DeliriousAbsol
*Crazy Absol Noises*
Chapter Twelve
The morning news was barely more than a drone in the background while Amy ate her cereal. Not at her bar, as had become the norm, but instead lounging on the sofa. It had been an odd night. She’d barely slept, too busy lying awake listening to Infinite muttering to himself in the living room. She’d decided not to say anything about it, and had also decided not to get up and investigate for fear she’d find him in a similar trance to the night she’d walked in on him building that tower block.
The jackal sat beside her, spooning his odd breakfast into his mouth. A cacophony of sandwich fillings and bran cereal. Well, at least it was a little bit healthy?
Infinite jerked his head up towards the TV and gave Amy a nudge with his elbow. The pink hedgehog lowered her spoon to follow his gaze, tuning in on the words of the news reporter.
‘… has finally left the Beatdrop Capital’s streets! Last night, people reported seeing a battle unfold just outside the business district. Late night workers were scattered as the monster fought against a space pirate, the wanted fugitive Gadget, and someone onlookers believe may actually be Mainframe’s Guardian Angel!’
A photo appeared on the screen, oddly clear. But the identity of the ‘Guardian Angel’ was obscured behind a mask. Amy gave a sideways glance towards Infinite, who nodded at the screen with approval while continuing his odd breakfast.
As Amy returned to the news report, the door burst open and Tangle marched in, cradling two heaving bags of groceries.
“Look who I found wandering the streets like a lost lamb!” she said.
Whisper wandered in behind her, giving the room’s occupants a weak smile.
“Goodness!” Amy lowered her bowl to her lap. “Whisper? We’ve not seen you in two days! That must have been some big journalist report!”
“Nah! She clearly got lost!” Tangle unloaded the bags onto the breakfast bar.
“Don’t be silly!” Amy turned back to Whisper. “So what was it?”
“Big report.” Whisper turned to join Tangle in unpacking the bags. “Found apartment, too.”
“Nice!” Infinite licked jam off his spoon. “Does that mean we’re losing the big-mouth, now?”
Tangle chuckled and waved her tail. “Ahh, you know you love me.”
Infinite let out a snort and stuffed his spoon back into his bowl.
“Hey, hang on!” Tangle leapt from the bar and landed right between Amy and Infinite on the sofa. “They got a photo?!”
All eyes went back on the television. The report was still ongoing, although it was less about the monster and more about the ‘Guardian Angel’ as they compared the photo with others taken over the past year. The photo had been zoomed in, and as a result had lost a lot of its crispness.
“Hey, her fashion looks a lot like yours, Whisper!” Tangle crooned. “I guess you’ve got somethin’ in common then, eh? Unless there’s somethin’ you’re not telling me?” She laughed and slapped herself on the knee.
Infinite looked over his shoulder at the wolf and raised an eyebrow.
‘The monster’s body has yet to be found,’ the reporter announced as the photo finally left the screen to be replaced by the rabbit’s head. ‘But it is safe to say that both the monster, and Gadget, are no longer a threat to Mainframe’s citizens.’
Infinite almost dropped his spoon. “They… they caught Gadget?”
“Yes.” It was Whisper who answered. She stood behind them with a fresh mug of coffee. “All over the news. Was arrested last night.”
The group fell silent, save for Whisper sipping her coffee.
“Well… what now?” Amy’s voice was oddly small. “Are they going to execute him?”
“No idea,” said Whisper.
Amy looked at her other two friends. Tangle shrugged, while Infinite’s eye grew distant.
“Then that’s good, right?” Amy went on. “That monster and Gadget are both off the streets. All that’s left now is the killer, and they think they know who that is. So if they’re right and Shadow is caught, Mainframe will be safe again.”
“Yeah, until the next problem rears its ugly head,” said Tangle. “There’s always gonna be bad people out there.”
Infinite let out a grunt and placed his empty bowl on the table. “Your annoying friend is right. Evil people are everywhere, and just because one - or two - are caught, it doesn’t make the world perfect.”
