Chapter Text
Gadget
It was a bizarre feeling… being princess carried at breakneck speeds by the all time famous hero of Mobius, but if they wanted to get to the Restoration at a reasonably fast pace then it was what had to be done.
When he was scooped up the first time, he was in a daze. Focusing on keeping his blood soaked hands away from the blue hedgehog so as to not accidentally dirty him as well. But after they stopped at a stream and cleaned up, he was a lot more flustered at the situation as they resumed their journey. He tried his best to stay perfectly still, not wanting to draw attention to himself while allowing for the other to focus on his run.
It didn't take long for them to skid up to the Restoration’s doors, Sonic placing the red wolf down on his feet and asking after the condition of the Jackal. He seemed to be avoiding calling the other ‘Infinite’, so it seemed as though they didn't want it getting out who exactly the other was yet, even within the organization.
Gadget thought that it was a losing battle with how ‘Infinite’ specific his chest wound was, but maybe the medical staff were instructed to stay quiet about it?
As they passed through the doors to the medical wing’s lobby, the first thing Gadget locked onto was the huddle of medical staff standing by the doors to the operating rooms, they were speaking in a hushed murmur with grim expressions on their faces. The scarlet wolf paused for a moment and fell behind the hero, were they too late? Did Infinite not make it?
Sonic strolled up to the group with a practiced grin and wave, “Hey guys! You wouldn't happen to have the scoop on our new patient would ya?”
The group turned to the newcomers and lit up in obvious joy and relief.
“Mr. Sonic! Thank goodness you're here! Yes, the guy that Mr. Shadow brought here is still in surgery.” one of the staff, a golden furred tigress chirped. Her mood shifted as she started speaking again.
“He’s in critical condition, we aren't sure he’ll be able to pull through with how bad his injuries are. The crystal that was in his chest seemed to have been tied directly to his life force and its absence is causing a reaction much like removing vital organs, without the power from it we don't believe his body can sustain itself without outside assistance.”
The blue hedgehog hums while tapping his foot, eyes flickering about the ceiling as he collects his thoughts. Gadget looked through the windows on the double doors that led into the hallway, the OR sign was lit up in a haunting red. His confidence in the jackal surviving was dimming as the minutes ticked by. Even if he did somehow survive this, he would probably be on machines for the rest of his life.
Permanently bedridden and miserable, a prison in its own right.
Gadget’s spiral of thoughts were interrupted by a snap of Sonic’s fingers as he finished his pondering session.
“Alright, I think I have an idea. So, my little bro has been researching a gem that he found in one of Egghead’s bases, and it has kiiiinda similar properties to the Ruby. Dramatically weaker but it might have enough power to keep our friend here stabilized, do you think that if we tried to replace his old battery with a new one it might work?” the hedgehog inquired.
The staff looked taken aback by the concept, but started discussing amongst each other. The wolf was shocked by Sonic's solution. Why would they give Infinite, a very well known dangerous individual, who is still very much a villain, another powerful gem? Just to save his life? Just to give him the option of redeeming his past actions? That could put so many people at risk.
Sonic seemed to catch Gadget's expression, striding up to the other and throwing his arm around the wolf’s shoulders.
“It’ll be alright, this gem is way less destructive. Tails said the only ability it has is simple illusions that have no physicality. Otherwise it's just a minor power source, nothing like the Phantom Ruby or an Emerald.”
Gadget calmed a bit at that, but still looked questioningly at the other.
“Researching it? Was it with the fake Rubies?”
“Yeah it was in the same base, we took all of the gems that they had on location to try and get a good idea of what kind of power Eggman could throw at us the next time, and more importantly, have countermeasures. Didn't want a similar situation happening.” the bluenette chuckled with a wince.
A different staff member made his way over to the two, a dark purple raven, bowing his head before announcing their verdict.
“While it is not guaranteed to work, we want to give it a shot ,transplanting a new power source for the patient that is. This would be an experimental surgery with no success rate, are you alright with this?”
Sonic gives a confident nod before grinning, “If there's a chance of things working out then I'm game, what about you Gadget? You okay with this?”
The wolf takes a deep breath in and nods. He was the one who started this, so he needed to see this through.
“Understood, we would need that gem as soon as you could get it to us. We’ll prepare for the new surgery until then, would one of you be willing to tell us more about how exactly these injuries were acquired? It may assist in our reconstruction.”
“Yep, my friend here can catch you up to speed on that, I'll grab the gem right now. Be back in a flash!”
Sonic zoomed out of the med bay, throwing up some papers on the reception desk in his haste.
It didn't take too long for the doctors to be caught up on the incident, Sonic making his way back relatively quickly with Tails in tow, he handed off the gem while the yellow fox followed the doctors in, explaining the properties of the gem as they left.
The two heroes ended up being placed in a smaller waiting room within the medical wing, it was a waiting game now.
