he lunged at Neo Metal Sonic. His aim was for the badnik’s neck, however his target had effortlessly dodged his attack. Less than a moment passed before a powerful kick was thrown at his side.

Infinite skidded on the rough forest floor. He held the ruby shard tightly. Fighting with only one hand won’t help his odds, even with the infection on his occupied arm.

He could only raise his head before a punch hit him right in the center of his mask. The jackal’s vision was disoriented as he gazed up at Neo Metal Sonic as he towered over him.

Fast as the wind, a cold metal hand was around his throat. Infinite was lifted up, he grabbed and clawed at the arm that had him trapped. The claws around his throat had began to tighten, it left the jackal gasping for air.

“I don’t know what has fed your delusions more, your ego or hunger. Organic beings let their physical pains alter their minds so drastically.” Neo taunted him, red piercing eyes stared into his.

Each breath became harder to take, it didn’t take long before spots danced around his vision. His limbs felt numb, and with that he barely realized that the ruby shard had fell from his grasp.

A few moments later he was thrown to the ground away from the robot. The jackal gasped and hacked for air. Vision still not restored, he struggled to his feet. Infinite could just about see Neo Metal Sonic as the machine examined the ruby between his claws.

“I have what I came for, now…what to do with you?” The badnik said as he slowly turned to look at him.

The jackal didn’t even have a moment to react before Neo Metal Sonic was gone. His blurry vision couldn’t process the speed the robot moved in. Suddenly the back of his head was hit with such force that sent him face first into the ground.

Infinite could barely say what happened next. He urged his body to get up, but exhaustion overpowered him. The source of most of his pain came from the blow to his head. Awareness started to escape him as he laid defeated on the ground.

“Disappointing…” He barely processed Neo Metal’s condescending voice.

The next few events were a blur. The jackal felt himself being lifted, he wanted to fight, to claw, to at least look that scrap metal in the eyes. But he couldn’t. His limbs were limp as he continued to breath heavily.

The jackal blinked in conciseness and his blurry vision was met with the forest floor. He was thrown over Neo Metal’s shoulder. A spike from the machine dug irritably into his skin. After a few seconds Infinite’s eyes closed and he lost awareness again.

“Prepare a pair of cuffs.” The badnik’s voice brought him few more moments of conciseness, just as sudden back into darkness he went.

It wasn’t he was until the hand that held him up grabbed him and unceremoniously dropped him in a seat. His eyes blinked open again to see Neo Metal in front of him. Both wrist were grabbed and the next thing the jackal knew metal cuffs were strapped on him. Then the badnik simply walked further into the carrier without a second glance.

Even through the thick fog that covered his mind Infinite knew he wasn’t considered a real threat. The jackal wasn’t even cuffed to the seat he was in, he could get up, try to fight one more time. But his weakened body was barley able to move.

The only thing he could do was lower his eye and close his eyes for the final time that night.