“I didn’t say it was perfect,” said Amy. “I said Mainframe will be safe again.”
“Safer, maybe. But not safe.” Infinite pushed himself up and beat crumbs off his fur. “I’m gonna take a shower, and I might be a while. I have some thinking to do, and I can’t very well do it around certain primates.”
Tangle snorted laughter. “I didn’t think I distracted ya that much!”
Infinite’s muzzle creased and he turned his tail on them to head towards the bathroom.
Tangle tucked her arms behind her head as she watched him go. “So, what d’ya suppose he’s thinking about?”
Amy let out a small sigh and placed her bowl on the table to join the jackal’s. “He thinks the killer might be trying to frame him.”
“I don’t get it, though,” Tangle scoffed. “Why would some fugitive experiment try to frame Infinite?”
“Makes a lot of sense,” said Whisper.
Tangle turned to her, aghast, while Amy merely raised an eyebrow.
Whisper shrugged. “Hunted for years. Infinite escapes. Why not create a distraction?”
“Infinite thinks Shadow came from his world,” said Amy. “And they’re enemies. So if he’s right, and Shadow is the killer, then it could be personal. Not a distraction.”
“But he said there’s a Sonic back in his world too,” said Tangle. “So this Shadow could just as easily be a doppelganger. I mean, I read tons of conspiracy theories about this guy, and not one of them had him pegged as an alien.”
Amy rubbed her face with her hands and slumped forwards. “There’s merit to both theories.”
“And we don’t know if this Shadow guy is the killer yet, either.” Tangle leant forward on her knees. “So somethin’ else might crop up!”
Amy shook her head at her friend. “You’re a little too excited about this.”
Whisper inclined her head on one side, gazing off towards the bathroom. “It might be him.”
Amy stiffened and Tangle looked between the two.
“Hang on, Whisper,” said Tangle, jaw dropping. “You think Infinite’s the killer?”
Whisper shrugged again, and Amy lowered her hands to stare at the TV. The news article had changed to updates on The Heartbreaker. Theories as to when he might strike again, and cementing the facts that every single person involved with the school had been evacuated to the surrounding towns and cities.
Tangle turned towards her. “Amy, what do you…?” She broke off, taking in the hedgehog’s dour expression. “You think it’s Infinite, too?”
The lemur’s words were quiet enough not to be picked up in the bathroom.
Amy rubbed the bridge of her muzzle. It wasn’t as if she believed Infinite was the murderer. At least, not completely. The Phantom Ruby possessed some level of sentience, he’d told her that himself. But she couldn’t tell her friends that. It would be breaching his confidence. If it was acting out like she worried it might be, then it was down to the two of them to figure it out. So what could she really say?
Amy sighed and wound her fingers together. “I honestly don’t know. But… I really don’t want it to be him.”
...
“Urgh, I didn’t think this was going to be easy.” Sonic leant his head in his hands, taking a much needed break from his computer.
A soft whimper came from beside him as T-Pup nuzzled his leg. Tails, on the other hand, continued to browse his own computer while sipping away at his coffee.
“No joy?” asked Rouge.
It was a pointless question. They’d been looking for Amy’s new address for ages, but it was becoming more and more apparent that she’d not updated it yet. That meant she was either still in a hotel, or had only recently moved. Neither of which settled well with Sonic.
“She could be anywhere in Mainframe.” Tails’ voice cemented his fears.
Sonic groaned and rubbed his temples. “Then that means Infinite could also be anywhere in Mainframe.”
“Wouldn’t that rule him out as the murderer?” asked Rouge.
“Not necessarily,” said Shadow. “If he can teleport like I can, then he could travel far distances in seconds.”
“Seconds, eh?” Sonic lifted his head and leant back in his seat. “How does that work with time zones?”
Shadow narrowed his eyes at him, not taking the bait of the hedgehog’s joke at all.
“We’re only left with one choice,” said Tails. “We’ll need to wait at the school, day in day out, until the murderer makes an appearance.”
