Chapter Text
The chest of the suit opened up, and Robert crawled out.
“Predictable.” Shroud commented, moving away from Chad.
“Don't even think about trying to trick me. I will know.”
Robert hid his anxiety as he walked towards Shroud, two Astral pulses in hand. One was fake, one was real.
Shroud reached his hand out, waiting for Robert to place the Astral pulse in it.
He hesitated, and contemplated just placing the prototype in his hands. But he knew that he'd know.
They stood in silence, Shroud waiting patiently for Robert, until…
He placed two of them onto his palms, and Shroud pulled the gun away from Chad.
“What the fuck is this, Robert?”
“You said you wanted the Astral pulse. I gave it to you. One of those is it.”
“...They look fucking identical, Robert.”
Robert took a deep breath, making his way over to Chad. “Look, you're right. I can't outsmart you. Cause you know what? I am not a smart guy.”
Chad had given up already, and was just laying there. “So the only way to keep you from knowing what I'm doing… is to not have any idea what I'm doing.”
He smirked, confidence radiating. “...Which is how I feel all the time, but… I trust my gut and take the best guess… just like you used to do.”
He looked into Shroud's mechanical eyes. “Before you shoved all those Christmas lights into your head… before you were afraid to make your own decisions... Elliot.”
There was a moment of silence. Even Chad was watching intently.
Shroud let out a frustrated groan, and threw away one random Astral pulse, before clicking a button on his mask, opening it up and revealing his face.
“Fuck you.”
He inserted the Astral pulse into the cavity by his temple, the wires crackling as they were overwhelmed with newfound power so powerful Shroud had begun floating, sclera blackened and a red aura emitting from him.
“That was… worth the wait.” Shroud chuckled as he returned to the ground.
“Yes. I feel the power… I see it. I can see it all..”
Chad began to struggle again, standing up to his two deformed legs, just to get punched back into the ground, serving as a test dummy for Shroud.
“Yes… I see it there… every permutation–”
Shroud paused, and then began to vomit and cough, the Red aura dissipating and his fingers turning black.
“Uhoh.” Robert took a step back.
“Just a hunch, butttt I'm starting to think you guessed wrong.”
“No. No! It's just a–” There was a loud crack, and the green vomit of lunch turned bloodier.
“Maybe you got too close to Flambae while you were busy threatening him.”
Shroud, already losing the last of his humanity, lunged at Robert.
At this point, Robert accepted his fate. A claw dug into his shoulder, and he got he suddenly felt a bit dizzy.
He heard something… someone… Then the claw wasn't digging into his shoulder anymore.
But before he could process what happened… everything turned black.
Robert woke up to a gasp, and quickly sat up just to groan in pain. He put a hand over his shoulder just to notice bandages…
…he was in the infirmary.
And surrounded by people.
Blonde Blazer was the first voice that he could understand. She looked glad.
“Glad to see you're finally awake.”
“Shroud… What happened to him?”
“He's dead.” She replied.
“You were lucky we found you before he started beating your ass.” Sonar replied, attempting to lighten up the mood.
“Chad… where's Chad? Is he cured?”
Then their expressions changed.
“Robert… the cure…”
“It won't work on him. He's fully infected.”
Robert's eyes widened.
“What?”
“We've tried our best. But the treatment would only work on people in the early stages.”
“Well then make one that will work on him!” Robert protested, but Blazer just shook his head.
“All of the fully infected have been euthanized, Robert. We can't.”
Robert felt tears well up in his eyes. “No, no. Fuck! You have to do something!”
Then he saw Blazer pull out something. A gun. Shroud's gun. His dad's gun. Still had that one bullet.
“Look, Robert. He was only calm around you. He laid near you while you were unconscious. He won't let anyone else go near him, keeps bursting into flames.”
She placed the gun in his hands, and Robert sobbed at the implication.
“You want me to…”
“Yes. Robert. Please, he's the only one left.”
Robert stood up, pulling the wires off of him. “Fine. Fucking fine.”
Blazer picked him up, and carried him out of the room, aware of his injuries.
There, he was taken to Chad's cell. The infected man was pacing in circles like a caged animal. Flames immediately burst from its body once it saw them enter.
But it calmed at the sight of Robert.
Blazer placed down Robert gently, and exited the cell. “We're all here for you. Robert. Just a quick shot to his head..”
“I know what to do… don't… just don't fucking describe it to me.” He limped over to Chad, who clicked and snarled but made no attempt to attack.
“I'm so sorry, Chad. Sorry that this had to happen…”
He kneeled near him, letting the infected calm slightly.
“I loved you, Chad. I wish I would've said that ages ago. I wish I had never sent you on that mission.”
The infected approached him, and Robert pulled it into a hug. The infected made no move.
“I loved you. I loved you so much.”
He put the gun to the infected's temple.
“I wish it didn't have to end this way. I wish they had found a cure.”
The infected closed its eyes, as if knowing what was coming and accepting it.
Bang.
And then… it was over.