Spirit of the Phantom Ruby

Part 11 - Infinite is Omniscient As Well, Apparently

The genius fox quietly opened the door and stepped down the stairs into the depths of Gadget's basement. The stairway was well-lit with electricity, but it had a strange, old smell to it, like the wolf wasn't the first one to live in the cottage. Tails left the last step and entered another room that was remarkable cooler than the upstairs had been. In the corner of the room sat the red wolf, leaning against the wall and staring dully at the mechanic box that held the ruby in place. The gem itself was dull and unresponsive, and Gadget looked to be on the verge of falling asleep before Tails came in.

"Hey buddy!" Tails said cheerily. "Mind if I borrow the gem for a bit?"

"Sure, just be careful." Gadget replied, standing up and hand him the containment box. "The gem's been dormant ever since that outburst back in base. I don't know if he's safe to be around or not."

"I'll be cautious." Tails said reassuringly, and he took the box from Gadget back up the stairs.

The yellow-orange fox kicked open the door to his temporary workshop and set the heavy container on the table beside the unfinished diffuser on the floor he had been working on. There was no recovering the previous machine, so the genius fox unfortunately had to start completely over, using scraps and retired pieces of electrical equipment. Fortunately, he was well on the way to completion.

Tails reached for his power drill before stopping in surprise as the ruby began glowing.

"Hey Infinite, you awake?" He asked, tilting his head at the box.

The gem did nothing in return. Shrugging, Tails grasped his drill and stepped around the table, kneeling down to examine the mechanics. He paused as he noticed the gem slowly rotate, following his movements.

"I'm going to repair the diffuser," the fox explained, fascinated. "When it's done, we'll be able to separate you from the ruby!"

The gem remained still, so Tails again shrugged and continued working. He was about five minutes in when he noticed yet again that the ruby was moving. It spun slowly in a circle, but there was no change in the intensity of its glow. Tails finally set his drill down and got up, grabbing the gem from the box. Infinite appeared before him, and Tails gave him a friendly smile.

"I can't communicate with anyone when I'm inside the containment chamber." The jackal's tone wasn't annoyed, just tired. Tails laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry, I should have known." He set the gem on the desk and returned to the machine.

The jackal watched him silently as he worked, occasionally looking over his shoulder for some reason.

"So... back at the base..." Tails took off his welding mask and stood up the metal chamber. "How do you think Eggman got there so quickly?"

Infinite blinked disinterestedly. "Probably was hanging around, waiting for Shadow and me to show up again."

"It was such an organized ambush, though! They all came out of the vents and ceilings!" Tails grabbed a dismembered control panel and pressed it against the side of the metal chamber, attaching it with bolts. "And then when you-!"

"Shadow's about to come in." The jackal interrupted, looking away from the door.

Seconds later it was pushed open by the dark hedgehog, and Tails looked from him to Infinite in surprise.

"Rise and shine, your majesty." Shadow jeered as he shut the door behind him. "You must have supernatural senses."

"You must be here to stand guard." Infinite replied, completely unfazed. "Why else would you be in such a jolly mood?"

"Why do we need a guard?" Tails asked. "I don't think-!"

"Eggman may still be after the ruby." Shadow replied, crossing his arms and standing a few feet away from the table.

"But wouldn't Infinite just-?"

"He's waiting for the first diffusion." Infinite explained, still sounding exhausted. "Then he'll make his move."

"Okay, but how does he know about the-?"

"I told him, windbag. Back when you first gave the gem up, before he betrayed me." The jackal's tone was suddenly sharp.

"Hey, it's my job to be a jerk, not yours." Shadow snapped at him.

"Whatever." Infinite huffed back. His gaze slowly turned away from the wall and up towards the ceiling. The glowing jackal's eyes suddenly narrowed.

"Didn't you say the robots came through the vents, Tails?" He asked, his gaze penetrating the ceiling tile.

Tails nodded, looking up from the machine once more. "And the ceiling! It was-!"

The overhead vent shot off the ceiling and landed on the ground with a loud crash, small red particles flickering around it. Tails cried out in shock at the sight of the metallic bug the size and shape of a soccer ball which sat atop of the piece of metal, its red bug-eyes staring up at them.

"I think we have a little spybot in our midst..." Infinite sneered, glaring down at it. "Hello, doctor..."

He clenched his glowing hand into a fist, and without warning, the robot suddenly internally combusted. It let out a pitiful squeak as it sparked out and its outer shall crushed inwards, crumpling it into a ball of lifeless metal. Shadow and Tails both stared at it, both disturbed by how systematic yet inadvertent its ending had been.