“So ‘catch him in the act’?” Sonic grimaced. “I don’t like the sound of that, Tails. Someone could die.”
“It would be for a greater cause,” said Tails. “Catch the killer, and no more lives get lost.”
“I don’t know about you, bud, but I’d rather do this without losing any lives.”
A loud thud shook the table, causing all eyes to snap onto Shadow.
“This is pointless!” he roared. “We’re wasting time! We should be out there searching for him! Killer or not, I want answers as to where these powers have come from!”
“I understand that, but it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Sonic explained. “Let’s face it, Shadz, how hard have you made it for GUN to find you all these years? It’s no different.”
“Except there’s less people looking for Infinite,” said Tails.
“Exactly,” said Sonic. “That’s less people to cover more ground.”
Tails sipped his coffee. “I actually meant that would mean Infinite would be less inclined to hide.”
“Oh…”
“If he’s even in the Beatdrop Capital, that is,” Tails went on. “He’s not exactly a media sensation anymore, so there’s no photos more recent than two weeks old. He was last sighted in the park. If Amy has decided to set up residence here, then he shouldn’t be too hard to find.”
“If he’s even still with her,” said Sonic.
Shadow clenched his teeth and dug his claws into the table.
Rouge looked between all three of them. “Well, I can cover more ground from the sky. I can have a good search, while you two speedy ‘hogs race up and down the streets.”
“I can also cover the sky,” said Tails. “T-Pup, too. If it goes off on its own, it can record things for us.”
T-Pup gave an affirmative bark.
“And once we’ve scouted out the area,” Tails went on, “we’ll meet back here before dark. I’ll head back first to make sure Eggman hasn’t sent more drones into the alley. The last thing we need right now are mindless spies recording our every movement.”
“That settles it then!” Sonic pushed himself back from the table. “This has been a slow slog so far, so let’s get this ball rolling!”
“Roger.” Tails rose and reached for his rifle.
“And remember!” Sonic lifted a finger, freezing everyone in their tracks. “We don’t know for certain Infinite is the killer, so we’re only bringing him in for questioning.”
“I was only planning on taking tranquilizers,” said Tails. “I advise we all take that precaution. Past experiences confirm that this alien is hostile.”
Rouge puffed air between her lips and examined her nails. “There goes using my charm, then.”
Shadow rolled his eyes and made for the door. “Let’s just get this over with? The sooner we get answers, the sooner we can part ways.”
Sonic stared at his back then glanced at Rouge. “Not a people person, is he?”
Rouge winked. “Can you blame him?” Then she trotted after Shadow. “Wait up, hon! You’re not leaving without little me.”
Sonic pushed himself up and followed after her, calling over his shoulder. “Come on, Tails! T-Pup! At this rate, he’ll catch the killer before we- Oof!”
His nose collided with Rouge’s back, but she didn’t appear to notice, or care. Instead, the bat let out a disgruntled growl and tapped her foot rapidly on the tiles.
“What’s the problem?” Sonic asked, rubbing his snout.
The shutter rattled open, letting light in from outside. Tails joined his side clutching his rifle, while T-Pup looked up and down the alley, slowly wagging its tail.
“He vanished,” Rouge spat. “No patience at all! You know, sometimes I really feel he does things like this to spite me.”
Sonic and Tails exchanged glances, and the former let out a sigh.
“Then I guess we’ll just have to look for him too, then?” he said. “Before someone else finds him first.”
Rouge paled and stepped out into the alley. “I think I’d rather prove his innocence first. We might have to split up. I’ll take the western district.”
...
Shadow was growing exhausted. He’d been searching for hours, and had covered the east and north parts of the Beatdrop Capital. It had been fruitless. No sign of Infinite or that pink hedgehog he’d befriended anywhere. What was he even looking for? No address, no recent clues… Even if Infinite was the killer, there was no guarantee he was even in the city. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Where would Shadow even begin to look?
The unearthly exhaustion that had been gradually plaguing him for weeks was seriously taking its toll. Running, teleporting… it was draining. The sheer concept of spreading his search out into the surrounding towns and cities was tiring. If he encountered Infinite in this state, there’d be no way he could fight back.