The exhaustion from the day was finally crashing in on the scarlet wolf, it had to have been around 4 a.m. by this point. Amy had momentarily stopped in to chat with Sonic but otherwise it was a silent stretch of time as they waited on the surgery’s outcome.
After what was likely several more hours, the doors to the operating room clicked open, startling the wolf back to full attention. Sonic had fallen asleep in his chair across from him but Gadget himself hadn't been able to get any sleep, instead staring off into space as he processed the last set of hours.
Tails walked out with two other doctors, beelining straight over to the waiting area.
He looked just as tired as Gadget felt himself, but the blonde’s expression also carried a focused calmness to it.
Sonic awoke with a nudge from the brother, blinking the sleep away and stretching his arms out.
“Morning everyone… looks like things have finished up?” he mutters with a grunt.
Tails nods, “Yes, The surgery was a success. We were able to get the Revenant Alexandrite to resonate with his body thankfully.” the smaller Mobian reports.
The Raven from earlier stepped up behind him adding “If nothing else goes wrong then he should be able to start the healing process with no issues, I doubt we would have been able to get this far without Mr. Prower’s guidance, so we thank you again for assisting us in this procedure.”
Tails was momentarily caught off guard before bashfully chuckling, a light blush dusting his cheeks at the praise. “No no I didn't do much, if it weren't for you guys I don't think he would have stayed alive long enough to be saved. You guys are the real miracle workers here.”
Sonic lets out a soft snort, “You were both key players in this going off without a hitch, you both deserve congratulations for what you pulled off. I know this wasn't easy but you all took it head on.” he swings forward and shifts off the chair. “Now then, the real question is what happens next!” he turns to Gadget with a tired smile, raising a hand to brush out his misplaced quills from his nap.
“We’ll probably hold a proper meeting around noon today, but until then would you be ok with staying by him until I find someone to replace you? I know you’re probably ready to hit the hay but I don't want him waking up alone or to risk pissing off Shadow more.”
Gadget drowsily nods, pushing out of the chair. “I can watch him, but could I have a temporary room for after?"
“Yeah, of course! I'll send the next guy over with a key for ya. I'm gonna make some rounds and get everyone on the same page then, see you soon buddy.” the hedgehog says as he turns and walks out, Tails following after with a wave towards Gadget as he left.
Gadget accompanies the doctors to a private patient room secluded at the back of the healing branch. Surprisingly, the room had a window. He assumed that they would have had the former villain on complete lockdown, but guessed that the other’s injuries would likely prevent him from being able to make any real attempts, or at least for the first few weeks anyways.
The window overlooked an enclosed courtyard, a small garden bathed in the early morning sun bordering the pathways. The staff hadn't brought in his new charge yet, so he took to settling on a small sofa that sat just under the window.
Sounds from the rest of the restoration were slowly starting to swell as the Mobians started to rise and go about their morning. Maybe he could convince one of the wandering nurses to grab him a coffee, he was truly dead on his feet at this point.
His tired mental ramblings were interrupted by the sounds of several people making their way down the hall, he could hear them calling out to each other as they maneuvered what was likely Infinite’s Gurney bed over.
He had assumed correctly, his breath hitching at the sight that met him when they pushed the rolling bed through the door.
Infinite was covered in a thick layer of bandages, only some of his left side and torso visible. The white in his fur was tinted a faint pinkish brown from blood that couldn't be cleaned out, right arm and leg surrounded in a cast. They had him in an oxygen mask, an IV bag and several other tubes of substances running from his free arm. His neck was collared in a neck brace, the base of it gently resting on his chest.
That was where the most damage was visible, where his old ruby used to sit was a smaller deeper red - nearly purple gem that took on an almost heart shaped crescent appearance. Humorous, given its aid in keeping him alive.
The surrounding area around the gem was heavily stitched together, the blast having shredded his chest apart. He couldn't imagine the pain felt with just breathing, the villain would need to be under heavy pain killers for a long time.
The doctors set the head of the bed against the wall and hooked him into the already established vital monitoring equipment, the jackals heart rate filling the room not long after.
After some quick words from the staff, they were gone, leaving Gadget with the injured foe. A calm silence overtook the room as the wolf examined the other. This would be an undeniably long healing journey, he could only hope that Infinite would be cooperative.
He wasn't sure what all was in store for the villain outside of the loose idea of “redemption”. While it was likely that people wouldn't recognise him immediately since he had never shown his face. His chest injury and protruding gem would be dead giveaways. They could try to keep him out of sight as he worked with the Restoration but it would severely limit his impact, not to mention that being forced to hide would probably hinder any progress in redeeming himself.
Being treated as a dirty secret wouldn't do well for believing that you were allowed to change, it would cause way more problems than it would solve. Gadget sighed, these would be things that needed to be addressed later. For now he just needed to focus on keeping watch over the other as he healed, and hope that he did the right thing in saving the other.