Chapter Text
He had been the most powerful being in the world. He defeated Earth's greatest champion. For six months, he reigned supreme. Robotnik may have named the subjugated world the "Eggman Empire," but it was Infinite's victory.
Then some miserable little coward brought Sonic back. A weak, pathetic insect, not even worth killing. If Infinite had the chance now, he would kill that spineless rebel a thousand times over.
In this place, maybe he actually could.
Infinite wandered through the impossibly vast chemical plant. If he stared into the distance, past the glowing red cubes that hung in the air, he could see the patterns created by the same small chunk of geometry being repeated endlessly. Virtual reality was nothing but a realm of illusion, after all.
It increasingly felt like Infinite's power had been entirely illusory. He had vowed to never fail, never falter, to never be weak again, but he still ended up here, after all his accomplishments crumbled into nothing.
Maybe he let the power get to his head. He'd gone easy on Sonic and the toy soldier, let them live more than once instead of crushing them into oblivion, the way he dreamed of doing now. He had had so much time to reflect. He had no idea how much time anymore.
It was long enough to acquire a roommate, unfortunately. Infinite could handle being alone. In fact, he craved it. Stewing in his thoughts only honed his rage. He would need that kind of clarity when he escaped. What he didn't need was an undercooked buffoon.
The Phantom Ruby had somehow picked up a younger version of Doctor Robotnik, a Robotnik who had never even tasted greatness. All the doctor did was mope. He would occasionally half-heartedly tinker with phantasmal machinery, which would be useful if he actually built anything, but it seemed he was just going through the motions. It was pathetic. He also didn't speak, which was somehow even more infuriating. He could've had valuable information about the Phantom Ruby, but all Infinite got was charades.
The factory transitioned into desert. In the background, copies of the pyramid fortress where Infinite had first met the older Robotnik repeated endlessly. The younger Robotnik was flat on his back on the sand, limbs splayed. Infinite scoffed.
"What are you doing?"
Robotnik gestured vaguely. Infinite screamed in frustration.
"Why are you here?! Give me something! Anything! Justify your worthless existence!"
He took a deep breath. He was losing his cool. He needed to focus. There had to be something he could do. He needed a way out, back to the world he desperately wanted to raze. He needed more power.
He needed a place to start.
Infinite stomped on Robotnik's stomach, then continued walking past. In the distance, he could see a phantasmal image of Jackal Squad. His old team, with himself at the lead, unmasked and holding a red sword. They were posed mid-action like a classical frieze. Infinite found himself drawn to the display.
He almost missed his teammates. Almost. The loss of Jackal Squad was the greatest symbol of his former self's weakness, and grieving would only weaken him further. He would not become a useless wreck like the would-be conqueror he shared his prison with.
Infinite approached his copy, cringing at the sight of his own face. He clenched his fist tightly and almost swung. Then he had an idea. He reached out tentatively toward the sword. It felt real enough. Why shouldn't it? Virtual reality was an illusion, but it was a convincing one. Infinite unfolded his copy's grip and took the sword for himself. He swung it through the air experimentally, half-expecting it to disintegrate.
The weight of the sword in his hand flooded his mind with memories. Memories of his old life, back when he thought being the ultimate mercenary meant something. The ghosts of Jackal Squad faded from view, though the sword remained. Darkness fell over the desert as the sand was replaced with grass. Trees sprouted up all around, interspersed with neon lights. An army of robots appeared, then exploded.
Infinite felt his claws biting into his flesh. He hadn't even realized he was squeezing that tightly.
The image was completed by a black and red hedgehog, caught in the middle of a flying kick. Shadow. The one who wiped out Jackal Squad. The one who humiliated the ultimate mercenary. This was it. This was Infinite's greatest moment of weakness. He closed his stinging eyes and swung his sword at Shadow, feeling only air.
He opened his eyes to see a room built from bare metal with caution tape trim. Robotnik was sitting on a couch watching television. The doctor turned to look blankly at Infinite. The jackal screamed and lunged at Robotnik, pressing his blade against the latter's throat.
"Build me something useful or I will end your miserable life."
Robotnik waved his hands and shook his head frantically. He reached behind his back and pulled out a half-finished robotic arm with a claw at the end. Infinite smacked it away.
"Useless! I need power. I need a way out of here. Either you make this happen, or you will be the one who needs a new arm, do you understand?"
Robotnik held up a gloved finger and rose from the couch, careful to avoid Infinite's sword. He turned and walked through a door which opened automatically, then slammed shut. Infinite growled and tapped his foot. A few moments later, Robotnik returned with a chalkboard.
On the board there was a diagram that looked like it had been drawn by a child. It seemed to depict Robotnik building a machine of some kind. After a minute of studying the diagram and interpreting Robotnik's gestures, Infinite came to the conclusion that the doctor was planning to drain the Phantom Ruby's power into a sort of battery, which would supposedly destabilize the virtual prison enough to deposit its captives into the real world.
"You can build this? It will work?"
Robotnik put on a clearly forced smile and nodded shakily. Unconvincing, but there was no particular reason not to let the doctor try.
"Fine. Do it. Imagine yourself some supplies and get to work."
Robotnik let out the breath he was holding and returned through the door. Infinite picked up the robot arm and threw it at the television, shattering the screen. If this plan didn't work, he was going to take Robotnik apart. If it did work…
Well, then he would take the world apart.