Where was the tiredness even coming from? Those powers?
The black hedgehog paused on the roof of a casino, ducking behind the block leading into the stairwell. The blue probing eye of a Strider Drone lit up the darkening rooftop before the robot lumbered on its path through the streets.
A strange pink hue caught Shadow’s eye and he realised it was radiating off his body. A pink mist, rapidly fading away. Had he been about to randomly port himself without even realising it?! He could have ended up anywhere! He clenched his hands into fists and steadied himself against the wall. Answers… he wanted answers. And not just to the killings. Those were becoming less of a priority the more those weird powers manifested. If Infinite was the killer or not, he was finding him. And if he was, he’d be keeping him from arrest until Shadow had the answers he wanted. Infinite could control his powers. Surely he could teach Shadow how to do the same? Of course, there was the question of how willing he’d be to do so…
Shadow took a few deep breaths as he tried to regain enough strength to move on. But the little picnic tables spread across the rooftop garden were growing more and more enticing. Big enough to provide shelter and a hiding spot if he curled up small enough. Surely a little nap wouldn’t hurt? Then he could continue on his search for the jackal, and maybe beat some answers out of him about those strange powers while he was at it…
...
Everything had fallen silent. Since every student and teacher had been evacuated to the surrounding towns and cities, the school had been desolate. No sign of the killer. Every day, Silver and Blaze had waited by the school, taking up lurking in the local coffee and deli shops from seven-thirty in the morning until midnight. That covered both eight in the morning and evening, and also quarter-past-eleven in the morning and night.
Nothing.
Silver was beginning to question whether he’d show at all. With his potential target outside the Beatdrop Capital, his murderous plan had been turned upside-down. If he was going to strike at all, he’d probably need a new target. Although the likelihood he was running scared was growing more and more possible.
That was, if it even was the black hedgehog.
The more Silver read about Shadow, the more he began to think he was innocent. A science experiment, running for his life. What if he’d only shown up in that house because he’d believed it would be empty for a while, and therefore a good place to hide? He’d merely been startled and fled. An unfortunate accident.
Blaze cleared her throat and Silver looked up from his computer. Not that he’d been paying it much attention, instead lost in his own exhausted thoughts. Unlike him, the lavender cat looked alert and healthy. In contrast, he had heavy rings around his eyes and quills that looked like they hadn’t met a brush in days.
“It’s almost eight o clock,” she said. “I think we need to patrol the school again.”
Silver grunted and nodded stiffly. Patrol… The school was massive, and he was still not comfortable letting Blaze out of his sight. Not just because he desperately wanted her to be innocent, but also because the killer might be lurking somewhere, looking for a target. And Silver was adamant the only way they’d be getting to Blaze would be over his dead body.
“Where shall we patrol first then?” Silver asked, stifling a yawn.
“I think this time we’ll start at the college,” she said. “Work our way around to kindergarten.”
Silver flashed her a playful grin. “You really want to go to that pasta place again, don’t you?”
“What can I say? They do good sauce.”
As they stepped out into twilight, Silver fired a glance up and down the street. Silent. No one wanted to be out around the school at this hour. Just a few commuters rushing home after work, and the probing eyes of two Strider Drones strutting their way through the western district.
...
Slap. Slap. Slap.
Black fur reflected the dim light leaking in through the blinds as a pair of hands worked meticulously over the white wall. Tidy. Accurate. Organising everything down to the smallest detail. Small sheets of paper, slapped one after the other in an obsessive fashion. It was the only sound beside the near-inaudible whisper that seemed to be carried on the draft that managed to worm its way through a gap beside the window.
Slap. Slap. Slap.
‘… want to do this…’
A quick twist. A boot catching on a tub of glue, sending the adhesive to the floor. Not even a mutter of protest was given as it was promptly cleared up, peeling from the ground and spiraling back into the container it had spilled from.
‘Listen to… don’t… to do this…’
Slap. Slap. Slap.
