Back at Resistance Headquarters… Rookie paced. Infinite still wasn’t waking up. Granted, Sonic had told him not to get his hopes up, but he still waited for some miracle, and at the same time knowing there would be none. “Please, wake up,” he whispered. Infinite was with his squad. He smiled. For the first time, he felt… At peace. Suddenly, he heard something. “Please, wake up.” He looked around. “Everything okay, Boss?” Crush asked. “Yes…” He turned to look at him. He swallowed hard. “Everything’s fine. But I need to ask you something.” “Anything,” Crush said seriously. Rookie heard something. He whirled around. Infinite sat straight up. “Gah! Oh…” He plopped back down onto the hospital bed. Rookie ran over. “Infinite?! You’re okay!” He gave him a hug. “Ouch, ouch, ouch. Still hurt,” Infinite muttered. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry. You okay?” He asked. “You were… I mean, you were dead. I thought you were gone for sure.” Infinite raised an eyebrow. “Aw. What, you were worried about me?” Rookie blushed. “No! I mean- no. No way!” Infinite nodded, smirking. “Oh, yes. I believe you.” He leaned back. Just then, he shot straight up and attempted to get out of the bed. “Wait, no. You’re still seriously injured. You are not getting up yet.” Rookie said, folding his arms. Infinite sighed. “Look, I have something I need to do.” he said, silently daring Rookie to stop him. Rookie sighed. “Come on, can’t it wait?” “No.” Infinite said. Rookie looked to the heavens like, what will I do with this guy? He shrugged. “Well, it’s not like I can stop you.” Infinite smiled. “Thanks.” He threw a ring down and was about to walk through when he turned around and said, “Don’t follow me.” Then he jumped through. When Infinite came through, he was back in the Mystic Jungle. He looked around, checking to make sure no one was watching, then he walked behind the facility. When he came to the other side, he sighed with relief. They’re still there, he thought. He was facing a small group of headstones. Each of them had the name of a member of the Jackal Squad. He pulled a small bouquet out of a ring and left it on the one that stood in front of the others. The name on it read, “Crush the Jackal”. He knelt down in front of it. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. A single tear slid down his cheek. Just then, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned his head to see Rookie. He wiped the tear away quickly and glared at him. “I thought I told you not to follow me,” he accused. Rookie rubbed the back of his neck. “Heh, I’m sorry-” he paused, noticing the small cemetery. “What’s this?” he asked. He noticed that Infinite wasn’t saying anything. “If it’s personal, I understand-” He said quickly. Infinite stood. “No, it’s fine. I… need to tell someone.” He turned to look at Rookie and told him about seeing his squad again, and his last promise to Crush. When he was done, Rookie wiped his eyes. He sniffed. “If you don’t mind…” “Go ahead.” Infinite said. “Why didn’t you stay there? You had your squad. I don’t feel like there was… well, much of a reason for you to come back.” He looked nervous, like he was afraid he’d said too much. Infinite took a deep breath, looking back at Crush’s headstone. “I don’t think I can rest… knowing that the person responsible for their deaths is alive.” “Oh,” Rookie said, looking a bit scared. Infinite laughed. “Not Shadow,” he assured him. “I still want to kill him, but… Crush and I talked about that. Eggman is the… real villain. If that explosion didn’t finish him off, then I will.” He looked at Rookie, worried he’d scared him. “Sorry,” he said, looking sheepish. Rookie smiled. “It’s okay. Trust me, I’m fine with that. Eggman’s a real slimeball.” Infinite laughed. Rookie looked confused. “What?” He asked. “Nothing. But… Slimeball?” He laughed again. “Um, sorry.” Rookie said, smiling. “It’s fine,” Infinite chuckled. “Was that the best insult you could come up with?” Rookie shrugged. “The only one I felt comfortable saying, at least.” Infinite smiled. He really was just a kid. “Come on,” he said, leading him away from the cemetery. “Let’s go… home.” He paused before saying the last word, as if trying it out. Rookie smiled. “Okay.” They walked off together, heading back home. When they got back, Sonic was waiting for them. “There you two are! Where’d you guys go?” he asked. “Nowhere,” Rookie answered. Infinite glanced at him, and he gave him a small, almost indiscernible nod. Infinite smiled. What had happened was still between just the two of them. Sonic nodded. “Okay…” he turned to Infinite. “Hey, I had a question for you.” Oh, no. Infinite thought. He sighed. “All right. Shoot.” The corners of Sonic’s mouth twitched. “Did you really just say ‘Shoot’? Anyways,” he said, sitting down, “Why were you willing to sacrifice yourself like that? I mean, we haven’t exactly been best buds in the past.” Infinite thought for a second.
“Well, before you two defeated me, I was…” “A jerk? A pain in the neck? A real slimeball?” Sonic volunteered, smirking. “Um, I was going to say ‘Not myself’ but…” Infinite raised an eyebrow. Sonic pouted, but then he perked up. “But the others still work, right?” He asked, grinning again. Infinite couldn’t help it. He laughed. Shadow stuck his head in. “Oh, you’re awake,” he said. “You sound disappointed,” Infinite noted. “Would you have missed me if I died?” Shadow thought for a minute, then he shook his head. “Nah.” Rookie punched him. “Hey, I’m just being honest!” Shadow said, laughing. Infinite smiled. “At least someone’s sticking up for me,” he said, fist bumping Rookie. Shadow looked at Sonic, like Is that a thing they’re doing now? Shadow rolled his eyes. “How’s your leg?” Infinite asked him. Shadow shrugged. “It’s fine. You done trying to kill me now?” Infinite gave him an evil grin. “I’m playing it by ear.” He said. Shadow raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what?” Infinite just smiled. Rookie grinned at him, then waved the others out. “The patient needs his rest. Now, shoo!” Infinite frowned. “Did you just call me ‘the patient’?” Rookie ran out, but Infinite could have sworn he was trying to hide a smile. That night, Infinite had a dream. He was with his squad again, destroying an Eggman base. Eggman gave him the same offer as last time, but this time Infinite killed him and took the Phantom Ruby before taking over the Eggman Empire. Him and his squad were happy. No one could stop them, and the world was practically theirs for the taking. The next morning, Infinite woke up smiling. Later, Rookie asked him if he regretted staying here rather than with his squad. “No,” Infinite answered. “Because, they’re not gone. Not really.” The dream could have just been an aftereffect of the Phantom Ruby, but Infinite didn’t mind. His squad might have been gone, but he would always remember them. And all he had to do was remember his last words to Crush before returning. “Crush, I think… I might have to go back. But… I can’t leave you again. Not after what happened last time.” he had said, a tear escaping. Crush had smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. “Aw, don’t worry, Boss. We’ll be here for you. Whenever you need us, we’ll always be right here.” He’d placed his hand on Infinite’s chest, covering the scar where the Phantom Ruby had been. Infinite had nodded, and they’d hugged. “So, go on, get! Remember, I’ll always be with you-” “-If I hold you in my heart. You know that sounds incredibly corny, right?” Infinite asked, making him laugh. Even though it was incredibly corny, he knew it was true. The Jackal Squad would always be with him. No matter what.
