Chapter 1 – What Remained

A/N: Hey everyone, it's been years since I wrote a Sonic fic, but after playing Sonic Forces I wanted to write about Infinite because I feel there is so much potential in his character.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Sonic series.

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He opened his eyes to a blinding light. He hissed and looked away as it began to sting his eyes. He was laying on a table of some sort and could hear voices speaking over him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. His vision was blurry and his thoughts were muddled.

He tried to sit up, but he found himself too weak to stand up. He felt completely drained and drowsy for some reason. It wasn't long until the numbness in his body slowly subsided and he felt it. An intense pain pulsing in his chest and he gasped, curling up on himself and clutching it.

Everything hurt. He gritted his teeth and screwed his eyes shut as the pain continued coursing through his body. He was struggling to breathe. He felt as if his skin was on fire. There was more movement around him and someone was yelling, but it all sounded so far away. He tried to will the pain away, but it won't stop!

He lay there for a while, eyes closed as he tried to focus on something other than the pulsing in his chest. He slowly glanced over at the person towering over him. The doctor. His brows were furrowed in confusion and slight alarm.

"Wha…what's happening to me?" he managed to gasp out through gritted teeth. His hearing slowly seemed to come back as the sounds of monitors and peeping machines reached his ears.

"It's seems we haven't taken into account the possible negative side effects of the Ruby being connected to an organic life form," Eggman answered, rubbing his head in frustration. His plan was just beginning and something was already going wrong! "We'll have to remove it right away and maybe try it on a robot-"

"NO!" He growled at the man. "I…I can handle this. I'll walk it off," He forced himself to sit up and winced in pain, digging his claws into the hard wood. No, no! He wasn't going to back down now. He wasn't going to let anything hold him back. If this will give him the power he wanted then he would accept whatever came with it.

Gritting his teeth, he turned to sit on the edge of the table and hopped off. His legs shook and he swayed a little before quickly reaching for the table's side to steady himself.

The doctor looked uncertain at this, but fortunately he didn't protest. "Fine, but I'll still need to do some check-ups on you to make sure everything is alright."

Body trembling, he held his hand over his chest and the gem. It glowed and he winced.

It's going to be worth it. This pain is nothing.

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Somewhere in the mountains, a single figure was dashing through the dark forest, moving through the shadows swiftly.

Infinite finally stopped behind a tree to catch his breath. He peeked behind the tree at the lights flashing in the dark. They were clearly not planning on giving up.

Scowling, he turned around and began running again, hoping to lose them in the trees. He ran as fast as he could down the path and jumped over a log, his eyes searching for a place for him to hide in.

Just then, as soon as he stepped into a clearing a bright light flashed before him and made him shield his eyes.

"Don't move!" the man growled. They were two men, one pointing the flashlight in his direction while the other was pointing the end of a tranquilizer gun at him. They both had the letters G.U.N on their vests.

Infinite tensed up and bared his teeth behind his mask.

"It's over. There is nowhere you could run!" The man muttered and glanced at his partner. "Shoot him now!

Infinite glanced at the other human who flinched under his gaze. He was afraid, Infinite could tell. It made him smirk in satisfaction, seeing people still cower in fear before him.

The agent scowled. "What are you waiting for, I said shoot him!"

The other grimaced. "B-but…what if…what if he…"

"Don't worry about that. Shadow said he lost all of his powers. He can't do anything anymore," the agent scoffed.

That hit a nerve with the jackal and he clutched his fists angrily. They…they don't see him as a threat. They think he's powerless now without Eggman and the Ruby. They….they…..

"Hey, don't you dare underestimate me!" He snarled and immediately charged at them. The humans were too startled by this to react in time. The one with the gun tried shooting at him, but he evaded the dart and it missed his shoulder by an inch.

Infinite didn't give him the chance to shoot again as he lunged at him and kicked his weapon away before knocking him out with a swift punch to the jaw. He then turned to the other agent who attempted to draw out a weapon, but the mercenary gave him no time as he leapt into the air and took him down as well.

Infinite stood there for a moment, panting. There was a time when he could have taken out his enemies without breaking a sweat, effortlessly. Unconsciously, he reached over his chest where the gem should be, but all there was just a scar.

He felt no power, just pain.

By the time the other agents showed up, all they found were the two unconscious men in the clearing and a trail of tracks that disappeared in the trees.

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A/N: Thanks for reading and please review!