The last sheet of paper was in place. A quick search around the room, and everything was in place. The last thing left was the victim.
A soft glow reflected off the chrome table leg beside the deer’s head. A speck of gold, almost sun-like in shape.
‘… up. Wake up! … not you!’
...
Amy rubbed sleep from her eyes, not quite convinced of what she’d seen. Infinite stood facing the living room wall, slapping post-it after post-it over the painted surface.
Sleep-walking again? It hadn’t been that long since she’d turned in for the night, leaving the dozing jackal on the sofa. Infinite had managed to rouse her, as he’d opened and closed various drawers before finding the stack of post-it notes in her studio.
She stood watching him for a moment. The mural was quite advanced, forming the unmistakable silhouette of a head.
“Infinite?” The fog of sleep now truly dispelled, she stepped into the living room.
He didn’t respond. Muttering to himself as his hands worked quickly to place each and every post-it exactly where he wanted it.
Amy wasn’t sure what to do. Did she shake him awake, or leave him to it? She clenched her hands at her sides as the quills along her back stood on end.
“Infinite, please?” she said. “You’re frightening me…”
...
Rouge was convinced it was Shadow she’d seen. That run was unmistakable. And filled with purpose. Like he knew exactly where he was going. That meant he was either being chased, or doing the chasing. The lack of a drone or helicopter taking after him told her it was more than likely the latter.
The bat landed on the roof of the school and let out a small sigh. Typical. The very place that had been evacuated. What on earth was he playing at? Mainframe already believed he was the killer. If he was spotted lurking around the school then it would only serve to add more fuel to the fire.
“At least come here with someone who can vouch for you, Shadow,” she groaned.
With a little hop, she landed on the path, ears trained for the slightest sound. Nothing. She tutted and moved along the path, glancing in at every window. Dark, but it was no problem for her night vision. Each classroom was as tidy as one would expect at the end of the day. Each tiny chair tucked beneath its tiny table. No one would have suspected it had once been filled with pre-school age children, making a mess with paints and glue and crayons. The room had been meticulously cleaned and arranged by the janitors to prepare it for the next school day.
Her eye wandered over the rows of windows ahead of her, following them up to the roof. Three floors. Unlike the kindergarten block, the rest of the building had to cater to various classes for the school and college-age students. Massive. If either Shadow or the killer was in there, then she’d have a hard time finding them. The tall school clock rose from the roof, its digital face lit up with the image of an old, traditional clock-face. Twenty-to-midnight.
She shook her head and rushed around the edge of the school, checking all the ground floor windows first. Nothing. She stopped beside the double doors to catch her breath and gave the building one last glance. She was going to have to get inside.
A quick crescent-kick to the control panel, and the entire thing exploded into sparks. Of course, that wasn’t enough to open the doors. It would need a little hot-wiring for that.
In a matter of seconds, the doors opened, letting the bat inside. A set of wide stairs greeted her in the hallway, along with an empty reception desk and a long corridor that led towards the assembly hall.
She bit back the urge to call Shadow’s name and instead turned her attention on the stairs. She’d seen all the ground floor windows, so she could rule that out. Taking steps two at a time, she raced up towards the second floor.
Various chemical smells assaulted her senses, causing her nose to crinkle. The science department. It was enough to drive her swiftly away from it, but not without glancing in at each window she passed. Empty classrooms, neatly tidied, with its intricate science equipment arranged for the next set of lessons.
Once she was away from the offending smells, she slowed down enough to have a good peek into every room. Her heart was racing, expecting at any second to encounter the killer, or the authorities. What would she even say? ‘Sorry, I was looking for a friend.’ What reason would either of them have to be in that school?
She grit her teeth together, turning randomly down a right bend. ‘Literature and Media’. Muttering to herself, she raised herself up to peek through a door’s frosted window. It was tough to make out, but it looked like a movie room. She shook it off and braced herself to continue down the corridor, but froze as the sound of rustling reached her ears.
A repetitive slap. Heavy breathing, like someone in a deep sleep.
She turned back towards the corridor she’d come from and turned her head towards the sound. The longer she listened, the more obvious it became. Someone, or something, was inside one of the classrooms.
Her heart hammered in her throat as she crept towards the door. Almost willing it to be Shadow. She didn’t want to encounter the killer. She’d only come here to find her friend and scold him for taking off without her.
She stopped by the door, straining her ears to hear beyond it. That deep breathing. A flash of crimson light lit up the glass, dazzling her slightly. She blinked to clear it away, bringing the dark room into focus.
A figure straightened up, standing over a fallen body. Blood dripped from his claws, splattering the body’s clothes.
He had his back to her, but she recognized him instantly. Black quills, streaked with red.
Rouge took a step back from the door, eyes wide like saucers. It couldn’t be…
She shook her head, large ears flapping around. Then, in one quick motion, she was out of the window, leaving it wide open as she took off across the Beatdrop Capital, barely seeing it as the scene played over and over in her mind, stinging her eyes with tears.
...
Warm blood seeped through his fur and pads, leaving them sticky. He stood back from the fallen deer and flicked his claws a couple of times.
It needed cleaning. All of it.
That sparkle of light caught his eye again, spreading across the chrome table leg and onto the white tiles.
‘Wake up!’
The whisper jolted through his head like electricity. Odd strings of code flashed across his vision, marred with glitches and errors. Amid it all, that speck of light unfolded like the petals on a daffodil.
‘This isn’t you!’
Shadow shook his head sharply and the world snapped into focus around him. He took in a sharp breath and jerked his head around. A classroom? He was pretty certain he’d fallen asleep beneath a picnic table on the rooftop of a casino.
He twitched his nose as he picked up a sharp, metallic smell. He flexed his fingers, sticky with something thick and unwelcome.
Blood?
He took a step back as if it would get him further away from his hand. Then his eyes fell on a fallen body. The lifeless eyes of an old deer stared back at him, wide and accusing. Blood marred the creamy fur on his chest and soaked through his waistcoat.
“What am I doing here?” Shadow’s voice came out uncharacteristically wobbly.
Had he encountered the killer? Had he tried to stop him?
As he took in the room, his heart seemed to freeze in his chest. The body, the blood on his hands, the odd mural on the wall. A series of post-it notes arranged to resemble a canine’s head.
The killer wasn’t Infinite. That much was clear.
He couldn’t stay there.
Shadow turned and rushed from the room, vaulting the open window. He landed in a squat on the floor, the impact jolting his joints. But it was only brief. In a matter of seconds, all pain was gone and he raced from the school, leaving a streak of flames behind him.
Two figures rounded the corner, right as the bell for the school rang out its haunting tune to mark ‘quarter to the hour’. Shadow froze, meeting the golden eyes of a grey hedgehog. Their expressions of surprise were almost identical, the detective’s eyes widening further as they trailed over Shadow’s blood-stained hands.
“Well, what do you know,” said the grey hedgehog. “A quarter to the hour. I guess you were right?”
The question had been aimed at the lavender cat beside him. She clutched the hedgehog’s trench coat sleeve, but flames erupted around her hands as her eyes flashed with rage.
The grey hedgehog whipped his sleeve from her grip then reached inside his coat for his weapon.
Shadow didn’t wait around to see what happened next. He screwed his eyes shut and willed himself into the Chaos Network.
...
It didn’t matter how many times Amy cried his name. Infinite was not for stopping. The post-it pad had run empty, leaving him to forage for another. One she didn’t even know she had. It had kittens on it.
One after the other, they joined his growing mural, and all Amy could do was sit back and watch, helpless. There was no way she was returning to bed and leaving him like that, muttering to himself as he set each one in place. She couldn’t work out what he said. Part of her wondered if it was some other language, maybe his home tongue.
Finally, the pad of kitten notes was set on the coffee table. Neatly, to match the corner. Then, Infinite crumpled to the floor, causing Amy to let out a squeal as his head landed too close to the table leg.
She leapt from the sofa to his side and grabbed his shoulder, shaking him gently.
“Infinite, please,” she pleaded. “Wake up!”
The one eye she could see fluttered open and fixed on her. For a brief moment it almost seemed to sparkle, and she felt his hand fasten over hers. She jerked her head towards it, where it was still placed on his shoulder.
She cleared her throat, glancing aside to avoid his gaze. “You were… sleep walking again.”
He pushed himself up, following her gaze towards the wall. She hadn’t really paid much attention to the mural, given it was mostly blocked out by his body. She’d been much more inclined to watch him, and when he’d collapsed she’d not had much chance to view the wall. But each post-it was set in place to form the perfect silhouette of a hedgehog’s head.
The fur along Infinite’s spine bristled and a low growl rumbled from his throat.
“He’s framing me!” he roared, launching himself across the room towards the mural.
He lashed out at it with his claws, tearing the paper from the wall and shredding it with his claws and teeth. It fluttered around the room like confetti as he screamed.
“Why?! What do you want from me?! Why can’t you just leave me alone?! Haven’t you taken enough from me?!”
Amy placed a hand on his shoulder. “Infinite, calm down! You don’t know for-”
He rounded on her, teeth bared. “What do you know, Pink Fr-” He cut off and his eye widened.
Amy jerked her hand back and he looked between it and her frightened face. A look of regret melted away his rage and he looked away from her, letting the tattered paper fall to the floor. Then he sank to his bottom.
“I’m sorry…” he said.
Amy shuffled closer to him and placed her hand back on his shoulder. She wanted to say something, but she didn’t know what. All she could do was stare at the tattered paper on her floor and wall, and speculate over what on earth it meant.
“What’s happening?” he muttered.
“I don’t know,” she said.
Infinite shook his head and took in a trembling breath. “Why…? Why can’t he just leave me alone?”
...
Shadow popped back out of the Chaos Network outside Tails’ workshop. Corrupted code spread out around him, vanishing into the air like steam. His heart hammered in his chest, and his mind fogged over as his vision narrowed. It all felt like a dream, but the blood on his hands maintained it definitely wasn’t.
Water. He needed to find water.
The shutter was open, but only just. He ducked beneath it, careful not to touch anything. Something moved in the darkness and he met the wide, frightened eyes of Rouge. Terrified. A weapon clutched in her hand, hanging at her side. Something she’d managed to pilfer from Tails’ collection. Probably the first thing she’d reached for.
He didn’t care. If she shot him now, it would be mercy. For him, and for Mainframe. He steadied himself against the wall, clenching his teeth together as his mind whirled.
“Please help me,” he gasped.
Rouge didn’t move, but he could still feel her eyes on him. He sank down against the wall, leaving a bloody streak where his hand had rested. She knew. It was obvious she knew.
“It’s me,” he croaked. “It was me all along… I…” He took in a trembling breath. “What’s happening to me?”
A clatter as Rouge dropped her weapon. Before he could even take another breath she was at his side, clutching him. He lifted his arms to return her embrace, but froze, his wide crimson eyes fixed on his sticky, offending fur.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m scared, Shadow.”
He closed his eyes and flinched. “So am I…”
“But… I want to help you.” She paused, shifting slightly. “I was looking for you.”
His spine stiffened. She’d seen him? The thought made his blood turn cold. What must she think of him? That certainly explained the weapon. Tears threatened to leak from his eyes so he screwed them shut to stop them.
“I don’t understand.” His voice came out muffled and stuffy. “Why am I doing this? I don’t… even have any memory of it.”
“I don’t understand either. But I’m with you, and we’ll get to the bottom of it, okay?” Her voice wavered and she dug her fingers into his quills. “Please. Get us out of here. Before those GUN soldiers come back.”
He nuzzled her neck, letting his arms fall over her shoulders, silently thanking her. Once again, he reached out to the Chaos Network. All that remained behind was a fleeting flurry of corrupted code, and a smear of blood over the stone wall.